“Behave.” She giggled and then allowed Anna to pull her away.
“I’m so happy for you, Gisella,” Anna said, wrapping her arms around her baby sister. “I don’t think the Lonely Hearts will ever admit it, but you’ve renewed our faith in love.”
Gisella smiled and wiped away a stray tear from her sister’s face. “I owe you so much. If you hadn’t gone to see Charlie that night…”
Anna gave Gisella’s waist a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me.”
“In a heartbeat.” She paused. “He’s out there, you know. There’s a perfect guy out there for you.”
Anna shrugged. “Maybe. But until then, me and Sasha are going to be just fine.”
Gisella smiled as her eyes spied on Taariq as he walked across the lawn.
Anna followed her gaze and then experienced another punch in the gut. The sight of him just laughing and having a good time churned her stomach. “You know, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Charlie was laughing while his mother gripped his cheeks and tried to pinch the blood out of them. “My baby has made me so proud! Not only did you give me a beautiful daughter-in-law, but I’m finally getting my grandbaby.”
Taariq turned just as Gisella’s sister strolled away from the bride and groom. I swear that girl looks familiar. He studied her long-legged stroll, soft round curves and searched like hell through his memory for an answer, but he kept drawing a blank. Finally he gave up and strolled over to the newlyweds.
“Mama Arlene,” Taariq greeted, coming up behind Charlie’s mother. “I don’t know if Charlie told you, but we talked it over and he’s completely cool with calling me Daddy. All you have to do now is accept my proposal. I’ll make an honest woman out of you,” he flirted.
“You’re so bad.” Arlene blushed as she gave him a welcoming hug. “Now when are you getting married?”
“As soon as you say yes,” he dodged. Marriage is not for me.
She rolled her eyes. “You just love me for my fried chicken.”
“That’s not true. You make a mean sweet potato pie, too.”
Arlene laughed and giggled like a schoolgirl when Taariq asked, “Would you like to dance?”
Mama Arlene clapped her hands together. “Oh. I’d love to.”
“Then I’m your man.” He winked and then offered her his arm. As he led her to the pavilion before the band, Charlie was left to shake his head.
“So you finally did it,” Hylan said, stepping forward and slapping his large hand across Charlie’s back. “You waved the white flag and surrendered to the enemy.”
Charlie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t start that with me.”
“What?” He hunched his shoulders. “I’m just saying. We were supposed to be playas for life. Remember?”
Derrick rushed up behind Hylan and quickly put him into a headlock. “Whatever he’s saying, don’t listen to him.”
“Oh, he’s harmless.” Charlie chuckled. “I’m just waiting for the day when he starts waving his own white flag.”
“It’ll never happen,” Hylan croaked from under Derrick’s arm and tried to tap out.
“It doesn’t make any sense to be so hardheaded,” Derrick said, releasing him.
Hylan sucked in a deep breath and then playfully sent a left jab against Derrick’s shoulder. “Mark my words. A brother like me ain’t going down without a fight. You’ll have to pry my playa’s card out of my cold dead hands.”
“All right,” Derrick said. “We’re going to hold you to that.”
“Charlie,” Stanley said, joining the group. “Your wife’s cake is off the hook. What’s her secret, man?”
“She didn’t make this cake. Her assistant Pamela insisted on making the cake as a gift. She did a good job.”
“Pamela, huh? Where is she?” Stanley turned to survey the crowd. “Maybe I’ll marry her.”
“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear it.” Charlie laughed. “Start with baby steps. Try to get a date first.”
“Or try to get a woman to stand still long enough for you introduce yourself,” Hylan added, laughing. It was a tradition to give the lanky redhead a hard time.
“Ha. Ha. Ya’ll gonna get enough messing with me.” Stanley scanned the crowd again. “There’s gotta be someone here I can hook up with. Weddings are the best places for single people to hook up. That and funerals.”
Hylan and Charlie just stared at him.
“What? It’s what I heard.”
“We’re going to pray for you,” Hylan said, rolling his eyes. How his white brother managed to hang with them for fifteen years and still be as square as he was was nothing short of amazing.
“Whatever.” Stanley moved his lanky frame closer to Charlie. “So now that you’re off the market what do you say to passing a playa like me your infamous little black book? I’ve heard that it’s pretty thick.”
“A playa like you?” Hylan snickered. “If anyone should inherit the Holy Grail from my man here, it should be me.”
“Guys, guys. As much as I’d like to improve your game, I can’t. Gisella and I had a nice farewell ceremony and then tossed the book into the fireplace.”
Hylan and Stanley blinked and then both pointed at him accusingly. “Judas!”
Derrick and Charlie laughed.
“What do a couple of married women have to do to get a dance with their husbands?”
Derrick and Charlie turned toward their smiling wives.
“Not a thing,” Charlie said, taking his wife into his arms. “Of course, I’m looking forward to a little private dancing,” he whispered as he led her toward the music.
“Oh, you’ll get your dance, Mr. Masters. That and a whole lot more.”
“That’s what I’m counting on, Mrs. Masters. That’s what I’m counting on.”
At the open bar, Anna ordered a gin and tonic. She didn’t normally drink, but today she fully intended to celebrate love winning out for a change. “Thank you,” she said, accepting her glass and then drifting toward the dance floor. From there, she watched as couples spun around the dance floor. But none were more beautiful than Charlie and Gisella. It was heartwarming to see how they smiled and gazed into each other’s eyes. It was as if no one else existed at this fairytale delight. It was just the two of them swaying in perfect time to “At Last.”
“One day,” Anna whispered with blossoming hope. But hadn’t she been saying that to herself for a while now? She sucked in a deep breath and tried to block out all the reasons it wasn’t her out there on that dance floor being spun around in a strong man’s arms.
So where is my perfect man?
Anna tilted up her glass just as Taariq twirled Arlene Masters around the floor in front of her. The sight was unexpected and she nearly spit out her drink. She tried to hold on to her anger, but she couldn’t help looking him up and down. Damn. He’s gotten better looking since college. She wasn’t sure how that was even possible. Her gaze continued roaming over his six-foot-four physique, especially those wide, mountainous shoulders, trim waist and impressively firm backside. Her mouth went dry even though she was still sipping on a drink.
“Fine, ain’t he?”
Anna jumped. “Huh? What?” She glanced down and saw that she’d spilled her drink. “Damn.”
Emmadonna snickered while she patted the top of her dress dry. “I know what you’re thinking and I think you should put it right out of your head. Just because one of those Kappa boys is getting married, it doesn’t mean the rest of them are marriage material.” She turned up her cocktail.
“I wasn’t thinking anything,” Anna lied. If she was proud of anything it was that she had never told any of her girlfriends about her and Taariq. That would have been a nightmare.
“Uh-huh. So you were drooling like a starving dog staring at a milk bone just for the hell of it?”
“No, I wasn’t,” Anna said, averting her ga
ze as if that would stop the rush of heat blazing through her body. “I was just…just…”
“Yeah. Save it.” Emmadonna laughed.
Anna rolled her eyes. She hated how her best friend could read her like a book. Despite being annoyed, her gaze drifted back to the dance floor. At that moment, Taariq glanced up and the corner of his lips lifted.
“Humph!” Emmadonna settled a hand on her thick hip. “It’s been a while, but I definitely know that look.”
Somehow Anna managed to shake off the strange spell that had come over her. “What look?”
“Oh. Now you’re going to play crazy?”
“One of us is crazy—and I guarantee you it’s not me.” She gave Emmadonna a hard look and then walked past her. “Excuse me.”
Stunned, Emmadonna watched her waltz away. “Now that’s a damn shame. No wonder that child hasn’t been laid in so long. She can’t see when a man wants to jump her bones.” She tsk’ed and shook her head. “Damn shame.”
The song ended and Taariq politely bowed to Arlene Masters while pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. “Thank you for the pleasure.”
Arlene giggled like a school girl. “You’re such a player,” she said cheekily.
“Guilty.” Taariq laughed and then winked. “But let’s just keep that between us.”
The next song began to play and an older gentleman appeared at their side. “Mind if I cut in?”
“Not at all,” Arlene answered, slipping her hand from Taariq’s and offering it to her new partner.
Taariq arched his eyebrows in amusement. “Looks like the kettle was calling the pot black, Ms. Player.”
“I’ll keep your secret if you’ll keep mine.”
To that, Taariq threw his head back and laughed. Once he strolled off the dance floor, he scanned the crowd for Gisella’s sister. He wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery. But after searching around and coming up empty, he decided just to shrug it off.
Spotting his boys, he made his way over to where they were just hanging out. “Looks like another one bites the dust, fellahs. I still can’t believe it.” He swung his gaze over to Hylan. “I gotta tell ya. I thought you’d fall before old Charlie.”
Hylan choked on the rest of his champagne. “Who? Me?”
Once Hylan finally managed to suck enough air into his lungs, he waved Taariq off. “How the hell can you say something like that? It’s like you’re calling me out of my Christian name or something.”
“All right. Don’t be overly dramatic,” Taariq said, shrugging. “It’s just that…you know…you and Shonda hooked up again.”
“And? Just because I’m seeing some chick I used to date a while back you think that’s just cause for me to jump off a cliff?”
“I’ve just never known you to recycle.”
Hylan cut his gaze toward Stanley.
“Me, either,” Stanley said.
“And you brought her to the wedding,” Taariq added.
“So? It’s just a pit stop. We’re flying out to Saint Lucia this afternoon for a little sun and fun. I haven’t had a vacation in I don’t know how long—and I need one.”
Taariq laughed and snapped his fingers in front of Hylan’s face. “C’mon, man. This is basic Playa Handbook 101 stuff here. You never bring a chick to a wedding unless you plan on marrying her. You bring a chick here and they get to seeing a wedding dress and all these pretty little flowers and the next thing you know they’re plotting on how they’re going to get you down the aisle.”
Hylan bobbed his head.
Shonda threaded her way through the crowd. The young, budding actress drew her fair share of stares, but it probably had more to do with the fact she was practically wearing a hooker’s uniform—an extremely short silk minidress that left nothing to the imagination.
The men in attendance seemed to like it.
The women…not so much.
Hylan glanced at his watch. “It’s about that time. I’m outta here.” He turned and gave both Stanley and Taariq half hugs and fists bumps.
“What? You’re not going to wait for the garter toss?” Taariq teased.
“Get the hell out of here with that mess, man.” Hylan laughed and then strolled across the pavilion to retrieve his date.
Taariq shook his head. “Damn shame. If he doesn’t watch it, he’s going to mess around and end up married.”
“Who? Hylan?” Stanley asked. “Please. It’ll never happen.”
Taariq thought about it for a moment. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” He glanced around. “I need a drink. I’ma head up to the bar. Do you want something?”
Stanley held up his own drink. “Nah. I’m good.”
“Cool. I’ll be back.” Taariq made his way over to one of the bars when he found just the woman he’d been searching for. Straightening the sleeves of his tux, he moved in right for the kill with his game face on.
“Bartender, a brandy,” he ordered from behind her and eased to her side so that he could lean against the counter. “A nice day for a wedding,” he casually commented.
Ms. Tall, Brown and Beautiful cut her brown eyes toward him, which melted the smile right off his face. “I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“Miss?” She finally turned toward him, but her features refused to soften. For about ten seconds she just glared at him. “You don’t even remember me, do you?”
Damn it. I knew she looked familiar. Problem was that he still couldn’t come up with a name. Embarrassed, Taariq tried to cover by laughing.
She steadfastly refused to be amused.
The bartender set his brandy down in front of him.
Taariq quickly tossed it back in order to give his brain a little more time to get him out of this jam. Problem was that it didn’t work.
“I’m waiting.”
“You’re, um, Gisella’s sister,” he answered, knowing damn well that wasn’t about to fly with this lady. Luckily there was a divine intervention.
“Anna! Is that you?” Stanley said, cutting toward them. “It is you! I don’t believe it.” Stanley thrust himself in between them and pulled Anna into a tight embrace. “You know I kept staring at you during the ceremony, wondering if it was you and it is!”
“Stanley, it’s so nice to see you again,” she said.
Taariq stood on the sidelines while her name looped in a vicious circle inside his head. There was a small thread of something that lay just beyond his recollection.
“You know you broke my heart back in the day,” Stanley confessed. “I had a mad crush on you then.”
“I’m sorry,” she said with genuine affection.
“It’s okay. You let me down easy. One of the few who did.” Stanley laughed. “Wow. So you’re Gisella’s…?”
“Older sister,” she supplied, smiling.
“Huh. Small world,” Stanley marveled, staring at her like a lovestruck puppy.
That didn’t alarm Taariq too much. Stanley got that look a lot when it came to women.
“Well, I better get going,” Anna said, reaching for her drink.
“Oh, you don’t have to go, do you?” Stanley asked. “I was hoping to convince you to go out to dinner some time.”
“Oh…well, uh…”
“C’mon. I promise I’m not the same goofy guy I was back in college.”
Taariq clamped his mouth shut on that one. The last thing he wanted to do was throw shade on Stanley’s handicapped mack game.
Anna looked as if she was falling for his man’s puppy dog expression.
“All right.” She reached for the small purse dangling off her arm and then handed over a business card. “Give me a call.”
Stanley lit up. “Will do.”
Taariq slowly realized that he’d just been outplayed by none other than Stanley. He glanced around casually to make sure that there were no witnesses to this.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Anna said and then turned and stepped on Taariq’s foot.
“Damn, baby
. Watch where you’re wielding…” His gaze shot up when his brain finally booted. “Wait a minute.” He snapped his fingers. “I remember you now!”
“Oh, good. Now I’ll have some satisfaction when I do this!” She tossed the drink dead in his face. “Enjoy the rest of your day,” she said sweetly and then strolled off.
Chapter 5
The next Saturday, Taariq strolled through the doors of Herman’s Barber shop with a big grin on his face when he saw the usual suspects were already there. “Yo, wassup?”
“Hey, Big Man,” they shouted back at him.
Herman’s was the place to be to discuss women, politics and sports. The perfect place for men to just be themselves, to get and give advice and just plain bond with one another. Men in the neighborhood filtered in and out daily, but Saturday had always been Herman’s busiest day of the week. Six barbers ranging from old school to new school donned burgundy barber jackets with Herman’s name scrawled across the back. For an old redbrick building, the shop still managed to look modern and brand-new.
Herman Keillor, a tall robust man who was cruising toward his mid-seventies had owned the busy shop for over forty years. Most of the guys filtered through to hear Herman’s stories, tough-love advice and get sharp haircuts. Taariq came for the stories and the haircuts. It’s not that he had anything against love, he didn’t. Especially now since he’d seen how happy Derrick and Charlie were these days. He just didn’t think it was for him. The whole settling down thing with one woman for the rest of his life was just too foreign. He was like his father that way.
Growing up with just his dad, he liked to think that he’d learned all he needed to know about women—how to catch them, how to reel them in and, more important, how to let them go. He was never cruel or anything like that. Honesty was always the best policy. Unfortunately, when you told women that you were not looking to settle down, ten times out of ten that just challenged them to try and change your mind. It was odd. Women always claimed that men never talked, when the truth was more like they never listened.
“So what are we going to do with you today?” Herman asked after Taariq settled his large frame into his chair.
My Only Desire Page 5
