Reggie's Girl Ch. 04

She looked down at the towel she held and gave an ambivalent shrug. "Someone slashed my tires and he gave me a ride."

"Oh? And how does Ted know him, since they came here together?"

"Ted is- well, he's sort of Ted's... sponsor. For now."

"How generous of him. Now, why roll your eyes, Jasmine, is that not generous?"

"Yeah, sure, he's Santa Claus himself." Jasmine despised herself for being sarcastic with her mother but she couldn't help it.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but... you seem just hellbent on sabotaging your relationship," Ms. Wells commented. "And maybe it's none of my business, except..."

The older woman paused and a look of painful reminiscence crossed her face. "You know, it seemed strange when he asked my permission to take you on a getaway. Then I realized that what I found strange was the entire idea of a man showing my daughter such- You see, men like him are considered old-fashioned, but in my day men never treated me like that, no matter what I-"

She stopped herself and gave a forceful shake of her head. "But that was me! And if at any time, in all the years I've been raising you, I've given you the idea that you aren't worthy of a man's respect... Jasmine, I apologize."

Jasmine knew her mouth was hanging open but she couldn't move to fix her stupid expression. In sharp contrast, her mother seemed much calmer now that she had spoken her piece.

"And I hope you forgive me. Most of all, I hope you don't throw away what you have with Reggie because I happened to have failed you. Don't punish yourself for my mistakes, love."

Then with a gentle click of the door behind her, her mother was gone. The silence stretched out as her earlier conversation with Bailey returned to haunt her. "Mothers!" she exploded in frustration.

* * *

It was an uncomfortable drive to the South Bronx. Ted immediately blamed himself for Jasmine's run in with Krow and had brooded in silence as he stared out of the window.

Jasmine had tried to draw him out of himself to no avail. All the while, Reggie had been absorbed in his phone and in the deafening silence she by turns cursed and was grateful for his non-interference.

When the Mercedes pulled up outside Ted's building, Jasmine returned his tight hug then watched him reluctantly climb out and shut the door. When the car began to move, she turned at last to Reggie.

Her heart skipped a beat when she discovered him studying her from beneath his lashes; his gaze was trained on her braless breasts, rippling with the car's every movement under her baby tee. Mortification and something more jolted her into high-pitched speech.

"You just have to be as cold as possible to Ted, don't you? He hasn't been through enough to please you?"

His eyes lifted to her face and he offered her a faint smile. "Don't fuss, sweetheart."

"And you've got no business showing up at my mother's doorstep, much less talking to her about me behind my back!"

"I didn't disrespect your mother, did I?"

"That's not the point! You had no right-"

"You think this is what I wanted? If I had my way, your mom and I'd never have met and you'd be lying on a sunny beach right now-"

"Right, the Miami trip. Is that why I was suddenly invited, because you knew Krow was on the prowl? Did you feel guilt, by some miracle, and want to get me out of the way before I became yet another victim of your criminal lifestyle? Well, why not just give me a warning, although I have to admit, the money you dropped immediately after sex was a winning touch!"

"So I should've given you a warning," Reggie repeated, the words slow and doubtful. "You'd immediately have gotten on board? You wouldn't have refused to be manipulated by a scare tactic?"

Jasmine opened her mouth to refute him but honesty impelled her to pause, leaving him to carry right on. "As for the money, it's a rare girl in your economic situation who doesn't appreciate it, I'll tell you that. Regardless of taste, timing or relationship - witness your friend, Bailey. You think she lost any of my respect? You think I don't respect you, when you've got more balls than that boyfriend of yours, hands down? Shit, it's why I knew you couldn't be spooked into going with me!"

Reggie scoffed, looked out of the window, then a second later turned back to her. "Now, what's the one ace I had left? What's the one thing you've never been able to deny but your attraction to me? You were never gonna take a warning from me seriously but you might, just might have gone with me for the sex. So I gave you a taste of what you'd missing out on, and left you to think on it."

Jasmine absorbed this in silence for a long while.

Then, her lips twitching, she began, "So... you used your body-"

"Jesus Christ," Reggie muttered in quiet exasperation.

"No, no," Jasmine insisted, underlying laughter lending a tremor to her voice. "You tried to get what you wanted from me. By using your sexuality... you don't see it?"

There was a startling sound from the driver's seat as Tiny explosively cleared his throat. She saw Reggie dart a baleful glance in the rearview mirror, thus curing his chauffeur's sudden throat congestion. When he turned to her again with great dignity, she gave up biting her lips. Her tittering followed, lasting for the next minute.

At some point, Reggie seemed on the verge of saying something then stopped himself. Her laughter drowned out his sigh, but when he turned his gaze out of his window, she saw the sternness of his expression relax to wry acceptance.

Getting some of her breath back, Jasmine placed an apologetic hand on his arm. "It's just," she gasped. "Well, I-"

"Find it funny that the whore in this scenario ended up paying the john - so he's not even a smart whore. I get it. Alright? Now stop."

His affronted gravity set her on the brink of another laugh attack and she quickly withdrew her hand and covered her mouth with it. "You know, I would've gone somewhere safe, just not with you. I do take danger seriously-"

"As you've proved, by insulting me to my goddamn face," he muttered. "Tiny, just park out here, we'll be going out again in a minute."

With some surprise, Jasmine realized they were at the gate of his house. When had that happened? Time seemed to have flown right past her.

"Let's go, Jasmine!"

"Wait," she squealed, hurrying out of the car after Reggie. "Where are we going?"

"You're staying here," he answered as he swung the gate open and waited for her to pass through it. "For now," he added in a neutral voice. "I promise not to inflict my hospitality on you a minute longer than necessary."

"What are you gonna do?" Jasmine asked, feeling the first prickling of returning anxiety.

"Get your things from your apartment," he answered. "Clothes, your precious camera, that beat-up little laptop... and your tampons of course..."

Jasmine had to run a little to keep up with his long strides. "What's going to happen?"

Reggie unlocked the front door and once again stepped aside to admit her before walking in. "I thought you didn't care one way or another what happened to you."

"I mean what's going to happen to... Krow?"

He stilled and gave her a piercing stare. "What do you mean?" he asked, shutting the door.

"He... looks pretty determined. Ted told me, you know, that he's ambitious, wants to take your place as top dog, take your territories..." Jasmine gave an awkward shrug. "What are you going to do about him?"

Reggie stalked to the living room, leaving Jasmine to catch up with him. "It could be that I'm not interested in competing with this kid."

"Wait, what?" she barked. She walked up to where he stood pouring a shot of brandy into a glass. "What, you think he's not worth your attention? Because he could cause you a lot of trouble-"

"Krow's a young man, trying to break into a young man's game. Most natural thing in the world that he wants my spot. Drink up."

Jasmine grabbed the glass he held in front of her nose and knocked back the contents in one go. "But you're... 35, is it? You're not old!"

"Well, maybe not around you," he replied with a wicked light in his eyes. He plucked the glass out of her fingers and set it down beside the decanter.

"But I've been on the grind since I was nine. Now, in that time, I've managed to create something self-sustaining. Legit. Time to move on. I don't need the game anymore and it sure as hell never needed me - why stick around and tempt fate?"

She shook her head, unable to digest what he was saying. Did he really intend to quit while he was ahead? "I... I don't understand..."

He shrugged. "Y.N.R.E."

Jasmine frowned up at him, more confused than ever. "What?"

"Never mind," Reggie dismissed. "I'm just not trying to feast with the young lions. And I'll be damned if I'm still hypervigilant, looking over my shoulder at Ernie's age. Now, come on."

He took hold of her elbow and turned her towards the stairs. She balked and he issued a hard sigh. "Girl, I ain't leaving until I see you in a hot bath. Now what do you wanna do?" he queried.

He stood still, awaiting her compliance. After a moment's indecision, she preceded him up the stairs.

To her surprise, Reggie gave her ample space to undress and get into the bath. He did not offer any assistance beyond running the bath. He showed no interest in seeing her nudity and in fact appeared distracted as he left her to it.

It laid her trepidation at being in his bedroom again to rest but while she nestled in the luxurious hot bubbles, she was still curiously unsettled. She put it down to all the questions that remained yet unanswered.

When she was on the verge of coming out of the cooling water, Reggie opened the door and approached her. "I gotta go now," he announced.

"You can't," Jasmine blurted out before he could continue. "You have to tell me what you plan to do about Krow. It's just going to drive me crazy if you don't. I'm already going to pieces."

"Now, what's this," he cajoled. "A little while ago, you were reassuring me you're okay - what happened?" He sat on the edge of the tub and smiled into her eyes. "Where's my brave girl at?"

For whatever reason, his encouraging smile made her feel like she might burst into tears. "Ted never even went to the cops about Krow but he still has to hide," Jasmine rasped, blinking her smarting eyes. "Now, how am I supposed to keep this creep away? Pressing assault charges is definitely out."

"Don't think about that now-"

"He threatened Ted, Reggie," she exclaimed. "And he was in my mom's neighborhood today! Who knows who he'll attack next, if you don't-"

She suddenly bit her lip and looked down.

"If I don't what?"

Reggie waited for her response in vain, then prompted almost gently. "Kill him?"

"No," she denied instantly, her head coming up. "I'd never ask... You have to know I wouldn't... at least... not for my own sake... it's like, if I didn't know that Krow's too driven, that he shifts targets to whoever's close..."

"But he does," Reggie murmured and Jasmine nodded in quick agreement. "So that's why you can't drop the subject."

"Reggie, he is relentless. If I go underground, it's someone else I love in the line of fire. This is no way to live."

"Right. But you're not asking for yourself that I... see to it that he's prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That's what you're asking me to do here, right?"

There was something in his deliberate tone and bland expression, a mask-like quality that caused Jasmine to lower her lashes and nod, feeling somewhat abashed. "Right."

"You've suffered at Krow's hands, you have a right to pursue every avenue of legal redress available to you. Now, I could support that, if you asked me for yourself. Long as it's not your welfare or mine in the balance, though, I don't see how it's worth my time."

"See, that's not even true," Jasmine refuted with fervor. "If you're all about self-interest, then what about Ted's father?"

"What about him?" he snapped, betraying his annoyance. It seemed she was not meant to know about his debt to one Theodore Williams Sr. Let him wonder how much she knew.

"What about Kai?" she pressed. "What about Mr. Hollis, for God's sake, is he even capable of saying thank you? You know, he threw away the carpet you got him - yeah! After you left my apartment, he kept me up all night dragging it around. Next day, it was rolled up and he was lugging it down the stairs to the dumpster. He's still taking his meds though, so I guess you can keep buying him those - whatever it benefits you to do it."

Reggie stood up. "Up! Get out of the water, you're cold," he ordered briskly.

"I'm not." Jasmine eyed him before she added, "And neither are you. At least, not as much as you-"

"I'm not in the mood to argue with you, girl. Just do what I say: stand up." He picked up the towel he'd brought her and spread it before her expectantly.

Relenting at last, Jasmine stood up. The warmed fluffy towel was wrapped around her and then she accepted his hand as she stepped out of the bath. He led her out into his bedroom then carefully rubbed her body dry, right down to her feet.

When he was done, he let the towel drop to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Something in his manner told Jasmine he was not intent on seduction, which was why she let him pull her into his lap.

He then began what could only be called an inspection of her body. His fingertips glanced over her cheeks, smoothed the tiny nick at her throat, barely brushed her breasts and avoided her privates altogether. They lingered longest over the marks on her thighs.

He studied her flesh with a slight frown, and with such detachment that she felt, for all the world, like an invalid, or even an injured child. He did not regard her as this naked babe sitting on his lap, not at all.

In his absence, she always found the fact that she'd slept with Reggie not once, but several times to be beyond belief. She could never understand it. Until she got this close.

As she continued staring at his serious face, Jasmine suffered an increased shortness of breath.

He exerted a peculiar magnetism over her that exhilarated and suffocated all at once, that enlivened and consumed her.

Where would she find another man that moved her like this? She never would, she imagined. Never.

Reggie looked up at her suddenly as if she'd said his name. Jasmine stared back, slightly tightened her arms around his neck but otherwise didn't move.

Finally, after waiting an eternity for him to do something, she trailed a finger down the narrow band of beard edging his jaw. She felt the scruffy texture of his goatee as she considered the smoothness of his cheek. Then she leaned closer and brushed the irresistible brown skin with a feathery kiss.

Their noses touched and rubbed as her lips hovered over his in endless indecision. Then she gave in and kissed him once, twice, thrice and then he was the one doing the kissing.

Maybe it was the numerous shocks of the morning, but Jasmine was overtaken by a sudden wildness and next, she was clasping his face and kissing him back like a madwoman. Reggie broke off the kiss to catch his breath. Surprise showed in his eyes but she hauled him in for another devouring kiss.

With a quick movement, she shifted her legs and straddled him. His hands caught then kept squeezing her indented waist; she caught one and dragged it up to cover her aching breast, giving his fingers an encouraging squeeze. He responded with a lusty growl and a squeeze of his own, making the pale flesh bulge between his fingers.

Jasmine rolled her hips over his lap, and the hardening length beneath her aroused her to avidity. She had to have him. Now!

She drew back and her burning lungs gulped in much-needed air. Her lips at his ear, she begged, "Take it out."

Her hands were already fumbling at his belt, clumsy and ineffectual, and she soon gave up and just kept tugging. "God, Reggie, take it out already," she sobbed.

In abrupt decision, Reggie rolled over so she was lying on her back. She stared up at him, the sense of déjà vu tied to her dream of the night past so strong, she swore under her breath. His clean breath fanned her cheek as his laughter huffed out.

"That's right. This isn't what you want, is it?" he put to her.

"No! It is, I swear!" Jasmine cupped the back of his neck and tried to pull him down. "Come on, Reggie, let's fuck."

"Baby, you're in a fragile state of mind, right now - I shouldn't even be touching you!" he said rather breathlessly as he frowned down at her. "Christ, I can't afford to make another mistake with you."

"You're not taking advantage," she cooed, overcome with something very near exhilaration. He was concerned for her!

Reggie looked down at his fingers trailing over the triangular patch of curls between her legs. He found her clit and with patient strokes, reared it from its hood. Jasmine let out a moan and reached up to cup her breasts and knead her hard nipples.

He surveyed her aroused sex, her trembling belly, her blushing breasts as she caressed them, then dragged his gaze to her face.

"I want to fuck you. You know I do, but I make one wrong move and you bolt again, even I can't predict the consequences."

"I wouldn't!"

Jasmine's frantic expression glazed over when he began to pump one finger in and out of her pussy. Then he added a second finger, then a third. She shuddered in pleasure and bucked her hips, twisting her nipples with a high-pitched moan.

"You're just thinking with your crotch right now," Reggie diagnosed with a soft laugh. "It'll pass. No. Uh uh. You can give me that pretty-please face all you want, darlin', I'm not fucking you."

"If you stop, I'll scream the house down," Jasmine threatened, meaning every word.

"I won't. And you will."

Reggie lifted up off her. Suddenly, his fingers gathered her clit in a hard pinch. As promised, Jasmine screamed. He then plumped her hypersensitive flesh in a soothing motion.

"Poor baby," he murmured, as he slid down her body. "I'm gonna have to kiss it better now, huh?"

Jasmine moaned when soft, full lips landed right on her clit as he kissed her there with unbelievable tenderness. Then again, giving her a light nip with his teeth. Then a third time, applying nothing but the tip of his tongue.

Too good! It could not be borne; she pushed at his head but Reggie grabbed her hips and made her take every lick and every kiss until she was a quivering puddle beneath his mouth. Her feet gradually came up to imprison him in turn, wrapping tight around his neck.

Reggie licked his way down to her labia and parted the puffy lips with his tongue. He lapped up every millimeter of her pussy within reach, like he couldn't get enough of her taste. His beard, rubbing against her most sensitive skin, incited Jasmine to hysteria. God, it felt good, so raspy.

It took too much to moan anymore, she just gasped and wheezed while he ate her. She opened her legs wider, offering him more. Offering him everything. All of a sudden, Reggie ripped his mouth away. She immediately tightened her legs around his neck.

Jasmine heard him fighting for air and every puff of his breath on her pussy stimulated her even more. Then he dove back in, licking her frothing sex clean all over again.

Her legs around his neck were almost decapitating him, but she didn't care. Reggie's beard was back, giving her that delicious abrasion that drove her wild. That, combined with him now roughly sucking on her clit, uncorked her in almost no time.

Her thighs quaked. Her eyes rolled up and closed. Her mouth opened in a scream that must have been silent. Or perhaps not, for from somewhere in the fog around her came Reggie's voice, faint and chiding.

"Damn, baby, way to let Tiny know what's keeping me."

Jasmine took a deep breath and exhaled the last dregs of tension out of her. She felt boneless, satisfied beyond belief. And where was Reggie, so she could kiss him senseless? She couldn't feel him between her legs anymore.