A
Contemporary Romance novel with a touch of sisterly love!
AVAILABLE
NOW!! Recent release!!
I'm excited to announce my latest work. It is part of a series, but it’s also a
standalone. The Norton Sisters: {Book 1: Rayna}
A taste of beauty in Chapter 1:
Chapter
1
“Are
you freaking serious right now?” Rayna said as she looked down at the split in
her skirt.
“What
happened?” her sister, Zoie, questioned from the other end of the phone and her
Assistant echoed from the main office at the same time.
“I
just snagged my skirt on this stupid desk,” she spoke a little louder so that
she could respond to both at once. To
her Assistant, she added, “Karen, please call Landon’s Carpentry and
Restoration shop and have the edge of this desk taken care of. This is the third skirt that I’ve had torn by
this thing. I don’t have time to replace
my entire wardrobe.”
“First
off, that would take months to do.
Second, you know, good and well, you would make time for such a thing if
it was necessary,” her older sister chimed in from the phone she still held to
her ear.
“Z,
I’m going to have to call you back. Love you,” she told her before she ended
the call.
Rayna
pulled at the fabric of her skirt. It
was ruined. Growing up as the third
oldest of seven, she was used to wearing worn and tattered clothes. Considering the fact that she was a well paid
business owner and Lawyer who kept her family’s affairs in order, she didn’t
have time for those types of garments now.
When she was hanging out around the house the casual attire was fine,
but not at work. Her place of business
was a place for work appropriate attire.
Her small practice was on the same floor of her younger sister, Nyema’s,
office on Tomlin Street.
Always
the one that was the most serious, she definitely didn’t have time to play
around with a desk dead set upon destroying her business clothing. Yes, she blamed the inanimate object in the
room and not the fact that she’d been distracted. She was the one that was the take charge
member of each family member’s business contracts. The meaning of let her hair down was lost on
her because she felt she always had to be on point or else everything would
fall apart. The high stressors of her daily dealings and the utter incompetence
of most individuals had her tending to take care of everything herself. If she could, she would give every imbecilic Lawyer
and Judge a crash course in “Rayna Law.”
With
all that had gone on and was going on in her life, she felt her sister’s
demands for her to “let go” or “find love” and have a man in her bed every
night would be cause for more trouble than good. She had occasional “bed warmers,” but to her
that was all they were. Her male
counterpart would be commended for his ambition. She was usually looked upon as anal and, more
accurately, controlling. As far as she was
concerned, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. She and Kelly Clarkston had that in common.
After
leaving Karen instructions for the documents she had on her desk, Rayna
returned home. She stood in her condo
looking in her mirror that was positioned next to her bedroom door. It had been a gift from her Great Aunt
Elaine. When she’d gifted it to her, Rayna had the artwork changed in the
cherry wood to reflect her sisters’ saying, “In the end, family means
everything and your sisters hold you up no matter what may come.” Her two older
sisters had come up with the statement and uttered it so many times to the
younger ones that they now all lived by it.
It had become their own little “Norton code.”
Rayna
had the loopy design replaced with the saying in a calligraphy style. She was
impressed by the intricate detail work and craftsmanship. She was just as equally impressed every time
she saw it. Now, she stood in front of
her mirror wearing only her satin and lace bra and panty set. Her magenta toned undergarments would match
perfectly the soft and flirty dress that was a pale pink with magenta
flowers. The base of the dress flared
out catching the slightest gust of wind.
She liked the concept behind it, but felt the need to possibly go with
something a bit more fitting for a possibly more businesslike affair. Standing there, looking at the reflection of
the bed and the more conservative black a-line skirt and magenta silk shirt,
she was still inconclusive when it came to deciding what to wear. The drop of the neckline in front made it a
bit more casual. The scoop neck hinted
at just enough of her cleavage to make the shirt risqué for the office. It was one of the reasons she liked it.
This
was the part of her personality she disliked the most. She was such a clothes whore that she had a
second bedroom created for the closet space.
Her bedroom closet was overrun with all of her clothing and shoes. Even though she considered herself quite
organized, she could find herself somewhat overwhelmed by it all. She looked over at her armoire with two
drawers for her bra and panty sets. Sad
to say the foot deep drawers had boxes within which separated her satin, silk
and lace undergarments from the cotton.
She had another drawer for comfy pajamas. Her dresser held her softer, sexier nighties
in two drawers and socks in another. The
bottom two held her gym attire and comfortable around-the-house items.
Looking
at her walk in closet, she recalled all of the garments hanging on each
side. She’d organized each side by
color. Her jeans, slacks, capris and
skirts hung on one side in descending length.
On the other side, were her shirts, dresses, suits and gowns. She didn’t have many gowns, but every now and
again an occasion called for it. At the back of the closet on each side were
shelves. Those were organized on each
side by season. On the floor beneath the
clothes were shoes that didn’t have boxes and sat on a rack. Hanging on the back of her door was a hanging
rack for her quick “go to” shoes.
What
she had was a sickness for which she didn’t want a cure. She loved herself enough to know that wasn’t
something she would change. It was just something that annoyed her from time to
time because it caused her to have to allot for extra time to finally make a
decision on what she would actually walk out of the house in. Rayna tended to give
herself at least an extra hour. Most of
the time, her choices were narrowed down to 3 outfits that she would prefer to
wear. On a rare occasion, she might have
a fourth. Knowing the time it would take, she made sure everything else was
done: shower, shave, hair, nails, make-up and even her accessories. It always came back to what garment she would
don.
Tonight,
a part of her longed to actually go to the comfy drawer and pull something out
to toss on, but she’d already promised L that she was coming. Reluctantly she
moved toward her bed to look at her other choice. As far as the evening went, she was going to
have to grin and bear it. Her sister should
know that she was dearly loved if Rayna was willing to spend a rare, free
evening schmoozing and being an able body, walking billboard for her little
sister’s restaurant, L. Norton’s Cuisine.
Opening
her own restaurant was always something that L had dreamed of doing. She’d enlisted Rayna’s help with finding the
property and drawing up the paperwork to make it a reality. Rayna was proud of her sister and knew that
no matter how she was feeling she was going to have to get over herself and
go. Her hope was that her little sister,
or any of the others, wouldn’t use this as an opportunity to set her up. She just needed to make a firm decision on
what to wear.
Christopher
Leigh stood in the gallery, actually the living area, of his condo trying to
make a decision that would start his evening off right. He’d been trying to focus on what stood
before him but his thoughts kept floating back to the woman that had captured
his attention, but didn’t notice that he existed. Rayna Norton had fascinated him from the
moment that she walked into her sister’s new space. He’d been speaking with L. for quite some
time and he thought he knew all of her sisters.
He, at least, thought he’d met them all.
He found out quickly that he’d been wrong. The very busy lawyer sister, Rayna, hadn’t
made it to the meetings prior. The
family was stocked with a beautiful gene.
All of the sisters were quiet lovely creatures, but Rayna was stop
traffic beautiful. She was run into a
pole gorgeous.
As
she’d walked in that morning with a briefcase in one hand and a cell phone in
the other, he’d been sure he’d stopped breathing for a moment or two. L. had to clear her throat to get his
attention to return to what they’d been discussing prior to her sister’s
entrance.
“She’s
going to busy for a moment or two so you can finish what you were saying before
she came in,” he’d heard her state as she tried to meet his eyes. “Chris?”
“Hmm,
yeah? Oh, right. I was just saying that
the Tuscany and Me would probably go
best in the window so that…um…you can…,” he’d been unable to formulate a
thought after seeing her. “I’m sorry…who
is the woman that just walked in?”
“Oh,
that’s Ray R…my sister, Rayna. I told
you that I had another sister you hadn’t met yet. Well, that’s her,” she’d sucked her teeth and
rolled her eyes then. “Always
working. I tell you. If you couldn’t figure it out, she’s a lawyer.”
“Really? Wouldn’t have been able to figure that one
out. She looks like the no nonsense type
though,” he’d looked over her 5’7 frame, dressed in a dark grey business jacket
and matching skirt. Her long caramel
toned legs glowed in the sun as it kissed her skin. The honey tones seemed to call his name. He
realized then that someone was calling him.
“Chris?
Chriiisss! See something you like there?” L. asked with
a slight curve to her lips and a giggle.
“I’m
sorry. That was
completely…inappropriate. I need to take
a moment. I need some…” he’d started,
but as he was closing his portfolio of smaller scans of his work, the object of
his infatuation made her way over.
He
stood stunned for a moment as L. made the introductions then he thrust his hand
forward and shook her outstretched, more petite hand. He liked the way it curved into his much
larger, more callused hand. Her curly
dark brown hair fell into her eyes as she looked down at something on the counter. He realized then that she was looking at his
work. If the curve of her full lips was
telling then she quite enjoyed what she saw.
“L.,
I love these. Your taste of Italy is
going to win over so many people. Your
soul food Friday’s won’t hurt the neighborhood, either. I love the…,” she’d
looked down at her phone, for a moment, then continued distractedly. “…fact that your…food isn’t going to be just
about one…just focused on one culture.
I’m so sorry I’m so distracted.
It’s just this case is close to closing and I’m kind of excited to
reunite this family.”
“Oh,
right, the mother who lost her two children to their father’s mother because
the family thought it best…” L. began, but Rayna was holding up a finger,
silently telling her to give her a minute.
“Rayna
Norton speaking. No, I will not. I didn’t sign off on it and it…” Rayna walked
away to another area of the building, but her voice carried. Luckily, the words didn’t. Whatever was happening, she wasn’t too
thrilled about it.
“So,
that is the youngest of my older sister’s, Rayna. She owns her own practice and is building
quite a distinguished group of clients.
Today’s client is one that she has been working with for quite some time
and was in the closing stages of her case load.
I hope that phone call doesn’t change things,” L. looked over at him
then and studied his face. She must’ve
noticed his look of distraction. “So, what would you like to know about the good counselor and my gorgeous older,
not by much, sister?”
“I…what?”
Chris said as he tried to gather his thoughts and turn them away from the dark
brown eyes that had looked over his work and actually said that she loved it. “We
have to get back to what pieces you want hung where in your restaurant.”
“Uh
huh, right. So that’s what you want to
focus on? It wouldn’t be a certain
caramel skin beauty with oval shaped eyes, a pert nose and a body that most
would kill for that just so happens to be a lawyer. A Lawyer who practically drooled over your
work which is a crowd pleaser for any audience of one who is an artist and a
master at his craft,” she’d continued, studying his reaction like he was the
subject posing for her canvas. “You are
actually going to try and stand there and pretend that you don’t want to get at
my sister. I saw how your green eyes lit
up when she was looking at your work.”
“I
will admit that I enjoyed the fact that she likes my work. What artist wouldn’t want that? I would be a complete and utter fool if I
didn’t take pride in the fact…” he’d been cut off by L. then.
“Blah,
blah, blah…stall tactic. The next words I
better hear are ‘please L. will you make it happen?’ If they aren’t then we have nothing more to
discuss. I can see when a man knows what
he wants. I would not have taken you for
one that didn’t rise to the challenge or one that backed down from one that might
not fawn at your very feet. If I’m wrong
then…” she’d stated as she lifted her hands in mock surrender.
“Nice. I like the fact that you just threw down the
gauntlet and basically told me to man up or else, inadvertently. Are all of your sisters…” he’d begun.
“What?
More than willing to keep a man on their toes or call them on their junk or
speak to the truth of the matter? Nope,
I’m one of a kind. Although, my sister’s
all tend to be outspoken when they want to be. It makes our weekly lunches very
interesting,” she laughed and he found himself laughing along with her. “So
watch out and what do you say?”
“I
say that I am man enough to handle this all on my own. I am more than capable of holding my own with
one of the Norton women,” he’d responded and quickly added when she quirked an
eyebrow at him. “All of the Norton women at one time, that is a horse of a
different color.”
She’d
laughed again. She was still laughing as
he’d gathered his things and made his way to the door. When he’d reached the door, he’d heard Rayna
return.
“What’s
so funny, sis?” he’d heard Rayna ask.
“Oh,
nothing. It was something Chris said,”
he’d heard L. reply.
“Chris?
Chris who? A new guy? I thought you were dating Travis?” he’d heard
Rayna ask and he tried not to take that to heart, after all they hadn’t had a
moment to be introduced.
As
he’d opened the door he heard L. say, “Chris is the artist whose work you were
looking at and loved.”
“Really? Was he here?” Rayna had asked. He hadn’t realized that he was that invisible. His 6’2 frame usually got him noticed, but I
guess not by the lawyer.
He’d
heard as the door closed behind him, “You know that is so sad when you don’t
even notice that a gorgeous Greek god was standing in the room with you. I seriously think that we need to make you an
appointment with Nyema.”
“She
sees children, wonderful…”
That
was the last of the conversation that he would hear. He made up in his mind then that he would be
sure to make an impression on this evening.
He was sure that all of L.’s sisters would be at the opening of her
restaurant and he was definitely not going to miss it. He just needed to decide the final canvas
that would be the focal point of the restaurant. It would be the piece that could be seen by
every table in the area and the first piece you saw after you entered. He was trying to decide between a piece he
called Family Play or another called A Palate to Remember. Both pieces spoke to different aspects of the
passion behind L.’s restaurant, but whichever one he chose would be the one
that remained in that area. It was the
one thing that L. had left up to him and the team would be there soon to take
it so that it was hanging for the opening.
He had 5 more…maybe not.
Chris
walked over to the door of his condo and opened it to the delivery man. He silently cursed as he moved out of the way
so he could bring in his equipment.
Chris looked around the man at the pieces again. He watched the delivery guys, now there were
two, walk over to where he was looking.
“Which
one?” the shorter of the two questioned.
Chris
looked again and on impulse pointed to the depiction of a family passing along
plates of different foods. Some of the
members looked as if they were mid-seating.
A couple looked as if they were dashing to make it to where a particular
plate was heading. The family was made
up of people of different ethnicities gathered around a table. As he thought about it, he found it to be the
perfect thing for L.’s restaurant. She
didn’t want to be stereotyped or categorized.
Her meals would change daily. She
wanted the meals to showcase versatility.
She’d planned on having signature dishes that remained on each day’s
menu. For the most part though, the chef
was allowed to create and pull from whatever culture he saw fit that
night. Opening night was themed, A Seat in Tuscany. The night’s cuisine would be based on tastes
of Italy and he looked forward to the changes to come. He stepped back as he watched the guys cart
his work away.
His
focus then turned back to another canvas that had caught his attention that
morning. The canvas of Rayna
Norton. She was truly a work of
art. He knew he had his work cut out for
him. He could feel the excitement that
always came with a new challenge begin to course through his veins. He was going to find a way to gain her
awareness if it was the last thing that he did.
Rayna
was standing in front of the mirror again.
She was putting the final touches on her outfit. She was enjoying the way she felt in the
flirty dress. She liked the feel of the
material against her skin. She also
enjoyed the hint of risk she was taking by wearing something that a good wind
would cause her to be exposed in. She
was putting in her stud earrings that matched the magenta floral ring when she
heard her computer chime. She walked
over to the mouse and moved it. Waiting
for the screen to respond, she drummed her fingers, then logged in when
prompted.
As
she figured, her sister’s faces awaited her on the screen of their personal
video chat room. If nothing else, she
knew her sisters well enough to know that they were not going to allow her to
just attend this party. None of her
other sisters were in committed relationships, but for some reason all of them
seemed to worry about her. She could
hear Zoie saying, “All work and no play makes Nika a lonely mega billionaire
with no one to share her riches.” It was one of the things that she hated
hearing. All of her sisters, even the
youngest seemed to take it upon themselves to take advantage of every
opportunity and use it to try and get her hooked to some man.
Rayna
wasn’t going to let that fly today. Plus
she felt more secure in her stance since only two of her sisters were in the
chat and not all 5 of them. She was even
happier to find that it was Lynnia and Nyema.
The two younger siblings were easily driven off course since most of the
time they were so busy with their own things that they tended to not hassle her
as much. It usually was her two older
sisters that led the charge with making sure she didn’t completely lose herself
in her work. Some days she was grateful
they came and tore her from the office, but most of the time she just wanted a
moment to breathe. She appreciated their concern, but she had goals she wanted
to meet.
“Hello
Frick and Frack attack. What’s up?” she
greeted her sisters laughing to herself that she was watching them both use the
camera as a mirror.
“Hey
there, sis. I’m so loving the
dress! Definitely one that I will be
stopping by to borrow,” Nyema stated as she applied a soft brown gloss to her
lips.
She
primped her curls. She was the only one
of the sisters that regularly wore her naturally curly hair.
“Thanks
Nye. Coming from you that is the highest
form of compliment. You usually hate all
of my clothes,” Rayna responded as she sat down in front of the computer.
“I
don’t hate them per se. I just know that I wouldn’t wear anything so
businesslike and…,” she paused and sat back as she tried to think of a word.
“Prudish…
conservative… stagnant? Choose any word
to fill in the blank,” Lynnia added as she giggled and hummed to herself while
applying her eye make-up.
“I
resent that remark. I am none of the
above. I wear clothing that is suited to
be taken seriously in my line of business.
Who is going to take a lawyer seriously if…,” she was cut off by Lynnia.
“Oookay,
so evidently someone is sensitive about her wardrobe today. Duly noted, Counselor. On another, completely off topic subject,
someone was the object of someone’s fancy today,” Lynnia stated as she took one
final look at her face.
Rayna
watched as she smiled to herself then looked directly into the camera. Why did Rayna feel as if she was the one
being scrutinized in that moment?
Suddenly both of her sisters were staring into the camera. They were quiet as if waiting for her to
respond. She decided to go ahead and
give in to play the game.
“Okay,
so who?” she asked.
“Wow,
I didn’t believe L. boogie until this very moment. You really didn’t notice the hot artist that
has been gracing the space of L. Norton’s,
did you?” Nyema stated stopping mid air with a bronze toned earring that had
one single leaf dangling from the end.
“I always thought everybody was just giving you the business for no
reason, but maybe they were right. If
you didn’t notice that beautiful packaging then you might just be a lost
cause.”
“I
don’t see how my not noticing some painter guy means that I’m a lost
cause. I was a bit distracted
today. I had…” Rayna started again and
Lynnia interrupted her again.
“Um,
no Miss Ma’am, it wasn’t just today. You
have had plenty of other occasions that could be used to build a case that you
are completely oblivious to anything other than your caseload. If there was a way to marry work then you would
be the first person to sign up,” Lynnia sucked her tongue as she put on her
necklace. “The fact that a 6 foot 2 inch
lean version of David with red hair and the most amazing green eyes stood not
more than a foot away from you and you took no notice, rests my case.”
“I’m
sorry, I hadn’t realized that I was on trial hear. I feel like we are in closing arguments on what
is my life. My observational skills are
firmly intact and I don’t appreciate…” Rayna felt herself beginning to get
worked up. She was truly getting sick of
being on the receiving end of this type of attack. She felt herself about to
get up to pace the floor to gather her thoughts when she heard Nyema’s voice.
“Look,
Ray Ray, we’re not trying to put you on the defensive here, but you have to
admit that if it were any one of us, you would be reaming us a new one. I was standing at the checkout counter last
week and a beautiful specimen of man stood right across from me and I didn’t
take notice. You didn’t let me hear the
end of it until three days later. All’s
fair, sis and you know it,” Nyema stood and looked at the back of her earth
toned dress. It fit her slight curves
perfectly. Rayna thought the pattern of
fall colors fit her sister’s calming personality perfectly.
“I’m
sorry. You’re right. I just don’t have time to try and focus on my
career and deal with a guy right now.
Besides, I’m not the only single sister, here,” Rayna stated
matter-of-factly.
“No,
but you are the only one that has “bed warmers” and doesn’t date. At all,” Lynnia added for good measure. “Well, ladies I’m going to sign off. I want to do a final run through. Rayna, I love you and I hope you aren’t
offended. I also hope that you give
Chris a chance. He is a genuinely good
guy. It also helps that he is so
wonderful to look at. He is going to
love you in that dress by the way.
Smooches. L. boogie signing off.”
Her
window closed out after that. Nyema said
that she had to make sure Nakia was ready for bed. She had school the next day and wasn’t going to
be able to attend the opening. After
telling her to give her niece her love, Rayna watched the screen close
entirely. She knew there was some truth
in her sister’s words. She also knew that the truth of the matter was she
wasn’t willing to sacrifice her career for a chance at love. With that thought in mind, Rayna stood,
quickly unzipped the dress and let it drop to the floor. She pulled on the skirt then picking up the
shirt, she allowed it to slip over her frame.
There was no need to give this Chris guy any more reason to think that
he might have a chance with her. Her
next thing was to pull a brush through the big curls in her hair. She pulled her usually mid-back length hair
back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. To complete the ensemble, she grabbed
the jacket that matched the skirt and laid it across the bed.
Rayna
jogged around her bed to her bathroom and quickly washed her face. She didn’t need the full on evening face
after all. After removing the makeup,
she applied some moisturizer, eyeliner, mascara and gloss. She grabbed some of her hair oil and rubbed
her hands together after putting a couple drops in her left palm. Her oiled hands were then rubbed over her
hair so that her stray strands of hair would lie down. After she finished, she walked over to the
mirror. Rayna liked the “no nonsense”
look. This look should ward off any advance from any male this evening. She thought to herself. She was trying to find ways to de-prettify
herself, but gave up after about 5 minutes.
Rayna wasn’t up for the bait and flirt the evening would bring if her
sisters had their way.
She
arrived exactly ten minutes before the official opening of the restaurant and
fought the slight crowd that was standing outside waiting to get in. Evidently, the City of Tempa was very
interested in her sister’s opening and cuisine.
At least that was what she’d gathered from the conversations that she
overheard on her way in. Carlita, the
hostess and one of her sister’s dearest friends, had the doorman open the door
for her. The hosted went on to explain
who Rayna was to the owner and advised to commit her face to memory.
As
she walked into the gold and red lit main entranceway, she felt the palpable
excitement about the night’s event from every member of her sister’s
staff. She made her way around the
opulent waiting area. Comfortable bank seating lined both sides of the entryway
that led to the hostess stand that had a comfortable high back leather chair
behind the black lacquer podium. The
plaque on the front had the name of the restaurant in a gleaming gold on a
black shining surface with the statement “Greeted by a Hostess daily” centered
in a bold yellow gold.
Rayna
looked up to see the nightly specials on a parchment style backdrop in a
clearly defined elegant font that she was sure would be reflected on the menus
as well. Her sister was a stickler for
continuity. Each plant, piece of art,
chair, the choice in linens and clothes would tie into one another. It would be clearly defined once you took in
all the aspects of the bigger picture.
She loved that about her little sister.
As she hooked the corner and stood on the platform before taking the
main 5 steps descending into the restaurant, she took in every table. The tables held shades of every color of the
rainbow over pieces of fabric that matched the tone of parchment surrounded by
chairs that had black curved backs and leather style seating. Each table held a vase the color of yellow,
red or opal with individual flowers that sat in each at the center flanked my
mini lanterns encased in black.
The
scent of cherry blossoms, herbs and spices filled the air. The place was enchanting to say the
least. A large painting was mounted as
the main focal point at the back wall just above the entrances to the
restrooms. The portrait was a perfect
backdrop to the intimate atmosphere that her sister had created. Seating was arranged in various arrays of 2,
4, 6 and at least 3 tables that could seat larger parties were spaced out
around the room. The overhead lighting
was set to give enough light to cast a glow over the room, but not overpower
the room. The crystallized chandeliers
had an opal central piece that glimmered with a beautiful soft hue over each
area that it fell over. Jazz played over
the speakers that were mounted in different areas of the open space. In the center of the restaurant was a cooking
station where one of the chef’s would cook a special meal for those that would
be seated around the area. Rayna knew
Lynnia loved the idea of that type of special treatment at some of the Asian
restaurants she’d frequented. Artwork flanked every wall in the open warehouse
turned restaurant.
Rayna
couldn’t completely take in all of the wondrous opulence. She also didn’t feel she would do her
sister’s restaurant justice trying to describe it, even to herself. She looked around the room and noticed a
tall, red-haired man talking to several individuals and pointing at different
pieces on the walls. The long auburn toned hair was hanging loose around the
man’s shoulders. The man wore a tailored
pair of slacks with an indigo shirt that fit his frame well. He turned to speak to one of the gentlemen
with him, obviously buyers, and she got a full on view of one of the most
perfect derriere’s she’d seen in quite a while.
After
seeing that, Rayna knew she was going to have to make a call this week to one
of her bed warmers, maybe even this evening.
She had no business giving in to the desire to continuously leer at this
man’s backside, but she didn’t feel guilty enough to tear her gaze away. Her eyes watched the man continue to try and
detour the woman’s advances. It was
quite comical to see the determination in the woman’s face and the tension in
his shoulders as he tried to continue to answer the questions of the gentlemen
with them. He led the men toward another
piece of art, effectively shutting her out.
She was obviously invested in being his arm candy and quickly scampered
after him.
Rayna
giggled to herself as she watched the woman with the shape of a model attempt
to gain the man’s attention again. She
almost howled as his body went rigid when the woman touched his muscular
arm. She was so caught up in her
personal entertainment for the evening that she hadn’t seen her sisters’ approach. She didn’t know how, but somehow the Norton
girls always ended up in a group together at events. Most of the other partygoers usually
congregated around them. This was
probably going to be the only time they stood together for the night though. They recognized the idiosyncrasy and decided
that they would mingle with others.
Besides, they didn’t need to be the focus that evening. The restaurant was the focus tonight…and for
some reason Rayna’s love life.
“Look who finally took notice,” Lynnia stated
dryly as she stood next to Rayna.
“What
are we taking notice of?” Wynter asked as she grabbed a flute of champagne from
a passing tray.
“Big
little sis has her peepers trained on a certain Artist slash Greek god,” Nyema
answered while grabbing one of the hors d’oeuvres, an artichoke square from the
look of it.
“What
Greek…oh you mean the Artsy stud man?” Zoie asked. “I wouldn’t have pegged him to be your type
little Nika. Although, I can definitely
see the appeal.”
Zoie
was the only one that refused to call Rayna by any other nickname but the one
that she gave her. Nika would be her
name from now until they died and even beyond.
Rayna was sure that they would be in heaven and her sister would still
greet her the same way. The eldest
sister looked upon her younger siblings like they were her own children, so
each had a nickname given by her. Rayna’s
would forever be the shortened version of her middle name, Tanika. Zoie would call her some variation of it, either
Nika or NiNi or Nika Ni. Simple and
everyone accepted it. Out of all of her
sisters, she was closest to Zoie. She
and Z. had quite a bit in common. One
thing was they completely devoted themselves to growing their respective
businesses. Z. had seen Rayna through a
lot in her life and she would forever be grateful.
“Yeah,
her type is usually either the stuffy Lawyer type, Ryan, or the pretty boy toy,
Leonardo. How are your ‘bed warmers?’ by
the way,” Nyema asked. “I haven’t heard you speak about them in quite some
time.”
“If
you must know, nosey Frack, I haven’t had…,” Rayna thought about what she was
getting ready to say as her sisters turned their full attention on her,
watching, as if they knew her response before she said it. “…more fun. You never know, I might be meeting one of them
here.”
“Ha!”
Zoie practically howled in response.
“Oh
really?!” Lynnia and Wynter exclaimed at the same time.
“You
would never actually allow either one
of them to join you at a family gathering, even something as public as your
sister’s restaurant opening. So,
basically, it’s been a minute and you might want to stop clamping down or when
you finally do…” Wynter began, but Lynnia cut their older sister off.
“Oh,
if I have anything to say about it, she won’t have to worry about solo
clamping. Actually I don’t think I’m
going to have to do anything,” Lynnia gestured with her head in the direction
just ahead of them. “I believe Chris has
his eye on you big sis and I don’t think he is going to allow your evasive
actions to deter him.”
“I
don’t have…” Rayna began.
“Oh
yes you do, Nika, and you know it! No guy stands a chance of anything long term
because you refuse to be open to it. You
never know. You might have met a man
willing to work with your busy, workaholic schedule. With you, it’s shut it down before they even
get the chance to express an interest,” Zoie stated, clearly on the beginnings
of what could be a lengthy closing argument if Rayna allowed her to go on.
“Fine,”
Rayna responded, exasperated.
“Fine. Enough! You’ve made your points. Shall we move on? I really
don’t want to do this here. I thought we
were celebrating and mingling. If you
will excuse me, I would like to take a look around the finished product of our
sister’s restaurant.”
Rayna
didn’t give any one of them an opportunity to respond. She simply walked away. As she left her sisters’ inner circle, she
made her way toward the kitchen area. It
was one of the spaces that she knew would immediately lift her spirits. She wasn’t the best cook in the family but
she did enjoy the time spent there.
Anyone’s kitchen could conjure up memories of growing up with her
sisters, their mom and a few with their dad.
If she knew her sister then she knew one of the specials would
incorporate a little flavor of down home cooking. Their mother grew up in Alabama. She brought the southern style of cooking
into their home and made sure all of her girls knew how to “burn.” Rayna needed the safety of that area and the
comfort it brought if she was going to make it through the night.
Chris
watched as Rayna and her sisters separated from their meeting of the
minds. It looked as if things were tense
between the sisters and Rayna walked away from the group a little worse for
wear. Her face was an array of emotion
from anger to frustration to determination as she made her way to the kitchen
area. He’d been trying his best to keep
his attention on Mr. Gettyson, Mr. Pincher, Mr. Harris and Decadence
Parker. He knew it was a losing
battle. The potential buyers kept him
interested as long as they were questioning him about his work. Yet, the moment they spoke amongst
themselves, he found his eyes began to wonder.
They seemed to immediately zero in on Rayna even before his mind
realized what was happening. It didn’t
matter where his conversation took him, he seemed to know where she was in the
room.
As
the sisters had spoken, he’d watched them move fluidly from the doorway to the
middle of the warehouse turned restaurant.
The eyes of quite a few of the guests that were starting to arrive found
them. Lynnia had worried about her
sisters not mingling with the other guest and those guests in turn crowding
around them instead of taking in the ambiance of the restaurant. She’d made each of her sisters promise to not
“congregate with one another” as she said they often did. He could see the pull to the beautiful women
that made up the Norton family. There
was just something about each of them that made you want to be near them. The one that he wanted to be near was
currently making her way toward the doorway of the kitchen. Chris lifted his hand to interrupt the
conversation between the gentlemen and the lady when said lady slid next to
him.
He
was frozen, once again, by her closeness.
Chris usually didn’t have a problem with an attractive woman being near
him, but there was an unnerving side to one Ms. Decadence Parker. She was practically offering herself up on a
silver platter. The more he tried to
field off her advances, the more persistent she became. Ms. Parker must’ve noticed where his
attention was veering to. Every time he
pointed his sight in the direction of Rayna, she chose that moment to move into
his line of sight. She also kept pressing
up against him or grabbing his forearm. Her
refusal to let him become completely distracted was bothersome and a turn off.
Chris
smiled genially at Ms. Parker then turned to pomp 1, 2 & 3.
“Excuse
me gentlemen. I need to extricate myself
from your fine company for just a matter of moments. I will return shortly. I have a few cards here for each of you, just
in case you decide to leave the party prior to my return,” he said as he simultaneously
peeled Ms. Parker’s hands from his forearm.
He turned to her and stated, “It has been quite a pleasure meeting you
this evening. I thank you for your
time. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He
turned away from the obvious pout then outrage that crossed her make-up caked
face. Chris smiled to himself when he
was sure she couldn’t see his facial features.
He knew he couldn’t handle what she would offer even if it meant a
potential buyer. She fit the bill of
purveyor of goods. He wasn’t one to
allow himself to be bought. He knew upon
meeting Decadence he needed to be clear that only his paintings were for sale. If he was going to be offering himself up to
anyone, then he could only think of one café au lait, heavy on the cream,
individual he would allow himself to sacrifice for. Said individual was quickly disappearing into
the kitchen area.
The
sight of seeing one of Lynnia’s sisters taking an interest in the kitchen space
or at least retreating to it aroused Chris’ curious nature. What would make the kitchen a place that
would possibly calm a flustered person’s nerves? He could tell by her determined stride that
her sister’s had gotten under the beauty’s skin. What he could do to issue any comfort, he
didn’t know, but he wanted to see if there was anything that he could do. He didn’t know why she would seek said
comfort from him considering he was a complete stranger to her. Maybe he could offer a listening ear since he
was outside of the family. All he knew was
he needed to be near her. He was just
about to take the corner to enter the kitchen when he heard Lynnia’s
voice. Was there some reason every
female at this party was trying to get in the way of him and the woman who’d
captured his attention that afternoon?
“Chris.
Hey, sexy artist man,” Lynnia called when he didn’t immediately respond.
He
turned after releasing a slow breath and acknowledged the owner and procurer of
quite a few of his pieces.
“Hey
there gorgeous, you have quite a turn out tonight,” he commented as he took in
the sea of faces that were taking up the space of the warehouse converted
restaurant.
He
couldn’t help but notice individuals pointing to different pieces. Lynnia made sure there was a table dedicated
to having his contact information in every corner. She even went as far as helping him to choose
and recreate smaller versions of the “best of” his creations for a
pamphlet. She aided him with coming up
with the idea of having his information placed on the back of 4x6 postcards. He appreciated the fact that she was willing
to help him get his start as she was just getting her own. She repeatedly stated that Chris was allowing
her to purchase his pieces at next to nothing and it was the least that she
could do. He even saw a mention to his Facebook
page and the soon to come website on her own Facebook and website. He laughed when she mentioned something
called Pinterest. She said that the
offers for him to commission a piece would be flowing so heavily in the hopefully
none too distant future that he wouldn’t have time to do anything else. He hoped she was accurate in her prediction.
“It
is. I am enjoying every moment of it,” Lynnia
said as she turned and gave the crowd a once over. “That’s not why I came over here and you know
it.”
He
sighed and waited for her to continue.
He could hear the words of The
Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel begin to play in his head. Chris felt a great weight bearing down on him
as the silence pressed on. He finally
gave in and decided to bite the bullet.
“So
L., why did you come over? I can wager
that it has everything to do with a certain Attorney that just so happens to be
your sister,” he stated as he gave her a once over. “I can almost guarantee that a hefty piece of
advice is about to be doled out. I just
wonder if it is warranted or needless.”
“Hmm,
you can be the judge after I’m done speaking,” she responded almost
immediately. Chris found himself smiling
as she began.
“My
sister is a wonderful person and a spectacular Lawyer. She is one of the greatest individuals I
know. The woman is loving and
protective, as any older sister should be,” she took a loaded breath and slowly
released it. L. looked as if she felt
like she may be betraying a sacred trust.
He watched a glimmer of remorse flit across her features.
“You
know, this isn’t really necessa…,” Chris began, trying to buy her an out.
“Yes,
I do. My sister is also like one of your
completed masterpieces. The task of
retracing your strokes to the very first would be a great feat. As such, she is one that will challenge you
and be a challenge just as intricate and delicate. I would rethink approaching her in any
normative way,” Lynnia stated as she waved to someone walking into the main
entrance. “My sister will not be easily
swayed, but she is truly worth all that you will have to endure. I hope you’re…yeah, I believe you are. I think that you will give my sister a much
needed distraction from herself and another avenue to focus on. Have fun!”
Lynnia
quickly hugged him and waved the person she’d previously waved to over. Chris recognized the matriarch of the family,
immediately. She carried herself like a
true lady of a different era. She stood
5’7 with a curvaceous figure, even for a woman of her late fifties. Her jet black hair and deep brown eyes
complemented one another well. Chris
always said the Norton ladies beauty came solely from their mother. It appeared that their great taste also
stemmed from the eldest Norton woman.
Style and grace were to be attributed to her as well. She walked into a room and, just as with her
daughters, all eyes were drawn to her.
Chris felt bad for the other women that were meandering around the
restaurant. Compared to the
six…correction, seven Norton women everyone else paled in comparison. There was something that mesmerized you about
each individual woman. He also envied
the men that would attempt to win the hearts of these fearless and independent
women. He had one of his own to contend with and evidently her sister felt he
needed assistance. Fortunately, their
mother interrupted anything she was going to say.
“Good
evening to the most stunningly spectacular Norton of the bunch. How are you this evening, Mrs. Norton,” Chris
asked as he stepped forward and into the open arms of said woman.
He
loved the woman because she refused to allow anyone that her girls brought home
to feel like an outsider. It just so
happened that she was also one of the best cooks that he’d ever met. She beat his mother’s cooking hands
down. His mother was always one that was
one of the most creative individuals he’d ever known, but she was horrible in
the kitchen. Their neighbors knew this
and helped out by supplying her with a meal to serve every night. In return, she usually created some token to
decorate their home with and she supplied the groceries.
His
mother came from old southern money and a family that tended to have someone to
tend to the family’s needs. Katherine
Elizabeth Dubai did not hold on to those same beliefs. She had and has always been one of the more
liberal women. Her heart was captured by
an equally liberal man. His father, Douglas
Davis Leigh., was an Educator and a businessman. He’d recently retired from his position as
Professor of History. His father always
told everyone that would listen that he knew the moment that he met Kathy D.
that she was the woman to become his wife and bare his children. Douglas said their families loved one another
dearly and were happy that two such free spirits found one another. Chris shook his head as he dismissed the stray
thoughts. He focused on the two women
standing before him.
“So
Lynnie girl, you look beautiful as always and I love, love, love what you’ve
done with the place. Chris, your art is
just breathtaking. I am so proud of you
both. It’s such a perfect setting. You done good girl,” Mrs. Norton finished as
she pulled her daughter into a hug while still holding tightly to Chris’
side. “Now, on to other things. I see that I interrupted the two of you
talking. What am I hearing about a
possible interest in little Miss Ray of Sunshine?”
“Mama!
Chris, you have to forgive her. We did
not learn the art of tactfulness from this one here,” Lynnia stated as she
winked at him. “I was just getting ready
to fill Chris in on possible tactics of approach.”
“Right…because
you would be the expert on all things Rayna.
Take it from her mother and a woman who has had her share of interest from
the opposite sex, my Ray is one that is well versed in the world and worldly
affairs. She also believes that she is
not ready to meet anyone nor does she believe she has the time to maintain a
relationship,” she paused and made a face at Lynnia who stood somewhat
tongue-tied on her right side. “That’s
right. I know my daughters very
well. I can’t wait for Mr. Man to cross
my path for clarity, but he’s not ready yet.
You on the other hand are ready, Chris.
My daughter is cunning and masterful at disguising things. It’s what’s protected her and kept her alone,
as well as, what makes her a damn fine Lawyer.
You are going to have to outmaneuver that one.”
Chris
chuckled as Mrs. Norton shot her daughter a look that said that she better not
speak. To which, Lynnia just threw her
hands up in the air in a movement that stated she was acquiescing to the
master. When those wise eyes turned back
to him, he immediately straightened up and cleared his face of the smirk that
he had prior.
“Now,
I know that most of you younger men tend to be direct and want to run head long
into the fire, but that is not what should be done with Rayna. Your approach…” she began, but he had heard
enough.
“Excuse
me, Mrs. Norton, but I would like to try a couple things first, if you don’t
mind. I appreciate what you and Lynnia
are trying to do, but I believe I have this covered,” he said as calmly as he
could.
The
last thing he wanted to do was to offend either of the women that were standing
before him. One was his best and
currently, his only customer. He hoped
that would change after tonight. The
other had earned his respect from the very first meeting. He didn’t want either of them to feel like he
didn’t appreciate them.
“Well,
well, well, I didn’t know you had that in you.
You might just do after all.
You’ll need that backbone if you’re going after my tough as nails
sister,” Lynnia smiled and looked at her mother. “Come on, Mama. It looks like Chris might just have things
under control. Although I should say…”
“…catch
her while you can,” Lynnia and her mother stated at the same time. They both
looked over his shoulder at Rayna who was slinking around the corner.
“Yeah,
that’s what I intend to do,” he stated as he made his way to try and do just
that, only to be caught by Decadence again.
Tonight was going to be a long night and it seemed everything was
working to get in his way.
While
exploring the restaurant Rayna noticed the Artist guy, Chris, checking her out
but she refused to allow herself to relinquish control even for the night. Rayna knew where her focus was. She was making strides in her practice and
finally had a growing client base to attend to.
As she watched the from a corner booth, she determines she won’t let a
man, even one as attractive as the man that her sister told her was interested
in her a few hours prior, destroy what she worked so hard to build. Focus,
focus, focus. Gazing longingly into
the handsome green eyes of the Artist that was trying to work his way to her
was not going to allow her to reap any great reward.
She’d
spent the evening purposely engaging any and every person possible in
conversation. She’d walked away with
some prospective clients in the midst of it all. Rayna was trying to enjoy that
but every time she lifted her eyes, they met his. She was growing increasingly
uncomfortable. It wasn’t just the fact
that their eyes kept finding one another no matter where she moved to, but it
was the fact that she seemed to be seeking him out. She was entirely disgusted by the way that
she was reacting. She knew what needed
to be done and yet her eyes still searched the room.
Rayna
was repeatedly chastising herself for allowing even that slight intimacy. She was going to have to make a couple of
calls if she could just stop her sisters from trying to get her drunk. Each one of them had brought her a drink at
different points in the evening. She
finally had to tell the last one to send a message to the rest that she didn’t
want another drink. She felt the need to
get away for a moment and had slipped into the entirely insanely posh
restroom. Her sister had outdone herself
in more ways than one.
The
restroom was beautifully designed and calming in a way that could possibly
unnerve a woman. The tones of the
entrance area prior to the facilities were similar to that of a spa. A woman could wait in style for a friend or
to be next in line. Lynnia had thought
of it all. Rayna found herself not
wanting to come out of the restroom because of the lavender, roman chamomile
and rose aromas that swept you up and gently laid you down. The lighting in the waiting area cast a soft
orange tone over the cream and cherry wood furnishings. Rayna felt the need to redo her office space
in that tone. It was just how much she
loved it. She knew though that she
couldn’t remain in the restroom forever.
Her mother or one of her sisters would be looking for her, if they
hadn’t already begun.
At
the door, she blew out a breath then exited.
Her eyes immediately found Chris’ and she could tell that he was trying
to excuse himself from the clutches of two women. The women were trying to keep him interested
with their subtle but pawing touches.
Rayna turned away and tried to slide around a crowd talking about the samples
that the Chefs prepared. She felt a
stroke of pride as she listened and moved.
She was just barely free of the area when the owner appeared in front of
her causing her to gasp loudly.
“Where
do you think you are slinking off to?” Lynnia asked her as she held two drinks
in her hand.
“L.,
you scared the crap out of me. What is
wrong with you?” she almost screamed at her little sister.
“If
you weren’t practically skulking behind this crowd here then you wouldn’t have
been scared, now would you?” Lynnia smirked and Rayna could tell she was trying
not to laugh. “I have watched you engage
every living creature in this room except for a certain redhead Artist, who is
the guest of honor. Him, you have
avoided like he was a carrier monkey of a rare disease tailor made for one Ms.
Rayna Tanika Norton. Is it that bad that
you can’t even allow yourself to give him a…”
“Look,
I love you dearly, but you have got to give it a rest. L., I didn’t come here to be fixed up. I came to support my sister’s new
venture. He’s not bad looking or
anything, quite the opposite. I just
don’t want to go there, all right,” Rayna stated as she gestured animatedly, a
sure sign that she had one too many. Her
impatience was another.
“Ray
Ray, I’m sorry if it feels like we’re pushing but we worry. That’s all it is. Sisterly love,” Lynnia held out her
arms. When Rayna didn’t immediately
respond, she stomped her foot and said, “Ray Ray, throw me a bone here. I’m trying.”
“Oh,
whatever,” Rayna stated as she hugged her sister then found herself giggling as
Lynnia ran her hands in circles around her back and shimmied in her arms.
It
was a thing that all the sisters did to make each other feel better. Zoie said their mother used to do it to her
when she felt down. It was one of the many
things she did. Zoie had passed it on to
each of them and it became the sign that everything was all right between each
individual. She responded in kind. After
all, she wasn’t upset with her sister.
After releasing each other from the hug, Lynnia quickly extricated two
flutes of champagne from a passing tray and held one out to her. She’d previously abandoned the others before
giving Rayna a hug.
“I
thought I told Nyema to put out the word that I was officially done drinking
for the night. My goodness! If I didn’t know any better I’d swear all of
you were trying to get me drunk,” Rayna stated as she stepped away from her
sister.
“Oh,
shut it, Ray. It’s a party and you need
to enjoy yourself. You don’t even have
an early day tomorrow,” Lynnia stated and continued when she saw Rayna about to
speak. “I already checked. So, go and enjoy yourself for once in your
life and stop building your client list.
Have some fun.”
Rayna
was going to respond, but her sister had turned to thank some of the attendees
behind her. She’d spoken her peace and
quickly moved on. It was Lynnia’s way:
stick and move. She’d always been good
like that. Rayna stepped around another
crowd being sure to keep her eyes cast to the ground. She tried to keep them focused on the art, the
tables, the plants, but lost the battle as she moved around another group of
four. She sees Chris following behind
her. She quickly scoots around another
group and barely makes it back to the restroom.
Until then, she hadn’t realized that she’d completed a circle. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw the
look of disappointment on his face. She
downed the drink in her left and realized that somewhere along the way, she
picked up another. She downed that one
as well.
Rayna
berated herself again as she thought about the fact that she’d spent the night
avoiding a man. She had never had that
problem before. There was just something
about Chris that made her know she needed to run. If she allowed herself to be caught then she
knew she would certainly be caught up.
She also knew the man that was relentlessly pursuing her was not one
that she could call for a midnight romp.
Nor was he one that would be willing to give her leeway to be free to
run her practice how she felt she needed to. Her hours would have to shift to accommodate
their budding relationship. In doing that, she would lose a major part of
herself. All this would transpire if she
even provided a semblance of a window of opportunity. She had no time for care free days or pleasure
trips. Business as usual. With that thought in mind, she stood and
immediately dropped back to the seat she’d previously occupied. She was in trouble. She had to find a way to get out of the room
and to the hostess area to get Carlita to call her a cab to take her home.
Rayna
slipped out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall. She spotted a corner booth with very little
light not far from where she was standing.
She decided that she needed to take a moment to gather herself before
trying to make the long trek to the main entrance of the restaurant. She couldn’t let on that she wasn’t one
hundred percent coherent or her family would not allow her to go home
alone. Quietly, she moved along the wall
toward the table. She nodded slightly to
a couple but not too much because she didn’t have complete control over that
function. She watched people to see if
they noticed her or her behavior. When
she finally made it to the booth, she was grateful that there was quite a crowd
of individuals near the information table.
Their congregation effectively hid her from other’s lines of sight.
Rayna
didn’t know how long she sat in the booth.
She remained in the darkened corner of the restaurant until she felt she
was able to move without looking as if she were under the influence. She slid out of the booth area and began to
make her way around the outside of the restaurant towards the main entrance and
safety. Knowing that she needed to take
it a bit slower when she stumbled, she slowed her steps. She’d previously thought that if she made
quick moves then she would get it over quickly.
Rayna made it to the hostess booth, but as she looked at Carlita, she
realized that she left her wrap and purse in the booth. She flopped down on one of the benches. Carlita turned acknowledging her and quickly
understood that Rayna is not herself.
Chris
watched Rayna as she stumbled after standing finally and allowing him to realize
where she’d been hiding for the last hour of the evening. He made his way through the crowd, thanking
potential buyers and new fans of his work.
He made it just in time to catch her when she slipped as she tried to
ask Carlita to call her a cab. Carlita hadn’t even realized the woman was
standing behind her. He helped her stand
then watched her flop down on the bench.
The fact that Rayna was slightly hammered amused him. He listened as Rayna tried to inform Carlita
that she was missing something that she came with. Carlita tried to understand what she was telling
her, but all she could make out was that Rayna wanted a cab to go home and she
left something. Chris wanted to laugh at
the exchange.
He couldn’t
believe the sight before him. He took
comfort in knowing that she couldn’t run anymore. Chris was actually beginning to get a
complex. Every time he made his way to her,
he was stopped. He was happy about the
prospects that the evening’s event had warranted, but he was hoping to get to
know the beauty that was slurring her speech as she tried to relay once again
what she needed. Tonight, he’d also
noticed that if he wasn’t being derailed by Decadence or a buyer or an admirer
or woman offering him her phone number then Rayna was sure to move out of his
line of sight and as far away from him as possible. He’d almost had a moment of freedom to speak
with her when he saw her quickly slide into the ladies room. Frustration was starting to get the better of
him until he noticed her inebriated visage make its way toward the main
entrance. He had started to think that
maybe he was going to have to conscript one of her sisters or her mother to
assist him. Opportunity was knocking,
even if she may not recall his presence or assistance.
Chris
hated that his next gesture had an ulterior motive, but he needed to strike
while the iron was hot.
“Carli,
you don’t have to call her a cab. I’ll take
her home. If you would be so kind as to ask one of her sisters where she lives
then we can get going,” he offered as he moved to sit next to Rayna and prop
her up. Fortunately, none of the other
guests noticed Rayna’s state.
Chris
sat next to Rayna and searched the crowd trying to find one of her many sisters. He located Lynnia and pointed her location
out to Carlita just as Rayna managed to state that she left her purse and her
wrap. As he sat there, Rayna turned and
leaned into him. As she rested her head
on his shoulders, he smiled. He mentally
slapped himself because he was an idiot if he thought that her finding, even
the slightest, comfort with him was a good thing. She probably wouldn’t even remember the
moments leading up to her return home because of her state of mind. He had no right to take pleasure in the
slight gesture. As he gathered his wits
about him, Lynnia arrived with her purse and wrap thing.
Lynnia
made quick work of getting Rayna’s wrap/jacket on her. As she did she gave Chris direction on how to
get to where Rayna lived. He immediately
recognized that they lived in buildings adjacent to one another. She offered to give him better directions but
he informed her that he lived in close proximity. He didn’t reveal how close though. In the past, he’d always showed people to his
warehouse. Even someone as close as
Lynnia had become still didn’t know where his personal residence was. Having once dealt with a woman who stalked
him, he was very protective of his space. Something told him that it was
something that he didn’t have to worry about with Rayna.
Chris
gathered her up in his arms and leaned in to kiss Lynnia’s cheek. He watched her face as her close friend,
Dario, walked in with his current girlfriend.
Her initial response was disappointment, but she quickly recovered and
smiled. Even though it looked as if someone
had painted it on, it was convincing enough for her friend not to question it.
Chris said hello and goodbye as he carried his precious cargo out the front
door. He walked swiftly to his
Expedition, unlocked the door and slid her into the passenger seat. As he reclined the chair, he noticed the
supplies that were in the back seat. He
closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side of his vehicle. He rearranged the things in the back to make
sure that nothing fell on Rayna. He also made sure to crack the windows so she
wouldn’t inhale any of the fumes from the paints he’d mixed.
Chris’
next project was actually his condo. He had something special in mind for the
main wall. It was the first thing that
you saw as you entered. He disliked the
fact that it was a stark white wall, but he’d needed inspiration to determine
what to cover the blank palate with. He
found it the day his mother visited him.
Ever the creative mind, she’d told him to have the wall depict who and
what he was. She wanted the work to
embody the man her son had become. The
wall would be one of his personal favorites upon completion. He was excited to start the prep work. Although, he may now have to put that
off. His plans for tonight had
effectively been changed. He knew his
mind would be focused on the young woman lightly snoring in his passenger
seat. He wouldn’t be able to put brush
to canvas and not have it turn into an homage to her very being.
As
she slept on the ride home, he thought more about the non-interaction they’d
had and her adamant determination to not allow him five minutes of her time. He
closed his thoughts off on the subject as he pulled up in front of her
building. Lynnia told him about her
access card and the key to her building.
She failed to advise him of a gate code. He tried to get into her building several times
but he couldn’t because Rayna refused to wake up and her sister wouldn’t answer
her phone. He stood near the gate for
about 20 minutes hoping that someone would come by and open it. It was interesting that no one had tried to
speak to him through the intercom. The
security guard either was asleep or ignoring his attempts to gain entry. Chris knew what he had to do, but he didn’t
like it. He was going out of his way and
doing something that he’d never done before.
His mother would be laughing hard enough to wet her pants if she could
see him now.
He knew he had no alternative but to take her
to his place. Chris hesitated
momentarily. He’d told everyone that he
knew that he made a home where he worked.
This would be the first time that anyone other than his parents would
cross the threshold. He’d always told
his mother that no other woman would come into this space. He’d kept that as a true statement until
now. Rayna still slept as he walked back
to the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. He thought about all the females who’d begged
to know where he really rested his head and chuckled humorlessly to
himself. This wasn’t exactly how he’d
pictured bringing a woman into his place but it was something he was going to
have to do. Besides, the woman next to
him wasn’t going to remember anything about it.
She was out for the night. He
would have to text her sister and let her know what happened. Her sister would then let him know how to get
in to Rayna’s space and he could take her home.
She could wake up in her own bed.
Chris
thought about all of this as he made his way to his normative parking space and
gathered her once again into his arms.
As he lifted her again, he was hit by her scent. The smell was so feminine. It reminded him of a gentle breeze after a
spring shower. The scent was fresh,
clean and pure. It suited Rayna
well. It complemented the complicated
woman that he held against his chest as he swung open his gate then the door to
his building. He sent a quick hello to
Mike, the head of security for his building and headed directly for the
elevator to the fourth floor. His and
three other condos took up the entirety of the fourth floor. He enjoyed the fact that theirs’ were the
only spaces on the floor.
Chris
didn’t have to worry about dealing with the juvenile happenings that Mike told
him went on within the apartments and hallways on the other floors. He knew the good Doc, the Musician and the Dancer
well. They each were nice enough to
pre-warn of any possible events that would bring extra movement or noise to
their floor. They each took care of one
another. If a package was delivered to
the main floor for any of them then one of the others would bring it up and
leave it by the door. Only those who
resided on the floor had the access card to it.
It was a feature he appreciated more than any of his neighbors knew.
Chris
opened the door to his condo and sat Rayna’s purse on the table next to it. He hung his keys on the hook, dropped his
satchel and kicked the door closed behind him.
Once inside his condo, he took Rayna to his bedroom and removed her
shoes. He removed the wrap/jacket thing and hung it on a nearby chair then he
positioned her on the bed so that she was lying on her side. He then went to
his art studio and grabbed an empty bucket and set it by the bed not far from
her head. The whole time he thought
about just how peaceful Rayna looked when she slept. She didn’t have the hardness that she projected
as she went about her day, as her sister described.
Chris
relished the thought that she embodied the character of a woman he would want
in his life. He shook himself from his
inner musing as he headed into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water
from the refrigerator. Going into the
bathroom, he grabbed a couple aspirin from the medicine cabinet and placed them
on the makeshift nightstand next to the water for her to find when she woke up. He wanted them there just in case she woke in
his place and not her own. He returned
to the living area and placed his wallet and his remaining cards on the coffee
table as he sent Lynnia a text informing her of what happened. Leaving the phone on the table, he went back
to his room, removed his shirt, shoes and socks. He then went to the bathroom and removed the
rest of his clothing. Trying hopelessly not
to think of the woman that was lying in his bed, on his side, he took a shower.
After
the much needed cold shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and moved to
the dresser then quickly slung on a pair of boxers. Chris stood there for a moment gathering his
resolve to remove himself from his room.
He couldn’t climb into his own bed.
He walked out of the room, grabbed a pillow and blanket from his hall
closet and headed to the living area to sleep on the couch. He checked the phone before he prepared to
lie down and found no response. Sleep was
a hard thing to submit to that evening.
Chris’ thoughts kept returning to Rayna and he battled with the notion
of trying to rouse her again and repeatedly calling Lynnia’s phone. Finally, he fell off into a fitful sleep.
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Happy Reading!!
~E.
