Deadly Satisfaction (10 page)

P
HILLIP

I
f there was one valuable lesson that Phillip could say his father had taught him, it was the importance of being on time. Phillip was always prompt in whatever he did, and tonight was no exception. He'd arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel nearly twenty minutes early with the anticipation of meeting Donetta. The hotel was one of his favorites, and in his opinion, it ranked above the prized Four Seasons in both quality and service. He wanted to show Donetta a good time, and he knew this was a great place to have what he considered to be their first date.

He'd thought Donetta was beautiful when he first saw her walk through the door at Sebastian's a few hours ago. But when she sashayed into the bar of the Roosevelt Hotel, he realized that she wasn't just beautiful; she was a work of art. He sat in his chair and took in every inch of her tall, elegant presence until she reached the table.

He appreciated a woman who knew how to wear a pair of jeans, and he thought Donetta could teach a class on how to pull off the look. Her curves were delicate, and nearly hypnotizing in their effect. He loved the way her body swayed from side to side when she walked, like a gentle breeze. When he stood to hug her, he'd wanted to give her a full-frontal embrace, but he was cognizant to remain respectful, so instead he lightly wrapped his right arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss on the apple of her smooth cheek. He loved that she smelled good, not too sweet and not too bold, but a great combination of something in between.

They settled into their seats and ordered drinks and crab cakes. Phillip watched as Donetta sipped on the dirty martini that she'd said she'd been craving earlier that evening. He'd ordered a Scotch, and savored the taste of the Glenlivet 25, which went down smooth. He was glad that Donetta seemed more relaxed than she'd appeared to be when she'd first sat down. He didn't know if credit for that should go to the alcohol, to him, or both, but whatever the cause, he was appreciative.

The more he talked with Donetta, the more fascinated he became. One of the first things most women asked him within a few minutes of meeting him was, “What do you do?” DC was a power city, and in many circles, unless one could pinpoint your socioeconomic strata, they wouldn't entertain a conversation with you. He'd gotten so accustomed to being asked the question that he'd come to expect it right away. But after talking with Donetta in the grocery store about the holidays, their favorite foods, and what kind of music they each liked, the first question she'd actually asked him was, “You don't live with your mama, do you?” He'd laughed and told her that he lived in Washington, DC, and that he was in town visiting family for the holidays. He thought she'd follow up with the what-do-you-do question, but instead she'd simply pushed her cart and scanned the aisle for Ritz Crackers. And even now, she still hadn't asked him what he did for a living.

“I'm intrigued by you,” Phillip said, taking a sip of his drink. “I know you're a hairstylist because you mentioned it when we were shopping, and it's written on the business card you gave me. But you have no idea what I do, yet you agreed to meet me here, why?”

Donetta tilted her head to the side and reached for a crab cake with her fork. “Um, correction. I'm a stylist,
and
I'm also the
D
in G&D Hair Design.”

“You're a business owner.” He smiled. “Congratulations. How long have you been in business?”

“I've been doing hair since college, but my best friend and I didn't open our salon until nearly two years ago.”

“Very impressive, Donetta.”

She smiled politely. “Thank you.”

“Now, tell me, are you avoiding my question on purpose, or do you just not care?”

Donetta drank the last of her martini and moved the glass to the side. “No, I'm not avoiding your question, and yes, I do care what you do for a living. I'm not the kind of girl who'll date a brother who doesn't have his shit together. I have standards.”

“I see.” He chuckled.

“There's something you should know about me.” She paused and looked him in the eyes. “I curse . . . a lot.”

Phillip couldn't help but laugh. “Get outta here.”

“I know, right? But I'm working on it.”

“I like that you say what you think and feel. It's refreshing.” Phillip gave her another smile. “Now back to my question.”

“I didn't have to ask what you do for a living because I already knew five minutes into our conversation in the grocery store.”

“Really? What is it that you think I do?”

“You break women's hearts.”

Phillip was startled by her answer, which he hadn't expected.

“I'm sorry,” Donetta said as she bit into her crab cake. “I meant to say you're
a lawyer
who breaks women's hearts.”

Phillip shifted in his seat. “I don't think that's any better. But you did get the lawyer part right. How did you know?”

“Because you know how to ask invasive questions without coming off too pushy, and you pay attention to the small details of everything. You're well-spoken and very direct, and you leave very little room for rebuttal once you know what you want . . . like luring me out of my pj's in the middle of the night to have a drink with you at this bar.”

Phillip leaned back in his seat and observed Donetta even closer than he had before. Beyond the lovely features of her face, she possessed something that he thought was a thousand times more beautiful, and that was her genuinely honest spirit. She wasn't pretentious like most of the attractive and accomplished women he knew. Donetta could easily be a model, and even be stuck on herself because of her beauty and entrepreneurial achievements. But instead, she was down-to-earth and sincere in the things she said and did. He was used to women saying things to impress him. But Donetta didn't do that, and she'd actually launched a few unintentional insults his way.

He had to admit that she was right about everything she'd said, including the part about breaking women's hearts. Although he was always up front about not wanting a serious commitment, a few of his relationships had ended in broken hearts and hard feelings. “Donetta, you're something else,” Phillip said, giving her a wink.

“Tell me something I don't know.”

When she blinked her long lashes and smiled back at him, Phillip wanted to kiss her, but he knew he needed to bide his time. He also knew he had to deal with the question he could sense was coming.

“So . . . how many hearts have you broken?” Donetta asked.

There it was. Phillip shifted in his seat. “I'm a very honest person, and I'm sensitive to others' emotions, that's why I'm always straight-up about my intentions, what I want and what I don't want. That minimizes broken hearts. But I can't control how others will react, I can only control how I handle things.”

“You just said a lot of stuff, but I don't understand how that answers my question.”

When the server came by to see if they wanted more drinks, they both ordered another round. Phillip knew he needed to keep his wits about him because Donetta was quick on her feet, and he wanted to be prepared to answer whatever she threw at him. The bartender was efficient because by the time the server walked back to the bar, another server was bringing out their drinks.

Donetta glided her finger across the rim of her glass. “What is it that you want and don't want in a relationship?” she asked.

“That depends on who the particular woman is. To be honest, I can't remember the last serious relationship I had. And when I say serious, I mean an exclusive commitment.”

“Me either.”

Phillip shook his head from side to side. “C'mon, Donetta. I know you said you haven't dated in a while, but do you really expect me to believe that you can't remember the last serious relationship you were in?”

“I believed you, so why is it so hard for you to believe me?”

“Because you're a beautiful woman, and men don't let beautiful women go unattached for long. Is it by choice?”

Donetta shook her head. “While I appreciate that compliment, in no way does being attractive mean a man will want to make a commitment to you. You're gonna make me start giving you the side-eye if you keep saying crazy shit like that.”

Phillip laughed. “What I said isn't crazy, it's real.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Okay, let's take the premise of a serious relationship off the table and talk simply about dating. Before tonight, how long has it been since you were on a date?”

“Six months.”

Again, Phillip was in disbelief, and he found it hard to fathom that the amazing woman sitting across from him was dateless and alone. His degrees in psychology and law, combined with his natural ability to think logically, had all made him an excellent judge of character. Donetta had been right when she'd said he paid attention to everything, because he'd been sizing her up from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. He'd watched her every move and had listened carefully to the answers she gave and the comments she made, and so far, nothing she'd said or done had been contradictory. Being the rational-thinking person he was, he knew that her lackluster love life had to be self-imposed. “Having a date and making a commitment are two different things. I believe the only reason you haven't been on a date in so long is because you haven't wanted to.”

“Partly yes, and partly no. I've kissed so many frogs in my life I may as well own a lily pad in a pond.”

“Wow, that bad?”

“You have no idea,” Donetta replied as they shared a laugh. “But I'm serious. I've been in some very unhealthy, dysfunctional relationships.”

“I can identify with that. You women can be a trip.”

“And you men can be ruthless.”

The moment the words came out of her mouth, Phillip knew that was where the sadness that he'd seen in her eyes in the restaurant had come from. She'd experienced deep hurt at the hands of a man. He couldn't imagine how anyone lucky enough to be involved with Donetta could abuse that honor. But then again, he knew it didn't have as much to do with who she was, as it did with who they weren't. He thought about how his brave and beautiful mother had fallen victim to his father for so many years until she couldn't take it any longer. “I'm sorry you've been hurt,” Phillip said. “Some men are straight-up fools, some just don't care, and some have never been shown love, so they really have no idea how to operate in that emotion.”

Now it was Donetta's turn to lean back in her chair. “I completely disagree with that last part.”

“What I'm trying to say is, how can you understand or appreciate something that you've never known or experienced? And that doesn't only apply to men, women can be the same way. If you've never been shown love, chances are you're not going to be good at showing it, or even recognizing it.”

Donetta shook her head and re-crossed her long legs. “That's true about it not being gender-specific because anyone can be an uncaring asshole. But I still disagree with what you said about love.”

“Tell me why.” Phillip enjoyed seeing the spark of energy in her eyes and in her body, and he liked the fact that Donetta spoke her mind and challenged him. “I'm all ears.”

“We all have a choice, that's what free will is all about. Everyone wants to be loved, period. Even the most hard-core badass wants a soft place to land, and to know that someone's in their corner. That's why God made Eve for Adam, so he would have companionship and that he wouldn't be alone. Love is a human desire we're wired with from the time we take our first breath.”

“How about the person who's not wired for love and doesn't have a clue?”

“I don't buy that, because love is natural. People just express it differently.”

Phillip stared at her. “You really believe that?”

“Yes, I do. My late grandma Winnie used to tell me all the time that the only person who could set limits on my life was me. I believed that then, and I believe it now. That's why even though I can't remember ever seeing an example of a truly healthy relationship growing up, and I've had some shitty ones of my own—and I'm talkin' commode-style—I know that ultimately it's up to me to create my own happiness, and that starts and ends with the choices I make. Like I said, free will.”

“Your grandmother was a wise woman.”

“Yes, she was. She taught me a lot, and I miss her dearly.” Donetta's eyes flashed with sadness. She took a deep breath and smiled. “It's because of her that I know anything is possible. Just because someone has never seen an example of a loving relationship, it doesn't mean they don't know how to love or that they won't ever experience it. They'll simply have to work hard to get it. We all do, whether we've been damaged or not.”

Phillip shook his head. “I appreciate and respect what you're saying, but some people don't have the capacity to . . .” Phillip stopped in midsentence because once again, he thought about his father.
Damn!
He realized he was about to argue the case to excuse his father's inability to be a good, loving husband and father. Then it occurred to Phillip that he was also trying to justify why he'd never wanted to commit to anyone. It wasn't that he didn't have the capacity, it was that he simply didn't have the desire. He cleared his throat. “On second thought, I stand corrected. I think you might be on to something.”

Donetta raised her brow. “What caused your sudden change of mind?”