by Sammie Ward
Trinity frowned. “So you’re not a hot couple?”
“We’ve been seeing each other off and on for about a year.”
“A year? Sounds serious. Is that more on than off, or more off than on?”
He grinned. “Hmm. That’s a good question. More off than on.”
“What’s the problem? Imani is everything a man wants in a woman. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and successful.”
She’s not you, he wanted to say. He didn’t, instead reaching for a roll. “She’s all those things.”
Trinity eyed him curiously. “But?”
“I do care about her,” Garrett admitted.
“But?” Trinity repeated.
“Imani wants me to make a commitment to her.”
Trinity tilted her head to one side and gave him a look. “What’s wrong with that?”
Garrett shrugged. “I’m not sure she’s the one.”
“Not sure?” Trinity repeated. “What is it with men and commitment? I don’t understand it.”
“There you go,” Garrett said defensively. “Men don’t have a problem with commitment. I know quite a few men who are in committed relationships and marriages.”
“Except you and Darius, but you don’t have a hard time enjoying the benefits you get out of sampling the products.”
“You’re right about that.” Garrett chuckled. He looked up to see Victor Sexton, one of the owners of Cadence, greeting patrons. Victor acknowledged him with a nod of the head and walked over to greet Garrett.
“Look who’s here,” Victor said as he extended his right hand.
Garrett stood and they shook hands. “Colonel Sexton, it’s been a while. How are you?”
Victor nodded in agreement. “ I’m doing fine, just fine. What about you?”
“I couldn’t be better,” Garrett replied, then glanced to Trinity. “Victor Sexton, I’d like to introduce Miss Trinity Blake.”
Trinity flashed a smile. “Hello, Mr. Sexton.” She extended a hand.
“The last time I was here, you were getting ready to retire from the army,” Garrett said.
“That is now a reality. I’m a full-fledged civilian, business owner, and engaged to be married.”
Garrett’s eyes widened. “Engaged? You?”
Victor grinned. “It’s true. Soon I’ll be a married man. Your father is going to perform the ceremony.”
“She must be special,” Garrett chuckled, “to get you to the altar.”
“Dominique is very special,” Victor agreed.
“Congratulation on your upcoming nuptials,” Trinity said.
“Thank you.” Victor glanced at Garrett. “How long will you be in town?”
“About two weeks unless I have a reason to stay longer.” Garrett smiled at Trinity.
“I understand,” Victor said, following his glance. “I hope I can persuade you to sing here at Cadence.”
“I’d love to.” Garrett would always be indebted to Victor’s younger brother and Cadence co-owner, Gerald. It was Gerald who allowed Garrett to perform at the club when he was just starting out. “Just tell me when.”
“Great. We’ll talk later.” Victor nodded to Trinity. “Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
After dinner, Garrett and Trinity enjoyed dessert and conversation ranging from music to politics. Then they were entertained by a comedy show. Two hours later, Trinity found herself yawning.
“Someone is sleepy,” Garrett teased.
“Yes, I have to be at work early in the morning.”
“Do you have anything planned tomorrow evening?”
“No. Why?”
Garrett looked her directly in the face. “I’d like to see you again.” For good measure, he quickly added, “You know, two friends getting together again.”
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll even cook.”
“You can cook?”
Trinity leaned back. “Yes,” she emphasized. “I can cook.”
“Okay, okay.” He smiled. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m looking forward to tasting your culinary efforts.”
He settled the bill, leaving a generous tip for the waiter. The valet brought Garrett’s car to the entrance. Garrett assisted Trinity into the Mercedes and then walked around the car to the driver’s aide and got in.
Thirty minutes later, Garrett nudged her awake. Dazed, Trinity looked up and discovered she was in front of her house. The perfect gentleman, Garrett helped her out of the car and walked her to the door.
“I had a lovely evening, Garrett,” she said, reaching into her purse to retrieve her door key.
“So did I.” He took the key from her fingers and opened the door. His body tingled as their fingers touched.
They stood smiling at each other until she said softly, “I better get inside.”
“I know—you have to get up early in the morning,” he teased, but then his smile faded. He wanted to kiss her so badly. Unable to help himself, he bent his head and kissed her cheek, his lips lingered against her silken skin. Finally, he raised his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Trinity nodded, watching him make his way to the car. She waved at him from the doorway when he looked over to acknowledge her before he drove off.
Closing the door, she locked it, then went into her bedroom.
She undressed and went into the bathroom to take her shower. A few minutes later, she turned off the shower and toweled dry. She rubbed lotion on every part of her body. Afterward, she re-entered her bedroom and slipped into her nightgown. As she settled into bed, her mind couldn’t help but wander to Garrett. She could see the fullness of his lips. She remembered that his gaze never left hers as he talked. She could feel the touch of his hands on hers tonight. It set her body aflame. She didn’t want to think about it. Nothing more could ever happen between them; though she didn’t want to admit it, she was still in love with Darius.
Chapter 4
At lunch the next day, Trinity found an empty table in the teacher’s lounge. She unwrapped her tuna sandwich and took a bite. Her mind wandered to Garrett, and a smile crossed her face. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Just like on their last date several years ago, he’d been a perfect gentleman.
A small part of her wished he wasn’t so polite. She was certain that Garrett would not be interested in a woman who chose to abstain from sexual relations until her wedding night, especially when there were women like Imani who were willing to satisfy his every sexual need.
Growing up with a God-fearing mother, and now father, Trinity learned her lesson. Darius rarely stepped a foot inside a church. He insisted all churchgoers were hypocrites who were Christians on Sundays and sinners the rest of the week.
“Darius will never marry you,” her father said often. “Why should he? You’re giving him what he wants.”
“Sexual relations are only for marriage,” her mother warned. “For a husband and wife.”
Trinity thought back to the day she brought up the subject of marriage to Darius.
“Why ruin a good thing?” he had said. “The relationship is perfect the way it is.”
“Hi, Trinity,” Leigh Gillis took the empty seat next to her.
“Morning. How is your day going so far?”
Leigh was a fellow math teacher. She had been teaching tenth-grade math at Joshua McWilliams Middle School for five years.
“That Timothy Brado is something else. Every time I call on him in class to answer a question, he gives me the correct answer with a rap.”
Trinity laughed. She remembered Timothy very well. She’d gone through the same scenario whenever she called upon him in her class.
Leigh stood and walked over to the refrigerator to remove a brown bag and bottle of water. “The influence of hip-hop, gangsta rap, whatever you want to call it, has an amazing influence on these young kids,” she said as she reclaimed the chair next to Trinity. “He wants to become a rap star.”
“He told me last year he wants to be the next Bow Wow.”
Leigh’s face clouded in confusion. “Who?”
“Bow Wow. He’s a young rapper. Very talented. I’ve never heard anything negative about him.”
“That’s all well and good.” Leigh unwrapped a sandwich. “Timothy is a straight ‘A’ student. Instead of rapping about girls, cars, and bling-bling, he should be focusing on becoming a doctor, lawyer, astronaut, or a teacher.”
Trinity chuckled. “I agree. It’s difficult for young kids like Timothy who come from broken homes not to be influenced by the glamorous life of a rap star.”
“He’s talking about dropping out of school.”
For the students, they were the parents, confidant, counselor, and disciplinarian that many of them would never have. She loved her job and her students, but hated the bureaucracy that came along with it. And she hated to hear that Timothy, or any other student, was thinking of leaving school. She knew the importance of an education and didn’t want intelligent students like Timothy to throw away their future.
“Do you think this is only a symptom of a bigger problem?
“Well, he said things were tough at home since they cut his mom’s hours at work,” Leigh said. “I know his mom’s single and he has two brothers. He’s the oldest, and he thinks it’s up to him to help his mother.”
A majority of the students from the surrounding community were from single-parent homes. She wanted to make a difference, and would do whatever she could to steer kids like Timothy in the right direction.
“Timothy has a bright future ahead of him. I wish there was something we could do.” Trinity thought of Timothy’s future without an education, let alone a high school diploma. At least Garrett had his degree when he got into music. Suddenly, an idea hit her. “What if I could get a celebrity, a real celebrity, to talk not only to Timothy, but to all the students about the importance of staying in school?”
Leigh’s eyes lit up. “Who do you have in mind?”
“Garrett Martindale. He’s a college graduate, a Grammy Award winner, and he’s from the area,” Trinity said. “And he’s in town.”
“That’s a great idea! Who do we talk to?”
* * *
Trinity placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. After putting everything away, she went to her bedroom and laid the clutch purse on the bed. She undressed and made her way to the shower.
Fifteen minutes later, dressed in a taupe silk sheath and gold strappy sandals, she hurried into the kitchen to prepare the evening meal.
Trinity enjoyed cooking for Darius when they were together. She had to admit she missed cooking for a man. Tonight she was preparing fettuccine Alfredo, served with French bread and a salad.
She set the table for two. She didn’t have any candles, but instead used a gorgeous crystal centerpiece filled with daisies and carnations. This evening it was just two friends having dinner. As she admired her handiwork, the doorbell rang. She stole a glance at the clock on the kitchen wall. If that was Garrett, he was early. On her way toward the door, she took one last check in the hallway mirror.
Reaching the door, Trinity looked out through the peephole. It was Garrett. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down, and then opened the door. Still, she wasn’t prepared for the man standing there.
Trinity almost fell over. She didn’t think it was possible for Garrett to look finer than he did last night, yet he’d managed to do it. It should be a felony to look this good. On top of that, Garrett had the nerve to dress in a tan shirt that fit snugly across his chest, showing off his muscular arms. Keep it together.
“You’re early,” Trinity said as her pulse rate began to slow down.
“I’m sorry. I hope it’s okay.” The truth was he couldn’t wait to see Trinity again. Since last night, she filled every crevice of his mind.
She grinned. “Of course it is. Come in.”
“This is for you.” Garrett presented her with a bottle of Chardonnay decorated with a pink bow.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“Just a small gift. You did the hard work.”
“It wasn’t hard work at all.” She placed the wine in the center of the table.
Garrett followed her into the kitchen. “What did you cook?” He lifted the lid on one of the dishes. “Hmm. Fettuccine. Looks good.”
“I hope you like fettuccine.”
“I do. Between you and mom, I’m going to leave here weighing three hundred pounds.”
Trinity giggled. “That’s right. So, I hope you’re hungry.”
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the meal. “I brought my appetite with me and can’t wait to taste your cooking.”
“Have a seat. I’ll get the wine goblets.”
She turned to the mahogany cabinet and removed two crystal goblets.
“Wine goblets?” Garrett placed a manicured hand to his chest. “This is me, Garrett. You don’t have to treat me differently. Just treat me the way you used to treat me, ‘bad.’ ”
“What are you saying?” she teased. “When did I treat you badly?”
“You always treated me bad.” He chuckled.
“I did not,” she exclaimed.
He nodded. “Okay. Okay. Let me be a perfect gentleman.” He came from around the table and pulled out a chair for her. “Madame.”
After seating Trinity, Garrett took his own seat. He filled their plates and poured the wine. As they enjoyed the meal, they enjoyed nonstop conversation.
After dinner they settled in the living room, still laughing from stories exchanged between them. Garrett settled on the sofa. He leaned back against the soft cushions. She sat next to him. He looked back at the painting of the little girl crying hanging on the wall behind his head.
“I didn’t know you paint,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow. “There are probably a lot of things about me you don’t know. I’m not the same woman I was several years ago.”
His eyes widened. I’d like to find out, he thought.
“I agree,” he said instead. “You have matured into a more beautiful and independent woman. You knew what you wanted out of life and weren’t afraid to go after it. You’re not afraid to speak your mind.”
Then why can’t I tell you I’d love to kiss you right now? she thought as she watched him. To feel your lips all over my body. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
“I like that,” he was saying. “I bet you’re a great teacher.” He glanced over his shoulder at the painting again. “And you paint.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but the painting was done by the numbers.”
Garrett looked at the photo again, then threw his head back and burst out laughing. “It’s still good. I like the way you stayed within the lines.”
Trinity joined the laughter. “You’re sweet. As far as being a teacher, I love it. My students are great. The preteen age is a very important one.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I remember peer pressure very well. Being a preacher’s kid didn’t help.”
“You survived it. Look how you turned out. You’re a Grammy Award winner.”
Garrett shrugged. “I guess I did all right.”
“You guess? Come on, Garrett, you knew what you wanted out of life and went after it.” Trinity touched his cheek. “I’m proud of you.”
Garrett looked into her eyes. Her opinion of him meant a lot to him. He enclosed her hand in his. “Are you really?”
She was conscious of the warmth shimmering through her from his. “Of course I am. You had a dream and pursued it. I believe a person should always go after what they want in life.” She returned his gaze. “Don’t you?”
Her question was the last thing on Garrett’s mind. Garrett couldn’t deny the moment. It was perfect. All he wanted to do was lean forward and capture her sweet mouth with his. “I do. Dreams are important.”
She removed her hand from his and cleared her throat. “Speaking of careers. I was wondering if you would stop by the s
chool and talk to the students. I’m sure they will get a kick out of meeting a real live celebrity.”
“I’d love to,” Garrett replied. “When?”
“I’ll let you know. I’ll have to clear it with Principal Fisk, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“Just keep me posted. Any specific topic you want me to discuss?”
“We have a number of kids having a difficult time and who are struggling with the decision of whether or not to remain in school. Some students want to go into entertainment and don’t think an education is important, so I was hoping that you can talk about to them about the importance of higher learning.”
“Not a problem. Teenage years can be awkward.”
“So much for your vacation. Singing at Cadence. An appearance at the school. You’re busy.” Trinity knew she was babbling. The mood between them had changed from friendship to intimacy. A moment of awkward silence fell between them. Garrett was the first to speak.
“Come here, Trinity.” He patted the small space between them on the sofa.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered next to her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve thought about you often.”
Trinity glanced up at him. “What were you thinking about?”
“This.” He bent his head slowly, until his lips met hers. Her mouth opened beneath his, eagerly accepting his kiss.
She’d dreamed of what his kisses would feel like. He didn’t disappoint her. The touch of his tongue against hers sent shivers of desire racing through her.
Garrett reluctantly eased his lips from hers, figuring he’d gone too far. But he couldn’t help himself—he’d waited all night to kiss her. He wasn’t sure what to do next, but got his answer when Trinity drew his face to hers, and kissed him, her mouth warm and hungry as she teased his tongue with hers. Waves of delight followed her touch. His hardness pressed against his trousers in reaction to her softness.
Trinity was a friend, but right now Garrett couldn’t picture her as just a friend. She was a woman he wanted to share his bed with, but Trinity had clearly explained what she wanted from her next relationship. It wasn’t what he wanted, so he wouldn’t give in on what he was feeling.
Garrett pulled away. “I better get going,” he whispered. His heart rate was galloping at full speed.
