Page 15 of Mahogany 2
Mahogany was confident. Her elegance and confidence were radiant. It met you before her beauty. But with me that confidence seemed to melt away. Subtly. Slowly. I wondered if I came off too strong. Wondered if my attraction to her was too obvious. Wondered if calling her by her maiden name was too disrespectful and uncomfortable for her. I needed to chill.
Nodding, she said, “Yeah. It’s a bit intimidating but…” Pausing, she shrugged. “I’m up for the challenge.”
We locked eyes for a second before she looked away and took a sip of her drink. Again. Pretty soon she wouldn’t have shit to go for. The glass was practically empty. I watched as her gloss tainted the glass and had to shift around in my own seat.Shit.
“Straight up? I like that. A woman that don’t run away from a little challenge.”
She locked eyes with me and winked. “I run towards it.”
“Mmh,” I grunted, with a head nod. “I think we’re going to work very well together, Ms. Mills.”
She laughed, nodded and said, “Yeah… I think so too.”
It didn’t take long for her to stop correcting me, did it?
Noticing the waitress on her way to another table, I gestured for her to come over. Nodding towards Mahogany’s glass, I asked her to bring another mimosa. She needed it. Not because she wanted to be drunk but because it was a blanket. Something that calmed her. Relaxed her. Like a safety net. I didn’t want her embarrassed when she reached for it again and it was empty. I cared because I wanted her comfortable.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “But how you know I want another one? This is a business meeting.”
I laughed. “The meeting is some ways away from ending and you keep going for it. You need it.” Pausing, I made sure we locked eyes when I said, “Not like that, neither.”
“You callin’ me an alcoholic, Mr. Carter?” She joked. “Oh, this meeting is over.”
We shared a laugh and hers faded out a bit. Eye contact lingered and softened. Seemed as if the nerves that were weighing her down lifted a little too. “I really do think this is going to be a great partnership,” she added. “We have a lot of work to do. Good to know you’re not going to be hard to work with.”
“I shouldn’t be,” I said. “I do like my black though.”
“You seem pretty easy to convince.”
“I trust you. Whatever you say, I’m with it.”
She went for her glass, finishing her drink. “Be careful with what you say. I might take advantage of that.”
With a smile I said, “Can’t take advantage of the willing.”
She laughed a little and looked around before mumbling, “Where is that waitress with my drink?”
We shared another laugh, and I decided to chill. She was right—we were at a business meeting, and she was married. Despite how unhappy I thought she was, I had to respect her. We did have a lot of projects to work on and would be working together for quite some time, so I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
“I’m talking shit,” I added. “Let me pull these blueprints up before you get too drunk to read them.”
Again, we laughed, and she playfully hit me in the arm. “Never. I can handle a couple of mimosas, thank you very much. I shouldn’t even be drinking but?—”
“You needed a drink,” I challenged again. “You’re nervous.”
“Intimidated,” she corrected.
“Same thing.”
“Completely different,” she said with a frown.
“Intimidation makes you nervous; same thing.”
We stared at each other in silence for a couple of seconds before she finally agreed.
“You have nothing to be intimidated about,” I told her. “I’m a regular nig—guy.” I lightly chuckled. “My bad.”
She twisted her lips up at me. “Be yourself, Crescent. You’re a regular nigga—to you. To me, you’re a high-profile client who’s paying me a pretty-pretty penny to bring your visions to life. One being very personal and special. It’s very intimidating.”
