"Just hearing your voice is helping, believe me." Then Avonte dropped her voice an octave. "I wanna see you, Devin James."
"I’d like to see you, too. Avonte, would you mind holding on for a minute?"
"Sure."
I put Avonte on hold and got up from my desk. I went to my office door, then closed and locked it, before returning to the phone.
"Thanks for holding, Avonte."
"Not a problem. So, when am I going to see you?"
"What are you doing this evening?"
"Seeing you," Avonte replied definitely.
"Why don’t we meet someplace for dinner."
"That’s fine. Where and when?"
"Do you mind coming into the city?"
"Not really."
"Are you familiar with the South Street Seaport?"
"Yes. I’ve been there a few times," Avonte said.
"There’s a restaurant there called Sequoia."
"I know the place. I’ve eaten there before. The food is good. What time?"
"Is seven good for you?" I asked.
"That’s perfect, Devin. That will give me some time to get some things done around here."
"So, I’ll see you at seven then?"
"It’s a date," Avonte said quickly; and abruptly hung up the phone.
I sat holding the phone in my hand for a second or two longer, before returning it to its cradle. I glanced over at the clock. It was almost two o’clock. I picked up the phone, dialed Taye at work, and told her that I was having dinner with a client, and wouldn’t be home until late in the evening. "No later than midnight, I’d think," I said. I figured I’d meet Avonte at seven. Have dinner, drinks, and little conversation, add another hour in case the service is bad or the conversation is good, and on the way home by eleven.
Taye’s response was, "Fine." It was getting to be her standard response to anything.
For the remainder of the afternoon, I was riding a wave of adrenaline. Not even Winston’s constant questions about why I seemed so "damned bubbly", could break me out of it. Almost from the first moment I saw her, I felt an intense physical attraction to her. From the start, Avonte was all up in my face, giving me a strong vibe that she wanted me.
Whenever my mind wasn’t occupied, it always seemed to eventually drift to thoughts of Avonte. It would always go the same way—me with my clothes off, longing to be inside her. I imagined myself doing it to her slow with the lights low, licking her plump nipples then fuckin’ her doggie-style.
I thought about Taye. I loved her so much and wished that she would get better, but I needed sex. I needed to feel the warmth of a woman’s flesh against mine.
At seven o’clock sharp, I stood waiting on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. Thinking that it would be rude if I went inside and waited for her to arrive at the bar, I decided to wait outside. It was a particularly cold night, so I hoped that Avonte wouldn’t be too late.
By seven thirty, I decided that waiting outside was no longer an option, and went inside. Taking a seat at the bar so I could see the door, I waited. My hands and face were cold, so I shot my first glass of Barcardi trying to get warm.
It was a little after eight when Avonte finally came through the door. As soon as she saw me, Avonte smiled that beautiful smile of hers, and came to me. I stood up to greet her and tried to give her a platonic hug, and keep a polite distance between us, but Avonte would have none of that. She put her body into it and topped it off with a kiss on the lips.
"Sorry I’m so late. Traffic coming through the Midtown Tunnel was murder."
"You made it, and that’s the important thing."