Love UnExpected (Love's Improbable Possibility) (29 page)

There was a knock at my now ajar door.
  It was Sharon.

“
Ms. Brimm, Stan from the rec said he was sent over by Mr. Jacobs to take a look at our pools.”

My mouth fell open and I looked for the time on my watch. I hadn't been off the phone with Azmir
ten minutes and already his maintenance guy was here to see if he could fix our pools. 

“
Oh, wow! I didn't expect him over this early,” I said pleasantly surprised by Azmir's presence—
in his absence
. And so apt considering Thompson was there. 

“
Mr. Jacobs said you guys would need it for business today and asked that I come right away. It's really no problem at all. I work on pools part time,” Stan said after peeking his head in the door behind Sharon.

“
Okay. Sharon can show you to them.” I felt the first cinch of hope I'd had in days. 

They left Thompson and me alone again.
 

A grin flashe
d upon his face when he asked, “Can I be forward?”

Feeling far more relaxed thanks to Azmir's gesture of kindne
ss, I consented. “By all means.”

“
Either you find me that appalling or you prefer those of the feminine persuasion because I have been working for that broad smile you just let up off a few seconds ago since I've knocked on your door.”

Jeesh!
I was not expecting that. My now elated state would not be outdone. I gave a muffled, but obvious, laugh and calmly said, “No, Mr. Thompson, women do nothing for me.”

“Uhn-huhn. So it's me.”
He was affronted with raised eyebrows.

“
Mr. Thompson, we're colleagues—”

“
...consenting colleagues. At least I am,” he said cutting me off.

“Conflict
. Of. Interest.” I attempted to ward him off.

“You just said you weren't gay.”
 

Ha
!
“You're witty. I'm impressed.”

“
Shit. I was just thinking I had no chances.”

“
Mr. Thompson, while I appreciate the effort, I'm not interested in dating. Right now is not…possible.” I tried being as polite as possible.

There was another knock at the door.
 

“It's open
,” I sang somewhat sarcastically.

“
Ms. Brimm. I took a look at the pools. I had a hunch so I went straight to the filter and they were installed wrong. I left notes for the repair guy. Whoever installed them was in a rush because they made a few careless mistakes.”

“Really?”
Professional incompetence pissed me off! 

“
Yeah. Those pools are the newest in the game. It can be complicated if you're not properly trained or at least know what you’re doing.”

“
Stan, let me offer you something for your time...” I jumped up to grab my purse.

“
Oh, no, Ms. Brimm. Mr. Jacobs has it taken care of. If you need me to shoot over when they come tomorrow just give me a call. I finagled the vent to function temporarily. You should be covered.”

I gave a deep exhale. “
Thanks, Stan. I really appreciate your time.”

“No problem. Have a good one
,” Stan bode before leaving my office.

Azmir's arms stretched so far and wide. I didn't know if I should be elated or have my blues confirmed.

That man!

“Oh. So I have competition!”
Thompson's revelation snapped me out of my trance as he his speculative gaze roved over me.

I couldn't help but blush. “
Conflict of interest, Mr. Thompson.”

“
We'll see about that. We. Shall. See,” Thompson emphasized his last words before leaving out.

Once he was gone
, I took a gulp of my morning java that was now above room temperature then reached for my phone, smiled and took a picture of myself. I sent it to “
A.D
.” (as he was listed in my contacts) with the following caption:

My vastly improved mood courtesy of A.D. Jacobs.

Moments later, I heard a ping. It was Azmir, of course,
 
It's my job. Get used to it.

I text
edback
,
***conspiring naughty ways to repay the favor***

Ha! Indeed.

The day sped up and when lunch rolled around I’d gotten another surprise by
one Azmir Jacobs
. He had DiFillippo's send over an order of crème brûlée. He knew just what to do. But his generous and thoughtful acts once again reminded me that I had to wait yet another day to see him. It pulled at my heart.

That evening I’
d stopped by the boutique to pick up the gown that Azmir had selected for me. I was trying something new—letting Azmir dress me. I had to admit his selections always impressed me and agreed with my frame. The seamstress urged me to do a final fitting when I told her she could bag it for me to leave. If Azmir wouldn't be there—there was no need to go the extra mile. She fought me on the issue and after reluctantly trying it on, I went straight to dance class and practiced my Tamia routine.

~~~~~~~~~~

The night of the ball had arrived. My mood was sluggish, but mother nature had nothing to do with it, she had retreated. I was really in need of Azmir's company.
As soon as we get together he gets busy.
My thoughts were grim and blue on the whole ride over there.

As I sulked inside Azmir's spacious and luxurious
limo, I wondered why he had a limo and how often he used it. I was surprised when I walked out of the lobby and saw Ray waiting with the door opened. The lighting inside was mild and the music pouring from the speakers was soothing...smooth, like Mr. Jacobs himself. The XM radio panel caught my attention. The station streamed smooth R&B classics—the likes of Blackstreet, Silk, Guy, Jodeci and countless others. It smelled of new car and the ambiance was mellow and relaxing.
So this is another one of your toys, huhn?
I felt like a kept woman, like I had belonged to Azmir Jacobs.

I eventually allowed my mind to wander to thoughts of what if he were here?
Would
we make it to the ball? I think I could slay him right here in his ride. Hmmmmm...would he be too tall? Would he let me? Could I muster my inner-exhibitionism to do it?

We pulled up to the venue. I saw
folks scurrying inside. I checked the time and discovered I was twenty minutes past the start of the event.
Perfect. Let's get this stodgy experience over with.
Ray opened my door and I gracefully glided out, being sure not to give him an indecent show. 

“Okay, Ray, how does this work?”

With a strong chortle, reminding me of that of old Saint Nick's, he said, “Well, Ms. Brimm, here’s my number.” He handed me his business card. “Call or shoot me a text and I'll be here in less than five minutes. How long do you think you’ll be?”

I sighed, feeling annoyed at the ni
ght’s events, “Two hours, tops.”

“
Why the long face on such a beautiful girl?” Ray’s compliments comforted like a dad’s to his baby girl. It was nice.

“
I'm missing him badly, Ray. And he was supposed to be here with me to help circuit the mundane.” I felt a knot build in my throat. I didn't recognize the emotion. 
Am I about to cry?

“
Young lady, I’m sure wherever Divine is, he’s making his way back home to you. I’ve never seen him so smitten.” He gave the belly shaking laugh again.

“That makes two of us, Ray
,” I muttered sullenly while I walked toward the steps that led to the entrance of the building.

“See you soon.”

I gave myself a pep talk all the way to the ballroom where I saw stiffs loosened up on the dance floor. That was actually something I’d been looking forward to. My thoughts shifted to Michelle and how she would have had me bellowing in laughter at the sight of her uncle and his colleagues dropping it like it's hot on the dance floor. 

I didn't know who I'd be seated next to or be forced to chat with. I had no desire to do the
disingenuous banter about things that we could chat about during office hours
thing. I had wished Sharon or the other girls from the practice were there to talk to, but they weren't invited. This was a fundraising event and they didn't fill the tax-bracket requirement. Heck—neither did I, but I was there to boast of
our exemplary services and how they benefited poor children. Blah! 

I was stopped by a couple of familiar faces before finding the bar. While waiting on my drink I took notice of the grand ballroom. It held culture and grace with its oval shaped ceilings in gold trimmings. The live band sealed the deal bringing you the 60s feel. The bartender handed me my drink and I immediately see Mr. Adams, one third of Smith, Katz & Adams Sports Medicine, waving his arm gesturing for me to come over to him. I
took a sip of my martini and sauntered over to him near the dance floor. I hadn't worked much with Mr. Adams but what little interfacing we did he had always been pleasant, unlike his god-awful son.

“Rayna! You look quite elegant.”
He smiled broadly. His wife stood beside him politely nodding in agreement.

“
Mr. and Mrs. Adams, always a joy to see you two. I trust all is well.”

“
They most certainly are. Our Lisa is expecting our first grandchild any day now.” Mr. Adams’ eyes danced with pride.

“
Wow! Such an exciting time for you two. Congratulations! I'm sure you two will be the best grandparents.”

“Yes! And we’
re hoping for more in the not so distant future,” Mrs. Adams crowed when her eyes excitedly hiked to a young woman standing in the cypher. The woman was plump with a long silk taupe gown that hugged her voluptuous figure and complimented her pale skin. Her cinnamon hair was fixed in long Shirley temple curls that draped across her shoulders. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous by any means, but still wasn’t the worst on the eyes. Overall, she looked very much un-alluring with her large round and droopy eyes.

“
Oh?” was all I could let escape.

“
This is Alexandria Wilkerson. She has just agreed to Sebastian’s hand in marriage after dating for nearly two years.”

I had to have blinked my eyes twice
, unable to veil my surprise.
Sebastian had been with someone for two years while scratching my back for dates...and his money?
I caught Mr. Adams' eyes imploring me to greet his soon to be daughter-in-law.

Oh!
My manners.

“
Congratulations, Alexandria!”
There. That wasn't too contrived
. “You're marrying into a wonderfully supportive family.” That was more sincere. The Adams’ were good people.  

Alexandria didn't speak much. She was all nods and goofy smiles.
What the?
What tickled me was Mrs. Adams’ need to mention the engagement. She knew Sebastian and I had gone out on a couple of dates and dropped not so subtle hints that she wanted her son married right away. Little did she know he was the asshole of the century. Thinking about the possibility of marrying him brought the bile from my belly to my throat. I grabbed my chest trying to calm myself when I felt a gentle, yet unfamiliar touch on my elbow. 

“Are you okay, Rayna?”
I turned to find Brian Thompson. He looked distinguished in his black tux and bow tie. His eyes were squinted with concern.

“
Yes. I guess the drink doesn't agree with me,” I offered up feeling like it made sense after it left my lips. 

“Oh, here’s our Sebastian here!”
Mrs. Adams cried.

Sebastian
approached us with his usual wobbly stalk. It was such a turn off. He pushed his glasses up as he did every six and a half seconds. I was still holding my chest when he approached us. Gawking at me, he was admiring what he saw, that much I could gather.
Ewwww!
 

Mr. Adams gave another admonishing gape my way, I'd assumed for me to congratulate his son.

Oh, for crying out loud!

“
I hear congratulations are in order. The best to you and your pending nuptials, Sebastian.”

Sebastian joined sides with Alexandria, oddly drawing h
er into him, much to his mother’s delight. Mrs. Adams was beaming from ear to ear. Sebastian gave an arrogant nod that was followed by an awkward fall of silence.

“Let’
s go and freshen up that drink, why don’t we?” Thompson saved the day with his keen observation of a failed peace gathering happening between the Adams’ and me.

“Enjoy the evening
,” I said before turning and walking off.

“
You look magnificent. I didn't recognize you at first,” Thompson esteemed as we made our way to the bar.