by Ava Bleu
“The colors . . .” he started hesitantly. He wanted to scream for joy. The colors were the same that had filled their home. He reached out and flipped quickly through the pages at the photos he hadn’t paid attention to, and back to the award-winning design. “The rooms are all so . . . warm. So inviting.”
Violet blushed with pleasure. “Yes. I believe in the use of color. So many designers today use color only as an accent. I think color shouldn’t be an accent to life; color is life.”
Taka looked at her deeply now, seeing so much more. Her face was so open and vulnerable, when she turned to him her eyes were so full of pleasure he wanted to gasp. He wanted to reach out to her and call out, “Zahara, are you there?” For only Zahara knew that he had asked for her hand in marriage under a sky blooming with the colors of that photo. Only Zahara knew that he’d had the fantastic brooch fashioned for her because after accepting his offer she’d looked up at the setting sun, pointed to the sky, and said, “Look, Taka. The sky has given us a ribbon of scarlet.”
He’d looked up and did indeed see a strip of bright red in the midst of a panel of pink in the sky. The red was the color of the ruby contained in the brooch that would be his vessel. The red and pink intertwined, ending in a stroke of brilliant blue.
“And there, have you ever seen such a beautiful color in all the world? It is a gift to us, my king. The sky is celebrating our love.”
Taka choked down his emotion as he remembered the other color, so beautiful and rare it did not have a name; and he didn’t even attempt to find a gem to match it. He remembered this now as he looked deeply into the face of the woman who held his wife’s spirit.
“It is . . . breathtakingly beautiful,” he said today.
“Thank you,” Violet responded, finally pulling her gaze from the photo to look into his eyes.
Taka felt his heart pound as he recognized a glimmer of awareness in the depth of her eyes. He felt something in her reach to him, he saw something in her open toward him; but, then, just as quickly it disappeared and she closed herself once again. He felt a sharp sliver of disappointment as she shifted uncomfortably.
“Goodness, King, for a moment there you almost did me in with those eyes of yours. Do you seduce every woman who rubs your stone?” she asked.
Taka straightened as well, looking deeply into her eyes. She was going to shut him down over and over again. Every time he got close she closed her heart to him. Well, if he only had one day left, he would darn sure say his name. She would hear it loud and clear so that forever it would ring in her ears, live in her dreams. He would say it so her soul would recognize and rejoice even if she couldn’t.
“Hear me well. My name is Taka Olufemi. Not genie, not King; Taka. If I am seducing you it is your fault, you enjoyed rubbing my stone so much you did it twice. I am only a man. Even I do not know how to resist double provocation.”
Chapter 18
Across town, a distraught Brenda sat at a table in a restaurant with Jerome. She fidgeted with her water, nervously. “Thank you for coming. I appreciate it.”
“What’s this about? I don’t have a lot of time. What, you thinking about hooking up with me or something? That’s something that can be arranged.” He smiled.
Brenda’s head pulled back in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m here about Violet.”
“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”
“She’s lying to you. Just like she lied to me.”
His eyes narrowed. “Lying about what?”
“She told me she was happy for me and what does she do? She goes out and steals my account. My account!”
“You mean that big money deal? Wow.”
“It was as good as done and she goes behind my back and convinces Bickman to hire her company. How low is that? She didn’t even have the decency to tell me. Her secretary told me!”
“Well, what can I say, Brenda? It’s not like you didn’t stab her in the back too. You stole her technique and passed it off as yours.”
Brenda turned a withering glance to him and hissed, “Don’t get all high and mighty with me. Oh, I bet you’re feeling pretty smug thinking about all that money you’re going to get when you’re married. Don’t get too happy. She already told me she’s gonna write up a prenup. And don’t think she’ll be free with her money when you’re married, either. She’s gonna dole it out to you like a pimp to a trick.”
Jerome’s face fell. “Hey.”
“And you shouldn’t even be thinking about marrying her anyway with what she’s doing.” She looked away slyly knowing he would fall into the trap.
“What are you talking about?”
“I would have told you sooner but she swore me to secrecy and I thought she was my friend. But that man staying with her, he isn’t related to her. She’s just got that tall, fine man staying with her, and lying to you about it.”
Jerome stiffened. “What you talking about? Who is he?”
“I don’t know. And she didn’t know him until yesterday,”
“Naw, you don’t know what you’re talking about. She spent last night with me.”
“Okay then, if you say so. If things are good between you and Violet and you have no doubts at all, then I’ll leave it alone. All I have to say is, whatever happened last night, she went right back to her stud this morning.”
She took a sip of water, knowing that her words were making their way through his brain. She didn’t know how things were between Violet and Jerome, but she’d taken a stab that all was not right. She saw his face darken with anger and knew she’d gambled right.
“Wait a minute! Tell me exactly what she told you about him. She told you she was stepping out on me?”
“Worse. She was playing games. Told me she met this guy who was making all her wishes come true. Tried to make out that he was a genie or something but I saw right through that. He’s a genie all right. A genie in bed. She’s not at work because I called over there. She’s back at her apartment right now, I bet, working that genie out of his lamp, if you know what I mean.”
“Son of a b . . .” He stormed out of the restaurant and Brenda sighed.
She’d done it. She’d gotten back at Violet. She’d done exactly what she’d set out to do. Though as she sipped her water she felt an odd, empty feeling where satisfaction should have been.
Chapter 19
Violet was on the sofa, in a cautious mood, and she blamed Taka for it.
Everything had been going along fine until he’d done the bum-rush on her. One second they were talking about her designs, and the next second, wham! Her emotions raced through her when she saw the intensity in his eyes. She’d never in all her days been privy to such a look. It was one of those looks they have in movies, so ridiculously intense you know it’s fake. But it wasn’t fake with him. And it pissed her off!
Clearly an effort to intimidate her, throw her off her game. Clearly designed to make her question every look she’d ever received by any man at any time in her life. She knew she would never in a thousand years forget that look. It would have been so easy to simply allow her lips to meld with his, to taste those lips, to outline the provocative curve with the tip of her tongue.
But, finally, Violet had come to her senses. There was no way in the world she was going to get involved with this man. No matter what his name was he was a genie, for God’s sake! Of course, he’d had to have the last word, making a flippant reply about double provocation. First, that was a tease if ever she’d heard one. Second, who even talked like that? Third, how was it he could make the corniest things sound sexy?
She sat glaring at him from under hooded lids as he looked through a newspaper, his face serious in contemplation. Oh, sure, now he was trying to play hard to get. Talking nonsense about some foot trip he’d taken earlier, asking about jobs. Boy, he was good. She kneaded a throw pillow with vigor.
“I don’t know why you’re stressing over all this,” she said. “What kind of job can you hold being out of your rock three
days at a pop? And why would you want to work at all?”
“I do not know. Maybe someday I will be able to live as a normal man again and I should be prepared. I miss work. I miss being useful.”
“You’re useful, I guess. If you ask me, giving wishes is one of the best jobs in the world. You just have to learn how to actually make them happen and you’ll have it made.”
At his further look and eye roll Violet laughed. He could eye roll her all he wanted; she’d made two wishes and had yet to see a return.
“You would not like granting wishes,” he said. “It is never as easy as it seems and when people are not clear they can do untold damage to themselves. Besides, if it meant you could not run your business and live the life you want, it would lose its appeal. And then you would resent it. Maybe even resent the people you are trying to help.”
Violet looked at him sideways. “Like you resent me? Is that why you’re trying to make things difficult for me?”
He folded the paper closed. “You have no need to be suspicious of me.” He stood and walked back over to sit beside her in the danger zone. Violet immediately grew hot around the ears, exacerbated when he took one of her hot hands in his equally hot one. “I am not your enemy. I am doing all I can to protect you.”
Violet watched the back of her hand as he used his other to stroke it, making little squiggly lines and circles on it. She listed toward him as she watched, fascinated by the flight pattern of his fingertip. Hypnotized by his earthy, spicy male scent and the sheer size of his massive hand caressing hers.
She swallowed hard. He was starting again. She didn’t know what to do. A day ago she would have snatched her hand away, but a day ago she would never have thought the big man could be so gentle. And now that she knew he wanted to get into her pants, that put a whole new spin on things. Heck, she was tempted to sleep with him just to win their little battle of wills and show him who was running things.
The phone rang and Violet jumped to reach for it over the sofa, happy to break contact. “Yeah, hi, Carol. No, not today. I just don’t feel like it, that’s why. What? What do you mean she found out? You told her? Who told you to do that? Who do you work for, her or me? Never mind.” She hung up, and then reached over to turn off the ringer. Her face alternated between glee and horror. “That was my assistant. I got the account I bid for this morning. I took it back from Brenda. She stole it from me and I stole it right back.” Smile. “And Brenda knows.” Frown. “Crap.”
“She was bound to learn sometime,” Taka said.
“Yes, but I wanted to decide how she found out. You’re right; I should fire that sneaky secretary of mine. But the good news: I’m loaded, or at least I’m in the process of becoming loaded. Not only is he happy with my designs, InStyle called already. I’m getting a spread. Oh, and the press is already calling because the word is I’ve got the contract for his hotels, too. I’m going to have to call Tracy to confirm, but not right now. I just want to enjoy this for today. I’m set, Taka.” She sat stock straight, only her hands fidgeting and her head shaking slightly with shock. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”
Her heart was too full to allow her head to think straight. So many years she’d dreamed of just this moment. She’d always wondered who would be by her side to share her success when it came. She’d assumed it would be Jerome. A silly assumption since they rarely spent downtime together and when they were alone they didn’t have that much to talk about. She was surprised at how happy she was that it was Taka sitting next to her.
“I am glad to see you happy,” he said.
“Aren’t you proud of me? I worked hard for this.”
Taka’s mouth pinched, he hesitated, but then continued. “Did you? Is this an accomplishment you worked for?”
“What do you mean? Of course I worked for it. I’ve been trying to get something like this for years, I told you, and . . .” She stopped, her smile fading. Elation dropped as quickly as a sinking stone; her eyes falling from his quickly so he could not see the hurt he’d caused. “Oh, you think you did this?”
“You did not have this one day ago,” he said simply.
“So you don’t think I’m good enough to pull this off on my own?”
“You did not pull it off on your own so I can only deduce if I had not come along you would still be in the same shape as before, chasing your friend around trying to beat her at her own game.”
“That’s low, King. That’s really low. I’ve worked hard for a long time; you have no idea how hard. The only reason she got that contract was because she stole it from me.”
“I do not fault your resourcefulness or your talent, Violet. I only wonder why it is you chose to play such a dangerous game at all. You are too good to be in the mud, messing your talent with the taint of trickery.”
“You sound like you think the fact that Brenda is a witch is my fault. Never mind. Just forget it.”
How could she have allowed herself to be lulled into forgetting what a pompous, judgmental jerk he could be? Her previously hot flesh chilled down to arctic weather and the cold front ushered in a gust of good sense on the northerly front, with a few sprinkles of lingering disappointment.
“Why did you even come anyway?” she continued. “You told me I had three wishes and every time I make one you fuss at me. If this is what you’re usually like no wonder you only get out of your rock for a few minutes each time. I know you’re a decent person under all this distemper but no one would ever know because unless you want to get into their pants, you would never lighten up enough for them to see it. Who could tolerate your nagging without an upside?” She walked into the kitchen, reaching for a bag of potato chips. She opened it and pulled a chip out to crunch in her mouth, stopping mid-chew at his stare. “What?”
The frustration on his face would have been laughable had she been in the mood. She could see him burning like a volcano to spew another round of unwanted lecture her way. The man had no self-control when it came to giving her unwanted advice.
Instead he shook his head, grinding out, “I am hungry, and you have nothing but play food to eat.”
Talk about avoidance and denial. Just like a man. Just because she told him to shove his advice he had to start whining and pouting like a baby.
She tilted the bag his way and he gave her a dirty look. She slapped the bag on the counter and put her hands on her hips.
“There is plenty of food here.” She jerked open the freezer to prove her point. “Look: Salisbury steak, fried chicken, enchiladas, what more could you want?” she asked, pulling each frozen dinner out of the freezer as she mentioned it and watched his face scrunch in disgust.
“There is ice covering those boxes. If there is food inside it cannot be edible. First, eggs covered in hot peppers to break my fast. Now, shattering chips from a bag and boxes of items frozen over from the tundra. I am a warrior; I cannot eat soft-man gruel. Are you trying to kill me, woman?”
“Your problem, genie, is that you’re just a prima donna,” she told him. “All this griping and it’s only . . . My goodness, is it really five?” Then she sighed. “Okay, look, I promised you pizza this morning, didn’t I?” At his silence she followed with, “That’s a large piece of dough with some sauce and—”
“I know what a pizza is but somehow I doubt what you will feed me will be comparable to the pizza I have eaten at the table of my Roman friends, so I respectfully decline.” He might as well have crossed his arms and poked out his bottom lip.
“You said you didn’t want to eat out, King.” Her voice sounded grave with warning, even to her. “What do you want? Do you want me to take you to the store or something so you can pick out your own frozen meals?”
“The market?” He brightened immediately. “I would like a healthy piece of fish. A green vegetable, maybe. I can cook it myself. I am an excellent cook, I told you.”
What a pain he was being. Violet didn’t know why she cared what he ate. She was tempted to serve him the frozen two-year-
old enchiladas after the way he’d insulted her, but never let it be said Violet Jackson wasn’t a compassionate soul, when she wanted to be. And maybe if he got something he liked he’d be easier to live with.
“Well, I suppose it can’t hurt.” She looked him over, giving in to the momentary surge of generosity. “You drive.”
Taka’s brows went up. “Me?”
“Why not? If you screw up we’re both in trouble, so you better watch yourself, genie. I’m too pretty to go to prison.”
The idea of having a decent piece of fish and getting behind the wheel were apparently too much for him to resist because before she knew it he said, “Let’s go. Yes, I will drive. Do not worry, I shall be very careful.” He pulled on his coat, reached in the pocket, and pulled out some money, looking at it in amazement. Ani had giving him a fraction of a fraction of currency. It wasn’t all the riches of his village but it was enough, he hoped, for a good meal. “Come. Today we will dine and celebrate your good fortune and the day. I am happy for you, Violet. Truly. And I am happy to spend this time with you and I am glad to know you.”
Boy, what a little freedom, a few bucks, and promise of a good meal could do to a man.
And so in minutes Violet found herself sitting in the passenger seat of her own car, strapped in, wondering if her insurance would cover her if this maniac drove them into a tree. Good thing she was going to be rich and could cover the property damage.
Amazingly, his lessons from yesterday had stuck like glue. He drove the car surprisingly well and didn’t speed once, despite her impatience at the way he adhered to the limit.
Violet blew air up her bangs in frustration. Bull pucky. She was more anxious at the way he followed the law than she would have been if he’d been doing doughnuts in the middle of Livingston Avenue. She was likely to croak from a burst blood vessel due to stress of trying to get to the friggin’ market with a genie at the wheel.
“For God’s sake, you were moving faster when we were driving over that patch of dirt yesterday. You moved faster when you ran to the car this morning. Can you pick it up a little, grandpa?”