The Company We Keep (18 page)

T
eri kicked off her pumps and slid out of her pantyhose as soon as she got inside her front door. She poured a glass of wine as she stood over the counter in her kitchen to listen to her voice mail messages. She deleted the first one before it even played all the way through. She didn’t need a copy of her credit report. She listened twice to the next one, which was from her grandmother, just calling to say hi and to ask if she wanted some bread pudding. Since it was almost nine o’clock, she decided not to return her grandmother’s call. She didn’t want any bread pudding, but she’d call her from work tomorrow and visit on her way home from work. Even though she had just done that two days ago. Her grandparents loved seeing her and she loved seeing them. But she had other reasons for wanting to see them again so soon. Ever since she had diverted that potential scam that they’d gotten involved in, she discretely monitored their actions more closely.

Teri glanced at some travel brochures on the telephone stand next to the answering machine. Mexico, Belize, and Jamaica were beckoning her, but she knew that she was way too busy to answer them with a visit. With a heavy and hesitant hand, she dropped the brochures back onto the stand.

The third message, which was so long the machine had cut it
off, was from Lola, Nicole’s long-winded cousin. Lola had interviewed Teri for a piece that she had written for her magazine about women who worked in the music industry. She wanted to know if Teri wanted her to mail her a few copies of the magazine with the interview in it, or if she wanted to meet her somewhere. Lola offered to treat Teri to dinner and drinks and some girl talk.

Teri liked Lola, but Lola ran a little too hot for her tastes. The few times she’d met Lola for drinks, Lola had spent most of the time yip-yapping about how great her life was. “Girl, you need to let me hook you up with some fresh meat,” Lola told her during their last encounter. “Nicole told me you weren’t involved with anybody.” She had declined Lola’s offer and reminded her that none of the men she’d hooked Nicole up with had worked out anyway.

She decided that she’d look at those travel brochures again soon and figure out a way she could get away for a week or two. That thought didn’t stay on Teri’s mind long. She knew that her time was severely limited. She told herself that even if she had a man, when would she have time to spend with him? She answered her own question:
Now
. Instead of devoting her time and energy to her job and other people’s needs, she could be with her man tonight, if she had one.

Victor had left the office early that day to spend some time with his wayward wife so they could work on their faltering relationship. Less than an hour after he’d left to go home, he called up Teri on her cell phone and told her that he was taking the next two weeks off to spend with his wife in Paris. Not Paris, Texas, where Victor was from, but Paris, France, the most romantic city on the planet. Shit! If a workaholic like Victor could put everything on hold at the drop of a hat to run off to Paris to work on his personal life, why couldn’t she? Teri wondered.

The last voice mail message made her heart skip a beat. It was from Dwight. As soon as she realized it was him, she stopped it and played it from the beginning, leaning over the machine as if she were half deaf. “Teri, this is Dwight. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately and I’d really like to see you. Nothing heavy, just drinks, if that’s all right with you. I miss you…”

She listened to his message three more times before she fin
ished her wine and went to bed. She was flattered that Dwight was
still
trying to get back with her. And even though she had no desire to resume their relationship, she was still glad he’d called. Having drinks alone with him was tempting, but scary. She knew that she was losing her grip. Just the thought of him and the way he had handled that big stick between his legs when she was in bed with him was too much for her to think about.

She had a dream that night that she was embarrassed to think about the next morning. The dream had been so sexual that she’d experienced a climax so intense, it woke her up. She was throbbing between her legs and juice had soaked clean through her thong panties onto her silken sheets. All she could remember about the man who had shared her erotic dream with her was that he’d had no face.

Various parts of Teri’s tortured body were still humming when she got to work. Victor’s sudden departure was an undisguised blessing. It wiped out half of the meetings on her calendar for the next two weeks. The first thing she planned to do today was call up Eric and invite him to lunch or dinner, her treat. She would have Nicole reschedule the only other meeting she had on her calendar. Then she would lock herself in her office and kick back. Maybe she could finally read the last three issues of
Ebony
and other magazines stacked up on her desk. After that, she’d sneak out the back way, go get her nails done, and get a facial.

“See if you can reach Eric,” she told Nicole as soon as Nicole got in that morning. Nicole called up Eric right away and transferred him to Teri’s line. A few minutes later Teri pranced out of her office, grinning. “I wish every day could be like this.”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d swear you finally got you some,” Nicole teased.

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, you’re glowing for one thing,” Nicole said, looking toward the hallway that led to the elevator. “Either you’ve had a few drinks to prepare you for your meeting with Victor this morning or you’ve had a nervous breakdown.”

“Neither.” Teri proceeded to tell Nicole about the phone call she’d received from Victor last night.

“Victor’s going to be on the other side of the planet for two
weeks?” Nicole was not Catholic, but that didn’t stop her from crossing herself and swooning as though she’d just seen the face of God. “We all need to celebrate!” she hollered. “I suggest I go to lunch with you and Eric.”

“I don’t need you along to take notes. And you know I don’t believe in mixing business with pleasure.”

“You don’t, but I do,” Nicole said firmly.

“Listen.” Teri slid her tongue across her bottom lip and moved closer to Nicole’s desk. Nicole didn’t know what was coming, but she had a feeling it was something she didn’t want to hear. She was right. “Yvette is still living with him. She’s got a good thing going. She’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“What are you talking about, woman?”

“Girl, don’t clown me. I know you better than you know yourself. I see the way you look at Eric and I see the way he looks at you. But the timing is off.”

“So what are you trying to say, Dr. Phil?”

“I’m not
trying
to say anything. I’m saying it. I don’t want to see you get hurt again. If and when Eric wants to be with you, he will do it after Yvette is out of his life. He’s not a player. He’s not the type to juggle two women at the same time.”

“You know Eric that well?” Nicole asked, suspicion clouding her face.

“What? Oh no, it’s not what you are thinking. I know him just well enough to know that he’s not like a lot of the men we know. He’s among the last of the, uh…good ones,” Teri allowed, with a wan smile on her lips.

“Well, since you are such an authority on relationships, I won’t argue with you. By the way, I put a brochure in your in-box from some dating outfit called eHarmony. Did you see it?” The smirk on Nicole’s face was brutal.

“You can keep it for yourself.” Teri chuckled, shaking her head. “Make a lunch reservation for two at Mr. Chow. Then call up Eric and give him the address and time. And make sure you request a table in the back. I can’t stand to sit near the entrance and watch all those egomaniac celebrities prance in and out, doing everything but standing on their heads to get attention.” Teri cleared her throat and glanced at her watch. “That’s all for now,” she said.

“How was your lunch meeting with Eric?” Nicole asked when Teri returned to the office at half past two that afternoon.

“Perfect. Eric’s happy with the numbers, I was happy with his sample prints, and I am sure that Trevor is going to be happy. Life is good,” Teri said, strutting toward her office. “Any messages?”

“None you have to worry about.”

“Good! I can concentrate on my e-mail this afternoon. Remind me to call my granny and your cousin Lola. You can call Lola yourself and tell her my whole afternoon is free if she wants to drop by with my copies of the magazine piece she interviewed me for.”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Nicole informed Teri, rising.

“What?” Teri had her hand on her door and was about to go in.

“There are some people in the conference room waiting to see you.”

She stopped abruptly, giving Nicole an impatient look. “Oh? Well, are you going to tell me who those people are and why they need to see me?” Before Nicole could respond, Trevor and Harrison strolled into the reception area.

“T
revor, it’s so nice to see you again. I thought you were in London,” Teri squealed. She gave Trevor a bear hug.

“It’s always nice to see you, baby,” Trevor said, planting a wet kiss on her lips, more to taunt and tease Harrison than anything. “I was out chilling with my man here and we decided to pay Victor a visit. I was disappointed when I called John and was told that Victor’s out of the office! But I didn’t want to waste up such a nice afternoon so I decided to drop by anyway and check you out. Besides, you and I need to sit down and discuss my album cover bid. I hope you don’t mind me dragging my boy Harrison along with me…”

“Uh, how thoughtful of you,” Teri mumbled. “Just let my secretary know when you’re available.” Then she glanced at Harrison. “It’s nice to see you again, too, Harrison.” Harrison just nodded and grunted. But from the eager look on his face, Teri knew that he was glad to see her, too. That was nice because she really was glad to see him. Just as she was about to speak again, she glanced at Nicole, who was waving her hand at her and blinking hard. “Yes, Nicole? What is it?”

“Teri, I couldn’t reach Young Rahim in time to cancel his meeting with you this afternoon,” Nicole said. “He and one of his people are in the conference room.”

“Well, it looks like this is going to be a very busy afternoon after all,” Teri said with a dry laugh. “That Rahim. His last CD is still so fresh some folks haven’t even heard it yet, but he wants to talk about his
next
project already,” she explained. “These rappers sure don’t like to stand still long enough to let the grass grow under their feet. They like to move fast.”

“That’s the key to success,” Harrison offered. “And just to let you know, I’ve been playing Young Rahim’s latest on my show every hour on the hour; it’s just that popular with my listeners.” Nicole noticed how Teri tried not to look Harrison in the face. Instead, she kept her eyes more on Trevor. “If you don’t stay on the ball, the ball will roll right past you.”

“I heard that,” Trevor added. Teri got a whiff of the alcohol and weed on his breath. Harrison stood even closer to her and as far as she could tell, he had not been drinking or smoking anything.

“Well, if you gentlemen don’t mind, I need to get into the conference room. I know Young Rahim doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” Teri said, moving toward the door. She still had on the light blue suede jacket she’d worn to work over her navy blue pantsuit.

“Don’t mind us,” Trevor said, following Teri. Harrison was right behind him.

“Uh, Nicole, can you get Sandy or one of the secretaries to cover your desk. I’d like for you to be present in case we need to take some notes,” Teri said, folding her arms.

“Sure,” Nicole said. She took Teri’s jacket from her and hung it on a hook across from her work station. “Why don’t you all go into the meeting room and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Teri’s legs felt like rubber as she walked toward the conference room down the hall. She didn’t like the fact that Trevor and Harrison were walking behind her. Knowing Trevor, she knew his eyes were on her butt, watching it bounce, jiggle, and wiggle as she walked. But when she glanced at the mirrored wall outside the conference room, she saw that it was Harrison’s eyes that were looking her ass up and down. Why in the hell did she wear the tightest pair of pants she owned today of all days?

It got worse once she entered the conference room. With more than a dozen chairs available, Young Rahim was sitting on top of
the long, oblong-shaped table, reared back like he was in his own home, and smoking at that!

“I’m sorry but you can’t smoke in here,” Teri said firmly, fanning smoke.

“I smoke everywhere I go. Ain’t nobody never had a problem with it before,” Young Rahim said. From the glassy look in his eyes, cigarettes were not the only things he’d been smoking today.

“That’s fine. But it’s against the law and that law is strongly enforced here,” Teri said. She was no longer nervous now. With Victor out of the office she was in charge and she didn’t put up with any mess that Victor didn’t put up with. This was why she was always put in charge during Victor’s absence because he knew he could count on her.

“You heard the lady,” Harrison said.

“Let’s not have any heart attacks up in here,” Young Rahim said with a sneer, putting his cigarette out in a half-empty cup of coffee sitting next to him on the table.

“And if you don’t mind, please don’t sit on the table. You can sit in any one of these chairs if you want, but not on the table,” Teri said, hands on her hips. She saw Trevor jab Harrison in the side with his elbow.

It was not much of a meeting in the traditional sense. Young Rahim’s manager, Freddie Spivey—a pinch-faced man in his midthirties—and Trevor tried to outtalk each other. Trevor boasted excessively about his latest work. Freddie, his puckered lips looking like somebody had screwed them onto his face with a pair of pliers, gritted his teeth and gave Trevor a dismissive wave. Then he took the spotlight and boasted about Young Rahim’s latest work, reminding Trevor that Young Rahim was still fresh and
young
. Therefore, he had more time left to develop his career even further. “That’s life, old man,” Freddie said, patting Trevor on the shoulder.

“That’s bullshit,” Trevor said, removing Freddie’s hand from his shoulder. “Being young didn’t do much for Sisqo and Vanilla Ice, wherever they are these days…”

Knowing that his manager represented him well, Young Rahim left to go outside to smoke a cigarette. After Harrison answered a
lengthy call on his cell phone, he moved closer to Teri. She stood there idling, looking at her watch, and wondering how in the hell to whip these assholes into shape. Freddie and Trevor were going at each other as if Teri had disappeared into the wall.

She cleared her throat and turned to Harrison. “I don’t know about you, but I have more important things to do than just stand around here waiting for I don’t know what.”

“I thought you had a meeting with Rahim and his man,” Harrison said, giving her a sympathetic look.

“I thought that same thing myself,” Teri replied, rolling her eyes and looking at her watch. “Could you do me a favor?”

“Anything,”
Harrison replied.

“I’m going to return to my office and return a few phone calls while I’m waiting. Tell everybody I said—” Teri didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Nicole rushed into the room with a wild-eyed look on her face. Young Rahim was a few steps behind her.

“I don’t appreciate this motherfucker pinching my breast or any other part of my body. If he touches me again, he is going to be sorry,” Nicole yelled, looking directly at Young Rahim’s manager. Freddie couldn’t understand why Nicole was so upset. She had been around performers often enough to know what to expect by now. He decided to let his client climb his own way out of this hole, since he was the one who’d dug it

“I didn’t do a damn thing,” Young Rahim hollered with his hands up in the air and his eyes bucked.

“What’s going on here?” Teri asked, looking from Young Rahim to Nicole. “Nicole, are you all right?”

“He comes up to my desk asking if he can make a local call. While he’s on my phone, he reaches over my desk and fondles me!” Nicole shrieked, waving her arms.

“All I was doing was reaching for a pen to write down a phone number,” Young Rahim insisted.

“Did you see any pens anywhere near my fucking titties?” Nicole asked, shaking a finger in his stunned face.

“I don’t have to hang around here and get insulted by some pooh-butt secretary! Don’t you know I could buy this damn place and you in it! Wait until I see Victor again!”

“Hold on,” Teri said calmly, her face just inches away from Young Rahim’s. “Victor would tell you the same thing I am about to tell you. This is a place of business and if you can’t treat it as such, you are not welcome here. I know about all the fooling around you do in the recording studio, but you can’t do that here. Until you can treat the employees in this company with some dignity and respect, I advise you to vacate the premises before I call security. Sexual harassment has never been tolerated around here and never will be as long as I’m here.”

Young Rahim stared at Teri with his mouth hanging open. He turned to his manager, who looked totally embarrassed, and then he returned his attention to Teri. “I have never met a bitch that had enough nerve to get up in my face like that,” he said calmly.

“Well, you can’t say that anymore,” Teri told him with a firm nod. “Nicole, go call security,” she added, pointing toward the door.