“I’m sorry to hear that,” Al said as he took out his cell phone. “Hi, Vero, didn’t you say that you received a call from the McHenrys?”
Malik glanced at Mya who lifted her shoulders to imply that she wasn’t sure why Al had suddenly decided to call his son. After a few I sees as their conversation switched from English to Spanish, Al ended the call.
“Can you think of anything more unfortunate than surprising your fiancé with a trip to Vegas and having him run off with a Kim Kardasian look-alike?”
“Um, not really,” Mya said with a laugh. Malik followed suit.
“Well luckily for the two of you, the Kardasians just saved you the hassle of having your event outside with this unpredictable Chicago weather.”
“Please say you mean what I think you mean,” Mya said with excitement.
“I’d say that someone is definitely looking out for the two of you because we’re booked through the rest of the year, but next weekend just opened up. Do you want the slot?”
“Absolutely,” Mya squealed.
“Thanks for making this happen, Al,” Malik added.
“We enjoy doing events for a good cause and we’ll donate as well. Once you finish eating, come find me and we’ll take you on a tour of the grounds.”
“We will,” Malik said when Al stood up.
“And think about what I said, Malik,” Al said as he walked away.
“What does he want you to think about?” Mya asked.
“Nothing,” Malik said turning his attention back to Mya who was about to take a bite of her bagel. “See, aren’t you glad the car slid down that grassy hill so close to Riviera Ranch Resort and Conference Center?”
Mya stopped her hand before the bagel reached her mouth. “You’re right, Malik. Next time a venue cancels on us, I’ll be sure to give you a call so we can almost hit two deer, drive down a grassy hill in the middle of a thunderstorm and get stuck an hour away from the city without a change of clothes.” She laughed before she finally took a bite.
Malik smiled, glad to see his feisty Mya was back to snap him out of the sappy way his talk with Al had left him feeling.
* * *
On the drive home, Malik asked Mya a few more questions about the call she’d received and Mya agreed to hand over her work cell for a few hours later in the week. Once he stated that he had enough information to start the investigation, they drove in silence for most of the ride home.
Now, they were only thirty minutes away from her place and for some odd reason, Mya became interested in Malik answering a few questions of her own.
“So,” she said as she stretched out her arms before placing her hands back in her lap. “What was it like growing up in a large family?”
Malik peeked over at her and flashed her a big smile. “There was always someone to talk to and hang out with, but that also meant there was always someone in your business.”
“I can imagine,” she said as she thought about six boys running around under the same roof.
“At one point, both my parents lost their jobs so me, Micah and Malakai did anything we could to bring in extra money to help take care of the triplets, Crayson, Caden and Carter.”
As Malik continued to talk about his childhood, Mya listened intently at the way he described his siblings. The love and bond they shared was something she wished she’d experienced growing up.
“By the way you talk about your neighborhood in Little Rock, it seems like it was a hard place for a young man to grow up without getting involved with anything illegal.”
“It was,” Malik said as his face grew more serious. “There were a lot of things we didn’t talk about growing up. My parents had a strict rule about all their boys going to school and getting good grades. But I was always perceptive, so I knew which of my brothers were truly doing what they said they were doing. And also, which of my brothers like Micah, had been saying one thing and doing another. My parents raised some smart men and whether we used our smarts back then for educational or street purposes, the most important thing is that we’re all using our skills for good today.”
“That’s good to hear,” Mya said. “Hearing you talk reminds me why I fight so hard for the Chicago after-school programs.”
“Kids need someone willing to fight for them,” Malik said. “Before moving to Cranberry Heights, my dad was a community director and my mom was a teacher. They both dedicated their lives for helping students.”
“Now I see where you get it from,” Mya said with a smile. “You’re right, kids do need someone willing to fight for them. I remember every teacher or community leader I ever met who offered me a piece of advice that changed my life.”
Mya thought back to when she was a teenager. It had been one of the hardest times in her life. “When I was sixteen, I witnessed one of the girls in the foster home I was in at the time get slapped across the face several times by the woman of the household because she had snuck an extra slice of bread. The girl had always treated me poorly and on more than one occasion, she had taken my food off my plate knowing that I couldn’t tell anybody because somehow, I would be the one to blame. I remember helping the girl wash her face and her apologizing profusely for stealing my food and that she didn’t know why she was so hungry.”
Mya adjusted herself in her seat. “The next day, I got home from school and the woman was waiting for me with a belt in her hand. Turns out the girl told her that I was the one stealing the food. I remember the woman hitting me across my back for about ten strokes and with each stroke, I made a vow that I would never allow anyone else to lay their hands on me again.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Malik said as he leaned over and squeezed her hand the same way he had yesterday. I could really get used to this type of comfort, she thought.
“What did you do after that? Did you approach the girl or tell the woman you didn’t do it?”
“Nope,” Mya said shaking her head. “I’d already told the woman I didn’t do it and there was no point talking to the girl. Quite frankly, I think she wanted an excuse to use her belt on me. I’d been in two homes before that one and each foster home had a different set of rules and punishments. I went upstairs and washed up for dinner just like I would have any other day and then, in the middle of the night, I snuck out while everyone was sleeping.”
“That was really brave of you. Making that decision had to be tough,” Malik said, his right hand still over hers.
“It was,” she replied as she glanced out the window. “I know there are a lot of good foster parents out there, but my experiences weren’t all milk and cookies. Walking out of that foster home was the best decision I ever made and it was the foundation for my inner strength. I realized then that in order to succeed and build a better life for myself, I had to hold all the cards to my future in my hands.”
Chapter 11
Malik stood back and watched Mya in awe as she worked the room during their informational date-auction meet and greet that was being held at a downtown hotel.
Within days of them returning to Chicago, two news anchors mentioned the date auction on local stations and Mya had given several interviews about the auction as well. Calls from local celebrities and community members came flooding in from people who not only wanted to donate money, but were also interested in being auctioned off. Elite Events also received a variety of gift certificates from restaurants, bars, hotels, activity centers and organizations willing to sponsor dates for the lucky couples.
On Saturday, they released the secret location of the date auction to give attendees a week to make travel plans and were rewarded by even more people on the outskirts of Chicago interested in attending the date auction. The preregistrations were rolling in and they were definitely on-target to meet the mark of five hundred attendees and possibly exceed it.
No
w, with four days left until the auction, they had decided to extend to twenty-five date-auction candidates instead of the original twenty. The event would also feature live musical entertainment and raffles throughout the day for lucky singles in the audience.
Malik was amazed at the outpouring of support they received, but he was even more impressed by the woman who was making it all happen.
“Have you asked her out on a date yet?”
Malik turned to find his cousin, Winter Dupree, approaching him. “No, I haven’t. I was waiting until after the date auction to officially ask her out.”
Winter gave him a look of disbelief. “Um, I hate to state the obvious but have you seen how much male attention she’s been getting tonight.”
Malik crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to observe Mya. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“And,” Winter said waving her hands in a motion for him to continue.
“And, I’ve decided to wait until after the auction,” he repeated.
“You know, for someone with such a high IQ and your trained skills, you often lack in opportunities to seize the moment.”
“So you’ve pointed out on more than one occasion.”
“And I’ll keep pointing it out until you decide to listen.” Winter stood in front of him to block his view of Mya. “Look, Malik, you didn’t decide to spend all this time in Chicago to watch Mya from a distance. If I felt like she wasn’t interested, I’d tell you not to bother.” Winter glanced over her shoulder at Mya. “But she’s been watching you tonight just as hard as you’re watching her and I know I’m not the only person here who is picking up on the signs. How about you grow some balls and just ask her out tonight. She probably needs a break before the chaos of the auction.”
Malik waited for her to move back to his side, but she didn’t. “Okay, I’ll think about it,” he finally said.
“I guess that’s better than a no,” Winter said before she walked away. It wasn’t that Malik didn’t want to ask her out. They’d had dinner together on two other occasions during the past five days, but both times had been to talk about the date auction. But yesterday, Malik had gotten some information regarding her investigation and he didn’t want Mya to be too concerned with his findings so close to the auction.
That’s not playing by the rules, Malik thought. You’re her private investigator first and friend second. Under any other circumstance, he wouldn’t hesitate to divulge the information he’d found. Much like him, Mya kept certain parts of herself guarded from those who might pass judgment without getting to know her first. He knew a large part of why she had opened up to him was because she had needed his services to hopefully find some answers about her past. He’d spent more time with Mya this past month than he’d remembered spending time with anyone else outside of members of his family, which said a lot about his relationships with women from his past.
In the middle of her conversation with a few date-auction candidates, she glanced over at him and caught his eye. He wished so many people weren’t surrounding them, but he enjoyed seeing her in her element. Malik was quickly learning that people were drawn to Mya and while he liked seeing her network the room, what he enjoyed even more was the way she held his gaze in the midst of conversations with others.
When a few people dispersed, leaving her alone for the first time tonight, he walked over toward her.
“You did a great job tonight,” Malik said when he made it to her. “And you look amazing,” he added as he admired her outfit. She looked beautiful in her navy blue dress that hit just above the knee and matching navy blue pumps.
“Thanks, Malik,” she said as she tilted her head to the side and smiled. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” She touched the collar of his crème summer blazer before lifting her almond shaped eyes to him.
“Everything is definitely falling into place.”
“It really is,” she said glancing around the room. “And I hate to admit it, but having your help wasn’t that bad.”
Malik placed his hand over his heart and flashed his pearly whites. “Do you think you can repeat those words so everyone in the room can hear you?” he asked loudly.
“See, I was trying to be nice to you, but you just couldn’t help yourself,” she said pointing a finger at him.
“Okay, okay,” he said putting his hands up in defeat. “Thanks for the compliment.”
She squinted her eyes at him before responding. “You’re welcome.”
He leaned in closer to her ear. “You don’t have to tell everyone that you enjoy being around me. I’ll settle for you showing your appreciation in a place more private.”
She gasped and although the noise was faint, he still managed to hear it. He looked back at her face and forced his gaze to remain on her eyes and not her lips.
“Great session,” said a male voice, interrupting their conversation, or current lack thereof. Mya and Malik both greeted one of the candidates for the date auction.
“Mya, I can tell you care so much about this cause. That’s very admirable.”
He must not see me standing here, Malik thought, suddenly feeling very possessive.
“Thank you,” Mya said glancing from Malik to the man.
“You’re welcome. You really look beautiful tonight.” His eyes raked over her.
“Why thanks,” she said flipping her hair over her shoulder. But Malik knew the act wasn’t a flirtatious one. There was a certain way Mya flipped her hair when she was flirting and a certain way she flipped her hair when she didn’t really want to be bothered, but had to remain sociable. This hair flip was definitely the latter.
Evidently, the man couldn’t tell the difference since he continued to give her compliments and maintain conversation.
“Everyone seems to be leaving,” Malik said as he nodded his head to the exit door. “The session is over so we’ll be in touch with everyone Thursday or Friday if we have any additional information.”
Malik was losing his patience with the candidate. Mya wasn’t interested and he wasn’t just thinking that because he was interested in her. Her body language said it all.
“I’ll leave in a minute,” the guy said to Malik.
“No,” Malik said stepping closer to Mya and wrapping a possessive arm around her waist. “I think you should be leaving now.”
He felt Mya’s eyes on him. She was a firecracker and there was no doubt in his mind that she would put him in his place if she felt like he’d overstepped. When Mya didn’t say anything to his statement, he pulled her even closer.
The guy looked from Mya to Malik before setting his eyes back on Mya. “I guess I’ll be leaving now,” he said to Mya. “Maybe after the auction we can meet up to discuss the after-school program. It’s refreshing to find a woman passionate about something other than motherhood or household issues. You know, real life concerns.”
Dumb ass, Malik thought after the man made his last comment.
“Excuse me for a second, Malik,” Mya said as she stepped out of his wrapped arm.
“I must have heard you wrong,” Mya said getting closer to the man. “Because your last comment really made you sound like an egotistical jerk.”
“You know what I meant,” he retaliated.
“I’m not sure I do,” Mya said crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced around the room. “Listen, I don’t want to embarrass you in front of the remaining women in the room, so how about you excuse yourself like Malik asked you to do.”
The man looked from Mya to Malik again before finally walking away.
“Can we get out of here and head to a late-night café or something?” Malik asked after most of the attendees had exited.
“I have a better idea,” Mya said as she picked up her purse. “My place is only a few blocks away. Are you interested in a nightcap?”
Malik studied her expression, a little surprised she’d invited him to her place. He’d assumed they’d been meeting at public places ever since that explosive kiss at Riviera Ranch Resort and Conference Center to avoid being alone with one another again. He was fine with letting her control the places they met until after the auction was over, and he didn’t assume that something physical would happen if they went to her place. But the sexual tension was even stronger since they had kissed and if Mya wanted to end the night at her place, he wouldn’t be the one to stop it.
“I’ll follow you in my car.”
* * *
Mya lit a few candles, took out two wineglasses, and ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of any unruly stands. After they’d arrived at her place and Mya had shown Malik where to park, he’d insisted on stopping in the liquor store on the corner to pick up some wine.
Mya didn’t have a clue what was going to happen tonight, but she knew that whatever the night had in store, she wasn’t backing down. There was only so much sexual frustration a woman could take. And after Malik had gotten all possessive of her after their informational date-auction session, it had taken all her energy not to pull him in for a kiss in front of everyone in that room.
She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she jumped at the sound of the buzzer. After confirming it was Malik and buzzing him up, she stood in the doorway and awaited his arrival.
The minute he stepped off the elevator, she felt her stomach drop. He had the same look in his eyes that she knew was reflected in hers.
“Thanks for picking up the wine,” she said as she let him in and shut the door.
“You’re welcome,” he replied removing his blazer and handing it to her. “Your place looks really nice.” He moved into the living room.
“Thanks. How about I give you a quick tour.” Emphasis on the quick part. It wasn’t that she was ready to jump in bed with him now that he was in her home. But making out never hurt anyone and she was definitely ready to taste his perfect lips again.
Beautiful Surrender Page 10
