Marrying up, p.9
Marrying Up, page 9
“Take it easy,” he said. He was smiling ear to ear. “I have someone I want you to meet.”
Walter stepped to the side of the hallway, and Paris looked up. She had expected to find Sarah and her husband behind him, but instead she looked into Tyson’s face.
Her mouth dropped open. What was he doing here? Their eyes met.
His smile was nervous, uneasy.
Paris felt her stomach jump.
“This is Tyson James. Our company is seriously considering investing in his idea.” He flashed a smile.
“We’ve met.” Paris’s voice was hushed. Her throat was suddenly dry.
“Really? Austin is such a small town. How do you two know each other?” Walter looked from Paris to Tyson. Amusement danced in his eyes.
They stepped in, and Paris closed the door behind them. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard as she tried to manage a feeble answer. “We’re friends.”
The very thing she thought she had been keeping to herself was staring her in the face.
Tyson inhaled loud enough for her to hear. He wasn’t comfortable with her answer, that was clear.
Walter looked from Paris, then back to Tyson again. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Okay then. Tyson, come on in and let me introduce you to some of the folks that you don’t know. If your ideas are half as good as they looked after our initial meeting, you will be seeing a lot of these folks. We are sort of a close-knit group of friends and family.”
Tyson nodded, all the time keeping his eyes locked on Paris’s. There was a lump in his throat. Although the awkwardness hung heavy in the air, he was glad to see her. If she had been avoiding him, it would be hard to do that now.
Walter guided Tyson into the house, leaving Paris standing by the door openmouthed and full of disbelief.
Why had she not known what was going on? Sarah must have known about this. How could she not have put two and two together? Now that Paris thought about it, Sarah had described Tyson so thoroughly she should have caught on, but as usual, she had been so preoccupied with work, she had let it slip by her. Paris shook her head and headed back toward the kitchen. It might not be a bad idea for her to hide there all night.
Paris spent her time avoiding Alexis, Tyson, and JaBari. Wanting to stay away from them all, she hung around with the other female family members, holed up in the kitchen. She feigned interest in their conversations as much as possible, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the two unexpected guests in the house.
Athena leaned against the wall with her, martini glass in hand. The sweet smell of her perfume caught Paris’s nose. She glanced over to find her mother watching her intently.
“What?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” She raised her eyebrows. “You seem to be somewhere else when you need to be up in there with JaBari, being charming and all.” She sipped her drink, then swallowed. “So, you gonna tell your mama or what? He is a fine one. I don’t know why I should have to guess about your date and things.”
The conversation in the kitchen paused as everyone tried to listen in.
Heat prickled Paris’s face.
“Mother, there was one date, and that was it.”
“You have to do better than that. I know there is more, chicken. I like him for you. Your stepfather does, too. He is what the family wants for you.”
“What about what I want?”
“If you knew what you wanted, you would be married already.”
There was a chorus of nods and grunts of acknowledgment.
“Tccch.” Paris grabbed her drink. “I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t know why everyone thinks I have to be married right away. Don’t my wants and likes count for anything?” She looked at the faces around her. “You would believe we are living in the Dark Ages or something the way you people are trying to push us together.”
Everyone in the kitchen was speechless. Paris felt closed-in. She just wanted to get away from them. All of the excitement she had felt about her accomplishments at work was now gone. No one seemed concerned with the things that made her happy. They just focused on one thing—her love life.
She looked at her mother’s shocked expression. She turned and headed toward the patio, leaving the women standing there staring after her.
Tyson finally cornered her there as she stood watching the sunset. She watched the light as it changed the sky from blue-gray, then to a dusky amber.
“They have an incredible view here.” He came up behind her. His voice was slow and sounded as smooth as her drink felt.
Paris jumped, then collected herself. She continued to look out over the horizon so she would not have to look into Tyson’s eyes. Why did he have to be here today? She had not decided if she should be angry, confused, or happy about all the uninvited guests at dinner.
“Why haven’t you ever introduced me to your family, Paris? It feels weird having to meet them this way.”
She turned slightly. “Don’t get me wrong. I like being with you, but I never thought we had that type of relationship. Not that it matters, you have met them all now. Why didn’t you tell me that it was my Walter, my cousin’s fiancé, that was considering investing in your business?” Her nostrils flared. “All this time, I thought you were just blowing smoke about things getting ready to take off for you.”
“How would I have known that? Would it have mattered?” he asked. “Would that have made you want to be with me more or go out in public? And how was I supposed to know you are related to half the town? You never really told me anything about yourself. It isn’t like we talk much when we’re together. You have spent so much time hiding me, being ashamed, what was I supposed to think, anyway?” His tone was velvety and low, yet edged with steel. After talking with her family, it was clear to him what she thought they expected of her. Paris was clearly running from him and looking for love in all the wrong pocketbooks. She talked a good game, but her actions made it clear what her priorities were. He was not going to be cast aside that easily.
“I’m not ashamed.”
“No?” He held up his hand. “Look at me in my eyes and say that. You think I don’t know that you feel that I am not good enough for you?” He paused. “I’ll tell you what, Paris. I’m tired of being toyed with. Either you want to be with me, or you don’t. I may not be as well-off as you would like me to be, but I will get there.”
Her heart beat loudly in her ears. “Why does everything have to be an ultimatum with you? Can’t we just enjoy each other the way we have been?” Her mind refused to register the significance of his words. What was he saying?
“You mean why can’t we just enjoy an occasional booty call and that’s it?” He put his hand on her shoulder, almost in a possessive way. “You need to make up your mind. We are too old for this kinda shit anyway. I’m ready to be a grown-up about things.
“If I wanted to just have a roll in the hay, I could have had that, with someone far less interesting than you. But you have to let me be a part of your life. It is obvious to me that none of these people here knew anything about our relationship at all.” Tyson searched Paris’s face for a response. “You have to have something outside of work, you know. I tried to call you to fill you in on what was going on with my company, and you stood me up. I could tell when we talked on the phone that you were with someone else. You wouldn’t even call me back because in your mind it is all about sex. If that is what you want, then say so, instead of jerking me around all the time and expecting me just to understand what it is you want. I won’t be your gigolo, Paris.”
Paris didn’t respond. Instead, she looked away as tears filled her eyes. What happened to a relationship without ties and complications?
“I will move on, if that is what you truly want. But don’t come calling me up when you need a piece of ass. I’m not looking for that.”
A cloud came over Paris’s face as anger began to well up in her. She pushed his hand from her shoulder. “I’m sorry if that is not good enough. Look, you need to take what I can give you.”
The two of them had been so intense in their discussion that they did not notice the door open. JaBari stood across the patio watching her. He watched as Paris spat her words at Tyson. He cleared his throat loudly.
“Excuse me. Is there a problem?” he asked. His voice was stern.
They whipped around.
Paris’s face colored. How long had he been standing there?
Tyson exhaled, puffing up his chest. “No, there is no problem.”
“Good.” JaBari said. “Seems like Paris is done talking.”
“You should mind your business. She can tell me when she is done. Paris, is this the reason you avoid me so much? Is this the boyfriend? I heard them talking about your date in the den. Is he the family-approved candidate?” Tyson’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“I don’t know you,” JaBari said. “But it seems to me it is not your business. Paris is a big girl, and I’m sure she knows her mind. And it doesn’t look like she is interested in whatever it was you were offering her.”
The patio was silent and tense for a moment as Paris looked from Tyson, to JaBari, then back again. Her face burned, and she was at a loss for words. For the first time, she realized how attached she really was to Tyson.
Tyson’s breath was loud as he waited for an answer from Paris. He was annoyed at JaBari’s intrusion. Who was he anyway? If Paris was really interested in him, she would be quicker to tell him to leave, but she wasn’t telling him that. Instead, although her mouth was saying that she wouldn’t be pressured, her body was still reacting to him in a way that said she was very interested.
“Okay,” Tyson said. His voice was softer now, and he rubbed his palms together. “Paris, you call me when you are ready to discuss this.” He walked to the door that led back into the house. He turned and made eye contact with Paris just long enough to see the indecision and anger in her eyes. He smiled to himself. That was enough for him. She needed some prodding, and he was glad to give it to her.
Brian closed the front door and relief flooded over him. He was exhausted, and his body felt heavy. The last guest had finally left. He was getting too old for these marathon Sunday dinners that went on and on, but Athena seemed to enjoy them so much, he didn’t have the heart to tell her any different. He made his way to the bedroom. Just as he thought, Athena was already getting ready for bed. He sidled up behind her in the bathroom and hugged her from behind.
She grabbed the arms that enveloped her and let them hold her. She leaned back into her husband, enjoying his embrace. Their eyes met in the mirror over the sink in front of them.
He kissed her on the curve of her ear. “Once again, you give a fabulous dinner party,” he said.
She smiled. “How about we give a fabulous dinner party, although I wouldn’t exactly call it a party.”
Brian admired the way his wife threw herself into everything she did. And over the years, she had become masterful at it. “If you say so. Do you really think it is a good idea to be meddling in Paris’s life so much?”
Athena pried his arms loose and turned around to face him. “What do you mean?” Her eyes held a suggestion of annoyance.
Brian knew he had to be careful. Athena had never been one to let him get away with too much criticism. “Well, I mean, if it were any more obvious that you were pushing her and JaBari together, it would be on the evening news. She seems happy, why not leave her alone? Every time you try to get involved she gets all tense.”
She grabbed her brush. “Look, haven’t we been married a long time, longer than most other couples we know?”
He nodded.
“That’s right. So I must know what I am doing. Paris might be grown, but I am her mother. I know her better than she knows herself. Besides, I have my reasons for thinking they would be good together.” Her words were short and clipped. She brushed at her thick, dyed black hair so hard that it made Brian flinch every time the brush made contact with her head.
He sighed. “If you say so, honey.” He was too tired for an argument tonight. Besides, one of the reasons they had been married so long was that he knew when to leave well enough alone.
POSSESSION
Alexis opened the door from the garage to her house. Walter watched, still sitting in the car, his eyes boring into the back of her head.
Her fingers fumbled on the wall in search of the light switch. She flicked it on. Cotton mouth was already beginning to set in, and it was bad. Her bag hit the kitchen table with a thud just as she pulled on the door to the large, stainless-steel refrigerator. It always took more muscle than she anticipated, but it finally swung open. She grabbed a bottle of water from her bottom shelf, unscrewed the top, and had drunk half of the sixteen ounces before she noticed that Walter was standing in front of her.
“What?” she asked.
His face was full of disgust. “I don’t believe you.”
“Maybe I can fill you in if you would just tell me what I did.”
“I shouldn’t have to explain it. It should be as obvious to you as it was to everybody else.” Walter loosened his tie. “You are drunk. I had to drive you home. Paris had to get a ride home. Doesn’t it bother you a little bit that you can’t be trusted to be the designated driver?”
She sat her bottle on the table. “Now, you look here. First of all, I am not drunk. A little tipsy, maybe, but not drunk. I enjoyed dinner along with everyone else. And I wouldn’t have been driving Paris at all if you had been around to ride with me. But as usual work was more important.” Alexis’s nose flared as she spoke. She walked through their kitchen and out the other end.
Walter followed close behind her. “We are not talking about me right now, Alexis. We are talking about you. I can’t believe you would embarrass me like you did.”
They had reached the doorway to their bedroom. Alexis spun around. “Embarrass you? How did I do that? This wasn’t a bunch of business associates, this was MY family. They know me. And I didn’t have any more to drink than I always have. There were quite a few people there who drank more. My uncle Brian included.”
“But it was his house. I just can’t have my fiancée running around in public acting like some kind of drunkard.” He unbuttoned his shirt as he talked and threw it on the clothes horse.
“I’m not your wife yet.”
Alexis flicked on a few more lights as traces of a headache started to creep into her head. Walter’s concern was amusing at first, but now he was becoming annoying.
“If anyone was embarrassing anyone else, you were embarrassing me. You were holed up in the den the whole damn time talking business. You had your head so far up Brian’s ass that it was ridiculous. Can’t you ever leave business at the office? It was supposed to be a family dinner, where we all get together and let our hair down and things—”
He cut her ranting short. “I’m not an ordinary man, Alexis. That is why you want to marry me. You knew that from the get-go. It takes an extraordinarily thorough and hardworking man to produce the life that women like you require.” It was his turn to smirk. “How many times do I have to tell you that I do what I do so that I can ensure our future? Our children’s future, too. I know you don’t want them ever to have to worry about anything. I’m trying to build a lifestyle for them, even if you don’t appreciate it now.”
Alexis felt tears welling up in her eyes. Why did he have to go and spoil a perfectly good mood?
“How can you plan a life for children who aren’t even here yet? What about me?” She sat on the edge of the tub and turned the knobs. “There won’t be a future if you don’t tend to the here and now.”
Walter loosened his belt and stepped out of his pants. “I’m sorry I was so harsh on you.” His voice was softer now. “You deserve to have a little fun with your family.” He walked back out to their bedroom and hung his pants with his shirt. “You forgive me?”
Alexis nodded, although her feelings were still hurt. She scooped her favorite bubble bath into the tub without looking up.
“What do you know about that JaBari guy? He seemed to have some good investment ideas. He had everyone’s ear almost all night.”
“Did he?” She tensed, but did not want Walter to see her reaction. Why was it that her otherwise nonattentive boyfriend seemed to have radar where other men were concerned? “He tried to talk to me about it some, but it all went over my head.”
“Really? He did seem to be talking to you a lot while you were over there in that corner with him. He must have been interesting.”
Alexis sat up straight. “Are you fishing for something, Walter? Just say what you mean to.”
“I said what I meant to. He was new, that’s all. And he talked about money a lot and spent a lot of time with my woman. My two favorite things. I think I have a right to ask some questions, don’t you? I mean, he is a very handsome man.”
“What does that have to do with his ideas about money?”
“Nothing at all. But it has a lot to do with you. I’m not blind. You think I didn’t notice that you were all up in his face, cheesing and smiling? He must have refilled your wineglass three times.”
Alexis let her clothes drop to the floor. Her back was turned away from Walter, and she couldn’t help but smirk. He was jealous. “That is not true. I wasn’t cheesing,” she said.
He shrugged. “Maybe not. But it looked that way to me. I mean, I can’t blame him. He seemed like an intelligent enough man. Something would be wrong with him if he wasn’t attracted to you. Any man would be, as fine as you are.”
A chuckle escaped her lips. “I’m attractive now? So anything that was happening was my fault? Is that what you are saying?”
Alexis was not used to Walter being jealous, but it felt strangely good, sexy even. She felt a tingle in her loins as she lingered, sitting on the edge of the now full tub. She dropped her hand into the warm water and rubbed some of the luxuriously silky suds between her fingertips.
“No, I’m not saying that.”
“Well, what are you saying, then?” She swung around and placed her feet inside the king-sized tub. Goose pimples immediately rose all over her body. The sudden heat from the water caused her to shiver, and her nipples suddenly perked up.
