Love Won't Let Me Wait Read online

  As I approached Raoul nodded his head at me and continued in his heated conversation with Cuban Carl. From the frustrated look on Carl’s face I figured Raoul was getting the best of the argument, after all, his guy, Cruz, had won the fight.

  Carl had heard enough. He threw his hands up in disgust and mumbled something to Raoul in Spanish before walking away to help a now impatient customer. Raoul smiled supremely, like an attorney having just secured early release for Charles Manson.

  “What’s up, frat?” Raoul asked as he approached me styling one of those smooth ass Brooks Brothers suits he always sported. Raoul and I had pledged the same fraternity our sophomore year in college.

  “Nothing, bruh, just working hard as usual.”

  “That Intellica deal still got you on the ropes?”

  “No biggy, just a few last minute changes.”

  “Between work and Shannon you don’t have time to hang out anymore. How is everything between y’all anyway?”

  “Better than ever, bruh, I definitely can’t complain. She drove home to Baltimore this morning so I’m going to be flying solo all weekend.”

  “Well shit, let’s hit the Foxx tonight,” Raoul said suddenly excited. He was by far the Foxx’s most loyal customer. It seemed like he spent more time at the Foxx than at work, home, or anywhere else for that matter.

  “I can’t, I’m meeting Toya for dinner.” Raoul peered at me from behind the tinted glasses he wore. He occasionally endured jocular commentary from women regarding his wearing shades at night. Raoul took it in stride confident in the knowledge that they were actually prescription lenses and he was blind as a bat without them.

  “You and Toya are still pretending that y’all are just friends?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked as if perplexed by Raoul’s statement.

  “Ah shit, nigga, anybody can see through that friend shit y’all keep spitting. The two of you want each other so bad if…no when y’all finally do hook up one of you might have a heart attack and die from the release of all that built up frustration.” I deflected Raoul’s indictment with perfectly timed laughter and answered with as sincere a tone as I could muster.

  “For the last time, Toya and I are just friends.” Raoul wasn’t buying a word of it.

  “Aha, whatever,” Raoul answered adjusting his necktie under the collar of his shirt. “As fine as that girl is. If you don’t want her you could always hook me up.”

  “So how’s business?” I asked changing the subject. Although I had convinced myself that I had no romantic interest in Toya, the idea of her kicking it with one of my friends or anyone else for that matter made me uneasy. I wouldn’t quite call it jealousy, but I definitely had mixed emotions on the subject.

  “Go ahead and change the subject, dog. I know that’s a sensitive topic for you. Business is good. I just got the contract for the new courthouse downtown.” Business is always good for Raoul. He is one of the most connected brothers in the city.

  “That’s good to hear,” I answered ignoring his last comment on my sensitivity.

  “So you wanna hit the Foxx tomorrow?”

  “Just give me a call, I don’t have anything planned.”

  “Alright, bruh, I know your schedule can get hectic with you juggling two women and all” he added as a parting jab. I ignored it.

  Raoul and I gave each other dap before departing in opposite directions; Raoul en route to his reserved parking spot and me in the direction of the parking garage. I glanced over my shoulder to see him still shaking his head and giggling in amusement as he used his key remote to unlock the door of his black Mercedes.

  On the drive home I decided to give Shannon a ring to make sure she had gotten to Baltimore safely. I placed a call to her cell phone, got the voicemail and left a message. Although I knew the number to her mother’s house I decided not to call. I wanted to avoid any appearance of distrust or activity aimed at checking up on her.

  “Hey, Shannon, just calling to make sure everything is ok. Give me a call when you get a chance.”

  I pulled into the parking garage of my apartment building and parked my truck near the elevator.

  I put my briefcase on the floor next to the coffee table and plopped down on the sofa sinking slowly into its leather comforts. The leather covering warmed my body, soothing the mild stiffness in my back.

  My phone sat face up on the table the display indicating three missed calls. I picked up the phone and began to scroll through the missed call list, eager to discover Shannon’s number among the digital record. Josh, Steve, and Toya had made attempts to reach me but there was nothing from Shannon. My inability to establish contact with Shannon was starting to bug me in a major way. Shannon normally called me two or three times a day, her not calling at all was strange to say the least. I put the phone back on the table and stretched out.

  Although my apartment is modest, it is very cozy and sometimes just walking through the door can energize me after a hard day at work. The dark, Eurocentric décor makes me feel like I’m living in one of the trendy cities of Europe, like Paris or Milan. I adorned the apartment with glass and crystal ornaments, track lighting, and mirrored walls where appropriate; like on the wall over the entertainment center and of course above my bed.

  I prefer an open floor plan and I keep my apartment sparsely furnished to keep with the open architectural vibe. My bedroom consists of three pieces of furniture. My bed, a dresser, and one nightstand. In the living room I have my black, leather sofa, two glass tables, and an entertainment center. I usually eat dinner in front of the television so I have no need for a dining table. Toya however insisted I have one and against my wishes furnished a black marble surfaced dining set for two.

  Just as I was beginning to doze off the phone began to ring. I glanced down at the display and recognized the number as Toya’s. Oh shit, what time is it? I hope I’m not late for our date I thought as I straightened up.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Hey, you sound like you were sleeping. You didn’t forget dinner did you?”

  “Of course not,” I said trying to talk through the sleep in my voice. “I just dozed off for a minute.”

  “You’ve been neglecting me these last couple of weeks, but I understand you have a woman and everything.”

  “It’s not that, Toya, I’ve just been really busy.”

  “I was just kidding, Booby. I understand”

  “Well you’ll have my undivided attention tonight, okay.”

  “Do you want me to meet you at Manndal's or are you going to pick me up?”

  “Toya, Manndal’s is five minutes from my place and you live twenty minutes outside of town; why don’t you just come over here, and then we can ride over there together.”

  “Okay but you’re driving.”

  “That’s fine; I’ll see you in a few.” I had no desire to drive despite the restaurant being less than 15 minutes away. But, Toya had cleverly lawyered me into it by first guilt tripping me about not having time for her as of late, and then using the fact that she was driving to my place to maneuver me into agreeing to drive to the restaurant.

  After hanging up with Toya, I decided to give Shannon another try. I again dialed her cell and got her voicemail. Where the hell was she?

  I got up from the sofa and walked up the stairs to the bedroom to get dressed. Maybe Shannon is busy with her family. She hadn’t been home in a couple of months and I’m sure she missed them. Come to think of it, I only spoke to her once or twice when she went home for a week during the beginning of our relationship. I guess she will call when she gets around to it.

  I was just finishing up getting dressed when the buzzer to the front door of my apartment building went off. I knew that it was Toya so I just buzzed her in without checking the monitor. I unlocked the front door and walked over to the bar, poured two glasses of Courvoisier on the rocks and sat down. About two minutes passed before Toya came bouncing through the door without knocking, her unanno
unced entry consistent with her usual routine.

  “You ready to go?” She asked.

  I stood up and walked over to the foyer where Toya was standing. As I walked towards her I briefly perused the simple elegance of Toya’s outfit. A snuggly fit beige, long-sleeved blouse and black slacks. I was careful to maintain a semblance of eye contact with Toya as I approached, mindful not to inform her of my roaming eyes. I handed her one of the drinks and hugged her. She took a sip.

  “Hello, bartender, can a sister get a little Coke with this moonshine?”

  “You’re lucky you’re getting ice with that. I’m not going to ruin that glass of cognac with no damn Coke.” Toya gave me the evil eye before taking another sip.

  “Well, damn! Excuse me for wanting to have my drink the way I like it.”

  “First of all that’s not your drink. I just gave it to you because I didn’t feel like having to make you one. You should be grateful.” She tssked loudly and set her drink on the counter. I guess she had tired of discussing cognac.

  “That outfit is tight,” Toya complimented while giving me the once over. “I like those slacks, what are they Perry Ellis?”

  “Yep, the shirt is too,” I confirmed void of enthusiasm.

  “Oh oh, excuse me, Mr. GQ. I guess my style is finally rubbing off on you.”

  “Yeah, I guess. We can leave right after I finish this drink.” I walked back over to the sofa and sat down. Toya walked over and sat down next to me.

  “Booby, you seem like you have something on your mind. What’s wrong?” I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it; but the fact that Shannon hadn’t called to at least let me know she was safe was really bothering me. Toya knew me sometimes better than I knew myself. It was hard for me to hide anything from her.

  “Just business, I’m just preoccupied with the Intellica deal. It seems like every time I have an agreement worked out, something new pops up and I’m right back at square one. To top it all off I have to deal with their asshole VP on a daily basis. That son-of-a-bitch must have it in for me or something.” I rolled my eyes and exhaled in disgust. “I think he’s dragging the deal out on purpose.”

  Toya looked at me as if aware that the Intellica deal was not the source of my angst. I wasn’t exactly lying though. The Intellica deal was beginning to drag on. I thought I had it locked up three weeks ago, but here I am almost a month later still working out the details. Although I was frustrated by the lack of progress on the Intellica deal, my stress tonight stemmed from being preoccupied with thoughts of Shannon. Toya smiled at me and knowingly reached out taking my hand in hers.

  “Kalem, you are the best at what you do. If anyone can put this deal together you can. It’s just taking a little longer than you expected, that’s all. I’m sure everything will be okay.” She squeezed my hand gently to emphasize the last sentence. It was as if she was letting me know that she was talking about something other than the Intellica deal. Something that at the moment was to me more pressing.

  I looked at Toya and smiled. She always has a way of saying the right things to soothe my ills. I took one last sip of my drink before setting the empty glass on the table next to the couch.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  I felt somewhat relieved as I locked the door behind us. I’ll just put Shannon out of my mind for tonight I thought. If she doesn’t call by tomorrow; then I’ll start to worry again.

  At Manndal’s, Toya and I were seated at a table in the rear of the restaurant. We ordered a round of drinks before looking over the menu for the evening’s culinary delights.

  “What are you having?” Toya asked.

  “I think I’m going to have a steak.”

  “You always order steak. You eat way too much red meat,” Toya returned momentarily peeking up at me from behind the menu. “Why don’t you order some fish or chicken?” I closed my menu and placed it on the outside of the table.

  “When I go out to eat and spend my hard earned money, I think I’m entitled to eat whatever makes me happy. Is that alright with you?” I asked staring at Toya defiantly. “Besides I want my meal to stay with me longer than fifteen minutes.” Toya continued to scan the menu refusing to make eye contact. I could see tension in her face as she struggled to keep from laughing.

  “Fine, eat whatever you want,” she answered never taking her eyes off the menu.

  “How’s everything at work?” I asked while cleaning my silverware with my napkin.

  “I think we’re close to a settlement.”

  Toya was working on a government anti-trust case against one of her clients. She was filling me in on what details she could when our waiter came by to bring our drinks, and take our order. Toya was still contemplating her choices so I decided to order first.

  “I’ll have the 14 ounce porterhouse, blackened, topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, a baked potato with butter, and seasoned broccoli.” I looked over at Toya as I finished up my order.

  “And for you, ma’am,” our waiter asked. She continued to flip through the menu, an ambivalent expression etched on her face.

  “Hmm, how is the stewed chicken? What about your conch, how fresh is it?” Toya continued to ask a myriad of questions regarding the menu. Funny thing is, we had eaten at Manndal’s numerous times before and she knew exactly what was on the menu. I continued to stare at Toya, refusing to respond to her intentionally inane actions. “How many ounces is the steak that he ordered?”

  “It is 14 ounces, ma’am.”

  “Do you have one that’s any smaller, I don’t think I can eat that much.”

  “Yes, ma’am, we have a 10-ounce filet mignon, and an 8-ounce ribeye.”

  As Toya continued her charade, I took in the view from the window next to our table pretending to be unaffected by her now nerve-racking haggling.

  “I think I’ll just have the chicken ceasar salad.” She folded her menu and handed it to the waiter. I continued to look out of the window shaking my head and snickering.

  “What?” Toya asked nudging my elbow to get my attention. I turned to face her.

  “You do this every time we go out to eat. You know you wanted to order a steak.”

  “I can’t eat a whole steak, plus I’m trying to watch my figure.”

  “Please, girl, as much as you work out? One steak is not going to hurt you or your figure.” Toya worked out five days a week and the results were very obvious.

  “Well you could share yours with me.”

  “No!”

  “Just a little piece,” Toya begged.

  “Nope. If you wanted steak you should have ordered one.”

  “I don’t want a whole steak; I just want a little piece.”

  “That’s what you always say then you wind up eating half my plate.”

  “Fine, keep your damn steak.” We both looked at each other and laughed out loud.

  As our order arrived Toya’s eyes locked in on my plate. I cut a generous slice of the steak and placed it in my mouth. The meat was soft and melted in my mouth like a marshmallow fresh off an open campfire.

  I was amused by the way Toya sat eyeing my porterhouse as she picked at her salad. She badly wanted some of my steak. Oh well, she should have just ordered one and gotten it over with. I imagined my steak as an antelope grazing on the Serengeti under the craving eyes of a salivating lion.

  Toya continued to stare at my food, so I began to tantalize her with it by overemphasizing my chewing. I moved my head from side to side and closed my eyes, chewing slow as if mesmerized by the taste.

  Toya now aware of my antics confronted me with a piercing glare that would have unnerved the most persistent of wills. Unfazed I upped the ante by echoing soft moans of delight. I began to claw at the table with both hands clutching the cloth covering tightly into my fist.

  Toya continued to glare at me before forcefully smacking me on the hands with her palm. “Cut it out, that steak is not that good.”

  “How would you know?” I asked slipping a fr
eshly sliced cut of meat into my mouth. “Mmm,” I moaned again closing my eyes. “This steak is unbelievable!”

  “Alright, you want to tease, well two can play that game.”

  “I’m not teasing you.”

  “Well what would you call it then?”

  “I’m enjoying my food. It’s very good.”

  “Please,” she shot back. “You’re over there moaning and groaning like you’re having sex or something. Hell if that steak is that good I need to order a couple to take home with me. You were acting like if I wouldn’t have stopped you, you would have cum all over yourself.” I burst into laughter. Toya kicked me under the table.

  “Listen, don’t get mad at me because I asked for and got what I wanted. If you would have asked for the steak that you wanted this wouldn’t even be an issue.” I popped another piece of steak into my mouth and started bobbing my head to the calypso music softly playing on the sound system while continuing to overemphasize my chewing.

  “So, you always ask for what you want?”

  “Yep, always, and I get it too.”

  “Oh really, that’s interesting.” Toya had a conspiring tone in her voice as she took a sip of her drink. “Just remember I can be a real tease when I want to be, so don’t start something you can’t finish.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah eat your roughage.”

  At the movie theater Toya insisted we take seats in the rear of the theater. There was only one couple in our vicinity and they were four rows in front of us.

  About midway through the movie she placed her head on my shoulder, her hand lay draped across my chest. Toya began to lightly stroke my chest with her fingers. It wasn’t unusual for her to pet me. She sometimes rubbed my head or massaged my shoulders when we were together, but this time it felt different. I felt nervous. God her touch felt good!

  The movie finished at eleven-thirty. It was still early for a Friday night so we decided to go to the Caribbean Beach Club for some reggae and dancing. The club was packed. There was a live band playing onstage. As we entered the club we were serenaded by an awesome rendition of “Love I Can Feel” by John Holt.