Riding the Corporate Ladder (Indigo) (15 page)

“All right, Deena. I’ll try.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” Deena asked. “I just looked up, and you were headed out the door.”

There was another pause, this one longer than before.

“Hello?”

“I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?” Deena asked.

“You know,” Yesenia said, “sometimes when you get around the twins…I don’t want to say anything because I know those are your friends. But sometimes you act different around them…”

“Different how?”

Yesenia struggled to be inoffensive. “I…I just…I don’t know, Deena. When they got out on the dance floor, me and Darren saw them, and I don’t know how he felt, but I was kinda embarrassed for them, you know? I think they can be kind of…out there sometimes, you know?”

Deena did know. She knew all too well.

“And then when you got out there,” Yesenia went on, “I just, I don’t know. I mean, I told Darren you were an attorney, so it was kind of surprising to see you in that dress to begin with. And then when you were dancing with that man…”

“Did I embarrass you?”

“No, not…not like that. Not me. I mean, if that’s your thing then, it’s fine. But Darren doesn’t know you, and that was his first time meeting you…”

Deena knew what her friend was saying, but she didn’t feel the same way. Even thinking back on it now, she didn’t think she did anything inappropriate. Deena was often at odds with Yesenia over her friend’s conservative nature, but they were generally able to accept one another for who they were.

“I’m sorry,” Deena said. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“It’s not your fault,” Yesenia said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I guess it’s just me.”

“No, it was me,” Deena said. “Your friend never met us, and he doesn’t know how crazy we get. I should have toned it down.”

“Or maybe I should have got up there with y’all,” Yesenia kidded.

“No way,” Deena said. “You got to be true to yourself.”

“And you do, too,” Yesenia said.

She didn’t say it to be mean, but her comment gave Deena pause. Up until that very moment, Deena knew exactly who she was and was quite proud of herself. She always thought her good deeds greatly outshined her naughty ones. But now, she wasn’t so sure.

* * *

When she got home her headache was gone and her stomach was finally ready to tackle solid foods again. Deena slipped into the shower and felt like she was in a Calgon commercial as the hot water filled the bathroom with steam and the stress of her day melted away like a candle. She made plans to go to bed early and get at least eight hours of sleep before her alarm clock went off tomorrow morning.

She imagined a nice, quiet evening on the sofa with a cup of cocoa, Boogie in her lap, and an old Good Times rerun on television. She wanted to wake up fresh and excited and make a big breakfast for herself with toast and jelly, waffles, and strawberries. She all but forgot about Ronald’s visit until someone rang her doorbell at 7:15.

Deena turned the water off and stood dripping and cursing in the tub, but she knew she had only herself to blame. Why wouldn’t he be early? Ronald Baker was the most anal guy she knew. He was driven and focused. He was also obnoxious, nerdy, quirky, and flirty, but he was never late. She should have waited until he left to take her shower. Actually, not having him over at all was a better option, but hindsight is 20/20.

She dried off quickly and pulled a cashmere robe over her nakedness on her way to the door. When she opened it, Ron looked upon her dripping features like he was at a candy store. His eyes widened, and his grin was unquestionably perverted.

“I didn’t know this was a pajama party,” he said. “Maybe I need to go home and change.”

“No, you’re fine,” Deena said. She stepped back to allow him entry. “I actually forgot you were coming. You caught me in the middle of my shower.”

He walked in looking her up and down, and then he shook his head in astonishment. “Deena, you look good in anything you have on. From your head to your feet, girl, you’re so sweet.”

“Thanks.” She closed the door behind him and turned to check him out a little.

Ronald wasn’t a bad-looking man himself. He was six feet even and about 180 pounds. He didn’t have a muscular physique, but he wasn’t overweight at all. His stomach was flat, and his chest even poked out a little. He was light-skinned, which wasn’t Deena’s preference, but he was also handsome, with short hair, bright eyes, and the cutest pudgy cheeks she’d ever seen on an adult.

Ronald wore blue jeans with a white golf shirt tucked in. His tennis shoes had a few scuffs, but Deena didn’t count that against him because she did call him over for work.

Ron was thirty-seven years old. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and had a thin goatee. His smarts, good looks, and career might have made him a good catch, but whenever Deena thought about taking him seriously, he always said something odd to square the deal.

The way he was looking at her now, Deena knew it wouldn’t be long.

“Deena, you look so good, I’d give you my whole paycheck, every week. Just tell me where you’re banking, and I’ll set up a direct deposit!”

That wasn’t too bad, but it was still corny as hell. “Come on,” Deena said and headed for her den. “I’ll show you where the computer is.”

“Oh, I’m coming,” Ronald called from behind. “I’ll follow you anywhere. You can put a leash on me. I’ll roll over. I know all kinds of tricks…”

And so it began.

* * *

She took him to her office and got him started on the work at hand, and then Deena ducked back into her bedroom so she could finish drying off and put some clothes on. She selected a loose-fitting t-shirt with a pair of jogging pants. She thought she was pretty Plain Jane, but when she got back to the den Ronald continued to gape like she was in a pageant.

He had a few programs running, but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with the virus yet.

Deena paused in the doorway rather than enter, assuming he wouldn’t be able to get any work done if she got any closer.

“How’s it going?”

“This is a pretty bad one,” he said.

“I know,” Deena admitted. “Every time I try to look something up, I keep getting messages telling me I need to do a virus scan. And when I do it, nothing happens; just more pop-ups telling me to do more scans.”

Ron smiled. “That’s because you’re communicating with the virus,” he said. “That’s not your computer saying you have a virus, that’s the virus talking to you.”

Deena was shocked.

“And every time you do one of those scans,” Ron went on, “you’re just helping to spread the virus through more programs in your computer.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It is,” Ron said. “But it’s nothing I can’t take care of. I might have to reface your computer though.”

“Will I lose any files?”

“No, just the virus. I brought some flash drives just to be sure, but I don’t think I’ll need them.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Deena said. “I’ve got disks over there.”

“It’s all right,” Ron said. “Just be more careful with your internet next time.”

Deena leaned against the doorframe, smiling. “I didn’t know there were so many hazards out there. Back in the day, you could look up all the booty you wanted without having to worry about viruses.”

“You still can,” Ron said with a grin. “As long as they’re pictures, you know, jpeg files. You’re not going to get a virus from any of those. It’s the videos you have to look out for. Anything you need to download could possibly give you a virus.”

“Who wants to look at a crummy old picture when you can see the real thing?” Deena mused. “I guess I’ll have to start my own video collection.” She actually had a rather large one already, but Ron didn’t have to know that.

“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I’m going to make dinner. I could fix you something.”

He looked up with a smile. “Well, yes, ma’am. I would love to eat with you.”

“Great,” Deena said. “It’s a date.” She turned and left him to his work. She was fully aware of the bone she just tossed him, but what hell, nerds need love, too.

* * *

An hour later the tantalizing smells of garlic and tomato sauce filled every inch of Deena’s home. Ronald came into the kitchen just as she was setting the table for their dinner.

“Finished?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I gave your computer some chicken soup, and now it’s a hundred percent free of viruses.” He laughed at his own joke. It wasn’t terribly corny, so Deena’s giggles weren’t too forced.

“Thanks, Ron. You’re the best. I made spaghetti with garlic toast. I’ve got salad, too. I hope you like it.”

He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. “I’m sure whatever you put your hands on is gold. I already washed my hands. I can’t wait to taste your cooking.”

He sat down, and Deena took a seat across from him. Ron grabbed his utensils and lowered his head for a quick prayer. Deena watched him, and she was still staring when he looked up.

“What?”

“Why do you say things like that?” she asked.

“Like what?” He dug into his spaghetti first and looked up at her with a cheesy grin. “That’s my prayer to Jesus,” he explained. “He’s all-seeing and all-knowing, and you’ll get sick from the food if you don’t ask for His blessing.”

Deena laughed. That was the best joke Ron ever told, even though he was being serious. “Not your prayer, silly. I meant what you said about anything I touch turning to gold. And when you came in you said I looked good in anything I had on. Basically you’ve been buttering me up since the day I met you—what’s up with that?”

“What do you mean? I think you’re beautiful, Deena. There’s nothing wrong with me saying so, is there?”

“No,” she said. “Well, maybe a little. I think when you say it so much, you know…like with anything you get too much of, it sort of loses its specialness.”

He nodded. “I never really thought about it like that. I heard that if you think a woman’s beautiful, you should tell her so because a lot of men probably feel that way, but they’re afraid to say it.”

“That’s true,” Deena said. “But still, too much isn’t good. When you flood me with compliments like that, you come off like a wolf.”

“A wolf?”

“A sex-crazed animal.”

“I’m not—”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not,” Deena lied. “But that’s how you come across. When you see a woman, like in a dating situation, you should limit your compliments.”

“To just three or four?”

“How about just one,” Deena said. “When you go to pick her up, you can tell her she looks nice. You can even say she’s beautiful, but leave it at that. Don’t tell her what you want to do and how much money she can have and all that.”

Ronald grinned. “I see; one compliment at the beginning of the date, and no cheesy remarks. I got it. I should probably write that down.” He actually reached for his pocket in search of a pen.

“That’s another thing.” Deena couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t be such a nerd.”

Ron sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, hold it right there, missy. You can change my etiquette if you want, but I’ve been a nerd all my life. That’s a part of who I am.”

“I was kidding,” Deena said. “That part is fine.”

He smiled brightly like a fat kid with a warm honey bun. “Really?”

“Really,” Deena said, and she meant it.

* * *

The rest of their impromptu date went fairly well after that. Ronald didn’t give her any more crazy compliments, and he didn’t tell any more stupid jokes, either. They dined peacefully and sociably, and as they ate Deena watched Ron closely and re-evaluated her opinion of the computer geek.

Mr. Baker was good-looking, and he dressed well for someone who didn’t have a wife at home to pick out his clothes for him. He was also very smart, which Deena greatly admired, and he was willing to do anything for her. That used to make him a sap in her eyes, but Deena couldn’t think of another man who wanted to impress her so badly.

She didn’t know it, but Deena was still reeling a little from the conversation she had with Yesenia earlier. The more she considered Ron, the more she thought he might be the kind of guy she needed to stabilize her crazy life. She wouldn’t be embarrassed to take him to her mom’s house, and Ron would probably never grab her breasts on a dance floor if they were double-dating with Yesenia and her beau.

When they were done with the meal, Deena walked him to the door and thanked him warmly for his computer wizardry. At that point she felt better about Ron than she ever had, but she still declined when he asked her out again.

“Why not?” he whined. He turned his back on the front door instead of exiting through it. “I promise to put everything I’ve learned into effect,” he said. “I guarantee you’ll see a new and improved Ronald.”

She grinned. “Let me think about it a little. I’ll call you.”

“Don’t say you’re going to call me if you’re not,” he said. “As you can imagine, I’ve been told that by quite a few women who never called. I’d rather you just turn me down now if that’s what you’re thinking.”