Interracial Desires: BWWM Multicultural Romance Box Set Read online

  “Charley. I just let him know.”

  “Oh no, I meant to tell you I wanted to withdraw my complaint until I learned more about his intentions for the children.”

  “It wasn’t you. A parent complained and the school board ordered us to let him go early.”

  “A parent complained about what?”

  To my surprise, she pulled a tablet out of her large purse and swiped its screen with her finger before passing it to me. Mike Jones, a troubled young man, was rapping.

  “NWA?” I asked, shaking my head.

  “I guess so. He’s not to come back in the building. I thought you’d be pleased.”

  I handed the tablet back to her. “I am. I am.”

  “Well, have a good night. Don’t stay too long.”

  “I won’t,” I said, waving before going back to grading the papers.

  After she left, I checked my phone for any new emails. My heart beat a little faster as I saw Charley’s name with the subject line, “Dinner Tonight (Still On).” I tapped it and read. He didn’t mention being let go, but had the name and address of a nearby Italian restaurant – one of the more expensive ones in my neighborhood. Does he know where I live? I wondered.

  I tapped the address and sent it to the GPS in my car. With that done, I finished grading the papers. As I scanned them quickly, I couldn’t stop thinking about Charley. He was really cute and had a personality and a half, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a relationship. My career took up a lot of my time. Once I finished the task at hand, I sneaked into the principal’s office to get Charley’s phone number.

  As I tapped the number into my phone, I kept telling myself that cancelling dinner with him was the best idea. If I showed up to dinner with him and had a couple drinks, I would end up doing something I regretted the next morning when he ran away. I put his application away and pressed the call button. After two rings, he answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Charley, it’s me,” I said, wishing I’d spent some more time planning what I’d say to him.

  “Hey, Shanika. I’m not sure how you got my number, but I’m glad you called.”

  “You want to cancel too?” I asked, hoping he didn’t bring up me having his phone number again.

  “What? You want to cancel?”

  “Yeah, I just thought with everything that happened you might want to do something else.”

  “Nonsense,” he said, then firmly added, “I want to see you tonight no matter what it takes.”

  “Really?” I said, stalling as I tried to think of something witty to say.

  Without a little wine wetting my whistle, all I could think about was the avalanche of tasks I had to complete the next days so the kids could get the best education possible.

  “Yeah. Can you leave now? I really want to talk to you.”

  “I wanted to go home and get changed…”

  “You look beautiful already,” he said, interrupting me.

  “Okay. Okay. I’ll see you in about twenty or thirty minutes.”

  “Great. I’ll be waiting at our table.”

  “Bye.”

  He disconnected without saying goodbye, which irritated me a little. At the same time, I realized I would be trying to come up with any excuse not to go see him. After I gathered up my belongings, I headed outside to my car in the parking lot. The reliable Toyota was over fourteen years old. Sometimes it reminded me of myself in a few ways.

  I drove to the restaurant in somewhat of a daze. At every stop, I seriously thought about making a turn and going back to my house to call it a night, but something pulled me forward. Charley was totally not my type of guy, but he intrigued me. To be honest, I’d never met a man who was perfect for me because I was so strong and independent.

  Why is this guy so fascinated with me? I still didn’t have an answer to the question when I pulled up in front of the restaurant. The valet almost smirked as I handed him my keys, but I didn’t blame him. Material possessions never really meant much to me. What was more important was giving everything I had to make sure the next few generations of children grew up with a chance at success.

  When I walked into the restaurant with my head held high, I almost ran into someone in the lobby. As soon as I mentioned Charley’s name, the receptionist motioned for me to follow her. A moment later, we were at a quiet table in a back room. I wasn’t familiar with the place, but I was sure a private room must have set him back a few dollars.

  He better not think he’s getting into my panties tonight! I thought as I smiled and approached the table. He stood up and returned the gesture. Something about his smile comforted me. As I sat down, I told myself to keep an open mind. While he was a bit crazy, he obviously wanted to help with education in America, which was desperately needed.

  SIX

  Charley

  I watched her come into the room and realized for the first time I was attracted to her physically as well as intellectually. Maybe it has to do with the fact we’re meeting outside of the school? I stood up as she approached, but she pulled out her chair on her own. Her hair was incredible, but I was drawn to her face – those eyes and that bright white smile.

  “I’m glad you came,” I said.

  “Everyone has to eat. I didn’t expect a private room.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said, wondering if I’d gone too far.

  The money meant nothing to me. As a billionaire on a mission, I spent quite a bit every month. No matter how much I spent, I never made a dent in the wealth I’d been able to accumulate after receiving a nine figure inheritance from my mother. Part of me thought I should tell Shanika I was wealthy, but I wanted to see if she loved me and not just my money.

  “Well, I hope their food is as good as everyone says. These prices are so high.”

  She looked up from the menu to me for a brief moment.

  “Again, don’t worry about it. You’re a teacher and teachers deserve to be treated better.”

  Her head nodded and she smiled politely without looking back up.

  “And you’re just a substitute teacher, so you’re even lower on the totem pole.”

  I laughed quietly, quickly controlling my emotions.

  “I guess I am. Let’s see what they have on the menu tonight.”

  We both flipped through the menu for a minute. When she set hers down, I did the same, not caring what I ate. All I wanted was to learn more about Shanika. She intrigued me in a way no woman had in many years. A waitress took our orders then walked out of the room to get the food. I picked up a bottle of expensive wine I’d picked out.

  “A drink?”

  “I really shouldn’t…”

  “Come on, one glass won’t hurt.”

  “But how often does it stop with one glass of wine?”

  She lifted her glass into the air. I poured wine close to the top.

  “You’re making me feel like what’s-her-name on Cougar Town.”

  “Cougar Town?”

  “It’s a television show,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of time to watch, but it’s one of my guilty pleasures. They crack me up.”

  I nodded, listening intently. The more I listened, keeping my mouth shut, the more she talked. By the time we were finished with the main course, I was more familiar with her as a woman. She had an amazing sense of humor with a razor sharp wit. And she didn’t know how to quit. Public education and helping children become better adults was her passion.

  “Dessert?” I asked.

  “I really shouldn’t.”

  “What? You’re so skinny.”

  “Thanks. I guess I can have a small piece of cheesecake.”

  “A lady after my own stomach.”

  “So, what do you do for a living?” she asked while we waited for our dessert.

  “I’m a substitute teacher.” It’s not a complete lie.

  “That’s it? And you travel around the country teaching here and there?”

  “Yeah, basically. Let’s talk about yo
u instead. Why did you become a teacher?”

  “Oh, the same reasons you’re a teacher probably.”

  “You see a need for education?”

  “Yes. Very much so.” She looked into my eyes. “I wanted to apologize for today.”

  “For what?”

  “I complained to Ms. Harrison about you.”

  “You ratted me out to the principal, huh?”

  She smiled, averting her eyes for a moment. Damn, she’s so beautiful, I thought, vowing to always make her smile or laugh and never give her cause to cry.

  “I guess. It was before I knew what you were up to exactly.”

  “And you know now?”

  “No, not really,” she admitted. “But I do see a change in the students. A good one.”

  As we made eye contact again, she moved her hand across the table and placed it over mine. I wanted her right there and then, but she was so much more than a fling. It was important to play my cards carefully. The conversation turned to lighter matters as we ate our cheesecake. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop watching her. The way the fork raised to her mouth mesmerized me.

  After we finished, I walked her outside. As the valet retrieved her car, I slipped my arm around her waist. When she didn’t resist or pull away, I leaned in and kissed her passionately on the lips. She moaned softly once the initial surprise was gone. I let my hand drop a few inches closer to her ass, which was soft and full. Just before I reached my goal, she pulled back.

  “I have to go,” she said, turning around.

  The valet stopped her car in front of the restaurant. I wanted to take her away, to fly her to the Bahamas for a month or two, but I couldn’t be too forward. Once she was in her car, I told the valet to hold back a few minutes with my car. She drove away into the night. A few minutes later, they drove out with my forest green Mercedes. I tipped the valet a hundred dollars then got in my car and went to one of my homes.

  SEVEN

  Shanika

  As I drove away, my heart was still beating quickly. I could taste his lips on mine. The sensation of his kiss replayed in my mind over and over again the entire ride home. Don’t get yourself too worked up, girl, I thought to myself. When I got home, I took my laptop to the couch and turned it on. A moment later, I typed his name into Google. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find anything. Absolutely nothing showed up in the search results.

  “What the hell?” I asked my empty living room.

  Charley Storm was not a common name, but there was not a single scrap of information I could find about him. I considered giving my credit card information to one of those websites that promised to be able to find out everything about anyone, but I resisted the urge. A family member had lost a few hundred dollars after signing up for a similar website online.

  I put the laptop away and got ready for bed. The entire time, I only had one thing on my mind – Charley. He was an eccentric guy with radical ideas about education, but the more time I spent around him, the more I became attracted to him. With a good mind and a hot body, he met all my usual requirements. Not being able to find out anything about him online gave me a little pause.

  After I put on my pajamas, I crawled into bed and under the covers. I sighed as I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to get some sleep. Just as I drifted off, my phone rang. The ringtone told me the number was unknown, which stirred my curiosity. This better be good, I thought as I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and swiped my finger over the screen to answer the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Ms. Wilson?” a gruff male voice asked.

  “Yes. Can I help you?”

  “I hope so.”

  “How did you get this number?”

  “I’m organizing a group of parents to go after this asshole that was teaching our children to speak foul language because of some liberal puking heart bullshit.”

  “Um, okay,” I said, truly at a loss for words. “How did you get my number?”

  “It’s not important. We need your help to get that creeper out of our schools.”

  “He’s not coming back, but I really don’t think he’s that bad.”

  “We’re going to stop him from teaching in any school. That liberal bullshit doesn’t need to be implanted into the heads of our children, you know?”

  “Not really, to be honest, but it’s really late, and I don’t think this is the time…”

  “Look, you stupid…”

  As soon as the word came out of his mouth and traveled through the air from somewhere unknown to mine, I disconnected the call. I stared at the phone in horror, my heart beating faster. Did that really just happen? The words “Blocked Number” stared at me from the screen for a few seconds until it went dark. Please don’t call back… I thought as I set it down on the nightstand.

  Should I call the cops? Can you report someone for being racist? Questions crept through my mind, quickly freaking me out. Without knowing who the man was or how he’d gotten my cell phone number, the paranoia grew. I thought about calling Charley, but I didn’t want to seem like a weak woman. After I crawled back under the blankets, I eventually fell asleep.

  * * *

  The next day at school, the students were protesting outside. I walked through the crowd, reading a few of the signs before going inside. Empty hallways that early in the morning were weird as I made my way to the principal’s office. A few other teachers were hanging around outside in the hallway when I walked up. Instead of talking to them, I went into the office area.

  “She’s busy right now,” Melissa, the secretary, said as I walked by her.

  When I opened the door to Ms. Harrison’s office, I was shocked to see Charley seated in front of her desk. He looked up at me and smiled. I wanted to tell him about the strange call the night before, but I could tell it wasn’t the right time. The principal pointed to the second seat in front of her desk, which was empty.

  “You might as well be here for this,” she said.

  “What’s going on? I’ve never seen the students so interested…”

  “That’s quite enough,” she interrupted. “I was telling Charley here that none of the information he’s provided to us is checking out.”

  I glanced at him, remembering not being able to find anything about him online. Is he a crazy man? Have I fallen for a crazy man again?

  “That’s odd,” I said, not mentioning that I hadn’t been able to find any information on him.

  “Very odd.” Her gaze turned to Charley, who didn’t look away. “Are you going to tell me the truth?”

  “I’ve told you everything you need to know.”

  “Oh. Is that so?”

  He nodded his head, not breaking eye contact. She turned her attention to me.

  “Do you know anything? Did you put the kids up to protesting?”

  “What? No, of course not,” I snapped, a little irritated she thought that about me.

  She sighed then crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Well, I’m going to cancel classes for today, but I want you two to go out there and talk to the students. They will not be protesting tomorrow. Is that understood?”

  “We can’t really control their actions,” Charley said.

  I stood up and grabbed his arm. “We’ll do what we can.”

  He got to his feet, allowing me to practically drag him out of the office.

  “We need to talk,” I said.

  “Sure.”

  We walked to my classroom, which was empty. After I closed the door, I walked over to my desk.

  “Did you call me last night?” I asked point blank, not messing around.

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you call me late last night? Or have someone call me?”

  I placed my hands on my hips, staring directly into his eyes as if I could actually read his soul.

  “No. Why?”

  “I got this very strange call last night.”

  “From who?”

  “I don’t know,
but it scared the hell out of me.”

  He walked over to me and placed his hand gently on my arm.

  “What did they say?”

  “It was a man. He said that he wanted me to help make sure you never taught again.”

  “And you thought it was me? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I don’t know. It was just really weird. After the protest this morning, I thought you might just be some crazy guy playing games with me.”

  “No, it’s not like that at all. I’m just a substitute teacher.”

  “Really? Because when I Googled you last night, I couldn’t find any information on you.”

  A frown formed on his face. “Yeah, about that…”

  Before he could say anything, we heard police sirens outside. We both rushed out to try to calm the situation before the police started bashing heads and throwing students in jail. In addition to the authorities, a dozen or so parents had shown up to try to shut down the children’s enthusiasm about free speech. Charley being honest with them had touched a chord.

  After we shut down the situation without any problems, he walked with me to my car in the parking lot. I opened the driver’s side door, but I didn’t get in. His smile continued to batter down the walls I’d built around my heart. Leaving school at noon was odd enough without him standing next to me. I totally forget about our previous discussion when he was about to tell me something.

  “Come over for some wine this evening,” he said, more of a command than a question.

  “Okay. Maybe. Text me your address.”

  I got into my car and drove away. His image got smaller in the rear view mirror. Then he was gone. All the way home, he was on my mind big time. Smart, articulate, funny and with a nice body from what I’d been able to tell. With all the energy he had, I was sure he was more muscle than fat underneath his clothes. The thought of him with his shirt off drove me wild.

  EIGHT

  Charley

  At six thirty in the evening, I gave up on Shanika coming over. A second later, she rang the doorbell. I answered it and invited her inside. She had on a nice black dress that fit the form of her body well. We made our way into the living room where I had already started in on a bottle of very fine red. The downtown apartment I was renting was nice but not too nice.