Chapter Six
“You can’t just keep burying your head in the sand, girl.” Lisa Morgan took a bite of her pizza as she eyed her sister.
“I know, but I can’t break things off with Rodney just like that. He’s been so good to the kids and me. He’s stood by me since Damon died and it would be shitty of me to say, ‘Hey, Rodney, despite everything you’ve done for me, I don’t want to be with you.’” Brandi sighed, pushing her unfinished slice of pizza away from her. She had been agonizing over what to do about Rodney since Friday night.
He called several times, but s”e ha’ refused to answer the phone. By the end of the weekend, he ended up calling more times than she could count. That was disturbing enough, but she was even more preoccupied by thoughts of Mason. Unable to face him, she sent Lisa to pick her son up that Saturday afternoon. Her sister was curious, but she didn’t asked questions until today.
“Gratitude is not a good reason to marry someone. Besides, I’ve told you what I thought about you and Rodney. It’s just not there, babe,” Lisa said around a mouthful of cheese.
“What do you mean?” Brandi asked, although she knew exactly what Lisa was talking about.
“You know damn well what I mean. The sparkle isn’t in your eyes. When you were with Damon, you always had a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye. It was always Damon this and Damon that. Ugh! It was disgusting to see two people so in love, especially after all those years. Shit, all the romance I get from Ed is if he doesn’t fart at the dinner table. Lord knows he does it freely everywhere else.” Lisa rolled her eyes.
Brandi giggled. She knew her sister and brother-in-law loved each other and their three beautiful girls. “You know as well as I do that Ed is a sweetie. Why do you always say stuff like that about him?”
“Hey, he’s my husband. I know his faults, but if anyone else says anything about my baby, I’d scratch their eyes out. Now stop trying to change the subject. You are not in love with Rodney, so I think the kindest thing to do would be to give him back his ring before a date is set. It will hurt him more in the long run if you keep stringing him along like this.”
Brandi let out a deep breath. She knew her sister was right. When Rodney kissed her and she didn’t feel a spark of passion, she should have known that they weren’t meant to be together.
His kisses left her feeling empty and she certainly wasn’t happy with how he had tried to force his attentions on her. She’d been fooling herself when she thought she could learn to love him. Brandi supposed she would never love him as anything more than a friend.
“I hate to hurt him though. Maybe I should wait a couple of weeks.”
“Why? Call him tonight. What’s the point of waiting?”
“I feel bad.”
“So what? You’ll feel worse if you end up married to someone you don’t love. You never did like to hurt people’s feelings, did you? God, I remember that asshole you dated in high school. You didn’t want to break up with him, either. Instead, you avoided him like the plague.” Lisa chuckled.
Brandi smiled back. “Oh, yeah. He was something else, wasn’t he?”
“He was a piece of shit. I would bet my last dollar that he’s in jail right now.”
“Well, if you can remember me having a hard time breaking up with that ‘piece of shit’ in high school, then how do you think I feel about breaking off an engagement? He’s a decent guy.”
“Would a decent guy do some of the things you told me he did Friday night? I’m a little concerned. I’ve always felt uncomfortable around him.”
Brandi frowned. Lisa was usually very outspoken so it was surprising that she hadn’t mentioned anything earlier.
As though reading her mind, her sister said, “You don’t remember, do you? I did try to tell you, but you thought I was imagining things.”
“What? When?”
“When Damon was alive, you guys used to have barbecues. Rodney was always there and he was always watching you…it was a little unnerving. I mentioned it to you then, but you laughed it off. And at the engagement party, he seemed to go berserk when you were out of his sight. It was a little creepy.”
What could she say? He had become a little more possessive of her time and attention ever since she accepted his proposal, but she dismissed it as a sign of his eagerness to get married and into her bed. Now certain little incidents played in the back of her mind…like how he would always show up unexpectedly where she was and how he seemed to want to know her comings and goings.
Could her sister be on to something? Lisa took her hand. “Sweetie, only you can make the best decision for you, but I will say this: whatever you decide will affect your children as well.”
“You’re right.”
“I know. I usually am.”
Brandi rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“You know, you never did tell me why you wanted me to pick up DJ when you were home all weekend. Mason was very nice and pretty darn good looking for a white guy. He seemed pretty disappointed when I showed up at his doorstep. Did something happen between the two of you?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Aha! So, something did happen. All you had to do was say no. I didn’t know your taste ran to vanilla. Hmm, I wonder what Daddy would say. You know how vocal he is about certain social views.
“Daddy won’t say anything because there’s nothing to say. Now, can we drop the subject?”
Lisa gave her a knowing smile. “Hey, I don’t have a problem with him being white, and he’s obviously rich. Hmm, if I were single, I would date him.”
Brandi thought it would be best if she didn’t answer or she might end up decking her sister. She never felt more relieved than when her lunch hour was over.
Mason was sitting in the waiting room when Brandi walked through the door. She didn’t notice him as she walked to the back of the office. God, she was beautiful. More than anything he wanted to get out of his seat and pull her into his arms. He couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss they shared on Friday. She tasted so sweet, just as he remembered.
He remembered.
He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he might forget some of his most precious memories. Mason only hoped that he could win her back before that happened. Perhaps he wouldn’t have the old memories, but he could at least make new ones with her. It was a good thing he made this appointment with Dr. Cross or he didn’t think he would have been able to come up with a good excuse to see her again.
It upset him on Saturday when Lisa came to pick up DJ. He had his apology ready and hoped she would be open to them seeing more of each other after she got some time to think about it, but she didn’t show up.
“Mr. Collins, you can go in now.” The dental assistant peeked through the door. His heart raced as he walked to one of the back rooms. He took a seat in the dental chair and let the woman arrange a bib around his neck.
Mason knew Brandi wasn’t the only hygienist in this office, but he hoped he got her. Even if he didn’t, he would find her.
“Someone will be with you shortly.” The pretty assistant smiled at him and gave him a little wink as she sashayed out.
When he had first discovered himself in this body, he hadn’t found it very appealing, but it seemed like the ladies did. Go figure. Anyway, there was only one woman’s interest he wanted to capture.
Dr. Cross entered the room. He was a small man with thinning black hair and thick bushy brows. He had been Brandi’s boss since she graduated from college.
“Hello, young man, how are you today?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Dr. Cross looked at his chart. “You’re here for a cleaning, I see. Well, let me take a look at those choppers and make sure you don’t have any cavities and that your gums are healthy. Then I’ll send in one of my hygienists to take it from there. Okay?”
“Sure.”
He always hated going to dentists, not liking the intrusion of someone messing in his mouth, but he had taken good care of his teeth. He hoped that the old Mason Collins cared about his dental hygiene as well.
“Open wide.”
Mason complied, hoping that it would be over soon. He endured the poking and prodding of his teeth for what seemed like a very long time. The things one did for love. Relief took over when Dr. Cross finished his examination.
“Well, I saw what could be the beginnings of a cavity, but if you brush and floss regularly and use the correct toothbrush, you should be fine. Do you have any questions?”
“None. Thanks, Dr. Cross.”
“My pleasure. Someone should be in here shortly to see you.”
Mason waited anxiously when he was left alone again. He heard soft humming as someone entered the room and instinctively knew it was Brandi.
A stunned look appeared on her face when she saw him. “What the hell are you doing here?” Anger flashed in her eyes.
“This is a dentist’s office and I’m here for my six-month cleaning.”
“Ha, ha, very funny. Now tell me why you’re really here.”
“I told you. I need to get my teeth cleaned. What a coincidence that you work here.” He feigned surprise.
She placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. He knew she wasn’t buying it. “Uh huh, pull the other one. You just happened to make an appointment at this office for the first time after we met? It might have been a coincidence if you didn’t live a half-hour from here. I’m sure there are closer offices to you.”
“I’m sure there are, but this office is close to one of my dealerships.” When he saw her eyes narrow, he knew it would be prudent to confess. “Okay, so I found out you work here and made an appointment. I had to see you.”
“I told you. I don’t want to see you again. I don’t appreciate being stalked.”
“I’m not stalking you. I wanted to see you and this was the only way I knew how. Why didn’t you pick up DJ?”
“You know why. What we did was wrong.”
“How could it be wrong when we wanted it? Is it because I’m white?” As far as he knew, she had never shown any interest in a white man before, but he knew she was attracted to him.
“It’s not because you’re white. I already told you, I’m engaged,” she hissed.
His eyes strayed to her left hand. The large diamond she had been wearing on Friday was missing. Was this a good sign? “You’re not wearing your engagement ring.”
“I don’t wear it when I work.”
The hope that had been building up in his chest was instantly crushed.
“Brandi, you may be willing to deny what’s between us, but I’m not. From the minute I saw you, we clicked. I know it’s not one-sided because you wouldn’t have responded to me so wonderfully if you didn’t feel it, too.” Mason hopped out of the chair and shut the door.
“What are you doing?”
“I want your full attention when I talk to you.”
“Open the door right now!” she demanded. Her brown eyes flashed fire.
“No. I won’t until you hear me out,” he said stubbornly.
Brandi grabbed one of the tools on the table. “I have a drill and I’m not afraid to use it, buddy. Open the door or you’ll end up like Swiss cheese,” she threatened.
The absurdity of the situation struck him. Here he was trying to woo her by trapping her in a dentist’s office and the pint-sized Brandi was defending herself with a drill that didn’t look as though it was plugged in. Mason started laughing.
Brandi scowled. ‘What’s so damned funny?”
“You are. This whole situation.” She paused as though realizing how silly she must have looked, and she snickered, too. It warmed his heart to hear her laugh like that again. The thought brought him back to reality.
“Brandi, please let me say what I have to say. After I’ve said my piece, you can tell me to go to hell,” he said solemnly.
“And would you stop bothering me?” she asked with a raised brow.
“If that’s what you want.” His fingers were crossed behind his back.
“Okay. Speak.” She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the counter.
He could see the wary expression in her eyes and knew this wouldn’t be easy. “Look, I can tell you how attracted I am to you until I’m blue in the face, but that won’t do me any good, will it?”
She shook her head.
“So, the only thing I can say is that I think you should have sex with me to get me out of your system.”
Her eyes widened. He was sure she didn’t expect him to say that. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, come on, Brandi, you heard me. Have sex with me. Think about it. You want my body and I’m willing to let you use me. I’ll be your boy toy for as long as you like.”
“Are you out of your mind? I already told you that I didn’t want to get involved with you at all. What makes you think I would have an affair with you?” She had an incredulous expression on her face.
“Because I know you’ve been thinking about me the way I have been thinking about you.” He took slow deliberate steps toward her as he spoke.
She backed up until she was wedged between the counter and his body. “I have not,” she denied hotly.
“You’re lying, sweet Brandi. You’ve been thinking about my touch and how my tongue felt against your skin and how my cock got so damn hard when you were close to me. I bet you were thinking how your pussy throbs for my touch. You were so wet and ready for me that I could have easily slid between those delectable chocolate thighs of yours.” He paused. “Do you know how I know?”
Her eyes were wide and her breathing sounded stilted. Mason grinned down at her, knowing that his words were affecting her senses. “Do you know how I know?” he repeated, caressing her full bottom lip with his thumb.
She shook her head as if she were hypnotized. “I know because I couldn’t stop thinking about you, too, or how delicious you tasted. Your pussy smelled so sweet. Do you know what I would do if you let me make love to you?”
Again, she shook her head as he lightly caressed her cheek. His hand spanned her throat and he could feel the erratic beating of her pulse. “I would slowly kiss every inch of your beautiful body, taking my time on you and your big, hard nipples. I would suck them into my mouth and make you moan for me. Then I would play with your sweet cunt, slipping my fingers inside of you, getting you so wet that you’d beg for my cock. I would be so damn hard for you, but I promise, I’d go slow.” He lowered his head to lick her earlobe.
She shivered at the contact. “This isn’t right,” she whispered unconvincingly.
Mason lifted his head to gaze into her dark eyes. “You’re starting to repeat yourself, Brandi. Besides, if this is wrong, I sure as hell don’t want to be right. Sorry to sound so clichéd, but it’s how I feel. If you let me make love to you, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. Can you say the same for your fiancé? Does he make you feel this way?”
“No,” she confessed.
Triumph raced through him. He had her in the palm of his hand now.