Love With A Younger Man (4 page)

“No. I have nothing more to say to you.” I was trembling, as if I’d plunged into a pool of icy water, but a fine coating of perspiration broke out over my entire body.

“I wouldn’t hang up, girl, if I were you,” he threatened.

“I’m not a scared child anymore. There’s nothing you can do to me.”

“Ah, but you’re wrong. Besides, you have something of mine.”

“I’ll gladly return your money. In fact, I’ll double it,” I generously offered.

That caused him to laugh. I hated his hideous laugh. “You bet that sweet ass of yours, you will. And then some.”

“I’m done tricking for you.”

“That so? What would your high and mighty boss do if she saw some pictures of you doing nasty things to men?”

“You wouldn’t!”

I looked up and saw two pairs of eyes watching me. I couldn’t continue talking to my father in the office.

“I need to call you back.”

He snorted into the phone. “Like you ever would. No need. I’m right downstairs in the lobby of your fancy building. If you don’t come down in ten minutes, I’m coming up to introduce myself.”

I felt my throat close. My entire world was about to unravel. What had taken me years to build, my father was going to destroy in only minutes. Somehow, I had to find a way to stop him. Eve was coming toward me.

“What’s wrong, Amber?” Her face was a mask of concern.

I’d just die if she found out about my past and my father. A fine woman like her wouldn’t understand. “Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “I have to go out. I’ll be back.”

“Whatever it is, I can help,” she replied to my back.

I’m afraid not this time
, I thought.

I took the elevator down. My hand shook as I pressed L. The elevator door opened and I walked toward the front door as if I were going to my own execution.

“You never thought I’d find you, did you, pumpkin,” he said, stepping in front of me. He’d gotten heavier; his barrel of a stomach looked inflated. His moon-shaped face wore the same nasty smirk I’d remembered, but his flat nose looked a little more off-kilter and his mustache had gone gray. “Nice coverage of that charity dinner you attended. You married to that player in the picture?”

“What do you want?” I asked him, but he simply ignored my question.

“My darling little Keisha, all grown up now and rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty. And selling real estate. I’ll bet you make lots of dough. Just look at you, strutting around in fancy duds just like some fashion model.”

“What do you want from me? I have a new life now. Can’t you just go and leave me alone?”

“You know I couldn’t do that.”

I knew my father always had a nose for greed. Somehow, I had to play on that and get him to go away. I opened my purse and took out my checkbook. “Here’s the hundred dollars.”

“That’s piss money compared to what you’re worth.”

I decided to be blunt. “What will it take to make you go away?”

He scratched the two-day growth of salt-and-pepper beard on his round face. “Hmm, I’d say…a million.”

“Are you crazy? I don’t have that kind of money.”

“A smart girl like you can find a way to get it.”

“And if I can’t?”

“You can always work it off—”

“I won’t trick for you.”

He shrugged. “Then perhaps you can make some money off the pictures. I can give you a good price for them.”

I could taste acid from my stomach. “You know, you’re a real bastard.”

“Tsk, tsk. So fresh. Obviously, you didn’t get enough of my spankings.”

A visual of having me get naked and lie down across his knees as he slapped me with one hand and beat his own meat with the other flashed in front of my eyes. I nearly threw up. I forced the bile back down my esophagus. “You’ve got to give me some time to raise the money.”

“Of course. I’m not as heartless as you make me out to be. Two days.”

“Two days? I need more time than that.”

“Two days,” he repeated, “or else I tell your boss what a fine catch you really are.”

I watched him walk away, wishing the ground would open up and reclaim him. The Devil must be missing him by now. The tears I’d been holding back slipped silently down my face. I brushed them away quickly as I walked outside to the coffee wagon. I needed something stronger, but a cup of coffee would have to do. I couldn’t allow Eve to see me in the state I was in. Therefore, I paid for a large coffee and took it over to the bench at the bus stop and sat down.

I thought about the predicament I was in. Like a house of cards, my entire world had just collapsed. I had been given little choice. Even if I were able to come up with the money, my father would never let me off the hook. A shark smelling blood, he’d be back for more. This left me with only one choice.

I had to run away again. A great deal of planning could take place in the wiggle time he’d given me. To tell the truth, I was surprised he’d given me that much time. Perhaps he felt I wouldn’t want to throw away the life I’d made for myself here and thought he’d have a sweet thing going for him. He was right about me not wanting to lose the life I’d made for myself. But he was misjudging me. I now had pride and respect for myself.

I didn’t want to leave Richard. I loved him with all my heart and soul. However, I couldn’t tell him about my past. I doubt if he’d ever understand, let alone accept it. There had to be a clean break between us. Despite the fact that I didn’t want to hurt him, like a coward, I intended to run away without saying a word. There seemed to be no other way I’d be able to pull it off. I already knew what would happen if I told him to his face. Tears filled my eyes just thinking about him.

Suddenly, a wave of raw fury passed over me and the desire to hunt my father down like the dog he was and kill him crossed my mind. But, I’d be damned before I went to jail for killing him.

And Eve…how could I just walk out on her? Especially after all she’d done for me? I wanted to die. It would certainly be a great deal easier than leaving the two people I loved most in the world. Where was the fairness in all of this? Why allow me to pull myself out of the mire and achieve everything I’d wished for and more, only to cruelly rip it from me?

I cancelled my afternoon appointments and went home to plan my escape.

***

Luckily, Richard was preparing a brief for an important case and wouldn’t be around. That gave me ample time to create a false paper trail for my father to follow while I slipped away in a totally different direction. Working as a real estate agent, I’d made many contacts throughout the country. Relocating and getting another job in the field wouldn’t be too difficult.

I intended to leave a message on the office phone that I’d be out all day on showings. If I called in sick, Eve would check on me. Realizing I couldn’t just fall out of their lives without a word, I wrote two letters. In Eve’s, I thanked her for all the help she’d given me and apologized for running out on her. I couldn’t tell her why and hoped she’d be content with the letter. Deep down inside, I knew she wouldn’t, though, and felt badly about it.

As for Richard’s letter, I doubted if the paper it was written on would ever dry. I couldn’t stop crying from the moment I wrote his name after Dear. I told him how much I truly loved him. Wishing him love and happiness, I told him to move on—exactly as I would. Right. I couldn’t tell him why I was leaving, either. Whoever said the truth will set you free was crazy or merely taking the wrong drugs!

I’d mail the letters on my way to the airport. I’d booked a ticket for the last flight out to California. The printed e-ticket was lying on the counter alongside the letters next to my purse so I wouldn’t leave it behind. I crammed whatever I could into my luggage and piggy-backed the suitcases together so I could roll them out easily. Before I left my bedroom for the last time, I looked around the room to see if I’d left anything of importance behind. My eyes fell upon the bed. I imagined Richard reclining on his side smiling up at me. That brought a fresh crop of tears to my eyes. At that moment, I never hated my father more and wished for him to get exactly what he deserved.

I rolled my luggage into the foyer and took my coat out of the closet. I put it on. Then, I grabbed the rest of my stuff. Purse, letters, and ticket in hand, I opened the door to find Eve standing there.

“Going somewhere?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of her. As my heart slowed, I remained speechless as I stood there and stared at her. I knew there was no way I could safely talk my way out.

“May I come in?” she asked, and pushed her way inside not waiting for an answer. “Farewell letters?”

Obviously, she saw what I was holding in my hand. Why was she tormenting me? Why didn’t she just come out and say what she was thinking and get it all over with?

“I was just—”

“I know, but I came all this way in need of a cup of coffee with a good friend.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to make coffee—”

Eve reached out and lightly touched my face. “Make us a pot of coffee. I need to tell you something that’s so very important. I believe that you’ll really want to hear about it.”

“I’ll miss my flight.”

“Save it for your honeymoon.”

I had no idea what was going on. Nothing made any sense. It felt as if I’d fallen into some parallel dimension. Consoling myself with the notion of taking the first flight out in the morning, I grabbed the coffee from the fridge and filled the coffee machine.

“First of all, let’s get something straight.”

I turned to look at her.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“I have no choice.”

“You always have a choice.”

I shook my head. “Not this time.”

“Oh, yes you do,” she said and smiled at me.

She had no idea what I was going through. How could she know? I began to protest, but she held up her hand. “Let me finish.”

The coffee machine had become quiet, signaling that the coffee was ready. With trembling hands, I poured two mugs of coffee and set them down on the small table next to the sugar and milk. I watched as Eve carefully opened the sugar and stirred it into her cup along with some milk.

“When I saw the panic in your eyes yesterday as a result of that phone call, I knew something was wrong. I feared that it might be so bad that unfortunately you’d never ask for my help. Knowing you, you would try to work it out yourself.”

I absentmindedly stirred my coffee, watching the swirls in the cup.

“It turned out I was right. Your father called me not long after he spoke to you. He tried to blackmail me into paying a million dollars to avoid ruining the reputation of my agency. He figured he had nothing to lose. At best, he could end up with two million. Am I right so far?”

She had my complete attention. “He demanded a million from me.”

“I once told you I saw a great deal of me in you.”

I nodded.

“The truth is your greedy father underestimated me and the people I know. I may have money now, but I didn’t always. Nor did I always rub shoulders with the in crowd. I worked hard to get where I am, and I didn’t intend to let some old G destroy it. Do you follow me, so far?”

“Yes.”

“I still have friends from the hood, and they paid your father a visit to help dissuade him. I think he’s changed his mind by now, and is probably heading back to that slimy rock he crawled out from under.”

“He’s gone?”

“Hopefully, for good, this time.”

Tears of happiness began to slip from my eyes as Eve got up and put her arms around my shoulders.

“Girl, he’s lucky I didn’t take care of him myself. He’d be missing some important body parts.”

“Thank you, Eve. I will never be able to repay you for this.”

“You should have come to me, Amber.”

“I couldn’t. I was too ashamed.”

“You made something out of yourself that’s an original. Something you can be proud of. Don’t forget, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, either.”

I smiled. Suddenly, it felt as if the weight of the world had been removed from my shoulders. Ironically, I never thought it possible for Eve to have such humble roots.

“It’s late and you’ve got some unpacking to do,” Eve said, clearing off the table.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Eve.”

“You want to pay me back? Sell another ritzy estate,” she replied and gave out a short laugh.

I walked her to the door. As I wheeled my suitcases back into my bedroom, I thought about my father. He’d probably gotten what he deserved. This time, I hoped he remained out of my life. Eve had given me a future once again. I broke into a huge smile and began to unpack.

As I unpacked my bags, I naturally thought about Richard and something he’d said. He wanted to be surrounded by all our friends when we got married. Hell, all my friends added up to two: Eve Jones and Ray Johnson. And how many friends did he have other than the two jerks I’d overheard dis me? I had a funny feeling that between Richard and me, we could count all our friends on two hands. What did we need to spend a fortune on a display for?

Maybe I feared some other obstacle would block our path to the altar, or perhaps I just couldn’t wait to make it official. Whatever—I didn’t care. All I knew was that I suddenly wanted to get married as soon as possible to the only guy who ever truly loved me unconditionally and allowed me to be me. Nothing in the world meant as much.

“Hello? Amber? Are you home?”

It was Richard. I thought he’d be tied up tonight. I felt as if I’d rubbed a lamp and conjured him up.

Then I remembered.

The letters! I’d left the damn letters on the counter with my purse. I rushed out into the hall just in time to see Richard reading the letter I’d written him.

He looked up at me with questioning eyes. “Why?”

I realized that if I tried to explain the letter by telling him the truth, I would most likely lose him. How could he want me after learning about my terrible past? The only problem was I had no other way out. I had no explanation for the letter. Perhaps it was time to come clean.

“After that gut-wrenching day when you nearly walked out, I thought it was all settled. Now you want to leave again? You say it’s for the best. I don’t understand.”