John was fuming and Elizabeth was embarrassed by her mother’s behavior. But Grace didn’t stop there. “Don’t get upset with me. I’m only thinking about her future. It’s one thing to be a dark colored man, but who will want to marry a dark colored woman? Really, I’m just thinking about the poor little thing’s future,” she said.
Within five minutes, John had cleared his home of Elizabeth’s entire family. Even though John was educated, successful, and came from a family with money, he was still dark. And down south in those days, having light skin was just like having money; it gave you a leg up. The fact that John was dark was a strike against him.
“You should be grateful that we even allowed you into our family,” Grace spat out at John, then turned to follow her husband and other family members out the door.
John was normally a restrained man, but they’d pushed him over the edge. “You can all kiss my black ass!” he yelled, slamming the door on his mother-in-law’s heels. After that, relations with Elizabeth’s side of the family were non-existent. Her brother Maxx was the only relative who still remained close to them.
“This is the Brightwood clan,” Parker announced with pride. “That’s my grandparents at the top,” he smiled, pointing to the two large portraits, “and the rest are their children and their children’s children, along with others who’ve married into the family.”
“You sound very proud of your family,” Victoria said with an edge.
“I am. We’re very close, and that’s hard to find in many families today. We believe in tradition.”
“Oh yeah, what kind of tradition?” Keeping the darkies out? Victoria thought. She could hear the sarcasm coloring her voice, and she was sure he’d heard it too.
“The tradition of family, hard work, and strong morals. Those kind of values.” Parker paused. “Victoria, are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine.” Victoria tried not to judge, but she knew what that scene was all about. Looking at the pictures on Parker’s wall took her back to that night when she was seven years old. The night she learned how to swallow hurt and rejection like bad medicine.
“Shall we continue?” he asked.
Victoria didn’t want to ruin their evening because of a wall full of pictures. “Sure,” she said.
“Now, on to the love den,” Parker smiled, giving Victoria a wink. She looked at him suspiciously. “I’m only kidding,” he laughed.
Parker’s bedroom was a mixture of rugged masculinity and modern comfort, with deep colors and contrasting fabrics. His mahogany king-size sleigh bed was covered with a rich-looking paisley-patterned comforter that made Victoria want to lay on top of it—with him. She walked over to inspect his large master bathroom and walk-in closet. She looked at Parker and wondered how many women had recently taken the Brightwood home tour, and if his bedroom was the main attraction.
She tried to put her negative thoughts out of her mind. “Since we’re going to miss the movie, do you want to go straight to dinner?” Victoria asked.
“To be honest, I really don’t feel like being in a crowded restaurant tonight. I was thinking we could order something and stay in. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure.”
After looking over several menus, they decided to order Thai. They sat next to each other at a safe distance on the couch, waiting for their food to arrive. Victoria could feel his heat and it made her want him. She had to find a distraction. Her eyes landed on a photo album sitting on the bottom base of the coffee table. “Do you mind if I look through your album?” she asked, hoping to uncover something that would contradict what she’d seen on his family wall of shame.
“Help yourself. But I must warn you, there are a few ex-girlfriends in there . . . all ancient history, of course. Unlike women, men very rarely throw away anything.” They shared an awkward laugh at his joke. Now Victoria was more curious than ever to see what she would find.
The first few pages were a repeat of the hallway, filled with noble looking, color-conscious Brightwoods of the past and present. Parker gave her a run down of who was who in each picture. They leafed through page after page of family gatherings, wedding photos, and pictures of Parker in various stages of development from Boy Scouts and Jack and Jill, to his college days at Howard. He’s a Kappa, Victoria smiled to herself. He was a member of the same fraternity as Tyler. She hoped that being frat brothers would give the two men a good start, especially since Tyler was so skeptical about the men she dated.
They moved on to several pages of Parker posing with different women. Victoria remembered what Juliet had said about him having a lot of women, and even Parker had told her so himself. The women were all very attractive, well-bred looking BAPs, and they all looked like his relatives. Victoria didn’t want to obsess over the color thing, but it struck her as too calculated to be coincidence. She wondered if Pamela, the one who had moved to Atlanta to be near him, was one of the women on the pages in front of her.
Parker could see Victoria’s uneasiness. He put his hand over hers and reached to close the book. “Victoria, those pictures are old. I lost contact with most of those women years ago,” he said in a serious voice, returning the book to the bottom of the table.
Victoria wasn’t ready to discuss her suspicions of his possible color bias, or admit it to herself. Why would I even be here if he felt that way? I need to just relax and enjoy the evening, she told herself.
After their food arrived, Parker chose a smooth white wine from his collection to accompany their meal. He lit two candles, and they ate, serenaded by the soft, glowing light. Parker sat his chopsticks on the side of his plate, reached for Victoria’s hand, and held it in his. “I’m glad we stayed in tonight.”
“Me too,” she smiled.
After they finished their meal, Victoria helped to put away the dishes before they returned to the couch. She felt amorous sitting so close to him. She’d been thinking about kissing him since she walked through the door. But she knew she had to be strong because Parker’s seductive charm was like credit card debt . . . it could sneak up on you, and before you knew it you were about to go over your limit.
“How’s your ankle feeling? You were walking so well when you came in, I almost forgot to ask.”
“It’s fine. As you can see, the swelling is completely gone, and so is most of the bruising on my thigh. But I still can’t wear pants or pantyhose until it heals a little more.”
“Oh, let me take a look.”
Before Victoria could respond, Parker had lifted her long flowing skirt and was moving in for a closer examination. His quick action took her by surprise.
Parker saw the look on her face. “Don’t worry,” he said gently, patting her hand, “I’m a surgeon. I’ve seen it all.” He glided his fingers over her leg and upper thigh. “Mild abrasions, several small lacerations, but not too bad . . . probably negligible scarring . . . Obikwelu does clean suture rows,” Parker said, almost to himself.
He was talking in his professional doctor voice and it made Victoria laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, still examining her leg.
“It’s interesting to see you totally disconnect like that. One minute you’re Parker Brightwood, charming and sexy. And the next you’re Dr. Brightwood, serious and methodical. It’s an interesting dichotomy.”
“There’s a time and place for everything. As a medical professional it’s critical that I separate my personal emotions from my professional responsibilities,” he said, continuing to rub her thigh, but more slowly now.
“And what mode are you in now . . . professional or personal?” Victoria purred.
“I’ll let you decide.”
When his mouth met hers, Victoria thought she would melt. Parker kissed her gently, easing her body down into the sofa. His tongue searched for hers and found it. She ran her fingers across his scalp and he moaned, enjoying the feel of her delicate forefingers on his skin. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, then kissed him gently, slightly biting
his lower lip before moving on to his neck. Parker tilted his pelvis and began to grind against her as they moved their bodies in synchronized motion. His hand searched beneath her skirt and cupped her firm, round behind. She gently sucked his tongue again, then tickled it with her own. Parker felt shock waves run through his body, and his erection rubbed hard against her leg.
Victoria could feel herself losing control. “We need to stop,” she panted, not wanting to really stop, but knowing she needed to.
Slowly, Parker withdrew from their embrace, lifting himself up while Victoria pulled her skirt down, hoping he hadn’t felt the wet spot in the seat of her panties. He shifted in his place beside her on the sofa, trying to regain his composure. Victoria glanced down at the huge lump bulging at the seat of his wool trousers. Damn! she thought to herself.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away,” Parker apologized.
“You weren’t bumpin’ and grindin’ by yourself,” she smiled, giving Parker a little relief. “I guess we need to slow things down.”
“But why? Victoria, you feel the same thing I feel. I know you do. Why don’t we just do what comes natural.”
“For one thing, this is only our third date. It’s too soon. Besides, sex has a way of clouding the issues.”
“What issues?”
“My point exactly. Whatever issues we might have remain to be seen. We’re still getting to know each other. When you introduce sex into the picture, it can cause you to overlook obvious flaws, and make excuses for certain behavior because the physical rewards are used as compensation.”
Parker raised a brow. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“I am.”
He ran his hand across his slick scalp, then looked straight into Victoria’s eyes as he spoke. “I’m already falling in love with you.”
“What? . . . ”
“I said I’m falling in love with you,” he repeated.
There was silence
Victoria fidgeted. What do I say? What do I do? She felt a strong connection, but was it love . . . so soon?
“I don’t expect a response . . . at least not tonight,” Parker winked. “I know this seems sudden, and believe me, I’m surprised myself. But this is right, Victoria. I know it.”
He cleared his throat and waited for a moment to pass. He hoped she would say something, anything. But she didn’t. “Listen,” he started again. “I don’t want to scare you off, I’m just trying to be honest with you. I’ll always be honest with you, Victoria.”
She knew she had to say something. She couldn’t let him confess his feelings and not respond. “Parker, everything is happening so fast. You’re what I’ve been praying for, and that’s why I want to take it slow . . . I don’t want to mess things up. I want to enjoy discovering new things about you, and I want you to accept my quirky ways and crazy habits. I want to know that I can really trust you, and the only way I’ll find out is with time.”
“If taking it slow is what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.” Parker lifted Victoria’s hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, letting his tongue graze her skin. He felt her tremble and looked into her eyes. “You can’t blame a brother for tryin’.”
They shared a laugh before falling back into the sofa, cuddling in each other’s arms.
Preferential Treatment...
Three weeks after Victoria’s report had been submitted, the big SME meeting caused a ruckus so explosive it could’ve been mistaken for a Fourth of July fireworks display. Midway through the meeting, Patricia spilled over with anger. She was upset because Bob Hoffman, the VP of HR, had used one of the failing evaluations as an example of how not to manage a team. No one except Victoria knew the identity of the person in question until Patricia went ballistic and removed all doubt that she was the culprit.
She jumped out of her seat and started yelling like a mad woman. She accused Victoria of setting her up. “You’re jealous of me,” Patricia scowled across the table in Victoria’s direction. “I know what you’re up to. You’re trying to make me look bad. You’re trying to get rid of me. I know you’re the reason I wasn’t nominated for EMP.”
Bob tried to calm her down, but it was to no avail.
“I’ve watched you, cozying up to certain people so you’ll get assigned to the best projects. I see right through your little act,” Patricia raged, pounding her fists on the conference table. “You have everyone around here fooled, except me. You’re a fake, and pretty soon people are going to find out all about you. I’ll see to it!”
Bob quickly adjourned the meeting within a matter of minutes. After that, Patricia left for the day and her erratic behavior became the talk of the office. Bob let tempers calm before he called Victoria into his office a few hours later. He apologized for Patricia’s outburst and made assurances that he’d talk to her.
But the real blow came when Victoria learned that Patricia would be joining her on an upcoming project in New York. And to her surprise and outrage, it was at Ted’s request.
“Ted copied me on an email he sent to Patricia earlier this morning,” Bob said. “He wants her to help the strategy team that you’re working with to evaluate the New York office and the situation that’s brewing up there.”
Victoria was upset, but realized there was little she could do. An hour later, she and Denise went out for a late afternoon lunch. “I can’t believe Patricia!” Victoria said with anger, crunching on her vegetable spring roll. “I don’t know if I can work with her on the New York project.”
“Well, you’ve gotta try.”
“She said that I cozy up to certain people to get preferential treatment.”
Denise rolled her eyes. “You know why she said that, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know she was referring to Ted. And I’m not crazy, I know that people are talking.”
“She’s jealous, just like all the other heifers around there. They wish they were spending time with Ted and getting his attention instead of you.”
“But all we do is work, work, work! SuperNet is a huge project, plus I’ve got my regular work to deal with,” Victoria huffed. “And how I got dragged into the New York situation is still a damn mystery to me. If I’m receiving preferential treatment, why wasn’t I able to get out of that assignment?”
Denise took a sip of her ginger tea. “Yeah, but you’re missing the point. People are jealous because you’re getting face time with the top dog.”
Victoria shook her head. “If they want to trade places with me, they can have at it. Then maybe I’d be able to spend more time with Parker. He’s always having to wait on me because I’m running late.”
“Listen, girlfriend. I hear you, but people are watching. Every time that you and Ted go out to lunch or have late afternoon meetings, people are keeping tabs on it. Jen told me so. And it doesn’t matter what kind of projects you’re working on.”
“This is truly unbelievable! Patricia has fucked nearly the entire executive team, and people are questioning my ethics?” Victoria was so mad she had to sit back and take a deep breath. “Denise, what happened today really pissed me off. Patricia gets away with entirely too much shit, and the only reason they haven’t fired her is because they’re afraid of a lawsuit,” Victoria huffed.
Denise raised her brow. “Why do you think Bob lets her do as she pleases?”
Victoria shook her head with disbelief. “Tell me you’re joking.”
“He’s tappin’ that. He’s got to protect his interest.”
“That’s trifling,” Victoria said with disgust. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was looking forward to SuperNet next summer, she would’ve handed in her resignation after the meeting. But she had to focus on the bigger picture. She’d made a commitment to herself, and she’d be damned if she was going to let Patricia foul up her plans.
Lips Met Lips...
A week after the disastrous SME meeting, Victoria sat across from Ted at the conference table in his office. She was disappointed that he
had yet to mention a word about the big blowout she’d had with Patricia, but more than that, she was ready to leave. It was Friday night and they were working late—again. She looked at her watch and saw that it was eight-thirty. She should have been at Parker’s an hour ago because they had plans to attend Phil and Gayle’s big Halloween costume party.
Even though work had been hectic over the last several weeks, Victoria’s love life made everything seem like a breeze. She and Parker quickly fell into a routine like they’d been together for years. They saw each other at every opportunity their busy schedules would allow. They shared long romantic kisses, but were mindful not to let things go too far. She was amazed by Parker’s self-control. Some nights she wanted him to rip off her clothes and ravage her body, but when he felt his urges grow too intense, he would withdraw and kiss her on the palm of her hand.
She was finishing her review of the updated schematics and booth design for the SuperNet show when she looked at her watch again. After I finish this page I’m outta here, she said to herself.
Tired from poring over the tedious documents, Victoria stood to stretch. Ted studied her, and she caught him. They stared at each other for a few silent moments before he rose and walked over to where she stood. He reached for her, slowly pulling her into his arms. She embraced the sudden shock and thrill of what was happening.
Lips met lips. Hands met flesh. Her blouse came off, then his shirt. Within seconds they were both partially nude. With one sweep of his hand, Ted pushed the pile of documents and folders from the conference table to the floor, laying Victoria across the hard cherry wood surface. He rested his body on top of hers, kissing and licking until she moaned. He felt her wetness, smelled her hunger, and plunged into the comfort he’d been longing for. When he entered her, they both cried out a breathless “Yes”. She moved under his body as she moaned with delight.
“Ted, I’m finished here. You can review this to see if it meets your approval,” Victoria said, handing Ted a folder. “Ted? Ted, can you hear me?” she asked.
Unexpected Interruptions Page 17
