After Office Hours

by E Caroline Wilson

  David cocked an eyebrow. “So, it’s not serious between you two?”

  “Serious? Are you kidding? I mean, the sex is good and all that, and she’s a fox, but look at her, man. She’s not exactly someone I can bring home to Mom and Dad and introduce as my new squeeze.”

  “Because she’s black?”

  Jeremy gave him a sidelong glance. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m white, chum.”

  “So what? Andrea makes a good appearance, and she’s educated, an RN. She’s no skank from the ’hood.” David couldn’t be sure, but he liked to think that his own fairly liberal parents would accept his bringing home a black girl, even one with only a high school education, like Devin, if they knew that was who he wanted. “Besides, you two have been seeing each other for months.”

  Jeremy managed to look glum. “Yeah, I know. It looks like it’s getting close to the time to break it off. She’s been nagging me to introduce her to my family.”

  David shrugged. “I don’t see the big deal. Introducing a woman to your family doesn’t mean you’re engaged.”

  “To someone like Andrea, it means that’s where you’re headed.” Jeremy scowled. “I don’t get it. You’d think she’d be satisfied by me telling her I love her.”

  “I don’t get it. If you’re in love with her, why not introduce her to your family? Give them time to adjust to her not being white.”

  “I’m not in love with her, David. I just told her I was. You’ve gotta tell these chicks something, or else they won’t give you no more lovin’. And I’m not ready to stop pounding that meat.”

  David stared at his friend. Perhaps he, too, had been guilty of throwing the L word around too casually in his relationships, but he hoped he had never treated anyone as heartlessly as Jeremy was treating Andrea. David felt it was just plain wrong to string a woman along with talk of love just so she would continue to give him access to her body. It had been a long time since he’d presented a woman to his family. He’d done it twice, and both times the women had practically been interrogated with questions by his parents, who were eager for him to settle down the way his brother had. Now, more than ever, he kept his personal life to himself, unless he happened to run into his parents, brother, or sister-in-law when he was arriving or leaving his apartment with a female guest. Fortunately, they’d come to realize that most of his affairs were of short duration and that it was unlikely they’d ever see the same woman more than once.

  His parents’ busy social life worked to David’s advantage. They often spent weekends in places other than Quogue, like this weekend. They were up in Greenwich visiting friends. And his brother spent most of his summer weekends at the home of his in-laws on the Vineyard.

  *****

  The party had started to wind down when David suggested they leave. Devin gave the somewhat inebriated Jeremy a goodbye hug, noting that he held her a little too snugly, and did the same to Andrea. She watched as David and Jeremy exchanged a masculine hug, but felt a bit distressed when David embraced Andrea for what seemed like an extended length of time. He appeared to be whispering to her. Devin’s sharp eyes took in as Andrea initially looked stricken, then nodded, making a quick recovery. Devin wished she knew what David said to her, but she vowed not to ask. She didn’t want to come off as shrewish and possessive…

  Although she couldn’t deny that she was curious.

  Chapter 17

  “Hey there.”

  Devin looked up. “Hi!” The sight of David always brought a smile to her lips.

  “I’ve been standing here for about ten or fifteen seconds. You didn’t even look up. What’s going on? You reading something sexy?”

  “Of course not. I’m just paying extra close attention to this report I’m doing. There were complaints about the last job I did for the paralegal department, even though I proofed it carefully. I just don’t understand how it happened.” And Laura Greco had been only too happy to point out her errors and reprimand her for them, stating in that emotionless voice of hers that Devin would have to do a better job. She left the rest of the sentence unsaid, and Devin got the message loud and clear.

  “Oh,” David said. “Well, these things happen. Just do the best you can. I’m sure it’ll be all right.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “And if you’ve still got the blues over the weekend, don’t worry…I know just what to do to chase them away.”

  “David—” Devin quickly glanced in both directions. He shouldn’t be seen leaning so close to her. To her dismay, Pam Sullivan had entered the reception area, apparently returning from lunch, and was eying them curiously. In an effort to avert her suspicions, Devin loudly said, “I should be able to have this done for you by this afternoon.”

  David immediately jerked into a normal standing position. “That’ll be fine. Thanks, Devin.”

  *****

  “Devin, I have some edits for you to input,” Melanie said. “They’re urgent; I’ll need them finished this afternoon.”

  “Gee, Melanie, I’d like to help, but I’m pretty swamped. I’m helping Susan Butler with a project.” She referred to one of the senior attorneys on staff, one of the few women who had made partner.

  “Oh? Well, we’ll see about that.” Melanie snatched the papers she’d laid on Devin’s desk and walked away in a huff. Devin looked after her, amused. In a way she felt relieved at not being able to enter the edits. She found herself feeling extra nervous when dealing with the paralegal department since the complaint. She could still hear Laura Greco making a veiled hint that if she continued to submit subpar work, her employment would be cut short. While Devin had no desire to stay on at Holt & Cotten after Carla returned to work—she was too eager to bring her relationship with David out in the open—she’d hoped to be able to get a reference, at least from Marianne Baxter, but if her employment was terminated that wouldn’t happen.

  She promptly returned her attention back to the task at hand, determined to do a good job for Susan, whose reference would carry even more weight than Marianne’s.

  Within five minutes Melanie returned, this time accompanied by Laura. “I understand you told Melanie you’re unable to complete some work she asked you to do,” Laura said while Melanie stood by with a triumphant smile on her face.

  Devin remained calm, though inside she was puzzled. Hadn’t Melanie explained to Laura that she was working on something for Susan Butler? Susan was, after all, a partner in the firm, while Melanie and Laura were merely paralegals. In terms of who trumped who, it was no contest. To Laura she said, “That’s right, I did say that. After all, there’s only so much I can do in a few hours’ time. And I’ve been told the firm frowns on overtime.” She thought of how they also disapproved of employees dating and almost laughed out loud; the partners did an awful lot of frowning.

  “Well, these edits need to be done by close of business today, and how you manage it, frankly, is your problem, Devin, not ours,” Laura replied.

  Her good humor abandoned, Devin’s temper snapped, and she stood up. “Just a minute,” she said, carefully enunciating each syllable in quiet rage. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but let me explain to you how office protocol works. I’m the receptionist here. I do what I’m told. And if someone tells me to do something and I’m already working on something for someone else, then the person making the second request is supposed to go to the first person, and if they agree that the second person’s work should be given priority, the first person will let me know. That’s how it’s supposed to work.” Her eyes briefly went to Melanie, who now looked stunned, before re-focusing on Laura. “What’s more, I’m sure you’re aware of that. I think you’re hoping I don’t know how things work, hoping you’ll intimidate me into doing your work, and then have to face Susan’s anger when her work doesn’t get completed. And frankly, it angers me when people think I’m stupid. So, I suggest you go talk to Susan.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I, for one, would like to hear you tell her that my inability to get all this w
ork done this afternoon is her problem and not yours.” She calmly sat down. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” She promptly turned her attention back to her work for Susan.

  Without a word, Laura and Melanie retreated.

  As Devin expected, she received no instructions from Susan to put her work aside to work on edits for the paralegal department.

  *****

  Back at her desk, Melanie fumed. She’d hoped that Laura’s presence would scare Devin into doing their work first, knowing that Susan Butler would have a fit if Devin didn’t have her work finished by five, maybe even fire her. Melanie hadn’t counted on Devin standing up to them, and her correct identification of their motives only made her angrier. As for Laura, she said nothing about Devin’s show of spirit, she simply told Melanie to finish the work herself. And to think she’d been counting on Laura’s assistance. She knew Laura had no use for either Hispanics or blacks; she’d made a crack to Melanie about the firm going to the dogs when Carla first introduced them to Devin, and when Melanie shared with Laura that Devin was the daughter of the custodian, Laura had sneered and said, “It figures.” But now she seemed afraid of repercussions if Devin shared details of their encounter with Susan Butler.

  In a way Melanie couldn’t blame Laura for being afraid, but it annoyed her just the same that her plan to discredit Devin hadn’t gone anywhere. Pam Sullivan had shared that she’d witnessed what seemed like a semi-intimate moment between David and Devin at her desk the other day, when they thought no one had been looking. According to Pam, Devin had said something business-related to David once she spotted her watching, but Pam declared she hadn’t been fooled. She said David had been leaning over Devin’s desk all social-like, and that Devin had been looking at him with adoration. Melanie had urged her to tell Marianne Baxter what she’d seen, but Pam wanted to wait.

  Melanie hadn’t yet reported David and Devin dining together to Marianne; she wanted to time it so that it would come just after Pam also telling what she’d seen, so Marianne would have something substantial to go to Ben and Larry with. Of course, Melanie hadn’t actually seen David and Devin at that restaurant, but she’d called there pretending to be an investigator, saying that she was tailing a cheating husband and asked if a couple matching their physical descriptions was dining there and was told yes.

  All she had to do now was convince Pam to tell Marianne about seeing David and Devin looking so chummy at the reception desk. The partners might want to hold onto David, but they’d almost certainly let Devin go…

  *****

  Devin told David about the incident at work that night, while they ate dinner at his place. “It really annoys me that they think they can bully me into doing something that will reflect badly on me. I’m already in trouble because of those mistakes that I don’t even remember making. And I know Laura spoke to Marianne about it.”

  “I think you handled that beautifully, Devin. I would’ve loved to have been there to see their faces.” He chuckled.

  She was still seething. “I can’t help thinking they never would’ve tried that if I’d been white.”

  I think you might be overreacting.”

  “I don’t think so, David. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  They were staying in the city again this weekend while David’s parents were at the beach house, but Devin didn’t mind. For one, she didn’t have to climb all those stairs; in the senior Andrews’ absence, David brought her into his parents’ elegantly furnished triplex and they took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Plus, he had made reservations at a Harlem supper club for the next evening to hear live jazz in an environment where it was highly unlikely anyone from the firm would be in attendance.

  She loved being here with David at his apartment; working together in his kitchen, making stewed chicken and beans and rice for the la bandera David liked so much, as well as simple meals of broiled lobster tails, salad, and potato skins, sitting down to a leisurely meal and then cleaning up. Best of, she loved sleeping next to him after they made love, waking up and fixing breakfast together. It put a domestic spin on their relationship that stimulated her imagination. She imagined herself living here with David, having dinner together every night, discussing the events of the day…

  She had it all worked out in her head. Rafael could move into the Hamilton Heights apartment with Mama, and together they could easily manage the rent. She would marry David in a small, private ceremony witnessed only by immediate family and close friends, and move into the townhouse.

  Of course, there was just one problem with her fantasy. She was madly in love with David, who was the Mr. Right she’d dreamed of, but in spite of the affection and tenderness he demonstrated toward her, he had never said he loved her. And she wouldn’t press him. Some things had to come from the heart. If he felt it, he’d let her know…and from David it would be genuine. Not like Joe, who had claimed to love her and then treated her so shabbily.

  And while she hoped to hear those words from David, she could always dream.

  *****

  David came out of the bathroom naked. Devin, also nude, lay between the sheets waiting for him, having showered first. She folded the top sheet and light quilt back and held out her arms. She held him tightly close as he climbed atop her, as if she never wanted to let him go…and she didn’t. She knew she hadn’t really loved Joe, but she thought she knew what love felt like from an earlier relationship that hadn’t worked out. It turned out that she knew nothing about being in love, for her feelings for David eclipsed anything she’d ever known.

  They kissed until they were both breathless, and then he slid his erection inside her. Devin’s hands tightened around his shoulders, and her eyes closed. Oh, how she loved making love to David. And when she felt her lips on hers while her eyes were still closed, it was the cherry on the sundae. She trembled under him from sheer joy.

  When their lips parted, he pressed his cheek to hers. She could feel drops of his sweat falling from his chest onto hers as their lower bodies moved in unison. Devin lay with her head nestled on a pillow, her back arched, her hips thrusting upward. This was her favorite way of making love, slow, unhurried, simply basking in the joy of physical pleasure. Her arms were wrapped around David’s sides, her palms resting on his back, which was damp with sweat. Her eyes were closed, and when she opened them there he was above her, staring at her, his beautiful blue eyes dark with desire. His silky chest hair tickled her breasts.

  Although she also enjoyed it when they made love fast and furious, she was especially fond of this pace and position. It felt so…emotional. She felt so whole, clinging to him so tightly, welcoming his weight on top of her, welcoming his raw, passionate kisses.

  “Oh, baby,” he said with a grunt as he thrust into her. “Every time I make love to you, I feel like the luckiest man on earth. You just don’t know. I swear to God, I’ve wanted you ever since I saw—” he broke off, appalled at what he’d just let slip. He could only hope that Devin, being in the throes of passion, wouldn’t notice.

  No such luck. Her hips, which had been rotating upward to meet him as he drilled into her, stilled, and she angrily pounded at his chest. “Ever since you saw what?” she demanded. When he didn’t reply she pressed her palms against him and pushed him off her, then grabbed the sheet and covered her body with it. “I’ll tell you what. You did see that sex tape Joe made. You lied to me about it. All you wanted was to get into my pants. That’s all I was to you.”

  “Devin, no.”

  She jumped off the bed, pulling the sheet with her, and began gathering her clothes. “I can’t believe you lied to me. I asked you straight out if you’d seen that video, and you said you hadn’t. And the fact that I didn’t tell you what site it was on tells me you went looking for it. There’s a ton of porn out there.” She looked at him with her mouth twisted angrily. “Tell me, how long did it take you to find the one clip that featured me? An hour? Two? Five?” Her voice rose with each word, both in volume
and on a scale. “Here I was, ready to give you the benefit of the doubt when you said you never bring dates to family functions. I’m nothing but a fuck buddy to you.” She snatched up her clothes. “I’m getting the hell outta here.”

  “Wait, Devin. Please don’t leave. Let’s talk.”

  “I’m not interested in talking to you, David. I don’t want to hear any more of your lies. I’m going home.”

  “You can’t go home by yourself. It’s late. You won’t be safe. Let me drive you, and we can talk.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll get a cab. It should be easy to get one down here on the east side,” she said with exaggerated precision. She went in the bathroom and slammed the door. When she emerged, she was fully dressed.

  He had slipped into his pants and put on his shirt, although she appeared before he could completely button it. “Devin, please don’t go. I just need to talk to you, to explain.”

  She slipped into her shoes. “If I stay, you’ll regret it, David, because I’ll get so loud that your brother will come running to see what’s going on up here. And that means you’ll have to let your family know you’re dating a black Latina. Which you clearly don’t want them to know, or else you would have invited me to your grandmother’s birthday party.” She was practically screaming. She grabbed her purse and left, bounding down the steps like a stampeding elephant.

  Once on the street, she ran to Third Avenue and hailed a cab in front of the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse without difficulty. Sitting in the back seat, she alternately sniffled and whimpered, trying to hold back her tears.

  She remembered Mercy saying how Chris had invited her to his baby niece’s christening after their first date. He’d obviously felt Mercy was special from the start. It stung to know that David had no such beliefs about her. Mercy had cautioned her against falling for David too soon, and she’d been right. Even worse than that, this all proved Mama had been right as well. Devin’s only consolation was that neither Mama nor Mercy knew about the sex tape Joe secretly recorded and posted online. That would remain her private shame. She knew that if Mama and Mercy knew about it, they would tell her she’d been crazy to think David’s interest in her was anything but sexual.