Renaissance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 5) (16 page)

“Hi,” she said, trying not to tense up.

“Hey there.  This is a great place,” he said looking around.  He turned to Jeremy who had just walked in behind him.  “Tiffany tells me you’re Tabitha Lowe’s son.”

“I am,” he nodded proudly.  “You know of her work?”

“Absolutely.  And you’ll be doing some carpentry classes for the foundation?”

“Yeah.  I dabble in it here and there.  When my dad was alive, we used to do a lot of woodworking together.  It stuck, I guess.”

“The end tables and that chair over there are Jeremy’s,” Tiffany pointed out, directing Todd’s attention toward the living room and the ornately carved pieces of furniture that could easily be found in a medieval period film.  Jeremy was extremely talented, and often times made furniture for friends and family, as well as clients.  As an art dealer by profession, he was forever on the prowl for certain art pieces.  However, when the perfect ‘look’ couldn’t be found for a client, he was often hired to design and create custom works.

“Wow.  I’d love to pick your brain about design,” the architect said. 

“Any time,” he smiled.  “Come on in.  What can we get you?”

“A beer would be great.”

Tiffany led him in, pointedly ignoring the feel of Drew’s stare in her direction.  Luke, thankfully came over to introduce himself.  She left Todd with her brother and went to grab him a beer.  Just before she entered the kitchen, she passed Mike who sang under his breath, “
It’s gettin’ hot in here, so take off all your clothes...
”

“Jackass,” she said with a smile, then glared, giving him a ‘Don’t do anything that’s going to make me kill you’ look.

His big brown eyes twinkled innocently, then he whispered, “Drew was watching when he kissed you, by the way.  This is gonna make for some fine entertainment this evening.” Mike giggled with glee.

Tiffany’s body flushed and she kept on walking into the kitchen to grab the beer for Todd.  When she turned to leave the room, Drew was at the edge of the island, filling up another glass of wine, nodding at something Mike was saying.

“...to see her all cozy with a guy, finally.  She looked happy to see him, didn’t she?  You know him at all?  Em said he’s a really good architect,” Mike was saying, swigging his beer and waiting for Drew’s response.

Tiffany pressed her lips in annoyance and walked by them, saying to Mike, “I can hear you.”

“Oh,” Mike exclaimed, “I didn’t see you there, Tiff.”  He turned to Drew.  “I was just asking Drew what he knew about Todd.  He looks like he’ll fit in just fine with us, given how kissy he was with you.  Don’t you think, Drew?”

Before Drew could respond, she said to Mike, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Uh, huh.  Excuse me.  I need to get this beer to Todd.”  She made it a point not to look at Drew’s face as she walked back into the living room.

Todd had been led into the room while she was away and everyone was talking with him.  Ryann finally said, “I’m going to start setting out dinner.  Anyone need a drink refill while I’m in there?”

“We’ll help,” Janie said, grabbing Ayanna’s hand.  “We’ll let you know when we’re all set.”

Eventually, Emily went into the kitchen as well, leaving all of the men with Katrina and Tiffany.  The guys got into a discussion about one of the high school boys in the mentoring program and it allowed Tiffany to watch the interactions between Drew and Katrina while the conversation was going on around her.  While interjecting her thoughts, she still noted that they didn’t sit next to each other.  And it was obvious that Katrina looked a little distracted.  The poor woman was probably bored out of her gourd, not knowing anyone or who the guys were talking about.

“Dinner’s ready,” Ryann announced from behind them.  They all got up and walked to the island where the buffet was set out.  “Luke has something to say, I know, so I’ll let him take it from here.”

“Does everyone have a glass?” Luke asked.

They all made sure they had a drink and he continued, moving over next to Tiffany where he put his arm around her shoulder and drew her in for a brotherly kiss on the temple.  He raised his glass and everyone followed suit. 

“To my baby sister by three minutes.  Those little girls in Harlem don’t even know how blessed they are.  But they will.”  He looked into Tiffany’s eyes, his own bright with pride.  “May they discover, just like we already know, your compassion, your joy for life, your determination, your integrity, your brilliance.  And most especially, your love and kindness for those around you.  You’re to be commended for what you’re about to embark upon, Tiff.  And we’ll be with you every step of the way, though knowing you, I’m pretty sure you’ve got it all under control.”  He raised his glass again.  “
Salud.
  To Tiffany.”

“To Tiffany,” they all said, smiling and sniffling, some with emotion swimming in their eyes.

She rested her head on her twin’s shoulder.  He had always been a phenomenal brother and she was lucky to call him her friend, as well.

“Thanks, you guys,” she said.  Then she lifted her head and blinked away her own tears.  “I couldn’t do this without you.  Your support means the world to me, really.  Between Todd’s designs, and Emily’s help with the grants, and all of you for volunteering your time,” she paused.  “This foundation isn’t about me.  It’s about all of us, our neighborhoods and the kids who are in our communities.  It’s about all of us working together, which is what we’re doing.  So here’s to
you
.”  She raised her glass and they all drank again.  She caught Drew’s eyes, so intently looking at her with a hint of something.  It felt like heat, a warm banked fire.

Conversations began again and everyone spooned into the various entrees, filling their plates and finding seats around the room so they could dig in.  Music played in the background and Tiffany looked around at all of her friends.  For the first time in her adult life, she was so completely content.  It was true that things were still up in the air when it came to the romance department, but she finally felt whole, and good about the direction in which she was moving.  She settled into the grouping where Ryann and Jeremy sat, enjoying some good conversation.  Several minutes later she got up to get another glass of wine.  Janie was in the kitchen.

“Hey,” Janie said, opening another bottle of wine.  “So.” 

Tiffany smiled a little, knowing that was the precursor for a tumble of thoughts she was about to share. 

“Todd seems nice.”

“He is,” Tiffany nodded.

“And he’s definitely touchy feely with you.”

“So I’ve noticed.”  Every time she turned around, Todd was touching something...hair, arm, hand. 

Janie quirked up a lip.  “Katrina seems nice too.”

“She is,” Tiffany said, raising her eyebrows and waiting.

“Just an observation, but she and Drew aren’t very affectionate with each other.”

Three scenes immediately popped into Tiffany’s mind; the kiss on New Year’s, Drew’s touch at the concert when she cried, and those hugs that made her body burn.

“Some people aren’t affectionate,” Tiffany finally said.

“True, but they don’t even look like they’re dating.”

“We’re just used to being all huggy and kissy with each other.”

“Emily wasn’t like that at first, I know, and neither was Jon for that matter.  In front of us they were a little more reserved.  I mean, they’re really affectionate with Mike and Ayanna now, but at least when they were sniffing around each other or even after they started dating, you could see the heat between them, you know?  You knew there was that chemistry because they’d have that look around each other.”

“Where are you going with this?  Although I’m pretty sure I know already.”

Janie’s voice lilted into a sweet laugh.  “I’m just
saying
that they don’t even touch each other.  There’s, like, no spark there.”

Todd arrived at that point, and Janie smiled as if they’d just been talking about the weather.  “Excuse me guys.  Off to fill glasses,” she said, lifting the opened wine bottle, then making her exit.

“I’m proud of you,” Todd said from behind her.  She turned from the kitchen island and smiled at him.  “Your friends are great,” he said.  “I’m glad you invited me tonight.”  He touched her shoulder.

“I’m glad you could come.” 

He moved into her space a bit more as if he might kiss her, and for the first time, she actually felt uncomfortable with it.  She sidestepped him casually, then said, “I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick.”

“Okay.”  He gave her a hungry look then moved back to the rest of the group.  She sighed quietly and walked to the back hall behind the kitchen where there was a powder room next to Jem’s woodshop.  She went in and closed the door, letting the quiet and coolness seep into her bones.  Putting her hands on the counter, she let her head hang.

You need to tell him you’re not interested.

She genuinely liked Todd, but for whatever reason, she didn’t want him to think that there was a possibility that something might happen.  He deserved better than that, and even though she’d told him once, she felt like she needed to really spell it out for him this time. 

She was an affectionate person having grown up with a hot blooded Spaniard for a mom.  So she knew that when Todd touched her, her discomfort wasn’t because she didn’t like to be touched; she just didn’t like to be touched by
him
.

She sighed again and took her time in the bathroom, wetting her cheeks to alleviate the stain of heat that had been there ever since Drew had arrived.  When she turned off the faucet, she heard voices in the hallway, then heard Drew’s name.  She stopped to listen, wondering if she should wait or exit. 

Turning off the light, she opened the door slowly only to see Katrina kissing Drew on the cheek, then turning and walking away.  The door creaked, causing Drew to look over.

His look of surprise morphed quickly into a watchful gaze.  He leaned against the wall and watched her walk out of the bathroom.

“Hey, Tiff.”

“Hey,” she said back, walking over to him.  It was private in the back hall, the wall hiding them from view even though one could still hear the noise level in the other rooms.  She made a point of looking in the direction where Katrina had gone.  “Everything okay?”

He nodded, still a glint in his eye and a semblance of a lazy smile playing on his lips.  It was the first time she’d seen him look like a predator sizing up his prey.

Her heart skipped a beat.  It literally skipped a beat.  Her hand went up to her throat for some stupid reason.
Get a hold of yourself.
 

“Well, good.”  He was still staring at her from his position against the wall.  She tried not to sound flustered when she said, “Okay, then.”  She smiled brightly and went to walk past him.

He pushed off of the wall with his hands in his pockets and moved sideways, blocking her in the hallway.  She moved back a little, his body now angling and forcing her shoulder to bump into the wall.  She raised an eyebrow at him.

“How are things going with Todd?”

Well, well, well.  Where was this going?

“Great.”  She met his eyes directly.  “Fantastic actually.” 

“Wow,” he said, looking impressed.  “
Fantastic
, huh?  So he’s finally made an impression, I guess.”

How could she like this man and think he was an ass at the same time.  She crossed her arms.  “You know what, Doc? 
You’re
the one who thought he never made an impression on me.”

“Am I?  Hm.”  He looked up thoughtfully then back to meet her eyes, drilling into her gaze.  “Well, he’s certainly
trying
to make an impression on you.  He’s definitely handsy.”

She barked out a surprised laugh, and thought of her previous thoughts and her recent conversation with Janie.  “I didn’t realize his actions would be under such scrutiny.  And just because you choose not to be handsy with Katrina, doesn’t mean others can’t be.”

He cocked his head.  “Looks like Todd’s not the only one whose actions are being scrutinized.”  His feet shifted forward, invading her space more and forcing her to turn her back even more into the wall. He was now only a foot from her face.  She kept her hands firmly crossed over her breasts.  She swore she was going to remove her damned nipple rings if it was the last thing she did.  They were a terrible distraction when she was in Drew’s presence.  Hell,
Drew
was a distraction when she was in Drew’s presence.  “How has he impressed you, Tiff?”

She was breathing heavier.  The needle on her arousal meter had far surpassed its natural position, and she was now certain that something was happening between her and Drew that she didn’t quite understand yet.  But she knew that whatever it was, it was currently causing her heart to beat faster and her head to go light.

Take a breath, Tiff.

“You want to know how he impresses me?” she repeated, trying to think of an answer.

“Just curious what the man does for you.” 

“What he does for me?”

“Yeah.  Are you having a hard time with the question?”

“Well, he, well,” she stammered, “He’s smart, and nice.  And he’s got a good personality.”  She mentally cringed.

“Ah, that’s good.” 

He was totally making fun of her.  The heat from his body was making her woozy, and his cologne was blitzing out her senses.  Her eyes drifted to the opening at the top of his white shirt.  She licked her lips, wondering what his chest looked like.

“Tiff?”

Her eyes bumped back up to his, his lips now taking on a sexy tilt.

“What?”  She sounded annoyed.

“That’s all?”

“That’s all,
what
?”

“All he does to impress you?  Smart, nice, and a good personality?”

She let out a frustrated sound.  Her skin felt hot.  “Listen, you’re dating Katrina now,” she said stupidly.  “You shouldn’t be asking me these questions.  And let me tell you something else,” she began, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to stop her mouth from going.  “You have no right to look at me, or get into my business about who I’m dating, or whether they’re handsy or not.  And –”

“I can’t look at you?” he whispered, his eyes smiling.

Shut up, Tiff.

“You know what I mean.  With that look right now,” she said waving her hand around.  She lowered her voice.  “If Todd impresses me, then so be it.  So, if I want to date him, I’ll date him.  And if I want a man to be handsy, I’ll let him be handsy.  And you don’t get to say anything about it, not now that you’re dating someone.  So that’s just that.  I don’t say anything about who you date, and you have Katrina now,” she harrumphed, “even though you’re not handsy with her, and maybe if you were single, and I was single, then maybe we would talk about how handsy you were with
me
on New Year’s Eve and what that kiss meant.  I mean just because you know how to give mind blowing kisses doesn’t mean that another man can’t impress me, right?  It was a great kiss because you obviously know how to kiss, so of course one would wonder, because you know it’s natural to think about what could’ve been...” 

STOP. TALKING. TIFFANY.

“...you know, if you liked it or if I liked it, but it doesn’t matter,” she said quickly, shaking her head and trying to stop, flustered again and wiping those last words away with her nervous hand, “because you moved on and that’s okay, I don’t blame you for that, but that doesn’t give you the right to offer suggestions about who I date.  He’s nice, and smart, and he’s nice,” she stuttered, “and sometimes it just takes a while to feel the chemistry.  It doesn’t always happen overnight –”

His body quickly and lightly pushed hers against the wall.  Her breath caught in her throat and she stopped talking.  Her arms went up just as his body went flush against hers.  Her hands went to his chest where she felt every muscle, every hard part of his body, including the one between his legs.

Oh my God.  This is really happening.

“You know what I’ve discovered?”  He was so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek.  He was a mere three inches from her face.  His sensual heavy lidded gaze met her eyes.  “If I let you talk long enough, I learn some very interesting and useful information,” he whispered.

She blinked. 
Shitshitshit...

His body pushed further into her, his hands still in his pockets.  His mouth moved to her ear, tickling her hair at that spot behind it that made her go wet within a split second.  “As of about three minutes ago, Katrina and I are no longer dating.  But regardless of that fact this moment was inevitable so here’s what’s going to happen.”

Tiffany’s brain registered the screeching of brakes. 
What the -?

His mouth touched her ear, and a shudder trembled through her body.

“You have one week to end this, whatever you want to call it with your nice, smart architect and his good personality.  Because you and I both know that our relationships with other people were just a stop gap until this moment.  So.”  He shifted his mouth again, dropping his voice even lower.  “One week.  You have ‘til the fundraiser.”  He brushed his lips to that spot behind her ear and she let out a whimper.  “Then I’m coming after you.”  He inhaled her scent then backed away.  “And if you should end it before then, you know my number.”  His look was hot, knowing, and intense.  He looked at her lips then back up to her eyes, then he turned to leave.

“There you are,” Janie said to Tiffany, skidding to a halt just in the nick of time, and taking in the scene before her.  “Uh, hey guys.”

“Hey, Janie.  The food tonight was great, by the way,” Drew said with a nonchalant smile and walked into the kitchen out of sight. 

Tiffany watched his back disappear around the wall, then she leaned down and put her hands on her knees, taking in huge gulps of air.

“What the hell just happened?” Janie squealed quietly, running over to her friend.  “Deep breaths, deep breaths.”

“He’s not seeing Katrina anymore,” she stuttered, catching her breath.  “He’s not seeing Katrina anymore.  Why isn’t he seeing Katrina anymore?”

“Okay, okay.  He’s not seeing her anymore.  Holy shit.  Okay.”

“He’s coming after me.  He said he’s coming after me,” she said, looking up at Janie.  Then after a beat of silence Janie pulled Tiffany up and shook her lightly.  She was beaming from ear to ear and hopping from one foot to the other. 

“He said he was coming after you?” she laughed quietly while she hugged her quickly.

Tiffany nodded, feeling terror and arousal like she’d never felt before.

“Holy shit, that’s
hot
,” Janie said, fanning herself.  “Okay,” she took Tiffany’s hands.  “Breathe.”  They took deep breaths as if they were in a Lamaze class.  “Todd is very nice, but let’s face it, Tiff.  The doctor is now
single
.  So, let’s go.  We’re going out there, and you’re going to put your game face on.  You ready?”

“I’m ready.  I’m ready.”

Janie clapped her hands excitedly, then they both took a second before leaving the hallway.  They walked calmly into the kitchen where Ayanna and Ryann were cleaning.  Just beyond them in the living room, Tiffany could see Drew and Katrina getting ready to leave.

Ryann and Ayanna glanced up and their eyes met Janie and Tiffany’s.  Knowing looks passed between all of them.  Ryann said quietly, “What happened?  Drew just came through and said he and Katrina were going to say their goodbyes.”

“They’re not dating anymore,” Janie said, her smile so big it looked like she was going to burst.

“Who’s not dating anymore?” Ryann asked.

“Drew and Katrina.  They’re not dating anymore,” Janie whispered.

All of the girls except for Tiffany did a quiet version of a scream, then quickly calmed down and schooled their features.  Tiffany shook them off because they were making her so nervous and walked into the living room, a calm and confident look on her face.  Katrina came over to her.

“I’m sorry we have to run, Tiffany, but it was great to see you again.  It was nice to finally meet all of these friends Drew’s been talking about for ages.”

“Thanks for coming tonight, Katrina.” 

Katrina smiled somewhat sadly at her, as if she knew that Tiffany was aware of the change in her relationship with Drew. 
What on earth made them break up in the back hall five minutes ago?
  She was dying to know.  Oddly, they hugged like they were girlfriends.  It was weird.  Had the circumstances been different, Tiffany might have been friends with this woman.

“I’ll be keeping your mom in my thoughts and prayers.”

“Thanks, and I really do wish you all the best with the foundation.  It’s a great thing you’re doing.”

“Thank you,” Tiffany said, knowing this would probably be the last time she’d see her.

Katrina turned to say goodbye to Emily and Mike, and Todd finally slipped over to her.

“Everything okay?  You were gone for a while.”

“Yeah, sorry.  I got waylaid,” Tiffany said, then Drew suddenly appeared in front of them.

“See you at the fundraiser, Todd,” he said, calm as can be when only moments before he had her against a wall.

“Yeah, see you next week,” Todd said, shaking his hand.

Drew turned from Todd and gave Tiffany a look that only she and Drew recognized for what it was.  “See you soon.”

She smiled her normal smile and nodded, watching him and his now ex-girlfriend walk to the foyer with Jeremy.

“How late do you want to stay tonight?” Todd asked.

She tore her gaze from Drew, and turned to the man beside her.  “I hadn’t thought about it.  Why?  Do you need to get going?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about something and I was hoping we could have some privacy.  Maybe go to your place.  Do you mind?”

She glanced at the funky clock in the living room.  9:30. She knew she needed to talk to Todd too, so she said, “Okay.  I’d like to thank everyone and say goodbye for a bit, then we can head out.  Does that work?”

“Of course.”

They started making the rounds and the girls all gave her extra squeezes with raised eyebrows thrown in.  In between hugs, most of them told her to call them.

Twenty minutes later, Jeremy offered his driver to take Tiffany and Todd back to her place, and on the car ride over, the atmosphere in the car was peaceful.  Todd enjoyed getting to know everyone, commenting on all of their personalities and interests.  Once they’d pulled up in front of her apartment building, Tiffany thanked Manny, Jem’s driver, and she and Todd went up to her place.

They entered and put their stuff down by the door.

“Do you want something to drink or anything?” Tiffany wasn’t looking forward to the coming conversation and figured alcohol might make it go down easier.

“No.”  He walked with determination to her and cupped her face.  “You’ve been very honest with me since the beginning of this experiment we’ve had going on here, so I only have one request.”

He knew.  She was sure of it.  She knew she hadn’t done a very good job of hiding her discomfort at times throughout the evening.