Promises to Keep

Darius pulled out a chair for Courtney. “We have a perfect view of the bandstand from here. We won’t miss a thing.”

Courtney smiled. “You sure don’t miss a beat. I like how you handle your business.”

He grinned as he claimed a chair. “Honey, for me, this is as much pleasure as it is business. I’m seated with a great-looking woman and if the band delivers all I’ve heard about them, this should be one magnificent night.”

For all the fuss she’d made to play down her looks, Courtney knew she had failed at dampening Darius’s spirits. He seemed just as excited as he always did in her presence.

“What would you like to drink, Courtney?”

“I only drink wine, and sparingly. A glass of rosé, please.”

Darius stood and then summoned a waitress. Courtney noticed that he was dressed more casually than she’d ever seen him and he still looked like a million bucks. The man wore his clothing as well as any male fashion model. Everything appeared to fit him to a tee. The dark sports coat worn over a soft pink, open-collar shirt made him look dashing, just as the dark designer jeans did.

Ladies might glance at Darius’s expensive attire for a moment or two, but their eyes would no doubt linger on his handsome, clean-shaven face and sexy body. He was breathtaking in more ways than one. His intellect was also very stimulating to Courtney. They talked about anything and everything and she was impressed with how tuned in he was to current events. He also loved to talk politics.

Courtney’s resolve weakened more and more every time she got together with Darius. She was glad the reception was close at hand. Once it was over, she’d never have to see him again. The thought pained her terribly, but their business would soon be concluded. If by chance he contracted her company to cater any other social events, she’d make sure to assign his account to another employee—anyone but herself.

After their wine was delivered to the table, the club manager enthusiastically introduced the band. Glad that she was no longer the main focus of Darius’s attention, Courtney sat back in her chair, hoping she could relax. Being in his company kept her on pins and needles and she’d lost count of the number of times she’d wondered what it would be like to sample his luscious-looking mouth.

The first number the band played brought Courtney up out of her seat. There was no way to sit still when such soul-stirring sounds got her going. Forgetting she was in the company of a client, she let her hair all the way down, dancing and gyrating right in front of her seat. Her sexy movements sent Darius’s imagination racing in a myriad of directions.

As a man who’d confessed to seizing an opportunity when one presented itself, Darius took hold of Courtney’s hand and guided her onto the dance floor. There, in the middle of the room, he let the music seep into his soul and completely overtake him. The music was of the feel-good variety. All they had to do was open up their hearts to it and let it in.

Courtney noticed that she and Darius weren’t the only ones who’d rushed to the dance floor. It appeared that practically everyone in the club was busy getting down. The music had the patrons in the groove and ready to rock away the entire night.

Feeling totally relaxed and at ease with Darius, Courtney danced like she’d never danced before. No longer was she afraid of her feelings for her dance partner. If nothing else, Darius would make a wonderful friend. She’d rather have him as a friend than not have him in her life at all. She didn’t feel as if she were betraying Candice because that wasn’t in her plans. She and Darius just happened to be two decent people with a lot in common.

Turning a wild attraction into a friendship wasn’t a criminal act.

Who could fault them for being friends?

As the fast-paced music changed to a much slower pace, couples slipped into each other’s arms. When Darius brought Courtney in closer to him, she didn’t back away. He kept their bodies at an acceptable, respectable distance, but that didn’t quell the fiery heat surging between them.

Friends slow-danced, too, Courtney told herself.

Darius came back to the table with the leader of the band and a couple of other band members. He immediately introduced the guys to Courtney and asked them to have a seat and join them for drinks on him. The band happily accepted his invitation.

Terry played guitar, his sleek style lathering up the dancers, causing them to act maniacal. Mitchell was a genius on the saxophone, playing as though his very life depended on the sounds coming from his instrument. Richard could wail on the drums, making them communicate beautifully with the soulful rhythms. The bass guitarist, Stephen, seemed to completely lose himself in the sweet chords he played so well. Every single guy in the band was a superb musician.

“You guys are really great! The music is so pure and sweet, yet funky and soulful,” Darius said.

Terry nodded. “Yeah, it’s always like a big party when we get together. We’re truly blessed.”

“I can see why,” Courtney contributed. “I’m kind of shy when it comes to dancing, but you guys had me letting it all hang out before I even knew what had hit me. Do any of you know J. R. Norman?”

Everyone responded to J.R.’s name at the same time. It sounded to Courtney as if he were very much respected by his fellow musicians. They all had something positive to say about him. Terry even commented about how great Monica was, which had Courtney wondering why her friend had never mentioned this fabulous band to her.

Darius set his wineglass down. “Guys, I know you have to get back to the bandstand in a few minutes, but I’d like to know if you can possibly play at a surprise engagement reception.”

Terry stroked his chin. “If it’s a Friday or Saturday, we’re more than likely booked already. Our weekend and holiday dates fill up rather quickly. Spring and summer months are rough, too.”

“Can you check it out during the next break and let me know?” Darius asked.

Terry nodded in the affirmative.

“We’ll never land them, at least not for the upcoming event,” Darius said to her after the band left the table. “How difficult would it be to change the event to a late-afternoon affair to accommodate their schedule?”

“The invitations aren’t printed yet, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I might have to rework the staff schedules. All of my top coordinators are assigned to your reception. While everyone on my staff is great at what they do, there are those who’ve been with me a long time. These employees know exactly what my expectations are. Like you, I doubt the band will be free, but it never hurts to hope and pray for a miracle.”

The urge to take Courtney into his arms and kiss her passionately nearly overcame Darius. This woman had him on fire and there was nothing he could use to douse the flames.

Courtney was glad that the atmosphere was dim. She hoped the soft, subtle candlelight concealed the blush she felt burning on her cheeks. If Darius could look into her eyes, he’d easily see how smitten she was with him. If only she were walking in Candice’s shoes. She had an idea of how wonderful that might feel. Darius was always very attentive to her and he was sweeter than the purest honey.

“Courtney,” Darius softly whispered her name, “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Will you be okay out here alone?”

“I’ll be fine, Darius. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He got to his feet and walked toward the men’s room, looking back at her with every few steps he took.

Courtney suddenly had a numbing, cold feeling surrounding her. She always felt overly warm when Darius was around. He’d already had a profound effect on her. She tried to force her mind into thinking of him as nothing more than a friend, but her heart wouldn’t cooperate. It was as if her mind, body and soul had all turned against her. She looked over at the exit. If only she had the nerve to get up and leave. A disappearing act would more than likely lose her a client, but it would surely save her virtue.

Wasn’t that better than losing her heart to someone who was unable to accept it?

Outside of Club 21, Darius took Courtney’s car keys from the attendant’s hand and then opened her door. “Thanks for meeting me here this evening. I hope you had as good a time as I did. That band is something else. I haven’t heard music played so well in a long time.”

“Yeah, it was just great. They took us back to the days of our parents’ music, but I couldn’t even identify where all the sounds came from. There was a time it sounded like someone was whistling across the top of a soda bottle.”

Darius laughed. “You picked that up, too, I see.”

Courtney reached for Darius’s hand. She started to shake it, but instead, she lifted it up to her mouth and planted a light kiss on the back of it. “Thanks for a beautiful evening. Drive safely. Good night.”

Darius’s words had been ambushed before they got stuck in his craw. Saying something clever would’ve been nice, but his brain wasn’t coherent at the moment. The kiss to his hand had completely stunned him, giving him an inkling of what might’ve happened had she kissed him on the mouth. The silly notion to never wash his hand crossed his numbed mind. No kiss had ever affected him the way Courtney’s had, a kiss lighter than a whisper.

As Courtney’s car drove away, Darius stood stock-still for several seconds. When he moved toward his car, a snail could’ve bested him had it been a race. In less than two months, he had nearly become a fool over a woman. He shook his head to try to clear the cobwebs from his mind. He shouldn’t be thinking this way, but he had to find a way to keep their relationship from coming to an abrupt end on the third Saturday in May.

If friendship was all they could have, so be it.

Chapter 4

Courtney and Monica hustled around the office, making sure everything was shut down and locked up for the evening. Courtney still had to stash in the floor safe the checks and cash she and Monica had just tallied. The company used spreadsheets and generated receipts electronically, but every now and then a handwritten receipt was given out for anything under fifty dollars.

A bank run was only made once a week, normally on Friday afternoons. The Wells Fargo Bank branch the company patronized was located just a few doors down from the office. Courtney, Harrell, Alma and Monica were the only ones authorized to handle bank and credit union transactions. Courtney and her grandmother wrote and signed all company checks, while monitoring all incoming and outgoing expenditures.

“Too many fingers in the pie could ruin it” was a motto both of them swore by.

Courtney looked at her watch. They had less than an hour to make it to a special meeting Darius had set up. J.R. had been invited, too. According to what Darius had told Courtney, he wanted her and her friends to meet a man he was keen on doing future business deals with. He’d also said he had a proposition involving Courtney’s company, which he planned to discuss during the meeting. Darius led her to believe this was an extremely important get-together.

“He didn’t give you any clue as to what this meeting was about?” Monica asked Courtney while shutting down her computer.