Almost Perfect: A BWWM Billionaire Single Parent Romance (7 page)

Lena
approached his side as he glared at the leaving Limo in annoyance. As
usual, she had words of wisdom to leave with her son. “Richard,
it would do you well to remember that all are created equal, but some
more equal than others.”

The
animal farm reference was dropped, Richard’s mother stepped
into her chauffeur driven stretch. As the black driver closed the
door and walked around to his side, Lena rolled up her window and
disappeared down the driveway.

It
didn’t seem that she would get to bed anytime soon. It was well
after two am and the sandman had neglected to make his usual visit.
The silk scarf on her head seemed to be creating extra heat and with
a snap of Kimberly’s wrist her head was free of the colorful
cloth.

Her
boss was not the type of man she dated and if his mother was any
indication, Richard was only nice on the surface. There was too much
hardship in her past to get caught up with a man who was obviously
raised with prejudices deeper rooted than he may have cared to admit.

Was
she against interracial relationships? No, but she wasn’t a
prime candidate for such a union. In college, Phil had approached her
and it didn’t turn out well. His family was well-to-do, but not
overly wealthy. Uncertain if it was poor parenting or just a fetish,
he turned their brief friendship into a spectacle among his pals. The
size of her ass and the other things unique to her culture and her
race, all made for the obsessive sexual obsession Phil had for her.
They never had sex, much to his disappointment, and after he tried to
force her, she had no choice but to display her other side. Sassy and
uppity were the final words he used to describe her before she
connected her fist with his jaw and that was the end of white Phil
and black Kimberly as an item.

*****

The
Hummers engine died after Richard killed it. Driving around aimlessly
for hours did nothing to clear his head. Overflowing with all manner
of sexual thoughts, he needed to cool off. Richard found himself
driving past a nightclub, observing the form of the women there. He
had never taken time to inspect the physique of the black woman. It
definitely caught his attention now.

Lena
was never overly vocal in her views on race, but then again, she
didn’t need to be. Lena hired only back maids and insisted on
only ethnic drivers. The gardener was Hispanic and as Tabletop
industries grew so did her aloof nature.

There
was a time in Golden Gates Private School when an African gentleman
sought to enroll his daughter into their curriculum. A manipulative
Mrs. Damask used her weight on the school board to have the
application rejected. The man’s net worth was times that of the
Damask family, but that made no difference. The entire auditorium
that year was refurbished compliments of Tabletop industries.

Kimberly’s
palm felt right in his. It was the first time in ages that he had
touched a woman and felt the electricity that had passed through
their hand hold. Her lips were so full. Richard wondered what it
would be like to taste them. As he caught his eyes in the rear view
mirror, he cursed himself for being so rusty at the dating game that
he couldn’t make a simple choice because color may stand in the
way. Closing the door, he decided that this matter would not be
solved tonight and stumbled through the door and stretching out on
the sofa in one of his living rooms.

*****

Birds
chirped noisily, announcing that morning had come. The rapping on the
door interrupted the pounding headache now exacting revenge on
Richard. Who the hell came over at six in the morning and where the
hell was the butler?

Monte
had been dismissed of his duties the evening before and the maids had
retired to their quarters. It was too early even for staff, but the
security should have caught whoever it was at the gates-unless that
person had access.

Mother.
She stood on his beautiful steps with her sun visor on and the shorts
geriatric women wore to make them feel young again. She was outfitted
in white from head to toe. The mystery of if her hair was platinum
blonde or simply shiny gray always puzzled Richard. The visor was
white, the tennis shoes were white- his mother was a white woman.

Statement
clearly communicated with her clothing, Richard groaned as she rapped
again loudly and clicked off the monitor that displayed his unwanted
visitor. He looked longingly at the now black flat screen before him
and wished that he could evaporate just like the image that had just
faded away.

Only
his pants remained on his body. All other clothing lay in a heap next
to the plush sofa he had slept on. Rising to his feet, he wobbled.
Champagne and lust made for a deadly combination and Lena was not
here to administer medication. Rubbing his eyes and hoping to silence
the drum in his head, Richard advanced toward the door. It was a
decent walk and in a silent house, his mother pounding on the door
appeared even louder.

Yanking
it open and squinting from the glare of the much too brilliant sun,
he whispered, “Good morning mom. Why are you at my house at
this hour?”

Lena’s
tell tale smile was interrupted by an equally revealing statement,
“Can’t a mother visit her only child on a morning such as
this? The early bird catches the first worm and you, my dear, are
ready for the plucking.”

Maybe
she heard his groan, maybe she didn’t. Either way, she trotted
inside as though she had every right to be there. Her attack was not
coy. As a matter of a fact, Lena wasn’t not a woman for
subtlety. Even the blind could read her message.

“
Richard,”
she crooned while opening his refrigerator. “Don’t let
loneliness cloud your judgment. The black girl you were fraternizing
with last night is an employee not a potential partner. Smart and
beautiful as she is, she is still the help. Don’t go throwing
down your handkerchief for anything less than you deserve.”

Fog
of sleep and fatigue clouded Richard’s brain and he couldn’t
muster the energy to explain his feelings to his mother. Because Lena
was accustomed to issuing orders, she continued, never waiting for
his response.

“
Alissa
is a fine specimen of a lady. Her daddy has been very generous to the
many committees I’ve sat on over the years and that family has
the right political affiliations. I believe that you will have a
grand time with her on your arm.”

Two
minutes later, she was still on the campaign of the overly adorned
girl from last night and Richard’s brain could no longer
interpret the words coming from his overzealous mother. Pulling his
entire six foot three frame from the leather bar stool he stood and
went upstairs to his room where he locked the door.

*****

Kimberly
didn’t like uncomfortable situations, but very few were aware
of her nervousness when they did occur. Friday morning with Mr.
Richard Damask would surely be accompanied by an elephant in the
room.

Sleep
came easily last night after she scrubbed the makeup from her face
and lay down under her queen sized canopy. It was the images that
came with slumber that made waking up a pleasant experience. A man
was chasing her down a busy street where she dodged yellow cabs and
pedestrians all of who were staring at her in shock. Naked, a
frightened, running Kimberly searched frantically for a place to
cover herself.

In
pursuit of her, a running white man had removed his ominous bush hat
and was panting. The perspiration ran down his red face and a grin
escaped when he found her behind the veggies at the bodega. As he
strode toward the partially concealed Kimberly, other men appeared.
Similarly dressed in hunting attire, they stood behind him.
Choreographed, the entire crew dropped their heads while Kimberly
peeked from behind the oranges. Music of a loud variety began to
crank, and the ten men in total, broke out into a song and dance
while she looked on, confused and lost. The lyrics of the weird song
were quickly forgotten after the bizarre dream came to an end, but
for the entire day the words ‘jungle fever’ played over
and over in her head.

The
sun streamed through the windows of her little red sports car as she
pulled into the parking lot adjacent Tabletop Industries but it
didn’t offer any of its usual solace. Though warm, it wasn’t
hot enough to burn away her concerns about Richard and the clawing
feeling in her chest.

Kimberly
meditated on the two most pressing challenges she expected to
encounter if this thing with her boss progressed into anything
further. To the forefront of her mind was her job. As a female, one
of the first attacks to be wielded would be toward her character.
Time after time she had heard the whispers of females sleeping their
way to the top. This was a legacy she didn’t desire to have and
had successfully avoided thus far. Nasty glances from the older women
in the office who wished they were still pretty enough to be banged
by the boss would lead to complaints and grudges. Not a pleasant
experience.

The
second and probably the most personal concern was the difference in
their ethnicity. Black and white made gray and any gray area left
room for confusion- at least in Kimberly’s thinking. Dating
within her race had always seemed like the thing to do and after
Phil, she was sure all white men would be the same. Friendly on the
inside, but overly anxious to add a black notch to their bedpost.

What
would Auntie say if she had to bring him over? The fact that he had
billions may make a difference to others, but to her family it may
not. Racial discrimination was a real factor in their lives and
unless lived, no other people could relate to the black experience.
Would he want to discuss their differences? Would he understand black
tax? Stirring her coffee once inside, Kimberly decided that he would
not. Her silver spoon was a recent gift. Richard however, was born
with one.

Chances
were, Kimberly was misinterpreting the situation anyway. All he did
was be a polite gentleman and hold her hand. Racing down the steps
behind her was just to say goodbye. Yes. She would put her
unnecessary worries to a side and get on with what she was hired to
do.

They
met at 10am in her office and Richard looked as though he had
narrowly survived a train wreck. His once glowing eyes appeared dull
and lifeless, his hair disheveled. Being a lady first and an employee
second, Kimberly didn’t mention his condition, but delved right
into the matter at hand.

“
The
case you asked me to investigate is still being picked apart. I want
to be certain I get every fine detail before I give you an honest
assessment. From what I’ve seen so far your company is not
liable for the injuries the lady is presenting. It shouldn’t do
much damage to the company.”

A
burden rolled off Richards shoulders and he automatically seemed
lighter. Still the elephant in the room sat, waiting to be
acknowledged. It was Richard who invited it to the conversation and
he began one bite at a time.

“
Have
you ever dated one of your bosses before?”

The
question didn’t come out the way he intended and the sudden
angle in her jaw line let him know he was treading dangerously close
to an invisible boundary. Yes, he was the boss, but in this situation
they were merely man and woman. Coughing and editing the statement
instantly, he said, “I meant, would it make you uncomfortable
if I asked you out?”

Beating
around the bush was never a specialty of Kimberly’s before. She
didn’t intend to adopt it now. “Mr. Damask, you are
playing with fire and in the end, I will be the only person to get
burned. Why exactly would you want to go out with 'the help'?”

The
statement was bordering on low, but Kimberly wanted to get her point
across. If he thought this conversation was difficult, what would
happen when things got more complicated?

“
You
are not the help Kimberly,” he said. “You are a woman
with her own free will.” Softening his tone he added, “It
would make me happy if you said yes. Just lunch today and you can
determine if I can pass your acceptance test.” Richard’s
attempt at humor was well received and laughter lightened the mood.

“
I
will think about it Mr. Damask.”

“
Please,
call me Richard.”

“
I
can do that Richard but my name is still Ms. Walsh to you.”

The
smile ended at her eyes and never made it to her mouth. The embers of
mischief burned in her dark eyes and Richard felt it ignite his
loins. Getting to know this woman may prove more stimulating that he
thought.

“
Here
is the address to the restaurant I would like to take you to. If you
want, I can have my chauffeur pick you up and take you there. Can we
do two o’clock? I need to go home and catch a few winks. My
head is killing me.”