She turned to Dee unenthusiastically, faking a half-hearted smile. “And you?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” Dee responded politely as she watched the woman walk back to the galley. She was so relieved Barbara didn’t know her.
“So, Mr. Dickerson with the Miami Dolphins…”
Chris interrupted before she could finish her sentence. “All right, you got me. I apologize. It’s just that I didn’t want to, you know.”
“Know what?”
“Didn’t want you to think…”
“Think?”
“Okay, you’re not going to give a guy a break, are you? Please, let’s just start over.”
Dee gave him the once-over and was about to read him like a best-selling novel until she stared into his gentle eyes. Barbara walked back over and poured water for Chris into an ice-filled glass.
“If there is anything else I can get you, Mr. Dickerson, please don’t hesitate to call me,” she smiled seductively.
“Thank you.”
Barbara glanced again at Dee and gave her a stiff smile as she returned to the main cabin. Dee shook her head and chuckled under her breath at her immature behavior.
“So, as I was saying, before we were interrupted,” Chris joked as he raised his bottled water in salute. “I’m Chris Dickerson, and I’m very glad to be sitting here with you. Would you mind telling me your name?”
Damn, he’s good. “Desiree Bradshaw,” Dee lied, coming up fast with a pseudo name while trying to sound indifferent, but not too forgiving.
“Desiree Bradshaw…Desiree Bradshaw…hmmm…Ms. D.” The richness of his voice made her feel as if she had just been crowned the Duchess of York. However, she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook that easily.
“My friends call me that.”
“What…D?”
“Yes,” she said coolly, as if he was being too presumptuous.
Chris decided to change the subject. “So, Desiree, how long will you be in Miami?”
“Just overnight. I have to fly back again in time for a conference.” Oops! I’m doing it again.
“A conference, huh?”
Oh, please don’t ask.
“Would you mind my asking you what type of conference?”
I knew it! She already regretted her lies. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, depending on what type of conference it is, I was thinking that I could meet you there.”
“My, my, my…aren’t we feeling overly confident?” Dee teased, loving every minute of the thought.
“No, not really, I was just hoping you would let me see you again.”
“Hmmm, I’ll think about it.”
Chris glanced at his watch. “Well, based on our estimated time of arrival, you have about thirty minutes,” he said, flashing his beautiful ivories again.
“I don’t know, I may need more time to make my decision,” Dee quipped.
The pilot’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Flight attendants, please prepare the cabin for landing.” They both raised their seatbacks and put up their trays as the flight attendants began walking through the aisles.
“Fifteen more minutes, Miss Bradshaw,” Chris said, trying hard to sound serious as he added more bass to his already baritone voice.
Dee laughed. “All right. All right. I’m going to a lawyer’s conference, but I won’t have much time to socialize.”
“I see, an attorney who is strictly business.”
“No, that’s not it,” Dee said as she breathed deeply, detesting herself even more for what she was doing. “I mean, I just don’t want you to travel somewhere to meet me if I won’t have time to spend with you.”
As usual, Dee managed to justify her lying. After all, she did have a law degree. And although she had not gotten her nerve up yet to take the bar—that small factor was only a mere technicality.
“Okay, I can appreciate that,” Chris said sounding somewhat disappointed in Dee’s subtle rejection and turned to look out of his window.
Dee could see the defeated look on his face and did not want him to think for a minute that she meant that they could not see each other from time to time when she was in Miami. The flaps of the plane began to go down. Dee knew she needed to come up with something quick and clever, or else her chances of ever being up close and personal again with this incredible man would be slim-to-none.
Thinking fast, she discreetly unfastened her purse, and as if she had timed it perfectly, the plane landed with the contents of it conveniently falling in his lap.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” Dee said as she began to gather up her belongings, all the while praying that he would notice the wedding invitation with the directions to her hotel sitting in the corner of his seat.
As the plane stopped, the passengers began to gather their luggage. Chris looked back at his seat to make sure he had retrieved his belongings. “Hey, Desiree, I think this belongs to you,” he said, examining the invitation and innocently handing it to her.
“Oh thanks! I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost this. I’d have no idea on how to get to my hotel without them.”
“Is someone picking you up at the airport?”
Excellent, Dee thought. He fell hook, line, and sinker. “No, I told my friend I would just catch a cab.”
“Would you like for me to take you there? I mean, if that’s not being too presumptuous. It’s on my way home.”
Of course I want you to take me to my hotel. And if you act right, I might even invite you up to my room for a special treat. And if you are a real good boy, I might give you a taste. Dee smiled seductively at his offer.
“Well, if you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“All right then. I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Now, six months later, they were still seeing each other, and he was still clueless about her real identity. As she hung up with Chris, Dee’s psychiatrist’s voice rumbled in her head like a storm cloud about to burst open and rain on her charade. “There is more to you then just being a liar, you are very accomplished.” Easy for him to say, she thought. This is not the right time for me to come clean, especially not today. If Chris knew what I really did for a living, it would instantly change how he feels about me. I’m sure of it.
Dee began rummaging through her suitcase and selected a provocative black-laced nightgown trimmed with black pearls. Matching thong panties completed the look. This will definitely ensure a replay of the last time when we never set foot outside my hotel room.
A loud knock cut her thoughts short and she nervously looked at her watch. “It can’t be thirty minutes already!” She ran to the door with great anticipation and saw a distorted image of Chris’s good looks through her peephole. “I’ll be right there!” she yelled as she made a mad dash to the bathroom and flung off her uniform and undergarments. She stuffed them into a plastic bag and tossed them underneath the bed. In her haste, she ripped her stockings and pitched them in the trashcan.
Next, she grabbed her work shoes, threw them into her suitcase, and shoved them underneath the bed. She removed the velvet robe from the hook on the bathroom door and draped it sensuously over her naked body, exposing her shoulders. She pulled the rubber band holding her ponytail and let her golden brown tresses free fall off her bare shoulders, then shook her head from side to side. A sinful little smile cast across her lips as Dee carefully surveyed the room, making extra sure there was no airline paraphernalia in view. Becoming Desiree once again, Dee whispered, “Now, let the good times roll…”
Early Departure
A manda twisted her hands together until they were sore. Her nails were bitten down to the quick, and her vision was blurred from the tears welling in her eyes. She traced her finger around the gold leaf frame holding her daughter’s picture and laid it face down. A single tear ran down her cheek and hit the back of the frame’s cardboard, staining it miserably.
“I can’t believe my baby’s gr
aduation party is tonight and I have to work late again,” she sniffled, trying not to break down completely as the phone began to ring.
“Hello, this is Amanda,” she said, clearing her throat.
“Hi, Mama, I’m baaaaack!”
Oh God, not now…Tracey will never forgive me. Amanda’s hands began to shake, and the receiver twitched in her hand as she tried unsuccessfully to maintain control. She strained to sound upbeat. “Hi, baby, I was just thinking about you.”
“Mama, is everything all right?”
“How was your trip?”
“Great! Salt Lake City has the most gorgeous mountains! We had some really bad turbulence on the flight back home, but Auntie Dee was working the flight, so she looked out for us. ”
“Dee? What a coincidence. Dee and I haven’t spoken in a while.”
“I know.”
“Did Melvin call?” Amanda’s tears streamed steadily down her face as she made a valiant effort to change the subject.
“That’s why I was calling. He said he wanted to make sure you had the light fixtures for the basement.”
“That was on my to-do list to pick up today when I left from work.”
“Well, the basement looks great!” Tracey said, trying to gauge her mother’s reaction.
Amanda wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes, Melvin and his crew did a great job in finishing it.”
“And right before the party, too! So, what time should I tell Melvin to meet you here?”
Amanda looked at the clock. It was almost one, and she had no idea when she was going to finish the documents that Pam wanted. Her voice became solemn. “Tell Melvin I’ll call him.”
“You don’t sound like yourself, Mama.”
Amanda felt nauseous and needed a drink of water. “Hold on, baby.” She wiped her eyes again and took a tissue from her briefcase and blew her nose. Before stepping out of her doorway, Amanda looked around to make sure there was no one around to see her in her miserable state. She walked briskly down the hall, dabbing her eyes while pretending something was in them. Finally, she reached the water cooler and chugged five cups of water before she felt like she could walk back to her office and speak with Tracey. When she regained some composure, Amanda picked up the phone.
“Tracey, are you still there?”
“Yes, Mama. You were about to tell me what was the matter.”
“Well now, it’s nothing…just something I needed to handle at work.”
“Mama, no…not again. You promised!” Tracey cried out, knowing good and well where this conversation was leading.
The last thing Amanda wanted to do was break her promise. The relationship she and Tracey shared had become inexplicably strained over the last few months, and she wanted to have the party to celebrate her daughter’s accomplishments and hopefully bring them close again. She hoped Tracey’s road trip with her friends would bring her back more relaxed.
“I know, Tracey, but…”
Tracey’s voice quivered as she tried to force back her own tears. “Oh, Mama, I can’t talk about this right now, okay? I’m going out for a little while.”
Here she goes again with her evasiveness. “I understand, baby, I do. Where are you going? You just got back in town!”
“I just need to get some air. That’s all, Mama,” Tracey sniffled.
Why does she do this every time we talk lately? I’m too upset right now to get into this with her. “I’ll see you when you get home.” Amanda’s voice was barely audible.
“Bye, Mama.”
Amanda held the receiver to her ear until the phone went dead. Tracey’s elusiveness was killing her. Feeling mentally drained and powerless, she gently placed the receiver back in its holder and walked over to close the door, then sat down to gain strength. The flood of tears that had been building up was now flowing freely as Amanda sobbed uncontrollably.
“I’ve got to pull myself together,” Amanda whispered as her voice started to crack. She wiped tears from her face and made an attempt to smooth her unruly locks and straighten her dress. Moving sluggishly to her desk, she unpacked her briefcase and began to work on the attorney’s case.
It was 3:15 p.m., and Amanda was still at her desk finalizing everything for that woman. Pam Madison. Ugh. It was as if she always had something to prove. How could such an intelligent woman be so effortlessly bitter and hateful toward people all of the time? No wonder she was still single.
Everyone in the firm knew that Pam Madison’s ultimate goal was to become the first black female partner at the law firm. The case that Amanda was working on just might be the one to get her there. The client was Titus Johnson, the CFO of Tyfish Systems Inc. The board of his company was accusing him of misappropriation of funds in excess of $15 million. If Pam won this case, it would be a huge coup. As Amanda thought seriously about where Pam’s career could be headed, she dreaded the thought of her having even more power. She was already incorrigible. The idea of one more boost to her ego was more than Amanda could bear. Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if I accidentally left two…say, maybe three pages out of this document. The perfect spot would be here, toward the end, Amanda plotted with herself as she crafted a way to take the exceptionally self-absorbed attorney’s blind ambition down a notch or two.
Pam’s superior attitude had been wearing on Amanda for some time now, way before Amanda even started working for her. After being her legal assistant for three years, and handling more than forty cases, Amanda still couldn’t understand why Pam used intimidation to deliver her point— especially with her, of all people. Well, Amanda also had a point—a breaking point—and this time it was Amanda’s turn to deliver.
Undisclosed Crash Pad
I don’t know how much longer I can stand this, you know?” Tracey said as she paced the hardwood floor. Her black high heels sounded like mice scurrying back and forth. She was dressed in a red form-fitting knit dress featuring a small V-neck. She looked every bit of twenty-one instead of the ripe young age of seventeen.
“Just a little while longer and then we’ll tell her,” he said as he pulled Tracey toward him, bringing her uneasy strides to a standstill. His soft cotton shirt felt good against her face as it rested on his chest. She could hear his heart beating fast and knew that he was just as nervous as she was about their situation. His dark brown pupils were so trusting and confident that he appeared uninhibited on the outside, but just like her, he carried all of his feelings deep inside.
“She’s not going to understand. She’s too busy working every night to even listen to me,” Tracy cried as mascara ran down her cheeks.
“I just want to be honest with her, Tracey. This secret has been going on for too long and she deserves to know,” he said as he placed his arms around her, rocking her like a newborn baby.
“I just want to stay just like this. You know? I always feel so comforted by you—so secure. I just don’t want anything to spoil what we have.”
A long, slow breath came from his mouth, then he lifted Tracey’s chin to meet his eyes. “Here, let me get you a tissue.” He walked to the bathroom and came back with a tissue and handed it to her. “Let’s just give it some time, okay, then maybe we can tell her together,” he said, rubbing her shoulders.
Tracey pulled back brusquely, causing her hair to fly wildly in her face. “No way! Together? She’ll feel like she’s been ambushed!” She started pacing frantically again, blowing her nose to the beat of her steps. “Mama would be so devastated. Besides, I already told you how she feels about you!”
“I know,” he said, walking toward the window. He was feeling almost as hopeless as Tracey looked. The rain had just started, sounding like pellets being shot from a BB gun as it hit the windowpane. The noise was distracting at first, but it quickly became no more than an afterthought. After all, the rain would eventually go away. The issue with Amanda would not. “But your mother is a logical woman,” he said, trying to sound encouraging as he continued watching the rain, now beating harder.
“Well, that’s why they both need to learn the truth. Right?”
Tracey shook her head. “Wrong!” Her pace slowed down as she made her way over to a plush leather chair. She sat down and her body soon melded into it. Feeling a small sense of comfort, she smoothed her hair out of her face and let it hit the back of the chair as she exhaled.
“I just wish…”
“Wish what?”
Tracey was silent. He bent down and sat on the arm of the chair. “Stop! You can’t change the past, Tracey. What’s done is done. You’ve got to move past that.”
“Well, she hasn’t, and from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t look like you have either!”
“Look, your mother loves you very much and she doesn’t want to do anything to tear your relationship with each other apart.”
“Yes, but if she makes me stop seeing you, then what?”
“Your mother won’t.”
“But what if…”
“She and I will work it out. I promise, Tracey.”
“But, so much time has passed already!”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said reassuringly.
“I just wish it didn’t have to be this way.” Tracey sounded very despondent.
“What matters is that I love you, Tracey.”
“I love you, too,” Tracey answered as he wiped the tears from her face. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his knee hoping he was right.
Clear Exit
It was 3:30 p.m. and Pam had just returned from a client meeting. She stepped into the oak-paneled elevator, looked straight up at the mirrored ceiling, and smiled to herself. To her, the mirrors symbolized strength— her strength—and represented every glass ceiling she had to crash through to get to where she was today. She was so close to being a partner at Sterling, Mathis, and Silverman, one of the most prestigious firms in Atlanta, that she could taste it. And the flavor was delicious.
As the elevator reached the fiftieth floor, she inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and breathed out as a rush of adrenalin flowed through her body. The bold bronze letters spelling out the firm’s name were located behind the receptionist’s desk. Italian crystal chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling in the marble foyer. Chippendale furniture flanked the waiting area and several expensive paintings hung throughout the corridor, while beautiful Persian rugs warmed the dark, stained parquet floors.
Destination D Page 4
