Redemption (Iris Series) Read online

  He walked out of the room and she laid herself back down waiting for the sound of the front door closing. If she didn’t decompress soon, she was going to explode. Her skin felt tingly all over.

  After a minute, she finally heard him leave.

  She rolled onto her back, the smile so big on her face it hurt. Had she ever been this happy? She didn’t think so. She looked at the clock. It was just past 11am.

  Her body was humming from unfulfilled sexual desires and she closed her eyes for a minute to recall the kiss he gave her as he brought her out of her dream.

  Mmm, he was a great kisser. He licked and nibbled, and he smelled so good. Her hand drifted to her breast and touched her nipple.

  Then she shot up and pulled out her nightstand drawer looking for B.O.B. She’d finally bought batteries, but the package was still on her kitchen counter. She hadn’t used B.O.B. all week. In fact, it had been a while, due to work, moving, and other distractions.

  But she absolutely needed to relieve the buildup of tension from the morning. She reached her hand in and swished it around, but couldn’t feel B.O.B. anywhere. She shifted her body to lean over the drawer and look inside, but couldn’t find it. Where the hell was it? She always left it in the same place.

  A thought started to burrow its way into her consciousness, just as her phone beeped that a text had come in. She grabbed her phone and saw that there were the two texts from Jon the night before, texts and messages from both Ryann and Janie left earlier in the morning, and the text that had just come in.

  It was from Jon.

  He wouldn’t have taken it, right? When could he have taken it? If he took it, he was dead.

  JW: Have u decompressed yet?

  Ayanna growled.

  AS: Funny u should ask.

  He took it. She just knew it. The rat bastard.

  JW: Oh?

  He totally took it. She had to laugh. He made her so itchy. She couldn’t wait for this man to fuck her senseless and scratch that itch.

  AS: Is there a ransom amt for BOB? B/c if there is, I’ll gladly pay it.

  She leaned back on the pillow and touched her inner thigh, allowing her fingers to climb closer and closer to her sex. If B.O.B. wasn’t here, she’d have to make do with herself.

  Her phone pinged and she used her free hand to look at his message.

  JW: BOB is going to hang w/ me for the next 12 days. We’re devising a plan for Day 41. And btw, BOB needs batteries.

  Ha! She’d never gotten around to putting them in.

  AS: No worries. I’m decompressing rt now w/o him. And it’s working out just fine.

  She chuckled wickedly and then breathed out a sigh while she let her fingers spread her wetness all over her opening and clit. She moaned.

  Oh, yeah. She was going to do just fine without B.O.B.

  All she had to do was think of Jonathan’s hands on her and she’d be coming within 30 seconds.

  Her phone rang, pulling her from the job at hand, so to speak.

  She smiled, her eyes still shut, allowing her to focus on the feeling of the pressure building inside her. Knowing it was him calling, she put it on speaker phone and with a breathy voice, said, “I’m kinda in the middle of something here, JBG.”

  There was a pause, then, “Tell me what you’re doing. Exactly. Right now,” he said, his voice was so low, she could barely hear him.

  She hesitated, her voice still breathy at the anticipation of the moment. “I’m not sure that this falls within the bounds of the rules.”

  “We’ll have to negotiate that at a different time. Right now, I want you to tell me exactly what you’re doing,” he said quietly, his voice stern.

  Her sex zinged at the timbre in his voice.

  “I’m,” she gasped, “I’m touching myself, thinking of you, your hands all over me,” she gasped again as her fingers slid on her clit up and down.

  “Where are you touching yourself?” his voice rasped.

  “My pussy,” she whispered, falling deeper and deeper.

  He groaned, “Oh, that’s good, babe,” he encouraged. “Don’t come until I tell you to.”

  How the hell am I gonna do that? she thought.

  “Now, touch your nipple with your other hand. I want you to roll it with your fingers,” he breathed, his voice soft.

  She whimpered as she did as he asked. This was even better than her dream.

  “I want you only thinking of me and all of the things I’m gonna do to you,” he whispered. “Take your finger, dip it inside.” His voice was rough and smooth at the same time.

  She continued to whimper and pumped up her hips. “Jon.” She wanted to come now. How long was he going to make her wait?

  “Do it. I want you to close your eyes and imagine me touching you, fucking you with my finger. Can you feel it?” his voice whispered.

  Boy, did she ever. “Yessss.” God, this was so hot. He was so hot. She needed to come. “Please, Jon,” she moaned.

  “Close your eyes, Yan.” He paused, then whispered, “I’m kissing my way down your body right now, making my way to that sweet pussy I can’t wait to get my mouth on. I’m nibbling by your belly button, almost to your hip bone. Your skin is so soft…”

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered. She was straining, but she didn’t want to come until he told her to.

  “Mmm, your sweetness tastes just like I knew it would. I’m wrapping my lips around that swollen nub and sucking it into my mouth. Can you feel me sucking your clit, babe? You’re so wet for me,” he crooned, his voice sounding like sandpaper.

  Her hand pressed in and around her sex, taking her higher and higher, and her voice made incoherent sexual sounds as he coaxed her with his words.

  “Do you want to come, Ayanna? Tell me.”

  “Yes. Jon,” her voice came out in choppy syllables.

  “Come for me, baby,” he growled.

  “Oh, Gahhhhhddd!” Ayanna yelled and came with a vengeance. She was gasping, whimpering, mewling as her hand continued its ministrations and carried her through until the final pulsations subsided.

  She lay there, breathing and gasping, so sated and tired.

  “Ayanna,” he whispered.

  She tried to stop her racing heart and answered, “Yeah,” even while she tried to catch her breath.

  “When you need to decompress, you call me,” he said, his voice soft and sweet. “You won’t need B.O.B. again. He may make an appearance on Day 41, but I promise you, I can help you anytime you need it,” he said, his voice husky and rough.

  She chuckled softly. “Maybe we can do this again sometime soon. And again, and again, and again.”

  She could hear the smile in his voice when he responded. “You said you didn’t think this fell within the bounds of the rules and you might be right about that, but we’ll talk that through later. I want us to both be in agreement on this one. Now, you need to go get ready for your meeting.”

  “Jon.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Your nickname has taken on a whole new meaning,” she smiled.

  He chuckled. “I’ll talk to you later, babe.” Then he disconnected.

  She settled back into her pillow and sighed.

  Oh, yeah. Johnny Be Good, was definitely good.

  Chapter 9

  After her shower, she called Ryann first.

  “Yan?!” she yelled as she picked up. “What the hell happened?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” she sighed. “It was...quite a night.” Ayanna was thinking mostly about Jonathan. Ryann was going to flip.

  “Start at the beginning.”

  She did, and told her how the evening unfolded…from the assault, to the police, to the nightmare, and Jonathan staying the night with her. She didn’t tell her about the kiss. Or their little decompression scene. She wanted to keep them to herself, and if she was going to be honest, she was guiltily feeling like she wasn’t succeeding very much with Day 28, given the past few hours. Struggli
ng with that, she knew she would have to talk it through with Jonathan later.

  But Ayanna did tell Ryann of her feelings.

  “Ry,” she said quietly, “he’s just such a great guy.”

  “Yan,” Ryann sighed. “I know he is. And it sounds like maybe things are progressing into more than friendship with him?”

  Ayanna paused, then said, “I’m,” she stammered, “I think I’m in love with him.”

  “Oh, Yan.” Ayanna could hear her best friend crying and she knew they were happy tears. “I love you so much. I want you to find this wonderful life changing thing with him. Because he is a good guy. And he would be such a good balance for you.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  That took her off guard. “For what?”

  “I’m sorry,” Ayanna began, “because you’ve had to watch me disrespect myself and men for years. And I know it wasn’t easy for you.” She hesitated then swallowed. “Thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for. You’ve been my rock, Ry. You are eternally honest, and loving, and nonjudgmental. And I’m so grateful to have your friendship. Really.”

  “Yan, you’re turning me into a blubbering mess, here.” She could hear Ryann sniffling over the phone. “You’ve been my rock, too. I love you to bits, girlfriend.”

  Ayanna wiped a stray tear from her eye. “Right back at ya, babe.”

  They finished their conversation so she could call Janie. “We’ll talk on Monday at the precinct, okay? You ready to kick some ass?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ryann chuckled. They said goodbye and then disconnected.

  After calling Janie and explaining the events from the night before, they finally decided to meet up at Ayanna’s place at two.

  She took some time to look at her blog and noticed several emails from fans who had read about the incident at the restaurant the night before. She didn’t know why she was shocked the story was already out there, but she was. They had sent her the link to the article people were apparently reading from another well-known food blogger in the City. Ayanna personally couldn’t stand the woman blogger as her blog always tended to come across as a gossip rag rather than a food blog.

  She read over the online article, which cited the restaurant and the scandal of Robert Rivera, owner and manager of the popular R and R Bistro. The article went on to say that he had sexually assaulted one of his employees and mentioned her by name, and in the 12 hours since the assault other waitresses were coming forward with their own stories of sexual harassment.

  Ugh. The bitch just had to mention her name, didn’t she?

  The article ended with the speculation that the R and R Bistro’s days were numbered, speculating on what employees and Head Chef Catherine Diaz were going to do next.

  She sighed.

  Her phone began to ring and she noticed it was Emily calling her. Perfect timing.

  “Hey,” Ayanna said, already knowing why Emily was calling.

  “Hey yourself. I just got off the phone with Jon. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I have a feeling it’s gonna be the fallout that’s gonna piss me off the most,” she grumbled mentioning the article on the food blog.

  “First of all, you absolutely did the right thing. Jon already warned me that you would probably feel guilty about it. That’s a natural feeling to have given the employees and whatnot, but it was Rivera’s own mistakes that drove this, not yours.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “Catherine, the head chef, already told me that she approached him weeks ago about buying him out, so I’m assuming that’s what she’s gonna try to do, especially now.”

  “Well, he’s certainly not going to be able to keep his doors open after this. It would be best for him if he sold.”

  “Does he have a leg to stand on if he wants to sue me for bad publicity, or blame me for the fall of the restaurant?”

  “He can try, but he won’t succeed. You were handing in your resignation, there were witnesses that heard the argument and the scuffle, and you have the other waitresses making accusations. Did the police take any pictures of your neck and arms when you pressed charges?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re good to go. You didn’t go to the press with the information. You don’t have anything to worry about. If he tries anything, I’ll wipe the floor with him,” she said confidently.

  “I don’t doubt that for a second,” Ayanna chuckled. “And if I should need your brilliant counsel,” she continued, “I will be paying for your services.”

  “You absolutely will not. Make me a dinner and we’ll call it even.”

  “I don’t feel comfortable with that,” Ayanna began, having always paid her own way.

  “Well, you’re just going to have to deal, Yan, because I’m not taking your money. Shit, if there’s ever a time I can help a fellow sister out from some prick who tries to exert his power over her, I’ll gladly do it,” she said vehemently.

  The way Emily said it caused Ayanna to wonder.

  “Is there a story there?”

  There was a long pause, and then Emily spoke.

  “When I was a freshman in high school, my best friend was date raped by one of the football players at our school.”

  Ayanna let that sink in then said, “I’m so sorry. Is she okay now?” Ayanna asked, her fingers crossed.

  “Yeah. She’s actually a rape counselor in Boston. But that experience shaped my philosophies, obviously. And if there’s ever an opportunity when I can help a woman who’s been hurt by a man, especially if it’s as a result from an assault, well, let’s just say it pushes my buttons. I don’t care about the money. I just want to see justice served. That’s my priority.”

  “Understood,” Ayanna said. “You’re a good woman, Em.”

  “I have my moments,” she muttered, so much like her cousin. “If he contacts you in any way, whether it be by phone, email, through your blog, whatever, you tell me about it. Then we’ll figure out the best course of action.”

  “You got it, boss,” Ayanna said, feeling like she needed to salute. Emily had that way about her. It was one of the things Ayanna absolutely loved about the woman.

  Before they disconnected, Emily mentioned she’d see her at the precinct in a few days, and interestingly, she sounded ecstatic about the self-defense class. Maybe she too was looking forward to learning some new ways to kick some ass.

  Or maybe she just wanted to see the sexy and flirtatious Detective Michael Callahan.

  “If I didn’t know you, I would think you were looking forward to seeing the detective,” Ayanna teased, just throwing it out there to see if it stuck.

  “Oh, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the detective,” she said with a light laugh. “I’ll see you Monday, Yan.”

  Ayanna smiled, looking forward to that entertainment.

  When Janie arrived, they settled in with some chips and guacamole, and began planning their futures like giddy school girls. They both agreed that Ayanna’s established food blog would be a good starting point for running some articles about The Local Yokel catering business, along with some of the food items they’d like to highlight.

  “So, how the hell are you surviving without pizza and sex, woman?!”

  Ayanna laughed. “It ain’t easy, I’ll tell ya. But I’m thinking that maybe given your new recipes for the artisan pizzas, and my 40 day fast, we’ll put the two things together. I was gonna write a short blurb on the experience of giving up pizza and what it’s like when I eat it again. You know, like seeing it with fresh eyes. So maybe we can show off some of your little pizzas in that article?”

  “Yeah, that’s sounds good. I can make some other recipes that I’m thinking through, and we can take more pics. I want you to be able to eat them so they can be described by someone who’s tasted them. Maybe you can start with the ones you’ve already tried. What about doing a new recipe every day for a week, or something like that? Telling the reader that they can come back to the blog every day for another recipe.”


  “I like that.”

  They looked at each other and smiled their excitement, then clapped because they were so happy.

  After about an hour of hashing out details, they discovered that they not only had similar philosophies and training, but work ethic as well. It was decided that Ayanna would indeed become the sous-chef, and they discussed the possibility of her investing in the company so she could be a partner down the line if things worked out.

  They discussed marketing, scheduling, and signature dishes for each of them to add to the catering menu. They then talked about the upcoming event they had for the following weekend. Ayanna couldn’t wait to see the catering kitchen, also known as Janie’s loft in Tribeca. She had a commercial sized kitchen, which according to Janie was the selling point for the place. As soon as she’d seen it, she’d put an offer in immediately.

  “It’s on Hudson Street. I’ve owned it for a couple of years now. I had some backers who helped out in the beginning when I set the business up, so there was a little bit of a cushion. We’ve been making a profit ever since we opened, and I’m close to paying them all back. Maybe you should come see it on Monday before we go to the precinct.”

  All in all, it was a productive meeting and by 4pm, they were into their second bag of chips, laughing it up like old friends.

  “So, what’s happening on the boy front with you, Janie girl?” Ayanna asked Janie. “Any love interests or anything like that?”

  Janie smiled wistfully at Ayanna’s question.

  “Uh, oh. I know what that look means.”

  Janie chuckled. “What does it mean?”

  “It means there’s someone, but that someone doesn’t know that you’re thinking of them as a ‘someone.’”

  “Ah, I see. Well, you are a wise woman, Ayanna Sarin, which is why I offered you a job.”

  Ayanna looked at her sweetly. “What’s going on?”

  Ayanna really liked Janie. She reminded her of Ryann. She had that quality about her that made you want to protect her, even though you knew she was independent and strong as hell. It was a fascinating mix.

  “Other than the fact that I’ve loved him forever and he’ll never see me as a woman, everything’s fine,” Janie sighed in a dry tone and flopped back onto the sofa.