Fredrick had been calling my phone on and off all night, but I ignored him like the plague. Just because he was my boss didn’t warrant him the rights to disturb me after hours. I knew what he wanted; to make sure, I hadn’t screwed up the meeting with Julian. I wondered for a moment if Fredrick called Julian like he called me. But after thinking about it a bit more, I reasoned he wouldn’t harass him, for fear of losing the account. Getting out of the shower, I wiped the condensation from the mirror and blotted the towel across my skin. It was Tuesday morning, and I set out to make my doctor’s appointment. Since this trip was last minute, I begged my hairstylist to squeeze me in today at noon. It gave me ample time to sit in Dr. Bradshaw’s office, even if it was busy.

I lotion my legs and dressed quickly while I tried not to step on Jasper my Pomeranian. It made sense for me to wear something that would be easy to remove being that this physical would mean getting fully undressed. I chose a simple sundress that accentuated my breasts holding them firmly upright. A belted buckle sat around my waist and the thin material flared over my thighs coming to a halt right above my knees.

I pulled the pin from my hair, and my strands relaxed falling down my back. Although I kept my hair neat and styled with a personal touch, having my stylist dress my hair always gave it an extra bounce. At the door, Jasper wagged his tail and barked. I crouched down to rub his soft fur.

“Be a good boy. I’ll be back soon,” I quipped.

When I stepped outside, a brisk breeze of cool air whipped around me. The winter’s winds hadn’t exactly turned into spring, and I was in denial. I loved springtime, but January, February, and March had been brutally cold. Now the confused climate tried to invade April with its unruly weather. Winter just reminded me how alone I was, but I’d rather be alone any day than being with a lying, cheating scoundrel who didn’t know how to treat a woman. I rethought my dress and decided I couldn’t be late for my appointment. When my phone rang, I rolled my eyes. After last night, I put Fredrick’s number under a melodramatic scream tone; not one that screamed over and over, but one that was a long drawn out nightmare on Elm Street screech. I chuckled. It was perfectly suitable, considering.

“Yes sir,” I answered.

“Desiree, I’ve been calling you since last night. Haven’t you gotten my calls?”

We were on a first name basis. Weird right? Well after years of tidbits and getting on one another’s nerves, it seemed appropriate.

“You mean last night after hours? Unfortunately, I wasn’t available then. I am now. What can I do you for, Fredrick?”

I tried to keep my tone friendly. I didn’t want a bow out knockout match any more than Fredrick probably did.

“You didn’t check in after your meeting with Mr. Rose yesterday.”

“I wasn’t aware I needed to check in.”

The phone went silent, and I checked the screen to see if the call was still connected.

“Fredrick,” I said.

“Desiree, whenever you have a meeting with this account, I need you to check in. I need a play-by-play of what’s going on. You leave in four days, and I want to make sure you have everything you need.”

I smirked. “I could use the company card. I’ll more than likely need it since I’ll be in Dubai for longer than a week.”

“Mr. Rose is taking care of all your accommodations,” he quickly added.

I pulled into Dr. Bradshaw’s office parking lot and cut the engine. “You don’t expect to me turn to Jul—Mr. Rose for all my needs, do you?”

I could hear him exhaling now, no doubt turning red at the thought of me spending lavishly with the company card across seas.

“You’ll have a daily spending limit so don’t go over it. But I implore you to ask Mr. Rose what his accommodations cover before spending anything.”

I rolled my eyes so hard they almost got stuck in the back of my head. “Okay.”

“Now tell me, how did the meeting go?”

Images of Julian’s lips seared against mine made me squirm in the driver’s seat. I tried and failed to remove the sensual images. I must have taken too long to answer because Fredrick started barking.

“Desiree!”

Annoyed by his interruption of my pleasant thoughts, my jaw tightened. “Everything went fine, Fredrick. I asked a few questions, took some notes, we had lunch. It was very easy going. Now, I’m on my way into the doctor’s office so I can find out if I need any vaccinations and get Dr. Bradshaw’s recommendations. After that, I plan to touch basis with Mr. Rose to see if I’ll need anything specific for the trip. I checked my passport last night. It hasn’t expired, and as long as Dr. Bradshaw says everything’s a go, then we can get on with it. How’s that?”

“Thank you,” he huffed. “And I’m sure Dr. Bradshaw won’t have any objections, so that’s nothing to worry about.”

I rolled my eyes again. Did he seriously expect me to check in with details of our daily account like this? My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I leaned into it pretending to bang my head against the hard metal.

“Let me know how that conversation goes,” he said.

“Do you want me to give you updates on every detail?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

I held back my tongue before speaking. “I’ll update you, but every detail won’t be possible if I am to write a good story. That’s what you want more than anything, right, a good story?”

Fredrick went silent again.

“Hello?”

“I want a great story, Desiree. I also want details. Find a way to do them both. I’ve got an incoming call. I’ll talk to you later. And answer your phone!”

The call dropped, and it was all I could do to keep from screaming. Why was I doing this to myself? I thought about the resignation letter. There was still plenty of time to hand it over. I mean, I hadn’t officially taken this assignment. It was forced on me.

Yeah, like you don’t want it.

I sighed and opened the door leaving the confines of my vehicle to head into see Dr. Bradshaw. Three and a half hours later, I came flying out shuffling my way to the Honda Accord that was the only vehicle left in the lot. I had thirty minutes to get across town, and Laney, my hairstylist, had already called to make sure I’d be there. Lord have mercy if I missed this appointment I wouldn’t be able to get another one for three weeks, and that just wouldn’t do.

On my way, I thought about resigning again. I could just tell Julian the truth. The position at the Houston Report didn’t have my best interest at heart and yesterday when I barged in; it was to end my career there.

But then what excuse would you use to see him again?

From the moment I set eyes on Julian, getting to know him was something that interested me. But at what cost? I would just end up falling into my routine of backing away when I felt we were getting too close. So what was the point? Going back and forth over these ideas made me hungry, but I had no time to stop and eat. Deciding to go through with the torture of relaying our every move to Fredrick, I pressed forward pulling into the parking lot of the salon five minutes late. The doorbell chimed as I sprang through.

“I’m here!” I said practically out of breath.

Laney checked her watch. “You’re late.”

“I know, but I’ve got a good excuse.”

“If you take the time to tell me, you’ll be even later, get over here in this chair before I move on to my next client. Besides,” Laney nodded at a young woman sitting idle in a chair against the wall. “Natasha would love to take your spot.”

“Sure would,” Natasha said, “and wouldn’t give it two thoughts.”

The other ladies in the salon chuckled as I made my way to Laney plopping down in the chair.

“Sorry Natasha, maybe next time,” I said.

“Un huh,” was her response.

I held my head back taking a closer look at Laney. “I love the pixie haircut on you,” I told her, “brings out the angles in your face.”

She twisted her lips in a small smile. “I’m doing your hair, you don’t have to butter me up.”

I threw my hand over my chest. “I wouldn’t dare.”

She shook her head. “What do you want today? It doesn’t seem like your hair needs to be relaxed. Your roots are healthy.” She dug her fingers into my scalp, and the little massage made my eyes close. Instantly I imagined Julian pulling my hair to whisper something naughty in my ear.

“Desiree.”

“Hmm?” I opened my eyes.

“What do you want done today honey, time is of the essence.”

“Oh sorry.”

“What’s got you daydreaming today?”

“Oh, nothing, just thinking about this latest assignment. Give me a wash and style. You know I like it when you give my hair that extra bump.”

Laney pulled the plastic cape around my neck and lowered the back of my seat to wash my hair in the sink.

“So what’s this latest assignment of yours?”

The warm water that washed over my scalp ran into my earlobe muffling the sound of Laney’s voice.

“It’s not breaking news; traveling to get exclusive photos from an international photo spread.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I hope to have a little fun.”

“You should find enjoyment in everything you do. Life if short, honey. If I were in your shoes, I’d ask my boss to send me traveling all the time.”

“If only it were that easy.”

I closed my eyes again as Laney massaged my scalp, but that proved to be a mistake. It was bad enough Julian had been on my mind since leaving Chicago. Now, with this new development and after yesterday’s fiasco, getting him out of my head was difficult. I needed to go out, on a date or two. Maybe it would stop me from becoming too engrossed with thoughts of him. I smiled to myself as if I’d come up with the brightest idea in the world. Then, realized quickly, that I loathed men for the womanizers they were and scowled.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Laney asked.

“Uh? Oh, nothing in particular.”

“Sounds like you’re holding out,” Laney sang.

It was no secret that hair salons were the bed and breakfast of gossip shops for just about everything under the sun. But I didn’t plan on making what I was thinking or feeling about Julian known.

“Turn that TV up,” Natasha yelled.

The ladies sitting at the front desk elevated the volume, and a picture of Julian flashed across the screen as if I’d conjured him up by just a thought. The reporter held a bright smile as she spoke into the microphone.

“International male model and owner of A Few Good Men, Julian Alexander Rose was spotted in Houston today coming out of Dan’s barbeque on Jackson and Milling Street.”

The reporter switched gears rolling to footage they’d recorded moments ago. A video of Julian strolling from the front door to his Bentley Bentayga played across the screen.

“We caught up with Mr. Rose and he willingly gave us a moment of his time.”

The camera switched to the recorded interview.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Rose. I’m Milly Washington with WGTN. What brings you to Houston today?”

Julian slid one hand into his pocket and held the other out for a friendly shake.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Washington. I’ve been here for a week now, visiting a friend.”

The timber in his voice sent chills through my spine. I resisted the urge to pull my hand up, and fanned myself as a layer of heat spread across my skin. He was just as beautiful if not more so than he was the day before. Dressed like a prep boy, Julian’s navy blue Brook Brother’s button down clung to his muscular arms and broad shoulders like it were made for him.

“He is so fine!” Natasha said.

“Sssh, I’m trying to hear what the man’s saying, girl,” her friend sitting next to her quipped.

“Could there be a budding romance with this friend?”

A slow grin spread across his amazing mouth.

“I’m working on it.”

He winked at the reporter and strolled away, offering a final wave as his long frame ducked off inside the car.

“You heard it first, Houston,” she said. “Some lucky lady has the attention of the one and only Mr. Julian Alexander Rose. Maybe sooner rather than later, we’ll find out who the lucky woman is. Back to you, Sherri.”

 

As much as I wanted to believe Julian was referring to me, nothing about his visit indicated such. We were working together. Besides some sexual chemistry, I wasn’t even sure Julian and I were friends. We’d been haphazardly thrown into the same world because his brother was marrying my sister. But he did come all this way to do an exclusive report with you. I invoked another image of Julian cutting his eyes at a beautiful woman dressed in some lingerie in the privacy of his suite. Exhaling a heavy sigh, I worked double-time to shuffle my thoughts.

Laney blow dried my hair and added a hot oil treatment. Just as I started to imagine Julian’s lips on mine, a melodramatic scream resonated from my phone and the familiar ringtone made me cringe. That was it. I was resigning tomorrow.