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26. I will not cry
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SENSUAL SURRENDER 27. Because I still love him
"Dalia."Soft hands coaxed me from the comforting darkness of sleep.Julia."I brought you some soup." I blinked at her sitting at the side of the bed. "You’ve got to be hungry, Dalia. You came home with a Burger King meal and it’s still untouched."Rubbing the blurriness from my sleepy eyes, I sat up. "What time is it?""Around nine. Here, eat something." She carefully set the tray on my lap. A big, red bowl of delectable gumbo. Julia was a consummate cook—not at all congruous with her 'spoiled girl' personality. But it was a trait inherited from her mother, Mrs. Mitchell, who was master in the kitchen.My stomach grumbled in reply as the aroma rose to my nostrils. "Thanks, Julia.You’re right. I'm famished."I took a spoonful of gumbo to my mouth, and as always, preparations by Julia's hands were delicious."So, how was your first day at work?""Fun." I managed a smile. "Geo Lee’s all work, no play, and no lunch breaks."Julia had a horrified expression. "And that's fun?"I laughed.
SENSUAL SURRENDER 28. Josh was leaving me....again
It was day number four for me at GLFH.Day number five since I'd last seen Josh.He’d called, texted, emailed. Repeatedly. And I’d continued to ignore and delete.As promised, he never showed up on my doorstep. But there were times when I wished he would show up.My eschewing him only served to make me crave and think of him more, not less. He was constantly on my mind, the second I woke up in the mornings, and before I closed my eyes at night. Even in my dreams/memories, he was there.My new job helped. Geo Lee did a fine job at keeping my mind occupied. So I craved work hours."I think he's trying to kill us," Kiwan whispered across the table. "My God, I'm starving."I tried not to giggle, but it couldn’t be helped, and we both giggled, causing Geo Lee to eyeball us suspiciously from the far end of the room where he was on a telephone call, chatting at bullet speed about models and runways.Kiwan was warm and cordial and we worked well together. She wasn't a fan of elaborate designs
SENSUAL SURRENDER 29. I missed him
Five weeks passed…The second I stepped through Geo Lee’s office doors with the Chinese food I’d picked up for lunch, he was talking to me, as though whatever he had to say just couldn’t wait. “Dalia, I don’t normally do this, but I think you’re ridiculously talented. And this talent doesn’t deserve to be stifled. It needs to breath.”I walked over to the small eating table in his office and set the food bags down, wondering where his ramblings would lead to today. He was my boss and I love him and all that, but sometimes he just yapped way too much. Though, I was introduced to one of his close friends last week, and he told me Geo Lee was only this talkative with people he’s comfortable with…so I guess I should be grateful for that?"There's this fashion bidding on Monday. It's an annual thing, where talented but nameless designers, like yourself, gets the chance to model their pieces on the runway. There’ll be a host of eminent buyers—I'm not sure what enterprises just yet—who will
SENSUAL SURRENDER 30. Michael in jail
"Have to keep gas in the car if you want it to drive, baby girl," Michael admonished as I clambered into his ride when he came to get me.I laughed, feeling stupid. "I said I'm sorry, okay? I've been so busy—""No worries. I'll come get it tomorrow. Right now, there’s somewhere I need to be and I'm late as shit."Michael all but stomped on the gas pedal, weaving through the heavy traffic. It was that time of the evening when everyone was wearily leaving their jobs and impatient to get home. The air thick with carbon dioxide emanating from mufflers, car horns honking inharmoniously, people jaywalking, bikers squeezing through tight spaces, justifying the name for this time of the evening: rush hour.I wisely buckled up, because if Michael was in a hurry, he was about to navigate his way out of this chaos by hook or by crook. "You could’ve told me you were busy, you know,” I said, bracing back in the seat. “I could've called Julia.""Cause you're like my little sister. Can't say no to y
SENSUAL SURRENDER 31. Dirty secret
"Dalia… Dalia," a crusty female voice called.I raised my eyes and saw a plump, dark-haired female officer keying the grill."You're good to go."My shoulders relaxed as a too-loud exhale left me. Relieved, weak, sleepy and worried, I stepped out of the hell-hole and followed the officer."Friends in high places, eh?" the officer whispered over her shoulder.I frowned, confused."Just…keep out of trouble, alright?” she said. “You’re too pretty for these places.” Ah, okay?The bald-headed man behind the counter glared at me, face grim as he shoved my belongings to me. With a sheepish nod, I scooped them up and slipped into the filthy bathroom to change out of my jail clothes, then I was buzzed out.In the waiting area, Julia paced back and forth. "Dalia! Oh my god." She rushed towards me and locked me in a stifling hug. "Oh my god, I was so worried.""I'm fine, Julia.” I added, “Now.""I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. They're keeping Michael. You think he—""Not w
SENSUAL SURRENDER 32. Bad boy Josh
“They just left, Sir. Unscathed.”“Those men aren’t stupid,” he gritted out. “Get in. Disarm them. I’m a minute away.”“Want us to drill them, Sir?”“No. I want to know who really sent them, and they’ll only tell you the first name that comes to their lips. They see me, they’ll know better than to bullshit.”“’kay, Sir. On it.”Josh hung up and glanced out the window just in time to see Dalia's convertible zing past his Bentley in the opposite direction. His heart constricted. She was driving.Even as the car shot by, he noticed the black circles under her eyes and how unhealthily pale she was. When it came to her, all his senses were sharp. She was that important to him.That she even had to spend time in a stinking jail cell made him hotheaded. He’d warned her about Devon, but he guess he should’ve warned her about her own best friends, too.A few weeks back, he’d gotten wind of plans to clip Michael’s wings. The fool had painted a bull’s-eye on his forehead when he bragged to the
SENSUAL SURRENDER 33. Weak and defenseless
No surprise Devon’s high gates were wide open when Josh rolled the car through them and parked up next to a slick black Corvette belonging to his buddy. His second team was overseen by his friend, Darren. A team rarely called on, but with much on hand tonight, both teams were on duty.Darren no doubt already had Devon just the way he wanted him: cowering.As he slipped from the car, he had to shake his head at the gushing fountains and marble-tiled pillars of Devon’s Mediterranean-designed house, knowing this posh lifestyle came from the suffering, blood-shedding and soul-stealing of innocent people. There was really no need for him to make this visit to Devon; he could’ve just let Darren take care of it. But he wanted Devon to see exactly who was about to haul him off his high horse.Just before he reached the door, Darren, dressed in a sharp gray suit with his thick auburn hair gelled back in a side-part style, swung it open, grinning. He bumped his best friend’s shoulder, slapping
SENSUAL SURRENDER 34. Sweet sins
Nelly careened his Chrysler 300 onto 3rd Street, cruising to a slow stop at her gate, while dialing her number on his cell with one hand.“Outside,” he said when her soft, virginal voice answered.Buju Banton’s rugged voice chanted Make My Day through the car speakers, but he quickly ejected his favorite reggae artist and switched to Pink instead. He didn’t exactly care for the freakish, pink-haired girl’s music, but she loved her music, and that was all that mattered.He looked at her shabby, grassless, gardenless yard. The small, crooked bungalow seemed it hadn’t been painted in over a decade, because if he could tell what color that house really was, he’d be lying. Broken chunks of stones led up to the rickety porch, and only about three of the wooden steps seemed safe enough to walk on—he noticed she always hopped over them whenever she was leaving the house.That decrepit building, it gutted him. But what could he do while she was still seventeen? Her eighteenth birthday couldn’
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