The Rules (5 page)

A cocky smile came on his face. “I’m a Johnson. I don’t know any other way.”

Terri huffed and walked around to the passenger side. She put her hand to open the door, but was practically shoved out of the way by Gavin, who opened it for her.

“What the hell?”

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“I’m trying to get in the car.”

“And I’m opening the door for you.” He swung it wide.

“Why?”

He shot her an odd look, as if he couldn’t believe she’d asked such a thing. “Because you’re a lady.”

The surprising answer pricked her heart. He hadn’t opened the door because he was a gentleman. He opened it because
she
was a lady.

A small lump suddenly appeared in her throat. “Thank you,” she mumbled, eyes darting away from his.

She settled in the seat and watched him go around to the driver’s side and then climb in.

A little shell-shocked by his words, she still couldn’t speak. No one had ever called her a lady, and she certainly couldn’t recall being treated like one on too many occasions.

Gavin started the Jimmy and pulled out of the parking lot.

On the road, he turned to her and smiled, continuing to chip away at the barrier of cool she had erected to protect against the charms of men like him.

“So tell me, what kind of pizza do you like?”

The pizza joint turned out to be a high-end restaurant that served hand-tossed pizza created from fresh dough made in-house daily. Terri and Gavin sat at the counter where they could watch the pizza makers in the open kitchen. They entertained the patrons by tossing the dough high in the air and then shoving the finished product into the wood fire oven to cook.

Terri devoured two large slices of the best cheesiest mushroom pizza she had ever eaten and washed down the calories with a cream soda. While Gavin spoke to the owner and waitress, she watched him, observing the way his relaxed body bent over the counter while engaging in friendly banter. Nothing pretentious about him at all, intriguing her all the more. He seemed to be a multi-layered individual, pushy and arrogant on the one hand, yet friendly, down-to-earth, and considerate on the other.

They left the restaurant after Faison called and told Gavin the Jimmy was ready, and Terri gasped when she saw the transformation. Instead of a dull, hideous gray color from dirt, the new wax job gave the exterior the reflective surface of a shiny black pearl. In all honesty, it looked like a brand new car, and the insides doused with the pineapple-scented freshener she requested made for a satisfying olfactory experience when Gavin opened the door for her.

Ten minutes later, they returned to the spa’s parking lot, and Gavin eased into a space and turned off the engine.

Terri turned to him and asked, “So what now?”

“You thank me.”

She stiffened, the sting of disappointment in her shoulders. The smile on Gavin’s face came off as lascivious, filled with presumption that a reward was forthcoming. He temporarily fooled her by opening doors and calling her a lady, but as she suspected from the beginning, he was like every other man—a typical male.

“You give me a fat tip, detail my car, buy me two slices of pizza, and all of a sudden I owe you?” Terri asked, balling her hands into fists.

Gavin reared back. “Excuse me?”

“What should I do? Straddle you? Or would you prefer a blow job? Your wish is my command.”

“Whoa, whoa.” His eyes widened and hands came up defensively. “What are you talking about?”

“You wanted me to ‘thank you,’ right?” Her fingers made angry air quotes.

How could he be such an insensitive brute? He
offered
to take care of her car and buy her dinner.

“Usually, when someone says thank me, the other person just says ‘thank you.’” He spoke in a quietly reasonable voice, like someone trying to calm a hysterical person.

Some of Terri’s indignant anger abated. “You meant it literally?”

Gavin cocked his head at her. “I really need to know the kind of men you’re used to dealing with.” He ran a hand back and forth over his head. “I want to get to know you.”

“Why me? You can have any woman you want.”

“Obviously not. I can’t have you. I can’t even get you to give me your phone number.”

“Why are you trying so hard?” Terri asked.

“Why do you keep resisting?” he countered, resting an arm on the steering wheel and turning in her direction.

Terri gnawed the side of her lip. “Look, I haven’t been serious with anyone in a long time. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

“Neither am I.” His voice remained calm and even-toned.

Terri cast an eye around the parking lot at a few people leaving the restaurant a couple of doors down and then crossed her arms over her chest.

“If I go out with you one time, will you leave me alone?”

“Question is, will you want to be left alone?”

Terri lifted an eyebrow at him, and Gavin rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Fine. If you don’t have an incredible time on our date, I’ll leave you alone. Deal?”

“There are no stipulations. One time, that’s it. Take it or leave it.”

Gavin frowned at her. Then a slow, triumphant smile came over his face, and Terri shifted uneasily in the seat, wondering if she should retract her offer. “Where do you want to go?” he asked.

She hadn’t thought that far in advance and couldn’t think of any place at the moment. “Um…a nice restaurant. You pick.”

He stared out the window and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. After some thought, he said, “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you. Are you working tomorrow night?”

“Yes, but I’m free next Saturday.” Now that she’d agreed to go out with him, a tiny part of her already looked forward to the evening out.

“No plans with Drake?”

“Seriously?”

“All right, all right, Dagwood.”

Terri rolled her eyes.

“I’ll pick you up next week.” Gavin opened his door and then looked over his shoulder at her. “Don’t move.”

Remaining in place, Terri’s eyes followed him as he walked around the SUV to her side. She knew the routine now and appreciated this treatment. It made her feel special.

Like a lady.

Gavin opened the passenger door and she hopped onto the asphalt. He didn’t step back, standing very, very close. Her skin reacted to the close proximity of his—tightening, tingling. A glimmer of heat entered his eyes and she waited, breath suspended.

Gavin handed her the keys and walked away. Disappointed, Terri stood in place for a minute. She didn’t know what to expect, but she hadn’t expected him to simply walk away.

She trailed him around to the driver’s side. “Thank you…for everything,” she said.

“My pleasure.” A lazy smile crossed his lips and filtered into his honey-colored eyes.

“I guess you’ll need my number,” she said slowly.

“I would love to have it.”

She gave him the digits. “You’re not going to write it down?”

Gavin tapped the side of his head. “I have a great memory,” he said, and recited it back to her. “So you’re really going out with me next week?”

“I said I would.”

The corners of his mouth turned upward, a sign of genuine pleasure. He opened the driver door and she climbed into the seat.

“Good night, Terri Slade.”

“Good night, Gavin Johnson.”

He shut the door, patted the hood, and sauntered off.

As she watched Gavin wind his way between the cars to his own vehicle, Terri recalled the promise he’d made in the salon when she told him she wouldn’t give him her number.

I’m not leaving without it.

Sure enough, he hadn’t.

Terri exited her clean vehicle and closed the door. The Jimmy glowed under the lights of the parking lot of Stack Home Apartments. Most of the windows of the ten buildings were illuminated. The three-story brick building where she lived contained only efficiency apartments and she knew a few of her neighbors, but for the most part, everyone kept to themselves and it was fairly quiet.

Trudging up the walkway, she yawned and rolled her shoulders. She entered the building and saw Mr. Raymond, a white-haired old man who moved in six months ago with a little Chihuahua named Max. Every evening before the sun went down, no matter the temperature, he and Max went for a walk around the complex. Mr. Raymond explained to her once that the exercise was good for his stiff joints.

He pulled mail from his box and one of the envelopes fluttered to the ground.

“I’ve got it.” Terri hurried over, swooped up the envelope, and handed it to him.

“Thank you, Terri.” His face beamed with a friendly smile.

“You’re welcome. How are you doing tonight, Mr. Raymond?”

“Good, good. My grandson’s coming to visit me next weekend. Got himself a new girlfriend he wants to introduce me to.” He winked.

“Uh-oh, must be serious.”

“I think so.”

“How’s Max? Still ruling the roost as if he’s the one paying the rent?”

“Afraid so. One of these days, I’m going to show him who’s boss.”

Terri laughed. “G’night.”

“Good night.”

Mr. Raymond shuffled off toward his apartment, and Terri climbed two flights of stairs to the third floor. Walking down the hall, rock music from the apartment across the corridor blared so loud it rattled the door.

“He must be deaf,” she muttered, sympathizing with the renter next to him.

The noisy neighbor was a weird little guy with shaggy hair and beady eyes who never looked her in the face when they passed each other in the hall, always directing his gaze at the floor.

She opened the door to her efficiency and flicked on the light in the tiny space, and the scent of tropical fruit air freshener greeted her nose. Inhaling deeply, she smiled.

Closing the door, she shut out the neighbor’s noise. She pulled across the chain, flipped the two deadbolts—one of which she had installed when she moved in—and turned the lock in the door. Home sweet home.

For the first time in her life, she had her own place. It wasn’t much—hardly more than four hundred square feet—but her name was on the lease. Quite a step down from the life she used to live in an upscale condo in the middle of Buckhead, an affluent district in metro Atlanta.

Brunch at the Four Seasons on Fourteenth Street with the girlfriends of wealthy businessmen—a makeshift social club among a small group—and shopping at Lenox Square or specialty stores for the finest clothing and home furnishings had been the norm. Although she had moments when she missed that lifestyle, she didn’t miss the high cost that came with it. She lost herself, basically giving up her independence and self-esteem for a life that not only didn’t last, but made her very unhappy and ultimately hurt a lot of people.

She was infinitely happier in her little efficiency. She paid the rent and bills here, and it felt damn good. White walls and white appliances helped to keep the small space from feeling too cramped. The off-white sofa, purchased at a second-hand furniture store, contained a punch of color from blue, striped, and red pillows. Opening the ivory curtain that separated the bedroom from the rest of the apartment, she took a few steps and dropped her Gucci knock-off on the bed, which sat directly in front of a large window facing the street. The other window looked down into the parking lot.

A five-drawer bureau took up part of the wall next to the door that led to the bathroom. On top was a collection of snow globes—six from the states she traveled through on her four-day drive from Atlanta to Washington; one from Arizona, gifted to her by Alannah; the other three came from visits to New York, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. One day she hoped to expand her collection to include globes from every state. Maybe even every country in the world.

She turned on the lamp beside the bed and lifted the mattress to remove the white envelope stuffed with cash. She added the C-note from Gavin and wrote the date and amount on the outside of the envelope like always.

“Six thousand, one hundred, fifty dollars.”

She did a happy dance and shoved the money back under the mattress and dropped onto the bed. When she retrieved her phone from her purse, she flopped onto her back and dialed a number in Georgia. On the third ring, a female voice answered, and she prepared for the difficult conversation with her brother’s fiancée, Shanae.

“Hey, it’s me,” Terri said in a deadpan voice, because being polite and friendly hadn’t worked in a long time.

“What do you want?” Her future sister-in-law sounded annoyed, her usual tone of voice.

“To talk to my brother,” Terri said between her teeth. “Is he in?”

“No.”

Terri bit back a curse at the short answer. Shanae’s attitude was a constant source of exasperation. Getting information from her always meant going through a game of verbally pulling teeth.