by Cj Howard
However, the choice to skip another meal was not the best decision he'd made. The last thing Justin remembered of their night on the town was a spectacular show.
*
Justin awoke with a blistering headache. He was relieved to find that the drapes had been pulled in the night so that the sun couldn’t reach his aching eyes. He lay in bed trying to ease himself into the day and remembered how he got there the night before. He was relieved to find that he was in his own spacious room. He assumed his friends must have put him to bed.
As he lay there, his headache gradually subsided to a dull throb and he began to think more clearly. He realized that he was completely naked under the covers and was being embraced by a beautiful young black woman, whose arm was casually draped across his chest.
Out of shock, he jumped to a sitting position, surprising his unknown guest and setting off a piercing pain directly behind his left eye. They both stared at each other for a moment in complete bafflement. Justin was staring into the rich, brown eyes of a lovely woman with smooth, dark caramel skin and curled black hair spilling over her shoulders.
In spite of his alarm, his eyes swept to the skin partially concealed under the covers and he couldn’t help the arousal that stirred at the sight of the generous curves of her breasts, hips, and thighs. He had the advantage of a few more seconds of awareness and he saw a series of emotions in her eyes. When their eyes first met, there was an immediate, primal connection, but then her eyes widened into fright and alarm.
“Who in the world are… what am I… Oh my God…” Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the lush fabric of the covers, the high thread count of the sheets, the ornately embellished light fixtures, and the grandness of the entire scene.
Although the bed was enormous, it was obvious that they had spent the night sleeping naked together in the middle of the bed, cuddled together as if one being. Her eyes went back to what must be her lover, and then she saw the gleam of metal on his left hand. She looked more closely to make sure which finger it was on and, sure enough, it was a wedding ring. Not only had she woken up in the arms of a stranger, but this was obviously a married man. Not just a married man, but a married white man!
Panic washed over her as her mind darted to many fearful places. Would this man’s family find out about this? Why had she done such an awful thing? She never even entertained the idea of taking another woman’s man. She had always felt that she deserved better and she didn’t want to betray other women. Perhaps she had been a little judgmental and she felt sudden shame for having looked down on her friends who had helplessly fallen for married men. Maybe she shouldn’t have seen herself as something special and should have been more understanding of them.
Chantelle had always been a popular girl because, in spite of her firm convictions for herself, she had always been a supportive and fun friend. She tried to put herself in her friend’s shoes in every situation and to help out if they did get themselves in any kind of trouble. The one area where she had trouble relating to her friends was this very thing.
She had strong feelings about men who cheated and she had never wanted to be ‘the other woman’. Her mother’s experience had left deep scars, and Chantelle was dead set against any kind of affair. Yet here she was, suddenly looking into the blue eyes of a man with a platinum wedding ring on his finger, as she lay naked with him in his bed. She brought her hand to her mouth as she gasped, and then she felt the ring on her own finger. She looked down in shock to see a huge diamond ring that appeared to be set in a gorgeous, platinum setting.
Not only was there an engagement ring, but a diamond encrusted wedding band was nestled with it. She had never seen anything like it, up close. The ring must have been six carats! Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the ring.
Justin noticed the ring on her finger when she lifted it to her face and wondered at it. It looked just like something he would pick out, were he given the job to do it. At that moment, he noticed the weight of a simple band with one fine diamond, on his own finger. He, too, gasped and their frightened eyes met again.
Chantelle jumped out of bed. Her initial reaction in situations like this was to go on the offensive before she could be cowed by a situation.
“What did you do? Who are you? Is this some kind of joke? Are you one of those guys who puts drugs in a girl’s drinks?” She began storming around the room, clutching the sheet to her chest and searching the floor for her panties, dress, and bra. Unfortunately, they were scattered all over the room and she had to fly around the room, bending to pick up the articles of clothing.
Justin was still sitting in bed, in shock. His eyes followed her graceful jaunt around the room. Her hair swung on her bare back. As she bent to retrieve her clothes, the sheet would sway, revealing her leg. He tried to keep his mind in a logical zone so that he could figure out what was going on, but he could not stop the arousal that he continued to feel at the sight of her.
Even in her anger, there was softness about her face that gave him a feeling that this person must be a warm and caring individual. The tears welling in her eyes during her angry dash around the room, told him that her anger stemmed more from fear than from a hard heart. She bent again and he could see the roundness of her, and everything in him wanted to take a hold of her hips and delve into her.
He caught himself and almost moaned. He was rock hard just from watching this woman rant and walk around a room! This was not like him. Ever since his break-up with Candice, he had been quite aloof about women. Granted, he dated a lot of women, but Candice’s duplicity, gold digging, and infidelity had hardened Justin’s heart toward deep relationships with anyone.
Candice had been beautiful in a brittle, cold way. Ever since she came out as a debutante, she had been admired for her elegant charm and ability to hold herself above the throngs. At the time, Justin thought that her coldness was a veneer that she had developed to cope with the pressures of their world and society, with its rigid rules and fixed expectations.
Like Justin, Candice was expected to marry well to carry on the family’s social status. Candice and Justin had been thrown together from an early age. Justin’s warm-hearted and loyal nature allowed him to develop a bond with her that he took seriously.
However, Candice was merely following her father’s orders to marry the “right man” but she didn’t take the relationship very seriously. Once Justin discovered her true selfish nature, he ended the relationship. This greatly upset both families, but the unflappable Candice shook it off and began looking for the next suitable man who could be more easily manipulated.
Justin cleared his throat, coaxed away his arousal, and then stood up and went to Chantelle.
“Miss… ummm… I mean… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name. Ummm… please don’t be upset. I’m not sure what’s going on here.” Justin, usually articulate, stammered and tried to look reassuring.
Finally, the tears Chantelle had been holding back came to the surface and began to roll down her soft, lovely cheeks. She had tried to compose herself with anger, but the fact that this man didn’t even know her name completely threw her.
“I’m Chantelle.” She put her hand up to wipe the tears away, only to be reminded again of the ring on her finger.
Justin felt a sudden urge to protect and soothe this beautiful young woman. He couldn’t guess her age. Her skin and figure indicated that she was barely over twenty-one years old. But she had depths in her eyes that seemed to have seen more than her years would allow.
He walked to her cautiously, as if approaching a small, wild animal that he didn’t want to scare away. He picked up one of her shoes and handed it to her. He took the part of the sheet that had fallen to expose the swell of her breast and tenderly covered it with respect and courtesy. At this unexpected gesture, Chantelle turned her tear-stained face to his and gazed into his eyes.
In his eyes, she saw a compassion that she had never seen in a man before. She certainly hadn’t seen it in the eye
s of her father, who spent her early childhood abusing and cheating on her mother. She knew that there were decent men in the world and had even met some, but her guard was up because she never wanted to be hurt again. Still, something in Justin’s eyes soothed her.
“Thank you.” She spoke in a quiet voice while looking directly into his eyes for what seemed like hours.
“Chantelle, I’m so sorry that this has scared you. I promise that I won’t do anything to hurt you. If you would like to use the bathroom to dress, I will stay in the other room of the suite to give you some privacy. I want you to feel comfortable. If you would like, I could call a maid to assist you.” Justin was trying to think of anything he might do to ease her fear.
Chantelle recoiled at the idea of having a maid to help her, because she didn’t want anyone to see her right now. Somehow, she knew that she could trust this man not to take advantage of the situation they had found themselves in. She nodded her head and thanked him for his kindness.
She entered the bathroom and couldn’t help but stare in amazement. She had been in upscale hotels before, but this was beyond anything she had ever seen. A large sunken tub was surrounded by every amenity one could hope for. The room itself was larger than her aunt’s living room and kitchen together! She wondered at the wall of mirrors and then at her own reflection with the ring catching the lights of the room and reflecting them.
This ring couldn’t possibly be a fake. The brilliance of it showed that it was cut well, very clear, and practically perfect. In any other circumstance, she would have gladly filled the tub, turned on the jets, and lounged for hours. There were magazines, books, and a television mounted unobtrusively above the tub. There was even a mini bar with flights of wine and champagne, but Chantelle was in a hurry and she needed to pull herself together.
She let the sheet drop once the door was locked and saw the satiny dark caramel curves of her twenty-five year old body in the mirror. She had always valued her body and didn’t want to sleep around. She had been with boyfriends, but this was her first “one night” stand, and so far she was not pleased with herself. If she had made a conscious choice to do it, she could have dealt with it and moved on, but she still had no recollection of the events of the night that led her here.
She had gone to the club with her girlfriends to celebrate the completion of a final exam. Chantelle was the first one in her family to pursue a college degree. She made new friends in college, but also kept her friends from her childhood. This brought together a loving group of women from different backgrounds who supported each other through thick and thin, and Chantelle was the glue that brought them all together. Where had they all gone last night? She wondered if they knew where she was now.
She tried to recall what happened the day before. She had finished her exam with her friend, Kaya. Kaya was an heiress who was also relieved to finish the final exam that had been looming for months. Although Kaya was from an established family with a long history of perseverance and money, she decided that she wanted to make her own mark in the world by studying sociology.
Kaya’s family tradition was strong. They had soared out of slavery with entrepreneurial ideas and were strong advocates in the fight for equal rights through the generations. This intelligent family had achieved many monetary and civic accomplishments. Her father had tripled the family’s income by diversifying their businesses at the right time. Kaya led a very sheltered life, and so meeting Chantelle opened up an entirely new world for her.
Kaya and Chantelle fist-bumped as soon as they turned in their exams and strutted out of the testing room. Each girl had worked hard for months and quizzed each other until they had the answers firmly planted in their minds. Kaya whipped out her cell phone and spoke the names of the friends for a conference call.
“Janice, D’aja, and Cherlyn; it’s time to party! Give us an hour to break out our Christian Louboutins and hit the club!” Kaya barely gave them a chance to squeal their responses before she shoved her phone back into her Gucci bag.
Chantelle chuckled at the idea of owning a pair of Christian Louboutins, but she knew that her new five-inch heels would look great with the dress she had worn a few months ago to a friend’s bachelorette party. The cream-colored material did not stand out on its own, but its perfectly tailored lines hugged her curves and accentuated her skin tone, creating a striking and classic look that would turn heads in anywhere.
Unlike Kaya, she worked hard for everything she had and only barely got by with the help of her aunt.
Chantelle remembered picking up the other girls in Kaya’s car and heading out to dance. The dance floor was hot and the DJ had the speakers thumping. The girls ordered pitchers of drinks and Chantelle was losing track of how much of the sweet, colorful concoction she was drinking. The last thing she remembered was dancing with a beautiful man who had her sweating. She realized that the man had been Justin.
She shook loose from the memory and stepped into the shower. Even the shower shocked her with its luxury. There were multiple showerheads around the comfortably sized stall. Once she shut the beautiful glass door, she navigated the settings. She chose a soothing setting to begin the most comfortable shower she had ever had.
Again, everything she could want was there. There was a variety of shampoo, body wash, an exfoliator, lotion, conditioner, and essential oil for every type of skin and hair. She slipped on a shower cap and chose a lavender body wash. All of the products were tastefully arranged and easy to access. For a few moments, she forgot her worries and allowed herself to decompress under the warm water. After her shower, she rubbed on a smooth lotion and wrapped herself in the robe hanging from the door.
As she pulled the robe around her, she smelled a familiar fragrance. Somehow, without knowing why, it gave her a feeling of both comfort and excitement. She realized that the man in the other room had already used the robe. Without the stress of having him in the room, she allowed herself to feel the comfort of his smell close to her skin. She had a vague memory of sweet kisses swelling to passion, but it was all so distant and she couldn’t quite retrieve the memory, but she could not deny her response to the very scent of him.
*
Meanwhile, Justin had cleaned himself up swiftly in the guest bathroom off of the sitting room of the suite. He didn’t want to go back into the bedroom where his suitcase was because he had assured Chantelle that he would respect her privacy. He stepped back into the pants he had worn last night since he had grabbed them before leaving the bedroom. He buttoned up the pale blue shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He knew that he did not look like a man who had just inherited billions of dollars the day before. He was clean, but rumpled. The crispness of his clothes had worn off and he looked quite common.
He went back to the sitting room and heard the shower. He was relieved to know that Chantelle was comfortable enough to take care of her basic needs. Even though he didn’t know her, he was concerned for this beautiful woman who had a strange combination of strength and vulnerability in her gestures and in her eyes. He picked up a magazine and then set it down. He wished that he had grabbed his cell phone from the bedroom, but he didn’t feel right about retrieving it now. He looked out of the window and saw that the day was well under way, with tourists hurrying about the city.
His mind relived his encounter with his father and he felt his stomach turn with the idea that his father considered this trip to be his last connection with his ‘less than acceptable’ friends. He would be expected to go home, marry a woman like Candice, socialize with the right people, and work at the company’s business with no regard for his own personality or ethics.
He was contemplating his plight without realizing the time flying by, and so he was startled when the door opened and Chantelle emerged. She looked as fresh as a budding flower in her cream-colored dress. With a start, he stood up. Again, he felt that pull of arousal that he couldn’t seem to control around her.
“I’m sorry if I took too long.” Chantelle s
aid softly, looking about the sitting room. Again, she saw nothing but luxury. The coral colored upholstered furniture was both comfortable and elegant looking. The lighting was perfect and caused the polished wood of the tables to gleam.
“Certainly not. I hope you found everything you needed.” Justin hurried to her side. He couldn’t help taking her hand and looking into her fresh but worried face. “By the way, my name is Justin. I hate to tell you this, but I really can’t remember a thing about meeting you last night. To be perfectly honest, I considered making up a story that sounded better than that, but I feel that you have a right to know the truth.”
Chantelle blinked back a new surge of encroaching tears. She hadn’t considered that he might’ve forgotten the evening, too.
“I forgot…” She paused to staunch the new flood of tears. “I forgot what happened, too.” At that statement, she could no longer hold back the flood of emotion. Quiet tears spilled down her cheeks. Once again, Justin felt an overwhelming urge to make it all better for this beautiful girl who seemed to move him without even trying. “This isn’t like me!” She began to explain in a hurried, intense voice. “I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never found myself in a position like this before. I hate to ask you, but do you know where these rings came from?”
At this point, a jarring knock on the door made them both jerk their heads to see who could be so loud and jovial this early in the day. Before they could answer, Justin heard Sam’s voice on the other side of the door.
“Open up, mate! We want to congratulate the happy couple!” Sam’s singsong tone indicated that he was not at all confused about how the two ended up in bed together.