Brenda Jackson - Sensual Confessions

Mac glanced over at Sam. “What do you think?”

Sam had been staring into space, but now looked across the table at her two friends. “The way I feel right now, I want to call her in and kick her you-know-what for wasting our time.”

Mac couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She saw that Peyton was doing a better job than she was at holding back. Both of them were well aware that Sam was in a lousy mood and had been since Blade left. They were also aware that Sam and Blade had spent almost twenty minutes together in her office before he’d finally departed, and that was only after Priscilla had reminded Sam of their meeting. They had both noticed that although Sam had reapplied her lipstick, her lips were kiss-swollen nonetheless.

“I think,” Mac said, “that we go with option one—call her in and let her know we won’t be representing her in her sexual harassment case against Sidney Gresham.” She glanced at Sam again. “You might want to take a chill pill before she arrives, Di Meglio.”

Muttering something under her breath, Sam stood and walked over to the coffeepot to pour a cup. “I don’t need a chill pill. What I need is my head examined.”

“Um, Blade Madaris was that bad, Sam?” Peyton asked, grinning.

She turned around and stared at her friends for a long, steady moment before rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “No, he was that good,” she said in a disgusted tone. “Damn it.”

From the stares and arched eyebrows, she immediately knew what Mac and Peyton assumed. “For crying out loud, stop staring at me like I don’t have any panties on. We didn’t go that far. Jeez. He was only in my office for twenty minutes. It was only a kiss.”

Peyton stood as she gathered her folders. “Hey, a woman and her man can do a lot in twenty minutes. And please don’t ask me how I know.”

Since Peyton was the argumentative type and no one was in the mood for a debate this early in the morning, they didn’t say anything as she left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her Sam felt Mac’s eyes shift to her.

“Sam, if Blade is making a nuisance of himself and is harassing you, I can have Luke talk to him.”

Sam waved off her words as she returned to her seat. “It’s not that serious, Mac. He’s not harassing me. There’s a difference between a man openly pursuing a woman and when he’s harassing her.”

“And usually the difference is the attitude of the woman,” Mac pointed out. “Do you or don’t you want to be involved with Blade?”

“No, I don’t and I’ve told him that. But of course he thinks he can change my mind. I think he sees me as some kind of conquest. I’m the one woman not falling at his feet, not eagerly crawling between his sheets. He wouldn’t be a true-blue player if he didn’t get the woman who rejects his advances, namely me.”

She leaned back in her chair, stared into her coffee and then added, “He thinks I’m being defensive, whatever that means. And I didn’t help matters this morning by letting him kiss me.”

“Mmm, sounds interesting.”

Sam looked at her friend. “Damn it, Mac, it was better than interesting. I’ve never been kissed like that before. The man makes using his lips and tongue some sort of art form.”

Mac chuckled as she stood up. “Must be a Madaris trait. And I hope you know that unless you put your foot down and give him a reason not to, Blade will be back, and he won’t give up until he gets what he wants.” She shook her head. “Neither of you are acting rational. I’ve known Blade for more than seven years, and I’ve never known him to pursue a woman the way he’s chasing you for any reason, conquest or otherwise. I’ve known you even longer, and I’ve never known you to let a bona fide player get under your skin.”

Sam didn’t say anything for a moment and then said, “He claims I’m sending mixed signals.”

“Are you?”

She paused, then admitted, “Possibly. You and Peyton of all people know how I handle players.”

“Yes. Which has me wondering why you’re handling him differently?”

“He’s Luke cousin. Besides, my parents are beginning to act crazy again by playing matchmaker. There’s this new guy who’s working at the law firm. My folks are all but shoving him down my throat. My mother sent me pictures of him over the Internet, but I’ve refused to open the file.”

Mac shook her head. “Will your parents ever learn?”

“Apparently not. I see now that I made a mistake after law school when I let them talk me into coming home and working in the family firm. Those years I spent at Di Meglios were the worst. My parents were determined that I not have a life, at least not one they couldn’t control.”

Sam couldn’t help but remember those years. Her parents were highly respected attorneys who’d earned a name for themselves in New York circles. The firm included her mother and father, her father’s two brothers, Federico and Leandro, and their sons, Maddox and Damon, as well as her brother. They were all Di Meglios and they made their name representing the rich and famous.

Besides her mother, Sam had been the only Di Meglio woman in the family practice. All her female cousins had been smart enough to choose some other profession, since they’d known they would have been expected to work at the family-run law firm.

She cringed each time she remembered her parents’ angry words when she’d told them of her decision to move to Oklahoma and form a law practice with Mac and Peyton. She knew they were still holding out, hoping that eventually she would come to her senses and return home to Manhattan to the plush, prestigious office overlooking the Hudson River, which was still empty and waiting for her. Angelo was the only one who knew for certain that she wouldn’t be coming back, and she had left with his blessings.

“You’re a big girl and I know you can take care of yourself,” Mac said, interrupting her thoughts. “And as far as Luke is concerned, he knows that Blade is capable of handling himself, as well. Just so you know, Luke and I talked about it last night, when Blade walked you to your car. We’ve made a decision to stay out of it. Whatever happens is between you and Blade. Like I said, you’re a big girl.”

Sam didn’t say anything for a moment and then, smiling, she stated, “Well, the first thing this big girl needs to do is clear her calendar for a week and fly to New York to pay her parents a visit. I need to settle a few things and get them to understand my life is my life, and I won’t have them interfering. And as for Blade, if he continues to be a nuisance, I will settle a few things with him, as well.”

Later that evening Blade entered his condo. In a way he was glad to be back home in Houston. His meeting with J. W. Mosley had gone well and the man was looking forward to working with Madaris Construction Company. The building would be a magnificent addition to downtown Oklahoma City’s skyline.

Blade had slept through most of the flight. But right now, he was wide-awake and Sam Di Meglio was on his mind. He was convinced that the only reason he was still thinking about her was because he hadn’t met anyone quite like her. Besides her beauty, he knew there was a passion in her just waiting to be unleashed. He saw it in her walk, was moved by it whenever their eyes met, and had felt it in their kiss that morning. He was definitely looking forward to returning to Oklahoma City, and would make it his business to see her again.

He had talked to Luke on his cell phone on the way to the airport. His cousin had given him fair warning and tried to convince him Sam wasn’t a woman a man wanted to toy with. Blade didn’t want to toy with her. He wanted to spend an entire night in bed with her. He wanted to get her out of his system. He was convinced the kiss they’d shared that morning had definitely been the reason she was still on his mind.