Tell Me Something Good (14 page)

“Thanks so much for the confidence,” Julie
said with acid in her tone. “No need to shove, I’m leaving.”

“It’s not like that okay? When I get back,
we’ll take our time.” Noel put his hand on the small of her back.
He gently guided her toward the side door in his office that led
down a rear hallway.

Julie brushed against him and smiled. “Okay,
boss. I look forward to it” Her short skirt swayed as she walked
away. She glanced back at him once before going around a corner.
Noel turned and headed for the front door to find his secretary. He
pushed it open and called out.

“Eddie, did you—”

“Two grilled chicken pita sandwiches with
ranch dressing on the side, whole grain chips, and two diet cream
sodas. All in an attractive insulated high tech lunch sack.” Eddie
handed him a compact dark blue bag.

“You’re worth your weight in gold.” Noel
pinched her cheek, and then took the bag.

“When should I expect the armored truck?” she
shot back.

Noel only grinned in reply. “I’ll be back no
later than two-thirty. Keep Julie happy until then.”

“Oh, Lord!” Eddie rolled her eyes.

He laughed. “Okay, I'll try to be back
sooner.”

City traffic was heavier than usual but it
didn’t irritate him today. Noel turned up the radio and sang along.
He smiled at the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds over-head.
It was a perfect day to meet at the park. A light breeze shook dark
green leaves of hundred-year-old oaks along St. Charles Avenue. As
he’d expected, there were no close parking spaces. Still humming,
Noel parked along a side street. Nothing seemed to touch his good
mood, he realized. “Hmm, wonder why?”

Noel smiled as he walked down the sidewalk.
The answer to his question was only minutes away. It was the thrill
of the chase, he said to himself. Never before had a woman resisted
him with such determination. Lyrissa was not playing hard to get.
She really didn't want him to get close. He should be content.
Still, he kept thinking of reasons for them to get together.

The entrance to City Park was marked by a
huge stone arch with ornate carvings. Lyrissa had agreed to meet
him here. A set of figurines from the family collection was on
display in the art gallery in the park.

Lyrissa was sitting on a stone bench in the
shade of a large magnolia tree. She stared across the park deep in
thought. Her thick hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The black
frames of her dark sunglasses gave her a look of casual elegance.
Light glinted from her silver hoop earrings. Noel stopped to admire
her from afar. She wore a crisp white cotton shirt tucked into a
dark red skirt. The short sleeves left her bare arms exposed. A
short red jacket was neatly folded across her lap. Sunlight gave
her brown skin a golden glow.

“Wow,” he mumbled to himself. He’d been with
beautiful women before, but none as delectable as Lyrissa
Rideau.

A tall man seemed to come from nowhere. He
held a basset hound on a leash. He started to walk by, but doubled
back. Lyrissa seemed to notice him about the same time. She
shielded her eyes from the sun as she smiled up at him. Their
laughter drifted on the breeze as they talked. Noel strode forward
to drive out the intruder.

“Hi, Lyrissa,” he said with forced cheer.
“Sorry I’m a little late.”

Lyrissa looked at him through the opaque dark
lenses. “Only about ten minutes. No problem.”

“I’m Noel St Denis.” He stuck out his
hand.

“Tony Tate,” the man said, as he shook hands
with him.

“So ...” Noel looked at Lyrissa with a
questioning expression.

“Tony’s an old pal from college.” She smiled
at Tony fondly.

“Nice to meet you. We should go,” Noel
said.

Tony stood. “Yeah, same here. Root Beer is
ready to move on anyway.” He held on to the leash that strained as
the dog tried to wander off.

“Bye, Root Beer. You’re still a cutie,”
Lyrissa called out. “I’ll give you a call,” Tony said in a low tone
and kissed her cheek. “Nice meeting you.”

“Same here,” Noel lied. He watched the man
stroll away, and then turned his attention to Lyrissa. “I brought a
delicious lunch.”

She watched the man walk away. “Thanks.”

Noel sat next to her with an unpleasant, and
unfamiliar, knot of jealousy in his gut. “Seems like a nice
guy.”

“He is. You want to eat first and then go
into the museum gallery?” Lyrissa nodded toward the gray stone
building nearby.

“Yes. Uh, you take classes with him?” Noel
said in a casual tone.

“Tony is a high-powered businessman. He’s in
the MBA program at Tulane. He’s not into the ‘artsy stuff,’ as he
calls it.” Lyrissa laughed and shook her head. She gazed in the
direction the man had gone.

“Kind of short-sighted, I’d say.” Noel didn’t
like the man. Tony had made Lyrissa laugh the way she’d never
laughed with him.

“Takes all kinds, as they say. Tony is a real
success story. You know, came out of the most notorious housing
project and excelled in school. He’s going places. I really admire
him.” Lyrissa accepted the sandwich wrapped in waxed paper he
handed her.

“Impressive,” Noel said, his throat tight.
“Not like me, you mean, born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Had
everything handed to me?”

“I didn’t mean that at all.”

“Right,” he replied shortly. “Here’s a Barq’s
cream soda.”

“Thanks. Tony gives back to the community. He
could have just made his escape and not looked back.”

“Unlike spoiled rich kids who spend their
time and money with expensive toys?” Noel said.

Lyrissa glanced at him sideways. “You seem
kinda irritable. Having a bad day, or something?”

“I’m fine. Just wonderful.”

“Okay.” Lyrissa shrugged.

Noel tore into the pita sandwich, even though
his appetite was gone. What the hell did Tony Tate have that was so
magical? Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Birds sang,
people passing by talked, but the only sound between them was the
rustle of paper as they unwrapped the food. Noel swallowed hard to
move the lump in his throat. What had just happened? He didn’t like
this new set of feelings at all.

“Pretty good,” Lyrissa said.

“What?” He blinked at her. It was not good at
all, he thought.

“Aladdin’s has the best Lebanese food
around.” She patted her mouth with a paper napkin.

“Oh yeah, the food.” Noel put his half-eaten
sandwich in the bag.

Lyrissa craned her neck to peek at his food.
“You didn’t eat much.”

“I’m not really hungry,” Noel mumbled.

“Well, if you don’t want those chips, give
’em to me.”

She took the yellow bag without waiting for
an answer.

“Oh please, don’t worry about me. I’ll be
fine.” He frowned at her.

She munched on a crunchy chip for several
seconds. “I know you will. You’re Noel St. Denis.”

“Which means?” He used aggressive swipes to
wipe his hands with a napkin.

“You’re rich, part of a powerful family—and,
some would say, handsome.” Lyrissa glanced at him and shrugged.

“Matter of opinion, huh?” Noel had never been
insecure, but her attitude was disconcerting.

The game wasn’t going according to plan. Her
words stung him like dozens of tiny wasps. In the past he would
have brushed them off and changed tactics. This time his emotions
seemed to be involved. Bad sign.

“Sorry, but you do have a certain rep, you
know.”

“I accept that moving apology,” he
retorted.

“No, I really mean it. I’m sorry.” Lyrissa
put a hand out. “Truce?”

He took it and the warmth from her satin soft
skin made his body hum. “Truce.” They ate in silence for a while
longer before Noel cleared his throat. “So you’re dating this
guy?”

“We dated for a while. Then he moved to
Atlanta and the long distance thing didn’t work. Not that it’s any
of your business.”

Noel ignored the swipe. “So you’re not dating
now.” “Not for a while. But we might in the future,” Lyrissa added
quickly with a look at him.

Noel’s sour mood began to lift. She wasn’t
telling the truth, he could hear it in her tone. The sunshine that
had dimmed was now bright again. They were back on familiar ground
now. She was playing his game, pretending an old boyfriend meant
more than he did. He tried to ignore just how happy that thought
made him feel. His joy was deeper than he wanted to examine at the
moment.

“I got ya.” He beamed at her. “You ready to
go inside?” He nodded toward the gallery.

Lyrissa eyed him with suspicion, but gave him
an answering nod. “Sure.”

They tossed their litter in a nearby
trashcan, and then entered the cool interior of the building. Large
paintings were arranged along the wall in the main gallery. A few
art lovers milled around. Some were seated on cushioned
benches.

“The figurines are this way.” Noel led her to
another room with glass display cases arranged around the
floor.

Lyrissa drew in her breath as they approached
the first one. “It’s fabulous.”

“Yes, it is.”

The first figurine was of a Black woman and
child. They were dressed in Sunday finery. The little boy wore a
blue suit with short pants. The woman wore a pale pink dress and a
wide brimmed hat. The hand painted clay had been glazed to make it
look like fine china.

“The artist seems to have breathed life into
them.” Lyrissa circled the case. “Look at the expression on the
mother’s face. So tender.”

Noel had seen pictures of them before, but
he’d never really looked at them. Her excitement was contagious.
Lyrissa wandered from case to case.

“Jean-Claude Atier is the artist. He was the
son of a wealthy white planter and a placage, his mulatto mistress.
Their father was said to have doted on them all, especially
Jean-Claude.” Lyrissa lectured as she walked.

“He was obviously very talented.” Noel
followed her, content to let her lead. He enjoyed seeing the gleam
in her eyes.

“Look at the detail, the warmth in these
figures.”

Noel laughed. “You sound like he was an old
friend of yours.”

“I feel like I know him. He put so much of
himself into his creations.”

Noel’s heart toned over. “I see what you
mean,” he mumbled in a thick voice. Cold air rushed in when she
went to another display case. He followed, eager to recapture her
warmth.

“This figure is actually as much a political
statement.” She admired a sculpture of a small Black boy dressed in
ragged clothes.

“I don’t see anything more than a kid playing
in the dirt.”

“This piece was done in 1839, during slavery.
He’s got a tiny book hidden under his shirt. Jean-Claude protested
laws preventing Blacks from receiving a decent education.”

He leaned closer to peer at the child. “Hey,
you’re right.”

“In fact, a lot of Jean-Claude’s figures make
a statement about his values and beliefs. Take this figure of a
blacksmith...”

Lyrissa went through each of the twenty-six
figures. She examined them with an eye toward history as well as
aesthetics. Noel was content to trail after her as a willing
student. Illogical as it seemed, he was happy to be an indirect
source of her enjoyment. It occurred to him that he could spend
hours watching her eyes light up with discovery.

Lyrissa sighed with satisfaction after they’d
finished their tour. They took a seat on a bench in the gallery.
Their vantage point gave them a view of the entire room.

“Congratulations, Mr. St Denis. Every one of
these is a wonderful example of Jean-Claude’s best work.”

“I can’t take credit. I just happen to be
born into the right family.” Noel grinned. “The truth is I never
appreciated it all until you came along.”

“Oh, the privileges of the rich and famous.”
Lyrissa lifted her nose in the air and imitated an upper-class
snooty tone. “So many treasures, how can one take it
seriously?”

“Cut it out I don’t walk around like
that.”

“I was thinking of Julie. ‘Noel, pick me up
in the Lexus 400 next time. The Mercedes is so out of style.’ ”
Lyrissa pitched her voice in a whiny tone.

“Meow, your claws are showing!”

She batted her eyelashes in the same way
Julie did. Noel laughed at her antics. Then his expression
softened. The skin on her face looked like creamy caramel. He
caressed her cheek with his forefinger. Surprise, then fascination,
flitted across her face as she stared back at him. Lyrissa leaned
forward in a clear invitation. At least, he took it as one. Noel
met her halfway and brushed his lips against hers. It was a
delicious appetizer that sharpened his hunger for more. Their
surroundings faded into the background. Her mouth was like a warm
marshmallow, sweet and pliant. Lyrissa rested both hands on his
chest. Noel pulled her into his arms completely. The tender kiss
became urgent as need pounded him like a hammer. He planted small
kisses along her jaw line, and then moved to her neck.

Noel wanted to get out of his clothes. Better
yet, he wanted to get into hers. One kiss had sent him right over
the edge. Hard as a rock, he shook like a hormone-crazed teenage
boy. Desire twirled him up into a whirlwind that took his breath
away.

“Ah-ah-hem!”

“Young folks grope each other anywhere these
days, Mabel!”

Noel and Lyrissa jumped apart and looked
around. Two elderly women stood in the doorway. Lyrissa put a hand
over her eyes. Noel forced a weak smile. The women shook their
heads in unison and walked around the display cases. Yet they
glanced over their shoulders at Lyrissa and Noel.

“I think we’ve made their day,” Noel
whispered, close to Lyrissa’s ear.

Lyrissa sprang from the bench like a pretty
bird taking flight. Noel almost had to run to catch her. He tried
to pull her against him again.