Without Limits: A BWWM Collection of Passion and Desire, page 79
She wondered what he would think of her condo. It had been her home ever since she moved to the city.
“It smells absolutely fabulous in here.” Demetrius came further into her home. Ebony watched him looking around at her stuff in curiosity seeing her condo through his eyes. The overstuffed white sofa with the large fluffy purple pillows. The bookshelf covered in paperbacks. The family pictures that covered almost a whole wall. It was this wall that Demetrius gravitated towards. Looking at pictures of her and her sisters throughout the years. She should have taken down the pictures that showed her in her awkward chubby years before she sprouted up and her height thinned her out.
“Well I had thought about cooking you a Greek meal, but you could get anything better than what I could cook any day at your family’s restaurant. Then I thought about making you chicken, but that is so stereotypical. So instead I thought I would tempt you with my secret lasagna recipe.” She babbled nervously. She was filled with anticipation. It was hard to believe that after so many attempts that they were going to have their first date. It was surreal.
“Would you like something to drink? I have wine and beer.” She moved towards the kitchen to finish the final touches on their meal.
“I will have whatever you are drinking.” Demetrius turned from her family pictures and followed her into her small kitchen. She turned around from the fridge to find him standing close to her. He reached out pulling her closer to him when her cellphone rang. She ignored it at first, tilting her head up towards his mouth.
She groaned as her phone continued to ring with the tone she had set for calls from the hospital. She released a huge sigh, “I have to answer that real quick.” The regret at missing out on the touch of his lips coated her voice.
“Ebony Archer.” She paused as she listened to the frantic voice on the other end of the phone. “What?” her voice was full of happiness. “Sure, no problem. No problem at all. Well I know you didn’t plan it. Like you can plan when your water is going to break. Congratulations.” She hung up the phone and turned to Demetrius, excitement fading.
“I have to go. My co-worker’s water just broke while she is at work and I need to cover her shift. I wasn’t on-call, but I’m the only one answering my phone.”
She turned and looked at her dining room table that was set for their romantic dinner before turning to look at Demetrius. She didn’t know what to do, she had prepared for this all day, disappointment filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey babies come at unpredictable times. Why don’t you go get changed for work while I pack up this food and you can take it to your co-workers.” He offered. He was also upset that they weren’t going to have their date, but he guessed it was better than being stood up.
By time Ebony came out one of the back rooms he had the food packed for her to carry easily and was standing by the door with her.
“Oh Damn,” she muttered after reaching for her keys to find empty space, she turned her brown eyes on him. “Could I ask you for a ride to the hospital? I didn’t plan to leave home tonight and I dropped my car at the shop to be picked up in the morning.”
“Not a problem. This gives me an excuse to spend more time with you.” Demetrius agreed as he helped her carry her stuff to his truck. Like a true gentleman he opened the door for her, she smiled and slid in.
The drive to the hospital was short, but he still enjoyed the cozy atmosphere as Ebony talked about her friend having her baby and how she loved children. She didn’t react when he held her hands except to squeeze it. They reached the hospital too quickly for his taste.
Demetrius helped her carry the food into the break room next to the ER. “Ebony,” a voice called out as they left the room. A tall brunette was rushing over to Ebony. “Hey girl, what are you doing her this late?”
“Debbie went into labor, so I came to cover the rest of her shift.” She explained. “Katie this is my friend Demetrius.” She turned to him and introduced him to her friend.
He didn’t like being introduced just as her friend. That was something they were going to have to correct soon. He blinked in surprise when he found himself engulfed in a tight hug. “Is this the guy you have been chatting with online? I thought he stood you up?”
“No this isn’t the same guy and you might want to let him go. Otherwise your killer grip will smother him,” Ebony laughed. “Sorry, Demetrius she is a hugger. I should have warned you.”
She gave a brief explanation to Katie. “Remember I told you when I got stood up that I went and decked the guy who stood me up or the guy I thought stood me up?”
“Yeah.”
“Well this is the guy I decked. We were supposed to have dinner tonight?”
“OMG, the firefighter? Only you can deck a guy and get a date. I’m so jealous.” Katie squealed. She tilted her head listening to the announcement that came over her radio attached to her shoulder. “That’s me. Gotta run. It was nice meeting you Demetrius. I will catch up with you later Ebony.” Katie called before she ran off.
“Wow, that must be nice?” Demetrius watched Katie run off before turning back to Ebony as she headed down the hall in the opposite direction.
“What is nice?” she unlocked her office door and flipped on the light.
“Being able to work with your relative.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked absently already getting into work mode.
“You and Katie. I often wish I could work with my cousin. I think we would have a good time, but I’m pretty sure that nothing would get accomplished.”
“Katie and I aren’t related. I just meet her about three years ago when I started working here at the hospital. What makes you think we are related? She is obviously white, and I am obviously not.”
“Guess I was wrong. It’s just that when you both stand close to each other you are the same height and have the same dark brown hair color. And it isn’t as if your dark skin. In my culture you would be called light-bright.” He pointed out.
“Your just jealous that I have a better tan then you.” She joked.
“Totally.” He deadpanned.
Ebony laughed, “Maybe it’s like that thing where people start to look like their pets after spending so much time with them. It also applies to co-workers.”
“Well, let me let you go so that you can get to work.” Demetrius walked to her office door. As he turned to say goodbye, he was startled to see her behind him.
Ebony slid her body up against his. Her curves were not as pronounced in her work dress as they had been in the slinky number that she had been wearing in her condo. It was still good enough for him to feel her curves in as she reached up and pulled his head down towards her. “I am sorry about dinner,” she whispered before she plunged her tongue between his surprised lips. She stroked his mouth. Each stroke of her tongue going deeper. Getting deeper. Demetrius hands wrapped around her waist as one of her legs lifted up and wrapped around his lower body.
They were pressed together from shoulder to thigh. Heat raced through him. Demetrius could feel the hard press of her pointed nipples in his chest. Her fingers tangling in his hair, stroking his head in rhythm with her tongue. His passion flared so high that he was surprised the fire alarms didn’t go off. This was a first for him. He never had a woman take control of a kiss. Never had his mouth dominated in such a way. He was used to being the one in control. Ebony could fucking kiss.
He hiked Ebony up into his arms carrying her towards her desk. Both of her legs wrapped around his waist as she sucked his bottom lip in between her lips and nibbled on it. The feel of her sharp little teeth was driving him wild. He set her one the edge of her desk and was about to sweep it clean so he could lay her down when she stopped him.
“We can’t.”
“Why not?” he demanded his mouth already lowering to carry on.
“Because I have to work.” Ebony said as she peeled her hands from his hair and leaned back on her elbow so she could look in the face hovering above her. She planted a quick kiss on his lips before pushing him off of her. “Now get before I do something on this desk to get me fired.”
“I’m good with that,” Demetrius admitted leaning in to kiss her again.
“Yeah, but I have bills to pay.”
“I will pay them.”
“Demetrius Andre Papadakis. I’m a strong independent black woman. I don’t need no man to pay my bills.” She informed him pushing him away and getting up from where she was at on her desk. “Now go away and I will see you in the morning.”
“Morning?”
“I may be a strong independent black woman, but I’m not walking home.” She loftily informed him. “Now shoo.” She closed her office door in his face as he stared longingly at her.
Chapter Eight
Demetrius laid in bed tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. He wanted to get some sleep tonight. It wasn’t a secret what was keeping him awake. His date with Ebony this evening was a bust due to her work emergency and he was still hours away from the time he needed to pick her up from work, he looked at his cell.
Demetrius got out of bed putting on sweats and a loose t-shirt. He didn’t sleep in anything other than his boxer shorts having to get dressed in turnout gear many times in the middle of the night at the firehouse. He needed to come to terms with the knowledge that somebody was using his identity to do something as underhanded as having a fake relationship with Ebony. Ebony Archer was a beautiful and obviously intelligent woman. That meant whoever tricked her was smart on some level. They were smart enough to carrying on an intelligent conversation with this beautiful woman for several months.
Whoever it was missed out on a chance to have a real relationship with a fabulous woman. He knew that she loved her job and her friends Katie and Melissa. She spoke fondly of her younger siblings, mother and her step-father. He remembered one of the phone conversation they had late one night when he was on shift at the firehouse.
“Did your parents get divorced. Is that why you have a step-father?” he wanted to know everything there was to know about Ebony including about her family.
There was a pause on the phone before she answered him. “No, my father was killed in a car accident when I was about five years old.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I remember him as being bigger than life. I get my height from his side of the family. He was the one that started telling me that I was a strong independent black woman and that I shouldn’t take any shit from anyone.” Demetrius could hear the smile in her voice as she remembered her father. “I don’t remember what he looks like, though my mother says I look a lot like him.”
“You don’t have any pictures of him.”
“A few weeks after he died there was a fire in the apartment building we lived in. We lost everything in the fire. And you know cellphones weren’t as common back then so there was no cloud to save pictures to.”
“Well that sucks.” Demetrius knew the devastation of a family losing everything in a fire and so soon after losing her father could affect a person for their whole life.
He shook himself from the thoughts brought on by the memory of that phone call. He needed something to curb his exhaustion as he waited.
Demetrius moved from is bedroom into his kitchen. He opened his fridge to discover that his mother was still mad at him. Usually when he worked several days in a row like he just finished, she would have stocked his fridge with some of the goodies that she and the Aunts had created in the restaurant. All he found was a box of baking soda, moldy bread and a note.
Το μωρό μου φέρνει στο σπίτι ένα καλό ελληνικό κορίτσι, αν θέλετε περισσότερο φαγητό.
He translated the note as he read it “My baby bring home a good Greek girl if you want more food.”
Well he had to admit it, his mother definitely had a way of getting her message across. Too bad he was pretty sure that he was going to disappoint her. He thought about how Ebony’s brown eyes sparkled with anger at him. How she laughed at his mother’s behavior. He thought about her determined spirit and how she didn’t take the things life threw at her laying down. She had every right to be pissed off about what happened to her, but instead of indulging in a pity party she’s been searching for the person who tricked her.
She maintained her cool when dealing with his mother, she was his dream woman. He could think of a number of women who would’ve blown their tops at the way his mother spoke to Ebony. Another case of when she had the right to light into someone.
His mother took being blunt beyond socially acceptable boundaries.
His just remembered the gentle smile that Ebony kept on her face as his mother told her that she wasn’t good enough for Demetrius. Yeah, most women would have flipped their lids, but not her. Demetrius picked up his tablet and start flipping through some of the emails that he had been ignoring.
He skipped over the emails from his mother. The last thing he wanted was to read any more about how he needed to settle down with a good Greek woman. His mother sure was determined. You would think that he was her only child, but two of his younger sisters were already married and had given her several grandchildren.
He opened the email from his cousin Titus. It was brief.
Hey Ξάδελφος cousin,
Came across some very interesting info for you. Let me know when we can meet up.
Catch you on the flip side.
TT
Having read that, Demetrius was impatient to know what he had found out. He looked at the time the email was sent. It was just fifteen minutes ago. He texted his cousin a location and time. There was no way he could stay in his apartment with thoughts of Ebony running through his head or wondering what his cousin found. The desire to spank his cock was difficult enough to resist as it was. The hot kiss that Ebony laid on him rivaled the one he had laid on her. If kissing her was this hot they were going to burn up the sheets when they finally got each other naked.
He grabbed a light jacket, leaving his apartment and heading down to the parking garage to get into his truck. There was a place that he goes to, to meet his cousin. A place where no one would think anything of him being there this time of night. Being a volunteer firefighter did have some odd perks to it and this was one of them.
Chapter Nine
Demetrius looked up from his tablet as his cousin Titus flopped down in the seat across from him at one of the diners frequented by locals. He nodded to Betty the older waitress that could be found here most of the night holding up two fingers. She waved back at him letting him know she had his order.
“What’s up cuz?” Titus asked Demetrius as he settled more comfortably in the chair at the table.
“Nothing much. Just waiting for the morning.” Demetrius set his tablet down as Betty refilled his coffee and placed a cup in front of Titus.
“What happens in the morning?” Titus added sugar and creamer to his coffee.
“I’m picking up Ebony from work.”
“I thought your girl worked the day shift?” Titus took a serious look at his cousin, trying to place what looked different. There was a level of calmness around him that Titus had never seen before.
“She does, but there was an emergency and she needed to go into work.”
“I am glad you were able to meet me so quickly. Whoever is after your girl is determined to fuck with her.”
“Why do you say that?” Demetrius was trying to keep his cool, but if someone was fucking with his woman he was going to lose his shit.
Titus pulled out papers and handed them to Demetrius as he dug into the food that Betty just delivered.
EbonyLoveGoddess,
All of this and more is for you.
I got to have you in my bed.
I don’t care where we go.
Orion’s arms are wide enough.
Rio, Marabella-we gettin’ stupid.
I never been 1 2 hide my feelings.
Before the fear of rejection reared its head.
I love you, will you please meet me?
Your HotFireGuy
“Mother fucker.” Demetrius was pissed. “Who the hell quote Prince lyrics to a woman? Did you track the asshole down who sent this?
“Yes and no.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Demetrius didn’t want half answers from his cousin. He wanted to get the bottom of this.
“Well I was able to track it down to a person, but when I was doing a deep background on the suspect I found some other information that makes me think that this is not a simple case of identity theft and catfishing.” Titus explained. “I need to talk to your girl before I can go any further.”
“I will talk to her when she gets off of work and see about arranging a time.” Demetrius was determined to get to the bottom of this for Ebony’s sake.
“On another topic,” Titus started, “What the hell is wrong with your mother?”
“Why?”
“She is on the rampage. Your father sent a message for you by way of your sister to my sister.”
“Why didn’t he just tell me himself?” If his father was involved then whatever was going on was bad. His father didn’t get involved in any of his mother’s schemes for nothing. He said he valued his sanity too much to get mixed up in the crazy Greek woman trying to get her children married.
“He said plausible deniability.” Demetrius nodded his head. That sounded like his father.
“He wanted to pass along that your mother and Elpida are up to something big and it is going to take place soon. She has been encouraging him to go fishing. So be on the lookout.”
Demetrius took the warning to heart. Whenever his mother encouraged his father to go fishing that meant she was up to something that she didn’t want his father to stop her from doing. This put Demetrius on high alert.
“Thanks, cuz” Demetrius looked at his watch. Ebony would be off shift soon. He would just head over to the hospital and wait for her. He waved goodbye to his cousin as he left the diner. He had some thinking to do.
