Dr. Feelgood (22 page)

“Georgia, I am not in the mood for this. You cannot ask me about my private life. You just handle yours.”

“Oh, I will. See, now I remember how you talk to me when he’s around. You’re so different. Mom, I’m on my way because Rydell is dropping the girls off there at any minute.”

“Fine.”

“And I’ll just honk. Please have them ready.”

“Fine.”

“We’ll just honk. Me and my girlfriend, Star.”
Click.

B
y the end of the month, dark and handsome Carlos drove his jet black Escalade on bright shiny chrome from the off ramp of the 10 freeway. He left me in charge of his large collection of CDs all the way to the desert. Most of my selections were female artists like Anita Baker and Toni Braxton. I replayed
Seven Whole Days
more than a few times.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the other night.”

“Carlos, that really should not have happened.”

“Oh, I’m glad it did happen. You are an amazing woman. You’re smart and beautiful and funny and sweet, and very, very sexy. I’m just proud to have you coming out with me to spend some time alone.”

“I’m happy I was able to make time to go. But, really, Carlos, I want you to know that I’m here strictly for the rest and relaxation.”

“Oh, no, I understand that. I need that myself,
too. Don’t you wanna get in a round or two while you’re here?” He grinned sexily. “Golf, that is.”

“Oh, Carlos, you know I don’t play golf. I’ll leave that to you while I lie out and rest.” I flipped through the CD sleeves.

“Sure, and get you a massage or two while I’m out.”

“Did you book two rooms, like we talked about?”

“I booked a room with two beds. The Hyatt is completely sold out.”

“You’re sure there are two beds.”

He nodded. “Yes. I made sure.”

“Carlos, I just want you to know, I’m not interested in getting intimate with you again. Maybe I was buzzed the other night, I’m not sure, but afterwards, I felt I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

“Mary Jane, my word is bond. Nothing will happen unless you want it to. I’m honored, like I said, that’s all.”

I reached back to put the leather CD case in the backseat. “Okay, now, because I’m sure there were a lot of other women who would have been glad to come along and be with you in any way you’d want them to.”

“That’s why I’m here with you. You’re not just any other woman.”

“Well, thanks.”

He pulled up to the luxury resort and put the truck in park. “Here, I’ll get that laptop for you, and we’ll let the valet get the rest.”

The heat was Africa hot as we proceeded before entering the grand, air-conditioned lobby.

“It feels good in here.” I looked up at the fancy
ceiling, and crystal chandeliers, and dark gray marble floors, and beautiful tree-lined atrium. “This is a very pretty hotel, Carlos.”

“I’m glad you approve. Listen, I’m going to get the key. I’ll be right back.” He pointed for me to sit on the maple leather sofa as he walked away.

Within no time, we entered our third floor room. He stepped aside and looked proud of himself. “See, I told you. Two beds. I’m a man you can trust.”

“That’s good to know.” I barely heard his self-congratulating sentence. I was too spellbound by the huge room. It was classic, like a little black dress and a strand of pearls. The contemporary, plush, wine and chocolate brown furnishings were like right out of
House and Garden.

While I looked around this lap of luxury, Carlos put down his suitcase and placed his car keys into his pocket, checked his wallet, and then glanced at the end table clock. “Well, I’m going to head downstairs to meet the guys at the bar and then we’re going to take off until later this afternoon, maybe even get in a few rounds. Will you be okay?” He put about five twenties on the walnut dresser.

I separated and peeked through the layers of upholstered, room-darkening, silhouette drapes that matched the brown and tan bedspreads. The pool-side view beyond the long balcony was heavenly. “I’ll be right out here, lounging around that dream pool.” The Olympic sized, tile swimming pool was filled with water that looked dark blue, and the rows of chaise lounges and umbrellas and palm trees and sun-tanning bodies seemed to call to me.

“Okay. I’ll see your soon-to-be tanned self later then.”

I turned to face him as he approached me. I nodded.

“Oh, and here’s your key.”

“Okay.” I took the key card as he reached for a hug. I leaned toward him and patted him on his back as I remembered to ask about his hundreddollar tip. “What’s that money for?”

“It’s for you. Just in case you need anything, you can use that instead of spending your own money.”

“I won’t need that, but thanks.”

“I’ll just leave it where it is. No problem.”

I flashed a half-smile. “Goodbye, Carlos.”

“Later.”

Carlos seemed a little different today, almost like a real gentleman. He actually wasn’t so bad, or at least he didn’t seem to be. Maybe because we were sitting in the middle of paradise. I guess it was sweet of him to make sure I knew the weekend was on him, and that I didn’t need to worry about anything. But, what I didn’t want was for him to have any expectations of me whatsoever. I didn’t want to owe him a thing.

I proceeded to put my small suitcase on the satin settee and searched inside as I thought about how glad I was to get away. Now, where did I put that green bikini and coconut oil?

The next morning, after having ordered solo room service the night before, I looked over to find that Carlos’s bed was just as made up as it was when we first came into the room. I looked over at
my cell on the nightstand and didn’t have even one missed call.

“Hey there,” he said, suddenly walking through the door wearing his designer shades, tucking the key card into his pants pocket.

“Hey.” My reply was weak.

“Sorry about that. The boys and I went out after playing eighteen holes, and the time just slipped away from me. Hey, you got a lot darker. At least your face looks browner anyway. Looks good.”

“So whose room were you in?” I sat up, leaning back against the mahogany headboard with the cotton sheets up to my neck.

He emptied out his pockets onto the oak desk. “No one’s. I mean I hung out in my buddy Nate’s room. He’s a couple of floors above us.”

“I see.” I levitated from the bed wearing a long black nightgown, and followed one step with another, headed to the bathroom and leaned in the huge stall to turn on the shower.

“Why are you getting up so early? Come on back to bed,” he yelled my way.

I tiptoed with bare feet back near my bed toward my overnight bag and noticed he was unbuttoning his crumpled white shirt. “No, I got enough sleep. You need to get you some. I’ll be back after breakfast, and if not, I’ll call you on your mobile.”

He pulled down his jeans. “Okay, then. Well, hey, there’s a banquet this evening and then a party at a club nearby. I can’t wait to see you all dressed up and looking like a fox. And don’t forget to take this cash with you.” He pointed to the
nightstand as he stood in his boxers and then crawled into his bed.

I turned my back and headed into the bathroom. “Carlos, I told you thanks but no thanks. Anyway, good night. I mean, good morning.” I closed the bathroom door, turned the lock, and proceeded to get undressed.

“It’s cool.” I heard him say.

“This is Mary Jane. Ain’t she fine?” Carlos introduced me to his friend as we stood at the greeter’s table later that evening, waiting to be shown to our table. Carlos looked handsome in his dark blue suit. I wore a white skirt suit and bronze high heels.

“Dang, dude, how’d you pull that?” His older, heavyset buddy looked like he was trying to peek around me to see my backside.

I darted my head back, totally insulted. “That? I’m not a that.”

“I mean how’d you pull her? Excuse me.” His baritone chuckle wore a very slight tinge of embarrassment.

My eyes sliced him in half. “Anyway. Carlos, I’ll be at the table waiting for you. I’m starving.” I stepped away just as I felt the vibration of my cell phone. I snatched it from my bag to raise it to my ear without looking. “Hello.”

“Hey there, Ms. Cherry. What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Hold on a second.” I eyeballed a route for a quick exit, hurried past the groups of patrons, and strutted into the lobby, taking a seat.

“Hey, Makkai.”

“Hey. So, I can only imagine where you are.”

“Yes,” I replied while finding cozy comfort upon a cranberry suede sofa.

“Cool.”

“Is it?” I crossed my newly tanned legs, making sure to pull my fitted skirt down just to below the knee.

“Oh, for sure. Are you having a good time?”

“It’s all right. Mainly just resting, you know, laying out and hanging out. Tomorrow I’ll get a massage before we come home.”

“From a masseuse?”

I pressed my back against the oversized sofa pillows. “Of course.”

“So you drove together?”

“Yes.”

He sighed deeply. “Hmmm.”

“What about you? What have you been up to?”

“I’m just in the middle of my day. It’s fairly quiet, but you know how it is. You never know when all hell will break loose here at work.”

“Boy, do I know.”

“Okay, well, I was just checking on you.”

Carlos’s voice rang in my opposite ear. “Hey, Mary Jane, I thought you were headed to the table. Dinner is about to be served.”

Makkai volunteered. “I’ll let you go.”

I leaned forward while covering the phone with my hand, turning to give Carlos a look. “Excuse me, I’m on the phone.”

He put his hand up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be in here.”

I returned to my phone call as he walked away.

He looked back at me like he was reading my lips. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Well, I guess I’ll talk to you when you get back.”

“Sure. I’ll see you on Monday at work if nothing else.” “Right.”

“Have a good one.”

“I will. And you be good,” he said, making it sound almost like a warning.

“I will, Makkai.”

After a nice steak dinner, it was party night at The Dancing Machine nightclub down the street. Carlos and his boys, who it appeared all came solo, were cracking each other up while sitting at a bar table near an empty dance floor.

Carlos clowned his buddy. “Man, I had par for the first five holes. You were never even under par, not even once. You were strokin'.” He acted like he told one hell of a joke and then took a minute to give me a glance. “Baby, are you okay?” he asked me.

My elbows rested on the table. “I’m fine. Just a little tired from that heavy meal. I think I’m going back to the room.” I assumed a stance and put my purse strap over my shoulder.

His hand took my hand. “Hold up, don’t you want to dance?”

“No thanks.” I took my hand back.

He released his vocabulary close to my face. “But, we had a great time dancing the last time.

Girl, you were really getting down.” He flashed a wink.

“No thanks, Carlos. I’ll see you later.” I began one step.

He gave a light embrace to my upper arm, and then an ex-rated squeeze. “I’ll be there soon.” My arm frowned.

And then I took another step, all the while searching for the perfect sentence to deliver in return. As I turned his way, my eyes stood in for the absence of words.

“Hey, Mr. Big Stuff, how are you?” asked a short, portly white girl who snuck up behind him.

I was all ears as I ceased my departure.

“I’m fine.”

She spoke on as though earshot was limited to just the two of them. “You and your friends really showed us a good time last night.”

He shooed her away with his expression while giving her his back. “I’ll talk to you in a minute.”

“Okay, we’re over here at the bar.” She pointed toward a giggling group of youthful estrogen.

“Okay.” His reply screamed of a prayer for her disappearance.

I crossed my arms, nodding my head in the direction of his fans. “You really should get on over there.”

“You know, I guess I should. I don’t know what you have an attitude about. I’m not getting any lovin’ in my own hotel room.”

The previously absent words immediately skidded into my head. “You know, you’ve got some nerve.That’s why I told you to book separate rooms, just so this wouldn’t happen.”

“So you wanted me to hook you up with a room, take you out of town, take care of everything, and then I get nothing in return?”

“Carlos, you said you were cool with nothing in return. But, I surely didn’t ask you to take care of everything.”

He blinked a mile a minute. “But, you waited until you were in my truck, three miles from the hotel, to tell me.”

I did not blink even once. “I told you about the separate rooms a few days before we left. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Just let me know what you want me to do at this point. I can definitely afford my own room.”

He looked back at his friends and spoke low. “No. You stay in that room. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Fine. And I can fly home if need be.”

He spoke through clenched teeth. “No, I’ll drive you. But, I just want to know why you let me put my face between your legs on our first date, and now you’re playing the nun routine.”

I uncrossed my arms and pointed my index finger in his face. “That’s it. I’ll just go ahead and take the next flight out right now. I don’t want to deal with your attitude for two hours on the way home.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so.”

He excused me with his hand, accented by, “Good. Get on home to Makkai.”

“Goodbye, Carlos.”

“Whatever.” He turned around and trekked toward his friends, who were eyeing us down like they were watching a soap opera.

I blazed a trail out of sight.

T
he day was bright and warm. The afternoon sunlight shone like a welcoming hug. A much needed hug. Things seemed kind of quiet for a minute. Even though I hadn’t had a chance to get with one of my real loves for months, I made sure today was the perfect day. There was no excuse. Above all else, it was time to grip it and rip it.