Chapter 9

 

It was only an iron-clad strength that allowed a thoroughly shocked Keisha to turn a genial smile to the innocent Lila as she stood up and went to the door.

With a hand on the knob she smiled, "Thank you, Lila, I'll take it from here."

The PA smiled and ducked out the door and naïvely went back to her desk as Keisha slowly closed the inch-thick partition and decidedly locked it. She then turned to look at the one man on the planet whom she had hoped to never see again.

The amount of pain, anguish and the broken heart he had made her suffer through, even though exorcised, was still a faint memory at the back of her mind.

Etienne stood there with a graceful ease, looking very nonplussed with both of his hands shoved into his pants pockets. His matching jacket was open and the top two buttons of his dark blue shirt were undone. His smooth dark eyes were slightly hooded and his lips, lips she would have died kissing a lifetime ago, were quirked into a small smile.

Keisha felt a stir of anger in her chest. How could he just stand there and look like so calm, like he wasn’t the one who had brought her to the brink of a massive breakdown? To act as if he wasn’t the one who had cruelly crushed the foundation of a life for them that she had been so set on making.

"I've got to say, you have an impressive thing here, Cherie,” Etienne said simply, the complimentary words rolling off his tongue like liquid silver as he looked around the room.

“First of all,” Keisha said emptily as she walked to her chair and stood behind it. “I’m not your Cherie. I’m not your anything anymore, and what are you doing here, Etienne?”

The man didn’t react much to her tight and almost angry tone, “I’m here as a representative for the company I’m working for in an engineering think-tank at the Marriott for all the top engineering companies in the east coast.”

Keisha’s fingers tightened on the headrest on the back of her chair, “That’s fine but what are you doing here?”

Etienne made to step towards her, "I just wanted to see you, Keisha, a lot of time has passed and I hoped you'd forgive me."

“I wasn’t a matter of forgiving you Etienne,” Keisha said tightly, “I was a matter of forgetting you; which I have.”

A fleeting look like a flinch crossed his face but it disappeared in less than a second. “…I do deserve that.”

Keisha clamped her jaw in order to not say, ‘damn right,’ but she just stood silently and waited for the man to say something.

Never in her life would she have expected Etienne would present himself in her presence after all they had gone through. She had thought that the chapter of him in her life was over and done but then, all of a sudden, he was back here.

The stifled silence stretched and the tension hung in the air. Before she knew it, her mouth opened, “Where is your wife Etienne; where’s Renee?”

“She’s about to have a child,” Etienne replied simply. “Almost eight months; actually.”

At that Keisha was surprised, “She’s pregnant?”

“Oui,” Etienne replied, “… with a boy enfant… for her new husband.”

That was even more of a surprise, “You’re divorced?”

“Three years now,” Etienne replied, “I told you that we were married in name only. Mon père and hers made the arrangement when we were barely nineteen to join our families. We shared one night only, just for the sake of completing the arrangement. After that, we agreed to live separate lives. When we met I was free to do as I wanted and she was the same… so I have no idea why she showed up to accost you.”

Keisha pressed her lips together; Etienne’s argument hadn’t changed and but even with the passage of time the cold concession hadn’t changed anything, she still didn’t have any regrets about leaving him.

“What do you want Etienne?” she asked quietly.

“I’d like for you to have dinner with me,” Etienne said simply, “Let us share one meal Keisha, I know a lot of time has passed but I don’t want any more bad blood between us. I need to show you how sorry I am for deceiving and hurting you.”

“Etienne-”

“Je suis vraiment désolé Keisha,” Etienne murmured in soft formal French, “Je ne mérite pas ton pardon mais, s’il te plait, donnez-moi cette chance.

Oh, damn it; he had rolled off the French, something he knew had been her soft spot. Whenever they had an argument Etienne would shamelessly use French to make her fury melt. He used in the bedroom too and when those smooth seductive words rolled off his tongue as he made sweet, sensual love to her Keisha had been putty in his hands.

She hadn’t studied French but from what she had picked up he had said he was extremely sorry and wanted a chance to prove it.

“That’s shameless cheating…” Her bottom lip was bitten for a moment, “… and I…don’t think I should.”

Etienne stepped forward and his voice dipped to low and cajoling, “Please Keisha, we don’t have to have a meal, we can just have coffee.”

Subconsciously she recognized Etienne’s signature charm coming into play as a deep undertone in his words, “Just coffee Keisha.”

Half of her wanted to refuse but the other half wanted some real closure. Even though she had put it behind her she would be lying to herself if the desire to fully close the wound he had dealt her.

“Okay.” She said quietly, “I’ll go with you, only for coffee.”

Etienne smiled, “I’d never dare to ask for anything more.”

Offering a tight smile, she nodded, “Just let me notify my PA and grab my jacket and purse.”

Etienne then turned away to give her privacy as she took up the landline and rang Lila. In quiet tones, she told her assistant that she would be away for a while and only to contact her if it was absolutely necessary.

Then she slid her jacket on and took up her handbag, “Let’s go, there’s an Italian place with some good coffee place I know off.”

Etienne fell in step with her and flashed a charming smile to her, “Lead the way.”

 

*****

 

The small Italian bistro had tables in alcoves that were purposely designed for having intimate moments, a fact that Keisha really regretted not remembering as the server led them to a table.

It was nestled in a corner with a semi-circle of padded seats around a tiny table and as they sat the woman placed two menus on the table, “I’m Camellia, your server. When you’re ready to order I’ll be-”

“That’s not necessary Camellia,” Keisha cut in smoothly, “We just need coffee, Etienne?”

“Café doppio, please.” The man said smoothly.

“And a café macchiato for me, please, thank you.” Keisha added.

“Sure, I’ll be back in a moment,” Camellia replied and turned away with a smile.

Steeling herself Keisha faced Etienne and forced herself to not react to her ex. He still had that shade of mouthwatering mocha skin. His face sported a defined and smoothly shaven jaw with full lips, a patrician nose and deep brown eyes under low and thick eyebrows were barely decipherable.

Etienne placed his arms on the table and leaned forward to trap her eyes with his, “How have you been?”

Keisha’s hands, which were resting on her lap under the table clenched a bit, “I’ve been fine actually like you saw, I'm running my dream company and I like who I am now.”

Etienne reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, “I can see that.”

The small touch of his fingers had made her freeze, even her breath had stilled in her lungs. Then, mercifully, he pulled back and gave her space to breathe.

“I’m glad.”

“And you?” Keisha asked trying desperately to turn the focus from her, “What have you been doing the past few years.”

Etienne shrugged and sat back, “The same old, a lot of work and little play. It was a sad fact that gaining my masters was the only impetus to make my boss promote me.”

“But you’ve been there for over nine years…” Keisha said after she had completed a quick calculation in her head, “Shouldn’t your track record be more than reason to promote you instead of getting another degree?”

A small smile flit over Etienne’s face, “That’s the Keisha I know; you were always so righteously defensive… I’ve missed that.”

The soft tone he had uttered those words in had sunk into her mind and traitorously struck a part of her she swore was dead; her affection for him. The way he was looking at her wasn’t helping her cause either; it was the soft and regretful look he always took on when he was in the wrong.

In a flash, she realized that coming there with him had to be the worst decision of her life. If she stayed there was a high probability his charm would slide under her skin just like before and start to chip away at her strong resolve.

She needed to leave.

“I’m sorry,” Keisha gushed as she grabbed her bag, “I can’t do this.”

The moment she made to get up Etienne’s hand grabbed hers and his grip was strong enough to stay her. Her head swiveled to him with wide eyes and she was less than five inches away from Etienne’s eyes.

"Please, Keisha… Cherie, please stay… I want to… I need to speak to you.” Etienne said quietly, “Please, just hear me out.”

Centered under his hand was a heat that Keisha was slowly sinking into her skin and stirring up an emotion in her belly that she wasn’t prepared for. Etienne’s beguiling eyes were digging into hers and without being aware of it, she sank slowly back to her seat.

“Etienne…" she cried, "I can't do this."

He pulled back his hand, but not without softly stroking her skin with his pull back, “I’m not asking you to jump into bed with me Keisha…”

‘Maybe not in so many words Keisha thought grimly, ‘but everything before that has.’

“…I just want to make it explain that what happened between us wasn’t supposed to have gone that way.”

Keisha was about to open her mouth and ask, how was it supposed to have gone when the server, Camellia, came back with a tray of their coffee.

"Café doppio for the signore, and café macchiato for the signora,” she said with a smile as she placed the cups on the table. “Please, enjoy.”

Keisha had the strength to smile her thanks to the woman while Etienne intoned his. Grateful for the well-needed distraction Keisha took her cup of coffee and sipped it, allowing her eyes to close as the warm and potent coffee slid down her throat.

With her eyes closed, internally she was furiously putting all her faculties together. Was it rational how being in close contact with her ex was affecting her this much?

Hadn’t she gotten over him? Hadn’t she moved on? Last night was a solid testament to how she had moved on; Hunter had surmounted every man she had been with; Etienne included.

She forced her eyes to open, “You want to explain, right, go ahead.”

Etienne shifted his cup to the side and once again braced his arms on the table. “I told you that Renee and I were married, only in name. Our fathers arranged the union between us because they wanted a strong tie with a business venture they were aiming for. We were young but not stupid and only consented to the sham for the sake of peace. We got married and slept together once and then parted ways. We decided to live our own lives as though the marriage hadn’t happened.”

“Then what did happen?” Keisha asked quietly, “Why did she just come back and claim you as hers?”

“Because she was in a bind,” Etienne replied, “She needed money and the only way she could get some was from me. She was desperate Keisha and she did what all desperate people do, she took some really desperate measures.”

The words he was saying sounded so truthful but Keisha had learned to take everything anyone said with a grain of salt, Etienne included. The memory of that night where she had opened her door to see an angry slender, dark-haired and even darker haired woman on her doorstep had been seared into her mind.

Renee as she later learned had barged into her living room and spat a line of Cajun curses at her, then screamed that Keisha would leave her husband alone if she knew what was good for her.

Keisha had been scared to the soles of her feet when the incensed woman spat, “Etienne is mine, bitch, we’re married get it! He’s my husband and I’m his wife, so leave him the hell alone you trifling whore!”

That didn’t seem like a money issue to her, it seemed more of scorned woman’s territorial claim instead.

“After you demanded the truth and left, I almost emptied my account and gave her enough money for her to leave me alone for the rest of my life.” Etienne continued, “I tried to get you back but you were adamant about leaving and I let you… and it was the worst mistake of my life. You were the best thing I had Keisha, I never meant to lose you.”

Aside from her rational senses, Keisha swallowed hard, the words he had just said paired with his morose expression really tugged at her. His eyes were down to his hands and they were darkened with pain.

A part of her, the soft part of her conscience, was aching to reach out and to say something to comfort him but she held back. It was only justice for him to feel the pain she had felt, even though she wasn’t feeling triumphant about it.

“But you did,” she said, “And I can’t tell you how much I hated you for it.”

"Probably not as much as I hated myself," Etienne sighed, “looking back at it, I should have just told you the truth from the beginning. I was just so elated that I was with you that I thought it didn’t matter, but hindsight had surely proved me wrong.”

A soft and relaxed air that followed his frank confession had taken the space of the tense one that had preceded it.

“… How long are you a here for?” She asked quietly.

“If the schedule is kept, a week,” Etienne said but then smiled sadly, “But you never know what will happen when some geniuses gather in a pissing contest.”

Settling her cup on the saucer Keisha looked at him and had to admit to privately that seeing and talking to him had opened a door in her mind that she wasn't ready to go through yet.

“Etienne… I hear you but…this doesn’t solve everything,” Keisha said calmly, “I’ve gotten over it for a long while and I really didn’t want to go down back that road but… I do understand though and I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.”

Etienne’s eyes took on a satisfied light, “That’s all I’m asking for Keisha.”

Calling for the sever Etienne took care of the bill and the tip and with a hand on the small of her back led her outside to where both of their cars were parked. Always chivalrous Etienne made sure to walk her to her car and when they were there released her and stepped back.

It was nearing dusk and Keisha was solidly surprised about how late it was. She stood at the car's door for a moment as Etienne offered her a small smile. His hand reached up and once again tucked a strand of her hair back.

"I'm glad you accepted my offer, Keisha," Etienne murmured as he stood so close to her that their arms brushed. “I’m glad that we could talk and get to an understanding, something we should have done years ago.”

Either it was purely accidental or it was done by design, their eyes met and Keisha found herself being pulled into and losing herself in his eyes. They were so deep and filled with so many different emotions that she had to literally drag herself away.

“Goodbye Etienne,” Keisha said turning away and into the comforting solace of her vehicle.

Starting the car, she watched Etienne walk away to his blue Mercedes and then forcing herself to focus drove away.

She took a long a slow drive back to her home as there was no sense in going back to the office. On the way there she had called Lila just in time hear that they were closing up.

Leaving the car, she took the elevator up to her floor and studiously forced herself to not think about Etienne. It was only when she stepped inside she remembered that Hunter was to come back there and grimaced.

There was no way she could entertain Hunter in the frame of mind she was now in. Etienne’s visit had unearthed a part her that she had taken time and energy to bury. And it was going to take more energy to rebury.

Dropping her bag and mechanically taking off her shoes Keisha padded barefoot to her kitchen for a glass of water to soothe her parched throat.

After drinking half of the full glass, she pressed the cold glass to her forehead. There was no way around it; she had to call Hunter and try to dissuade him from coming.

Sitting on the couch she took out her cell and stared at it. God, this was hard but it had to be done. The number on the pad before her seemed to swim in her vision but she still dialed it.

“Hello?”

She managed a small smile, “You really are a different person off the clock.”

“I told you so,” Hunter replied and Keisha could practically hear a smirk in his voice. “And besides, I saw your number, so what’s up?”

Keisha bit her lip for a moment then sighed, “I- I would rather you not come tonight... I have a ton of work to do and work me isn’t fun because I practically become a zombie when I’m in full concentrating mode.”

She internally cringed at the lie she had just said, but a part of it was true, she needed to concentrate. She needed to take all the feelings Etienne had unearthed and compartmentalized them. Take them apart and just like Hunter had said and then file them in the neat little folders in the back of her mind, hopefully, to never think of them again.

Outside of her thoughts, she realized that Hunter had gone silent before he uttered a simple, "…Okay.”

That simple word of agreement really shocked Keisha but then again, what was she shocked for? It wasn't like Hunter was her significant other; they'd only had sex, once. Besides the fact that she craved to experience his touch once again, they weren't involved other than that.

“…You’re… okay with that?” she asked with an undertone of unbelief.

"Yes," Hunter replied, "What grounds do I have to contest your will? You're a grown woman Keisha and it's not like I have a claim on you."

‘Oh, but how I wish you did,’ instantly ran through the young mogul’s thoughts.

“Thank you,” she managed to say, “…I really didn’t plan this…but thank you. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

Hunter laughed quietly, “We’ll see.”

Hanging up the phone Keisha went to her room to change into a loose pair of pajamas and then went to the kitchen to make some tea. She had a haunting feeling that it was going to be a long night.