This Tender Melody

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Franklin pulled a handkerchief from an inner pocket of his sport jacket, dabbed at the moisture gathering on his brow. “Good. Now I feel I can leave you two alone to get acquainted.” He stood, retrieved his briefcase from the floor and made his way toward the open door. “You two play nice.” With that, he exited.

Darius looked across the table at his new colleague. She’d let her head fall back against the top of the backrest, her eyes focused on the ceiling tiles above them. She used her feet to swivel the chair a few degrees left, then a few degrees right.

He watched her for a few moments. Something was obviously on her mind, but with the bit of tension still hanging in the air, he didn’t know if he should ask.

But finally curiosity got the better of him. “Do you think we can get along, Ms. Franklin? Can we keep this professional?” Before the last word left his lips, he knew it was going to be mighty hard to keep things that way with her. She was a beauty, full of fire and grace, like a Miles Davis recording.

She straightened, looked at him with a slight frown. “Don’t worry. Professionalism is my area of expertise. You are standing between me and my destiny, but I’m not petty.”

He circled the table until he was standing next to her chair. “I don’t doubt it, but that’s not what I meant.”

Her expression changed, and she looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, then.”

“Sure you do. From the moment I stepped into that elevator with you yesterday, you’ve been on my mind.” He knew he was taking a risk, but he couldn’t resist. With his fingertips, he touched the edge of her hairline, brushing back the hair that had fallen over her forehead once again. It was just as soft to his touch as he’d imagined it would be. “There’s something between us. Something incredible.”

The smallest of sighs slipped from her lips, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Shifting in her seat to draw away from his touch, she shook her head. “Let’s not even go down that road.”

He wasn’t about to let Ms. Sassy Mouth squirm her way out of this one. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t feel it?” He touched her again, this time brushing his fingertips against her cheek.

The brief contact was enough to get her to shift again, then stand. When she did, her body was mere centimeters from his. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t date people I work with, Mr. Winstead.”

He smiled. Her mouth was telling him what she didn’t do, but what she hadn’t said resonated with him even more. She hadn’t denied her attraction to him, she’d only dismissed it as irrelevant. He eased nearer to her, closing the gap between them until his chest grazed hers. “I can’t just ignore how you make me feel. But call me Darius, and we can agree to disagree on this.”

“We both know that if I called you by your first name, I’d be encouraging you.” She raised her eyes to meet his, and for a moment, he saw the passion there. Her lips parted, as if she had more to say.

Of their own accord, his fingertips found the softness of her cheek once more. Whatever she was going to say next was muffled as he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was short, fleeting, but unbearably sweet. Her mouth was softer and more intoxicating than anything he’d ever encountered. When she pulled away, he could feel the buttery remnants clinging to his lips—traces of her cherry lipstick left behind.

In the aftermath, she took a step back but didn’t break eye contact with him. To his mind, she looked conflicted, as if she couldn’t decide what to do or say next.

“Have a good day, Darius.”

The soft-spoken words still hanging in the air, she gathered her purse and slipped from the room.

Chapter 4 (#ulink_16c38299-95c2-59c1-9c92-766de48a25ca)

Around eight that evening, Eve pulled her car into a VIP parking space at the Charlotte Westin. Bar 10, a favorite haunt of Eve, Lina and their book club buddies, dominated the first floor of the hotel. Ophelia, Cara and Tammy weren’t joining them tonight, and she was looking forward to some one-on-one time with her closest friend.

She’d spent the entire crosstown drive replaying her encounter with Darius. There was something about him that made her common sense drain away. How could she have let herself be drawn in by his good looks and smooth talk? She knew better than to start anything with him, regardless of the fact that his good looks made her eyes sting. Yet she’d let him kiss her. She’d had ample time and the opportunity to stop him but she hadn’t. She brought her fingertips to her mouth, remembering what it felt like to have his lips crushed against her own. The memory of his kiss was vivid, intoxicating...and she could never let it happen again.

Realizing she still sat in her car, she unbuckled her seat belt, gathered her keys and purse, and hopped out. The sun hung low on the horizon, almost done with its daily trip across the sky. Up and down College Street, pedestrians strolled by, cars whizzed past and the trees lining the sidewalk swayed in the evening breeze. The beauty of the city wasn’t lost on her, but on days like this it took a bit of extra effort to put her own thoughts aside long enough to enjoy it. Perching her sunglasses on top of her head, she entered the hotel in her favorite pair of pearl-white stilettos and sauntered toward the bar. Her eyes scanned the room for her friend.

The atmosphere at Bar 10 made it the perfect place for Eve and her gal pals to hold court. The large windowed wall facing the street gave a beautiful view of the Queen City and its residents coming and going; the comfortable furniture, tasteful decor and accommodating staff all conspired to create an inviting, relaxing destination at the end of a hard day.

Lina sat near the left side of the bar, in a caramel suede armchair beneath the large window that composed the entire wall. Eve spotted her easily, sitting crossed legged on the chair, wearing her typical evening attire: a silver sequined halter top and black pencil skirt with silver stilettos. A black clutch lay on the floor at her feet. Engrossed in the latest issue of Essence magazine on her lap, she didn’t notice Eve until she slipped into the chair next to her.

“Hey, Eve,” Lina said, looking up from the magazine. “Well, even after surviving another day as a sista in corporate America, you look good, girl.” She glanced out the window, spotting Eve’s car sitting in the lot. “Ready to trade war stories?”

Eve smiled, trying to push away her introspective mood. “Sure. We’ll see who had the most interesting day.”

“So.” Lina crossed her long legs. “What are you drinking?”

To answer her question, Eve flagged down a passing waiter. “Could I get a frozen cosmo, please?”

“And I’ll have a Midori Sour,” Lina added.

“Coming right up, ladies.” The waiter disappeared behind the bar to place their order.

With an exaggerated sigh, Eve dropped her black leather designer bag onto the nearby cocktail table and sank back into her chair. “Well, get ready to hear my latest horror story.”

“Spill it.”

“Well, you know I had to sit through one of those dull-as-hell board meetings this morning, but I do that every month. Today, it was even worse because I met the guy who’s taking my job.”

Lina’s expression conveyed her empathy. “I know you were crushed when your parents told you.”

She shook her head, feeling her emotions rise just thinking about it. “It amazes me that they didn’t even talk to me about it before they made their decision. I’ve been training my whole life for this, and now I’m losing out, just because they doubt my abilities.” She knew her parents hadn’t set out to hurt her, but knowing that they didn’t believe in her at such a critical time was a truly painful thing to accept.

“We both know you’re fully capable of running FTI. Don’t worry, they’ll come around.” Lina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What’s this new guy like, anyway? Isn’t he a friend of your dad’s?”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes, thinking back. “Here I was expecting a baby boomer but the brother who walked in couldn’t be more than thirty-five. So, of course, I’m wondering what a guy this young could possibly have over me, in terms of business acumen and all that.”

Lina’s brow hitched up. “Really? So what does he have?”

She recalled the things Darius had said to her when he’d introduced himself. “He’s young, but experienced. He’s educated, has owned a software business previously and apparently invented the first smartphone operating system before retiring a few years ago.”

“Wow. Sounds impressive.”

She sighed. “Well, he must hear that a lot. This man is so damn arrogant. I mean, he just walked up in there as if he was just crowned king.”

Lina didn’t say anything, but rested her chin in her hands.

“It gets worse. This isn’t the first time I met him.” She grabbed her purse and unzipped the outside compartment, fishing out her phone. “Remember the guy in the elevator the other day, the one I told you about?”

“Oh, yeah. You said he was in the picture I sent you from our girl’s weekend at Emerald Isle.” Lina pulled her own phone out of her skirt pocket. “Wait, do you mean the new CEO is Elevator Volleyball Guy?”

She nodded. “Yes, and I was so shocked I said that out loud and completely embarrassed myself.”

Her friend looked thoughtful for a moment, as if her lawyer mind was working a case. Then, she asked, “If this is the same brother in the picture, with the washboard abs...” She sucked air through her teeth. “Girl, I don’t know how you managed not to lay hands on the brother.”

Eve frowned, placed a hand to her forehead. “Well... I...I mean, we...”

Lina slid forward until she was perched on the edge of her seat. “Whatever it is, you better tell me.”

She hesitated for a moment, then caved to the scrutiny. “He hung around after the meeting. He boldly pointed out that he was attracted to me, and then...kissed me. I didn’t stop him, even though I could have.” Seeing the glint of mischief in her friend’s eyes, she shook her head. “No, Lina. Don’t start.”

“As an attorney, I can tell you that if there’s an antifraternization policy on the books at FTI, you’d better steer clear of him.” Lina leaned back in her chair. “As your girlfriend, though, I’d say you’d better take that stallion for a long ride, honey.”

Eve clamped a hand over her mouth to cover the peals of laughter, but they escaped, anyway. “Lina! You’re outrageous.” She found herself wondering if the company had such a policy, then quickly pushed the thought away. “It doesn’t matter if we have a policy against it or not. I’m not the type who can date someone I work with. It would ruin my focus.”

“Whatever. Like lusting after this dude is going to make you razor sharp.” She winked.

“I’m done talking about this with you, Lina. Now it’s time you told me about your drama.” She scanned the room, wondering where the waiter was with their drinks. All this talk about Darius had her craving the alcoholic beverage.

Lina scoffed. “You’re complaining that a good-looking man is after you. I’m not getting any play at all. Girl, I haven’t been on a date in two months.” She held up her forefinger and middle finger to emphasize her statement. “Two months! I’m about to go straight up crazy.”

“And what’s your excuse? You don’t meet any successful, eligible men in the world of law?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not it. Everywhere I turn, there’s some fine man in a suit. Judges, other lawyers, that fine-ass bailiff down at the courthouse...” Her words trailed off, and she appeared to be imagining said bailiff in her mind’s eye. “But unlike you, Ms. Executive, I have to be very careful not to violate ethics codes.”

“I could understand that. But is there really a law keeping you from getting busy with the bailiff?”

“Shut up!” Lina shouted with mock irritation, tossing one of her silver stilettos at Eve in a playful manner.

At that moment, the waiter approached with their drinks. After almost dropping the tray down on the cocktail table between their two chairs, he left. Eve and Lina continued giggling as he moved away, and then went back to gossiping.

* * *

Darius strolled into Tibbs Music and More, maneuvering the large protective case holding his bass around until it was safely inside the store. He let the door swing shut behind him and made his way over to the counter. As he walked, he bopped his head to the strains of Esperanza Spalding’s “Little Fly,” which played on the store’s PA system. He enjoyed the music of the young bassist, and also found her wild mane of curls to be very sexy.

Behind the counter, Murphy Tibbs stood, rifling through a box of receipts. “Hey there, Darius. Time for Miss Molly’s tuning and maintenance, eh?”

He nodded as he lifted the case up and set it carefully on the counter. “Sure is, and you know I don’t trust anybody with her but you, Murph.” And that was the truth. Miss Molly was a G. B. Rogeri upright bass, a copy of an instrument originally played by its famous Italian namesake. The bass was top quality, fashioned of hand-planed, hand-varnished maple and spruce. Though Miss Molly was a bit deeper than the average bass, she was an absolute dream to set up and play on stage, and she still fit into a standard case. The one he’d purchased for her, made of Kevlar, had set him back two grand on top of Miss Molly’s $4,500 purchase price. But when he was on stage, jamming with the band and getting lost in the magic of the music, he knew it was money well spent.

“I’m sure you know I value that trust.” Murphy slid the case closer to himself, then carefully moved it to the floor behind the counter. “I’ll have her ready for you bright and early tomorrow morning. Stop back in around nine.”

Darius took his wallet out from the pocket of his khaki trousers and extracted six twenty dollar bills. “Thanks a lot, Murph. See you tomorrow.” After passing the money to the shopkeeper, he turned around and left the store.

Outside, a few clouds passed over, temporarily dimming the bright sunlight streaming from above. He strode to his car, parked a few feet from the door of Tibbs, and slipped inside. Soon he eased his car into the traffic, joining the citizens of Charlotte rushing around to grab their lunch before their breaks expired.

As he sat at a red light, he pondered his current situation. He had a standing appointment, every second Thursday of the month, to drop Miss Molly off for maintenance and tuning. Other than that, Saturday basketball games and band practice, and the Gents’ regular twice monthly gig at the Blue Lounge, he had no other demands placed on his time. Now, however, that was all about to change. Accepting the job as CEO at Franklin Technologies meant doing a favor for his old mentor, but it also meant giving up a lot of the freedom he’d come to enjoy over the past several years.

Taking the ramp onto I-74, he mused on his other problem—Eve. She was obviously none too pleased with him, since she seemed to think of him as an interloper, interfering with her family’s business. He could understand that; after all, he’d warned Franklin that his daughter’s reaction to losing out on the CEO position might be negative. Still, now that he’d reconciled that gorgeous, smoking-hot woman he’d shared the elevator with a few days ago with the snapping, angry-faced daughter of his mentor, he had another dilemma on his hands. How could he convince her to go out with him without further complicating an already awkward situation?