Pamela Yaye - The Trouble with Luv'

They laughed. Ebony looked out the window and marveled at the number of stars in the sky. It was a clear night, flanked by a light breeze. Somewhere between stargazing and finishing her meal, her mind wandered. She would have to go into the office early tomorrow. Piles of paperwork were stacked high on her desk and she had an afternoon meeting with a bank representative. Ebony had realized at a young age that education was key for enrichment, personal and professional growth and most importantly, independence. Starting Discreet Boutiques had been her passport to financial security and its success was a complement to her hard work and dedication. Success came at a price, and Ebony refused to let anything—not even sleep deprivation—stand in her way.

“Who are you daydreaming about now?” Xavier asked, intruding on her private thoughts. He took a bite of his pie.

“Not who, what. I was thinking about work.”

“Do you always have work on the brain?”

“Most of the time.”

“What do you do for a living?” His right hand flew up before the question was off his lips. “Don’t answer that. Let me guess.” Cupping his chin and soothing his hand over his jaw, he narrowed his eyes on her face. Admiring her creamy-brown complexion and well-shaped lips wasn’t going to give him any clues, but he gawked anyway.

Ebony’s heart skipped a beat. And then another one. She tasted her drink, and the rich liquid cooled her body’s fire. It wasn’t Xavier’s steady gaze that made her palms sweat; it was desire. It surged through her body like a hurricane through the state of Florida in the month of June.

“You’re a career-minded woman, with great self-confidence,” Xavier began, “so I’d guess that you were a stockbroker, a state prosecutor or maybe even a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.”

Ebony nodded appreciatively. “Not bad, Xavier. I’m not CEO of a billion-dollar company—yet, but I am co-owner of a popular lingerie boutique.”

“I knew it!”

“How’d you know?”

“Power’s oozing from your pores.”

“Am I that easy to read?”

Xavier snapped his fingers. “Like the cover of a book.”

Ebony liked the way his smile danced across his face. I wonder how the rest of his body moves. “Have you been involved in the program for a long time?” she asked, changing the subject before her lax tongue got her into trouble.

“This is my fourth year as the program coordinator, but I’ve been going to Jubilee for years. The members have become part of my extended family. Pastor Henderson and his wife, Necee, are my second parents and their teenage sons are the brothers I never had. I don’t work too far from the church, so when I need a quiet place to work, I come by and use one of the upstairs offices.”

“Where do you work? Oh no, let me guess,” she said, imitating him to a tee. Letting her eyes rove over his thick, juicy lips, she wondered if it was possible for him to look anything but delicious. I bet he’d even look good in a pair of neon pants, she thought, holding his gaze. “You’re a natural born leader, so I’d guess you work in Human Services. You’re a firefighter, a medic or maybe even a cop.” A picture of Xavier in a blue polyester uniform and handcuffs dangling from his hips flashed in her mind. Then a devilish grin rippled across her face. “Am I right?”

“Not bad. But you’re wrong.” He chuckled heartily at the exaggerated look of shock on her face. Xavier finished his milkshake. “I’m the guidance counselor and home economics teacher at Christian Academy High. But—” he paused for effect “—when I was a little I used to play cops and robbers.”

Xavier’s heart warmed at the sound of Ebony’s rich, throaty laugh. It was playful, sexy and flirtatious all in one. And he wanted to hear more of it.

For the next forty-five minutes, conversation flowed smoothly between the pair. Flirtatious smiles, shrieks of laughter and amusing tales punctuated the meal. Ebony was shocked at how much they had in common. They shared more than just a birth date. Sushi was their favorite food. Baseball their sport of choice. They both played the piano and were the biggest John Coltrane fans of all time. And they had each seen the movie Love Jones about fifty times.

The waitress bounced back over to the table. “How’s your meal, ma’am?”

“Terrific.”

When the waitress took the plates and asked if they needed anything else, Xavier draped his arms over the back of the booth. “Could you bring us a couple of dessert menus? I think my date is in the mood for something sweet.”

Am I ever, Ebony thought, cleaning her lips with a napkin.

“Had you always dreamed about owning your own business?” he asked, returning to the topic they had been discussing before they were interrupted. “Is this what you imagined yourself doing when you were a kid?”

“Nope. When I was seven years old, I wanted to be a firefighter.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her stomach. Ebony’s eyes watered. Gripping the side of the table, she took a long, deep breath. It didn’t help. She felt like the room was spinning.

Xavier examined her face. “Are you okay? You don’t look too good.”

“Be right back,” was all Ebony could say. Cupping her mouth with one hand, and cradling her stomach with the other, she hurried toward the washrooms.

Once inside the ladies’ room, Ebony threw herself over the sink and emptied her stomach. She thought the worst was behind her, but when she tried to stand up, she felt her stomach twist into tight knots. Holding her side, she slumped against the wall and dropped to her knees. Closing her eyes, she prayed that the pain would end.

“Oh my God!” she heard someone yell. She felt a hand on her shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

Ebony’s eyes flittered open at the sound of the soft and caring voice. The scent of onions permeated the tiny jail-cell-size bathroom. She felt the heat of the woman’s breath on her face, but she didn’t have the strength to move away. “I’m sick,” she said.

“Do you want me to call your husband?” The woman read the question in her eyes. “My sisters and I are sitting in the booth behind you guys. Now, let’s get you cleaned up before I go and get him. If he comes in here and sees you slobbering all over yourself, he’ll probably pass out.”

Xavier! Ebony didn’t want him to see her like this, but she couldn’t spend the rest of the night on the bathroom floor of Dakota’s Bar and Grill, either. She took the toilet paper the brown-skinned woman offered her, cleaned her mouth and dragged herself up off the floor. When Ebony saw her reflection in the mirror, her eyes spread wide in shock. Mascara coursed down her cheeks, the front of her dress was stained and to top it all off, she smelled like spoiled fish.

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