Love Me Forever

Chapter 2

They pulled into the packed parking lot of a one-story building surrounded by dark, tempered-glass windows. A hand-painted sign that hung above the door read Heavens, with musical symbols on each side. A line snaked out the door and down the walkway on three sides of the building.

“It’s crowded tonight,” Langston said.

“Appears that way,” Jarred responded.

“I’m going to follow Brice. He knows this place inside and out. He’ll know where there’s parking.”

“I thought you’d been here before?”

“I have. It’s just been a while.”

They found parking a block away from the lounge. Jarred was surprised that by the time they walked back around to the club, the crowd had practically disappeared.

“Where did all those people go?” he asked.

“Most probably weren’t allowed inside, so they left. There is a dress code. No jeans or sneakers. Business casual is the preference,” Brice said, as they walked up to the door.

The bouncer, a tall man with a large build and a buzz cut, stood there. “Brice, my man! I haven’t seen you here in a little bit. Go on in. You know your table is always available.”

“Thanks, Norman. How’s it going?”

“I can’t complain. The lady herself is here tonight. You all are in for a treat.” Norman smiled.

“She’s back?”

“Yep, and on fire. Go on in. She’ll be on in a few.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later. By the way, these are my brothers, Jarred and Langston. Langston’s been here before with me, but you weren’t on duty,” Brice said.

“Nice to meet you. Go on inside.” Norman waved Brice through. Jarred and Langston followed on his heels.

“Is there anyone he doesn’t know?” Jarred whispered to Langston.

“Our brother does get around. I’m wondering who this she is.”

“I can hear you two,” Brice snorted.

“So?” Jarred and Langston responded simultaneously.

Brice led them to a table in front of a dimly lit stage. A gold Reserved sign sat on the table.

Jarred glanced around the lounge. The place seemed like one giant booth, with leather seating and lit candles in rust-colored holders giving the room an orange glow. Very cozy, he had to admit, very relaxing. This was a place one would want to come after a hard day. The round table that he and his brothers occupied could easily fit eight people.

“So who is this she the bouncer was referring to, Brice?” Langston asked.

“You’ll see, Lang my boy.” Brice smirked.

“If you call me Lang again, you won’t be seeing anything or anybody,” Langston countered.

Jarred chuckled. Brotherly love. What can I say? Nothing, and that’s what I’ll do. Say nothing.

A big, circular spotlight lit the center of the stage, and people began to stand and clap.

Jarred eyed all of them suspiciously. There was no one on the stage. A few moments later, a lone figure walked out into the center and Jarred’s mouth dropped open. The woman had legs that went on for days. They were displayed in a formfitting black dress with a deeply cut V neckline and a long, almost waist-high split up the side. Her natural hair was styled in a thick, wavy bob that stopped at her shoulders. Her skin tone was slightly darker than caramel, but lighter than pecan, more like cinnamon. Her body was to die for, and her smile shone brighter than the stage lighting.

“If you don’t close your mouth soon, bro, you are sure to attract flies,” Brice said.

“You all sure know how to make a lady feel loved,” the mystery lady said. Her voice was so sultry and soulful, a shiver of awareness coursed through Jarred.

He could do nothing but stare at her, spellbound by her presence. He squinted his eyes and leaned forward to get a better view. Upon closer inspection, he recognized that there was something familiar about her, then it hit him like a sack of bricks.

“Hey, isn’t that—”

“Nerd Girl,” Langston finished.

“Be quiet, you two. Her name is Nevealise not Nerd Girl,” Brice said angrily.

“We know her name, Brice,” Jarred countered. “It was just an expression and you know it. We all called her that back then.”

The last time Jarred saw Nevealise, she was headed to Cambridge for her freshman year at MIT. Jarred had known from his sister that she had a crush on him. Nevealise had been Kat’s friend and math tutor, and was often at the house. Kat had kidded him often enough about her friend’s crush. However, he had no interest in the young woman who, at eighteen, was six years his junior. Jarred remembered he’d called her “Jailbait.” At the time he considered her far too young for him. Besides, he was already in a relationship with Lainey.

Well, I’ll be damned. Little Nevealise Tempest has grown into a stunning woman.

She used to come around with her father, and usually had a book in her hand. He and his brothers had dubbed her “Nerd Girl” because she was always spouting something she’d discovered in a book, and was a whiz at equations. Her visits with her father were what led her to become his sister’s tutor. If he remembered correctly, she was two years older than Kat, which would put Nevealise at around twenty-eight now. No longer jailbait. If he was honest with himself he’d admit the moment their eyes met, he wanted to drag her offstage and have his way with her.

“What the hell is she doing, singing in a club? Didn’t she graduate from MIT?” Jarred murmured.

“Damn, she is fine,” Langston declared.

Just then Nevealise bellowed out a soulful rendition of Joss Stone’s “Put Your Hands On Me.”

That voice. It held Jarred captive. He couldn’t turn away even if he tried. Not only was she beautiful, but her singing was glorious.

“Does her old man know that his daughter is a lounge singer?” Jarred asked.

“None of her family knows. For the record, she isn’t only a singer, she owns the place. Hence the name,” Brice told them.

“Who cares whether or not her family knows? She’s good,” Langston said, bopping to the tune.

Like magnet to metal, Jarred and Nevealise’s eyes met and lingered. She was the first to break eye contact as she finished the song and transitioned directly into another. This time she sauntered out into the crowd, stopping at their table to place a kiss on Brice’s cheek. She flashed Jarred and Langston a quick smile, then continued mingling with the other guests. For the first time in his life, Jarred was jealous of his youngest brother.

“Don’t get your hackles up, big brother. Nev and I are just friends,” Brice snorted.

“What are you going on about, Brice? What hackles?” Jarred said, unable to take his eyes off the woman.

Langston chuckled. “Who are you kidding? You practically came out of your seat when Nerd Girl kissed Brice’s cheek. That scowl didn’t help, either.”

Jarred sent Langston a scathing look that could have melted iron. “What I don’t understand is why are we killing ourselves with her father’s mess and she’s out here having the time of her life?” he retorted.

“You can’t blame that on her. Her father never wanted her to have any dealings with the business, even after she graduated top of her class at MIT. She did what she had to do, and she does it well,” Brice said proudly. “Besides, it’s our mess now. We acquired the company, remember?”

Jarred didn’t say anything further. He sat back and listened intently as she sang. He would have been content listening to her all night if he didn’t have an erection that was making it impossible to be comfortable no matter what he did. He squirmed in his seat, trying to adjust his trousers, which were continually growing tighter.

He gazed at Nevealise just as she moved her head in their direction. His lips lifted in a slow smile, and then he winked at her, causing her to miss a beat. Not that anyone would notice. Oh, but he did. Gotcha! It appeared he still had some kind of effect on her. My night has just taken a very interesting turn, he thought, and he hoped to enjoy it to the fullest.

Chapter 3

Nevealise startled a bit as Jarred Manning winked at her. What was he playing at? Better yet, what was he doing here? Although she hadn’t seen him in years, Nevealise didn’t figure Heavens would be a hangout for the oldest Manning brother. Closing her eyes, arms stretched out in front of her, she let the smooth sounds of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Cry Me a River” run flawlessly from her lips. After she finished her number, Nevealise opened her eyes to another standing ovation.

“Thank you, thank you.” She smiled, looked around the packed lounge, bowed and then walked offstage, but not before she caught the eye of Jarred again. He was standing, smiling and clapping heartily along with the crowd. Taking a deep breath, she briskly exited and headed to her dressing room.

Nevealise flashed the bodyguard standing by her door a quick smile, and proceeded inside. She plopped down on the chair in front of the vanity and mirror, and released a long breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She placed her hand on her abdomen, trying to calm the butterflies having a party in her stomach. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The hazel eyes that stared back at her showed how she felt: nervous.

“Oh, goodness,” she chanted a few times, before picking up the bottle of chardonnay she always had waiting for her when she left the stage, and pouring a couple ounces into her tulip-shaped wineglass. She sipped a little bit at a time, wanting to savor the taste.

Seeing Jarred Manning again had stirred up feelings in her that Nevealise thought she’d long forgotten. Feelings she had long ago filed away as her first teenage crush. Tonight Jarred’s bold stare had her insides quivering straight to her core, causing her to cross her legs, trying to stem the vibrations she felt there.

Nevealise had felt daring as she’d sauntered out into the crowd and stopped at their table. She’d kissed Brice on the cheek, only to look up and catch Jarred’s molten gaze. Her eyes instantly zoomed in on his full, kissable lips. Her sassy move to show the brothers that she was no longer the girl they often referred to as “Nerd Girl,” that she was in fact a woman in charge of her sexuality, had backfired on her.

Who was she kidding? At the mere presence of Jarred she’d become a nervous wreck, almost dropping in a dead faint to the floor. It should be a sin to be so fine. The handsome devil knew he’d gotten to her when he’d winked at her. Although she’d recovered quickly, she’d missed a beat in the number she was performing. Jarred had arrogantly smiled and lifted his glass to her.

Enough thinking about Jarred Manning. She needed to bring her body under control. Nevealise was reacting to him like she was a sexually charged teenager. Her mind knew that; however, her body moved to its own beat, and was having the hots for Jarred Manning.

Sighing deeply, Nevealise took another sip of her wine. “Ah, just what I need,” she murmured, then leaned back in the chair, lifted her face to the ceiling and closed her eyes. The wine usually calmed her after a performance, and tonight she needed it more than ever. The sight of Jarred in the audience had frayed her nerves. What was he doing here? “Ugh!” she cried. “Get out of my head, Jarred!”

Nevealise jolted at the knock on her door. The sound vibrated like a thunderbolt in the peace and tranquility of her quiet dressing room. Her hand pressed against her chest, trying to stem her racing heart. Mentally shaking herself, Nevealise got up and looked at the closed door.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Nev. Can I come in?”

Nevealise smiled at the briskness of Brice’s voice. He always sounded as if he was angry or in a hurry. While attending college Nevealise had become friends with an engineering student, Jasmine Greene, who unbeknownst to her was dating Brice Manning. Lovers of the written word, Jasmine and Brice would often drag Nevealise along to lounges and clubs to listen, and sometimes participate, in song and the spoken word. It was during those times with Jasmine and Brice that she’d discovered her passion for singing.

Jasmine and Brice were the only two people outside her immediate family who were aware of her disdain for her father, and their tumultuous relationship. To this day Jasmine was still Nevealise’s best friend, and Brice had become more of a brother than a friend. He was the person who’d helped her make Heavens a reality, investing in her talent as well as her business.

“Nev, are you all right? Can I come in?”

He was alone. What a relief. She sat down, smiled and called out, “Sure. Come on in, Brice.”

Nevealise watched as the door slowly opened a bit and Brice stuck his head in. That surprised her, because he usually just walked in.

“What are you doing?” She frowned.

“Just making sure you’re decent,” he responded, before pushing the door open and strolling in. Nevealise’s stomach dropped as Langston and Jarred followed close behind, piling into her dressing room.

The knot in her stomach felt as if she’d swallowed a brick. Ah, hell, she thought, as she saw Jarred standing there staring at her with a smirk on his oh-so-handsome face. Nevealise never really cared for bearded men, but Jarred wore his well. His was light, neatly trimmed and seemed to complement his thick eyebrows, honey-brown skin tone and those hazel eyes that seemed to look straight to her soul. If she wouldn’t appear childish, she would have rolled her eyes at the self-assured oldest Manning brother. Instead, she turned her megawatt smile onto Brice.

“Brice,” she said, standing to embrace him with a gentle hug. “You didn’t tell me that the Brothers Three would be gracing me with your presence tonight.”

“That’s because I didn’t know. Spur-of-the-moment thing. On top of that, I didn’t know you were in town. You didn’t call,” Brice said. “It’s been too long, Nev.”

Nevealise backed out of his embrace and looked him in the eye. “Like you—spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“How long will you be in town?” Brice asked. After graduating from MIT, Nevealise had stayed on in the area, making Cambridge, Massachusetts, her home.

“Not sure.” She looked over Brice’s shoulder at Langston. He had been the more laid-back one, she remembered, and he’d always been nice to her. Compassionate and patient. She knew his referral to her as Nerd Girl was not malicious. In fact, most times he’d pulled her ponytail when he’d called her that. She hadn’t seen Langston in years. Or Jarred, for that matter.

Brice must have noticed her eyes flittering about the room, because he said, “You remember my brothers, Langston and Jarred?”

“It’s been a while, but of course I remember them,” she said.

Langston held out his hand. “You have a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed the show.”

Nevealise shook it. “Not the ‘Nerd Girl’ you remember,” she teased.

Langston had the nerve to blush. “Yes, about that. We were young and full of ourselves,” he said, clearing his throat.

“No worries. It never bothered me. I was and still am a nerd and proud of it. Well, not at the time.” She chuckled.

Nevealise was surprised when Brice pulled her into the crook of his arm. She turned her face up and gave him a questioning look. He just winked at her. What in the world is he playing at?

“I’m Jarred,” she heard his other brother say. The seductive timbre of Jarred’s voice captivated her, compelling her to look at him. His hand was outstretched, so she had no choice but to extend hers. He grasped her hand as if it were a lifeline and glided his thumb over her knuckles.

“I didn’t know you and Brice were an item,” he said smoothly.

Nevealise was caught off guard by him having his way with her hand, and then by his assumption that she and Brice were a couple. She was stunned to silence until she felt the firm squeeze of Brice’s palm on her shoulder.

“You still don’t,” she gathered herself enough to say. “Brice and I are friends. Not lovers. He’s more like a brother.” Nevealise didn’t know why she felt compelled to explain their relationship. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation, least of all Jarred Manning. “Can I have my hand back now?” she said, trying to pull it from his grasp. He refused to let go.

“If we were an item, I believe I would take exception to you holding my woman’s hand as if you were waiting for an opportunity to bed her,” Brice chided. “I believe the lady asked for it back.”

“Uh, bro, you can’t hold her hand hostage,” Langston interjected with a chuckle.

Nevealise darted her gaze from one brother to the other, all the while trying to disengage her hand from Jarred’s. Langston apparently thought it funny, but Jarred’s eyes were not so happily fixed on Brice.

“We are not a couple,” Brice stressed. Nevealise could hear the smugness in his voice. “I told you, Nev and I are friends.”

The brothers had had a conversation about her? When? And more importantly, why?

“What’s going on, Brice?”

“Nothing, Nev. Just my big brother being his normal presumptuous self. Are you performing all weekend?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Playing it by ear at this point.”

“Have you spoken to your father yet?”

Nevealise tensed. “No, and I hadn’t planned on it,” she said easily.

“Maybe you should,” Jarred interposed.

Her father was a sore point with her, and she didn’t appreciate Jarred trying to tell her what to do.

“As I said, I don’t plan on speaking to him. And let go of my hand,” she snapped, finally snatching it out of his grasp.

“Do you have real daddy issues, or are you just throwing a tantrum?” Jarred asked.

Nevealise’s eyes flashed fire. “Excuse you! Throwing a tantrum! What am I, three? You don’t know me, so I suggest you keep your comments to yourself, especially where my father and I are concerned.” Nevealise breathed hard. The rapid rise and fall of her chest was a telltale sign that she was angry. No, she wasn’t angry. She was furious. Her father was a touchy subject, and for this know-it-all to assume she was the problem had her enraged.

“Calm down, Nev. Jarred’s just upset about the situation,” Brice said.

“Jarred, she’s right,” Langston interjected. “You have no business making assumptions about her and her father. You owe Nevealise an apology.”

“What situation?” Nevealise asked, perplexed. She was trying her best to follow the conversation, but couldn’t. What were they talking about? Apparently, whatever it was had something to do with her father. If so, she didn’t much care. As long as she wasn’t involved.

“What am I supposed to think when her father has left us with his mess of a company?” Jarred said.

“Wrong.” Brice shook his head. “Dad had a choice and he made it.”

“What mess? What’s he talking about, Brice?” Nevealise huffed. Oh, how she hated secrets. Hated them with a passion.

“I’ll explain later. This is not the time nor the place. Can you come by my house tomorrow? I’ll explain everything,” Brice stated.

“We’ll explain,” Jarred said.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud knock on the door. “Nev, is everything okay in there?” Norman’s booming voice sounded through the panel.

“Everything’s fine, Norman,” she said, rushing to the door and pulling it ajar. Norman pushed the door open farther to peek inside. He glanced over at Brice, nodded and closed the door, apparently satisfied that she was, indeed, fine. When she turned back to her guests, she noticed Jarred looked as if he was rearing up for another altercation with Brice. And he’d accused her of acting like a child? Go figure.

Nevealise crossed her arms and looked at Brice. “I have a full morning and I’ll probably be back here tomorrow night. What time should I come?”

“Why don’t we make it Sunday, so no one has to rush?” Jarred suggested, cutting in.

“Sunday’s better for me, too,” Langston said.

“Brunch on Sunday. How’s that?” Brice asked her. “My place.”

“Sunday brunch is okay with me.” Nevealise shrugged. “Just know that if this has anything to do with me helping my father in any way, I’m not listening, nor will I help.”

“We’ll discuss this further on Sunday, Nev. That’s the point of the brunch,” Brice snickered.

“I’m just saying. You know my stance on my father, Brice.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say it often enough. Are you going back on tonight?” he asked, changing the subject, for which she was grateful. She didn’t feel like another showdown with Jarred.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She smiled. “In any event I need to change out of this gown. Getting kind of sticky,” she said, wiggling her hips.

“I can take a hint. She’s trying to get rid of us. Come on, you two, let’s give Nev her space,” Brice said. He placed a kiss on her cheek, then walked over to the door and opened it.

“Nice seeing you again, Ner—Nevealise,” Langston said.

Nevealise chuckled as he caught himself. “You too, Langston. And for being such a gentleman, you can call me Nerd Girl for as long as you want. No offense taken.” She grinned. “If you aren’t comfortable with that name, my friends call me Nev.”

“Thank you, Nev. See you on Sunday.” Langston flashed his pearly whites again.

“What can I call you?” Jarred asked.

“I don’t know. However, I have a few choice names I want to call you,” she retorted.

“Fair enough. I apologize for my earlier assumptions. There, is that better?”

“I don’t know, is it? How do you feel?”

Nevealise heard Brice and Langston snickering in the background. Her eyes were still fixed on Jarred.

He cast a glance over his shoulder at his brothers. “I’ll meet you two outside,” Jarred murmured.

“Why?” Brice asked.

“I just want a word. I believe we got off on the wrong foot and I want to set it straight,” he responded.

Nevealise noticed Brice’s eyes seesaw between her and Jarred. She felt the change in the atmosphere. There was tension, but not the angry, frustrated strain that was present before.

Jarred turned back to her. His stare was bold and presumptuous, but she felt drawn to him. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager, so why was he affecting her in this way?

Nevealise didn’t like it. At all. On stage she was bold and vivacious. She was Nev. However, offstage she was nerdy Nevealise, who liked numbers and playing on her computer. She was not comfortable with how Jarred made her feel.

“Come on, Brice. Jarred needs to apologize for acting like an ass,” Langston said. “Honestly, I think he’s met his match.”

Nevealise watched as Brice reluctantly walked out the door, Langston right behind him, and closed it after them. Her heart raced uncontrollably as she turned to face Jarred. He had this look on his face, a look that clearly said he wanted her.

He walked over and stood in front of her.

“So you never told me what name to call you,” he smirked. The handsome devil knew he was getting to her. Nevealise’s breath hitched in her throat as he reached out, grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled the curly strand between his fingers. “Still no answer.”

Nevealise cleared her throat. “Nevealise. You can call me Nevealise,” she whispered.

“Nah, I don’t think so.” He gazed into her eyes.

“Nev then,” she murmured, and tried to back up a little, but his arm snaked out and pulled her closer to him.

“How about I make up my own name for you? I like Nevea. How about you?” he whispered.

“Whatever works for you. Listen, I have to change,” she breathed.

“Are you finished for the night?”

“Like I said before, maybe, maybe not.”

“Have it your way. See you on Sunday, Nevea.” He released her hair and then leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

Then he simply turned and walked out, leaving her standing in the middle of the room staring at the closed door.

“Well, alrighty then,” she said to the empty room. But her lips lifted in a slow smile.

* * *

Jarred walked out of the club and met his brothers.