Close Quarters: A Novel (Zane Presents) (12 page)

“But those are two of Newport and Donner’s primary markets.”

“Newport and Donner can withstand the competition.”

“Do you intend to lure away our clients?”

“I’ll have the hottest ad agency in New York. I won’t need to lure anyone. Clients will be knocking at my door. I have concepts ready and waiting for Nissan, Revlon and a whole host of others.”

“Malik, I would have never imagined that you had all of this going on.”

“You know what they say . . .never underestimate the power of a black man.”

I spent the majority of the morning showing Kai another source of my power. It was almost noon when I threw on some sweats and walked her outside to her car.

Melina was in the kitchen making breakfast when I came back upstairs. She looked over her shoulder at me, then turned back to the sausage sizzling on the stove. “I had way too much champagne last night. I could barely get out of the bed.”

I walked into the room and sat at the table. Melina rummaged through the refrigerator, pulling out an onion, green pepper, and a couple of red potatoes. A potato dropped from her hand and rolled across the floor near my foot. I leaned over and picked it up. I held it out to her. She grabbed it from my hand, avoiding my eyes.

“Mel, we didn’t do anything.”

“I know we didn’t.”

“There’s no reason to start acting strange.”

“I’m not.”

“We both had a lot of drinks—”

“Was that Kai I heard leaving? I think you two make such a cute couple.”

Okay, so we were pretending like nothing had happened. Fine with me. It shouldn’t have been too difficult, since I really didn’t know what had happened other than, I almost kissed my roommate. It was a good thing Kai showed up when she did. In that instance,
better late than never
had never been more true.

“Yeah, she just left.”

“Did she explain what happened to her last night?” she asked, dicing her vegetables.

“Family emergency.”

“I see.”

“What are you making?”

“An omelet. Are you hungry?”

“I’ll take one.”

I made small talk while Melina cooked. She concentrated on the frying pans as if her life depended on it. I went to the fridge to pour myself a glass of juice and she stepped to the side, giving me more room than necessary. “I’m going to San Francisco on Tuesday for business.”

Relief washed over her face. It was definitely a perfect time for me to go out of town. My being away would give Melina a chance to realize that nothing had happened between us.

“When will you be back?”

“Friday or Saturday. Kai’s going, too.”

“Wow. Taking business trips together . . . ”

“It ain’t like that. Kai and I have a lot of work to do for our presentation.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“I’ll take my omelet without the side of cynicism.”

• • •

After breakfast I went to lie down. What did happen last night? One minute I was about to kiss Melina, the next I was with Kai. Maybe it was the alcohol that made me react to Melina that way. I wanted to kiss her. I could taste her on my tongue even though I hadn’t touched her. What baffled me more was knowing that Melina wanted to kiss me back. Although, she did have a lot of champagne. It was divine intervention. That was the only way to explain what had transpired last night.

C
aroline led me into the study to wait. Bebe thought it would be better if we had lunch at her penthouse. I was hoping that this meeting would be quick and painless—I needed to get back to the office.

Bebe sashayed into the study, wearing a pair of black wide-leg pants and a flouncy cream blouse with a double strand of pearls. She came over and air-kissed both of my cheeks. Her perfume was so strong and floral, it gave me an instant headache. Her cheeks were accented with rose-colored blush that didn’t quite match her pale skin tone. Ellis and Daniella got their beautiful bronze complexions from their father.

She sat in the leather club chair across from me. The inspection process was underway. Bebe took in my tweed pencil skirt and matching jacket, my brown leather boots and even my purse sitting on the table. Her icy smile cooled the room. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, pressing her finger to her temple. “Let me start off by saying that being a Harlow comes with a wealth of responsibility. I have to believe that my son chose you for a reason.”

I gritted my teeth, and took a deep breath, while trying to maintain a neutral expression.

“Everything you do,” she continued, “from this point forward is
a reflection of this family. I beseech you to conduct yourself in a manner suitable of the Harlow name. I realize you may find it a tad difficult living up to the standards of someone of Ellison’s caliber, but you must find the resolve within yourself to make it so.”

I leaned forward. “Well, let me say this—”

“Lunch is served, Mrs. Harlow,” Caroline said from the doorway.

“Come, dear, we don’t want the lobster bisque to get cold.”

Bebe waited for me to get up from my chair. I sat for a moment, eyeing her in disbelief. The audacity of this woman. I slowly rose up, straightened my jacket and then followed her to the dining room. The long table was set for two. One setting at the head of the table, the other to the left. I sat and spread my napkin across my lap. Wesley, the Harlow family butler, ladled bisque into our gold-etched bowls. I studied the way Bebe dipped her spoon in her bisque and stiffly brought it to her lips. I scrutinized the baubles on her fingers and her well-manicured hands. This woman wasn’t living in the same world as I was. In her mind, she owned the world.

“Have you given any thought to when we’ll have this wedding?”

“Not as of yet.”

“Fine. An April wedding will be perfect. Of course you will get married in my church on Fifth Avenue.”

“I’d like to discuss it with Ellis before I commit to anything.”

“Ellison has already agreed, dear.”

“Oh, he has? He’s made no mention of it to me.”

“I plan to make this as effortless for you as possible. Your wedding will be the crème de la crème. Leave everything to me.”

“Bebe, I would like to make the decisions of when and where my wedding will take place. I may want to get married in Maryland, where I was raised.”

“Maryland?”

She uttered Maryland as if I said I wanted to get married in the depths of hell.

I nodded. “My family is in Maryland. My mother and I will most likely plan to—”

“I will not hear of it,” she said, waving me off. “Maryland is unequivocally out of the question.”

I wanted to strangle Ellis. How could he tell his mother that she had free rein over my wedding? Now I had to do battle with this titan and he wasn’t around to have my back. I wasn’t even sure if Ellis would have my back. At that moment it certainly seemed that his mother had his support.

“Bebe, this is all so new. I need a moment to decide what I would like to do. We both want the wedding to be perfect and we have time—”

“We will not have a thrown-together affair that reeks of shabbiness. What we will have is a wedding in April in New York. It will be a grand affair in the customary Harlow tradition.”

I could barely swallow my soup. Ellis’s mother was infuriating. Wesley entered the dining room with two plates covered with silver lids. He placed my dish in front of me and uncovered it. Filet mignon, baby carrots and potato galette. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to endure another minute with Bebe. All I wanted was for lunch to be over.

Bebe cut into her steak. “Who will be in your wedding party? Besides Daniella, of course.”

“My two best friends. Though, I just found out that one is pregnant.”

“We can have Ellison’s cousin, Daphne, substitute for her.”

“I’m not substituting anyone.”

“Think of the photos. An enormously pregnant woman will ruin the symmetry.”

“Excuse me?”

“I suppose the photographer can work around her. Perhaps exclude her from some of the shots.”

“I think we need to table this discussion until a later date. I would like to speak to Ellis about a few things. I also need time to talk to my mother.”

She ceased eating her food, wiping her mouth with her linen napkin. “I can remember what I was like before I married Ellison’s father.” She focused on an empty chair at the other end of the table as she spoke. “I was young. Naïve. Impressionable. Consumed by idealistic fantasies of romantic bliss. It took many years for me to learn that marriage was not what I had imagined it to be. It was hard work. Trying, even. Much like a business.” Bebe turned her glare on me with burning intensity. “You can’t function in a marriage on whims and notions. In marriage you need a plan, a blueprint, so to speak. A map to navigate you through the years. But most importantly, marriage is about appearances. It’s about presentation. It’s all about how you represent yourself as a couple to the world. You may have had the most horrific fight of your life with your husband, but when you step outside of the door, your best face had better be in place. No one should be able to detect the slightest fissure in your façade. Presentation is key. The sooner you embrace the concept, the better. You, my dear, will represent the Harlow family. Starting now. Think of your relationship with me as an extension of your marriage. If you are to be a part of this family, know that nothing comes easy. I hope that we understand each other.” She tossed her napkin next to her plate, then pushed her chair back from the table. “When you call your mother, let her know that we’ve settled on April in New York. I have an appointment with my manicurist, but I’ll send Wesley in with your dessert. Stay as long as you like, dear.”

Bebe paraded out the room, leaving me at the table in a literal stupor. My eyes welled up with tears. Unfortunately, she may have predicted one thing accurately—Ellis and I were about to have the fight of our lives.

• • •

Ellis agreed to come by my apartment after he finished at the office. With Malik out of town, I didn’t have to worry about being interrupted. I waited in the living room, posted at the window, for his arrival. His mother’s behavior was inexcusable. I needed to hear directly from Ellis whether he knew what Bebe had planned for
our
wedding. I barely wanted to address the other issues she harped on. I fought the urge to cry again. This was not the time for weakness.

I was completely out of my element with the Bebe situation. Every relationship I’d been in I had gotten along with the mother. I was the girl that mothers rooted for. I was the one mothers wanted their sons to marry. I had always been good enough, no, make that perfect, for their sons. In some instances I’d been too good. Now I had a rich witch to contend with that felt I wasn’t worthy to shine her son’s shoes.

Ellis’s driver double-parked the limousine in front of my brown-stone. Ellis stepped from the vehicle. He didn’t bother to wait to have his door opened for him. I went to buzz him into the building.

He walked into the apartment and leaned in for a kiss. I craned my neck to the side, avoiding his lips. Ellis backed off. I closed the door behind him and led him into the living room.

“Your mother and I had lunch today and it was very enlightening. I have been informed that you and I will be married in April at your mother’s church. Do you know anything about this?”

“Mother merely made a suggestion.”

“A suggestion? Your mother practically rammed my own wedding plans down my throat.”

“Lina, my mother wants to be helpful. She made it clear to me that she is excited about our wedding and is willing to assist you in any way possible.”

“Bullshit!”

Ellis narrowed his eyes at me. “Watch your tone.”

“You have no fucking idea what your mother put me through today. She’s controlling, manipulative and obviously has you wrapped around her finger.”

“I’m only going to say this once. We will not continue this conversation if you don’t calm down. Now I’m willing to hear what you have to say, but I expect you to be respectful of my mother.”

“Respect your mother, Ellis? She doesn’t fucking respect me.”

“I’m warning you . . . ”

“Your mother told me that I wasn’t good enough for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Mother would never say such a thing.”

“She may not have said those exact words, but she insinuated, and she made sure that I got the message loud and clear. Do you know what else
Bebe
had the nerve to say to me?”

“Lower your voice.”

“
Bebe
told me that one of my best friends should be booted from the wedding party because her presence in the photos will destroy the pictures.”

“I’m certain this is a misunderstanding that can be rectified.”

“I understood your mother perfectly. I’ll have no input in my own wedding because, according to her, it’s about putting on airs and treating marriage like a business. She totally discounted the fact that I want my own mother involved in the planning.”

“Lina, I doubt Mother discouraged your family’s involvement. In fact, why don’t all three of you arrange a meeting to plan everything?”

“I would never subject my mother to your mother’s wrath.”

Ellis came over to me and coaxed me down onto the couch. He sat next to me. “I can see you’re upset. I want you to try and calm your nerves. I’m sorry that your lunch with Mother did not fare so well. I know she has the best intentions. Apparently something went wrong somewhere. We don’t have to make any decisions today. Right now, the only thing I want you to do is relax. I’ll send the limo off for the evening and order some food.”

“But why would you agree to a date without consulting me first?”

Ellis put his finger to my lips. “That’s enough of this for tonight. I’ll talk to Mother in the morning. Go relax.”

I headed to my bedroom—not because I thought resting was a good idea—I went because I had to get away from Ellis. He could weasel his way out of an explanation for now, but this was far from over.

I
was getting dressed to meet Kai at Silks, one of the restaurants in our hotel, for dinner at seven. I was staying in a cool city view room at the Mandarin Oriental. The hotel was nice, I couldn’t complain, but Kai was posted up in a suite with two bedrooms, a private terrace and a view of San Francisco Bay. She chalked up our difference in accommodations to my last-minute reservation.