Chapter 26 Jamison
Jamison
Too flighty. Too idealistic.
I couldn't believe Tallulah's ex-husband actually said those words to her. What an idiot.
Pissed me off watching her doubt herself because of him.
She was confident in other areas of her life: running the center, sharing her herbal knowledge to help clients—and non-clients like me—and raising her daughter.
Yet the possibility of losing Simply Well had caused her confidence to crumble, making me want to find her ex and have a man-to-man talk about the lasting damage of his careless words.
More than ever, I wanted to make damn sure she won over Ochoa.
I glanced at the spreadsheet on the second monitor.
"I think we're done here. We covered the benefits of long-term leases, stable tenants, et cetera.
.." My voice faded as I clicked a tab to look at other numbers.
"We've done a good job of showing the financial benefits Freedom Capital Real Estate gains from keeping the current roster of tenants. "
Tallulah pulled her chair closer to see the spreadsheet better, and I caught a whiff of her.
I focused on the numbers instead of her closeness. "When you talk to him, spend time on this slide, drilling home the point that when a tenant leaves, they don't only lose rent during a vacancy period. Potentially, this is what it could cost them."
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Sometimes more, depending on the space and the market," I added.
Tallulah was quiet for a moment. "I understand what the landlord has to lose, but what if we offered an incentive to keep us? Something extra to make the whole plaza more valuable."
I sat back. "I'm listening."
Excitement bloomed in her pretty eyes as the idea took shape.
"The first two floors are all small businesses, most owner-operated.
The upper floors are professional offices with accountants, lawyers, a marketing firm, and so on.
Some of these people are already customers, but most aren't. What if we could market to more of them through a partnership program?
For instance, Sugar Crumb Bakery could offer catering discounts.
I could offer corporate wellness classes on stress management, and Julie could do a yoga-at-lunch kind of thing.
The print shop already does quite a bit of work for those businesses, but I'm sure Tyler wouldn't mind formalizing a discount structure if it helped bring in more business. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
"Brilliant."
Her face brightened. "Yeah?"
"Absolutely. The partnership you're suggesting would integrate the business community even more, and Ochoa could use it as a selling point to attract new professional tenants upstairs.
" My mind was already racing with the implications.
"He could market the plaza as not only office space but a self-contained location with additional built-in amenities. "
A broad grin spread across her face.
"Your idea will allow him to differentiate his property from other plazas in the area. This could be huge." I created another slide. "Tenants will get office space and access to a network of service providers."
"I hadn't thought about the partnership exactly that way, but I like the way you said it."
"You were thinking about community and mutual support, which is fine.
I'm simply translating your idea into language Ochoa will understand and appreciate.
By offering the professionals discounts and special deals through your businesses, he'll have a competitive advantage and could optimize revenue. "
"Love it. Yes!" I wanted to jump up and scream with joy but refrained.
We spent the next hour building out the partnership program concept and refining the presentation to show how its incorporation would positively affect Ochoa's bottom line.
When we finished, I strongly believed the new proposal was a better, more proactive plan than the first. I saved the files and backed them up in three different locations. Then I turned to Tallulah. "Ochoa would be a fool not to accept this idea."
"Let's hope he's not a fool, shall we?"
We both laughed. I was pleased to see the joy and relief on her face.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me—us. And for believing in me."
"I know we haven't known each other long, but you're an amazing woman. You care about people. You're kind. You work hard. You're remarkable."
"You're going to make me blush," she said.
I took her hand in mine. "I meant every word."
"You're pretty amazing yourself. I had no idea what we were going to do, but you stepped in and reorganized our argument and used all the right words."
"We make a good team."
"We do," she agreed.
The air between us shifted, becoming charged with awareness.
She was a stunning woman, tonight wearing a dress in a riot of color—deep reds, electric blues, and splashes of turquoise and gold.
Against the canvas of her chestnut-brown skin, the outfit was like a work of art.
The deep neckline gathered beneath her chest and turned into generous folds of soft material, while the three-quarter-length sleeves hung below her elbows in a dramatic fashion.
"We should celebrate," I said, my voice dropping lower.
"How?"
"With a kiss." I pulled her onto my lap, and with a soft laugh, she rested her hands on my shoulders.
"This seems self-serving," she whispered.
"Guilty as charged."
Her eyes darkened, and I leaned in to kiss her.
I tasted her lips, flicking my tongue at the corner of her mouth. "I can't stop thinking about you. Us. How good we are together."
"We are good together, aren't we?"
"Surprisingly good," I whispered.
We kissed again, and I cupped Tallulah's jaw, tempering the heat and slowing us down. I didn't want explosive and hot like the first time. I wanted slow and deliberate so I could savor every moment she remained in my arms.
I took my time relearning her mouth, listening to her satisfied sighs, arms around my neck, her breasts pressed against my chest. I caressed her buttocks and thighs, groaning softly as I enjoyed her womanly shape. I'd missed this. Not only the physical contact but the emotional intimacy.
My body hardened as renewed need charged through me.
"Bedroom?" I murmured huskily against her mouth.
"Yes."
We made our way to my bedroom without the urgent, frantic need of the last time. I lowered the dress off one shoulder and kissed her bared skin, going lower to the swell of her breast and inhaling her intoxicating scent.
I unwrapped her like a present, taking my time to kiss each newly exposed inch of dark skin. She did the same, her hands gently removing my clothes, her eyes filled with tenderness as she gazed up at me and offered her mouth again.
When our bodies finally joined on top of my bed, it was quieter than the explosive passion of the first time.
"God, you're beautiful... incredible," I whispered into her collarbone.
My hips worked between her spread thighs, one hand cupping her bottom to bring her tighter against me, allowing me to go deeper. She was slick and warm and felt like heaven.
I watched her face and her passion-glazed eyes, learning exactly which movements made her breath catch and which made her face crumble with pleasure.
"You're perfect," she whispered, slipping her fingers into my hair.
We moved together in sync, with the same rhythm we had found on the dance floor.
She followed my lead, her hips quickening or slowing at my direction.
No thinking about what came next, no planning the future, just this moment and this connection and the building pressure that wound tighter with every thrust.
Finally, her hands gripped my shoulders, and my name fell from her lips in fragmented syllables. Her feminine muscles tightened around me, and my own control began to slip.
I kissed her as we climbed the peak together.
"Jamison," she gasped. "I'm—"
"Yeah. Me too."
I captured her mouth with a surge of brutal passion, my thrusts faster and deeper as we tumbled together into ecstasy. Pleasure crashed through me as her body trembled beneath mine. The intensity and intimacy of coming at the same time stole my breath.
I groaned and pressed my face into the side of her neck, straining my hard body into her softer one before collapsing, spent, beside her.
My heart hammered in my chest as I stared up at the dark ceiling. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead. Her hair had fallen out of her updo and lay strewn across the pillow.
"That was..." she started.
"Yeah."
There was nothing more to say. The emotions coursing through me were more than mere attraction. More than chemistry. I risked falling for Tallulah.
She pressed a kiss to my chest, and I squeezed her closer. I wanted her beside me every single day, which meant I was in serious trouble.
I hadn't just fallen for Tallulah. I had already fallen.
And for once in my carefully planned life, I wasn't afraid of where I might land.
"You had to pick tea," I said.
We were sitting up in my bed, naked and under the covers, talking. She had an arm and a leg thrown across me, her head resting on my shoulder.
"How was I supposed to know you hate tea?" she asked. "Who despises tea that much? It's a very specific thing to hate. What's your problem?"
"I don't have a problem," I denied.
"You definitely have a problem," she insisted.
I sighed. "There might be a story behind my distaste for tea."
"I knew it!" She lifted onto her elbow to see my face. "Go on."
I chuckled softly, feeling ridiculous for having to explain the origin of my hang-up.
"Goes back to my childhood. My parents used to make iced tea a lot, usually unsweetened unless they were splurging and used sugar.
Remember I told you we were poor? We used to reuse the bags, which made the drink watered down on top of being sugarless.
But we didn't have much choice. You drank watered-down tea or water.
When I became an adult, I avoided tea at all costs but discovered coffee in college.
I used it to stay awake since I was working full-time while going to school.
You could say I developed a bit of an addiction. "
"Now I understand. For the record, there are all kinds of teas, and they offer great benefits. I'll bring you one of my blends, and you can tell me what you think."
Typical Tallulah. Thoughtful. Kind. "I appreciate the offer. So you plan to come back? Because I think you should come back as often as possible." I trailed my finger down the middle of her chest to the v-shaped curly hairs cradled between her hips.
"Since you're inviting me, I'll come back for sure, which is better than inviting myself and coming across as desperate."
I arched an eyebrow at her. "Desperate? Let me tell you about desperate. Desperate is wanting to see a certain wellness center owner and pretending to be interested in yoga so you don't come across as desperate."
"Oh, honey. You could have just called me up and asked me out." She cupped my face. "But I like a little desperation in my men."
Cupping her hand against my cheek, I turned fully sideways to gaze into her eyes. "I'm your man now?"
"If you want to be."
"I very much want to be."
"Then yes. And I'm your woman," she said softly.
"I like how that sounds." I leaned in and kissed her. It should have been short and quick, but she was intoxication personified.
The next thing I knew, my tongue was in her mouth, and I was on top of her, nestled between her thighs, ready for another round.