“Yes,” he answered. “I am referring toDr. Sanders.”
He stressed the honorific in the same way she had and didn’t miss her clearing her throat at his correction.
It could’ve been him just being sensitive to the way folks tried to dismiss the doctor title if you didn’t have the right kind of doctorate, such as an MD or PhD. Adam had fallen on the end of that particular kind of disrespect with his EdD too many times to count. He wasn’t about to allow it to happen to Janae in his presence, especially when it seemed like this was a personal attack.
“Yes,” she spoke in a clipped tone. “You seem to be working closely with Dr. Sanders. I’m glad to see that your efforts are benefiting the district. Just be sure that it continues to do so.”
If he had any doubt before that this wasn’t about a professional matter, the not-so-subtle edict she’d slipped into their exchange set him to rights.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Brent, do you have a problem with Dr. Sanders?”
“No,” she quickly responded. “I just don’t know if it’s such a good idea for the superintendent to be seen being so… chummy with the head of the PTA, especially in this situation when thedistrict will likely have to close down the program she’s fighting to save.”
Adam remained silent, giving her the space she needed to get to the point he was waiting for her to make. While his efforts at saving the program were well within her purview to oversee, she damn sure wasn’t interrupting his weekend to ask about numbers she could’ve, and probably already did, read.
He heard a belabored breath from her end of the phone and figured she was finally ready to speak plainly with him.
“Since you have no direct contact with her son as an educator, we both know I can’t legally ask if you’re dating her.”
He was glad she was at least owning that fact. If she’d stepped a toe over the line, he was going to remind her of that fact too.
“This is a small town and people talk, Adam. I would hate to see the promising career you could have here in Monroe Hills derailed because your personal life interfered with you doing your job.”
Adam sat up straight in his chair, clearing his throat before he began. He needed to make certain he had his mind and his tone right before he ended up with an insubordination charge in his file.
“Dr. Brent, thank you for your concern regarding my career but I’m well in control of it.”
“I’m glad you can—”
“However,” he continued dipping his voice into his lower register so she knew he meant every word he was about to say. “As you’ve already stated, my personal life is off-limits and off the table for discussion. If there’s nothing else, I’ll make sure to update you on any new information I come across regarding the arts program.”
“Thank you, Dr. Henderson.”
Adam nodded. More for himself than for her. Her using his professional title was proof that he’d gotten his message across.
“Thank you, Dr. Brent. You have a good rest of your evening,”
There was no version of himself where Adam had ever spoken to a superior like that. He knew his tone was professional, but he’dmade it clear he wouldn’t tolerate Dr. Brent meddling in his personal life. He couldn’t rightly say where that had come from, only that defending Janae and her presence in his life was a gut reaction he didn’t even have to think about.
His therapist would call that emotional growth and boundary setting. Whatever the technical term for it, Adam just knew it was right. Now, if he could only manage to handle his father’s meddling into his life so succinctly.
Chapter 22
“Heyyyyy, Adam.”
She paired her sultry greeting with a teasing wiggle of her fingers as he made his way to her porch. He struggled hard to keep his focus on his steps and not her. He didn’t want to end up face-planting on her steps and risk injuring himself. He had plans for the two of them, and none of them included spending time in an emergency room.
When he was finally standing in front of her, he inhaled slowly as his gaze climbed up her body and then down again.
Jane stood there with an off-the-shoulder graphic sweatshirt that readIT DON’T GET NO BETTER, a black pair of sleek leggings that put every one of her thick and tempting curves on display, and a pair of black wedge booties that did wonderful things to her hips and thighs. Adam was inclined to agree with the shirt’s sentiment.
Between high school, college, and the NBA, Adam never lacked female company. His companions had come in all shapes and sizes from slim to full-figured. And while he’d enjoyed every one of them for who they were, he’d be lying if he said there wasn’t something about a thick sistah, plump and soft in all the right places, hips, waist, thighs, hell all of her, that just did it for him.
His adolescent brain used to regularly short-circuit every time he saw Janae’s teenaged, shapely body in her gym uniform.
He’d fumbled more crossovers than he could remember every time he’d caught sight of her doing drills on the sidelines during practice. Now he’d gauge she’d filled out somewhere between a sixteen and an eighteen dress size, and her curves were still putting a hurting on his ability to focus all these years later.
“Hey, yourself,” he answered, taking the hand whose fingers she’d wiggled at him a few seconds ago and using it to pull her into his embrace. The feel of her wrapped in his arms, pressed so close against him, made his blood run hot. “I missed you.”
