Page 3 of Our Promise
“Come on, Jo, time to go home.” He held his hand out to help her down.
“One song,” she begged.
“You can’t sing sober. Now you and Elle want to be K-Ci & JoJo. Get down from this stage.”
“Sorry, y’all. Our ride is here.” Jo passed the microphone back to the host, who had the crowd give them an applause as they made an exit.
Benny walked away, shaking his head. He held both women’s hands as he led them to his car.
“It was crunk night. I was going to sing, ‘It’s Going Down’ by Yung Joc.”
“Then I did you a favor,” he said as he opened both the passenger door and the back door.
Jo claimed the back, lying across the seat.
“Don’t throw up in my car, Jo,” Benny warned with a mug. He would be pissed if she vomited in his all-black luxury SUV.Then again, he was relieved it wasn’t his other car. The luxury two-door car was all black, just like the SUV, but the features and speed on that one was out of this world. That one was his baby.
“I don’t have to throw up. I’m a champ when it comes to this drinking shit.”
Ignoring her, Benny closed the door once her feet were out of the way.
Lorielle laughed as she climbed into the front seat. He walked around where he claimed his seat behind the wheel. “Put y’all seat belts on.”
“Thanks for coming to get us, Benny.”
Lorielle’s sweet voice was smooth as butter. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath so he could focus.
Benny felt her staring. It was like lasers on his face, a burning heat that stirred something in him. It was why he had been doing everything to keep his mind on the task at hand: getting them home, then taking his ass back home.
“You heard me, Bernard?”
Benny knew not to look at her, but he couldn’t fight it a second longer. His eyes traveled over to hers.
Low lids did nothing to conceal the passion in her eyes. Usually, she hid her desire for him well, but with alcohol in her system, she was unable to keep her true feelings at bay. She wanted him, and damn, he was ready to give himself up on a silver platter.
“Put your seat belt on, Lorielle.”
That fight with Tara and rushing to pick them up made him ill-prepared. He didn’t have his defense up to protect him and his heart from Lorielle.
Lorielle Elise Dawson was temptation, an attraction he tried to resist since she insisted there wasn’t a chance for them. Buthe had this strong feeling inside him that said she was afraid of losing her heart again.
He didn’t blame her.
That was why he hadn’t been applying pressure, but that was going to change tonight. Benny was a businessman. He didn’t take no lying down. He fought. He persevered. When the time was right, he would make her his.
Lorielle closed her eyes, and a goofy smile spread across her face as her head fell back. “I don’t know if I can.”
He watched her fumble with the seat belt with amusement before he pushed her hands out of the way. He grabbed the belt, pulling it over her body, and clicking it into place.
“You good back there, Jo?” he asked.
She reached between the seats, giving him a thumbs up.
Benny shook his head. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter
Two
