Читать книгу Body Heat - Adrianne Byrd, Pamela Yaye - Страница 8

18 months later…

Gisella’s and Charlie Masters’s hands overlapped as they gripped the knife and together sliced into a popular Sinful Chocolate creation: white chocolate and lemon cake. The happy couple smiled at the wedding photographer and then at each other before shoving a handful of the decadent dessert into each other’s faces.

Laughter rippled through the large gathering of friends and family and then a cheer went up when Charlie then tried to kiss and lick his wife’s face clean.

“I love you, baby,” he whispered, snapping their bodies together despite the small baby bump and dipping his head for a long, soulful kiss. She tasted so sweet.

“Je t’aime aussi,” she responded when he allowed her to come up for air.

Charlie groaned at the instant hard-on he acquired whenever Gisella spoke French. Now that they’ve said their I dos, Charlie was ready to skip right to the honeymoon, so much so he found himself asking Gisella every five minutes, “Can we leave now?”

Charlie laughed as his mother gripped his cheeks and tried to pinch the blood out of them. “My baby has made me so proud. Not only did you give me a beautiful daughter-in-law, but I’m finally getting my grandbaby.”

“Anything for you, Mama.” He kissed her cheek.

“Of course you know I was right,” she added, releasing his cheeks. “Didn’t I tell you if you found a woman who could cook like your mama then you had a winner?”

“That you did, Mama.” He wrapped his arm around her.

“I just wish your father was here to see this day,” she said. “Married and about to become a father. He would be so proud. I am.”

“Thanks Mom.” He kissed her lovingly on her upturned cheek.

“Mama Arlene,” Taariq Bryson, a fellow Kappa Psi Kappa brother, greeted her with a wide smile. “I don’t know if Charlie told you, but we talked it over and he’s completely cool with calling me Daddy. All you have to do now is accept my proposal. I’ll make an honest woman out of you.”

“You’re so bad.” Arlene blushed as she gave Taariq a welcoming hug. “Now when are you getting married?”

“As soon as you say yes.”

She rolled her eyes. “You just love me for my fried chicken.”

“That’s not true. You make a mean sweet potato pie, too.”

Arlene laughed and then continued to giggle like a schoolgirl when Taariq asked for a dance. As he led her to the dance floor, Charlie was left to shake his head.

“So you finally did it,” Hylan said, stepping forward and slapping his large hand across Charlie’s back. “You waved the white flag and surrendered to the enemy.”

Charlie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t start that with me.”

“What?” He hunched his shoulders. “I’m just saying. We were supposed to be playas for life. Remember?”

Derrick Knight, another fraternity brother, rushed up behind Hylan and quickly put him in a headlock. “Whatever he’s saying, don’t listen to him.”

“Oh, he’s harmless.” Charlie chuckled. “I’m just waiting for the day when he starts waving his own white flag.”

“It’ll never happen,” Hylan croaked from under Derrick’s arm.

“It doesn’t make any sense to be so hardheaded,” Derrick said, releasing him.

Hylan inhaled a deep breath and then playfully lunged a left jab at Derrick’s shoulder. “Mark my words. A brother like me ain’t going down without a fight. You’ll have to pry my playa card out of my cold dead hands.”

“All right,” Derrick said. “We’re going to hold you to that.”

“Charlie,” said Stanley, the only white Kappa brother in their clique, as he joined the group. “Your wife’s cake is off the hook. What’s her secret, man?”

“She didn’t make this cake. Her assistant Pamela insisted on making the cake as a gift. She did a good job.”

“Pamela, huh? Where is she?” Stanley turned to survey the crowd. “Maybe I’ll marry her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear it,” Charlie laughed. “Start with baby steps. Try to get a date first.”

“Or try to get a woman to stand still long enough for you to introduce yourself,” Hylan added, laughing. It was a tradition to give the lanky redhead a hard time.

“Ha-ha. Ya’ll gonna get enough messing with me.” Stanley scanned the crowd again. “There’s gotta be someone here I can hook up with. Weddings are the best places for single people to hook up. That and funerals.”

Hylan and Charlie just stared at him.

“What? It’s what I heard.”

“We’re going to pray for you,” Hylan said, rolling his eyes. How Stanley managed to hang with them for fifteen years and still be as square as he was was something short of amazing.

“Whatever.” Stanley moved his lanky frame closer to Charlie. “So now that you’re off the market, what do you say to passing a playa like me your infamous little black book? I’ve heard that it’s a pretty thick book.”

“A playa like you?” Hylan snickered. “If anyone should inherit the Holy Grail from my man here, it should be me.”

“Guys, guys. As much as I’d like to improve your game, I can’t. Gisella and I had a nice farewell ceremony and then tossed the book into the fireplace.”

Hylan and Stanley blinked and then both pointed at him accusingly. “Judas!”

Derrick and Charlie laughed.

“What do a couple of married women have to do to get a dance with their husbands?”

Derrick and Charlie turned toward their smiling wives.

“Not a thing,” Charlie said, taking his wife into his arms. “Of course I’m looking forward to a little private dance,” he whispered as he led her toward the music.

“Oh you’ll get your dance, Mr. Masters. That and a whole lot more.”

“That’s what I’m counting on, Mrs. Masters. That’s what I’m counting on.”

Still smiling, Hylan shook his head. Two of the five Kappa brothers were down for the count. He still couldn’t believe it. Hell, it seems like it was just yesterday when they were all piled into Herman’s Barbershop and giving each other dabs and swearing that a honey would never lock them down. “Playas for life,” they had all vowed.

Now look at them.

Hylan, along with most of the wedding guests, watched the bride and groom glide across the floor to an old Luther Vandross classic. He had to admit that his buddy, Charlie, had certainly snagged himself a beautiful woman. Gisella glowed like an angel as she stared up into her husband’s eyes and Charlie looked…happy. In fact, Hylan had never seen him so happy.

There was a sudden tightening in Hylan’s chest. His throat constricted and his eyes…

A waiter waltzed by and Hylan snatched a flute of champagne from his tray and downed the contents in one long gulp while he tried to shake off whatever the heck that feeling was coming over him. “Maybe it’s just heartburn,” he mumbled as he set the now-empty flute on the next tray that passed by.

“Need an antacid?” Stanley asked, popping out of nowhere and grinning like one of those funny-looking orange Cheshire cats.

Hylan jumped and cocked an arm back. “Man, you’re going to get tired of sneaking up on me like that.”

Stanley laughed. “Don’t blame me. You ought to stop being so damn scary.”

“Ha-ha.” Hylan rolled his eyes.

“So where’s your girl at?”

That was a good question. Hylan’s gaze scanned the perimeter a couple of times and came up empty. “Why is it when women go to the bathroom, they stay in there forever?” he asked.

“Like I would know.” Stanley jammed his hands deep into his pants pockets and rocked on his heels. “So what’s the 4-1-1 with you and Shonda? Y’all together again?”

Hylan shrugged. “We’re just kickin’ it. Why?”

Stanley smirked. “Just asking.”

Hylan stretched the collar of his dress shirt and then grabbed another flute of champagne from yet another tray. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Of course not.”

After busting out some old school moves with Charlie’s mother, Taariq bowed to the older woman and then made his way over to his two best friends. “Well, it looks like another one bites the dust, fellas. I still can’t believe it.” He swung his gaze over to Hylan. “I gotta tell ya. I thought you’d fall before old Charlie.”

Hylan choked on the rest of his champagne. “Who, me?”

Taariq swatted him on the back. “You all right?”

Once Hylan finally managed to suck enough air into his lungs, he waved Taariq off. “How the hell can you say something like that? It’s like you’re calling me outta my Christian name or something.”

“All right. Don’t be overly dramatic,” Taariq said, shrugging. “It’s just that…you know…you and Shonda hooked up again.”

“And? Just because I’m seeing some chick I used to date a while back you think that’s just cause for me to jump off a cliff?”

“I’ve just never known you to recycle.”

Hylan cut his gaze toward Stanley.

“Me, either,” Stanley said.

“And you brought her to the wedding,” Taariq added.

“So? It’s just a pit stop. We’re flying out to Saint Lucia this afternoon for a little sun and fun. I haven’t had a vacation in I don’t know how long—and I need one.” Which was the truth. Dawson Engineering was still doing well, even in a down economy and was on pace to becoming Atlanta’s largest and most innovative technology provider. Hylan was in an industry where being a workaholic was required.

But the times he carved out to play—he played hard.

Taariq laughed and snapped his fingers in front of Hylan’s face. “C’mon, man. This is basic Playa Handbook 101 stuff here. You never bring a chick to a wedding unless you plan on marrying her. You bring a chick here and they get to seeing a wedding dress and all these pretty flower arrangements, and the next thing you know they’re plotting how they’re going to get you down the aisle.

Hylan started bobbing his head. Taariq was right. What the heck was he thinking? He liked Shonda. They always had a good time together—but making her wifey or wife was definitely not in the cards.

Just then Hylan caught sight of Shonda threading her way through the crowd. The young, budding actress drew her fair share of stares, but it probably had more to do with the fact she was wearing an outfit better suited for a hooker—an extremely short silk mini-dress that left nothing to the imagination.

The men in attendance seemed to like it.

The women…not so much.

Hylan glanced at his watch. “It’s about that time. I’m outta here.” He turned and gave both Stanley and Taariq half hugs and fist bumps.

“What? You’re not going to wait for the garter toss?” Taariq teased.

“Get the hell out of here with that mess, man.” Hylan laughed and then strolled across the pavilion to retrieve his date.

Shonda didn’t see Hylan and was still scanning the crowd and bouncing anxiously on her toes when he eased up behind her and wrapped his arm around her small waist. “Looking for me?”

Shonda jumped and gasped, but as soon as she realized who it was, she relaxed and turned in his arms to face him. “I’ve got great news,” she beamed.

Her excitement was so contagious, Hylan’s smile stretched equally as wide. “All right. Lay it on me.”

“I just received a call from Nick Jones. The Nick Jones,” she said squealing. “He wants me in his latest movie. Can you believe it?”

Actually, he couldn’t. “Well, that’s great. It looks like it’ll be a vacation slash celebration in Saint Lucia this week.” He glanced at his watch again. “Are you about ready to go?”

“Oh, I can’t go,” she said, eyes blinking. “Nick wants me out in L.A. tomorrow.”

“What?”

Shonda looped her arms around Hylan’s neck and pressed her large breasts against his chest while she poked her lips out into a fake pout. “You understand, don’t you? It’s the Nick Jones.”

Hylan’s spirits plummeted with disappointment, but he hid it with a perfect mask of understanding. “Sure. I understand.”

Looks like I’m flying solo on this vacation.