Tempting the Artist (3 page)

The moment the door closed behind
Gary, Luke’s cell phone rang. Wound tighter than a perp being
hauled off to jail, he debated on whether or not to let the call go
to voicemail before finally answering.

“
Hello.”

“
Dang man, they working you
too hard or something? You sound like you’re about ready to kick
some tail.”

Luke rubbed his forehead and chuckled.
A moment ago, he almost lost his mind and did just that, not caring
that he would have been out on his ass and looking for a lawyer to
defend him.

“
Well, well, well, if it
isn’t Zachary Anderson, my long lost friend.”

Zack laughed. “You act as if we
haven’t talked in years. It’s been what, a few weeks?” Luke smiled
at hearing his best friend’s voice. There was one advantage to
moving to Cincinnati; he got a chance to hang out with a few of his
longtime friends.

“
More like a month. So I
take it you’re back in the city.”

“
Yes sir, and I’m calling
to see if you want to hook up for a drink after work?”

“
What, you have a job now?”
Luke joked. Zack, a former NFL star running back for the Cincinnati
Cougars, had retired months earlier.

“
Oh, so you have jokes.
I’ll have you know that I have a full-time job, and that’s catering
to my beautiful wife’s every desire.”

Luke shook his head. “Man, I can’t
believe how Jada has you wrapped around her perfectly manicured
finger. It saddens me to watch how the mighty have fallen.” They
laughed, but Luke’s chest tightened at the mention of Jada. Hearing
her name always made him think of Christina, Jada’s
cousin.

“
Don’t hate man. This is
going to be you one day.”

“
I don’t know about all of
that, but on a serious note, I’m happy for you.”

They caught up for a few minutes
before agreeing to meet at a nearby bar later that evening. Luke
needed some fun. Other than showing up at the office each day, he
hadn’t been out and about the way he would’ve been in New York.
Granted Cincinnati didn’t offer the number of activities and
restaurants as New York, but it was home. His new home.

An hour later, Luke strolled into the
bar and glanced around the semi-crowded space searching for Zack.
He spotted him at the bar signing an autograph. The pimple-faced
fan was grinning so hard; one would think Zack was the President of
the United States.

Some things never changed,
retired or not.

Since Zack’s first year in the
National Football League, it had been the same scene. He drew fans
the way bees swarmed to honey and never let the fame go to his
head. The guy was the real deal. The nicest person one could ever
meet and generous to a fault.

“
I see you’re still the
superstar,” Luke said when the fan walked away. “Are you sure you
have time to hang out with us little people?”

Zack glanced up and grinned. “Yeah
right, like you’re one of the little people. I’m sure you’re still
fielding offers from the top New York firms, trying to entice you
back to the east coast.” He stood and grabbed hold of Luke’s
outstretched hand, pulling him in for a one-arm hug. “Long time no
see, man.” They pounded each other on the back.” Zack reclaimed his
seat at the bar, and Luke sat next to him. “Glad you were able to
make it. So, whatcha drinkin’?”

“
Scotch.”

“
That kind of day, huh?”
Zack gave the bartender the order and ordered himself another
beer.

“
Yeah, something like
that.” Actually, his day was fine until Gary walked into his
office. Luke was still kicking himself for the way he handled the
situation. He said what needed to be said to Gary, but Luke knew he
could have come up with a more diplomatic way of telling the jerk
to go and screw himself.

“
So what’s been going on?”
Luke asked just as the
bartender set his
drink in front of him.

“
Not too much. Last week
Jada and I were in California hanging out for a few days and then
we flew to Connecticut where I met with ESPN. We’ve been talking
back and forth about me guest hosting some of the shows during this
coming football season.”

“
Ah, man, that’s cool. Who
knows, maybe the opportunity will turn into something
permanent.”

Zack took a swig of his Bud Light.
“Nah, I’m not looking for a full-time job or anything permanent.
It’ll be cool to guest host a few times, but that’ll be
enough.”

Luke looked at his friend’s
profile. “
Considering how happy you appear,
I assume marriage is agreeing with you.” Zack’s deep tan and the
blond streaks highlighting his hair was a sure sign that he had
gotten a lot of sun while out in California.
Luke thought back to when they were in college and how the
going joke was that Zack wasn’t really white, but a black man with
light skin. He grew up around African Americans in a rough area of
Columbus, Ohio and at times even sounded like them. Zack was one of
the people Luke had befriended during undergrad, and they’d been
best of friends ever since. “You’re looking good man. Retirement
agrees with you. And the beard. You have the whole retirement-look
thing going on.”

Zack chuckled and rubbed
the short hairs on his chin. “Life is good man.
Marriage is great. Jada is the best thing that has ever
happened to me.”

“
Well, that’s saying a lot
considering you’re a former NFL star running back, a
multi-millionaire, and you have more endorsement deals than most
football retirees. Who knew it could get any better than
that?”

“
I know, right? I’m
blessed, man. Playing in the league for so many years doing
something I absolutely loved was more than I could ask for, but
then I met Jada.” He shook his head and smiled as if thinking about
a specific moment. “Our marriage has exceeded my
expectations.”

A pang of longing lodged in Luke’s
chest as he listened to Zack talk about how great marriage was. He
had never even entertained the thought of spending the rest of his
life in a committed relationship until Christina had come along.
With that ended, he had no intention of ever allowing a woman to
get that close to his heart again.

“
It seems as if I’ve known
Jada forever. I knew the type of woman I wanted, but she’s so much
more.”

“
I guess when it’s right,
its right.” Luke was glad someone was happy in their relationship.
He knew of very few people who could say the same.

“
But enough about me.
What’s going on with you? How’s the new firm?”

Luke filled him in on the slower pace
and the lighter workload. Speaking about his new job aloud, Luke
had to admit that he definitely got what he had hoped for as it
related to shorter work weeks and less stress. What he hadn’t
counted on was the lack of challenge that came with joining the new
firm. He had no doubt that if he had gone in for a health screening
months ago, his blood pressure would have been in the danger zone.
Whereas lately, his cases didn’t get a rise out of him. He also
told Zack about his dealings with Gary.

Zack shook his head and
laughed. “You’re probably the only person I know who is brave
enough to threaten another attorney
and
in a law office.”

“
Yeah, I lost my head for a
moment there. Every time the guy steps into my office and opens his
mouth, I want to shove my fist into it. I guess this afternoon
could’ve been worse. I could’ve punched him and then threatened
him.”

“
Yeah, do that and you’ll
be the one needing an attorney. Knowing the hooligan you were back
in college, it’s almost comical that you’re a lawyer.”

Luke had to smile. Looking back at
some of their run-ins after a night of partying, he was glad they
lived to tell about them. It had taken him a while to settle down
even after becoming a lawyer. Passionate about defending his
clients, he recalled a number of arguments with other attorneys.
Cursing them out when they talked crap or withheld
information.

“
I guess I should put some
bail money aside for you, just in case.” They both
laughed.

“
Trust me. I’m not trying
to end up in court, or going before the ABA because I kicked a
fellow lawyer’s ass.”

Zack looked at Luke sideways. Luke
knew his friend wanted to say more, so he waited. He really wasn’t
in the mood to talk, especially about himself, but they hadn’t had
a lengthy conversation in months.

“
What about that other
situation?” Zack finally asked. “I trust none of that drama
followed you here.”

Now this was a subject he
didn’t want to discuss. Outside of his colleagues at the New York
law firm, Zack was the only person who knew about the troubles with
Luke’s last case and how the incident
could
have cost Luke his life.

Luke threw back the last of
his Scotch and signaled the bartender over. “Nah. Everything’s
cool.” Zack didn’t want anything else, and though Luke didn’t want
another Scotch, he knew he’d need at least a beer or two.
“I’ll stay put in Cincinnati for a few years until
I decide my next step.”

“
Speaking of next step, you
never gave me details about what happened between you and CJ. You
guys were going pretty hot and heavy. What went wrong?”

Luke shook his head.
“Things fell apart so fast, I barely know what happened.”
Luke told Zack about his last night in New York.
Talking about the breakup made him relive the disappointment,
anger, and frustration of that night. He thought for sure Christina
would have been a distant memory by now.

“
I asked her if she was
seeing someone else and she said no. But what else could it have
been?”

Zack shook his head. “I don’t know
what that was all about, but I know CJ. She’s not the two-timing
type. I also know that when you find someone special, you don’t
give up without a fight. If she’s the one or even if you think
she’s the one, don’t let her go.”

“
She’s already gone,” Luke
said dryly.
“I’m done. It’s over. I’ve
moved on, and I’m sure she has too.”

Zack swiveled on the bar stool, to
face Luke. “I don’t know this for sure, but I don’t think she’s
gone, as you say. I think she’s doing what you’re doing, trying to
move on, but not because she wants to.”

Luke sat up straight, giving Zack his
full attention. “So exactly what do you know? Not that I’m trying
to get back with her.”

Zack grinned. “Yeah, sure. All I’m
going to say is that you owe it to the both of you to at least know
the facts. All of the facts before you totally walk
away.”

Shaking his head, Luke turned back to
face the bar. “I don’t know if I can handle seeing her again.” He
knew he sounded like a punk. But when he woke up that next morning
in New York, after their argument, to find Christina gone, he knew
she had taken a part of his heart with her.

“
Are you sure you’ve moved
on? Have you been out with anyone since relocating
here?”

He hadn’t gone out with anyone, but it
wasn’t for lack of offers. The women in Cincinnati were just as
bold as the ones in New York. He’d turned down a number of invites
for a drink or dinner.

“
I’ll take your silence and
that far-away look in your eye as a ‘no’ to both
questions.”

“
Christina and I are
history,” he reiterated. He wasn’t sure if the words were spoken
for Zack’s benefit or his.

Zack took a swig from the beer he’d
been nursing. “As far as I know, CJ isn’t seeing anyone. As a
matter of fact, she’s probably still trying to get
settled.”

“
What do you mean
settled?”

“
I sold her my
loft.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “The one a few
blocks from here?”

Zack nodded.

“
How the hell could she
afford something like that on her salary? She still working for her
family’s construction company?”

Zack nodded again. “Yeah, she’s still
there. I guess she’s a good saver. Because though I gave her a
serious deal, I was a little surprised that she was able to swing
the price.”

Luke dissected that bit of
information. Christina didn’t splurge on clothes, handbags and any
of the other things women loved spending money on. Yet, earning
forty or forty-five thousand a year as a house painter wouldn’t get
her into a million dollar loft.

“
So if you had another
chance with her, would you take it?” Zack interrupted Luke’s
thoughts. “’Cause I know you still care about her.”

Would he give it another shot if an
opportunity presented itself? “I don’t know. I’ve been here for
months and haven’t run into her. I don’t see our paths
crossing.”

“
You could always call her.
I’m just sayin’.” When Luke didn’t respond, Zack continued. “Well,
whatever you end up doing, just know you’re not the only one who
has had to deal with a Jenkins woman. It’s not easy, man, but it’s
worth it. I’ll have to let you know when Craig, Toni’s husband,
starts that support group.”