Page 26

“Dancing. It gets your mind off things you shouldn’t be thinking about,” Casimir proclaimed as he led me to the dancefloor. Jack Harlow’s “Lovin’ On Me” played as we stepped onto the dance floor.
I saw Eriss heading off the floor toward the bar, but I had yet to spot Raegan.
After a while, the vibe changed from fun to sexy.
“All right, peeps, it’s time to switch it up a moment. This is for all my lovers in the house,” the DJ announced as Kendrick Lamar’s “luther” flowed through the club.
“Um, maybe we’d better not,” I suggested and prepared to leave the floor.
The last thing that I needed was to dance with him to a slow song. Something dark in Casimir’s eyes flashed as he shook his head from side to side. Pulling me closer to him, he moved us toward the rear of the dance floor. And he held my gaze as we moved slowly to the song, with his hand holding my waist.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you had a twin,” I commented and released a nervous giggle.
“Yeah?” he whispered as he rested his other hand on my hip.
“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, inhaling the citrus scent that clung to his clothes. “The diamond earrings, no suit, your entire flow. It’s not the Casimir Perez I’ve grown to know.”
“Maybe that’s because you really don’t know me after all.” He sighed, holding me tight. “You know the image that the Bradwells and the Huffingtons cultivated. The image was in keeping with their image. They weren’t interested in the real man. They polished me up, dressed me up, hired a man to groom me, and then presented the version that you’ve seen. Besides, I could say the same about you.”
His eyes took the opportunity to caress my curves outlined in a formfitting teal silk dress that stopped a few inches below my butt. The material barely swathed my left breast, in a low curve that angled around my back, up over my right breast, and formed a circular collar around my neck.
The hungry look of desire in his eyes had me backing up from him. Yet, Casimir didn’t release his grip. Instead, he moved back with me until I bumped into a wall behind me.
I knew it was wrong, but I allowed my arms to reach up, and I clasped my fingers together behind his neck. I closed my eyes, resting my head against his chest, and I flinched at SZA singing about how she couldn’t snooze and miss the moment and a man being too important.
I was so deep into the space we created that I didn’t care who was watching. Just for tonight, I would blame it on the alcohol, enjoy Casimir’s attention, and ask no questions.
His hands squeezed my hips before moving around slowly and caressing my bare back. God, I hadn’t been touched by a man in so long that it drove me crazy to feel his warm large hands on my body. I dared to look up into those onyx bedroom eyes and feel myself falling. A couple of deep breaths were not enough to bring rational thought back into my mind. And when he lowered his plump lips against mine, I slightly parted my own, releasing a whimper of pleasure.
I did nothing to stop Casimir when his hands slowly trailed a blaze down my back to grab my ass, squeezing it gently in his large hands. His kisses were soft and gentlemanly as he took his time learning the grooves of my lips and the taste of my peach-flavored lip gloss. Before long, my lips parted all the way and allowed him entrance into my mouth. I savored the watermelon and gin-flavored taste of the drink he had enjoyed.
I moved my hands up to caress the back of his head, enjoying the soft feel of the waves in his hair. Hair that I knew he took pride in grooming. Casimir was the first one to break the kiss, and his eyes searched mine. Mine begged him to do it again. Instead, he lowered his head, wrapped me tight within his arms, and allowed his warm breath to blow down my neck.
“What?” I found my voice in the midst of the roller-coaster ride my emotions were on.
Lifting his head, he stared into my eyes, and his thumb pad stroked my cheek. “You. You make me want things I have no right to claim,” he whispered.
Clearing my throat, I broke out of his grasp. “I think I’d better go.” He refused to let go completely. Our fingers intertwined as I attempted to escape.
His eyes narrowed, and then he replied, “Yeah. You’d better,” before he released my fingers.
I rushed off the dance floor, but when I looked back again, he had disappeared. I needed to find Eriss and Raegan and get the hell out of here.
Giselle
Ipaced the floor of my office, wearing a pattern on the textured carpet. Why had I accepted the appointment? It would be so easy just to say no. After all, they had long since canceled my services. When Imani had entered my office an hour earlier telling me about the last-minute scheduling, I should have said no. However, Imani shared that he had pleaded to be penciled in because it was an emergency. There was no way that I could not say no. He was going to be the last appointment of my day.
What did he want to talk to me about? What would he say? How would I respond to him? After the heated dance and kiss that we shared on Saturday night, I needed to stay as far away from him as possible.
Hopping up from my chair, I grabbed my white lab coat from the back of the door and put it on. Buttoning it from the bottom to the very top button, I knew I would look strange. I seldom placed the coat on, but considering the outfit I wore today, it might be for the best.
I would not normally think twice about my crème mini skirt and red, satin, short-sleeved blouse with the plunging neckline. All things considered, Casimir would not look at me like my other clients, not after Saturday. Without a doubt, I knew thiswould be his last session. I planned to hand him the cards of two other therapists he could call if he wanted to continue counseling.
My eyes glanced back to the two cards sitting side by side. Dr. Miriam Lassiter and Greg and Regina Dubois.
I stepped outside my office for a moment and walked into the lobby. “Imani, when Mr. Per—”
My words were cut off as the outer door of the office opened, revealing the man himself. His eyes dropped to the lab coat I wore and back up to my eyes. His eyes held a look of disappointment.