A Merry Little Christmas (10 page)

“You’re just jaded, my friend. You’re so caught up in finding Superwoman that you don’t know how to appreciate God’s bounty when you witness it. Beauty like that is a gift in itself, Cochran.”

The two men continued to banter as they descended in the brass-
fixtured
elevator to the marble-floored lobby. The doors opened and Warren’s eyes lit up.

“Cochran, get ready to eat your words. There’s the beauty right there. And this time, I’m getting a name,” he said gleefully.

Donnie’s head dropped and he stifled a
groan. “Don’t bother to get it;
I can give it to you. Her name is Angelique and she’s more trouble than you want to deal with, now or ever.”

Chapter Six

Warren ignored Donnie’s words and approached Angelique, who was exchanging a few words with Fanchon,
the attractive, friendly concier
ge. “We meet again,” he said with a smile.

Angelique turned to face him and her charming smile again allowed him a glimpse of her dimples. “So it would seem,” she replied. “Have you rescued any more maidens who weren’t watching where they were going?”

“Not in the last hour or so. I must be overdue.” He laughed. “By the way, I’m Warren Alexander.”

Angelique extended her right hand to shake his. “I’m Angelique Deveraux. It’s very nice to meet you, Warren.”

By now, Donnie had joined the twosome and was looking less than thrilled. Warren turned to Donnie and said, “I understand you know this man, so he can vouch for me. I’m God-fearing, clean, wholesome and healthy and I would consider it a true pleasure if you would accompany us to lunch.” He bowed slightly.

Angelique hadn’t retrieved her hand; it was still enveloped in his warm,
strong grasp. She smiled again because
there was something truly sweet about this big guy. “As nice as that invitation was, I’m going to have to say no,” she said softly. “I was just out for lunch and I have to get back to my studio. I have some appointments this afternoon.”

Warren sighed deeply. “I can’t leave here without knowing I’m going to see you again. I just can’t do it. Do you like art?”

Angelique’s interest showed on her face at once. “Why, yes I do.
Very much, in fact.”

“Would you consider going to a gallery with me? There’s going to be a showing at a small gallery and I t
hink
you might enjoy it,” he said persuasively.

“I’d love to go, thank you for asking me,” she said, giving him another glimpse of those amazing dimples. “If you give me my hand back, I’ll give you a number where you can reach me.”

Instead of looking embarrassed, Warren smiled. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that I hadn’t let you go. But since you did
…” H
e lowered his head and kissed the fingers he was still holding.

Angelique giggled like a schoolgirl and promptly went into her purse to extract a card case. Taking one out, she handed him her business card and told him he could reach her on her cell number. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Warren. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. And I’m looking forward to the showing.”

With a last brilliant smile, she turned, leaving Warren and Donnie staring after her slender figure as she walked away. Warren gave a low whistle as he watched her sexy walk. “Cochran, now
that’s
what I call a woman. You see how things just work themselves out? I was in the right place at the right time and I may have just met my dream girl,” he said gleefully.

“Oh, no, you haven’t, Warren. What you just met was your worst nightmare.”

***

The two men faced each other across the table while waiting for their lunch orders. They had opted to eat in a small diner near the office known for good food, large portions and swift service. Warren looked amused, while Donnie’s face had a look of intensity that to Warren seemed all out of proportion with the situation. His words to his friend reflected this. “Well, now, Cochran, I met a nice young woman and asked her to go to an art gallery with me. You’re acting like I’m selling arms to Al-Qaeda or something. What’s the problem?”

Donnie took out his frustration on the ice in his glass of water, crunching it noisily and violently before answering. He was also buying time, because he wasn’t sure why he’d reacted so strongly to the scene in the lobby. Warren standing there, dripping his legendary charm all over the place, and Angelique acting like a debutante at a social
had
irritated him mightily
and unexpectedly
. He shook his head before speaking.

“Warren, if you knew Evilene like I knew her, you wouldn’t be asking me that question. You know how she is; you’ve heard me talk about her before. She’s Bennie’s sister-in-law, the little piece of work I’ve been telling you about. The woman is evil, I’m telling you. She’s nothing but trouble.”

Warren raised his brows at the passion in Donnie’s voice.
“So that’s the woman you call Evilene
?
You never told me she was that
fine,
Cochran!”

Donnie ignored the heat that gathered in his face. “Yeah, well, if you think she’s fine, good for you. But it’s like I’ve been telling you, Warren, she’s mean as a black snake. She’s hot-tempered, she’s spoiled rotten, she’s
…
Man, if you were to look up the phrase ‘high-maintenance’ in a dictionary, there’d be a picture of her sharpening her claws.”

Warren laughed out loud at that one. “Aww, come on, Cochran! So you two don’t get along
,
that doesn’t put her on America’s Most Wanted list, does it?
There’
re
lots of people I don’t get
along with, and some of them are
female. Take my cousin
Charice
,
for example. We can’t be in the same room for ten minutes without getting into it about something and we’re both adults, both physicians, both had home training and we can’t stand the sight of each other. So
Angelique’s high-spirited and a little spoiled. If I was that good-looking, I’d probably be spoiled, too.”

Warren stopped talking because the waitress had arrived with their food.
 
He said a quick grace, and then took a mouthful of the piping-hot gyro that had been placed before him. After chewing it thoroughly with a look of total enjoyment, he res
um
ed his interrogation of Donnie.

“I’ve never known you to
get
this bent out of shape about anybody, Cochran, especially not a woman. Why do you let her get to you like this?”

Donnie stared morosely at the Reuben sandwich that lay before him. For some reason he seemed to have lost his appetite, even though the food looked delicious. “Because she’s not only a spoiled little princess, she’s a player,” he said finally. “She’s dating this other guy but that didn’t stop her from making a date with you, now, did it?” He picked up half his sandwich and took a huge bite. “And it didn’t stop her from kissing me on
New
Year’s Eve, either.”

Warren finished the bite he was consuming before picking up his glass of iced tea. He looked long and hard at his old friend
before pointing
out that this disclosure put a new spin on the situation. “Well, now, seems to me like there’s a little more interest on your part than you’re letting on, my brother. Do I detect a little bit of jealousy in there somewhere? Could it be that you’re more involved with Miss Angelique than you’re willing to admit?”

Donnie sputtered and almost choked on his Boston Cooler. “Man, what are you trying to do, kill me?
Jealous?
Of Evilene?
Me? Not now, not
ever
will I be jealous of anything she does and anyone she does it with. It’s not like that, Warren, not at all. I just know her for the deceitful little wench she is and I’m telling you as a friend to stay away from her.”

Warren calmly finished eating while watching Donnie
compose himself
with some degree of success. “Look, Cochran, it’s not that serious. She was a pretty lady and she seemed to have a good sense of humor. I’m not trying to get busy with her
,
yet
,” he added, just to rile Donnie. “But there really is a charity event for the co
llege of medicine this week. It’
s at that new gallery
and it
should be fun. A major exhibit, an auction, good food and wine
and
you can come along and chaperone, if you think she’s that bad. And she might surprise you; sh
e might be nicer than you think.
Sometimes you just need to see someone in a different light in order to appreciate them fully.”

Donnie’s skepticism was plain but he refrained from answering because his mouth was full. Warren waited until Donnie had picked up his drink again and said in a voice of total innocence, “She must be one great kisser, Cochran.”

After another choking spell, Donnie gave him an answer that was both profane and
hilarious,
if
Warren’
s
loud laughter was any indication.

***

Paris looked Angelique over carefully before letting her go downstairs to wait for Warren. Angelique turned around and struck a sultry pose. “Well? Will I do?” she drawled.

She was wearing a simple long-sleeved dress made of merino jersey. The hem was mid
-
calf and, in deference to the cold January night, she wore sexy black boots with high heels. The dress had a deep surplice neckline
th
at stopped just short of showing any cleavage, but looke
d exquisitely sexy all the same
due to the close fit of the supple knit, as well as the vibrant red color. Her hair was done in a soft French twist with careless tendrils along her nape and surrounding her face. Her only jewelry was a pair of big gold hoop earrings. She looked exciting, fresh and utterly lovely with die soft scent of her signature fragrance surrounding her and a red lipstick that matched the dress.

“Girl, you look wonderful. As Aidan would say, I have three words for you: Fab
.
U
.
Lous
! You’re gonna knock that Warren of
f
his feet, I promise you!”

Angelique made a face as she pulled a big, warm wool scarf in a beautiful paisley print out of her drawer. Taking it and her small leather bag, she turned to Paris. “I’m not trying to turn anybody’s head,” she said earnestly. “He was just so nice and pleasant, I couldn’t say no. And I’ll be honest with you, the fact that Adonis was standing there looking like somebody’s warden made me say yes, too. He hasn’t spoken a word to me since New Year’s Eve and he had the nerve to look at me like I was trying to pick his friend
’s
pocket! Believe me, Warren could have been a lot less attractive and I would’ve still said yes. But he was so
nice
,” she said with a littl
e sigh. “Wait till you meet him;
you’ll see what I mean.”

About forty-five minutes later, Angelique was still smiling over the look on Paris’s face when she met Warren Alexander. Warren had arrived promptly, smelling divine and looking like the cover of a Gerald
Levert
CD in a beautifully made charcoal-gray cashmere coat. He was also wearing a crew-neck cream sweater with bla
ck
pleated slacks and a jacket that looked custom tailored. He’d presented Angelique with a dozen deep-red tulips that matched her dress, and after the introductions Paris had taken the flowers into the kitchen to put in a vase. When Angelique followed her to let her know what time she planned on coming back, all Paris could do was nod and wave weakly. “He’s too pretty, girl.
Way
too pretty.
Dang.”

Warren was indeed handsome, but he was also funny and warm and an entertaining person to be with. To her delight, she ran into A.J. at the showing and happily introduced him to Warren as her dearest friend. The two men looked each other over swiftly but thoroughly as they shook hands. Angelique was having a ball walking around, looking at the pieces on display. Warren, it turned out, knew quite a bit about art and was a wonderful person to chat with as they strolled around. There was only one thing that kept the evening from being perfect and that was the presence of Donnie, looming around like a vengeful wraith. He seemed to be watching her every move as though he truly believed she was going to try to take Warren’s Rolex or pocket his wallet or something. Even when he was talking to other people, she could feel his eyes following her. She was idly contemplating revenge at a later date when she became aware that someone else was staring at her, too.

This time it was a woman, a very attractive woman, petite in stature with a very pretty head of hair worn in a tousled bob. She was wearing a long leather skirt, low-heeled boots and a beautiful cream angora sweater with a huge cowl neck worn off the shoulder. Every time Angelique looked up, the woman’s eyes were on her, and it suddenly occurred to her that she wasn’t the target of the woman’s scru
tiny.  I
t was Warren who had her eye.
 
After the auction started, Angelique lost track of the lady, but Donnie was never far away. To her intense irritation, he had latched on to her and Warren and seemed determined to be a part of their date. Even after they left the gallery and went to an afterglow at a fashionable restaurant, Donnie was still there.