“Yep. He stays in good shape, Rho. After we make love, we go to sleep and I wake up to work on my stories. I always make sure I’m done before he wakes so we can spend those few hours together before he heads into the hospital.”
“And you guys don’t swing now?”
“Nah, not anymore. We don’t want to and don’t really have the time. He tells me I’m all he needs right now. Isn’t that sweet? We’re only goin’ on the cruise because they’re headin’ to Costa Rica.”
“Very sweet, and aren’t there other cruises that stop off there?” Rhoda sighed and sulked, knowing her friend’s situation sounded too good to be true but hell, Sharnette always seemed to get what she wanted.
“Yes, but this is for research mostly. Some old swinger friends of ours are allowing me to be an observer for my next ménage book.”
Rhoda’s eyes widened and she shuddered just thinking about it. Watching other people have sex? I don’t even like to watch myself.
“I’m sorry, babe. I’m just so happy right now. I never expected to be so in love after spending so much time alone. I been pretty content with just datin’ on the fly and not givin’ my heart to anyone and then he came along.”
“Yep.”
“And that all changed in the blink of an eye. Now, I don’t need the muse to be fed with erotic encounters with different men. My one and only Alex does it all for me.”
“Ideal. That really is and don’t be sorry, Nettie. I’m real happy you found Mr. Right. Now you can help me find one of my own.”
Chapter Two
“Yep, I can,” she responded in a happy tone. “Maybe Doctor Fairlight will be exactly whatcha need. He really is a nice lookin’ guy, too. He and Alexander studied together back in Britain and decided to come here to practice. Both of them were originally born in the States. Isn’t that cool?”
“Yep. Never dated a Brit before. Might be interesting. Lord knows I love listenin’ to your Alex talk.”
“Uh huh. Good thing he isn’t adopting too much of the southern accent. Not that I don’t like it but, I love his speech just the way it is.”
“Me too. Soo, more about Dr. Fairlight, please? What’s he look like?”
“Oh, he’s really gorgeous, Rho. Blond hair, green eyes, a small build but toned arms. I saw him workin’ out at the gym once when me and Alex joined him for breakfast. He’s got a pretty face. He looks like he could be a model.”
“Yeah?” Rhoda perked up. She loved men with beautiful features.
“Yep. If I weren’t so in love with Alex, I’d be all over that!”
“M’kay, and why haven’t you introduced me?” Rhoda placed Spearmint on the coffee table. “You know I been searchin’.”
“Yes, I know, girl but what did I just say? Alex didn’t want to be responsible if somethin’ went wrong. Neither did I for that matter. I know you like a specific kind of man.”
“Yes, I do. I like ‘em pretty. Clean shaven, beautiful eyes. About my height and not burly lookin’.”
“Uh huh, just like that musician you used to love back in the eighties.” She sighed.
“And still do, I beg your pardon,” Rhoda objected. “Not all of them have to look like him, but they can at least remind me of what I could’ve had if Mom woulda let me go with you to that concert back in ‘93.”
“Yep. Lordy, was that a good time.” Sharnette’s voice trailed off again and she exhaled.
“Yep, while you all were havin’ big fun, I was stuck at home, cleanin’ dishes, and watchin’ Murder She Wrote with her and my grandma.”
Sharnette clicked her teeth. “Sorry.”
“Whatever.” Rhoda rolled her eyes. “Back to the hottie. So you sure he’s not taken and he isn’t a swinger?”
“Er, no. Dr. Fairlight—”
“Does he have a first name?” Rhoda couldn’t help but want to find out more. Despite the fact she didn’t want to be set up, Sharnette’s description excited her.
“Um, you’re gonna trip out when I tell you. Nicholas.”
Rhoda’s eyes bulged. “Really? Oh my God, if that isn’t a good omen…” She rubbed her hands together.
“Err, well, maybe. Don’t get too happy, now. Alex did say the Doc is a workaholic and might be a control freak.”
“Hmph, I’ll whip him into shape.” Rhoda smiled to herself and looked up at the cable box clock. “Hopefully I’ll get to meet Doctor Nicholas on Saturday. Perhaps you should give him my number…”
“Wait, whoa, whoa. Hold on, Sis. I think you should try meetin’ him first. Not sayin’ you two won’t hit it off, but…”
“But what?” Rhoda had to hear this. She was raring to pass along her info and her friend told her to hold up?
“Don’t rush into it, sweets, that’s all. I won’t be happy if this thing turns sour quickly. Like I said, he seems nice in the few times we’ve hung out. The man hardly gets out other than the gym.”
“Okay, well that makes two of us, but I never go to the fitness club. I hear ya. I should slow my roll a little. When you told me his name and how he looks…”
“Yeah, I get it. You’re excited, but I just don’t want there to be issues.”
“And I appreciate ya lookin’ out for me.” Rhoda grabbed the remote and turned on the television to look at the guide.
“Good. Well anyway, hopefully the two of you will hit it off. I gotta go, Rho. Alex will be home in a while so I need to get our bath ready.”
“You go do that, Nettie. Reruns of Top Gear are about to come on anyway. I wanna watch the couple I missed.”
“Oohkay babe, later. Hey, wanna meet for lunch on Tuesday or are ya workin’?”
“Nope, I’m off. Perhaps we can check out that soul food restaurant that’s near the hospital?”
“Sounds good. I been cravin’ some collards and macaroni for a while now. I’ll text you.”
“Gotcha. Later, honey.”
They said their goodbyes and Rhoda settled in on the couch to watch just one of the many TV shows she enjoyed. This was what she did when not at work; curled up in front of the screen with Spearmint on her lap, in her house robe.
Besides, she didn’t need to look all that glamorous for anyone since she lived alone. She only did the mani-pedi because she couldn’t stand the thought of ugly toes and nails. Her hair stayed up in a ponytail until it was time to go out with Sharnette to the clubs. Then, dressing to the nines was absolutely necessary.
Still, her ideal situation was curling up in comfort, enjoying the little time she had off.
There had to be a man who liked to do the same things, at least some of the time.
* * * *
After a long hard day at work, Nicholas took a cab from the hospital to his condominium. Once he turned the lock, he sighed deeply and looked about his beautiful spacious apartment; it needed more these days than when he bought it. Not any extra furniture—he had that. The bookcases overflowed with books from every corner of the world. And the view of the beautiful city of Raleigh was to die for. Still, it was missing something Nicholas knew he couldn’t purchase with any amount of money.
A woman.
A companion. Someone who’d be there to greet him with a kiss, a few touches, and kind words like, I missed you and, more importantly, I love you.
Random affairs with women had long outlived their luster. The sex was great, at times, but there was no real connection, and that left a sense of emptiness, leaving Dr. Fairlight very unhappy. Unfulfilled.
Time to find someone.
Perhaps going out with Alexander and his lady, Sharnette, would do the trick. God, the woman was sex on a stick. Gorgeous mocha beauty with long black hair, brown eyes resembling cocoa beans, and a smile that lit up the room. Not only that, the face attached to that amazing curvy body left Nicholas speechless. Damn, why didn’t he find the erotica author before Alexander did?
Oh yeah, I don’t get out much.
No, he didn’t, but a swinger’s party wasn’t his cup of tea either. Despi
te the fact Doctor Carthington lucked out in love after attending the sex soiree, his fortune didn’t sway Nicholas to follow suit. He preferred his intimate encounters to be behind closed doors, and then he would let his partner know his level of kink.
Dragging his feet, along with his heavy heart, he plopped on his leather sofa and turned on the television to find a good movie for early afternoon viewing. At the moment nothing was playing, and though he desperately needed sleep, he just couldn’t make himself fall into slumber quickly.
He tried a few more channels, bored and disgusted with the lack of quality programming. His cell phone rang in his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Nicholas? How are you my dear? You sound worn out!”
Hearing the sound of his mother’s voice, he forced a wry smile and slipped out of his loafers. “Hi, Mum, how are you?”
“Good, my love. Your da and I are taking a trip to the Caribbean soon and we thought we’d stop off to see you before we returned to Dulwich.”
Nicholas bit his lip and glanced towards the heavens. “That would be great.” Not like I have much going on here other than work anyway. “I’d love to see the both of you. Perhaps I can try switching shifts with Alex so we can spend a little time together.”
“Fantastic, love. We miss you terribly. I really wish you’d come back to Britain and practice. I’m concerned about you every day.”
“Mum, I’m almost forty. I can take care of myself.” Nicholas groaned and tossed the remote on the couch.
“I know, darling, but you’re so far away from me and I worry because you still haven’t found a special lady yet.”
“Yes, Mum, I thank you for the reminder. I’m working on it, but pulling thirteen hour shifts at the hospital doesn’t help matters.”
“Are you getting enough sleep?”
No.
“Yes, Mother. As a matter of fact, I just got in and I’m about to go take a nap once I’ve had a hot bath.”
“Splendid, my dear. All right then, I won’t keep you. I hope you’re coming back in town for the holidays with Alex. His mum called us screaming with the great news of Alex’s new lady. A successful romance author from that area. Perhaps she has a friend to set you up with?”
“Maybe.” Nicholas hated going on blind dates but at the moment, given his current situation, he couldn’t be too picky.
“I hope so, love. Let me hang up so you can rest. Please ring me once you’re up so we can talk more about our visit.”
“Yes, Mum. I’ll talk with you soon.”
“Goodbye, Nicholas. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mum. Goodbye.” Nicholas pressed the button and settled back on the cushions. He loved his mom, a former model and activist for the arts. He knew she meant well, but all the things she said made Nicholas feel even lower. And hearing about Alex taking Sharnette home for the holidays kicked him down even further.
“Gah.” Nicholas frowned. Rising, he walked to his window, knowing the beautiful scene of the busy city would change his mood.
Cars bustled down the street, people going to and from the places they needed to be. The trees swayed in the wind, many reddish brown leaves falling to the ground. The sun beamed down on Raleigh, as always. For the length of time Nicholas had been there, he hadn’t witnessed many cloudy days, and this gave him hope.
Always something beautiful to look at and photograph in his rare spare time; he wished to have that in his life as well.
“Might as well get some sleep.” He yawned and headed to his bedroom, rubbing his eyes, not bothering to turn the television off.
Perhaps when he woke again, there would be something he’d take an interest in.
* * * *
“Yes, Ma.” Rhoda rolled her eyes while she finished brushing her hair. She had her mom on speaker so she could finish getting ready for her lunch date with Sharnette.
“I’m glad you understand, honey. So you’ll try makin’ it to the service this coming Sunday?”
“Yes, I will, but I won’t make any promises.” She grimaced when she found a gray hair intertwined within her brown curls. “I’m going out with Sharnette and her man that night.”
“She has a man?” Lorna Maire sounded surprised.
“Yes she does, Ma. A good one, too. A doctor who works at Methodist.”
“Methodist? I’m not a big fan of that hospital but…”
Oh brother.
“Well, they may not be as good as Duke, but it’s a fine medical center. Some of the finest staff in the city work there.”
“Well, I don’t go to Raleigh much anyway, I just know what I’ve heard from some of the sisters and brothers who went there in the past.”
“That’s the key phrase, in the past. I’ve heard nothin’ but good since the remodel and the new chief of staff.” Rhoda loved her place of work; she knew a lot of people who’d transferred to work at Methodist.
“Okay. Well, how is it she has a man and you don’t? What did she do, trap him?”
“No, Ma, they met one another at a…uh… party.” Rhoda had to stop herself before she said swingers’ party.
“Figures. You can’t find a real good man at a party. He’s probably married with five babies! The best men you meet are in church. That’s why you should come on Sunday instead of goin’ with that woman into Sin City.”
“Actually the place where we’re goin’ is called Enigma, and I’ve met Doctor Carthington several times. He seems very sweet and really cares for her. Uh, Mom, I gotta go, I’ll call you later.”
“Where are you headed? You never did call me back on Sunday like you promised.”
“I didn’t promise, Ma. Now look, I’ll try gettin’ back to you by the end of the week, okay? Sharnette—”
“Sharnette!” She squealed through the phone, making Rhoda wince. “Why do you constantly hang out with that woman?”
“Ma, I gotta go! Bye.”
“Bye, Rhoda.” Upset from her mom’s call, she hung up and dashed to her closet to grab her coat. Sharnette would be there any minute now and she knew they’d only have a short while. Alexander would be off work in three hours from the time of her lunch date and she didn’t want to miss hanging out with her girl on her day off.
With her keys in her hand, she heard the buzzer bell, telling her that someone was downstairs. She rushed across the room to press the door button and wait for Sharnette to come up. She opened the door and heard two sets of laughter, instead of just Sharnette’s.
“Oh Lord.” She rolled her eyes, knowing that the other shrill voice she heard was her sister Moira. They hadn’t talked since she left for Paris two weeks ago on a modeling job. She must’ve met Sharnette downstairs in the lobby.
“Hey Sis!” Moira beamed her pearly white smile, Sharnette in tow.
“Look what I found on the way in, babe.” Sharnette gave Rhoda a big hug and light kiss on the cheek.
“Yeah, great. Hey Moira. When did you get back in town?”
“Oh, just this mornin’, honey. I wanted to come have lunch with you before I went to Momma’s. Sharnette said I could tag along and participate in some good girl talk.” Moira pressed her body into Rhoda’s and patted her back.
“Goody.” Rhoda half sighed and drew up her lips. Despite the fact she and her sister got along for the most part, Rhoda was looking forward to having lunch with her girl alone.
“Let’s go, babe, I’m starved. Oh, and we got a little more time too. Alexander won’t be off for another couple of hours, unfortunately. He got called into emergency surgery.”
“Aw, that’s too bad, babe. How is that hunk doctor of yours doin’ anyway? He sure is fine. You sure he ain’t got a couple of brothers for me and Rhoda here? Preferably employed, hung like a horse, and mature,” Moira added.
Sharnette laughed, along with Moira.
Rhoda shook her head. “C’mon, you two!” She shuffled them out of her doorway and down the hall back to the elevator. Like old friends, the two of them cackled toget
her, sharing naughty jokes, while Rhoda pushed the buttons and secretly cursed her mother for pushing out her fraternal twin sister.
If only I could’ve been an only child.
Moira blew raspberries and tapped her feet as the lift descended to the first floor. When the door opened, they filed out and headed to the lot so all of them could get into Sharnette’s car.
“Okay, who’s ridin’ shotgun?” Sharnette opened her Accord.
“Me!” Moira squealed at the top of her lungs and pushed the front seat up to the dash. “Don’t just stand there like a bump on a log, get in.”
Rhoda did just that, glaring at her sister the whole time.
Why did Sharnette have to ask her sister to join them? Rhoda wanted to talk more about Nicholas and the idiotic things her mom spewed.
She couldn’t do that with Moira around. She had a tendency to have a very big mouth.
Chapter Three
Nicholas rolled over at the sound of his phone ringing on the side of his bed. “Oh God, not the hospital.” He groaned and reached for it, knocking over an empty glass next to his bed. “Shit!”
Good thing the sun was setting because he’d neglected to draw the curtains before he dozed off. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sleeping but he guessed about three to four hours.
“Hello?”
“Nicky, it’s Alex.”
Thank God.
“Hi chum, what’s up?” He sat up straight in the bed and fingered his locks.
“I wanted to chat with you about Saturday night. Do you mind if Sharnette brings her friend Rhoda along? Perhaps the two of you will hit it off.”
“No, no, not at all. It’s not like I’ve got much going on in the date department at the moment. Perhaps a fixed connection is exactly what I need.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure how to ask you. Sharnette called me about it when I was taking a break and we went back and forth until I finally gave in. That woman really knows how to manipulate my mind.” He sighed.
“Oh what a problem to have,” Nicholas chided and lay on his side, gazing out the window.
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