NiceGirlsDo Read online

  “When we discussed the baby, we realized it was time we behaved in a more responsible manner.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We didn't want our first grandchild to think his grandparents didn't care enough about each other to solidify their commitment to each other. Xavier asked me to marry him and Clayton, I was so ... happy and stunned, I started crying, and I could barely get the yes out.”

  He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard her sound so happy. “He did? Congratulations, Mom! I'm very happy for you and Xavier.” He frowned. “How did Dad take the news?”

  “Well, he was very surprised when I called and told him I wanted a divorce immediately.” She laughed. “After the shock wore off, I think he was afraid once he's free, he'll have to marry Velva.”

  “Why shouldn't he want to marry her, Mom? He loves her.”

  “Does he? Strange he's never wanted to marry her. Sometimes I don't think you Frazier men have marriage in your blood.”

  “He married you and he does love Velva, Mom.”

  “Then he should make an honest woman out of her!”

  He shook his head. After twenty-some years of living with Xavier, she didn't really have much room to talk. But apparently she was feeling self-righteous now that Xavier was finally going to make an “honest woman of her.”

  “Maybe marriage isn't important to her.”

  “Are you serious, Clayton? Take it from me, if and when a woman really loves a man, she wants and needs to know he wants and needs her enough to ask her to marry him. I ... I didn't think marriage was important ... until Xavier asked me to get a divorce and marry him.” Her voice broke. “Then ... then I knew what had been missing from our relationship the entire time we've been together. Don't get me wrong, Clayton, I know and have always known he loved me, but when he asked me to marry him ... it turned my world upside down in the most incredible and happy way.”

  “I ... I'm very happy for you, Mom.”

  “Good. We'll be getting married as soon as possible. Xavier wanted to ask you to be his best man, but he was afraid you'd say no.”

  “Why should I say no?”

  “He's afraid you've harbored ill feelings for ... living with me all this time.”

  In the beginning, while he'd readily accepted his father's extramarital relationship, his mother's with Xavier had taken some getting used to. As a nineteen-year-old, he had hated Xavier until he'd seen how happy he made his mother. “I'd be delighted to be his best man. Is he there?”

  “He's working.”

  “I'll call him and tell him myself.”

  “Oh, Clayton, would you? It would mean so much to him and to me. I don't think either of us has given much thought to how you must have felt all these years until we realized we were going to be grandparents. I'm sorry, Clayton. This must have been a difficult situation for you at best.”

  “No, Mom, no. I've been an adult for a long time now. I understand and have understood you two love each other. Please don't waste any time on regrets on my behalf at a time when you should be very happy.”

  “Oh, Clayton, you are such an understanding man. I hope that one of these days you'll meet a woman who makes you as happy as Xavier makes me.”

  “I am seeing someone special, Mom.”

  “Who? Why haven't you mentioned her? How special is she?”

  “Very special.”

  “Will I get to meet her soon?”

  “It's early days yet.” Early days? He was in love for the first time in his life with a woman who wanted something he'd thought he couldn't give her.

  “Have you asked her to marry you yet?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to?”

  He sighed. “I ... I don't know.”

  “If you love her and she loves you, think about it, Clayton.”

  He nodded. “I will ... I have been.”

  “Well, I'm off to go shopping for a wedding dress before I meet Xay to pick out our rings. I love you so much, Clayton.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  “Bye, darling.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  He hung up and sat back in his chair. His parents were getting a divorce and his mother was remarrying. Hell had frozen over. Just maybe it was time he reevaluated his priorities.

  He picked up the phone and called his father. Damien’s mother answered. “Clayton! How are you?”

  “Hi, Velva. I’m fine. How are you?”

  “I’m great.”

  He hesitated, wondering if she’d mention his father’s impending divorce. When she didn’t, he spoke again. “Is Dad there?”

  “Yes. Hold on a second and I’ll get him.”

  Several minutes later he heard his father’s voice on the line. “Clayton! Boy, how are you?”

  He wondered how old he’d have to be before his father stopped calling him boy. “I’m fine, Dad. How are you?”

  “Hell has frozen over, Clayton. Your mother and I are getting a divorce.”

  “Yes. I know. She just called and told me. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Mom thought you might have been ... dismayed.”

  “Dismayed? Where does your mother get those ideas, boy? Actually, I was somewhat relieved. I’ve been trying to get up the nerve for some time now to ask her for a divorce.”

  “You have? Why?”

  “I’m not getting any younger, boy, and Velva is getting more gorgeous with every passing year. I decided last year that it was time I asked her to marry me before some young buck came along and tried to take my woman from me.”

  “Have you talked to her about this yet?”

  “No. I wanted to talk to your mother first.”

  “And now? Are you going to tell her now that you want to marry her when the divorce is over?”

  “I plan to wait until the divorce is final and surprise her.”

  “Sounds romantic, Dad, but I think if I were you, I’d give her a heads up.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m thinking she’d like to know how much you love her.”

  “She knows that, boy.”

  “I’m sure she does, but I’ve lately come to the conclusion that we have to do some things we might view as ... unimportant to keep the women we love happy.”

  “We? Are you in love, boy?”

  “Yes, Dad, I am.”

  “Tell me about her.”

  “She’s amazing, Dad. She ...”

  * * *

  On Friday morning Darbi and Sharde worked through lunch, which they shared in Sharde's office. “This feels awkward asking this, but are we still on track, Darbi? We're determined to outbid Fra-Tech to win this next government contract.”

  She nodded. “I love him, but I work here and we never discuss business when we're alone. He knows I'm going to do all I can to help Calder Tech outbid Fra-Tech.”

  “Don't you find it difficult?”

  She sighed. “Not so far. We're on track. I've gone through résumés and arranged for several interviews. We'll be ready to outbid them.”

  “What will happen when things work out for you two?”

  “Don't you mean if?”

  Sharde shook her head. “No. I mean when. He loves you and I know you love him. You'll be able to work things out. Then what?”

  “Then I'll have to resign and worry about another job after the baby's born.”

  “I'm sure things will work out for you and Clay, Darbi. There's no way two people could love each other as much as you do without being able to give and take until you can reach a compromise.”

  “Compromise?” She shook her head. “Things didn't work out with Martin, but I still believe in and need to be married to a man who claims he loves me.”

  Sharde smiled. “So. Are we still on for tonight? It's time you met Jeff's best man, Benton Savage. Since it's just going to be the four of us, I thought we'd have a cozy dinner at our place.” She lowered her gaze. “You know, if you want, you could
invite Clay and we could maybe invite Jadan to make a sixth.”

  “Jadan's away and are you sure you want to have Jeff and Clay together in such a confined space?”

  Sharde laughed. “It's going to have to happen sooner or later. Jeff will be on his best behavior. So invite Clay if you like and maybe we can get Willow.”

  “Thanks, but I think I'll come solo.”

  “Okay. Ben will like that as he’ll get to flirt with you.”

  She smiled. “I’ll look forward to that.”

  After lunch, she returned to her office. Instead of working, she sat at her desk, staring at the ring she had bought for Clay with such high hopes. Would she ever get him to agree to wear it?

  The ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. Her secretary was at lunch, so she picked it up herself. “Good afternoon, Calder Technologies. Darbi Raymond speaking.”

  “Hi, honey.”

  She smiled. “Hi, Clay. How are you?”

  “I'd be great if you'd have dinner with me tonight.”

  She sighed. “You know I'm Sharde's matron of honor?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Sharde wants me to meet the best man tonight. We're having dinner at their place.”

  “How about coffee afterwards?”

  “I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going home and going to bed after dinner.”

  “Tired? Are you all right?”

  “Yes. I just have to adjust to being pregnant. Look, I should get back to work.”

  “Darbi, I need to see you soon. We need to talk.”

  “I know and I need to see you too. I'll call you and we'll set up a date.”

  “Okay. Enjoy yourself tonight.”

  “How will you be spending the night?”

  “I'll probably watch a movie.”

  “I'll call you soon, Clay.”

  “Okay. Take care, honey.”

  “You too.”

  During dinner, Darbi found Benton Savage, a handsome blond with a Bruce Willis smile, friendly and charming. He flirted with her throughout the evening. As they said good night, he held her hand and sighed. “Why are all the good ones already taken?”

  She smiled. “You're sweet, Benton.”

  He grinned. “It’s Ben, and I'd rather be considered sexy.”

  She smiled and leaned close to speak in a mock whisper. “Newsflash, Ben, you're sexy as hell.”

  He laughed and released her hand. “I do so love a woman with good taste.”

  She laughed and got in her car. Driving home her thoughts turned to Jadan. She wondered what Jadan would think of Benton. Jadan made no secret of her preference for dating tall, handsome blonds. Maybe she'd ask Sharde about Benton's preference in women.

  At home, she undressed and took a bath. As she lay with her body surrounded by the slick oil, her thoughts turned to Clay. The fact that he had called every single day for the last ten days surely must mean he felt a need to talk to her. Why would he need to talk to her every day if he didn't really care about her? And why should a rich, handsome man who could have any woman he wanted pursue her unless need and love motivated him? If that were the case, maybe she was being unreasonable in expecting him to view marriage as she did.

  She got out of the bath, dried off, slipped on one of his pajama tops he’d given her, and got into bed. She fell asleep quickly, only to wake in the middle of the night, longing for him. The memory of his sometimes tender, sometimes greedy passion made her ache for him. If he made her believe he loved her, could she come to terms with just living with him?

  Oh, Clay! What am I going to do? She drifted back to sleep only to wake just before dawn, her decision about her future with Clay made. She rose and called her mother.

  “Mom? I have some news that’s not going to thrill you. Are you sitting down?”

  * * *

  The smell of freshly brewing coffee awakened Clay from a restless sleep. He rolled over onto his back and lay staring up at his bedroom ceiling, yawning. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. There was no reason he shouldn’t lie there until he fell back asleep.

  He frowned. Amber must be feeling sentimental on her last day with him before returning home to Jamaica. He should probably get up and join her for coffee, but he felt as if he'd spent most of the night lying sleepless thinking about Darbi. He had to find a way to win her back.

  He turned onto his side and glanced at the clock. 6:20 a.m. He frowned. If Amber had roused herself before her normal ten a.m. rising time to make him coffee, the least he could do was get up and drink a cup with her.

  He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and started towards the kitchen. On the way, he noted that Amber's bedroom door was open. Her bags, which had been lined up on the floor the night before, were gone. He frowned, then realized she must have moved them to the foyer for easier packing into his SUV when he took her to the airport that afternoon.

  He glanced around the room and saw an envelope on her pillow. He walked into the room and picked it up when he saw his name sprawled across it. Sitting on the unmade bed, he opened and read it.

  Dearest Clay,

  I looked in before I left, but you were fast asleep. So I kissed you and let you sleep. Damien picked me up at six this morning and will drive me to the airport this afternoon so don't worry about how I'll get there.

  I know I've been a pain in the neck, but you know I love you, not just as a big brother, but almost like a second father. I'll call you in a few days when you come off your natural high.

  All my love,

  Amber.

  He smiled, then frowned. If Amber had already left, who was in the kitchen? And what natural high was she referring to? He slapped a hand against his forehead. No one was in the kitchen. She must have set the automatic coffee maker before she left.

  As big a pain in the neck as she'd been, he was going to miss her. He rose and headed towards the kitchen. He caused in the doorway, a wide smile spreading across his face.

  A barefoot Darbi, wearing nothing but one of his pajama tops, stood at the counter, putting two cups on a tray.

  “Darbi!”

  She turned to face him, a smile lighting her beautiful face. “Hi, honey.”

  Honey. She must have decided to forgive him. His smile turned into a grin.

  “After a sleepless night, I woke up early missing you. So I decided it was time we talked to see if we could iron out our differences. So here I am.

  “Amber let me in and then called Damien to come pick her up. You slept through the whole process. Are you glad to see me?”

  “You know I am.” He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. “Oh, baby, I've missed you.”

  “I've missed you too, Clay.”

  The feel of her hands caressing his back aroused him. He told himself they needed to talk first, but he ached for her. Overcome by his hunger, he pushed up the top and slipped his hands between her legs. She was wet.

  He turned his head and kissed her. As her lips parted under his, he stroked his fingers between her wet folds and into her cunt. She moaned and ground herself against his fingers.

  He dragged his lips away from hers and stared down at her. “I need you.”

  To his surprise, she opened her top, revealing her nude body, leaned back against the wall, and parted her legs. “Show me how much.”

  “Here?”

  She rubbed her pussy and licked her lips. “I'm wet and ready. I want you right here and right now ... unless you have something better to do.”

  He tore off his pajama bottoms, popped his cock out of his briefs, moved between her legs, and thrust forward.

  “Ooooh, yes!” She moaned and slipped her arms around him as he pushed into her wet warmth.

  He shuddered, feeling as if all the nerves in his body were centered in his cock head. The deeper he pushed into her, the more incredible the sensations buffeting his body. When he felt her pubic hair against his, he groaned and slid his hands down her body to cup her big, round ass.

&nb
sp; “Oooh! Clay!”

  “Have I ever told you how fond I am of your big, brown, round ass?”

  She gave him a seductive smile. “Hmmm. You might have mentioned it once or twice.”

  He gently squeezed her ass and slowly fucked his cock in and out of her sweet pussy, staring down into her eyes, which were still open.

  “Oh, Clay, I love this and I love you!”

  He smiled, pushed all the way back inside her, and held himself still. “It does feel good, doesn't it?”

  She stroked her fingers through the hair at his nape. “If it only felt good, I wouldn't want to melt every time I feel you sliding all the way inside me. It's so much more than good.”

  He lowered his head until his lips were within inches of hers. “That's because we're so much more than in love with each.”

  “I think you're right,” she told him, closed her eyes, and urged his lips down onto hers.

  He wanted to be tender and slow, but as he felt her inner muscles rippling around him, he lost his ability to control the buildup of his passion. He lifted one of her legs, and started to drill his cock into her, shuddering with lust and love. He dragged his lips away from hers and sucked one of her breasts between his lips.

  She moaned and raked a hand down his back. Deciding her breasts must still be sore, he gentled his lips and tongue against her nipple. When it hardened, he kissed his way across her body to her other breast. Squeezing and caressing her ass, he gently sucked her until she cried out, and showered what felt like a river of pussy juice over his cock.

  Her internal contractions set off his own eruption and he came, thrusting deep and hard into her as he pumped his seed into her flooded cunt. He leaned against her with his face pressed against her neck for several moments after he came before the feel of her belly against his reminded him that pressing all his weight against her might not be a good idea.

  He straightened and stroked her cheek. “That was ... intense. You are incredible.”

  She smiled, slowly sliding her tongue along her lips.

  “Don't do that or you'll make me hard again.”

  “And that would be bad because?”

  “We need to talk.”

  She nodded. “Yes. We do.”

  He kissed her and took her hand. “Let's go to bed.”

  “And how much talking are we going to get done there?”