Читать книгу Borrow Trouble - Mary Monroe - Страница 14

Inez divorced Paul and married Vincent Tunney. She kept her maiden name each time she got married, claiming that it helped her maintain her independence.

“When are you and Robbie going to tie the knot?” Inez asked me when she and Vince returned from a romp in Vegas, where they’d celebrated their third anniversary.

“Next year, I guess,” I said, with a heavy sigh.

“You guess? Well, you don’t have to jump up and down about it. Don’t you love him?”

“I guess.” I shrugged.

Inez’s mouth dropped open. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything, because it wasn’t my business. But I hope you don’t do something you’ll regret. If you don’t want to marry this man, don’t do it.”

“I can always get a divorce. I’m sure you can walk me through that,” I said, with a touch of sarcasm. “I just don’t know if I am ready to give up my freedom for Robbie Dunbar. What if I meet somebody I like better after I marry Robbie?”

“Listen, don’t you make any plans for this Friday night. I’m taking you to this club off of Superior in Cleveland. It only takes about fifteen minutes to get there from here. It’s where I met Vince. If there is somebody else out there for you, he’ll be at the Victory Club.”

Inez had her new husband baby-sit her two daughters that Friday night when she took me to the Victory Club. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this club. The décor was typical: dark carpets and furniture, obligatory plants, and murals of handsome men and beautiful women on the walls. The band was a little better than the bands at some of the other clubs I went to, and most of the men had on suits and ties.

For the first hour, nobody asked me to dance. Inez didn’t wait for men to ask her to dance, she asked them. And not a single one turned her down. I was on my way back from the ladies’ room when I met Leon. I don’t know where he came from. There was no man near me, and then, all of a sudden, he was there. It seemed like he had just jumped off of one of the murals on the walls. Luther was crooning in the background, making things even more conducive to a possible romantic interlude with another man. But I decided to be cautious. I told myself that I hadn’t come to this club to look for someone to replace Robbie, per se. I was on a mission, though, but it was a soul-searching expedition. I needed to be sure that Robbie was the man I wanted to give up my freedom for. I didn’t know if my mission could be accomplished in one night, but I had to start somewhere.

“I’ll let you play with my toys if you let me play with your toys,” Leon said, falling in step beside me. Before I could respond, his arm was around my waist. I was glad that I had on my black dress. Even though it was short and tight, the fact that it was black made me look several pounds slimmer. Not that I had a weight problem, but I was as vain as the next woman. Even at a firm size 8, I was still trying to do home improvements on my body.

“Excuse me?” I said. I had on a pair of panty hose that had a sturdy control top, but I still sucked in my stomach. My admirer had a strong grip on my waist, and it felt good.

“What are you drinking?” he asked, sitting down at my table like I’d come to the club with him.

“White wine,” I mumbled. “Do I know you?” I asked dumbly.

“Not yet,” he smiled. “I’m Leon Webb.” He fished a business card out of the breast pocket of his double-breasted navy blue suit.

I looked at the card, then at him. “You are the first IRS auditor I’ve ever seen in person, thank God,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Are you surprised to see that I don’t have horns and a tail?” He laughed.

“I’m surprised to see that you guys are actually human,” I teased. “No offense, but I’ve always hoped that I’d never have to face one of you guys.”

“Well, as long as you don’t try to cheat Uncle Sam, this might be the last time you come face to face with the IRS.” Leon paused and smiled. He was already handsome, with his medium shade of brown skin, closely cropped black hair, shiny black eyes, and movie star Blair Underwood–type features, but his smile and expensive suit made him look even better. “In more ways than one,” he added, with a wink that made my toes tingle.

“Do a lot of people really lie on their taxes?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation neutral. This man was breathtaking, and I didn’t know how long I could keep my hands off of him.

“Sister, if I had a dollar for every lie I’ve been told by taxpayers, I could retire, move to Italy, and live like a king.” He even sounded like Blair Underwood. Compared to Leon, Robbie looked like one of the Muppets.

I sniffed and tried to appear not too interested. “I wouldn’t lie to you,” I said.

“So if I ask if you’re married, you’ll tell me the truth? And please tell me that you came here alone tonight,” Leon said, with a pleading look on his face. His neatly manicured hand covered mine and squeezed.

“I’m not married,” I replied, with a shy smile. “But I am…uh…there is someone here with me.” I didn’t see any reason to tell him that I was out with another woman.

Leon released my hand and gave me a disappointed look. “Is it somebody I need to be worried about?” he asked, looking behind him, and then over my shoulder.

I shook my head and grinned. “I don’t think so. There is nobody in my life that you need to be worried about.” I didn’t feel good about what I’d just said. The truth of the matter was, Robbie was no threat to Leon. He was not even a challenge. A feather could have knocked Robbie out of first place in my heart. I felt somewhat better when I told myself that Robbie was too good for me.

Leon took both of my hands in his and led me to the dance floor. And that’s where I stayed for the rest of the night in that club, wrapped in his arms.