Lover Man Read online

  “You like it, you like it?” Claude gasped.

  “Yes, yes, yes!”

  13

  Karma strolled into Lola’s restaurant. Perching on a stool at the bar, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She looked especially nice this evening dressed in a mod-style cream, orange and brown baby-doll dress. She turned her head left and right, causing the diamond-studded platinum hoop earrings she wore to bounce against her cheeks.

  After a moment she glanced at her watch. Seneca was late as usual. But she didn’t mind, she loved being the center of attention. She’d already garnered a number of approving glances.

  “Hello, what can I get for you?” the small, mocha-colored bartender asked.

  “Um,” Karma mused as her eyes skipped across the dozens of liquor bottles behind the bar. “You know, I’m just going to have a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé.”

  “Wonderful choice.”

  Karma nodded. Back when she was homely Mildred Johnson, she didn’t know a thing about wine, or much about life. But during the past year as Karma Jackson, she’d been exposed to so many things that she considered herself a treasure trove of culture now.

  “Shall I start a tab for you?” the bartender asked as she set the glass of wine down on top of a square napkin.

  Karma glanced at her watch again. “Yes, let’s do that.”

  Two sips of wine and the slanted-eyed brother who’d been watching her from his dining table stood and began his approach. Karma watched his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t a bad-looking man, but he had locs, and she didn’t really go in for men with locs; that would be too much damn hair in the bed.

  “Hello.”

  Karma pretended to be surprised. “Oh, you startled me. Hello.”

  “I just had to interrupt my dinner and come over to let you know how beautiful you are.”

  Karma had heard a variety of pick-up lines. But not one man had ever left his filet mignon to share one.

  “Thank you. You’re so sweet.”

  “My name is Augustine. Augustine Barrows.” He offered his hand.

  “Karma Jackson.”

  “Karma. What a beautiful name,” he said taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “Thank you.”

  Augustine glanced over to the three other men he’d left sitting at the table. “Are you waiting for someone, because I would love to buy you dinner so we can get to know each other.”

  Karma picked up on his Southern drawl. “South Carolina?” she asked.

  “Close.” Augustine grinned. “Georgia.”

  Karma turned and looked at the table. “Thank you for the offer, but there doesn’t seem to be room for me and besides it looks as if you’re already halfway through your meal.”

  Augustine shook his head, “No problem. I’d just get an intimate table for two,” he said, and his eyes fell down to Karma’s breasts. “I’ll just have dessert, while you order any ole little thing you want.”

  Karma waited for his eyes to find hers again, but they seemed to be stuck on her tits.

  “Do you want me to take them out so that you can see them better, or do you have X-ray vision?” Her tone was matter-of-fact.

  Embarrassed by her directness, Augustine laughed. “Oh, shoot, girl, you can’t blame a brother for looking, can you?”

  Karma smiled and wiggled her fingers at him. “Go away, little boy. Go on, shoo now,” she said, before turning back to her glass of wine.

  “You ain’t all that, Karma Jackson,” Augustine spat. “That’s the problem with you black women, ya’ll think too much of yourselves.”

  Karma ignored him and began to hum a little ditty to herself.

  “You think you the shit, don’t you?” Augustine continued, his voice growing angrier. “If you the shit, why you sitting here alone, like some desperate barfly, huh?”

  “I think that’s enough.”

  Both Karma and Augustine looked over to see from whom the command had come. A tall man, who strangely resembled the actor Terrance Howard, stood behind them swirling a glass of whisky on the rocks.

  “I think you’ve handed out one too many insults this evening, don’t you?”

  Augustine sized the stranger up, and even though they were of the same build and stature, something in the stranger’s eyes told Augustine that this would be one fight he wouldn’t win.

  “Yeah, whatever, man.” Augustine waved his hand at him as he walked away.

  “Have a good night and don’t think about dawdling. I’ve already paid your bill.”

  A look of astonishment splattered across Augustine’s face and he turned to his friends, who were tossing their napkins down onto the table as they quickly rose from their chairs.

  “Let’s go, man,” one of them said when Augustine began grumbling about not leaving until he was ready to leave.

  “Auggie, the brother said that if we stayed the bill was on us.”

  “So what,” Augustine shouted, “we were paying our own way to begin with.”

  “Yeah, man,” the friend pressed, “but I was spending money I shouldn’t have been spending anyway. So let’s just jet.”

  Karma was still laughing when the four men scurried from the restaurant.

  “I’m glad I was able to make you smile this evening,” her rescuer turned to her and said.

  “Don’t we know each other?”

  The man offered his hand. “Yes, we do, I’m CJ.”

  “That’s right,” Karma cooed, remembering the handsome client her boss had been all atitter about. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Same here. So tell me, Ms. Jackson—”

  “Please, call me Karma.”

  “Karma, and this is so totally not a pick-up line, but what is a nice lady like you doing in a lovely place like this, alone?”

  Giggling, Karma explained that she was waiting for her always-late girlfriend, Seneca.

  “Hmmm, Seneca, another interesting name. Is she as beautiful as you?”

  Karma wanted to scream, HELL NO!

  But instead she said, “She is a very beautiful woman.”

  “Wish I could stay around to meet this Seneca, but I’ve got an appointment in a half-hour. I would, however, like to see you again.”

  Karma heard the words and suddenly forgot to breathe. Yes, she’d found CJ extremely attractive, but he hadn’t given her a second look when he was in the office last week. And so she just thought she wasn’t his type. But now it seemed that she’d been wrong.

  “I’m not going to give you my card, that’s just too cliché. I’ll see you on Sunday at Questo’s in Soho for brunch. Twelve noon.”

  Picking a napkin off the bar, he hastily scribbled down the address and handed it to her.

  Karma blinked. He hadn’t asked if she was free or if she was even interested in seeing him. He just assumed that she would show.

  “You’re a very beautiful woman,” CJ stated as he gently cupped the curve of her jawbone in the palm of his hand. “Intelligent and sexy … but are you trustworthy and obedient?”

  What the?

  Karma didn’t know whether she found his brand of cocky confidence revolting or intriguing.

  She was stunned speechless and remained that way even after he bid her a good-night, walked out of the restaurant, and climbed into a waiting sedan.

  When Seneca bounded in Karma was on her second glass of wine, still trying to untangle what had just happened.

  14

  Crystal watched from the kitchen window as Kayla and Javid took turns going down the slide.

  Claude had converted one section of the backyard into a virtual playland for the children. There were swings, a slide, a merry-go-round, monkey bars, his and hers playhouses, and a wading pool.

  The other side of the yard, the adult side, was made up of a kidney-shaped pool with Jacuzzi, outdoor bar and kitchen ensemble and fire pit.

  Every morning Crystal opened her eyes, it was like falling back into a dream. She’d really hit pay dirt, to
quote Geneva.

  And she couldn’t have asked for a better mate. Claude was a loving man and had been beyond generous with her and Javid.

  Their arrangement, none of which she’d shared entirely with her friends, was a little strange.

  Claude had explained to her early on that he was a very high-profile businessman and because of that he had to take extreme measures to protect his identity. “There are plenty of wacky people out in the world who wouldn’t hesitate to kidnap me and hold me for ransom,” he’d said.

  At first Crystal had thought he was joking and giggled behind his statement, but then looked up into his face, which was dead serious.

  He would not allow himself to be photographed and thought it best that she knew as little as possible about his affairs. “To protect you, Javid, and Kayla of course.”

  “Of course,” Crystal heard herself repeating.

  All of the information had been a bit overwhelming for her, and she’d had second thoughts about coming to live with him. He saw the hesitation in her eyes and took her hands in his. “It’s all precautionary.”

  He admitted that he didn’t have many friends. “When you have money it’s hard to know who you can trust.”

  “And how do you know you can trust me?” she’d chided him.

  He gave her an earnest look. “I could see from the beginning that you were a good and decent person,” he said, pulling her close to him, “and besides, I could smell a gold digger a mile away.”

  They’d laughed.

  “I also want you to know that I travel quite a bit,” he’d explained. “My business takes me around the globe, sometimes for a week or more.”

  Crystal swallowed hard. What was the sense of moving in together if they were going to be apart most of the time?

  “It’ll only be like this for a few more years, just until I have everything in place.”

  And by everything in place, he meant the required number of zeros in his bank accounts. “And then you won’t be able to get rid of me!”

  Crystal smiled.

  “Do you think you can deal with it?” he’d asked.

  Crystal wouldn’t know until she tried.

  “Yes.”

  He’d left this morning for Norway. Their lovemaking had been intense. So intense that she was still pulsating down between her thighs.

  Giggling to herself, Crystal lifted the teakettle from the stove and poured the hot water over the waiting teabag.

  The brass-enclosed clock on the wall told her it was nearly noon. Soon it would be time to feed the kids and put them down for their naps.

  She was about to pull the loaf of bread from the breadbox when the front bell chimed. The sound startled her. She’d never heard it before. They hadn’t had one visitor or delivery since she’d arrived.

  Elvie and Crystal arrived at the door at the same time. “It’s okay, Elvie, I’ve got it,” Crystal said. She hadn’t yet become accustomed to Elvie doing virtually everything. Noah had teased, “I guess you’re just supposed to look pretty?”

  She pulled the door open just a crack.

  “Yes?”

  The woman on the other side of the door was of medium height with a coffee-colored complexion. Crystal couldn’t help but stare at her bald head, which seemed to shimmer beneath the hot afternoon sun.

  “Hi, I’m Shelly,” the woman said brightly. “And I come in peace.” She laughed, revealing a silver tin wrapped with a red bow from behind her back.

  Claude’s words of warning about strangers rang in her ears. Crystal reluctantly opened the door a bit wider.

  “Sorry about that,” Crystal giggled, “but you just never know.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry. I live across the street,” Shelly said, pointing toward a bi-level brick house, “and thought that I would come over and introduce myself, since Claude was taking forever to do it.”

  Crystal thought, it’s only been a few weeks, what’s the rush?

  “I saw him leaving this morning and figured I’d just come over and do it myself.”

  Crystal was starting to get a bad vibe from this woman. Was she just a nosy neighbor? Her own one-woman block watch team? Or worse yet (and Crystal couldn’t believe how quickly the jealousy monkey had leaped onto her back), had this Shelly woman and Claude had an affair?

  Maybe this Shelly chick wanted to come over and get an up-and-close look-see at her competition?

  Crystal eyed the woman. She didn’t take Claude for a man with a fondness for bald-headed women. Really, though, what did that have to do with her pussy? Which was probably bald too …

  Where was all of this coming from?

  Crystal shook the crazed thoughts from her head.

  Shelley cocked her head to one side. “So do you have a name?”

  Crystal barely heard Shelly’s question above her own internal ramblings.

  “Um, yes,” she muttered, finally taking the tin. “Crystal. Crystal Atkins.”

  “Cookies. Fresh baked,” Shelly announced, nodding toward the tin.

  “That was very nice of you. Thank you. Thanks for dropping by. I really have to—”

  “I see that you have a son. Beautiful boy, what’s his name?”

  A scene from the movie Fatal Attraction flashed through Crystal’s mind.

  “Javid.”

  “Nice name. I have a daughter named Amber. She’s seventeen. She attends boarding school. I just miss the days when she was small like Kayla and David—”

  “Javid,” Crystal corrected her. “Listen, Shelly, I left the kids out back and the pool is there and—”

  The excuse was a partial lie. Of course Elvie was watching them, but she had to get rid of this woman.

  Shelly placed her hand on her chest. “Oh my, yes, we should take this conversation inside,” she said, and quickly stepped around Crystal and into the foyer.

  It took a moment for the stunned Crystal to realize what had just happened. When she’d finally gathered herself she turned around to see that Shelly was stepping into the great room.

  “Wow,” Shelly squealed as Crystal hurried behind her. “He’s made a lot of changes. It looks really nice. Not at all like a bachelor pad …”

  Shelly trailed off.

  So she’d been in the house before. Had she been in the bedroom too?

  Crystal shook the thought from her mind.

  “We like it,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I just made some tea. Would you like—”

  “A glass of wine. White if you have it.”

  This Shelly was something else.

  After Crystal made the kids some lunch, she sent them into the family room to watch a Disney cartoon.

  “This ain’t your everyday patio furniture, now, is it?” Shelly said as she ran her hand over the chocolate-colored rattan frame of the couch. “This looks like living room furniture!”

  It did. The patio furniture was actually a sectional couch, an ottoman and two side chairs.

  “I guess we’ve come a long way from the round wood table, four chairs, and green and white umbrella, huh?”

  Crystal nodded her head.

  Shelly kicked off her flip-flops and propped her feet up on the ottoman. “This here is the life.”

  Their conversation was mostly about Crystal. Where she was living before moving to Plainfield? How had she and Claude met?

  After a while Crystal looked at her watch. Was this woman planning on spending the night?

  “Can I have another glass of wine and some more of those scrumptious crackers with that funny-named cheese … what was it again?”

  “Gouda,” Crystal spat out between clenched teeth.

  “Yeah, yeah, Gouda. That was some good-ass cheese.”

  15

  Karma changed her outfit three times before settling on the pale green halter dress with the bronze-sequined neckline.

  She’d lotioned her body with a glittering, softly scented cream that lent a sparkling effect to her skin when she stood in the s
un.

  Karma had grown to enjoy challenges, something that she had steered clear of as Mildred Jackson, and so after some thought, it seem to make sense to take CJ up on his offer.

  Her stomach was a mess of butterflies when she climbed out of the taxi five minutes after the time she was due to meet him. She even thought of walking around the block once, just to make him wait.

  But the joke would have been on her, because when she looked up, CJ was on his way out of the restaurant.

  “CJ!”

  CJ turned around, gave her a stern look, and then looked down at his watch before stating, “I am a very punctual person and I prefer that the people I deal with be punctual as well.”

  Karma was struck dumb. Was he serious? She was just five minutes late.

  CJ pulled the door to the restaurant open and said, “Shall we?”

  She knew that this was where she was supposed to say, “Fuck you and your condescending attitude!” and storm off, but she didn’t. She strolled right past CJ and into the devil’s lair.

  “You look absolutely stunning,” he said after she’d eased herself down onto the chair he’d pulled out for her. “And,” he added, leaning in and pressing his nose lightly to her neck, “you smell wonderful.”

  Karma quivered a bit. His touch was electrifying.

  “Thank you.”

  CJ suggested he order for the both of them. “Do you eat meat?”

  “Yes, but not pork.”

  Questo’s was a Belgian restaurant, and CJ ordered the entire meal in French. Karma was very impressed and extremely happy with her meal and the company.

  “So you say you lived in Italy for a year, how did you enjoy that?”

  “I loved it,” Karma said, just before taking a sip of her champagne. “The people are very passionate.” She gave CJ a seductive wink.

  CJ did not miss the hint. He leaned in. “And you, Karma, are you passionate?”

  “I’ve been told that.”

  CJ smiled. “Maybe one day I can tell you that too?”

  “I think I might like that,” Karma responded coyly.

  “No,” CJ said, shaking his finger at her, “I think you might love it.”

  He was sure of himself and quite full of himself. Karma was turned on. She slid her foot up the inside seam of his pants. CJ wagged his finger at her again. “Behave yourself, Ms. Jackson, or I might have to take you over my knee.”