Unforgettable (4 page)

C
lub Secrets had a reputation for being one of the hottest spots in Atlanta and, judging by the long line behind the velvet rope, the hardest place to get into.

“I don't know about this,” Diana said, stepping out of Tim's car. Her eyes zeroed in on what the women in line were wearing and immediately she felt overdressed.

“Oh. This is going to be exciting,” Louisa said. Her eyes were the size of silver dollars. At seventy-two, she wore a black and gold pantsuit, gold looped earrings, and her favorite Beverly Johnson wig.

Diana, too, wore a pantsuit, but it was a black and white number that was more suited for a business meeting than a social function. Her hair remained pulled back in its tried and true ponytail while her makeup consisted of only a single coat of ruby-red lipstick.

Tim, however, looked as though he'd stepped out of
the pages of
GQ.
His enthusiasm for going out for the evening matched Louisa's.

Everyone closed their doors and the car alarm was engaged before Tim walked around from the driver's side. “Are you ladies ready for a good time?” he asked, offering each of them his arm.

“Oh, my.” Louisa pointed. “Look at that one woman over there. She's naked.”

“Nana, don't point,” Diana whispered. “It's rude.”

“And that one over there. On second thought, is she even old enough to get into this place?”

“Probably not.” Tim chuckled and led them to the back of the line. “It's none of our business one way or another.”

“Humph,” Louisa said under her breath and then looked around the crowd to find more fashion victims. “Oh, look, Diana. That young man looks like a nice handsome boy. Maybe you should go and say hi to him.”

A few people snickered around them, including Tim.

Diana closed her eyes and shrank two inches from total mortification.

“Oh, what about that nice young man over there?”

“Nana,” Diana hissed. “Will you stop? You're embarrassing me.”

“I'm doing no such thing.” Louisa frowned. “I'm just trying to help.”

Tim laughed. “I can tell already this is going to be one hell of an evening.”

“I'll agree on the hell part.” Diana sulked.

 

Champagne and gorgeous women overflowed the VIP room of Club Secrets when Marcel and Solomon entered. Navigating through the room, Marcel smiled and shook hands with nearly everyone present. Most pressed him about checking out one group or another, some even handed him demo tapes.

It was hard to get used to everyone always wanting something from him. Most days, he managed just fine. Others were a struggle—like tonight.

“Tee Bo, my man.” He stretched his hands and greeted the ex-pro football player turned club owner. “The party is off the chain as usual.”

“Of course, Casanova. Tee Bo always knows how to throw a party.” He slid his arm around Marcel's shoulder and gestured to the array of women he'd chosen to entertain VIP guests for the evening.
“Mi casa es su casa.
If you see anything you like, you better hang on to it.”

Solomon glided up next to them. “Sometimes I feel like a kid in a candy store.”

Marcel grinned. “Too bad you're a diabetic.”

“This is true.” He held up his glass of champagne and the two lifelong friends clinked their glasses together.

Being a fan of old-school rap, Marcel found his attention quickly drawn to the deejay scratching on the ones and twos. He moved to the balcony of the VIP room and stared down at the crowd below. “Hey, is that the cat you were telling me about from the radio station?”

Tee Bo and Solomon moved next to him.

“Yeah, bananas, ain't he?” Tee Bo said.

“No doubt. I need to book him to do my next birthday bash.”

“For you, I'm sure he'd consider it an honor.”

Marcel scanned the crowd, and for a second a familiar face caught his attention and then vanished. Frowning, he looked through the crowd again and was disappointed when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

“Is something wrong?” Solomon asked.

Giving up his search, Marcel shook his head. “No. I just thought I saw someone, that's all. It's crazy, really. No way would she come to a place like this.”

“Who?”

“Di—no one. Forget it.”

 

Diana, Tim and Louisa finally found an empty table midway between the dance floor and the rest room. In no time, a waitress magically appeared at their table to ask for their drink order.

Louisa and Tim both ordered a gin and tonic while Diana declared herself the designated driver and ordered a soda.

“Isn't this marvelous?” Louisa shouted, leaning over toward Diana. “There are so many beautiful people here.”

Diana rolled her eyes, still not believing that she was coerced into coming.

Tim reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. “You're here now. You might as well just loosen up and try to relax.”

Her eyes narrowed on Tim while the music's bass boomed in perfect harmony with her growing headache.
Who could possibly relax with a decibel level threatening to puncture her eardrum?

“I'm going to get you both back for this,” she shouted. “Mark my words.”

A nice tall brother, sporting Sean John attire, stopped and stood in between Diana and her grandmother.

“Hello, ladies. How are you doing this evening?”

Diana stiffened and refused to meet the stranger's eyes.

“We're doing great,” Louisa cooed, propping an elbow up on the table and cradling her chin in her hand. “Do you come here often?” she asked.

Diana couldn't believe her ears. Was her grandmother actually going to pick the guy up next?

“I've been here a few times,” the stranger replied, amusement lacing in his voice. “What about you?”

Diana glanced up at the guy and was impressed by the man's well-groomed features. When his striking hazel eyes slid in her direction, she quickly glanced away again.

“It's my first time here,” Louisa shouted and smiled as if the man were Harry Belafonte. “Both mine and Diana's first time.” She touched her granddaughter's hand. “Isn't that right, sweetheart”.

Diana's skin crawled with humiliation. “Right,
Granny.
”

The old woman just chuckled and batted her eyes playfully up at him. Diana started believing that there might be something to the movie
Invasion of the Body Snatchers,
because she truly didn't know or understand the woman pretending to be Louisa tonight.

“By the way, I'm Louisa. My good friends call me Lou.” She batted her faux eyelashes again. “As you know, this is my grandbaby, Diana. Diana, please say hi to the man.”

Sighing, Diana forced her gaze upward. “Hi.” For her lackluster performance, she immediately received a swift kick from under the table. “Ouch!”

“Hello. I'm Alan.” He glanced between the women, then over at the only person yet to be introduced.

“Oh, where are our manners?” Louisa continued to holler over the music. “This is our good friend and neighbor, Timothy Banks.”

“Hello, Tim.”

“Hello.”

The men's hands reached across the table for a brief handshake.

“Well, I actually came over for a dance partner,” Alan said.

“Oh, she would love to.” Louisa clapped her hands.

“Nana!”

Louisa's sunny smile beamed over at her granddaughter.

“What?”

Alan cleared his throat. “Actually…I was asking Tim.”

Louisa's smile flat-lined as she slowly turned her attention to her neighbor.

Tim, however, perked up. “I'd love to.” He jumped up from his chair and tossed a wink over at Diana.

After Tim and Alan left the table it took all the restraint Diana had not to burst out laughing.

Louisa looked at her granddaughter. “What just happened here?”

“Nothing that you didn't deserve.” Diana smirked.

Their drinks arrived at the table and Diana grumbled about having to pay for them.

“Are you going to act like this the whole night?” Louisa asked, frowning. “No wonder you have trouble meeting men. Don't you ever smile?”

“Not if I can help it.” Diana flashed her teeth, but the grimace didn't remotely resemble a smile.

Louisa shook her head. “You get that contrary spirit from your father's side of the family. He didn't care for smiling too much either.”

The barb stung, mainly because she didn't know much about her father and she didn't want to associate anything negative with what little she did know. In the next moment, some young buck appeared at the table and this time asked Louisa to the dance floor.

“Nana, I really don't—”

“Oh, relax. I didn't come here tonight just to watch you sulk in the corner.” Louisa stood from the chair and clutched on to the twenty-something man's arm. “I'll be fine.”

There wasn't a point to arguing, Diana soon learned, as Louisa laughed her way to the dance floor.

Diana's pride suffered a massive blow when she realized that a seventy-two-year-old woman was picked over her. “I'm more hopeless than I thought.” She rolled her eyes heavenward and prayed for strength to get through the evening.

A man on the balcony of the second floor caught her attention. “Mr. Taylor,” she whispered.

Her gaze remained glued on him while he laughed and hobnobbed with model-thin women in expensive stilettos. Jealousy hit her like a brick wall as she watched them press against him for photo ops or to slip him their numbers. “It must be nice to have the whole world on a silver platter,” she mumbled.

She forced her gaze away just as another man approached her table.

“Care to dance?”

“No, thanks.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. I didn't mean any harm. It's just when I see a beautiful woman sitting all alone, I figure I can at least attempt to cheer her up by asking her to dance.”

“I don't dance,” she said, shifting her attention to the dance floor to see if she could spot her grandmother.

“You don't dance?” The man laughed and then eased into the chair next to her. “Then what are you doing at a club?”

“Minding my own business and trying to set an example for others.”

“Ooh, that's a good one.” He held out his hand. “My name is Bennie. What's yours?”

Diana finally looked at him and was shocked to see the man with shiny finger waves and his two front teeth capped in gold. She cleared her throat. “Look, Bennie. I don't mean to be rude but I'm really not interested.”

“Surely you're not going to shoot a brother down like that. At least allow me to buy you a drink.”

Her patience held on by a thin thread. “Look, I came with someone.”

“You mean the old lady and the gay guy?”

She frowned.

Bennie's smile slid wider. “I've been watching you all night. You don't have a man.”

“Actually,” a smooth familiar voice cut in, “she's with me.”

Diana glanced up at the man behind Bennie and she blinked in surprise at seeing Marcel Taylor smiling down at them.

T
he world melted away as Diana stared up at her boss. Once she realized what she was doing, embarrassment burned her cheeks and she glanced away.

“Mr. Taylor.” Bennie jutted out his hand. “My main man. Whatcha doing here? Man, I love your work.”

“Is that right?” Marcel smiled, but ignored the offered hand. “I'm always glad to meet a fan.” He swung his sparkling gaze in Diana's direction. “Good evening, Diana.”

“Hello.”

“So, you really know this chick?” Bennie asked in awe.

Marcel nodded and maintained his brilliant smile. “We've been together for the past two years.”

Bennie's beady gaze returned and raked over her. She
could hear the man wondering why Marcel Taylor would be interested in such a plain “chick.”

“All right, then,” he said, backing away. “I didn't mean no disrespect.”

“I appreciate that,” Marcel said.

Bennie grabbed a napkin off the table and then reached inside his eggplant-colored suit for a tape. “Uh. Do you think that maybe I could get you to listen to this tape? My cousin's wife's nephew does a little rappin'.”

“You probably should try to get that to one of our scouts,” Marcel said kindly.

Diana sighed and shook her head. A few seconds later, the man stumbled out another apology before he finally left the table.

“I thought that he would never leave,” Diana said.

Marcel laughed. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing to the vacant chair next to her.

She'd rather he didn't, but shrugged instead. “It's a free country.”

He frowned at her answer as he sat down. “You're still mad at me about something.”

Before she had the chance to answer, two scantily clad women rushed up to Marcel. Her ever-accommodating boss was only too happy about the attention. He answered their questions about auditioning for his label and then turned his attention back to Diana.

“So what did I do?” Marcel asked once they were alone again.

Diana sipped her drink. “I told you earlier that I'm not mad. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“And Michael Jackson really is Peter Pan,” he joked
and finally wrangled a smile out of her. “Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Come on, I can't fix something unless I know it's broken.”

There was no way Diana was going to tell him the truth: that she didn't like finding him and Nora huddled together in the elevator. Admitting something like that would be the kiss of death.

Marcel reached over and turned her chin in his direction so she would meet his gaze. “You're important to me. If I did something, please tell me.”

Sweet words, she thought, even though he meant them professionally.

“Oh, Diana,” Louisa shouted, returning to the table. “Who's your friend?” She laid her hand against Marcel's shoulder and smiled brightly at him. “My, you're handsome. I bet you've been told that before.”

Diana rolled her eyes. “He's not my friend, Nana,” Diana said. “He's my boss.”

“Ouch.” Marcel straightened in his chair. “That hurt.” He draped an arm around her. “I'd like to think that we're friends as well.”

Awareness jolted through her body, but she pretended not to notice. “Grandma, this is Marcel Taylor. Mr. Taylor, my grandmother, Louisa Styles.”

“Friends call me Lou,” she said, batting her lashes again and offering him her hand.

“Lou Styles.” Marcel rolled the name around a few times as he removed his arm from Diana's shoulder to shake Louisa's hand. “Catchy. Ever considered show-biz?”

“Actually, I used to be a dancer.”

“Really? Professionally?”

“Yes, I—”

“So how long have you been here?” Diana jumped in before her grandmother regaled them with tales of her glory days as a stripper.

“A couple of hours. You brought your grandmother out to a club?”

“Brought—no. Supervise—yes.”

He laughed. “That's certainly different.”

“I'd like to see how you handle a mentally insane senior citizen,” she deadpanned.

Marcel's body continued to tremble. “You're funny, Di. I like that.”

“Ahem.” Louisa cleared her throat. “Just in case you forgot, I'm still standing here.”

Diana caught the casual use of her nickname and the way his tone softened as he said it. Then again, she could've just imagined it. Probably did.

“Why don't you and your grandmother join me in the VIP room?” His smile beamed at Louisa. “I'm sure I can get everyone to be on their best behavior.”

“That's all right,” Diana answered before Louisa raved about how wonderful or how much fun it would be. “We're fine down here.”

Marcel's dark gaze shifted back to her and entrapped hers. “There's that cold chill again.”

“You're imagining things,” she said, forcing her eyes away. “I'm not angry with you.” Though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his stare.

“Do I have your word on that?”

His hand brushed against hers and a delicious warmth
rippled through her. “You have my word,” she said, once again lifting her eyes.

“Yo, Casanova.” A large hand pounded on Marcel's back. “Spread the love.” Tee Bo laughed before looking at Diana. “Ms. Guy, what are you doing here?”

Working for Marcel, Diana knew just about everyone in the entertainment business and that included nightclub owners.

“Hey, Tee Bo. I'm just hanging out…with my grandmother.” She gestured to Louisa.

“Oh, snap. You brought your granny in here?”

“My goodness, you're tall,” Louisa said, tilting back. “You must have giantism in your family or something.”

“Nana,” Diana hissed.

“What?”

Tee Bo's massive arm dropped around Louisa's shoulders and Diana feared her grandmother's knees would buckle. “To tell you the truth, Granny, I'm the only one in my family this size. My father was the tallest at five-eleven until I came along. Ain't that something?”

“Excuse me, Mr. Taylor.” A honey-coated, feminine voice interrupted them.

Marcel turned toward a Caribbean goddess with large doe-shaped eyes and a Colgate smile. The men's eyes bulged and then slowly traveled down the woman's curvy frame.

Diana watched fascinated at how the woman playfully batted her eyes and leaned in close to give a better view of her cleavage. Did she and Diana's grandmother go to the same school of flirtation?

“I was wondering if I could pass you this demo tape.”

“Are you a singer?” Marcel asked, accepting the tape.

“Well, I'm actually a singer-slash-rapper-slash-dancer—”

Slash-ho.
Diana glanced away and wished that she were anywhere but here.

Before long, a crowd gathered, each person vying for Marcel's undivided attention. Even Tim and Alan returned and stood around her boss like starry-eyed puppies. What made things so bad for Diana was the realization that she was no different than any of them. Marcel, too, fascinated her. She was just determined not to show it.

“Waitress,” Diana called, lifting her glass. “Can I get a refill?” She refrained from asking for a splash of alcohol. When she returned her attention to her boss, she caught the punch line of a joke before everyone erupted into laughter.

 

Louisa ducked out of sight and tugged Tim along with her.

“Is something wrong, Lou?” he asked.

“No, no. I'm fine. I have a plan,” she whispered. “Do you know whether this Mr. Taylor drove here himself?”

“What?” He had trouble hearing over the loud music.

Grabbing a corner of his shirt, she tugged him down to her level. “I have a plan. Now, pay attention…”

 

Diana watched how Marcel handled the growing crowd of women with ease. She was even beginning to admire the way he'd mastered the art of flirting without being obvious. Casanova Brown, indeed.

“Diana,” Louisa said, inching her way over to her. “Do you mind if we go home now?”

“What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“I'm fine,” she said, pressing a trembling hand up to her temple. “I'm just very tired all of a sudden.”

“Of course, sure.” Diana jumped up from the table and glanced around. “Tim?” she called several times, scanning the people around them. “Where did he go?”

“Diana?” Louisa said.

“Just a sec, Nana.” Diana grasped her hand. “We have to find Tim.” She forced calm into her voice. “He was just here a moment ago.”

“Is there a problem, Di?” Marcel asked.

“You didn't happen to see where Tim went?”

He, too, looked around. “I could've sworn—”

“Diana, I need to lie down.”

Marcel frowned. “Is she all right? She doesn't look too good.”

“No, she's not. I have to get her home but it looks like our ride has disappeared.”

“Your boyfriend left you?”

“He's not my boyfriend,” she said, impatiently. “And if I ever get my hands on him, I'll kill him.”

“I can take you home,” Marcel offered and then glanced at his watch. “I've put in enough time.”

“No, that won't be necessary.”

“Diana,” Louisa moaned.

“I don't mind,” Marcel pressed as he leveled his concerned gaze on Louisa.

“But Tim—”

“He can see his own way home. I want to make sure nothing happens to your Nana.”

Tee Bo tuned into the conversation. “Is something wrong with Granny?”

“She's not feeling too well,” Marcel informed him. “We're going to head out.” They slapped hands in a friendly handshake and gave each other a one-shoulder hug. “I'll catch ya later.”

“No doubt,” Tee Bo said and then leaned down to plant a kiss on Louisa's pudgy cheek. “You take care of yourself, Granny. I want to see you back in here soon.”

Louisa's face blushed burgundy. “You can count on that.”

“Well, I wouldn't,” Diana said sternly before looking back at her boss.

“The offer is still good,” he said.

She cast another futile glance around and relented at her grandmother's obvious exhaustion. “Okay. If it's not too much trouble.”

His full lips captured her attention when they eased into a wide smile. “It's no trouble at all.”