by H.H. Fowler
Chapter Six
Four hours later, I was in my Mercedes, heading for something to eat. I’d found three properties that I thought Taj would appreciate. My favorite was a two-bedroom condo with a private pool and a maid’s cottage. But clients’ tastes were so unpredictable, I was inclined to believe that Taj would probably go for something completely different. It wouldn’t bother me in the least if he did. I was more concerned about whether or not he could afford it.
The August heat was intolerable. Even with my air conditioning on full blast, I could feel the warmth of the sun shining through the windshield onto my almond skin. I was trying to focus on a Christian fiction audio book I’d pushed into the CD player, but my thoughts kept ruminating over the conversation I’d had with Jennifer on Saturday. I couldn’t get over how bold she’d been to have inquired of such a personal matter. I was itching to find out what Kimone and Maya thought about it. I reached for my BlackBerry and punched in Kimone’s number.
“How are you doing, Kimone?”
“Not well at all.” She sniffed into the phone. “I can’t find my little pumpkins.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re still looking for those disgusting rats.”
“Hamsters are not rats!”
“To me they are. Besides, they shouldn’t cost more than fifteen dollars at the pet store. Go buy a new one.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear because I knew Kimone would explode at my suggestion. She didn’t know how to handle practical advice. After counting to five, I placed the cell back to my ear. She was still screaming.
“I’d had Fergie for eight months; I don’t want a new hamster! What the hell is wrong with you suggesting something crazy like that?”
“Kimone, calm down, honey,” I tried to soothe. “I’m sorry that you can’t find Fergie, but I’m calling because I need to ask you something.”
Kimone suddenly grew quiet as if expecting to hear the juiciest gossip. “Is the question about me?”
“No…it’s about Jennifer.”
“Well, then,” Kimone perked up. “Ask away! Jennifer and Taj are our favorite subjects these days.”
I was bothered by Kimone’s excitement. It was obvious she wanted to hear something negative about Jennifer, but I wasn’t in the mood to entertain it.
“Did Jennifer ever ask if you were having fantasies about Taj?”
“I wish she would.”
“Kimone, don’t start…”
“What? You know that man is just too fine to be tied down with that white broad.”
“I’ve told you and Maya not to let Taj come between our friendship.”
“Be real with me, girl. Don’t you wish that man was yours? He’s fine as hell!”
He is, but I’m no fool to divulge my innermost secrets to anyone, especially about a man all of us seem to tripping over. My aim is to keep the Word of God in the forefront, even if it finds me guilty. “Remember what the scripture says about the lust of the eyes...coveting those things that have a visual appeal…”
“…which the devil uses as one avenue of temptation,” Kimone finished for me. “I’ve heard you say it a hundred times…ooh girl, I wish you would learn to have a little fun sometimes.”
“Lusting is your idea of fun?” I sniggered. “Nothing is fun about that for the child of God. It is strictly prohibited.”
Kimone moaned. “I hear you, girl. I was only feeding off of Maya’s comments about Taj’s poor choice in women. She is the one we should be concerned about because she seemed to have a plan to swipe Taj away from Jennifer.”
“Oh my God. I hope she is kidding about that.”
“With Maya, you never know if she is kidding or not. But don’t worry about Maya; she’ll come around. Why’d you ask me that question anyway?”
“I simply wanted to know what you and Maya thought about it,” I explained. “Jennifer told me she asked both you and Maya the same question and that both of you admitted to having fantasies of Taj.”
Kimone let out a little chuckle. “Somebody’s been smoking something and I know it wasn’t me.”
“Please be serious.”
“Of course I’m being serious, Sierra. Jennifer has never approached me with a question like that before.”
I pouted my lips in confusion. “Well, it doesn’t seem like Jennifer to be so...”
“Insecure?” Kimone offered. “That she would lie through her teeth?”
I wanted to accept that as a possible explanation as to why my best friend would be dishonest with me, but Jennifer was one of the most self-assured persons I knew. “You really think Jennifer is insecure?”
“It makes sense, doesn’t it? But if she had asked me that question, I probably wouldn’t have told her the truth anyway. But Jennifer is your friend and I can understand why you are so worried. With a man as fine as Taj, what woman wouldn’t be insecure?”
I hung up from Kimone feeling worse than I did ten minutes ago. Jennifer and I had always been upfront with each other, so I couldn’t understand why she would lie to me like that. But I pulled back on my anger because it wasn’t like I’d been totally upfront with her either. I dialed Maya’s home number anyway to settle my mind over the issue. If Maya said that Jennifer had asked her that question about Taj, then I’d know for sure that there was a level of mistrust lurking somewhere in our friendship. However, I wasn’t getting through to Maya. I became increasingly frustrated because I hadn’t any idea how a person who was out of a job could be so busy.
By this time, my stomach was growling loudly, which reminded me about why I had been driving in the first place. I had an overwhelming desire to get a salad from Wendys. Since I was already in the vicinity, I pulled my Mercedes to the right and joined the line toward the Wendy’s drive-thru. While I was waiting to order, I decided to give Taj a buzz to let him know that I’d found three properties I thought he would like. Even though he was the hot topic of interest, he was also a client that I needed to treat as such.
“Hello?” His husky voice filled my ear and I almost forgot what I called him for.
“Mr. Brooks…er, Taj,” I stammered, but I quickly jumped into my professional tone. “I’m calling to let you know that I’ve found some properties. Can we meet at my office tomorrow at ten in the morning? Since the properties are located on Paradise Island, we should be able to view them all within a reasonable time.”
“What are you doing now? It’s only one thirty in the afternoon.”
“Well, I’m about to have lunch.”
“What are you doing afterwards? I would like to meet with you, if I can.”
Taj’s voice was making my head swim, but my professional tone somehow remained intact. “I did not plan to fit you into my schedule today,” I explained.
“Don’t make me beg, Sierra. I want to see you.”
The way Taj dragged my name completely discombobulated my mind and it was enough for me to fall prey to his demand. I swallowed the lump that had wedged in my throat, and replied, “Well, I should be back in my office in an hour. Let me give you the directions.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need them. I know how to find you.”
Taj disconnected, but I was still holding the phone against my ear. I had been going from wrestling with a guilty conscience in one spell to suddenly having a profane desire to see Taj in another. The feelings caused butterflies to start flapping around in my stomach, and suddenly, my hunger was satiated. Oh Jesus, why it is so hard for me to take heed to my own sermons?