The Last Chance Read online

  “Whatever, Keilah. Now listen. If I go along with this indecent proposal, when do you expect it to start and how long do you expect your drought to last?”

  She reached over and took his hand into hers. “How about tonight? I’ll cook us some dinner, and you can bring the wine. As far as how long it’s going to last, well that’s up in the air. Come on, Ramsey, can’t you do this for me? You know I have a strong sexual appetite and how I’ve made it this long is beyond me.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze and turned and walked toward the door. “I hope you know what you’re doing because I see disaster written all over this.”

  “No way. We’re going into this with our eyes wide open and cards on the table,” she replied.

  Ramsey was still somewhat stunned by Keilah’s request as he opened the door. Before walking out, he gave her a serious look. “Keilah, I’ll be there, but I can’t tell how long I’m going to be able to do this.”

  She smiled. “Thanks, Ramsey. I love you,” she responded with excitement.

  “Forget you, Keilah,” he yelled back before closing her door behind him. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest as he walked down the hallway to his office. When he walked by his secretary, Sherrie, she stopped him.

  “Ramsey, I have a couple of messages for you and your mail.”

  “Thanks, Sherrie,” he replied as he took the messages from her. “By the way you look very nice today.”

  She looked at him curiously. “Thank you. Ramsey, are you okay? You don’t look so hot.”

  He smiled. “I guess it was those avocado egg rolls we had for lunch. I’ll be fine, but thanks for asking.”

  She sat back down and pulled a bottle of Maalox tablets out of her desk. “Here. Take a couple of these. They’ll make you feel better real quick.”

  Ramsey took a couple of the tablets and popped them into his mouth. “Thanks, Sherrie.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Unbeknownst to Sherrie, the avocado egg rolls were not the source of Ramsey’s anxiety. Keilah had done this to him all by herself. Once inside his office, he laid everything on his desk and sat down. As he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, he did everything he could to make sense of the night ahead of him. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

  After Ramsey left her office, Keilah sat there in deep thought, anticipating her night with Ramsey. He was about as fine as they came. She realized it was going to be a little weird the first time, but after they get through their first night, it should be smooth sailing.

  Chapter Two

  Oddly, the day seemed to fly by, and because Keilah wanted dinner to be just right, she took off early from work. At home, she cooked chicken breasts smothered in a creamy wine sauce and flavored rice, and then in olive oil she sautéed broccoli, squash, and zucchini to create a vegetable medley. After she put the finishing touches on dinner, she took time to set the table and light some candles. Seconds later, the doorbell rang, startling her. She took one last look in the mirror, and then opened the door.

  “Hey, Ramsey. You’re right on time,” Keilah said with a huge smile on her face. Ramsey stepped inside the foyer. “I meant to get here earlier so I could help you with dinner.”

  Keilah closed the door. “That’s sweet of you, but dinner is ready to serve.”

  Ramsey’s cologne immediately sent goose bumps over Keilah’s body. He always did smell heavenly, but tonight his scent was even more noticeable. He was neatly dressed in a pair of relaxed jeans and a light blue, button-down shirt.

  The couple walked toward the dining room where Ramsey sat one of two bottles of wine on the table. Keilah kept walking, and Ramsey joined her seconds later.

  In the kitchen, he found Keilah attending to their dinner. He opened the refrigerator and put the other bottle of wine and a can of whipped cream inside the refrigerator.

  Keilah laughed and asked, “What did you put in there?”

  He closed the refrigerator and smiled. “You’ll find out in due time.”

  She giggled because she’d seen exactly what he’d placed inside her refrigerator. Ramsey walked over to the oven and opened it up. “Mmm, this smells good. What is it?”

  Keilah turned to him, playfully smacked his hand, and closed the oven door. “Chicken, now take this dish and put it on the table, nosey.”

  “Can’t I at least get a hug first?” he asked.

  Keilah sat the glass dish down on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ramsey hugged her tightly, lifting her off the floor. “I feel better now.”

  “You’re so silly,” Keilah said as he placed her back on her feet.

  She handed the vegetable dish to him and followed close behind with the chicken and rice. She sat the items on the table and then joined him. Ramsey opened the wine and filled their glasses.

  “You can go ahead and sit down, Ramsey. I’m good.”

  “A gentleman never sits before a lady,” he replied.

  Keilah giggled. “I forgot you were so well bred.”

  He smiled and held out her chair for her. He watched Keilah as she placed her napkin in her lap. She was stunning. Tonight should be easy for him, but he was beginning to wonder if they would get through dinner, the way her jeans were hugging her apple-bottom hips. The short top she had on revealed her fit abs and the diamond stud in her navel.

  She looked over at him and smiled. “Do you want to say grace?”

  “Sure. Take my hand,” he said in a soothing voice.

  Ramsey proceeded to bless their food before digging into the appetizing meal.

  “Keilah, you’ve outdone yourself. This is delicious.”

  She blushed. “This is nothing. I threw this together with hardly any effort.”

  He took a sip of wine. “Well, you did good.”

  The pair chatted about work, family, and issues in the news as they finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. Ramsey opened up the second bottle of wine and Keilah pulled an apple crumb cake out of the oven.

  Ramsey smiled. “I don’t know if I have room for dessert.”

  “Just try a little piece, Ramsey.” She took her fork and held a small piece of cake up to his mouth.

  He tasted it and said, “This is good, but I can’t eat a whole piece.”

  “No problem. We can share.”

  He handed her a glass of wine. “I can do that.”

  They made their way into the family room and sat down on the sofa. Ramsey picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “Do you mind?”

  Keilah curled up next to him on the sofa. “No, go ahead.”

  “Thanks. I just want to see the last quarter of the game.”

  She drank some more of her wine. “You know I don’t mind.”

  Ramsey sat there transfixed by the TV screen for nearly twenty minutes. Neither one of them ate the rest of the cake. He finally looked over at Keilah, who hadn’t moved or spoken since he started watching the game. He reached over and patted her softly on the thigh. “Are you asleep?”

  She squirmed slightly. “No, just resting my eyes.”

  Ramsey turned off the TV and stood. He held his hand out to her. “Come on so I can put you to bed.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. He pulled her up into his arms and held her there for a second. Keilah pressed her face against his warm neck and let out a soft moan. He kissed her on the forehead and led her upstairs. Once in Keilah’s bedroom, Ramsey cupped her face and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “You know you’re crazy, right?”

  She started unbuttoning his shirt, and within seconds, she had it off his shoulders. “Yeah, I know, but if I wasn’t a little crazy we wouldn’t be working together, would we?”

  Ramsey’s heart started beating wildly in his chest once again, and he felt like his body was on fire. Just having her hands caressing his flesh was driving him out of his mind. Once they got skin to skin, he had no idea what he would do. Keilah kissed him on his chest and his rock-hard abs. Ramsey flinched and suck
ed in a breath the moment her soft lips came in contact with his body. Keilah looked up into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “You’re sort of doing a number on me.”

  She smiled and took a step back. “If this is going to be too much for you, Ramsey, you’re free to leave.”

  A huge lump formed in his throat. He’d never punked out of sex with a beautiful woman, but Keilah was no ordinary woman.

  “I’m not leaving,” he replied.

  “Are you sure? Because you seem a little tense.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist once again. “Ramsey, I’ve never felt as comfortable and relaxed with any man as I feel with you.”

  That was the last confirmation he needed. The next few minutes were a blur. He kissed her greedily, backing her over to the bed where they tumbled onto the comforter. Ramsey quickly removed her clothing, leaving her lying before him in next to nothing.

  She giggled. “I guess this means you’ve gotten rid of the butterflies in your stomach?”

  He leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips. “Yeah, baby. I’m fine.”

  She smiled, cupped his face and kissed him slowly, slipping her tongue inside his mouth. “Ramsey, whatever you do, don’t hold back.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t,” he proclaimed as she covered her full breasts with his hand.

  He could feel the hardening of his lower region pressing against his jeans as he ran his tongue lightly over her brown peaks. Keilah closed her eyes and breathlessly whispered, “Oh, Ramsey.”

  The sensuality of her voice excited him. He anxiously unzipped his jeans as Keilah pulled back the comforter. She studied him closely as he lowered his jeans and boxers. What she saw was nothing short of magnificent.

  “Now I see why you have so many women,” she said as he climbed back into bed next to her. He laughed. Keilah couldn’t resist touching him, causing him to gasp. “You brought condoms, didn’t you?”

  He gritted his teeth. “They’re in my pocket.”

  She rolled over, opened the nightstand, pulled out a handful of condoms and tossed them on the bed. “Don’t worry about it. I got you covered.”

  He picked one up. “You sure are prepared.”

  She tossed her hair over her shoulder and took the small package out of his hand. “Do you want me to do it?”

  “No, no, no. If you touch me one more time, all of this is going to be in vain.”

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “Thank you, Ramsey.”

  He winked at her before flipping her on her back. Her giggles filled the room as he kissed her beginning at her neck and ending at the diamond stud in her navel. He removed her lacy thong and immediately cupped her hips, burying his face between her thighs. Her giggles were instantly reduced to heavy breathing and soft moans. It didn’t take long for Ramsey to make Keilah’s eyes roll back in her head. She didn’t know what Ramsey was doing to her, but whatever it was, it had her whole body trembling uncontrollably. “Ramsey ... Ramsey ...” she whispered over and over again.

  He stopped long enough to apply the condom before positioning himself between her long brown legs. As he stared down at her, he couldn’t help but sample her stiff nipples once again. Keilah arched into him as he devoured each one of them, sending shivers all over her body. His kisses were heated and passionate as he pushed his stiff manhood into her moist body. Keilah let a loud moan as he placed her legs over his shoulders, allowing him deeper access to her moist chasm. They moved rhythmically against each other and to the beat of their hearts. Ramsey felt his body sizzle as he thrust harder and deeper. Submerged in ecstasy, Keilah deliriously pleaded for mercy and begged Ramsey for more all in the same breath. Her confusion sent electricity through his body until he felt his own body shuddering with exhilaration. He felt his soul spiraling out of control and knew his sensual demise was close. However, he wanted to prolong their gratification as long as he could. Ramsey continued to kiss Keilah feverishly until his name tore from her lips as she climaxed hard against his large frame. His release caused his body to stiffen before he let out a groan of contentment. With sweat dripping from their bodies, Keilah and Ramsey continued to kiss and snuggle until the rhythm of their breathing was back to normal. He rolled over onto his back and pulled her on top of his chest. She kissed and licked the tattoos on his biceps and said, “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  He palmed her hips and pulled her as close to him as he could. Making love to Keilah was heavenly. So to try and stay cool, he simply replied, “It was perfect, Keilah.”

  Chapter Three

  Three months had passed, and things were going great between Keilah and Ramsey, as was their business. On this day, she twirled in her chair and stared out the window of her office. As Keilah sat in her office, her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of her telephone. She reached over and answered it. “Stone Chance Protection Agency. K.C. speaking. How may I help you?”

  “K.C.? When did you start calling yourself K.C.?” the deep, male voiced asked.

  Keilah smiled hearing her brother, Genesis’s voice. There was a ten-year difference between Keilah’s age and her brother’s. At thirty-seven years old, he was the gentle and compassionate one. He was also the one who fell in love the easiest and usually the hardest. Most of the women he came in contact with considered him a heartthrob because of his gentle and loving nature. Being very tall and handsome didn’t hurt either. When Keilah was a little girl, a lot of the women would try to befriend her in an attempt to get closer to him; however, Genesis always saw through them. He had dark, wavy hair and smooth, cinnamon skin. He had a pair of dimples that showed up even when he wasn’t smiling.

  “I just started trying K.C. out for business purposes. What’s up, bro?”

  “Nothing much. I’m at the office, so I thought I would check in with you and see how you’re doing. Luke told me he talked to you not too long ago.”

  “Yeah, we talked, but first he got onto me for taking two days to return his telephone call, then we had a nice conversation. I’m doing great though. How’s everyone there?” she asked.

  “We’re all good, just busy. Other than that, we’re cool.”

  Keilah turned back around to her window and said, “That’s good to hear. I’m also glad business is doing well, too. Has anybody hit a big jackpot lately?”

  “Since you mention it, a sixty-two-year-old lady hit for three hundred thousand two weeks ago.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “Yeah, she just retired too. So, when are you coming home for a visit?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Things are pretty busy right now, so I probably won’t be able to see you guys until sometime after the holidays.”

  “Do you realize how far off that is, Keilah?” Genesis pointed out.

  “Yes, I’m aware of it, and I’m sorry, Genesis, but it can’t be helped.”

  “What happened to your ‘family first’ motto?”

  Keilah’s blood pressure instantly shot up. “Stop trying to put a guilt trip on me. You know I wish I could see you guys more often, but I can’t, so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

  Genesis chuckled and said, “That’s cold, Keilah.”

  “No, it’s not. It would be nice if you guys would fly here to see me sometime instead of always expecting me to come out there.”

  Genesis knew he had struck a nerve with Keilah. She was known to have a quick temper and saying she was angry was an understatement.

  “Keilah, I didn’t call to fight with you. I was just calling to see how you were doing and to see if you needed anything. We miss you.”

  Keilah took a breath to calm her nerves. “I miss you guys too, Genesis, but you have to understand I have a business to run just like you guys and I’m needed here.”

  “I know. Seriously, though, we have some family business we need to take care of on the twelfth of September, and all
of us have to be here and accounted for in order for it to be settled.”

  “Does it have anything to do with the opening of the second casino?”

  “Yes, but there’s some other stuff we have to take care of as well.”

  “I’m sorry, Genesis, I can’t. That’s not going to work into our schedule here, so you guys are going to have to postpone it for a while,” she explained.

  “It can’t be postponed, Keilah. You have to come, and that’s all it is to it.”

  “I can’t, so if there’s some paperwork that I need to sign, you guys need to FedEx it to me so I can sign it and get it back to you. That’s the only option I can offer you right now.”

  Genesis looked at his watch and said, “Look, I have to run. I’ll give Luke your message. Be safe and I’ll call you this weekend. I love you. Tell Ramsey I said hello.”

  “I’ll tell him, and I love you too. Tell everyone I said hello.”

  “Good-bye, Keilah.”

  “Good-bye, Genesis.”

  After hanging up with Genesis, Keilah thought about what it was like growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Dennison, California. She also remembered just how much pain and suffering her family had endured over the years. It all began a little over seventeen years earlier, but to Keilah it seemed like it was only yesterday.

  Seventeen Years Earlier ...

  Ten-year-old Keilah had lost count of how many times her brothers had had to pull her down on the floor to prevent her from being hit by flying bullets. This night was no different in Dennison, California, a small but booming suburb outside of Los Angeles. Broken glass fell on her small body. She screamed as her twenty-seven-year-old brother, Roman, grabbed her and threw her down the laundry chute, which led deep into the basement. Keilah screamed all the way down until she fell into the large laundry cart at the bottom of the chute. She quickly climbed out and hid inside the special room her brothers had made for her under the stairs. She used to think it was a game, but as she grew older, she began to understand that this was just a hazard of the environment, as always.