Comfort of a Man (Arabesque) (2 page)

“He’s not here right now,” Jaleel said, his voice still absent of warmth.

“What do you mean he’s not there? He’s supposed to be watching you. Where is he?”

“At the hospital. They paged him in over an hour ago. Don’t worry. I think at sixteen, I can tuck myself into bed.”

This time she only counted to five. “I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t.”

“Sure, Mom. Is there anything else?”

She didn’t bother counting at all this time. “You better
start watching your tone or I swear to goodness I’m going to crawl through this phone.”

He didn’t answer.

Brooklyn shook her head. When was she going to learn that getting angry with Jaleel wasn’t going to get her anywhere? “Well, tell your father I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

“Jaleel?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

I love you.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, too.”

“Okay.” He hung up.

Brooklyn held the phone.

Toni exited the bathroom wearing one of the hotel’s large terry-cloth robes. She stopped in her tracks when she looked at Brooklyn. “How did it go?”

“It went like it always does.” Brooklyn exhaled and hung up the phone. “I just don’t know what to do anymore. We keep rubbing each other the wrong way.”

Toni waved her off. “Don’t let it get to you. He’s a teenager.”

“He’s an angry teenager.”

“What teenager isn’t?”

Brooklyn smiled, but her heart remained heavy. “I just don’t get it. Evan cheated on me. He left our marriage and Jaleel treats me as though it’s my fault. Evan gets to enjoy Jaleel’s laughter while I get his anger. It’s just not fair.”

Toni moved over to Brooklyn’s bed and draped a supportive arm around her. “I know it doesn’t look like it right now, but I’m sure everything is going to work out.”

Brooklyn laid her head against Toni’s shoulder, tired of searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Why don’t you get ready for bed? We have a full day of shopping and plays ahead of us tomorrow.”

“You know what?” Brooklyn said, drawing herself up and standing from the bed.

“What?” Toni eyed her suspiciously.

“I think I need a drink. I’m going to the Atrium Lounge.”

“You want me to come with you?”

“Nah. I think I need some time alone to think.”

“Come on, Brooklyn. This is supposed to be a fun trip. There’s plenty of time to think about our problems when we get back to Atlanta.”

“I’ll just have one drink.”

Toni jabbed her hands to her hips.

“Just one drink. I swear after that I’ll put all my problems behind me until we return home.”

Toni held her gaze. “You promise?”

“Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a Girl Scout.”

Brooklyn smiled. “A small technicality.”

Toni laughed and gave in. “Okay. Go ahead and have
your one drink. And tomorrow not a peep out of you about Jaleel or Evan—or Macy.”

“Deal.” Brooklyn turned and snatched her purse off the bed and left the suite.

T
he moment Brooklyn entered the Atrium Lounge, she felt out of place. It wasn’t that the music was too loud or that the place was overcrowded. It was simply that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a bar. Could it have been as far back as college?

Maybe Maria was right. Maybe she’d turned into a prude. She frowned and removed the clip from her hair and shook it to tumble about her shoulders. Brooklyn D. Douglas was no prude.

“Good evening, miss. What can I get you?”

Brooklyn looked up at the bartender’s friendly face. “I’ll have an apple margarita.”

“Excellent choice. I happen to make a mean one.”

She flashed him a smile. “Don’t hurt me now.”

“If the lady will allow me, I’d like to put her drink on my tab,” a smooth baritone floated from behind her.

Brooklyn’s protest crested her tongue as she turned around, but the words vanished when her gaze met a familiar pair of gray eyes.

The man smiled. “Mind if I join you?”

The voice inside Brooklyn’s head finally spoke up and told her to close her mouth and stop staring. “Sure. If you’d like.”

He chuckled and slid onto the bar stool next to her. “Imagine my surprise when I saw you walk through the door. I never thought our paths would cross again.”

“Oh?” She played it cool.

“You do remember me from the Broadway Joe Steakhouse tonight, don’t you?”

How could she possibly forget? “Oh, yeah. I remember now.”

He eyed her with a lopsided grin.

“One apple margarita,” the bartender announced, placing her drink on top of the lounge’s logo napkin.

“Thank you.”

“No ring,” the man said from beside her. “That’s a good sign.”

She glanced at his hand. “You’re not wearing one either.” Her gaze lifted to his handsome features. “Or is it in your pocket?”

He laughed. The flash of his white smile made him more stunning.

“I promise you. I’m not married—never been married.”

“Well, I can’t say the same.”

“Oh?” He took a sip of his own drink. “A good experience, I hope.”

Brooklyn shrugged. What the hell? “It didn’t exactly leave a sweet taste in my mouth.”

His gaze lowered to her lips. “What a shame.”

A sweltering heat wave consumed her. “Why is that? Are you looking for a wife?”

“Not tonight.” His gaze leveled with hers.

Brooklyn reveled in a pleasure that traveled clear down to her toes. The man’s eyes cast her under a hypnotic spell—one she wasn’t too sure she wanted to break. “So, what brings you to New York?” she managed to ask. “Business or pleasure?”

He took another gulp of his drink. “Business, though I can make time for pleasure.”

She glanced down at her drink, convinced she was blushing like a silly schoolgirl. She was well out of practice when it came to the game of flirting. “How come I get the feeling you do this all the time?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Pick up women at bars—or are you going to tell me that you don’t do this often and there’s just something about me that draws you to me?”

“
Now
who sounds experienced at this?”

Brooklyn laughed. “Far from it.” She sipped her drink, and then glowed with surprise.

The bartender appeared and beamed a wide smile at her. “I take it you like it?”

“This is great.”

“I told you,” he said with a wink and then waltzed off.

“So what about you?” Her mysterious companion brought her attention back to him—not that it had ever strayed too far.

She glanced at him. “What about me?”

“Are you here for business or pleasure?”

She thrust up her chin. “Pleasure.”

His brows rose. “Anything I can help you with?”

“You’re rather direct.”

“I meant whether I could escort you around the city, take you to a few plays. That sort of thing.”

“Sure you did.”

“Ow.” He laughed with his hand placed over his heart. “I think you just insulted me. Don’t I look the part of a gentleman?”

In truth, he did look the part. She shrugged and pretended her apology was forced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to question your character. I’m sure you’re quite the gentleman. Just as I’m sure you don’t make it a habit to pick up strange women in bars.”

His laughter infected her. “What can I say? You’re just going to have to take my word. But I do think we need to back up a couple of steps and allow me to introduce
myself.” He held out his hand. “My name is Isaiah Washington.”

“Brooklyn.”

His brows rose again. “No last name?”

“Just Brooklyn…for now.”

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Brooklyn. What an interesting name.”

“Not as interesting as my middle name.”

“Surely you’re not going to leave it at that.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Believe it or not, it’s Dodgers.”

His features turned cautious before his lips slanted. “You’re pulling my leg.”

“I wish I was, but I have a father who’s a huge baseball fan.”

“So he named you after a baseball team?”

Brooklyn shrugged. “What can I say? They thought it would be cute.”

“Boy, I bet kids teased you growing up.”

“Nah,” she said, laughing. “I told people that the D stood for Diane.”

“Any siblings?”

“Nope.” She thrust up her chin. “I’m an only child.”

“Uh-oh.” He clenched his teeth in mock horror. “I hate to do it, but I’m going to have to deduct one point for that one.”

“Why?” She blinked, but continued laughing.

Isaiah shook his head. “An only child is usually high maintenance.”

Brooklyn jabbed both hands to her hips. “What?”

His hands went up in surrender. “Sorry, but it’s true. An only child is used to being the center of attention and can even be a little selfish at times.”

Her mouth dropped open. “And exactly what do you base this malarkey on?”

“Experience.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Experience?” she asked with disbelief and shock.

“Yep.” He took another gulp of his drink, and then slid his cool gray eyes in her direction. “I’m an only child, too.”

At another flash of his smile, Brooklyn’s annoyance evaporated. “You had me going there for a minute.” She waved a finger at him. “You’re very funny.”

“Ooh. I was aiming for charming.”

“You’re that, too.”

“In that case, let me buy you another drink.”

Brooklyn glanced down at her glass, surprised to see she’d finished it.

“Would the lady like to have another?” the smiling bartender asked.

Brooklyn’s promise to Toni echoed hauntingly in her ear, but she dismissed it. She’d come down to mope about her problems but instead had forgotten about them. Which was easy to do when you had someone as handsome as Isaiah Washington sitting next to you.

He placed his elbows onto the bar and leaned in
her direction. “How about the lady trying something different?”

Her gaze bounced between the two men. “Nothing hard. I’m not a hard drinker.”

“I think the apple margarita gave that away,” Isaiah said with a laugh, and then ordered from the bartender. “Let’s see if she’ll like a Scooby Snack.”

“One Scooby Snack coming up.”

“What the heck is a Scooby Snack?”

“If I tell you it would spoil the surprise. Trust me. You’ll like it.”

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer. “All right. I’ll give it a try.”

“Good.”

Brooklyn took a long assessing look at Isaiah. “So how is it that you’ve been able to avoid the temptation of marriage?”

Isaiah gave her his full attention.

“First of all, I don’t know whether I would use the word
temptation.
Second, maybe in a way I am married.”

“Oh?” she asked, hoping she’d done a good job of masking her disappointment. “You have a girlfriend or a live-in love?”

“Sort of. I’m, in an odd sort of way, married to my work.”

Brooklyn nodded slowly. “I see. And what kind of work do you do?”

“Sales and marketing.”

“So you’re a regular suit man. I can see that.”

“Oh, can you?”

“Yep.” She bobbed her head. “Of course I saw you this evening, remember?”

“One Scooby Snack.” The bartender returned and placed her second drink in front of her. “Enjoy.”

“Now what is this?” she asked Isaiah.

“Come on. Where is your sense of adventure? Just taste it.”

Brooklyn frowned. It was the second time her “sense of adventure” had been questioned. She grabbed the drink and took a brave gulp, and then blinked in surprise. “This is good.”

“I told you you’d like it.”

“No one likes a braggart.” She smiled at his rumble of laughter.

“I’ll make sure I keep that in mind.” His gaze locked on her. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“I haven’t so far,” she said.

“Why are you here?”

“Came to see a few plays with some girlfriends. We usually make this trip every year. New York is at its best during the holidays.”

Isaiah’s smile turned seductive. “That’s not what I meant.”

She frowned. “Then what did you mean?”

“Well.” He looked at his watch. “It’s 1:00 a.m. and I don’t see any of your friends with you.”

“Oh…that.” She rolled her eyes.

He nodded. “Oh…that,” he mimicked.

“Let’s just say that I needed some time to myself.”

“Did I mess up your plans?”

“No.” She took another sip of her drink. “You improved them.”

Isaiah’s lips twitched with a blooming smile. “Glad that I could help.”

Brooklyn suddenly became aware of the increasing amount of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Their fluttering wings, combined with the warm rush of alcohol, gave her a delicious tingle. She drew in a deep breath and slowly licked her lips.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning toward her.

She drew in his scent and smiled. He wore no cologne or heavy aftershave—just the clean scent of soap. “You smell good.”

His brows rose high over his eyes. “You don’t smell bad yourself.”

She giggled. She actually giggled.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink,” he concluded with a soft chuckle.

Brooklyn bobbed her head, but continued to enjoy the wonderful wave of emotion flowing through her. “I was supposed to have only one drink,” she informed him. “I have a low tolerance level.”

“You’re drunk off one Scooby Snack? I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Don’t forget the margarita. Besides, I’m not drunk,”
she clarified, holding up a finger. “I’m just a little buzzed.”

“Good.” He inched closer. “Because I would hate for this night to end so soon.”

She moved closer. “That would make two of us.”

His slow gaze was like a lover’s caress as it slid over her. “You’re a very beautiful woman.”

Every inch of Brooklyn’s body warmed beneath the intensity of his gaze. “Thank you.” She lifted her drink, grateful that it remained steady despite her nervousness.

“How long are you in town?” Isaiah asked.

“Just for the weekend,” she replied smoothly.

“That makes two of us. How about I take you to lunch or dinner tomorrow?”

She moaned and shook her head. “Sorry. I have plans.”

He smiled but disappointment flickered in his eyes. “Too bad.”

Her head started to clear when reality threatened to overtake her. Hadn’t she told the girls just that evening that she had no room for a relationship in her life?

Noel’s voice floated back to her.
Haven’t you ever heard of baby steps?

Brooklyn controlled her shock at the direction her thoughts had turned, but Pandora’s box had been opened and damn if she would close it.

“So I guess all we have is tonight?” Isaiah asked as he lifted a glass to her.

Baby steps.

“I guess so,” she answered in a low whisper. Damn, he was good looking. When was the last time she’d been around someone who’d made her feel like a woman—a desirable woman?

She took a deep breath and lifted her glass to him. “Since tonight is all we have, why don’t we spend what’s left of it up in your suite?”