Four Degrees of Heat

by Rochelle Alers, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Brenda L. Thomas; Crystal Lacey Winslow

  Victoria gave Iman a pleading look. Iman smiled. “Come on, Miss Rhonda. We’ll just pull back around and pick her up. We don’t want to keep the skycap waiting.” She motioned toward the skycap, who was waiting patiently nearby with Victoria’s bags.

  Rhonda looked like she wanted to protest some more but decided against it. “Fine then. Good-bye, Damon. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Damon waved as Iman dragged Rhonda toward the door. Rhonda broke free and ran back over to the couple. “Excuse me, I just have to ask. What’s going on? Are you interested in my daughter?”

  “Mother!” Victoria snapped.

  Rhonda ignored her. “I see it in your eyes. I’m good at reading people. You like her, don’t you?”

  “Iman, will you get her?” Victoria’s voice was laced with frustration.

  Iman smiled apologetically and grabbed Rhonda again.

  Rhonda snatched her arm back. “Girl, you better stop grabbing my arm like you done lost your damn mind.” She turned back to Damon. “As I was saying, I know you like her. Just be careful. She’s already had her heart broken once. That’s all I had to say.” Rhonda strutted off toward the car.

  Victoria lowered her head in embarrassment. “Oh, my God, I cannot believe my mother.”

  Damon laughed. “She’s cute.”

  “She’s crazy. You have to excuse her. I’m an only child, and she’s a tad bit protective.”

  Damon’s gaze turned serious. “Well, tell her yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Tell her yes, I like her daughter. A lot. A whole lot.”

  If she didn’t know any better, Victoria could’ve sworn those were butterflies she felt fluttering around in her stomach.

  “Tell me I can see you again,” Damon said.

  Victoria was grateful he said what she was thinking.Is it really smart for you to be getting involved with someone right now? There went that nagging little voice again. Probably not, she wanted to yell.But I don’t care . Victoria pushed the thoughts out of her head.

  “So you want to see me again?”

  “You know the answer to that question.” Damon’s gaze seemed to be penetrating her soul. She felt herself getting moist just standing here talking to him.

  “Well, I would love to see you again. When are you free?”

  “I have an appointment in New Orleans in two weeks. Trying to set up an extradition hearing on a double-murder suspect. How about I come back through Houston and see you then?”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” Victoria smiled, shifting her weight to try and squelch the burning desire that seemed to be seeping through her body.

  “My mother used to always say everything happens for a reason,” Damon said as he leaned in closer to Victoria. Her heart was beating fast. “I couldn’t understand why my soon-to-be ex-wife would do what she did. I couldn’t understand why I was in Belize to catch her cheating. But I’m really starting to believe it was because of you. Fate brought us together. I was meant to meet you.”

  Either this man was the ultimate player or a dream come true. Victoria didn’t know what to think, and right now, she didn’t care. All she knew was she felt better than she had in a long time. And she had Damon to thank for that.

  “I’m glad we met, too. I really—”

  Damon pulled Victoria to him and kissed her passionately, a long, intense kiss, one that made Victoria feel like every inch of her body was about to explode.

  “You have my numbers,” he said after releasing her from his embrace. “Call me. And I look forward to seeing you again.”

  Damon let his hand linger in hers before dashing off to catch his connecting flight.

  Victoria stood in the middle of baggage claim, watching him, until he was out of sight.

  “Okay, I want all the details.” Iman was standing there with her arms crossed.

  Victoria smiled. “I thought you were going to get the car.”

  “It’s outside. Your mother’s in it. Now what the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing to tell.” Victoria gently pushed past Iman and headed outside, the huge grin still plastered across her face.

  “Bullshit. Stella done got her groove back. Spill it. I want all the details from A to Z. Tell me the good stuff you don’t want your mom to know,” Iman said as she followed Victoria out.

  “He’s a nice guy. I enjoyed him.” Victoria opened the car door. “Did you all tip the skycap?”

  “Yes—now how did you meet him? From the looks of it, it definitely wasn’t on the airplane. So what is going on?” Iman asked as she climbed into the driver’s side of her Infiniti.

  Victoria hadn’t even fastened her seat belt when her mother started in.

  “I’d like to know the answer to that question as well,” Rhonda said.

  “So did you all miss me?” Victoria responded.

  “Don’t change the subject. Who is this guy, and did you have sex with him?” Rhonda put her hand to her head. “Oh, Lord, tell me you did not have sex with him. He’ll think you’re a slut.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes while Iman stifled a laugh.

  “Don’t tell me, I don’t even want to know,” Rhonda continued. “You know you’re vulnerable. And Lord knows that man was fine. But I raised you better than to be sleeping with perfect strangers.”

  “Mother, please.” Victoria groaned.

  “Please, my ass. Now, you went there because that trifling-ass Kendrick broke your heart. You were supposed to have some ‘me’ time. Not hooking up with some man.”

  “I did have a nice time. And most of that was thanks to Damon.”

  Rhonda looked skeptical. “What was he doing there? Nobody goes places like that by themselves.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Rhonda unhooked her seat belt, shifted so she could face Victoria in the back seat, then refastened her seat belt. “I got time.”

  “Mother, look, I don’t feel like hearing a lecture. I’m grown. I know what I am and what I’m not getting into, okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay.”

  Iman stepped into the conversation. “Kendrick called me.” She didn’t take her eyes off the road.

  Both Victoria and Rhonda’s mouths dropped in surprise.

  “I hope you hung up on him,” Rhonda finally said.

  “Actually, I didn’t.” Iman peered out the window like she was giving her full attention to navigating onto the freeway.

  “Hmph. I wouldn’t have given the bastard the time of day. I guess he knew better than to call me, because I woulda cussed his ass out.” Rhonda crossed her arms and angrily glared at Iman.

  Victoria didn’t know if she wanted to hear the answer to her next question, but she decided to ask it anyway. “What did he say?”

  “That he was sorry.”

  “Yeah, he said that in the note.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not cutting him any slack,” Iman said. “But I’m glad he didn’t marry you. He said he knew he wasn’t ready to be faithful for life, and he knew you deserved better than that.”

  “He didn’t know that shit before he asked her to marry him?” Rhonda shouted.

  “Mother, would you calm down, please?” Victoria turned her attention back to Iman. “But I would like to know the answer to that question.”

  “He said he thought he could do it, and the day of the wedding, he just knew he couldn’t. He sounded really despondent.”

  “Iman, I don’t believe you’re sitting here sounding like you feel sorry for that asshole,” Rhonda said.

  Iman shook her head. “I don’t feel sorry for him. My loyalty is to my best friend, but I just wanted Victoria to know he sounded like he was in a lot of pain.”

  “Pain! You want to know pain! Try being stood up on the most important day of your life. Try not even being given a rational reason why. That’s pain!” Rhonda yelled.

  Victoria sighed. “Mother, I swear you act like you were the one left at the altar.”
>
  Rhonda leaned back in her seat. “I’m just saying, I don’t know why he wants to talk to someone now.”

  Victoria tried to ignore her mother’s ranting. She had learned to deal with her mother’s overprotectiveness years ago. Once someone had wronged Victoria, they moved to the top of Rhonda’s shit list, and there was nothing anyone could do or say to change that. “Iman, did he say if he ever plans trying to talk to me?”

  “I think he’s scared right now. He asked me where you were. I wouldn’t tell him. I only told him you were fine.”

  “Good.” Victoria sighed. “I don’t want him to think someone is somewhere wallowing in despair over him.”

  “From the glow on your skin, you don’t seem to have done any wallowing at all.” Rhonda smirked.

  Victoria leaned back against the seat and replayed the past week in her mind. Yeah, Damon had been just what she needed to get her mind off Kendrick. And even if they never saw each other again, the memory of this past week would forever be etched in her mind.

  Chapter 9

  Iwant to see you.”

  Victoria couldn’t believe she was lying across her bed, feeling like a young girl with her first boyfriend. She twisted the phone cord around her finger. “I want to see you, too.” She had talked to Damon almost every day since she returned home. Their conversations ranged across everything from politics to entertainment. He was so easy to talk to. And as much as she tried to fight it, Victoria felt herself getting wrapped up in him. Something she knew was a big mistake, but it’s like her heart took over whenever her mind tried to get rational.

  She decided to try and steer the conversation in a different direction. “So what happened with your wife? Did you get all that worked out?”

  “I filed the paperwork for the divorce the day after I got back. I let her have the house because I didn’t want the drama. I’m staying with my brother until I get my own place. But that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about seeing you.”

  Victoria sighed. She knew she needed to get this under control, or she was going to fall head over heels for this man, and that just didn’t seem like a good idea. “Damon, I had such a wonderful time with you. I enjoy talking to you. I enjoyed being with you, but we both know we each have some issues to deal with before we move on to another relationship.”

  “Stop analyzing everything. Just let nature take its course.”

  “But we’ve both been hurt, and we’re on the rebound.” Victoria was wrestling with the emotions running rampant throughout her body.

  “So what if we are? I’m feeling you, and you’re feeling me. Who cares what brought us together? Let’s just enjoy each other now.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. Are you planning on getting back with Kendrick?”

  “Hell, no.”

  “Well, there’s no way in hell I’m going back to Trina, so we’re good to go. Now, back to what I was saying. I want to see you.”

  Victoria relaxed. Damon was right. Yeah, it was too soon. But who cared? She had felt free in Belize. Why not keep that feeling going? He made her happy, and even if it was only for a short time, so be it. “You’ll see me next week, right?”

  “I want to see you now.” Damon’s voice had deepened, like he was trying to sound sexy. It was working, because he sounded damn good.

  “I would love to see you now, too,” Victoria sang.

  “Good, my flight gets in at nine-fifty-five. Tonight.”

  Victoria sat straight up and looked at the clock. It was just after six. “What are you talking about?”

  “That’s what time my flight gets in. Call me presumptuous, but I was hoping you would say yes. So I booked a flight on Southwest. I leave at nine.”

  “Oh, so you just knew I was going to agree to this.” Victoria jumped up and started pulling the pink sponge rollers out of her hair. She had been lounging around the house today and needed to get not only herself together, but her house as well.

  “No, I knew I washoping you’d agree to it. I was hoping you wanted to recapture Belize as much as I did.”

  Victoria stopped and smiled as she recalled Belize. “I’ll see you at nine-fifty-five. Outside Southwest baggage claim.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “I’ll be driving a pearl Lexus GS 300.”

  “Ohhhh, big baller.”

  “It’s a 1995. I’m not balling too much.”

  Damon laughed. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Victoria hung the phone up and sat back down on her bed. She was really about to see Damon again. She was just about to go into analyzing mode when she decided against it. Just let nature take its course. That’s what she would do. She would enjoy Damon, and whatever happened, happened.

  Chapter 10

  Ican’t believe you’re going to cheat!” Victoria threw a pillow at Damon. He ducked and smiled mischievously.

  “I’m not cheating. That is a word.”

  Victoria turned her lip up. “Yeah, right. Wowser?”

  “Does that mean you’re challenging me?” They were lying on the floor in her living room. This was his third visit in three weeks. She’d met him at the airport two weeks ago, and they’d spent the weekend closed up in her house. They had considered going to the movies, but decided they would much rather rent one so they didn’t have to share their time together with anyone else. They had ended up renting four movies, only two of which they ever got around to watching because they spent the whole weekend making love.

  They had sex so much, Victoria was starting to wonder if that was all their relationship was. Even though they both obviously enjoyed each other’s company, she couldn’t help but wonder. Then, Damon had come through last Saturday after his meeting in New Orleans. He told her as much as he enjoyed her, that weekend, he only wanted to make love to her mind. He almost blew her mind when he said that shit. And true to his word, they didn’t have sex. They just talked and cuddled. That in itself was orgasmic. He had left that weekend promising he would be back the following Friday. And here he was, lying on her living room floor, trying to cheat her in a game of Scrabble.

  “I said, are you challenging me?” Damon asked.

  Victoria snapped out of her thoughts. “Of course. That’s not a word.”

  “You wanna bet?”

  “I told you I’m challenging you.”

  “No, I mean do you want to bet for real?”

  “Bet what?”

  “Hmmmm, fifty dollars, a backrub, a roll in the hay, your heart.”

  Victoria stopped laughing. Damon pushed the game aside and scooted closer to her.

  “We both know that getting together is probably the last thing we need, but you, me, us, this—it just feels so right.” Damon leaned in and kissed Victoria. She was so into it, she didn’t hear her doorbell ringing.

  “Umm—” Damon gently pulled himself away. “Are you going to get that?”

  “No.” Victoria didn’t know who it was and didn’t really care. It was probably her nosy mother coming to see what was going on.

  Damon stood up and helped Victoria up. “You get that. I’ll put the game up. I’m tired of playing. With the game, that is.”

  Victoria pinched his chin. “You are so naughty.” She made sure she put a little twist in her walk as she made her way to the door. She was floating so high that she just swung the door open. All the good feeling drained from her body after she had opened it.

  “You have a lot of nerve,” Victoria snarled.

  “Hello to you, too.”

  “Kendrick, why are you standing outside my door?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “Well, now you’ve seen me.” Victoria started closing the door. Kendrick stuck his foot in the door and stopped her.

  “Come on, V, I need to see you. We need to talk.”

  “Need to see me?” Victoria laughed hysterically. “You didn’t need to see me on August thirty-first. You remember,
our wedding day. You didn’t need to see me then, now you come talking about you need to see me now? You want to talk? Go to hell.”

  “Can you at least hear me out? Just because I couldn’t go through with the wedding doesn’t mean I don’t still love you.” Kendrick was dressed nice as usual, with his signature Polo cologne emanating from his body. Usually the sight of him could make her melt. Not anymore; it only made her stomach turn.

  “Kendrick, get the fuck out of my face, out of my doorway, and out of my life.” Victoria tried to close the door again, but Kendrick still refused to move.

  “You can’t tell me you don’t still love me,” he said.

  Victoria was just about to start spewing obscenities when she heard Damon call her.

  “Babe, is everything okay?”

  Kendrick’s mouth dropped open as his eyebrows furrowed together. “Who the hell is that?”

  Victoria found herself wanting to smile. Damon’s timing couldn’t have been better. She stood firm blocking Kendrick’s view at the door. He was standing on his toes, trying desperately to peer inside. Victoria turned her head and called out. “I’m okay. I’ll be there in just a minute.”

  “What the fuck? I said who is that?”

  Victoria relished the anger she saw building in Kendrick’s face. He always had been jealous. Even now, after standing her up at the altar, he had the audacity to try and act pissed that she had another man in her home.

  “If I were Mrs. Kendrick Kelly, like I thought I would be, then I would gladly answer that question. But since I’m not, I won’t. So beat it.” Victoria tried to push the door closed again. This time, though, Kendrick’s anger must have empowered him, because he pushed the door in, almost knocking Victoria over in the process. He stormed into the living room only to see Damon standing near the bedroom door in nothing but his boxer shorts.

  Victoria surveyed his glistening chest as she pulled herself up off the floor. She was too pleased at how good Damon looked. His rippled chest and abs were nice and firm. She knew Kendrick would take note because he was always lamenting about how he wanted a six-pack.