Chapter Twenty-Three
Harrison
I hated that Caroline was bothered during our dinner. I felt that we couldn’t enjoy ourselves because of Johnathan, and now, more than ever, I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and watch him struggle to get air from his lungs. I would never forgive him if his foolishness got between me and Caroline. Especially right now. It seemed like we were headed in a good direction, but with the way she was feeling, I wasn’t sure how things were going to go. The next morning, she sent me a text as a reminder that she was going out with Meghan.
“OK. I’ll call my driver. He will be downstairs in about 15 minutes. Have fun, babe. I’ll be here when you get back.”
“OK, thank you.”
I hoped that Meghan could help her see that things weren’t as bad as they seemed, but that was all I could do. After I had called my driver, I switched my attention to Brian. I knew he would be ecstatic that we closed the deal. “Brian?”
“Harrison. I was just thinking about you, man. How did things go?”
“Great.” I stretched my legs out in front of me as I sat in my chair. “We closed the deal.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. And Caroline was an excellent substitute. She knew a lot about the business, and she practically answered every question that the group asked. She was rather impressive, Brian. Seriously.”
“Wow. Wow. So,” he chuckled, “are you saying you will be replacing me for future meetings?”
“No. God, no. If anything, I will send the two of you along. You guys will be like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. My secret weapons that I deploy to close every deal we get.”
He laughed. “Yeah, man, I don’t mind the sound of that. Hell, if she is as good as you say, maybe you need to think about keeping her for the long run.”
I knew he was talking about the business, but I couldn’t help but think about her in my life as my bride. That was the long run that was at the forefront of my mind if we could get past this rocky moment that we were facing. “Yeah,” I said, coming back to the phone call, “yeah. She is set on leaving in half a year though, so we will see. How is your daughter?”
“Oh, she is good now. She’s back at home, running around like nothing was ever wrong with her. That stuff cleared up the day before the trip to California, but I figured I’d take the next few days off just to make sure my little girl was OK.”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t have allowed you to come anyway. I said that you needed to be there with your little girl and I meant that. I truly meant it.”
“Yeah, I know, I know, and I appreciate that, brother. From the bottom of my heart.” A brief silence rested between us. “So, what do you and Caroline have planned for the last day in California?”
“Well, she is going out with a friend of hers today, so I am just hanging out around the hotel.”
“What’s going on with you two? I know you are just going to brush it off as nothing, but I’ve seen the way you look at her. I know there is something more between you two.”
I folded my leg across the other. “Nothing, man. Nothing. She is my accountant, who happens to be my daughter’s best friend. That’s it. She is a good girl and… I will be honest; I do believe that – if the chips fell the right way, I could see myself with her.”
“I knew it!”
“Yeah, man. That’s how I see it. She is damn near perfect for me, you know? Damn near perfect.”
We continued our conversation about her. He warned me how it would look from an outside perspective, but if I lived my life caring what other people thought, I wouldn’t have been as successful as I was right now. I didn’t allow other people to influence any of my decisions, and it wasn’t going to change right now. We stayed on the phone for almost 20 minutes before he scooted off the phone. “Man, the old ball and chain is calling my name. Listen, you two enjoy the rest of your trip and be careful, alright? And,” he lowered her voice as if he didn’t want anyone around him to hear, “if you happen to sleep with her, make sure you take your energy drink. That girl looks like she will give you a run for your money.”
I laughed as my mind replayed a few of our sexual encounters. I had no problem keeping up with her throughout the night. “Yeah,” I said with the smile still on my face, “IF it goes there, I think I will be alright. You take it easy, Brian. I will see you on Monday.”
“Alright, boss.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it onto my mattress. I figured that Caroline would be gone for a few hours, so I decided to head downstairs to the bar and have a drink or two while I waited for her to come back. As I walked through the hallways, I recalled the times I spent in this hotel with other women. Women that I met while I was on business and others that I met while I was on vacation. I laughed to myself, thinking about the number of times Sarah called me a man whore. She spoke her mind, whether it was good or bad, but I appreciated her honestly. The elevator buzzed when it got to my floor, snapping me out of my daydream.
I took the elevator downstairs and found an empty bar stool to sit on. There was a television right above the bar that played the Golden State Warriors game, so I figured I would catch a few quarters before I headed back up to my room. Just then, the bartender approached me. She was a short, brunette woman with one dimple on her left cheek. Her V-neck T-shirt was cut low in the front, and as she leaned forward to slide the coaster in front of me, she gave me a good view of what she had to offer. With a wink, she started the conversation. “What can I get a handsome man like you this afternoon?”
“Um, I will take a glass of scotch, please.”
“Scotch, huh? That is a classic choice. Anything else?”
“No. That will be all for now. Thank you.”
She smiled, then grabbed the bottle off the shelf and poured my drink. I analyzed her body structure. She was thick below her waist and a little pudgy on the sides, but she still maintained her attractiveness. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and it dangled to the middle of her back. Her skin had a perfect tan to it. I imagined the alternating colors on her bikini line as she brought my drink back to me and slid a straw into the glass. “There you go,” she said as she placed the drink on the coaster.
“Thank you.” I could sense the attraction in the air. I was the only one at the bar, so for the moment, I had all of her attention. “So, what is your name?” The crowd on the television jeered as Curry made a three-point shot to put them up by two.
“Amanda,” she said with a friendly smile. “But you can call me Te-Te.”
“Te-Te?” I asked, quizzically. “How did you come up with that nickname?”
Her smile remained as she looked down at her breasts, then back towards me, “Well, I can think of TWO reasons why,” she said, giggling. My eyes drifted to her breasts. They sat perfectly beneath her shirt as she stood in front of me. “But, that’s been my nickname since I was about 19. That’s when I started bartending, and you know, from there, it just stuck.”
“I see.” I took a sip of my drink. I knew she was interested. She looked to be no more than 25, and as far as her looks went, she was right up my alley. “So, how long have you been working here? I’ve stayed here a few times, but I think this is my first time meeting you.”
“Yeah,” she said as another customer sat a few seats down from me. “I started working here about two months ago. I just finished going to bartending school, you know? So this is my first job. Can you hold on for a second? I need to see what this guy wants.”
“Sure thing.”
She smiled, then headed towards the younger man that had just taken his seat. The crowd jeered again as Steph Curry drained another three-point shot. I took a sip of my drink as I covertly watched her interaction with the other customer. I wondered if she was just a friendly person overall or if she was interested in me. I glanced at her backside as she stood in front of him to collect his order. She didn’t crack a smile until she looked back in my direction while she made his drink. It’s me. I waited for a few minutes until she came back in front of me. “Look, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but that guy that just sat down? He is so damned annoying. This is his fourth time at this bar today, and he always comes around trying to start small talk with me. I told him that I wasn’t interested, but he doesn’t get the picture.”
“Oh? Well, you can’t blame him for having good taste.”
She blushed. “I guess you’re right, but still. I just wish that he would bother someone else.”
I narrowed my eyes as I took another sip of my drink. Before I knew it, the bottom was empty. She whisked the glass away and poured me another before I could even ask for a refill. “You are good at your job,” I said as she placed my drink on the coaster.
“Yeah. That is not the only thing I am good at.” I smiled. Her eyes danced over my body until she spoke up again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
“Harrison.”
She extended her hand to shake mine. “Well, Harrison, it is nice to meet a fine, distinguished man like yourself. Tell me, do you happen to be married? Perhaps, a girlfriend lurking around here somewhere? I don’t want to get you into any trouble.” I immediately thought about Caroline. Normally, there wouldn’t have been a thought of any other woman in my mind, especially when there was a temptation like this standing right in front of me. I glanced away from her for a second as if Caroline was going to walk through the doors of the restaurant at any moment.
“No, I am not married. However, I do have a girlfriend.” She wasn’t officially mine, but I just figured that it was only a matter of time before she was.
“A girlfriend, huh?” She gave me a once-over. Her full lips glistened with gloss as she spoke again. “Well, I can’t say that I am surprised. A sexy man like you? Yeah, I didn’t expect you to be on the market.” She reached into her pocket and slid her card onto the table. “I don’t know how long you are going to be here, but, if you want to have some fun for a night or two and then forget it ever happened, just call me. I’m sure we can find a few things to do to kill some time.” She brushed her hand on top of mine as she softly bit her bottom lip, then walked towards another customer that had arrived at the bar.
I finished my drink, pulled a 20 out of my pocket, and dropped it on the counter next to her card, then walked out of the bar. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t take her card. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but now, all I could think about was Caroline. It was hard to believe that she could bring so much change into my life by just being herself. I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore.