Unexpected Interruptions

by Trice Hickman

  Victoria’s voice shocked him back to reality. Ted pulled off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. His fantasies were getting out of control. “I trust your opinion. Go for it.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Uh, yes. I’m fine.”

  “Okay, I’m outta here.”

  Ted didn’t want her to leave. His attempts to keep Victoria busy with SuperNet and the New York project weren’t working. She was still finding time to see Parker.

  But as Victoria’s romance with Parker was growing, so was the intensity of her friendship with Ted. They worked long hours together, laughed at each other’s jokes, and talked in more intimate detail about their personal lives. Victoria had even confided in him about the night her relationship with Steven had ended.

  “You’re leaving so soon?” Ted asked.

  “Yes, I’m already late.”

  “For what?” he asked, putting down his pen. He knew that whatever her plans, they almost certainly involved Parker.

  “Parker and I are going to a Halloween costume party tonight,” Victoria smiled slyly. “I’m going as Catwoman.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I Got It Off The Internet. . .

  Parker buzzed Victoria into his building, then returned to the sofa. He’d left the door ajar so she could enter on her own. He was pissed! Her job was starting to wear thin on him—more specifically, her demanding CEO. Whenever they planned to meet, go somewhere, or do anything, it seemed that Ted Thornton always had a project that required Victoria’s immediate attention. They’d begun to have small arguments about it. Parker hadn’t met Ted, but already he didn’t like the man.

  “Victoria, he’s the company’s top executive, with a large staff at his disposal. Can’t he find someone else to do some of the projects he’s assigning to you?” Parker had asked.

  “There are a lot of complicated situations the company is dealing with right now,” she responded.

  “You said that you’re leaving next June to run your business full-time, so just phase out the work to someone else. Or better yet, tell him no.”

  “That’s not my style. I wouldn’t do that, just like I wouldn’t expect you to walk out on a patient who needed your help.”

  “That’s different. You’re talking about someone’s life.”

  “I might not be saving lives, but my job is just as important to me as yours is to you. I never complain when your beeper goes off and you have to leave, or work late. I adjust my schedule around yours without complaint. Why can’t you do the same for me?”

  He knew that Victoria was right. “I’m sorry,” he’d acquiesced, but still didn’t like the imposition her work forced on their time together.

  Victoria noticed that Parker’s front door was open. She pushed through slowly and found him sitting on the sofa. He was dressed as a Greek Olympian in full regalia. His short, sexy toga made her want to devour him on sight. She walked over to him and dropped her duffel bag to the floor. “I love your costume,” she smiled.

  “You’re late . . . again.”

  “Parker, I called and told you that I’d be late. I’m sorry, but I had some important documents to review before I leave for New York this Sunday.”

  “Victoria, why does this guy have you working on so many assignments?”

  “I’ve explained this to you before. Most of the projects I’m working on are leading up to SuperNet, which is a great opportunity for me. Why can’t you be supportive?” Victoria asked, looking dejected.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I guess I just want you all to myself,” Parker said, standing to his feet, pulling Victoria close to him. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

  “We have plenty of time, there’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere, are you?”

  Parker quickly evaded her question. “You got your costume?”

  “Yep, it’s in my bag.”

  “Then let’s hurry and get you changed.”

  They walked down the hallway and into Parker’s bedroom. He stood in the doorway with his back turned as Victoria undressed. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not being supportive,” he said over his shoulder. “I’m glad that your new CEO is looking out for you. But I think that this Ted Thornton guy is being totally unreasonable, and he’s taking advantage of your time.”

  “Asking me to work on SuperNet after I turned down his EMP nomination was something he didn’t have to do,” Victoria countered.

  “Well, all I know is that he’s cutting into our time together. But listen, let’s not argue about your job tonight. Let’s just concentrate on having a good time.”

  “Fine with me.” Victoria was glad to end the conversation. She finished putting on her costume. “So, tell me what you think?”

  Parker turned around and smiled approvingly. Victoria’s shiny, black bodysuit hugged every curve of her body, and her three-inch black patent leather Dolce & Gabanna knee-high boots gave the outfit sizzle. She adjusted the pointy cat ears perched atop her head and did a quick once-over in the mirror before they headed out the door.

  When Victoria and Parker arrived, Gayle welcomed them with a big smile. “Hey, come on in. We were wondering if you two were going to make it.” She was dressed as Alice in Wonderland, the café au lait version. She kissed Parker on the cheek. Victoria extended her hand, but Gayle drew her in for what felt to Victoria like a genuine hug. “I’m Gayle. It’s nice to meet you, Victoria. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”

  “Likewise, and it’s nice to meet you too.”

  Phil came up from the back, giving Parker a customary brothahman dap. “Your late ass finally showed up,” he yelled over the music. He was dressed as a Boy Scout, badges and all.

  Parker introduced Victoria, and Phil gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you again, and formally meet you this time” he smiled, making everyone laugh.

  “You have a lovely home,” Victoria said, looking from Gayle to Phil. Parker had told her that the two had purchased their house six months ago, and planned to marry sometime next year.

  “Thanks, why don’t I give you a quick tour,” Gayle offered.

  As the two women headed off, Phil and Parker made a beeline to the poker game underway in the den.

  Gayle and Victoria walked around the first floor, going in and out of neatly decorated rooms packed with party-goers. They ended their tour with the master bedroom upstairs. “Victoria,” Gayle started slowly. “I thought you should know . . . Sheila’s here tonight.”

  “Oh, really? I didn’t see her downstairs,” Victoria said, feeling a little uneasy.

  “She’s down there somewhere. I’m just telling you because I don’t want there to be any awkward surprises. I already told her that you and Parker would be here too.”

  “You say it like I should be concerned.” Now Victoria was beginning to wonder if Parker’s relationship with this woman had been more involved than he’d led her to believe.

  “No, there’s no need to be concerned. Parker and Sheila only went out on that one date. I just know it was awkward that night at the restaurant because Parker was so obviously taken by you. Sheila’s my cousin, but hey, I just wanted you to know.”

  Parker had said that Phil was crazy about Gayle, and now Victoria could see why. Gayle possessed a realness that made her trustworthy. “Thanks, and I appreciate you sharing that with me, but your cousin isn’t going to do anything crazy, is she?”

  “Girl, please! I just didn’t want anyone to be caught off-guard. She knows I don’t tolerate drama,” Gayle said, hands on her hips.

  Victoria was glad that Gayle had warned her, and wondered if Parker was aware that Sheila was on the scene.

  Gayle smiled. “Victoria, I have to tell you, you’re workin’ the hell outta that cat suit.”

  “Thanks, girl. I got it off the Internet.”

  Back downstairs, Sade crooned out “Sweetest Taboo,” while the crowd of young black professionals swayed to the beat, chit-chatting,
mingling, and checking out the night’s sampling of available potentials. The house was packed with people who’d arrived solo but didn’t plan on leaving that way.

  Victoria didn’t know if it was the two glasses of wine she’d drunk, or the beat of the music surging through the room, but she was having a good time.

  A few hours and another glass of wine later, she and Parker decided to head home. “I’ll grab our coats from upstairs,” she said. She moved slowly, trying not to let her wine buzz get the best of her. But on her way back downstairs, she stopped cold at the second landing when she saw something that gave her an instant chill. Parker was standing in the middle of the living room, talking to Sheila.

  The vixen was stunningly dressed as Cleopatra. Parker’s back was turned toward Victoria, while Sheila faced in her direction. Her hand was resting on Parker’s elbow, and they were laughing as if they were the best of friends. Victoria quickly sobered up, eyeing them as she descended the staircase. Sheila spotted Victoria and decided to give her a little show. She leaned into Parker, put her hand on his chest, and whispered into his ear. He laughed at whatever she’d said and nodded his head, as if in agreement.

  Victoria walked up to them. “Here’s your coat.” She tossed the suede jacket to Parker like a pitcher on the mound, stepping past them, barely slowing down or breaking her stride. “I’ll be waiting at the door while you two catch up,” she snapped.

  Parker moved away from Sheila like she had leprosy and hightailed it in Victoria’s direction. He knew that she was upset. During the drive back home she only gave one-word answers to his questions, so he prepared himself for what would be their first big argument once they got back to his place.

  Right Here. Right Now. Today...

  Parker threw his keys on the coffee table. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  “You know what’s wrong.”

  “Victoria, it was nothing. She just came over to say hello.”

  “Oh, really? Since when does a casual hello involve touching and rubbing? I saw you two laughing like you were at a Chris Rock concert.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “Parker, she was openly flirting with you, and you let her.”

  “No she wasn’t.”

  “Yes, she was. She was touching you like you two were together.”

  Parker walked over to Victoria and led her to the couch. “She came up to me to say hello, but there was no flirting going on, just conversation. She put her hand on my chest when she told me a joke, and I laughed because what she said was funny. It was an innocent gesture. I even told her that you and I were there together.”

  Victoria looked at him closely, trying to determine if she should believe him. She wondered how Parker could exercise such strong self-control during their heavy petting sessions, yet couldn’t manage to remove Sheila’s hand from his chest tonight, or disengage her obvious flirtation. Victoria’s head began to throb.

  Over the last month she had come to realize that Parker was one of the most decent men she’d ever met, but she also knew that he was, or at least had been, a ladies’ man. In the back of her mind, she replayed the pictures of the women in his photo album. She wanted to trust him, but how could she believe a self-professed Casanova? And then there was Pamela, the one who had moved to Atlanta to be near him. Victoria had questioned Parker about her, but he’d insisted that his relationship with the woman was a thing of the past.

  What Victoria didn’t know was that Pamela was still very interested in him, and had only stopped calling two months ago after their last sexual rendezvous. Parker had realized that sleeping with her had been a big mistake, so he decided that it was time to cut all ties with her and put a permanent end to their on-again-off-again relationship.

  Victoria couldn’t shake the fact that a part of her felt insecure even knowing that Pamela lived somewhere near. All those thoughts, combined with the scene tonight, were feeding into her insecurities. She didn’t want things with Parker to end up as they had with Steven. No repeats!

  “How would you have felt if you walked up to me and I was canoodling with someone you’d seen me with in the past?”

  Parker shook his head. “I wasn’t canoodling. I don’t even know what that means.” He looked at Victoria and felt her distrust. “Baby, I have absolutely no interest in Sheila.”

  “You know my history, and you know what happened to me in my last relationship. I have to know that I can trust you in order for this to work. Letting Sheila fawn over you like that, touching you, letting her whisper in your ear . . . that doesn’t instill trust.”

  As soon as Sheila approached Parker, he’d felt uneasy. He was on his way out to meet Victoria when she stopped him. His first reaction was to say hello and keep going, but she smiled and said it was good to see him again. She said she had no hard feelings about what happened on their blind date; she even wished him and Victoria the best. She rested her hand on his elbow to steady herself as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then touched his chest lightly, making a joke about how her high heels were killing her feet. “Cleopatra never wore Prada,” she laughed, and he followed.

  “Victoria, I’m nothing like that asshole you dated before we met. I love you too much to ever hurt you like that. The only thing I’m guilty of is not thinking about how things may have looked to you, seeing me with Sheila.”

  “The next time, please think about how I feel.”

  “There won’t be a next time. Baby, I don’t want you to lose trust in me because of this. I want what we have to grow. You’re like no other woman I’ve ever been with.”

  Over the past few weeks, Parker had repeated that phrase several times, and now those words were making Victoria’s temples throb to the point of anger. “What kind of game are you playing?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Is this some kind of experiment?”

  Parker looked confused. “I told you from the beginning, I’m not playing games. Just because this is happening so fast, it doesn’t mean it’s not genuine, or that you can’t trust what I’m saying. I love you.”

  “Oh, so now that you’ve walked on the dark side you think you love me?” Victoria snapped, letting the alcohol give her boldness.

  “What’re you talking about?” Parker knew she’d had too much to drink at the party, so he tried to be patient.

  “You’re always saying that I’m so different from any of the women you’ve ever dated, that I’m like no other woman you’ve ever been with.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Is it because I’m dark?”

  Parker looked stunned. “Baby, why would you say something like that?”

  “Because all the women in your photo album look the same, just like your family.”

  “I can’t believe you’re serious.”

  Victoria stared at him, waiting for his response. “Well?”

  “Well, what? Baby, I told you those pictures are old. I’ve dated a lot of women over the years. But why are we even talking about this? Let’s focus on our relationship, and this trust thing.”

  “You say that I can trust you?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve been honest with you about everything that happened tonight.”

  “Okay, since you’re being so honest, tell me, have you ever dated a dark skinned woman other than me?”

  “Why?” Parker asked with growing irritation. “Where’s this coming from? Just because you saw a few pictures in my photo album?”

  “Have you?”

  “Yes, I have. But what does that have to do with what happened tonight?”

  “As dark as me?”

  “Baby, come on. This is ridiculous.”

  “Parker, look at the evidence. The women you’ve dated, your family, and even your friends. They all look alike. And that makes me think that it’s a conscious effort. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen by accident.”

  Victoria was spent from the alcohol and the night’s events. These were feelings and emotions she
hadn’t thought about in years. “Parker, I want to tell you about something that happened to me a long time ago,” she said quietly. She began to tell him about her family history, and the painful truth she discovered one night when she was seven years old. The night she’d been carrying with her every day of her life...

  “Mommy, we always visit Daddy’s family, and Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Billy come to see us and send me birthday gifts and Christmas presents. How come Granny Grace doesn’t come to see me? Or Uncle Charles or Aunt Jean? Only Uncle Maxx comes. And why don’t we go to see them, Mommy?” Victoria asked. She was an inquisitive child and she wanted to know.

  Elizabeth looked at her daughter with loving eyes and told Victoria a half-truth. “Well, sweetheart, my family and our family see things differently. We think one way, and they think another.”

  “Mommy, I don’t understand,” Victoria said. “Do they think wrong, or do we think wrong?”

  Elizabeth looked at John with eyes that reflected a tortured heart.

  “Listen, Queen,” John’s deep baritone eased into the air, “no one’s right or wrong, we’re just different. You don’t understand now because you’re much too young to know about these grown-up things, but just remember that Mommy and Daddy love you very much, and so does all your other family, whether you see them or not.”

  Elizabeth took John’s hand in hers and mouthed a silent, “I love you.”

  Later that night when Victoria got up to use the bathroom, she heard her mother crying, her voice laced with tears. She grabbed her teddy bear and walked down the long hallway. She crept to the edge of their big spiral staircase, her small feet curled under her as she knelt at the banister to see why her mother was so upset.

  “It’s going to be all right, Elizabeth,” John tried to soothe his wife.

  “But, John, how do I tell my precious little girl that her own flesh and blood won’t have anything to do with her because her skin’s not light enough. That she’s too dark for their taste.” Elizabeth let out another sob. “Never mind that she’s beautiful and smart, and happy and well behaved. That means nothing to them if her skin isn’t light. It breaks my heart John, she’s just a baby.”