Tossing the ends in a designated trash bowl and the rest into the water, Sonya tilted her head in Charmagne’s direction. “I still want him there.”
“That’s all that matters. There’s no need for rush in this. You’re not a coed this time, take your time. You’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks, Mommy-Mommy.” She poked her friend gently in the belly.
“Oh, Lord.”
“You have to get used to hearing it twice and in stereo.”
Charmagne rubbed her belly. “Am I ready for all this?”
She looked at the concern evident now in her friend’s eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Girl, you are going to be the best mother. Out of all of our girlfriends you’re the one I’ve always known would slide into a mommy role with ease. If Tiffany was the planner of the group and Veronica the boss of us all then you were the mother hen. Making sure we were all cared for.”
Sonya thought about their group of six women back in college. Tiffany, the Governor’s daughter, had gone on to marry Trevor a computer business owner. Veronica, the strait-laced business minded one had opened a hotel/restaurant with her best friend and married Kent. Charmagne, the college Dean’s daughter, had married her college sweetheart, Charles, a few years after graduation. Josephine, the interior decorator who owned a business with Tiffany had just married her longtime boyfriend, Ruben, this summer. The only one of their friends who had never married was Karen, a marketing executive at a sneaker company, and she refused to ever walk down the aisle.
“What does that make you in our group of six?”
“The fun one?” Sonya lifted both her brows in question.
“Nope.” Charmagne shook her head. “Karen has the lock on that.”
“Very true.”
“You were our wisdom and inspiration. I think it’s because of all that history and art you drown yourself in. You always know the right words to say.”
“Now if I could only pick out some to say to myself about Parker…” Sonya grabbed more beans.
Charmagne took hold of her arm. “It will come, my child.”
Rolling her eyes at her friend’s ethereal, fairy godmother type tone, she laughed. “I’ve created a monster.”
“No. A mom-ster. Get it?”
The bad puns went on for the remainder of the night while they cooked and talked. Charles returned home and joined in with the teasing and fun.
By midnight they were all bone tired. One cake was under a glass dome, the other in a plastic dessert container in the back of the pantry. Charles stored the cooked greens and beans in the garage deep freezer while Charmagne checked and based the turkey one last time before turning the oven on a low cook setting.
“I’ll do the check and base through the night.” Sonya yawned, not even attempting to stifle it as the trio moved to the stairs.
“I can do it.” Her friend’s yawn was just as great.
“Nope, you need the rest. I’ll set my alarm for every hour.” She stood before the open guest room door.
“Okay. Thanks.” The mother to be rubbed her back and headed down the hall to the master suite.
“You know I could tak—”
“Night, Charles. See you both in the morning.” She shooed the man away, before he could volunteer. They were the only family Sonya had and they both had been working overtime to prepare for the inundation of both sides of their family, this was the least she could do.
After she closed the door behind her, she retrieved her bag at the foot of the bed. She opened it and removed her pajamas pants and top. She changed, then shuffled to the bathroom connected to the room and brushed her teeth and washed her face. Back in the room she kneeled for a quick prayer then crawled into the bed.
As she closed her eyes, she realized that she wasn’t physically drained from all the food prep, but emotionally exhausted. Even after she and Charmagne had ended the conversation about Parker’s return in her life, thoughts of him had still plagued her mind. She wanted to make the right choice for her life, she didn’t know if Parker was it.
Daryl had definitely not been it. But was her ex-husband?
Grabbing her phone from her purse beside the bed, she set alarms on the hour then placed the phone on the nightstand. Within seconds she had drifted off to sleep, Parker Hayden’s handsome smiling face as he looked in the garden appeared in her mind. She didn’t fight to push it away but relaxed, feeling secure with him in her life.
The man was her center. She could at least admit that to herself.
~ML~
“Hello. Sonya Watson. African American Histories.”
He loved the sultriness of her voice. It was huskier than most women, but that’s what captured his attention and awakened his desire for her. It was Tuesday and he was just returning back. He’d missed Sonya while he’d been at his parent’s house and thought about coming back earlier, but wanted to give her some time to focus on her new exhibit as he’d promised her.
“How was your Thanksgiving?”
“Parker. It was good. I’m sure Charles filled you in on that.”
“You talked to Charles did you?” He chuckled.
“Ah, no. I spoke to Charmagne who had got the information from her husband. You got me ambushed,” she chided.
“Hey! If you’re not telling your best friend what is going on in your life. Let me know and I’ll keep our secret.” He leaned back in his office chair.
“We don’t have any secr—”
He heard a thump of something hitting something else.
“Ouch.” Sonya moaned.
“What happened?” he bolted up in his seat concerned.
“I stubbed my toe on the desk leg.”
“You want me to come over there and kiss it? I promise to make you forget all about the pain.” He lowered his voice, making sure she understood his message. If she said yes, he would start with kissing her toes and keep moving up until he got to the valley of her womanhood.
There was a quick intake from the other end of the line.
The image played out in his mind and caused his shaft to harden even more than it had at simply hearing her voice. “Don’t change the subject.” Her voice sounded tight, just not as sure or confident as it did a moment before. “There is no secret us. We both just happen to work together. That’s it.”
“I want more.” While he was away he’d come to a decision that he was going to place all his cards on the table when it came to Sonya and his intentions toward her.
“Parker…”
“Have dinner with me tonight, Soni-love?”
“I have a shipment due in this week. I need to still handle more correspondenc—”
“Dinner tonight.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“You can’t just show up in my life and dictate my schedule,” she growled.
“I’m not. I simply want you to make time for me. A few hours in your busy world. That’s it.” Finding time for each other had been one of their problems during their marriage. He’d been consumed in one direction and she in another. It wasn’t any wonder that she didn’t have a signal qualm about taking a job away from him. They had lived two separate lives, becoming roommates.
There was a long pause and he could hear a tapping sound in the background. He visualized her swinging her pencil up and down against her stack of work.
“Sonya?”
“Fine! I’ll do it. Dinner, what time?”
“You make it sound as if I’m asking you to volunteer for a tooth extraction.” He smiled. “But, I’ll take it. I will be there at seven to get you.”
“I can’t stay out late, because—”
“You need to be at the office early to call South Africa.”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“Duly noted.” He rose, needing to get back to his own work. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“See you later.” She ended the call before he could say anything else.
I love you was the only thing his mind could formu
late as a valediction, but he knew she was barely ready to have dinner with him, so that would have sent her running.
A chime sounded.
He removed his cell phone from his lab coat and looked at it.
What am I supposed to wear? The text came in from Sonya.
He realized that she had actually loaded his number into her phone from the card he’d placed inside the package with the folder. A part of him had wished she would have used it before Thanksgiving because short of sending a message for her wishing her a happy holiday through Charles there was no way he had to reach her. He’d opted not to do that. Which was probably the best thing since she was already pissed at him for talking to Charles. He was glad that his good friend hadn’t told his wife everything he’d shared with him. Parker could only imagine what would happen if Sonya knew the truth about his being here.
Responding back to her, the texted, Something nice. Formal.
Where are we going?
Bentley’s on 27
What???
He smiled. See you tonight, Soni-love.
With that texted he placed his phone back in his pocket and ignored all the following chimes that came to it. The only way she would be able to back out of their dinner agreement was for her to come to his wing and see him face to face. Chuckling, he headed out his office to the lab to see his new rare Brush-footed Trapdoors spider from the Cooper Creek region of Daintree. There was no way Sonya was coming to see him.
~ML~
Sonya tossed her pencil down, and watched it bounce from the desk and sail over the front to the floor. She wanted to kick something. Better yet, someone. Parker had roped her into going out with him and now she was stuck. She stared down at her cell phone. Squeezing her hand around it, seeing that he had not replied to her last three text messages about them canceling or going somewhere more casual, she thought about throwing the phone down too. But, took several cleansing breaths to calm herself.
“It is just dinner, Sonya.” She set her phone down before her monitor. “So, what if he wants to go all out. It is one time. That’s it.”
Over the course that she and Daryl had seen each other, they’d gone to a couple formal events. Those nights filled with glitz and glamour hadn’t changed how she felt about the Councilman so why should she think for one moment that this should be any different.
You never loved Daryl Marcs.
Ring. Ring.
Saved from having to answer her private thoughts she picked up her desk phone seeing that the line for her vault was blinking. “Hey, Simeon.”
“The Senufo Seated Figure has arrived.”
“I’ll be right down.” She hung up. Her heart pumped with excitement as she headed out of her office to see the mid-20th Century piece from the Ivory Coast.
Right now she had work to do. She wouldn’t think about Parker or dinner or anything else for the next few hours. A pro at drowning herself in her work, she kept her focus where it needed to be right now. Away from Parker.
Several hours later, she was sitting at her desk reading emails that had come through while she’d been in the vault and meeting with Edgar her restoration specialist. When it came to sizing her knowledge up against Edgar Minton she knew absolutely nothing about African or African American artwork. However, it was his job to know it as well. Museums were nothing without authentication specialist in each department.
“You need anything else from me boss lady?”
Blinking a few times, to clear the blurriness from her eyes, she glanced toward the door at Simeon. “No. Have a good night.”
All of her staff where pulling long hours to put forth the best effort when it came to the new exhibit.
“I will. Planning to catch a movie with my girl by six.” He gave her a wave as he back away.
“Have fu—” she started to yell back, when she realized something. Dinner. Parker.
Looking at the time in the corner of her monitor she realized that it was already five fifteen. Parker would be at her house at seven to take her to a high-end restaurant and she was still at work.
“Oh, no.” Placing her hands on her keyboard she completed the message she was sending to a curator friend in Johannesburg but had just returned from a month holiday. He’d sent a list of the pieces within his stock that could be sent out of country. She needed to review the list and get back to him with a call in the morning.
After that was done, she saved and locked up things that were private and important. She looked down at the paperwork still needing her attention. Normally she wouldn’t leave until she could have her desk in order and ready for the next time she came in, but not tonight.
Grabbing her purse and cell, she hustled from her office. She only paused for a moment to turn off the lights and lock the door. The evening guard called out a greeting to her as he started his rounds. Tossing him a smile and a short wave, she hoped Linwood would not take it personally that she didn’t stop and talk as she did most nights.
As she left the museum and quick stepped her way to her car in the employee parking lot, she was grateful that her early morning arrival allowed her prime parking. Getting into her car she ran all her formal outfits through her mind. She didn’t have but a few of them, and all three of those she had worn out with the Councilman.
Even though Parker would have no way of knowing that, she just didn’t feel right in slipping into something she’d purchased or had purchased for her, which was the case with one of the dresses, for another man.
It was almost six and she thought about all the formal boutiques on the way to her house in rush hour traffic. Thankfully she realized that there was a bridal chain store in a shopping center by her house.
Twenty minutes later she arrived at Dina’s Bridal and prayed they had something appropriate on their off the rack that would fit her. Even though she had wished for a way to get out of the date, that didn’t involve her stomping over to the bug department and confronting Parker, since he had ignored all her messages the remainder of the day. She still wanted to look nice…well, good. Damn good. In some way she wanted him to remember what he’d lost and allowed to walk out of his life.
“Welcome to Dina’s how may I be of assistance.” A short, frosted-haired black woman approached her with a smile as she entered the large store.
“Hi. I have formal dinner plans. I need something formal and sexy. And quick.”
The woman’s brows rose, but her smile stayed in place. “Okay. Do you have a color in mind? I’m thinking you’re a twelve in size.”
Sonya followed the woman through the store toward the bridesmaids section. “Color doesn’t matter. But anything pale or orange makes me look washed out. You guessed right.”
That was the only thing about being mixed in race. With her pale brown skin, there were things that just didn’t look well on her. Her girlfriends from college, especial Veronica who had a deep mahogany brown complexion, she could wear any color and it complimented her skin tone.
“I’m Brenda.” She held her hand out to her. “It’s my job to figure it out. And I’ll get you squared away I promise. What time is your date?”
“Uh, it’s just dinner. In less than an hour.” Give her hand a shake, Sonya held the woman’s gaze. “I’m Sonya. Can you help me?”
Brenda swallowed, but kept her smile in place. “It will be tight, but I can do it. Since alterations is not an option today. I will just show you our ready to wear items.”
“Sounds good.”
Moving around a few high racks, Brenda finally stopped. “Okay, Sonya. How about you try these two designer numbers. Usually there isn’t much allowance in size, they are spot on, but if they fit right they look made for you.” The formal wear assistant pulled down an emerald green and wine colored dress.
Taking them, Sonya followed the woman’s directions to the dressing room. Brenda was behind her, but with her longer strides she had the shorter woman at a disadvantage.
Staring at the two dresses in the private changing s
alon, Sonya considered which one to try on first. If it fit, she would just go with that one in the essence of time.
The emerald had a sweetheart neckline and was accented by tiny crystals over the bodice, then it fell in soft pleats to the floor. Holding it to her in the mirror, she was pleased by the way it looked. There was even padding within the cups of the bodice that she knew would have her breasts sitting high and tempting.
Smiling at the thought of Parker having to be across the table and observe her charms on display, she considered it her first pick. Then she reached for the second one on the hook she’d placed it. This one was a taffeta halter with lace around the top and a keyhole opening in the front. It cinched at the waist and had a small tail mid-calf. She wasn’t blown away by it at first, until she started to hold it before her and she noted that lace covered the back. She knew it was the one.
Setting it aside she removed her clothing and prayed it would fit.
Ten minutes later, Brenda had a sale and tip and Sonya was headed home for a quick shower.
Chapter Six
“Parker?”
Sonya’s voice alerted him that he had not said anything in the few minutes he’d been standing there since she’d opened the door. He always thought she was beautiful, but at the moment she was absolutely breathtaking in the deep red dress she wore. He was sure there was some specific color name it held, but he didn’t care what the shade of material was, because it was nothing without Sonya in it. She made the dress. With the exception of the peek-a-boo area at the top and the sleeveless factor, she was covered completely. Not even the tips of her shoes showed.
But, the satin fabric cupped every curve and dip of her body. He had the urge to trace his fingers along her side and follow the flow of the design.
Lifting his head, he met her gaze. “You look amazing.” Parker was surprised he could even formulate those three words to make a sentence.
Her make-up was subtle, but her lips were coated in a color similar to that of the dress. Making her lips appear lush and kissable. Most likely for the essence of time, she kept her hair in a bun like she normally wore to work, but she’d released one wave lock to lie along the side of her face. Beautiful.
Evidence of Desire: Hero Series 3 Page 10