Revolving Doors

by Perri Forrest

  “Meu Deus! I told you that girl is not your friend. It’s not your fault that she is the other woman. I’m sure she knew that already. It was just seeing his wife in person that rattled her feathers. She came face to face with the preferred. She had no right calling you in combat mode. That pisses me off that she did that!”

  “I knew it would, that’s why I’m just now telling you. I’ve already decided to deal with her from a distance, if at all. I’m just a little worried that Mya may be upset. Had it not been for her, I might still be looking for space and settling on something I didn’t really want. I would hate for something like that situation to be the end of our new friendship.”

  “Only time will tell. Wait to see if she calls you then you can feel her out that way. Don’t initiate the call, especially if it’s about that because you don’t know what you’re walking into.”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna release on it all and let the chips fall where they may.”

  “I think you’re doing the right thing.”

  ~*~*~

  The night before Natalia returned to Brazil, my parents treated us to an early dinner. We had a lot of fun over drinks, food and lively conversation. I even tried to talk her into extending her stay, to no avail. “I’ll be back soon enough,” she told me.

  “We will miss you, Natalia,” my mother told her.

  My father cosigned. “We certainly will…I know Gabriella has loved having you here.”

  “I’ve enjoyed my time here too,” she said looking at me, fighting back tears. “I’ll miss you guys also.”

  Thinking ahead to the next day and realizing Talia would be on a plane back to Brazil, made me sad. We covered a lot of territory on her visit, and I felt that we had gotten even closer.

  Early the next morning, I drove Natalia to San Francisco International.

  When I let her out at baggage claim curbside service, we hugged so long that security tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Ma’am, this is loading and drop-off, only. You have to get back to your car.”

  “Okay…” I responded, holding back sniffles.

  “Don’t you do it, Gabriella. I don’t want to be walking through the airport crying. And besides, I’ll see you in a few months…”

  More like six, but I didn’t say it out loud for the same reason she didn’t – because it seemed so far off.

  “Maybe sooner,” I said.

  “Yeah, maybe sooner,” she replied.

  BOOK TWO

  ~*~*~

  THREE YEARS LATER

  CHAPTER 42

  ~*~*~

  Three years flew by quickly and much had happened in that time.

  Time flies when you’re having fun!

  Not too long after the deal was finalized for the purchase of 427 Harper Lane, I had offers to expand Club Rendezvous. People had caught on and it had become the hot spot for couples, with reservations booked months in advance.

  After carefully weighing my expansion options, I decided against it and instead chose to open another location – with plans to launch four more in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Florida – in the next two years.

  Doubling the size of my clubs was not of interest to me…at least not yet.

  I was more interested in having intimate settings where couples could engage in one another and not be distracted by the large crowds surrounding them.

  Developing locales with similar set ups was a more attractive idea, and kept with the original theme.

  Goodie Bagg was also booming, and my increased net worth attested to that fact.

  Although I had always been hands on with Goodie Bagg, the reality of the situation was that sex had, and will always sell itself. I had a great team in place that eagerly stepped up to the plate to ensure all divisions were running smoothly, so there were no worries there.

  My short term plan was to continue with what was in place, but long term, I knew I would have to at some point either appoint one of my team members to a higher position, or increase the volume of time I spent across the bridge.

  The truth was that I had been holding out for Natalia to move and after the first year, when she decided to remain in Brazil, I saw that placing her at the helm had become an unlikely occurrence.

  ~*~*~

  The day I went to finalize the purchase of 427 Harper Lane, I was on cloud nine! I was about to add commercial property owner, to my name.

  The sale was supposed to be after one year of leasing, but due to complications stemming from Stanley’s divorce, it was held up in the proceedings.

  Finally, during the third year of us being tenant and owner, my day had arrived.

  Around 10 AM, the day of the sale, I was putting my jacket on to head out the door, when my cell phone rang.

  In the middle of locking the door, I pressed the button on my Bluetooth and answered, “Hello, this is Gabriella!”

  “Good morning, Gabriella…it’s Stanley. Stanley Coxler.”

  “Of course, Stanley! How are you? Wait!” I stopped in my tracks on the way to the car. “You’re not calling to say you’ve changed your mind about transferring ownership?” I cried out, filled with concern.

  “Nooo,” he laughed. “That’s not it at all. I’m calling to see if it would be an inconvenience for you to come to my office instead.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Whew!” My heart was pounding in those moments. “I would travel to the end of the earth to sign the paperwork. Just tell me where you are and I’m on the way.”

  “Perfect.”

  He provided me with the address to his office in Pacific Heights and I headed across the bridge full of energy.

  As I passed through the toll plaza, it dawned on me that Mya hadn’t called. I wondered if the meeting had switched hands, or if she would also be in attendance.

  I decided to call her to see if she was en route or if she would be there at all.

  “Call Mya cell,” I spoke into my headset.

  As the phone continued ringing, it became evident the voicemail would pick up. When her greeting finished playing, my message was simple: “Hey girl. Just seeing if you’ll be at the meeting for the big signing. If so, I’ll see you there!”

  I turned the volume up on Jamie Foxx’s “Warm Bed,” and continued my drive while singing along.

  When I approached the exit I lowered the volume. It didn’t seem appropriate to pull up to a professional meeting with blaring music.

  Keep it classy!

  By the time I parked in front of Stanley’s office, I was jittery. The music kept me leveled, but when I turned it off, I became a nervous wreck.

  Today is a good day. Relax…Breathe…I told myself.

  Stanley, ever the gentleman, stood in the doorway of his office wearing a welcoming smile, as I stepped out of the car. As welcoming as it was, I wish that was all it took to calm me down.

  “You made it, Gabriella.”

  “In one piece!” I joked.

  He held the door open as I walked inside to an enormous space that was decked in cherry wood and thankfully, the sounds of music coming from a stereo system.

  Ahhhh…I instantly felt relief set in.

  “You have a nice office here, Stanley. I could get used to this. Does it come with my building?” I kidded.

  Standing before him, I could see why Natalia was so smitten. He was extremely charismatic. Made me want to know the reason behind his divorce because it was hard to imagine a woman not wanting to wake up to him. Whew!

  “No, sorry it does not come with the building,” he smiled…but I would be happy to put you in touch with my designer if you wish.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me!”

  As we both took our seats, Stanley asked, “So, tell me how you’re feeling, Gabriella.”

  He pulled out a folder full of papers and placed them on the center of the desk.

  “It’s indescribable, really. Let’s just say that I didn’t sleep a full eight hours last night. In fact, I vaguely r
ecall something closer to four.”

  “Anxious, huh?”

  “Yes. Three years ago, I had the dream to open my club and not anticipating at all how well things would fare. I’m just getting used to it all,” I admitted. “It’s so much more than I ever expected.”

  “It’s a lot to be proud of, Gabriella. Own it. You’ve worked hard for it. Embrace your brilliance and keep making those important moves. I have a feeling you are far from finished.”

  “You’re right, Stanley. I still have ideas bursting through, so I’m not done.”

  “That’s wonderful,” he said.

  I could see the forms and little yellow page flags sticking out where our signatures were to be applied. As we talked, he signed and dated in his designated slots, with me repeating the same steps.

  “Where’s Mya?” I asked, applying my final signature. “I expected to see her here. Did she transfer the meeting?”

  “You haven’t spoken to her?” he inquired.

  “No. I left a voicemail on the way here. When she didn’t call back, I figured it was because she would be here when I arrived.”

  “Oh. Well…yeah. I thought you guys had spoken. I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.”

  “Am I missing something, Stanley?” I asked concerned. “There seems to be a situation that I’m unaware of.”

  “I really don’t know anything more than what she told me,” he relayed hesitantly. “She called me this morning and told me that she preferred if I closed the deal with you and notified me that the two of you were no longer on speaking terms.”

  My heart sank. That was news to me, but I tried to refrain from showing too much. All I could think of was how much he must value Mya because business is business and whatever it was that she was dealing with, shouldn’t have gotten in the way of her doing her job. Period.

  “Okay…” I mumbled. “I guess that’s it then. I wish I had been in the know,” I said shrugging my shoulders, “…But I guess if she wanted me to know, she would have told me.”

  “I’m sorry…I thought---”

  “It’s okay. It’s not your fault,” I said, flashing a reassuring smile to appease him. “It really is okay, Stanley. What would life be if we didn’t have people passing through? Everybody isn’t meant to be a permanent fixture. I get that.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. It wasn’t all for nothing,” he said as he handed me the folder with my copy of the paperwork. “You two met and now you are the owner of a piece of commercial real estate. Yet something else to add to your very impressive portfolio.”

  “Exactly…and a very good point.”

  At the end of the meeting, we shook hands, promised to keep in touch and parted ways.

  ~*~*~

  A part of me wanted to call Mya back to see if she would answer the phone and be adult enough to tell me what was going on.

  I’d known her for a while and I considered us friends. Clearly, I was mistaken because friends practiced healthy communication. Friends didn’t just exit a relationship without at least expressing what the issue was.

  I’d spoken with her the previous week and everything seemed fine. We hadn’t been buddy, buddy with one another but we did speak often just to catch up on things. My god! She’d even referred a few of her clients to my club.

  I didn’t turn on the music at all. My feelings were hurt that she didn’t deem me important enough to confide in me what the situation was.

  My mind was racing. What had happened between talking to her a few days earlier, and that morning for her to tell him that we were no longer associates?

  Something was up. It would have loved to not stress over what the possible reasons could be. I wanted to be in the mind state of, if you don’t want to be friends, fuck you, and keep it moving, but I couldn’t.

  Wait.

  Hell no!

  Everything came flooding at the same time. Joi’s name came to mind. This had something to do with her, Mike and Joi! I was sure of that.

  But why then?

  It had been a long time since I had corresponded with Joi, and the last I did talk to her, she claimed that she and Mike were a done deal.

  Mya suddenly deciding that we were no longer friends, reeked of all the messiness of Joi and Mike. There wasn’t anything else it could be.

  Way back at the onset, I decided to keep my distance from Mya. Partly because I suspected that although Joi told me things were off with Mike, they really weren’t. I didn’t want him sitting in my presence at any functions we might end up at and attempting to converse with me like everything was okay.

  Not my style.

  Likewise, I didn’t want to see Mya doting on a man who obviously had a contrasting view of what their marriage truly was. I couldn’t watch that.

  Somehow though, I suspected I had ended up in the chaos – and still didn’t know what the chaos was.

  Damn!

  I had the urge to dial Mya again. I tried convincing myself that maybe she would answer the phone on the second attempt. Or that she never got the first voicemail, since cell phones weren’t always the most reliable. Maybe she was in the middle of something and was going to call, and if I called back…

  Stop it, Gabriella! Leave it alone.

  The writing was already on the wall and written in bold, red letters. I’d already left a voicemail and she had already told Stanley we were “no longer on speaking terms.”

  Who was I to force myself upon her?

  Letting go made more sense.

  So that’s what I did.

  CHAPTER 43

  ~*~*~

  When Natalia visited for the opening of Club Rendezvous, she took a liking to Robert.

  As soon as she made it back to Brazil, her first email was about how she thought he would make a compatible mate for me.

  “You only met him once,” I’d said to her, to which she promptly responded, “Yeah, but there’s a connection. I see it and so do you. You don’t have to marry the man, but give him a test run.”

  She was right…there was a connection. It wasn’t love, but it was something.

  In addition to her giving me her two cents, Robert made a really good case for seeing him exclusively, and for the first time in seven years, I surrendered to an intimate relationship.

  Well sort of.

  I would never give up Brazil.

  I had always prided myself on being unattached. It was a comfortable lifestyle. The pressures of arguments, checking in and emotional obligation, didn’t appeal to me. Being manless…simplified things.

  When I stated my position, he let me know that he had no intentions on trying to make changes to my life, that he only wanted to be a part of my life and see where we could take things – as a couple.

  Why he felt the need to place a title on it, I didn’t fully understand, but I heard him out.

  Admittedly, there were times I came home from a hectic day and wished there was a warm body with a functioning brain there waiting for me to divulge parts of my day to.

  Robert was an ideal candidate, but my concern was that I might not be able to give him what he needed long term.

  I decided to stay in the moment and see what the moment would bring. I had been incorrectly focused on what could be, versus what it was at that time, and going with the flow.

  ~*~*~

  The first year was easy breezy. My time was split between managing my businesses, seeing him, and spending time with my family and it was the same for him.

  We respected each other’s aspirations, as well as the need to keep our individual endeavors healthy, with the right amount of attention paid in those areas.

  The ease of it made me wonder if I could have taken the plunge long ago. It didn’t seem as complicated as I had always envisioned it.

  Or so I thought…

  ~*~*~

  By year two, Robert was dropping not-so-subtle hints about meeting my parents.

  He and I had spent time hanging with Kelli and her guy whenever they came down f
rom Arizona and we even went on a few double dates with friends of his, but he wanted more.

  Once when we were out with his friend, Davis and Davis’ fiancé, Carla, she made comments that I was convinced were coaxed by him, prior to us all meeting up.

  After we had all placed our orders for dinner, she asked, “How long have you guys been dating, exactly?”

  Robert answered, “We’re on year two.”

  “Nice. You two look so good together.”

  “Thank you,” he replied.

  Soon after, she followed up with, “Are you guys living together? Talking about marriage?”

  What the hell?

  It threw me for a complete loop. I felt ambushed.

  I noticed that his friend kept his head bowed toward his glass of champagne opting not to look at either of us and when I glared over at Robert, he sat looking stupid as though he hadn’t heard the questions at all.

  So what did I do? Mimicked his behavior and in turn did one better. I changed the subject, and asked, “So…what are your wedding colors?” taking the conversation in a whole other direction.

  What soon-to-be-bride doesn’t want to talk endlessly about her impending wedding? She was no different, and while I wasn’t listening to a damn thing she said, my goal had been achieved…to get them all off my back.

  When dinner was over and we were in Roberts’ car headed back to my place, his hearing was once again in working condition and he wanted to challenge me.

  “Why didn’t you answer Carla?”

  “Oh you mean answer the questions that you had your friend put her up to asking?”

  “I didn’t put them up to that,” he insisted, even appearing offended.

  “Robert, please don’t insult my intelligence. Of course you did. It’s childish and makes you look desperate.”

  “Baby, I’m far from desperate and I think you know there’s no child living inside here.”

  “Yeah, okay…If you say so.”

  Needless to say that night I asked that he drop me off and I went into my house alone.