Free When a Champion Wants You by Tina Martin Page A

wanted to look decent for tonight, since she would be
going to Dante and Emily’s for dinner. Dimitrius would be there,
she knew, and she wasn’t ready to see him – not after she had
intentionally avoided him Wednesday and Thursday. He’d called, left
messages and she hadn’t bothered returning none of them. Tonight,
she couldn’t ignore him.
    She dressed comfortably in
a pair of dark stonewash jeans that fit her size twelve rump
perfectly. A white short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of pink and
white Nikes completed her outfit. She fixed her free hanging curls
in the mirror, applied some lipstick and gloss to her lips and was
out the door.
     
    * * *
     
    Upon arriving at Emily’s
house, she noticed Dimitrius’ car was already there, parked behind
Desmond’s motorcycle. She parked directly behind them then walked
to the door. Upon entering, she could hear the men laughing and
having a good time like brothers did.
    They were so engrossed in
conversation, they hadn’t noticed she’d walked in until Emily
looked up and said, “Hey, girl!”
    “ Hey, Emily. Hi everybody,”
Melanie said.
    “ Hi Melanie,” Dante
said.
    “ Hey, Melanie,” Desmond
responded.
    “ Hi, Melanie,” Dimitrius
finally said. He was staring at her like it was his first time ever
laying eyes on the woman. Maybe it was the fuchsia lipstick that
brought out the shape of her lips. Or maybe it was the fact that he
hadn’t seen her in two days. Whatever the case, she was downright
irresistible, and he wondered why she had been avoiding him. He
would find out tonight, even if he had to make her tell him.
    “ Can I do anything to help
you in the kitchen, Emily?” Melanie asked, continuing on past the
guys.
    “ Yes. I’m sweatin’ in
here.”
    “ You should’ve told me you
were cooking. I would’ve come over sooner. I assumed you guys were
hiring chefs.”
    “ Dante wanted to hire a
chef, but I told him I preferred to cook. Now, I’m so tired, I wish
we would’ve gone with a chef.”
    “ Well, let me know what I
can do.”
    “ I’m pretty much done
cooking. I do need to reheat some of it, though. Can you stir the
greens?”
    “ Yep. I’m on it,” Melanie
said. She washed her hands, then grabbed a spoon. While stirring
the food, she glanced back at Dimitrius. He was wearing a
button-up, red shirt and a pair of black khakis. He looked
breathtaking, handsome and well put together, but something about
his attire made him stuffy and boring.
    His brothers were wearing
jeans and Polo tees, but not Dimitrius. He always had the preppy
look. Melanie took her attention back to the greens, then glanced
over at Dimitrius again. This time, she met his heated gaze and
quickly turned away.
     
    * * *
     
    “ So, Dimitrius, do you
think you can work with Melanie without daydreaming about taking
her inside of your office and locking the door behind you?” Desmond
asked discreetly so that the women couldn’t hear him.
    “ You would ask something like that,”
Dimitrius responded. “I’m a professional, Des…at all
times.”
    “ Yeah. We know,” Desmond
quipped.
    Just then, Sherita walked
in and said, “Hi everybody.”
    “ Hey,” they all said back
in a blend of voices.
    “ I brought my homemade
banana pudding.”
    I would love some of your
banana pudding , Desmond thought wickedly to
himself, then had the nerve to grin. “Dang, who invited my
kryptonite?” he asked, biting his bottom lip while staring Sherita
down as she breezed by.
    Dante chuckled. “Your
kryptonite?”
    “ Yes, man. She makes a
brother weak,” Desmond said.
    The men
chuckled.
    “ You know Sherita?” Dante
asked.
    “ No. I usually see her at
the coffee shop next to Emily’s store.”
    “ You know she’s good
friends with Emily. As a matter of fact, she runs the boutique
sometimes.”
    “ Ah…that’s why I see her so
frequently at the coffee shop. Mmm, mmm, mmm…”
     
    * * *
     
    “ Hey Sherita,” Melanie
said, giving her a hug once she’d joined the