Brooklyn's Song (7 page)

Chapter 23

Brooklyn was just getting out of the shower when her intercom buzzed.

“Yes, Ernie?”

“Miss Pierce, there’s a Detective Kai here to see you.”

“Please, send him up.”

She heard the elevator ascending and ran to her bedroom and slipped on her robe.

Song stepped off the elevator dressed in a black blazer, cranberry colored shirt and black slacks. He was carrying a gift bag. He rang the bell and heard Brooklyn running across the floor.

She opened the door wearing a pink kimono style robe.

“Hey there, sorry, I’m running a little late. I’ll be out in a second. Help yourself to a drink and I have some cheese and crackers on the island.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond she rushed to her bedroom.

“Just take your time,” Song said.

He glanced around the spacious apartment. It was neat and nicely decorated in pastel pinks, purples and yellows. Contemporary paintings hung on the walls and family photographs sat upon her mantel. Brooklyn’s refrigerator was overflowing with drawings by children.

“Do you mind if I have a glass of wine?” Song asked.

‘”No, go ahead; the wine glasses are in the cabinet above the sink.”

Song poured two glasses of wine. He picked his glass up and continued to explore the apartment. He decided not to tell her about the gun and the duffle bag. He wanted this to be a fun and relaxing night for her.

“I see you like the classics,” he said, as he browsed her collection of albums.

“Yeah, I just love the way vinyl albums sound as opposed to CD’s.”

Song placed an album on the turntable and “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” began to play.

‘’That’s a good choice!” Brooklyn yelled.

He sat on the sofa, leaned back and sipped his wine. The ceiling fan overhead carried the sweet, enticing scent of her perfume throughout the loft.

The bedroom door opened and Brooklyn came out carrying her shoes. She wore a black lace cocktail dress and a thin strand of pearls. Her hair was pinned into a bun.

Song set his wine glass down on the table and took in the sight of her.

“Do you mind giving me a hand with my zipper?”

“Sure.”

She turned her back to him and he saw the lavender closure of her bra and the border of her matching panties. He felt himself becoming aroused. He longed to run his tongue over her smooth penny brown skin.

“One more thing; can you fasten my necklace? I was trying to adjust the length, but I couldn’t do it.”

She held her head down and he stepped closer to her. He fumbled with the clasp and then finally steadied his hands and fastened the pearls.

She turned to face him. “Thanks detective.”

He smiled. “Please, call me Song.”

“Song…I like that.”

“Just call me Brook or Brooklyn, whichever one you prefer.”

“I almost forgot; I brought you something.”

He reached down on the side of the sofa and handed her the decorative bag. She peeked inside and pulled out a bottle of wine.

“Thank you, that was very thoughtful.”

She sat down and slid her feet into her heels. Song watched admiring her long lean legs.

“Brooklyn?”

She glanced up and held his gaze. “Yes?”

“You look incredibly beautiful.”

The remark not only took her by surprise, but it also surprised him. Did those words just come out of my mouth…It must be the wine, Song thought.

She smiled. “Thank you Song, you look nice too. I’ll be right back.”

She went into the bedroom and came out with a large yellow box and a bag.

“‘I can’t forget Lonette’s gift. I’m all set. I hope you don’t mind riding in the Town Car. My dad made me promise to stick with the security detail he assigned although I’m sure a big, strong detective, such as yourself can protect …Little ole me,” she said, rapidly batting her eyelashes.

Song laughed. “No, the Town Car is fine.”

“Good, let’s go.”

Chapter 24

About sixty of Lonette’s friends and family gathered on her rooftop terrace to celebrate her 38th birthday. Italian string lights hung overhead while the tables were decorated with votive lamps, red rose petals and white tablecloths. Lonette ran over and wrapped Brooklyn in a tight embrace as soon as she spotted her.

“Happy birthday, Lonette,” Brooklyn said, trying to talk over the loud music.

“Thanks girl, I’m so glad you made it. You look great and who’s the arm candy?” she said, eyeing Song.

“I’m sorry, where are my manners. This is Song,” Brooklyn said.

Song reached and shook Lonette’s hand. “Happy birthday,” Song said, enthusiastically, “You can just call me arm candy.”

Lonette let out a loud laugh. “Wow! He’s handsome and has a sense of humor. Grab a drink, there’s an open bar, and help yourself to the buffet; we have all kinds of yummy things. My guy is around here somewhere. Let me go find him so I can introduce you.”

“Okay, see you in a few, ‘Brooklyn said.

Song and Brooklyn sat at a corner table eating hors d'oeuvres, sipping champagne and watching the party goers on the dance floor.

Brooklyn took a bite of her crostini and looked across the table at Song. “Is this a date?” she asked.

He smiled. “Would you like it to be?”

Before Brooklyn could answer the question, Lonette interrupted.

“There you guys are.” She was holding hands with a tall muscular man. He had long hair tied back into a ponytail and a goatee. “This is my honey bun, Konstantinos.”

Konstantinos kissed Brooklyn’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you,” he said, “Your pictures don’t do you justice.”

“Thank you,” Brooklyn replied.

“Nice to meet you, Song,” he said, shaking his hand.

“You boys talk amongst yourselves; I’m going to borrow Brook for a second,” Lonette said.

Brooklyn held Lonette’s hand as they made their way through the crowd.

Lonette opened the patio doors and they went inside. The noise from the music jarred the windows.

“You’ve been holding out on me! When did you meet him? He is so …Fine,” Lonette said, fanning herself with her hand.

“I met him the other day,” Brooklyn replied, nonchalantly.

“And you didn’t tell me?””

Brooklyn held her hand up and laughed. “Wait a second,” she said, “Calm down; he’s the detective working on my dad’s case. I asked him... I sort of asked him this morning at the coffee shop if he would escort me to the party.”

Lonette pushed Brooklyn on the shoulder. “Coffee? You had coffee with him this morning?”

“Well, yeah, but it wasn’t a big deal. I mean it wasn’t a date or anything. I don’t even know if he’s interested.”

Lonette shook her head slowly and looked at Brooklyn as if she felt sorry for her. “Brook, no man is going to get up that early in the morning to hang out in a coffee shop unless he’s interested.”

Lonette grabbed two shot glasses off the counter, filled them with rum and handed one to Brooklyn. “To finding everlasting true love!” She clicked her glass against Brooklyn’s.

Brooklyn grimaced at the bitter taste of the rum. “Konstantinos is pretty handsome too,” Brooklyn said.

Lonette smiled and began to sing “Whatta Man" by Salt-n-Pepa.

Brooklyn burst out laughing. “They’re probably wondering where we are, let’s get back out there.”

Konstantinos was standing alone when Lonette and Brooklyn walked up.

Lonette gave him a little peck on the lips. “Hey, where did Song run off to?” Lonette asked.

“He said he had to take care of something; he should be back in a minute.”

The rum and champagne were starting to get to Brooklyn. She sat down at the table.

“Are you alright?” Lonette asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Brooklyn saw Song walking towards her; he had a big smile on his face.

“Okay folks, we’re going to slow things down a bit,” the DJ announced over the microphone, ”This one goes out to the lovely Brooklyn.” Roberta Flack’s voice soared over the rooftop terrace as she sang “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”

Song extended his hand to Brooklyn; she took it and followed him onto the dance floor.

She heard Lonette say, “Oh, that is so sweet.”

Song held Brooklyn close to him. She just wanted to enjoy the moment and allowed herself to be immersed in the dance. It felt good to be in his arms. She laced her fingers around his neck and gazed into his eyes.

“I think this is a date,” she whispered.

He smiled. “I think so too.”

Chapter 25

Before leaving the party Brooklyn changed into a pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers that she brought along. Instead of riding in the Town Car, she convinced Song to walk the six blocks to her loft. The security detail didn’t like the idea, but eventually agreed to follow close behind. Brooklyn let the straps of her sling back shoes dangle from her fingertips while they walked. It was now after midnight and the streets were filled with people coming and going to clubs and dining outdoors.

“How long have you and Lonette been friends?” Song asked.

“I met Lonette about six years ago. She and I worked together on the playground revitalization project. We had to work in the hot sun in August, but Lonette managed to make the time go by faster by keeping me in stitches with her funny stories.”

“Yeah, she seemed really cool. I liked her.”

“Okay, your favorite superhero?” Brooklyn asked.

“Batman of course, he has the bat-mobile and all the cool gadgets.”

“Let me guess, yours is …Wonder Woman?” Song said.

Brooklyn made a buzzer sound and said, “Wrong! It’s Superman. He can fly, kick ass and he’s super hot. What girl wouldn’t fall madly in love with a guy like that?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t have a mode of transportation.”

“What part of… he-can-fly…don’t you get?” Brooklyn said, sarcastically.

Song laughed. “What happens if you want to go out when it’s raining or snowing?”

“We’re in New York; even Superman can hail a cab or use an umbrella.”

“Now that will definitely cramp Superman’s style; walking around wearing his cape and carrying an umbrella. How about a parasol?” Song said, with a chuckle.

Brooklyn giggled and playfully punched him on his arm.

Flyers announcing the opening of a new cafe danced around the pavement in a circular motion as a crisp breeze chilled the night air.

“Hang on a second,” Song said.

Brooklyn stopped walking and stood on the sidewalk beneath the street light. Song took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. Brooklyn’s eyes met his and she wanted more than anything to feel those full lips, the color of sweet ripe strawberries, touch hers.

A group of college students rushed by laughing and talking…The moment was lost.

“We better get going,” Brooklyn said.

Brooklyn and Song were half a block away from the loft. The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way; lost in thoughts about each other. They stopped at the entryway to her building and Song said, “I better see you inside.“ He waved to the security guards in the black sedan. The guards pulled up to the curb and turned their lights off. Song knew they would remain there until their shift was over and relief arrived. After stepping off the elevator, Song walked Brooklyn to her front door. He stood with his hands in his pockets.

“Would you like a drink or something; that walk was quite a workout?” Brooklyn said, as she unlocked her door.

“I’m driving, so water will be fine.”

Once inside, Brooklyn opened the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water. She handed one to Song and walked over to the sofa and sat down. He sat down beside her. She kicked off her sneakers and tucked her legs beneath her.

She took a sip of water. “Song, I had a good time tonight.”

“I did too.”

“We never finished the game?”

“The game?” he asked, looking confused.

“Yeah, the getting to know you game?”

“Oh yeah, that game.” He sat his water bottle down on the table. “I believe it’s my turn to ask a question. Your best day?” he joked, “Other than today of course.”

Brooklyn looked up in the air as if the memory was right within reach. Song noticed her expression suddenly change. She nervously twisted the cap on her water bottle.

“My best day was …Was when my mother took Jules and me to see our first Broadway play; we had front row seats to the “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”” Brooklyn smiled at the memory. “My mother made such a big deal about it. We all had manicures and facials. Jules and I got to wear our best dresses. My mom even let us raid her jewelry box. Jules covered her eyes when Quasimodo first appeared on stage. She said, ‘I can’t look, he’s a monster!’ I told her he’s only a monster to people who can’t see his inner beauty. My mom looked over at me and whispered, ‘You are wise beyond your years.’ Then she kissed me on my forehead and we both held Jules hand.”

Song wiped away Brooklyn’s tears. He put his arms around her and she leaned on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know, it’s still one of my favorite memories,” she sleepily whispered.

Brooklyn fell asleep in Songs arms. He gently eased her off his shoulder and on to the sofa. Song covered her with a colorful afghan that was laying on a recliner. He softly caressed the side of her face then tuned out the light. He made sure the door was locked behind him and took the elevator down to the lobby. He smiled as he drove. It had been awhile since he felt such an intense attraction. He dated Hunter, but he had known from the start that it really wasn’t going anywhere. They were both lonely and rushed into it too soon. He rolled the window down and thought it was strange he could still smell Brooklyn’s perfume. He laughed after realizing the scent was on his jacket.