“Is this one of your creations? I heard you were a fashion designer now,” Darcy asked, acid dripping from her voice.
“Why, yes. It is. Do you like it?”
“It’s…cute,” Darcy drawled. “You know I thought about going into the fashion biz, too, but I much prefer to work in something a little more serious.”
Beverly blinked, but before she had the chance to respond to that backhand slap, Darcy changed the subject. “So how’s David?” Darcy asked, casting a curious look over at Lucius. “Word is you two tied the knot right after college.”
“We did,” she confirmed. “And now we’re divorced.”
Darcy and her gang’s faces collapsed in mock sympathy. “Oh, I’m sooo sorry to hear that,” Darcy said. “Of course, I always thought that you two were an odd fit.”
Her girls bobbed their heads in agreement.
Beverly tensed, but then to her surprise, Lucius wrapped a supporting arm around her waist. She looked up into his smoldering hazel eyes while he smiled down at her.
“David’s loss is my gain,” he told the women without breaking eye contact with Beverly.
She smiled. Talk about a knight in shining armor.
Kitty, Natalie and Keri sighed while Beverly swore her body was slowly melting in Lucius’s arms. This was the closest they had been tonight; it was almost like being wrapped in a cocoon where she detected the faint scent of his aftershave mixed with his sinfully sexy cologne.
“Aren’t you Lucius Gray?” Darcy asked, stepping closer.
“Guilty,” he said, finally turning to look at Darcy. “And you are?”
“Darcy Woods—well, it used to be Knight.” Her smile was suddenly bright enough to rival the sun. “We met once at a, um…frat party.” She twirled a few strands of her hair around her fingers.
Beverly tensed as jealousy pricked her skin. Had Lucius and Darcy had a fling back in the day? One look and she could tell he was wondering the same thing.
“Well, I did attend my fair share of those,” he admitted.
“Mmm-hmm.” Darcy smiled like a sly cat with a secret. “At this particular party you had quite a bit to drink and I seem to remember you losing a bet to Terrence Franklin and you and Thomas Barrett had to shave your heads and streak through the center of campus.”
“Hey,” Beverly said, turning. “I remember that!” Her eyes widened, mainly because that night one of the boys shocked the crowd by being extremely well-endowed.
Lucius’s face darkened to a deep cranberry. “Ah. That night. Not exactly one of my most sober decisions.”
“Well,” Darcy said, swinging her gaze back to Beverly with contempt clearly written on every inch of her face, “looks like your lucky streak continues.”
Lucky? Beverly almost laughed in the woman’s face. There were plenty of ways to describe her, especially since she’d left college, and lucky wasn’t one of them. “I’d thank you not to presume you know anything about my life.”
“Hmmph. Well,” Darcy said as if she was suddenly bored, “it was good seeing you again. I’m sure that we’ll have time to play catch-up later.” She blew Beverly a quick air kiss and then ushered her three-ring circus away.
Beverly shook her head, stunned by how the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
“That was…interesting,” Lucius said, glancing back down at her. “How come I get the feeling that you two weren’t really friends?”
“Picked up on that, did you?”
He chuckled. “How about I get us a drink? You look as if you could use one.”
She could, actually. “Thanks.”
“Be right back.” He winked.
The moment his arm fell from her waist, Beverly’s body ached for its return. Again, a strange response to a man she hardly knew.
“There you are!” Kyra threaded her way through a throng of people and then popped up in front of Beverly and wrapped her in a brief hug. “You came.”
“As promised,” Beverly said, smiling.
“Good.” Krya looped her arm through Beverly’s. “Please tell me you’re having a good time.”
“So far so good.” She bobbed her head. “Except when I ran into Darcy Knight.”
“Oh!” Krya rolled her eyes. “I was hoping her invitation got lost in the mail.”
“It’s all right. We kept the claws in…kind of.”
Kyra’s smile exploded. “See. I knew that you could handle yourself. By the way, I love the new haircut and color.”
Beverly beamed. “Thanks, I had Clarence hook me up. I swear the man has magic hands when it comes to my hair.”
“Well, I think you look beautiful. In fact, you look like you’re positively glowing.”
Beverly’s gaze skittered across the room to the bar, where Lucius scanned a wine menu. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Do you remember a Lucius Gray?” The minute she asked the question she noted a visible change in her friend’s face.
“I, uh, yeah…used to play on the football team, I believe. Why?”
Beverly took another cursory glance toward the bar, but noticed Lucius was gone.
“And here we go,” Lucius said, suddenly appearing at her side and handing her a glass of red wine. “I hope you like pinot noir,” he added, chuckling and circling his arm back around her waist.
Kyra’s eyes widened. “You…two…know…each…other?”
Lucius turned and hit Kyra with one of his sexy deep-dimple grins. “Well, I don’t believe it. Kyra. Kyra Dixon.” He eased from Beverly’s side to sweep a startled Kyra into a brief hug. “Don’t you look lovely as ever?” He glanced around. “Is Terrence here, too? I can’t wait to see him and play catch-up.”
Kyra stiffened. “I don’t know how you could miss him. He’s over there with his big adoring fan club.”
Lucius’s brows lifted at her tone.
Kyra smiled weakly. “Um, can you two excuse me? I need to go check on something.”
Before Beverly or Lucius could respond, she jetted away from their small circle and disappeared into the crowd.
“Was it something I said?” Lucius asked.
Beverly shook her head. “No. It’s…a long story.”
He clearly picked up the hint and let the subject drop. Minutes later, Beverly and Lucius maneuvered through the crowd like a seasoned couple saying their hellos and reconnecting with old friends. Whenever anyone questioned how long she and Lucius had been dating, no one believed that they had only known each other a few hours. In some respects, even Beverly couldn’t believe it. There was definitely a connection between them. The only question was: what were they going to do about it?
“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Hollington’s annual homecoming weekend, and the tenth anniversary of class of ninety-nine,” greeted a voice over the microphone. “I’m Kevin Stayton…”
That was as far as he got before the room erupted into shouts and applause. Even Kevin seemed caught off guard by the response. He quickly put up his hand to quiet the group down and regain control.
“Thanks for that, but the reason why I commandeered the mike from President Morrow is to make sure that everyone is made aware of who is responsible for the important and complex job of organizing this weekend. As it turned out, the best person possible was selected. And she’s one of ours, class of ’99, y’all!”
There was enthusiastic applause until Kevin again signaled for quiet.
“Typical of her, and some of you will remember this from our undergraduate years, she doesn’t like drawing attention to herself. She works quietly behind the scenes but she gets the job done, as all of you will experience during the course of this weekend. Ladies and gentlemen, Chloe Jackson!”
Chloe didn’t move, and then someone took her hand and pulled her forward to be recognized. It was Kyra, using her small hands to encourage the audience to keep up the applause.
Chloe half raised her hand in a shy salute and quickly stepped back behin
d the president.
Lucius leaned close and whispered, “I wonder what that was all about.”
Beverly just shrugged. She remembered Kevin Stayton, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember ever meeting a Chloe Jackson, but she looked great up there and there was no denying that she’d done a fabulous job with tonight’s party.
For the most part, Beverly enjoyed the evening. After several glasses of wine, she grew more lethargic and hid more and more yawns behind her hand. Still, she wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet.
“Someone is getting sleepy,” Lucius whispered as they rocked to Brandy’s old jam “Have You Ever?”
“No, no,” she lied and then immediately had to stifle another yawn. “Okay. Maybe just a little.” She blushed.
“Then what do you say that we head out of here and go do something that will wake you up?” he asked.
Did that mean what she thought it meant? Beverly’s legs quivered and those delicious tingles returned. Seeing that she came to the reception with him, it only made sense that they leave together—unless she wanted to play hard to get and call a cab. Looking into Lucius’s twinkling hazel gaze, Beverly realized an undeniable truth: she had no desire to play hard to get.
“Yeah,” she answered in a lusty voice. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 5
When Lucius asked Beverly if she was ready to leave, he had meant to extend their evening by going to a nice jazz club or something. But he knew by the look that she’d given him that she had other things on her mind. And he was way too much of a gentleman to disappoint her. As they tried to maneuver through the crowd, Kevin Stayton cut off their escape path.
“Well, I don’t believe it! Lucius Gray!” Kevin declared, thrusting out a hand while simultaneously pounding Lucius on the back. “Nice to see you, you old dog.”
“Kevin, how are you?” Lucius greeted, though truth be told he’d rather put off their reunion for another time.
“I’m doing good.” He glanced around. “You know your old football buddy Terrence is here, too, but you might have some trouble getting to him through his mad fan club.”
“So I heard,” Lucius said. “Well, if you could excuse—”
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. You’re a lawyer, right?”
Lucius cast an apologetic look over his shoulder at Beverly.
“Don’t worry. I need to step into the ladies’ room for a few minutes anyway,” Beverly said with a teasing smile. “I won’t be too long.”
Lucius turned his attention back to Kevin. And though his old friend was delaying his power play, he kept his cool and concentrated on what was being said.
“Yeah, man. The CHRIS Kids Foundation is this great family program that keeps struggling families from collapsing, losing their children and becoming dependent on public welfare, mental health and juvenile justice systems. I was thinking maybe your firm could help them on this. Now, we couldn’t pay you much…”
Beverly smiled and waved her way toward the ladies’ room, but once inside, her smile dropped and she drew in a deep, exhausted breath. “Bev, do you have any idea what you’re doing?” she whispered to herself as she headed over to the long vanity counter to check her appearance. To her great pleasure, her hair was still fierce. Maybe she needed a quick touch-up on her lipstick. She opened her clutch purse and whipped out a pink tube when a weird hacking sound caught her attention.
She frowned. A toilet flushed and a second later, the door opened and an attractive woman in a black sequined cocktail dress stepped out with an awkward smile.
“Are you okay?” Beverly asked, looking at the woman’s reflection in the mirror.
The woman looked up and Beverly instantly recognized Tamara Hodges.
“Hey, Beverly. I’m fine,” she responded. “At least I will be in a few minutes.”
Beverly abandoned her lipstick touch-up and turned to face the pale woman. “Tamara, it’s so good to see you again,” she stated with a sincere smile. “It’s been a while, huh?”
Tamara nodded. “Time goes so fast. You were my first interview for the Atlanta Daily after we graduated.”
Beverly remembered, nodding. “You did a great job on the article, by the way—I don’t know if I ever told you.”
Tamara smiled. “You sent me a nice note thanking me. In fact, I believe I still have it.”
That was sweet, Beverly thought. Then again, Tamara was always such a sweet girl even though Beverly had always detected a quiet sadness about her.
Suddenly, she stopped smiling. Next she put a hand to her stomach and rushed back into a nearby stall.
Beverly frowned again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked a second time when Tamara walked out.
Nodding, Tamara responded, “My stomach is a little upset.”
Beverly had other suspicions. “I hope I’m not being too nosy, but are you expecting a baby?”
Tamara nodded sheepishly.
“Congratulations,” Beverly proclaimed with bittersweet tears stinging the backs of her eyes. “I—I’m happy for you.”
Lucius glanced toward the ladies’ room just as Beverly exited. Her smile had disappeared and she looked as though she was downright troubled. “Is something wrong?” he asked when she returned to his side.
“Uh, no. I just ran into an old friend.” She glanced over her shoulder, and then smiled back at him. “Are you ready to go?”
Lucius glanced at Kevin and, at last, the brotha seemed to pick up on the hint.
“I’ll holler at you sometime next week,” Kevin said, winking.
“Thanks, man.” Lucius looped an arm around Beverly’s waist and this time he managed to successfully escort her from the party. As they strolled out to his car, Beverly leaned her head against his shoulder. Something had changed and Lucius wondered if he’d have to take a rain check for their promised evening.
He whipped out the car keys from his pants pocket, and quickly opened the passenger door. “Here you go, mademoiselle.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and took her seat.
Once in, Lucius shut her door and then bounded over to the driver’s side. Another glance to his right and he knew he had to do something to recapture the moment. “You know those hors d’oeuvres were nice, but I could really go for something to eat. Are you game?”
Beverly pulled out of her reverie and, for a moment, looked like she was going to reject the offer, but then she apparently thought better of it. “Actually, I am a bit famished.”
“Great.” He started up the car. “Have you ever been to Sambuca?”
A sparkle returned to her eye. “I love that place.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s dinnertime on a Friday night—do you think we can get in without a reservation?”
Lucius winked. “Leave it to me. I know a guy.”
Sambuca, located in the heart of Buckhead, was one of Lucius’s favorite places to dine and dance the night away. On top of offering an eclectic American menu, the casual sophisticated atmosphere was hailed across A-town for the diversity of its live bands. On any given night, its patrons were treated to an evening of jazz, R&B or dance hits.
It was a jazz night, and the low, seductive lighting immediately aided the seductive mood Lucius was aiming for. However, the crowded ring of waiting patrons didn’t bode well.
“Yo, Lucius,” Spencer, the club’s host, greeted the moment he saw Lucius approach the host/hostess stand. “Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Working, you know how it is.”
Spencer tossed up his hands. “I hear you, man. Everybody is hustlin’.” He glanced over at Beverly and then gave Lucius a knowing wink. “Good to see you, um, testing the waters again.”
Lucius caught his not-so-subtle meaning and struggled to keep his grin from turning sly. “How long is the wait?”
Spencer glanced down at the crammed waiting list. “No reservation?”
“Last-minute decision.”
Spenc
er sucked in a long stream of air through his teeth and stroked this thinly trimmed goatee. “I don’t know. The walk-ins list is hitting about an hour wait time.”
Lucius reached into his pocket and handed over a couple of folded bills. “How about now?”
“Maybe thirty minutes?”
Lucius added a couple of more bills. “And now?”
“Fifteen minutes?”
“You’re killing me.” He handed over two more Grant bills, bringing the grand total to three hundred dollars. “My final offer.”
“Well, looky here. It appears I do have a table in section four available.”
“Section one,” Lucius corrected, wanting a table closer to the stage.
“That’s what I said,” Spencer said, grabbing two menus. “Follow me.”
Lucius returned his arm around Beverly’s waist as he escorted her behind Spencer.
The jazz band jammed John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” as they moved past the stage and then settled into to their u-shaped leather booths. He and Beverly sat pretty close at the bottom of the u.
“Here you go,” Spencer said, handing over their menus. “Your waiter should be with you in a moment.”
“Thanks, man,” Lucius said.
“Heeey—” Spencer shrugged good-naturely “—what are friends for?”
Lucius laughed, thinking about how much his friend just bilked him for.
Spencer winked, signaling that everybody had a hustle these days. “Enjoy your evening.”
He glanced over at Beverly and loved seeing the huge smile plastered on her face.
She leaned over and spoke into his ear, “I love Coltrane.”
Lucius perked at that statement. “Now what do you know about Coltrane?”
“Please. My father was a jazz aficionado. Coltrane was like a god in our house.” She laughed, thinking about the number of Saturday mornings she woke to the melodious tune of ’Trane’s seemingly magical saxophone.
Lucius nodded appreciatively. “A woman who knows her jazz. You’re starting to sound too good to be true.”
Beverly couldn’t help but blush at the praise and then fell into easy conversation about their favorite jazz artists, which morphed into who were their favorite R&B artists and so on and so on. Throughout the meal, Beverly kept marveling over how easy it was to talk to Lucius. There was something about his smooth baritone that she found comforting. She was convinced that she would be content just listening to him read the phonebook.
Tender to His Touch Page 4