Love After War

by Cheris Hodges

  Shifting the bags on his shoulder, he shook his head. “Pink’s is legendary. This Grey’s Anatomy joint had better live up to the standard that I’ve grown accustomed to.”

  “You’re going to eat those words and the best hot dog ever.” Dana’s smile made him believe she was telling the gospel truth.

  “Well, let’s hear it for the second best thing I’m going to eat today.” His eyes sparkled devilishly and Dana didn’t have to ask what the best thing was he planned to eat.

  “Again,” she said. “Incorrigible.”

  “You’re going to love every minute of it,” he replied with a wink as they began to deplane.

  Chapter 17

  Adrian and Dana climbed into a cab and she smiled as they pulled away from JFK. Once they got into traffic leading to Brooklyn, her smile faded. Bumper to bumper.

  “Well, this is one thing that reminds me of LA,” Adrian quipped.

  “Oh, hush.”

  “And you’re going to ride a motorcycle in all of this?”

  She nodded. “If I was on my Fat Bob, I’d go right down the center lane.”

  “Like that’s not dangerous. How did you get into motorcycles?”

  Dana shrugged. “It was just something that looked fun and as it turns out, it was more amazing than I thought it would be.”

  Adrian glanced out the window and gritted his teeth as the cab slowly crept down Pennsylvania Avenue and he saw the Crawford Motor Lodge. He couldn’t help but wonder when it was built and if his mother had been the catalyst for its being built. Dana’s hand forced him to return his focus to her.

  “You’re good?” she asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I just have to get used to the fact that those people have their names on a lot of buildings because of my mother.”

  “And are you going to reach out to them while you’re here?”

  “Can we at least get to your place before we start talking about them?”

  Dana chewed her bottom lip, then agreed. He kissed her cheek. “As a matter of fact,” Adrian continued, “until I get that famous hot dog and that other delectable treat, I don’t want to talk about anything.”

  “And what do you want first?” she whispered. “Because Gray’s is open all night.”

  “Good, then I can get seconds and thirds before we go for those famous hot dogs.”

  Dana placed her hand in the center of his chest as he leaned forward to kiss her. “One quick note—we’re taking the subway.”

  He shrugged, then captured her lips in a sweeping move that made her shiver with desire. While she hated that they didn’t join the mile-high club, she would certainly make up for it when they arrived at her home.

  Whatever caused the traffic backup cleared up or the driver knew a shortcut to Park Slope, the neighborhood Dana called home. The driver pulled up in front of Dana’s brownstone and Adrian was impressed with the neighborhood.

  “This isn’t what I expected Brooklyn to look like,” he said.

  “Watch a lot of Spike Lee movies and thought the whole borough was like Red Hook?”

  “Ha,” he said as he unloaded the bags from the trunk. “You keep forgetting, all of my images of New York come from television and movies.”

  Even the cabdriver snorted at that comment. Dana tilted her head toward the driver and said, “You have to excuse him. He’s been on the West Coast since forever.”

  The trio laughed and Adrian paid the driver, tipping him handsomely. “Hey,” the man said as he counted his money. “I like you Los Angeles guys.”

  When the taxi pulled away, Dana looked at Adrian. “Must have been a hell of a tip.”

  He winked at her and lifted the bags. “Yes,” he said. “It was.”

  Dana led him to her front door. “Welcome to my home,” she said.

  Adrian stepped inside and looked around the spacious brownstone. It was beautiful, decorated with black and white pictures from Central Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and some color shots from Los Angeles. For the first time in a long time, Adrian recognized the artistic skill his woman had. Those pictures had a museum quality to them. “Wow,” he said as he stood in the middle of her living room as if he were in the Guggenheim.

  “What?” she asked as she followed his eyes to the pictures.

  “You’re talented beyond measure. So, this is what you do in your spare time?”

  Dana’s cheeks heated underneath his adoration. “You could say that.”

  He pointed to an empty space above her fireplace. “What do I have to do to get a picture on this wall? Like the dude said in Do the Right Thing, can a brother get on the wall?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. “I’m sure a brother can get on the wall. He just needs to play his cards right.”

  He rubbed his hands down her hips. “I got a full house for you right now.” In a swift motion, he scooped Dana into his arms and asked, “Where’s the bedroom? I want to go all in right now.”

  Dana nodded toward the stairs. Crossing over to the staircase, Adrian took them two at a time to get into her bedroom. Once in the bedroom, he laid her on the bed and stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt.

  She started to strip, but Adrian crossed over to her and held her wrist. “I want to do this,” he said, his voice a deep whisper. “Just lean back.”

  Dana followed his instructions as he unbuttoned her tunic. Each piece of skin he exposed, Adrian kissed and licked. She moaned and writhed with desire under his touch. And when he peeled her leggings from her body and buried his face in the wetness between her thighs, Dana lost it, screaming out in pleasure. Adrian held her hips to his lips, making good on his promise to eat a delectable treat. Licking, sucking, and gently biting her as she thrust her hips forward. Dana grasped his head and he plunged his tongue deeper inside her and she howled in pleasure. As she exploded from the inside out, Adrian pulled back and smiled at her.

  “Told you that I was going to eat something delicious,” he said. “And, baby, you taste amazing.”

  Dana inhaled deeply and shivered as the aftershocks of her orgasm attacked her senses. “You know,” she said, “it’s amazing what you can do with that tongue of yours.”

  “You think so?” He took her hand and placed it on his erection. “Wait until you feel what I plan to do next.”

  She draped her legs across his shoulders. “Well, I think it’s my turn to show you what I can do.”

  “I’m ready, baby.”

  Dana unwound herself from his body and turned him over on his back. She started at his neck, kissing and sucking him while she stroked his hardness. She flicked her tongue across his nipples, then moved down his washboard abs until she was face-to-face with his thick erection. Adrian held his next breath as he felt the heat from her mouth envelop him. She licked, sucked, ran her tongue up and down the length of him as he howled her name. He needed to be inside her to end the pleasurable torture. But Dana wasn’t about to stop. She took him deeper into her mouth and Adrian exploded.

  Pulling back, she offered him a shy smile as he threw his head back in delight. “Oh, baby,” he cried. “Damn.” He drew her into his arms and she rested her head against his chest. “That was amazing.”

  “One good turn deserved another,” she replied.

  “Uh-huh. I have to say, so far, I love New York.”

  Moments later the couple drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. About an hour later, they woke up feeling refreshed and a lot less jet lagged. Dana reached for the remote to her TV while Adrian yawned and stretched his arms above his head. As she flipped through the channels, she stopped on NY1 when she saw a video of Solomon Crawford. Adrian sat up and watched with rapt attention.

  “Crawford Hotels is facing some big changes on the heels of a West Coast expansion,” said the anchor. “Sources tell us that CEO Solomon Crawford has resigned and there are reports that Elliot Crawford, the founder and owner of the hotel chain, has fallen ill in Los Angeles and will be flow
n back to New York.”

  “Wow,” Dana mumbled.

  Adrian rolled his eyes and held his tongue as the report continued. “Richmond Crawford will take over as CEO. The company has been steeped in controversy as of late. Richmond Crawford was pictured with a Los Angeles call girl, a man claimed that he’s the love child of Elliot Crawford, and Solomon Crawford is allegedly feuding with actress Heather Williams, who he dated before marrying Kandace Crawford.”

  Part of him wanted to smile; the Crawfords were exposed. But he couldn’t help feeling some kind of way about finding out that Elliot was seriously ill. However, what if he was faking the illness to take the media focus off the scandals surrounding his family? It’s not as if the son of a bitch wasn’t above lying.

  “Sources say Elliot Crawford will be flown into an area hospital where he will be treated for an unknown illness.”

  “Turn it off,” Adrian said.

  Dana pressed the power button and eased out of bed. From the slowness of her steps, Adrian knew she had something to say.

  “What?” he asked.

  Dana turned around and shrugged. “We said we weren’t going to talk about your family.”

  “But I know you and you’re not going to stop thinking about this until you’ve had your say. Let’s get it out of the way now so that I can digest my hot dog later.”

  “I think you should call Solomon and find out what’s going on with your fa—Elliot.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said. “Do you know how many illnesses he’s missed?”

  “How long are you going to let the past cloud your future? And how do you go from being the man who can be so gentle and loving with me to being so cold toward his family?” Dana felt her stomach lurch and bile rush to her throat. She ran out of the room and into the bathroom. Adrian followed and knocked on the door. “Are you all right?” He could hear her throwing up and this time they couldn’t blame it on turbulence.

  Then he heard water running. Finally, Dana replied, “I’m fine.”

  “Hurling in the bathroom doesn’t seem fine to me,” he said.

  Seconds later, she opened the door and walked into Adrian’s awaiting arms. “I’m going to blame this on the airplane food and pray that it isn’t going to keep me from my meeting in a few days.”

  “Maybe we should skip the hot dogs and get back into bed. You got some soup in the kitchen?”

  “All I have in the kitchen is baking soda. I haven’t been here long enough to go to the market.”

  “I’m sure there’s a Chinese restaurant that delivers. But should you really have egg drop soup?”

  “Adrian,” she said, stroking his cheek. “Baby, I’m good and I’m a New Yorker. Hot dogs calm all stomach ailments.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Dana . . .”

  “Adrian, if I thought something was seriously wrong, I’d be the first to go to the doctor. A little stomach virus will be gone tomorrow.”

  “Let’s hope so or our next excursion will be to your doctor’s office.”

  She offered him a mock salute. “Yes, sir. Now, why don’t we get showered and changed so that I can watch you eat your words.”

  A slow smile crept across Adrian’s face. “Well . . .”

  “Stop!” Dana broke out laughing. “You shower first and I’ll get the bags from downstairs.”

  “Let’s reverse that. You shower and I’ll get the bags.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I still say we should stay in for the rest of the night.”

  “Not in the city that never sleeps,” she replied, then returned to the bathroom. While she showered, Dana began to wonder about her nausea. There’s no way I’m pregnant, she thought as the warm spray beat down on her.

  Adrian picked up their luggage and took them into the bedroom. He set her bags near the closet and tossed his bag on the bed. He fished out a pair of jeans and an ombré shirt. As much as he wanted to ignore the news about the Crawfords, he turned the TV on again to see if there was an update on Elliot or the calamity in California. NY1 just played a loop of the earlier story.

  Turning the TV off, Adrian fished his cell phone out of his discarded jeans and turned it on. Of course there were a few missed calls and text messages from his associates and club managers. After all, he hadn’t left instructions when he left. But those calls could wait. He needed to call Solomon.

  He was about to dial his brother when Dana walked into the room, wrapped in a short pink towel, her body damp and glistening from her shower. Thoughts of calling Solomon fled from his mind like air from a busted balloon.

  “Are you sure we have to leave?” he asked as he crossed over to her and tugged at the top of her towel.

  “Yes,” she said, playfully slapping his hand away. “I left plenty of hot water in the shower for you.”

  “Having to walk away from you looking like that, I probably need a cold shower.”

  “Funny,” she said as she crossed over to her closet and flipped through her clothes. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Adrian was standing in the doorway watching her. “Get going, Mr. Bryant.”

  “But you said we can score hot dogs all night. I like this show better.”

  Dana shooed him away and started to get dressed. She decided to wear a dress for a change and some shoes that she would normally admonish Imani for wearing. However, the black minidress she’d pulled out of the closet called for the red five-inch heels. She turned the TV on to check the weather and saw that it was going to be a balmy evening. As she was about the turn the set off, Adrian’s cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw Solomon’s name flash in the display.

  Grabbing the phone, she rushed down the hall and met Adrian as he was exiting the bathroom.

  “It’s Solomon,” she said as she handed him the phone.

  Adrian pressed the TALK button. “Yeah? I’m not in LA . . . Saw that on the news . . . What? I’ll have to call you back.” He ended the call and then walked into the bedroom as if nothing happened. Dana was teeming with questions as she followed him.

  “What did Solomon say?” she asked as she watched him drop his towel and cross over to the bed.

  “Nothing important,” Adrian said as he pulled out a pair of boxers and stepped into them.

  “Oh, so you guys are BFFs now and he’s just calling to say hi?”

  “He just wanted to let me know that his father is back in New York. He has cancer and they checked him into a hospital for tests.”

  The calmness in his voice made Dana pause. “And that doesn’t bother you at all?”

  Adrian stepped into his jeans and looked at her. “Why should it?”

  “Because I’m sure if Solomon called you that it was serious.”

  Adrian buttoned and zipped his jeans. “Let’s deal with that later.”

  “Adrian, you can’t—”

  He pointed to the clock on her nightstand. “Do you see what time it is? Visiting hours at the hospital are over. And let’s be real—Elliot and I aren’t the typical father and son. I’ll call Solomon in the morning and get further details. Tonight is all about you and me.”

  Dana nodded, but if she had her druthers, they’d go to whatever hospital Elliot Crawford was in. She wondered if Adrian could really handle losing his father without making peace with him. She slipped into her heels and crossed over to Adrian as he rubbed cologne on his neck. The scent was intoxicating, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he was handling the news of his father’s illness.

  “Baby,” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

  “Huh?”

  “I was saying that you look amazing. Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t going to be the night we’d planned now?”

  She tilted her head to the side and looked into his eyes. “I made a promise and I’m going to keep it,” she replied.

  “But you’re going to be thinking about another man dressed like that and I already don’t like that.”

  Dana slipped her arms around his waist and
hugged him. “Can I just say one thing?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Biologically, he’s your father and it doesn’t seem as if there is a lot of time left for you to get to know him and make peace with him. If you don’t do it for yourself, think about what your mother wanted.”

  He glanced down at her. “That was below the belt. You know that, right?”

  “But it’s the truth.”

  Casting his eyes upward, Adrian could almost feel his mother smiling and nodding in agreement with Dana. “All right. I’ll call Solomon back once we’re out and find out where Elliot is.”

  Dana smiled and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 18

  Before they made it to the Bergen Street station, Dana’s cell phone rang. It was Imani.

  “Hell—”

  “Thanks for letting me know you made it back. I hope I’m interrupting something.”

  “Actually, you’re not.”

  “Damn,” she quipped. “Anyway, I assume you and Adrian are safe in the city.”

  “We are.”

  “Avoiding the paparazzi, I hope.”

  “So far so good.”

  “Well,” Imani began, “I don’t expect that to last. I just saw on the news that the Los Angeles County DA is looking into charging Richmond Crawford with engaging in prostitution.”

  “What?” Dana said, and looked up at Adrian.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Imani said the DA is considering charging Richmond for engaging in prostitution.”

  Adrian shrugged. “That’s going to be hard for them to explain to stockholders since Solomon is no longer CEO and Elliot’s dying.”

  “Imani,” Dana said. “Let me call you back.” When she ended the call, she stopped on the sidewalk. “What do you know about this?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “Have you seen me at the district attorney’s office? I don’t have that kind of pull.”

  “Adrian. I know you’d been doing some underhanded things, but this is too much.”

  He held his hands up. “What exactly are you accusing me of ?”