She rolled her eyes. Her sister was off on a tangent. They were only a year and a half apart, but Nita played up the big sister act too much. She’d done that all their lives.
“He told you there can’t ever be anything permanent between you, and that you better not get pregnant or else.”
“He didn’t say it like that!”
“Yeah, I bet he didn’t.”
“Nita, let it go.” Chevelle was trying to think of a way to get off the phone without hanging up on her sister. Not even her love for Arik would make her destroy the relationship she and her sister had. “You’ve ruined my night of relaxation, and my bubbles are getting cold.”
Shawnita’s voice softened, and Chevelle could hear that her sister was on the verge of tears. “I wouldn’t mind if he loved you, sweetie, but he doesn’t have a heart. He’s using you.”
“We both want the affair.”
“You settled.”
There was no arguing with her. Chevelle didn’t even try. She sat up in the bath and considered getting out. The water had cooled as she said, but there was still warmth. Something told her she wasn’t getting Shawnita off the phone any time soon.
“All right look. You’re right. I’d prefer it if Arik and me were serious and that he loved me. I’m not going to get that, so I decided three years ago to accept him any way I can get him. You might not respect my decision, but it is what it is. I’m not willing to let him go right now. Okay? Nita, please understand.”
“It hurts me to see him hurt you.”
Shawnita was far more stubborn than she was. That’s why her marriage had ended a year ago. She wasn’t willing to compromise with her husband. Chevelle wondered if any man would ever make Shawnita love him enough to put his wishes before her own.
“Trust and believe he’s going to drop you when you’re not ready to let him go. You’re going to end up with a broken heart, and I’m going to have to bust his head.”
“Thanks so much for your confidence in me. How about he might fall in love with me and finally be ready to commit?”
“You don’t believe that.”
She was right. Chevelle didn’t believe it. Not exactly. There was a place in her heart that continued to hope no matter how hard she tried to snuff it out. That was why she stayed with him. Unlike the harsh way her sister put it, Arik had been up front about his feelings on their relationship. Right from the start he’d been clear. He didn’t want to get married or have a family. He had emphasized it, she recalled, as if family was the most horrifying idea in life.
Arik shared about his mom and his background in foster care about a year into their seeing each other. She couldn’t believe he took so long, but she had come to know him pretty well. He hated weakness, and where his mom was concerned, she suspected there was still hurt deep inside. He would never admit it though.
Chevelle had cried when she heard the woman had come to see him only a dozen times or so from the age of three to twelve, and every time she’d been high or drunk. The courts wouldn’t give him back, not with her homeless and obviously strung out. Chevelle liked to think she kept hoping to pull out of the dark hole she had fallen into so she could get Arik. Unfortunately, it never happened, and after the age of twelve, he never saw her again. Chevelle knew nothing of his dad and figured maybe his mom never told anyone who the man was.
“All I know,” Chevelle told her sister, “is that I love him. Leaving Arik just isn’t an option right now. Call me weak. Call me stupid. I don’t care. It might not last forever, but for however long it lasts, I want to be with him. He is cold, but he’s good to me.”
“How is cold good to you?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“He’s got jungle fever, and he’s indulging himself. That’s why he won’t commit, because black girls ain’t for marrying.”
“Nita, for real? Jungle fever? That expression is so old. It’s not a race issue.”
“If you say so. Let’s go to lunch on Thursday next and do some shopping.”
A spark of excitement rose in Chevelle. “No talk about Arik?”
“I have to try to convince you he’s not worth it.”
“I’m not going if you’re going to dig at him the whole time. The minute I think you have backed off, you bring up all this mess. I’m serious, Nita. Let it go.”
Her sister sighed. “Fine. Whatever. I won’t say anything. Maybe I’ll get on his calendar and tell him what I think about him.”
“You’d have to go through me, and that’s not happening.”
Shawnita laughed. “Stubborn thing.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“Now who’s spouting old crap?”
They teased each other back and forth, and Chevelle relaxed now that her sister stopped riding her about Arik. She knew Shawnita only made her comments because she loved her, and she appreciated her sister’s love. If the roles were exchanged, Chevelle might have already burst into Shawnita’s man’s office and told him about himself. She was just as protective of Shawnita, but she didn’t normally need to go so far. Shawnita was made of steel when it came to men.
When she disconnected with her sister, Chevelle climbed from the tub and let the water out. Tonight was a rare occasion when she slept at her own apartment. She missed Arik, but he’d said she should take the night off. He’d said it bluntly without explanation. She was used to it. He didn’t have anything on his calendar, so maybe he just wanted his space.
“It’s not like I have to be in his pocket at all times.” Her voice echoed off the walls. She’d pulled the same thing in the past, telling him she had chores at her apartment. He never went for it. Arik would seduce her and convince her to drive over to his house no matter how late she finished with her phantom chores. So she practically lived at his place without the key or the clothes in the closet. “Damn, I am pathetic.”
As she strode into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, her phone dinged. She checked it and found a reminder text from her favorite restaurant. Warmth stole over her. Arik had made reservations at her favorite place to eat, and as was the policy of the restaurant, they had texted her the information. That’s why they were the best in town.
She grinned as she strode to the dresser but paused to check the calendar on her phone. How the heck she could have forgotten was a mystery. Her birthday was in three days. “I told Nita he’s good to me.”
Of course Shawnita’s insistence they go to lunch and do some shopping meant she recalled Chevelle’s birthday as well. Her sister would pick up the tab and buy her the perfect gift during their outing. That’s how Shawnita was. She hated wrapping gifts, but she loved getting the exact present that would make her family happy. Thinking of it melted the last bit of annoyance Chevelle felt over her sister’s verbal attack on Arik. They would have a good time without a doubt.
Her cell phone rang again. “Good lord, it’s a busy night.” This time it was Reinhart Johansson. She had given him her private cell number and plugged in his because she hoped Arik would give him a chance.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Taylor, I apologize for calling so late,” he began.
She checked the time and found it to be just after seven. “It’s not that late, and call me Chevelle. I’m sorry your meeting didn’t go well with Arik this afternoon, Mr. Johansson.”
“Reinhart. I haven’t given up, and that’s where you come in.” His tone wasn’t as cold as Arik’s, more arrogant than anything. She couldn’t compare them to see if they sounded similar because Arik spoke with an American accent and his uncle a strong Scandinavian accent.
“I’m not sure what you mean. I got you in to see him, but Arik is pretty detail-oriented. I won’t be able to slide you in there without telling him ahead of time who he’s meeting with. I also won’t lie to him.”
“No, no. I’m sure you’re an excellent secretary.”
She had no idea why that sounded like an insult.
“I understand you have a sexual arrange
ment with my nephew.”
Chevelle’s mouth fell open before she pulled herself together. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t let us get distracted with you being offended.”
At first she wasn’t. With those words she was. Before she could speak, he continued on.
“I’m also very thorough. It’s a Johansson trait.”
Yeah, right.
“I did a little checking on you.”
She put a hand on her hip. “Let me guess, to see if you could get leverage? Well you can forget about blackmailing me. I’m not biting.” Her heart raced despite her brave words.
“Calm down, Chevelle.”
She wanted to tell him to go back to calling her Ms. Taylor. At least it had the impression of respect. “You tell me to calm down after you’re making insinuations about me? You don’t have to say it, but I can tell by your tone you think I’m some kind of hussy because I’m involved with Arik. Oh, but he’s fine, right?”
He seemed to hesitate with is next words. “To be nice.”
“Huh? You want me to be nice? You’ve got a lot of nerve, buddy.”
“No, I don’t mean…” His tone filled with agitation. “That’s not the word. Let me think. Ah, yes, please. That is the word I’m looking for. Please.”
How had he confused to be nice with please? She didn’t care. He’d already been offensive, and she was less than willing to help him out. What Arik wanted was more important than this stranger, who had brought up old painful memories in her lover.
“I don’t think I can help you.” She started to end the call.
“Brand and Cael are eager to meet their big brother. Their mother abandoned them as well. They haven’t seen her since they were babies.”
Chevelle gasped and covered her mouth. Her heart leaped into her throat, and tears filled her eyes. She imagined sweet chubby babies with blond hair and blue eyes crying for their mom. Her dislike of the woman she had never met grew stronger. She waivered in whether to help Reinhart.
“Cael, the youngest,” he continued, “has dreamed of having a family, but he had no idea one existed until I met him.”
Chevelle let out a small cry. “He grew up in foster care too? What am I thinking? Of course he did.”
“Well.” This time Reinhart sounded a little guilty. “He didn’t grow up in foster care. Cael was adopted.”
The admission hit Chevelle between the eyes. Jealousy and anger rose inside her. “And Brand?”
Reinhart said nothing.
“Go on,” she demanded. “You’re trying to play on my sympathy, but apparently there’s a lot more you aren’t telling me. You might as well spit it out because I’m going to find out.”
“Are you threatening me?” His voice held a note of warning.
“Don’t even. I have something you want—Arik’s ear. You can act all high and mighty if you want, but you need me. Things would go a lot smoother if you just stick to the truth and save the gut-wrenching stories for a woman who gives a damn about hearing them.”
When he was silent, she thought maybe he hung up. More likely he was so pissed that she defied him he had to get a hold of himself. She didn’t care. She might have a weakness for Arik, but she was nobody’s fool.
“You’re a very intelligent woman, Chevelle. I can see why my nephew keeps you close.”
Better believe it.
“All right, I’ll level with you, and you can decide to help me or not. From my own investigations, Arik got the worst deal. The boys were separated as soon as they went into the system. Brand and Cael were adopted almost immediately. Arik wasn’t. In fact, neither Brand nor Cael have the Johansson name. They are Johanssons by blood.”
She rolled her eyes at the attitude, but the story drew her in. To know his brothers were rescued from a potentially bad situation right away while Arik was left alone broke her heart all over again.
“Did they get to see their mom?”
“From all accounts, no,” he said. “Brand and Cael haven’t seen their mother since they were one and two years old. Neither remembers her at all.”
“That’s horrible. How could she abandon her boys? How could she prefer Arik yet torture him with those pointless visits over the years?”
“I don’t pretend to know my sister’s reasoning.” His tone said he wrestled between defending her because she was his sister and acknowledging that her actions were unacceptable. Chevelle couldn’t help wondering where Reinhart was all those years. He said he had come to the United States many times. Why didn’t he look them up or look up his sister in all that time?
“Frankly, Reinhart, I’m not sure you’re good for Arik any more than your sister was.”
“I—”
“But he’s a grown, strong man. I want with all my heart for him to take at least one chance on getting to know his brothers. Family is everything. So, I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Great. Let us strategize.”
Chapter 3
Arik surveyed the private room in the restaurant, noting the position of the table near the window and the view beyond. He nodded in agreement. “It’s fine. Also, bring in bouquets of tiger lilies.”
The small man at his elbow frowned in concern. “Sir, we have a very good relationship with one of the local florists. It’s no problem to bring in any kind of flower you wish. Orchids are said to capture a lady’s heart and of course roses.”
“Tiger lilies,” Arik repeated. “Chevelle doesn’t like any flower except the orange tiger lily. If you can’t get it—”
“No problem, sir! We will fill the room with as many as you like. Now for the menu, might I make a few suggestions?”
Arik contained his impatience with effort. Chevelle had switched her favorite restaurant to this one in the last year, so he hadn’t worked with them before to arrange for her birthday dinner. The owner of the previous restaurant knew not to make suggestions but to wait for him to outline everything he desired for the dinner. This runt of a man thought he could anticipate Arik’s wishes, and he was about to be chopped down from whatever pedestal he had placed himself on.
“No, you may not,” Arik snapped. “Chevelle’s favorites are specific. I will tell you what they are, and you will be sure that each dish is made to perfection. She won’t know which she wants for the evening, but you will make them all. Whoever is serving us will list the choices as if they were already all on the menu, at which point I’ll suggest a sampler of everything.”
“We can accommodate you, sir, but that’s highly irregular.” He kept his eyes on his notepad as he scratched down the details of Arik’s demand. Arik didn’t miss his bristling with indignity.
“I will pay whatever is necessary.” Arik walked to the window and gazed out. A British-inspired courtyard lay just outside the window with topiary and rosebushes. She would like it, and he could see her smile and the light in her eyes. Desire for her at that moment rose, but he resisted. He had sent her home that evening rather than have her at his place because of various arrangements he needed to make for her birthday. Every year he did something expected and something new to surprise her, and it took planning.
Arik met with a couple more people in preparation for Chevelle’s birthday. She was turning twenty-nine and had been his secretary for the last six years, his lover for three. He knew her well and how often she changed her mind. So far, she hadn’t changed it regarding him, and he had no intention of letting her come to that decision easily. Chevelle in his bed worked. He didn’t question it but enjoyed bringing her total submission to his touch, his lips, his hands, his body.
Chevelle.
He mused over what she meant to him but insisted she was only a lover and could be nothing more. Marriage and family were out. Chevelle understood his stance on that, and it was one of the things he appreciated her for. She was the one lover he’d had who didn’t try to push him or trick him into a more serious relationship. That’s why he could go all out for her and spoil her as he often did. Chevell
e was special. He had no trouble admitting that much, but she was his lover only and would be as long as his desire for her continued.
Arik left the final meeting for the night and headed home. He unlocked the door to his rancher and stood in the entryway. The house, which wasn’t the biggest he could afford but wasn’t closet-sized either, seemed to stretch out endlessly before him. He flipped on a light, and the darkness receded somewhat. The solitude remained.
He tossed his keys on a table and headed for the kitchen. The hiss from the cola as he twisted off the top was familiar, and he downed a third of the contents in one swallow. To chase away more of the silence, he flipped the TV on in the family room and kicked off his shoes. The late news was on. He could grab some paperwork from his briefcase and get a head start on the next day or just veg out on the couch.
His cell phone dug into his hip as he sat down, and he pulled it from his pocket. Automatically, his fingers flipped through the menu to the contacts and to Chevelle’s cell number. She might already be in bed. Temptation gripped him.
“Damn it, it’s not a big deal,” he complained to the empty room.
If he had a male friend, they might josh around, talking trash about the people they had encountered that day. He might get his buddy’s opinion on the restaurant’s manager’s ability to carry out every one of his demands. A sigh escaped him. The fact was, he had never been close to anyone, not for any length of time.
He let the phone slip from his fingers onto the couch cushions, but it rang right away. He snapped it up at seeing Chevelle’s name and then paused. On the third ring, he answered. She spoke without allowing him to say hello, as she usually did. “Did you get everything done?”
He smirked but kept his tone serious. “As much as I expected.”
“Which means everything.” She chuckled. “Good. Listen, on Saturday night I’m not coming over, okay? We can do tonight and tomorrow and—”
“Why?” he demanded.
“I’ve got something I’m going to do that night. Don’t worry. I’ll be available any other time. Nita and me are going shopping on Thursday afternoon. I can’t wait. I’ve been so busy lately with work I haven’t gotten to see her much. Remember, you said I can have the day off.”
Ice In His Veins Page 2
