to the door. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt nervous. As she gathered her purse and her house keys, Caress thought, If he smells like onions or has breath like a pooch, I’m going to kill Tamara .
Julius stepped out of his enclosed frosted glass tub shower and reached for one of the neatly folded ivory-and-gold towels on the wooden shelves above the toilet. The scent of his soap mingled with the steam as he used his hand to wipe the condensation from the oversized square mirror over the pedestal sink.
A past lady friend once told him that his house looked like either a photograph in a home-design magazine or a hotel suite. Julius took much pride in that fact. He couldn’t be comfortable in his home unless it was neat and orderly. A lot of people thought he had a maid service come in, but Julius took on the task himself at least once a week.
It was all so different from the small, cramped two-bedroom apartment where he was raised. Everything about my life is different from back then , he thought, before purposefully pushing the sadness of his past away.
As he brushed his teeth he thought with some dread of the night ahead. Tamara was throwing her friend on him like a shady car salesman trying to push a lemon on a dupe. If she was such a perfect woman, why didn’t she have a man or at least a friend with benefits? Lord knows, if he looked into Caress’s face and she resembled the character Sheneneh from Martin , he was going to freak out.
Turning around he looked down at the three-tiered metal shelf holding all of his colognes: nearly twenty different varieties. He splashed on the Joop!, rolled on his deodorant, and then let the plush Egyptian towel fall from his slender waist. Immediately, he bent to scoop it from the floor to place in the linen hamper. He took one last glance around the bathroom to make sure everything was in order before he strode nude into his bedroom. Passing his kingsized mahogany sleigh bed, Julius entered his walk-in closet. He flipped the switch to flood it with light.
When he first bought his home, he had the bedroom nearest the master suite converted to a walk-in closet. That left him with just one additional bedroom, but Julius thought it was well worth the sacrifice.
Here—like everywhere else in his home—was the same neat, organized, and polished decor. Everything had a place, and as far he was concerned everything belonged in its place. Tamara teased him all the time because it resembled a retail store.
Pulling open a drawer in the island located in the center of the closet, Julius extracted a folded pair of silk boxers from his selection of nearly fifty. He loved the feel of the cool material against his skin as he went throughout his day. He could never adjust to the tight, restraining feel of briefs, especially after he read they could reduce sperm production.
Not that he wanted kids anytime soon. One day…just definitely not right now. Without the entanglements of a wife, steady girlfriend, or children, he could travel on a whim for work or play. Tomorrow he was leaving for a three-month trip to Africa where he would take pictures for his first photography book, My Africa .
He enjoyed his freedom.
Julius surveyed his slacks all hung on wooden hangers and organized by color and season. He eventually selected a pair made of charcoal linen. Next he opened his sock drawer in the island and selected one of the thirty folded pairs before moving to the cedar shelves where he kept all of his sweaters neatly folded. He chose a black V-neck. Lastly, he turned to the opposite wall where all his shoes sat neatly aligned on shelves and selected his newest pair of black Kenneth Coles.
Within minutes he was dressed and checking out his appearance in the mirror lining the west wall of the closet. He looked good, and he knew it. His appearance was very important to him. He liked to be polished and well-groomed at all times.
Before leaving his bedroom he effortlessly smoothed a dimple in his plush mocha comforter. He caught sight of his two extra large hard suitcases sitting on a pair of luggage caddies by the door. “This date better wrap up early,” he said, just as his doorbell rang.
“Caress, this is Julius. Julius…Caress.”
Caress’s eyebrows raised an inch in surprise and pleasure at the man who stood before her in his living room. Mister Julius Jones was fine. His jet black fade and a trimmed beard made his amazing eyes appear even more vibrant and alive in his lean handsome face. His features were keen and attractive. His tall-and-slender build was to Caress’s liking because she definitely wasn’t into beef-cake. And the clothes he wore fit his frame nicely, with ease and lots of style.
When she looked up into his eyes, her heart double pumped so hard in her chest that she was sure it could be seen through her shirt. Then he smiled down at her and she actually lost her breath.
Julius did a double take when he first laid eyes on Caress. The woman was stunningly beautiful and so obviously sexy that he wanted her stretched naked across his bed right then. She was as stylish as he and her petite size made him want to pick her up and cuddle her to his chest.
“Damn,” he mumbled, rubbing his hand over his beard to wipe away the smile of pure, unadulterated pleasure.
Tamara took it all in with gleeful eyes. It would be hard to miss how pleased they both were…so far. Nudging her husband, Tamara’s voice was filled with satisfaction when she said, “See, I told you so.”
Chapter Two
They all left the movie theater, laughing and talking comfortably. The romantic comedy had put them all at ease, and it was a wonderful start to their double date.
“All right y’all, I’m hungry,” Tamara offered first, interrupting the group’s laughter about a funny scene in the movie.
“Food sounds good to me,” Caress chimed in, hoping no one could hear her stomach growling.
Kendrick used his muscular arm to pull his wife to his side. “How ’bout Mahogany’s?”
Julius, who towered over the petite beauty by nearly a foot, looked down at her. “That’s cool with me. You?” he asked.
Caress nodded, feeling heated by the look in Julius’s eyes and she felt her cheeks and nape warm. Damn, this man makes me breathless , she thought in amazement.
As they all walked to the parking lot of the movie theater, Caress liked being by Julius’s side as she inhaled the faint scent of his cologne and enjoyed the warmth of their arms casually brushing. Even with the slightly cool winds of the fall evening she immediately felt heat infuse her body. Her nipples hardened into tight aching buds and Caress crossed her arms over her chest to hide that fact.
“Cold?” Julius asked, his voice deep and warm like a hot toddy. “I have a jacket in my car that you can use.”
Cold? Hell, I’m hot! she thought. “No, I’m fine, but thanks.”
“I still don’t understand the need for different cars,” Kendrick said to Tamara, as he used his remote to deactivate the alarm on their silver Honda Accord.
Tamara shot her husband an exasperated look. “Just get in the car, Kendrick.”
Julius laughed low in his throat as he also deactivated his vehicle alarm. He moved with ease to open the passenger door of his green Range Rover for Caress.
Caress smiled her thanks to him as he waited until she was comfortably seated to close the door behind her. As he jogged back around to the driver’s door, she followed him with her eyes—absorbing him.
“Buckle up,” Julius said, smiling over at her as the car started with a purr. Soon he followed Kendrick and Tamara’s Honda out onto the street.
“So you’re a photographer?” Caress asked, as she crossed the three-point harness belt over her chest and lap.
He nodded. “Ever since I was a kid. I’ve always been fascinated by what moments in time you can capture—and keep forever—with a photo. Especially a well-taken one.”
“Tamara says you’ve photographed some really beautiful