* * *
“Yes, silly! I’ll be leaving in a few minutes. I’m still wrapping your present. Before you even say anything, I know I’m a procrastinator!” Candy laughed.
“Hurry up! I can’t keep this cocoa hot all night. You’re taking too long,” Gabriel said impatiently as he finished off his own mug.
“I’m your hot chocolate. You’ll be OK,” Candy teased.
“Now see, if I would’ve said that, you’d have balled your face up and said I was treating you like some fetish,” Gabriel laughed.
“You’re probably right, but right now you’re wastin’ valuable time,” Candy snapped and laughed.
“I’m watching the clock. Come on, it’s Christmas Eve. I have a great evening and a wonderful day planned for us. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll be there before you know it.” Candy hung up the phone and looked around erratically for the cellophane tape she had misplaced. “I know I had it on this desk!” she said out loud as she moved about in a sea of red ribbon and leftover wrapping paper. “What? Is that the damn doorbell? It’s 10:00 at night!” she stammered in the darkness of her foyer, making her way to the front door. She turned on her front yard light and peered through the small diamond-shaped window of her front door. Her mouth became suddenly dry. She snatched the door open, placing one foot onto the threshold and blocking the entrance with her body.
“Why are you here? What do you want?” Candy said, exasperated. “Why can’t you get it through your head that I don’t want you?” she yelled.
Quentin shoved his hands into his black leather jacket pockets. “Girl, it’s cold out here. Can I come in?” he said with a wide grin.
“No,” Candy responded, crossing her arms and grimacing. “What are you still doin’ in town? The party was over days ago.”
“You know I have family here. I was just visitin’. I have a flight out in a couple of hours, but wanted to stop by and chat with you for a second.”
“Well, you’ll be late. You’re at my house instead of the airport on the second busiest day of the travelling season. You’re an intelligent man. Surely you know the meaning of ‘not interested.’ Candy stepped back inside and began to close the door. Quentin squinted, his pupils dilating as he placed his hand firmly on the door.
“I’ve got some very important information for you, Candy. I don’t think you wanna close that door in my face,” he said sternly.
Candy sighed. “What is it? More games?”
“Oh, this is no trick. It concerns Mr. Justice.” A sly smirk formed across his face. Candy stared at him, her heart no longer beat. Time stood still. Every noise in her ear was suddenly amplified. She opened the door wider, allowing him to come inside. She stood at the door, closing it as he slid his jacket off and laid it on her dining room table. Quentin rubbed his dry hands together and smiled. “Aren’t you gonna offer me a seat?”
Candy licked her lips and looked down at her hardwood floor, then back up at him. “Have a seat, Quentin,” she said quietly as she sat across from him.
“What about refreshments?” he asked as he sat down, admiring her new artwork.
“Please, just get to the point,” Candy said as she shook her head in disbelief and crossed her arms.
“Very well.” He looked her up and down slowly before speaking. “I know that you and Mr. Justice are in, shall we say, a relationship.”
Candy swallowed deeply. She tried desperately not to react to his words. “Yes, a business relationship.”
Quentin laughed. “Don’t try to play me. I saw you two kissin’. I followed you over to his house!”
Candy felt like she’d been hit in the gut. “That was one little kiss after a night of drinking,” she stuttered. “That’s not a relationship.”
“Well, I think this picture on my cell phone may prove otherwise,” Quentin said as he held up his cell phone, showing a close up of Candy and Gabriel in a lover’s embrace.
“Yeah,” Quentin grinned. “I followed you that night to talk to you, to try to make you see that I was sorry and wanted a second chance. Next thing I know, you’re pullin’ up into some fancy driveway, so I wait. I wanna see this “gorgeous ocean” that can make a man with swag like me look like a – what did you say? – ‘dirty rain puddle.’ Imagine my surprise when I see none other than Gabriel Justice kissin’ all over you and shit. At first I thought it was just a friendly gesture, you know, the hug – but then when he jammed his tongue down your throat I realized that this man was after my woman. Men are hunters, Candy. We have to eliminate the competition, regardless of the costs.”
Candy stared at Quentin, seeing nothing but evil in his eyes. “With everything you put me through, why do you even care who I’m with? You showed me in more ways than one that I shouldn’t be with you, with all the games you played and the lies, the countless lies, and the constant emotional abuse. I can’t believe you have the nerve to even be here right now and do this to me. You did me a favor by leavin’ me for your ex. I realized I deserved better than what you were doin’ to me. Don’t you have a conscience?”
Quentin rolled his eyes. “Please. If telling you the truth about your damn self is emotional abuse then consider me guilty. You deserved some of the things I had to tell you. You know it’s true. I know I messed up at the end, and that’s why I’m here. I take responsibility.” Quentin raised his hands in the air and smiled. “Anyway, I know that should anyone find out, both of you could lose your jobs. Now, with Mr. Justice being so high-profile and makin’ all that loot, I doubt that he wants to give up his good gig for an ex-chubby little Black girl he tapped a few times. So with that said, I suggest you do what you need to regarding Mr. Justice, or I’m gonna have to make a couple phone calls. Now, I know this may seem harsh to you, but I know that you and I are supposed to be together. One day you’ll thank me for this.” Quentin looked across the table at Candy as he folded his hands and winked.
“I can’t believe this,” Candy uttered. Her body began to tremble.
“Are you cold?” Quentin teased. “You’re shakin’ like a leaf. I guess Mr. Justice isn’t keepin’ you warm enough at night.” He licked his lips. “I remember when I kept you warm. You liked it too. I can still hear you callin’ my name.”
“Shut up!” Candy looked across at him, fighting tears of anger. “What do I have to do for you not to mess up his life?”
Quentin smiled. “Now you’re talkin’. Finally, some cooperation. Well, like I said, for starters, you need to end your relationship with him. After you take care of that within twenty-four hours, you’re gonna agree to go out with me so I can woo you back. You have to gimme a second chance. It’s sad that I have to resort to this, but…”
“Yes, it is sad. It’s very sad that you’d blackmail someone to date you and then threaten to ruin her life as well as another person’s if she doesn’t. You don’t care that I don’t love you, that I don’t want you. You’re a very, very sad man indeed!” Candy screamed as she stood up.
“I suggest you lower your goddamn voice! Who the fuck are you talkin’ to like that?” Quentin said as he rushed over to her. He stood over her with his finger in her face. “Don’t yell at me, Candy. You did this to your own damn self. You’re the one fuckin’ the boss, not me. That shit’s extra. I mean, I’m not racist, but he’s a cracker too! Ain’t no way he’s handlin’ that right. He doesn’t even have the equipment unless you’re lookin’ at his checkbook. I saw you two kissin’ ’n shit at his house. It made me sick you fuckin’ sellout, white man’s whore.”
Candy’s face froze. “So now, on top of being a liar, a cheater, a harasser, and hearing impaired, you’re a stalker? I’d never go out with you!” Candy leapt out of her chair.
“Fine.” Quentin smiled and pulled out his cell phone. “Hello, I’m sorry it’s so late. This is Quentin Evans, Director of IT for Blue Sun. May I speak to Mr. Carpenter?”
“OK!” Candy blurted, hearing the Vice President’s name.
Quentin
smiled. “Oh, never mind, I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I was calling about a service outage, but it appears it’s back up and running. Sorry again for the disturbance.” Quentin hung up the phone.
Candy quickly wiped a tear from her eye before it had the chance to fall. “If you love me so much, you wouldn’t do this. This isn’t love. This is wrong.”
“We can argue over the definition of love for an eternity. I know that with time, you’ll come around, but I have to get that investment from you. Now, I’m gonna go ahead and leave and let you enjoy the rest of your evenin’. I want you to think about what you need to do. I’ll follow up with you this time tomorrow night. I’m going to fly back home, but I’ll be back in a few days. I have to be in town for a meeting, and I’d like to spend New Year’s Eve with you, so don’t make any plans.” Quentin stood up and grabbed his jacket. As he slid it on, he looked Candy up and down again, slowly.
“I can’t wait to get into those panties again,” he added.
“You can forget that!” Candy yelled, trying to resist the urge to smack him across his face.
“Oh, I will. Funny how you let a damn slave master fuck you, but you wanna give a brotha a hard time. I should be the one not wantin’ to touch you! You’re a damn disgrace! Time for some big Black dick again to restore what was almost ruined.” He laughed as he headed towards the door. “Have a good night.” He waved cheerfully as he left, back into the cold. Candy watched as he got into his rental car and drove away. The temperature in her house seemed to drop 20 degrees. Her whole body shook from head to toe, her teeth chattering. Her cell phone vibrated. She looked at the text message and rubbed more tears from her eyes.
Baby, where the heck r u? Forget the present 4 me, just cum xoxoxoxo
Candy hesitated, then replied:
Sorry for the delay. Had 2 take care of something. I’m on my way.
* * *
Candy’s hands shook like hula dancer hips. Barely able to keep herself together, she punched in Gabriel’s security code and waited for what felt like an eternity for his wrought-iron gates to open. She drove up the winding driveway and parked. Walking briskly to the door, she quickly pulled out her key and let herself inside. Sighing with relief, she stepped into the foyer. She felt something crunch under her foot. Looking down, she noticed hundreds of white rose petals lying atop a burgundy runner that led into Gabriel’s grandiose office. Tears rolled down her face as she heard music playing. Listening closer, she recognized the song was “My First Love” by Keke Wyatt. She smiled as the tears continued to roll down her face. Her winter-white pant suit flowed with each step she took until she reached Gabriel’s office. She stood in front of the large, mahogany door, then slowly turned the knob. She stood by the door, looking at Gabriel. He sat at his massive desk, partially blocked by a black and golden globe custom made from Paris. Placing his fingers together in a steeple position, he smiled at her, his eyes glowing.
“It’s dark in here,” Candy uttered nervously. “I can’t see you well.”
“You’re standing too far away. Come closer and have a seat.” Gabriel pointed to the chair in front of him. She walked slowly over and slid down into the chair. The smell of Balsam fir filled the room.
“Why are you acting as if you’ve never seen me before,” he joked. Candy gave a half smile and looked away.
“I’m glad you’re here. I was worried about you. It’s not like you to be late. I wouldn’t have been so impatient if I hadn’t had a nice night planned for us. I hope you took your caffeine because you’re gonna be up late,” he laughed. Candy continued to look away and remained silent.
“OK, now you’re starting to scare me. What’s wrong, Sweetheart?” Gabriel asked, reaching over the desk and caressing her hand. Candy slowly pulled away.
“Gabriel, we have to talk,” Candy said, looking down into her palms.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead nervously. “Well, we haven’t been exactly careful the last few times and…”
“No, no. I’m not pregnant.” Candy gulped and looked down into her sweaty hands that she now was wringing.
“Well, then what is it?” Gabriel asked, his forehead wrinkled with concern.
“Gabriel, this is so hard for me,” Candy sighed as tears slowly ran down her face. “We, we can’t continue.” Gabriel handed Candy a tissue and stood up, shoving one of his hands in his jean pocket.
“What do you mean?” he stuttered. “Did I do something wrong? Tell me, and I’ll try to make it right,” he said, his voice cracking.
“No, you did nothing wrong. I just think…I just think that our relationship isn’t a good idea. We just shouldn’t have done this.” Candy refused to make eye contact.
“Two hours ago you were excited to see me, to spend this evening and Christmas with me. Now you’re doing this again instead? Are you crazy? After all this time, all these months that have passed, all the shit I put up with to show you how much I love you and gain your trust, and you’re still bringing this up? You can’t be serious.” Gabriel shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m serious, Gabriel. I want to remain your friend and…” Candy sobbed.
“Remain my friend? Remain my friend?” Gabriel yelled, punching his desk. “Please tell me this is a joke! This must be a bad dream,” he said as he looked into the palms of his hands before slicking them over his hair.
“I do care for you and love you. It’s for that reason that I’m doing this. If we weren’t – if you weren’t, I mean – my boss, then things may have been different.” Candy choked out the lie. It burned coming out. She doubled over as her heart ripped into shreds with each word she uttered.
“You know,” Gabriel said with a smirk as he calmly sat back down. “You weren’t saying this was a mistake when we were making love. Or maybe to you it was just fucking. When I said I wanted to fuck you, it was a figure of speech, not literal. I see that you meant it the other way around. Was it a mistake before or after the Tiffany jewelry I gave you? Was it a mistake before or after I let you into my life and allowed you to meet the most important person to me. Was it a mistake before…”
“Gabriel! Please stop!” Candy cried out.
“No, I won’t fucking stop! Was it a mistake before or after the weekend in Florida, before or after I told you I was in love with you? When were you so sure it was a damn mistake?” Gabriel rubbed his forehead. The vein in his neck protruded as he continued to yell, the hurt in his eyes multiplying as each second passed. “I’ve been nothing but a game to you, a toy, some kind of experiment! This is some sick ego booster for you, right? Get your boss to trip over himself falling in love with you, then pull the rug right out from under him – on Christmas!” Gabriel looked at the clock. It was a minute after midnight.
“Gabriel, no, it’s not like that at…”
“Just shut up! Don’t say my name. Don’t say another word to me. Gimme my key and get out.” His eyes burned with such intense rage that she couldn’t bear to keep his gaze. She reached into her purse and took out the spare key he had given her, setting it gingerly on the desk.
“Candace, you made a fool of me,” Gabriel said evenly. “You’ve taken my heart and stomped on it. You’ll never hear from me again. Don’t worry about any professional repercussions. We’ll be strictly business, and I’ll have as little contact with you as possible. Matter of fact, I’ll assign a new reporting manager to you after the holidays. I’m not going to beg you to reconsider again. At this point, the fact that you’d erase what we had like this, after all we’ve created together, shows me that you’re soulless, confused, and selfish. The fact that you could do this to me, the only man besides your father who ever gave a damn about you, proves to me that you really don’t want a good man at all. You want trash. You look for excuses to run from real love back into the arms of bullshit. Maybe if I was cheating on you and lying to you you’d feel more comfortable with me. Maybe if my skin was darker, hmmm? Oh,
I know!” Gabriel smiled, his eyes wild with pain. “If I was hitting you, getting drunk and high, or pushing you down some stairs causing you to lose your baby, you’d want me then!”
Candy leapt up from her chair. “How dare you! That’s not fair! How could you say something like that to me?”
“Don’t talk to me about fair, Ms. Benet! What’s not fair is you walking into my home, keeping me waiting for three hours just to drop this bombshell. You could’ve unloaded this shit on me days ago, better yet, months ago! Instead, you let me do all of this planning tonight, inviting my family over tomorrow so you can meet them, doing all this shit for you, only for you to put the final nail in your coffin of games. You played me. You lied to me. You used me. Get the fuck out of my house.” Gabriel looked away from her in disgust and waved his hand.
Candy’s tears felt hot against her face. The world became surreal right before her eyes. She turned to walk away, then hesitated. Her back still towards him, she quietly said as she sobbed, “I’m sorry.”
Gabriel listened as she exited the front door. He stood up and turned off the CD player which echoed throughout the house. He sat back in his chair, folding his hands together. After a few minutes of contemplative silence, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Opening it slowly, he looked down at the five-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring. A small tear formed in his left eye. He quickly wiped it away.
“I had a solution to our little problem, my sweet Candy. I wanted to make you my wife. I love you so much, I wanted to do it the right way, the way you’d want it done. I wanted you to never be afraid to trust again. Little did I know, you were the one who couldn’t be trusted. I was the one who needed protection.” He took the ring out of the box and examined it closely before returning it. He tossed the box in the bottom drawer of his desk and ran his fingers slowly through his hair. He stayed that way until sunrise before walking up to his bedroom and slowly locking the door behind him.
I Want Candy Page 31