I Saw Your Profile (5 page)

    
“The second one.”

    
“So you’re a tough
woman to please?”

     
“Yeah, but they
were real losers.”

    
“Do tell.”

    
Arianna told him about
the crazy emails she’d received and they laughed their way through dinner.
Kenny had no idea he would be the subject of such laughter when Arianna
recounted the story of their first meeting and how he’d surprised her.

    
They stayed for the
band’s second set, enjoying the music, more drinks, dessert and conversation.
Arianna liked Kenny, despite her efforts not to. Still, she couldn’t get past
his girth or his deception about it.

    
The date ended around
midnight. Kenny paid the check and walked Arianna to her car. The Avenue of the
Arts, as Broad Street was known, was almost as busy as rush hour when workers
spilled out from City Hall and the many office buildings that lined the street.
The sidewalks were filled with people enjoying Philly nightlife.

As they headed to the parking
garage, he silently eased her hand into his. Arianna looked above the
skyscrapers at the stars, sparkling like diamonds in the sky, wondering how to
let Kenny down and feeling guilty for wanting to.

    
Her sexual appetite
was as strong as any man’s and she needed someone who could satisfy that
constant hunger. Frank never did, and she doubted Kenny could.

     
She was torn. Holding
his hand and thinking about spending time with him again gave her a warm
feeling inside. The thought of seeing his naked body made her eyes hurt.

    
“When can I see you
again?” Kenny asked as they stood in front of the garage.

    
“What did you have in
mind?”

    
“How about a movie or
something?”

    
Arianna struggled to
find words that would let him down easy.

    
“I want to see you
again, but I have to be honest and tell you I don’t think we’re going to be more
than friends. Do you
still
want to see me?”

    
“Wow,” Kenny said,
dropping her hand. “I didn’t see that one coming. I thought we made a
connection. Guess I was wrong.”

    
“We did. But I don’t
think we have the
kind of chemistry you need for a romantic
relationship.”

    
He frowned, narrowing
his eyes in confusion.

    
“Chemistry? I don’t
get it. We had chemistry during all those long conversations on the phone,
didn’t we? What’s changed?”

    
She could hear the
irritation in his voice. She wanted to snap and tell him she was the one who
had the right to be upset. Instead, she played it cool.

    
“Chemistry on the
phone isn’t the same as a physical attraction, Kenny. And it’s not like I
wasn’t honest with you from Jump Street about us not getting serious. And I
really would like for us to be friends.”

    
He calmed down.

    
“You’re right. You
have been honest. But I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed. I thought we
had something going and I really wanted to see where it would lead. Now, you
want to cut it off before it even gets started.”

    
“Why do you say that?
What’s so wrong with being friends?” She felt bad for him, but not bad enough
to date him out of pity. She didn’t want to lead him on. “I don’t know about
you, Kenny, but I could always use a friend. We can still go to the movies and
do other things together. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

    
“Let me think about
it. I wasn’t exactly looking for friendship. Not with you anyway.”

    
He took her parking
ticket and gave it to the attendant, a short Hispanic man. They waited for the
car in awkward silence, Kenny pacing back and forth with his hands in his
pockets. Arianna watched him, feeling guilty one minute for being shallow; and
angry the next because he put her in such an awkward position.

    
Her Camry finally
arrived.

    
“Nice car,” said
Kenny, as he paid the attendant.

    
“Thanks.”

    
They walked to the
driver’s side and Kenny opened her door. He commented on the navigation system
inside. She told him she needed it because she gets lost in a closet.

    
They laughed.

    
Then silence.

    
“Aren’t you going to
say something, Kenny?”

    
He sighed. “I had a
nice time. Just wish things had worked out differently.”

    
He kissed her on the
cheek and hugged her. This time, she hugged him back. The smell of his cologne
aroused her.

    
Damn! Why did he have to be so big?

Chapter Five

N
icole
Harris
had a man.

While her sorors and other
friends hated on her relationship, she basked in the glow of making love every
night with her six-foot-five-inch ebony king.

    
She liked to tell them
that while their hands played with the little man in the boat, hers played with
the little beady hairs on her man’s chest. They wanted what she had, but their
jealousy wouldn’t let them see it. At least, that’s how she saw it in the
beginning.

    
Only one of her girls
was married and two were in relationships. The others were on a mad
testosterone hunt. The competition in D.C. was fierce and most of the brothers
in the suburbs had wives. That didn’t stop several of them from hitting on her
at the gym and the grocery store, but she wasn’t trying to share, at least not
willingly.

    
She’d dated several
brothers at her job and others who worked for D.C. government, but things just
never seemed to work out so she turned to the ‘net. After meeting several frogs
she accepted the fact that she’d be bringing in the new millennium alone. But
by Halloween, she’d found her prince on LoveMeBlack.com.

Hello
LMB,

I am a
tall lady, 5'10 to be exact, and I would love a tall, handsome man to sweep me
off my feet. I live in Bowie, Maryland, not too far from D.C. I have one son
and if you don’t mind being his friend, too, we can talk. I’m a Christian, drug
and alcohol free, looking for the same. In addition to being a single parent,
I’m a public relations executive, which means I am a busy lady. Have no fear,
though, I know how to set my priorities and make time for that special someone.
I’m independent, but not so independent that I don’t need to be held. If you’ve
been looking for that special lady, I might just be her. Email me and let’s
find out.
  

Nicole

Lady
Nicole,

I moved
to the US from London a few years ago. I hope my 6'5" frame meets your
height specifications. I’m 210 lbs of lean muscle (photos on request). I’m what
you Americans call a gym rat. I love anything athletic and that has to do with
the outdoors. I’m a personal fitness trainer. Unlike American men, strong black
women do not intimidate me. In fact, I adore them. I’d love to find out what we
have in common and see where this could lead. I’d also like to know if your
inner beauty matches your outer beauty. Hope I hear from you soon.

Chauncey

Hello
Chauncey,

How are
you? It was nice of you to write. So you’re a personal trainer? I imagine you
come across beautiful women every day in your line of work, yet somehow, you
still manage to stay single? I work out about three times a week, but I haven’t
managed to achieve my goal yet. Maybe you can give some pointers. I, too, enjoy
the outdoors and physical activity. Tell me, do you have any children? What
religion are you and where do you live? Also, I’d love a photo, so consider
this a request.

Until
we “meet” again,

Nicole

Lady
Nicole,

It was
so nice to hear from you. I would love to help you devise a plan to help you
achieve your goals, but first you must tell me where you are and where you’d
like to be. I know women don’t like to talk about their weight, but it would
help if I knew what you were trying to accomplish.

However,
I must say based on the picture I saw of you online, you look fine just as you
are. As for my clients, I have a strict policy of not mixing business with
pleasure. I won’t deny that I’ve been propositioned a few times, but I simply
don’t date clients.

I have
a son. He lives in London with his mother. We are divorced. I live in New York
and I was raised Catholic, but consider myself just Christian. I'm looking for
a very special lady to have dinner with, go out to the movies, or just hang out
with and have some fun. I am a very fun loving gentleman who doesn't play games
and is not looking for a one-night stand. Does this interest you so far? I hope
we can get to know one another better. I’ve enclosed a photo. I hope it is to
your liking.

Chauncey

Hello
again Chauncey,

Well,
what you are looking for sounds fine, with one exception. We live four hours
apart. But I guess we can cross that bridge when we come to it. How long has it
been since you left London and moved to New York? I'm from D.C. but moved to
Maryland after I graduated from college. I work in D.C. though. I enjoy being
around positive people, people with a sense of humor, who know how to laugh and
have fun and don't take themselves too seriously. As for one-night-stands, I'm
not looking for one of those either. But, I’m also not looking to rush into
anything. Just would like to meet someone I can spend time with, get to know,
establish a friendship and take it from there.

Take
Care, Nicole

P.S.
The photo was definitely to my liking and I’m not comfortable telling you what
I weigh. At least, not just yet.

L
ady Nicole,

You may
keep your weight to yourself for now, but eventually it will come out. (smile)
If you’re worried that I would judge you, don’t be. I think you are a lovely
woman already and it’s what’s on the inside that matters.

So tell
me more about yourself? Tell me about your family? About your son? What’s his
name? What does he like to do? It must be difficult being a single parent. I
love children and I have the utmost respect for women who raise them alone. My
parents were divorced when I was eight. I’m originally from Barbados and my mum
still lives there with my younger brother. Perhaps one day, you’ll feel
comfortable giving me your number and I can call you and put a voice to the
face and the emails.

Have a
lovely day,

Chauncey

Hi
there Chauncey,

Thanks
for the compliment. Without getting into how much I weigh, I’ll tell you that
I’m a size 14 and I’d love to go back to being a size 10.

 
My son’s name is Jamal, “Jay” for short.
His father and I were college sweethearts, but things fell apart after we
graduated. Jamal loves basketball and soccer and yes it is hard raising him
alone. I’m blessed to have good friends, though, who can bring him to his games
when I have to work late and who help out in other ways. His father sees him,
but not that often. My parents were married for over 30 years when my father
died a few years ago. My mother had a stroke last year and she is in a nursing
home. I visit as often as I can. My family is very close. I have a sister who
lives in D.C. and a brother who lives in New Jersey.

 
Why don’t you give me your phone number
and I will call you.

Take
Care,

Nicole

    
She waited a week
before calling him.

    
“Hello, Chauncey. This
is Nicole Harris. How are you?”

    
“Lady, Nicole! Why
hello. I’m doing well. How are you?”

    
His accent was like an
aphrodisiac to her ears.

   
 
“I’m okay. Is this a good time? You’re
not with a client are you?”

    
“No, this is not a bad
time. In fact, it’s perfect. Today is Sunday and I always rest on the seventh
day.”

    
“Good. It’s nice to
finally put a voice with the words. I was wondering if you had an accent and I
see that you do.”

    
“Same here. And my
what a lovely voice it is. Very deep and sultry. Do you sing?”

    
“Actually, I do. In
the church choir.”

    
“Another thing we have
in common. I used to sing in the chorus back home in Barbados. One day,
perhaps, I’ll sing for you. I particularly enjoy Luther Vandross and Stevie
Wonder. What about you, daahling? What kind of music do you like?”

    
“I like gospel and
rhythm and blues. So which do you consider home, London or Barbados?”

    
“I lived in London for
ten years, but I was born and raised in Barbados. That is my homeland. We call
it Little England.”

    
“Well, I don’t want to
keep you. I just called to say hello and to finally hear your voice.”

    
“You’re not keeping
me, but I hope to have the opportunity to hear your lovely voice again. Perhaps
you will call me tomorrow or maybe even give me your number so that I may call
you.”

    
She gave Chauncey her
number and after a month of emails and long phone conversations, they agreed to
meet in New York for their first date on New Year’s Eve. He bought her a train
ticket and met her at Grand Central Station.

    
Nicole smiled as
Chauncey came toward her, unable to hide the delight in her eyes.

    
Did she really have a
date with a man who looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a magazine?

    
Chauncey looked just
like his picture. His sleek baldhead accented his smooth, ebony face. A neatly
trimmed black mustache separated his prominent nose from his mouth.

    
His narrow brown eyes
squinted as he smiled at her, flashing chalk white teeth.

    
He took her hand and
kissed it.

    
“Lady Harris. It’s so
wonderful to finally meet you. You are a vision.”

    
A wave of electricity
shot through Nicole and landed between her legs.

    
“Thanks. You’re nice
to look at, too.”

    
He took her bag and
they walked to his black Ford Expedition, parked a few blocks away. He drove to
Forty-Second Street where they had dinner at the
Soul Café, a supper club in the heart of New York’s theater district.

    
Nicole sank into the
cushioned, high-back chair and listened intently as Chauncey regaled her with
stories of the people he’d met online and entertained at his home in London
before his divorce. He’d had better luck establishing friendships on the
Internet than loveships, but he knew Nicole was about to change that.

    
She challenged his
assumption, but only half-heartedly. The thought of becoming his lover made her
smile inside. He had an encyclopedic mind and photographic memory. The fact
that he was fine and worldly to boot increased his stock.

    
Nicole was fascinated
by other cultures. Between bites of jerk duck, and when she could get a word
in, which was only when he was stuffing his mouth with red snapper, she asked
questions about Barbados and London. She didn’t mind that Chauncey monopolized
the conversation, though, because he was such a great storyteller.

    
After dinner, they
checked into a midtown Manhattan hotel. Chauncey shared an apartment with his
sister. She needed the financial help, he said.

    
He wanted Nicole to be
comfortable so he booked a room with two beds, giving her the option to sleep
alone. She appreciated that.

 
     
In the room,
they drank wine, talked, and watched New Year’s Eve celebrations on TV.

 
    
They had planned to go
to Times Square and watch the ball drop. Instead, they surrendered to the cozy
couch in the suite.

    
Chauncey ordered
champagne and cheesecake from room service and they had a private party. He fed
her a slice of cake. When he finished, he noticed a dot of cream cheese on the
corner of her mouth. He licked it off, catching Nicole off guard. She eased
away from him.

    
“I’m sorry dear haart.
Did I offend you?”

    
Nicole gave him a
nervous smile. “No.”

    
“Then why are you over
there?”

     
Nicole felt like
a teenager. How did she keep him close, but not too close? If she gave in, would
he think she was easy?
  

     
Chauncey didn’t
wait for her answer. He put a glass of champagne to her lips.

Nicole sipped as he stared at
her. She felt her imperfections magnify under his gaze, making her even more
nervous.

    
“I won’t ask you to do
anything you don’t want to, Lady Harris. I just want to celebrate the New Year
with you in my arms.”