by Donna Hill
With about twenty minutes left before Charisse was to arrive, she sat on the sofa and flipped through a current issue of the Atlanta Sun Times. There was a large spread on page three about the abortion clinic bombing, heralding Sean’s legal maneuvers in the courtroom. Next to the article was a full-length picture of Sean standing on the courthouse steps.
A pang of irrational jealousy swept through her as she gazed upon the unquestionably handsome, smiling face. It took all of her self-control to restrain the resentment she felt about the case. The one consolation was that she’d at least attempted to put Sean in perspective. She couldn’t hold him responsible, and hopefully they wouldn’t be pitted against each other again. What was done was done. She also realized that in order for anything to work between Sean, she would have to be up front with him about her feelings. Maybe today would be the day.
Sighing, she tossed the paper back on the coffee table, rose from the sofa and walked toward the terrace. The cloudless sky promised a glorious day. Lush, stately trees dotted the pavement, and fragrant flowers graced the well-tended gardens. Khendra leaned against the wrought-iron railing and deeply breathed in the fragrant air, which brought back recollections of the last time she stood in the spot. The thought made her heart quicken.
This time her meeting with Sean was planned.
She was taking a planned risk, something she only felt comfortable doing in the courtroom. But strangely enough she was beginning to feel good about it. The anxiety was making way for excitement.
Turning back inside, she slid the glass doors shut just as the doorbell rang. Khendra checked her watch, a puzzled look creasing her brow. Who in the world could that be? It couldn’t be Charisse, she concluded with certainty. She was rarely on time and definitely never early. She walked to the door and stole a quick look through the peephole. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp that slipped through her lips. She took a calming breath and swallowed hard, commanding herself to breathe in and out. The doorbell rang again, jarring her into action. She swung the door open and faced her unexpected guest with a defiant stance. “Mr. Counts, what an unexpected surprise.”
CHAPTER SIX
“May I come in?” Before the words were halfway out of his mouth, he had stepped over the threshold and was candidly assessing her apartment.
“Nice place. You have excellent taste.” He turned to face her.
Khendra didn’t move, but spoke from the open doorway. “What are you doing here, Mr. Counts?” She tried to camouflage the indignation that tinged her voice. “I’m sure I explained to you that I have plans for today.”
“Yes, I don’t doubt that you do,” he said, his blue eyes raking over her long, shapely legs. He walked slowly toward terrace. Turning, he added, “However, I felt that a personal invitation would help sway your decision.”
“I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing. Anyway,” she added, her temper rising, “I fail to see how accepting an invitation to go sailing with you has anything to do with my job.”
He began to move toward her. “It has everything to do with your job.” His voice became menacing as he continued. “And the sooner you recognize these invitations as little stepping stones, the sooner you’ll get to the top.”
She felt her breath quickening as he drew nearer. Where was Charisse? “Stepping stones to the top for me means only hard work and dedication,” she said evenly. “Now I really appreciate your stopping by, Mr. Counts, but I’m expecting my friend any moment now, and I still have a few things to do.” She prayed he didn’t hear the tremor she felt in her voice.
He moved into the open doorway. Khendra braced herself. He raised his index finger and trailed it down the small cleft in her chin. She immediately pulled back. Her eyes blazed with outrage. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alex cut her off.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said in a low voice. “You’ll report all of this to the board.” He chuckled, but his eyes held no humor. “Who would believe you? You’d only end up hurting yourself in the long run. Remember, favors can be very valuable, Khendra.”
“I want you to—”
“Hey, girl, you ready?” Charisse said, appearing as if on cue. She looked from one to the other. “Something wrong?” She eased her way in between Alex and Khendra, which forced Alex to take a retreating step.
Khendra had never been so happy to see anyone in her life. Intense relief flooded through her taut body. “No. Mr. Counts was just leaving.”
“Is this the Mr. Counts?”
“Yes.” Khendra clenched her jaw. “Charisse Carter, this is Alex Counts, one of the senior partners at the firm.”
He turned to Charisse and flashed a smile. He extended a tanned hand, which she took. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Carter. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to meet again.” He turned back to Khendra. “I hope you’ll think about what I said.” He nodded his goodbye to Charisse and walked toward the elevator.
“What in the hell did I just walk in on?”
Charisse stepped into the apartment, tossed her bag on a chair and turned to Khendra. What she saw made her rush back to Khendra’s side. “You’re shaking all over.” Her eyes whipped around the room for any signs of disturbance. “What the devil did he say to you? What did he do?” She put an arm around Khendra, closed the door and ushered her into the living room.
Once she was seated, Khendra felt her heartbeat slowly return to normal. Charisse kept a protective arm around her until some of the trembling stopped.
“You just sit right there,” Charisse commanded, pointing a warning finger. She entered the kitchen and searched through the refrigerator and cabinets. “Don’t you have anything stronger to drink in here than cranberry juice?” she called over her shoulder.
“You know I don’t drink,” Khendra mumbled. “There’s some Coke on the bottom shelf.”
Charisse grabbed a glass, loaded it with ice and poured the fizzling Coke over the cubes. Returning to the sofa, she pushed the glass into Khendra’s trembling fingers. “Drink this,” she ordered. She stood over her, watched Khendra’s shaky hands bring the glass to her lips, and waited until she had drank the last drop. “You feel like talking now?”
Khendra nodded. Slowly, she began with the veiled comments Alex had made at the office, and led up to his visit to her apartment.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Charisse demanded, furious at Khendra.
“I had hoped I was mistaken, and I thought you’d think I was overreacting again.” She looked up guiltily at Charisse, who just shook her head.
“You should know better than that, girl. Especially when it comes to something like this. Did he threaten you? Did he put his hands on you?”
Khendra rose from the sofa and began pacing, her long, slender fingers dramatizing her words. “It wasn’t so much what he said, Cee Cee. It was how he said it and what it implied. If you hadn’t walked in when you did, I don’t know what he may have tried.”
“I’m sure he’s not a stupid man, Khen. He’s choosing his words very carefully. That’s why he’s so sure you won’t say anything. It would be your word against his. And if I take it at face value, he’s actually said nothing or done anything that’s threatening.’”
“I know. That’s what’s so frustrating and what makes me so damned angry.” She stomped her foot and turned pleading eyes on Charisse. “I have to find a way to deal him. This is all very touchy. If I say or do the wrong thing, I could be ruined. I’m finally beginning to understand how innocent people are painted as bad guys.”
Charisse sighed. “You just have to stand your ground. He wouldn’t dare try anything at the office, and just don’t let yourself be alone with him. You don’t have anything on him unless he tries something.”
“I know,” she replied resignedly.
“Well, you know what you have to work with. In the meantime, I’d just say the hell with him.”
“You’re right. I should
n’t let him shake me up like this. It was just that I felt so trapped. The way he looked at me.” She wrapped her arms protectively around her body.
Charisse got up and stood beside her. “You’re getting yourself all worked up again. Let’s get out of here so you can take out some of that hostility on the court. Anyway, I’m dying to see the man that finally plucked those rusty heartstrings.”
Khendra’s face softened in a smile of gratitude as she embraced Charisse in a warm hug. Then, holding her at arm’s length, she asked, “What would I do without you?”
“Is that a trick question?” Charisse teased, twisting her face in mock confusion.
“Come on, you,” Khendra said, grabbing her small duffel bag and giving Charisse a playful shove. “Let’s get out of here.”
Sean stood in a phone booth at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, listening to the hollow ringing of the phone on the other end. He checked his watch. It was two-thirty. His heart sank. She wouldn’t wait, he just knew it. He helplessly watched the steam rise from the hood of his car, and looked at the twisted metal of the car that had cut him off.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Khendra sat on the long wooden bench and looked up at the huge wall clock. They had been at the club for nearly two hours.
“He’s not coming, Cee Cee,” she said finally. “This was probably just a tactic to make me feel like an idiot, and it worked. I knew I shouldn’t—”
“Come on, Khen. Maybe something happened,” Charisse reassured her, no longer sure she believed it herself.
“Sure.” Khendra sighed in disgust, trying to hide bruised pride. “Come on. I’m not going to stay any longer. If he does show up, which I doubt, he won’t find me here waiting with bated breath.”
She grabbed her bag, marched down the carpeted corridor and out the glass doors. Charisse followed close behind, feeling almost as bad as her friend. Khendra had been so reluctant to involve herself with anyone. Now, when she finally took a chance again, she’d gotten humiliated. Charisse wanted to wring Sean’s neck herself, but she had to keep her own spirits up for Khendra’s sake.
As the doors swung shut behind them, the pert receptionist flipped on the microphone. “Would Ms. Khendra Phillips please come to the front desk? You have a phone call. Ms. Phillips—”
Khendra slunk back into the passenger seat of Charisse’s Mustang, feeling completely humiliated, as Charisse gunned the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
A warm, early evening breeze gently stroked the patrons of the outdoor café. Khendra absently picked at her plate of shrimp and rice, the sting of Sean’s stunt lingering behind her dark brown eyes. She should have trusted her instincts. He was no different from any of the other men who had tried to ease their way into her life. And to think she had been willing to give him a chance. What a fool she was.
Charisse watched the array of emotions flit across Khendra’s face. She had to find a way to snap her out of her dismal mood. Especially since she felt partially responsible.
“Listen, why don’t we drive downtown, do some shopping and then crash at my house? I haven’t been on a wild shopping spree in ages, and I feel daring,” she said with as much gaiety as she could summon.
“No, I really don’t feel like shopping,” she mumbled.
“Well, you ain’t gonna sit around sulking all day. And anyway, I’m driving.” She dangled the car keys tauntingly in the air.
Khendra sighed in resignation. “All right. I give up. Let’s go shopping.”
“A woman after my own heart. Just point me in the right direction.” Charisse draped her arm across Khendra’s stiff shoulders. This was going to take a lot of shopping.
Sean hung up his phone for the last time. He had called Khendra’s apartment through Saturday evening, all day Sunday and well into Sunday night. It was becoming obvious she wasn’t coming home, or worse, she didn’t want to talk to him.
He put his bare feet up on the sofa and leaned back into the cottony softness, furious with himself. If he hadn’t been so wrapped up in that damned case, he would have left his apartment in plenty of time and would not have been racing down the highway. But who was to say she even showed up? She probably didn’t, he consoled himself. But if she did, he’d just explain everything the next day. She seemed like a reasonable woman, and he felt confident she would accept his explanation.
Fortifying himself with that thought, he closed his dark eyes and drifted off to sleep with visions of Khendra dancing through his mind.
Late Sunday evening, Khendra returned to her apartment totally exhausted. Kicking off her shoes and dropping her shopping bag of new clothes in the foyer, she headed straight for her bedroom. Within minutes, she had slipped out of her clothes, showered and crawled into bed.
As she lay staring up at the stuccoed ceiling, she realized with a twinge of apprehension that it was the first time since Saturday morning she had been alone with her thoughts, and that sinking sensation rapidly returned.
How could she have been so gullible as to think that Sean really cared about her? He was probably used to women who just dropped at his feet, and expected her to do the same. She had promised herself she would give him the benefit of the doubt, against her better judgment. He had proven royally that he didn’t deserve it.
Turning on her side, she struggled into a fitful sleep. Her last conscious thought was that she was completely miserable.
“As you all know,” began Alex, “Mr. McMahon will be leaving us in a few short months. Therefore, the position of junior partner will be open once Mr. McMahon’s position is filled by the very capable Darren Kennedy.”
A short round of applause echoed throughout the room.
“As a senior partner of this firm, I have made my own recommendations.” His magnetic blue eyes moved slowly around the conference table and lit, briefly, on Khendra. She quickly looked away.
“However,” he continued, “any one of you who feels he or she has the capabilities to fill this position may submit a proposal in writing. Based on a review of these proposals, the principals will make a determination.” With that statement, he turned to the attorney seated next to him.
“Now as that was the final issue of the morning,” intoned the stately Gordon Perry, picking up his cue, “this meeting is adjourned.”
The half-dozen attorneys began to rise, whispering among themselves about the possibilities. All of them knew that whoever Alex had recommended was virtually guaranteed the spot.
Khendra quickly gathered up her notes and draped her maroon linen blazer over her arm just as one of the associates sidled up to her.
“Tough break about the clinic case.” Brendan Clarke gave her a cynical grin. “Looks like you’ve been demoted.” He angled his head in Sean’s direction. “Better luck next time.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked out. Using all the self-control she could muster, she bit her tongue. She wasn’t going to let the remarks get to her, she vowed again. She was sure Brendan’s comments wouldn’t be the last.
The main thing she had on her mind at the moment was getting out of the room before Sean said anything to her. As she looked up, she saw him conclude his conversation with one of the attorneys and begin to move in her direction. Quickly, she stuffed her notebook in her briefcase and turned toward the door.
“Khendra.” The black satin voice shimmied down her spine.
For a split second she considered stopping, but instincts propelled her forward. She heard his muffled footsteps close in behind her as she quickly strutted down the corridor. Just as she approached the threshold of her office door, his large hand braced her shoulder.
“You’re still running from me.”
She whirled around to face him, hurt and humiliation rimming her eyelids. But when she looked into those magical midnight eyes, the torrid words she wanted to lash out at him caught in her throat. For a brief moment, she nearly forgot why she was so angry. Then sanity returned.
“Please let go of me, Mr. Michaels
,” she said as coldly as she could. She looked at his hand as if it had grown claws.
“So…now we’re back to Mister. Is that it?” He reluctantly removed his hand, the tingling sensation from the brief contact still racing up and down his arm.
“Look,” she said, venom rising in her voice, “you seem to be an expert at deception, and I don’t have time to play your little games.”
He visibly winced from the sting of her words, and Khendra immediately felt a surge of satisfaction.
“I know I owe you an explanation. If you’ll—”
“You don’t owe me anything, Mr. Michaels. If it doesn’t have to do with business, we have nothing to discuss.” She turned and walked into her office, slamming the door in his face.
Sean stood on the other side of the closed door in temporary disbelief. Then his own anger boiled to the surface. Who the hell did she think she was, anyway? He didn’t have to take that from anyone. He stormed into his own office, slamming the door solidly behind him.
Still fuming, he flung himself into his chair and spun toward the window, a deep frown creasing his brow. It wasn’t often that he wore his emotions on his sleeve. Now when he did, he got smacked square in the face.
What was worse, the insult was coming from someone who obviously didn’t give a damn about him in the first place. His ebony eyes cut across the horizon in disgust.
Then a flash of insight hit him. She did care!
Why else would she have been so upset? Women! He should have seen that. He took a deep, relieved breath. Turning to face his desk, a slow smile of understanding spread across his lips. He would just have to handle Ms. Phillips with kid gloves, he realized. She was certainly not going to stand still for any excuses, and he had to be sure not to give her any. At that moment, he was more determined than ever to have her in his life, and he would not allow her icy front to dissuade him.
