A Menu For Loving Read online

  “Man, you’re the enemy,” another said jokingly.

  What does the P stand for?

  While the guys pulled him away, Jennifer tried to listen. Apparently, Tony had played football for a rival school. The constant buzzing about her ears was distracting as the witches of Piney Brook High chatted away at her, pelting her with questions about Tony. “Ladies, why are you all asking so many questions about my man?” Which brought them all to heel.

  “Baby, I’m going to the bar. I’ll bring you something back to wet that sexy whistle,” he said as he followed the guys toward the bar area. Like a second thought of intuition tapped him on the shoulder, he came back to her, and pulled her close again. “I think you forgot my kiss. Give Daddy his sugar, baby.”

  She could not help but grin like a fool as she leaned forward to kiss him, only to be lifted from her feet as his mouth slanted over hers again and again while he turned her in a slow circle. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, playing with her own until he finally put her back on solid ground. She was slightly dizzy and wobbly on her feet. “Be back in a minute to follow that up with something even wetter,” he said as he winked at her.

  Catherine said what Jennifer was thinking. “What he is planning to happen in your room later seems a helluva lot more fun that what is happening down here.”

  But it wasn’t true. It was so far from the truth that as the evening progressed, he became more amusing. She whispered to Tony in a low voice, “You are really enjoying yourself aren’t you?”

  “Baby, you have no idea how much fun I’m having,” he told her as his hand roamed across her butt cheek. The evening’s activities were like a big theme park for her date, who seemed to find a great deal of delight in his choices of ways to shock and tickle her.

  The first large enjoyment came when a song that she loved came on and she wanted to dance. “I dance like the white boy that I am, you are not getting me on the dance floor,” he said adamantly. “I am not going out there looking like an unseen puppet master is trying to teach me to be Elvis!”

  “That is shocking, considering you have been channeling you inner homeboy for the past few hours,” she told him as she ran her hand up his arm.

  “You aren’t kidding. When I saw you turn around in the dress and I caught a glimpse of dat ass, I got all crunk. You even have a little mini-shelf back there,” he chuckled as he rested his hand on top of her butt.

  Jennifer found herself genuinely laughing and even enjoying herself the more he talked. The way he played with words and his word choices had her nearly hanging on his every syllable. Something that he did not let go unnoticed. He grinned as he pulled her in close. “You keep looking at me like you want some of this....” This only made her smile bigger. All of that occurred in the first hour of meeting him.

  Throughout the next two hours, she also found herself appreciating his company. They were so in sync that, for a minute, it almost felt real. She fed him appetizers and finger foods as he licked her digits to get every drop. He, in turn, gazed into her eyes when he spoke to her, and randomly, during her responses to him, he would kiss her for no reason. It was an odd trust of sorts and she wanted to test how much of what she was experiencing was real. She wanted to at least dance once with him. Curiosity was propelling her into a random kitchen to heat a pot of water just to watch it boil. Jennifer wanted to be in his arms and move with him. “Tony, I would like to dance,” she whispered in his ear.

  “I am not any good at it, but I can two step,” he told her as his finger rolled across her shoulder blade.

  “Fair enough, if you are willing, let me guide you and show you some basic dance moves.” She pulled him by the hand to the dance floor as Dark Horse started. Her hands around his waist, she leaned into his strength, whispering in his ear, “Dancing is just like making love. We match each other’s movement. When I move forward with my right, you step back with your left.” She counted off to three and he stepped backwards. “Feel my hips against yours, rock with me.”

  When the tempo of the music changed, she told him, “Listen and feel the undertones of the beat.” He followed, swaying, rocking, and moving with her. “That’s good. Now double up on that move.” Tony rocked with her. “Sit back in it, during this soft part. Move just your shoulders,” she said. “Good, the tempo is about to change, ready?” she asked.

  “Now you take over,” she told him.

  Tony’s hands came up, cupping her face as he kissed her again while moving his hips in a basic rhythm, which she matched and followed along with. She pulled away from the kiss and gazed into his eyes as she followed his movement with her hips. They were totally in sync. If it wasn’t real, it certainly felt like it.

  Someone yelled, “Get a room!”

  The song ended and he stopped, simply staring at her. “That’s a good idea and I have one.” He pulled her by her hand towards the door.

  “Wait, where are we going?”

  “To my room,” he said as they rounded the corner to the elevators. He pressed impatiently on the button for the car to arrive, pulling her inside when it did.

  “What makes you think this is going to happen?” she asked.

  Tony unfastened the buttons on his jacket, allowing the fabric to fall open. He pulled her closer to him, yanking her hand towards his body and opening the jacket, placing her hand on the reason logic was leaving them both. “I have been making out with you for damn near three hours and I am so turnt up right now, telling me no would be cruel and unusual punishment.”

  The elevator stopped and he stepped out. Jennifer leaned against the back of the elevator walls, staring at him, questioning what she was doing. Wanting him yet knowing it was not a smart move, but it had been so long since she had enjoyed the touch of a man. Tony extended his hand to her. “Come with me, Jen, let me make love to you.”

  Uncertain legs led her through the doors as she slipped her hand into his to be guided to his room. The ideas he gently laid in the dish of her mind were adorned with sexy ribbons, covered with chocolate, dripping with lust, and she wanted to sample everything on the platter. Jennifer knew she must have left half of her common sense in the elevator with her inhibitions because he basically screwed the rest of it out her head.

  Fine as caviar...

  If there was one thing Jennifer’s father had instilled in her about men, it was this: a man will tell you everything you want to hear, but his actions will tell you who he is. For three hours, Tony P – and she was sad to admit that she didn’t know what the P stood for, let alone his last name – had wooed her with his words. Three solid hours of hands-on stimulation followed by soft verses whispered in her ear reeled her in like the Sirens luring her to the jagged rocks. She was now in his room, behind a closed door with no one but the two of them. His words had brought her here and she only hoped that she would not be disappointed by his actions.

  She was not. As easily as he spent three hours wooing her and playing boyfriend, he spent the next three hours backing up his words by being her very real lover. His conversation became limited and he only spoke enough to ensure her pleasure and to provide subtle instructions.

  Tony moved with confidence as he opened the door to his room, hanging his coat on the back of a chair. The cell phone in his inner coat pocket was removed as he showed it to her and pushed the off switch. “Your turn,” he said as he placed his phone inside of the nightstand drawer. Jennifer turned her cell phone off and attempted to put it inside of her purse, but accidently knocked it over, spilling all the contents on the floor.

  “I’m sorry. I’m nervous,” was thrown into the air in Tony’s direction with a weak smile.

  “Don’t be,” he said as he walked over to her, helping her up from the floor. “It will be just like dancing,” he winked at her as he pulled the ties on the wrap dress, allowing the fabric to hang loosely as he removed the blue material from her body. It impressed her that he had not slung it to the floor, but gently draped it over the back of the chair. With
ease and care, he removed every stitch of her clothing and placed it upon the chair as well, leaving Jennifer naked, vulnerable and wearing nothing but a weak smile.

  “Undress me, Jen,” he said in a way that was more asking than telling as her nervous fingers began to unbutton his shirt. The soft cotton fabric slid over his broad shoulders, revealing the wide chest covered in muscles. Instead of draping the shirt over the other chair in the room, she walked it to the closet and hung it on a hanger. Tony had not moved from his spot. His eyes filled with hunger as he watched her move.

  Her hands went to his belt buckle, tugging at the leather, releasing the snap of his pants, then tugging at the metal tab, listening to the teeth release on the zipper. She tapped at his thigh, indicating he needed to step from the pants that she also took and hung in the closet. When she returned, he had removed his socks and shoes and stood before her, bare, beautiful and ready to move forward.

  “Wow,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.

  The second thing that impressed her about Tony P was that he didn’t get all grabby. The king size bed took up most of the room. He walked to one side of the bed, indicating she take the other, and together they folded back the covers. He climbed in and patted the empty space in the bed as she crawled across to join him. “Come here with yo’ fine ass,” he said with a grin as his mouth found hers in the dimly lit room and he pulled her close.

  His mouth, hands and fingers worked methodically to ensure her readiness for him and he only whispered her name before he joined their bodies. Tony’s movements were well placed and perfectly timed as he worked her body to a fevered pitch, bringing pleasure to her like she had never experienced. Her short nails raked across his back as his pace increased. Her body was covered in a fine patina of sweat as she moved with him, her eyes rolling upwards, her jaw slack, her breathing laborious. At one point, she tapped his shoulder to slow him down, because she had started to drool out the right side of her mouth like she’d had a stroke.

  Tony pulled at her hair as he planted kisses along her neck, slowing his movements. “Jennifer, talk to me. Let me know you are enjoying our time together....”

  She wanted to tell him it was good. In her mind, she was yelling from the rooftop how deep he was going and how fantastic she was feeling. Jennifer wanted to let him know she was climbing the summit and ready to explode, but instead, all she managed to utter was, “Nom... nom... nom....” And then more drool ran down her jaw.

  In her ear, he told her she was holding back, and he needed her to let go. Shit, I’m already drooling. If I let go anymore, it will not be cute.

  “Jen,” he whispered as he increased his pace. His movements becoming more aggressive, rougher, filled with intensity.

  His mouth found hers again as he kissed her deeply, making love to both her mouth and her body. “Tell me how I feel inside of you Jen...” he commanded her, but her words were lost in the sensations of his powerful movements. She tugged at his hair as she became aggressive with her tongue in his mouth and sent her hips into overdrive, matching his pace. He could feel her building, but Tony was about to lose it.

  “I can’t wait much longer, Jen,” he said through gritted teeth as his movements became forceful. Each movement lifted her hips from the bed as he planted himself deeper each time. Her head flung back into the pillows and she cried out, her hips pushing upwards, trying to take in everything he was giving her. Tony matched her pace, calling her name with primal possession and he emptied his passion into her.

  His fingers trailed across her face, feeling the smoothness of her bronze skin. “Wow, you are amazing,” he said into her neck, planting a small kiss, then disengaging himself to go to the bathroom. Her body was buzzing from Tony’s lovemaking. She was going to be really sore, but boy was she satisfied. She was uncertain if she should curl into a ball and suck her thumb or grab her panties and run home.

  He called her from the other room. “All I need is seven minutes.”

  “Seven minutes for what?” She was almost afraid to ask.

  “To reload for round two,” he told her as he stood beside the bed, looking down at her with a wicked grin on his face.

  She tried to sit up, but her muscles seemed to have failed everywhere but her neck, as she managed to lift her head, “What are you a rabbit?”

  He started tamping the floor with his foot and shaking his thigh muscle. “Just call me Thumper!”

  “Oh, dear Lord,” she exclaimed as she tried to roll away, exposing her backside to him as Tony slid onto the bed and gathered her in his arms, flipping her to her back while kissing her breast and her belly. Seven minutes to the second he was ready for round two. Jennifer knew it was her fault just as he said, “You wound me up; I just have to burn it off.”

  Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, when the energized rabbit fell into a deep slumber, Jennifer collected her things and let herself out. Unable to see in the dim light of the room and because she was feeling cross-eyed after their third round, she missed some of the spilled contents of her purse which had slid across the floor. Under the chair was still her driver’s license, credit card and a few business cards.

  If this was the caviar round, it was definitely an aperitif. Tony had ventured into a delightful cottage of hidden treats and he was eager to see where it would lead. Although Jennifer believed it would be a one-night stand and she had had gotten away clean, as the fairy tale goes, Gretel had inadvertently left a trail of blini for her handsome Hansel to come and find her.

  A cold appetizer...

  The Pretentious Puss was a small bistro that held about 20 tables. Jennifer’s original idea of opening the eatery was to create a dining experience that was quaint with healthy food options. Thanks to her father and his big mouth, he was all the advertising she needed. In less than a week of opening, the lines were around the corner and Jennifer rarely got any time off. Her passion for something off the beaten path was now a commercial success and sucking the life out of what little life she led.

  Never the type for one-night stands or casual relationships, the past year hadn’t left her any time to do anything but cook and work. In her heart she wanted to start a family, but relationships weren’t her forte. No matter how you sautéed, fried, or fricasseed it, love was an appetizer she preferred to serve cold. Her night with Tony was a hot and much needed distraction, but that is exactly what it was – a distraction. Today was Monday and she was back in the real world with solid reservations all week, a dinner party on Saturday night, and her old boss had called to ask her to cater a welcome party for a big pop singer who was coming to town. Yep. Busy. No time for a man or a family. Well, at least not this year.

  Jennifer was happy about the warm afternoon. It was exceptionally warm, even in April in Atlanta. She needed to get out of the kitchen and take a break as she turned off the eyes of the cook stove to begin her moment of peace. Most of the prep for dinner service was complete, with the exception of preparing the leaves of romaine for the salads. The sous chef had lost the argument that whole leaf salads were much more expensive than purchasing the bags of mixed greens and it would increase their food costs. It was with patience that Jennifer explained that the whole leafs lasted longer and were fresher, giving the customers a better dining experience. The fresher experience increased the price by only a dime, which covered the cost and made a change for the little bistro that she was now struggling to love.

  Love.

  Ironic. Two nights ago, she told a random stranger that she loved him and then spent several hours making out with him as her pretend boyfriend followed by several hours in bed with him as a very real lover. She was still ridiculously sore from that adventure. The things that man did to her in bed had her reaching for imaginary clouds of orgasmic joy trying to hold on to her self-respect. Guilt wracked her brain for what she had done, as well as the idea of having a one-night stand. The sex had been so phenomenal that the guilt was being replaced by a slow creeping warmness that oozed through her bo
dy each time she thought about him.

  He was funny. She had spent most of the night laughing and enjoying herself with him. Tony did have a wicked sense of humor. Well, the man was pretty wicked himself. If only I had gotten his number. Thoughts of her one night of abandon went out the window as she headed to the main floor to check the reservations for tonight. Mondays could be slow and if she could leave early tonight, that would be a plus. Just as she picked up the reservation book, the doorbell jangled.

  “Deliveries are around back,” she said without looking up.

  “Even for fresh flowers,” the strong male voice said.

  Jennifer’s head popped up so fast her chef hat was slung from her head. He’s here! How did he find me?

  “Tony?”

  In one hand he held a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers and in the other, her driver’s license and credit card. “You dropped something,” he told her as he handed her the cards. “I did give in to the urge to hit QVC and order a matching set of oven mitts with kittens on them.”

  Her mouth was still open, staring at him. In the daylight he was even sexier than in the soft light of night. In a pair of khakis and a red polo shirt, the man was making her lady parts salivate. Jennifer Taylor was at a loss for words. Unfortunately, Tony read her reaction the wrong way, and he was having trouble vocalizing his disappointment in her response to seeing him again. The one he was receiving was obviously not the one he expected.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her as he thrust the flowers at her. “I just thought I would return the cards... and... I am just going to find the nearest door and crawl under it. I am sorry to bother you.”

  He’s walking away. Say something Jennifer. “Tony,” she found her words. The man had a way of rendering her speechless, with or without her clothes on. “I’m sorry. I was just surprised to see you, that’s all.” She looked at the bouquet. “These are lovely. Let me see if I can find a vase or something to put these in. Have a seat.”