North Star

by Angeline M. Bishop

  Graham lifted Caresse’s legs onto the couch and kissed her gently. The puffiness around her eyes reminded him of the tears she’d shed as she watched the paramedics try to revive Yvette at the center.

  “Okay, but don’t forget.”

  Graham watched as she used his jacket as a pillow, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. It didn’t take long for sleep to capture her, and he was relieved to have a moment to find out what exactly happened. He walked to the door and saw Rick coming down the hallway.

  “Is it okay to act like I know you now?” Rick called out as a satanic smile spread across his lips.

  “Don’t start. You know that wasn’t the time or place to discuss how I know you. Besides, that’s water under the bridge.”

  “Infinity doesn’t think so.” He stopped abruptly, a warning cloud settled on his features.

  “That’s her problem, isn’t it?” Graham snapped, annoyed. “Tell me what happen at the center. I wasn’t under the impression that the Masons hired shoddy contractors, so what’s going on?”

  “The center has been experience a series of life-threatening incidents all month, from cooks being locked in the deep freezer to Caresse being run down in the parking lot.”

  “What? That was an accident.”

  “No, Graham. Eyewitness accounts state the car was parked near the exit for a half an hour before it gunned its engine and tried to murder your—what are you calling her? Your girlfriend, fiancée...?”

  “Her name is Caresse, Rick. And what she is to me is none of your business.”

  “Okay, okay. When did our friendship become so strained?” Rick added with mock severity.

  “When you failed to let me know Infinity’s plans before you introduced her to me.”

  “C’mon, Graham, I didn’t know she would take it that far.”

  “Never mention her again, and we’ll be fine, Rick. Just fine.” Graham glanced over his shoulder to make sure Caresse was still resting. “So who’s behind these accidents?”

  “I’m not sure. At first, I thought it was a bunch of kids, but the evidence doesn’t add up. Then there are the phone calls Yvette received.”

  “What phone calls?”

  “I’m not privy to go into details. The investigation is ongoing, but the caller or callers want the center to close its doors. And if a few people need to be hurt or killed to do it, they’ll make that happen.”

  “Has staff been made aware of the threats?”

  “No, Yvette beefed up security instead, but I think they’re starting to catch on. I mean, let’s face it, only so many accidents can occur before people begin to get fearful,” Rick said as he leaned against the far wall. “Do you think Yvette told Caresse about the calls?”

  “No, she hadn’t been able to visit with Yvette all week, so she hasn’t heard a thing.”

  Suddenly the operating room doors swung open and the doctor sped toward them. “I need to speak to Ms. Aldana.”

  Graham led them into the waiting room to wake Caresse. He sat beside her as the doctor explained Yvette’s prognosis. “She has a subdural haematoma and right-sided hemiparesis,” the doctor stated as he rubbed his shoulder. “That basically means she had a collection of blood clots between the brain and its covering and suffers from a contusion on a part of the forebrain. We removed the clots in surgery, but we won’t be able to determine the physical damage until she wakes up.”

  “Will she wake soon?” Caresse asked as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

  “We’re expecting her to regain consciousness in the next couple days. There may be some residual muscle weakness on her right side, but right now we’re pleased the surgery was a success.”

  “What about her arm?”

  “Yes, that open fracture was some sight. There was a significant amount of displacement of the ulna fracture, so we surgically stabilized fractured bone with a plate.”

  “How long will it take to heal?”

  “On the average, displaced fractures take three to five months. And she will have some loss of forearm rotation because the fracture occurred in the middle third of the forearm.”

  The doctor patiently answered the rest of their questions and asked them to give the nurses time to get Yvette settled in her room. “Due to the nature of her injuries, only one person at a time can visit with her,” the doctor warned.

  Caresse called Yvette’s parents with an update, then she walked with Graham to her best friend’s recovery room. When they glanced through the window and watched the nurses’ progress, Caresse began to lose her composure. “Why her?” she cried. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just go in there and let her know she’s not alone. I’ll be right here,” he whispered as he held her close. The thought of someone trying to injury the staff members of the center alarmed him. He had to make sure Caresse was safe and get to the bottom of things, but he knew he couldn’t do that unless he buried the hatchet with Rick. And the last thing he wanted to do is work closely with a man who had almost cost him his magazine.

  The nurses motioned for Caresse to enter. Graham saw the worry in her eyes, and knew he had to give her enough strength to sit in there alone. “She’s your best friend, Caresse, so she has to know you want her pull out of this. Tell Yvette her family and friends are waiting for her to open her eyes. Don’t worry, babe, she’ll hear you.”

  Caresse nodded and walked into the room. Graham watched as she pulled a chair beside Yvette’s bed and took her right hand in her own. He stood there, admiring her bravery and grace when Rick joined him.

  “I’ll kill the guy responsible for this,” Rick said, his features contorted with anger.

  “And I’ll help,” Graham countered icily.

  “You? Why, for your lady in there?”

  “Of course. Those two are like sisters. Yvette’s parents are in her cell phone, for Pete’s sake.”

  “I see it didn’t take you too long to get back in the saddle. Does Infinity know?”

  “Need I remind you? I don’t answer to anyone, Rick.” Graham felt the fire in his eyes. “And if she implied otherwise, you’d better remind her.”

  “Don’t worry, I will. So when will I be able to question Caresse about the center? I need to question all the staff on hand tonight.”

  “Tomorrow, Rick, she’s exhausted.” Graham watched as Caresse cried on Yvette’s hand.

  Rick’s cell phone sounded from his pocket. “I need to get this. It’s probably the security team at the center.”

  As Rick walked away for privacy, Graham had a disturbing thought. What if this madman begins stalking women that work at the center? Graham had to find out if Yvette had an enemy and why anyone would want her to close the center for good.

  “C’mon, Laila, do you really think this is necessary?” Latrell asked as his face clouded with uneasiness.

  “Yes, I want something different. The old Laila makes me sick. She was weak, and I’m tired of her,” Laila said as she covered her light brown hair and blond highlights with black hair dye.

  Latrell shook his head. “It’s summer, La La. Everyone is supposed to have lighter hair and beach tans. That’s why you paid top dollar for that hairstyle.”

  “No, I paid for this hairstyle because Malcolm had a thing for Beyoncè and the next thing I knew, I was sporting her hair.” Laila finished coating her long hair with the hair dye and placed a plastic cap on her head. “I can’t take looking at anything that reminds me of him.”

  “Okay, I get it. Listen, I’m heading out to pick up our dinner, so promise me you won’t do anything drastic while I’m gone?”

  “I’m not a child, Latrell.”

  “The way you destroyed the remainder of Malcolm’s clothes wasn’t very grown up.”

  “They were dirty. I was cleaning them.”

  “Yeah, we both know to never wash dry-clean only darks in the washer machine with a whole bottle of bleach.”

  Laila shrugged and went into the kitchen
where she placed a towel and bottle of shampoo near the sink. “You clean garbage your way, and I clean it my way.”

  “Now be good, and I’ll bring you a pint of your favorite ice cream for dessert.” Latrell grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

  “Vanilla Chocolate Cherry? I haven’t had that all summer. It’s a deal. Hurry. You know the Grey’s Anatomy marathon is about to come on.”

  “Start without me. I’ll be back soon,” Latrell said as he closed the door behind him.

  Laila watched from the kitchen window as Latrell walked toward his car. She enjoyed how his visit reminded her of the time he’d helped her move into her condominium. They laughed, painted, and talked as they made her place feel more like a home. And now he was back, helping her restore her heart and mind.

  The egg timer stirred Laila from her thoughts. She put her head under the kitchen faucet and rinsed all of the dye from her hair. As she began shampooing, she thought about the last time Malcolm had shampooed her hair in the shower. He’d pressed her wet body against his as he massaged her scalp under the powerful spray of water. He’d taken an ordinary cleaning ritual and had made it erotic, sensual foreplay. And when he’d gathered her into his arms and made love to her against the shower wall, she had never been loved so passionately. But now, looking back, she understood it wasn’t love, it was lust.

  Every smile was a grin of deception, and the realization made Laila’s eyes water as she watched the black dye and gray bubbles run down the drain. Love. What the hell do I know about love? I know how to be used, mistreated, and lied to. I know how to give everything, just to have men take advantage of me. I know how to think a lie is the truth. Not everyone is meant to have what Janet has...the loving husband and a house full of beautiful children. For some of us, the dream is an allusion. A dream deferred.

  When the water pouring over her head began to run clear, Laila wrung the water from her tresses and headed into the living room. As she sat on the couch, and turned on the television to watch her favorite show, she thought about the way Malcolm used to curl up with her to watch dramas or DVDs. She missed the smell of his cologne and the feel of his arms holding her tight.

  Forget the dream. It’s that simple. She pulled the towel off her head to reveal black and glossy damp hair that tumbled down her shoulders. She stared at her reflection on her mirrored wall. Old Laila is gone.

  Graham drove up to Caresse’s house. This wasn’t how he’d pictured their romantic date unfolding. He glanced over at Caresse as she rested against the window. “Caresse? Sweetheart, you’re home.”

  Caresse stirred slowly as she opened her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “A little past two,” Graham said as he exited the limo to help Caresse to her front door. “This wasn’t what I had in mind for our third date. Is there anything I can do before I leave?”

  Caresse opened her front door and extended her hand as she asked, “Would you like to come in? I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

  Graham took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her hand. “Sure.”

  Caresse enter the house and sat on the couch to remove her shoes and the jewels from her neck and ears. “I should give these back to you now. Thank you for letting me wear them.”

  “They were a gift, keep them. I can’t imagine them on any other woman.”

  “Did you see Yvette’s face when we walked into the center? She thought I looked good, like a real diva. She always wanted me to wear room-stopping red, but I couldn’t bring myself to wear such a bold color.” Tears started to stream down her face as her voice broke miserably.

  Graham pulled her into his arms and let her weep aloud as he rocked her back and forth. He hated seeing her in such anguish, but when her trembling subsided, he lifted her into his arms and walked her toward her bedroom upstairs. When Graham entered, he noticed cream and gold décor with delicate touches of apple green and lavender. The maple wood furniture reminded him of a southern retreat, feminine, luxurious, and it fit her perfectly.

  Gently, he placed Caresse on her bed. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” he whispered, trying hard to fight the desire to climb into bed with her.

  “I want you to stay with me, Graham.”

  “No, you don’t. It’s been a very difficult night, and the last think you need is me in your bed.”

  Caresse’s sleepy gaze suddenly became alert as she raised her body from the bed. “Don’t tell me what I want. I know what I need, Graham.”

  “Listen, you’re tired and the last think you need to do is make a decision you aren’t ready for,” Graham said as he started to turned away.

  “You don’t know what you are talking about!” Caresse sat upright, anger shadowing her cheeks. “You’re like every other man. You want to date me, hunger to sleep with me, but the first moment real life steps in, you vanish.”

  “You don’t know what you are talking about, Caresse.” Graham stiffened.

  “Don’t I?” Caresse retorted in cold sarcasm as she jumped off the bed and stopped his retreat. “Here I am, Graham. I’m vulnerable, broken, and lonely since my closest friend in the world is in the hospital. And all I ask of you is to be here for me, but you can’t do it!”

  “You don’t want me to make love to you. You want solace.”

  “Tonight they’re the same!” Her glare burned through him. “And if you can’t see that, then maybe you should go. I don’t need someone that can’t handle the complexity of me!”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  Caresse tried to push him from her room. “I do! Go!”

  His height and weight made her shoves ineffective, so she began hitting and pushing his chest until they both stumbled into the hall. “Get out! I don’t need you! I don’t want you!”

  Graham watched as tears blinded her eyes and choked her voice. He stopped her assault by sweeping her weightless body into his arms and pinned her against the hallway wall. “You need me, Caresse, as much as I need you!”

  “The hell I do!” she exclaimed in irritation. “Let me go!”

  “Never!” He held her gaze for several seconds, then he kissed her. The kiss was punishing and angry, but Caresse responded by encircling her arms and legs around him and mating her tongue with his.

  He didn’t want their first time to fueled by anger, but her kisses were urgent, drugging his senses with their delicious warmth. He stepped back toward the bedroom, one arm wrapped firmly around her behind and his other keeping her lips secure to his own. When he laid her body on the bed, she relaxed beside him.

  Reluctantly, Graham ended the kiss and peered into her face. “Caresse, there is only so far I can be pushed. The next time you tell me to go, I will.”

  His eyes narrowed, and his back became rigid as she responded. “Understood.”

  “We won’t make love tonight,” he stated as his hand moved gently down the length of her arm and brought her hands to his lips to kiss.

  “Stay until I fall asleep, she whispered as she sought his lips. The kiss was tender and pleading as she pressed her body against his. Unable to help himself, he lifted her sundress, seeking the part of her that was wet and pouty. The gyrations of her hips implied his touch was welcomed and needed. As his fingers explored her body, Graham could feel his body aching to be buried in her folds. Sweat moistened his brow as Caresse placed a series of kisses on his cheek and neck. Torture, pure torture.

  Caresse slipped the straps of her dress from her shoulders, teasing, tormenting him. How much could he take? Graham lowered his lips to her hardened nipples and began licking and sucking. The shapely beauty of her body tortured him as she whimpered her pleasure and arched against him. She writhed beneath his touch, and he quickened the steady exploration of his fingers, causing her to buck against him. He enjoyed lavishing her breasts as she moaned his name. Lifting his head, he removed her thong. As he gazed upon her fully aroused body, she provoked him by opening her legs and pinching one of her already throbbing nipples. He removed h
er hand and made her gasp as his lips reclaimed her nipple with tantalizing possessiveness. He trailed his fingers down her torso, over her flat abdomen, settling on the juncture of her thighs before entering her body brazenly.

  He slipped one finger, then another, into her wet heat. Need tightened his gut as he moved within her, coaxing her toward her climax. When her hips began to match the strokes of his fingers, he knew her release was coming shortly. He lowered his head to replace his fingers with his lips. Immediately, Caresse’s body started to tremble, a delicious series of shudders contracting around his fingers, making his body throb with need.

  Hours later, as Caresse slept, Graham covered her body with a blanket, kissed her forehead, and exited her bedroom. He walked silently down the staircase and studied the photos around her home. It was clear from the photo-covered refrigerator that she adored her children and family. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that she was a mother. She sure didn’t have the body of any mother of two that he knew.

  He walked into the family room and saw a beautiful portrait of Caresse and her daughters. They were dressed elegantly as Caresse sat on an elaborate chair, Nyla stood on her right with a protective hand on her shoulder and Messina sat beside her, her fingers intertwined with her mother. Their faces were almost regal as they seemed to peer into the room. For a while, Graham stood there, captivated by their quiet strength and beauty. He didn’t understand how a man could walk away from them. Or did she walk away?

  There was still so much he didn’t know about Caresse. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear more about her former marriage. Another man’s mistakes had nothing to do with his time with her. From what she’d told him, she was a young wife and mother and she’d outgrown her need for a husband that wanted to control her every move. She needed to find and rely on herself. But one thing was for sure. Where her divorce made it difficult for her to let her guard down, this latest tragedy had made Caresse realize it was okay for her to lean on him.