He leaned over Joanne and softly intoned, "Joanne, just let me know when you're heading out, okay?"
The slow low way that he'd said it made her shudder. It had definitely been too intimate. 'Intimate. His voice was like... like we were in bed together.' She nodded as she watched him slide the calculator into his bag and stand up. When he skirted around them to get out of the room, Jesse smiled and let out a little giggle. Jo had never seen her do that before.
Jesse watched him walk down the hall and turn the corner. When she was sure he was far away, Jesse slammed the door and dragged Jo to the back of the room. "What the hell did I just walk into?"
"Nothing, Jess. He's one of the people that share this office."
Jo refused to look at her friend, because she knew the girl could tell when she was lying. Jesse asked, "What's his name again?"
"Uh, Daniel," she murmured as she flipped through her papers. 'Concentrate on the papers. Don't show any kind of emotion. She will flay you.'
"How do you know that?"
"He told me when he came in here." She pulled out her calculator and started to punch in numbers.
"Why aren't you looking at me?"
'Don't look up at her!' "Because I need to get this stuff done. That's why I'm here."
"That's crap. What the hell is this?"
Jo glanced sideways at Jesse. Jesse had picked up the cup and opened the lid. "Hot chocolate?"
"Yeah, it's hot chocolate..."
"Was that him? Hot Chocolate is a white boy? Ooh, wait until I tell Terrence..."
"Hey, you told Terrence?" Jo sputtered, "It's not like that. He saw me working late. He works at the coffee shop by The Bans. He probably..."
"He likes you. Smart man. He knew you wouldn't talk, so he left hot chocolate. You have to at least want to hit it once to give 'em food..."
"Jesus," she was about to swear, "give me strength. I'm not interested in him. He's just the type of person that worries. He said something about women walking in the parking lot at night."
"You're not seriously buying that shit, are you?"
"Why haven't you ever worried about me getting home okay?"
"Well, I figured, if you didn't get back by six, I'd call the cops."
"Gee, thanks. Some friend you are. I leave for home around four. I'd be dead and buried before you made the call."
"Fuck you, too," Jesse snorted and took a sip of chocolate. Jo turned back to the probability plot she was working on her calculator. She was just about to press enter when Jesse let out a snort and then a giggle. The giggle slowly turned into a loud laugh. Jo couldn't take the sound. It just grew louder as Jesse arched toward her.
"What," she finally rasped.
"Just look at your face. This kinda thing's never happened to you before. I would've thought he would go after me first. I mean if he wanted to go for the exotic, he should've given me a call."
"What?"
"Oh, you know I don't turn down any action. I've always wondered what it would be like. Why didn't he just come up to you? Is he a freak? I bet he is. Mr. Hot Chocolate probably likes it all weird and shit. He's fine. He should know he's fine. So what's the deal? He probably wants you to spank that tight ass..."
"Jesse, please!" Jo hated it when she talked like that.
"What? You're actually considering it? You don't want a freak to be your first time."
"He wouldn't be my first," Jo said.
Jesse sucked her teeth. "The way you act around men, I figured you were still a virgin."
"I just don't flaunt it around."
"So when was this? It's probably been a good four or five years. Hell, that don't count. It was probably some pimply, ashy boy."
"It counts to me," Jo protested. "It's not like I do it like you do, but I'm not a virgin. Let's leave it at that."
"You might as well be. Give Gary a little bit of attention and he'll take care of the rest. Forget about Mr. Hot Chocolate. I'll check him out."
'I bet you would.' Jo smiled, "Okay, you want him you can have him. But, I don't think I want to hear about it." 'Especially if he's a freak.'
"Well, I gotta go. Terry's probably wonderin where I am. You think about Gary. I told him you were a virgin, but hey, he'll take it slow. You'll love it."
"Okay," Jo said for Jesse's benefit. She wasn't too interested in Jesse's leftovers.
Jesse kissed her on the cheek and left her to do her calculations. She found a few numbers that seemed wrong, and she had to go through her notes to see if there was a math error. She let out a yawn. It was close to four. She packed up her papers and went down to the entrance closest to the parking lot. She had gone out before she remembered Daniel. She tried to get back in but the door was locked. She sighed. She turned and went for her car. That's when she felt the hand on her back. She'd trained for this for three years, now. She knew exactly what to do, though she hoped she didn't have to. She jumped and turned with her keys pointed toward her attacker.
Daniel raised his hands in defense, and moved back from her. "It's okay. I didn't mean to startle you."
"I thought you were..." She sighed for his benefit. "Oh, never mind."
"I came out here to wait for you. I figured you'd forget about me. You did forget about me, didn't you?"
He smiled gently down at her, but she didn't smile back. "Okay," he sighed. "I wanted to prove to you how much you need me. I guess you don't."
He turned his back to her and started off toward the streetlight on the corner.
"Dan?" She heard herself call after him. 'What are you doing? He just scared the crap out of you!'
"Yes?" He spun around and smiled hopefully at her.
"Walk me to my car?"
"Of course," he said as he reached for her arm. She tried not to let him see her flinch away. She put her arm inside his. He put a hand over hers, and they walked slowly. When they reached her car, he released her hand. She opened the car door and got in. Daniel grabbed the door before she shut it and said, "You alright?" She nodded and attempted to smile. It had taken a great deal of strength to just walk with him. He lifted his hand and shook his head in the negative, "No, you're not. I'll be here, every night, Jo. Whether you want me to or not." He shut her door and raised a hand in farewell.
*
Dan had never thought that she would be so beautiful up close. He'd seen her in the shop on occasion since the start of school, but she hadn't actually talked to him. He knew she was in class, but it wasn't appropriate to go up and talk to her then. He'd rarely seen her with anyone , except for that voluptuous friend of hers. In class, that second day, she had stood up quickly to fall into Dr. Samuels' trap. He'd always enjoyed watching the most idealistic student get roped into the night shift. She'd been so firm and certain that it made him take an honest look at her. When the class ended, he'd asked quietly to relieve her from the early morning hours, so that she'd get some sleep. Samuels had told him he was nuts, but he insisted. He'd stayed calm and managed to convince her to give him a shot, which was a miracle in itself. It had been nearly two years since he'd decided to step out of the whole dating scene. He'd needed the time to convince himself that he was worth more than what was out there. He felt better than a simple convenient relationship. He wanted to know about a woman as completely as he could. He wanted to be able to discuss matters with her, without having to feel that he should hold back for fear of hurting her feelings. He wanted a woman that was level headed. Above all, he wanted to avoid sex until he was past the lust phase. He'd come so close to being a father that he'd offered to marry a girl once. He hadn't really known her and the situation forced him to realize that what he did know was detestable. His perfect match would be his friend and companion before she was his lover and wife. Period. There was one catch. Everything about Joanne made him excited. Even when she'd looked up at him in confusion, it was the most attractive widening of her eyes he'd ever seen. His father had always said that the initial rush was not necessarily a good thing. The warning had been very insistent, so he took it to heart. He planned to take it very slow. He'd see her at night, when there were no interruptions and awkward explanations. Then, if things went well, he'd see where the wind blew. He didn't notice he'd crossed the street and walked to his door, until he noticed the special bricks outside the entrance. When he looked up, her friend was standing there before him. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was tapping her toes.
"So, Hot Chocolate, huh?"
"Uh, yes. I'm Daniel." He scanned the woman's face.
"Yeah, I know. You don't remember me, do you?"
"You're Joanne's friend."
She moved toward him and grabbed his shirt. "Yeah, and I'm Candy's, too . She and I used to talk at the clubs. What the hell are you doing?"
"I don't know what you mean," he tried.
"You go from Candy to Jo? No offense to my girl, but she's not even half of Candy, and she's black!"
"Okay, are you mad because I'm interested in Joanne, or because I'm interested in black Joanne? If this is a cultural issue..."
"Jo is a good girl. Candy was a freak," she put a hand in his shirt and felt his abdomen. "What you need is another freak to turn you out. What would Candy say, if I told her you were going after some naïve little girl?"
"Jo is not some little girl. She can make her own choices, just like Candace did."
"Joanne," she purred as she moved her hand down to his crotch, "doesn't know thing one about pleasing a man. She's probably never even seen one of these. I know what Candy's capable of. You're gonna get really bored, really quick. You're probably doing this to get back at her. That's gonna hurt my girl, and I can't let that happen."
He pulled her hand off of his crotch and said, "Candy and I were through a long time ago. I'm sure she's forgotten about me by now. She wasn't what I needed. I can see that now."
She snaked her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her level. "Hmm, she had you trailing her like a dog. Just because you think you're smart, don't think she doesn't still have you. Hell, I could feel that you're feeling me. Where does that leave Jo? I know some of what you like..."
He smoothly said, "I won't do what you're wanting. I don't want her back. I want to get to know Joanne. I'm one thing you and Candy obviously aren't. I'm monogamous."
"Monogamous, huh? Jo's feeling Gary. I could see it on her face when they were talking."
"I'm willing to wait on her."
"So, you're turning me down?"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm a one woman man."
She pressed her lips to his and murmured. "What for? If you're curious about what it would be like with a black girl, why not go for me?"
He gripped her right wrist and spun her away from him. He stood up straight and smoothed his shirt.
"Because, I don't have a spark for you. It's not her color, it's the whole package. Let me tell you why it isn't you..."
