Free Man at Work by Chanta Jefferson Rand Page B

Leap of Faith Industries to seal the deal.
    “ I’ve known you for too
long. Something else is up.” Toye squinted. “You’ve got the hi-pro
glow.”
    Candace laughed again. She remembered the
old commercial for dog food. She would admit her skin was glowing.
Her mood was exceptional. She was on top of the moon. And she owed
it all to Gabe. Ever since their freaky sexcapade in the helicopter
three weeks ago, they’d been seeing each other practically every
night. During the day, they maintained their professionalism at the
site of the flip, working beside each other and never giving any
indication of the steamy nights they shared in each other’s arms.
Gabe had a wicked fetish for making love in public places. The
stock room in back of Sampson’s. The bathroom of an upscale
restaurant. The back row of a movie theater. In the dark shadows of
a comedy club backstage. At first, she thought he had an aversion
to bedrooms, but then she invited him to her house. In three weeks,
her king-sized bed had seen more action than a mattress store
during the holidays.
    “ Okay,” she capitulated,
“I’ll tell you my secret.”
    Candace told Toye all about her erotic
encounters with Gabe, starting with the helicopter ride and ending
with last night’s date at the Miami Dolphins game. As she spoke,
she watched the expressions on Toye’s face rollercoaster from
comical to shock to finally disgust and reproach.
    “ You need to be careful,”
Toye admonished. “You’re vulnerable right now. You have too much
going on to let your guard down with some guy you barely know.
Don’t forget the last man you trusted ripped you off.”
    “ Hold up. Gabe owns
Sampson’s. You said he was a good guy.”
    “ I didn’t say that. Ronnie
said that. Besides, dogs come in all shapes and sizes.”
    “ Dogs? I think he’s
different. I really like him.”
    Toye leaned backwards against the countertop
and folded her arms across her chest. “That’s just horniness
talking. Do you know how long it’s been since you’ve had a good
fuck?”
    “ Of course I know!”
Candace snapped. “It’s my vagina.” Candace was sorry she’d ever
confided in Toye about her celibacy.
    “ I’m not here to be Debby
Downer. I’m just stating the facts. You can’t go around having
flings with strangers.”
    Candace glared at her cousin. “Gabe is not a
stranger.”
    “ How often have you been
to his house?”
    “ Never.”
    “ Has he introduced you to
anyone in his inner circle? Friends? Colleagues?”
    “ No.”
    But in fairness, she hadn’t introduced him
to anyone besides her immediate family. So what if Gabe wasn’t
ready to show her his place yet? So what if they wanted to keep
their late night romps private? They were grown, and it was
nobody’s business who they chose to screw.
    “ If he wasn’t rich, would
you have slept with him?” Toye asked.
    Candace felt like the wind had been knocked
from her. She took a deep breath as she tried to rationalize the
recent decisions she’d made. Gabe was the best thing that had
happened to her in a long time. She felt complete with him. But was
she feeling a false sense of security? In her heart, she knew her
cousin had a point. Why had Candace allowed this lie to continue?
Why hadn’t she spoken up about knowing Gabe’s true identity? Maybe
because she was having a good time and she didn’t want to spoil
it.
    You’re making excuses for him—just like you
did with all the other men in your life.
    “ You’re right, Toye. Maybe
it’s time to pull back from Gabe. I’ll call him tonight and let him
know.”

    # # #

    Toye walked along the glossy concrete floors
of Sampson’s. Dressed to kill in a tight black mini dress and
black, stiletto ankle booties, she made her way to the back of the
store to the classroom where she knew Gabe’s class had just ended.
She was single-minded in her sole purpose to speak with him.
    Earlier, she’d listened to Candace’s
confession of her fling with Gabe.