by Donna Hill
“Good to know.”
“Do you live in the neighborhood?”
“Yes, up on Morningside Drive and One Sixteen.”
His dark eyes widened. “Really? We’re practically neighbors. I’m on Amsterdam and One Nineteen.” He leaned against the mantel, appraising her. “I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other before.”
“I drive a lot,” she said, and realized how silly that sounded.
He grinned. “You’re in great shape for someone who drives all the time.”
She didn’t know what to say about that and felt as if she should hold her stomach in. Thank heavens for well-tailored designer sportswear. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a conversation with a man who complimented her, other than her husband. “Thank you. I think.”
Ron laughed a deep, soulful laugh that made her smile in return. “You’re quite welcome and yes, it was a compliment.”
The floor didn’t open up, so she had no other choice but to stand there and feel utterly ridiculous and quite naked under his exploring gaze. She tugged the opening of her sweat jacket closed. “So, uh, after you finish the roof, the first thing we want completed is the top floor.”
“Right. It’s on my list. But before we can do that I want to do a full assessment of the plumbing and electrical system. Ann Marie mentioned that she had some concerns because of the leaks, and the electricity must be brought up to code. You don’t want to blow the whole house out every time you turn on the microwave.”
“How long do you think your assessment will take?”
“Hmm…” He gazed around. “Couple of weeks. Knock out a few walls, check the basement and all the fixtures. Then we’ll have a better idea of what needs to be replaced. Bad thing about pipes is you never know when they’re going to spring a leak.”
The most wicked thought skipped through her head and her cheeks burned as if he could read her mind. She cleared her throat. “I see.”
“You have a special interest in the top floor? I generally start from the bottom and work my way up.”
Was he playing with her head or was her underutilized sex drive acting up? “Actually, yes. I’ll be moving onto the top floor once it’s finished.”
“I didn’t realize that.” He frowned for a moment. “I thought you said you lived nearby.”
“I do…but I’ll be selling my house.”
“Then if that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll have. It’ll be pretty noisy around here while we’re working. This whole project will take a couple of months at best.”
“I’m sure I’ll get used to it. You won’t be working nights, I’m sure.”
He grinned. “I’ve been known to work nights to get a job done.”
Oh lawd. “That’s good to know.” Where could she run and hide before she said or did something really dumb? “Well—” she pulled her jacket tighter “—I’d better let you get to it.” She turned to leave.
“Elizabeth?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“What?”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“Um, no.” It was the truth.
“Good.”
She stared at him for a moment, waiting for something else, but the something else never came. She went out the door and downstairs.
When she got outside she drew in a long breath. She glanced over her shoulder and Ron stood at the top of the steps in the doorway, fully and totally all man. “Ohmygoodness.” She hurried off, jumped into her car and drove away, not having a clue as to where she was going.
Elizabeth drove around the neighborhood for a good hour, steering clear of the house, until she finally decided to give Barbara a call and see if she could take an early lunch.
“Girl, I wish I could get out of here early. My caseload is stacked today,” Barbara said. “Why, what’s up? Is everything okay with the house? Did the workmen show up?”
“Oh, they showed up, all right.” She eased into a parking space and turned off the engine.
“What does that mean?”
Elizabeth’s mind shifted to Ron, the way he walked, talked, the way he looked at her, the things he hinted at.
“Hello?”
“Oh…sorry.”
“Did something happen?”
“Not exactly. Well, yes…” She began telling her about Ron and her out of body experience with him.
Barbara giggled on the other end. “Ellie, sounds like Mr. Man is interested.”
“But I’m married.”
“You’re getting a divorce.”
“I know, but…”
“But nothing! You need some excitement and happiness in your life.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
“Maybe it was my imagination.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
“You’re a grown woman. You know when a man has an interest in you.”
“It’s just been so long.”
“All the more reason to see where it can go. It’ll do you good.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Listen to you. Is this the same woman who only months ago was in my shoes?”
“Hey, a little good loving goes a long way to changing a woman’s mind about a few things.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Did I mention that the man is fine? All caps?”
Barbara cracked up laughing. “Yeah, girl, you sure did.”
Chapter 29
Ann Marie and Raquel walked out of the doctor’s office in silence and headed to Ann Marie’s car that was parked in the lot.
“I’m scared, Mama.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure everything will be fine. Dr. Harris said the results will be back in three days. No point in fretting about it now.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Have you spoken with Earl?”
Raquel shook her head. “Nothing to say.”
“Just so ’ard to believe. I could skin ’im.”
“Imagine how I feel.”
Ann Marie glanced at her daughter. She was a beautiful girl. She’d been a beautiful baby, sweet from the day she was born, and never gave Ann Marie a spot of trouble. It was almost as if she sensed that she needed to be the best child possible to stay out of the way. Raquel had done everything right: got good grades, went to college, got a good job and married a handsome man. And now, none of that seemed to matter.
They got in the car.
“Thank you for coming with me. I don’t know if I could have done it by myself.”
Ann Marie nodded. “It’s gon’ be fine.” She pulled out of the lot. “I have to go over to the house.”
“The house?”
“Yes, the one—” She stopped when she realized she’d never told her daughter about her endeavor. “We purchased a house.” She began to tell her about the night the idea was conceived and how far they’d come since then.
“That is so wonderful. Would you mind if I came with you…just to look? I promise I won’t get in the way.”
Ann Marie’s heart seemed to twist in her chest with sadness. Here her daughter was twenty-three years old and still worrying that she might be in the way. Had she done that to Raquel? Had she been that lousy a mother?
“Sure. You can come.”
Raquel beamed as if she’d been given a gift.
When they arrived at the house, the work crew were like bumblebees. They were all over the place. Debris was piled high in the front yard and an enormous dump truck was parked in front of the house. Ann Marie spotted Ron through the window on the top floor. She waved.
“Come on, let me show you around.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Raquel asked, stepping around big bins of trash and sweaty, dusty men.
“It should be fine.” She led the way inside, pointing out the different rooms to Raquel as they made their way up to the top floor.
Ron spotted them standing in the doorway.
“Ann Marie.” He smil
ed and came toward them. “I would shake your hand, but I’m kinda filthy.” He chuckled. “Came to check up on us?”
“Of course. And I wanted to show my daughter around.”
Ron looked at Raquel. “Your daughter? Nice to meet you.” He swept his hard hat from his head and tucked it under his arm. “I’m Ron Powers, the foreman.”
“Your guys are pretty busy,” Raquel said.
“There’s plenty to do around here, as you can see.”
“Wow…all the original work,” Raquel said in awe as she ran her hand along the mantel, checked the molding and the flooring. She didn’t have words for the stained-glass windows, chandeliers and cathedral ceilings. “Mama,” she said with reverence lacing her words, “do you truly realize what you have here?” She grabbed her mother’s arm, something she hadn’t done since childhood. “You see those moldings and the intricacy of the art in the stained glass?”
Ann Marie’s expression was a cross between confusion and trying to keep up. “I…yes, I see them, but what about them?”
She turned her mother away from Ron. “There are only one hundred houses in existence that have that craftsmanship. The value is immeasurable. It’s the work of Herbert Wilkes. He was one of the few black artisans that worked on these brownstones back in the early 1920s.”
Ann Marie frowned. “How do you know all of this?”
Raquel looked at her askance. “I majored in fine arts, Mama. I have a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and interior design. And a master’s in art history. I sit on planning boards and committees that do restorations.”
“What?”
Raquel grinned, put her hands on her hips and looked around. “Yep, I restore these beauties to their original splendor.”
“Do you think you can do that with this house…and we’d still be able to run the spa?”
Raquel looked around again, slowly nodding. She walked out into the hallway and glanced up the stairs, walked down the hall and into the back room. She turned to face her mom, her expression resolute.
“If you give me the chance to work on this house, I guarantee you it will be exquisite…with nothing else like it.” She began explaining what would need to be done, how she would need to work with the construction crew, materials to be used.
Ann Marie’s heart filled. Who was this child/woman who stood before her, confident and self-assured, talking about stains and finishings, moldings, restoration techniques and artifacts? It was her child, her Raquel, who she knew nothing about. She swallowed over the lump in her throat. It was time that she did.
“If you say you can do it, I believe you, chile. Let’s talk it over with Barbara, Ellie and Steph later this evening.”
Suddenly Raquel had her mother in an embrace, holding on for dear life. “Thank you, thank you, Mama. I’ll do a good job, a great job. I promise you.”
She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder and for an instant Ann Marie wasn’t clinging to her grown daughter but her tiny baby girl that needed her, depended on her. She promised herself that she wouldn’t let Raquel down ever again.
They all decided to meet at Delectables for dinner and a battle plan.
“So it’s really more of a treasure than we first thought?” Barbara asked Raquel, secretly tickled that Ann Marie had included her lovely daughter.
“Definitely,” Raquel said.
“We’re going to have to talk, Raquel,” Stephanie said. “You’ll be able to give me some buzzwords to punch up the promo for the opening of Pause.”
“Not a problem.”
“How can we help?” Dawne and Desiree asked in unison.
Elizabeth turned to her daughters then to her business partners. “We did say we would be serving healthy foods to our male guests?”
Everyone nodded.
“You can be our official caterers.”
The twins clapped.
“We’ll create specialties,” Dawne said.
“Yes! And we’ll come up with some really cool male names for the health shakes,” Desiree said.
“I am so excited,” Barbara squealed, clapping her hands together. “This is really going to happen.”
“Yes!” Ann Marie seconded, looking into her daughter’s shining eyes.
They all held hands.
“To health,” Barbara said.
“To success,” Stephanie added.
“To men!” Elizabeth shouted.
They all stared at her for a moment in shock before bursting out in joyous laughter.
“To men!” they all cheered.
Chapter 30
“So Ron and his crew are working out?” Michael asked Barbara.
“Yes, they’re doing an incredible job. I can’t believe how much they’ve done in just a few weeks. We can’t thank you enough for the recommendation.”
“Not a problem. I’m just glad it’s working out.”
Barbara stretched out on the bed, hugging the phone to her ear. Michael had been gone for nearly a month, the longest stretch of time they’d been apart.
“When will you get another break?” she asked.
“I wanted to surprise you, but since you asked… I’m downstairs.”
She sprang up in bed. “Don’t play with me.”
He chuckled just as her doorbell rang. “Answer your door.”
She darted past her mirror, stopped and doubled back. “Grrr.” She hadn’t had time to go to the hair-dresser. She smoothed her hair back into a ponytail. The bell rang again. She tossed down the phone and ran to the door, thankful this time that the damn front door was still broken. She pulled the door open and her insides sang in delight. She leaped up into his arms and he spun her around like those heroes in musicals.
“Hey, baby,” he crooned before claiming her lips for a long-overdue kiss.
Barbara sighed against his mouth, realizing how much she’d missed him, missed the feel and taste of him.
Reluctantly he set her on her feet. “Good to be back.” His eyes roved over her like a hungry man ready to feast. “You look great.”
“You need glasses.” She giggled, took his hand and pulled him inside. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wouldn’t have been able to surprise you, baby, if I’d told you.”
“Very funny.”
“How long will you be here?”
“A week.”
She pouted. “That’s it?”
“For now. The exhibition season starts in three weeks, so I have to get back.”
She nodded then turned to him with a wicked look in her eyes. “Guess we’re gonna have to squeeze in a bunch of fun stuff in a week.”
“I just love how you think.”
Barbara grinned. “Have you eaten? Can I get you anything?”
“No, thanks. I ate a little something before I got on the plane. But…I’d love a hot shower.” He winked.
“Ohhh, really?” Slowly she rose, pulling him up with her. “Well, let me show you where the bathroom is. As a matter of fact, why don’t I help you get out of all those clothes.”
She started with his sweater that she pulled over his head and tossed on the chair as she backed her way toward the bathroom.
They left a trail of clothing en route to the bathroom. Michael turned on the shower until the room filled with steam.
Barbara and Michael played with each other in the steamy confines of the room. The hell with her hair, she thought as he nibbled on her ear and stroked her neck with his lips.
This time Barbara vowed to let go of the last of her inhibitions and be the aggressor. She wanted to see what that kind of power felt like. She eased Michael back toward the commode, flipped the cover down with her foot and made him sit down. A slow grin spread across his mouth.
“Oh, it’s like that,” he said.
“No, more like this.” She took him slowly into her mouth and he actually gasped and grabbed her shoulders, sucking in air through his teeth. She slid her tongue along his length, memorizing the texture,
the pulse.
“Welcome home,” she whispered as she slowly rose to stand above him.
He gazed up at her through dreamy eyes. “If coming home is going to be like this…”
“The best is yet to come.” She eased herself down onto him until he filled her. Resting her head against his shoulder, she sat perfectly still, embracing the feel of him. Then ever so slowly she began to move in rhythmic circles. His body shuddered as he pushed upward, but Barbara kept the pace slow and steady, letting it build.
Michael cupped the fullness of her breasts in his hands, flicking his thumbs across her nipples until she whimpered, then took one then the other into his mouth.
Barbara felt light as air as she finally relinquished control and let him move at will, bouncing her up and down on his shaft.
Somehow he managed to slide his hand between her legs and massaged her clit as she continued to ride him. Lights exploded behind her lids as one delicious sensation after another shot through her.
A strangled cry rushed from her throat as she climaxed so hard she was sure she’d blacked out for a moment.
Michael caressed the curve of her spine then clamped her behind in his large hands, holding her firmly in place as he pushed and erupted inside her.
They clung to each other, the only sounds the rushing water and the rapid banging of their hearts.
Finally, when she was certain she had enough strength in her legs to stand without falling, she slowly stood up.
“Guess we’ll be needing that shower now,” she said, breathless and satiated.
They made a game of drying each other off then wrapped themselves in towels and went into the kitchen.
“So what is your role going to be in this endeavor?” Michael asked as they worked together in the kitchen, fixing a light after-the-loving snack.
“Well, I’ll be administering the massages and working with the clients on the various machines, taking blood pressures. Making sure they are in good shape. Doing some processing of applications. A lot of what I’m doing now.”
Michael grew silent.
She gave him a curious look as she sprinkled some grated cheese on their salad. “Something wrong?”
“Naw,” he said. He took up the salad bowl and walked over to the table.