Dancing in the Gray (13 page)

“Trey…”

“What! I’m fine!” He was smiling and
shaking his head. This sixth sense shit was getting out of
control.

“Is it Elise?” How does she do
that?

“Mom, just stop! I’m fine, really!” He
rolled his eyes at the thought of this conversation which was not
even close to being over.

“When’s the last time you talked to
her?”

“I just got off the phone with
her.”

“Then why do you sound so agitated? Is
she back in the states?”

“I’m agitated because you
won’t take
I’m fine
at face value, and no, she’s still in Paris.”

“Oh, that’s where the agitation is
coming from, you miss her.” Trey closed his eyes and shook his
head. He took a couple of deep breaths before he spoke again.
“Trey, are you still there?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Trey, I’m not trying to butt into your
life, but it’s ok to be vulnerable. It’s ok that you are feeling
this way.”

“Ok, thanks for the advice, but
vulnerability isn’t an emotion that I understand.”

“Well, without it, you wouldn’t feel so
happy when you were with her. You have to have sadness without her,
to feel happiness with her. Do you understand what I
mean?”

“Like I said, vulnerability is a
concept that I have some issues with. My entire business and
campaign is built around me NOT having any vulnerability. That’s
how I’ve been successful.”

“Well, I completely disagree.
Vulnerability is the idea that you have to be willing to put
everything out there on the line without any surety that it will
turn out how you want it to. Are you one hundred percent certain
that you will win your election? No. Were you sure when you made
your first investment with Sophia’s money that it would payout like
it did? No. So son, don’t mistake vulnerability for weakness. Those
are two very different concepts. So when it comes to Elise, please
know that you are enough and put everything out on the line without
any certainty. You’ll be surprised on what you can feel for someone
when you do that. Remember, you can’t numb out pain without numbing
out pleasure, too.”

Those words hit Trey to the core. If he
never risked, he would have never seen the rewards. He wanted to
take that risk with Elise. “You should seriously consider becoming
a life coach. Who knew under all that beauty and wisdom lived the
Dalai Lama?”

“Your father did. That’s why he married
me.” Trey laughed.

“I think I want more with her, Mom. I
just have no idea if she feels the same way.”

“And you won’t until you lay it on the
line. Embrace the vulnerability, Trey. I have a feeling you will
see rewards if you do. I just have a feeling about this
one.”

Trey took a deep breath and
welcomed the sadness of missing Elise. He knew it would be replaced
with joy as soon as he saw her when she returned to the states.
“Well, thanks for putting things in perspective and not
taking
I’m fine
at
face value.” Trey really needed this little talk.

“I’m a mom. It’s my job. And speaking
of jobs, my role as First Lady is needed in West Africa. So, I
really need a huge favor from you.”

“Anything, just name it.”

“It actually has to do with Elise.”
Trey was taken aback.

“I’m listening.”

Chapter 12

Even though Elise slept through the
entire trip from Paris to Washington D.C., she still felt exhausted
when she reached Dulles. She was planning on spending a few days at
her Virginia townhome since she hadn’t seen her mom in over two
weeks, but she would be back in New York soon for the Women in
Fashion Awards Banquet.

She called the Palladium to have them
pick up her bags and drop off her car. The Palladium was the luxury
townhome development where Elise bought both her townhome and her
mother’s. Besides the beautiful layout and great view, the
Palladium offered a 24/7 concierge service that was at the beck and
call of their tenants. The concierge service was the main reason
why Elise bought the townhomes there. She wanted to make sure that
if her mother needed anything while she was in New York or
travelling, she would be able to find assistance.

Her mom was totally independent and
capable, but Elise needed that extra measure of security for her
own piece of mind. It was only the two of them and had been that
way all her life, so she felt guilty being so far away because her
work made demands that caused her to be in New York more than
Virginia. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that she would be
able to spend more time with her mom because of the buyout. She
liked the slower pace that Virginia had to offer, and thought about
possibly of returning there permanently. For the first time since
the whirlwind started, she was actually excited to relinquish her
role. There was still some sadness there, but she liked the all the
different possibilities.

Before she left Paris, she gave the
concierge a call to have her car brought to the short term parking
area at the airport and to have someone shuttle her bags back to
the townhome. She knew she would be tired and didn’t want to have
to deal with her bags. As Elise walked through the airport and
headed to the short term parking area, she noticed a gentleman
holding a sign with her name on it. When she actually looked up
from the sign to the person holding it, she was excited.

Ronald, Trey’s security guy, was
standing tall with his black suit on holding the sign. A huge smile
crossed her face as she look over and saw Trey standing next to
him. He looked absolutely gorgeous. He must have come from work or
a political appearance because he was still wearing a tailored
light gray suit with a navy tie. Simply edible!

Once Elise made eye contact, she
couldn’t help but run to him. It only took a few seconds for her to
reach him and wrap her arms around him.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Elise
shrieked loudly catching the attention of a few travelers around
them. She hugged Trey tightly not realizing how much she actually
missed him.

“I wanted to pick you up since I
figured you would be exhausted from the flight.” Trey handed Elise
a bouquet of white lilies, “These are for you.”

Elise loved the bouquet and appreciated
the sweet gesture on Trey’s part. The bouquet consisted of only
five lilies with long stems tied together by a small white ribbon.
She looked up from her flowers and asked, “Has it only been two
days?”

Trey smiled, “I know what you mean.” He
cupped Elise’s face and kissed her lips gently. “I missed you,
too.”

Elise smiled as Trey grabbed her
carry-on bag with one hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders
with the other. He was guiding her to the exit when she realized
that her car was here.

“Crap! I can’t ride with you, my car is
here. The concierge dropped it off this morning.” Elise felt bad
because Trey’s gesture was so sweet.

“Ronald can follow us while we take
your car. Did you need to make any stops along the way?”

“No, I was just planning on heading
home. The concierge is picking up my bags for me.”

“Perfect. Where is your car
parked?”

“Short term parking.”

Trey and Elise headed in the direction
of the parking lot where her car was parked. Elise reached in to
her purse and retrieved the keys to unlock the vehicle. When the
horn went off and the lights flashed, she headed in that
direction.

“Why am I not surprised that you drive
a Porsche?” Trey was smiling down at her.

“Do you like it? I just got it a few
weeks ago.” Elise bought the black Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet when
they solidified the deal for the buyout. She chose the convertible
because she always wanted one. The car and the trip to Paris were
both presents that Elise bought for herself.

“It’s pretty bad ass.” Elise watched
Trey as he walked around the car. He looked like a kid in a candy
shop.

Elise popped the trunk to put her
carry-on bag into it. Trey placed the bag down and closed the
trunk. She handed her keys over to him, “Here. You’re driving.”
Elise smiled up at him. She really was exhausted and didn’t feel
like driving, but she also loved the look on his face when she
handed over the keys.

Trey grabbed the keys then walked over
to the passenger door to open it for Elise who was following him.
Before she climbed in, she wrapped her arms around his waist while
raising herself onto her tip toes. “I really did miss you,” Elise
whispered before she closed her eyes and kissed Trey gently on his
lips.

Trey’s eyes were closed as he whispered
back to Elise, “Say it in French.”

She smiled then recited the phrase,
“Tue m’as manqué beaucoup.” She punctuated her translation with
another small kiss on Trey’s full lips. Elise climbed into the car
as Trey walked around to the driver’s side, removed his suit
jacket, and climbed in.

“They key slot is to your left.” Elise
pointed it out around the steering wheel. Trey slipped the key in
and started the ignition. In no time they were heading down VA-267
E on their way to McLean. “So you look gorgeous. Where are you
coming from? Or going to?” Elise smiled as she stared at Trey’s
profile. He was so damn good looking! His suit and the way he
carried himself screamed power, but that façade didn’t fool her.
She had gotten to know the sweet, sexy man inside that two thousand
dollar suit. She didn’t expect to see him so soon after returning,
but she was definitely glad that he met her at the
airport.

“I was in the office catching up on
some work from this weekend. And, once again, you are very good for
my ego, Ms. DePaul.” Trey looked at her for a split second before
returning his eyes to the road. That small glance was enough to
send Elise’s heart into overdrive. Her body had a mind of its own
when she was around him.

“I only speak the truth.” Elise knew he
didn’t need her around to tell him how good looking he was when a
mirror did a much better job. “So are you heading back to work?”
Yes, she was fishing to see if he was going to hang out with her
for a while.

“I hadn’t planned on it.” Trey looked
over at her again, but this time Elise had a huge smile on her
face. She liked that response. “What’s the smile for?”

“I’m happy to see you and glad that you
weren’t planning on returning to work.” She was being honest
because she had no reason to lie or play games. She liked him and
she missed him. Why shouldn’t he know that?

“Did you have any plans for
dinner?”

Elise was tired, but she could suck it
up to spend a few hours with him. “No. I was just planning on
heading to my townhome tonight, and tomorrow morning I’ll be having
breakfast with my mom.”

“Can I make you dinner
tonight?”

Elise was shocked. “You
cook?”

“Not a lot of dishes, but there are a
few that I can manage.”

“Well, there’s no way I can turn down
that offer now. I have got to see you in the act.” No man had ever
prepared a meal for her.

“Please don’t set your expectations
very high.”

Elise wrapped her arm around his and
leaned her head into his shoulder, “No expectations,
remember.”

“Ah, I do remember.” Trey kissed the
top of her head.

“So….whatcha cookin’?” Elise rested her
chin on his arm so she could look up at him.

“Is there anything that you don’t eat
or can’t eat?” Trey’s eyebrows were raised waiting for her
answer.

“No allergies and I’ll try anything at
least once.”

“Great. I’ll grill filets.”

“That sounds wonderful. I have a grill
at my townhome. Unless you were planning on cooking at your
home?”

“What would you prefer?”

“The stalker in me would absolutely
love to check out your place, but the selfish bitch in me is
slightly jet lagged and would love to relax at my own home while
you do all the cooking.”

“Your place it is!” Trey looked over
and winked at Elise.

“You act like being a stalker is a bad
thing!” Elise probably shouldn’t be joking about something like
that, but it was all in jest.

“I would love to be stalked by you
Elise.” Trey put his hand on her thigh and gave it a small squeeze.
“I’m sure many men would love to be stalked by you.”

“Aww! That’s the sweetest thing anyone
has ever told me!” Elise rolled her eyes and shook her head before
she leaned over and kissed Trey on his cheek.

Kissing Trey triggered a physiological
response. She wanted him so badly and had wanted him over the last
two days. There was just something about the chemistry she had with
him. She felt like she couldn’t be in the same room or even space
with him without wanting to jump his bones.

She reached over and loosened his tie
before unbuttoning the first button on his shirt. Although he kept
his eyes on the road, he moved his head and neck to assist Elise in
getting him more comfortable. “There.”