“Gavin, we promised, no business this weekend. Just you and me. How could you?”
“Calm down, my queen.” As always, his voice soothed me. “I need a few hours to close this deal and then ‘I’ll be working my way back to you, babe.’ ” He sang as if he was one of the Four Tops. “I’ve got something very special planned for you. You just wait and see.”
“But we said no business this weekend—this one weekend. No cell phones. No hospital shifts. No business deals.”
“I know, baby, but will you please trust your man. Be ready to go by eleven o’clock and pack an overnight bag. I gotta go.”
Gavin hung up before I could respond. An overnight bag? What did this man have planned this time? There wasn’t much he and I did not share with each other. The key to our relationship was communication. We were open and honest about everything. In our twenty years together, we had forgiven each other for past indiscretions and there had been plenty. Some might say we had an open marriage. But the truth was we discussed what we wanted. While we had enough love for each other for each of us to make sacrifices for the other’s happiness, I guess there were some sacrifices a man simply could not surrender. I had bent over backward for him—literally and figuratively. Yet, there was this one thing I wanted, but Gavin said he would never do. I respected his wishes.
As I prepared for this big surprise Gavin had planned, someone knocked on the front door. When I opened it, the most handsome face greeted me. His pearly whites complemented his dark chocolate, clean-shaven face. He stood at least six foot three in his black double-breasted suit, with a hat tucked underneath his left arm.
“Good morning, ma’am. Are you Dr. Malorie Cummings?”
I stared at this Adonis before me. I licked my lips as I imagined his toned pectorals beneath his suit. “Yes, I’m Dr. Cummings.”
“My name’s Malcolm and I’m your driver for today.” He stepped to his left to allow full view of a 1968 two-toned classic Daimler Princess parked at the curb.
I whispered, “That damn Gavin.” Once I regained my focus, I asked, “And where will the driver be taking me today?”
He reached for my hand, lifted it, and gently pecked its back. His lips were so soft to the touch. “My only instructions are to give the lady whatever she would like.”
If I had my way, I would’ve had a big bite of him, but I had to remain a lady. We’d just met. I turned to walk back upstairs and get my bag. When I returned, Malcolm had not moved one inch. The Atlanta sun beamed down on his bald, chocolate head. I handed him my bag and he escorted me to the car. The smooth leather hugged my round bottom. Malcolm offered me a glass of champagne, which I gladly accepted, as we pulled away from my Dunwoody home.
“Ma’am, before we begin your day, I was told to check you into the Four Seasons. Once there, you can decide where we go and what we do.” Malcolm let up the partition.
If only he knew . . .
Once we arrived at the Four Seasons, I checked into the luxury suite Gavin had booked. The room was fresh and elegant with sunshine beaming through the windows that looked out on the panoramic view of midtown Atlanta. The concierge explained to me that my husband had a spa reservation for me if I desired to use those services. I was so glad I did. After the fifty-minute, deep-tissue massage, I indulged in a vanilla coffee scrub, a facial, and a peaches-and-cream manicure and pedicure. I returned to the suite feeling like a new woman. I was draped across the bed when Gavin came in. He was wearing plaid shorts and a blue polo shirt, his typical golf gear.
“A business deal, eh?” I asked as I looked him up and down.
He stretched out beside me on the bed. His I Am King scent was just as strong as it was on the note this morning. “Now, you know I do my best wheelin’ and dealin’ on the golf course. Besides, you’re supposed to be out shopping or something. I got a driver and car to supply your every need.”
I rolled on top of him. “All I need is you.”
His strong hands explored underneath my terrycloth robe. They found their favorite place as he cupped and squeezed my plump behind. We kissed and I slid down his body, but he stopped me.
“Not right now, baby. You’ll spoil my surprise.”
I pouted. “I don’t want your surprise. I want you inside me. This instant.”
He laughed. He sat up and placed me beside him. “No, ma’am. You’ll have to wait until tonight. I need to shower and get a massage of my own. We have dinner reservations for seven-thirty.”
“Dinner reservations? I didn’t bring anything to wear for dinner.”
Gavin stood up and began undressing for his shower. “Then go and buy something. Your driver and chariot await.”
I dressed and went downstairs. Malcolm was sitting in the lobby, reading a magazine. When he noticed me, his eyes explored every inch of my five-foot-eight-inch frame that fit snugly into my lavender sundress. My matching heels handled my freshly pedicured feet, which led to my well-defined calves and thighs. Suddenly he stopped at my 38Ds. They normally got all of the attention, so I was used to it.
I snapped my fingers. “Are we going somewhere or not?”
He cleared his throat. “Where shall I take you?”
“Anywhere you damn well please. I’m always ready for a good ride.”
Malcolm blushed and walked me to the car. I told him I needed a dress for my anniversary dinner. He suggested Nordstrom’s and off we rode. We exchanged small talk along the way. I learned he was twenty-five and chauffeuring to pay his way through law school. He was single and had no kids—a rarity in this day and age. I shared with him that I was a professor at Emory University and my husband was a commercial land developer. I talked about how we’d met while he was at Morehouse and I was at Spelman and how we’d managed to stay together for twenty years. When we arrived at the store, Malcolm waited for me at the car. I didn’t take long, as the time for the reservation
was approaching. I wore the silver, off-the-shoulder dress I’d purchased out of the store. We drove back to the hotel and picked up Gavin.