CHAPTER ONE 

The way her body moved, her eyes, the way she glanced at me as she jogged by. Hmmm, I wonder if she is a lesbian. Even more so am I, her type. My day continued with flashes of my mystery jogger popping in and out of my head. This woman has given me some feelings. Now, the question is, what type of feeling am I having? She was talking to me through her body movement as she passed me. Something mysterious about her. And something weird about why I am feeling so interested in her already. Eerie and scary but in a sexy kind of way.

"Dominique" shouted my boss from a distance. Jeremy is always on my ass about getting work done. I am known for occasional daydreams throughout the day. "Yes, Jeremy, I am getting right on it. I did not forget". He constantly reminds me that I have less than two hours to finish getting my presentation together. Before our Vice President Douglas Carruthers gets my head, I must impress the big dogs. He is very stern about perfection. Nothing else matters to him right now but landing this million-dollar contract. 

While fiddling through my paperwork and watching the time getting closer and closer to game time, I quickly and without intention drifted back to my relaxing moment at the park this morning. For some reason, I cannot get this woman off my mind. She was just so beautiful and had a presence that made me want to know more. I need to learn more. I need to see if she has the same grace in her being as she did in her jogging. 

From a distance, I hear Jeremy shout to my team, "Meeting tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen. Good job, Ms. Johnson, on your presentation with the China Openers. I hear you nailed them and got the contract. OK, team, we have another presentation and contract to land, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. I'm proud of everyone for their hard work. Congratulations". Jeremy has never had anything nice to say to us or the company. I have been with Penny Express for five years and am still trying to make partners. But Jeremy is a tough one to break. I am home listening to my favorite R&B station, and warming thoughts surround me. What if I see this mystery woman tonight? 

What will I say? What will or would I do? I feel nervous about getting to the club just for fear of running into my daydream. This beautiful woman is already amazing that it scares me even to talk t her if I had the chance. I am unsure if it is because she may be even more impressive in person or if I am scared she will not. I guess we will never know until the time comes. I want it, but then again, I may not have the time for it. I am dealing with the drama all over again. 

It has only been a year since Sheila and I broke things off, and we were never able to be friends from it. It was a bad breakup, and I still feel pretty scorned. Battered by her words, hands, and mental stability, it leaves me very afraid to open up again. I am still a sexy, successful, independent woman who needs someone to hold me after a long day at the office or to have a romantic evening. You know, someone who will love me for the hard-working woman I am. I feel like giving it another try at love and seeing where it can take me this time. The wall is up, and I need someone willing to be patient and love everything about me that has been damaged.

The club was jumping tonight, and the music had everyone on the dance floor. There was a big turnout, and everyone dressed to impress. The Banger Brothers were present for the festivities wearing their finest suits and flashing their money around as always. Everyone who was anyone knew who the brothers were. They owned a prestigious law firm up north, bringing in a million a year. 

"Let's dance," Tammy said. Sitting at the booth sipping my cocktail, I could have sworn I saw my mystery woman dancing on stage. My eyes drew closer and closer past the smoke and flashing lights to get a good look to confirm my suspicion. And shit, it is her. What the fuck? What do I do now? I wanted to see her, but then I didn't low-key. Wow, my thighs are getting hot just looking over there at her. 

Her body is so fucking sexy, damn! I want to touch her already. Just put my hands all over her body and listened to the sounds I could make come out of her. Ewe wee, is this happening? Am I seeing her over there like this? Why m I feeling her this way already; Watching her dance like that all alone? This woman can dance; I give her that. I feel a slight temperature rising as I watch her dance. I have to know who she is; I want to know who she is. 

Had a shot of Tequila, and a Vodka mixer; I made my way to the dance floor as close as possible to dance near her. I could feel the heat from her body escaping as she moved. Hotter and hotter started to get. Oh, my Lord, let me sit down before I faint here. My head was spinning, and my nerves got the best of me. Back to the booth I went. 

As I sat back down, got my bearings, and looked over at my mystery woman on the dance floor, I saw my best friend Tammy dancing with her. I got a jealous feeling but quickly let that go. When Tammy drinks too many, she is liable to dance with everybody. 

She is a free-spirited person. Is this just who she is, and I was not the least worried about her being in the midst of this woman's heat? Not the heat I just felt.  

The last call was announced at 4 am, and everyone started heading to the bar and the majority out the door. I am standing outside the club, waiting to see if my mystery woman will come out or had she has already left. I did not see her go, but I wasn't for sure in the mix of all the bar time commotion. Guess I missed her. 

It is five in the morning, and I have a massive hangover with a headache, and of all days, I have another presentation due by 3 pm today. What possessed me to go out last night? The feeling of the night was still jumping in my bones, seeing my mystery woman made my night. I need to know her name. Find out who she is. 

Jeremy came in and announced that we have Optima Law Firm at 3 pm today, so he expects we will have everything ready to present to the president by the deadline. "Ms. Johnson," Jeremy says, "I assume you and your team will be prepared and ready for your presentation by that time." I had to say yes, sir, as I was crunched for time and still had to get my group together and lunch out of the way. "Everyone who is leaving for lunch, please stay close so we can start by the 3 pm deadline", was my lunch announcement to my team.

I have chosen Café Exotica down the street. Somewhere close to the office with no rush. They serve the best coffee and club sandwiches with a beautifully romantic midday ambiance. 

I ordered a coffee with three sugars and natural cream, turkey salad with ranch and croutons, and as I was waiting on my salad, sipping on my coffee, I began to think about this mystery woman and when will I see her again. 

I got my salad and sat at the table, drifting off and daydreaming. All of a sudden, I heard someone say hello to me. Thinking to myself as I say damn while I turn around towards a voice I don't recognize. I couldn't believe who I was looking at, my mystery woman. Good Lord, now what? I said hello, and she then asked if anybody was sitting there. Um, no, duh. But I kept my composer and said, "O, no, go ahead, no one is sitting here. I was nervous as hell. 

She sat down, took a sip from her coffee, and introduced herself to me. Juliana Banger, and what is yours? She asked. Feeling fluttery, I said good afternoon; I am Dominick; Dominick Johnson, nice to meet you. Really when it was finally, we met. But have to stay professional. I am on the clock. I had to ask Banger if she was related to the Banger brothers. She replied with yes, she was. 

Julianna began talking to me, telling me she was the baby sister, but they were not accepting of her lesbian lifestyle, so they ignored her. It was almost isolating her from the family. I responded with how unfair that is and how I know them from the club and a few business dealings over the years. I saw the time, and it was time to head back to the office. I told Julianna it was nice to meet her, but I had a presentation to prepare to launch. As I was gathering my belongings, she slipped me her business card and asked if she could call me sometime. I thought, hell yeah, So, um, I gave her my number quick, and I was out the door.

Back at the office preparing and organizing my paperwork, I couldn't help playing Julianna's voice asking me for my number repeatedly in my head. Wishing I had given her my home number. I started telling myself, let it ride itself out a minute, don't rush a possibly good thing. I had to keep reminding myself of this throughout the day. Finishing up my presentation, I hear Douglas, our CEO, discussing my performance with Jeremy. Out of the blue, Douglas congrats me on a perfect display and informed me he believes I nailed this contract as well. Douglas is an ass, but he loves to win. My question is just how much and at what cost. The story was that he was in deep with the Banger brothers and owed a lot of money to them.

The day has been long and very exhausting. Relaxing in a tub of hot bubbles and a glass of wine sounds so good to me right now. I turned on my favorite jazz station, grabbed my Chardonnay, lit the candles around my condo, headed to the bathroom, and slowly slipped right into the tub of hot bubbly water, waiting for this achy body to unwind. 

The phone rings as I lie there relaxing in the tub, and I wonder if that missed call was Julianna. I was hoping she use my number tonight. Suddenly, the voicemail picks up, and I can hear her voice as she begins to leave me a message OMG, her voice sounds so captivating. It started getting me hot between the thighs and had my nipples erected. I was horny and hot for a woman I didn't even know. But I want to know. I want to touch her in such an awful way. Out of the tub and finally feeling relaxed and a sigh of relief that this day is over. I Enjoyed a small TV dinner while continuing to listen to my music before hitting the sack.

Five in the morning, rolling over in bed, I can hear a slight thumping on my window from the rain as I realize it is only Wednesday and the week is almost over. Just lying-in bed thinking my phone rang from the other room, I stamper over to answer it and it was my best friend, Tammy. It is nearly six in the morning, so what could be so important? "Hello, Tammy, it's early. Are you OK"? Tammy responded, "Hey D, your female friend is here at my job alone, so get your ass down here quick. Tammy knows that I have been going crazy over this lady, and unbeknownst to her, we had already met and introduced ourselves yesterday. 

Wow, Juliana! Something about this woman makes my inner thighs hot and thoughts lost in daydreaming about what I'm going to do to her and what she can do to me. I'm feeling a little horny now, imagining us together in this bed.

Damn it! I need to get up and down there before she leaves. I don't know why I am going, but with any luck, I will end up with an offer to meet up this weekend and kick it at the Koko club. I can see her sitting there sipping on her coffee and reading the newspaper through the window. Hell, my type of girl, I thought to myself. I'm wondering whether she has already been on her morning jog. Is this just a weekend thing, or does she jog every morning? 

Anyway, here I go inside. "Hey Tammy, please give me a medium coffee with Irish cream and three sugars. Tammy whispered, asking me if I saw her here, and of course, my answer was yes. And as I stood there waiting for my order, I couldn't help but look over at her, saying to myself how beautiful she was. Grab my order and headed over to her table, feeling so nervous. "Hello, Juliana, right? I'm Dominque; we met yesterday. Good morning, how are you doing? She said good morning and invited me to sit with her, so I did. 

We started talking, and I asked her what she did for a living. I asked, feeling like I was invading but my need to know about her was intense. Julianna said she wasn't working but had worked for her brothers before they began getting into trouble at the firm. Here I go again, wanting to know more, so I had to ask what she meant by the problem. Julianna says that Andre started laundering money, and Aaron later got involved. She continued to say that she did not want to be a part of that, so she just picked up her things and left New York. Julianna also said their grandfather founded the company and left it to her father, who left it to the boys after his death. 

She asked about what I did, so I told her I was into advertising and how I enjoyed my job. I also began to tell her that I was waiting to join her brother's firm working as a paralegal to change career paths. Let her know I was still weighing out my options and make sure that this wouldn't be career suicide. As I was speaking, Juliana interrupted me and said that working for her brothers was career suicide, but it was my decision. Then, suddenly, she asked me what my plans were for the weekend. I took a moment to look at her and replay the question, and before I could answer, she said, "honey, are you with me still? Do you have any plans this weekend"? Oh, no, I mean yes, I am going to Koko's. My friend and I go every weekend to unwind from the week. I feel stupid as I say Why do you ask? Juliana said she wanted to hang out to get to know me. 

 I replied, "No, no, that would be wonderful. I would love that". And as I continued talking, I quickly daydreamed about how the night with her would turn out. 

"It was nice talking with you, Dominque, and I have your number. How about I call you Thursday night to confirm the time, and we can meet there Friday night". And me feeling all weird said, "O, OK! It was nice talking to you, and she said OK, sweetie. All I could do was sit there and fantasize as I watched her walk away and then out the door. Watching her walk away was more than I could take for a day. 

This woman had a beautiful presence, and I was sitting there feeling immensely flattered that she had asked me out for the weekend. What am I going to wear? I heard Tammy yelling over at me, asking if I got what I wanted, and my reply was, "Girl, I am working on it," as I cleaned off the table and gathered my things. Tammy asked what she said, and all I could do was look at Tammy and say, "she is the Banger Brothers' little sister." "Shut your mouth and close the door," Tammy replied. So, she is a Banger, huh? Tammy asked, and yes was all I could say other than that Juliana asked me out Friday night.