Come To Me Read online

  COME TO ME

  BY

  LAVERNE THOMPSON

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, or other status is entirely coincidental.

  First Copyright 2009 and again in 2013 by LaVerne Thompson

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever known, not known or hereafter invented, or stored in any storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the author. LaVerne Thompson. [email protected]

  Second e-book edition 2013 Isisindc Publishing, LLC

  This book was first published 2008 by another publisher

  Lavernethompson.com

  [email protected]

  Editor- Faith Bicknell-Brown

  Cover illustration by Dee Allen

  Deeallencoverart.com

  ISBN- 978-0-9859646-3-4 eprint

  DEDICATION

  For all the risk takers out there. No regrets.

  This one’s for Faith who went above and beyond. Thank you. And also Marci for once upon a time taking a chance on an unknown.

  And to my partners in crime. You know who you are. lol

  This work was first published in 2009 and the story in that version ended when Baron and Jasmine meet in D.C. They were always one of my favorite couples and over the years I heard from many readers who wanted more. So this one’s for all of you who enjoyed Baron and Jasmine the first time around. I’ve revised the original work and continued their story for a while longer in the re-publication of Come To Me. Staying to the premise that we have five senses and we can use any of them to fall in love.

  Chapter One

  The mangled scents of perfume and sex teased Baron Munro’s senses as he turned his head and looked for a clock on the bedside table. There wasn't one. Didn't matter, it was time to go. He'd indulged them both long enough. Glancing at the tangle of long blonde hair resting on the pillow near his head, he hoped the owner would continue slumbering. The last thing he needed was to explain why he wasn't going to spend the rest of the night, or any other, with her. He should have been long gone already, but he'd been exhausted even before the sex marathon. And that damned near drained him. Yet, he still felt unsatisfied.

  In the last few months, no matter how much he indulged, he'd roll out of bed feeling as empty as he had before he climbed in it. Even with his brief hiatus from casual sex, this time was no different from any of the others. A break was not what he had needed. Whatever he was looking for wasn't here either. He passed his hand over his face in exhaustion.

  Shifting, Baron eased his body off the bed and picked up his clothes where he'd thrown them on the chair earlier in the evening. Naked, his things clutched to his chest, he carefully opened the bedroom door. He closed it behind him and released the breath he'd been holding. After dressing in the hallway, he made his way fully attired to the front door. When he reached the lobby, he dumped the card with the woman's name and number in the trashcan near a pillar. They'd been out a couple of times now, but he’d never saved her number in his contact listings. He wouldn't be calling her again. She was a mistake, another in a long succession of them he was damned tired of making.

  At thirty-one, he was too old for this shit. He had to believe something more existed out there. After he got into his silver Porsche Boxster-S parked across the street from the building, he did a U-turn and then headed toward his condo overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of the District of Columbia. By the time he turned into his garage, the clock on his dash read 2 a.m. A white signboard with black lettering proclaiming the second level loomed before him. Rounding the corner, he expected to pull directly into his reserved parking spot. Instead, a red Thunderbird sat there.

  “What the hell?” he snapped. “Unbelievable!” Stopping behind the car, he whipped out his cell phone and called the building manager. It was her job to take care of things like this at the condo.

  Her sultry voice came on before the ring had finished its first vibration, as if she waited by the phone for his call. He wished.

  This wasn't the first occasion he'd spoken to Jasmine Sandler and it wouldn't be the last. Not if he had anything to say about it. She gave him hope. In truth, since she became the building manager six months ago, he'd taken every opportunity to talk to her, to try to get to know her—even if her voice wreaked havoc with his libido every time he heard it. Which was why he always called instead of texting or emailing, preferring direct human contact. Especially if that contact was of the body-on-body kind with her.

  Their flirting had begun from the very first, and she'd flirted right back. He'd tried several times to meet her, but she always put him off. No one he knew in the building had ever seen her, but everyone he'd spoken to about her agreed she had a sexy voice. The kind that had him taking cold showers once in a while after talking with her. No matter how often he told himself she was probably sixty with four kids, nothing helped. If she looked half as hot as she sounded on the phone, he'd still want her.

  Therein lay his problem of the last six months. She went by the name of Jasmine. She teased his senses on every level. A woman he'd never met, but one he could not ignore. Lord knows he tried to deny his feelings for her, but no matter how many other women he’d been with, he still thought of her. Pathetic.

  “What can I do for you in these wee hours of the morning, Baron? You know, you really have to stop calling me so late.”

  “Now Jasmine, you know I have to hear your voice before I can settle in for the night.”

  “Date didn’t go so well again, huh?”

  He'd started telling her about his dates in an attempt to get a reaction out of her. But so far, her indifference wasn't the response he was looking for. They'd become friends, of sorts, but as far as he could tell, nothing fazed her. In truth, before tonight he hadn't been on a date in a month, a record for him. The only reason he went out earlier was because he'd been pissed. A day ago she'd told him she couldn't talk to him because she had a date. A date with another man. What the hell! The concept of jealousy was a strange one for him. In his world, he caused it, and a woman experienced it. Jasmine seemed to be the exception.

  “Who said I was on a date? And if I was, would it matter to you?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Well, I was jealous when you were on your date last night.” He seized the steering wheel. There, he admitted it. Put what’s been brewing between them front and center. Let’s see if a little honesty, for once, worked.

  “We are not getting into this. It’s too late. So what’s wrong now?” she said in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

  He heard her exasperation over the phone.

  At first, he'd talked to her once a week, always about something condo related.

  But for the last couple of months, he'd been talking to her at least once almost every day. And about nothing even remotely condo related. Sometimes just to ask about her day and to share his with her. Even though she knew his number, she never called him; he always called her. If the reason was ever condo related and required repair, she'd send someone over. Her staff always made the follow-up calls or sent a text, but never her, so he'd stopped looking for problems to complain about. It got him no closer to her.

  “How come you won't have dinner with me?” So much for promising himself he wouldn't ask again. If a woman said no, he moved on. He didn't chase women; they chased him. But he found himself running hard after this one. Besides, it had been a month since he'd last invited her out. This time he wouldn't accept no for an answer. He was ready for a serious relationship and hoped she was, too. It was w
ay past time they met. He refused to continue like this.

  “You're one of the tenants in the building I manage,” she said. “It wouldn't be appropriate.”

  He frowned. “Who said?”

  She sighed into the phone. “I do. Now, do you really have a problem or did you just call to talk?”

  “What if I really just called to hear the sound of your voice?”

  Silence greeted his confession. He wondered if he'd finally gotten through to her. This was the first time he'd told her that and meant it. No more lines. Dammit! She haunted his dreams. She was the reason he couldn't be satisfied with other women. Until he met her, this madness wouldn't pass. And maybe not even then. He knew in his gut she would appeal to him, and on so many levels, she already did.

  “Baron, I…”

  He didn’t pause. “Meet me right now. Meet me.”

  This time her response didn’t come quite so quickly. “It’s late.”

  “I don’t care. Besides, I can’t get into my parking spot anyway.”

  “What do you mean you can't get into your parking spot?” she asked.

  “Just what I said. There's a red Thunderbird parked in my space.”

  “Hang on a sec, let me call towing.”

  She had only been gone for a few moments, long enough for Baron to pull his car into a visitor's spot and shut off the engine.

  “They'll be there in about twenty minutes.”

  “Fine. So are we meeting or what?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

  “Baron, I still don't think it's such a good idea.”

  He drew a deep breath. “You're probably right. But I don't care. I need to know who you are. I need to meet you, baby. You haunt me.”

  “You’re really very sweet. And I’m flattered, but I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” he asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  Used to her offhand manner, he wasn't going to give up. “That's not gonna work this time. It matters. You didn't lie to me, did you? You're not married, right?” One of the first things he'd asked her was if she was married or engaged. He stayed away from those women, respecting their commitments, but everyone else he considered fair game. Even if they had boyfriends, all's fair in sex and sex.

  “Nope. I already told you I wasn’t.

  “But you do date men. So date me.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, right. You and your one-or-two-night-date rule.”

  “You know damn well with you it would be different.”

  A short pause before she spoke. “I don't know if I do. But, the truth is, there is an unwritten company policy discouraging dating among the employees or their clients."

  “Gimme a break?” he said, exasperated. “They can't even begin to enforce such a thing.”

  “They don't, really, but it makes a lot of sense. There are sound reasons for the policy. But that's not all. We're not even in the same city. Actually, I live in a different state.”

  “I’m assuming you’re not talking about Maryland or Virginia.”

  “‘Fraid so.”

  He hadn’t thought of that. “How far away, exactly, are we talking here?”

  “Far enough you’d want to fly for a date with me.”

  “Baby, just tell me where.”

  Chapter Two

  “What!”

  Jasmine couldn't believe her ears. He'd actually get on a plane and come to her. All for a date!

  “You heard me.”

  She knew Baron Munro wasn't hard up. She'd spoken to him quite a bit during these last few months, and had gotten to know more than a few things about him. Like he dated plenty, but only went out with the same woman once or twice. Clearly a player, if she could believe him. But that's not all she knew about him.

  They'd actually talked about a lot of things, and not all of it condo related. The topics of their discussions had spread way beyond the professional. They'd touched upon their lives, likes and dislikes, too. She even looked up his application for the building, purely for business reasons. Right.

  He'd only been in his place about a year. He was single, a civil engineer, and co-owned a business, but he'd already told her about his job. He also owned one of the larger, more expensive condos in the building. Funny, intelligent, and his voice alone caused her blood to rush her senses, which had to explain why she responded to him from the first.

  She liked him. In spite of the way Baron seemed to chase women, he always sounded genuinely interested in talking to her. Unlike her last date, Robert, who couldn't even remember her name, although they had mutual friends and had spoken on the phone a few times. At dinner, every time a female walked by their table, he couldn't seem to maintain eye contact with her, his date. A real prize. Not.

  Instinct told her it would be different with Baron. Often he surprised her by repeating or remembering things she'd told him about her job or herself. Oh yeah, he definitely paid attention to anything she had to say. And when she spoke to him late at night—like this while she lay in bed, she dreamed of what he’d look like as he lay next to her. With her luck, everyone she'd dated recently were handsome losers. What if Baron had a gut hanging down to his knees and hair all over his back? Yuck! But God, if he only looked half as gorgeous as his voice sounded she'd be in serious trouble.

  Regardless of his appeal, he'd just been flirting with her—he had to be—and she couldn't help but flirt right back. She couldn't take him seriously, a self-professed player, and yet....

  “Baron, be for real. You can't just get on a plane for a date with a stranger.”

  “You’re not a stranger.”

  She sighed. “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes. But people go on blind dates all the time, and in our case, we're one step ahead of them, so it's why I’ll come. I want us to really know each other. So what city and state?”

  She stared at the ceiling, then shut her eyes, finding it hard to believe she was contemplating this. Him. “What if I’m in another country? What if I’m in India?”

  “Always wanted to visit India. So are you? Outside of the U.S.?”

  Why oh why did he have such a huskiness to his voice, one that had her thinking about him long after she hung up. A voice that had her eager to answer the phone when his name showed up on her screen. “No. I’m right here in the good old U. S. of A.”

  “Where?”

  She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip, a nervous habit. And boy was she a basket case. Did she really want to do this? What if she was disappointed? Her last few dates had been disasters. What if he was the one disappointed? But, what if neither of them were?

  As if he'd read her mind, he whispered, “Don't think, baby. Just tell me where and let me come to you. It's time we meet.”

  Jasmine shut her eyes and did as he asked. She stopped thinking and allowed herself to respond to the underlying plea in the tenor of his voice. “I'm in San Diego.” I must be out of my freaking mind!

  He immediately replied, “I'll be there later today. I'll call you with the details of my arrival as soon as I know them. Do you want to meet me at the airport or somewhere else?”

  Her eyes popped open. “What?” She hadn’t even thought so far. Her mind stuck on the fact he was truly getting on a plane to have a date with her. “I'll pick you up.” If he traveled all the way to the West Coast to meet her, it’s the least she could do, and it would also be a way for her to maintain some sense of control. Something she seemed to be lacking with him.

  “I’ll talk to you soon and see you later. And Jasmine, if it makes you feel better, I’m scared, too.”

  She smiled. He’d said just the right words to let her know she just might be doing the right thing. “Good night, Baron.” Jasmine disconnected the call and placed the phone in its charging cradle. Rolling onto her side, she stared at the oil painting on her wall, a copy of a Monet. She always loved the colors. The muted greens, blues and oranges provided her with the tranquility she sought at night in her bedroom. Staring
at the painting helped a little tonight, but Baron had hit the nail on the head: she was scared. And knowing he felt that way, too, lifted some of her apprehension.

  Oh, good God! What the hell had she agreed to? On second thought, she wasn't scared, she was terrified. But there was something going on between them. Something she could feel even over the cellular waves of the phone. She’d felt it from the first time she’d heard his voice six months ago, and it’d gotten stronger ever since. No man had ever made her feel this way. Yet they’d never actually met.

  At twenty-nine years old, she wasn’t a virgin, but she was attractive enough to be able to go out with someone whenever the mood struck her. But, since her two best friends had gotten married, she dated mostly to ward off loneliness. She wondered if Baron saw so many women for the same reason, yet getting close to none of them. He’d told her two of his closest buddies had married this past year, and his best friend was engaged. Perhaps, he’d been lonely, too.

  At least she'd been in a serious relationship once, right after college. After three years, and no ring in sight, they mutually called it quits. She’d been satisfied in her professional accomplishments, but on some level searching without finding the missing piece in her life. Until she’d heard his voice. She couldn’t wait for him to call her back. She couldn't wait to finally meet him. How pathetic was that?

  The ringing of the telephone jarred her awake. One of the reasons she managed three large condo complexes was because she seldom slept. She just naturally needed very little slumber to function. And while a staff worked under her, who was supposed to handle general calls, if there was a real problem, they sent those calls to her. She could take them anywhere, any time. But she'd given Baron her cell number months ago so he could call her directly. None of her other clients had it.