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At first, she was too surprised to offer any resistance, and the unbalanced position she was in gave him control. But once she got her feet back under her, he expected her to lift off him then slap the taste out of his mouth. Instead, she only settled better over his body. Her arms bracketed around his head and her lips softened against his.
Soon, they were really kissing.
Her plump lips opened over his, and though it was just a little opening, it was enough for him. He dipped his tongue in and tasted her. Her flavor was clean, sweet and intoxicating. His fingers sifted through her soft braids, soothing her, while he seduced her with his mouth.
The kiss was better than he expected, and certainly much better than he remembered. It left him aching for more. His hand slipped down her back to cup her ass. He squeezed the plump flesh and almost moaned in delight.
Unfortunately, the delight was one-sided. His action caused Chess to instantly stiffen. Her lips stopped moving as if she’d just realized what she was doing. With a speed that could’ve been admirable if it wasn’t so disappointing, she tore her lips from his then jerked out of his hold to once again stand up.
There was so much fire and fury in her eyes that for a second he thought she would deck him for daring to kiss her again. Luckily, all she did was scowl. “Stay away from me, Khan.”
With those words, she grabbed her purse and stormed towards the door.
“See you at work on Wednesday, baby,” he threw at her back.
The only response he got was a sneer and a middle finger before she exited the room. He could only laugh.
6
C
HESS SPENT THE NEXT TWO days steeling herself for the tough road ahead. Working with Tazeem would be incredibly hard as would be keeping her emotions in check. But what terrified her most was the possibility of him finding out about Jay. That would be a disaster.
Tazeem would no doubt be furious, but he wasn’t her primary concern.
She cared more about how Jay would feel and react to the revelation that his father was alive and well.
At around four or five years old, Jay started asking about his father. However, he was too young to digest the complicated mess that was Tazeem’s absence from of their lives. So, out of pure desperation, Chess had concocted a story to end her son’s questions.
The story was; Tazeem was a loving, responsible man who Chess had dated in college. He’d been really excited to meet Jay and would’ve made a great father. Unfortunately, he’d passed away before Jay was born. In Jay’s mind, Tazeem was a hero who’d died too young.
She’d always planned to correct the lie when Jay was old enough to handle the unfiltered truth, but if Tazeem found out about it, the timing would be out of her hands. Once Tazeem knew about Jay, she’d have to tell Jay about Tazeem. Then who knew how the chips would fall from then on.
Tazeem might want Jay, or he might not.
What if Tazeem decided that he wasn’t ready for a kid? Then she’d have to tell Jay that his formerly heroic father had rejected him, and Jay would end up hurt.
Tazeem deciding that he wanted Jay wasn’t any better. He might try to take Jay, and given his current wealth, he might even succeed. Just the thought of having her kid taken from her was enough to make Chess nauseous and light-headed. But that wasn’t even the worst result.
Tazeem had a history of dipping when the going got tough. Sure, he might want Jay now, but what about in the future? There was no guarantee that he’d stay in Jay’s life once he realized that raising a kid wasn’t all sunshine and roses. What then?
Once again, Chess would have to clean up after Tazeem. But no matter what she did, Jay would still end up scarred for life. She couldn’t let that happen.
Jay’s life was fine now. Despite not having a dad, Jay had a great, uncomplicated life, and he was a happy and well-adjusted kid. She wouldn’t – no, she couldn’t let Tazeem take that from him. Her job was to protect him, and she’d do that even if it meant being a devil.
So, she came up with a four-pronged plan of attack.
One: Stop fussing about having to work with Tazeem and just accept it.
Two: Keep everything professional between them and resist his attempts to entangle her with his charm.
Three: Make sure that he and Jay never, ever,evermeet. Don’t even mention Jay’s name.
Four: Send Tazeem on his merry way as soon as the project was done and cut all contact.
At the surface level, the plan seemed indestructible. But instinct told her that it wouldn’t be that easy to implement. Tazeem was a master at shattering well-made plans and good decisions. Still, she remained determined to beat him, even if it killed it.
On Wednesday of the same week, she mentally chanted the mantra ‘keep it professional’ as she made her way to the boardroom. Today was the first official meeting with everyone involved in the fashion show, including Tazeem.
