Unexpected Interruptions

by Trice Hickman

  “Girlfriend, he’s interested in you. I can tell by the way he looked at you this morning. He tried to hide it. He’s good, but I’m better because it didn’t slip past me. That black coffee comment took the cake, pardon the pun.”

  Victoria thought about what Denise had just said. Her other friends had all voiced the same opinion too, and they’d said it was because of the way Ted had looked at her. “Denise, I don’t think Ted’s interested in me. Actually, I got the impression he’s gay.”

  Denise nearly lost her balance. “Are you crazy?”

  Victoria spelled out the same rationale she’d used on her friends, making Denise shake her head. “Girlfriend, Jen would’ve told me something like that. She’s his right hand and she would know. That man is not gay.”

  “I know she’s your girl, but do you think Jen would really tell you something that private about Ted?”

  “Yeah. When she worked for Lamar Williams she told me some things about that man that I’ll carry to my grave. Jen knows who to trust. She’s clever. That’s why Ted kept her on in that position instead of bringing in someone from Asco Systems. She knows where the bones are buried.”

  Victoria shook her head. “Well, he may not be gay, but there’s something about him that I can’t quite shake.”

  “Yeah,” Denise said with a smile, “it’s called attraction and denial.”

  Cross The Race Line...

  Victoria thought about her conversation with Denise all afternoon. Along with her mother and Tyler, she highly valued Denise’s opinion. Denise had the kind of smarts that years of formal education couldn’t match. She had common sense, and as her mother always said, common sense wasn’t that common.

  Victoria trusted her own judgment, but she knew that she wasn’t wise like her mother, or intuitive like Denise, or crafty like Tyler. But she was smart and she approached things from a logical position. That’s why she found it hard to believe that after having several conversations with Ted, she hadn’t picked up on what everyone else seemed to think.

  She’d been around the block enough to know when a man wanted more than just casual friendship. And she knew the signs all too well: a lingering glance, an innocent brush against the body that was too close to really be innocent, suggestive banter, and straight up mackin’ as Tyler would say. But Ted had done none of those things.

  Gnawing at the forefront of Victoria’s thoughts was the question that Rob had asked—was she dismissing Ted because he was white? She’d always thought herself to be open-minded, but in her romantic relationships she’d only dated black men. From the lightest hue of beige to the darkest shade of onyx, they’d all been black. It was her requirement . . . period!

  She felt it was a betrayal to cross the race line, and didn’t want to become another contributor to the decline of the black family unit. She knew that on some level her views stemmed from her own dysfunctional family background, and the painful memories that still lingered from her past. And despite all her success, good looks, and friends and family who loved her, sometimes she still felt like that seven-year-old little girl who sat at the edge of the stairs one night long ago, and lost herself.

  This Was A Sign. . .

  Victoria sped down the street through Friday afternoon rush hour, barely zipping past the traffic light before it changed to red. She’d had a busy week and she was on her way back to the office from an off-site meeting, rushing to make it in time for her appointment with Ted. She’d hoped to meet with him earlier in the week, but to her disappointment Jen had called and told her that his schedule was full, and that his first available appointment wouldn’t be until five o’clock Friday afternoon. She’d been stressed all week just thinking about how she’d break the news to him. Why are you acting like this? You don’t owe Ted Thornton anything, she kept telling herself.

  “Damn!” she hissed as she came up to another light. This time it turned red before she could squeak through. She sat there, impatiently waiting for it to change to green when she saw someone familiar at the other side of the intersection. It was him! Mr. Gorgeous!

  His light changed and she watched as he rolled through the intersection and past her car. It was as if he was driving in slow motion as she took in the moving details: the serious focus etched on his face, his lips moving as he talked on his cell phone, his left hand on the wheel as he steered his truck through traffic, his eyes focused on the road ahead. She craned her neck to watch him as he eased down the road and eventually out of sight. She didn’t flinch another muscle until she heard the horn of the driver behind her, signaling that the light had changed.

  Victoria knew this was a sign. She didn’t know who he was, where he was going or what he was doing, but she knew that seeing him meant there was something great ahead. This wasn’t just a coincidence, this was God’s way of telling her that he’d heard her prayer and he was on the job!

  Incredibly Sexy...

  Victoria made it back to work just in time for her meeting with Ted. She rushed up to his office, only to find herself waiting because he was running late. She’d come dressed in her favorite Adrienne Vittadini suit. The fitted jacket accentuated her slim waist, and the pencil skirt hit just at her knee, showing off her shapely calves. The outfit gave her bold confidence, exactly what she needed in order to give her resignation speech.

  She looked down at her wrist and noted the time, it was five-thirty. She’d spent the last half hour sitting in the waiting area outside Ted’s office, fantasizing about Mr. Gorgeous. But now she was starting to get antsy. Even though her only plans for the evening included a trip to the library to do research for her business plan, she didn’t want to spend any more time at ViaTech than she had to.

  She glimpsed over at Jen, finding it hard to believe that she and Denise had gone to school together and were the same age. While Denise’s smooth skin, bright eyes, and exuberant smile defied her forty years, Jen looked fifty if she looked a day. Mother Nature had dealt the slim brunette a devastatingly low blow, and years of sun worship had given her skin the look of well-worn leather. But despite her declining beauty, she had a smile that was pleasant enough to put even the most disagreeable person in a good mood.

  Victoria was about to ask how much longer she’d have to wait when Jen’s phone rang. She spoke quickly, then hung up. “Victoria, you can go in, he’s ready to see you now. Have a good weekend.” And with that, Jen turned off her computer and began to gather her things.

  Ted rose from behind his desk to greet Victoria as she walked through his door. The sight of her brought a smile to his face. “Please come in and have a seat,” he said, ushering her to the chair in front of his desk. “Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s been a killer week and I miscalculated my time.”

  “I understand. You’re a very busy man,” Victoria replied, shifting her weight in the hard leather chair. “Ted, I’d like to pick up where we left off on Monday. As I said, I appreciate your support . . . ”

  “Excuse me,” he gently interrupted. “I didn’t want you to continue waiting, but I have one final report from the New York office to review. It should only take a few minutes. While I’m finishing up, I’d like you to take a look at the proposal the marketing department sent over for the SuperNet convention next June. Do you mind?”

  Victoria was a little hesitant at first, but SuperNet had always been one of her favorite events since her early days in the marketing department, and she was curious about what kind of show ViaTech had planned for the upcoming year, even though she wouldn’t be there to see it. “Sure,” she said, taking the documents.

  They both concentrated in silence. Victoria examined page after page of the proposal, while Ted took the opportunity to inspect her without having to use discretion. He’d purposely set their meeting for as late as he could at the end of the week. He knew that ViaTech was like a sinking ship on Friday afternoons, with everyone scrambling to desert the deck. And that was good because he didn’t want anyone around. He wanted to have private time with Victor
ia so they could talk free of any unexpected interruptions.

  Victoria was engrossed in her reading, so Ted waited for her to finish. He inhaled her seductive perfume that filled the air. After his small slip with the coffee comment, he’d beaten himself up the rest of the week. He couldn’t believe he’d let his desires flow like a running faucet. He knew it was time to seriously think about what he was doing with this woman.

  He was certain it would be inappropriate at the least, and possibly detrimental to his career, to risk getting involved with a colleague. It was something he had never done in his entire life. He’d known many powerful men who had been brought down because of office romances that eventually turned into ugly public scenes, and in some cases, sexual harassment lawsuits. Over the years he’d perfected the art of zoning out potential hazards like lips, hips, and other essential female body parts . . . between the hours of nine to five. Looking at women outside the office was one thing, but at work it was nothing but business. His wife had taught him how dangerous it could be to get involved with the wrong woman. But despite his forewarned knowledge, Ted found himself exploring Victoria’s entire body whenever he had the opportunity.

  He loved her spirit and energy. She was ambitious, but not ruthless, kind, but not a pushover. He thought back to the week he’d come on board at ViaTech. He had reviewed the personnel files of several people in senior level positions in the headquarters office because he wanted to assess the company’s leaders. When he looked into Victoria’s file, his interest was piqued. She’d received outstanding evaluations and had earned several employee achievement awards for exemplary performance. Her academic transcripts showed that she’d graduated in the top of her class from both undergraduate and graduate school. She was smart, a quality that he found incredibly sexy.

  At the end of the week he’d made it a point to show up unannounced at the HR department’s senior management meeting. He wanted to see Victoria Monique Small in person because even on paper, she’d intrigued him. When he walked into the room, everyone sat on edge in their seat except her. He spotted her right away because she was the only black person in the room. In her personnel file, African-American was circled under ethnicity, so he knew this had to be her. But what he hadn’t expected was the feeling that came over him when he saw the beauty of her face and felt a sudden pounding of excitement in his chest. He took a seat in the back of the room so he could observe her from a distance. It was at that moment that he knew he had to have her.

  “Hmmm,” Victoria said, interrupting Ted’s thoughts.

  He put down his document; he hadn’t been reading it anyway. “So, tell me what you think about our plans for SuperNet?”

  “I think they’re terrible. It’s boring, unimaginative and unoriginal . . . should I go on?”

  Ted pushed his papers aside, giving Victoria his full attention. “Please do.”

  “Well, where should I begin?”

  “From the beginning.”

  Victoria explained, in detail, the flaws of ViaTech’s plans for SuperNet, from the layout and placement of products in their booth, to the overall event theme and ineffective use of company personnel. “That’s it in a nutshell,” she concluded.

  “That’s quite an assessment. Tell me what you would suggest to make it better.”

  Victoria jumped at any opportunity to plan an event. She described her concept of a sleek, hip, sales-oriented theme for the company’s presentation, and explained how they could streamline the most cost effective use of promotional incentives for the event. “You need bait to reel in fish,” she said, leaning over and sitting the proposal back on his desk.

  Ted smiled. He moved the proposal to the side and picked up a blue folder in front of him. “Please, let’s have a seat over there”—he motioned toward the other side of the room—“it’s much more comfortable.”

  They walked over to the buttery-soft leather couch. Victoria tried to be patient as she took her seat, but the clock was ticking and she still hadn’t discussed her resignation. After they settled into comfortable positions, Ted handed her the folder. “What’s this?” she asked.

  “The EMP nominations. Since we didn’t announce them today, I’d like your department to post them first thing Monday morning.”

  Victoria opened the folder and read its contents. Her name wasn’t on the list. “You knew I wasn’t going to change my mind?” she said, looking over the list of nominees.

  “Yes, I did. And I wanted you to read the SuperNet proposal for a reason.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I knew you’d be able to give a critical assessment. SuperNet is our industry’s biggest event, so we have to step up our game and find fresh and creative ways to bring in new customers.”

  “I agree,” Victoria nodded.

  “We need big results, so I’m making big changes this year. Instead of the sales and marketing departments running the entire show, I’d like to make you an instrumental part of the planning team for SuperNet.”

  “What?” Victoria was momentarily at a loss, completely surprised by his proposition.

  “This does fall under your purview of special projects, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes . . . I participate in SuperNet every year, but I’ve never been involved in the actual planning.” Victoria felt a jolt of excitement.

  “It’s a project that will involve a lot of work, but I know you can handle it. SuperNet is eight months away, which will creep up on us before we know it. Victoria, I’d like your help. What do you say?”

  Victoria’s creative juices had begun to flow the minute she started reading the proposal. She loved the idea of planning a hip, creative presentation for the telecom industry’s party of the year, and an added bonus was that her talents would be showcased on a national scale. This would be yet another project she could add to her growing portfolio of work. And the timing was perfect because SuperNet was set for the second week of June, which meant she could coordinate the show and still resign as she’d originally planned. This opportunity was almost too good to be true, which also made her curious. “I’m flattered, but why me?” she asked with suspicion.

  “I know you’ll deliver the results I’m looking for. One of the qualities of a good leader is knowing people, and knowing how to maximize their strengths. I see your strengths.”

  Victoria leaned in close to Ted and was a little surprised when he didn’t move . . . not even an inch. “Like I said, I’m flattered. But tell me, why are you doing this for me? There are a lot of smart, talented people in this company. I’ve learned that from the SME report I just completed. I know I’m smart and I know I’m good, but why choose me?” No matter what his answer, Victoria had already decided that she wouldn’t resign until next June. She’d take on the SuperNet project.

  Ted knew he could make up a politically correct statement and talk under and around his feelings, but instead he chose to tell her the truth. He leaned in even closer—now they were only inches apart. “I chose you for all the reasons I’ve already stated, plus . . . I like you, Victoria.”

  She searched his face, and she could see that he was being honest.

  “Victoria, I’ll also be very involved on this project because the success of SuperNet is one of my top priorities.”

  “So we’d be working together?” she asked.

  “Yes. So, what will your answer be?”

  Victoria extended her hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” she smiled as Ted eagerly took her hand in his.

  He breathed a sigh of relief that she’d accepted his offer. He’d spent all week trying to figure out how to persuade her not to resign. Finally, after diligent background work and a few conversations with Jen, he’d discovered that Victoria’s forte was event planning, and that over the years she’d organized nearly all of ViaTech’s social functions. He knew that SuperNet would be right up her alley. “I’m glad I can count on your help. I’ll be out of town next week, but I’ll have Jen schedule a meeting for the following week so
we can get the ball rolling,” he said.

  Victoria looked at her watch. “It’s almost six-thirty, and I need to get going, besides, I don’t want to cut into your evening plans.” She stood to her feet, preparing to leave.

  Ted shrugged, “I’ll be here the rest of the night.”

  “All work and no play will make you a very dull boy,” Victoria teased, waving her finger at him as they shared a slow and easy laugh. “I hope you have a fun weekend planned since you’re spending your Friday night here at the office.”

  “No, nothing exciting, unless you’re into running. I usually just hit the treadmill at home or at the gym, but I’m taking the time to get out this weekend for a nice nature run.”

  Victoria looked Ted up and down, sizing him up. “You’re a runner? Wow, so am I.”

  His face lit up. “I’ve been running since my high school track days. I’m a distance man. Cross country’s my thing. There’s nothing like getting fresh air into your lungs.” Ted paused, then went out on a limb. “I’m going for a run over in Sunnybrook Park tomorrow morning, why don’t you join me?”

  “I haven’t been for a run over there in ages. It’s a beautiful area.”

  “Well then, it’s settled,” he said with a smile. He couldn’t believe how easy this had been. “I have a morning meeting at nine, so is seven okay for you?”

  Despite her slight hesitation, Victoria accepted. “Seven sounds good.” They quickly exchanged cell phone numbers. “Call me if you can’t make it,” she smiled on her way out.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

  Chapter Seven

  The Same Perfect Page...

  It was six forty-five when Victoria arrived at Sunnybrook Park, fifteen minutes early. The air was cool and crisp; the perfect fall weather for an early morning run. Sunnybrook Park was an eye-catching landscape of lush greenery and rugged trees. As she pulled into the lot adjacent to the park, she saw that Ted’s car was already there. She parked beside him and sat for a minute with the engine running.