That’s impossible.”
“And just why is it impossible?”
Clayton’s eyes swept over Syneda as he tried coming to grips with what she was telling him. She stood before him as he’d seen her many times, with her hands on her hips, facing him squarely, ready to do battle. He met her glare head-on. He could believe a lot of things, but the thought that she had never slept with a man before wasn’t one of them.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Madaris. Are you implying that all the time you’ve known me, you just assumed I’ve lived the life of some kind of slut?”
Clayton rolled his eyes heavenward. “I wasn’t insinuating anything. All I’m saying is that you of all people would be the least likely candidate for a virgin.” Clayton frowned, wondering if the words he’d just spoken to clear himself had done more damage than good.
“What I mean,” he said quickly, “is that you’re twenty-eight—for heaven’s sake, you live by yourself, you’re a career woman, a professional. You went to college, and I’m sure you dated while you were there. You date men now, and you’re a very sexy woman. Besides that, you have modern ideals.”
Syneda shook her head at the lack of logic in Clayton’s way of thinking. “Let’s get one thing straight. Having modern ideals doesn’t mean you automatically toss aside old values. I control my own destiny, and I’ve never depended on the smooth talk of some man to guide me. I make my own decisions when it concerns my body. I never felt compelled to give myself to a man to prove anything. And why do women have to prove anything anyway? Why can’t a man do the proving for a change?”
Clayton folded his arms across his chest and leaned against a wall. He knew Syneda was on a roll. He glanced around the room for signs of her soap box.
“And another thing,” she continued. “Most women have the good sense to know most lines men are feeding them are usually a bunch of bull. But unfortunately, others are too flattered or too naive to figure it out, and that mistake is many of their downfalls. I could provide you with statistics on the number of women having babies out of wedlock. And those smooth-talking, irresponsible men, who refuse to claim their role as fathers, have moved on to hit some other unsuspecting female with the same line.”
“Syneda—”
“No, Madaris, you started this so let me wrap it up.” She came to stand in front of him. “And age has nothing to do with it. Neither does occupation or status in life. So what if I’m a single, twenty-eight-year-old attorney living on my own. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have loose morals. What law says I have to sleep with any man I date? People shouldn’t get intimately involved with each other until they’re ready, both physically and mentally.”
Clayton grabbed Syneda’s hand. “I apologize if I offended you, I didn’t mean to. It’s just hard to believe.”
When her frown darkened he added, “However, I do believe you. But what about that guy you recently broke up with? The one you had been dating for the past six or seven months.”
Syneda yanked away from his grasp. “What about him?”
“Wasn’t he special to you? Didn’t the two of you ever want to…you know?”
“My relationship with Marcus is not open for discussion. All you need to know is that there has never been a special man in my life. And as far as me sleeping with him, I didn’t want to and he respected my decision.”
“The man was a fool. There’s no way in hell you would have been my woman and not shared my bed.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not your woman, Madaris. So you can take your sexist way of thinking right back to Texas.”
When she made a move to walk away, Clayton reached out and gently brought her against him. “Let me go, Clayton.”
“Not on your life.” He calmed her struggling and pulled her against him, holding her tight.
When he bent down and kissed her, she reluctantly returned
“And just why is it impossible?”
Clayton’s eyes swept over Syneda as he tried coming to grips with what she was telling him. She stood before him as he’d seen her many times, with her hands on her hips, facing him squarely, ready to do battle. He met her glare head-on. He could believe a lot of things, but the thought that she had never slept with a man before wasn’t one of them.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Madaris. Are you implying that all the time you’ve known me, you just assumed I’ve lived the life of some kind of slut?”
Clayton rolled his eyes heavenward. “I wasn’t insinuating anything. All I’m saying is that you of all people would be the least likely candidate for a virgin.” Clayton frowned, wondering if the words he’d just spoken to clear himself had done more damage than good.
“What I mean,” he said quickly, “is that you’re twenty-eight—for heaven’s sake, you live by yourself, you’re a career woman, a professional. You went to college, and I’m sure you dated while you were there. You date men now, and you’re a very sexy woman. Besides that, you have modern ideals.”
Syneda shook her head at the lack of logic in Clayton’s way of thinking. “Let’s get one thing straight. Having modern ideals doesn’t mean you automatically toss aside old values. I control my own destiny, and I’ve never depended on the smooth talk of some man to guide me. I make my own decisions when it concerns my body. I never felt compelled to give myself to a man to prove anything. And why do women have to prove anything anyway? Why can’t a man do the proving for a change?”
Clayton folded his arms across his chest and leaned against a wall. He knew Syneda was on a roll. He glanced around the room for signs of her soap box.
“And another thing,” she continued. “Most women have the good sense to know most lines men are feeding them are usually a bunch of bull. But unfortunately, others are too flattered or too naive to figure it out, and that mistake is many of their downfalls. I could provide you with statistics on the number of women having babies out of wedlock. And those smooth-talking, irresponsible men, who refuse to claim their role as fathers, have moved on to hit some other unsuspecting female with the same line.”
“Syneda—”
“No, Madaris, you started this so let me wrap it up.” She came to stand in front of him. “And age has nothing to do with it. Neither does occupation or status in life. So what if I’m a single, twenty-eight-year-old attorney living on my own. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have loose morals. What law says I have to sleep with any man I date? People shouldn’t get intimately involved with each other until they’re ready, both physically and mentally.”
Clayton grabbed Syneda’s hand. “I apologize if I offended you, I didn’t mean to. It’s just hard to believe.”
When her frown darkened he added, “However, I do believe you. But what about that guy you recently broke up with? The one you had been dating for the past six or seven months.”
Syneda yanked away from his grasp. “What about him?”
“Wasn’t he special to you? Didn’t the two of you ever want to…you know?”
“My relationship with Marcus is not open for discussion. All you need to know is that there has never been a special man in my life. And as far as me sleeping with him, I didn’t want to and he respected my decision.”
“The man was a fool. There’s no way in hell you would have been my woman and not shared my bed.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not your woman, Madaris. So you can take your sexist way of thinking right back to Texas.”
When she made a move to walk away, Clayton reached out and gently brought her against him. “Let me go, Clayton.”
“Not on your life.” He calmed her struggling and pulled her against him, holding her tight.
When he bent down and kissed her, she reluctantly returned
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