Free Black Girls and Bad Boys: Stealing Loretta by Neneh J. Gordon

about everything but his lips
and his tongue. She kissed him so hard she couldn’t remember what they’d been
fighting about.
    They were still kissing when the police
wandered over and shone a torch on them.

CHAPTER 9
    ––––––––
    J ordan had hoped to be doing the walk of
shame that morning, but in his head it would have been from Loretta’s front
door to the car, not from the police station to a taxi rank.
    The last person he expected to see waiting
for him when he got onto the street was Loretta. He’d have been less surprised
if Gina had turned up.
    “Where are your shoes?” There was an
impressive array of ladders working their way up from the toes of her tights.
    She got up off the front step, looking
wary. “I didn’t know if they’d let you out.”
    “It’s the same as you – there was nothing
worth charging me with.”
    She took a step closer. “What about the
money?”
    It would have been great to play it cool.
He got as far as a wink, but then his face insisted on smiling. “What money?”
    Her brow crinkled in puzzlement.
    “I didn’t have any money on me. You must be
thinking of someone else.”
    “You dumped it.”
    He nodded. “Right before you jumped me.”
    “I did not jump you.” She slapped him on
the shoulder and their eyes met. They looked at each other for a moment longer
than was entirely innocent.
    “How come you waited for me?”
    She came even closer, standing right in
front of him. “I wanted to give you something.” Her hands went to either side
of his face and she kissed him the way assistant bank managers weren’t supposed
to know how.
    The kiss came to an end. He could still
feel the echo of her lips. “I don’t get it.”
    “What?”
    “I take you out to the middle of nowhere,
end up having a roll-around-on-the-floor fight with you and get you arrested.
Why the hell are you still here?”
    “Jordan.” She stroked his cheek. “You’re
trouble. I knew that as soon as you knocked me down on the pavement. You’re the
bad boy I’m supposed to cross the road to avoid.”
    “And?”
    “And I haven’t had sex in a very, very long
time.” She got up on her tiptoes and gave him a beautifully soft kiss.
    His skin came up in goose bumps.
    “You’re never going to be boyfriend
material, but I need to get laid. Will you take me home with you?”
    He looked down into her warm brown eyes. An
unfamiliar emotion welled up in him – guilt.
    It was all going according to plan. Step
one was bed, step two was pillow talk, step three was empty the safety deposit
boxes. In theory, step one was an enjoyable way to get to steps two and three.
She was making it so easy for him. She wasn’t even asking to be romanced.
    Which made him feel so much worse.
    “You don’t want to do this, Loretta. It’s
not you.”
    “It could be.” She tried to kiss him again,
but he pulled away.
    “You know how much I want you.”
    “So take me.” She straightened her dress,
uncertainty coming to the fore.
    “No. Not like this.”
    “I don’t understand.” Her face was about to
crumple.
    He didn’t want to hurt her, but it was
going to happen either way. At least if he put her off he’d be able to look at
himself in the mirror again. “You’re right about me. You don’t know just how
right.”
    “But I don’t care.”
    “I do. You’re a decent woman. You’re—”
    “Don’t you dare tell me I’m nice.” A tear
rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away with the heel of her hand.
    “But you are. And I’m not. I’m sorry.”
Turning away from her was harder than he’d imagined.
    “What about my winnings?”
    When he faced her, she’d got herself back
under control. Seeing her hard-faced and tear-stained was even worse than
watching her cry. “I’ll get them for you.”
    “And what? Bring them to the bank?”
    “Where do you want to meet?”
    “I don’t know.” She opened her bag and
pulled out her phone. “Give me your number. I’ll call you.”