The Company We Keep

by Mary Monroe

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I thought you’d left me there for a moment. Look, you sound tired and I hope this is not a bad time for you. But if it’s all right with you, I can come by your office again or you can call me when you get to your office. I’d really like to get this set up ASAP.”

  “We can talk now. I decided to take a day or two off,” Teri muttered. She cleared her throat and scratched her chin. She wanted to laugh at the turn her life had taken. An interview? The one man on the planet that she had finally decided she wanted to be with and now all he wanted from her was a damn interview. Was it finally too late for her? She’d been turning down requests for dates left and right. Not just from Harrison and Dwight, but from a lot of other men. She had no reason to believe that the invitations would stop coming! Hell, she wasn’t even thirty yet and nobody had to tell her that she was still one of the most beautiful black women in L.A. But had she played her last hand and lost? Was life going to pass her by after all?

  Teri couldn’t control her thoughts as she sat waiting for Harrison to respond to her last comment. Two of the things that she always had to fall back on—her grandparents and Nicole—didn’t seem so secure anymore. Her grandparents could outlive her, but the reality was that they wouldn’t be around too much longer. And she was not that close to any of her other relatives, so it would be as though she was an orphan all over again.

  If Nicole’s relationship with Eric did go somewhere, she’d have to find other things to occupy her downtime because that sister’s time would become severely limited. Nicole was the kind of woman who liked to spend as much time as possible with her man when she was in a serious relationship. When she was still married to Greg, Teri wouldn’t see or hear from her for weeks at a time. And as treacherous as women in her age group were these days, cultivating another close relationship with one was something she didn’t even want to think about, let alone do. With a job like hers, what heifer could she trust? She couldn’t count the number of women she’d met who had tried to use her to get to some of the artists she worked with. Her hairdresser had been hounding her for months to hook her up with any available rapper she knew. Her teenage she-devil of a cousin Cynthia, and some of her she-devil friends, had gone behind her back and used her name to get free concert tickets and invitations to all the star-studded after-parties. It never ceased to amaze her how low some women would stoop just so they could suck dick or fuck some arrogant-ass performer who only wanted to use them like a receptacle.

  “Nine-thirty, Friday morning. Can you make that?”

  “I’ll be there,” Teri said.

  “If you could get here at least fifteen minutes early that would be nice. We could have some coffee and I can go over my interview questions beforehand. Most of my subjects prefer to do it that way. It makes them feel better prepared and more relaxed.”

  “I’ll be there between nine and nine-fifteen,” she said firmly.

  “Thank you, Teri. Oh, before I go, I want to apologize for all that drama you and Nicole had to go through yesterday.”

  It took Teri a moment to clear her head. She had been doing that a lot since this phone call came in. “You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything crazy. Besides, I’m used to Rahim acting a fool. I don’t expect him to behave any other way.”

  “Does he clown like that when Victor’s around?”

  “He’s worse. The last time he came for a meeting before Victor left for his vacation, Victor said something Rahim didn’t like and he called him a motherfucking bastard.”

  “I am surprised that Victor is still working with this dude.”

  “Oh, we deal with shit like that all the time. These Rastas are coming by next week. Straight off the island of Jamaica, ganga and all.”

  “They bring their own shit with them? How do they get through customs?”

  “I don’t know what in the world those fools do. All I know is whenever they show up, they are already stoned out of their dreadlocked heads and then they still light up some more of that shit right in front of me, and Victor, and everybody else. And that’s some secondhand smoke that does not need to be discussed. It’s so potent, we all get an immediate contact high. Even more so than I did during my wild youth in college.” Teri laughed. Harrison loved to hear her laugh.

  “Teri, I hope I am not being too forward, but I won’t know unless I ask you.”

  “Ask me what?”

  “Now that business is out of the way, we can talk on a more personal level. Just for a few minutes. I have to get back on the air in five after the news break.”

  She hesitated before she replied. “What else did you want to talk to me about?”

  “You and I had a few good times together and I know you don’t want to go there again with me, but can we at least be friends?”

  “We are friends, Harrison. Despite everything that happened between us, we are still friends. At least that’s what I thought.”

  “Then as friends, can we have dinner and drinks every now and then? I really miss talking to you.”

  “Aren’t you involved with…somebody right now?”

  “The only person I’m involved with these days is myself. Yes, I do date from time to time, but there is nothing going on in my life that would prevent me from seeing you or any other woman.” She didn’t like hearing the part about him and “any other woman.”

  “I see,” she said with hesitation.

  “I heard that Dwight was trying to get back with you,” he told her in a stiff tone of voice.

  “Well, it’s not going to happen,” she said quickly. She knew that Harrison considered Dwight to be his biggest rival. “He was one of my biggest mistakes.” She’d ended her month-long fling with Dwight two weeks before her tryst with Harrison.

  “So he didn’t mean anything to you then?”

  “I didn’t say that. And just so you know, I didn’t love him at first, but I eventually did. I cared a lot about that man. Why I did, I don’t know. I just know I did. But like I said, he was one of my biggest mistakes.”

  “He’s still calling you,” Harrison stated. His voice sounded gruff and distant.

  “How would you know that?”

  “Guys talk. Gyms are the new barbershops. I hear things.”

  “Well, you can’t believe everything you hear. But just so you’ll hear it from me, yes, Dwight is still calling me. I am not interested in getting back with him. I don’t want to have dinner with him, drinks or anything else because he…he comes on too strong. And believe it or not, most women don’t like to be hit over the head with a dick. Not that he’ll be lonely. A relationship with him would be too crowded, and you of all people know I don’t go there.”

  “After the interview on Friday, can you hang around until I finish my show or do you have to go to work?”

  “I’m taking Friday off,” Teri revealed, her heart pounding against the inside of her chest so hard she could hear it. The loud thump-thumping made her think of a gothic piece she’d read in high school. She couldn’t even remember the story behind The Tell-Tale Heart. But she remembered how it had frightened her. She was frightened now. If she wanted to get back with Harrison, it was now or never. “I’ve got an even better idea. Why don’t you come over to my place after you finish your show? I’ll thaw out some salmon steaks.”

  “Do I have to wait until Friday to see you?”

  “I think it would be better if we waited until Friday. I really want to do this interview and I want it to go well. If you come over here tonight and things don’t go well…well, you know. Doing a live interview on Friday might be kind of awkward.”

  “I see. Well, I don’t want to lose out on that. I’ll see you on Friday.”

  “Yes,” she replied, her voice so low he could barely hear her. “Bye, Harrison.” She didn’t wait for him to reply. She hung up the telephone and made herself some more mimosa.

  CHAPTER 40

  The interview lasted only six minutes, and during that time the switchb
oard lit up. Ambitious young schoolgirls called the station to ask Teri to come and speak to their classes. The president of a book club called to invite Teri to her next book club meeting. An older white woman called in and congratulated her for being such a “credit” to the “Negro” race.

  Harrison had asked some good questions, like how she’d gotten her foot in the music industry door. How she managed to deal with all the ups and downs she encountered. And what it was like to interact with famous musicians on a business level. Despite the fact that he’d wanted to go over the interview questions beforehand, she’d been more than prepared. She was sharp, intelligent, and witty. She was easy for the callers to talk to. She laughed along with them and Harrison when she said something funny.

  Harrison knew he had hit on a good thing by the way his boss, Chuck, was standing outside the booth with his arms folded and a huge smile on his face. Most of the interviews that Harrison conducted usually went without a hitch. However, being that there were so many fools out there, every now and then one took a notion and called up to say something stupid.

  “Hey, bitch, how would you like to suck my dick? I—” Harrison cut the obscene caller off before he could say anything else.

  “That wraps things up with this session, and I’d like to thank Teri Stewart for taking time away from her busy schedule to join us this morning. Miss Stewart is the Publicity Director for Eclectic Records located right here in the great city of Los Angeles. This is your Morning Starr, Harrison Starr, signing off for a short break. Stay tuned for our news break because you know you need to know what’s happening in the City of Angels. And remember, if you don’t know where you’ve been, you don’t know where you’re going.” He cut off the mike, slipped on some Miles Davis, and turned to Teri. “You were great. Thank you so much for doing this. I know we’ll probably get more calls, not like the last one I hope,” he said, rolling his eyes, “but more like the others.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Teri said. They locked eyes for a few moments.

  “Teri, you were wonderful,” Chuck said as Teri exited the booth. “You’re everything Harrison said you were and then some.” Chuck gave Harrison a conspiratorial smile and a wink.

  “I enjoyed doing this,” she said, hands on her hips. She looked so regal standing there in her cream-colored suit, Harrison decided. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her again.

  “If you have time, would you allow me to treat you to lunch?” Chuck asked, with an exaggerated grin that allowed him to show off his recently capped teeth.

  “Thank you so much, but I’ll have to take a rain check this time. I have another important appointment this morning and I don’t know if I’ll be done by lunchtime.” Her appointment was to get her nails and toes done, and that was important to her. Her flawless appearance played a major role in the image she projected.

  “Well, I’m going to hold you to that, and I know Harrison will make sure you keep it,” Chuck said, squeezing Teri’s hand. She didn’t like the fact that this man’s face was just inches away from hers. She had never been able to figure out why some men thought it was necessary to get that close up on a woman who they knew only on a casual level. And to make matters worse, the Altoid melting on Chuck’s thick tongue was not doing its job. The stench oozing out of his mouth from the breakfast garlic burrito he’d gobbled up was unholy. Teri had to hold her breath to keep from inhaling the hellish fumes.

  She turned to Harrison and exhaled. “Do you have time to walk me to my car?” she asked him, releasing a mild cough. She could still smell Chuck’s bad breath and was afraid that if she didn’t get some fresh air soon, she’d have to be carried out. Harrison didn’t even answer. He just draped her shoulder with his arm and followed her out the door and down to the parking garage beneath the building.

  “So I’ll see you tonight?” Harrison asked as Teri slid into her BMW and lowered her window.

  “Five works for me, but you can come later if you’d like.”

  “I’ll see you at five,” he told her. Just as he was about to lean over and kiss her, Chuck came trotting across the lot waving his hands like an orchestra conductor.

  “Teri, wait!” Chuck yelled. He looked from Teri to Harrison as he approached her car, his thick belly shaking like Jell-O beneath his shirt. He was out of breath by the time he stopped next to Harrison. “You are so awesome!” he hollered, looking at Teri as if she were something good to eat. Chuck looked as nervous as a high school nerd trying to make time with the homecoming queen. “Uh, Teri, would you think I was being too forward if I asked if it was okay for me to call you sometime? Dinner and a movie, maybe?” There it was again. Men couldn’t stop hitting on her! Chuck was not only Harrison’s boss, he was also some woman’s husband! And apparently he didn’t know that Harrison was not just interested in doing interviews with her.

  “Harrison’s got my number,” she said as casually as she could. Then without warning she pulled Harrison toward her, holding his head in place with her hand. When she kissed him, he was more stunned than Chuck. His legs almost buckled when she slid her tongue inside his mouth. Harrison felt so lightheaded when she released him that he had to lean against her car.

  “Oops,” Chuck said, his face burning with embarrassment. “Why you dog you.” He chuckled and slapped Harrison on the back. “I should have known you wouldn’t let a gem like Teri get away.” Chuck let out a deep sigh and looked at Teri. “Be good to him and he’ll be good to you.”

  “I know,” Teri said, her eyes on Harrison’s face. “Five o’clock,” she told him. She turned to Chuck with a warm smile and an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Chuck. You take care.” And then she drove away.

  “Damn!” Chuck snapped. “Harrison, I didn’t know you and she were, you know, that serious.”

  “I didn’t either,” Harrison admitted, blinking. He slid his tongue across his bottom lip, hoping to prolong the taste that her lips had left on his. “That’s something I just found out myself.” He stood in the same spot until Teri’s car was no longer in sight.

  After Teri’s appointment at Marie’s Nail Shoppe near Westwood, she stopped at the liquor store and picked up some more wine. And, recalling that Harrison preferred the harder stuff, she picked up some more Rémy Martin, a small bottle because she didn’t know if he’d be around long or often enough to finish it.

  “Now I’ll tell you the same thing you told me the other night, ‘get some for me.’” It was Nicole on the other end of the line. Teri had waited until last night to even tell her about the interview. And today to tell her about her upcoming date with Harrison.

  “Don’t you go there now. This is just dinner and a few drinks. That’s all.”

  “That’s all, my ass. Like my countrified cousin Lester would say to that flimsy shit you just said, ‘if that’s true, pig pussy ain’t pork.’ Woman, you are way way overdue to get yourself a doggie biscuit. How you’ve managed to go without it this long is a mystery to me.”

  “Well, we can’t all be as lucky as you. I am very particular about what goes inside my body. Very particular. You know how picky I am even when it comes to tampons.”

  “And that’s why you have such bad muscle tone. If you don’t use it, you lose it,” Nicole warned, giggling as she said it.

  “Is that another one of your countrified cousin Lester’s sayings?”

  “No, that’s coming straight from me. Seriously now, I hope it works this time.”

  “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? He’s the one who told me that he just wants us to be friends. I don’t think our relationship will go beyond that this time. I’ll probably never sleep with that man again.” Teri didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, and Nicole didn’t either.

  “You can tell yourself that shit if you want to. But if you don’t get you some more of that prime beef, pig pussy ain’t pork.”

  “Girl, please!” Teri yelled, trying to sound angry and exasperated, which she was not. She just didn’t want Nicol
e to know that what she was saying was getting to her. She knew damn well that Harrison would not resume a relationship with her and not want to sleep with her. And the way she had practically swallowed his face before she left the station earlier that day, there was no telling what she’d do to him in the privacy of her own home and with the assistance of two bottles of Chardonnay. She wasn’t fooling Nicole or anybody else, not even herself. “How are things between you and Eric?”

  “Eric and I are heading in the right direction, I think.”

  “You don’t sound too certain.”

  “He’s got to get that heifer out of his life before we can go public. You know I don’t want to end up being somebody’s backstreet piece.”

  “Oh? What about what’s his name? Your married standby? Does he ever take you out in public?”

  “That’s different. I don’t want to be seen in public with him. Sex is the only thing we ever had in common. That dumb-ass punk has never read a book, and his idea of a classy drink is that Mogen David shit that all the senior citizens drink.” Nicole laughed. “I’m going to be honest with you—all I want from him is his body.”

  “You always know how to make excuses, don’t you?”

  “Pfft! Who, me? I am not making excuses, I am telling you like it is. What about Harrison? Is he, how can I say this, uh, available?”

  “He’s not living with anybody if that’s what you mean. And, according to him, he’s not seriously involved with anybody right now.”

  “Well, I can’t say for sure, but I’ve told you before, I doubt if Harrison’s been sitting around getting all his pleasure from self-service. He doesn’t even have to go looking for pussy. It comes to him. What woman could resist a man with a big dick?”

  “You nasty thing, you!” Teri said with a horrified gasp. “How would you know what that man’s got in his pants?”

  “Well, unless that’s a sock he’s got stuffed down in the crotch of his trousers, or unless I’m delusional, my guess is he’s hung like a jury.”