Chapter 5
Sharla
I’m not looking for a husband, Sharla muttered to herself. I’m just here to have fun.
Sharla repeated that mantra a few more times as she pulled into the valet area of the J.W. Marriott in downtown Los Angeles. All around her, handsome men in suits and tuxedos and women in sparkly cocktail dresses glided out of luxury cars.
As the attendant handed her a ticket, she eyed a thirty-something guy helping a woman out of a Porsche. The woman looped her arm through the man’s and they walked regally into the hotel. Sharla purposefully slowed down to put distance between herself and the elegant couple. Too bad she didn’t have a date.
After three escalators and a jaunt down a never-ending hallway, Sharla reached the ballroom. The place was overflowing with L.A.’s black professional elite. She saw a couple of judges she knew, two doctors as well as one of her UCLA Law School classmates.
Before she could repeat her mantra one more time, she spotted Reese standing near the registration table.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Reese gave her a hug. “I was afraid I’d have to send Nicholas to your house to pull you out of bed.”
Reese leaned back for an admiring look at Sharla’s outfit. “I see you took my advice. Red is definitely your color. And I would kill for your legs.”
“Trade me your husband and we have a deal.”
Sharla admired Reese’s floor-length, hot pink chiffon dress. Her hair was swept up into a stylish bun, reminiscent of a beauty pageant contestant.
“Check that out.” Reese extended her hand toward the packed dance floor, where heads were bobbing to a song by Rihanna. “We sold a ton of tickets. Twenty percent more than last year.” The dance funded scholarships for local law students.
“Congrats.” Sharla scanned the room. “Where’s my boy?”
Reese’s husband was like a big brother to Sharla.
“We have a table near the bar. But I already told him not to let you hang on to him all night. There’re some cute guys in here. Go meet one.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Reese took Sharla’s hand and they zigzagged their way through the crowd. A second later, someone called Reese away, leaving Sharla by herself. Luckily, she saw Nicholas standing along the wall talking to a decent-looking guy she didn’t recognize.
“Hey, big bro.” Sharla leaned in to peck him on the cheek.
“And who is this?” asked the man next to him. He eyed Sharla like a lollipop he couldn’t wait to lick.
“This is my wife’s best friend, Sharla Ratliff. She’s a—”
“Nice to meet you.” Sharla stuck out her hand, cutting Nicholas off before he told this stranger way too much of her business.
“And I’m Wallace Browne.” The man’s eyes zoomed in on her cleavage, then brazenly gave her legs a once over. “Are you a lawyer?”
Strike one. A lot of guys came to the dance searching for a sugar mama.
“Are you?” Sharla asked.
“Naw, but I wouldn’t mind meeting one.”
Sharla responded with a cynical glare that Nicholas completely understood. Wallace, on the other hand, had no clue.
Before she could think up a way to escape, someone tapped Wallace on the shoulder. “Don’t you move,” he said to her before walking off. “I’ll be back in a few.”
“Thank God for small miracles,” Sharla muttered
Nicholas snickered. “That dress is slammin’. Dudes are going to be hitting on you all night. So get used to it. I’ll never understand why you’re still on the market.”
“Because all the wonderful men like you are taken.”
Nicholas Coleman was the kind of guy Sharla never seemed to attract. Nice looking and easygoing, he was a solid breadwinner who understood the concept of work-life balance and made every effort to practice it. Keeping Reese and their four-year-old daughter with smiles on their faces was more important to him than adding another zero to the six-figure salary he earned as a captain with the Inglewood Fire Department.
“That’s bull. You’re way too hard on guys.”
“No, I’m not. Most guys—”
Sharla locked eyes with a handsome man standing halfway across the room. He was tall and thickly built. Even this far away, she could tell his suit was expensive, maybe even custom made. The way he carried himself reeked of self-assurance.
Her stomach fluttered and desire ignited like a flame between her legs. It was as if someone had stopped the music and the people standing between them parted like a gigantic zipper, giving them a direct line of sight to each other. Sharla wanted to turn away, but her body refused to budge.
Nicholas glanced over his shoulder to find out what had diverted Sharla’s attention.
“Hmmm. Am I witnessing love at first sight?”
Sharla turned back to Nicholas. “What—uh—what did you say?”
“I saw you eying that dude. Want me to introduce you?”
“Nope.”
“Yes, you do. I don’t know him, but I’m sure he’d like to know that he just made your knees buckle.”
“If you say one word to that man, I promise to kill you and then have Reese kill you all over again once I’m done.”
“I think he’s got his eye on you too because he’s headed this way. I better scram or he’ll think you’re off the market.”
Sharla reached for his arm. “No, don’t go.”
But it was too late. Nicholas disappeared into the crowd.
Sharla glanced discretely in the direction of the man as he weaved his way across the ballroom. Was he really coming over to talk to her?
Part of her wanted to run.
The other part prayed he was making a beeline straight for her.