Page 17 of You Make Me Feel

I cracked a slight smile to lighten the mood, and she shoved my hand and smiled back. “Thank you, Oliver. You really are a good guy. I’m only nasty when coaxed, for your information.”

I chuckled. “I wanna get to know you, Kinisha—all of you. You have my number. Just call me when you feel the same. Just so you know, friendly talk here at work is cool, but outside of work, it is totally different. I don’t need a female friend. I need a woman I can share my life and create a future with. If you call me outside of work hours, I will assume you ready for all I have to offer.”

Her cheeks were slightly pink as she brought her fork to her mouth. Those lips had me wanting to lick the potato residue from them. As she licked them, I bricked up something fierce. I had to look away from her so I could calm the fuck down. It was quiet between us for a couple of minutes until she asked, “What is it about me that makes you want all that with me?”

I swallowed my food and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “You’re beautiful. Gorgeous. That was what first attracted me. Being around you at church without you even noticing me gave me further insight into who you were. You love God. You seem lighthearted and outgoing. Everyone seems to know you, and when they come in contact with you, they can’t help but smile.”

“You’ve been that close to me at church?”

“Mm-hmm. I don’t mind not being noticed. You didn’t have a choice but to notice me when you almost busted your ass, though.”

She laughed loudly. “You damn right. I could have messed up my whole left side on that tile floor.”

I laughed. “See? You’re funny too. Working here has helped me get to know you a little more, and it only makes me want to know everything.”

“No man has ever spoken that way to me. If my mind changes, I’ll let you know. Honestly, I don’t see what you see. You’re cool and seem to be a good man, but I don’t think I’m as attracted to you as you are to me.”

“I know, but I’m working on that. The more of me I let you see, the more you’ll feel me. I like talking to you this way too. It helps me know how to approach you.”

She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You like aggression. I saw that in Chuck’s today. You seem to like a good dude with a bad boy swag. Plenty of BDE. So I’m gon’ have to show you the depths to which my shit swing.”

She cleared her throat, and I swore I saw a tremble go through her. Suddenly, the door chimed, alerting us that someone had entered the office. She was saved by the bell. After closing her box, she patted her thick-ass lips and fixed her nose ring, then made her way up front. I finished off my burger as I heard another woman talking. Throwing away my leftovers, I walked up front to see Devin’s wife. I’d never met her in person, but I recognized her from the pictures.

“Mrs. Taylor, this is our IT guy, Oliver. Oliver, this is Mrs. Taylor.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand for a handshake.

She was a beautiful chocolate-complexioned woman. She nodded, then turned her attention back to Kinisha, clearly focused on something else. “He didn’t say where he was going?”

“No, ma’am. Just that it was a personal matter. He was moving rather fast, so I thought it was an emergency of some kind.”

She frowned, and right after, her phone rang. She huffed and answered, “Devin, what’s going on?”

Her eyes widened, and she turned her back to us. “He done lost his fucking mind,” she said as she left the office.

Kinisha looked over at me. “It has to be Graham. That’s their son. He’s a couple of years older than you, but he sometimes acts immaturely. I’m more mature than he is.”

“Humph. Hopefully, it’s nothing too bad.”

“Right. Thanks for the talk today. I’m gonna get back to work. I enjoyed lunch.”

I gave her a slight smile. “So did I.”

I watched her walk to her office in her tight skirt, wishing I could grab her ass just one time. However, something told me that despite her words, my time was coming, and I’d be ready.

Chapter 7

Kinisha

Pregnant.I could scream right now. How could I have done this shit to myself? No one had the morning-after pill, so I had to order the shit. It took two days to get to me, making it nearly a seventy-two-hour wait since the incident. It was obviously not effective. I’d gone to my doctor to have blood work done to make sure I had no STDs, and he walked back in to tell me I was pregnant.

I hadn’t talked to Jarod in a week. It was like he was trying to disappear on me. We’d still been fucking, against my better judgment, until a week ago when he went MIA. Here I was, walking to my car with a bag of “goodies” to welcome my pregnancy and baby, and I was feeling everything but welcoming. I didn’t know how I would go back to work like this. The tears had been falling from my eyes since he revealed that shit.

Once I got inside my car, I felt like I would throw up. It had been a month since that encounter with Jarod, and I wished I would have kept my fucking legs closed. My worst fears had come true. I couldn’t tell anyone right now because I didn’t know what I would do. I, for sure, had to tell Jarod. That thought only made me feel sicker. I cranked the engine and pointed the A/C vents to my face to calm the nausea.

Before I could pull off, I received a text from my mother. Hey, baby. You wanna go to lunch together today?

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