by S. K. Hardy
“Then what?”
Jerra heard her tell Dom that he could go on inside and she would be there in just a minute.
“Well? I’m waiting?” Keisha had that stubborn lilt in her voice that told Jerra she wasn’t letting this go.
Dammit! Jerra felt like stomping her foot. To say she was such a great lawyer, when it came to her two best friends she couldn’t lie worth a shit!
“I’m not home right now, but I’ll call you later on.” Jerra sped through the short explanation, hoping against hope that it would be enough to put Keisha off for a little while, but deep down inside, she knew she was only fooling herself.
“Wait. You said you were just waking up so–” Keisha stopped abruptly. The next sound Jerra heard was Keisha drawing in a sharp, drawn out breath. “Bitch, where are you?” she screamed.
Jerra sighed and pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment. After taking several deep breaths, she responded in a dry tone, “Do you think you could scream a little louder? I don’t think they heard you on the next street.”
“Jerra–”
“Can we please talk about this later? And yes, you’re right, since you’re there you can get my son and–”
“Oh, hell nah! We gon’ talk about this now! I know you went to the party your firm threw for you last night. Are you saying…Jerra, did you…have you been home since then?”
“Obviously not,” Jerra answered snidely.
“Where did you spend the night last night?” Before Jerra could answer, Keisha whispered, “Oh, please tell me you didn’t fuck Justin. Jerra, puleeze tell me you didn’t do that.”
“What? No, Keisha I did not sleep with Justin!”
Keisha dramatically released a breath she’d obviously been holding until Jerra answered. “Oh thank God!”
“Why would you even suggest something like that?”
“I’m sorry, sis. I, um, of course I knew you wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeah, right!” Jerra rolled her eyes at the insincerity she heard in Keisha’s voice.
“But if you didn’t spend the night with Justin…um, Jerra…?”
Jerra could almost see the wheels turning in Keisha’s head. “What?”
“Where’s D.?”
Keisha’s innocent tone didn’t fool Jerra for a minute. Since she figured it out, Jerra refused to give her the satisfaction of answering. Apparently her silence was enough confirmation.
“You spent the night with Darrell, didn’t you? That’s why you weren’t worried about those pictures because you had D. on lockdown last night,” Keisha cackled.
Jerra bit down on her tongue because if she said anything to Keisha it would be to curse her the hell out.
“You sneaky, little horny slut!” Keisha sang the words out with excitement and glee. “I ain’t mad at you, handle your business, girl!”
“Shut up, Keisha!” Jerra couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Girrrl...” Keisha sucked on her tongue as she processed the juicy bit of information she’d unwittingly stumbled across. “Well, alright, Ms. J! It’s about time. Divorce my ass.”
“Keisha, it doesn’t mean we’re getting back together right now,” Jerra hissed in a hushed tone. “Darrell and I were both clear on that before we…before he and I…before anything happened.”
“Girl, please. Tell that to somebody that don’t know you.” When Jerra started to argue, Keisha shushed her quiet. “Look, I know Dom is wondering what’s taking me so long, so I’m gonna hang up and let you get back to…well, whatever you and Darrell were doing before I called.”
“I was sleeping!” This time, Jerra gave in to the childish urge and stomped her foot.
“I bet you were. D. wore dat ass out, didn’t he? Swept the cobwebs out that coochie!” Keisha screamed, laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Alright, alright, I’m gonna leave you alone…for now. But I want every last detail, starting with how you ended up at Darrell’s place, which, by the way, is almost an hour away from Justin’s house. In the meantime, we’ll have Lil’ D with us. You can pick him up whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
A movement in the doorway suddenly caught Jerra’s attention. She looked up and saw Darrell standing there unabashedly listening to her conversation. How much had he heard?
When he walked further into the room, her pulse sped up at the very sight of him. It made no sense at all for a man to be so devilishly handsome. Jerra swallowed hard as her eyes ran over him. He was without a doubt the sexiest man she’d ever seen in her life; she would be lying if she said she didn’t want him again.
Jerra felt the slight soreness between her legs that was not at all unpleasant. The sex last night had been so damn good, but it had only been a teaser. She wanted more, and the promise she saw shining in his eyes told her he wanted to give it to her.
She was tempted to give in to the urge. Then she remembered the pictures. Jerra tore her gaze away from his and turned her back. “Keisha, if you’ll just do that for me, I’d appreciate it. As soon as I shower and get dressed, I’ll be there to get D.J.,” she said quietly.
“He’s standing right there, isn’t he?”
Jerra started to ignore the question, but it was next to impossible to ignore Keisha. Jerra glanced over her shoulder and saw Darrell boldly observing her as if trying to decide what part of her he wanted to start in on first.
She turned back around and whispered in the phone. “Yes.”
Keisha giggled. “Alright, sweetie, I’ll let you go and handle up on that. One last thing, though.” She hesitated then added softly, “He’s learned his lesson, Jerra. He’s miserable. You both are.”
Jerra’s first response was to tell Keisha that he should’ve learned his lesson the first time he insinuated his ex-girlfriend into their lives, but she managed to keep the words inside. “I’ll see you in a bit,” she said.
“Okay, love you, girl.”
“Love you too.”
After they hung up, Jerra closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for strength before turning to face Darrell. She gasped in surprise when she found him right in front of her. She hadn’t heard him move.
“Morning,” Darrell smiled.
For a moment, Jerra could only gape at him like a blasted idiot. He was so damned beautiful.
“Slept well?” he asked when she didn’t answer.
Jerra cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice firm. “I…I did, but you should’ve awakened me, Darrell. Do you realize it’s two o’clock in the afternoon?”
Darrell nodded. “I do.”
“Then–”
“You were exhausted. You needed the rest, so I let you sleep.”
“But I have to–”
“I already called and checked on D.J. a couple of hours ago. He’s fine. I told Nikki you’d be by to get him later.”
“Oh, great.” She scowled and threw her hands up. “That’s just great. So on top of Keisha’s nosy ass sniffing out what happened between us last night, Nikki knows too? You know she’ll mention it to Angel. Keisha is probably enlightening Dom as we speak. She’ll blab it to Aleesha and Dom will tell Marcus the moment they get to their house.”
“So? What’s the problem?”
“I just don’t want to have to deal with everyone immediately jumping to the conclusion that we’re getting back together.”
“They’re our friends, Jerra. They just care about what happens to us.”
“I know, but…” Jerra covered her face with her hands before dropping them to her side. “Sometimes it sucks to have friends that know almost everything that happens in your personal life.”
“Come here.” Darrell pulled her to him and hugged her until she hesitantly slipped her arms around his waist. “Calm down. This is a no stress zone, a’ight? You and I know what last night was all about. I enjoyed it and I hope you did too.”
Jerra nodded. “I did. Very much.”
“Good. That’s all I’m concerned about. Don’
t let anything ruin that feeling. I worked too hard to get you to a state of relaxation last night for you to have a setback,” he smiled.
Jerra could hear the light teasing in his voice. “Yeah. You poor baby.”
Darrell chuckled, but when a frown pulled Jerra’s brows together, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jerra pressed her lips together. She was determined not to question him about the pictures, but dammit, she couldn’t help herself. Pulling the photos up on her phone again, she turned the screen towards him. Holding it in front of his face she stared at him in silence and waited.
His frown now mirroring hers, Darrell took the phone and scrolled through the pictures. Snorting dismissively, he shook his head then gave it back to her. “Just a bunch of silly ass women.” He kissed the top of her head then turned her around and gave her a gentle shove towards the bathroom. “Go on and take your shower. You left a few things here a while back if you want to put those on.”
Scowling, Jerra dug her heels in. “Wait. That’s your explanation for letting women grope and kiss you?”
Genuinely amused, Darrell folded his arms. “They weren’t groping me. And she reached up and kissed me at the last minute. Believe me, they got the message loud and clear that I wasn’t looking to hook up with anybody.”
“You clearly have a wedding band on, but I guess that means nothing to some people.” Jerra tried to sound unconcerned but even she heard the bite of jealousy in her voice.
“Does that include Justin?” He took her left hand and ran his thumb over the diamond setting in her wedding ring. “Is he respecting the fact that this is on your finger?”
Jerra rolled her eyes impatiently. “I’ve already told you it’s not like that with him. We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Yeah, I know that’s what you told me. But why did Keisha jump to the conclusion that you’d spent the night with him last night?” The question was asked in a dangerously soft tone.
Jerra realized too late that he’d heard that part of her conversation as well. “I…I don’t know.”
Darrell’s stare was unwavering. Finally, his lips turned up into a pale imitation of a smile that in no way reached his steely, grey eyes, or erased the question she saw in them.
“I’m sure it was a misconception on her part…the same way those pictures could be misconstrued by someone who doesn’t know any better…right?”
Jerra opened her mouth to respond, but thinking better of it, settled on a quick, jerky nod instead.
“Glad that’s settled. I’ll be waiting for you in the front.”
Twisting the edge of the t-shirt around her finger, Jerra nodded again and turned to make her way to the bathroom to take her shower. Hesitating, she paused in the doorway, determined to ask him before she changed her mind. Spinning around, she stopped him just as he was almost to the door.
“I, um, was planning on taking D.J. to the movies then out to get pizza. If you want to go with us, you’re welcome to. For D.J., of course,” she added quickly. “He’d enjoy you being there.”
Darrell reluctantly shook his head. “Thank you, but I can’t. Hawk and I are in the middle of a business discussion. When we finish, we’re gonna head out to dinner before he leaves tonight.”
Jerra lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh. I understand.” But her expression clearly said she didn’t. “Are you going to the club again tonight?” She knew it was none of her business, but hell, she wanted to know.
“I doubt it. Just hangin’ around here.”
“What type of business are you two discussing? If you don’t mind me asking, that is…”
“You know you can ask me anything you like. Hawk’s planning on opening a club in Miami. We’re bouncing a couple of ideas off of each other, that’s all.” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes gently holding hers captive. “Otherwise, I would love to spend the evening with you and my son.”
Jerra kept her face expressionless, but she couldn’t deny the tiny burst of pleasure she felt. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll take that shower now. Thanks for reminding me about my clothes. I’d forgotten I’d left a few things here.”
“No problem.” Just before she closed the bathroom door, Darrell stopped her this time. “And Jerra?”
“Yes?” She looked at him curiously when he hesitated.
“I wanted to let you know…uh…” Darrell paused and stared at the floor for a few seconds before lifting his eyes back to her face.
Curious about what he wanted to tell her, Jerra leaned against the doorjamb and waited expectantly. Darrell was hardly ever at a loss for words about anything.
“I been in touch with a psychologist Marcus recommended. Had my first session earlier this week. Just wanted you to know.”
Jerra couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. That certainly was not what she’d expected him to say. Counseling was something he’d always been adamantly opposed to so she knew what a big step this was for him. Still a bit shocked, she watched as he turned to leave out of the room again.
“Darrell.”
He stopped and half-turned to look back at her inquiringly.
“I…I’m glad. I think it’ll be good for you.”
Darrell shrugged. “I know it seemed like I wasn’t listening whenever you brought up the subject, but I was. It just took me a while to come to the conclusion that you were right,” he smiled, his expression hopeful. “I’m hoping it’ll be good for us as well?”
Jerra heard the question in his voice. Her brown eyes glowed brightly in response. All she’d needed to know was that Darrell was willing to do this for her. For them. His love had never been in question, but she knew this was far outside his comfort zone. Even so, it was a sacrifice she’d needed him to make if they were going to make any progress in their marriage.
A tremulous smile spread across her lips as she answered his question. “I think it will be.”
Giving her an answering smile in return, he tapped the door on the way out, and said “Good enough.”
CHAPTER 33
Jerra was working on a legal brief for an upcoming trial when her secretary buzzed her phone. “Yes, Heather?”
“Mr. Sullivan would like to see you in his office right away.”
Jerra frowned as she slipped her glasses off and placed them on her desk. “Alright. Thank you.”
Standing, she went to the small closet in her office and slipped the black pinstripe jacket that matched her skirt off the hanger. After making sure her gray blouse was tucked in, she made her way to Justin’s office, curious as to the reason for his call. He’d mentioned earlier this morning that he had an appointment with an old friend of his father’s who needed legal representation. Jerra glanced at the diamond-encrusted watch Darrell had given her for her birthday. The appointment had started thirty minutes ago. Surely they weren’t finished already.
After Justin’s secretary smiled and told her to go in, Jerra opened the door and immediately saw Justin half-sitting on the front of his desk, legs and arms crossed talking to an older, distinguished looking man reclining in the chair in front of him. Jerra assumed he was the friend of his father’s.
Jerra’s gaze went to another chair in the room occupied by one of the other lawyers at the firm, Melissa Bryant. Melissa was a hotshot lawyer several years younger than Jerra, and was known for her cutthroat tactics in and out of the courtroom. Jerra could see that Melissa seemed surprised to see her and not entirely pleased, but quickly hid it behind a fake, ice-cold smile.
Justin looked up from his conversation. Straightening from the desk, he slipped his hands in his pockets and gave her a warm look. “Jerra, there you are. Come. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
As Jerra walked towards them, she was aware of the younger woman’s eyes on her the entire time. Jerra gave her a brief glance and saw jealousy, as well as out and out dislike on Melissa’s face. The tension between the two women developed the moment Jerra joined the firm. Jerra could honestly say she’d do
ne nothing to warrant the icy attitude the woman projected towards her, but she had an idea of the cause: Melissa was intimidated by her. Not only did she resent the fact that Jerra had been courted for years to join the firm, but she was envious of the friendly relationship Jerra had with Justin. In addition to that, Jerra sensed Melissa had a thing for him, but from what Jerra could see, the attraction wasn’t reciprocated.
Pasting a smile on her face, she gave her full attention to their client as Justin made the introductions. As soon as Jerra heard his name, she immediately knew why he’d sought out their services. Albert Abrams, Sr. was one of the wealthiest jewelry dealers in the U.S…and his twenty-three year old son had just been arrested for murdering his girlfriend.
Being the professional that she was, Jerra let none of her thoughts show on her face as she accepted the handshake he offered. “Mr. Abrams, I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise, Mrs. Monroe.”
“Please, call me Jerra.”
After he nodded in acknowledgment, Justin gestured for them to move to the conference table. He waited until they were all seated, then directed his attention to Jerra and Melissa.
“I asked you both to be here in order to bring you up to speed on the reason for Albert’s visit. Although I’m sure you both probably recognized his name, and are aware of the unfortunate situation that he and his family are going through, I’m going to give you an overview of what happened.”
Jerra and Melissa nodded, but remained silent. There was no need to respond, because of course both knew that the handsome and wealthy Albert Abrams Jr. had been accused of bludgeoning his beautiful, blonde girlfriend in a jealous rage. Hell, half the world had heard about it and was tuned in, and ready for the public spectacle that was sure to follow the case.
“Before I go over the facts, I wanted to say that Albert has asked our firm to represent his son. I would take the case, but I’m in the middle of this Ryland Pharmaceuticals lawsuit as you both know.”
The case Justin was referring to was a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit brought forth by patients with serious health conditions stemming from a new drug prescribed to them by their physicians. The drug turned out to have major defects in the chemical composition that resulted in debilitating health problems for the patients, and in some cases, death.