by Anna Black
Kendell pulled out of the driveway and headed for the airport. The ride was kind of quiet, not too much conversation. After they checked in, they sat in silence, waiting to board. November pulled out her cell phone and dialed home. Tracy picked up on the third ring, and from the sound of his voice, she could tell that he had gone back to bed, so she didn’t keep him long.
The flight was horrible. November was not used to flying, so she got airsick and threw up all of her meal from the night before. When they got to the hotel, she was more disappointed to find out that their so-called client had reserved only one room and the hotel was booked to capacity.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said to the clerk.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. I’m afraid we are totally booked, but your room is a suite with a pull-out sofa bed, and there is plenty of room for two,” the nice clerk explained.
November turned to Kendell. “No way can I stay in the same room with you.” Tracy would drop dead if she told him that. She turned back to the desk clerk. “I understand, but I am a married woman, and I can’t stay in the same room with him,” she said, pointing at Kendell.
“I know, but there is nothing available. I can put you on the waiting list, and I can call around for you.”
“Please, because I need my own room. I don’t care how much it is, just please find me a room.”
“I will, ma’am. Just go up, and I will call your room when I have something.”
“Please. Thank you so much,” she said.
When they got on their floor, November was impressed. The hotel was beautiful. When she walked into their suite, she was more impressed. It was huge, and it had everything. The tub was so big she could swim in it.
“Listen, November, I can get another room. This is a room fit for a queen, and you should stay here.”
“No, that’s okay, Kendell. Trust me, I wouldn’t mind you sleeping on the couch, but I know Tracy would have a heart attack if he knew we only had one room.”
“I know, but I don’t mind finding another room.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out. I mean, this room is a gorgeous room and I don’t want to deprive you either.”
“It’s cool. If she finds another room, I’ll go. If not, I will have to sleep out here tonight and get something tomorrow.”
“Okay, but hopefully she calls with some good news because I can’t lie to Tracy.”
“Don’t lie. Just don’t say anything.”
“I don’t know, Kendell.”
“Look, handle it however you want. I’m gonna run downstairs and check out the lounge and have a drink. Do you wanna come?”
“In a few. I wanna call home first. I know I talked to Tracy when we landed, but I told him I’d call when we got checked in.”
“Okay, I’ll be in the lounge. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, much better,” she said. He turned to walk away, and she called to him, “Hey, Kendell.”
He stopped.
“Thank you for everything. I know if it had been the other way around, and you were blowing chunks on the plane, I may have acted as if I didn’t know you.” She giggled.
“No problem.” He smiled and left.
“Look, man, I told you she wasn’t gonna go for it,” Kendell told Tracy. “She is freaking out, and she doesn’t deserve to be under this type of stress, man. This is crazy. She’s got the clerk looking for another room.” He had called Tracy as soon as he got down to the lobby.
“What? She’s not going for the sofa bed deal?”
“Hell, naw. She keeps going on and on about not being able to stay in the same room with me and how she isn’t comfortable with it, man. I told you that this would never work.”
“It’s okay. I will call and talk to her. You just stay downstairs and wait for her.” Tracy hung up. He called November’s cell phone.
She answered on the second ring. “Hey, baby. I’m so happy you called.”
“Hey, my love. I see I missed your call a few minutes ago. I was changing TJ. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. I mean, I was until we got to this hotel. This asshole of a client only booked one room.”
“What?” he said, sounding surprised.
“Yes, and the hotel is freaking sold out.”
“How big is the room?”
“It’s an enormous suite. And it’s beautiful. I mean, this guy spent a pretty penny, but he could have saved his money and gotten two regular rooms.”
“So why are you stressing? It’s a suite, my love.”
“Because it only has one bed, Tracy. Are you on crack? There’s a let-out couch in the other room, but I want a room by myself.”
“I know, but Kendell is a standup guy, and I’m sure he’d take the sofa.” November was silent. “Are you there, Novey?”
“Yes, I’m here, but are you? Who are you and what have you done with my husband? You’ve gotta be an imposter. You mean to tell me that you would be okay with Kendell staying in the same room with me?”
“No, but I’m sure you know how to conduct yourself. It’s only three days, babe.”
“Tracy, are you high?” she asked.
“No.” He chuckled a bit. “No, I’m not high, baby. I’m fine. You just need to not worry and do your job and get back home.”
“Are you sure? Because the clerk is looking to find me another room somewhere else since they are all booked up here.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’d feel better if you were safe in the Big Apple, and if you are with Kendell, I’ll feel better than if you were in another hotel somewhere else in a strange city alone. That would make me more nervous than Kendell crashing on the couch.”
“Well, you have a point. I don’t know anything about this city. I’ll just see if they have something for tomorrow in this hotel so I can move to another room.”
“That sounds good. Just relax, baby, I’m good. I want you safe, and I trust you.”
“Okay, my love. I’m glad you called, because I was freaking out.”
“No need. Now, let me get back to our son and get him some lunch.”
“Okay. Kiss him for me and tell him that Mommy loves him very much.”
“What about his daddy?”
“Aww, you know I love you, big daddy,” she said, smiling. “I’m gonna meet Kendell downstairs. I will call you later, okay?”
“Okay, baby. Later,” he said, and they hung up.
Chapter Twenty-three
Tracy was scared that he may have pushed too much, but it was done. This was November’s final test. If she passed, he could relax and live worry free.
As soon as he hung up with November, he dialed Kendell.
“This is Kendell,” the other man answered.
“Okay, Kendell, it’s all good. She is going to stay. And this time, you’d better do exactly what I told you to do, because I know what Novey likes and I know what a man has to do to sweep her off her feet.”
“Yeah? Just like you did?” Kendell said sarcastically.
“Look, Kendell, you don’t understand, so enough with the sarcasm. I love my wife more than you’ll ever know. I just need to prove that, if given the right opportunity or the perfect chance, she will forget all about me and do what she will.”
“And if you are wrong?” Kendell asked.
“Then I can move on with my marriage, with no doubts.”
“I hope this gives you what you need, because any man in his right mind would not go to this extreme. If you have all these doubts, why did you marry her?”
“Because I fell in love with her. I honestly love my wife.”
“Whatever. I can’t wait until this bullshit is all over.”
“You just concentrate on our deal and stick to the program—”
“Gotcha,” Kendell said, cutting him off. “Look, November is coming, so I gotta go.” He hung up.
Tracy tossed his phone and prayed that November was the woman she’d vowed to be. It would kill him if she went ther
e with Kendell.
November went to sit at the bar with Kendell. “So, have you talked to this mysterious client yet?” she asked.
“Nope, not yet. Just waiting to hear back from his assistant.”
“Okay. Well, I talked with Tracy, and he is okay with you staying in the room with me tonight. But tomorrow, I’m still gon’ try to get another room.”
“That’s cool. What do you want to drink?”
“Hell, let me see. Are we going to be meeting with our client today?”
“Probably not. I don’t think he will be seeing us today. His assistant said sometime tomorrow.”
“Okay then. I’ll take a Long Island Iced Tea,” she said.
“All righty then,” he said and ordered.
They sat hours and talked and laughed and drank. It was after six when they decided to get a cab and go to dinner. They ate and talked some more, and he enjoyed her company. When they made it back to their suite, November insisted Kendell use the shower first, because she wanted to call home again.
Kendell came out to find November on the terrace. It was cold, so he grabbed his coat then two mini bottles of chilled wine from the wet bar. He went out and handed one to her.
“Pretty cold to be out here tonight.”
She took the bottle. “Thanks, Kendell. It is, but this place is amazing. I wish Tracy were here to see this.”
Kendell’s mood shifted. He did not want to talk about Tracy. He wanted to just hear about her. He wanted to talk to November without hearing a laundry list of great things about Tracy. He was the bad guy, and if November knew better, she’d leave his crazy ass.
“Yes, I guess it would be nice to be out here with your man,” he said drily.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kendell. I know I talk about Tracy a lot, but you have to understand that he is my husband and the first man I fell in love with.”
“So you mean to tell me that he is that good?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, when I’m around him, he seems so insecure. Like he is just waiting for me to cross the line so he can behead me or something.”
She giggled. “Tracy is just like that. He’s been like that for the longest, but trust me, he has gotten one hundred and ten percent better. He just thinks every guy wants me—or, I should say, he used to think that.” She moved from the railing and sat down.
“Well, if you were my wife, I’d think the same thing,” he said.
She smiled. “Well, Tracy used to be that way. But I guess now he realizes that it doesn’t matter what a man says or does; it’s how I respond. And he knows now that I love him and want only him.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said and walked over to the railing.
“So, Mr. Gordon, where is your special lady?”
“I don’t have one of those,” he said and took a sip.
“Why not? You are successful and a good catch.”
“I have lady friends, or girlfriends, whatever you wanna call it.” He shrugged. “I’m just not with the one I want. There are opportunities, but I’m looking for a certain type.”
“Well, keep in mind there are no perfect women out there.”
He turned to face her. “I know. I’m not looking for perfection, just a woman on a certain level with certain qualities.”
“Yes, I can understand that. I didn’t think Tracy would be interested in me when we first met, or even fall for someone like me, but he did.” She sipped her wine.
“What do you mean, November? You’re a beautiful woman.”
“Man, please. I am decent, though.”
“What’s wrong with you? What makes you think you’re just decent?”
“For one, my husband is handsome and fit and has the body of a god. I was a plain Jane when we met. You know, no glam and the thick sista, as they say, and the women who used to hang around Tracy were like drop-dead gorgeous. To be honest, I was a bit insecure, but after we started dating and hanging out, my confidence was boosted, and I stepped up my game. Not because I thought someone would take him, but I wanted to look like I was with him,” she explained. “Like you. You are very attractive, and I see how women respond to you, so if I were your woman, I wouldn’t just let myself go. I feel the same way with Tracy.”
“I know what you mean, but to me, you are a gorgeous woman, and in my opinion, Tracy needs to step up his game to hold on to you. My question after meeting Tracy was, ‘How in the hell did he get her?’”
“Whatever. That’s what you say now, but if I were single and available, a guy like you wouldn’t give me the time of day. Or, if you would have met me back then, you probably wouldn’t have noticed me.” She took another sip.
“Nope, that is where you are wrong,” he said. “You don’t recall me making passes at you when we first met? How you slapped the shit outta me for trying to kiss you?”
She laughed. “Yes, I remember. But that’s because I carry myself like the woman I want people to see me as, and I slapped you because you crossed some serious lines. If I had told Tracy, you’d be out here in the NY by yo’self.” They laughed.
“Yes, I was outta line, but for the record, Mrs. Stone, you are my type. I honestly can’t see you being less beautiful than you are now. Your husband has no idea what he has.”
“Oh, he knows.” She winked. She sipped her drink and turned to gaze out at the city.
No, the hell he doesn’t, Kendell thought.
They were quiet for a few brief moments, and then he went for more wine. This time, he brought bac a bottle and two glasses.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her a glass, when he came back.
“Thanks. I was wondering what was keeping you, but it’s so gorgeous I couldn’t bring myself to go and check.”
“Yes, I decided to get a bottle.” He sipped and then sat. “So, you wanna check out New York? It’s still early.”
“Sure, just let me shower and change,” she said.
While she showered, Kendell got dressed, hating that he wanted Tracy’s wife. The thought of her in the bathroom naked gave him an erection. He fantasized about holding her and making her insides sing. He wanted to feel her skin on his skin.
He shook it off and tried to focus on something else. When she came out to the living room area ready to go, he was speechless. She had on a pair of sexy jeans that framed her hips and ass perfectly, a low-cut sweater, and a pair of red high-heeled boots. She looked damn good.
“You ready to see New York?” he asked.
“I sure am.” She smiled brightly, and he wanted to kiss her right then and there.
“Then let’s do this,” he said.
* * *
When they got back, it was after two a.m. November was definitely wasted. She was singing and laughing at her own jokes, and she had Kendell cracking up. In the cab on the way back to the hotel, she had rested her head on his shoulder. When they got into the elevator, he had to help her stand up.
It wasn’t that she drank too much; it was that the two she’d had at the jazz club they went to were strong. She’d only had one weak-ass drink in the hotel lounge—that’s how she described it, saying, “this watered-down mess”—and wine in the room. And she hadn’t finished her refill.
When they got inside the room, she kept talking and talking, and Kendell tried to get her to shut up. It was cute and all, but she wasn’t making any sense. She told him about when she and her sister, April, were growing up and how everybody used to tease them about their names. He laughed hard when she said that April used to make the other kids think she was a witch and would threaten to cast a spell on them if they didn’t leave them alone. She told him that most of the kids were scared of April because they really believed that she had some type of powers. She told story after story until he helped her to bed.
He could have easily taken advantage of her the way her husband wanted him to, but he couldn’t.
Kendell removed November’s boots and put her to bed in her clothes. He stroked her cheek and br
ushed her bangs to the side and stood there for a few moments and looked at her face. He couldn’t resist giving her a soft kiss. Tons of malicious thoughts ran through his mind as he caressed her skin, but he cared for her too much to cross the line. He did give her one more soft kiss before he turned out the light and closed the bedroom door.
He went to the sofa but didn’t bother to pull out the bed. Instead, he grabbed the remote and tried to watch a bit of TV. He couldn’t concentrate, however, because he wanted too badly to go back into the room with November and just lie next to her and hold her. He rubbed a hand across his erection and tried to put her out of his mind. Finally, he got up and went for the extra blanket and pillow and forced himself to fall asleep.
Chapter Twenty-four
The next morning, the aroma of hotcakes and sausage woke November up. At first, she thought she may have been dreaming. She struggled to open her eyelids, and once she could focus, she saw the cart with silver dome lids covering mouthwatering platters of food.
“Good morning,” she heard Kendell say from the doorway.
She sat up. “What’s all this?”
“Breakfast,” he said.
“You didn’t have to do that, Kendell.”
“I know, but I did it anyway. So get up and come and put something in your tummy. Our client has arranged for us to enjoy some festivities today.”
“What? How are we here on business and no business has taken place?”
“Well, Mrs. Stone, I met with Mr. Reed early this morning, and it seems he is going to allow us to work on his new account and get back to him with some ideas. Since the meeting was so brief, he offered us a car for the day and wrote out a nice check for us to see New York.”
“So that’s it? We flew all the way out here for one brief meeting that I didn’t get to attend? I mean, I didn’t have to come.” She frowned.
“I guess I was just as surprised as you are.”
“I’m not surprised, Kendell. I’m upset. I mean, I’ve never been to New York before, but to leave my baby for three days is a little upsetting.”
“I know, November, and I know how hard it was for you to leave your son for these couple of days, but think of it as a little vacation.” He smiled.