Page 3 of An Illicit Seduction

“You’re not going to wave to him or anything?”

She frowned and shook her head. “I’m eating, SiSi. I can say hey to him at any time.” Returning her attention back to her food, she felt Sierra’s stare as she picked up her spoon and scooped a mound of grits into her mouth. Glancing at her, she noticed Sierra’s pursed lips and rolled her eyes playfully.

Catching on to the exchange, Twyla shook her head, and her pink-painted lips curved into an amused grin.

Sierra pouted. “Shit. I was hoping your ass would be sociable today so I can get a better look at his fine ass.”

The other three women erupted into laughter and Sierra joined in.

“I’m serious!”

Rolling her eyes again, Seraph pointed her empty spoon at the woman who—along with Vanessa—had been one of her closest friends since they met in college more than fifteen years ago. “Am I not enjoying a social meal with my girlfriends?”

Swiping her auburn, asymmetrical bangs from her eyes, Sierra gave Seraph a look that clearly said duh. “Well, yeah, but I want you to be extra sociable for two minutes so I can devour some eye candy up close and personal-like.” Her eyes flicked over Seraph’s shoulder again and she made a satisfied clucking sound in the back of her throat. “Hell, his friends look fine too. Matter of fact, call all of those niggas over!”

“Damn, SiSi!” Twyla giggled. She had joined their trio five years earlier after meeting Vanessa and hitting it off at a gym that catered to plus-size women. Even though she was a few years younger than the other three, she fit in as if she was the long-lost fourth member to their Destiny’s Child. “What does Devin think about your eye candy addiction?”

Sierra frowned, and Seraph joined in on Twyla’s laughter.

“Ask her again, T.”

“Man, whatever. My man doesn’t mind me looking because he knows that’s all it is. Besides,” she added, shooting a sly look over to Seraph before picking up her glass and bringing it to her lips, “it’s not like Damon would be interested even if I was checking for him like that. We all know who he wants.”

“Oop!” Vanessa’s eyes bucked and she rolled her lips into her mouth to stave off a laugh.

Seraph narrowed her eyes, and all four women sat in silence, two sets of eyes bouncing between her and Sierra before the two of them simultaneously burst into laughter.

“You tried it, bitch.”

“Tried to set the truth free,” Sierra murmured under her breath, and although Seraph heard her, she let the slick comment go without acknowledgment.

They let the conversation drop and resumed eating, but a moment later, the tapping of Vanessa’s long, acrylic nails on the glazed, wooden tabletop grabbed their attention.

“Aww,” she trilled, “SiSi look! Ask and you shall receive. He’s coming over here!”

Bending her neck, Seraph gave the bowl in front of her every bit of her attention as if its last vestiges had morphed from a simple southern staple into a puzzle she needed to decode to save the world from mass destruction. Not even thirty seconds later, she felt him behind her at the same time that Sierra kicked her foot under the table. He came to a stop at her side, his hand gripping the back of her chair in a way that caused his thumb to press into her back. His presence was neither overwhelming nor unpleasant, but the heat from that thumb touching a tiny sliver of her skin that was exposed, thanks to her open-back top, caused a funny sensation to crop up in her belly, and she didn’t know whether to lean away from it or lean into it. She swallowed hard at the indecision.

“Hey, Damon!” Sierra, Vanessa, and Twyla all chirped at once, sounding like a hell-bound choir of old thirst-buckets.

“What’s up, ladies?” Damon greeted politely then curved his head and dropped his eyes to the side of Seraph’s face. “Hey, Seraph.”

At the sound of her name being spoken in that low, melodic baritone, Seraph’s eyelids fluttered and she wiped her mouth with her napkin before looking up at him with a friendly smile. Although she was annoyed by her friend’s comments, she had no desire to take it out on him by being unnecessarily rude. “Hi, Damon. You’re looking mighty dapper this fine afternoon.”

Beneath his neat mustache, a pleased smile lit up his deep brown face, putting his prominent dimples on display. He wore a short-sleeved, red polo that was tucked into a pair of light-gray chinos that stopped just below his bare ankles. On his sockless feet were red boat shoes that paired well with the nautical theme of the restaurant.

“Thank you. You look striking…as always. This yellow blouse makes your skin glow.”

Seraph smiled in return. One thing about Damon was that he took his attire very seriously, and whenever Seraph saw him, she made it a point to tell him that his efforts paid off. It was second nature for her to compliment him, and he always reciprocated. Their exchanges always seemed innocent enough, but with her girlfriends witnessing it firsthand, she felt a little awkward, which was happening more often, and she wished for a way to make it stop. When he touched two of her twists and moved them off of her shoulder, she chewed on the corner of her lip to hide her sudden, sharp intake of breath and reached for her glass.

Thankfully, Damon seemed to read the moment well enough. He removed his hand from the back of her chair, lightly trailing his fingertips along her back, inciting a full-body shiver in Seraph, and took a step back.

“Well, I’ll let you all get back to your meal. See you later, Seraph.” With a nod, he turned and walked toward the back of the restaurant where the host had led his group of friends.

Once he disappeared around the corner of the restaurant, all three of Seraph’s friends began speaking at once as she threw back her glass and drained the last of her drink.

“That is one fine man!”

“Ooh girl, he wants you bad!”