Her rich brown skin was as soft as the ivory satin sheet she had wrapped herself in. Her dark brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders in soft curls. Her lips, painted in delicious blackberry, smiled at him with love and desire. Her smile broadened as she moved further into the room, loosening her hold on the sheet with each step. Her hips swayed, promising him that he would be 'swayed' in the most passionate way imaginable. All he had to do was make that first step.
He did. He felt himself drawn to her and as she came closer to him, he rose to meet her. Stepping away from the huge king size bed where he sat in wait of her, he felt himself glide across the room to her. When she reached him, the sheet was a distant memory as she stood before him, beautiful and proud, in all her naked glory. He drunk her beauty in the same as a he would a fine wine. Slowly. Carefully. Taking in every delicious drop as it if were his last. He breathed her in and she filled him up, making him whole. Making him a man.
Her eyes slid over him in the same manner as his slid over her. She took in his soft, loving eyes. His thick, silky hair. His strong, muscled chest. Her eyes dipped even lower and a sensual smile of satisfaction graced her features as she witnessed her effect on him. Her eyes moved to his and silently she told him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She always would.
She moved away from him and went to lay down on the bed. She settled herself on top of the sheet which was still in place. Her hair framed her face as the pillow comforted her head. She raised her hand and with a single finger, she beckoned for him to come to her.
He did. His feet barely touched the ground as found his way next to her. His body just barely touched hers. Their breaths mingled as their faces were only inches apart. He felt his body go lax when she cupped his face between the palms of her hands. Her voice whispered the four little words he'd waited his entire life to hear before Keesha closed her mouth over his.
"I love you, AJ."
"Junior, are you with us?" Ned asked, tapping his pen against the table.
AJ blinked and slowly came back to the present. He was in the board meeting at General Hospital. He and Ned were there to represent ELQ in a possible expansion of the neo-natal wing. When he glanced around at the several pairs of eyes which were glued to him, he refused to be embarrassed. He smiled at them and glanced briefly at Ned and said, "I'm here, aren't I?"
Ned grimaced and the rest of the meeting passed smoothly. As everyone filed out, AJ quickly gathered his things. Even though he tried to stay focused, his mind kept drifting back to the dream he had the night before. He wanted to get away and have a few moments to himself before he met Eve for lunch. He needed to know what the dream meant and whether or not it was a premonition of wonderful things to come. He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but hope so.
"Where's the fire, Junior?" Ned said, as AJ reached the double doors which led to AJ's freedom.
"A place you've never been, Nedly," AJ said, leaving a stunned Ned to try to make some sense of his parting comment. He'd never understand, AJ thought, as he moved to the elevator. When the elevator appeared within seconds, AJ breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was empty. He pushed the button for the twenty-third floor. An enclosed garden had been built there and AJ intended to relax there for a few minutes before he left for his lunch date.
Keesha glanced at her watch. She had twenty minutes before Jason and Michael came for her. As she walked her last appointment before lunch out of the door, she began to question herself. Why had she willingly given in to Jason's request, she wondered. No good would come of it. Even if she did have residual feelings from their first go round two years ago, there was no guarantee that anything significant would between them now. She and Jason had changed in so many ways during their two years a part. She wasn't the girl who fell in love with him and to say he wasn't the same the man was an understatement.
Dumb. Just plain dumb and stupid, Keesha thought. How could she be so stupid to think she'd want to involve herself with him again? He claimed he still loved her, but why should she believe him? Why should she set herself up for the fall that was surely to come?
Besides, he's the mob, she reminded herself. The man she loved would never involve himself in anything that would leech off of others. I'd better make that the men she loved, she decided, correcting herself. Ever since she made the luncheon date with Jason, her mind and heart had gone over so many memories and emotions.
Her first time in Paris competed with her romantic night with AJ at the Port Charles Grill. The recent dance with Jason at Jacks competed with the surprise birthday celebration AJ prepared for her at Kelley’s. The heart-stopping kiss on the terrace had competed with the passionate and spontaneous love-making in the closet before the ELQ board meeting.
She shook her head and left her office. As she moved down the hallway, she realized that comparing AJ and Jason was like comparing apples and oranges. One was sweet and the other was tangy, but both were always delicious.
"Oh, God, what am I going to do?" she quietly asked herself, as she pushed the call button for the elevator. A few minutes alone in the enclosed garden on Twenty-Three should clear her head, she thought, as the elevator arrived and she stepped into it. She was sure she'd find the answers there, she thought as the elevator doors closed shut.
AJ saw her before she saw him. He held himself still as he watched her move slowly around the perimeter of the garden. Her face looked melancholy as she paused here and there to touch a leaf or breathe in the fragrance of a flower.
Oh, how he wanted to go to her, he thought. He longed to sneak up behind her and surprise her by pulling her into his arms. He ached to hear her laugh softly when she realized that it was him and then, she would turn to pull him into a loving, passionate kiss.
His achings and longings could get him into serious trouble, he thought as he abruptly turned away. He'd be better off to leave her alone to her thoughts...thoughts about Jason. His feet took him as far as the sliding glass doors when he heard her soft voice behind him.
"AJ?"
AJ wanted to leave, but his feet would not listen. Actually, it wasn't his feet's fault. His ears blabbed to his heart that the melodious voice belonged to Keesha. His heart then ordered that his feet obey it and not move. So in actuality, the true blame should be placed on his ears. If only, they hadn't heard her...
"AJ?" Keesha asked again, her voice louder and stronger this time. She moved away from the neatly pruned bushes to stand cautiously in front of a stone bench. She would have moved closer, but remembering their last encounter, she decided against it. She knew it was him, but she didn't want to make any moves that would hurt him any more than she already had.
AJ swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to face her. A sharp intake of air was the only telltale sign of her effect on him. God, she was beautiful he thought as his eyes raked over her. Dressed in a black mini business suit with a dark gold blouse, she created a sight he couldn't drag his eyes away from. He wanted her. He was a fool to think he would ever stop. With ragged breath, he said, "Keesha."
"You look nice today," she said softly, enjoying the sight of him in a black Armani suit, crisp white shirt, and a vibrant purple tie. With his dark coloring and hazel eyes, he was so different from Jason, but no less appetizing in his own right. She couldn't believe how much she missed him, she thought, as her eyes continued to memorize every detail.
"Thank you. So do you. The gold looks very good on you," he said, his eyes refusing to move away from hers.
She subconsciously smoothed her blouse as she said, "Thank you."
"So, what brings you up here?" AJ asked, slowly moving away from the doors, but not really moving toward her either.
"A change in scenery. And you?" she asked, as she sat on the bench.
"The same."
"I'm surprised to see you here. Did you have a meeting? Or..." Keesha allowed her sentence to suspend in the air between them. She wasn't sure of how to talk to him, but at least they were talking. That was something. Right?
"I had a meeting. ELQ is thinking about providing funding for the neo-natal expansion."
"Oh. That's good," she said with a small smile. "And so you just decided to stick around?"
"Actually, I'm meeting someone," he said. He added a small cough to mask his discomfort with the admission.
"Oh," Keesha said, her eyes moved downward to her hands which were neatly folded in her lap. She really had a lot of nerve, she thought. Here she sat, Miss Hypocrite, upset because her ex-boyfriend had a date when she also had a date with her ex-ex-boyfriend. Of all the freaking nerve! "Well, if you have to meet someone, I don't want to keep you."
"You're not keeping me," AJ said softly. His feet took him closer to her and this time, the rest of him didn't object at all.