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Authors: Trice Hickman

BOOK: Playing the Hand You're Dealt
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Brenda's mind flashed back to the steamy passion they had shared during their night of wanton pleasure. She wouldn't miss another chance to be with him for all the Valentino pumps on Saks' shelves. “Of course,” she chirped enthusiastically. “I'm looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Are you sure you can't make it up this weekend? I'm off tomorrow and we could spend the entire day together.”
The idea of lying in bed with Harry was deliciously appealing, but Brenda knew she had to stay focused on her goals. As good a lover as Harry was, he couldn't match the items on her list, which included a prestigious board position and further notoriety in her social circle. “I wish I could, but I have relatives coming into town that I haven't seen in years,” Brenda lied, not wanting him to know all of her business. After all, even though he was handsome, kind, and amazing in bed, he was just a fling.
“I understand. Family is important and I'm glad you value that,” Harry said in a sincere tone.
“Yes, family is all that matters.”
They talked a few minutes longer, flirting and reminiscing about their passionate night together before they ended their call.
Brenda was glad that she had the good forethought to volunteer on the planning committee for her sorority's spring cotillion. It was the perfect excuse for staying out until the wee hours of the morning. And once she was confirmed on the board of directors for the Rock Creek Family Support Collaborative, she would have all the more reason to be absent from home with good cause. Harry was only a quick train ride away, and she intended to use that time for their secret trysts.
Brenda smiled as she steered her car into her garage and walked through her beautifully landscaped flower garden. In twenty-four hours her backyard would be the scene of one of the most lavish social events of the season, and she couldn't wait. All of her plans were working out, and she gave herself a pat on the back for orchestrating such a wonderful life.
Chapter 17
Emily . . .
 
 
 
 
Dangerously Sexy and Bold
 
I
t was naptime, and the kids were resting peacefully on their mats. This was the only quiet time I had during the course of my workday, so I usually tried to make the most of it. I charted out lesson plans, graded papers, and caught up on the e-mails I received from parents, other faculty, and staff. But today I did none of those things. I spent my quiet time daydreaming about Ed. I hadn't been able to get him off my mind since he showed up here yesterday afternoon.
We met in one of the small conference rooms that was rarely used. I made sure that I arrived early because I knew I'd need the extra time to gather my thoughts. I was determined not to make any slips and vowed that I would keep my composure. I was going to control my emotions and mask my wanting. I even practiced what I was going to say to him. But the brilliant pep talk I'd given myself had been useless because when Ed walked into the room I lost all train of thought.
Discreetly, I admired his polished navy suit, crisp white shirt, and pewter gray tie. His broad shoulders were impressive and perfectly squared, allowing his jacket to drape him as though he was born in it. Ed's sense of style was impeccable, and his aura was dangerously sexy and bold. I wanted and loved everything about him. And although I knew I shouldn't have, I allowed myself to relish in the wonderful scent of his Bulgari cologne as he settled into the chair beside me.
Ever since those intense moments we shared last weekend during my move, I knew we were inching closer toward the feelings that had been simmering for years. But I was still hesitant to embrace it because there was so much at stake. It was ironic that our happiness would ultimately result in someone else's pain, or as Ruben had foretold, something deadly.
After I told Ed the real reason for my call, I was almost sorry I shared it with him. Thank goodness I opted not to use Ruben's name because Ed lumped my story about people with
the gift,
and Ruben's premonition, into the category of nut jobs similar to the con artists on late-night infomercials. He didn't think much of the whole idea, and at one point it crossed my mind that he might once again suggest the name of a good therapist I could visit.
Nonetheless, I was glad I got it off my chest. I passed my test and was ready to leave the room, but Ed flipped things around, shifting the dynamics and the mood. He scooted his chair close to mine, leaned over, and started questioning me about why I wanted to warn
him
in particular. My motive was obvious and there was no denying my feelings.
“Those I love,” I had said. I gave myself away when I let those three little words slip from my tongue, and there was no secret tunnel that could lead me out of where I had gone. I knew it, he knew it, and the familiar heat that rose between our bodies confirmed it. We expressed our feelings for each other without using words. Our truth was suspended in the way I looked at him, the way he inhaled the air around me, and the way my chest pounded when he sat so close I could literally feel him. It was all around us, and it felt glorious and frightening all at once.
Sitting here in my classroom, I continued to daydream about Ed, somehow making it through until the last bell signaled the end of the school day. As one part of my life was about to end, another was set to begin. It was Friday afternoon, the beginning of the weekend. And not just any weekend, it was my birthday weekend. Tomorrow was the big day. At approximately five fourteen in the morning, I planned to kiss my twenties good-bye and welcome my thirties in with open arms.
Samantha and I had spent every birthday together since we were nineteen. No matter where we were or what we were doing, we made sure we were together on our shared day. And because we would be spending this year at a party that neither of us wanted to attend, we decided to celebrate tonight. But that was before Tyler came back on the scene.When Samantha called me earlier today to confirm our date, I told her that we could hang out at another time. I knew she wanted to spend as much time with Tyler as she could before he returned to Atlanta. But she insisted that we keep our dinner date.
“We can have dinner next week,” I told her. “You and Tyler need to spend time together while you can. Besides, we'll see each other tomorrow night at our party.”
“Emily, I don't know why you're trippin',” Samantha said. “Men can come and go, but a true girlfriend, a sister, can never be replaced. Tyler and I can spend time together after I get home. Tonight, you and I are gonna have some good drinks and a great time.”
She was the best friend I could ever have. “Samantha, I love you! Thanks for sacrificing your evening with Tyler just to hang out with little ol' me.”
“Girl,
no man
will ever come between us.”
My palms sweated as my mind flashed to images of Ed. I hoped Samantha would remember those words because I had a feeling they would be tested sooner than she thought.
Chapter 18
Samantha . . .
 
 
 
 
A Big Mistake
 
I
woke up this morning feeling as if I was on a cloud. But it wasn't because today was the start of the weekend, or because it was one day away from my birthday. I was floating because Tyler and I had confessed our love for each other and had spent the last six days making up for the last six years. He cooked me breakfast from the groceries he picked up yesterday. I tried to help, but ended up burning the toast. He said it was okay, scraped off the black crusty parts, and slathered on some jam. He was so sweet.
After we ate,Tyler headed over to the convention center for his final day of meetings and I called Emily to give her the skinny on my evening. She couldn't talk long because she had to start her class, but she was just as happy for me as I was for myself. She even wanted me to cancel our pre-birthday celebration tonight so I could spend time with Tyler. She was one of the most considerate people I knew. But I told her no way. As many times as she'd been there for me, I wouldn't dream of leaving her hanging. We had a true friendship. Even though her love life was in the toilet, she was ecstatic that I had finally reunited with the man of my dreams. It's hard to find people who want more for you than they have for themselves.
After we finished our conversation I got dressed and prepared to start my day. I was on my way out the door for a sales call to my new client at Bloomingdale's when I heard my cell phone ring. I usually ignored calls that came in unknown, but for some reason I decided to pick up. “Hello?” I said. I could hear the person breathing on the other end, but they didn't say anything. I was about to hang up just as I heard Carl's voice.
“You got everything moved in?” he asked.
I had blocked his number to avoid his calls, but now he'd circumvented that. It was something he was good at. He must have been calling on one of those pre-paid, non-traceable phones.Two years ago when he had to “get ghost” for a few months until some trouble blew over, his cousin, Ronnie, delivered one of those nondescript phones to me so Carl and I could communicate.
I prayed that Carl would just go away, but I knew that would never happen because even though we weren't good at it, we were parents, and our son would always keep us in each other's lives. But with all that said, I didn't have time for Carl's drama, especially since things had been going so well in my life without him. “Why do you keep calling me?” I asked.
“Why you got that chump all up in yo crib?”
I was silent for a moment.
“You fuckin' ol' boy or what?”
I put my handbag down, eased over to the window, and peered through my miniblinds. My face grew hot with anger when I saw Carl's shiny black Escalade parked directly across the street. “What the hell are you doing? Spying on me?” I yelled through the phone.
“Answer my fuckin' question.”
“I don't have to answer shit. This is my house and my life, and I'll have whoever I want in both!”
“You makin' a big mistake, Sam. A big mistake,” he said calmly.
Just then it occurred to me that Carl hadn't raised his voice once, not even when he cursed at me. I knew him well, and this was very strange and very wrong, so I decided to come at him a different way. “Listen, Carl. I don't want any trouble with you. We had some good times while they lasted, but now it's over. All I want to do is be happy and get on with my life. Please let me do that.”
As if from out of nowhere, Carl flew into a rage, just like he did last month at the restaurant. “That new crib you got and that new life you tryin' to lead can be over befo' yo ass can blink,” he yelled into the phone.
Oh, hell no! This fool had the nerve to threaten me for a second time. I was so pissed I forgot about trying to play nice. I had to bring this nonsense to a stop. “If you think you can make idle threats and get away with it, you've got another think coming. How about I blink my ass right over to the police station and let them know that Carl Tyrone Thomas of 1003 South Place just communicated a verbal threat to me and—”
The next thing I heard was silence on my end of the phone and the sound of Carl's tires speeding away outside. I watched as his truck made a right turn at the end of my block before he disappeared from sight.
I sank down onto my coach, slightly shaken. Just when I thought my life was finally headed in the right direction, a monkey wrench was thrown into the mix. “Well, I can't do anything sitting here on this couch,” I said aloud. I gathered my handbag, put on my game face, and hit the door.
After Carl's threatening phone call I went to see my clients like a good corporate employee, completed my paperwork, and sent e-mails to several new customers. Then, after I finished taking care of business, I headed to the police station. I was intent on getting Carl out of my life once and for all. But as I sat in my car, ready to go inside to file my complaint, a wave of second thoughts suddenly bombarded me. I knew that if I led the police to Carl's door he'd be furious and would retaliate in some way. The police were to Carl what doughnuts were to fashion models—the unthinkable! He was the only criminal I knew who'd never had the slightest brush with the law. It was an amazing feat, considering the fact that he was a black man who sold drugs for a living.
I wasn't sure what he would do to get back at me because he had been acting so strange and unpredictable lately. But what I did know was that Carl was very capable of starting some real shit, and he would probably try to drag Tyler into it. The thought made my stomach queasy. Then a more disturbing realization popped into my head, one that I had completely forgotten. Carl had a few officers in his pocket whom he paid to make his problems go away, one of the reasons why he'd never had trouble with the law. I remembered hearing his cousin, Ronnie, casually tell him that a few of their guys on the inside were going to need a little increase in order to keep looking the other way. At the time I pretended that I didn't understand what they meant. But growing up in a house that was ruled by the law, I knew the real deal.
I had to admit that I was a little worried because my initial theory was probably right. Carl might be using his own supply. What else could it be? Other than a woman, the only things that could make a man lose his mind, act irrational, and spin completely out of control were the loss of money or the use of drugs. And because Carl had plenty of loot and a few hoochies tucked away on the side to keep him happy, it had to be the drugs. If that was the case, this was a situation from which the police couldn't protect me. Being around Carl over the years had taught me that much. So I pulled out my phone and hit Emily on speed dial.
“Hey, Samantha, what's—”
“What time will you be home?” I asked, cutting her off.
“In about ten minutes. Why, what's wrong? Did you change your mind about going out tonight?”
I could hear the concern in Emily's voice, but I didn't want to go into too much over the phone. “I'm on my way to your place now and I'll tell you when I get there.”
I hung up the phone, flipped on my turn signal, and headed straight to Emily's house.
“This is what I was worried about when we spoke the other night,” Emily said to me. “Samantha, you've got to go to the authorities. Carl is dangerous, and the police can protect you from him.”
We were sitting on Emily's cushiony soft sofa. The aromatic smell of patchouli-scented candles and the soothing effect of her sienna-colored walls made me almost forget about my troubles. I took a sip of my Coke and shook my head. My naïve best friend still didn't understand, even after I had explained everything to her.
“The police have been trying to pin something on Carl for years but nothing ever sticks, and you know why?” I said, pausing as Emily looked on with anxiety. “Because Carl has officers in his pocket. If I file a complaint against him they'll be dialing his cell before I walk out the door.”
Emily sat her cup of green tea on the coffee table in front of us, shaking her head with worry. “There's got to be something you can do.”
“There is, I just haven't figured it out yet.”
“I knew it. This is the danger that Ruben spoke of. It's got to be.”
“What're you talking about?”
Emily tucked her legs under her hips, adjusting into a more comfortable position as she began to tell me about the premonition that Ruben had shared with her. Before I met Emily, I'd never heard of people with
the gift
, but where she grew up it wasn't uncommon for people to claim to have the power to see into the future and talk with spirits. It must be a Southern thing. In the city we called them psychics or scam artists. I remembered during our freshmen year of college, Emily told me about an old woman in her neighborhood who possessed such powers. I thought it was a crock of shit, but you couldn't convince my girl that the woman wasn't legit.
I loved Emily to death, but right now I couldn't get sucked into her or Ruben's supernatural foolishness. I had real-life issues to deal with. “Emily, I know you believe in that crap, but I don't. Yes, Carl is dangerous, and yes, he's been acting strange lately. But I honestly don't think he'd bring physical harm to me.”
“What makes you so sure? Samantha, he threatened you!”
“When it comes to me, Carl is all talk. If he really wanted to hurt me he would've done it this morning after Tyler left. But he didn't. Instead, he called me up and talked shit. He's just jealous and he's having a hard time dealing with the fact that I'm finally moving on for good this time.”
Emily let out a deep breath. “This doesn't sound good. Carl could fly into a fit of rage and snap, then you'd be six feet under.”
“He's not going to kill me.”
“Didn't he tell you that your life could be over before you could blink?”
I sighed. “His threats are just that, threats. I know that Carl is capable of a lot of things, but he'd never physically harm me. His ego is bruised because I rejected him, but he'll eventually get over it. I just have to make sure that he doesn't start any drama in the meantime.”
“I don't think you should take his threats lightly,” Emily said.
I nodded, full of lukewarm confidence. “I understand your concern, but trust me on this. Besides, once I mentioned that I would file a police report, you should've seen how fast he made tracks trying to get as far away from me as he could. He's got a few officers on the take, but not all of them.”
“Samantha, I warned you to be careful around Carl when I first got here, and now Ruben has predicted that someone I love is in serious danger and could lose their life. That someone has to be you, and I'm very afraid.”
I patted Emily's arm, trying to calm her—and myself. “Don't worry about a thing.You've been through a lot this year and I don't want you upset at a time that we should both be celebrating. I'm sorry I even mentioned this nonsense.”
“It's not nonsense, Samantha. I don't think you understand how serious this is.”
“What I understand is that tomorrow we'll be entering into an exciting new phase of our lives, and we're going to celebrate with each other like we always do, in spite of my mother's ridiculous party. And I understand that you haven't been laid in months and I'm going to make sure that you meet somebody fine at the party who can rock your world!”
Slowly, I was able to get a smile out of Emily and then a laugh. I changed the subject, teasing her until we both howled. It felt good to laugh after having such a shitty day. I thought about how things had gone downhill since breakfast, and I hoped this evening would make up for it.

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