Too Close for Comfort (14 page)

“I didn't know what was going on out here,” she said. “I didn't know you could dance like that.”

“I forgot you were back here,” Yaya told her. “Take this box to my desk for me. Let me run and get my phone.”

“Wow!” Fitz said, when she walked back in. He was still standing in the same spot.

“Don't you have some packages to deliver?” she asked him.

“I told you, ‘The girl is bad'—Can you imagine what she's like in bed?” Jarrod nudged Fitz in the arm.

“Get out, Jarrod!” Monya yelled.

Yaya read the first text message she had received which was from Taryn saying she would be late this morning and would call later. The second one, from Celeste, sent the previous night, had two attachments. Yaya clicked on it to read them. Her eyes widened as her phone screen held a picture. It wasn't the best quality, but there was no doubt that there in front of her was Paige being kissed by a man who was not Quincy.

“I told you she was no good,” Celeste said, a look of satisfaction on her face.

“Okay, let me tell you about your friend,” Nina said as she got into the car. Her car was giving her problems and Paige had agreed to give her a ride to work. “Who?”

“Mr. Titus,” Nina replied.

“What did he do? Did he say what was wrong with your car?”

“Check this out. He calls around seven last night and tells me he's about to come over so he can look at it. I say, ‘Cool.' He says he's gotta go home, take a shower and get cleaned up first, and then he'll be right there. My first thought was why was he getting cleaned up since he's coming to look at my car and will probably get dirty all over again, but I don't say anything. Let's not mention the fact that he knows I have triple
A
, and I can just have it towed.”

“Did he come?”

“Why did he show up at my door, clean as a whistle? I'm talking clean, Paige. He is dressed in all white, from the baseball cap on his head to the Nike's on his feet, and he's smelling wonderful. I'm talking Joop! cologne. You know I know Joop! when I smell it.”

Paige laughed. “Not decked out in all white with the Joop!, Nina.”

“Girl, yes. I open the door, and I'm like, ‘Where the hell are you going?' It's too early for DJ Terror's Fourth of July party, which by the way, I'm going to this year, whether you go with me or not.”

“You're rambling,” Paige said, “get to the point.”

“So he comes inside, comments on my place, asks about Jade. I mean, Paige, he sits on the sofa like he's over there because I invited him.”

“You did invite him.”

“You know what I mean—like he came over to chill with me. I'm thinking, whatever it is you're thinking, little man, it's not going to work. By now, I'm telling him about the car and how crazy it's been acting. Then he asks me if I wanna go get something to eat.”

“That was nice of him.” Paige giggled. “He asked you out.”

“He's asked me out before, and the answer is always still the same—no!”

“Nina, you should be ashamed of yourself. Here is a nice guy who is really into you. He is a successful businessman, and he's attractive.”

“And all of that is true, but he's also all of five-foot, three. I'm not gonna go out with him. He needs to face it.”

“So what did he finally say about your car?”

“After about an hour of making small talk, he asks to go to the restroom. I let him. He comes out and says that it's too dark for him to check it out and he'll send a tow truck to get it this afternoon. I swear, he is crazy.” Nina shook her head.

“No, he's determined. I have to admire that about him.”

Paige's cell began ringing. She saw it was Quincy. “Hey, baby. Good morning.”

“Good morning. Are you at work yet?”

“No, I'm still on the way. You know I had to pick up Nina this morning.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” he said. “Listen, I'm about to send you a text message.”

“Is it sexual?” She glanced over at Nina.

“No, it's not. But don't make any lunch plans because we need to talk, okay?”

“Not a problem. I'll see you then. I love you,” she said.

He hung up without responding.

A few seconds later, her phone alerted her that she had a message. She opened it and nearly swerved off the road when she saw the picture of her and Marlon a few days ago at the restaurant. Although she knew that it was the simple gesture of his kissing her on the forehead, it still seemed to be an intimate moment between them. There was a second photo also of them in the parking lot—this time he was kissing her on her chin.

“Oh God!” She pulled into the nearest parking lot.

“What's wrong?” Nina asked.

Paige passed her the phone, showing the latter of the two pictures.

“Oh, damn. When was this?”

“The other day, when we got the checks.” Paige shook her head in disbelief.

“Who the hell took this? Who knew you all were going?” Nina asked the exact questions Paige was thinking. “Who sent these to you?”

“Quincy.”

“Damn! Did you at least tell him you were meeting Marlon for lunch?”

“No, I didn't. I swear, Nina, it's not how it looks.”

“I know that. Everyone who knows you and Marlon knows that this is how he's always kissed you. On your forehead when he says hello, and on your chin when it's good-bye.”

“Quincy ain't trying to hear that, Nina.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing. Just that we need to talk, that's all.” Paige wanted to throw up. “He's probably thinking a hell of a lot that he's not saying, believe that.”

“I'm sorry, Paige. He has to know that it's not what it looks like. Things are good between you two, and you would never do anything to jeopardize that. He knows that.” Nina tried to comfort her.

Her words did nothing to stop the tears that were now falling from Paige's eyes. “I love him, Nina. Whenever the subject of Marlon comes up, we never seem to see eye-to-eye, so I didn't even mention it to him. That's why I didn't even tell him about the house. He's been telling me to just let Marlon have the house. Now, this . . .” Paige sniffed. She looked at the clock. “We better hurry before both of us are late.”

“Don't worry, it'll work out,” Nina said when they pulled up to her office building.

“Thanks, Nina. I'll be here at five-thirty to get you.”

Sitting in the parking lot of the library where she worked, Paige took out her cell phone and looked at the pictures again. She still could not believe someone could take them and then send them to Quincy. She scrolled up and down, trying to see if she could locate where they originated. Her stomach churned as she thought about what Quincy had to be thinking. She wanted to call him, but decided to wait until they met for lunch.

There was no way she could work this morning. She called in and let them know she was taking a personal day. Paige needed to clear her head before she met with Quincy.

It was almost noon when he finally called her. “You ready?”

“Yes. Where do you wanna meet at?” she asked nervously.

“You want me to pick you up?”

“I'm not at work.”

“Where are you?”

“I'm at home. Quincy—”

“I'll be there in twenty minutes,” he said and hung the phone up.

It was sooner than that when she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over and opened the door.

He stood in the doorway, not saying anything, confusion mixed with anger in his face. He walked behind her, and they stood in the living room.

“You wanna tell me what's going on?”

“There's nothing going on,
Q
, I swear.”

“That's not what it's looking like, Paige. I just told you a few days ago that if there's something you need to tell me, go ahead. You know you never have a reason to lie to me.” Quincy stared at her.

“I know that, Quincy, and I've never lied to you about anything. I will admit that I didn't volunteer any information, but I never lied.”

“So because you didn't tell me you were still seeing Marlon, that justifies it?”

“I'm not seeing Marlon.”

“Now I'm beginning to wonder if there was some truth to what Kasey was saying.” He glared at her.

Paige's nervousness now changed into rage. She could not believe that he even said that.“Oh, so now I'm a liar, and Kasey is the honest one?—Is that what you're saying?”

“I can see where she could think that you and Marlon were messing around with each other. You always say how you can't stand him and how he disgusts you, but you still chitchat and laugh on the phone in the middle of the night. And from the looks on the pictures, you don't look like the archenemies that you claim to be. I don't know what to believe. You say one thing and then act another way.” Quincy folded his arms.

“So you don't trust me?”

“Have you given me a reason to trust you?”

“I haven't given you a reason not to trust me, Quincy. You're not even giving me a chance to explain what was going on in the pictures.”

“It's clear what's going on. He's kissing you, you're smiling—no explanation needed.”

Paige tried to fight back the tears, but they fell from her eyes. “If you already think that, then why did you come over here to talk then? You already think I'm in the wrong. You think that I'm cheating with Marlon, right? Your mind is already set on knowing that I'm going behind your back and getting with him. What did you want to discuss? You already have all the answers,
Q
. Let you tell it, you don't even have to ask if I'm fucking Marlon, because you already know. So what's the big discussion supposed to be about?”

“You're right, there's no need for further discussion. I'm outta here.” He turned and slammed the door behind him.

Good riddance
, she thought.
I don't need a man that has no confidence in me anyway. He didn't even give me the chance to explain what happened. I'm better off this way.
She walked over and sat on the sofa, hugging one of the throw pillows to her. As she cried, she realized that it was the one that Quincy would use to put his head on when he was watching television. The faint scent of him made her cry harder as she realized that the best thing that had ever happened to her had just walked out the door.

“Paige, is everything all right?” Camille walked into Paige's bedroom.

Paige sat up and looked at her. She was such a pretty girl, looking just like her brother. “Well, Cam, things are a little rough for me right now.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Camille sat on the side of the bed.

“You can go and pick Myla and Jade up for me.” Paige sighed.

“That's it?”

“Yeah. Take them and hang out for a while until I get myself together. Go to the movies, maybe Chuck E. Cheese. What time is it?”

“Four o'clock. Tell me what's wrong—I can see you've been crying.”

“Well, Quincy and I broke up,” Paige told her.

“Why?” Camille looked shocked. “I like Quincy!”

“Because someone sent him a picture of me and Marlon at lunch the other day.” Paige sighed and showed her the picture. “Now he thinks that I've been cheating on him.”

“But this is how Marlon kissed me,” Camille said. “He kissed me on the forehead when he says hello. When he says good-bye, he kissed my chin.”

“I know that, but Quincy doesn't. And it doesn't matter, because he doesn't trust me. It's okay. I'll be fine,” Paige told her. “Can you just get the girls and hang out with them?”

“Sure. That's no problem. Look, Paige, let me talk to Quincy. I can tell him—”

“No, you don't need to talk to him,” Paige said.

“But, maybe if he understood, then you all can stay together. You love each other.”

“It takes more than love, Camille. It also takes trust and belief in the person you're with. Without trust, no relationship can last.”

“I understand. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I think I found a job too.”

“Really? Where?”

“I'll let you know once I find out if it's gonna work out,” Camille told her. “I'll get the girls, Paige.” Camille stood up and started out the door. “And, trust me, you and Quincy will work out.

“I hired a personal assistant,” Taryn announced. The salon was closed and the girls were having their monthly staff meeting.

“‘A personal assistant'? What for?” Yaya asked.

“Because I realize that I need one. With everything going on here at the salon and my freelance work, it makes sense to me. Also, my personal assistant will also be responsible for scheduling my appointments for my regular clients, so that pathetic excuse for a receptionist you hired won't have to be bothered.”

“Wow! Maybe I need to hire a personal assistant.” Monya laughed.

Unamused by their comments, Yaya stared at both of them. After the discovery that Celeste had made for her, Yaya felt obligated to keep her on staff. She had decided instead of firing the girl, to help transform her. After all, she was an image consultant.

“Celeste is going to improve; I'm personally gonna work with her and see to it,” Yaya told them.

“You must have plenty of time on your hands,” Taryn responded.

“Anyway, where did you find this personal assistant?” Yaya asked.

“At the catalog shoot the other day. She happened to be there watching, and next thing you know, she was right there helping. She's the bomb. We even talked about me training her for artistry.” Taryn shrugged.

“Wow! That's good,” Monya said. “When does she start?”

“Well, I was just waiting to tell you both about her. Unlike someone, I like to discuss things before making a decision. So, do either of you have a problem with me having a personal assistant?” Taryn looked from one to the other.

“Nope.” Monya nodded. “I think it's a great idea.”

“I don't care,” Yaya told her. “As long as you pay her and not the salon. We only have salary for one receptionist, and now that we're hiring a new nail tech, the budget is going to be tighter.”

“I don't have a problem paying her. Just know that she's working for me and not After Effex. I'll let her know she can start next week.”

“Whatever.” Yaya looked at her watch. “Well, I gotta go. I have a date with Jason tomorrow night, and I've got to get ready.
T
, can you fill my lashes in?”

“Yaya, why did you wait until the last minute? You know Lincoln is picking me up in a few minutes. Come on.”

Yaya sat in Taryn's chair and closed her eyes, preparing herself to enjoy the pampering. Taryn had always had a gentle touch, and Yaya loved it.

“Can you do my brows too?”

“Yaya, I'm not gonna be here with you all night. Hold your head back. So . . . what's the deal with you and Jason now?”

“I gave him his space, and now he misses me, I guess,” Yaya told her.

“So you all are officially back together?”

“
T
, we were never really broken up; we were just on a break.”

“You said the break was over, when we opened the salon,” Monya said.

“It was. I mean, we hooked up that night, and we still talk—”

“How many times have you ‘hooked up' during the break?” Taryn interrupted.

Yaya opened her eyes.

Taryn quickly yelled, “Close 'em!”

“I mean, you know we hook up every so often.”

“Yaya, you've been sleeping with him this entire time?” Taryn tugged at Yaya's lashes.

“A sister has needs; besides, it's not like he's not my boyfriend, come on.”

“He's not—not if you're on a break; you're still screwing him without a commitment. You're asking to get hurt,” Monya told her.

“Okay, hello, this is Jason—the man I'm going to marry.” Yaya could not believe her girlfriends were saying this to her. They were acting as if she was out sleeping with some stranger she met at the club. “It's not like we do it all the time anyway.”

“Only when he calls and wants to come through, huh?” Taryn asked.

“I didn't say that.” Yaya didn't want to admit that she was right.

“You're giving him all the power, Yaya,” Monya told her. “You're letting him control the direction of the relationship. You'd better start telling him no. He has it easy right now. He can go out and do what he wants and still come hit it when he wants to.”

“That's not true. He's not going out and doing anything.”

“If that's what you wanna believe, girlfriend. All I'm saying is that you need to clarify if Jason even wants to get back together for real, for real,” Monya said. “He may honestly believe that you like things the way they are.”

“He's using you.”

“He's not using me. And while you're talking about me, what's up with you and Lincoln?—What do you call what you two are doing?”

“Lincoln and I are friends,” Taryn answered.

“I think it's a tad bit more than that,
T
—You are all into him. You're going out, talking on the phone, he's coming over to the house.”

“Which is what friends do!”

“But does he know how you feel? Have you asked him what's up?” Monya asked.

“He knows I'm feeling him. Why else would I be spending time with him? He knew that from day one.” Taryn laughed.

“Yeah, we all knew you were feeling him from day one, Ms. Can't-Keep-My-Eyes-Off-Him!”

They laughed.

“So, Taryn, have you developed feelings for him? Does he have feelings for you? What's the deal? You're telling me I need to talk to Jason, but believe me, he knows I'm in love with him.”

“Are you in love with Lincoln,
T
?” Monya asked.

The shop got eerily quiet.

Taryn pondered before she said, “Lincoln and I are friends—that's all that matters right now.”

“Jason, can I ask you a question?” Yaya said as they drove to the restaurant the following night.

“Go ahead.” He turned the radio down.

She tried to find the right words. “What is this that we're doing? I mean, where are we headed?”

“We're headed to the Pier to have dinner.” He laughed.

“You know what I mean, Jason. You said you needed your space and I've respected that. I've also been obliging you those late nights when you come over to the crib and sleep with me. Is this all you want from me at this point, or are we going to go back to the way things were when we were together?”

Jason looked over at her. “Qianna, baby, you know how much we've been through. We've been together for a long time. I can't see myself with anyone else but you. The whole point of our giving each other space was so that we could attain some personal goals that we each wanted to achieve. You know I'm trying to make partner at work, and your business is successful right now. We are going to get back to the point where we were, soon. I keep telling you to take advantage of the time we're giving each other.”

Yaya frowned, thinking while what he said sounded good, it didn't really answer her question. Not wanting to ruin the mood of the evening, she just sat back and said, “I can respect that, Jason.”

“Great.” He reached over and touched her thigh, causing tingles to rise inside her body.

She remained quiet for the remainder of the ride to the Pier.

Like the true gentleman he was, Jason opened the car door for her and held her hand as they walked inside. The elegant restaurant was one of her favorites. It was where they had come for their first date over three years ago.

She looked at their reflections as they waited in the lobby and thought they made the perfect couple.
Time will tell
.

“Mr. Taylor,” Claudius, the maître d', greeted them, “so glad to see you again, sir. The rest of your party is already waiting.”

Yaya looked over at Jason. “Rest of what party?”

“Just McDaniel's and his wife, that's all,” he whispered, tucking a curl behind her ear. “You look so damn sexy in that dress. I know you got something special under there for me.”

“Right this way, sir,” Claudius told them.

Jason grabbed her by the hand and led her to the table where Jason's boss and his wife were seated.

“Jason.” The older, handsome man stood. “Qianna, you're looking beautiful as usual. Wonderful to see you again. You remember my wife, Ellen?”

“Hello, Mr. McDaniels, Mrs. McDaniels.” Qianna smiled at them. She waited as Jason pulled her chair out for her.

“What's with the formalities? You know it's Martin and Ellen.” Martin smiled at her.

“My husband is right—you are absolutely stunning,” Ellen told her. “I was telling my daughter about you the other day.”

“Jason tells us you've opened quite the establishment, young lady,” Martin said, after they had ordered their meals.

Yaya was shocked that Jason had even talked about her. “Yes, sir.” She nodded. “It's doing quite well.”

“So, tell me about it, my dear,” Ellen said.

Yaya told them of the salon and the services they offered and the goals they had for the future.

By the time dinner arrived, she realized she had monopolized the entire conversation. “I'm sorry. I got a little carried away.”

“Nonsense,” Ellen said. “I think it's wonderful. You're beautiful, talented, smart, and successful—everything a man could possibly want in a woman. If Jason didn't already have you on his arms, I would be on my phone right now calling one of my nephews.”

“I don't think so. I claimed this woman as my soul mate years ago, and that's not gonna change.”

Yaya looked at Jason to see if he was sincere in what he was saying.

He put his hand on the back of her neck and rubbed it lightly.

“It's so nice to see two successful young people. You two are the picture of perfection. Jason, I have to admit, you have brought so much to the company, including Qianna. I see nothing but great things in the future for both of you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jason smiled and pulled Yaya closer to him.

“This has certainly been a pleasure tonight,” Martin told them, after they had finished dessert.

“I look forward to seeing you both at the company retreat in a few weeks. It's being held at the Poconos.” Ellen nodded at them.

“I would love to attend, but it's only for junior and senior partners, Ellen.” Jason laughed.

“I believe you'll be included in the invites this time, Jason.” Martin winked. “I'll see you bright and early Monday morning.”

“Yes, sir.” Jason stood and shook his hand and then hugged Ellen. Yaya did the same.

They walked into the parking lot and said their good-byes.

“They are really nice,” she said as they walked to the car.

Jason didn't respond.

She looked over at him to see if he heard her.

He was staring at her.

She stopped and turned to him. “What?”

“You are one-of-a-kind, you know that?” He shook his head as he faced her.

Her heart began pounding. She tried to think of what she had done wrong. “What are you talking about?”

He pulled her to him, crushing his mouth on hers and kissing her like he had never done before. It was filled with so much emotion that she felt lightheaded.

They stood kissing each other for what seemed like hours.

She laughed. “Where did that come from?”

“It's been there the entire time, baby.”

The look in his eyes was one she had been waiting to see for weeks; she knew that he once again loved her.

“I am so proud of you. I am so amazed by you. You are my ideal woman.”

“Jason, you're tripping.” She tried to think of how many drinks he had during dinner; he had never been this verbal about his feelings. “Are you okay to drive?”

“I'm fine, Yaya. Come on, I just wanna get home so I can see what's under that dress.” He pulled her toward the car.

They'd barely made it through the door when he reached for the zipper of her dress.

“Golly, Jason, let me at least get in the house first.” She giggled.

Once inside, she paused long enough to let him unzip it. It fell to the floor, and she stepped out of it.

Just as he predicted, she had on a sexy black lace and embroidered corset she'd ordered from Victoria's Secret. “That's what I've been waiting all night to see,” he whispered.

She turned her back to him, so he could remove it.

He kissed the back of her shoulders as he unhooked it. His lips then formed a trail down to the small of her back, until he reached the lace panties she wore.

Heat radiated through her body, and her nipples hardened. She moaned, losing her breath with each touch.