Close Quarters: A Novel (Zane Presents) (30 page)

Kai’s scowl was making it a momentous occasion.

“So guess what, Kai? Not only will Sphere Electronics be one of my top new clients—you ready because it gets better—I’ll be suing all of your asses at Newport and Donner. It looks like I’ll be having a happy holiday after all,” I said with a flourish and a hearty laugh.

Kai smiled stiffly. “It won’t stick, Malik. You have a lot to learn. Discrimination is difficult to prove.”

“Not when you have a witness to testify on your behalf. Oh, make that four witnesses. Gerry made his comments to Harv’s entire team.”

Fear flashed across her face. “Wait a minute, Mal—”

“Thanks for the beer.” I placed my empty bottle on the table and headed to the door. “I guess that’s game,” I said, with a wink.

Eleven p.m.

I was curled up on the bed, watching the news. Ellis had not yet come home from work. This was not a good start to the week, considering I moved in on Saturday and spent all day Sunday unpacking. I thought we would unwind together tonight. The commute from my office to Long Island took about an hour. Traffic wasn’t bad and I made it home by seven. I came in and made dinner, ate by myself and then retired to the bedroom upstairs. I didn’t like staying downstairs after dark—the house was too big to be sitting in alone. After I bathed, I slipped into a black lace negligee and waited. I had hoped that Ellis would be home at a decent hour, but when he called at nine to say he was running late, I pinned up my hair and put on an oversized sleep shirt.

Ellis eased between the sheets, waking me in the process. The clock on the nightstand read twelve-thirty. He wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me close. He kissed my neck, then shoulder. I snuggled against him. Ten seconds later he was snoring in my ear. I don’t know how long I lay awake listening to him. The next thing I felt was him kissing me on my forehead. One eye popped open to see him leaning over the bed, dressed for work and saying good-bye. It was five-thirty in the morning.

I got up at seven and took my time getting ready for work. Ellis had called while I was having my breakfast of toast and tea. He was all apologetic for coming home so late the night before and promised he’d be home early in the evening. I was thinking about making it a short day. Christmas was in two days and Ellis and I had barely discussed our plans. Aside from Bebe and Daniella coming over, I had no idea what we were going to do. Were we staying home for dinner? Were we going out? I had no clue. I was going to miss spending the holiday with my parents, but I was thankful they were able to visit two weeks ago.

I finished off my tea and cleaned the little bit of a mess that I made in the kitchen. I decided that I’d go in for a few hours and then leave at noon to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. I hadn’t found the perfect gift for Ellis yet. I needed to get something for Charlee, too. Giselle was covered and I had already gone crazy buying gifts for the baby. The baby. My little niece or nephew that would actually be my brother or sister-in-law.

I needed to come to terms with what Giselle told me and determine how I would handle the information. How could something so potentially devastating be a blessing at the same time? I understood Giselle’s position that it might be best not to tell Ellis about his father, but how could I look at myself in the mirror if I didn’t let him know that he had another sibling in the world? I hated that I was now the beholder of Giselle’s secret. If I told Ellis, nothing could or would be the same. Bebe would be devastated to know that Dr. Harlow was unfaithful. Finding out that he had a child as a result of his affair would probably kill her, especially considering her obsession with image. How would it look to others that Dr. Harlow left behind a dark secret? She’d die of shock and embarrassment on the spot. I couldn’t even imagine how this could impact Daniella’s perception of her father.
And as selfish as it may seem—what about my wedding? How could Giselle be a bridesmaid when she had an affair with my future mother-in-law’s husband? I could strangle Giselle for putting not only herself, but all of us, in this predicament. The only reason I refrained from going ballistic when she told me was because I knew she was hurting and she wore her regret like an old, shabby coat. She was suffering enough and Dr. Harlow wasn’t here to share the backlash. Giselle would have to bear it alone.

I grabbed my purse from the island and headed off to work. My assistant Nadia had been hinting that she wanted to go skiing upstate for the weekend, but her friends were leaving on Friday, the day after Christmas, and she had to work. It had been a good year for Trinity Accounting, so I planned to announce that I was letting the staff go at noon on Christmas Eve and the office would be closed until the following Monday.

When I arrived at the office, I let the holiday spirit overflow. I made my announcement to the staff and handed out holiday gift cards to everyone. Nadia had helped me find out what each person liked in advance, so we could personalize the gifts. Dave was raving over his Home Depot, Omaha Steaks and Land’s End cards. Heather couldn’t stop talking about what she already planned to get with her Banana Republic, Pottery Barn and Sony cards. Each card had a value of five hundred dollars. I had an incredible staff and it was the least I could do to spread some holiday cheer and put smiles on their faces.

I hugged everyone on my way out and wished them a happy holiday. I was off to complete my shopping. I hadn’t figured out what to get a future mother-in-law that had everything. I searched for a one-way trip to hell, but apparently it wasn’t available in stores.

I phoned Ellis to confirm that he would be home early because I was cooking dinner. He promised to be walking through the
door no later than six o’clock. I hurried and won my fight with the holiday crowds, then made my way home to Long Island. I was still getting used to the idea of living in suburbia. The quiet and the isolation was a far cry from the buzz of Brooklyn. I drove past the circular driveway and pulled into the entrance to the estate that led into the garage. I disarmed the security system and then began bringing in the gifts. I placed the wrapped presents under the tree and immediately started dinner. Once I had the London broil and potatoes in the oven, I relaxed with a glass of Merlot.

Ellis entered the kitchen, loosening his tie. “Wait. Don’t move. This is a sight I’ve wanted to see for a long time and I want to savor this moment.”

“What are you talking about, Ellis?”

“Me coming in from a hard day of work and you in the kitchen, waiting for me to get home. It’s like we’re married already.”

“You better be kidding.”

“You know I am,” he said, with a laugh. He planted a robust kiss on my lips. “I am elated that you’re finally settled in here with me.”

“And hopefully I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.”

“Now that’s funny. Do I have time to get comfortable?”

“Dinner’s in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be back in fifteen.”

• • •

Dinner was ready, the table set and I was on my third glass of wine. Ellis returned, wearing slacks and a merino wool crew neck sweater. I would have to work on his interpretation of casual lounge wear.

“You’re on point tonight. I thought I’d have to come get you.”

“Not tonight. I’m famished.”

“Okay, let’s eat.” Ellis joined me at the table and I fixed our plates. It was nice to have dinner together. “I meant to ask you what you want to do about Christmas.”

Ellis cut a piece of his meat. “Mother and Daniella will be here tomorrow night. We can have our annual Christmas Eve toast and open a few gifts, if you like. On Christmas Day, I thought Mother would prefer to stay home, instead of dining out. Chef will be here to prepare dinner. How does that sound?”

“That’s fine. In my family we never go to a restaurant for Christmas dinner. Christmas has always been a time to stay home with loved ones.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. “This will be your first Christmas without your dad. How are you feeling?”

He shrugged. “I worry more about Mother and Daniella.”

Ellis rarely discussed Dr. Harlow. When he mentioned that he missed him the other day, it was the first time I had heard him say it. “I’m sure he’ll be looking down on us.”

“Or up.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

He waved me off. “This is delicious. What’s for dessert?”

“Me . . . ” I said with an enticing smile.

We finished our dinner and Ellis left me with the dishes while he made a call. I cleaned the kitchen and then went upstairs to get ready. I was determined to spice it up between us.

I bathed and then rubbed my body with fragrant oil until every inch of my skin glistened. I removed the clip from my hair and tousled my curls, so they fell loosely around my shoulders. Last night I went for the negligee, but tonight I was going au naturel.

I dimmed the lights and a faint golden glow filled the room. I climbed onto the bed and fluffed a couple of pillows behind me. I curled my legs to the side and placed one arm above my head on the pillow. Ellis stepped into the room. I sat up slowly, seductively
moving my shoulders. I crawled to the center of the bed and rose to my knees, legs apart. I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking my head from side to side, until it wildly framed my face. “Are you here for dessert?”

Ellis stopped in his tracks. I beckoned him toward the bed with my finger. He crossed the room and stood next to the bed. The phone was in his hand. “You look really delicious and I want dessert, but—”

“Shhhh.” I crawled to the edge of the bed and slipped the phone out of his hand, letting it drop to the floor.

His eyes followed the phone. I reached up and jerked his chin until he was looking at me. I kissed my fingertip, then pressed it to his lips. He kissed it and I returned it to my mouth, gently sucking on it. He moaned and grabbed me around my waist, pulling me against his body. He rubbed his face against mine, his lips tickling my ear. “Just give me five minutes, honey. I have to call Beijing and then I’m all yours.”

My arms dropped to my sides. “Really, Ellis?”

“I’ll be right back.” He bent down to pick up the phone, then left the room.

I plopped back against the pillows in disbelief. Ellis could have stayed at the office. When he did return to our bedroom, an hour later, he took off his clothes and hung them neatly on hangers, brushed his teeth and then finally came to bed. We kissed for a few minutes and then it was business as usual as he climbed on top. No sparks. No spice. I had planned to tear his clothes from his body, piece by piece, and explore every inch of him with my tongue along the way. I wanted to try a new position or two and see fireworks. I wanted to fill him up on my love until he couldn’t take anymore. I wanted to feel the passion. As we lay together in the dark the only thing I felt was empty.

I thought for a moment as they all waited for me to answer. These were my boys—my partners—I didn’t have to lie to them.

“Yeah, man, I miss having her here.”

“Ohhh!” they yelled in unison, hands flying up in the air.

Drinks were flowing, food was on the table and my ass was in the hot seat. Terrence, Amir and Lex were over for our annual Christmas Eve Taste. The Taste was a gathering exclusively for the fellas. The ladies weren’t allowed. No one usually complained about the men-only policy, since everyone would be together for Terrence’s New Year’s Eve party at Rituals.

“I saw it coming a long time ago,” Terrence said.

“C’mon, man. Now you’re making up stuff,” I responded.

Lex chimed in. “Nah, he’s not.”

“And of course you saw something, too?” I asked Amir.

“I didn’t see shit. I’m too busy trying to keep up with my own women. I don’t have time to be worrying about what my little brother’s doing.”

“Have you spoken since she left?” Lex asked.

“Do I need to remind you brothers? This is
The Taste
, not
Dr. Phil
. Now change the damn subject!”

“I’ll take that as a no.” They howled.

I hadn’t talked to Melina since she moved in with Ellis. I realized
that I’d been hoping she would reach out to me to say Merry Christmas or even to say that she forgot something here, but so far no word. I just wanted to hear her voice. But as much as I wanted to talk to her, I refused to call. I had done enough damage and knew the best thing for me to do was to leave Melina alone and let her be with her fiancé.

“I’m with Malik. Leave it alone. I’m tired of hearing about his broke-down love life. My little bro lost two fine women in one week. He’s setting new records. I’m about to call Guinness.”

More laughter. It was going to be a long night if I didn’t switch gears. “Yeah, I had a tough week, but you can’t keep a good man down. That’s why yesterday I signed the lease for my new office at the MetroTech Center right here in Brooklyn. Starting the first of the year, the M. Denton Agency will be open for business.”

“Congrats, man,” Terrence said.

Lex echoed his sentiments.

“That’s a good look. So you took Dad’s advice and set up shop in Brooklyn.”

“Yup. I found a bigger space, for less money, with a cool view. I guess everything happens for a reason. It’ll be hard work, but I’m used to that. Once I get my staff in place, I’ll be on my way to the top.”

Terrence stood. “Put those glasses up. Let’s toast to this brother.” He lifted his glass. “Malik, ever since I’ve known you, you’ve had a fire inside of you. You dream big and go after what you want, even when the odds are against you. You’re full of determination and you never take no for an answer. You’re destined for success. Let your vision be your guide.”

“In all things . . . ” Lex added.

I toasted with my partners. No truer words had been spoken. They knew me well.

M
y cell phone had been vibrating all morning. Merry Christmas and happy holiday text messages from family and friends flooded my inbox. Among the messages was a text from Dru inviting me and Ellis to a New Year’s Eve party at Rituals. I started to type my reply when Ellis entered the bedroom. He was already dressed and drinking a cup of tea.