North Star (10 page)

She placed the fish on the sink and turned to her brother. “Why, Graham? Why would he do this?”

“I don’t know, but from the looks of things, he’s worn out his welcome.”

“Coward. After all I’ve done for him. Now I’m faced with law enforcement officers at my door, dead fish in my living room, and an incensed neighbor in the unit below. I really know how to pick them.” Laila shook her head as walked toward the toilet.

“Don’t you think Diva deserves more than the royal flush? She is part of the family,” Graham offered as he joined her.

“You’re right. I’ll take her to the river as soon as I get this place cleaned up.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give my service a call. I’m sure they could handle this.” Graham pulled his cell phone from his pocket and made the arrangements. “Tell Larry I’ll lower the price of his next advertisement in
Psyche
for prompt service. Thanks.”

Laila moved to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. “Graham, I need to take a few days off to change the locks, answer questions at the station, and get my head together.”

“You got it. Next month’s layout looks great, so take all the time that you need. Do you want to tell me what exactly happened?”

“I’m not really sure. We were having some problems, but nothing we couldn’t work out.” Laila tossed the white wine down her throat, savoring the burn. Anything to take her mind off Diva Angel. “He seemed to be a little more condescending these days, but I didn’t think we couldn’t work through it.”

“Sounds like your committed relationship wasn’t all that committed. I think he wanted his articles published more than he wanted you in his life.” Graham replaced the cork in the wine bottle and placed it in her refrigerator.

“So it seems.” Laila grasped the refrigerator handle.

Graham placed his hand over Laila’s. “You deserve a man who will see your wonderful attributes. If all he sees is what you lack or what you can’t provide, then his exit was for the best, La La. Remember that.”

Laila studied the empty glass in her hand. “You better get back to work. I can handle this from here.”

“Okay.” Graham hugged her tightly as he kissed the top of her head. Laila drew comfort from Graham’s embrace. Knowing her brother’s temper, Malcolm had better stay out of sight for a while.

Laila sighed when she watched Graham’s car fade into the distance. As tempted as she was to have more wine, she wasn’t going to drink her misery away. The same problems would face her when the buzz evaporated. Malcolm wanted attention, and once he realized how their childish argument wasn’t a reason to do away with all the good of their relationship, they’d work it out. They were adults, for Pete’s sake.

Refusing to wait another minute, she picked up her cordless phone in the kitchen and dialed Malcolm’s cell phone number.

“Hello?”

“What happened to my fish tank?”

“Don’t you use that tone with me. It’s all your fault, not supporting me. I got mad and threw one of the phones. I didn’t mean to hit the tank.”

“What were you thinking? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Why did you let my fish die?

“I’m sure you’re handling it.”

“That’s beside the point,” she said as she walked into her living room, her shoes squishing on the soaked carpeting. “Where are you?”

“I’m getting some sleep. Is that all that you wanted...to yell about the tank?”

Heat flashed to her face. She wanted to scream at him about Diva Angel, but she drew a deep breath instead. “Are you coming back?”

Malcolm sighed into the phone. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why? We need to talk about this. You can be mad, but we need to fix this.”

“Listen, this isn’t what I expected.”

“What are you talking about? Are you trying to break up with me?” Panic shot through her body. She couldn’t lose Malcolm. He was all she had. She loved him.

“I don’t think this is going to work.”

“We have a few disagreements and you’re breaking up with me like this...over the phone?  You can’t end it this way. Say it to my face.”

“Fine, I’ll drop by in a few days, but I think you’re only delaying the inevitable.”

The coldness of his words cut her deeply.

“Why are you giving up on us? We’ve been together for ten months, Malcolm. I love you, don’t you love me?”

Sighing, he replied, “Yes, I love you. Why are you asking me that? It’s not going to work. I’ll come by in a few days and we’ll talk then, okay? I really need to get some sleep, so I can write later. Bye.”

“Bye,” she whispered as she sat near the damp carpet of her living room, listening to the dial tone. She had never heard such finality in his voice. She loved him unconditionally, and yet he was walking away from all that she offered. She wanted to redial his number and remind him of all the good things they had together, but she knew he wouldn’t answer. His voice was void of compassion. He viewed her as a nuisance, and she knew crueler words would follow if she insisted they talk again.

The ringing doorbell startled Laila from her thoughts. She opened the door to see a small crew of cleaners ready to put her living room back in order. She straightened her spine and flatly stated, “Right this way.”

Chapter 8

Caresse surveyed her closet and couldn’t find anything worth wearing for her evening date with Graham. He told her to dress casual for a relaxing evening of fun, but nothing jumped out as the perfect outfit.

Suddenly the phone rang, and Caresse leaped up to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Nyla, how are you? Are you having fun with Diane?”

“I’m fine, but I miss you. I want you have fun, too.”

“Oh, I miss you too sweetheart, and don’t worry about me. I’m having fun.”

“You are?”

“Yes, I went to the park today. It wasn’t the one we usually go to, but I promise to take you and Messina there when you get home, okay?”

“Okay. Guess what we did today, Mommy?”

“Oh, honey I can’t guess. You know Diane planned too many fun things for you two for me to remember. Did you go to the movies, or is that tomorrow?”

“No Mommy, we went to Great Adventure. Tomorrow we go to the movies and a carnival.” Nyla laughed. “Hey, one minute, Messina wants to talk to you, too. Hold on, okay?”

“Okay.”

Caresse suddenly heard heavy breathing, followed by munching.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, Messina, it’s Mommy.”

“Mommy, we’re having big, big fun. And Diane let me help make meatloaf for dinner. Want me to bring you some?”

“No, I’m fine, but you can teach me what you learned the next time I make meatloaf, okay?”

“Okay. I got to go now. We need to wash our hands so we can set the table. I love you.”

“I love you, too, honey. Bye.”

Caresse heard Diane telling the girls to wash both sides of their hands before she picked up the phone. “Hey you. How’s it going?”

“I think I should be asking you that. Aren’t the girls wearing you out?”

“Not at all. Some of my high school students accompanied us to Great Adventures, so I had extra hands to make sure they had a fun time. So what’s on the agenda for tonight? Working out while watching Next Top Model or a pay-per-view movie?”

“Hey, are you calling me a TV junkie?”

“That all depends on your plans.”

“I’m going out tonight, if I can find something casual, yet fabulous, to wear.”

“Oooh, you know I want the details, but I need to get these two fed. Promise to give me the dirt on Sunday.”

“Only if you help me figure out my latest closet dilemma.”

“Deal. Wear your dark blue, low-rise Gap jeans with a white tank. Accessorize with your silver jeweled belt and the white gold chandelier earrings I gave you for your birthday.”

“Mmm, a classic style personalized. I like it. I’ll leave my neck bare and take a white blazer in case I get cold. Thanks.”

“No problem. I’ll talk to you soon, Bye.”

Caresse raced to her closet and pulled the clothes from her closet. When she glanced at her image in the mirror, she delighted in the simplicity. It made her figure the focal point, not the clothes.

She pulled her hair into a low ponytail and brushed bronzer over her face. Before she could finish her makeup, the doorbell rang.

When she opened the door, Graham was standing there in jeans and oatmeal colored T-shirt. He gave her a sideward glance until she motioned him to enter.

“I’m almost ready. Let me put something on my lips, and I’ll be right with you.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. “There’s only one thing you need on your lips.” His kiss was gentle and probing, causing a stir deep in her body.

“That was nice, but I was thinking along the lines of a lip moisturizer.”

“So, was I.”

“I mean a protectant.”

“So was I.” His mouth curved as he leaned in for a kiss.

Caresse shook her head as she playfully pushed him away and headed upstairs to get her purse and blazer.

Graham walked around her living room, noticing Caresse enjoyed light earth tones in her design style. Tans, wheat, and rust warmed her living space along with a large portrait of two little girls that reminded him of her. “Is this you and your sister?”

“I don’t have a sister,” she called out.

As he inched closer, he noticed the smaller framed family photos on her bookshelf. The three framed photos showed little girls playing happily at the beach, another of them dressed up for Easter Sunday, and the final of the napping beauties resting on Caresse as she read a story. He picked up the last photo and noticed the loving placement of Caresse’s hand on one of the girl’s backs.

“That’s one of my favorite photos of them,” she said from the staircase behind him.

When their eyes met, he searched her face, then stared at the photo in his hands. “They’re yours!”

It was a statement, not a question. Caresse had been here before. “They are the best of me and the joy of my life.”

Graham placed the photo back in its place. He stepped closer to the mantle, frowning. “So, I guess this means I have to get you home at a decent hour.”

“It’s a work night, so a decent drop-off time would be nice. But for future reference, I wouldn’t agree to a date if I hadn’t secured proper supervision for my daughters.”

“Good, you have that covered, so what time would you like to be home?”

“By eleven o’clock.”

He said, “Fine. Let’s get this second date underway before the clock runs out.”

They entered his car and headed north on the New Jersey Turnpike. The calm jazz sounds of Kem filled the car. Graham wondered if he should continue his questions about Caresse’s daughters. He should have asked her if she had children from the start, but the thought had never crossed his mind. He wondered if they were from the same father, but how in the world would he ask her that without sounding like a complete idiot?

“You’re very quiet,” Caresse commented as she studied his profile.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to be.”

“You want to ask me about my daughters?”

He glanced at her, amazed that she could read his demeanor so well. “I figure you’ll tell me whatever you want me to know. It’s not for me to pry. I know you love your daughters and that’s enough for now.”

“Liar.”

“What did you call me?”

“A liar.”

“I don’t lie, Caresse.”

“Okay then. What I
meant
to say is...you really have a hard time being honest with women.”

“What? I don’t believe this?”

“Graham, you know as well as I do that you wonder where my daughters are, if I’m sleeping with my ex, and if I’m shopping for a substitute father.”

Graham stared at her as if she’d grown another head. He didn’t know what he’d done to put her in this particular mood, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. This wasn’t going to ruin the date he planned.

“Okay, fine. I want to know those things, but like I said before, I can wait until you tell me. If you want to tell me the situation now, I’ll listen, but I’m in no way pressuring a beautiful woman to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the night.”

“I don’t want to spoil the night, either, so I’ll give you the condensed version. My daughters are from my first and only marriage. I don’t sleep with or date my ex-husband, but we do talk sometimes for our daughters’ welfare. The girls, Nyla and Messina, are with my cousin, Diane, enjoying some summer fun at the beach, and a person’s financial situation isn’t a part of my dating criteria.”

“Nyla and Messina are nice names. Which is the oldest?”

“Nyla, she’s nine, and Messina is seven.”

“Okay, one more question, and we’ll leave this subject alone.”

“Shoot.”

“If the right guy came along, could you see yourself married and having more kids?”

She unfolded her arms and played with the band of her watch. “Any girl would love to have children with the man she loved.”

“I’m not asking any girl. I’m asking you, Caresse.”

Her voice was almost an inaudible sigh. “With the right man, I’d want nothing less.”

Half an hour later, they arrived at a large North Jersey estate. The grounds were immaculate, and the mansion was massive. Caresse glanced down at her outfit and wondered if she looked presentable. When Graham slowed the car, she gazed nervously at him.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going in there. We are going to the stables in the back. It pays to have friends in publishing.” He maneuvered his car deep into the plush grounds. It was close to sunset, so the sun cast a sienna glow over two horses waiting in the circle corral.

“Have you ever been on a horse?” Eyebrow raised, he slanted a glance at her.

“It’s been a while. Are we going for a ride?”

“I was hoping we could, if you’re up for the adventure. Don’t worry about steering these horses. They know the trails in their sleep. The black colt is named Kiro. He’s swift and powerful. He enjoys galloping and jumping, so it takes a bit of strength to rein him in. The brown mare is Kenya. She’s a couple years older and has a gentle temperament. I think you’ll like her.”

“You think?”

He parked the car and assisted Caresse from her passenger’s seat. “Come on, I want to introduce you.”

Graham helped Caresse pick her saddle and taught her how to secure it properly. After checking the horses’ hoofs for any irregularities, he pointed toward the field they needed to cross to get to the river trail he wanted to show her.

“So it’s over this field and by the water?”

“Yes, we’ll be following the stream into a small opening of land. I thought we could—”

“Sounds good,” she yelled as she placed her foot into Kiro’s stirrup and hoisted herself into the saddle. With the swift kick of her heels and the tight squeeze of her thighs, Caresse urged Kiro to gallop hard toward the water. “Let’s get a move on, we’re fighting daylight,” she shouted as she glanced over her shoulder.

He started to call out after her, when it suddenly dawned on him why Caresse was so adamant on using his favorite saddle on Kenya. She did not intend to ride the horse he’d selected for her. She wanted Kiro and the way she was riding at full gallop, he knew she was getting him back for treating her like a novice.

Graham stared, tongue-tied at his arrogance and briskly mounted the remaining horse. With a powerful kick of his heels and a stern command, Kenya followed the dust trail Caresse had left behind.

Caresse threw back her head in triumph as she raced toward the river’s edge. She couldn’t blame Graham for doing the stereotypical ‘men know everything and you know nothing’ routine. It was as old as time, and almost expected at some point of a date. Maybe I’m being a little hard on him, she thought as she slowed Kiro down as she reached the river’s rocky soil. Graham was right. Kiro loved to gallop in open spaces. She enjoyed the way he made her feel like she was flying. It had been a long time since she’d felt such freedom, and she warmly stroked his mane to show her appreciation for a magnificent ride.

“You and Kiro must be very pleased with yourselves. That was some hell of a ride.”

Caresse said, “Yes, beating you has definite benefits. Is this the point where you tell me I had no busy riding this horse?”

Graham brought Kenya closer so he could grasp Caresse’s hand in his own. “No, this is where I congratulate the winner for outfoxing me.” He gently lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her hand. “I’ll never under estimate you again.”

Caresse could feel warmth rushing to her face as she acknowledged the gesture. The feel of his lips caused a slight tremor in her stomach. “It’s nice to know you’re a gracious loser.”

Graham contemplated her words as they slowly rode downstream. “By no means am I
a gracious loser
. I hate losing, and with two brothers always trying to get one up on their big brother, I make it a point not to lose too often.”

“You have a sister and two brothers?”

“Actually, I have two sisters. My parents had five kids total. Janet, me, Jaiden, Latrell, and Laila. How about you, any siblings?”

“I have my younger brother, Xavier, and, like you, he doesn’t like to lose, either.”

The beauty of the sunset silenced their words as they took in the nature surrounding them. Graham took the lead and guided Caresse toward an opening, where a beautiful table was set for a romantic dinner for two. After dismounting and tying the horses to a nearby resting post, Graham helped Caresse from Kiro’s back. As Caresse felt herself gathered in Graham’s embrace, she naturally wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

“Everything looks beautiful,” she whispered as he placed her on the ground.

“Let’s hope the wine is still chilled and the food is still hot and not the other way around.”

“It’s the effort that counts, and for that I thank you.” She pulled him toward her and kissed him.

Graham deepened the kiss and lifted her off the ground. She could feel the hardening of his body against the meeting of her thighs, and a part of her became hot and pouty. A sudden need raced through her veins as his tongue explored her mouth with vigor and need. She felt her nipples harden against his chest, and she pulled away to catch her breath.

Her lust was mirrored in his eyes as she waited for her heart to slow its rhythm. Graham placed her back on the ground and took her hand in his. “Let’s eat before I forget about this food.”

Each place setting was covered with silver-domed lid, so the food was hot and scrumptious. Caresse happily enjoyed the pasta primavera in the lantern-lit setting. The portable stereo, playing an assortment of R&B, was a nice touch. At one point, she found herself wondering if it was possible to believe in fairy-tale endings, then she remembered he believed she was going to sleep with him. She had to remain focused. She needed to get the article completed for community center, not get caught up in a ploy for a sexual tryst.

“How’s the article for the center coming along?” she asked before she sipped more pinot grigo.

Graham stopped eating and rested his forearms on the table. “It’s coming along nicely. I would like to bring a few photographers to the center this week, if it can be arranged.”

“I can get you an available day and time tomorrow. I’m sure Yvette would more than pleased to help you in any way.”

“And what about you, are you still willing to help me?”

“Of course. Is there additional information you would like to know?”

“Yes, but not about the center. I want to know more about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, I know the article is the reason you agreed to go out with me, but I’m enjoying your company, so tell me a little about yourself. Whatever you want to share.”

Caresse struggled to think of something to say, without revealing her troubled relationships. “There’s nothing much to talk about. My life is quite boring, actually. I’m a divorced woman, raising two beautiful daughters, working for a law firm, helping the community by teaching at the center, and I attend church every Sunday.”