A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs) (22 page)

Brian sighed heavily. “Thanks.” He wasted no time giving me the details of what he wanted. Ebony would be very pleased.

“I like your style, Brian. Maybe you can give Javan some pointers. Our anniversary is coming up” His unexpected outburst made me pause. “What are you laughing at?”

He cleared his throat. “Did you say anniversary?”

“Don’t be a smart ass, Brian.”

He chuckled. “Sorry, you were saying?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s next week. Maybe we can meet up for dinner or something. I’ll fill Ebony in on the details later. Do you think you guys can unwrap yourselves long enough to join the festivities?”

“Um, sure. Let us know, and we’ll be there.”

“Cool. Now if that’s all…”

“Actually,” Brian paused. “Yasmine, can I ask you something?” The tone of his voice changed.

“What’s on your mind?” I doodled on a note pad.

“You’ve been friends with Ebony for a while.” He paused again.

I tapped the pen on my desk. Patience was not one of my strong suits. “What do you want to know? If it’s something private because of the sister code…” I shrugged even though he couldn’t see it.

“I understand. Have you noticed anything different about Ebony? I mean, is she okay?”

I sat the pen down. Of course, she’d changed. She was in full school and work mode. I admired her dedication. Once she set her mind on something, she went all in. “She’s good, just stressing about school as always. It’s her last year, and the pressure is intense. Besides, with you gone, who else is she going to play with besides the monkey?”

That made him laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve been so busy I thought I missed something important.”

“Don’t worry about her. I’ve been busy myself, but I’ll check on her.”

“Thanks, Yasmine,” he said and ended the call.

 Brian was right, Ebony had changed. Her hard work and dedication to her job were nothing new. But once he left, she started working harder than usual.

She ate, slept, worked, and talked to him when she could. But when it came to Kaitlyn and me…

I could understand why she avoided us. After all, we were spending time with our boyfriends while she waited by the phone. And the three months without sex thing…damn. I’d be a freaking lunatic by now.

Ebony needed an intervention, a girl’s night out. The mission: get her back to the way he left her. It was way past time for her newly-acquired frumpy look to go.

Time to plan. I called Kaitlyn; she agreed with my idea.

Only one thing left to do.  Call Javan and cancel our plans for the evening.

Smooth jazz music played while I sat on hold. Calling him at work irritated me. I wished he would keep his phone on.

“Thank you for calling Franklin and Associates. How may I direct your call?”

I ground my teeth. I hated the receptionist. She never hesitated to play games when she transferred my call. She also had no qualms letting me know her eyes were on my man.

“Sandra, I’ve been waiting for over five minutes. Is he available?”

“Oh, Ms. Phillips, I’m sorry. Hold the line for a moment, I’ll check.”

I wanted to reach through the phone and slap her.

Another minute passed.

“Hello?”

Javan had the sexiest voice.

“Hi, baby, it’s me.”

“Ah, Yasmine…” The moment he realized it was me because the bitch would never tell him his voice dropped an octave. It was impossible not to fidget in my seat.

“Were you busy?”

“No, my last patient left a while ago. I’m wrapping up paperwork now.”

“One of these days, I’m going to cuss her ass out,” I said hotly. “She left me on hold for five minutes.”

Javan’s husky laugh tickled my ear through the phone. “Should I warn her now or wait to pull you off?”

“Don’t tempt me.” I could visualize her skinny ass running around the office.

“Hmm, the idea of you fighting over me turns me on. Why don’t you swing by in say…thirty minutes? We can have lunch in my office. You’ll end up eating in your car, but I’m sure you’ll leave a very satisfied woman.”

Having ‘lunch’ with Javan was always creative. A time check left me disappointed. “Unfortunately, our computers crashed for the second time this week. I’ve got an emergency call for a computer tech now. I’m stuck.”

“We all have to work.” I could hear the rustle of paper. “Then tonight, my place. Both of us naked with you on top?”

The visual image of his body drove me crazy. Tight muscles under smooth chocolate skin. The man could have been the spokesperson for the Hershey’s corporation. There always seemed to be a sexual current flowing around him. It pulled me like a magnet.

“That’s why I’m calling. I’ve got to cancel. Brian’s coming back in a few days, and my girl needs help. Ebony’s been in her own little world since he’s been gone. Who knew she’d be stuck on him?” I laughed.

“What’s wrong with her?” The rustling noise stopped.

“She’s been MIA for three months, stuck in her room not wanting to talk. I think she’s a little jealous.”

“Of what?”

“Of our relationship. Plus Kaity’s got Luke. Think about it, she was with Brian a few months, and then he left.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. Look, I’ve got to go.” All sense of flirting left his voice.

“Okay, me too. The computer geek is here.” I studied the man who’d suddenly appeared in my doorway. “Love you.”

“Yeah, later.”

I hung up the phone. Why didn’t Thomas notify me the computer technician arrived?

Always eager to appreciate a good-looking man, I studied him.

He wore dark rimmed glasses, black pants, and the standard white shirt and black tie worn by geeks across America. He had cocoa colored skin, with shoulders hinting at a nice build beneath his shirt. He wore his hair in a low cut, typical black male fashion. Generous lips were surrounded by a trim goatee. Though he didn’t hold a candle to Javan’s thick frame, he was attractive…in a geeky sort of way.

“Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Phillips, my name is Zachariah Givens. I’m here to service your computers.” He pointed over his shoulder down the short hallway leading to the front desk. “I rang the bell twice, but no one was out front.”

I sighed in exasperation. “Thomas must be on break.” I made note to address him about leaving the front desk unmanned without informing me. We were a small hotel chain, but we ran our establishment as if we were one of the big boys. “And it’s Ms. Phillips. Come in.”

I rose from my chair and smoothed the tight fabric over my hips. My skirt stopped at the mid-point of my thigh, my legs were naked without panty hose, and I wore sensible, yet stylish heels. Most men would have watched the movements. He didn’t. Guess he got offended by my comment.

“Look, I didn’t mean anything by calling you a geek. You reminded me of”

“No problem.” His voice was flat and impersonal. “I hear it at least five times a day. It comes with the job.”

O-kay. So he was a geek with no sense of humor. Fine. But his voice had a hoarseness that was sexy as hell.

I moved out of the way so he could sit at my desk.

“What type of problem are you having?” He adjusted the chair to fit his height.

 I frowned. I wasn’t that short.

It took five minutes to run down the problems we’d been experiencing. “So can you fix it?”

“I’ll have to run a diagnostic on the system and check each terminal before I can tell what’s going on. It’s possible you’ve got a virus, or,” he studied the computer set up, “your system is outdated and can no longer handle the work load.”

That was not the news I wanted. My father wouldn’t be pleased either.

He glanced at his watch. “It’s going to be a while; you might want to grab lunch. Leave me your number, and I’ll call when I’ve got my diagnosis.”

What the hell? Was he kicking me out of my own office?

My jaw clenched, I breathed deeply, and exhaled slowly. I didn’t know this man, and he didn’t know me. Did he assume he could just waltz in here and take over my office?

No way in hell was that about to happen. I paid him; he worked for me.

I crossed my arms and glared. He stared back with hazel eyes that shouted intelligence beneath those black frames. They were gorgeous.

“It’s not time for my break,” I said firmly. “I’ll wait.” With that said I sat in a chair in the corner of my office and crossed my legs. My skirt hiked up a few inches exposing my thigh.

His eyes broke our challenging stare, and he glanced at my legs. About damn time he noticed.

“Suit yourself.” He turned back to the screen and began keying in code, tuning me out as if I didn’t exist.

Well, damn.

Chapter 25

“Doctor Lofton, are you sure?”

“Ebony, go home. There’s nothing you can do. Nala is being taken care of.” The head vet led me out of the clinic and pointed in the direction of my locker.

“Please call me if”

“If anything changes, I’ll call you. Go home and get some rest. You need it.”

The clinic door closed firmly in my face. As much as I wanted to keep a watchful eye on the orangutan, what Dr. Lofton said rang true; I was exhausted. Spending the weekend in the overnight room on a cot and taking showers in the staff bathroom had not been the best place to rest.

Then again, I barely got rest at home.

I cleaned out my locker and headed for my car.

The last three months were taking their toll. Nightmares plagued me. Coffee and five-hour energy drinks kept me on my feet. Neither was good for my health. I even managed to lose a few pounds.

My grades were slipping and the three-point-nine GPA I’d maintained for the past seven years dropped a point.

To my dismay, I found myself thinking about the offer Dr. Jacobs made months ago when everything was right in my little world. Though I’m sure at this point the terms would have changed. Although I hadn’t threatened him in any way, I still could, and therefore secure the position of Veterinarian Technician in the spring.

As sick as the thought of stooping to his level made me feel, the idea of losing everything I’d worked for over the last seven years made me sicker.

The last couple of months changed my entire outlook on life and left me a hermit in my own home. Keeping the secret of my rape wore me down.

With Brian gone and me avoiding my friends, caring for Nala became my lifeline, the one thing grounding me in a life that became one big fat lie. It seemed as if I lied to everyone around me.

‘Busy, but okay,’ became my typical response when Kaitlyn asked.

Though I never outright lied to Yasmine, it was failure by omission when she talked about her relationship with Javan, and I remained silent.

And I lied to Brian by using work and school as an excuse for feeling down.

Brian. As much as it hurt lying to him, he was the one thing keeping me from giving up and moving back to North Carolina.

The bright spot in my life was the fact he’d return home in a few days. No more waiting to hold him, smell him, or feel him lying next to me. Knowing Brian loved me was not enough. Nothing replaced seeing it in his eyes, feeling it in his touch.

I needed him desperately.

But the need brought fear. Fear that he’d somehow find out about the rape. Fear Javan’s threats would come true. Fear Brian would leave me.

I could not dwell on that thought.

When I arrived home, my roommates’ cars were in the driveway. That was odd. Normally, Yasmine arrived home after I did and Kaitlyn came last. As an assistant costume designer for a T.V. show, she worked long days, traveling for costume fittings or purchasing new pieces.

If they were both here, something had to be wrong.

I closed the door behind me. “Kaity, Yaz? Where are you?”

“In the kitchen,” Kaitlyn replied.

I dropped my book bag down in the living room. The aroma of Mexican food greeted me from the kitchen.

“Surprise!” they yelled in unison.

“What’s going on?”

Yasmine stood at the counter, a bottle of Tequila in one hand and a daiquiri mix in the other. Ice sat in the blender on the counter.

Kaitlyn sat at the table spooning portions of takeout food onto plates. “Girls’ Night of course, what else?” she said in her Texas twang.

“Don’t even think about saying no. We took off work early for this. No excuses. I don’t care if you’ve got a project due tomorrow and you haven’t done a thing to get started. Which is highly unlikely though.” Yasmine paused, started the blender, and then sipped her concoction. “Damn, that’s good.” She filled three empty glasses before continuing. “Tonight is about us women and everything feminine.”

“Right, Yaz is gonna do pedis and manicures. I’ve picked out these cute little outfits for us. Don’t laugh, they’re supposed to be crazy lookin’,” Kaitlyn said.

For the first time, I paid attention to their attire. Tank tops, booty shorts, and flip-flops. Hawaiian leis were on their necks and ridiculously large sombreros were on their heads. Yasmine wore a pair of extra-large sunglasses around her neck.

“Before you say a thang,” Kaitlyn continued, “I know you’re wonderin’ where your fabulous outfit is. Check your bed. Go on, go change, we’ll be waitin’ on ya.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.

“But”

“This daiquiri is not going to stay frozen forever. Hurry up, girl,” Yasmine added.

I shook my head. Hanging with the girls doing silly stuff at home had been a monthly tradition since college. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d done it. Despite my efforts to evade their questions for the past three months, I missed this. Maybe, just this once it would be okay to let my guard down and pretend everything was normal. No matter what all went on in my life, I still had my friends. And soon I would have Brian again.

The sting of excitement brewed in my chest. I ran upstairs to change into my crazy get up.

They laughed upon my arrival into the kitchen; it immediately felt like old times. We ate, drank, danced, and cleaned up the kitchen while listening to music. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had this much fun.

The next phase of the evening turned to watching movies. Over the years we’d collected a vast amount of romantic comedies.  Since we could never agree on what to watch, we’d devised a system in which we picked a number. The highest number and corresponding DVD would be the winner. Tonight’s selection,
Fools Rush In
.