We Have Plenty Of Time...
Victoria quickly wrapped herself in the soft hotel bathrobe and scurried to answer the phone.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Parker's deep, sexy voice hummed on the other end.
“Parker!” Victoria screeched with delight.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I've been up for a while. I just got out of the shower when I heard the phone ring.”
“Just got out of the shower, huh? What're you wearing?” he asked in a low, seductive tone. He was in his office, taking a final review of his patient's chart.
“You're so bad. I'm wearing a bathrobe.”
“What's underneath?”
“Nothing, I'm bare to the bone.”
“Mmmmm.”
“And I'm wet,” Victoria purred, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Parker put down the chart. “If I was there, I'd take care of that.”
“Oh yeah, and what would you do?”
“Lick you dry.”
“Where?”
“Where you're the wettest.”
“Licking me there could make me wetter . . . it could be quite a job to handle.”
“Then you're in luck. That area happens to be one of my other specialties.”
Victoria felt hot and flush. “Too bad we couldn't finish what we started the other morning.”
“Don't remind me,” Parker groaned.
“Well, maybe it was a sign that we should continue to take things slow. I have a feeling it'll be worth the wait,” she said, “besides, we have plenty of time ahead of us.”
Parker was disappointed. Being called away for emergency surgery hadn't been a sign, it was an
unexpected interruption
. He felt uneasy listening to Victoria talk about all the time they had, so he quickly changed the subject. “Sorry I didn't call you last night. Things got pretty busy here. We're short-staffed and I had a ton of things to do.”
“You're at work now?”
“Yep.”
“Your schedule has been grueling lately. Please don't overdo it, you need your rest.”
Parker couldn't remember any other woman he'd dated who had shown the kind of genuine care and concern for him that Victoria did. She'd even begun preparing him home-cooked meals, a treat he looked forward to at the end of his busy days. “Yes, ma'am,” he said, smiling into the phone. “By the way, are you still meeting Juliet for dinner tomorrow?” Parker remembered Juliet from his brother's firm. He liked her, but he wished she hadn't told Victoria about Pamela because he wanted sleeping dogs to lie.
“Yeah, I'm meeting her at her office after work,” Victoria answered.
“Can you ask Mason to send me the tickets for the Knicks game?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, baby.” He left his office and walked down the hall toward the scrub area. “I have to go. I just wanted to call and hear your voice.”
“Oh, I have a quick question I forgot to ask you before I left.”
“Sure, what's up?”
“My church is having our annual winter cruise in February. Can you go with me? I think Tyler and Juliet will want to go too, and I need to let the church secretary know my final headcount by mid-week.” She smiled into the phone, thinking about the fun they were going to have.
Going on her church's cruise was something Victoria wouldn't have even considered a month ago. But now that Parker was in her life, she couldn't wait to sail the romantic seas.
Parker felt panic. It would be impossible for him to go on a cruise in February because of the Africa Project, but he wasn't prepared to give an explanation over the phone because he knew that Victoria would grill him like she was conducting a homicide investigation, firing one question after another. “Baby, I've got to scrub in for surgery. I'll get back to you later.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too.”
Victoria hung up the phone and reached for her bottle of orange juice. She was definitely in love. Sometimes she felt like her relationship with Parker was a dream. He was the man she'd prayed for. Her mother was beside herself with happiness when she'd called to tell her about their first date.
“Is he black?” had been Elizabeth's first question.
Victoria finished her juice and watched the local news. Crime, drugs, and corruption: a typical day in New York City, and it was only seven a.m.
A New Kind Of Asshole. . .
Victoria took a seat on the small leather sofa next to a leafy ficus tree. The office suite of Stern, Cohen, Donaldson, and Baer was opulent. Juliet came out smiling from ear to ear. “Hey, girl. How're you doing?” she greeted Victoria with a big hug.
“I'm great. How're you?”
“I'm fantastic,” Juliet squeaked in her high-pitched voice.
“Is that big smile on your face because you're happy to see me, or do we have Mr. Jacobs to thank for that?”
“Both! But I can't even lie, Tyler has a lot to do with it,” Juliet beamed, leading Victoria from the lobby and back through a set of glass double-doors. “I'll take you back to meet Mason now.”
Mason's door was open, so Juliet gave it a light knock before entering. She reached for Victoria's hand and ushered her into the large corner office. “Mason, I have someone I'd like you to meet.”
Victoria instantly saw the resemblance between Parker and his older brother. They both shared the same confident, sexy air. Mason Brightwood was handsome. His full head of thick, curly black hair, square jaw, and inviting smile made him the kind of man who deserved a double take. He was impeccably dressed and smelled of European cologne. Victoria's curiosity about meeting him was fueled by the fact that while Parker was closer to Mason than to any of his three other brothers, they shared a serious sibling rivalry.
“Mason, it's so nice to meet you, I'm Victoria,” she said, extending her hand.
Mason accepted her hand into both of his, giving her a warm welcome. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Victoria. I see why my brother can't stop talking about you. You're every bit as beautiful as Parker said you were.”
“Thank you,” Victoria smiled.
The three stood in the middle of Mason's office, chit-chatting. But Victoria soon became uncomfortable when she noticed that Mason was checking her out, roaming his eyes over her fitted black suit as if he were inspecting a choice cut of meat. Juliet noticed too.
“Parker tells me that you and your wife have two children, how old are they?” Victoria asked, smiling hard enough to choke. She knew that bringing up anything that escorted a married man's wife and children into a conversation would quickly shut things down. Juliet gave her a knowing glance of approval.
“Our son is four and our daughter will be two next month,” Mason answered, motioning toward their pictures on the credenza across the room. “Please, have a closer look,” he smiled, continuing to eyeball her.
He's a new kind of asshole,
Victoria thought. “I can see from here that you have a lovely family.” This time she spoke without a smile. “How long have you been married?”
“Ten happy years,” Mason responded in a voice as smooth as silk.
“Isn't that special,” Victoria said sarcastically. She couldn't believe that he was actually proclaiming marital bliss while looking at her ass! “We better go, we have dinner reservations,” she nodded toward Juliet, ready to get out of Mason's sight.
She and Juliet said their goodbyes, then headed out the door. They were down the hall when Victoria remembered that she'd forgotten to ask Mason about Parker's tickets for the game. She headed back to Mason's office while Juliet went to gather her things.
“I hate to interrupt, but Parker wanted me to remind you about the tickets for the Knicks game,” Victoria said, standing in his doorway.
Mason was happy to see her back in his officeâunaccompanied. He rose from behind his desk and walked toward her, standing a little too close. Victoria didn't move away. She stood her ground and looked him in the eye. “My boyfriend just wanted me to deliver the message.”
You pervert
! she wanted to scream.
Mason liked her boldness. “My little brother has done well for himself. I'm glad I didn't have to wait until the game to meet you.”
Victoria gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“Parker said you were coming with him, that's why he asked for two tickets. The firm gets court-side seats,” Mason grinned. “You
are
coming, aren't you?”
Victoria thought that Parker was getting the tickets for himself and Phil.
Maybe he's trying to surprise me with a weekend in the city? But if it's supposed to be a surprise, why would he ask me to talk to Mason about the tickets?
Victoria tried to pretend she was excited. “I'll be there.” She smiled.
“Parker's a lucky man.”
“Yes, he is,” she said with an icy tone, this time not even trying to fake cordiality. She turned abruptly and headed back down the hall without saying goodbye. She knew that Mason was standing in his doorway, watching her as she walked away. She knew it because she could feel his eyes on her like the sun bearing down in the afternoon sky. When she reached the end of the hall, she turned and waved goodbye. He waved back.
Victoria and Juliet remained silent until they stepped into the elevator. Miracle of miracles, it was empty. “Can you believe that asshole? He was checking me out,” Victoria fumed.
“Girl, that's just Mason. He has a weakness for women.”
“Well, this woman is taken, and by his own brother no less. I can't believe his audacity!”
“Mason is used to getting what he wants, he's a player. And it's a shame because his wife is actually a nice woman. She was an attorney too, but after they had the first kid she quit her job to stay at home.”
“This shit really bothers me. I think I'm going to tell Parker.”
Juliet looked at Victoria like she was crazy. “Don't do it. It'll just cause trouble.”
“But Mason was out of line. You saw him. He was so disrespectful.”
“I'm not arguing that, but until he does something blatant, and I mean really concrete, you better keep a lid on it. Trust me. You should never try to make a case without indisputable evidence.”
They stepped out of the building and into the crisp November air. Juliet walked hurriedly up to the curb and raised her arm to hail a cab.
“We're over here,” Victoria motioned, walking toward the black Lincoln town car that was double-parked a few feet away. The chauffeur came around to open the door for them. “Ted, my colleague . . . he arranged for a car for the evening,” Victoria said.
“Tyler was right.” Juliet smiled, raising a brow.
Can I Give You a Ride? . . .
Victoria was glad it was Wednesday. She was halfway through the week, and to her relief, she hadn't had to work too closely with Patricia. Her day was breezing along, and by afternoon she planned to finish her employee interviews with the disgruntled New York staff, then complete her report when she returned to the office next week.
Over the last three days she had enjoyed working with Henry Cleveland, the New York office's newly hired VP of Operations. Henry had been the “go-to” operations man at Vanguard Systems, and Ted had recruited him shortly after he transitioned over to ViaTech last spring. She and Henry clicked instantly. He was an engaging, confident brother, knowledgeable in his work. And he'd given her valuable information that would help with the reorganization plan they were developing.
The ten-member group assigned to the New York strategic team met in the boardroom at the end of the day. Ted conducted the meeting in his usual succinct manner. He thanked the New York staff, along with Victoria and Patricia, for their hard work and efforts. Patricia sat next to him, smiling and nodding her head approvingly at Ted's every word. He adjourned the meeting and reminded the group about their wrap up dinner later that evening. “I'll see you all at seven sharp,” he said.
On their way out, Henry stopped Victoria before she left the boardroom. “Victoria, can I give you a ride over to the restaurant tonight? I can swing by your hotel and pick you up,” he offered.
Victoria looked at Henry with slight hesitation, but his charming demeanor made her give in. “Thank you, Henry. That's very nice of you. I'll see you in a few.”
Ted, Victoria, and Patricia rode back to the hotel together. Ted wished that Patricia hadn't invited herself along on the ride, but since they were all staying at the same hotel there was little room getting around it. He wanted to ask Victoria what her conversation with Henry had been about, but Patricia was sitting beside him, going on and on about the crime in New York. He knew that Henry was single and had a reputation for being quite the ladies' man.
The three arrived at the hotel and strolled through the lobby toward the bank of elevators. “What time should I meet you in the lobby?” Patricia asked Ted, flashing her three-dollar smile, disregarding Victoria completely.
Ted turned to Victoria. “What time will you be ready?”
“You guys can go ahead without me. Henry's picking me up.”
Ted bit his lower lip as they rode the elevator in silence, save for Patricia's blabbering about the rudeness of New Yorkers. She held the door open at her floor. “Ted, I'll meet you downstairs at six-thirty,” she grinned before getting off and strutting down the hallway to her room.
“I'm so glad the meetings are over,” Victoria said as the doors closed. “Things actually went better than I thought they would.”
“Why is Henry picking you up?” Ted tried not to sound accusatory, but his question came out short and curt.
“Because he thought I might need a ride. It's just employee camaraderie.”
“Yeah, I'll bet,” Ted smirked with an attitude.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Forget it,” he snapped.
“Fine!” Victoria snapped back. She stepped off the elevator at her floor without saying another word.
Two hours later, Ted sat in the restaurant, glancing at his watch. It was nearly eight o'clock and everyone was there except Victoria and Henry. The group had started with a round of drinks and appetizers.
Where could they be?
he wondered. Just then he saw the pair walking in the group's direction under the escort of a hostess. He watched them carefully, but Victoria refused to make eye contact.
She took a seat at the table, but she was in no mood for dinner. She was pissed, not only by Ted's earlier behavior, but because Henry had shown up lateâin a taxi! His excuse was that he'd been having engine trouble for the past week, and had to drop his car off at the shop on his way over to the hotel.
If he knew that he was having car problems, why would he offer to pick me up?
Victoria had silently fumed on their cab ride over to the restaurant.
Dinner dragged on like a turtle chasing a snail. As the evening wound down, everyone headed out the door and said their goodbyes. Victoria declined Henry's offer to take her back to the hotel, and stopped short of giving him the hug he wanted, substituting it with a firm handshake. Knowing that she couldn't stay mad at him, she walked over to Ted and looked him firmly in the eye. “Do you mind if I ride back to the hotel with you guys?”
“I'd like that,” he smiled.
“Victoria, do you have a minute?” Henry called out, standing under the restaurant's canopy, waiting for the valet to hail him a cab.
Victoria hoped he wasn't going to ask her if she wanted a ride back to the hotel again. She'd discovered that he possessed slickness, not charm, and she had no tolerance for his game. But she didn't want to ignore him, so she let out a deep breath and excused herself, heading in his direction.
Ted wanted to walk over with her to see what Henry was up to, but at the risk of ruining what he saw was a truce, he went to the car and waited.
“What are we waiting for?” Patricia asked, already sitting in the backseat. She was anxious to get back to the hotel for a chance to seduce Ted on her last night in town.
“Victoria had to speak with Henry about something, she'll be here in a minute,” Ted answered without looking in her direction. His mind was busy thinking about how he would formally apologize to Victoria once they returned to the hotel.
“We should just leave her . . . she's holding us up. Besides, you know how black people are, always late and never on time for anything. Look how late the two of them showed up for dinner. Hmph,
those people.
” Patricia shook her head.
Ted's body became still, but Patricia was too busy talking to notice.
“And I bet she's doing more than just talking to him. They're probably making plans to finish whatever made them late in the first place. Victoria doesn't fool me for one second. I know she's been trying to get on your good side, but, Ted”âshe paused, placing her hand on his kneeâ“you really should be careful around her.”
When Ted finally looked at Patricia, his stare was one that couldn't have done less damage if he'd taken a knife and slid it across the delicate expanse of her porcelain hued throat. Patricia drew her hand back as if avoiding hot coals.
Just then, Victoria appeared. She was relieved that Henry's request had been legitimate. “Thanks for waiting. Henry wanted me to give you this,” she said, handing Patricia a CD ROM. “It's the information for your report. He forgot to give it to you during dinner.”
“Oh, thank you. I think everything went well today, Victoria, don't you?” Patricia said, exposing her genuinely fake smile.
On the ride back, Victoria could sense that something was very wrong. From the moment she'd stepped into the car, Ted's body language had been rigid and gruff, almost angry. And what made her antennae go up even more was that Patricia was being nice to her, actually engaging her in pleasant conversation!
Back at the hotel, Patricia stepped off the elevator at her floor. “Good night,” she smiled nervously, “I hope the rest of your meetings go well. See you two back at the office next week.” She waved before disappearing down the hall.
“Good night,” Victoria said, but Ted remained silent. Before the doors closed, Victoria turned to face him. “What's going on? You didn't say a word the entire ride back.”
Ted shook his head. “Nothing's wrong.”
“You're not telling the truth. What happened in the car between you and Patricia?”
“V, it's nothing . . . really.”
The door opened at Victoria's floor. “Good night, V. I'll meet you in the lobby tomorrow morning,” he half-smiled, ushering Victoria out of the elevator.
Once he returned to his room, Ted undressed, throwing his clothes to the floor. Even after all the manipulative things Trudy had done to him over the years, he had never felt as mad or as angry as he did tonight. Patricia had crossed the line. The only reason he hadn't addressed her was because for the first time in his life he didn't trust himself to control what he might do.
He knew it was time to deal with Patricia once and for all. He logged on to his laptop and sent out several emails, then made a few phone calls, leaving voice messages for his intended recipients. Satisfied that he'd accomplished his mission, he took a hot shower to relieve his stress.