Beale Street Blues (9 page)

"Then, we'll wait for you to bring the spreadsheets back to the meeting, so that we can review them and continue." She had penned in some projections for Barbara's numbers, but the actual projections were still needed. She didn't want to fall flat on her face when she presented the final numbers to Jaxon She didn't want him to think she expected any
special
concessions.

Barbara returned within moments, reinforcing Darling's conviction that Barbara had the freaking work completed. The damn woman just wanted to be difficult and ignore Darling's authority.

"Here they are." Barbara slapped the documents on the edge of the conference room table and sat.

Darling stared at the pages resting on the table beside Barbara. "Do you want to read those aloud, or do you want to allow everyone to have a copy to review?"

Barbara slid the report over to Kathy who passed them on to Darling.

After glancing at them, Darling handed them to back to Kathy—her assistant. "Could you please make a set of copies for everyone here?"

"Sure." Kathy hurried from the room.

"It looks like my projections for Barbara's group were pretty accurate," she told everyone. "Mr. Slater approved my plan as long as the numbers matched the proposal. He has given us permission to plus up quite a bit for the end of the year. That means a lot more travel for everyone."

Some team members smiled, while others waited. Maybe because they wanted to know about the part she hadn't shared. The part she'd hoped would get the last remaining hold-outs on
team Barbara
to switch teams.

"How does the timeline work for the people with families who didn't travel before you took over?" Barbara interjected.

Perfect!

"Because of the increased travel, I've asked Mr. Slater to take another look at everyone's compensation plans. As a result of that and added responsibilities, he's in agreement with me that everyone should receive adjusted compensation and benefits, including increases in paid time off."

"Darling, that's fantastic!" Kathy said as she entered the room.

"Human resources will be contacting everyone regarding the changes," Darling continued. "And they will be immediate."

"That's not possible," Barbara said with a nasty edge to her voice.

Why? Because I got something done that you couldn't?
"What do you mean?" Darling asked.

"Rodney told me that there wasn't enough money in the budget when I went to him for my team last year."

That's because Rodney didn't listen to you; he screwed you.
"I know, but there have been some changes since then. Because of the added responsibilities that we'll all be taking on, it's the only thing that made sense to me, Rodney and Mr. Slater."

Barbara sat up in her seat and for once, paid attention to the numbers displayed on the presentation in front of her. "But how can you—I wasn't able to—"

"We've been working on the changes since the announcement was first made. It's the only way," Darling continued as she scanned the room. "We feel comfortable asking you guys to take on the additional obligations."

Various voices around the room, including the few huddled around Barbara spoke, "Thanks, Darling."

Darling knew the additional money would win over a few of Barbara's loyal team members, but she still had to figure out what to do about the woman herself. She wasn't going to make anything easy.

Darling was determined not to lie down and let Barbara take this away from her. The politics between Rodney and Barbara and the humdrum of the call center didn't excite her. But, with the role changes, it was worth the fight. She could get her life back on track. Move out of her parents' house with or without money from Steve.

"Steve, I don't care what you do." Darling paused. "I just want my share of everything. How I get it doesn't matter."

She did not need this on top of everything at work. She didn't want to have another annoying unproductive conversation with her soon-to-be ex. He never had anything positive to say and she always felt like crap when she hung up the phone.

"All I'm saying," he said, "is that instead of us selling the house, my future wife wants it."

"Your
future
wife!" Why would she give a damn about what his
future
wife wanted? "You didn't care about anything when we were together. I begged you for everything you're asking me to help you give to her." She thought about the struggle she had dragging him out to look at houses. She and the realtor viewed half of them without him. He'd flown out of town minutes after closing, and she'd spent the first night in their new home alone.

"I—I—"

"Never mind, I don't care. I get it." She gave the bastard everything, but he gave her nothing, and now, he wanted what was left. But, this time, he wanted her to give it to him, so that he could give it to his future wife. It made her want to scream!

"We like the schools in the area. And when the baby is older—"

Baby? What the hell!
She'd wanted children. His children.

She didn't want to hear any more about anything. "I don't care. I don't need to know the details." She already had her answers. He liked magazine covers, and she'd been traded in for the latest one. She'd made the mistake of falling in love. He didn't. She wanted to slam her cell against the wall. "Just have your lawyer contact mine. I've got to go."

No matter how many long deep breaths she took, nothing worked to take the edge off her anger. Like a caged animal in a zoo, Darling circled her room over and over replaying Steve's words in her head. All the things she'd wanted with him, he was willingly giving to someone else. All the years they'd been together hadn't meant a damn thing to him! She walked to the bathroom to run a bath. The closed door signaled that one of her parents was in it, and she didn't want to wait. Doubling back to her room, she grabbed her purse and headed out the front door.

The longer she drove, the more the street signs and headlights of oncoming cars blurred. Only when the dampness of her shirt began to send a chill through her did she realize she'd been crying the entire time.

Where she was headed might be the biggest mistake of her life, but it was the only place she wanted to be, and
he
was the only person she wanted to be with. She pulled into the crescent shaped drive and opened the driver's side door. At the request of the valet, she handed him her keys.

"Ma'am are you okay?" asked the valet.

"Yes, thank you." She dabbed at her eyes with her palm. "Allergies." She walked through the revolving doors shivering a little as the cold air hit her wet shirt. Her sneakers squeaked across the marble floors. She didn't stop 'til she reached the elevators.

Jaxon opened his hotel door, and thought he'd fallen asleep reading through budget proposals, conjuring up an image of a naked, smiling Darling. Except she wasn't naked and she definitely wasn't smiling.

She just stood there, silently with the tracks of her dried tears noticeable on her beautiful chocolate skin.

He reached for her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She turned to walk away. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing here."

He grabbed her, tugging her backwards against his body and wrapped his arms tighter around her. Her round butt met his groin and he became very aware of her body's softness and his desire. He spoke into the ponytail she wore, "Don't leave." He paused. "Come in."

The breath she released slowly, relaxed her into his body. The warmth of her against him erased the small amount of control he held onto. Out of respect for her tears, he pulled his body away from hers because it for damn sure, wasn't listening to him.

Darling turned to face him. "I apologize for showing up here like this. I just didn't know where else to go."

He pulled her into the hotel room and locked the door behind her. "Darling, you're always welcomed wherever I am." He motioned toward a chair. "Sit and tell me what's going on." He grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Would you like a drink?"

When she nodded yes, he filled both and handed her one.

She took a long sip before she spoke, "My ex called. He's marrying the woman he left me for and she's pregnant." She kicked off her sneakers and curled her jean clad legs up underneath her. "And they want to live in the house he and I bought and renovated." Her body deflated with her explanation.

"I've never been married." He swirled his glass of wine. "I don't think I've ever wanted to take the chance on falling out of love," he mumbled. His shock at admitting that to her and to himself, made him throw back what was left in his glass.

Glistening eyes looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Falling in love is always fun, but when it's over—that's the hard part. Moving on." He'd watched his father move on, while his mother sat waiting. She'd been stuck for the longest time with only him, Jaxon, to give all her love to and he didn't deserve it any more than his father.

"You say that as if you understand, yet you say you haven't been in love. If that's true, how do you know so much about it?"

He leaned against the wall where he stood, and fisted his hands in his pockets. "My father left my mother for a stewardess." He chuckled at the cliché of his life. Rich man leaving family for arm candy, too typical.

"I don't know what to say," she said in a soft voice.

He loved the sound of her voice. When it needed to be firm and strong, during department meetings, it was. When it needed to be gentle and encouraging, while they made love, it was. He was beginning to think he'd do anything to hear the latter again.

"There's nothing for you to say." He pushed away from the wall and refilled his wine glass, and then took a sip. "As a kid, I heard my mother cry herself to sleep and watched her go out on dates with anyone, so that she wouldn't be alone. It was enough to convince me that being alone made better sense."

"So, you never wanted to fall in love?"

"No." He didn't think he did, but not even he could explain why he was still in Memphis. "I avoided it."

"I agree with you."

"Don't agree with me." He didn't want to agree with himself. He wanted her to love, and maybe—to love him.

"Why not? Steve and I were together forever. All I thought about was marriage and
his
children from the moment I met him."

The fact that she wasn't married and didn't have another man's kids made him happy. "Maybe he wasn't the right person."

"Now, you sound like my friend, Annette, and my mother." She smiled, weakly.

"You should listen to us." He grabbed the television remote and searched for something funny. Something to put a smile on her face. "You need to laugh and drink more wine. Relax."

And stay with me tonight.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She rose from the chair. "I should leave. I have to work in the morning."

"Sit down." He grinned. "I give you permission to come in late." His smile widened. "What do you feel like watching?"

Darling woke reluctantly the next morning, not because of the piercing whistles of the train—which strangely seemed to be absent—but because it was hard to ignore the light shining on her face. Crap, she squeezed her eyes tighter to try to keep out the warm glow. The odd morning quiet and the softness of the sheets around her made her relax deeper into the bed's mattress. As she nestled she bumped—

Her eyes popped open.

Oh, my God! She'd fallen asleep in Jaxon's hotel room. With her eyes and her hands, she scanned her body. Thank God, she was still dressed and she didn't remember having sex. That was definite because there was no way she'd ever forget one touch from Jaxon.

Beside her, Jaxon slept on top of the covers that she'd only moments ago snuggled beneath. His bare muscled chest tempted her to lean over and kiss her way down to his navel. Maybe follow that little fine line of black hair that disappeared beneath the waist of his pants.

When she attempted to ease herself from the bed, his hand reached out and grabbed her arm. "Don't leave," he whispered.

The heavily accented voice that made her stay in B.B. King's, take that carriage ride and spend the night with him rolled over her awakening her body in many ways. "We both have to go to work," she said without conviction. "And this would be a huge mistake."

His beautiful green eyes stared at her. "Why would this be a mistake?"

The desire grew within her to stay where she was. But, what sense would it make to give in to it. "Because I'm still falling out of love," she explained, "and you're scared of love."

"Not because I own the company?"

She ran her fingers through his hair smoothing out small twists and tangles. "That's only part of it. You don't really know me."

"I know enough." His grip on her arm loosened as he rose to his forearms and linked his fingers with hers.

"Do you?" She studied his beautiful face. "Do you really?" He didn't know anything about her, aside from the fact that she was divorcing a jerk. Would he still want her if he knew that what he saw of her were remnants of the life she'd had with Steve, not her reality, now.