The Perfect Sin

by The Blakk Dahlia

  Kelly saved me by taking the motor mouth to a last-minute meeting once we stepped off the elevator. Finally getting peace to myself, I settled in to start my day.

  I messaged Darren as soon as I reached my desk. Although I didn’t want to think of him, he was my ride to the airport. Looking back, I could have taken the opportunity to graciously decline and take the Marta train instead. But something inside wanted me to take him up on that offer, even though it wasn’t the right thing to do.

  Jennifer Steele: Hey, my flight leaves at 2:45. Are you still able to take me to the airport?

  Darren McCray: Of course. Do we need to stop by your place first to get your stuff?

  Jennifer Steele: I have my bag here. I’m all set to go.

  Darren McCray: I’ll come to your floor a little before 12.

  Jennifer Steele: Thanks!

  I was nervous about Darren coming to my floor. I didn’t want Miss Alice or anyone else getting suspicious. He was known around the office. Not for anything bad, but he was sociable and a great asset to the company. Being his “special friend” was not something I wanted to be known for.

  Luckily for me, there was another team lunch that I didn’t have to attend since I was scheduled to leave early. When he showed up, I was alone. The universe gave us a break by supplying privacy.

  “Hey!” He walked towards my cube swinging his arms. “Are you ready?” The familiar cologne hit me before he did.

  Darren stood back and took one look at my huge bag, then laughed.

  “What?!? I needed to pack all of my lady things.” I snickered, slowly rising from my seat.

  “I’m not judging,” he pulled the bag from under the desk. “I’m just trying to figure out how you managed to walk from home with that thing.”

  “Haha! It was a struggle but I managed.”

  I gawked at his bulging muscles as he rolled my bag out. My chest rose and fell heavily with every small grunt he made.

  Darren’s phone rang breaking my concentration on him. He leaned the bag against a file cabinet to answer. “Hello...Hey Cheryl. No, I’m working late tonight you’ll have to get her...I told you this yesterday... Never mind don’t worry about it. I have to drop a friend off at the airport, I’ll swing by to pick her up on the way back...Yea...Bye.”

  Another issue with Cheryl. I realized that she was INDEED the wife.

  What kind of problems are they having? Why does he seem aggravated every time he talks to her? I wondered, watching his irked expression.

  Darren took a deep breath, then looked up at me. The teddy bear eyes were filled with agitation from the phone call.

  “Let’s roll, Jenn. We gotta get you to Boston.” He pushed out a smile.

  I didn’t want to ask about the phone call. It wasn’t my business. Mainly because I had a feeling I knew the answer. Cheryl got him aggravated and taking me to the airport was his release.

  Am I officially the side piece? I mouthed to myself, following him to the elevator.

  On the way to the Hartsfield-Jackson International, Darren talked more about his daughter. She was sick and he had to pick her up from school. He didn’t seem too happy about it because that wasn’t in the original plan. I figured Cheryl had something better to do than tend to their sick child.

  “I told my wife I had to work late. But for some reason, she ‘forgets’ about my plans,” he fussed, slapping his hand on the steering wheel.

  I didn’t seem worthy to respond. I was single and knew nothing of married life. Giving my two cents on his wife while I secretly lusted about him wasn’t a comfortable thing to do. That alone was bad enough. His gripes caused me to be apprehensive about continuing our friendship after I returned from Boston. I felt like I deserved to have my own man without the extra baggage filled with trouble at home.

  “Sorry I-I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you.” He looked over at me, noticing my sudden silence. “You’re getting ready for a trip and here I am complaining.”

  I fumbled with my phone, thinking about his responses during the phone conversation back at the office. “I thought you were going to take the afternoon off.”

  “I tried but some things came up and I have to get them done before Monday,” he replied. “Do you have a ride from the airport when you land?”

  “I’m taking a cab,” I said firmly.

  At the red light, Darren pulled out his phone and typed fast. His eyes constantly gazed up at the light to see when it was going to change. The urgency in his finger movement hinted that he was texting Cheryl.

  “Greenlight,” I alerted.

  He glanced up, “Thanks.”

  Darren took a few seconds longer to send the message, then drove on. He pulled up to the airport and quickly got out of the car to retrieve my bag from the trunk. While I gathered my things, he opened my door with a big smile. Those teeth straightly aligned with flared dimples did something to me. That smile put me into the fantasy world that I continuously fought so hard to get out of. It became harder to completely cut him off.

  “Are you going to get out?” he laughed, extending his hand to me.

  “Oh, yea. Sorry,” I tried to focus on the present time. “Thanks for the ride. You better get going, so you can pick up your daughter.”

  I exited the car with the assistance of his soft yet masculine hand. He accompanied me while checking in at the outdoor kiosk.

  “I have a little time,” he replied. “My wife’s cousin is a nurse at the school. She’ll be fine until I get there.”

  To my dismay, he milked every second until takeoff. The clerk handed me a boarding pass and requested payment for the checked bag. Darren pulled out his black card to cover the charge.

  I suddenly became bothered by his gesture. “Darren, you didn’t have to pay for that I...”

  “Shhh.” He ordered, placing a finger over his sneering lips.

  I never thought I’d get tired of a man buying things for me. But that time was different. My perception was that he treated me like some streetwalker, buying me off with random kindness.

  “I don’t mind, Jenn,” he signed the receipt. “I like you...remember?”

  Those words again. I jerked my body towards him and stared.

  “What does that mean, Mr. McCray?” I squinted my eyes at him.

  “What do you think?” He mocked by squinting back.

  “I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”

  He laughed and opened his arms. “You have to get on the plane. Better hurry up.”

  We hugged...tightly, then his lips landed softly on my forehead. I tingled from the place where those smooth lips touched all the way down between my legs.

  Great, even more confusion. I thought.

  Before I turned to walk off, he got my attention and handed me a business card. “Take my number. Let me know when you’ve landed safely.”

  I took the card, then headed inside, dumbfounded by what transpired between us. The man dropped me off at the airport as if he was my boyfriend seeing me off on a vacation.

  Security check, a bathroom break, 20 minutes of searching for the gate, and I was seated comfortably waiting to board. I stared at the business card with his cell number posted two lines under his name. Darren C. McCray. To kill time, I played a little guessing game, thinking of possible middle names for Mr. Teddy Bear Eyes. Carl, Corey, Cameron, Chris, and Cornelius were all I could come up with.

  Boarding the plane almost gave the urge to send Darren a message. A second thought motivated me to quickly delete it. I had already accepted too damn much. That was supposed to be the last time getting close to him. Despite the frustrations with his wife, he wore a ring. A ring that symbolized devotion in going home to her and their daughter every night. Loving her, making love to her, showing her off to his family, friends, and strangers. I was just a work friend to ease his mind when she got on his nerves.

  The flight was mellow, or maybe the two strong drinks I ordered made it that way. As soon as I landed, I messaged Samantha to l
et her know I’d be at her apartment soon. Happy to be in another state and away from the Darren confusion, I was ready to have fun in Beantown.

  It didn’t take long for my bag to roll around the conveyor belt, which was a first for me, then I ventured out to hail a cab. However, a man dressed in a black and white suit, holding a sign with the name JENNIFER STEELE changed that plan. The man looked at me as if he knew I was the woman on the sign. My friends never sent me a driver before, and it wasn’t a special occasion, so that was very puzzling.

  “Hi,” I said to the chipper driver. “I’m Jennifer. Can you hold on a second? I need to make a quick phone call.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” he nodded, tucking the sign under his arm.

  I couldn’t wait to thank my girl, Sam, before we headed to the car.

  “Thanks for the driver girl!” I said as soon as she answered.

  “Driver!?!?” she replied, perplexed. “What driver?”

  “There’s a driver here with my name on a sign,” I laughed, pointing at the man as if she could see for herself. “You don’t remember booking a car service for me?”

  “Jenn, I love you but you know how to get around up here,” Sam laughed. “I didn’t send you a driver. What are you talking about?”

  “Ummm. Hold on,” I replied hastily, muting the call.

  “Sir, who sent you?” I asked the driver.

  He chuckled and proceeded to get my bag, “Darren McCray.”

  “Darren did this?” I shouted, holding my forehead. “When?”

  “A few hours ago.” He moved the sign from under his arm and held it in his hand, “Are you ready?”

  I unmuted Sam, stunned by Darren’s actions once again. “Hey, it was a misunderstanding. I’ll see you soon.”

  “You sure?” she asked, still in a state of confusion.

  “Yea. I’m on my way.” I hung up before she could respond with more questions and reluctantly followed the driver outside to a black SUV.

  The deluxe ride had heated seats, a third row, which was pointless because I was the only passenger. Darren also had the driver leave a note for me with a bottle of champagne. Some expensive shit I’ve only seen on TV.

  Jenn,

  I wanted to give you something to kick off your trip. This was my way of making sure you landed safely, just in case you forgot to call and let me know. Enjoy it.

  See you when you return.

  Darren.

  Mr. Teddy Bear Eyes had me riding in style to visit my girls for the weekend. Settled in the back seat, I dug the business card out of my purse and called him.

  “Hello?” His sexy voice answered.

  “Hi, um...this is Jennifer.” I looked around as if I were hiding. “Are you busy?”

  “I’m at the office, taking a break. Have you landed?”

  I could tell he was smiling through the phone and relaxed in his office chair. I imagined the dimples settling in his cheeks when he spoke.

  “Yes,” I answered quickly.

  “And how was your flight?” He switched from the corporate voice to a more casual tone.

  “The flight was fine. But, to my surprise, I had a car waiting for me,” I paused to look out the window. “You know anything about that?”

  “I do and I did it,” Darren said arrogantly.

  “Darren...”

  “What?” He whined. “I wanted to make sure you arrived at your friend’s house safely.”

  “I could have made sure of that myself,” I replied in a serious but playful tone.

  “I know. I’m sorry, was that too much?”

  I paused and thought about the question for a minute. For a regular single man, it wasn’t but from a married man, hell yes!

  “You still there?” Darren asked.

  “Yea, I’m here. Just a little confused by all of this. The rides home, the lunches, the painting, you paying for my bag, the kiss on the forehead, and now this?” I sighed, “I don’t know what to think.”

  “Don’t think...just enjoy it. You’re starting school soon. Papers, studying, boring lectures, that’s what’s in your future. Relax, Jenn.”

  His words shouldn’t have moved me. But they did. He was very thoughtful in making sure my trip started off right. It caused an even greater conflict within me as I should have said I didn’t need his “presents”. Signs of getting too deep were flying left and right. Although harmless on my part, an outsider could easily see that we were headed down the road to being more than friends.

  “Why thank you, Darren C. McCray.” I read his name aloud off the card. “What’s the C stand for anyway?”

  “Calvin.” He chuckled, then coughed softly. “What did you think it stood for?”

  “Cornelius,” I replied with a hint of sass.

  The geeky laugh rang loudly in my ear, but I loved it! It made me laugh too.

  “What’s wrong with Cornelius?” I asked.

  “Cornelius? Do I look like a ‘Cornelius’ to you? Really?”

  We pulled up to Samantha’s building, I was a little bummed about having to get off the phone. I wanted the drive to last a little longer so I could hear his laugh again.

  “Well, Darren CALVIN McCray. I want to thank you ONCE AGAIN for helping me out. And NO, I won’t need a ride home from the airport on Sunday,” I demanded, gathering my things. “I’m taking a car service. You’ve done enough.”

  The driver parked and went to get my bag. I sat back into the seat, getting as much Darren time as I could.

  “If that’s how you want it. No more surprise rides. But, Jenn...” he conceded in a demure tone.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m here if you need me.”

  Every word of that sentence gave me chills. My exhales shook leaving my body as I tried to control urges of opening up the door to flirting with him.

  “Thanks. Have a good evening, Darren.” I tried to sound as sweet and sexy as I could. It felt like I was talking to my man. Grasping onto that fantasy canceled out every hesitation I had up until that point.

  “You too. And enjoy your trip.”

  Damn this man is good. What in the world was I getting myself into? Wait! No! I’ve got to get out of this! I thought, waiting for the driver to get my door.

  I made the same decision a dozen times, but every time I tried to slip away, Darren came back with something else. Then, the force would show up and take over. And still, there was no clear reason as to why he wanted to be a good friend to me.

  Once settled in Samantha’s newly purchased condo, I poured a glass of wine and sat near the floor-to-ceiling window perfectly placed in the dining room area. I had a little time alone while she engaged in a romantically intense conversation with her new “man friend”, Jerry. Views of adjacent buildings towering over the Ava Theater District created a sudden urge to call Darren. Possibly to describe the area and listen to him share events of his day. He would have been leaving work and on his way home to Mrs. McCray, so that urge went unfulfilled.

  However, thinking about him put me in the mind frame of being in a courtship with Mr. Teddy Bear Eyes. How could I not? He did “courting” things. Gave me “courting” eyes. Even confessed that he liked me. Both confusion and guilt shared space in my heart.

  The concept of his wife not appreciating him became a factor in my rationale. Everyone knows it can be a cause for some men to gravitate towards something new. But why me? There were tons of women in Atlanta waiting for a man (taken or not) to give them attention. I never thought of myself as that type of woman, and I didn’t want to find out the hard way that he was just another dog in disguise. I’d heard many stories of married men luring single women only to gain what was missing at home.

  “Kass is on her way. You wanna do dinner, drinks, or roam the city?” Sam joined me by the window.

  Her presence reminded me of the reason why I was in Boston. That reason was to forget about Darren and find other things to focus on.

  “All of the above.” I gazed at the sun setting over the city
.

  “We can do that,” she moved closer, studying my dazed expression. “What’s on your mind, Jenn?”

  I didn’t want to divulge into my deep thoughts, but I had to get it out. Saying it aloud would release everything that harbored inside. If I didn’t, those ideas would have festered throughout the weekend.

  “Sam, I don’t know. I met this man at work but, it’s different. He’s everything I want...” I took a beat and drank some wine to serve as a truth serum.

  “What’s the problem?” she coaxed, standing over me with her hands on her hips.

  My gaze shifted to her curious yet concerned eyes, then back to the gorgeous view. “I can’t have him.”

  “Wait what? When I asked a couple of weeks ago, you said that there was no guy. So now there IS a guy and you can’t have him. What’s REALLY going on?”

  “His name is Darren,” I digressed. “Smart, cute, prosperous. Hung out with me at an art gallery, spent good money to buy me a painting that I adore. Took me to lunch a few times. Then, he said he’s doing all of these things because he likes me.”

  The words flowed while my eyes stayed on the sky preparing to change colors for the evening. Sam’s questions didn’t bother me. I was determined to answer her questions my way and in my own time.

  “All of that doesn’t sound bad, Jenn.” Sam waved me off and walked towards the kitchen. “And why can’t you have him?”

  “Dropped me off at the airport and before we left, he gave me the sweetest hug and a kiss on the forehead.” I arose and stepped to the window, pressing my hand to feel the energy of the sun taking its final bow. Feeling the cold pane mentally transported me to the other side of the window. I floated, in my words. I was no longer venting to my friend; I confessed my guilt to the sky.

  She sighed, shuffling through the fridge. “I’m not following you, girl.”

  I heard her clinking beer bottles but the sound didn’t deter me.

  “And if THAT wasn’t enough. He arranged for a car to pick me up when I landed. I guess that’s who he texted while we were on the way to Hartsfield. I thought it was his wife but...”