"What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Well--"
At that moment, his cell phone rang and vibrated in his pants pocket. He reached inside and placed the phone to his ear, without letting go of her hand.
"Yeah?...All right … No, I'm not gonna be able to make it there, either … shut up, man … whateva, bitch … yeah, I can probably look at it tomorrow morning for you … can you bring it by the shop?...all right, man … and tell Troy that I said to clean up that damn mess he made downstairs the other night … all right."
"You need to leave, don't you?" Annette asked, when he hung the phone.
"Absolutely not. I ain't goin' no where," he said.
He lifted her hair off her shoulders and kissed her there.
"You smell like cherries," he whispered against her skin.
His lips were warm. She smiled and closed her eyes for just a moment when he pressed his lips into her shoulder again.
"Can I ask you a personal question, Jordan?"
"Yeah, anything."
"Have you ever cheated on a girlfriend?"
"Where did that question come from?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"You think this is cheating … what we're doing?"
"No, I don't think it's cheating. But, I just wanted to know if you have ever cheated?"
"No, I haven't. To me, there's no reason to cheat. If you're not in love with someone and you have thoughts about cheating, then that's when it's time to leave the relationship. Either that or sit down with that person and talk about what's going on. Figure out whether it's time to move on or work on what you have, you know. Although, I have been cheated on."
"Someone cheated on you?"
"Believe or not, yes. Women are just as cunning as men."
"So, you would never cheat on a girlfriend if you had the chance to? If someone offered to have sex with you with no strings attached and you were already involved with someone, would you do it?"
"No. I've always been pretty truthful in my relationships, no matter what. Of course, that would have been a different story back in college, but I'm grown up now. I make sure I tell woman off the bat what I want from them. If it's sex, I tell them that. If it's a friendship, I tell them that. I don't have time to play with immature females. That's why I choose my women wisely. Or at least I think I do until I discover them in bed with one of my good friends. And I don't believe women anymore when they say that if I have sex with them there will be no strings attached. Strings are always attached … no matter what they tell you."
"What happened in your last relationship? Why are you single now?"
"I told you. She cheated. I've not been in a steady relationship for a good five or six months now, if that's what you want to know. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I haven't been involved with other women after that. After that last relationship, I've dated women here and there."
"Did you ever feel that you wanted her back? After she cheated? Do you want her back?"
"I did want her back. But, as time passed, I realized that it was time to let go of things and people in my life who didn't have my best interests in mind."
"So, it's normal to still have strong feelings for someone after they've cheated?" Annette was glad that she wasn't the only one that still loved a man that committed the ultimate sin against her.
"Oh, yeah. So, what about you? Would you cheat if given the opportunity?"
"No," she said. "I've never cheated. I've only been in a handful of relationships, so the opportunity has never presented itself. I mean, until now … but … of course, you and I both knew that I was in a relationship when we met." When she was still with Anthony, she didn't really have thoughts about cheating on him … she just had a strong sexual attraction towards Jordan. That wasn't the same thing, was it?
"Are you content and happy in your relationship, now … with him?"
She thought about it before she answered that question. Should she reveal to Jordan that she and Anthony were no longer together because he cheated on her? Now wasn't the time. She needed to get her feelings and herself together before she started letting other people into her life again. So, she gave Jordan, one simple answer, "No."
"I knew the answer to that question the first night I met you."
"Is that why you pursued me? And is that why you are still pursuing me now?"
"No, the reason why I am pursuing you is because there is not one day that goes by that I don't think about you. Why do you think I call you so much? If I thought that you were truly happy and you had told me that you were truly happy in your relationship from the beginning, then I wouldn't be here right now. I know you deserve better and I know you want something better, so that's why I'm here."
"Well, I'm glad that you're here," she whispered.
She and Jordan watched another movie, flipped through a couple local channels, and talked all night until they realized that it was one in the morning. When he left, she felt lost again, but that night when she slid under the covers and closed her eyes, she thought about Jordan and how sincere he was, how attractive he was. She imagined how much better she would feel if he had spent the night in her bed with her. When she cuddled up against her pillow, his sexy smell was skill on her skin. She had no problems getting to sleep that night.
Chapter 17
Annette made it through another week without making any contact with Anthony. She had done a good job of avoiding him, too. She even refused to go clubbing with Bianca last night because she didn't want to run into him. He was sure to be in the club and she didn't want to see or talk with him.
Annette was happy anyway. Not only had she avoided Anthony, she had also managed to ignore the heartbreak and betrayal she felt. It was easy to do this now that she thought about Jordan almost constantly. They were on the phone with each other at least twice daily since last Saturday. She had finally agreed to go out riding with him and his boys this afternoon. She had gone out shopping early this morning and stopped by her hair stylist to have natural hair shampooed, blow-dried, and straightened down her back. She couldn't wait to get on the back of his motorcycle to feel the wind flowing through her hair.
Bianca had been a little upset when Annette had told her that Jordan had invited her to ride with them. Bianca said that the whole time she was with TJ, TJ had never so much as mentioned to Bianca that he wanted her to ride with him. Bianca knew that any hopes of a relationship with TJ was over when he saw her at Tango's party letting that guy named Gerald feel her up.
Annette's phone rang next to her on the vanity. It was Jordan.
"Hey." She was smiling hard.
"Hi, Beautiful. I can't wait ‘til I see you. Are you almost here?"
"I'm not scheduled to be there for another hour. But, if you keep calling me I won't be able to get ready and it'll take longer," she teased.
"Well, hurry up, then. I actually called to ask you what size is that big head of yours?"
"What?" She didn't know whether to laugh or be mad. Who was he to be calling her head big? "Who you callin' big head?"
"I'm at the bike shop getting you a helmet, woman, and I don't know what size your head is."
"Well, it's not big," she pouted.
"I'm sorry, baby. Do you have a baseball cap or something with the size? I can have the guy down here estimate off that."
"Yeah, hold on," she said, running over to her walk-in closet with the cell phone in hand. She reached on her top closet shelf for a box of baseball caps that were purchased for her but she never wore. She checked the label in one and read out the size to him.
"Yeah … that's big," Jordan said.
"That is so wrong! I have a mind to set you up, Jordan. You can go riding by yourself." She pretended as if you were mad.
"I'm just kidding, Annette. I love everything about you. Big head and all. Now hurry up and get over here. I haven't seen you since last weekend."
When he hung up the phone, Annette walked over to her bed and took a look at the outfit that was laid across it one last time. She wanted to keep her attire simple, not too flashy. Instead of opting for all leather, her favorite, she went to the mall and picked out a pair of form fitting low-rise jeans, a black leather bustier tank top, and black leather boots cut low right below the ankles with two inch heels. After dressing herself, she admired her figure in the mirror. Annette had a feeling that Jordan liked to see her in leather from the way that he looked at her when she wore it. Wanting to see Jordan as much as he wanted to see her, she grabbed her handbag and keys and hurried out of the door.