by A. C. Arthur
“Ah, yeah. I’m ready.” Leah looked back in the direction where she thought she’d seen the man. He’d seemed vaguely familiar. Then she shook her head. Probably just some tourist that wasn’t looking at her at all. With all this beautiful scenery, why would he have been looking at her anyway?
* * *
The Ortega wedding went off without a hitch. Leah and Melinda were busy packing up the decorations and chit chatting about the day’s events when her cell phone rang.
Immediately recognizing the number, she pressed the talk button. “Hey, baby.”
Melinda knew from Leah’s greeting, the tone of her voice and the smile on her face who that was and quickly left her alone.
“Hey, sweetness. Listen, I’m gonna be at the office a little later than I thought. We ran into a few problems with the new program,” Terrell told her.
She tried to mask her disappointment. “So you’re not meeting me at my place?”
“Oh no, I’ll be there. I just wanted to let you know I’d be a little later than I originally promised.”
“Oh? Okay, that’s fine.”
“So how did things go?” he asked.
“Just fine,” she answered and pulled another tablecloth from the table. “The bride was beautiful, the groom suave and debonair. And the best man got drunk and fell into the punch bowl.” She laughed as she recalled the incident. Across the room, Melinda heard her and frowned. She was still sporting the red stain on her white pant suit.
“Damn, I’ll bet that went over well.”
“Hardly anybody even blinked an eye. I suspect he does this kind of thing often.”
“Okay. Well, let me get back to work so I can get to you as soon as possible. I miss you like crazy.”
Leah blushed. Terrell was so caring and so attentive that a week after their return from Jamaica she wondered what she’d ever done without him. “I miss you too, baby. You hurry up with your work while I finish up here and I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
“That sounds like a plan. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She disconnected the phone and stood for a moment, remembering the sound of his voice.
“Alright already, snap out of it so we can get out of here,” Melinda groaned.
“Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Pulling another plastic tablecloth from the table, she stuffed it into the large trash bag she’d been dragging across the floor behind her. Going to the next table, she started the process again, first removing the floating candle centerpiece, then pulling the tablecloth filled with confetti and dirty plates, cups and whatever else the guests had left on them into the bag. The Ortegas hadn’t paid the hall for the complete clean-up service, or else she and Melinda would have been gone by now.
She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she never heard the man approach her from behind until his hand was on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to stare into dark eyes.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, surprised to see Leon.
He shrugged. “If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed…” His voice was as deep and smooth as she’d remembered.
“I apologize for not returning your calls. I guess I’ve been kind of busy.” She really didn’t know what to say to him. That was part of the reason she hadn’t bothered to call him upon her return. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really thought about Leon all that much since she’d told him there was nothing between them.
“Yeah, I figured that.”
“How did you know where I was?” she asked while moving on to the next table.
He followed her, taking the trash bag from her hands and holding it open when she needed it. “I stopped by the office yesterday but you were out running errands. Melinda told me about the wedding today.”
“Oh? She didn’t mention it to me.”
“I told her not to.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” He chanced a smile at her. “I see I did.”
“Yeah, you did.” And the moment she had a chance she was going to tell Melinda how she didn’t like secrets or surprises where Leon was concerned.
“You look tired. Are you almost finished here?”
They were approaching the head table, the last one she needed to break down before she could load up the truck and take all the stuff back to her office.
“Just about.”
“Can Melinda finish up so I can take you home? You really look like you could use some rest.”
“Well, you sure are full of compliments after not seeing me for a while.” She grinned. “Do I look that bad?” She stared down at her suit. It was wrinkled, and she’d spilled something down the front of her jacket at some point during the festivities. She’d discarded her shoes the moment the last guest exited the hall, and she noted a horrific run in her stockings.
“No, you’re still beautiful.” His words were quiet and stunned Leah into silence.
Did he ever say that before? She didn’t remember; she only remembered hearing Terrell say it. “Liar.” She smiled wistfully.
He reached for her hand. “Come on, let me take you home.”
Leah slowly pulled her hand out of his. “I have my car,” she told him.
“Then I’ll follow you back to your apartment.”
Leon was persistent, she knew this already. And she was tired. The last thing she felt like dealing with was him. Besides, Terrell was coming over. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?” he looked at her quizzically.
“I’m really tired, Leon.” She hoped that was enough to get rid of him, but soon found it wasn’t.
“I know.” He touched one of her braids. “This is new. I like it though.”
“Leon—”
“That’s right, you’re tired. You’re always really tired after a wedding’s complete. That’s why you should let me take you home and rub your back or your feet. I know how that relaxes you.”
“No, thank you. I don’t really need a foot massage tonight. What I need is to go home and go to bed.”
“Leah, I really think we need to talk.”
Okay, now he was working on her nerves. She’d tried to politely refuse his offer, but now she’d have to be a bit more stern. “What do we need to talk about? I thought we said enough the last time I saw you.”
“You said what you had to say, but you didn’t really give me much room to tell you how I felt.”
He was right, she hadn’t. And even though right now she could really care less, she felt that she at least owed him that much. “You’re right. You can follow me home.” She looked to Melinda. “Can you handle the rest of this?” She gestured towards the head table.
“Sure, you go on and go. You look tired.”
“Gee, thanks.” Leah rolled her eyes.
Leon motioned towards the door. “Shall we?”
“I guess so, since it seems I look so bad I’d better hurry out of sight. Just let me go to the bathroom first.” That horrific hole in her stockings was bugging the hell out of her. The nylons quickly made it to the trash can, and then she was on her way.
Leon walked her to her car, and she waited until she saw his truck in her rearview mirror before she pulled out of her parking spot. He followed her through the dwindling traffic and parked behind her in the parking lot of her building. On the ride over she’d planned to make this short and sweet. She’d give Leon a chance to have his say, then she’d say goodnight and grab a quick shower before Terrell arrived.
“Where’s your key?” he asked when they were at the door.
“Oh?” She checked her pants pocket, the small bag she carried with all her miscellaneous stuff in it, then fumbled through her purse until she felt the metal against her fingers and pulled out the crowded key ring.
“Are all these keys necessary?” He took the noisy contraption into his hand.
Leah hunched her shoulders. “I don’t know, I guess so.”
Leon pushed the d
oor open and stood to the side while she entered the apartment. She flicked on the light in the living room and plopped down in the chair and closed her eyes. “Whew! This has been a long day.”
She could hear Leon moving around, and wondered if he’d noticed that she’d purposely taken the chair meant for one person, leaving him no opportunity to sit next to her. She opened her eyes when she felt him lifting her legs to rest on his thighs. He’d taken a seat on the edge of her coffee table, and was now removing her shoes.
His strong hands carefully massaged each foot. Leah moaned with pleasure. She had been running non-stop since returning from her trip. Between the wedding and spending time with Terrell she was beat. Leon was right. She probably did look like she was dead on her feet.
“Better?” he asked.
She’d been so focused on the soothing effects of the foot massage that she’d almost forgotten the person ministering to her wasn’t Terrell. Abruptly, she pulled her feet down. “Much. Now you had something you wanted to say to me.”
“I’ve missed you in the last couple of weeks. You haven’t returned my calls and I haven’t seen you around.” Leon looked at her earnestly.
Leah hated that she didn’t share his feelings, hated that before their time tonight was concluded she’d have to tell him she was seeing someone else. “I know. A lot’s been going on.” That was an understatement.
“So I was wondering if you’d like to get away. Just to get some rest. We could take a trip or something?” he asked hopefully.
“Ah, Leon, I, um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You see, I’m kind of seeing someone right now.”
For a moment he looked startled. Then his dark eyes settled on her with a piercing glare.
“I see. So that’s why you couldn’t go any further with me?”
“Yes. I mean, no.” Leah took a deep breath and decided to simply spit it out. “The feelings I had for you, or I should say, the feelings I didn’t have for you, had nothing to do with my current relationship. Things just weren’t meant to be between us. But I’d like to be friends.”
His lips melted into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll always be your friend, Leah. That was never in question. And I respect your honesty. I’m just sorry we don’t see eye to eye.” Leon stood and reached for her hands.
Putting her hands in his, Leah stood as well. That hadn’t been as bad as she’d thought. Leon really seemed like a good guy, and she prayed he’d find a woman who could appreciate him. For long moments he held her hands tightly, rubbing his thumbs over her skin as his eyes studied her intently. The strange look in his eyes made her want to pull free.
Then as if reading her mind, he released her hands, smiled and held his arms out. “Can I at least get a goodnight hug, friend?”
“Of course you can.” She smiled nervously and went into his embrace.
“I hope he knows what a wonderful woman he’s got,” Leon said as he held her.
“He does,” Terrell said from the doorway.
Leah instantly turned towards the voice and maneuvered her way out of Leon’s arms.
“Terrell? I thought you’d be a while longer,” she said, crossing the room to where he stood.A quick kiss on the lips and she was grasping Terrell’s arm and pulling him further into the living room. “Terrell Pierce, this is Leon Reynolds. Leon, this is Terrell.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Terrell,” Leon said extending his hand.
Terrell eyed the man suspiciously, then extended his hand as well. “Likewise,” he said in a guarded tone.
“I was just leaving.” Leon began to move toward the door. “Leah, you make sure you get some rest.”
“Oh, I will. I have only four weeks until the next wedding, but I’m giving Melinda most of those responsibilities,” Leah said as she walked Leon to the door.
“I’ll always love you,” Leon whispered. Then noticing that Terrell was watching them closely, added, “Take care of yourself.”
That uneasy feeling she’d felt before when they were alone resurfaced, but she forced a smile and said, “I will. And you do the same.”
She closed the door behind Leon and turned to go back into the living room. She knew Terrell was angry, she’d seen it in his eyes. She needed to assure him he had nothing to worry about.
“How many visits do you need in one night?” Terrell asked the moment she was in front of him.
“He showed up at the reception right after I talked to you. He said he needed to talk. That was all, Terrell. We talked.”
“You and I are talking right now and I’m not touching you. So how come Leon couldn’t do the same?” He hated seeing her in another man’s arms, hated that he’d known instinctively who the other man was.
Leah took a step closer to him, placed her hands on his shoulders. “I can remedy that,” she said in a sultry voice.
He tried to resist any reaction to her touch. “I don’t want him here again, Leah. You and I are engaged. I don’t want another man alone with you in your apartment.”
She removed his glasses, set them down on the table beside them. “That’s fine, baby. He won’t come here again. Now, can’t we find something else to talk about besides Leon?”
She pushed him onto the couch, straddled him and began to unbutton his shirt. Terrell’s hand stopped her motions. “I’m serious, Leah. It’s just me and you now. I’m not into sharing.”
Because she knew he was thinking about when he’d walked in on Tanya, she held on to her anger. She could imagine that if she’d walked in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman, that doubt would linger in her mind for a while too. “Listen to me, because this is going to be the last time that I tell you this.”
Terrell looked at her intently.
“I don’t cheat. When and if I decide to be with someone else, I’ll be sure to let you know. Don’t bring what she did to you into my house again.”
Terrell sighed with the realization of what he’d done. He had thought of Tanya and her little escapade in their bed—the bed he’d since thrown out. He’d seen Leah in another man’s arms and felt the sting of betrayal without even giving her the opportunity to explain. Moving his hands to rest on her hips, he gently massaged her. “I’m sorry.” He let his head fall to her chest, kissing her breast through her blouse. “I guess I did do that. It’ll never happen again.”
Leah sucked in a breath as he lightly bit her nipple. “It had better not.”
With lightning quick motions Terrell ripped her blouse open. Buttons fell onto the cushions around them as he freed her breasts from her bra, taking the soft mounds into his mouth. “I just can’t stand the thought of somebody else touching you, loving you,” he whispered between his frantic nipping.
Normally she would have been pissed at the blatant disregard for her clothing but his touch was so electrifying Leah could do nothing but arch her back and hold on to his shoulders for leverage. “You don’t have to worry, baby, I’m all yours.”
With those words Terrell pushed her skirt up past her hips, was delighted that she had no panty hose on, and slipped her panties to the side to sink his fingers into her warmth. “Say it again, baby,” he requested.
“I’m all yours, Terrell.”
Her hands fidgeted with his belt buckle and his zipper until she held his hot length in her hand.
“In my back pocket,” he mumbled.
She reached behind him, found his wallet, even as ragged moans escaped her throat from his hands’ loving. Finding the condom, she ripped the package open and sheathed him.
Terrell grabbed her waist, lifted her slightly, then settled her onto his rigid erection. “Say it again,” he told her as he drove into her with one hot thrust.
“I’m…all…yours,” she managed once he was completely inside of her. “And you,” she looked down into his eyes and began to move her hips, “are all mine.”
Terrell quickly picked up her rhythm and moaned. “Most definitely.”
* * *
<
br /> “I finished the seating cards. They’re in the box alongside the master. The caterer was gone for the day, but I left a message for them to call us first thing tomorrow morning.” Melinda stood in the doorway to Leah’s office.
They’d been working non-stop for the past two days, making sure everything was ready for the Morgan wedding. With three and a half weeks left to go, the countdown was on. And Leah still had to find the time to go through Ms. Rosie’s R.S.V.P.’s and begin her seating chart. Her business was booming and despite the long, exhausting hours, she loved it.
“That’s great. Now tomorrow we can get those bows done and make sure we have all the tulle we’ll need,” Leah told her. The Perfect Day offered more than just planning services. More often than not, Leah threw in her own personal touches, such as decorating the hall or the site for the actual wedding. She loved creating and a wedding day was the perfect canvas to whet her appetite, especially now that she entertained thoughts of her own special day. “You can go ahead and leave. I know you’re tired.”
Melinda leaned against the doorjam. “That’s an understatement if ever I’ve heard one. But you’ve done way more than I have. Aren’t you leaving too?”
Leah twisted her wrist, looked at her watch. “Yeah, I’m meeting Terrell for dinner, so I’ll leave in about twenty minutes. I just want to get these invoices taken care of so we can get paid.”
Melinda laughed. “I hear that. Well, I’ll turn out the lights up here and turn the sign so you won’t get any walk-ins.”
“Thanks and have a good evening. I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.”
Melinda sucked her teeth like a child, then gave a fake moan. “I’ll bring the coffee and donuts.”
“Make that plenty of donuts!” Leah added as Melinda disappeared to the front of the office.
Leah worked for another twenty minutes before shutting down her computer and beginning to gather the things on her desk. She was at her file cabinet, inserting copies of the invoices, when she heard something from the lobby.
Her fingers stilled on the manilla folder as she concentrated on hearing it again. When she didn’t, she chalked her overactive imagination up to fatigue and kept on moving. She’d switched the light out in her office and was moving toward the front of the building when she noticed Melinda’s computer was left on. “Girl, you know how much gas and electric are charging us,” she mumbled and went to the work station to shut it down. As she got closer, the screen instantly blinked from Melinda’s tropical screen saver to all black. This startled Leah because she had yet to touch anything. Frowning, she leaned over the keyboard, prepared to hit the keys to shut it down. Before she could do so, the corners of the screen turned red, actually seemed to seep red, in thick flowing rivulets resembling, she thought with trepidation, blood.
