Page 1 of Desire

“Mr. Harris, I know you’re a busy man, but this is the third time this week you’ve been late picking up Azaria.”

“Daddy,” Azaria sang as she ran to her father.

He picked her up and hugged her to his chest before kissing her forehead.

“Were you a good girl today?” he asked.

She nodded as she spoke. “Yes, Daddy. I good girl.”

“Good. Go get your things ready while I talk to your teacher.”

“Okay,” she responded as he placed her back on her feet.

“I apologize for being late. Things are busy at the office, and I lost track of time,” he said apologetically.

“Isn’t there someone on your staff who can pick her up or, at the least, remind you of the time?”

“My daughter isn’t their responsibility, Mrs. Chambries.”

“For the hundredth time, it’s Miss Chambries. While I appreciate your commitment to be fully present in your daughter’s life, everybody needs a little help.”

Aziel Harris was the mayor of Onyx City. Although I’d heard his personal life was messy, he appeared to be a great father.

“Maybe you can help me,” he suggested.

“And how could I do that?”

“I could pay you to take Ria home with you at the end of the day and pick her up from your house when I’m done working.”

“You’d trust me to do that?” I questioned.

He chuckled, and I admired his smile and beautiful white teeth. “I did an extensive background check on every employee before I enrolled my daughter. I trust you. Besides, it’ll give me a reason to see you more often and not on school grounds.”

His eyes took ownership of mine as he spoke, and I was mesmerized. For a moment, it felt like he was undressing me with his eyes, and I didn’t shy away from his gaze. He licked his lips, and my breath hitched as I watched his tongue slide over them. I imagined his tongue in places on my body that hadn’t been touched in a while, causing me to shiver.

“You good?” he asked with a sly smirk, pulling me out of my inappropriate thoughts about him.

Mayor Harris was too fine for his own good and knew it all too well. He wasn’t extremely tall, probably about six feet. His light bronze skin was smooth, and his Caesar cut and perfectly manicured beard made my panties wet. He continuously threw a smile my way, with glistening white teeth that were so straight I’d bet my last dime he had worn braces.

“Oh, umm, I’m fine. Why would you need to see me off school grounds?”

“You got a man?”

My eyes bucked at his question. This wasn’t the first time Mayor Harris had flirted with me, but he’d never been this forward. I ignored his question and returned to our initial topic.

“I’d have to speak with the school's director about Azaria coming home with me before agreeing. She’s an angel, so I wouldn’t mind spending a little extra time with her when you need me.”

“It would help me a lot, and I caught how you dodged my question.”

“From what I see, you have plenty of women to keep you busy. I’m certainly not trying to become one of them.”

“Maybe I haven’t found the right woman.”

“I’ll talk to the director tomorrow,” I replied, ignoring his statement. “I, umm, I have an appointment to get to.”

He chuckled. “My bad. I hope I didn’t cause you to be late.”

I looked at my watch. I’d be cutting it close, but I should arrive right on time.

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