“Speaking of getting head,” Mya sang. “Jackie better call Antonio. Apparently, he has some kind of magic juju that makes her talk. Isn’t that what you said, Bronwyn?”
“Well, I didn’t saythat, exactly,” Bronwyn clarified. “But Jackie, it wouldn’t hurt to see if, uhm, certain circumstances are the common denominator when it comes to your voice. Think of it as an experiment!”
“One that ends in multiple orgasms,” Tanika added. “Oh, and your voice back too. Obviously.”
“I kinda like Jackie not talking,” Mya said. “Makes for a much more peaceful lunch.”
All three of them snickered as Jackie fumed.
“You better hope I never get my voice back,” Jackie typed. “Because I really want to curse you all the duck out.”
Tanika, Bronwyn, and Mya howled with laughter.Dammit Honeysuckle! Some tech whiz you are!
CHAPTER 30
Antonio sat in his office, tossing a stress football between his hands, trying to calm down. He wasn’t exactly upset, but he was annoyed. Jackie was giving him the brush-off. She’d been giving him the brush-off for a couple of days now. Granted, she wasn’t exactly talking to anyone. The voice thing seemed to be very real, not an act—in the last board meeting, she hadn’t said much and just nodded, using the app only when necessary. After the meeting, Donny had stopped him to ask what was up with Jackie, and Antonio chose to feign ignorance.
“I guess it’s severe laryngitis,” he lied. But he knew it was deeper than that. She had been communicating just fine after they…and well…duringas well. Antonio shook his head and palmed his dick through his slacks. He wasn’t trying to get a hard-on at work thinking about the one woman who didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Maybe PJ was right. Maybe he had gone a little too hard at her. He should have just enjoyed the moment for what it was—two adults having adult fun, living in the moment. The problem was, Antonio didn’t want the moment to end. He’d let her get away once. He couldn’t let that happen again.
His cellphone rang, and he saw his parents’ names flashing. Smiling, he answered the video call.
“Hey, my people. Where are you world travelers now?”
“Hey baby! We’re in Zanzibar!” His mother was wearing a bright pink straw hat, her skin glowing in the sun. “We decided to hop over here and make this our last stop in East Africa before we head west. It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen water so blue.”
“You said the same thing in St. Lucia, Annette! Water is blue everywhere! It’s water!” Horace said in the background.
“Hush, Horace,” his mother fussed. “Anyway, I’m calling to check on you, and to tell you about the wonderful surprise your father and I got the other day.”
Antonio scratched his head. Had he sent his parents something? He sent gifts sometimes on a whim, but he didn’t have an address for them on this trip. “What was the surprise?”
“Our grandson!” Annette beamed, radiating joy through the screen. “He called us. He said he just wanted to say hi, to catch up. He asked us all about our travels. He tried to send us some money, but we assured him that we were fine. We wouldn’t dare take a dime from him!”
Antonio was sure that was new for PJ—love from someone that wasn’t transactional. He’d have to make sure to have a talk with him about that. He didn’t need to throw money at anyone to get affection, but especially not Antonio’s parents. All they wanted to do was love on him.
“And,” Annette continued, “he told us about how his season is going. They’re saying he may be Rookie of the Year? That’s wonderful! I’m sure you’re proud.”
Horace got on camera, finally. His dad was rocking a pretty thick beard and his well-worn Virginia State hat. “He’s a fine young man, son.”
Antonio nodded. “He is.”
