Healing Inc.

by Tarbox, Deneice

  “I’m not under estimating your importance,” he defended. “I just think that what you do could be done by someone else while you’re gone,” he stated matter of fact.

  This time Evy was the one trying to control her temper. “Tyler, I can’t go okay! Thanks for offering but I just can’t do it.” She was beginning to lose patience with him.

  “No Evy, we’re not going to end it this way! That’s a cop out and you know it. There’s more to this than the reasons you’re giving me. If we’re going to make this work then we need to start being completely honest with each other. No more secrets.” He had turned on his stool to face her fully. His nostrils flared indicating he meant business.

  Evy sighed, allowing her anger to diminish. He was right. She had no reason to hide anything from the one man that was truly in love with her. She felt the same about him but wasn’t ready to confess this fact. She took both his hands into hers and began her explanation.

  “This may be difficult for you to understand, please bear with me. I don’t just work odd jobs for Healing Inc. I’m the primary share holder.” As the words fell from her mouth she searched his features for a reaction.

  She wasn’t disappointed. Tyler’s eyes methodically began to grow wide with the words of her admission setting in. The apartment and SUV told him she was getting money from somewhere. He figured maybe Nita was taking care of her or over paying her because she was her friend. But primary shareholder! Owner of a multimillion dollar corporation was not what he had imagined Evy being.

  “I purposely withhold that information from the public for safety reasons and so I may continue living a normal life. You have to keep this between us. Only Nita and her brothers know about it.” She patiently waited for him to continue absorbing this new information, knowing she had just thrown a lot at him.

  “Fearing for your safety is more reason you should come with me.” He knew she was safe because his uncle made arrangements to have one of his goons keep tabs on her at Tyler’s request. He didn’t ask for much from the mafia king but after Miguel had clued him in on the potential danger he wasn’t going to take any chances. His uncle had been happy to oblige.

  “And have the tabloids throwing my face around for everyone to see! You forget Tyler, you’re a rock star in these here parts!” she shot back.

  “Evy, you can’t hide forever. You really think that what you do is living a normal life? You should be enjoying life instead of spending all your time helping and doing for others. As selfish as it sounds, I want you for myself sometimes and not just at night after everyone else has had you. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent doing charity work with you but I want to experience a different world with you… My world.”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready for your world,” she replied. Her voice was low, almost apologetic.

  Tyler felt the wind being taken from his sails. How could this be happening to him? He had waited all his life to find this woman only to have her unwilling to live in his world. Fact was, he knew his world would never be complete without her in it.

  “Please don’t say that, Evy.” Moisture filled his deep blue eyes, tugging at Evy’s heart strings. “You need to tell me what it is in your past that keeps interfering with your happiness, our happiness so that I can help you get beyond it. Call me when you’re ready to share.” With that said, he stood from his stool giving her hands a gentle squeeze. He kissed her forehead, retrieved his coat from the foyer closet and left.

  Evy remained seated on her bar stool, not sure of what else she should do. Should she run after him? He didn’t understand the full impact of what he was asking of her. She had spent years putting the whole ugly affair behind her. Not even Nita knew all the details of that dreadful incident. Was she being unreasonable or was Tyler being his old pushy self again? She needed time to think about it, more than the couple of days leading to his departure. The food that had tasted so good had suddenly lost its flavor.

  ***

  Meanwhile Just Outside of New York City…

  Harry pulled up to the front door of the massive estate in his Mercedes convertible class SLK. He was a tall muscular black man with a perfectly shaped shaven head. Some found his dark eyes and broad nose intimidating, while others thought him overtly handsome. His goatee tastefully framed his large kissable lips. Black leather was his preference all year round while two karat diamonds adored each earlobe.

  Making his way to the front entry, he instructed the butler who received him not to allow anyone to touch the vehicle. He ascended the left side of the double grand staircase two treads at a time. Walking down the massive hallway, he finally stopped in front of the door of his destination, knocking once. A servant opened the door immediately escorting him in.

  “This had better be important,” barked the woman lying on the massage table with only a sheet covering her derriere. “I won’t tolerate my quality time being disturbed!”

  “Does Mindy Johnson sound important enough?” he said with a sly smile.

  This got the woman’s full attention. “Leave!” she ordered.

  The masseur and servant quickly left the room, granting them total privacy. The woman rose from the table, allowing the sheet to fall from her as though she were in the room alone. Completely naked, she walked over to a wing back chair, grabbed a cigarette from the package on the table and sat down. Harry gazed at her the whole time, trying with all his might to control the chubby growing in his trousers that would undoubtedly get him in trouble.

  “What does a girl have to do to get a light around here?” Her voice was provocative baiting him to come nearer, while her eyes teased him with a chance of things to come.

  With sweat collecting on his eyebrow, he removed the lighter from his pocket and coolly stepped toward her. He tried not to gawk at her large bare breast or her nipples’ reaction to their sudden exposure while he lit the cigarette for her. It took all he had to keep his hand steady during the process.

  “So, what about our little Miss Mindy or should I say Rachel?” she asked dragging on her cigarette and releasing its toxin into the room.

  “Word in Chicago is she’s been residing in Oklahoma City all this time.”

  “Who in their right mind would want to live in Oklahoma City? I guess that would make it a great hiding place, wouldn’t it?”

  “I suppose you’re correct, as usual. What do you want me to do?”

  “Verify this information; we’ve done enough chasing our tails for the last fourteen years. For now, we’ll keep an eye on her since Chicago is already on to us. We’ll act only if she becomes a threat. Now leave me so that I may enjoy my day off from playing nicey wifey. Oh, and send my masseur back in please.”

  “Should we continue to keep tabs on Marcus Cole as well?” he inquired.

  “Most certainly. Perhaps he’ll lead us right to her. That is all.” She rose and returned to the table, dismissing him.

  Requiring no further instruction, Harry turned and left the room. He was disappointed that she had dismissed him so quickly, not taking the opportunity to ride him like she had the last few times. Oh well, maybe next time he thought as he made his way back to his car.

  Chapter 8

  A cold rain fell on Oklahoma City the Friday after Tyler left. Nita walked into her office to find a moping Evy waiting for her. She had been that way all week and Nita had had enough of it.

  “Okay, Miss Evy. Out with it!” She stood with her arms crossed glaring at her.

  “Out with what?” Evy pretended not to know what she was talking about.

  “Nut- uh mama, I know all this sulking and shit ain’t all because Tyler’s gone. It’s only been two days and you were like this before he left. What happened?” she demanded.

  Evy shifted in her chair, uncomfortable with being called out. She filled Nita in on what had happened last Sunday morning in her apartment. She didn’t have to go over the last few weeks because Nita had already gotten those particulars out of her. Nita listened without interruptio
n, while Evy grew more and more animated reciting her tale.

  “Do you believe him, Nita? He wanted me to just up and leave with him like I had nothing better to do! And for him to turn around and blame it on me like that… Some nerve!” The thought of it made her angry all over again.

  “I see. So, he just threw that ultimatum at you then just jumped on a plane and left?” Nita was sitting on the opposite side of the desk now, calculating every word.

  “No. He didn’t just leave.” She felt a slight pang of guilt from leaving out that he had kissed her first.

  “He didn’t, huh? So what did he do after he left your apartment on Sunday?” Nita probed knowingly.

  Evy looked away from her. “He called that night and left a message apologizing,” she confessed.

  “Ah-ha! So he left a message Sunday night. Is that all?” she coaxed.

  “No. He’s tried calling every night since then.”

  “And?” she prompted.

  “And I’ve purposely not been answering my phone.”

  “Aaannd?”

  “He’s been sending me red roses with cards apologizing for leaving me that way. Why do I get the impression you know all this already?” She cast Nita a wary glance.

  “Well, Evy since you must know he’s been calling me like a mad man. Whenever you don’t answer that phone he hangs up and calls me. He wanted to know if you got the roses, the candy, the teddy bears! ” Nita stated, swaying her head and hand side to side with each item mentioned for emphasis.

  Another pang of guilt gnawed at Evy. She hadn’t considered the possibility that he would drag her best friend into this. Now she felt bad for keeping the whole thing from Nita. “I’m sorry Nita. I had no idea he would go this far.”

  “Are you kidding? This is the man who sent you flowers every hour in an attempt to let him buy you dinner. How could you not know?” she reminded her. “Besides, your ass should be sorry about it. You were wrong and now you got this man acting foolish as all time just because he wanted to do something good for you. It’s time to stop punishing yourself for what happened and allowing it to keep you from what you deserve in life.”

  Nita wasn’t one to hold back at a time like this. Evy knew her friend well and remembered that this is why she hadn’t told her about Sunday. She knew Nita would find a way to make her see that Tyler was right. Usually she would have conceded and ended this lesson right about now by breaking down and admitting to her part in it all. But, this time something didn’t quite sit well with her.

  “You know I love you with all my heart girl but this time you have no reason to talk.”

  Nita’s eyes grew large and her mouth flew open. She placed her hand over her heart in dismay. “Whatever do you mean, mama?”

  “I’m talking about Anthony,” she answered putting her hands on her hips.

  Nita looked as though she were hoping the floor would open up and swallow her whole. “How did you… how did you know about Tony?” she gasped.

  “I’m not stupid, Nita. I saw how you two were before we left Chicago. You actually thought you could live with me all those years and hide that from me? I figure it got real serious around the time you finished law school. Am I right?”

  Nita continued to stare at her, incredulous of her friend’s keen perception. All these years she thought she’d been careful about her dalliances with Tony, only to find out that Evy had known all the while.

  “I know I haven’t spoken with him in a number of years,” Evy continued, “but if he’s anything like I remember I’m sure he wants a little more from you than the occasional weekends you’ve been giving him.”

  Nita’s face was on fire with embarrassment. Here she was laying a guilt trip on Evy when in fact she was blameworthy of the same thing. “Not so easy to see it when you’re the one sinning, huh. Wow!” she acknowledged.

  They sat in silence each assessing their predicament. Lifting their heads to face one another they suddenly found the whole thing hilarious. The receptionist couldn’t help but gawk at the closed door that stood between her and the two women as they erupted into a loud roar of laughter. She shook her head and smiled. Her bosses’ happiness was contagious and always left her heart filled with glee.

  “So, what are we going to do about it?” Evy asked as they sobered from their mirth.

  “I’m not sure what time it is in Italy but your ass is going to call that man first chance you get so he’ll leave me the hell alone. I only assured him that you are fine since I figured you needed some time to take this commitment into consideration. Quite honestly, I wasn’t so sure I wanted you to be with him, you know with his reputation and the family he belongs to. The white thing kind of bothered me too. I thought that maybe he was trying to test the dark waters or something.”

  Evy gave her friend an understanding nod. “And now how do you feel?”

  “He loves you. Not only did he tell Miguel and Enrique that, he shows it in the way he treats you and the way he looks at you. I had to tell his ass to get back to work quite a few times last Saturday. By the way, do you know how much fun it is bossing Mr. ‘I’m a millionaire’ around?” They both let out a low evil chuckle. “Every time you entered a room he was in he would stop what he was supposed to be doing to gawk at you. I thought to myself, ‘Damn! She really hasn’t given it to him yet?’”

  “Oh girl, you are crazy! They both laughed.

  “The question is, are you in love with him?” Nita prodded.

  Evy knew the answer but was afraid that saying it out loud would ruin things for her. She was more afraid of losing what she had with Tyler than she had ever been of anything in her life. The nightmares and sudden flash backs had gone away completely, having been replaced with sweet dreams of him. Lately whenever she thought about the past it was to compare it to her current relationship with him and how happy he made her.

  “Well?” Nita prompted.

  “Yes! Yes, I am in love with him. It’s almost scary sometimes how the mere thought of him makes me feel.”

  “Makes you wanna holler, huh? I know how you feel,” Nita agreed throwing her hands in the air and shimmying in her chair. Evy joined in laughing.

  A warm smile passed between them, each one bursting with genuine happiness for the other. They had gone through so much together, good and bad. It was wonderful to finally see it come full circle for both of them.

  “Now back to business. Why not let Jose come on board to help me out while you’re gone? He’s doing pretty well as a trader and I’m sure he’d be more helpful than that pitiful stock broker we have now,” Nita suggested.

  “Is baby brother willing to relocate for a month or more? Oklahoma City is not New York.”

  “I think I can convince him. Why don’t you go on home and think about it. I’ll give him a call as soon as you leave.”

  “Why not ask Tony? He’s in the finance business as well. I’m sure he’d be an asset to the corporation.”

  Nita hadn’t expected that. It did offer the perfect solution to their problem. Question was would he be willing to give up his business in Chicago? “I can ask him but he just mentioned something about taking on a new partner.”

  “Sounds good. I think you have it under control. I guess if I were to go we could teleconference if any problems were to arise.”

  “That’s what I wanted to recommend next. None of those guys can take your place Evy but don’t you go over there and worry about us. I would still rather run things by you before any major decisions are made.”

  “Then it’s a done deal. Now I just have to decide whether or not I should go.” Nita looked at her with one lifted eyebrow.

  ***

  Two Days Later at Tyler’s Hotel in Venice Italy…

  “So, you patched things up? She’s talking to you again?” Cecile asked her dad in reference to his falling out with Evy. Calling each other had become a weekly habit, more when one or the other needed it to be, since she had gone away to college. Tyler had called her every night
since Evy had given him the blues.

  “Yes dear. She finally answered her phone when I called her Friday night stateside time.” He wondered what Cecile was getting at as this was the second time he had shared this fact with her during the course of this conversation.

  “And now you say she’s not answering her phone again?”

  “That’s what I’m saying to you yet again dear daughter.”

  “Well, what did you say to her Friday night that has her irked with you now?”

  “What! What makes you think I said something to make her mad?” he asked warily.

  “I know you, Dad! You say things to people sometimes that, you know...”

  Tyler had to laugh. First Nita had told him not to worry when he phoned her after Evy stopped taking his calls again; now Cecile was taking Evy’s side without having met her. True, he had told his daughter about Evy after the first week of class and Cecile had seemed happy that he finally had someone. But, he hadn’t expected her to take to the woman based solely on his assessment of her.