Loving a Bad Boy by Erosa Knowles

hear.”
    He stared at her a moment longer and pointed
to her cart just as the bell rang for the door to be closed. “Need
help?”
    Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “Uh…no.
Thanks though.” She moved toward the door and looked back. “It was
nice meeting you, have a good day.”
    “ It’s much better now.” He
nodded as the door closed.
    Once the doors closed, she
released a pent-up breath and walked away, forcing herself not to
look back. The word, predator, slid through her mind. She stopped, gazed back at
the elevator and inhaled noisily. His eyes had been covered by
sunglasses. No question the man was a delicious dish, but who
wanted their main course served cold? Not
her . Turning, she headed to her unit fully
determined to place the disturbing encounter out of her
mind.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    “ Nice ass,” Julio said
rubbing the stubble on his chin as the door snapped closed. The
offer to assist had been a spur of the moment thing and he was glad
she hadn’t accepted, he had no time to play nice neighbor. His eyes
remained glued to the smooth movement of the woman’s hips as she
pulled the small cart loaded with grocery bags down the hall. Even
with all the stops, and pushy people, the elevator ride had been
over too quickly. He would have appreciated a little more time to
observe the stacked chocolate beauty.
    Earlier, he had been
sitting in his car, talking on the phone, when she’d driven into
the garage, parked, and stepped out of her car. Once the headlights
were out, her white tee-shirt had stood out in the dark garage like
a beacon. For a moment, he froze as recollections from his dream
swarmed over him. A woman with a
light .
    “ Bullshit.” He’d slammed
down those thoughts, refusing to go down that path.
    Instead, he'd watched her bend over to place
her bags in the small cart, fully enjoying the sight of her
well-toned legs and round ass. While she locked her car, he had
exited his and moved swiftly toward the elevator. Deliberately,
he'd held the elevator open until he heard her footsteps, and then
had allowed the doors to close, wanting to hear her voice. He had
not been disappointed. The soft lilt in her voice made him think
she was from Jamaica or some other island.
    Her face had been alight with pleasure when
she entered the elevator he had so gallantly held for her. Even,
white teeth, and natural full lips graced her smooth chocolate
pearl complexion as she offered her thanks. High cheekbones in a
round face with a straight nose that tilted up just a bit at the
tip. It pleased him that she wore no make-up; hers was a natural
beauty. The thick brownish-black ponytail made her neck look long.
Lighter brown tips brushed against the center of her back. He liked
the contrast and wondered if she were hairy in other places.
    Her white tee-shirt failed to hide ample
breasts and small waist. The stretch shorts gave him a much better
view of her legs and sweet round ass. His cock hardened
uncomfortably, but he wouldn’t change his viewpoint for anything.
All in all, she had been an interesting distraction. He could have
done without all the other interruptions, especially the last woman
who propositioned him. Stubborn silence had been his only
response.
    A long sigh slipped between his lips. He ran
a hand through his hair, not quite frustrated, but close. After
turning down women from families seeking to make familial
connections with his, a woman who knew nothing, or wanted nothing
from him was a breath of freshness.
    Work had consumed his time. He had chased
phantom leads. Just when he thought he had pegged the problem, it
would either be explained away or dove-tailed into another
scenario.
    Circles inside
circles .
    The problem was finding some type of
connection between the circles. The elevator stopped on his private
floor. After unlocking the door to his unit, he looked around and
wondered what Ms. Chocolate Pearl would think of his home. It had
been