It was a hot and muggy Saturday evening in south Florida, and Victoria was standing in front of the mirror in her hotel room, getting dressed for dinner. She was at the end of her visit with Debbie and Rob. She’d flown down earlier that week, just in time for the arrival of her friends’ firstborn. Debbie gave birth to a fat, red-cheeked little boy. The pregnancy had been a breeze, but the twenty-seven-hour labor had been hell. Finally, cesarean section brought little Brandon Robert Long into the world. Victoria found it hard to tear herself away from her godson and made Debbie promise to send pictures every month.
As she slipped into her linen sheath dress and spritzed a small puff of Cartier behind each ear, Victoria thought about the night ahead. Ted was conveniently in Miami for a meeting at their ViaTech office and had asked her if she would have dinner with him. Even though she found the last minute meeting highly suspicious, she’d said yes. How clever, she thought. She had to admit that Parker had been right. Ted had been trying to get close to her all along. He knew what he wanted, and like anything else he desired to have, he waited until the time was right and went after it.
Later that evening, Victoria and Ted enjoyed a delicious meal together at an outdoor café. It was almost midnight before he escorted her back to her room at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He didn’t have far to go because amazingly, he’d managed to get a room there too—on the same floor. “It’s ironic that we’re both in Miami at the same time, staying at the same hotel, on the same floor,” Victoria said, giving Ted a knowing look as they walked through the hotel lobby.
“Yes, isn’t that something,” he smiled. “How about joining me for a nightcap?”
Minutes later, Victoria found herself in his suite, sitting on the sofa by the balcony. She tried to relax, giving him a nervous smile as he sat down beside her—no drinks in hand. “I thought you invited me over for a nightcap,” she said, even though she knew that wasn’t the real reason he’d asked her to come to his room.
“V, this is silly. We’ve been tiptoeing around our feelings for months. You know that I love you, and I know you love me too. You haven’t said it yet, but I know you do. And it doesn’t matter about race, or color, or anything else. When it comes down to it, it’s just you and me that matters.”
“You think it’s that simple?”
“No, but if you’re going through it with the right person it’s a hell of a lot easier.”
Victoria touched her palm to his face. She could feel the fine hairs along his jawline, which meant he’d need to shave in the morning. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things,” he winked.
“Parker’s coming home on Monday.”
Ted moved back, letting her hand fall from his face. “I know. What are you going to do?” he asked, looking down at the six inches of space that separated them.
“Have a long talk with him. I’m going to tell him about what’s been happening between us. Beyond that, I honestly don’t know.”
They sat in silence. Victoria looked at the clock. It was late, and she was growing tired. “I’m flying out in the morning, so I should get going.”
“Don’t go. Stay with me tonight.”
Victoria looked away. “Ted, you know I can’t do that.”
“I promise nothing will happen. I just want to sleep next to you and wake up with you in the morning, that’s all.”
Victoria knew this might be her last opportunity to be this close with Ted. Between Parker’s return in a few days and her resignation in a few weeks, their future contact was uncertain. She knew she shouldn’t do it, but her feelings for him made her say yes. She decided that if she could sleep in the same bed with Parker and abstain, she’d certainly be safe with Ted.
Lying in the darkness, he held her close, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfumed skin. Her body was warm and soft next to his. He tried with all his might, but he couldn’t stop the erection growing in the crotch of his pants. He was sure she felt it because she was lying spooned next to him. But she didn’t move. She just lay there—perfectly still, as though she were a statue. “I love you, V,” he whispered into her ear.
Victoria pretended she was asleep. But she heard him, and it made her heart beat a mile a minute.
I Wish I Had...
It was seven o’clock on Monday morning, and Victoria was waiting nervously at the baggage claim area. She’d taken the day off so she could be with Parker on his first day back home. She watched as passengers began to trickle in.
Yesterday she’d returned from her Miami trip, and today she was more confused than ever. She’d slept in the same bed with Ted, and although nothing sexual had happened during the course of the night, she knew that they’d entered into a new level of intimacy that rivaled anything she could have experienced with him physically. It wasn’t her body that he had penetrated, it was her heart. She loved Parker, but she loved Ted too, and she wished like hell she wasn’t stuck in the middle.
Her knees grew weak as Parker walked toward her with outstretched arms. He looked even more handsome than she remembered. His dimples were perfect, his smile was bright, and his sexy aura suffocated the air around her. He was wearing the khaki pants and polo shirt she’d sent him two months ago for his thirty-eighth birthday. He looked like he’d lost a few pounds, but his muscles still reflected those of a man in great physical shape. And his hair! His hair was a mop of heavy black curls.
He embraced her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around, legs flying in the air. His mouth couldn’t stop kissing her lips as she ran her fingers through the soft pile of silky cotton atop his head.
“Baby, I missed you so much,” Parker smiled, taking in Victoria’s dark capri pants and yellow halter top. He wanted to devour her on the spot. He knew he’d made the right decision by purchasing the two-carat diamond engagement ring before he left six months ago. And tonight, no matter how jet lagged he felt, he planned to make passionate love to Victoria, get down on one knee to propose, and wake up the next morning beside his new fiancée.
On the ride home they went by the bank, dropped off ten rolls of film at the photo shop, then made a quick stop by the hospital to let them know that he’d arrived back in town. Parker picked up several folders of paperwork to take home. Even though they’d given him a two-week hiatus upon his return, he wanted to get a jump on the work ahead.
After they arrived at his place, Parker and Victoria finished unloading his luggage and settled into his condo. “Do you want anything?” she asked, walking over to the refrigerator.
“What do I have?” Parker grinned, following her into the kitchen. He’d left it empty before his departure six months ago.
When Victoria opened the refrigerator he saw that it was fully stocked. She’d gone shopping for him last night. “I’m so lucky. You think of everything.” Parker wrapped his arms around Victoria’s waist and pulled her into him. He planted small, sweet kisses on her lips as he pressed her up against the counter near the sink. “Mmmmm, let’s make love right here,” he whispered, his familiar breath cascading over her mouth. “Let me show you how much I missed you,” he panted, gently sucking her earlobe.
He reached behind her neck, untied her halter, and began giving her breasts the same attention he’d given her lobe. His tongue assailed their targets, sending darts of pleasure through her body. Victoria felt the throbbing between her legs as she reacquainted herself with Parker’s heat, giving in to how much she’d missed his touch. He pulled off his shirt in one quick motion, rubbing his hardness against her leg. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, trying to put Ted out of her mind. She’d awoken next to him yesterday morning, and now she was dry humping her boyfriend on the edge of the kitchen counter.
“Parker, I can’t,” Victoria said slowly, trying to release herself from his embrace.
Parker leaned forward and pulled her back into him. “Okay, we can go to the bedroom,” he breathed heavily, already unzipping his khakis, ready for action.
She gently pushed him away and pulled the front of her top up to cover herself. “I’m on my period.”
After she stocked Parker’s refrigerator last night, Victoria had driven home with rumblings in her stomach and mixed emotions in her heart. She could still feel Ted’s breath on her neck and the weighted guilt that clung with it. She knew that after being away for six months, regardless of how tired Parker would be, he would want to make love. When she returned home her stomach was queasy just thinking about her predicament. Parker’s my boyfriend. I shouldn’t feel guilty about making love to him, she’d told herself.
But when she took off her clothes to soak in the bubble bath she’d drawn, she discovered that it wasn’t just her nerves that had her stomach twisted in knots, she’d just started her period. She wasn’t due for another couple of days, but her stress level apparently dictated changes. She was thankful that Mother Nature had stepped up and intervened. This, at the very least, would buy her more time.
Victoria tried to avoid Parker’s eyes. “My stomach is cramping. I started my period last night.”
“Oh, I thought you weren’t due for a few more days,” he said, like he’d been keeping track of her cycle in his PDA!
Victoria paused with surprise. She knew that being a physician, Parker was well aware of how to chart her twenty-eight-day menstrual cycle, but that he’d actually been doing it was a shock to her. She was going to question him about his mastery of her reproductive system’s schedule, but he looked disappointed so she let it go. He wanted her badly; she could tell because he cupped his hand firmly at the crotch of her pants, continuing to gently massage her between her legs. A crippling mixture of guilt and lust settled around her.
“Do you want some Motrin?” Parker asked in his professional doctor voice.
“Yeah, thanks.”
After Victoria took the medicine, she and Parker lay across his bed and cuddled. She ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. “I love your hair.”
“You do?”
“Yes, it gives you a whole new look.”
“I thought you liked me bald,” Parker said, kissing her on the neck.
“I do. But I like it this way too. Keep it like this for a while. It’s sexy,” Victoria smiled.
He stroked her hair, pulling her down on top of him. “I know I’ve made some really selfish mistakes. But I’ve had time to think about a lot of things over the last six months, and you know what I discovered?”
“What?”
“That without a doubt, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and being apart for the last six months made me realize that even more. Baby, I want us to take the next step,” he said, looking deep into Victoria’s eyes.
She looked back at him. “What do you mean?”
“We love each other. I don’t want anyone else, and hopefully you don’t either.” He paused. “I think we should take our relationship to the next level.”
Victoria spoke slowly. “What exactly are you saying, Parker?”
“I want to marry you.”
He waited. There was silence. She didn’t say a word, she just stared into his eyes as if she wanted to tell him something, but couldn’t.
Parker searched her face and saw something that he couldn’t place. “Baby, I know there are a lot of things going through your mind right now, and I know you’re still a little pissed at me, but we love each other and we’re good together. You don’t have to give me an answer right now. We’ll work things out,” he said.
Parker was exhausted from his travels and the disappointment of knowing that Victoria had doubts. Victoria was exhausted from her travels and the task of avoiding sex with the two men she loved. Their combined pressure was enough that they soon found themselves drifting off to sleep.
Several hours later, Victoria awoke to the sound of running water. Parker was in the shower. At the foot of the bed was a vibrant, red-colored traditional wrapper skirt, and beside it was a small gold box. She opened it to find a beautiful beaded necklace inside, with a note that read, With All My Love, Parker.
The water stopped running and Victoria sat up on the bed, holding the necklace in her hand. “Parker, this is beautiful,” she yelled toward the bathroom.
“You like them?” he yelled back.
Victoria was smiling from ear to ear as Parker walked into the bedroom, still damp in his nakedness. He was a sight to behold. Damn, he looks good! she thought. She blocked out the slight cramping in her stomach and began calculating what would be the better move: taking him back into the bathroom and making love to him in the shower so it wouldn’t be so messy, or dropping to her knees and taking him deep into her mouth. She was weighing her options until he got closer. Suddenly her smile went flat.
“I have another surprise for you, and I hope you’ll accept it as enthusiastically,” Parker said, thinking about the big, sparkling ring in the little blue box tucked away in his closet. He sat down next to Victoria on the bed. “And in three to four days, if memory serves me correctly,” he smiled, reaching down and rubbing Victoria between her legs, “I’ll give you a really big gift that I’m sure you’ll like.” He kissed her on her lips. When she didn’t kiss him back, he studied her face and saw her frown. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“You shaved off all your hair.”
Parker ran his hand over his freshly shaven scalp. “Yeah,” he grinned.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just like it better this way,” he shrugged playfully, grabbing Victoria around the waist and pulling her close to him.
“But I told you I liked your hair the way it was. I thought it made you look adorable.”
“You also said that my bald head was sexy, remember?” He tried to nuzzle her neck, but she moved away.
“I asked you not to cut it, but you didn’t even listen to me.” Her voice was getting louder.
“It’ll grow back in a couple of weeks. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me. You made another decision without even talking to me.”
“It’s my hair!” Parker shot back, staring at Victoria. He got up, opened his dresser drawer, slipped on a pair of boxers, and braced himself for the argument that was sure to come. He returned to the bed and sat down next to her.
Victoria stood up. “You’re right. It is your hair. But this really isn’t about hair. Sometimes you have to think of others before you do things. But it seems that you only care about yourself.”
“Baby, calm down. You’re just emotional because you’re on your period.”
Victoria drew in a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t patronize me. I know exactly what I’m saying and it has nothing to do with my period. This is about your need to control and inability to compromise,” she said, raising her voice.
“Okay, you want to talk about compromise, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about someone asking you to do something and you disregarding it completely.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Ted. That’s what I’m talking about. You’ve been spending time with him, even though I asked you not to,” Parker said, raising his voice to match hers. He was standing now too.
“You never asked me not to spend time with him.”
“But you know I don’t like him. He’s been tryin’ to get in your pants from day one. I told you that. But did you keep him at a distance? No! You’ve been having late-night dinners with him.”
“How do you know what I’ve done with him?” Victoria asked with boldness, feeling the pit of her stomach twist with discomfort.
“Phil and Gayle saw you two at Pano’s and Paul’s one night. He told me when he e-mailed me last month.”
“If he saw us, why didn’t he come over and say hello? We were just having dinner,” she said calmly, as though it were nothing.
“Are you fucking him?”
“What!”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” Parker let his
words trickle out with growing anger. “Are you fucking him? Is that why you won’t make love to me? Are you really on your period? Or is that just an excuse because you’ve been with him?”
Victoria couldn’t believe that Parker was speaking to her this way. Then it suddenly became clear why he kept rubbing the seat of her pants. Now her full anger came boiling to the surface. “You have so little faith in me that you think I would cheat on you?”
“Just answer the question.”
Victoria stood with her hands on her hips, her chest heaving up and down. “I haven’t fucked anyone except you in almost two years. So to answer your question . . . NO! But now I wish I had.”
Parker took a deep breath, shaking his head. “Victoria, you just got back in town yesterday from your trip to Miami. I just got back this morning after a hell of a long flight. We’re both tired and we’re both angry. This isn’t the time to have this conversation because we’re saying things that I know we’ll regret later. We need to talk about this after we both calm down.”
“You’re right. I’ll give you some alone time,” she hissed, storming out of the room.
Parker followed behind her. “Baby, don’t go. I’m sorry for what I said. Stay here tonight so we can talk.”
Victoria ignored his plea, grabbed her handbag and slammed the door behind her.
That night she thought long and hard about her relationship with Parker. He’d made another decision to do something without talking to her. Is that what married life with him will be like? she asked herself.
She thought about what he’d done. He knew she didn’t want him to cut his hair, so he’d waited until she was asleep to do it. The thought of him waiting until she drifted off, getting up, plugging in his clippers and shaving off the soft curls she’d briefly enjoyed running her fingers through, made her livid. But worse than that was the nagging question that rolled around in her head: she didn’t know if Parker had intentionally waited until she was asleep to do it, or if he’d just taken it upon himself to cut his hair simply because he wanted to. Either way, she knew his decision had been made with no regard for her wishes.
Unexpected Interruptions Page 30