Where Would I Be
By
Laura T. Johnson
Copyright © Laura T. Johnson
Smashwords Edition
I would like to dedicate this book to my mother. A woman who has taught me strength, dignity, and how to recognize that a person doesn’t hurt what they love. You are the strongest woman I know and if I become only half of the woman, mother, and teacher you have been to me then my battle is won. I love you, mommy.
Prologue
“You’ll learn, just keep on living.” Those are the words echoing in Lisa’s ear right now. At this very moment, the words her mother would tell her over and over as she was growing up are being repeated over and over again, as if they are a favorite love song. She wishes her mother’s voice will tell her what to do about the man that is standing in front of her with a gun. How could this man, who claims he loves her, be threatening to kill her? How the hell did she get herself into this? Scratch that. She knows how she got herself into this. The real question is how is she going to get out of it? How is she going to keep this man from killing her and her unborn child?
Chapter One
“Lisa, you have a call on line one.”
“Thanks, Carol. This is Lisa Jenson…Yes, Mr. Thompson, how are you...Good. What can I do for you…? Okay…No, I haven’t received it yet. When did you messenger them over…? I should get them sometime this afternoon, then…I will call as soon as I have everything ready. Then we can set up a meeting for next week…Alright, Mr. Thompson, I’ll talk to you soon… Good-bye.”
A minute after hanging up, Carol buzzed in again, “Lisa, there’s a Mr. James Harris here to see you.”
Lisa’s heart screeched to a halt. “A-Are you sure that’s what he said?”
“Yes, that’s what I said,” a male voice came through the speaker.
“Well, Carol, please tell Mr. Harris I’m busy and to go away.”
“Oh, okay.”
A second later, Carol came into Lisa’s office, “Lisa, he said he’s not leaving without seeing you.”
“Then call security.”
“Security? Do you really want me—”
“Yes,” Lisa said. “No, wait. No need to cause a scene. Did he say what he wanted?”
“No, but he is holding a pink rose,” Carol said, smiling.
Lisa sighed and leaned back in her leather chair.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I might as well get this over with. Send him in.”
“Okay.”
Lisa swung her chair around, facing the view of the Mississippi River, to take a couple of breaths to kick start her heartbeat.
Then she heard, “Hello, beautiful.”
She turned her chair around to face him, “Hello, James.”
She could see the shock on his face for a moment, and then he said, “Lisa, you—you look—”
“Different?”
“Even more beautiful than I remember.”
“What do you want, James?”
“You haven’t seen me for six years and the only thing you can say is, ‘what do you want?’”
“Yep.”
“No ‘I can’t believe you’re here.’ Or ‘long time no see.’”
“I can’t believe you’re here and the time hasn’t been long enough.”
“Okay. Look, I know I shouldn’t have just showed up. But, I had to see you.”
“Why? No, I don’t care why. I just want to know how you found out where I worked.”
“It’s a small town. People talk.”
“Memphis isn’t that small and my people don’t talk to your people.”
“True, but I asked around.”
“Kim told you.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I get the feeling that you guys aren’t friends anymore.”
“She was never a friend; it just took me longer to find that out. Now, why are you here?”
James didn’t answer, he was too busy staring.
Sighing, Lisa said, “A picture will last longer.”
“Sorry, I just can’t get over how much you’ve changed.”
“I haven’t changed that much. What do you want, James?”
“To see you,” he said.
“You’ve seen me. Now, you can leave.”
“Can you give me just a few minutes of your time?”
“No,” she said with finality in her voice.
“Just hear me out. That’s all I’m asking.”
“You’re asking for too much.”
“One minute, that’s it.”
Lisa stared at him, then against her better judgment said, “You have one minute.”
“Right to the point…I’ve missed you.”
“Really,” Lisa said, deadpan.
“I was hoping—I was hoping to get a chance to maybe take you out. I know that’s a lot to ask, especially coming from me. But, I just want to have a chance to start over with you.”
“No, thank you.” Lisa got up and walked over to her glass pitcher and poured herself a glass of water. She ignored the whispered expletive coming from James while her back was turned.
“Look, James, I don’t know what possessed you to come here to see me. I’m sure you knew that I did not want to see you. Please leave.”
“Lisa, it’s just a bite between friends.”
“Oh, so we’re friends now?”
“Hoping.”
Turning to face him, Lisa didn’t expect him to be standing so close to her. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.
“I can’t –”
“I have to tell you that you look good. It’s taking all the restraint I have to not kiss you right now,” James said, looking into her eyes.
For a minute, Lisa was lost in those light brown eyes and his words. For only a minute. “James, you have to go.”
“You always were a hard person to get to.” He handed Lisa the rose he was holding and then, playing with a curl of her hair, he whispered close to her lips, “I never give up, beautiful.”
He backed up, smiled, and then he was gone. Lisa didn’t realize she had stopped breathing until her chest began to hurt. Taking deep breaths, Lisa walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the always busy Front Street. She looked out at the water and wondered how in the hell was she going to stay clear of James. Because she knew that was not the last time she would see him. She actually remembered when James first walked into her life eight years ago.
“Hey, how you doing?” a very handsome man said to Lisa as she walked home from getting off the bus.
“Fine, you?” Lisa said, never breaking her stride.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“About what?”
“If you slow down I can tell you.”
Lisa slowed her pace so he could catch up.
“Damn, you walk fast!”
“Sorry.”
“What’s your name?”
“No,” Lisa said.
“Wait, I just wanna know the name of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, giving Lisa one of the sexist smiles she’d ever seen.
“Thank you,” Lisa said.
“Do you think that worked enough to get you to stop?”
So she did.
“Okay, since you won’t tell me your name, how about I call you beautiful?”
The way he was smiling at her, Lisa’s body temperature went up a hundred degrees. Really, everything about this man was sexy. He was about 5’11, creamy brown skin, with brown eyes the color of hazelnut. He looked like he was made of muscle, but not big, overdone muscles. He was just right. He was sexy as hell.
“So, beautiful, where are you headed?”
“Home.”
“Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“If I won’t tell you my name, how you figure I’m gonna let you find out where I live?”
“Okay, okay. How ‘bout we talk here? Do you have a man?”
“No.”
“Any kids?”
“No.”
“Really?!” he asked, stunned.
“You sound like that’s hard to believe. Not all women have children.”
“All the ones I know do.”
“Are you the father?”
“Oh, you got jokes.”
“What, I’m serious.” Lisa laughed.
“So, can I get your number?”
“What’s your name?”
“James. James Harris. Your future husband,” he smiled.
“Is that right? Well, James Harris, I’m Lisa Jenson.”
“Nice to meet you. Can I get your number or what?” Lisa smiled while she took out a small piece of paper and wrote her name and number down, then handed it to him.
“So, Lisa, where are you from?”
“Born right here in Memphis. Why?”
“You don’t sound like it. You sound like you from up north.”
“Nope, I’m from here, sorry.”
“Don’t be, I think you sound sexy.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’m not gonna keep you any longer than I already have, but I will definitely be callin’ you.”
“Alright, bye.”
“See ya, beautiful.”
Lisa walked up the driveway of the house they were standing in front of.
“Where is everybody?” she asked, when she walked in the house.
“In the kitchen,” her mother called out.
Lisa put her books down on the living room couch and headed to the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. How did it go at the library?”
“Busy.”
“Did you get everything you needed?” her mother asked as she took a glass dish out of the oven.
“For now.”
“What do you mean, ‘For now’?”
“I have to go back sometime this weekend to turn in the paper I have to write.”
“Then why did you have to go today?”
“To get the information I needed in order to write the paper.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But I have to tell you, walking or riding the bus back and forth to the library is really not working for me.”
“If you can wait a couple of weeks I can get you a computer.”
“Thank you so much. That would really help me out. So, how long until dinner?”
“About another half hour.”
“That would give me time to get started on at least some of my work.”
Lisa turned to leave, but stopped when her mother said, “Who was that guy you were outside talking to?”
Lisa turned around and looked at her mother, “And how do you know I was outside talking to somebody?”
“Your brother said that you were outside. So I looked out to see what you were doing. So, who was he?”
“I don’t know him. He was over Charles’s house across the street. Why? Is your trouble radar going off?”
“I just wanted to know who he was.”
“I told you I don’t know. That’s my first time ever seeing him.”
“And just to let you know, my trouble radar only lifted a little bit. I have to meet him to determine how much trouble he is going to be.”
“Well, you don’t have anything to worry. I’ve got too much on my plate right now to worry about some man. Call me when dinner is ready.”
Lisa’s mother watched her go upstairs and shook her head at how naïve her daughter was.
The day passed as routine as always. They ate dinner, Anthony got on Lisa’s last nerve, and she and her mother talked for a little while. Around eight the phone rang and Anthony walked into her room holding the cordless phone. “Some man wants talk to you. Who is he?”
“Boy, if you want to see your eighth birthday, you better get out of my business,” Lisa said, as she pushed him out of her room and closed the door. “Hello.”
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey.”
“He sounds a little young to be your father.”
“He doesn’t think so.”
“What you up to?”
“I’m in the middle of writing a paper for class.”
“For class, what do you take up?”
“I’m taking up finance.”
“That’s dealing with money, right?”
“Yep.”
“How about taking a break and let me take you out to dinner.”
“Sorry, I can’t. I really have a lot of work to do.”
“Aww, come on, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I can’t.”
“Awight, then,” he said. “How ‘bout I call you later?”
“Alright.”
“Then I’ll call you later. Bye, beautiful.”
“Bye,” Lisa said and hung up.
Lisa already knew James was not about to call her back, he did not want to get to know her. Lisa finished out the night studying and was done by midnight. Getting into bed, she knew she wouldn’t hear from him again.
Chapter Two
Coming back from her trip down memory lane and concentrating on her view of downtown traffic, Lisa thought about how that night–eight years ago–wasn’t the last time she heard from James. Just like today wouldn’t be either.
Turning back to her computer screen, Lisa got back to work. As the work day rattled on, Lisa worked on a major account she was trying to get, and the figures Mr. Thompson had sent over arrived by one o’clock. Carol brought the packet in and said she was leaving for lunch.
“Enjoy.”
When Carol left, Lisa was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Hey, Lisa, are you busy?”
The very strong and smooth voice belonged to Marc Cavell. Marc had worked at Morgan & Peterson for over eight years. He was one of the top investment bankers, Lisa was the other. They had been working together for the last three and a half years. Marc was an even six feet tall, with broad shoulders, and a chest that would make Michelangelo proud. Lisa could tell he lived in a gym. He had the sexiest dark brown eyes that looked black. His hair was coal black, thick, and wavy. Ever since she saw him, she had an urge to run her fingers through his hair. He had an olive complexion with dimples she wanted to swim in.
“Nope. Not as much as I usually am. What’s going on?”
Marc walked in the office, sat on her couch, and got comfortable. She noticed he was wearing his signature cologne. She couldn’t recognize it, but the scent was intoxicating. This morning he was dressed in a black suit, black tie with gold stripes, a crisp white shirt, and a pair of black loafers that Lisa didn’t recognize.
“Well, I wanted to know what you were doing for lunch, I wanted to discuss the Thompson account,” he said.
“Oh, alright. Perfect timing, because he was my first call of the day. What time were you planning to go?”
“How about now? I’m not doing anything,” he said, getting a little more comfortable on the couch.
“Well, I can’t, Mr. Laid Back. I need to wait until Carol gets back from lunch.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait with you. And we can go ahead and get started now,” he said as he got up and walked over to her desk.
As he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, he said, “So, how do Mr. Thompson’s figures add up this quarter?”
“To be honest, they’re looking pretty good.”
“How good?”
“About two point three,” Lisa said.
Marc looked over the paper she handed him and then stopped and looked up at her. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope,” Lisa said, still smiling.
“Two point three, are you sure?”
Lisa started laughing and nodding her head.
“You did it!” Marc said. “This is our biggest take since we both started working for the firm. I can’t believe it, you did it!”
“Noo, we did it. Do you know how many hours we’ve spent working on this account? We did this.”
“I guess that means we’re good together,” Marc said, staring at Lisa.
Lisa tried not to blush, but the way he was staring at her she couldn’t help it.
“So, uhh, I guess this is a celebratory lunch,” he said, smiling.
Just then Carol poked her head in, “I’m back, Lisa. Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Cavell.”
“Hello, Mrs. Connors, how are you this beautiful day?” Marc asked, charmingly.
“I’m great,” Carol said, smiling broadly.
Lisa couldn’t believe it, Carol’s face turned completely red. As Lisa tried to keep from laughing, she said, “We’re about to head out for lunch, so hold down the fort.”
Lisa stood up and turned to reach for her suit jacket. Carol caught Marc staring at Lisa’s ass and had to laugh to herself.
“If anything important happens, call me on my cell,” Lisa said, grabbing her purse.
“I always do,” Carol said.
Carol was still smiling as Lisa and Marc left the office. When they got on the elevator, Lisa said, “I think someone has a crush on you.”
“Carol is a sweetheart, but I don’t think she’d be so nice to me if I didn’t bribe her during the holidays with gifts,” he joked.
When they made it downstairs, Lisa turned in the direction of the company deli.
“Wait,” Marc said, grabbing her hand.
Caught off guard, they both paused for a minute. Letting her hand go slowly, he said, “Umm, why don’t we go out for lunch?”
“Where do you wanna go?”
“How about the deli on Main Street? It’s only a couple of blocks from here, if you don’t mind hiking it?”
“I guess I’m wearing the right shoes for it,” she said, as she looked down at her three inch heels.
“We’ll walk slowly.”
On their way to the restaurant, they continued to talk about the Thompson account. By the time they made it to the restaurant, Lisa was ready to sit down.
“Looks like we’re the only ones here,” Lisa said, as she walked in ahead of Marc.
“Yeah, I guess we missed the lunch rush.”
“May I take your order?” the cashier asked.
“You first,” Marc said.
“I’ll have the Grilled Chicken Salad with Thousand Island dressing and an Iced Tea.”
“Sweetened?”
“Yes.”
“And you, sir?”
“I will have the Philly Cheese Steak with fries and a Sprite.”
“That’ll be seventeen dollars and ninety-seven cents.”
“I got this one,” Marc said, reaching for his wallet. “Think of it as congratulations on a job well done.”
“Thank you, sir,” Lisa laughed.
As they waited for their food, they took a table by the window.
“Well, Ms. Jenson, I’ve been working with you for over three years now and I don’t know anything about you.”
“That’s not true.”
“Let’s see, I know you love your job and are damn good at it.”
“What would you like to know? I am an open book.”
“Okay, where did you grow up? Where did you attend college? I already know you’re not married and you don’t have any children, because I don’t see any photos in your office.”
“You don’t miss a thing, do you?” Lisa asked, laughing.
“Not if I can help it.”
“Sir, your order is ready,” the cashier said.
“Hold that thought,” Marc said, as he got up from the table.
A minute later he was back with their tray. “You were saying.”
“To answer your questions, I was born and raised right here in Memphis.”
“Really? You don’t sound southern.”
“Everyone tells me that,” Lisa chuckled. “I was raised by a single mother and I have a younger brother, who is now seventeen. I graduated from U of M with a bachelor’s in finance and a minor in accounting. And no, I’m not married and I do not have any children. Right now I’m concentrating on my career. I have plenty of time for a family.”
“Sure you do. What are you twenty-five…twenty-six?”
“Actually I’m twenty-eight, but thanks. So enough about me, your turn.”
“Alright, I was born in New York. The Bronx. Raised by both parents, only child. Attended NYU, graduated with a degree in Finance. I am not married, no children, and the rest is history. Oh, I’m thirty.”
They continued to talk as they ate and learned quite a bit about each other. Lisa found out that Marc was Italian and that his parents came to America as children with their parents.
“So, both sets of grandparents came here together?” Lisa asked.
“Yep, they were best friends. My parents actually have known each other all of their lives.”
“Was their marriage arranged?”
“Not in the traditional sense of the word. But I’m sure my grandparents did everything in their power to get those two together.” Marc laughed.
An hour later they were on their way back to the office. In the elevator, he said, “You know, we have never eaten outside the office, it was nice.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“We should do it again.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Marc said, winking at her.
Watching him walk away, Lisa wondered if he had been flirting with her. “Naw, I’m just reading too much into it,” she said to herself as she walked into her office.
“Hey, Carol,” Lisa said, as she walked passed Carol’s desk.
“Yeah, right,” Carol said, following Lisa into her office. “Oh, my God, that man is gorgeous! Almost every woman in this company wants him.”
“I’m sure they do,” Lisa said, hanging up her jacket.
“Lisa, you better open up your eyes. That man is interested in you.”
“Oh, Lord. Here we go.”
“Yes, here we go. Now, tell me about lunch and don’t leave a thing out.”
“There is nothing to tell. We went to the Main Street deli, talked, and came back. That’s it.”
“What did you talk about?”
“You know, normal things. Work, family, stuff like that.”
Sighing, Carol said, “You are really making this hard. Did you tell him you were single?”
“He already knew that,” Lisa said, as she went through her messages.
“I know he’s not married. I already checked,” Carol said.
Lisa just shook her head.
“Hey, I do my homework. I have to know everything about everybody. It’s in my blood.”
“No it’s in your nose.”
“That may be so, but at least I get the real story.”
“That’s true.”
“You two should go out on a date!” Carol blurted out.
“Carol, have you been sniffing the white again?”
“What I do on my breaks is my business. Now, don’t change the subject. What are you going to do about Mr. Gorgeous?”
“Absolutely nothing. Look, Carol, we work together and that is it.”
“Yeah, if you say so. But, I don’t think he feels that way.”
That got Lisa attention. “What do you mean?”
“I caught him staring at your ass earlier.”
“Now I know you trippin’. Don’t you have some work to do?”
“Yes, I do. But not until I tell you this. There are at least one hundred women on this floor alone that would like a go at him. You better snag him before someone else does.”
“I am not interested in dating anyone right now.”
“Look, I have known you since your first day here. When you got promoted you made sure I did too. And for that I love you like a younger sister, and as your older and sexier sister, I’m telling you that you need to start dating.”
“I’m concentrating on my career.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You already have it, now it’s time to get your love life on track. And what’s better than a man who works in the same field?”
“I don’t need a man in my life right now.”
“Yes, you do. And there’s one right down the hall. Buzz me if you need me,” she said, walking out.
Lisa shook her head and smiled as she watched the thirty-five year old woman walk out of her office. She couldn’t help but think about how she met Carol.
It was Lisa’s first day working at Morgan & Peterson and Mr. Peterson himself was showing her around. He introduced Carol as Lisa’s new assistant. After getting to know Carol that first day, Lisa knew they would be friends. She knew absolutely everything about everybody. She worked just as hard as Lisa. Which is why when Lisa got her promotion, she made sure Carol received one also. Their friendship was cemented from then on.
Bringing her back to the here and now, Carol buzzed in, “Lisa, you have a call on line one.”
“Thanks…Lisa Jenson.”
“Okay, since I couldn’t talk you into lunch, how about dinner? And before you say no, I promise to be a perfect gentleman,” James said.
“I didn’t know you knew the meaning.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. So, what do you say?”
“No.”
“Come on. How about drinks?
“No.”
“It’s just one drink, that’s all. Nothing but catching up on each other’s lives. I’m just asking for an hour of your time. Just to talk, that’s all.”
“James, I –”
“Don’t say no again. I tell you what, just think about it, and tonight when you dream of me, maybe it’ll be so good you’ll change your mind.”
Lisa just shook her head.
“And in case you forget to dream about me tonight, take these.”
At that exact moment Carol walked in holding two pink long stem roses and a card.
“James –”
“Bye, beautiful.”
Lisa held the phone and listened to the dial tone humming in her ear as Carol laid two roses and a card down in front of her and walked out smiling. Hanging up the phone, Lisa picked up the envelope and took out the card. On the cover of the card was a young woman on the beach, watching a sunset. On the inside, was written:
Just like you I have changed, too.
Give me a chance to introduce you to the new me.
I will always love you.
James
Lisa stared at them for a minute and then threw both the card and the two roses in the garbage.
“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.
Carol walked back into the office, “Lisa.”
“Yeah, Carol.”
“Your three o’clock is here.”
“I forgot about Mr. Keene. Give me five minutes to freshen up and then show him in.”
“Will do,” Carol said, and walked out pulling the door closed behind her.
Lisa got up from her desk and went into her personal bathroom to make sure her hair, breath, and makeup were perfect. As she came out of the bathroom, Carol opened the door to escort Mr. Keene in.
“Mr. Keene, please come in. How are you?” Lisa asked, as she shook his hand.
“Well, Mrs. Jenson, we finally get to meet. I know I’ve been a hard person to conduct business with, but my company in Europe needed my personal attention.”
“Everything worked out okay, I hope.”
“Everything worked out just fine.”
“Good. How about we get down to business?”
“Let’s.”
“Mr. Keene, I have been looking at your company’s history, and I must say they are doing very well.”
“Damn well, if I say so myself.”
“But what if I told you that you could be doing better. I’ve put together a prospectus of what you could stand to make if you give Morgan & Peterson just one year. Your company here in the states made six point two million last year. Which is very good.”
“Damn right.”
“What if I told you I could double that amount? If I have peeked your interest any, we can go over the prospectus.”
Mr. Keene studied Lisa for a minute and then opened the booklet to the first page. “Let’s see what you got.”
Lisa smiled and thought to herself, got him. She then began their meeting.
Chapter Three
Lisa walked into her house that evening feeling elated and exhausted. The meeting with Keene went perfect. By the time he left her office he was ready to sign on the dotted line. Laying her mail down after going through it, she checked her messages. According to the number blinking, she had five messages:
First message: “Girl, I thought you would be home, it’s after six o’clock. Call me.”
That message was from Lisa’s best friend, Patricia, whom she had known since high school.
Second message: “This is your mother, call me.”
Third, fourth, and fifth messages were all hang-ups.
Lisa headed upstairs to her bedroom; she changed out of her work clothes and put on her maroon terrycloth robe. After she hung her suit in a dry cleaning bag, she made her first call, “Hey, mama.”
“Hey, you just get home?”
“Yeah. I just got your message, what’s up?”
“Nothing really, just called to catch you up on your crazy aunt.”
“Oh, Lord. What’s she done now?”
Lisa and her mother talked every day, or maybe gossip was a better word for what they did. As her mother told her about her aunt’s great adventure, Lisa laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.
“Your sister is something else. When will Sharee ever learn that that man is not gonna change? She has been dealing with Larry for the last five years, and they go back and forth every few weeks or so. How many times does he have to put her out?”
“Child, I don’t know. Sharee thinks the sun rises and falls on that man. So now she’s moved back in with mama,” Lisa’s mother said.
“Well, at least Steph doesn’t have to go through this.”
“Yeah, is she still looking for work?”
“Yep, but I just hope her mama gets her stuff together.”
“Now, baby, you mean get her shit together.”
“Mama, watch your language!” Lisa said, laughing.
“Girl, please, you grown.”
“Anyway, at Aunt Sharee’s age she ain’t got much time,” Lisa said. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with her, is it that she just needs a man? I mean, does she really have to go through the getting put out all times of the night? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was beatin’ her.”
“Look, your aunt is old enough to know right from wrong. But for some reason she just don’t care. As long as that fool she is dealing with keep treating her like he do, and she keep taking it, this could go on forever and a day. Hell, nobody needs a man this damn bad. And as for getting put out at night, honey, please, he put that ass out in broad daylight.”
“All I know is that she should be tired of that mess by now. I couldn’t go through that. If there was a choice of being by yourself or going through that mess, I’m glad I’m single. Every time you hear about somebody’s relationship, it’s always bad. At this rate, the only way you gon’ find a decent man is if he has one foot in a grave and the other on a banana peel with a strong wind blowing.”
Lisa’s mother burst into laughter and said, “Girl, you crazy!”
“No, I’m serious.”
When her mother calmed down, she said, “I have told you time and time again that every man ain’t the same. Just because you met one fool don’t mean they are all that way. There are still some good ones out there; you just have to do a little searching. And a little praying won’t hurt either.”
“Mama, I’ve heard this speech before, I—”
“And you gon’ hear it again. Every man ain’t like James, baby.”
“Uhh, mom! I don’t wanna talk about James,” Lisa whined. She was not about to tell her mother that he showed up at her office today. That would be like starting World War III.
“I know he hurt you,” Lisa’s mother said. “But, don’t let that one fool stop you from living. All you do is go to work, go home, and come over here. You barely go out. Believe me, that bastard ain’t worth the time. You need to move on with your life. He just better be lucky the police got to him before I did.”
“Mama, I have moved on. And what happened was a long time ago. He’s not ruining my dating life.”
“You don’t have one.”
“Whatever. All I’m saying is that I just don’t feel like being worried about some man’s problems. I don’t want to hear about his day, his lies, or any other problems I’m sure he may
have. My life is good now. I have a great job, a nice home, my family. I don’t need or want a man in my life right now. When I want some drama in my life, I’ll call Auntie Sharee.”
“I know you have everything you need, but don’t you want someone to share it with?”
“I already do.”
“Who?”
“You and Anthony.”
“Whatever. All I know is that you shouldn’t give up on love.”
“Too late.”
“Just watch, it will show up on your doorstep when you least expect it.”
“I
hope not, because I’d hate to move so it won’t find me.”
“Girl, you are too much, let me get off this phone. I have to call
my mother before she goes to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, tell her I said hello and that I’ll call her tomorrow. Oh, and tell Anthony to call me.”
“Okay,
bye.”
“Bye.”
When Lisa hung up from her mother she pressed speed dial number three.
“It’s about time you called me back, heffa,” Lisa’s best friend, Patricia said, when she answered the phone.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Lisa said.
“Yeah, yeah. Where have you been?”
“At work. Home. That’s about it.”
“I should have known a date wasn’t included in that itinerary.”
“Oh, God! Not you too!”
“What you mean, ‘not me too’? Mama getting on you again?”
“And Carol. Don’t ya’ll have something better to do than worry about my personal life?”
“Uh, no!” Patricia said and then laughed.
“Anyway, let’s get started, who’s first?”
“You,” Patricia said.
“Okay.”
Every week they either called or got together for their weekly talks. Lisa and Pat had been best friends since they were thirteen. From junior high to different colleges, they had maintained a constant friendship. Maybe sisters were a better word for what they were.
“I got a new account that Marc and I have been working on.”
“Congratulations!”
“Thank you.”
“How is Marc with his fine self?”
“Have you forgotten you’re married?”
“Married, yes. Dead, no. It’s a damn shame someone that gorgeous is walking around here single. If I wasn’t married I—”
“But you are.”
“Blocker,” Patricia said.
“Anyway, can I go on, please?”
“Yeess.”
“Okay, nothing else has changed in my life. Except…”
“Except, what?”
“Well, I kind of ran into James this morning.”
“I hope you mean with your car. And I also hope you mean ran him over,” Patricia said.
“No, he stopped by the office today.”
“How did he know where you worked?”
“Guess.”
“Kim.”
“That’s right.”
“Why did she do that?”
“I don’t know. But she’ll tell me when I finish whuppin’ her ass.”
“I knew she wasn’t your friend when I met her that weekend I came home from college.”
“I thought Kim was cool. When I met her in class, I thought she would be a good add-in to the group.”
“How you didn’t see she only wanted James trifling ass, I will never know?”
“That never crossed my mind. A woman becoming friends with another woman to get her man…that mess only happens on Melrose Place.”
“Uh, Lisa, Melrose Place doesn’t come on anymore.”
“I know that. But you get what I’m saying.”
“Yeah, well I’ll hold her down when you do whup her ass. Now, back to the devil. Was he shocked by your new look?”
“Yeah, but do I look that different?”
“Uh, yeah. You lost the weight; let your hair grow long.”
“Well, he talked for a minute, then left.”
“Talked about what, his anger management classes?” Patricia asked.
“Noo. He came by to say hello.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Then he called to ask me out for drinks or dinner.”
“He got nerve,” said Patricia.
“That he does.”
“Ass.”
“Pat, language!”
“Girl, please. You act like you don’t cuss. I’ve heard words come out of your mouth that would make a sailor blush.”
“Whatever. Any who, I said no and then hung up.”
“Good. And keep saying no. If he becomes too much of a problem you tell one of us, you hear me?”
“Yes, mother.”
“I’m not playing, Lisa. You don’t know how dangerous he could be.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I also might be dangerous?”
“Look, I know you can take care of yourself, but I just want you to know that Nic, Carol, and I are here for you. Whether you need bail money, an alibi, or a hide out, we’re here.”
“I know. Now, your turn.”
“Let’s see, Lewis is doing fine, nothing has really changed with him. My job has finally made it possible for me to be stressed out enough to pull out all my hair. Got me walking around here looking like India Arie.”
Laughing, Lisa said, “Girl, you crazy.”
“I’m serious. I thought after becoming partner, my workload would decrease, but it hasn’t. In fact, I think it’s tripled. I have so many things to deal with before I even get up in the morning. I love my job, but I am beginning to feel burned out.”
“Well, Mrs. Law, why don’t you and your hubby go on a vacation? Go somewhere tropical and lay in the sun. Or even better, go somewhere cold and stay in bed for a week.”
“That sounds good, but it might be hard for him to get away.”
“Say what? Lewis owns the company, right?”
“Yeesss.”
“That means he’s the boss. Now, go tell the boss you want to go on a vacation.”
“We’ll see.”
“Hey, who knows, you might come back pregnant.”
“Ohh that would be great!”
“Oh, before I forget, have you talked to Nic?”
“Yesterday. She said she was gonna send an APB out for you.”
“I’ll call her.”
“How’s Carol?”
“Crazy as ever.”
“Tell her to call me.”
“I will.”
“Look, honey, I have to go see what this man is burning up in this kitchen. But you remember what I said.”
“I will.”
“Love ya,” Pat said.
“Love ya,” Lisa said and hung up.
After hanging up, Lisa went to run her bath. She loved her bathroom, especially the tub. Her bathroom was huge with a separate shower and Jacuzzi tub. Actually, she loved her entire house. All four bedrooms were big and spacious. One bedroom was turned into a home gym, the other two bedrooms were for guests–namely for her three best friends. Lisa’s bedroom was her domain. It was filled with light. Her color scheme was mostly dark mahogany and creams that offset her butterscotch colored walls. Her bed was a huge mahogany sleigh bed. Actually, the biggest she could find. She had a sitting area in front of her big bay windows. Her chairs were cream colored, thick, and comfy. The carpet was thick and white. On the wall across from her bed was a flat screen television. She loved this room. Her kitchen was huge, with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
Lisa poured powdered milk in her tub and then turned a button on the wall to dim the overhead lighting. Then she used a remote to turn the radio on. As she slid into the tub, Luther Vandross sang to her for the next hour. After her hour soak, she dried off and put on her favorite lotion from Victoria Secret: Romance. Then Lisa got dressed in her white silk pajamas, cleaned up her bathroom, and then headed downstairs.
On the way to the kitchen, she noticed the light on her answering machine blinking.
“Now what? All I wanted to do was eat, read my book, and go to bed.”
Lisa figured it was either Pat or Nic calling, but it wasn’t either of them.
“Hey, Lisa, this is Marc. I got your message about Keene. I don’t know how you did it, but you did. We need to have a meeting tomorrow to see where we can take this thing. I—”
The answering machine cut his message.
“Damn,” Lisa said, a little disappointed that he didn’t get to finish, but she didn’t know why. When she made it to the kitchen, the phone rang. Lisa looked at the caller I.D. and couldn’t help but smile when she saw Cavell, Marc (901)786-2316. Lisa wanted to answer the phone, but she forced herself to let it go to the machine.
“Hey, Lisa, it’s me again. Your machine cut me off. As I was saying you did a great job with Keene. And as for our meeting tomorrow, how about eleven? Let me know and I’ll see you tomorrow…Umm, good night. Look, Lisa would you like –”
The answering machine cut him off again.
“Nooo,” Lisa said to the answering machine. Then she pressed the play button and listened to Marc’s messages again. She never noticed how sexy his voice was. “He’s a co-worker, Lisa, business and pleasure don’t mix.”
Lisa made a sandwich out of leftover chicken salad, grabbed bottled water, and headed back upstairs to her bedroom. She climbed into her bed and got comfortable. As she ate, she scanned channels until she found a movie that caught her interest.
While eating and watching television, Lisa couldn’t help thinking about Marc and what he was trying to say. She was half hoping he would call back, she thought about calling him, but unfortunately neither happened. As the night passed, she chose her outfit for tomorrow, watched another movie, and was in bed by ten.
The next morning, Lisa was up by six a.m. She ate a bowl of cereal, worked out until seven-thirty, showered, dressed, and was out the door by eight-thirty. Her drive to work was only twenty minutes by the expressway, especially the way Lisa drove. Everyone who rode in Lisa’s car said she should drive for the Indy five hundred. The metallic red XK Jaguar with Caramel leather and wood grain interior was a blur on I-55. Lisa loved it! The car was a gift to herself when she was promoted.
Pulling into the parking garage, Lisa was already in work mode. Before heading to the elevator, she stopped to pick up a Cappuccino and a newspaper in the deli on the first floor.
“Good morning, Carol,” she said, as she walked into Carol’s outer office.
“Good morning, angel,” Carol said, smiling.
Lisa was wearing a white pants suit with a white silk top.
“What do we have today?” she asked, as she walked into her office.
Carol followed with a pen and pad, and said, “First, you have a conference with Mr. Morgan, Mr. Peterson, and Mr. Cavell in conference room A. Your file for that meeting is on your desk, it starts at ten. At eleven-thirty you have a meeting with Mr. Cavell about the Keene account. He said he called you at home, but didn’t get an answer.”
“He left a message.”
“So, where were you?”
“At home, soaking in the tub. And yes I was alone, so don’t ask.”
“Okay, moving on. Then at one-thirty you have an appointment with Sheryl Hearn.”
“Oh, God! What does she want?”
“She said she wants to go over this quarter’s holdings. After her, then you and I have accounts to get ready for the new quarter. So get in gear girl, this is going to be a long one.”
“Is there any way we can get Mrs. Hearn to reschedule?” Lisa pleaded.
“Now, you know that little white woman can work a nerve. Do you really want to postpone that meeting?”
“Yeah, you got a point,” Lisa groaned. “Hey, wait a minute, aren’t you a little white woman too?”
“Yes, but a young and sexy one,” she said, strutting out of the office.
“Alright now!” Lisa laughed.
Lisa looked at her watch and realized she had about forty-five minutes before the conference, which gave her enough time to check her email. When she saw that it was fifteen minutes ‘til, she closed her eyes, prayed, and said, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” She headed out the door to her first meeting of the day.
Chapter Four
After the conference, Lisa headed back to her office. Marc caught up to her and said, “My office or yours?”
“Yours. It’s closer and has better snacks,” Lisa said, smiling.
“If you get a small refrigerator, you can have snacks,” Marc said, moving closer to Lisa.
To keep from blushing, which she sure she was, she took a step back.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.
As they stood there in awkward silence, Lisa noticed two women standing in the hall to their right, staring at them.
“Okay, let’s get started.”
Noticing a change, he followed her line of sight and saw the two women. “Umm, yeah let’s go.”
Walking toward his office, Lisa made a mental note to ask Carol if she’d heard any gossip about her and Marc. As they walked into his office, Marc told his assistant to hold his calls.
“Okay, now that we are away from prying eyes. Did you get my messages last night?” he asked, once his office door was closed.
“Yeah, but you got cut off on the last one. What were you trying to say?”
“You obviously got the gist of it, so the rest doesn’t matter,” he said, sitting behind his desk. Lisa took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. As Marc looked for a file, Lisa looked around his office. She had never really noticed Marc’s office before. It was very manly. It was very well decorated, with comfortable leathers, deep browns, and wood. Lisa liked it. Then she heard Marc say, “So, what’s your pleasure?”
Looking at him, she wondered if he was flirting again. “I’ll start with bottled water.”
“Alright,” he said, as he swiveled around in his leather chair to the refrigerator.
“I also have chocolate, if you’re interested. Or do you even like chocolate?”
Laughing, Lisa said, “Isn’t it too early for chocolate? It’s not even noon yet.”
“Just like drinking, it’s the afternoon somewhere. Why do you think I’m so energetic in the morning?”
“I always thought it was because you were happy with life.”
“That too, but this helps,” he said, waving a Hershey bar. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
“What?”
“Do you like chocolate?”
“Doesn’t every woman?”
“I suppose, but I’m asking you.”
“Of course. I love you…uh it. I meant to say it,” she said quickly, hoping he didn’t catch the slip up. But, when an eyebrow shot up and he smiled, she knew he’d heard her.
Marc just smiled, and said, “What’s your favorite chocolate?”
“I’m a simple girl, my favorite chocolate is Godiva.”
“Simple? Simple is one thing you are definitely not, Ms. Jenson.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Lisa said, staring into those deep brown eyes of his.
“I hope so.”
“Okay, let’s get this meeting started,” she said, changing the subject.
“Right, what I wanted to know was where could we start on the Keene account and find out the ending outcome for the Thompson account?”
“As you already know, Thompson’s final number is three point two. I finally got the rest of his figures and paperwork yesterday. You should have a copy of everything.”
“I haven’t gotten a chance to work through my stack yet,” he said, speaking of the stack that was in a tray marked for this quarter. Lisa counted over thirty-five folders.
“Well, when you get a chance to look it over, let me know if you’re missing anything.”
“Okay. Next, the Keene account. Where can we start on this account? I was going over his past quarters and they’ve been pretty good. So, why does he want to change investors?”
“He didn’t at first, he was just shopping around. When I got wind of it, I started calling to get a meeting with him. But for the first couple of months I just got the run around. About two weeks ago I got lucky, he had an opening in his schedule and I took it. We met yesterday afternoon, as you already know; I told him he could get a better return on his investments. He went for it.” Taking a sip of water to wet her throat, she continued, “The thing is, I need your testosterone on this one.”
“My what?” Marc laughed.
All Lisa could think was how sexy his smile was and how kissable his lips looked. Pushing that thought from her mind, Lisa continued, “Your man’s-man mentality. See, I noticed that Mr. Keene is very manly, and well, that’s where you come in.”
“You think I’m manly?” he asked, smiling.
Laughing, Lisa said, “No, but you could pretend.”
“Thanks, but he couldn’t be that bad. I mean, you got him to at least try our company for a year. He has never done that with any other company.”
“Yeah, but I get the feeling he feels that women have no right making the big decisions.”
“Oh, one of those.”
“Yep, one of those.”
“What can I do? You know I don’t believe in that,” he said, sincerely.
“I know that, but he doesn’t.”
“If it will help, then alright.”
“It will.”
“When is the next meeting?”
“Monday. With today only being Tuesday, we have the rest of the week to prepare.” Looking at her watch, she realized that it was telve-thirty and said, “Ooo, my morning has really gotten away from me. I still have a meeting to prepare for with Mrs. Hearn. Is there anything else you need to know?”
“Nope. But, I will give you my condolences. Is she still Mrs. Olivia Hearn-Sinclaire?”
“Oh, no, you are behind the times. She is now Mrs. Olivia Hearn-Winfield or should I say Mrs. Douglas Winfield III. She doesn’t use her own name anymore. In her words, ‘how would anyone know who I am?’” Lisa said, imitating Mrs. Hearn.
“We thought she would be better working with another woman.”
“Yeah, right. You all just dumped her on me. But, you should have seen her face when she found out I wasn’t married. I thought she would drop dead on the spot.”
“That’s our Mrs. Hearn.”
“God help us all,” Lisa said, walking out of the office.
When she made it to her office, she found Mrs. Douglas Winfield III waiting for her in the outer office with Carol. “Mrs. Her—I mean, Mrs. Winfield, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Ms. Jenson,” she said, with what one would believe was a sincere smile. But Lisa knew better. Mrs. Douglas’s smile was as fake as the size Ds she’d just newly purchased. “I’m
sorry for the delay. One of my meetings ran over. I didn’t expect you until one-thirty, but we can get started. So, why don’t you come on in?”
As Mrs. Winfield walked into her office, Lisa and Carol gave each other frustrated looks.
“Alright, Mrs. Douglas, let’s get started.”
For the next hour and a half Lisa explained every current and future investment to Mrs. Winfield. She also answered every question that was thrown at her. Lisa even told her that she would have a bigger return on her profit this quarter. This bit of information made her extremely happy. Lisa figured that should keep her old ass in fur in the winter and young men in the summer.
After escorting Mrs. Winfield to the elevator, Lisa wanted to scream. When she made it back to her office, she told Carol that she should go to lunch.
As she was getting her purse, Carol said, “She’s on her third husband, right?”
“Yep.”
“You think she’s killing them?”
“Yep. She nags them to death. When you get back, we can start on those accounts.”
“Okay. Want anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“Be back soon.”
Lisa went into her office and decided to get a head start on the two stacks of folders next to her desk that added up to about forty accounts.
“Hello?” a male voice called out from the outer office.
Lisa got up from her desk and walked to her doorway, where James was standing. “Now, what?” she asked, leaning against the door jam.
“I wanted to see you. That’s alright, ain’t it?”
“No.”
“Come on, Lisa. Don’t be that way. I’m trying to make amends,” he said, walking closer.
Lisa had to step back into her office to make sure he didn’t get to close. “What can I do for you, James?” she asked, turning to walk over to her desk.
She imagined he was staring at her ass since he hadn’t answered her yet. Turning to look at him, she said, “Again, what can I do for you?”
“I wanted to see you again. To talk to you.”
“About?”
“Can I take you out to lunch?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Do you want the nice version or the truth?”
“Both.”
“I can’t. I have a lot of work to do,” she said with a smile. Then dropping the smile, she said, “Now, the truth, I can’t stand you long enough to eat lunch.”
She saw him flinch and anger flashed in his eyes, but he recovered quickly. Right then and there she saw the old James lurking around.
“Just an hour. Just to catch up, that’s all.”
Lisa leaned against her desk and watched him without saying a word. James sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. Actually, he sat in the chair directly in front of her. He was too close for her comfort, but she refused to move. He wasn’t gonna make her feel uncomfortable in her own office.
“Okay, I tell you what. How about tomorrow after work? We can have just one drink and talk. Come on, you know you want to,” he smiled.
Right then Lisa remembered what her first attraction to him was. His smile. Again she said,
“I have a lot of work to do.”
“It’s drinks. What, are you afraid to be alone with me?” he asked, as he stood up.
“No.”
To her surprise, the words came out a lot calmer than she felt. James was inches from her. She thought he was about to kiss her, until…
“Hey, Lisa, I—Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were with a client.”
“That’s okay, Marc. What can I do for you?” Lisa asked, thankful for the interruption.
“How you doing?” Marc said to James. James didn’t respond. Continuing to Lisa, he said, “I just needed to pick your brain about this account.”
“Let me look over it and I can get some ideas. How soon do you need it?”
“No rush.”
“You’ll have it by tomorrow.”
“Thanks. See ya later. And sorry to interrupt.”
After he left, Lisa walked back to her desk and dropped the file on top of an already tall stack. Writing a note to herself, Lisa then looked at James, who was looking at her. “What?” she said.
“Are you seeing anybody?”
“None of your business.”
“Ol’ boy looked at me like I’m invading his space. Ya’ll datin’?”
“Once again, none of your business.”
“It doesn’t matter. I still have a chance.”
“No, you don’t. Look, I think it’s time for you to go.”
“Okay. But, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lisa just watched him as he got up to leave. Before he walked out the door, he said, “You can’t keep running from me.”
“Not running, just not interested.”
“We’ll see.” He winked and then he was gone.
Lisa sat in her chair and said to herself, “Lord, give me strength.”
By six o’clock, Lisa and Carol were finally closing up shop. Lisa packed her briefcase with the remainder of her files and headed home. Getting off the elevator, Lisa said, “I am going to try to get through as many of these as I possibly can. What are you gonna do tonight?”
“I am going to stay in bed with my husband all night.”
“Lucky you.”
“It could be the same for you someday if you would just let me hook you up. I know –”
“No, Carol.”
“He’s intelligent, good looking, never been married. He’s Charles’s partner.”
“No, Carol. Now, go home and have fun.”
“Okay. But, don’t say I didn’t try.”
After giving each other a hug, they got in their cars and drove out of the garage in different directions. When Lisa got home, she dropped her things on her couch, looked through her mail, and checked her messages. Going through her mail, Lisa saw that she only had junk mail and her new Avon catalog arrived. Which she was happy about because she needed to order some more skin cream and makeup. Especially her Oatmeal Body Lotion. She was down to half a bottle. Just thinking about it, she knew it would be a big order this month.
Taking her briefcase and purse upstairs with her, she stopped in one of her guest bedrooms that was also a home office. She left her briefcase and a stack of bills she was planning to pay tonight on the desk. She then headed to her bedroom to get out of her clothes and do her nightly ritual before getting to work.
After an hour of rejuvenating herself, she headed downstairs to see what she could make a quick dinner out of. Opening her refrigerator, she could already tell her mother had been there. There were two new Tupperware dishes in her refrigerator. Opening them, she found lasagna in one and French bread in the other. “Thank you, mommy.”
Heading back upstairs to her office with a plate and a class of white wine, she heard her phone ring. Pushing the speaker button, she said, “Hello?”
“Where the hell have you been?” her friend Nic said, without preamble.
“Working.”
“Mm-hmm, I’m walking in.”
“I’m upstairs in the office.” Lisa then hung up, and started to eat as she booted up her computer.
Her friend walked into the room, and said, “I should shoot you.”
“What did I do?”
“You haven’t called or stopped by. The only way I knew you were alright was through Pat or Carol. So, I had to come find you myself.”
“That’s what makes you a great detective.”
Nic and Lisa had been friends for the past eleven years. Lisa considered all of her girlfriends to be her sisters, but Nic would always be the one she was a closest too. How could she not, Nic saved her life.
“So, what brings you out this way?” Lisa asked her.
“First things first, anymore?” Nic asked, referring to Lisa’s plate.
“My mother has been here, so you know there is.”
“I’ll be right back,” Nic said, as she left the room.
A couple of minutes later, she was back with a plate of her own and a glass of wine herself. “So, what are you doing?”
“Leftover work that me and Carol didn’t finish today. You had to work tonight?”
“Just got off.” Nic was a detective for the ninth precinct. Make that a great detective, at least that’s what Lisa thought.
“Anything strange or exciting happen today?”
“No, but something in the area of déjà vu happened.”
“What?” Lisa asked, as she continued to eat before getting to work.
“Well, John and I got a call for domestic violence.”
“Why, were you—” Then Lisa figured it out. “Oh. The wife or girlfriend?”
“The wife. The husband said she just kept pushing him. He couldn’t control his self.”
“How did he…do it?” Lisa asked.
“He beat her to death,” Nic said in a sad voice.
“How bad?”