Chapter 7 #3
“Good morning, Ms. Mills, I’m Alvin. I’ll be here to help for the duration of your visit,” he extended his hand and I shook it.
Well. Okay then. Maybe I should’ve taken notes. And to think, all I had at Couture was a lounge. I needed something like this. It would indeed put Couture on a whole different level.
“Good morning, Alvin. Thank you,” I said with a soft smile.
We turned to head to the elevator and that’s when I saw him.
He saw me too.
Judah fucking Wolfe. And he was wearing his infamous smile.
I swallowed, thinking about the last time I saw him and wanted to turn around and leave.
I was embarrassed. This was embarrassing.
All of it. Prancing around in high heels, with my shoulders pulled back, as Mahogany Mills-Morris, interior design mogul.
While he knew me as Mocha, the freaky bitch who just handled three niggas the other night before running out.
Now look.
He was seeing me in this light, pretending to be a wholesome woman. He knew me as a wife now. And he saw me at Pandora’s the other night. I was… I felt small.
“Mahogany,” Judah spoke. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Mr. Wolfe,” I spoke back.
There was this glint in his eyes that told me he liked that. Liked this. A little too much for comfort. It was probably the Mr. Wolfe that got him. I made a mental note to never call him that again.
“I can see her up, Alvin. It’s cool.”
“You sure?” Alvin asked, averting his eyes from me to Judah. “Mr. Carter said—“
“Yes, I’m sure. Is that okay with you, Mahogany?” Judah interrupted.
Was it okay with me? Could I share an elevator with Judah?
Alone? I could. I could do that. I would do that.
I would be okay with that. Simply because I didn’t want him to know I was as bothered as I was.
I didn’t want my mask to slip. The one I put on earlier.
The one doused in confidence and ‘bad bitch’.
“Sure, that’s not a problem. Thank you Alvin.”
Alvin walked off and Judah and I were left alone, standing at the elevator, waiting for it to come down.
“You look good today,” Judah complimented.
“I look good every day,” I countered, forcing confidence.
He looked down at me. “You didn’t the other night.”
That stung.
“Well…”
“No offense. You were beautiful… of course but—“
“We don’t talk about that here. We don’t talk about that… ever.”
“We’re not talking about that,” Judah corrected. “We’re talking about you.”
The elevator doors opened, and he let me step on first. “I was worried about you.”
I huffed. “Yeah, sure.”
“In all of the years that we’ve known each other… do you know me? How have I treated you? What have I given you? Haven’t I been attentive? Tender. Caring. Present? You think that’s limited to sex only?”
I looked over at him and then back at the illuminating numbers on the elevator, watching as we ascended. “This is… it’s highly inappropriate and I don’t want to talk about the other night. The other night I was—”
“Sad. You were sad.”
“What I was, is none of your business, Ju,” I stressed. “I—this isn’t going to work. This is not going to work,” I repeated, shaking my head. “You—did you tell—“
“Didn’t I tell you I took the NDA serious? Shit, I don’t need an NDA to keep my mouth shut. I’m not some lil’ ass boy that runs around telling niggas my business. Damn, Mahogany. You act like you don’t know me at all.”
“Well,” I paused. “I don’t. Not in this context.”
“Same nigga, different setting.”
I was worried. If it came up… if I came up… like that, I would be devastated.
“You trust me?” He added.
“Absolutely not,” I said with a condescending laugh. “You are a man after all.”
Judah stared at me for a second before shaking his head. “Damn shame.”
“What?”
“Whatever he did to you. It’s a shame. I hate these niggas. That’s why I do what I do.”
I would have asked him what it was that he did but I didn’t have to.
Judah preyed on women. Not in a creepy way, but he did.
Before we got together, I watched him watch them.
Women. Studying them. He studied me. I watched him watch me too.
Judah didn’t immediately approach me. He waited.
I often wondered why but after getting with him and watching him do the same thing with other women, I got it.
He was looking for the sad ones. The ones that stuck out like a sore thumb.
And not in a sexy way. In a vulnerable, timid way. The way I was.
“I can’t and I won’t try to convince you. But rest assured pretty lady… our secret is safe with me. I trust that it’s safe with you as well.”
“Absolutely,” I told him.
With a sigh he asked, “We gon have to do this every time we see each other?”
I shrugged my right shoulder. “No. I just… I’m a very private person.”
“Got that from dinner, love.” Changing the subject he said, “For what it’s worth... maybe you’ve outgrown that shit. You know? Hang it up, baby. Shit too fire to be giving it out to undeserving niggas anyway.”
I didn't say anything. I just nodded and stared at the numbers on the elevator, impatiently waiting to get to Crescent’s floor.
“Take it easy on him when you get up there,” said Judah, breaking the silence.
With dipped brows, I said, “huh?”
“Crescent,” he said with a smile. “Take it easy. He’s particularly sensitive about the project. For reasons I’m sure you’re aware of. Be easy on him. Give him what he wants.” Judah paused. “You. The best.”
I swallowed and we locked eyes. I wondered if he knew.
Wondered if Crescent told him what we did.
I didn’t dare ask. We just looked at one another.
There was this knowing in his gaze that I didn’t like.
I didn’t question that either. After a couple of seconds of silence, I just said okay and soon after, the elevator doors opened.
Judah walked me to the office, we said our goodbyes, and I knocked on the door.
My heart raced as I thought about facing him again.
The time we spent on the elevator at Couture was brief, and what did we do?
Damn near kiss. What would happen in his office?
With more time? I didn’t want to have sex with him.
I didn’t want to cross that line again. We wouldn’t.
I was pissed at him. That wouldn’t change once he opened the door, would it?
I swallowed.
I was nervous. Hands were clammy, wrapped around the handle of my bag too.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel as confident as I did this morning when I got dressed.
In fact, I felt a little overdressed. Why’d I choose a dress?
Why did I wear these heels? And my makeup…
the soft glam was a bit too much. I should have opted for something natural. I—
The office door suddenly opening startled me and I flinched a little.
There he was. Crescent Carter. Dressed professionally in one of his designer suits, except he was without a jacket, and his tie sat loosely around his neck.
His cologne greeted me before he did. His signature scent.
In the short time I’ve known him, I hadn’t smelled anything else on him.
“Mo,” Crescent spoke with a lazy smile. “Good morning.” Looking around, he asked, “Alvin didn’t see you up?”
“Good morning, Mr. Carter.. No, Judah—Mr. Wolfe did,” I told him.
With a squint, he grunted, “Mmh. Come on in.”
Nervously swallowing, I followed behind him, eyeing him.
God, he was even sexy from behind. His pecks were the perfect size, protruding through the thin crisp white button up top he wore.
He was as drawing as he always was. But today it was heavy.
So heavy that I almost reached out and touched him.
Shouldn’t have wanted to. Not under these circumstances.
“How you been?” Crescent asked, sitting at his desk.
I glanced over at him. I hated that question. Coming from him especially. The way he asked… with his eyes locked on me, as if he was studying me for the truth made me feel naked.
I sat across from him. His desk… it was massive.
About three times the size of mine in width.
It was nice. Took up the right amount of space but I felt like it put too much distance between him and the guest. Maybe I felt that way because I wanted to be closer.
Shouldn’t have wanted to be closer but I did. God... this man.
“I’ve been okay,” I lied. “You?”
What a lie.
What a fucking lie.
I wondered if he believed me. Wondered if he sensed the hesitation to answer him, in my tone.
“Better today,” he replied, his eyes locked on mine.
I looked away and took a deep breath. “So… we might as well get right to it.”
He nodded and I continued.
“Your complaint about Shar… It’s—Crescent, it’s bullshit.”
He laughed. “Excuse me?”
I came here with my business hat on, but I couldn’t help it. I would have never spoken to another client like that. But see... Crescent wasn’t the average client. He was purposely being a pain in my ass and I didn’t appreciate it.
I locked eyes with him and cleared my throat.
“It’s bullshit. I know, not too professional but let’s be real here.
I’ve gone over Shar’s quarterly performance reviews over the past year and she’s been outstanding.
She couldn’t possibly be giving you the problems you say she is.
Incompetent? Poor communication skills? Lack of vision?
None of those things sound anything like Shar. ”
He was quiet for a moment. Watching me. His eyes left mine and washed over the rest of my face before they landed on my eyes again. I sucked in a breath and held it as silence filled the room, the only sound being the ticking of the massive black clock sitting on the wall.
There he was again. Intimidating. Daunting. Alluring. Enigmatic. I didn’t like it when he went quiet and stared at me. Made me feel seen. Almost as if I was naked. Feeling naked today felt different than what it would have felt like a month ago.
I exhaled and brushed my hand down the back of my neck. “Cres—”