Steve was meeting with his best friend Joseph and they were to go over some plans to get rid of some dirty money in a more constructive and legal way. There were several charities and one in particular had caught both of their eyes. It was for kids looking to get out from underneath the neighborhood that they were living in. It was a subject that was dear to his heart. He had been through tough times growing up and hot dogs were the mainstay for some of his meals. It was the reason why he had become quite the gourmet chef in his own right.
He saw the way that his son was looking at Jasmine and apparently his desire for bigger women had been passed down from him to his son. He liked the way that she carried herself with confidence and sincerity. There was something innocent about the way that she looked at the world and he often thought that Brad was a lucky man to have landed such a woman of substance and grace.
His wife had left him for her personal trainer and he was left alone with the task to raise him as a single parent. He liked building things and he had a hobby car of a Camaro inside his garage that he worked on with Daniel during the night and weekends. Daniel had no idea that he was going to be given this car and Steve was trying to keep it a secret for as long as possible.
He drove by Jasmine, as she was getting in her car. He wasn’t sure, but he believed that she was purposely bending over in that tight dress to show him an expanse of her supple thigh. That body was made for sin and he had often thought about what it would be like to be with her. He gave a noncommittal wave, seeing her nod her head in his direction. He drove down the suburban street feeling alone.
He wasn’t the only one, and even though Jasmine was with Brad, she had never felt more alone in her life. There was something missing, a puzzle piece that had been ripped away and she had no idea how to get it back. She had all, but given up. She tried to entice Brad, but it didn’t seem to matter if she was wearing something sexy or feeding him strawberries with whipped cream. He just didn’t seem to be interested. He feigned headaches and being too tired and before long she just didn’t bother to ask him for sex anymore.
Chapter 2
“Jasmine, I’m glad that you are here and we really need to go over what catering is going to be doing. Each plate is worth $100 and that’s not including whatever we can get in donations for your charity. I know that this is very important to you and that you allowed me to be a part of it because of Brad.” It wasn’t that she allowed her to do anything and Brad had basically browbeated Jasmine into giving Barbara a job. If it was up to her, she would never have taken her on to help her run the charity. She was more than capable of doing it herself.
“I think that if we’re going to charge $100 a plate that we should at least make it worth it their time and money. Lobster and scallops and finger sandwiches with caviar are better than chicken. It might cost a little bit more, but at least we will be making them happy with the food. That could translate to them loosening their purse strings.” She watched Barbara make the necessary notations in her little black book. She heard the scratching of her pen and it was like fingernails on a chalkboard.
“I still think that we’re better off with chicken for the bottom line, but you’re the boss.” It was condescending and it was meant to sound that way. Barbara didn’t like partnering with Jasmine, but she only did it because Brad wanted to keep the both of them close. Barbara had been sleeping with Brad for the past two years and to say that he was a sexually virile man was a vast understatement. She never did understand why Brad settled for second best, when he had prime steak staring him in the face.
Jasmine wasn’t watching what she was doing and she bumped into a man that was built like a football player. She fell backwards and landed on her ass with her dress hiking up over her knees. She looked up and through the haze of the light over his head and she thought that she was looking at an angel.
“I’m sorry about that, but I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He was being so kind that she actually allowed him to lift her to her feet. “My name is Joseph and I thought that I would meet up with you and see if you had a few moments to talk about your charity. I’m very much interested in giving back to my community. Steve was very forthcoming about your charity and it hit home in ways that you can never imagine.
For the first time in her life, Jasmine was a bit tongue-tied. She was unable to speak, staring at this tall, dark and handsome stranger that had come into her life. She’d only briefly touched him by bumping into him, but she’d gotten a good feel for what was underneath this impeccable black suit and white shirt.