Rituals for Love (9781476761893) Read online

  “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. For now, I need you to crack that whip and keep Hal on track.” I flashed a smile at her.

  “Funny.”

  “I’ll be counting on you next week. I have a crazy schedule. Between a calendar full of meetings and the second chef arriving on Sunday for a week, I won’t be here much.”

  “How’s the first chef doing?”

  “Jeremiah wanted to give him his walking papers after the first couple of days. I’m already planning to start interviewing again if the next chef, Riley, isn’t any better.”

  “For your sake, I hope Riley works out. I can imagine Jeremiah is not happy to have chefs he doesn’t know in his kitchen.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” I shook my head. “I told him I’d make it up to him.”

  “We can’t afford a similar situation with Genesis. We have to start our search for an executive chef immediately.”

  “Have you given any serious thought to what you want on the menu?”

  “I’ve been mulling it over.”

  I stepped in front of her and extended my hand. “What do you say to playing hooky for the rest of today? We can go back to my house, get situated by the pool and discuss our menu.”

  A devilish grin played on her lips and she put her hand in mine. “You are a bad influence.”

  I tugged her to her feet. “That’s a yes?”

  She nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with mixing business with a little pleasure.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  JADE

  I wrapped my turquoise sarong around my waist and tied a knot on my hip. Cain had already changed into his trunks, thrown on a pair of flip-flops and gone out into the yard. I was coordinating my suit and sarong as if we had company waiting downstairs. By the time I made it outside, Cain was set up at the table on the patio jotting down something in one of a few binders in front of him.

  He looked up. “I see you went with the yellow bikini.”

  “It’s not easy to choose when you keep slipping new bathing suits into my drawer.”

  “If I come across something sexy that I want to see you in, I’m going to get it.”

  “I must admit you have good taste.”

  “I know what I like to see on my lady.”

  “Maybe I need to shop for you more.” I sat across from him at the table. “It’s not like I haven’t been in a store and passed a shirt or tie that I thought would look good on you.”

  “What stopped you from getting it?”

  “I don’t know. I usually think ‘That would look nice on Cain’ and keep going.”

  “Can’t take the time to stop and get a brother something special. See how you do me?”

  I laughed. “I’m sorry, baby. Next time I’m out shopping, I promise to bring you something nice.”

  “That’s music to my ears. I can’t wait to see what you bring me.”

  “Maybe I’ll get you something sexy to wear. Since you keep buying me bikinis, I can repay the favor.”

  “Nah, I’ll pass on the bikini.”

  “Men wear bikinis. You don’t want a suit to show off all of your junk?”

  “Junk?” He howled. “Definitely not. Unless you’re in the business of wasting your money, don’t buy me any male bikini. You can bring me a tie. I’ll gladly accept a tie.”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Don’t get me anything crazy.”

  It wasn’t hard to bait Cain. There were times when he couldn’t tell if I were serious or joking with him, and I took full advantage of his uncertainty. I’d had many laughs at his expense. Unfortunately for me, he could be a jokester, as well, and he did believe in getting even. It was all in fun and I was thankful he had a great sense of humor.

  “All right, all right,” I said. “As engaging as this conversation is, we’re supposed to be working.”

  “Let’s get started. What do you have in mind for our menu?”

  “I definitely think we should have a menu of light bites.”

  “Just how light are you talking?”

  “Well, think about it. Our clients will either dine with us before or after their services. In both scenarios, they won’t want to be weighed down by a heavy meal. If they’re preservice, it wouldn’t be ideal to feel full and bloated while receiving services designed to invigorate. And if they’ve already received their services and decide to eat afterward, they will have meal options that won’t have them dragging out of the door.”

  “I’m with you so far.”

  “And I don’t want you to think a light bite necessarily means salad or sandwiches. The light bites are decadent tastes of heaven, albeit the portions are much smaller.”

  “I get it. How about an example of a menu item?”

  “Okay. One example of what we could offer is a dish of thinly sliced beef carpaccio with a basil horseradish emulsion. We can play around with the flavors of the accompanying sauce. The point is, that’s not necessarily a healthy dish, but it’s not an overwhelming slab of meat. Like I said, it’s a light bite.”

  “What else do you have in mind?”

  “You didn’t like the carpaccio?”

  “The carpaccio is fine. I’m looking for a few more examples of how we’d carry the light bites throughout an entire menu. What would you serve with the carpaccio?”

  “I see it as more of an appetizer. However, we could serve it as a tasting plate accompanied by butter poached baby asparagus or even sautéed sugar snap peas with garlic and fresh herbs.”

  “Okay, I like how that sounds.”

  “What about grilled salmon medallions with a balsamic ginger reduction? I can pair that with a wilted spinach salad.”

  “Even better.”

  “Oh, I know,” I said excitedly. “Seared ahi tuna cubes with a wasabi vinaigrette served with steamed sesame rice.”

  Cain smiled at me. “I love how passionate you are about your craft. You light up when talking about creating new dishes.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes, and it’s so sexy.”

  “They say food can be an aphrodisiac.”

  “You’re definitely making me hungry in more ways than one.”

  “Do you remember the first time I cooked for you?”

  “How could I forget? You made grilled shrimp with some sort of spicy sauce.”

  “It was spiced coconut sauce.”

  “That’s right.”

  The first time I cooked for Cain I wanted everything to be perfect. I had already boasted to him that it would be a meal he’d never forget. I had to show and prove that I was the master I proclaimed to be in the kitchen. We dined together and got to know one another better during that dinner. We talked about relationships, enjoyed some playful banter and cleaned up the kitchen together.

  “And it was delicious,” I reminded him in case he forgot.

  “You were delicious.” He licked his lips. “We made love for the first time that night.”

  “You couldn’t keep your hands off of me.”

  “I seem to recall you took the initiative. We didn’t end up in your bedroom because I led you up there.”

  “Okay, fine.” I snickered. “We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

  “You didn’t wait long to attack me either. What was it, our second date?”

  “It was our third, and I did not attack you. Two mature, consenting adults decided to have sex. We took precautions and you loved it.”

  “Why don’t you remind me how much I loved it?”

  “We have work to do.”

  “Yes, we do.” Cain grabbed my hand and lured me away from the table, over to the lounge chair beside the pool.

  “So this is why you wanted to play hooky.”

  He reclined the backrest and stretched out on the cushioned lounger. He cupped my ass and pulled me close enough to grasp my hips and guide me where he wanted me, straddling his body.

  He untied my sarong and let it fall away to the patio
. I reached for it and he stopped me. He stared at me with an intensity that bore through me. His hands moved to the back of my bikini top and unfastened the clasp. He delicately slid the straps down my arms and dropped the top with the sarong. He sat up and wrapped his arms around my back, drawing me close enough that my breasts were pressed against his chest. He whispered in my ear, “I need you to do me a favor?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I need you to stand up and take off your bottoms.”

  I craned my neck back and looked into his face. He was smiling a smile that said that I should do what he said. I extracted myself from his embrace and stood next to the chair. I eased my bikini bottom over my ass and let it drop to the ground. I stepped out of my bathing suit while Cain took in my naked glory from head to toe. “Now what?” I teased.

  He jumped up from the chair. “Be right back.”

  I spun around and watched as he jogged off toward the pool house and dipped inside. I stood waiting, the sun warming my backside. He returned carrying a long, fluffy towel that he laid on top of the lounge chair. “You didn’t answer my question,” I said.

  “Now I want you to lie down.”

  I shook my head. “I want you to take off your trunks and you lie down.”

  He didn’t hesitate. Cain dropped his swimsuit and eased down onto the lounge chair. I stood at the foot of the chair and peered down at him. His chocolate goodness shone in the sunlight. He put one hand behind his head and started to stroke himself with the other. I joined him on the chair, crawling up his body until my face hovered near his growing manhood. I cupped his scrotum and gently rolled it in my palm.

  He stopped stroking, his hand wrapped around the shaft. “Give it a little kiss.”

  I obliged and kissed the tip with full, pouty lips. He lightly tapped his penis on my mouth. I kissed it again, this time placing my hand over his to hold it steady. Without provocation, I traced my tongue around the head. Cain inhaled sharply and his body tensed. I took that as my cue and covered his tip with my mouth. I savored the smoothness of his manhood against my tongue. I gave him the lollipop treatment—a little twirl with a gentle pull, in and out of my mouth. He moved his hand from beneath mine and I took over with a firm, rhythmic stroke. He moaned low and long. I sucked him into my mouth inch by inch, gauging the effect I was having on him. He watched me intently, his gaze unwavering. I filled my mouth with him, controlling the pace, stoking his fire. The rise and fall of his chest intensified, becoming more erratic with each breath. I knew the intricacies of Cain’s body and exactly how to work it. The sensation of his growing hardness inside of my mouth excited me. I closed my eyes and switched to autopilot. My hands and tongue worked in tandem. They listened to his body and responded accordingly. As the sound of his panting amplified, I sucked him harder and deeper. I concentrated on not gagging, focusing on the sounds surrounding me—Cain’s moaning, the flowing waterfall, chirping birds nearby. Over and over, I sucked him down.

  His hands gripped my shoulders and my eyes fluttered open. He was breathing heavily and staring down at me. I slowly withdrew his length from my mouth, snaking my tongue along the way.

  “I need to be inside you,” he said gruffly.

  I climbed his body. My legs on either side of him, I undulated my nani on his penis moving my hips back and forth. “Can you feel that?” I asked.

  “You’re getting wet for me.”

  I raised up and took hold of his penis. Cain grabbed my waist, fingers splayed, and guided me as I eased him inside. Down and then up. A slow bounce progressed as my body took over. Eyes closed, head tilted back, I rode Cain to my own sexy groove. The feel of his manhood nestled in my depths—snug, long, and strong—was like no other pleasure. My honey dripped and I sang. Sang a sweet song that carried in the wind. It was a song that had been sung many times before. The ad libs were different but the song was the same—a song of sensuality and desire. Cain joined in with his own harmony. My back arched as he thrust upward. I opened my eyes and knew what I’d see, him watching me. He loved to watch.

  I raked my nails down Cain’s chest and stomach; his muscles contracted. He bit his bottom lip and I did it again. He dug his fingers into my ass and drove in deeper. I cried out; he pushed harder. My walls constricted around him; he cried out. Cain sat up and clasped me to him with one arm. I wrapped my legs around his waist and nibbled his lips. He devoured mine. I grabbed the back of his head and he tugged on my hair, clutching it between his fingers. Feverish kisses trailed from my chin to my neck to my lips again. I rolled my hips into him. Sweat trickled down my back as our naked bodies glistened in the sun.

  I tried to refrain from shouting since we were outdoors but couldn’t. “Oh, damn!”

  “Let it out,” he drawled.

  “Oh, damn…”

  “Can you take it all?”

  “Yes,” I whispered hoarsely.

  “Do you want all of this?”

  I managed to nod.

  “Can you handle it?” he asked.

  “Can you handle it?”

  He rammed into my nani. “I said can you handle it?”

  A strained wheeze escaped me. He shoved again. I locked my arms around his neck. Once again, this time with more intensity. My breath caught in my throat. Yet again, fiercer. Over again, faster. Over and over and over, Cain thrust into me. His relentless drive made me scream his name, shout a string of profanities, and call out to the Almighty. My nani pulsated and bathed him in my essence. I tried to back away from Cain, but he held me captive. I struggled to catch my breath. He changed his flow and eased into me nice and slow. I exhaled. My legs were trembling. He pressed his face against my shoulder and clung to me. He kept pumping as he chased his orgasm. I moved my hips in a figure eight, guiding the way. He faltered. I didn’t. My steady, gentle twist carried him over the finish line. He bellowed as he came.

  Cain peered at me through one squinted eye. “Damn, baby.”

  “I was there.” I untangled myself from his body. We were drenched in sweat. My hair was clinging to my back.

  He stretched out on the lounge, black skin shining, traces of our lovemaking shimmering on his most private of parts. I stumbled on weak legs to the outdoor pool shower and let the cool water cascade over me. My nani was still pulsing from Cain’s deep dive. He knew how to make me come each and every time, and it wasn’t always the same way.

  I turned off the water and grabbed a couple of towels from the pool house. I dried off, wrapped myself in the towel and returned to the patio. Cain’s eyes were closed. I laid the extra towel on the lounge beside his and stretched out to bask in the heat.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CAIN

  I squinted against the afternoon sun. My neck was stiff and cocked to the side. Apparently I had dozed off. I sat up, rubbing my neck, the towel clinging to my back. I was hot and sweaty. Jade was on the lounge next to mine, back turned to me, towel covering her nakedness. I checked my watch and it was after four. I stood up and stretched. My body felt like I had just engaged in an intense workout. I bent down, collected our bathing suits from the patio, and then went over to Jade’s lounger. Tendrils of damp hair framed her face. I stood over her for a moment watching her sleep and was assaulted by a rush of feelings. That was my lady, my friend, my lover. I was proud, no grateful, that she was mine.

  I leaned over and brushed her arm. She stirred. I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Baby, wake up.” Eyes still closed, she smiled. “Come on, babe,” I coaxed.

  She languidly sat up and smoothed the hair back from her face. “How long was I asleep?”

  “We were out for about an hour and a half.”

  “I put it on you, huh?”

  I laughed. “You always do.” I stepped aside so she could stand up. “Let’s go grab a shower.”

  “You need one,” she said.

  “Wait a minute.” I snatched her towel as she passed by.

  She jumped. “Cain, stop being fresh! Just because you’re an exhibi
tionist with your goods showing—”

  “Who’s being fresh? I need to drop these towels in the laundry room. And, for the record, since nobody can see us I wouldn’t consider myself an exhibitionist.” I tapped her on the ass and nudged her into the house. “Go shower. I’ll meet you up there.”

  I threw the towels in the washing machine and then went up to my bedroom. The bathroom door was open and the water running. Jade was in the shower lathering her body. I leaned against the countertop and took her in from head to toe through the glass enclosed shower. Her caramel skin, full breasts, round ass, shapely calves. The curve of her hips. Her smooth stomach. Eyes that invited me in every time I looked at her. The Brazilian wax that turned me on and made me want to taste her at that very moment. Nothing was off-limits. Making her happy made me happy. Jade saw me watching and knew what I liked. She massaged her breasts while she soaped up. She put her foot on the shower bench as she washed from her thigh down to her toes. She turned away from me and squeezed a trail of bubbles over her shoulder down to the small of her back and the round of her ass. She bathed herself with lingering strokes and pronounced gestures. I stepped inside the shower with her.

  “It’s about time,” she said.

  “I was being a voyeur.” I turned on my shower head and let the water beat on me.

  “I noticed.” She came over to me and began to lather my back. “Thank goodness you don’t have any neighbors close enough to see into your yard. We would have given them quite a show today.”

  I turned to face her. “We look damned good doing what we do. I’m thinking about breaking out my video camera next time.”

  “Oh, no you’re not. You will not be recording us getting our freak on.”

  “Why not?” I grabbed her and slid against her soapy body. “We’d look good on film.”

  “I hope you’re kidding. I don’t do videos, take pictures, send texts, or anything I don’t want my mother to see.”

  “How would your mother see something we do and watch in private?”

  “I don’t know, but those intimate moments have a way of falling into the wrong hands. So you can forget about it.”