Loving Dasia

by Ana’Gia Wright

  “Exactly.” Katina watched her youngest son begin to wake. “I’d better be going. He’s going to be awake soon, and he gets fussy when he has to wait to eat.”

  “Thanks for the advice, Katina. I really appreciate it.” Dasia made her way back over to where her neighbor now stood.

  “You’re welcome. Just think about what I’ve told you.” Kaleb snuggled closer to his mother’s breast as she made her way to the door. “And like G told you, if you ever need anything, just come knock on my door.” Katina stepped out of Dasia’s apartment and closed the door behind her. She’d given Dasia a lot to think about. Katina just hoped she understood what she was considering getting into.

  Chapter 7

  Dasia’s first day back at work started off bad and got progressively worse. She’d gotten up late, so she’d only had enough time to dress and walk out the door. Her co-workers greeted her with uneasy looks. All day people gave her looks of pity. On some level, she expected them not to know what to say. In their shoes, she’d probably would have felt the same way. Her boss even hid away in his office, sending her e-mails telling her what he needed for her to do, instead of calling or stopping at her desk like he usually did. At the very least someone other than her boss could have said good morning.

  She almost came to tears a couple of times as she watched them watching her. She was still human, and their tiptoeing around her desk hurt more than what Jeremiah had done to her. She watched the clock all morning, wishing the day would hurry up and end so she could escape the stares and return to her new sanctuary.

  Two weeks had passed since her split with Jeremiah, and Dasia just wanted things as close to normal as possible. She hated this silent treatment. She could only imagine the thoughts roaming through her co-workers’ heads. Somehow, she wanted them to know that she wasn’t a totally broken woman. They had to understand that, even though Jeremiah hurt her, this situation didn’t mean her life was over.

  The idea then popped into her head. Instead of meeting G in the lobby for lunch, she’d ask him to come up to the office to pick her up. Even if he was just a friend, even if this was just lunch, maybe that would show everyone she was okay. This wasn’t the end for her, not by a long shot.

  As one o’clock approached, Dasia just hoped her lunch with G wouldn’t turn out as bad as the start of this day.

  As the Lincoln Town Car pulled to a stop, G stared up at the building. It seemed to disappear behind the clouds near the twentieth floor. He’d spent most of his day waiting for this moment. He went through the motions with the one client he had to see today, and for the last hour and a half he’d shuffled the stacks of paper on the desk in his home office from one pile to another.

  The driver opened the door, allowing him to step from the car. He’d decided to call a car service instead of driving, because he wanted to spend as much uninterrupted time as possible with Dasia. Today she’d get his undivided attention.

  A bouquet of a dozen yellow roses in hand, G followed Dasia’s instructions, going past the security desk and up the elevator. He still wore the three-piece tailored suit he’d worn while out with his client, so no one bothered to check if he belonged there. He blended in perfectly with the hustle and bustle of the workers returning from their one-hour escape of prying eyes. He frowned as people rushed to and fro in such a hurried manner. Working for the Agency, he’d learned patience and attention to detail, the things most people just didn’t have time for.

  The doors opened onto the eighteenth floor, and G made his way through the crowd of people waiting to enter the elevator. He stopped at the receptionist’s desk and waited patiently as the petite young woman finished her phone call.

  The minute she looked up at him a Cheshire cat smile inched its way across her face. Immediately, he knew in which direction their conversation was going to go. She tried to be subtle about checking his ring finger, but he caught the glance. He allowed her the luxury of sizing him up, but he was here to see Dasia, and no amount of flirting by this woman was going to change that.

  “May I help you, sir?” she asked in a voice too seductive for the stuffy office environment.

  G refused to entertain the bedroom eyes the woman gave him. He wanted to see Dasia, to hold her in his arms, but he needed to get past this gatekeeper. “I’m looking for Ms. Dasia Warrington.”

  “May I tell her who’s here to see her?”

  The woman’s attitude and demeanor changed the minute he mentioned Dasia’s name. He knew she was disappointed he was here to see Dasia. He figured any attractive single man coming into the office to see one of the female employees endured the same glare she was now giving him.

  “Tell her it’s G.”

  She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “And does G have a last name?”

  G leaned over the counter to get just a little closer. He’d succeeded in offending her through no fault of his own. He needed to placate her if he was going to get to Dasia.

  The woman closed her eyes and smiled as she got a whiff of his cologne. The sound of his voice drew her back from the naughty thoughts she was having about him.

  “If you tell her G, she’ll know who I am. She’s expecting me.” G flashed the woman a friendly smile. He hoped it would be enough to pacify her. He was getting impatient, a feeling he hadn’t experienced since his rookie year at the Agency.

  “Have a seat. I’ll let her know you’re here.”

  As he sat down, G called his driver to let him know they’d be down in a minute. By the time he’d completed the short call, the woman at the desk was signaling him to come back up to her.

  “She told me to send you back. Just go through the door on your right and go straight back. You can’t miss her.”

  An eerie hush followed him as he made his way past the rows of offices and cubicles. The women stopped whatever it was they were doing to stare at him as he made his way to the rear of the office. The few men in the office gave him the evil eye. He was making them look bad, showing up in a suit and with flowers to take someone to lunch.

  G only smiled as he walked past all of the people who seemed to be paying him so much attention instead of tending to their work. It was times like this people would stop their constant movement and be still long enough to notice their environment.

  G blew a kiss at Dasia as she watched him approach. He watched her observe her female coworkers ogling him as he walked through the office, and wondered if she’d subjected Jeremiah to the same treatment.

  “These are for the most beautiful woman in the world,” G said, turning the flowers in his hands. “Do you know where I can find her?” He sniffed the freshly cut roses.

  Dasia felt her cheeks flush at the compliment. She’d intentionally had the woman at the front desk send him back to rub his good looks in her co-workers’ faces. She didn’t know what about this man made her feel like a schoolgirl whose crush noticed her for the first time, but she liked the feeling.

  “And who might the most beautiful woman in the world be?”

  “Why, you of course.” G handed her the bouquet of roses and watched her eyes light up with delight. From her reaction, she must not have received flowers from a man in a very long time.

  G still felt the stares of the women on his back. He enjoyed the attention, but he was ready to have Dasia all to himself. “So, m’lady, are you ready to eat?”

  “Yes. Just let me tell my boss I’m leaving.” She picked up the receiver and relayed the message, then grabbed her jacket. She slid her arm through G’s, and they made their way through the tunnel of stares and out of the office.

  As they settled into the back of the car and the driver pulled away from the curb, G turned to Dasia and asked, “What was that all about?”

  Dasia stared out of the window watching the happy couples and their children play on the sidewalks. She didn’t want to talk about her reasons for putting him on display, but she felt he deserved an explanation. “I’m sorry. It was childish of me. I’v
e been feeling insecure all day. I just needed them to see that I haven’t let what Jeremiah did to me completely ruin my life.”

  G hadn’t thought about how Dasia was going to feel returning to work as Ms. Warrington and not Mrs. Delpriore. He didn’t know what kind of relationship she had with her co-workers.

  “Care to talk about it?”

  She looked to be on the verge of tears. He held her hand and hoped she wasn’t really going to cry. Each time he saw the pain in her eyes, he became angrier and angrier with Jeremiah. G hoped he never crossed paths with the man.

  “Can we wait until we get something to eat? I’m starving.”

  G narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you eat breakfast?”

  “No.” Dasia lowered her head. She really had intended on eating breakfast, but she’d gotten up late, and by the time she’d gotten dressed and out of the door, it was too late to stop.

  G handed her a mint from his pocket as he spoke. “I’m not going to lecture you. I know you’re a grown woman, but you need to start taking better care of yourself.”

  “I know. It’s just this whole thing has my mind messed up,” she replied, rolling the mint around in her mouth. The peppermint had already begun to ease the hunger pains.

  “Shh.” G shushed her with the gentlest of touches to her lips. “I understand life gets hectic sometimes, still, your health and happiness should always be a priority.”

  Dasia understood what he was getting at, and she fully agreed with him. She needed to start focusing her energy on her life and stop worrying about making everyone else happy. That started with taking better care of herself both physically and mentally.

  The couple rode in silence the remainder of the drive to the restaurant, each contented with just sharing the silence with the other.

  G fought the urge to just blurt out his feelings. He wasn’t sure what had come over him since meeting her. For some reason she was always on his mind. It didn’t matter if he was working, eating, or sleeping, she was always there, invading his thoughts every waking moment of his day.

  Having her this close was a blessing. He watched her suck on her bottom lip. He imagined how it would feel to have her lips against his. He wanted so much to touch them, taste them, but it was too soon. He’d wait until she was ready.

  Dasia turned to stare into his gray eyes. She looked as if she wanted to say something but didn’t quite know how. Before she could build up enough nerve, the car rolled to a stop in front of the restaurant.

  “I guess we’re here,” Dasia said, still gazing into the clear gray eyes staring back at her.

  G slid out of the car, offering Dasia his hand to help her out. She intertwined her fingers with his, and he led her into the quaint little Creole restaurant.

  “Mr. Guatreaux, so nice to see you again.”

  “Hello, Tobias. This is Ms. Dasia Warrington. Dasia, this is Tobias.”

  Dasia extended her free hand to Tobias. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” Tobias kissed the back of her hand. He then turned to G. “Would you like your usual table, Mr. Guatreaux?”

  “That will be fine.”

  G and Dasia followed Tobias to a table in a far corner of the restaurant, a relatively empty section. There was only one other occupied table, where two men sat passing papers back and forth to each other.

  G didn’t give Tobias a chance to place the menus in front of them. He turned to Dasia. “Do you mind if I order for the both of us? It’ll be quicker.”

  “No. Go ahead.”

  “Bring us my usual.” He again turned to Dasia.

  “Is tea okay with you?”

  Dasia nodded.

  “And tea and water for the both of us.”

  Tobias scribbled down their orders. “Anything else I can get you?”

  “No, that’s all.”

  “I’ll be back in a moment with your drinks then.” Tobias abruptly turned on his heels and made his way down the long walkway they’d come up.

  “So, how is being back at work?” G asked, directing his attention back to Dasia.

  “It’s weird. I mean, no one really knows what to say or how to act, so they’ve all just been avoiding me.”

  He understood how she felt. She just wished things could go back to normal. She wanted the world to be the way it was before all of this happened.

  G gave Tobias a moment to place their drinks on the table and walk away. “It’ll get better. Things are just as awkward for them as they are for you. No one wants to offend you, so the easiest thing for them to do is to give you some time and space. They’ll come around. You’ll see.”

  “But I feel so alienated, so alone.”

  “You’re not. You have me, and you have Katina, but most of all, you have you. Take this time to reconnect with you. You’ve given yourself to so many people for so long. What have you given to yourself?”

  “You’re right. Still, I’ve never been alone before.” She’d always been at Jeremiah’s beck and call, nipping at his heels like a puppy dog.

  “Didn’t I just tell you that you’re not alone? I’m here if ever you need me, and if you can’t find me, then you can call Katina. We’re all here to help you through this, but you have to let us.” G covered her hand with his. “Understand?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  The two made small talk for the next few minutes as they waited for their food to arrive. When it finally did, Dasia’s mouth watered as the aroma of the jambalaya tickled her sense of smell.

  “Are you secretly trying to fatten me up?” She scooped a spoonful of jambalaya into her mouth and savored the spicy sausage and rice.

  “No. I just think you should be healthy, and right now you and I both know that you’re not.” G took a sip from his tea and gave a seductive smile to his lunch date.

  “You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you.” He placed the glass on the table and grabbed his fork. “I’m just concerned about you.”

  “I kinda got that from Katina.” Dasia continued to eat her food while she waited for G to comprehend what she’d just said to him.

  “Really? So you’ve been talking to her. What secrets about me has she revealed to you?” G didn’t like where this was going. He suspected his sister was going to butt into his relationship. It wasn’t just what Dasia said to him, it was the way she said it that made him more than suspicious.

  “None, but I got the feeling she doesn’t approve of me getting involved with you unless I’m sure of what I really want.”

  “And what is it, Ms. Warrington, that you really want?”

  “Please call me Dasia, and right now I’m not sure. I was so sure I wanted to marry Jeremiah, but now that it’s over, I don’t know in what direction I want my life to go.”

  “Do you believe you deserve to be treated right?”

  Dasia glanced over G’s shoulder at a couple entering the restaurant. She recognized the man with the leggy female. What were the odds they’d end up in the same restaurant with Jeremiah Delpriore? He was the last person on earth she wanted to see right now. Scooting a little to the right, she released a sigh when the waiter took the couple in the opposite direction.

  “Dasia, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?” She focused again on the gentleman sitting across from her.

  “I asked if you thought you deserved to be treated right. You sure you okay?” G didn’t like the far-off look in her eyes or the rigid demeanor.

  “I’m fine, and as far as your question goes, yes. I know I deserve to be treated right, though I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to trust my heart to anyone again.”

  G didn’t want to hear her say that. He was hoping that, in time, she’d open her heart to him, allowing him to give her the happiness and security in love she deserved. He needed to know where her mind was. He knew deep in his heart she was his soul mate; he jus
t needed to convince her of it. If she was open to trying love again, even if it was down the road, then he knew he had a chance, but if Jeremiah had hurt her so much that she’d just given up, then he’d have to make some decisions of his own about how to handle the situation.

  “But are you open to trying?”

  “To be totally honest with you, I think eventually I’ll be open to trying to make a life with someone. I just don’t know how long it will take me to get there.”

  Relief washed over him. As long as she had hope, so did he. “I appreciate you being honest with me, and I’m glad you’re honest with yourself.”

  Once they’d each finished their meals, they headed back to Dasia’s job.

  As the car rolled to a stop in front of her building, G asked, “Did you have a good time?”

  “Yeah. Our lunch was the best thing that’s happened to me all day.” Dasia really didn’t want to go back up there, but she didn’t have a choice. She’d really had a good time, even if it was just lunch.

  “Maybe we can do it again sometime?”

  “I’d like that,” she replied with a schoolgirl smile.

  “Would you like for me to escort you back up to your office?”

  “That won’t be necessary. I’ll give you a call later.” Dasia stepped out of the car and closed the door.

  G watched the seductive sway of her hips as she made her way into the building. He felt his body react to the thought of him caressing her curves. He quickly calmed himself, knowing there would be plenty of time for him to seduce her in the future. First though, he needed to win her confidence and her heart.

  After instructing the driver to return him home, he spent the thirty-minute drive plotting how to make Dasia give him a chance to love her.

  Chapter 8

  For the next few weeks Dasia enjoyed keeping company with G. He came by her job every day to take her to lunch, and they’d gone to the movies and dancing this past weekend. She slowly warmed up to the idea of him being a constant part of her life. She found herself thinking of him throughout her days and dreaming about him at night.