Second Time Around

by Darrin Lowery

  “Sounds to me like you need to find out what happened between the time that the deal was closed and the forty minutes that they cancelled the deal. It also sounds like you are due an explanation . . . face-to-face, if you can manage it.”

  “Face-to-face, huh. Not on a conference call?”

  “If it were me, I’d do it face-to-face. You can hide emotion on a conference call. Body language in person is something altogether different.”

  “Hmm. I like the way you think.” Mr. Harris took a sip of his drink. “Those little motherfuckers do kind of owe me an explanation.”

  “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you think you were losing your edge?” Darren sipped his drink and took a puff of his stogie.

  “Well, Mr. Howard—”

  “I thought we agreed you could call me Darren.”

  “We did. I also thought we agreed you would call me Vaughn.”

  “You’re right, I did. So, Vaughn, what happened?”

  “Well, Darren, I have to admit . . . the phone call that I took, it was from her. It was from the new lady in my life. I put off a multimillion-dollar deal to talk to my woman on the phone. I’ve never done anything like that before. I never even did anything like that when I was married.”

  Mr. Harris finished his drink and got up to pour another.

  “Sounds serious.” Darren got up and had a second drink himself.

  “That’s just the thing . . . it is. I love her. It hasn’t been a long time and I already know that I love her.”

  “Well, time has nothing to do with it. You can’t put a timetable on these things. If you feel it, you feel it, you know?”

  “Yeah, but . . .”

  “But what?”

  “I can’t help thinking that it’s hurting my business. When I took her call, my chief advisor and my board of directors, my lawyers—hell, everybody—gave me these . . . these looks.” Mr. Harris took a long sip of bourbon.

  “And what did you see in their faces as you looked at them?” Darren asked.

  “Fear. Lack of confidence. And on some faces, jealousy.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Yeah. I’ve never seen those looks before from my people.” Mr. Harris downed another drink.

  “Let me ask you a question, Vaughn. If you didn’t get this deal done, would your company go under?”

  “No.”

  “Is there any danger of your company going under any time soon? I mean, is your company in any trouble?”

  “No.”

  “How are your stocks?”

  “Stronger than ever in a failing economy.”

  “So let me ask you another question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How did not making this deal happen affect them?”

  “They would have seen nice commissions across the board by the beginning of next quarter.”

  “So this deal would have fattened their pockets then, huh?”

  “Yes. Yes, it would have.”

  “And on their faces, what was it that you said you saw again?”

  “Fear, lack of confidence, and jealousy.”

  “Because you acted improper?”

  “Because I acted irregular. Because my actions that day were . . . uncharacteristic.”

  “Hmm. One last question.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re still the boss, right?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Fuck ’em.”

  Mr. Harris laughed. Darren laughed as well. The two men sat back across from one another and talked. Darren began first.

  “Vaughn, you’re in love. There’s nothing to apologize for. Now let me ask you something. Could that phone call have waited? What would have happened if you let your phone go to voice mail?”

  “She would have left me a message and I could have called her back later.”

  “So why did you answer the phone?”

  Mr. Harris took another drink and another puff on his Cuban.

  “Man, look. I just . . .” Mr. Harris started to say something and then he stopped.

  “You just what?” Darren said, smiling.

  “I don’t know how to say this. I just wanted to hear her voice.”

  Darren laughed a little.

  “Man, you got it bad.”

  Mr. Harris laughed.

  “Yeah, yeah, I do. Putting off multimillion-dollar deals to talk to my woman? Yeah, I do.”

  The two men continued to share a laugh.

  “So what did she want?”

  “That’s just the thing . . . she didn’t really want anything. She just wanted to hear my voice and you know what?”

  “What?”

  “I don’t mind.

  “Well, Vaughn, it sounds to me like you have something really special there.”

  “I do. I do. She keeps me grounded, she makes me humble, and when I’m with her, I just want to be a better man. I can’t wait to see her, I hate it when she leaves, and not a moment goes by that I don’t think about her. I fact, she’s on her way here now and I can’t wait till she gets here. Darren, man, what should I do?”

  “Hold on to her, Vaughn. Hold on to her and never let her go.”

  “That’s your clinical advice?”

  “Yeah. That, and next time let the phone go to voice mail.” The two men laughed again. “Listen, your subordinates were probably worried about you. Actually, they were probably worried about them and how your being in love may affect them. You’re in love. Never apologize for that, but take care of your business. This is just new territory for you, that’s all. It doesn’t sound to me like you’re losing your edge. It sounds to me like you are gaining a new perspective.”

  “Once again, I like the way you think. So what do you think I should do about the Japanese?”

  “Go see them.”

  “In person?”

  “In person, And you know what? Take the little lady with you,”

  “You think so?”

  “ I think it will be a trip of a lifetime.”

  “My man,” Vaughn said, smiling. “I like the way you think. Any other advice?”

  “Find out why they changed their mind and if it was something that you did wrong, learn from your mistake.”

  The two men finished their cigars.

  They finished their drinks and Mr. Harris gave Darren a blank check. He looked at it with confusion.

  “What do I do with this?”

  “Right now, nothing. I plan to pay you for coming out here today. But I have a personal ritual that I do with people close to me; people I trust. I only trust six people in this world and each one has one of these from me. It’s a show of faith. It’s a show of trust. It’s simply a blank check.”

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

  “There’s nothing to say. It’s a token. It just means that I trust you, that’s all. If you ever need to use it, feel free. Chances are I’ll get you another one.”

  “These other people that have these checks, have they ever cashed them before?”

  “One person has. It was my minister. He needed to give fifty grand to build a homeless shelter.”

  “And you didn’t trip?”

  “No, I didn’t trip.”

  “What if I wrote a check for a million dollars to myself?” Darren was joking when he said it.

  “Well, if the bank cashes it, I guess you would have a million dollars. Chances are, however, that one of my accountants would catch it first.”

  “I would never do anything like that. If anything, I might frame it.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. I just wanted you to know that I trust you and hey man, I’m grateful for your help.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  The two men shook hands again and Vaughn’s driver took Darren home. He went home and took his clothes off and got ready for bed. Before going to bed, he pulled his cell phone out to place it on the charger. When he looked at his phone, he had a text message. It simply had one word.

&nbs
p; YES.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Earlier that day, Korie was out on the east side of town meeting with the Chicago rapper Goldie. He was purchasing a loft apartment and wanted help decorating it. Korie had been recommended by a friend of the rapper, so Goldie decided to give her a shot.

  Korie had been on a roll with business and was seeing more and more clients each day. She finally had to consider getting an assistant because business was so good, and she was also looking at getting commercial office space rather than working out of her home.

  These were suggestions by Vaughn and they were suggestions that she didn’t take lightly, considering how business-savvy he was. Vaughn had friends who began throwing work Korie’s way, and they had friends as well. Korie moved from helping people decorating their homes, to also decorating businesses, nightclubs, and even churches. Business was booming and not just because of whom she was now dating, but because Korie had a true talent that was beginning to shine.

  She traded in her economy car for a BMW. Although she didn’t accept favors from Vaughn, she did allow him to call a friend of his to work out the financing on her BMW. Because she was self-employed, some dealerships were “skeptical” about selling her a car. Her credit was not great, but it wasn’t bad either. The fact that she had been out of work and self-employed for so long, made it “challenging” to get the car she wanted and the financing she wanted, even though it was obvious that she could make the payments.

  Because she was working with a more elite clientele, Korie needed to step up her game. This too was at the suggestion of Vaughn. He explained to her that she couldn’t sway the minds of customers who had personal tailors, while she was still shopping off the rack at department stores. Korie resisted this notion initially, stating that she wasn’t trying to be something she wasn’t, but she understood Vaughn’s point. She understood that sometimes you have to fake it till you make it.

  For Korie, this meant buying items one piece at a time and one outfit at a time. Vaughn, of course, offered to buy Korie whatever she wanted, but she refused. She didn’t want to give up her independence. She also wanted to remain grounded while she dated him.

  She did, however, take the occasional gift, jewelry or a memento that he would give her, but she explained that anything outside of their courtship was unacceptable. Instead, she bought her own items that she thought would help her image, one outfit at a time. Sometimes this meant that she would have to wear the same outfit to see twelve different clients, but she wore the hell out of those outfits and she wore them well. With the clothes and the car came a new air of confidence.

  She felt more confidence getting out of a BMW to see a client than she did her economy car. Her clients began to give her looks of confidence as she stepped out of her car to meet them. Her clients seemed to look at her with admiration as they saw her in outfits by Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Chanel, and Valentino.

  Many of the clients recommended by Vaughn were impressed with her personal style from the moment they saw her. This gave her professional suggestions more credibility when she suggested ideas that were simple or not the norm.

  The more clients Korie saw, the greater her reputation. Her portfolio was growing and growing fast. Korie marveled at the turn her life was taking. Five years ago she would have never imagined that she would be where she was today. She would have never dreamed that she would be working for herself and rubbing elbows with the city’s elite. She never knew that life could be lived like this. Once upon a time she simply wanted a simple life. She was beginning to think that years ago she was simpleminded. Then she thought of him.

  I wish he could see me now, she thought.

  Korie pulled up in front of a set of loft condos in the south loop of Chicago. Where these lofts stood, once were projects, the fabled Cotton Club of Chicago, and one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. Now with gentrification, south Michigan Avenue boasted shops, salons, grand churches, businesses, and multimillion-dollar lofts.

  Korie pulled up and looked at the building where she was scheduled to meet her client and thought to herself, I wish I had the foresight to buy property down here when it was still the projects. She got out of her car and headed to the doorbell panel. She rang it and a voice on the other end answered.

  “Who’s this?”

  “Uh. It’s Korie Dillon, I’m here to meet with Goldie.”

  “Okay, come on up.”

  The loft the rapper was buying was one of the smaller lofts for sale. He was buying it as his second home and somewhere to relax while in downtown Chicago. He explained that he wanted it to be a home away from home. Korie took one look at the place and explained to him that it could be so much more.

  The loft was 2,800 square feet. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a world of possibility. Rather than look at it as a home for the rapper to sleep, she thought it would be the perfect place to entertain guests, shoot music videos, and meet and greet with clients.

  Korie pulled out her laptop and showed the rapper other condos, lofts, and homes that she helped to decorate. She told Goldie that her vision for his place was a combination of all the places she ever decorated.

  She told him that she wanted all the hardwood floors resurfaced and waxed. She explained that the living room area should have a bar and the atmosphere of a small nightclub. This way, he could have small, private parties; if he was ever out and a place was closing, he could take the after-party to his house.

  She also explained that he could always shoot video scenes here, and what better place to have models audition for his videos than his place? What better place for video footage, than a live video from his home? Goldie was feeling her every suggestion. He sat and listened to her attentively like she was one of his managers. By the time Korie finished with her presentation, Goldie asked her would she ever consider decorating movie sets or music video sets. Korie explained that she had never done anything like that before, but she would indeed consider it.

  Blessings and opportunities continued to come Korie’s way and with each opportunity, came a windfall of money. Korie was realizing her dreams. Dreams that once upon a time, she didn’t imagine could be a reality.

  She walked up and down the loft and continued to make suggestions. As she and the rapper and his managers were deciding on what to do with his outdoor deck, her phone vibrated in her purse. She smiled to herself because she knew it was Vaughn. Her breath was almost taken away when she saw the text message.

  IS THIS STILL YOUR NUMBER?

  -DARREN

  Are you fucking kidding me? This is what Korie thought as she looked at the screen. She looked at it a few times, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming any of this.

  “Ms. Dillon? Ms. Dillon, are you okay?” Goldie asked.

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just got news about my next appointment, that’s all. It’s a cancellation.”

  “Oh. Well, good, I guess that means you can give me more of your time.”

  “I’m all yours for at least another hour. Let me text my client and inform him that I got his message.”

  “Okay.”

  Korie wasn’t sure how to answer Darren’s text. She wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to respond. Here she was just getting him out of her system and like a typical man, he came back and infected her with his presence the second she thought she was immune. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but she knew she had a client waiting. Figuring the best thing to do was keep it simple, she wrote a small answer and hit SEND.

  YES.

  She then went back to her client.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next weekend came and Darren dialed Elite Escorts. He was looking forward to seeing Stephanie and explaining to her that he was okay with things going back the way that they were. He knew that things had gotten way out of hand and he needed to keep things simple. He needed to look at things as his client looked at things: He paid for a service and the woman provided that service.

  D
arren realized that he had a problem, but was not a willing participant to simply give it up. Like an addict he still wanted the drug, and just like an addict, he decided that he needed to wean himself off, or to simply cut back. There were two modes of thought here. One, he would slowly wean himself off of Stephanie and the escort service entirely and two, he would consider pursuing Korie, his ex. She invaded his thoughts a lot these days and he couldn’t help himself. Since she was the only thing on his mind, he assumed she was meant to be with him.

  He liked the idea of still seeing Stephanie. He liked the way things went with her. Sex, the activity, and everything was at his will; his choice. The fact that Stephanie had such a great personality was just a bonus. He decided he would have the best of both worlds. He had Korie’s number. If she wasn’t fat, married or had a bunch of kids, he could court her again and start over; start fresh. Their relationship could pick up where it left off and they could go where their relationship originally was destined to go. Hell, with the money Darren was making, he figured they could even start thinking about a family.

  He would have his cake and eat it too. He would sex two beautiful women; one whom he still obviously loved anyway, and the other whom he had no obligation to. A woman he could leave any minute without reason or argument. It was the perfect situation.

  Now all he needed to do was get in touch with Korie. He sent her a text.

  I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU.

  He wasn’t sure how she would respond, but being a therapist, he knew that it would simply take some time. She would need time to adjust, time to figure out what it was that she wanted to do.

  He was sure she wouldn’t be single. He was sure that she would want to see him again. Even if she had another man, because of the bond that they once shared, she would be conflicted; she would meet with him, she would have to. Part of this was his arrogance speaking. The other part was his experience. No man could know Korie like he knew her. No other man could offer her what he could.

  Darren thought that he was fit, educated, nice looking, and now paid. He made three times as much as the average African American man. Korie would think about all that he had to offer and she would call him. She had to. This is what he told himself. He closed his cell phone after sending Korie a text and got himself ready to go to work. He was seeing five clients today, one of which was pro bono.