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Chapter Twelve
Shanda was glad she had decided not to respond to Kenneth yesterday. He may have sent a few text messages, but each had been as impersonal as the last. How are you? How is work? Did you want to talk about your business plan? Granted, she didn’t expect words of love, but she would’ve liked to see something more intimate. Maybe that he missed her. Or wished he could be holding her. Hell, she’d settle for something like she haunted his dreams. Kenneth had definitely visited hers. No matter what, she woke several times during the night covered in sweat from an erotic dream.
A cool shower seemed to have helped. So did focusing on something she did have control over: Home Blown. The stubborn streak within her kicked in and before she knew it she had her laptop on the bed and she was typing away. She might not know all the ins and outs of the stock market, but DeeDee was right, she wasn’t stupid. She could do this without Kenneth’s assistance.
The next hour was spent wording and rewording it until it looked just right. Before she posted it, she wanted to give it one last run through. As she read her advertisement, her eyes opened wide and she burst out laughing. Oh my God, it sounds like I’m looking for a man. As she read it one more time, she realized it wasn’t just any man, either. She was placing an ad for Kenneth. How the hell hadn’t I seen this before?
With a sigh of relief, she hit delete. An ad like that, with a business name like Home Blown, would have the police knocking on her door. She wanted—no, needed—to build her clientele, but she wasn’t offering those types of services.
It wasn’t funny, but she had to laugh. Kenneth never would’ve come close to making such an error. He’s all professional. That’s why he’s a billionaire and I’m lifting the cushions on my couch for loose change.
This just proved to her that her subconscious wasn’t going to let her ignore what she needed to address. The roosters hadn’t even started to crow yet. Shanda looked at the clock: four A.M. There was no way she could call Kenneth now. Sending him a text message, well, that was different. She could respond to his, which was only polite.
Shanda snickered, closed the laptop and put it on her nightstand. She grabbed her cell phone and scrolled through his messages. Which one did she want to answer? Talking business was definitely not happening. Really, none of them appealed to her. Instead, she came up with her own.
WHAT’S UP?
That should get a response.
Sitting there just staring at her phone waiting for his quick-witted response was driving her crazy. When her phone vibrated, it wasn’t a message coming through. He was Facetiming her. Shanda could see her reflection on the screen and it wasn’t good. But they had been intimate and Kenneth had seen her sweaty with grass stuck in her hair. She shouldn’t let this uncombed look stop her now. Besides, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind for not calling her yesterday. Text messages didn’t cut it.
She pressed accept. The image of Kenneth standing with a towel riding low on his waist almost made her drop the phone.
After a long pause, Kenneth asked, “You did want to talk to me right?”
She blushed and realized she hadn’t said a word. Thankfully drooling hadn’t commenced yet. Any lingering anger about his lack of calling her yesterday was replaced with building frustration of another kind. Her eyes roamed over his delicious body one more time. No one should look that good in the morning. Clearing her throat, she said, “I was checking to see how things are.”
He smiled and said in a deep, husky voice, “That’s not exactly what you asked.”
Kenneth somehow could always make her laugh, even when he wasn’t trying to. It was a good way for them to start. She didn’t want things to be awkward between them. Not after it had been so damn good.
Shanda let her eyes roam down his body and then said, “Even through that towel, I can see what’s up.”
She prepared herself for a snappy retort, but instead his hand gripped the towel and yanked it off. “Any more questions?”
Yes, why the hell aren’t you on your way here?
“Not at the moment.” She could feel her cheeks burning with the need that was built up within her. It hadn’t been long since they had made love, but to her body, it felt like forever. Swallowing hard, she tried for a casual tone. “I guess I called at a convenient… I mean, inconvenient time,” she stammered.
“No such thing,” he responded. “I’m glad you called. I was getting worried.”
“I’ve been busy,” she said. She felt horrible about lying to him. “That’s not true. I was…well…”
“Shanda, you don’t have to explain,” he said as he slipped on a pair of boxers.
Thank you. At least now I can think clearly.
“Kenneth, I do. If I don’t it will always be something like a wedge between us. I don’t want that.”
“I have a few things I need to say as well. Would you like me to go first?”
That would be great, but also a copout. “No. I need to explain why I blew you off yesterday. I guess I was upset that you didn’t speak to me much after having dinner with your parents.”
“I’m sorry about that. There was a lot on my mind that I needed to process.”
Me too. And I had wanted to talk to you about it.“It felt more like you were shutting me out.”
“Baby, that wasn’t my intention. I told you that I’m here for you,” he stated.
