“I had not given any thought to the issue until Mallory raised it, but I certainly don’t want that to happen. I told her a small fib to buy myself some time to think. I told her that I had considered the possible ramifications, but I wasn’t prepared to discuss my solution with her until she took the job.”
“You should have been a politician. Go on.”
“Mallory smiled like a game show hostess and said that unless she agreed with my solution in advance, she wouldn’t be joining PWE at all.”
“So now you’re trying to come up with a solution?” Adrienne guessed.
“I need Mallory Guest to sign that contract so I can move on to some other plans that I have. Hell, I would like to just start the search for a creative director all over again,” Lloyd said irritably, “but John Elliott is hell-bent on having her.”
“Why?”
“Mallory is the creative director for Smith and Geren, which is PWE’s main rival. She’s won many Clio awards for her cutting-edge advertising campaigns, and she’s a real smart woman.”
“She may be smart in her field, but Mallory Guest underestimates black people,” Adrienne replied.
“Meaning?”
“If this trend, as she calls it, does start hurting the African-American ad agencies, they’ll find a way to turn the situation around before any permanent damage is done. You can be sure of that.”
“How?”
“I don’t know how, but our history is proof that they will. Black folks have always made a way out of no way.”
Lloyd smiled gently. “Yes, but her point was that I am a black man and that they shouldn’t get a dirty trick like this thrown at them by one of their own.”
Adrienne hadn’t thought of the situation in that light, but she realized that Mallory Guest was right. “She has a very good point.”
Lloyd sighed. “I was the only African American at Lewis and Wyse, and the only time you saw a brown face at PWE Chicago was when the mail guys came by.” He laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “I’m not accustomed to dealing with these type of issues since I’ve never worked with my own kind before.”
Adrienne didn’t like his choice of words. What did “these type of issues” really mean? Could a boy from the ghetto grow up to be an Oreo?
“What are you thinking right now?” Lloyd asked abruptly.
Although Lloyd Cooper looked worried and vulnerable at that moment, Adrienne knew that underneath that image was LaMar Jenkins, a male of iron will who could set a goal for himself and meet it come hell or high water. She had no doubt that Lloyd would get Mallory Guest to come and work for him.
“I was thinking that you shouldn’t give up, Lloyd,” Adrienne lied quickly. “Why don’t you ask her how she wants to handle the hiring and let her do it in her own way?”
Lloyd’s eyes brightened. “You are absolutely right! Finding the talent to get the job done properly is her problem, isn’t it? A simple answer to the problem!” His voice became husky. “You were always good for me, Adrienne. I’ll see that you learn a lot from Mallory Guest if I can get her on board. With your theater background, you should do quite well in the networking and business-entertaining arena.”
They grinned at each other.
“I think I’ll order a bottle of wine; would you like that?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Lloyd signaled the waiter and then looked at Adrienne. “White or red?” he asked.
“Red.”
Lloyd gave the waiter a name and year that meant nothing to Adrienne, and then smiled at her. “So, when am I going to see Dan?”
“Very soon. Charlene and I are planning a dinner at their place. You are the guest of honor.”
Lloyd seemed pleased. “I look forward to it.”
Adrienne smiled. “I’m surprised you have such fond memories of my brother. He was such a little pain in the ass when we were trying to study.”
“I liked the whole scene. The beautiful daughter. A pesky little brother. A mother and father who worked, kept the place clean, cared whether their kids went to school, and served hot, nutritious meals seven days a week. It felt good. Sometimes I even pretended that I was part of the household. The smart, geeky older brother.”
“Sounds like a TV show.”
“Better.”
“Well, you’re a bigger success than Dan or me. We’re both proud of you.”
“I’d trade everything I have for some decent childhood memories.”
Adrienne didn’t know how to answer such a sad assertion, so she told him about her years as a theater major at Hunter College, about the years of job-hopping from one corporation to another while trying to become a singer, and about meeting Mel. “I’m afraid my life doesn’t match yours for drama,” she ended.
Lloyd cleared his throat. “I’m glad to hear it, Adrienne. I always hoped that you were happy.” He smiled at her.
“I’m okay,” Adrienne said dryly, “but you should be over the moon. I’m dying to know how you did it,” she said, smiling. “So tell me the rags-to-riches story that will be in bookstores everywhere soon.”
He watched her coolly as he chewed his food precisely. Now, that is the LaMar Jenkins I remember, Adrienne thought. Meticulous in every detail. She waited until he’d chewed every bit in his mouth; then he reached for his wine.
“It’s not a lot to tell,” he began. “I think our stories are pretty much the same—I mean, in terms of our determination to live at least a few of our dreams. When I finally got out of that awful juvenile center, I was determined to get to college, by any means. I didn’t have any money, and because of what my home situation was like, I didn’t work closely with the guidance counselors during my senior year to narrow down some of those scholarships and select the school that would be best for me—and my sisters. I’d always assumed that the girls and I would be together, and I didn’t want to travel too far away from them, no matter how much money they offered me, but when they separated us, all those early plans went out the window.” He paused, taking another sip. Adrienne listened intently.
“I took a few temp jobs at first, just to get on my feet, but I knew where I needed to be was in college. I didn’t even have enough to go to a two-year state college associate degree program, so I did what most young brothers do, especially when they don’t see many other real prospects. I enlisted myself into the armed forces, namely, the Air Force.”
“The Air Force?” Adrienne was shaking her head in disbelief. “LaMar—I’m sorry, Lloyd, you mean you actually joined the army?”
“The Air Force.”
“Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, you know what I mean. I don’t believe it.”
“Why?” he asked, bristling up a bit. “You don’t think ole Pimple Jenkins had it in him?”
Adrienne recoiled at the taunt that had caused her old friend and tutor so much grief. But as she looked at him now from across the elegant table, she knew that Lloyd Cooper was as far from a Pimple Jenkins as anyone could be.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Lloyd—”
“Oh, don’t be sorry for me,” he said, cutting her off. “I doubt any of the guys I grew up with are making more than forty K a year, if that. They’d be lucky to make even a fraction of what PW&E is paying me.”
With my meager thirty K, I wonder what Lloyd thinks of me, Adrienne thought. Surely he knew she wasn’t pulling down the big bucks from the secretarial bull pen.
“But the rest of my tale isn’t all that riveting. I served my duty in the Air Force, acquired some great skills, had the government pay for my college education, graduated with double degrees in marketing and business management, enrolled in Harvard’s MBA program, and worked my way up the corporate ladder; and today, well, I’m fortunate enough to have you share your beautiful company with me.”
He went back to eating, and after a minute Adrienne excused herself and sought refuge in the ladies’ room. After relieving herself, she repaired her lipstick and then leaned forward against the
sink to stare into the mirror. What was she doing? He knew she was married, and yet he never missed an opportunity to show her just how much more than friends he wanted to be. Would Lloyd expect her to sleep with him in return for his help? Was he really a sellout, as Mallory Guest apparently suspected? There were no answers in the mirror, so she went back out into the dining room.
Lloyd’s eyes lit up as she approached the table. He stood up and pulled her chair out for her. Adrienne liked that he behaved as a gentleman. She gave him a smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat back down. “Now, tell me how your mom and dad are getting along. They were wonderful to me during senior year. I’d love to see them also.”
Adrienne soon had Lloyd cracking up as she told him all about her parents’ new life down in the tiny town of Dietsville, Alabama.
Lloyd ordered another bottle of wine. And then another. The evening passed by so swiftly that they were both half drunk and startled when the waiter came over and said that the restaurant would be closing in a half hour.
Lloyd paid the bill, and as they walked through the parking lot toward the company car, he said, “I’m going to get you out of the secretarial pool as soon as Mallory signs that contract.”
Adrienne gave him a quick hug of gratitude.
Lloyd’s smile was blissful as he took a step backward slowly. For a minute Adrienne thought he might lean in and kiss her, but he backed up and straightened his tie. He started to say something and then changed his mind. To hide his feelings, he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and walked quickly to the car with his head down. It was exactly what LaMar Jenkins used to do whenever he was overcome with emotion. Adrienne followed.
When Adrienne got home, her step was buoyant and her eyes were glowing. The magical quality of the evening’s events made her want sex. She practically danced into the bedroom, where Mel was under the covers watching a made-for-TV movie. “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “It’s almost midnight and I called your job. Nobody answered the phone.”
“Hello, my love,” she shouted breezily while tossing her coat and purse on the floor.
“Don’t be ‘hello lovin’ me,” he said, frowning at her. “Not when you waltzing in here at midnight like some trick in the street. I said, where you been?”
Adrienne just smiled and let out a blues wail, “Oh, you never get nothing by being an angel child. You better change your ways and get real wild . . . ” She began unbuttoning her blouse and kicking off her heels.
“Adrienne,” Mel said, confused. “Adrienne, what the hell are you doing? What’s gotten into you?”
“’Cause wild women don’t worry,” she sang, “wild women don’t have the blues . . . ” She shimmied out of her skirt, revealing a black garter belt and silky panty hose. “Wild women . . . ”
Before Mel could say another word, she threw herself on top of him and gave him a resounding kiss on his full lips. She bit the bottom one slightly, grazing it with her teeth.
Mel looked surprised for a moment, but he recovered quickly. He rolled her over so that she was now lying beneath him. “Hello to you, too, baby,” he murmured. “You know, you a trip.”
Their lovemaking was hot and heavy and wild that night—just like old times.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Mel woke up the next morning feeling like a new man. The previous night had not just been about sex. There had been genuine love between him and Adrienne. Maybe God has decided that I’ve suffered enough, he thought. The idea made him smile, and he stroked Adrienne’s bare back tenderly until she opened her eyes.
“Is it time for work already?” she groaned.
Mel kissed her forehead. “Yes, but you must have one hell of a hangover. Why don’t you call in sick?”
“I can’t. Regina has a report that I have to start on today or she’ll miss her deadline.”
“Okay. I’ll get you some Alka-Seltzer and dry toast. That and a shower should help a lot.”
They smiled at each other and Mel squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, and the sensation made him feel weak with relief.
The next few weeks passed by in a delicious blur. Mel continued to work double shifts to catch up on the rent. He didn’t go to the bar, and Little Jimmy never crossed his mind.
He was giving Adrienne a foot massage one evening when a long-forgotten wish resurfaced in his mind.
“Adrienne, did you ever think about leaving New York?”
She cocked her head to one side and gave him a sweet and quizzical smile. “Sure. Part of my whole performing bug came from a desire to see the world. London. Tokyo. Nigeria. Scotland.”
Damn. He wasn’t thinking that big. “I meant leaving New York to live in another American city.”
Adrienne stroked his hair. “Do you have a particular city in mind?”
“Yeah. When I was young, I wanted to live someplace that was always warm. If I never see another flake of snow again, it’ll be way too soon. What do you think about moving to Miami?”
She paused. “I don’t know.”
Mel rubbed some more baby oil on her right foot, then slipped a white cotton sock onto it. “What about Los Angeles or Phoenix?”
“Los Angeles sounds better.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Bigger city. More jobs.”
Yeah, that made sense. “Do you think we could do that, baby?”
Adrienne sighed. “I can’t think beyond that pile of bills in my closet, Mel. Will you ask me again when they’re all paid off?”
Their eyes met. She leaned down, and they exchanged a kiss. Mel wondered silently if his marriage was really back on track, or if God was just playing some kind of game with him.
PART THREE
GOOD-BYE TO YESTERDAY
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
From the look on her supervisor’s face, Adrienne was expecting bad news. She sat down on the edge of the chair and wondered what was going on.
Regina flung her red hair from her face in one fluid motion and waved a piece of paper in the air. “I have a memo here from Human Resources. You are being offered a promotion.”
Adrienne grinned broadly.
“The job title is talent manager, and you’ll be reporting to Lloyd Cooper, but I’m sure you already knew that.” She waited for Adrienne’s response, and when Adrienne didn’t rise to the bait, she continued. “The starting salary is fifty thousand dollars per year.”
Adrienne gasped. That was twenty thousand more than her current salary. She could pay off her bills in no time. “Are you sure?”
Regina wordlessly handed the memo to Adrienne. “See Mary Gibbons in Human Resources to complete the paperwork.”
Adrienne stood up. “Thanks, Regina.”
Regina’s smile was frosty. “Good luck to you, Adrienne.”
Adrienne was headed out the door when Regina called out behind her. “Oh, one more thing. As soon as you’re done in Human Resources, Lloyd Cooper would like to see you.”
Adrienne rushed through her paperwork, barely listening to the Human Resources representative. Then she hurried to Lloyd’s office. She stood in the doorway. “So you worked it out with Mallory Guest. I’m not surprised. Thank you for the job.”
Lloyd smirked at her remark about Mallory, and then they grinned at each other just like the mischievous youngsters they used to be.
“When do I start?” she asked.
“Is tomorrow morning soon enough?”
The next morning, Adrienne stood silently in unit 6 and watched the men from Office Services load two cardboard boxes of her belongings onto a hand truck. Sherry sullenly watched the proceedings, too. “Don’t forget about us chickens still cooped up in the henhouse,” she said.
Adrienne smiled. “I won’t forget you since I’m sure you’ll be coming upstairs to visit me quite often.”
She waved good-bye to Sherry and followed the workers out of the cubicle and upstairs to her new office, which was directly opposite Lloyd Coope
r’s. She turned on the lights and was pleasantly surprised to find that the office was decorated in alternating shades of beige and mauve, with the desk, file cabinet, and floor-to-ceiling bookcase in a light shade of wood.
After the workmen left, Adrienne sat down in her brand-new chair and twirled around, waving her arms gleefully. When the chair stopped spinning, Lloyd Cooper was standing in her doorway, a playful smile on his face.
“Hey, there, gorgeous,” he said.
Adrienne placed her hands flat on the desk and assumed a crisp, professional air.
“Good morning, Lloyd,” she replied.
He beckoned. “Come with me. I’ll take you down the hall to Mallory’s office. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
Adrienne gulped nervously. “I’m looking forward to meeting her, also.”
Lloyd sat down on the edge of her desk and caressed her cheek lightly with his fingertip. “Don’t worry, Adrienne, I’m ready to catch you if you fall.”
Adrienne pushed his finger away. What kind of payback did he expect in return for his generosity? “Lloyd, I’m a married woman,” she said sternly. “Please don’t forget that.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t expect you to sleep with me, for God’s sake. You gave me pity sex once. Let’s not add sexual harassment to the mix.”
Adrienne was mortified. She followed him down the hallway without saying another word.
Mallory Guest had flawless caramel skin, which set off to perfection the red outfit she was wearing. She wore her long, jet-black hair in thick, glossy twists that gently swept her shoulders and framed her perfect features as though someone had sculpted her face instead of letting it form on its own. When she smiled, her straight, white, even teeth seemed to glisten and draw even more attention to her curvy red lips. She carried her body with grace and self-assurance. Like a lady who has always had everything.
“Pleased to meet you, Adrienne,” she said. Her voice had an easy sweetness. Adrienne unconsciously smoothed her clothes.
Her office was beautifully decorated to resemble a studio apartment. It even had a hardwood floor instead of carpeting. A Luther Vandross CD played softly in the background. Mallory gestured toward an apricot-colored sofa. “Please have a seat. Lloyd, I’ll see you later.” It was a dismissal.
A Mighty Love Page 15
