Page 75 of Art of Love
My feelings for Jia grew every day, and my worry now wasn’t just the job. It was what came after.
It was the part that existed outside of that.
Us.
***
Poker night was a blast, and for the first time in years, we had a winner.
Jia cheered and clapped her hands, looking proud of herself. Of course, she would. She’d practically wiped the floor clean with all of us.
“You little minx. You didn’t tell me how good you were at this game,” I teased her.
“You never asked,” she laughed.
“Please don’t tell anyone your girlfriend beat us at poker.” Terrence laughed loud, and his dreadlocks shook.
Girlfriend. I hadn’t given her the label, but they had.
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I assured him.
“Yes, tell no one,” Devon joined in, and Gilly laughed.
“I promise I will tell no one.”
“Hey, I won fair and square.” Jia giggled.
I could have sat here for the rest of the night watching her.
“Love, it’s the fact that you beat a bunch of guys they’re worried about,” I clarified.
“Oh. This is so cool.” She looked so proud of herself.
I shook my head.
“Time to roll,” Terence declared. “Denise will have my head if I get home past midnight and wake the baby.”
Terrence was the only one of us who was married. He and his wife, Denise, just had a baby boy who was two months old.
“We’ll come with. We have to be at work early tomorrow.” Devon motioned at Gilly. They worked at the same firm and were currently on the same case. A case that required them to go in to work on a Sunday morning. I didn’t envy them.
I had no qualms with the guys leaving me with Jia. I’d been dying to touch her all night in those shorts and that tight T-shirt she wore. It showed off her breasts. She’d also taken every chance she could get to brush her feet against mine under the table. She’d sat beside me. To everyone else, we were focusing on the game, but under the table, there was a whole other story. I’d tried to grab her thigh, but she was in that ticklish mood today, so I’d stopped. The guys would have thought I was trying to feel her up under the table, and no way was I doing something like that in front of them.
“Glad to have you. Let’s do something like this again before Christmas.” I beamed.
“Next time, we’ll think of how we can beat you,” Devon said to Jia.
It was nice that he included her, nicer that he approved and seemed to like her.
“Maybe I’ll make nachos next time.” Jia nodded.
“Hell, no,” I piped in. “You sit by my side and watch them lose just like tonight.”
“Whatever. Adios, amigos.” Gilly laughed.
With that they left. I saw them out. When I went back to the dining room, I saw Jia cleaning up.
I took her in my arms and moved with her to the sitting room, placing her on my lap, where I devoured her mouth.
