Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love) (24 page)

“Yes. We’ve been having a good time. You should be here.”

“No, sweetheart. I don’t think so. Your mother might have a little more to say about me sleeping in your bed. And I doubt she’d be able to withstand me kissing you until you melted in my arms.”

Hearing him say those things
, and thinking about how much she would enjoy them, made her want to pull him through the phone. “You’re right. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Oh, but you’ll have to, sweetheart. Good night. I love you.”

“Good night, babe.”

* * * *

Everything male about Travis radiated like a high-beam headlight. He rotated the blue velvet box he picked up from the jeweler before heading to the airport between his fingers. Jasper had been their family jeweler for decades. He instantly recognized the diamond ring the moment he opened the worn box when Travis had dropped it off. Jasper replaced the box with the same signature case he was known for, the same color blue on the outside, and gold lettering on the inside flap. “She must be special, Travis. Your grandmother was very fond of this ring.”

“Yes and yes
,” Travis responded when he took the open box. He removed the ring and read the inscription before replacing it back in the box. It sparkled ten times more than it had when he’d dropped it off. He remembered the day his grandmother gave it to him like it was yesterday. “Thanks, Jasper.”

“Good luck.” The old
-timer shook his hand.

“Thanks.” Travis wore dark
, tailored slacks with a salmon cotton button-down shirt. His initials were embroidered on the front collar, and the starched garment was tucked neatly in his pants. His musk cologne was noticeably fresh and drew a lot of attention. Every female he passed turned for a second look. And although he garnered attention, his focus bent toward the woman pacing the waiting area in LaGuardia International Airport. He could taste her sweet lips just thinking about her.

He carried the single garment bag with his dinner jacket and shirt in it, and a small carrying bag with a change of clothing, his toiletries, and sneakers. He and Autumn
planned to head to the theater straight from the airport to her last performance for the week. She’d made plans for his entire visit, and he didn’t flinch at her non-stop chatter about what they would do for the following four days. Travis didn’t much care, as long as they spent their time together.

He scheduled a second meeting with
Jacob for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. He had yet to tell that part to Autumn. She understood him like no else, other than his brothers, of course. He worked hard, but when he was with her, he put work aside. He took pride in the success of their family’s import/export business and shared with her all of his plans, his visions for the business, and how he and his brothers intended to make sure the legacy their father started would continue.

Autumn not only listen
ed to him attentively, but she helped bounce around ideas, some of her ideas he hadn’t considered before. He wasn’t surprised because she was beautiful and smart. They talked for hours on the phone about every subject imaginable. Of course when he was with her all he wanted to do was make love to her. So having the highly-charged and, at times, very animated discussion helped curb the fire between them.

Autumn thought she was duly prepared to see him again. She hadn’t
seen him since she left a few days after his accident. Her heart skipped when she saw his handsome face. He moved like water floating down a cliff. His dark gaze met and held her until she was standing in front of him. He dropped the bag and cupped her face. “Hi, beautiful. How are you?”

“I missed you!”

“How much time do we have?”

“None, at least not any before tomorrow
. We need to go now.” She pulled from his embrace.

Travis grabbed her and drew her back to him. “Not so fast. Where is my welcome kiss?” He hung his head and covered her lips.

“Mm. Welcome to New York.” She pulled away from him again, grabbing his hand. “Now come on. We’ve got to go.”

Travis sat in the front row enthralled by the epic
amount of back-bending, mind-altering movement of every woman on the stage before him. The overt as well as the subtle exchanges created an infusion of emotions that even he wasn’t immune to. Layers of bluesy guitar over retro keyboards, and reggae backbeat set the scene for the routine that spotlighted Autumn. She rotated her hips to the rhythm of a calypso groove. Her body swayed and dipped and swayed again.

He shifted in his seat as he watched her closely. She rolled her head back
, and with eyes closed, extended her arm behind her as she continued to roll her hips from side to side. Seeing her in that position reminded him of the evening at his house when she squirmed beneath him. He still remembered the scent of her womanly fragrance. If he didn’t know any better he, would’ve said she choreographed her little number especially for him. He adjusted his position in the seat once more, and in that moment, the music changed, as did Autumn.

She leaped past several dancers before she exited the stage on the far right. She reappeared for what he came to learn was the finale. By the conclusion of the number
, every dancer was on the stage. The audience applauded them with a standing ovation, followed by ear-piercing whistles. They took the first, and then a second, and third curtain call before the curtains closed for the evening.

“You were amazing tonight, darling.” He handed her a mixed bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you.” She grinned and then a puzzling expression moved across her face. “Where did you get these?”

“Let’s just say I have my sources
,” he replied.

They decided to stop for a quick bite to eat before heading back to Autumn’s condo. She knew Travis had started his day
at five o’clock that morning. His weary expression made her forgo her plans for a night on the town. Surprisingly though, after he took a brief shower, he seemed refreshed. However, any thoughts of seducing him died on the vine when he fell asleep in her arms. She had him lie on his stomach as she rubbed his tense shoulders and neck.  

Travis woke up several hours after he
’d fallen asleep in Autumn’s bed. He vaguely remembered her easing away the knots in his back. His meeting the morning before he left New Orleans didn’t go so well. His battle with the city councilmen lingered, even after he managed to get petitions from people in the Garden District. They supported the proposal to buy up the empty and abandoned building in one section of the district.

Travis and his brothers saw
the opportunity to extend their family’s portfolio and accommodate a venture with Jacob Euclid. Acquiring the properties would also restore jobs and tax base, which meant more funds to improve the roads, more security on that end of the city, and bring other businesses to the area with them. But a few narrow-minded men saw it as an opportunity to scheme under-the-table money exchanges.

He wasn’t having either. Their family worked above par
, and prided themselves on doing the right thing. In fact, they contributed their behavior to the success of their business for so many years. Needless to say, he had to leave Michael in charge of restaging the approach while he was in New York.

Tugging at her arms, he
pulled Autumn’s body against him and he wrapped both his arms and legs around her. She fit perfect as her body molded against his. They both tolerated a fitful slumber, because neither wanted to move. By morning, Travis took his usual cold shower and pressed on like he knew he should.

“Tell me something I don’t already know about you, Travis.” Autumn s
at across from him. She sat up straight and gave him her undivided attention.

“I know we’ve talked about this before
, and I’ve decided to do the tribute to Clem. I’d thought about doing it even before he passed. I miss him a lot. I wish he was still here to hear it.” He looked away. He remembered his great plans; plans that fell by the wayside.

“I think that will be nice. Not just for Clem, but for you and for his fans. Do you already have scores ready?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” They talked about his music and how he planned to put the scores together.

“I have a great place to take you if you’re game”

“Okay, I’m game. You know I won’t refuse you anything.”

“That could be a dangerous thing.” She gave him the most seductive stare she could reach inside and find.

Autumn turned on 3
rd
Street, past Groove Bar & Grill, and pulled her car in front of The Blue Note New York. The mood was great and they’d shared a wonderful afternoon together. Travis insisted he be the one to drive, but because she’d learned her way around the city by trial and error, she convinced him that it was best if she drove going. She promised to give up the wheels and let him drive them back. The valet came around to open her door and in exchange for her gorgeous smile, he handed her a valet ticket.

“Thank you.” She bowed her head as Travis met her on the driver side.

Taking her hand, they walked through the front entrance without falling into the line that had already formed, and extended down past the Benjamin Moore Ace Hardware store. “Autumn, we haven’t seen you in a while. Glad to see you haven’t forgotten us,” the concierge greeted her.

“Ruben, I would like you to meet Travis Brooks. Honey, this is Ruben Manson. If we’re nice, he’ll give us the best seats in the house.”

“You’ll always have the best seat, little lady.” Ruben reached for Travis’s hand. “It’s great to meet you, man. This little lady is something special.”

“Yes
, I know. Nice to meet you too.” Travis drew his arm closer around Autumn’s waist as he sized up the man. His actions were oblivious to Autumn, but both men knew the deal.

Once in the lobby, they glanced at the billboards
and posters on display in the main showroom. Several posters of Ron Carter were posted in the This Season display case. Ron was accompanied by Mulgrew Miller, Russell Malone, and a couple of other names Travis didn’t recognize. Ruben seated them at a table to the right of center stage. A beautiful, dark-brown-skinned woman with long dreads took their drink order. When she came back with their drinks, Autumn smiled and said, “Thanks Lin,” which made it obvious that Autumn was a regular there.

“So how often do you come here?” He took a swig of his drink. “You seemed to be popular.”

Autumn noticed the censure in Travis’s voice. It was the first time he’d done so since their relationship took a serious turn. She watched the lines across his forehead and the slight twitch of his mouth. She reached over, touched his face, and drew a small circle on his chin with her thumb. “We actually stumbled on this place when we came out to eat at Minjabi a few doors down.”

Travis noticed that she didn’t answer his question
, and didn’t qualify the “we” she referred to. She wore him out when they faced off in their first throw-down the weekend of his bungee accident. Yes, they lived in different cities, and he didn’t know any more about her dealings than what she’d told him. Granted, he trusted Autumn. He had as much at stake in the relationship as she had. “So, you come here often?”

“No, baby, I don’t. What’s with the questions?” She pulled her hand away from his face. Travis’s mood suddenly shifted and she didn’t understand why. Perhaps she didn’t see the man gawking at her from several tables over. He bobbed his head back and forth to the crooning of Joe Sample in the background.

Travis caught her hand in midair and pulled it into his lap. He looked away briefly. He couldn’t figure out why he was so uptight. They’d spent a wonderful day together. Something about these surroundings bothered him, but he shook it off. “Nothing, I just want to enjoy you. I hadn’t really planned on sharing you with so many people tonight.”

A smile lit her beautiful face. “We can always leave
, and then you can have me all to yourself.” Her smile turned into a sinister grin.

Autumn’s
reaction lifted his mood. Yes, perhaps they needed this diversion. He didn’t know how long he could play this game. He was losing miserably. The corners of his mouth lifted. “You’re going to be the end of me, sweetheart.”

“If it means
tempting you, I certainly hope so.”

* * * *

Only when the club lights lifted during intermission did she noticed Romeo seated across from them. She was so consumed with Travis that she’d ignored everything else. When she glanced over, she smiled and waved. She hadn’t seen him since their impromptu picnic. He’d invited her the day they met again at the coffee shop. He stood on the corner not far from her practice studio. His invitation helped her through a very difficult day. Romeo remembered that day clearly. He knew just how to get her mind off of her worries. However, his interest in pursuing her ended abruptly.

Travis followed her wave to the same man
that had been watching them. He shifted his body in his chair and pulled at the collar on his shirt. He ignored the man while Autumn spoke.

“Romeo West. He’s an up
-and-coming jazz artist. His band has played at several venues in the city. Is it okay to introduce him?”

The nerve in
his jaw twitched. He wanted to say no, that he didn’t like the way the man looked at her. He was ready to say hell no, but Romeo was already on his feet and headed toward their table. He watched Autumn light up as the man approached, but more importantly, he watched the man’s overt reaction as he neared the table, when he saw her dangerously gorgeous, blue eyes light the way. He was so drawn to her face that he almost stumbled over a chair on his way over.