Intimate Seduction - Brenda Jackson [33]
“Don’t try and get tight-lipped on me now, Nat. What is going on with you and Donovan Steele?”
Natalie glanced over at Farrah. As soon as she had gotten back inside, she had waited only long enough for Farrah to return to the table from off the dance floor with Xavier to announce that she was ready to go.
“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” she said, glancing out the window at all the bright neon signs they were passing.
“Yes, I do. You tell me about you and Donovan, and I’ll tell you about me and Xavier.”
Natalie glanced back over at her. “Is there a you and Xavier?”
Farrah laughed. “Not the way you make it sound, no. Like I told you earlier tonight, after what Dustin did I won’t ever let another man get close to my heart again.”
Natalie nodded. “He seems nice.”
“He is, but I was married to a nice man, remember? Or at least we thought he was nice. To some he might still be nice, but Dustin’s main problem was that he didn’t know how to keep his pants zipped for anyone but his wife.”
The bitterness was still there in Farrah’s voice, and Natalie wondered if it would ever go away. “Would you see Xavier again if he were to call you?” Natalie asked.
“Depends on the reason. If he calls because he’s interested in a long-term affair then, no. But if he contacts me for a booty call, then maybe.”
Natalie knew her friend actually felt that way, and that was sad. Farrah had always been the dreamer, the one who wanted marriage and kids, the house with the white picket fence. The one who’d believed in forever after.
“But I won’t have to worry about Xavier wanting to pursue anything serious,” Farrah said. “I recalled hearing his name before and then I remembered where. He’s one of those men in the Bachelors in Demand Club.”
Natalie raised a brow. “What’s the Bachelors in Demand Club?”
Farrah glanced over at her when the car came to a stop at a traffic light. “I heard some of the single women at work talking about it one day. It seems that years ago, six close friends from Morehouse made a pledge to each other the day before graduation that not only would they stay in touch but they would become godfathers to each other’s children, and that the name of each of their first sons would begin with the letters U to Z. They kept their promise, and all six sons became godbrothers to each other. Most of them are now in their late twenties or early thirties. A few years ago, for some reason the six decided to form the Bachelors in Demand Club. In other words they are bachelors in demand, men who aren’t interested in settling down until they’ve sown their wild oats, so to speak. Rumor has it that each of them has his own heartbreak story to tell so now they intend to go through life making sure there isn’t a repeat by guarding their heart.”
Natalie pushed a curl out of her face and asked, “And you think Xavier is one of these men?”
“Pretty sure of it, but of course I didn’t ask him about it to be certain. I do recall that there are two of them living in the Charlotte area, Xavier and a man by the name of Uriel Lassiter. The other four are spread out over the country.”
Natalie didn’t say anything for a moment and then she asked, “What do you think is Xavier’s story?”
The traffic light changed to green and Farrah put the car in gear to begin moving. “Don’t know his hang-ups, and I’m not going to worry about what they could be. In addition to being pleasing to the eyes, he was also great company tonight, but that’s about it. He didn’t suggest that we see each other again so I’m leaving it at that.”
She quickly glanced back over at Natalie when traffic slowed again. “Enough talk about Xavier Kane. I want to know about you and Donovan and what went on when the two of you went out back.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. Did Farrah not miss anything? “What do you think went on?”
“A quickie perhaps?” Farrah asked with a smirk.
Natalie couldn’t help but grin. “No. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Heck, I bet the one who’s really disappointed is Donovan Steele. When Xavier and I got back to the table and you announced that you were ready to