Wrong Way Renee

by Wynter Daniels

  Her cheeks flushed. He took her mug and set it down. Then he gently tugged on the robe's belt and it opened enough to reveal her breasts. He quickly seized the opportunity, taking a good long look at her then wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her bare body closer to him before she could stop him.

  She shoved away from him and retied the belt. She wasn’t ready to move to that level. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It had been a great day and she really liked being with him but thoughts of Joe crept into her head when she least expected.

  “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. You’re a beautiful woman.” A wry smile played across his face.

  “You planned this whole thing for a glimpse of my bootie. Is that it?”

  He threw his head back, laughing. “Yeah, right down to letting you drive the golf cart into the pond. It was actually on remote control. It wasn't your lousy steering induced by alcohol.” He was so much more handsome when he smiled. His eyes were alight with warmth.

  “I feel better that I've been absolved of all guilt.”

  “In that case, do you think I could talk you into staying for dinner? I have some fine looking steaks I thought I'd throw on the grill.”

  She checked the clock on the wall. Almost five. “That would be nice. Let me get dressed and I'll help you make a salad or something to go with the steaks.”

  In the bedroom, she couldn't help herself. She found it hard to believe Cleave wasn't dating anyone else. Perhaps it was her own guilty conscience.

  The night table drawers called to her. The one on the right side of the bed was empty. As she quietly opened the one on the left side, she saw the butt of a gun peeking out from under some papers. She quelled a gasp and quietly closed it.

  The mirrored closets were her next targets. Inside one were a dozen suits, shelves of folded dress shirts and a spinning rack of about a hundred ties. The other closet held all sorts of sporting gear; hunting rifles in a glass case, golf bags and shoes, scuba gear, a tennis racket and several pairs of assorted athletic shoes. Everything was painstakingly neat, each item surrounded by others for that sport. He was a man who liked his toys and had a ton of them.

  She had no idea why she’d felt the urge to snoop, but suspected it had something to do with Dan cheating on her. Knowledge was power. She dressed and returned to the kitchen carrying her bag of wet clothes.

  “What can I do? Do you have stuff to make a salad?” She set her bag on the floor next to the door to the garage.

  “Look in the crisper. I'm going out to the lanai to put these on the grill.” He picked up a glass platter with two big steaks on it.

  She found a bowl to make them a salad and got to work. Then she went through the family room to the pool area and found Cleave standing off to the side of a hot tub watching the steaks cook on a brick grill in a very elaborate summer kitchen. It had a rack for wine glasses, a small refrigerator and a stainless steel sink. Duke sat next to him, eying the steaks a lot like he’d done to her earlier.

  She set the salad on the table. “This is fantastic out here.”

  “I have lots of nice things, but I have no one to share them with.”

  She didn't know what to say so she just sat on a wicker couch and patted the seat next to her.

  He joined her. “I think I'm falling for the boss's daughter.”

  Distilling his pronouncement, she put her arm around his shoulder. “Let's slow it down a little.”

  “Okay. You let me know when you catch up to me.” He squeezed her knee then got up to check on the steaks. She strolled around the pool. As the sun sank below the horizon, colored lights came on, illuminating the area in pink, green and blue.

  “Did you turn those on?” she asked.

  “They’re on a timer.”

  She glanced inside the glass at the perfect house. This could be a nice life. Although she'd just met Cleave, she knew she could have all this eventually if she wanted it. She could have the same luxury and ease as her sister. No working, no credit card debt, shopping as much as she wanted. It was tempting to let things move faster, like he seemed to want. She couldn’t say his company wasn’t enjoyable. He was smart, witty and generous, but there was no spark. At least not yet.

  He served dinner on the patio. They ate, drank wine and talked for hours, discussing boats, dogs, pool care and home ownership. But she again found her mind wandering to Joe and what life with him would be like. She was getting ahead of herself, but she couldn't help it. If she ended up with him, she'd have to keep working indefinitely. Money would probably always be tight. And her family might never accept him for both his race, and his working class background.

  But, God, just thinking about that man made her toes curl.

  “…So it's really dependent upon how much time you invest in it,” Cleave was saying. “Renee? Renee, are you listening?”

  A prick of guilt stabbed at her gut. “Oh, yes. I'm sorry, Cleave. I guess I'm worn out.”

  “I know what you were thinking.”

  She widened her eyes and despite the fact that he couldn’t possibly know, her pulse leapt like a jackrabbit.

  “You were thinking that a dog couldn't be trained that quickly.”

  She let out the breath she'd been holding. “You're right. That's exactly what I was thinking.” She had no idea what he was talking about. “You know what I was also thinking?”

  “What?”

  “That you probably have to be at the office early in the morning and I'm pretty tired, so I was hoping you'd take me home.”

  He stood up, extended his hand. “Your chariot awaits, fair maiden.”

  Corny, but sweet. He drove her home, then walked her to her door. “I won't ask to come in. But I will ask for a goodnight kiss.” He gathered her hair in his hands. “I've had a great day, golf cart accident and all.”

  “Me too,” she said honestly. “Thank you for the clothes. Next time I'll let you drive.”

  He kissed her goodnight. It was nice. The electricity she felt with Joe just wasn't there with Cleave. But she liked how he handled all the details for her. She didn't have to think much when she was with him. It was freeing.

  After he left, she laid on her unmade bed, contemplating what she'd do. It was only fair to choose between them soon. If she didn’t, it would be her luck to get busted by one with the other.

  Chapter Six

  Clients rang the phone off the hook Tuesday morning, making appointments for haircuts, manicures and pedicures in preparation for holiday parties. Men called about gift certificates for their wives or girlfriends. They even had a few calls in response to the ad for a hairdresser that had run in the Sunday paper.

  Renee sat at the desk after she'd given Melissa and Gerta their manicures. She spoke to a woman fresh out of beauty school and then a man named Antoine who said he had a following. She told the woman they didn't have enough walk-in business to fill up her schedule. Antoine wanted to come in the shop later to meet her and Becky. After checking their schedules, she set him up an appointment when both she and Becky were free.

  When a light-skinned black man showed up in skin-tight purple leather pants, Renee knew it was Antoine. His short hair was dyed red and his eyelashes bore the slightest traces of mascara.

  He approached her nail table and gave her an exaggerated smile. “You must be Renee. I could tell over the phone you were incredibly beautiful.” Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  She resisted rolling her eyes as she shot Becky a grin. The three of them headed to the kitchenette for a little privacy.

  “So Antoine,” Becky began, “Renee tells me you have a good following.” She sat on a barstool and motioned for him to do the same.

  “Oh, honey, I do. I been doin' hair for six years and my book is full, full, full.” He took the seat between the two women.

  “And do you think they would follow you here?” Becky asked.

  “Oh, yes. Them girls love me. They say 'Antoine, I'd follow you to the ends of the earth.' And I says,
'Honey, I'm just goin' up the road.' None of us like the new owner at the shop I’m at now. He's one of them little Korean fellows. They don't like my kind.” He raised one well-arched eyebrow in Renee's direction. “You know what I’m talking about, sister.”

  She stifled a smile.

  Antoine playfully slapped her hand. “You know what I'm talkin' bout, honey. I'm the fruit of the month club.”

  Becky and Renee exchanged a glance and a subtle nod.

  “A hundred fifty a week. You buy your own supplies and be sure to keep your station neat or we'll have a problem.” Becky offered her hand. “Deal?”

  He shook with her then with Renee. “Ooh, girls. This is gonna be so much fun.”

  Renee introduced him to Zoey then brought him over to Chantelle's station since she was between clients.

  “Chantelle, this is Antoine,” she said, eying her nervously.

  Chantelle looked him over, raising her eyebrows. “If you say so.”

  Renee was about to tell her to be nice when Antoine intervened on his own behalf. “Now look here, Cleopatra! You give me a chance, you hear? I might give you a free cut and color. That look you're wearing is as old and musty as King Tut's tomb.”

  Chantelle stared at him, wide-eyed. Then she started to laugh. Antoine laughed too as he bent to hug her. To Renee's delight, Chantelle hugged him back.

  “Welcome to Hair Affair, Antoine.” Maybe with the new addition, their money woes would soon be a thing of the past.

  * * * * *

  “I see you guys finally put up your decorations. Better late than never, I guess.” Pam sat at Renee’s table Friday afternoon.

  “I told them with Christmas only a week and a half away, why bother?” Renee sprayed her client's hands with a sanitizer then started working.

  “Guess what I found out?”

  “What?”

  “Pablo told his father he wasn't going to marry the chick from Texas. Said he wanted no part of an arranged marriage. So, he's telling me this over dinner the other night and I asked him.”

  “You asked him what?”

  “If we could try to get pregnant,” she whispered as her eyes darted around the room.

  Renee stopped filing and sighed. “Oh, God. What did he say?”

  “He said yes.” Pam squeezed her hand and smiled. “We started trying that very night.”

  “Do you know what you're doing? You're gambling with three lives here. Why bring a child into the world with an automatic strike against him?” She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.

  “Are you saying a single mother can't do a good job raising a child?”

  “No, no. I'm not saying that at all. In a perfect world, every child would have two parents. But shit happens. People get divorced, people die. I know lots of people who are fantastic single parents. But I don't know one who intended to do it solo.” She searched Pam's eyes for understanding but found none.

  “I know what I'm doing.” Pam looked away, frowning.

  She knew what that meant. Shut up. She finished the fill in silence.

  After Pam left, Renee tried to put the conversation out of her mind as she hurried home to do a ten second tidy on her apartment in case she and Joe decided to hang out there. She had barely enough time to shower and dress before he knocked on her door.

  He came inside bearing two DVDs and caught her around her waist. He reeled her in close for a scorching kiss. His lips were soft, his mouth hungry.

  She melted against his touch and heat spread through her entire body. “Wow. What's the occasion?”

  “I've missed you. It's been a long week.” He nuzzled her neck, sending gooseflesh over her skin. “Do you want to go out or should we order pizza?”

  A relaxing evening of movies and snuggling sounded perfect. “How about pizza?”

  He raised his brows. “Okay with me. Extra cuddle time, right?”

  She was learning that they often thought alike. “What movies did you bring?”

  “I don't know what you like. I brought one of my favorite comedies and one of my favorite mysteries. They’re old, but good.”

  He sat on the couch while she ordered a pizza with mushrooms and green peppers. Then she joined him, settling into the crook of his arm.

  “Tell me about your week,” he said.

  “We hired a new hairdresser. He seems really sweet and he has a following. Even charmed old Chantelle. That'll help with our expenses. With Christmas coming, we're tapped out.”

  “Speaking of Christmas, I was wondering…”

  “Yes?” She feared he was going to invite her to a family thing. She wasn't ready for that yet.

  “My best friend, Wyatt is a fire fighter. He and his girlfriend are having a little Christmas party Friday night. Are you free?”

  She gave a sigh of relief. “I think I can. That would be nice. Is it a dress-up event?”

  “No, not at Wyatt's. He's about as casual as you can get. It’s at eight.” He started the movie. A few minutes into it, her phone rang.

  “Sorry.”

  He shrugged as he paused the DVD.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  “Hi, pretty lady,” Cleave said.

  A warm flush of fear washed over her. She felt Joe's eyes burning into her so she turned away from him. “Hey.”

  “Are you okay? You sound strange,” Cleave said.

  “Fine. I'm fine. What's up?” Her neck started aching. Why was she so tense? She wasn't doing anything wrong.

  “Did your mother tell you about the Christmas party?”

  “No.” She searched her mind for something she could say to get off the phone as quick as possible.

  “The firm holiday party is next Friday night at the country club. I'd be honored if you'd be my date.”

  Friday. Wasn’t that the night Joe had just asked her out for? “I can't.” She glanced at Joe, then pushed the receiver hard against her ear.

  “You can't? Why not?” He sounded disappointed.

  If she didn’t go to the firm’s party, her family would want a good reason. “Can I call you tomorrow? I'll check my calendar to see if I can shuffle a few things around. What time does it start?”

  “Six, I think. I'll find out for sure.”

  “Okay. I'll call you tomorrow.” She shut off the phone but her pounding head wasn’t as easily remedied.

  “Who was that? Someone you don't like?” Joe asked.

  “No, it was my friend…Toy. She wants me to go to a party with her.”

  “I hope it's not on Friday.”

  A knock on the door saved her from answering.

  “Must be the pizza. I'll get it.” Joe opened the door, took the pizza and paid the driver.

  Renee had to escape the tension so she made an excuse and headed to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror she recognized the guilt written all over her face. How could Joe not see it? Or could he? She splashed water on her face, then returned to the living room wearing a bright smile. Joe stood next to the open pizza box, two plates at the ready.

  “You are wonderful.” She held a plate next to the box, waiting for him to give her a slice. She kissed him as he loaded on a gooey piece.

  They ate their pizza while they watched the movie. She had to move away from him on the couch during the steamier scenes, afraid she'd reach out to do something she wasn't ready for.

  But he seemed very ready. After the movie, he was all hands and arms coming at her. She wanted him so badly. But it wasn't fair to him or to Cleave. She had to make a choice before she slept with one of them.

  “Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

  “Shoot.”

  “Have you ever been to St. Augustine?”

  “When I was in the sixth grade, I think. My class went and saw the schoolhouse, the jail and the fort. Then when I was a teenager, our family took a short vacation there. We shopped on the main drag.”

  “St. Georges Street.”

  “Yeah. And we went to the fort again and climbed to
the top of the lighthouse. Why?”

  “I was wondering if you'd consider going with me after the first of the year for a long weekend. We could leave on a Saturday and come home early Monday. There's a great bed and breakfast right off St. Georges Street I know.” He eyed her.

  She took a deep breath. This was ramping the relationship up a notch. “Can I think about it?”

  “Sure you can. No pressure. I thought it would be nice to have some uninterrupted time together.” He begrudgingly left at two in the morning.

  As she lay in bed later, all she could think about was how much she wanted him. The idea of going to a romantic place like St. Augustine excited her. But it meant she'd have to tell Cleave she couldn't see him anymore.

  She jumped when the phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Renee, honey, how are you? It's me, baby, Dan. I miss you sweetheart. I wanted to talk about our last…um…you know. Renee? Are you there?”

  She hung up. Dan was the last thing she needed right now. After their last encounter, she was finally over him. She now had a no-jerks policy.

  Problem was, if she kept both men in her life much longer, she would be the jerk.

  * * * * *

  “How about these?” Renee held up a boxed set of wine glasses at the mall Saturday night.

  Joe took them from her. “That’ll work. My stepmother will love them.”

  “That’s the first thing we’ve looked at for her. Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” He carried the set up to the register and paid. He’d agreed just as quickly to the decorative easel she’d suggested for one of his father's paintings.

  “You don’t spend much time at this, do you?” It had taken her hours to decide on the gold pen for her father and the polo shirt for Gary.

  “They’re just Christmas presents. It’s not like I’m choosing my profession or my soul mate.”

  They left the store with yet another bag to add to the three they’d already accrued. It felt good holding his hand as they looked in stores and at the mall’s festive decor. They passed a jewelry store and she glanced inside.

  Oh God, was that Cleave?