Heart's Desires (5 page)

              “Lawrence, we need to talk baby,” Charlie said as she entered the apartment they shared.  For once, the apartment was quiet.  There were always too many people around, and this was the one time they were alone. Lawrence had so many “friends” around always telling him what he should be doing and how he should be acting.  He was changing, and it was wearing on their relationship.

              “Yeah, Charlene.  What’s up, boo?  What ‘cha need from ya man? I was just about to head out, hit the town on some promotion stuff… can it wait?”  Lawrence replied, as he continued to get ready.

              Charlie would usually agree and back off, assuming her position in the background, but this time she couldn’t do that. “No, it can’t wait.  We need to talk… now.”

             
“Alright.” Lawrence stopped getting ready and sat down on their king sized bed.  His brown eyes grew concerned as he watched Charlie pace back and forth.

              “I know we said we would wait until after we were married… but… I’m pregnant.”  Charlie was devastated.  She never wanted to be part of the statistic of being an unwed black mother, but she knew she had a good man, and that they were in love, so she knew they would get through this together.

              Lawrence sat on the bed in silence for a long while, rubbing his large hands over his low cut fade.  He took a deep breath before he spoke. “I mean, we didn’t plan it for right now, but we both want kids. Everything will be fine, Charlene. A baby is not the end of the world. We’ll make it work.” 

              Lawrence was still rubbing his hands over his head, and his shoulders were still tight with tension, but at least he had said the right things.  All the things Charlie wanted to hear.

              Charlie was so relieved at his answer that she didn’t realize that she had tears streaming down her face.  Lawrence took her hands in his and kissed her, gently wiping the tears from her face with the tips of his fingers.  “It’s ok, sweetheart.  We will get through this.”

              That night, Lawrence decided to stay in, and they stayed up talking about all the things they needed to do.  Before they went to bed, they had a solid plan; they knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but they were going to stick together for their love, and for their baby.

              Yet, with everything they talked about and agreed upon, it only took the very next week for things to change.  When Lawrence told his so called agent that Charlie was pregnant, the agent convinced him that she was trying to trap him into marrying her because she knew he was going to be a big star.  He pumped Lawrence’s head so full of shit that he started to believe the hype of his own PR team. 

“Look, Charlie, we are too young to be making plans as big as these. This isn’t what I want. I think we should take a break,” Lawrence told Charlie only a week after promising everything would be ok.

“A break?  What tha fuck you mean, a break?  What about the baby, Lawrence?” Charlie asked in disbelief.

“I think you should get rid of the baby. You’re too young to be a mother, and you haven’t even gotten your degree yet. The last thing you need is a child,” Lawrence huffed in aggravation.

“Me? What about you? I didn’t make this baby by myself.”  Charlie’s face was marred with anger and incredulity.

“I don’t know if that baby is mine.  Let’s be honest, we’ve been distant these past couple of months. How do I know you didn’t stray?” Lawrence said through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing at Charlie. “Marvin said he saw you with some dude from your class last week.  Shit, how do I know it ain’t his?”

Charlie looked in total shock at the man she loved.  How did she miss the fool that he truly was, following behind his so called agent, Marvin Williams, like he walked on water, listening to everything he had to say?

“You’re a fuckin’ idiot. You know got damn well I’ve only slept with you.  And if you want to bury your head up Marvin’s fat black ass and not take care of your responsibilities, then you’re not the man I fell in love with.  But I do agree with you on one thing.  We need a break… permanently.”

Charlie moved out of their apartment that night and never looked back. She went to her friend, Tammy’s house and stayed in her guest room where she cried and wallowed in self-pity until she finally pulled herself out of her funk, and decided to get her shit together. 

She was stronger than some men, and if her grandmother could raise two kids on her own, then dammit she could raise one also.

Charlie decided that she would transfer to a school closer to home, but she would finish out the semester first.  Lawrence would constantly hound her, telling her he didn’t believe the baby was his, and he would fight her on child support. Charlie told Lawrence to go fuck himself, and she didn’t want his money. She never thought he would turn out to be that kind of guy, but he was indeed the guy always listening to what other people told him. He was immature, selfish, and never once did he take her or the baby into consideration. 

Charlie had also heard the whisperings around campus, and she knew he told everyone their business, and everyone had something to say about it. Charlie just couldn’t believe that Lawrence could stomp all over her heart like he did, and she hated that everyone had an opinion about her life.  But she knew that she had to be responsible and keep her focus on what was important. 

Charlie was preparing for her finals, and fending off Lawrence’s constant calls and messages when she became deathly ill.  Her friend Tammy drove her to the emergency room, refusing to let her go on without seeing a doctor.  That was when Charlie got the news that would change her life forever: she’d had a miscarriage.  With all the stress she was under, her body just couldn’t handle the pregnancy.  Charlie was left devastated once again, and she vowed right then and there that she wouldn’t let anybody else have access to her heart just so they could break it.

CHAPTER 7

Charlie was exhausted; she had had a fitful night trying to sleep.  All her reminiscing, her long talk with Jake, and then talking with Korri had her thoroughly confused.  And the bullshit date with Jared didn’t help.

I can’t believe what an ass he turned out to be.

              After all the tossing and turning all night, it felt as though she had barely gotten even three hours of sleep before she got a call around eight A.M. asking her to come into work for an emergency. Of course she didn’t want to go.  After all, it was her day off, but her boss was a good guy and she didn’t mind helping him out. 

              It was a forty-five minute drive to downtown FortWorth, where Premier the exclusive restaurant and club she worked for was located. Charlie was just helping out there until the downtown Dallas location called Prime, was opened. 

              Charlie worked as an accountant for Premier. She kept the financial records in order, as well as the accounts payable records.  She wasn’t responsible for payroll because she was helping with Prime’s setup. So Jan, the manager, or sometimes Frank, the assistant manager, handled payroll, which was fine with Charlie.   She had enough on her plate with all the new vendors and the new system setup at the Dallas location.  And although she was busy working at both places, she enjoyed working in the restaurant and club industry. 

She had only previously worked in a corporate office setting, but she didn’t miss it at all.  The nine to five bored her anyway.

              Both Premier and Prime were owned by Lorenzo Moretti, a no nonsense businessman from New Jersey.  He had lived in Texas for well over a decade, but had yet to lose his Jersey accent.  There were whisperings around town that Moretti was some sort of mobster, but as far as Charlie knew, they were just unfounded rumors that she really didn’t believe.

              Mr. Moretti was a low key guy; he was a laid back boss, but everyone definitely knew not to fuck-up. That was something that he didn’t tolerate at all.  As long as you did your job, he didn’t have too much to say to you.  Except for Charlie, he always had something to say to Charlie. 

If she hadn’t been working for the man, she wouldn’t have minded. Lorenzo Moretti was sex personified.  He stood at a muscular six-foot three with a body that was built for sin. She could tell from the well-tailored suits that clung to his body.  He had dark brown hair that was short on the sides and longer at the top.  His complexion was a dark olive that made him look like he had a tan all year, his ocean blue eyes were clear with a hint of danger, and they stood out in his chiseled face that seemed to adorn a perpetual smirk. Yes, he was indeed fine, and it seemed that he was interested in her.

              Lorenzo wasn’t pushy or even aggressive with his comments, but it wasn’t a secret either.  He’d let Charlie know from the jump that he was interested.  Charlie let him know in no uncertain terms that the only thing she was interested in was work. She told him that she wanted to remain professional at all times. He seemed to accept her wishes, but Charlie knew that he was a man that went after what he wanted.

              Charlie walked into Premier, the twinkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, sparkling and shining as if they were waiting to be admired.  No matter how many times she’d been there, she always looked to the chandeliers first, admiring their beauty. 

              The chandeliers hung high in the center of flowing fabric that cascaded down to walls covered in white and light blue silk material. Shimmering gold strands were intertwined throughout.  To Charlie, it looked what she imagined the inside of a genie’s bottle would look like. The floors were dark hardwood and led to different VIP sections that were closed off by red velvet rope.  Each of the sections had its own colorful plush carpet and overstuffed sofas. The sofas were all leather, mixed with white, light brown, and black sectionals with large colorful throw pillows scattered everywhere.

              The club and lounge part of Premier was like an oasis.  That was why Charlie always entered from the lounge.  She hated coming through the front that housed the restaurant. The stuffy, white linen covered tables were adorned with polished silver and crystal glasses, and the elegance and luxury somehow made Charlie feel inadequate, and she always felt she couldn’t touch anything for fear of breaking something.

              Charlie walked through both the lounge and the restaurant, and entered the hall that led to the offices. As she approached, she could hear raised voices.

              “You need to be smart about this, Lorenzo.  This is an opportunity you can’t afford to pass up.”  The male voice was agitated as he spoke.

              “Look, I don’t know what you’re doing in Texas, or why you thought I would want to listen to anything you have to say. I made my decision a long time ago,” came Lorenzo’s deep baritone reply.  “And you already know I want nothing to do with you or anything you’ve got going.”

              “So this is how you do the family now?  You think you can just leave us behind without even a second thought?  We helped you get to where you are, and you…”

              “That’s e-fuckin’ nuff!  I told you what my damn answer was! You don’t come in my establishment tryin’ to tell me what the hell it is I’m supposed to be doin’ and how I run my business.  The family has nothin’ to do with my business, so fuck you, Tommy!  I’ve done enough for the family!  Get the hell out of here before I forget my promise to the family!”  Lorenzo’s heavily accented statement came out in a loud, angry growl.

              Charlie didn’t know who Tommy was, or what was going on, but she had a feeling she wasn’t supposed to be privy to this heated conversation.  

              Charlie made a coughing noise to alert the men she was there before she knocked on the door.  She opened it slowly, looking at both the stranger and Lorenzo. Lorenzo sat behind his wide oak desk, rigid and tense, while the other man sat in a leather chair facing Lorenzo, his round face red with fury. He looked as if at any moment, he was going either to explode or hit something.

              “Excuse me, Mr. Moretti, uh sorry to interrupt, but I got a call that you needed me?”  Charlie said hesitantly.

              Lorenzo took a deep breath, visibly relaxing, and smiled at Charlie.  “Yes, come on in Charlie. I need your help with a couple of things.  Have a seat while I show my . . . guest out.”

              Lorenzo stood from behind his opulent desk and nodded his head toward the door. The guy stood and walked toward it, nodding an acknowledgement at Charlie before his departure.  His ocean blue eyes were similar to Lorenzo’s, but also very different.  Charlie couldn’t help the chill that came over her at the slight acknowledgment from the man.

              The wait was brief, and Lorenzo was back before Charlie could completely dissect the conversation that had taken place. Lorenzo walked in with his usual swagger, his dark gray suit and crisp blue shirt bringing out the blue in his eyes.

              “Hi, Charlie, sorry about that. I hope I didn’t interrupt your day. I know you weren’t supposed to be here today.”

              “No problem, it really is ok.  What’s the emergency?”  Charlie asked, wanting to get straight down to business.

              “A straight forward type.  That’s why I like you, Charlie.”  Lorenzo’s mouth formed a smirk, and his eyes twinkled with mischief. He cleared his throat and got to the point. 

              “I know that you have a lot on your plate right now with you helping out at both clubs, and I really appreciate your hard work.  I also know that you have some forensic accounting experience, am I correct?” 

              Charlie nodded.  “Yes, that’s correct.”              

              Lorenzo took a deep breath before continuing.  “Some things have come to my attention, and now is the time to get my house in order.  You know, before the other club opens its doors.”

              Charlie nodded as she listened intently.  “Right, that’s understandable.  But why exactly do you need my forensic accounting experience?”

“Right.  Well, what I need you to do is go over all the financial records for Premier from the past, specifically everything from the last five years.  Only the past two are on computer, so I need you to go through the previous three manually.”

              “That shouldn’t be a problem.  The system Mr. Simms left in place is very accurate.  He was very thorough with his record keeping.”

              “Ah, well like you, Mr. Simms didn’t do the payroll either. He was pretty much just bookkeeping to make sure our financials were correct, and the IRS couldn’t touch us.”  Lorenzo seemed to be mulling over what he wanted to say. Charlie noticed his previously relaxed demeanor was now taut with tension as he spoke about the books.

              “Everyone is getting paid, and the cash flow seems to be accurate, but something is amiss with the books, specifically payroll.  I can’t place my fingers on the problem, but maybe you can.  It’s a gut feeling that I have.

              Charlie was intrigued.  She loved forensic accounting, and although she wasn’t hired for that specifically, she was happy to help anyway that she could. 

              “Ok, Mr. Moretti, I would be happy to go through the books.  How long will I have?”  Charlie questioned.

              “I want to make sure this problem is put to rest before Prime’s opening.  But I want you to be methodical.  Don’t rush through it and overlook anything.  I just need a fresh pair of eyes on this thing to make sure everything is in order,” Lorenzo stated bluntly.

              “Yes, sir, I can be methodical.  No worries.”

              Lorenzo’s eyes twinkled again. “What’s with the ‘Sir’ and the ‘Mr. Moretti’ business?  I told you, Charlie, we’re friends.  You maybe my employee, but I’m not some stuffy old man.  I thought we at least established a first name basis here.”

              Charlie flushed a little. As much as she knew it was wrong to screw your boss, she couldn’t help but react to Lorenzo’s flirting.  She was only human after all.

She cleared her throat, trying not to show her embarrassment.  “Uh sorry, Lorenzo. I can get right on it.  Do you have the records here now?”

              “No.  My assistant, Amber, will bring them here this evening, but you can start going through the ones on the computer. The little closet you call an office is being occupied by Jan and the assistant manager, so I set you up in here.” 

Lorenzo pointed to the section of his office that was its own lounge area.  It housed two large black leather chairs with a soft plush sofa facing them. There was a long white and black marble table in the center, separating the chairs and sofa.  Placed on the other side of the lounge area was a small, sleek desk with a new laptop computer and under it, a most comfortable looking Italian leather chair.              Charlie looked at Lorenzo, a stunned expression marring her beautiful brown face, and her plump lips turned downward.  Her round, hazel eyes held a quizzical gaze. 

“You want me to work in here?  With you?  Surely in a place as big as this one, there are more than two office spaces?”

              “Actually there are.  However, this little project is not something I want anyone else knowing about.  Not even Jan,” Lorenzo stated simply.

              “But Jan is the manager.  She knows the ins and outs of everything. She’s been here for years, plus she does most of the payroll.  What if something comes up?  What if I have questions about this?”  Charlie asked.  She really didn’t like Jan all that much, but she could deal with her if she had to.

              “Then you ask me since we are in the same office.  If I’m not here, you call me directly on my cell.”

              Charlie still felt a little uneasy.  There were so many questions surrounding this assignment. 
Why all the secrecy?  What was the real reason he didn’t want anybody to know what she was doing, and did he suspect Jan of doing something wrong.

              There were so many questions swirling around in her head, Charlie could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on, and sharing a space with this man was definitely not something she had planned on doing. As nice as he was to look at, there was something dangerous lurking in the blue pools he called eyes. 

Lorenzo Moretti could be dangerous.

***

              After the first couple of hours of meticulously going through last year’s books and payroll, Charlie felt like her eyes were beginning to cross, so she decided to take a break.

              When she checked her cell, she noticed that she had a missed call from Jake, so she decided that it was as good a time as any to give him a call back.

              Jake answered the phone after two rings, and his deep voice rumbled through the line. “Hey, Heart.  How are you doing?”

              “Hey, Bear, I’m doing ok.  I actually got called into work today, but other than that I’m good. What about you?” 

              “Better, now that I can hear your voice.” 

              Charlie smiled like a school girl at Jake’s flirting. She felt foolish drooling all over this man, but hell, he couldn’t see her, so she would drool her little heart out.

              “I bet you say that to all the girls.”