Finding Love for a Cynic

by Tarbox, Deneice

  Delona wanted to curl up into a ball and hide from this cruel world she’d come to. She hid behind her hands, unable to face anyone at that moment. Not even Cara. Why did it seem like everyone in this town had it in for her?

  Cara’s panicked voice breached her cocoon. “D-don’t take it like that, Dee. Maybe Myron won’t find out about it. Or-or maybe he can talk to Mr. Carter or something,” she said, stammering over her words. “It’ll be okay. You forget that Myron and Danny have a strange sense of humor. We’ll all be laughing about this in no time… hee, hee.”

  ***

  Laughing in no time, my ass. The brotha is pissed! Delona thought as she sat through another one of her brother’s rants. She hated when Myron acted like this. Just because he was ten years older than she was didn’t give him the right to treat her like some kind of idiot. She held her tongue, allowing her eyes to diligently follow her brother while he paced behind his massive desk. Myron’s hands were a blur as he gestured furiously in front of him. She was starting to believe that some of Danny’s spicy Latin heritage was rubbing off on her older brother. Myron’s normally handsome face was strained by the stress of the morning and she started to feel guilty for being the source of it. Her only saving grace was that Danny was running late, thus unable to add his usual fuel to the heat of the latest controversy.

  “What the hell were you thinking? No, no… Don’t answer that because we all know you weren’t! Don’t you roll your eyes at me, sister-girl! This is not the time to try me.”

  Delona met Myron’s green-hazel eyes. Damn! She hadn’t realized she was doing it. “Look. I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean to offend him, no matter who he is…was…whatever.”

  “Your apologies are getting tired. We can’t keep letting this happen, Dee. All you had to do at that party was smile, hang out, and be cordial.”

  “I was trying to, but—”

  “Trying isn’t going to cut it!” he shouted, stopping abruptly to pound his manicured fist on the desk. He pointed his index finger at her. “You need to work on your social skills. The lessons start today.”

  Delona’s mouth fell open. She found herself blinking uncontrollably as a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding escaped her. “You mean you’re not going to fire me?” For the first time since hearing Andrew that morning, she allowed herself to relax.

  “Fire you?” he shouted, straightening his posture and staring at her wide eyed. “And give your parents a reason to chew on my ass every New Year’s, Christmas, and every gathering in between for the rest of my natural life? I don’t think so. Knowing them, they’ll probably outlive my ass, as well as my future grandchildren.” He leaned over the desk again, using the palms of his hands to support his tall frame. “But you…” he continued, pointing one long brown finger at her again. “You are going to do something about this problem of yours. And what the hell have I told you about wearing that ridiculous outfit in here? You’re one of our senior editors, dammit! You need to start dressing the part.”

  Delona grabbed the lapels of her suit jacket. “What the heck’s wrong with my outfit?” she demanded to know.

  Myron straightened and placed his hands on his narrow hips. He started to say something but opted to close his eyes and let out a long sigh. Slowly, he shook his head from side to side as if praying in a way only he and the good Lord could comprehend.

  “Go on,” he said, his temper now deflated. “Cara and the others are waiting for you.”

  Chapter 3

  Relishing the small reprieve, Delona quickly vacated her brother’s presence. Stepping out of his office, a now familiar chill ran down her spine, causing her to shiver. She quickened her steps to get away from what she knew was the source of her discomfort, but the eerie feeling followed her. She chanced a quick glance over her shoulder. As usual, Renee was giving her that creepy stare she always seemed to reserve specifically for her. Those beady eyes of hers were so penetrating that Delona felt nothing short of being ex-rayed by the old Korean woman who worked as head assistant to Myron and Danny. At least her interaction with the strange woman had been limited. Renee hadn’t been at her desk when Delona arrived that morning.

  “Good morning,” Delona tossed over her shoulder in an attempt to remain cordial. There was no excuse for bad manners no matter how creeped-out one was. Renee tilted her head forward slightly but continued staring at her in that habitual expressionless manner. Delona let out a sigh of relief when she was far enough away to avoid any more polite conversation with the uptight woman.

  Avoiding the obstacle known as Renee hadn’t prevented her heart from pounding wildly in her chest at the thought of all the horrible things her brother could come up with to “straighten her out.” She understood the need to subdue her expressions and had fleetingly considered Botox as an option. But when he started dissing her clothes and hair, it served to do nothing short of royally pissing her off. She took pride in having her own style. Just because he wanted to blend didn’t mean she had to.

  Doing her best to shrug off the impact of Myron’s words and Renee’s evil stare, she met her assistant, Katie, at the elevator.

  “Good morning,” Katie sang as though it were Friday.

  Delona caught herself before her eyes and head started following Katie’s long blond ponytail as it swung back and forth when she walked, reminding her of a pendulum. “Uggh,” she responded, pressing the elevator call button more times than necessary.

  “Yeah, I heard. It’s going to be that kind of Monday for you, huh?”

  “To say the least.” Delona could still feel the chill of Renee’s stare. She looked in the woman’s direction once more. Sure enough, Renee continued to eyeball her. The elevator finally arrived, providing her the escape she needed to get out of the woman’s line of vision.

  “A little odd, isn’t she?” Katie stated.

  “Whatever do you mean?” Delona responded in an attempt to remain professional. She had never cared much for gossip but was now even less appreciative of it since if often involved her.

  “Renee. I saw the way she was looking at you. She does it all the time. I’d watch out for her if I were you.” Katie leaned toward Delona, cupping her mouth as though someone might overhear her. “Someone said they caught her watching gay porn the other day during her extended lunch break,” she whispered.

  That was way too much information as far as Delona was concerned, and it did little to alleviate the discomfort factor. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” she asked, trying to put on an air of indifference. Katie shrugged, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her pink lips. Delona started to suspect that her bubbly assistant was messing with her head.

  Before she could inquire further, the doors of the elevator opened on their designated floor. The two of them hurried down the hall to the photo studio, trying to make up for lost time, and knowing that Cara and her assistant, Ann, were waiting for them. Picking the cover models for the various books they edited wasn’t Delona’s favorite task, but the devil of a deed had to be done. Most of the models that auditioned were cool. Those that didn’t make the cut one week usually did the next or the week after that. That was the beauty of creativity. It gave Delona and Cara the opportunity to suggest potential models to the authors whenever they hit a roadblock in the descriptive aspect of their stories. This provided Soul of the Matter an endless stream of potentials because the models knew they would eventually have work. As co-senior editor, Cara had been more than pleased to pass on this task to Delona as she had developed a great system that seemed to work well for all involved. Not to mention it was so fast it gave them ample time to eat breakfast, chill, and then make it to the afternoon meeting on time.

  “Okay. Everybody line up!” Delona ordered, barely stepping over the threshold. The models, all male, lined up in order of light to dark hair and skin hue based on numbers Ann had assigned them. Delona walked to the front of the line with a list in hand containing the features needed for this week’s photo
shoots. Katie followed close behind, preparing to take notes as they went along. Delona turned her head in Katie’s direction. With a lifted eyebrow and a slight bow of her head, she silently asked her if she was ready to begin.

  Katie affirmed with a nod, prompting her high ponytail to bounce wildly on the back of her head. A proud smile adorned her features, which Delona was sure she mirrored. It hadn’t taken the two of them long to become one of the best well-oiled machines in the company. Delona loved working with her perky assistant, even though Katie could be quite the smartass at times.

  “Yes…yes… next week… yes… potentially… of course… yes… yes,” she called out for each model respectively as she went down the line. A strange feeling came over her, literally taking her breath away, when she came face to face with the last model. Although he was phenomenal, and she knew no one in their right mind would fault her for thinking that way, she felt at odds with the situation. Her eyes inadvertently locked on his shockingly green ones. Big mistake, she thought as an uncontrollable rush of warmth suddenly flowed through her. Her heart began to beat a wild, weird pattern within her chest and a fine sheen of sweat moistened her palms. Suddenly, it was difficult to swallow. What the heck! She had never been instantly attracted to anyone before, didn’t believe it possible, and she wasn’t in the mood to start believing it now. Pride filled her when she realized she was managing to keep her emotions from showing. She continued past him, avoiding the embarrassment she surely would have felt if anyone had picked up on her biological response to him.

  She stopped short, the pride she had felt quickly fading. Something wasn’t right. Whereas the other models were dressed casually in jeans or shorts, he wore a light-gray, tailored business suit. No number was taped across his chest, nor was he on the right end of the hue spectrum, which ranged from light to dark. Turning abruptly, she stepped back in front of the towering figure, barely avoiding a collision with Katie.

  “Oh yeah, sorry, Dee. He completely slipped my mind,” Katie started. “Since you were otherwise occupied this morning, Renee told me to make sure to introduce the two of you. Delona, this is Koen Smith. He isn’t a model,” she clarified, obviously reading Delona’s contorted expression.

  “Then what is he?” Delona asked. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the brown-haired, green-eyed giant. He innocently returned her gaze, but the intensity of his eyes caused her skin to heat up. She didn’t like what he was doing to her in front of her coworkers and friends. This dislike of how he made her feel coupled with her suspicions of who he was allowed her to continue to conceal the true effect he was having on her.

  “He’s our new PR rep. Danny thought you’d work better with a man,” Katie answered, confirming her suspicions.

  A slow burn started in Delona’s cheeks as she felt her ire start to rise. This was what Myron had been talking about when he made his cryptic statement earlier in reference to straightening her out starting today. Since neither her sibling nor his spouse was available, she lashed out at the person in front of her in their stead.

  “So, I see you felt the need to be more than just another pretty face in this town, huh?” she spat out sarcastically, while attempting to look down her nose at the tall man.

  “It would appear I’m not the only one,” he returned with a wide smile. The smile quickly fell from his face when Delona continued to glare at him. He stepped back from her as though he thought she would strike him. At that moment she very much wanted to.

  She struggled to keep her hands from balling into fists, acknowledging that she wasn’t acting very “executive like” in front her coworkers. This guy was making her crazy, and there was only one way to reclaim her sanity. Without a word, she turned on her heel and stormed off to find Myron. No way in hell was she going to be subjected to another PR rep, no matter what he looked like. She was still reeling from the bad encounter she’d had with the last one. No matter what, they somehow found a way to be both underfoot and in her face at the same time. She wasn’t having it.

  *

  What the fuck was that all about? Koen wondered. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what he had done to piss off the little woman.

  “Don’t take it personally,” the tall, attractive brunette in the Katie Couric attire advised. “She doesn’t take compliments very well.”

  Her voice made him realize he had been staring after the short, unstable woman. He closed his mouth, which had been hanging open in disbelief. It finally occurred to him that the designated spokesperson was trying not to laugh at him. The others in the room weren’t as successful at squelching their amusement.

  “Or insults,” the ponytail-bobbing blonde added from behind her clipboard. He couldn’t see her mouth, but her hazel eyes and voice were laced with mirth.

  “I guess she doesn’t,” Koen responded absentmindedly, still trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

  He turned his attention back to the door, relieved that he didn’t embarrass too easily. If that face Delona had made was any indication, he knew he had his work cut out for him. Lucky for Myron and Danny, he was up for the challenge.

  Chapter 4

  “I still don’t understand why I need a babysitter. That’s not what a public relations person is supposed to do,” Delona protested.

  She, Danny, Myron, Cara, and Koen were in a special meeting that would hopefully wrap up the mess of a day. The topic, of course, was Delona’s blunder of making “the face” at Andrew Carter of all people. The rest of the staff had gone for the day, but those closest to her had reluctantly stayed at her request. She hadn’t wanted Koen there, but Danny had insisted upon it. At least Renee wasn’t present.

  “In your case, it is,” Danny stated flatly.

  Delona stared at her brother-in-law, none too happy with him at the moment.

  “You see?” Danny continued. “That’s what I’m talking about. We’re trying to help you. Yet, you sit there looking at me begrudgingly. You need to learn to harness those emotions of yours,” he reprimanded, waving a perfectly manicured olive hand in her direction.

  “He’s right, you know. This angry black woman routine is getting tired,” Myron added.

  “Hey! I’m not an angry black woman.” Delona shot back.

  “What other kind of woman is there?” Danny snickered.

  “I resent that remark,” Cara added, her dark well-shaped eyebrows drawn together in a show of her disapproval.

  “See there?” Danny gestured at Cara and the blatant glare she was now giving him. “Just go ahead and say something to prove my point. Go on now. Proovve it!” he taunted when she motioned to say something. Cara held her tongue but continued to shoot daggers at him with her cool blue eyes.

  “Y’all think your asses are funny,” Delona uttered, growing weary of their sexist remarks.

  “Some would say our asses are funny. We are married to each other, after all,” Myron said. The two men cracked up laughing, finding humor in their own gibe toward their sexuality. They had jumped at the chance to become one before the law was repealed in California. Delona and Cara sucked their teeth, annoyed by their strange sense of humor.

  “Perhaps we should approach this from a different angle.” The other participants in the meeting sobered as Koen spoke his first words since they had all taken their seats. Until then, he had sat quietly observing them. “Let me make some phone calls,” he said, addressing Myron and Danny specifically. “Then I think it would be best if I met with Delona… alone.” She did her best to ignore the way her heart fluttered when he shifted those mesmerizing green eyes toward her. “Why don’t I call you after I check on a few things? Then you and I can sit down and devise the best course of action. I’m sure we can convince Mr. Carter this was all just a misunderstanding.”

  This time, Delona felt her entire body warm under his gaze. What was it about this man that was making her feel this way? Perhaps it was the underlying accent he was trying to conceal. She wouldn’t have picked up on it if his deep voice
hadn’t kept commanding her attention. There had to be something wrong with him, especially if he was making her feel this way. In her experience, there always was.

  Shaking off her inappropriate thoughts, she answered him. “That sounds like a great idea,” she managed to respond, more coyly than expected. She inwardly chastised herself for coming off like some infatuated schoolgirl and hoped no one else had picked up on it. Her heart sank when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the guarded look her brother and Danny were giving her. Had they noticed, or were they just unhappy about being cut out of the loop? She decided it served them right if they were upset since they had been so eager to hire him in the first place. Pains in the ass.

  “Good. Give me your phone number and we’ll take it from there,” Koen said, bringing her out of her private musings.

  Delona had to give this new guy credit. Despite the four of them fighting like children, he had remained professional, not even laughing at Myron’s tasteless jokes. Maybe he would be an ally for her after all, even if he were another giant that she would be forced to deal with on a weekly basis. The other occupants of the room towered over her by half a foot or more, something she often noticed, being just shy of five-foot four.

  Koen looked to be about six-foot even with bedhead chestnut-brown hair. His features weren’t as feminine as her brother’s, but she could tell he had his eyebrows done. Diamond studs adorned each of his pierced earlobes, something she usually didn’t care to see on a man, but it looked good on him. His lightly tanned skin was smooth and flawless, contrasting slightly with his strong jaw and slightly rounded nose. Full pink lips complemented his face. They looked soft and kissable, granting Delona a fleeting thought to do just that. She could tell he was fit without being overly muscular or bulky. Usually, she thought of men who put so much effort into themselves as conceited. She didn’t get that feeling from this one.

  In conjunction with the height differences, Delona always felt like an outsider when it came to looks as well. All of them, including her brother–in-law, Danny Raes, were magnificent. He and Myron were both six-two and slim with whipcord muscles. However, Danny sported pale blond highlights in his short curly dark hair that contrasted nicely with his large deep brown eyes. This was the opposite of Myron’s short dreadlock style Afro. Danny’s dimples added to his somewhat innocent face, but his heart-shaped full lips made his handsomeness border on devious.