Comfort of a Man (Arabesque)

by Byrd, Adrianne

  It was a bad thing to confess, because Toni’s anger peaked. “He’s a pimp,” she hissed.

  “He also has those same connections in low places you claim to have, and hence I try not to piss him off.”

  It was Toni’s turn to remind Brooklyn where they were. After a few more minutes of hobnobbing, Brooklyn tracked her son down, and then drove them home. The car was as quiet as a mummy’s tomb and layered with enough tension to choke an elephant.

  “I spoke with your father yesterday,” she said, deciding that it was time to end the silence war. “He’s looking forward to you guys spending some time together.”

  Jaleel only nodded and continued to stare out the car’s window.

  She fought her instant annoyance at his behavior and tried to focus her attention on the road. The frustrating part to their strained relationship was that she was clueless to why he hated her so much and what he expected from her. But whatever this strange storm they were going through, she prayed it would end soon.

  A few miles down the road, Jaleel turned toward her. “Did he say when he was coming to pick me up?”

  She glanced at him, surprised that she had sparked his interest. “Friday.”

  “And I get to stay the whole summer?” he checked.

  The hope in his eyes was like daggers piercing her heart. Was he that eager to get away from her? “Yeah.” She turned back toward the road. “All summer.”

  Isaiah spent his days at the hospital. In the beginning he was more than a little hesitant to turn off his pager and cell phone. Thoughts of being needed at the office at any given moment or Yasmine needing help tugged at the back of his mind.

  “I know I must be boring you with all this talk of my bridge partners and book club,” Georgia said, smiling over at him.

  “Nonsense,” Isaiah assured her and meant it. “You run the Usher Board, play tennis three times a week, and even find time to volunteer at the shelter. There’s no doubt in my mind on which side of the family I get my energy from.”

  She laughed. “My mother always told me that an idle mind was the devil’s workshop, so I make sure that I stay busy.”

  Isaiah smiled at the instant memory of his grandma. “Nana used to tell me the same thing.” He squeezed her hand when he noticed her faraway look. “I miss her, too.”

  Georgia wiped at a stray tear. “She was a strong woman—raised fourteen children by herself and a few of them weren’t her own.”

  “She was something else,” he added.

  Her mother drew in a deep breath. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you,” she said, returning the squeeze to his hand. “We hardly ever talk about you.”

  Isaiah continued to laugh, but he shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “Besides work, there’s nothing really to talk about.”

  “How’s the relationship between you and your uncle?”

  “Strained.”

  She nodded. “I guess I can understand that—given the circumstances. But it’s been a little while and family is family after all.”

  “I know,” he said, lowering his gaze.

  “Were you ever planning to marry Cadence?” his mother asked bluntly.

  “Mama, I don’t want to discuss this.”

  “You need to discuss it with someone. I think it’s the only way you’re going to be able to move on.”

  “I have moved on.”

  “Oh?” She perked up. “Are you finally seeing someone new?”

  Georgia’s face flashed at him and he hesitated. “No, not really.”

  She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not telling me something. I can always tell when you’re trying to hide something.”

  “Much to my chagrin, but no. I met someone, but it was nothing.”

  “Sure doesn’t look like nothing.”

  He nodded and shrugged with indifference. "Maybe the truth is I met a great woman, who doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

  Chapter 10

  “You feel so good,” Isaiah whispered against Brooklyn’s ear.

  Waves of passion crashed within her with each thrust. Her nails dug into his back as she tried to satisfy an insatiable hunger. “Please,” she pleaded, gripping the smooth curve of his butt in a vain attempt to quicken his rhythm.

  A pool of ecstasy whirled around her while she lifted her hips in wanton abandonment.

  “Please, what?” he asked, nibbling her earlobes, and paying special attention to the sensitive areas of her neck.

  Despite Isaiah’s slow and deliberate tempo, a small blaze ignited, and in mere seconds, its intense flames licked her inner walls and consumed her in a raging inferno. Her nails sank deeper into his soft skin and she ignored his sharp intake of breath while she thrashed among the pillows. A strangled cry of pleasure tore from her lips and for a few heart-pounding seconds, she lay still until she gathered control of her ragged breathing and opened her eyes.

  What greeted her wasn’t the wide-open space of a Marriott suite, but instead the familiar decor of her own bedroom. As a reminder of what had transpired, her legs still trembled from the orgasmic relief she gave herself while lost in a sweet memory. A few seconds later, her alarm blared. It was time to start another grim and hectic Monday.

  She rolled onto her side and hit the snooze button, and then snuggled back beneath the sheets as she contemplated taking the day off—which is what she thought about every Monday.

  Thirty minutes later, she managed to pull herself out of bed and then survived a scalding-hot shower. Since school was out and she suspected it would be noon by the time Jaleel rolled out of bed, she made herself a solo breakfast consisting of an English muffin with jam and a cup of coffee. She didn’t know what triggered her reminiscent mood, but there she was, thinking about another time when her mornings were filled with cooking for her small family and making sure everyone had what they needed to start their day. They were hectic times, but she loved and missed them.

  As far back as she could remember, all Brooklyn ever wanted in life was to be a mother and wife. Maybe the desire stemmed from the admiration she had for her own mom. It was an admirable goal, she thought, and had convinced herself—which is why she felt no shame in not pursuing a career as many of her friends had done. What was the point? She’d had the good fortune of marrying a talented and ambitious oncologist, who went on to be a great provider and had allowed her to be a stay-at-home mom.

  So what the hell happened?

  Brooklyn drew in a deep breath, then sipped her coffee. “Life happened,” she answered herself. She got caught putting all her eggs in one basket and watched helplessly when they all splattered across the cement floor of reality.

  Dr. Evan McGinnis broke her heart. It was a damnable fact that she tried to get over every day. Her once-doting son became resentful when her undivided attention was obliterated and focused on her job. It wasn’t easy becoming the first in her family to have been divorced—which was amazing within itself, considering the times in which they lived. But during the worst thing that could have ever happened, she found an independence she valued and vowed to never relinquish.

  Once she’d finished breakfast, Brooklyn set about starting her day, but Monday wouldn’t be Monday if it didn’t start with bad news.

  The phone rang as she made her way toward the front door. For a brief moment, she’d thought about letting the call go to the answering machine, but then thought better of it and turned around to answer it.

  “Hello.”

  “Brooklyn, I’m glad I caught you,” Cassandra Michaels, Brooklyn’s attorney, said in a pinched voice.

  Brooklyn’s heart squeezed, certain that an unexpected call could be anything other than bad news. “Is there a problem?”

  Cassandra’s hesitation was answer enough for Brooklyn and she slowly lowered herself into the armchair next to the phone. “What is it?”

  “I’m going to be in and out for most of the day. Is there any way you
can meet me for drinks at Kelly’s after hours this evening?”

  “Can’t you just tell me what it is?”

  Cassandra’s long exhalation was not a comforting sound. “We should talk face-to-face. Can you meet me?”

  Yasmine reached Isaiah through the hospital telephone lines and he was immediately reprimanded for turning off his cell phone.

  “There are people who are concerned for you and your mother’s well-being, you know?” Yasmine scolded, not bothering to hide her rising irritation.

  Isaiah was comforted at the sound of Yasmine’s voice despite her obvious annoyance with him. Their relationship was an odd one, but it was one that he cherished. “I’m truly sorry, Yas. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “I’ll buy that excuse. So, what’s going on? How is she doing?”

  “Good. She’s even surprising her doctors,” he answered. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she staged this whole thing just so she could get me over here for a visit.”

  “I told you that you needed to visit her more often.”

  “That you did,” he said, nodding against the phone. “One of these days I’m going to listen to you.”

  She laughed. “That should be an interesting day.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Well,” Yasmine said, taking a deep breath. “Pearls of wisdom: stop beating yourself up over this. I highly doubt your mother wants you to stop living your life so you can play baby-sitter, but you should carve out more time in your busy schedule for visits. Did I leave anything out?”

  Isaiah smiled as he held the phone and relished the words he needed to hear. “No. I think you covered everything.”

  “Good. I should be in Atlanta in a couple of days. Before you start protesting, it’s strictly business. I have a meeting with some of our people out of the Atlanta office.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  Isaiah crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. “And I guess you’ll be needing a place to stay?”

  “Know any place?”

  “The company would be welcome,” he said. “Thanks, Yas. You’re the best.”

  “That’s what you keep telling me.”

  “Speaking of business, you’ll never guess who I ran into yesterday.”

  “All right. Why don’t you spare me the guessing game and just tell me?”

  “Macy Patterson.”

  “As in the chief executive officer of Cryotech?”

  “The one and only. And not only that, she’s invited me to dinner with her and her fiancé tonight.”

  “I’m impressed…and jealous. You’ve got to be the luckiest bastard this side of the western hemisphere. We’ve been trying to get a meeting with someone at that company for the past two years.”

  “I know. And get this—she’s aware of the progress we’ve made on the cryogenetics implants and expressed an interest of partnering with Rotech.”

  “I hate you.”

  “I ain’t got nothin’ but love for you, baby.” He laughed and looked at his watch. “I got to go. Make sure you give me a call the minute you land.”

  “You betcha.”

  Brooklyn stared openmouthed at Cassandra, unwilling to accept what she’d just told her as fact. “What do you mean Evan is filing for bankruptcy? He’s not broke.”

  Accustomed to Brooklyn’s temper, Cassandra braced herself for the inevitable explosion. “All I can tell you is that he has filed chapter thirteen.” She shrugged, and then tried to ease the pain by saying, “Frankly, I think this is just a ploy to get the courts to reduce his alimony and child support.”

  “Will it work?” Brooklyn balled her hands at her sides, confident that she wasn’t going to like her response, and Cassandra’s silence was worse than any answer she could have given. “I don’t believe this!”

  “Ms. Douglas, there isn’t any reason to get worked up until we know more. He might be experiencing financial difficulties.”

  “And Elvis Presley is alive and well and living comfortably in St. Thomas. Evan just doesn’t want to pay—end of story.” She jumped up from the table.

  Cassandra held up her hands as if to remind Brooklyn she was an innocent party to all of this. “If that’s the case, the courts will find out. At most this ploy will only buy time.”

  “Time for what?” she asked in a near shout. “Time for him to come up with another way he can screw me?”

  “Brooklyn, I understand your frustration. Really, I do. But I need for you to be calm. We will get to the bottom of this. Just give us a little time.”

  She took a deep breath, but her lungs exhaled a long stream of fury. “This isn’t fair.”

  Cassandra, too, drew in a breath. “I know. And I’m doing my best to fix this for you.” She stood. “You have my word.”

  Brooklyn clamped her mouth shut to prevent her angry retorts from tumbling out.

  Their meeting ended with stiff handshakes, and by the time Brooklyn made it to her car, she was engulfed by a rage as deep and as wide as any ocean. But the last thing she wanted to do was to go home and cry into her pillow. She was tired of playing the victim and it was time to pay a visit to her abuser.

  Networking had always been vital to Isaiah’s success as a businessman. And this business opportunity with Macy Patterson was one he could hardly ignore. It was to be a late dinner, giving him plenty of time to spend with his mother so he wouldn’t leave feeling guilty.

  But he did feel guilty.

  He drove up the long spiraling driveway, impressed by the lavish landscape. He’d always suspected Macy Patterson was a high-maintenance kind of a woman, and what lay before him only confirmed his theory.

  When he got out of the car and stood in the night’s stillness, his senses were greeted with a bouquet of floral scents he couldn’t differentiate. At his quick knock at the door, he was surprised to be greeted by an older, distinguished-looking African-American gentleman.

  “Hello. You must be Isaiah Washington,” the man said, stepping back and allowing him to enter.

  “That would be me,” Isaiah answered, stepping into an opulent foyer.

  The gentleman closed the door and turned toward him with an extended hand. “Dr. Evan McGinnis, Macy’s fiancé. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  Isaiah hid his mild surprise behind a polite smile and accepted the offered hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

  “Ah, I see you met the man of my dreams.” Macy’s lyrical voice floated lazily on a southern drawl toward the two men.

  They turned and greeted her with smiles.

  Dr. McGinnis moved to her side and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “You look radiant,” he praised.

  Isaiah watched their tender exchange, but wasn’t convinced their open show of affection was genuine.

  Macy’s cool green eyes turned and appraised Isaiah. He shifted uncomfortably beneath the weight of her stare. When she flashed him a quick smile, her piranha glint disappeared. “I hope you’re hungry,” she said.

  “I did eat a little something at the hospital,” he answered.

  “Then you’re a braver man than I,” Evan joked with a boisterous laugh.

  Isaiah didn’t know why, but he didn’t like this toothy character.

  Macy, however, shared with him a businesslike smile. “How is your mother doing?”

  “A lot better, I’m pleased to say.”

  “That’s great news.” She nodded firmly. “I’m sure she appreciates you rushing to be with her. It speaks volumes for your character.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m just a boy who loves his mother,” he joked as his uneasiness grew without explanation.

  “Tell you what,” Evan jumped in. “Why don’t we move our little get-together over to the bar and I can fix you something to drink? If you’ve spent the day at the hospital, I know you could use one.”

  Isaiah smiled and allowed them to lead him to a handsomely decorated study.
Everything he passed oozed wealth and elegance and he couldn’t help but wonder about Dr. McGinnis’s specialty.

  “What would you like?” Evan asked, taking his place behind the bar.

  “Scotch on the rocks.”

  “I’ll have the same,” Macy ordered, easing beside Isaiah and searing him with a mischievous smile. “I hope this isn’t too soon for us to start talking about business,” she said.

  “Not at all.” Isaiah smiled, liking nothing more than to get down to business. “What exactly do you know about our latest developments at Rotech?”

  “Not much. Just what has made it into print. But I can tell you it has a lot of people on our team excited and talking merger.”

  That was music to Isaiah’s ears—just before there was a loud banging coming from somewhere in the house.

  Macy perked up and tossed a questioning look at her fiancé.

  “Now who on earth is that?” Evan set their drinks down in front of Macy and Evan, and then headed toward the foyer.

  Macy focused her attention back on Isaiah and did her best to pretend the ruckus wasn’t getting louder, but all pretenses failed when a woman’s voice thundered throughout the house.

  Macy’s expression fell as if struck with instant recognition. “I don’t believe this,” she swore, jumping down from the bar stool, and then rushing toward the explosion of voices.

  Isaiah’s curiosity was piqued as well as he, too, thought there was something vaguely familiar about the woman’s voice. He left the bar and headed toward the now three screaming voices. However, he wasn’t sure when he’d walked out of reality and into that strange dimension frequently called the Twilight Zone. But that was exactly what happened. It was the only thing that could explain why when he entered the foyer he was staring at a raging Brooklyn Douglas.

  When Brooklyn’s gaze landed on Isaiah, she stopped yelling in midsentence as her eyes bulged with shock. “Isaiah?”

  Macy and Evan stopped screaming as well and their heads jerked from Brooklyn to Isaiah, and then back again.

  “You two know each other?” they asked in unison.