Authors: Dorothy Phaire
Shaw slammed his glass down and scoffed. “I don’t buy that argument, Maggie. Anyway, it’s not my problem. If somebody is highly qualified or willing to learn, they can always find work no matter if they’re black, white, yellow, or brown. In America the opportunity is there for anyone willing to work hard like our foreign recruits at Techands are eager to do. It’s the mediocre folks standing around the water cooler and taking two-hour lunch breaks who have to worry about their goddamn jobs, not the dedicated workers.”
Bill frowned at Shaw’s last statement but he did not challenge him and Shaw continued talking in a boisterous, ‘know-it-all’ tone.
“Why should a company keep dead weight on the payroll if they can’t produce when businesses can come to a company like mine and get their code out the door quicker and for half the price? This is business Maggie, not a popularity contest and certainly not a handout.”
“If I’m not mistaken Shaw, you’re one of those people who’s always out on two-hour lunch breaks whenever I call your secretary to try to setup an appointment,” said Maggie with a wicked grin and raised her glass to him as a truce.
“Hey, I’m no average worker. I’m a goddamn lawyer—pardon me ladies, Maggie excluded—and a partner at that. I conduct better business over a fine meal and a few drinks. Being in a nice restaurant puts my clients at ease.”
“Pay no attention to Maggie. I think it’s a damn brilliant idea, Shaw,” said George, after polishing off the last of his third glass of Merlot, “wish I’d thought of it myself and was young enough to pull it off.”
Even though Bill had given Renee the impression that the business was still in the planning phase, he’d obviously been working on this deal for months without even bothering to consult with her. It wasn’t too difficult for her to figure out why he had kept his plans secret. He knew she would not be supportive of this scheme hatched by Shaw and he would be absolutely correct. Renee didn’t like it at all.
Finally, she excused herself to go to the ladies room. If she had stayed a moment longer she might throw up. Shaw’s date popped out of her seat and announced she wanted to go with her to powder her nose. Renee cringed but couldn’t diplomatically say she preferred to be alone. As she maneuvered around the dinner tables in the dining area to get to the main hall with LaToya in tow, Renee heard LaToya’s girlish voice chirping away without actually listening to a word of the nonsense that the young woman said. The pitch of her voice sounded flighty, but listening to LaToya was less grating on her nerves than remaining at the table and listening to Shaw.
As she worked her way out of the room, a few tables away Renee spotted someone who from a distance looked uncannily like Deek. She ceased walking in mid-step and her heart seemed to suddenly stop as well. She stared at the handsome man who had not yet noticed her.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to Deek since August. “What’s the matter,” asked LaToya who had also stopped in her tracks. Without answering, Renee took a deep breath and continued forward.
As she got closer she realized it was him—Detective Degas (Deek) Hamilton, D. C. Metropolitan Police, homicide. The man who had intruded on her private thoughts for the past several days and now here he was in the flesh at the very same Boys and Girls Club fundraiser dinner.
R
enee was relieved he didn't see her.
Deek appeared to be engaged in a conversation with a lovely, dark-haired, young woman in a red sequined gown and matching satin shoes. Renee turned abruptly to leave before he spotted her. She bumped into a waiter balancing a tray in one hand and a coffeepot in the other. The waiter dropped the tray and some of its contents spilled on her jacket.
“
Oh my Gracious!” said the waiter, “I’m terribly sorry, Ma’am. Let me get that.” He dabbed at the stain with a cloth napkin.
“
It’s okay, really. I was on my way to the ladies room. I’ll take care of it. Don’t bother.”
At the sound of crashing plates, Deek along with everyone else close enough to hear, had looked up. A broad smile crossed his face when he saw Renee—a smile punctuated by dimpled cheeks and straight, white teeth.
Renee wanted to become invisible when she realized he had noticed her.
She watched as he excused himself from the table and walked towards her. His athletic, 6’2” physique owned the black tone-on-tone tuxedo with its nearly invisible vertical stripes and vintage tuxedo shirt.
“What a gorgeous hunk,” shrieked LaToya and nudged Renee. She had forgotten that Shaw’s date was still standing beside her, but in her private thoughts she agreed with LaToya on that assessment. She had never seen a more perfect face on a man. Bronze-toned features created from an artist's paintbrush had sought perfection and found it. Nicely arched eyebrows defined his dark, serious eyes and his lips—simply luscious. She knew this firsthand because she had already tasted their warm, sweet, moistness this summer. The black hairs of his
well-groomed mustache
lay in neatly trimmed layers. Deek had grown a hint of a goatee since she’d last seen him. He wore a stylish haircut that revealed the soft, texture of his jet-black hair. Far from the look of the typical disheveled and overworked cop, Deek could have splashed the covers of Code Magazine, a popular style publication for men of color, any day.
Deek once told Renee that his grandmother, Katia Dessalines had immigrated to New York City from Martinique when his mother,
Aurelie,
was sixteen, and had named him Degas after the French impressionist painter whose work she admired. Thanks to Grann Katia, as he called her, even his name sounded exotic and romantic. But his friends and coworkers simply called him Deek.
“You know that tasty treat?” asked LaToya, “From the way he’s eyeing you, looks like he’d sop you up like gravy on a biscuit if given half a chance.”
Renee didn’t even want to try to respond to that comment. Despite her hip city pretense, LaToya had just revealed her down-home, Southern roots. Deek gave Renee a brief, friendly embrace, brushing his lips against her cheek as he held her hands.
“It’s good to see you. You look beautiful as always. What are you doing here tonight?”
His soothing baritone voice that she had become addicted to from the moment they met several months ago, held her captive and she couldn’t answer him for a moment. When she could speak her voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.
“I … I mean we … were invited by someone. And you? I see you’re still involved with youth. Are you also a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club in addition to your many other endeavors?” Deek nodded and gave Renee one of his dazzling smiles, “Umhum, I’m a volunteer for the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club.”
“The way you kickin’ it in that tux, my Brother, you must be a mentor with some deep pockets,” gushed LaToya and thrust out her hand for him to shake, “I’m LaToya Perry and my date tonight is Clifton Corbin Shaw, the prominent Washington attorney. You probably heard of him if you live in this city. Cliff told me the tickets to this fancy shindig were $500 a plate. So what else do you do besides mentoring, Mr …?”
“Hamilton,” said Deek and shook her outstretched hand briefly,” Detective Lieutenant Degas
Hamilton, D. C. Homicide. I work for the city so my pockets are hardly deep, Ms. Perry.”
Renee knew that Deek was smart enough not to reveal his financial status to her. She knew the fact was that, Deek didn’t need to rely on his income from the city. He simply enjoyed tracking down criminals and bringing them to justice. He had once told Renee that he had sold the rights to a complicated encryption program that he developed while working as a systems engineer at IBM before joining the police force. As a result, he lived quite well from his investment dividends. If LaToya knew Deek was not only handsome but financially secure, she’d probably beat Renee down to get to him.
“It’s LaToya to you, handsome,” she said in a seductive voice and moved closer.
Deek took a step backwards. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Perry. Renee, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” he asked and without waiting for a reply took her arm and led her towards the stairway leading to the Atrium Hall.
LaToya stood there for a shocked moment with her mouth open and one hand on her hip. Renee could feel her staring at their backs as they walked away.
“Thank you,” whispered Renee, latching onto Deek’s arm.
“Don’t mention it. You looked like you needed a quick rescue.”
“Seems like you’re becoming good at that, Detective Hamilton. Rescuing me, that is.”
They slipped into a private room upstairs that appeared deserted. The walls were painted hunter green and radiated a soft light. Instinctively, they chose a corner far away from the door and hidden from any passerby who might happen to peep into the room. They sat facing each other in plush, velvet green upholstered chairs. Although the conversation did not cross the boundaries of friendship, the familiar intimate dance between them began nonetheless. Renee stared out the window at the blackened sky lit by stars and streetlights. She tried without success to avoid gazing directly into his eyes.
“By the way, congratulations on your promotion to lieutenant. I saw your picture and write-up in the Washington Post’s Metro section a few months ago.”
“Thanks. Taking that bullet this summer did me some good I guess. Got a promotion out of it and a new assignment at least. I’m working on a task force with the FBI and MPD called the DC Joint SOS Task Force. SOS stands for Save Our Streets. It’s gotten a lot of support from the Mayor.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about it on the news. Sounds dangerous though,” she frowned.
“Comes with the territory, Doc. Anyway, you know I like danger. As soon as Medical released me from desk duty, I was back on the streets.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“For the last three weeks I’ve been reporting to FBI headquarters downtown. The FBI’s been conducting a long-term probe on this drug kingpin we’ve been after for drug trafficking, gang related homicides, and a laundry list of other federal violations.”
“That must mean you’re finally free of your old partner, Lieutenant Melvin Bradford,” Renee said, crossing her legs, “What an obnoxious man.”
“Mel’s not so bad. He’s retiring at the end of the year anyway and he actually wished me well on my new assignment. I still have other cases I’m working on so half my time’s still at police headquarters, and he’s still my partner.”
“I never cared for that man.” A momentary awkward silence rose between them.
“Renee, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” Deek whispered, out of the blue.
“Sure. But I can’t promise I’ll answer it.” Renee folded her hands in her lap. She felt she knew where this might be headed.
“Are you happy with your decision to go back to your husband?”
Renee looked away. Although she’d suspected he would ask her something like that, she was not prepared to answer.
Deek touched her cheek and cupped it in the palm of his hand. “I know it’s not my place but you just don’t look happy. Today’s your birthday and this is not the face of a woman who’s loved the way she deserves to be.”
“How did you know it was my birthday?”
“Why wouldn't I know? I remember every single detail you ever told me. It’s permanently locked in my memory bank. Unfortunately, I remember too much about this past summer. That’s why I miss you so much.” He stopped abruptly. Then went on, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be saying these things to you.”
Renee abruptly stood up and walked in front of the huge window. She spoke without facing him. “I can’t go through that again Deek. This summer with you was like an escape for me but I’m not the kind of woman who can have an affair and still feel good about myself. Besides you seem to be doing all right without me. You’ve apparently met someone. I saw that pretty young woman in red that you’re with tonight. I’m much too old for you anyway and …”
“Wait a minute.” Deek stood up and turned to face her. “First of all, Special Agent Santos is my new partner on the SOS task force. She’s here for the same reason I am, to support the Boys and Girls Club and to case out the target of our investigation. We received a tip that he might be here tonight.”
“A gang leader dealing in drugs and ordering murders—here at this fundraiser?” Renee was incredulous.
“Yeah, this guy’s real slick. He leads a double life. I suspect not even his own wealthy, upper-crust parents know what he’s involved in. He poses as a legitimate businessman but looks for deals and buys up property in other people’s names so he can launder his ill-gained drug money. We estimate he’s pulling in several million a year. He’s cagey, the type of guy who’ll one minute help an old lady across the street or carry her groceries, then the next minute shoot someone in cold blood because they missed a payment.”
“And as for you being too old for me, …” he stopped as if gathering his thoughts, “Look Doc, your age does not compute with me. That’s your hang-up, not mine. When I see you and talk to you, I see a young, beautiful, vibrant woman with so much untapped passion that if it ever fully erupted … Well, you get what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“I do want to be appreciated, Deek,” she said, “but you’re so young and handsome. I’m afraid that if we did get together, one day you wouldn’t want me anymore and …”
“Well, you’re wrong, Doc. Dead wrong. Whenever you’re ready for me to show you, I’ll spend a lifetime proving it to you.” He instinctively grasped her hand, but her look of discomfort caused him to release it.
“I think we’d better go back now,” she whispered and retrieved her evening bag from the chair. “I suppose Bill will be wondering what happened to me.”
“Okay but come with me to my table first. I’d like to introduce you to Agent Santos and a few of my friends, including my brother’s girlfriend, Sasha. She’s a lovely girl from Peru. Sasha rode here with Agent Santos and me since my brother Luke’s away in Atlanta on a training assignment.”
“Your brother?”
“Yep, Luke’s my only sibling. Our grandmother had the final say in his given name as well. If you think Degas is bad, Grann Katia named my big brother JeanLuc but he calls himself Luke for obvious reasons.”