“Then give me my check back.”
“No. We had a deal.”
“And you just admitted that you weren’t going to live up to your end of it.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “So, sue me.”
She reached across the table and grabbed his damp tie. “You think I won’t? Print a word about me or that picture and I will haul you into court faster than you can say stop the presses.” Jill pushed him back into the seat.
“Won’t that defeat the purpose of you trying to hide your lover? You’ll be getting the bill for my dry cleaning as well.” David stood up and dropped a couple of dollars on the table. “And I used to think you were such a class act.”
“You wouldn’t know class if it bit you on the end of your nose.” She fought the urge to slap him with all the fiery fury that was building in the pit of her stomach.
David turned on his heel and walked out of the restaurant while Jill waved for the waiter and the check.
When she looked to her left, she saw Darren walking over to her. God, I hope he didn’t see that.
“Jill, what are you doing here?”
“Breakfast meeting.”
Darren surveyed the scene, the spilled juice and half eaten food. “Didn’t go too well?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No, I’ll be all right,” she said, though she knew that wasn’t true. If Darren saw those pictures before she had a chance to explain herself, everything would be over.
“Don’t beat yourself up, beautiful. You’ll get them next time.”
Jill stood and hugged Darren tightly. “You’re right. I’m going to pay this check and head to the office.” She let him go and stared at him pensively.
“Are you sure everything is all right?” Darren asked, holding her gaze.
She forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. I just hate starting the day off like this.”
“How about we have lunch, then? Make today better?”
“I’d like that. I’ll meet you in front of the building at noon.”
Darren leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. “See you then.”
* * *
For the rest of the day, Jill was a bear to be around, snapping at everyone who crossed her path. Madison didn’t even want to ring Jill when she had a phone call.
When noon rolled around, Jill left down the back staircase because she didn’t want to see anyone but Darren. He was waiting on the sidewalk when she went out. The smile she flashed him was the first genuine one since she and Darren had got out of bed this morning.
“There’s that smile,” Darren said when he spotted her.
Jill fell into his arms. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“That meeting this morning really got to you, didn’t it?”
“I don’t want to talk about that. Let’s just go grab something to eat and be together.”
Darren draped his arm over her shoulder. “Come on; let me make you feel better.”
“Can we go somewhere that we can be alone? I just want you to hold me.”
“We can go to my place,” he said.
Jill nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
Darren whisked Jill off to his house, taking secluded side streets, avoiding the swell of lunchtime traffic. As he drove, Jill reflected on her meeting with David. She was sure he’d double-cross her, even after taking her $15,000 check. She glanced at Darren as he drove.
Please let David’s magazine fail before the picture runs, she thought. Please don’t let him ruin my chance at love again.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Darren said.
“Darren, I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I just can’t go back to the way I was before we met. You’re the closest thing to Prince Charming I’ve ever known. I’m so afraid that one day I’m going to wake up and discover all of this was just a beautiful dream.”
“Jill, I don’t understand. You’re talking like I’m going somewhere and I’m not. Baby, I love you.”
Jill turned and looked out the window. “It’s been my experience that love doesn’t last. No matter what happens in the future, I hope you will remember all of our good times, how good it felt making love to each other and how we felt in each other’s arms.”
“Jill, why are you talking like this?”
“I-I don’t know,” she said, wishing she could find the words to tell him that she hadn’t meant to lie to him.
I was afraid; I was scared to tell you about my job because I didn’t want things to change between us. I didn’t want this to end. I didn’t want you to run or be like the others, I just wanted you to love me.
“Is there something you need to tell me?” he asked.
“No.”
Darren pulled into his driveway. “You know we can talk about anything.”
“I know and that’s one of the things that I love about us. We do talk about everything and I feel like I can trust you with anything.”
They got out of the car and walked inside. “Jill, I don’t like seeing you like this. What was that meeting about this morning and why are you so rattled?”
“Because I don’t like to lose.”
“I get that things didn’t go well, but did your boss give you grief over it or something?”
“I never have trouble with my bosses.”
“Then who’s giving you trouble?”
“David Branton.”
“Your ex?”
“He’s still planning to run that story about me and it’s going to be something sleazy. He basically told me that he doesn’t care if his story hurts me.”
As they sat on the sofa, Darren held Jill’s hand and forced her to look at him.
“I don’t give a damn what lies this man prints about you. It’s not going to change how I feel about you. To hell with him.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. How’s Cleveland doing back at the station?”
Darren smiled, “Back to his old self. Turn your back to me and lean into my chest. I’m going to help you relax.”
Jill followed his instructions and let him remove her suit jacket. Then Darren slipped his hands inside the collar of her shirt and began massaging the tension from her shoulders. His touch relaxed her, at least for the moment.
His warm hands kneaded her shoulders as if her skin was dough. She closed her eyes and melted underneath his touch. Darren moved down her shoulders, down her back, then reversed himself and moved up to her neck.
“Better?” he asked.
She moaned affirmatively. He continued to massage her, this time unbuttoning her silk blouse and easing it from her shoulders, kissing her smooth skin as he unveiled it.
“You smell good,” he said, with his lips close to her ear.
“Thank you.”
“Just think, in a few days we’re going to be away from all of this. No phones, no fires and no business to distract us from each other.”
“Oh, that sounds heavenly.”
Darren moved his hands down her sides and rested them on her thighs. Jill closed her eyes, holding back the fearful tears pooling in her eyes. She pretended to be asleep because she knew this could very well be the last time Darren held her like this.
Chapter Nineteen
Jill kept a low profile until Thursday. She worked from home, telling Madison that she was battling the stomach flu. When Malik and Shari called to check on her, she assured them that she was fine.
“Can’t I take some time off?” she asked Malik when he called her on Wednesday. “Yeah, since you own the place. I’m calling because Madison said there is a check that came through that seems suspicious.”
“What check was that?”
“It was made out to David Branton. What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry about that check.”
“I’m not; you’re the one I’m worried about. Are you dealing with that fool again? Why would you be payin
g him for anything?”
“It was payment for an ad in his new magazine,” she said.
“Jill, I’m not one to question your business technique, but why would you advertise with him? He’s a snake and he has an axe to grind with you.”
“I know what I’m doing. Why don’t you take care of your work and your pregnant wife and let me handle this?” she snapped.
“My what?”
Jill’s mouth burned. She was sure Shari had told Malik that she was pregnant. “You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t. Why wouldn’t she tell me? Are you sure Shari’s pregnant?”
“It wasn’t my place to say that, I’m sorry. A couple of weeks ago she said she thought she was pregnant, but she hadn’t told you because she didn’t know how you would react and I just blew it.”
“If she is pregnant, I’m happy, I want a child. I wasn’t sure if Shari did because of all of the traveling she does with the magazine. Do you think she…” His voice trailed off and Jill knew what he was thinking.
“She would never abort your child. Talk to her,” Jill said.
“Why would she keep this a secret?”
Jill silently prayed that she hadn’t caused a rift in their marriage with her slip of the tongue. Was this how it was going to happen with her and Darren? A careless phrase thrown out when she least expected it?
“I’m going to wait her out,” Malik said. “Maybe she’s going to tell me when she comes back from New York.”
Jill made a mental note to call Shari and give her a heads up. “I’m sorry,” Jill said.
“See what happens when you keep secrets? I hope you’ve taught yourself a lesson.” Malik hung up and Jill stared off into space, wondering what calamity awaited her next.
Thursday morning she called David once more to plead with him not to run the picture of her and Darren in his magazine.
“Branton,” he said.
“It’s Jill.”
“Your office should have received my dry cleaning bill.”
“That’s not why I’m calling,” she said. “It’s about the picture.”
“That again?”
“David, I don’t want my personal business plastered all over Atlanta. Why don’t you see that?”
“You’re hiding something. The journalist in me wants to get to the bottom of it.”
“Journalist? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Didn’t you call me for a favor?” he snapped. “I tell you what, when I find out who that man is and why you’re so hell-bent on keeping your affair a secret, I’ll get back to you for another ad.”
“Now you’re blackmailing me? You slimy son of a…”
“Temper, temper.”
“David, don’t do this to me, okay?”
“Did you think about my feelings or anything when you fired me because I hurt your feelings?”
“You tried to steal my company. That was business. What you’re doing now is a personal attack.”
David sighed into the phone. “I did care for you. But I had to do my job. No one was going to replace you. But you took over Concurrent and made a point to fire me. I had bills to pay, a mortgage and you didn’t give a damn.”
“You don’t look like you starved and I do recall giving all of you generous severance packages, so don’t come at me with that bull about your bills. David, if you ever truly cared for me, you would stop this.”
“I did care for you but that’s past tense. I want you to feel the embarrassment I felt when you took over that company and put me out to pasture. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day. Are you guys sticking around Atlanta? We’re probably going to need more pictures for the article.”
Jill slammed the phone down and cursed herself for putting herself at David’s mercy. Tears spilled from her eyes.
“How could I have been so damned stupid? I can’t trust that snake, I never could.”
She rose from the sofa and headed up to her bedroom to gather her bags. She and Darren were still going on their Valentine’s Day trip. I’m going to have to tell him the truth, Jill thought. If I tell him the truth, then David can’t hurt us.
The buzz from the doorman startled her. “Yes,” she said into the intercom.
“Mr. Alexander is here.”
“Send him up,” Jill said, wiping her face.
She met Darren at the door with a smile plastered on her face. Darren extended a long-stemmed white rose to her.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Oh, Darren.” She beamed as she accepted the flower. “This is beautiful.”
“Not compared to you. But that goes without saying. Ready to go?”
“I just need to get my bags,” she said.
“Are they in the bedroom?”
She nodded and Darren dashed down the hall. Seconds later, he was carrying Jill’s luggage out the door. She locked up and they took off for the car.
“So,” she said once they were seated in the car. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” he said.
“Oh, please give me a little hint,” she begged playfully.
“All right, it’s not in Atlanta.”
Jill folded her arms and pouted. “That’s not much of a hint.”
“You said a hint and that’s what you got. Sit back and relax and enjoy the ride, darling.”
“Fine,” she said, paying attention to the route he was taking. “We’re going to Savannah?”
“No, not Savannah. Stop guessing and relax. Do you want to stop for breakfast?”
“I guess. But why don’t we do that when we get closer to our destination?” she said, still fishing for clues.
“You’re not going to find out until we get there,” Darren said, seeing through her smoke screen.
“Fine,” she said.
Darren drove for about an hour before he pulled off the highway. Jill looked at the interstate signs. They’d been on I-20, passing through some small Georgia towns, which reminded Jill of why she’d left Macon. Since they were traveling east, she figured that they were going to South Carolina.
“Are you sure you want to stop here?” she asked as they pulled up to a restaurant advertising ‘Countree Cookin’.’
“These are the best places to eat,” he said. “These little restaurants still cook with lard and all the other good things that grandma used to cook with.”
“And you get the heart disease that grandma died from too,” she pointed out.
“Not if you eat like this only once in a while,” he said. “Come on, live a little.”
“All right, fine, but the first time someone calls me ‘gal’ I’m out of there.”
“Come on, gal,” he joked.
Inside the restaurant, a laid back hostess with a bright smile led them to the counter bar. “Good mornin’, y’all. How’re y’all doin’ this mornin’?”
“Good,” Jill and Darren replied.
“Y’all ready for Valentine’s Day?”
Darren kissed Jill on the cheek. “Yes, we are, but we need to get a good start on the day with a good breakfast.”
The woman slammed her hand on the counter excitedly. “I know jus’ whut you need. A lover’s breakfast.”
“A what?” Jill asked.
“Lover’s breakfast, I can tell y’all are in love.”
Jill smiled proudly. She was in love and scared. “Yes, we are.”
The woman clasped her hands together. “I got the perfect meal. Henry!” She headed back to the kitchen.
“See, it’s not that bad,” Darren said.
“I know,” Jill said, wrapping her arms around Darren’s waist. “It’s good that people can see how much we care about each other. Where did you say we were going again?”
Darren kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I didn’t. But you’re slick, you almost got me.”
Henry, who must have been the cook, walked into the dining area. Jill smiled when she saw the massive man with the grease-stained apron. “I hear you al
l are goin’ to git married,” he said. “And you need my gettin’ hitched breakfast. I also do catering for weddings and such.”
“But we’re not getting marr…” Jill began, but Darren cut her off.
“Thank you kindly. We’ll get in touch with you for our reception. That is, if you don’t mind coming to Atlanta.”
“Y’all big city folk, huh? Well, I hope you’re ready for some good cookin’ and not that fake stuff they serve down in Atlanta.”
Jill spoke up. “I’m from Macon, so I’m looking forward to this meal.”
Henry smiled and headed back to the kitchen.
“Looking forward to the meal, eh?” Darren said, reaching over and stroking her cheek. “Could have fooled me.”
“Henry reminds me of my uncle who used to cook for us all the time at the family cookouts and everything. I couldn’t hurt his feelings and tell him I don’t eat this kind of stuff.”
“You’re so sweet.”
Moments later, Henry was bringing out a platter of crispy bacon, buttery grits, toast bathed in honey, liver pudding and scrambled eggs.
“Looks good,” Darren said, salivating over the spread.
Jill flashed Henry a smile and the thumbs up sign. They dug into the food and it was delicious. She hadn’t eaten a breakfast like this one since she was a little girl in Macon.
After they were stuffed from breakfast and Henry had loaded them up with fried chicken, homemade biscuits and cole slaw, Darren and Jill were back on the road again.
“Comfortable, darling?” Darren asked as Jill eased into the car.
She smiled and nodded as he drove off. Instead of pressing Darren for information on where they were going, Jill closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Darren glanced at Jill as she slept. She looked like an angel with her head tilted back and her lips slightly pursed. He stroked her thigh as she slumbered. He couldn’t wait until they were alone in Charleston. He was going to show her the time of her life. Over the last few days, Jill had been stressed out and Darren wanted to make sure that she relaxed again. Stress wasn’t good for her and it was his job as her man to be her protector, a role he relished. With every beat of his heart, he loved her, cared for her more than anything else in his life.
Business of Love Page 18