Page 2 of An Illicit Seduction

“Thanks for the offer, Damon, but unfortunately, I have a previous engagement for lunch.” Jaime quirked an eyebrow, and Seraph bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

“Oh, but hey! Jaime’s free. Why don’t the two of you go to lunch instead?” Seraph pasted a wide smile on her face and took in each of their expressions. Jaime had a hopeful grin on her face, but Damon looked dumbfounded. “It will give you guys a chance to get to know each other better, and Jaime can tell you all about the Pajama Jam at the end of the month.”

Damon shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Pajama Jam?”

Seraph nodded and shuffled the papers around on her desk, studiously ignoring the disappointment on his face.

“Yeah,” Jaime added. “It’s an annual party I throw every year for the grown and sexy. You’ve got the sexy part down, but why don’t we go to that Mexican place around the corner and you let me decide if you’re grown enough?”

He laughed and those dimples sprang out, causing Jaime to fan herself with her hand.

At Jaime’s theatrics, Seraph stood and shooed the both of them out of her office and waved them off before closing her door and sighing with relief.

Playing matchmaker wasn’t her favorite role, but what harm could come from helping two single people to let nature take its course?

CHAPTER TWO

The Brunch

At least one Sunday a month, Seraph and her trio of best friends Vanessa, Sierra, and Twyla set aside a few hours in their busy schedules to get together and relax. They temporarily suppressed the stress from their careers, significant others, and other demands of their time to enjoy a good meal and great conversation. This particular Sunday found them at Lakeside Lounge in Fourth Ward. There had been a forty-five-minute wait for a table, but according to the reviews, the wait was worth it. The seafood-themed menu never disappointed; the drinks were top shelf—and bottomless—and the DJ knew his way around a set of turntables. The four women bopped in their seats as they placed their orders for appetizers and bottomless mimosas.

Twyla was the first to speak after sipping on the water that the server had delivered as soon as they sat down. “Lord, y’all don’t even know how bad I needed this outing.”

“Work stressing you out that much?” Vanessa asked.

Nodding, Twyla cringed. “Worse.”

Seraph frowned. Twyla was a kindergarten teacher at Bright Horizons, a prestigious, private elementary school, and although it seemed like a place that would have fewer issues than a public institution, according to Twyla—who had attended both public and private schools growing up—the rich folks were the most difficult to deal with.

“Is it the kids or the parents this time?”

“The parents,” she replied quickly. “Always the parents.”

She paused as the server placed a pitcher of pineapple mimosas and a basket of crawfish-stuffed cornbread muffins on the table. He took everyone’s meal order and disappeared, quickly weaving through the bistro-style tables and pub chairs that filled the center of the restaurant’s dining room. Along the perimeter of the room, perched on wooden platforms, were half-moon booths wide enough to house at least six adults, and through a set of opened French doors, half a dozen cabanas outfitted with turquoise cushions and umbrellas could be seen on the back patio. With the warm spring breeze filtering in through the open doors on either side of the restaurant and high-energy hip-hop beats to keep its patrons rocking in their seats, Lakeside Lounge was the perfect place for a late morning outing.

As the women chatted and enjoyed their drinks and appetizers, their server delivered their meals in less than twenty minutes, and the conversation shifted from work stress to appreciation for their food while they ate. Seraph was attacking her wild gulf shrimp and smoked Gouda grits with gusto when Sierra tapped her arm to get her attention.

“Hey, isn’t that Damon?”

Directing her gaze to Sierra’s pointed stiletto nails, Seraph twisted around in her seat and craned her neck toward the front of the restaurant. Sure enough, it was Damon. He stood near the host podium in a cluster with five other men. There was a slight grin on his face as he shook his head while the other men laughed. They were all dressed accordingly as Lakeside had a strict no denim or leisurewear policy, and Seraph was impressed that there wasn’t one tennis shoe in the bunch. When her neck began to strain, she returned to face her friends.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“How long has he been back?” Vanessa asked as she peeled open a large crawfish and popped the juicy tail meat in her mouth.

Seraph’s eyebrows met contemplatively as she tried to remember. “About six months, I think.”

“How’s he doing at NexTech?”

“Really well. His department manager stopped by after a meeting last month and thanked me again for referring him. He said that Damon is a natural at programming and has made his job less stressful.”

“Aww,” Sierra sang, “that’s so sweet. I’m glad it’s working out for him.”

Swallowing a mouthful of grits, Seraph nodded. “Me too.”

Their server stopped by and dropped off a fresh pitcher of mimosas as if on cue, and Seraph quickly refilled her glass before digging back into her bowl. She was sucking the savory, spicy sauce from the shrimp off of one of her fingers when Sierra called her name.

“Huh?”