Forever Love (Arabesque)

by Norfleet, Celeste O.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s done and everything’s fine.”

  She nodded, knowing that it was the truth. Shortly after her on-air interview, information had begun coming to light about Danny and Bill’s involvement with Lester’s campaign. It was far more involved than she thought with promises made and money exchanged. She suspected Keith knew all along.

  Then video of Danny’s screaming rant outside at the press conference was shown. As the author of the allegations against the mayor, both his blog and character had quickly begun to suffer. Then his soon-to-be ex-wife stepped up and nailed him with spousal abuse and delinquent child support payments. Lester denied knowing anything and completely turned on both men as they all blamed OCC. But with her recent on-air interview, their finger-pointing accusations lacked validity.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, walking to the table and uncovering the dishes. “I stopped by the diner and picked up some—”

  She came up behind him and started pulling his shirt free from his pants. “Like you said downstairs, later.” He turned around and she kissed him as their passions ignited. He undressed her and she undressed him. Then, standing naked in the glow of the fireplace, they kissed and touched, embracing the sensual feel of their bodies. Their erotic shadows, first two, then one, merged into a sensual dance displayed on the wall.

  But foreplay was taking too long. He took her hand and led her to the big four-poster bed. She lay back, waiting as he covered himself. Then he entered her in one smooth, easy motion and they made sweet, slow sensual love while gazing into each other’s eyes.

  Hours later, with the bed rumpled and the covers tossed to the side, Keith and Gia lay in each other’s arms. “I can’t believe it. Time moved too quickly. I feel like I just got here,” she muttered. He hummed his agreement. She sighed. “I’ve got to leave soon. It’s almost dawn.”

  He wrapped his arms around her tighter. “Or not,” he said.

  “It’s Saturday morning, the day after craziness, time to get back to reality. I have to go to work. You have to go to work.”

  “Or not,” he muttered again. “You could stay,” he added.

  “Can’t, I have nothing to wear.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’m totally okay with that.”

  “Okay with what?” she asked.

  “You wearing nothing.” He grinned, chuckling.

  “You are a dirty old man, Keith Washington,” she said, then leaned up to see him smiling with his eyes still closed. They both laughed softy. “I guess I could put on whatever’s in that small shopping bag, but I have a feeling we wouldn’t be getting a lot of work done.”

  “You’ve got that right,” he assured her.

  “Actually, since the staff stayed late last night, I gave everyone the morning off.”

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “I planned on working from home this morning.”

  “Good idea, we can both work here this morning.”

  “Stop tempting me,” she said. “Besides, I can’t even imagine you working from home.”

  “I have in the past on occasion, but not often. So let’s do it. We’ll work from here this morning—

  afterward.”

  “What do you mean afterward?” she questioned, then giggled as he rolled on top of her and pulled the covers over them. They made love again with slow, sensual and deliberate ease. Then, just as dawn approached, they fell asleep.

  Two hours later they ate breakfast and sat comfortably in his family room working. Gia, dressed in Keith’s baggy sweats and a T-shirt while her clothes were in the washer and dryer, made phone calls to shore up OCC’s position. Keith stayed on the phone with his father and assistants most of the morning.

  With identical laptops opened across from each other, she worked on one side of the large desk and he across from her on the other side. Every once in a while she would look up to see him gazing at her from over the top of his monitor. “Get back to work, Keith Washington,” she scolded like a schoolteacher.

  He smiled. “Or what?” he challenged.

  “Or no dessert before dinner,” she warned.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He buried his head and began typing faster and faster. She laughed and he joined in. “You know, I could definitely get used to this.”

  “Used to what, working from home?” she asked.

  “No, waking up with you, being with you all night and day.”

  “Is that right?” she continued his joke.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Okay, sounds good, although I couldn’t just move in. That would be morally wrong. You’d have to make an honest woman of me. Are you prepared to do that, Mr. Washington?” she joked.

  “Yeah, I can do that,” he said very seriously.

  Her heart slammed hard. The look in his eyes stilled her. He was serious and they both knew it. Still, she chuckled nervously. “Okay, you do that, but right now, focus, get yourself back to work.”

  Gia quickly buried her head and began typing, but she had no idea what she was working on or why. She just busied her hands to stop them from shaking. And she dared not look up no matter how much she wanted to.

  Then she heard him begin typing and felt safe to glance up. She did, quickly, seeing him back to work as she had instructed. She took a deep breath. Thankfully the moment was over. Against all odds and the mental storm raging in her head, she got some work done. Then, just before noon, they stopped for lunch. She changed her clothes back to what she had worn the day before, grabbed her laptop and followed him to a small restaurant nearby. They ate and enjoyed the last few minutes of togetherness. Then, after lunch, they parted and promised to get together later that evening.

  As soon as Gia got to her office, she felt safe again. But all she could think about was Keith and that one moment. Was he serious? Did they just agree to marry? She shook her head, still trying to figure out what had happened. Then it hit her. What if he was serious—

  She opened her laptop and instantly realized her mistake. The desktop icons were completely different. In her scattered rush to leave, she had taken Keith’s laptop by mistake. She called him and he was on his way over. While talking she noticed an icon entitled OCC. She clicked and opened it. It showed everything there was to know about her company, including detailed information on nearly everyone there.

  She really didn’t mean to be nosy. She was just curious. Truth was, she had a file on him, as well, although hers wasn’t nearly as complete. She had no idea who did his research, but they were very thorough. She opened Bill’s personnel file.

  It showed everything, including exactly what he was doing involving payoffs and bribes for Lester Jameson. It even showed that the woman from Los Angeles who stood up at the Community Center was actually Lester Jameson’s mistress, paid by Bill to be there. Then she saw a notation entitled Probability Factor. It noted two words—will betray. Gia nodded, realizing Keith knew all along what was going on and she didn’t have a clue. When he had told her at one point to consider herself warned, she should have listened.

  Then she opened the file entitled Gianna Duncan. She read slowly, seeing her entire life written down, including every man she’d ever dated. “Where in the world did he get all this?” she muttered. Family, friends, they were all listed. Then she saw her probability factors. It noted that getting close to her and forming an emotional bond would guarantee a favorable endorsement from OCC and could tip the electoral scales in his father’s favor.

  She knew exactly what she was looking at. This was a game plan on how to manipulate her to get what he wanted. It occurred to her that all this time with Keith was just a cleverly thought out rouse to get an endorsement for his father.

  It was just as Bill “the betrayer” had told her. She just wouldn’t listen. She’d been played from the very beginning. But he had warn
ed her not to underestimate him. She couldn’t believe it. He lied about everything, including his feelings for her, just to get an endorsement. “He lied,” she said out loud.

  “Gia,” Keith said, standing in the office doorway. It was obvious he’d been there awhile. He had to know what she was reading.

  “You told me and I didn’t listen.”

  “Gia...”

  She shook her head. “You even warned me that you were going to do this to me,” she said firmly.

  “Gia, that was a long time before.”

  “Before what, you got what you wanted from me? The election is Tuesday. You have my blessing. Go. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over. I love you, Gia,” he said softly.

  She laughed. “Oh, wait, what is this, another game, another manipulation? What do you want from me now? What’s left?”

  “Yes, it started out with me wanting the endorsement, but that’s not how it is now. I swear to that. I love you. Please...”

  “Please what?” She closed the laptop gently and picked it up and tossed it to him. He caught it as she knew he would. “Get out. You got what you came for.”

  Bonnie came to the office door and looked at Gia’s and Keith’s faces. “I guess you just heard that you’re all over the news.”

  “Who?” Gia asked.

  “Both of you,” she said. “Bill said that Keith bought your endorsement and he has proof. Danny has pictures on his blog of you two kissing at somebody’s house last night. Then he has more of you at dinner and then you kissing at the same house this morning. What do you want me to do, a press release?”

  Gia shook her head and turned away. “Bonnie, give us a minute,” Keith said. Bonnie nodded and left.

  “My credibility is ruined. I have nothing.”

  “Gia, I didn’t mean to—”

  “Of course you did. You just didn’t mean to get caught.”

  “Gia, listen to me.”

  “It really is all about money, power and ego, isn’t it? For you, my father, my grandfather. You always have to win no matter who gets hurt in the end. Your team has to beat the other team. What about the people in the middle who suffer? Yeah, you’re just like my grandfather and my father. All you ever care about is getting what you want. You don’t care who you hurt. You don’t care about me. You never did.”

  “Gia, you don’t understand. This will help you, trust me.”

  “On the contrary, Keith, I understand completely,” she said. “You did what you did. It’s done. You ruined OCC’s reputation and my credibility just to get your father reelected. Congratulations, you won. Goodbye.”

  He didn’t respond. He nodded, turned and left. She watched him go, then stared at the empty doorway realizing this was it; it was over. She walked over to her desk and sat down, then looked up when she heard a soft knock. Her father was standing in the doorway. He walked in, going straight to the Chinese puzzle box, then opened it.

  “I thought you didn’t remember how to open that,” she said.

  He smiled. “I guess I remember when I need to.” He looked at her and half smiled. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay.”

  He nodded and glanced back at the door. “I heard.”

  She nodded tearfully, shrugged and looked around the room. “I guess this is over. So much for my family legacy.”

  “This isn’t your family legacy, Gia. This is—”

  “Dad, not now. This isn’t the time to extol the virtues of foreclosures, bait and switch and cheating people out of their homes just to take their property and get richer.”

  “That’s not what I do and not why I’m here. I know I haven’t been much of a father or a friend. I lost sight of all that a long time ago. But I need you to hear me now. This, all this is important, but it’s nothing compared to what you just gave up.”

  “What did I give up?”

  “Do you love him?”

  She took a deep breath. “He used me. He got what he wanted.”

  “Yes, probably, but I have a feeling that his betrayal ended a while ago. That man left here with love in his eyes. Believe me, it’s a hard world out there when you don’t have the one you love at your side.” She didn’t reply. He nodded and turned back to the open door. “And by the way, Duncan Real Estate Development has changed a lot since you walked away. We tried to change you, but you changed me instead. Stop by. I think you’d like what you see.”

  She tried not to smile, but she did.

  * * *

  Keith walked out, where he saw Bonnie at her desk. She looked up at him. “Um, I’m sorry. I heard. But if you want my two cents, I think you two make the perfect couple.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” Keith said.

  “I saw the picture Danny posted of you in the Diamond District coming out of the store,” she said, smiling. “Did you get it?” He nodded. She smiled. “Good.”

  Keith glanced back toward Gia’s office. “I hope so.”

  “Um, about what Bill said, questioning Gia’s reputation. What can she do about it, a press release or something?”

  Keith shook his head. “No, I got this.”

  * * *

  The rest of the weekend was a rush of publicity, but Bill’s mediocre attempts at hogging the limelight were nothing compared to Keith’s consummate charm. When Keith vowed to Bonnie that he had this, sure enough, he did. As soon as he left the OCC office Saturday afternoon, he called Megan. He detailed his process and she put it into motion. By the eleven o’clock news, Bill’s comment and accusations had turned into a pathetic attempt to justify his existence. He ended his fifteen minutes of fame by promising to run for mayor in four years. No one took him seriously.

  * * *

  OCC’s reputation was intact and Gia’s credibility as a community organizer had never been stronger. She held her regular Monday night neighborhood meeting, and although there were a good number of additional faces, the crowd was totally interested in what she spoke about. At first she had no idea what to expect when she walked into the meeting hall. But she soon realized that everyone there was interested in a better life and her apparent close affiliation with Keith Washington gave her additional influence with the city’s mayor.

  Apparently she was wrong.

  For the last two and a half days she had watched Keith work his magic from the safety of her home and office. She wanted him with all her heart, and she knew it wasn’t pride that kept her from going to him, it was trust. She loved him and in her heart she knew he loved her, too. But how could she trust him?

  Chapter 22

  On Election Day Keith’s focus was back on Blake. But even with that it was obvious that he was merely going through the motions. Still, it kept him busy and distracted from what was really eating him apart inside. He had Megan and Kate out in the field taking care of any last-minute glitches. Prudence and Michael were at the Grand Hotel preparing for the party of the decade. His brothers were roaming the voting sites shaking hands and meeting voters.

  He stayed, managing it all from his office. Thankfully he was alone, having given everyone the day off. He watched the exit polls and communicated nonstop with his mother and father, both making late public appearances. With the exception of a few last-minute crises, everything was under control.

  “All right, that’s it. Enough’s enough. You need to deal with this thing now.”

  Keith looked up from his computer to see his brothers walk into his office. He sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, knowing this was going to be more nonsense that he had to deal with. “What is it?” he asked anxiously.

  “Bro, you’re killing us. You need to go get her and stop driving everyone crazy,” Drew said.

  “What?” Keith repeated.

  “You know what, Gia Duncan. You need
to tell her you love her and give her that ring burning a hole in your pocket.”

  Keith looked at his brothers. There was no denying it. They were crazy and today of all days he didn’t need to hear this. But they knew him too well. “I wish I could. But she won’t have me.”

  “So what do you do, mope around here the rest of your life?”

  “You know you’re overlooking the obvious. You can always talk to the expert,” Drew said.

  “Who’s the expert?” Keith asked. Then he knew and shook his head. Drew nodded and looked at Jeremy, nodding, too.

  “Mamma Lou,” they said.

  “No,” Keith insisted.

  “Actually, you don’t have much of a choice.”

  “What did you do?” Keith asked.

  They smiled and turned to leave. Drew opened the door. “Come on in, Mamma Lou. We’re through with him.”

  Keith glared at his brothers as Louise walked into his office and they left smiling happily.

  “Mamma Lou, I know what you’re gonna say and I appreciate your interest, but this is—”

  “Love,” she interrupted, smiling. “Yes, I know.”

  “No, this is not a good time. I have to—”

  “Although I’m not quite sure how you two got it all tangled up like this.”

  Keith knew there was no use. She wasn’t listening to him. “I know you wanted Gia with Rick and I know...”

  “Rick Renault is a sweetheart, yes. And matching him up will be my pleasure, but honey, he and Gia could never be a match.”

  “But at the Ball. You—”

  “He was just a nice young man who helped me out with a little push in the right direction.”

  Keith understood. He nodded. “It was me all along.”

  “Oh, don’t say it like that. You and Gia are perfect together. You have fire together, and the spark you two ignite is a joy to watch. That’s love.”

  “That was love. I messed up.”