The Red Shoe Chronicles : A Fantasy Romance Anthology

by N. R. Larry

  “Huh?”

  “You zoned out, girl. What’s wrong with you? Did he do something to you?” Sandra pointed at Jerome.

  “No, I need to go,” I responded and walked off.

  “Kimmy, wait!” Jerome yelled from behind me.

  Sandra followed behind, and we walked outside toward the car. I glanced at the old lady’s candle shop, and it wasn’t there. Shocked, I dropped the shoes and my purse, walking to the building. It was a brick wall with no windows.

  “She was just here,” I muttered to myself.

  “Who was?” Sandra asked.

  “The shop that was here when we arrived,” I repeated.

  “Kimberly, you need some sleep, girl.”

  “I’m not crazy, Sandra, I know what I saw. Remember my shoes?” I glanced down at the black shoes she was holding in her hands.

  “Wait, what happened to my red shoes?” I questioned.

  “Girl, you’re tripping. Your shoes are black, they’ve always been black.”

  “Am I tripping?”

  “Yes, now let’s go so I can sleep before we head to your parents later today,” Sandra said, pulling me along to her car.

  I looked back, wondering if all of this was just a dream. But the sex was real, and I could still feel him inside of me.

  Chapter 5

  Monday Afternoon

  Sandra wanted to tag along with me to my parents’ house since I skipped coming over on Sunday and called out of work today. I still couldn’t get the weekend out of my mind and hadn’t taken any of Jerome’s phone calls. I knocked on the door, and my mom answered and hugged me close, feeling my forehead.

  “How are you feeling, baby?” Mom asked.

  I forgot I lied about being sick.

  “Fine, it was an upset stomach,” I said.

  “Sandra, how are you doing? Come on, girls,” Mom stated, moving to the side and letting us in.

  I smelled barbeque and figured my dad was putting something on the grill.

  “What did you cook?” I questioned, taking my jacket off and hanging it on the coatrack.

  “Your dad cooked ribs, mac and cheese, spaghetti, and cornbread. All of your favorites,” Mom shouted, running into the kitchen to hold the back door open for him as he walked inside with a tray of food.

  “Hey, Scout,” Dad said, dropping the food on the counter. I kissed his cheek, and he wrapped one arm around my waist, checking my forehead. I rolled my eyes because my parents always thought of me as a baby.

  “You don’t have a fever,” Dad stated.

  “It was an upset stomach, baby,” Mom repeated the lie that I told her.

  “How are you two doing?” I asked and changed the subject.

  Mom opened the fridge and grabbed the lemonade out, and I grabbed the glasses from the cupboard.

  “Good and Kimberly’s extra good,” Sandra said, throwing my business out to the world.

  “Sandra,” I groaned, pinching her arm when she walked past.

  “What is she talking about?” Mom inquired.

  “Nothing, how is everything with your appointments?”

  “I know what you’re trying to do, Scout,” Mom replied, staring at me.

  “Daddy, how is work?”

  “Work is good, but we want to know what’s going on with you.”

  “Busy with work, that’s all, and my phone rang, and I ignored it.”

  “You have a weird glow about you. Did you meet someone?” Mom asked excitedly.

  “Yep, she did,” Sandra commented, taking a sip of her lemonade.

  “Yes! Thank God,” Mom responded, and I felt so embarrassed.

  “Woman, sit down,” Dad told my mom as she started dancing around the kitchen.

  All of us burst into laughter.

  “When did my love life become the kitchen conversation?” I questioned.

  “We’re just happy for you, baby. Your dad and I won’t be here forever and we want you to be happy,” Mom said, lifting the bowl of spaghetti and the spoon, passing it around the table.

  “My love life is the same as it’s always been,” I said.

  I thought about Jerome and how I ran out of his bar this past weekend and wouldn’t return his calls. I couldn’t face him now after we slept together and knew he probably was under some spell and never really felt that way about me for real.

  “Sandra, tell us about this man,” Mom said.

  Sandra looked toward me, and I gave her the death stare.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Peterson. Kimberly would kill me if I told,” Sandra said.

  “Fine, just remember I’m a woman before I’m your mother. I know what it’s like to be in love and confused about your feelings,” Mom replied.

  I sighed and nodded my head, taking a bite of the cornbread and continued talking with my parents, running down what I had planned for the week besides work. I wanted to look into taking a trip out of town to get away. Meredith was still on my mind, and I wanted to try and track her down and find out more about those red shoes.

  It was Wednesday, and I’d done my best to avoid Jerome for the last two days. After lunch at my parents’ house, I’d started researching Meredith’s shop and came up empty. Still hadn’t gone back to the bar, but Sandra said Jerome was asking about me when she went the other night. I’d made a mental note to never do something like that again. Having a one-night stand was something I’d never seen myself doing, even though it turned out to be the best fantasy I’d ever experienced. It still was supposed to be about us never reconnecting again and letting what happened stay there as a memory. Walking out of my cubicle, I headed to the kitchen to grab a coffee cup after putting my purse away.

  “Morning, Kimberly.” I heard behind me, and Mark held up his cup.

  “Hey,” I replied dryly.

  “I’ve been meaning to call you.”

  “About?”

  “Us,” Mark responded, pouring a cup of coffee.

  “There’s no us, Mark,” I responded, laughing at him.

  “I made a mistake, babe, and you have to forgive me,” Mark said as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling my back to his front.

  Nothing in my mind would ever go back to this man and how he treated me last time. I would be a fool. He removed his arms and stepped to the side so no one would think we were doing anything funny.

  “Mark, keep the same energy you’ve had for the past year.”

  “Kimberly, all we’ve done is ignore each other.”

  “Good and if you cared about me at all you’ll apologize and tell everyone you lied about me,” I spat, with a harsh glare.

  He held his hands up in surrender.

  “I apologize for discussing our sex life.”

  Right as I finished talking, Carol walked inside.

  “Kimberly, I need you back at your desk. The phone is ringing off the hook,” Carol scolded.

  “Sorry, Mark asked me a question, and I got sidetracked.”

  I eased from around him and walked out toward my desk to finish working until lunch. I blew out the breath of frustration and logged into my computer and placed the headset on to start taking the first calls of the day.

  …

  Four hours later, I was preparing to head out for lunch, and I closed down my computer and locked my cabinet up. I didn’t bring lunch, and I’d called Sandra about meeting me, and she had a meeting on her floor in the mailroom. She walked by Carol’s office and noticed the door slightly ajar, and Mark was inside with his head between her thighs. I wanted to throw up and call HR because he was just confessing to wanting to be with me again, and here he was having sex with our boss in her office during the day. I stepped on the elevator and hit the lobby pulling my phone out to answer the text message.

  Chapter 6

  Kimberly wasn’t answering any of my calls, so I decided to come to her job to see what was up. I knew her lunch was coming up soon, and I hoped she’d let her guard down so we could talk about what happened. I still recalled her soft moans in m
y ear from how we’d made love and her scratching my back up. I let Charlie run the bar for me while I stepped out for the next few hours. Kimberly kept telling me something about her shoes being the reason for our encounter, and I didn’t understand what she was talking about. I knew the woman that frequented my bar was the same woman I wanted to make things official with and it didn’t matter about any damn shoes or her anti-love agenda.

  It was about noon near Times Square, the sun was shining and cabs were honking. Bike riders and buses continued on about their business as my stomach was in knots, not knowing if she would freak out about me being there at her job to profess that I’d like to have something serious with her outside of our night together. The door of her office building opened right as I was starting to enter and I bumped right into her because she had her head down, typing away on her phone.

  “Oh...Sorry,” she said, finally looking up at me. Pushing her glasses up further on her nose, she looked shocked at my presence.

  “My fault,” I replied, stepping to the side of the door and letting her coworkers walk outside of the building. I held her palm walking us to the side of the building, pushing the loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked so sexy yet sweet at the same time. I knew her experiences in the past hadn’t worked out as far as the type of men she’d dated. But I knew that I could give her the patience and pleasure she needed to become more confident in what we could be as a couple. I was ready to build something real.

  “Jerome, what are you doing here?” Kimberly questioned as she glanced over my shoulder.

  I released her hand, tucking my hands in my pockets, grinning at her nervousness.

  “You ignored my calls, and I wanted to see what’s up with you,” I replied.

  Kimberly crossed her arms over her chest, biting her bottom lip.

  “Sorry, it’s just after our night together I didn’t know how you would feel about me afterward.”

  I leaned over and kissed her lips, wrapping my hands around her waist, pulling her in close to my chest and leaving all doubts about us in the past.

  “Does that explain how I feel about you?” I asked.

  She nodded her head, standing on tippy toes, pecking my lips.

  “I want you, the woman that comes into my bar that orders a shot of scotch but can never take the full shot down in one chug. The girl that loves watching the History channel and talking about how Greeks and gods are her favorite past subject to study in college.”

  “She sounds like a real prize,” Kimberly joked.

  Tapping her nose gently, I pushed my erection against her stomach so she could feel what she did to me.

  “More than a prize, she’s a Queen, and should be treated like one at all times. Never forget that.”

  “Who’s watching the bar?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Charlie. I told him I would bring you by later after our date tonight.”

  “I don’t recall you asking me out on a date,” she teased, snaking her arm in mine as we started walking down the street.

  “That’s because I was too enraptured with your soft lips to remember the second reason for me coming here.”

  “Sorry to distract you.”

  “Are you heading to lunch?” I questioned.

  Kimberly nodded, checking the time on her watch.

  “Yeah, I have about an hour and a half because my boss left for the day. So, I tend to take a little longer heading back.”

  “Good, let’s go to the bistro across the street and talk.” We came to a stop at the crosswalk, and I clicked the buzzer waiting for the sign to cross.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Us.”

  “What about us?”

  The light changed, and we headed toward the restaurant across from her job and three blocks from my bar. I held the door open for her as she walked inside. The hostess seated us right away since the place wasn’t ultimately crowded like an ordinary Friday afternoon. Taking the menu out of her hands, she told us our waitress would be with us soon.

  “Baby, I want to say that the night we spent together was more than what I’d ever imagined.”

  “You’re just saying that,” she replied.

  Shaking my head, I lifted her hand and kissed her.

  “It doesn’t matter if it was some magical shoes, or you were finally noticing how sexy you are. I want to see where this goes between us.”

  “I don’t know, Jerome.”

  “Listen, you’ve been hurt in the past. I get it but keeping yourself from being happy is not what you need or want. Give me a chance to show you that we could be happy.”

  “What if you find out in three months from now or six that I’m not worth the time?”

  “That will never happen because you’re priceless, and I see the real you, baby.”

  Kimberly stared into my eyes as a slow smile crept upon her lips.

  “Okay. We can try dating and see where that goes,” she said, holding her hand out for a shake. I smirked, taking her hand, sealing the deal with a handshake and kiss.

  “Officially dating.”

  “Yep, before we sleep together again, I have to tell you those shoes are no longer in my possession.”

  “After I’m done with you, the shoes will be a lasting memory, baby,” I said, winking and letting the waitress place two glasses of water down on the table.

  “Hello, I’m Meredith, your waitress, what can I get for you today?” she asked, removing her pen and notebook ready to take our order. Kimberly’s eyes rose in shock, spilling her water on the table.

  “It’s you!” Kimberly screamed as she pointed at the waitress. I looked at the waitress, and she seemed surprised by her outburst.

  “Kimberly, what are you talking about?” I questioned, trying to get her to sit down.

  “She’s the woman that gave me the shoes at your bar. Don’t you remember?” Kimberly stated, grabbing the waitress’s hand so she couldn’t move.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Meredith replied.

  “Yeah, baby, I don’t remember her either.”

  “Jerome, I’m not crazy, it’s her.”

  “Okay, but didn’t you say the woman was some old lady?” I questioned.

  “I...I...it has to be her,” she stuttered out.

  “Sorry, I’m only twenty-seven. If you need a few more minutes, I can come back,” Meredith responded.

  “Yeah, give us a few more minutes.”

  “Maybe I’m going crazy and don’t even know it. I need to leave,” Kimberly told me, standing up, and I jumped up, stopping her from leaving in her current state.

  “Wait! Baby, calm down. Let’s eat and talk about this.”

  “She seemed so real, though. Her eyes, hair, that small scar across her eyebrow.”

  “You probably need to eat something. How about we get another waitress?” I offered as Meredith walked back to our table.

  “Are we ready to order?” Meredith asked.

  “Have you ever been to Red Light District’s bar three blocks from here?” Kimberly asked.

  “No, sorry, I just moved to New York a few days ago and started this job today,” Meredith replied.

  “Oh. Okay, I’m just tripping. You’re right. I need to eat something,” Kimberly joked.

  Forty minutes after we ate and talked, Meredith brought the check over, and I pulled my card out to pay as Kimberly boxed up her food for us to leave. We’d decided that night was our first official date at the new Italian restaurant that opened on Third Avenue. Signing the check, we stood up together, and I dropped her hand when I heard a gasp out of her lips. I looked back over my shoulder, and Kimberly stared at Meredith as she laughed with a coworker near the counter.

  “What’s wrong?” I inquired.

  “The both of them are wearing red high heel shoes.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “They’re the same shoes I was given when we had our night togethe
r,” Kimberly reminded me.

  “How about I get you a pair for tonight?”

  She slapped my chest, and I chuckled, kissing her forehead.

  “That’s not funny,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “Shit, I’m not joking.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”

  “What I think is that you’re a smart, funny, sweet, and sexy as hell woman that I want to get to know and date. Can I do that, please?”

  She huffed, poking her lip out.

  “What about sex?”

  “We’ll go at your pace. But let me be clear, Kimberly, you are more than enough for me, baby, and the shoes, in my opinion, were a bonus. I like you and want you as you are,” I replied.

  “Then Jerome Lawrence, let me get out of here so I can finish my shift. I want to see what else we can explore at the Red Light District tonight,” Kimberly teased, slipping her tongue in my mouth.

  “Mmmmm...maybe I should close up early so we can have the place to ourselves.”

  “I’d like that.”

  We walked out of the bistro laughing, and I noticed Kimberly peer over again at Meredith through the window, and Meredith winked her left eye in acknowledgment. Kimberly stopped in her tracks.

  “You good?” I inquired.

  “Uhm. Yeah, I just got a chill all of a sudden.”

  “Well maybe I should take you straight home instead of back to work.”

  “No, I’ll be fine. Besides, I want to make sure I get the perfect outfit for tonight,” she said, changing the subject.

  “You’re perfect already, baby, never forget that.”

  “As long as you’re in my corner, I won’t,” she replied, leaning her head on my arm. I wrapped an arm around her, bringing her in closer as we walked back, talking about plans for the rest of the week and getting to know each other better outside of the Red Light District.

  The End!

  About the Author

  Chiquita Dennie is an author of Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Erotic and Women’s Fiction.