Femme Tales Read online

  “You feel sorry for me?” Ebony said with an angry laugh. “You ain’t got to feel sorry for me cuz I got everything I could possibly want or need.”

  “Do you?” Belinda asked.

  “Yeah, I do,” she said with a tremulous laugh.

  “Well, if that’s the case then you’re better off than most of us.” Belinda wondered how their friendly conversation had taken such an angry turn. “Look, I’ve got to get up early. I’ll let Mama Ellis know you called to check up on her.”

  “Yeah, okay. Good night,” Ebony said brusquely then hung up before Belinda could respond.

  Belinda tossed her phone to the bottom of the bed in frustration and swore she was done with Ebony Trent. From this point on it was strictly business.

  The week ended with no further calls from Ebony, and Belinda was actually relieved about it. She was in the guest room gathering her belongings to head home for the weekend when Sheree walked in.

  “Hey, girl, I see you’re packing up already. You’re not going to stay and wait for Ebony to get home?” Sheree asked as she sat on the bed.

  “No, I want to run a couple of errands before I go home and don’t want to wait too late to do them,” Belinda said, feeling guilty for lying to Sheree, but she just didn’t want to be here when Ebony returned home.

  “Okay, you’ll just see her tomorrow,” Sheree said matter-of-factly.

  Confused, Belinda said, “Tomorrow? Tomorrow is Saturday, my day off.”

  “Yeah, it’s also our belated welcome home dinner for Mama Ellis at Chayse’s Place. Did you forget?” Sheree asked.

  “No, I didn’t even know about it,” Belinda told her.

  Sheree now had a look of confusion. “Ebony didn’t call you this week to invite you?”

  “She called, but she didn’t mention the dinner,” Belinda said.

  “Did you two have a fight?”

  Belinda went back to gathering her items. “It wasn’t a fight. Your sister was just being her usual self.”

  Sheree sighed in frustration. “And you two were getting along so well.”

  “Yeah, but that’s because she and I rarely interact. We have you and Mama Ellis as buffers,” Belinda said.

  “Well, you’ll still come won’t you? Mama Ellis would be heartbroken if she doesn’t have all of her girls there,” Sheree said hopefully.

  “Sheree, I don’t know. After this last conversation with Ebony I think I should really keep the socializing down to a minimum. Honestly, this is the most social interaction I’ve had with a client and their family. I’ve gotten really attached to you and Mama Ellis, which was not very professional of me,” Belinda admitted.

  Sheree stood, walked over to Belinda, and grasped her hands. “We’ve grown attached to you as well, which is why you have to come to the dinner. I’ll make sure Ebony is on her best behavior.”

  “Ha! Good luck with that,” Belinda said.

  “Will you come?” Sheree asked with a sad puppy dog expression.

  “How could I resist that face. All right, I’ll be there.”

  * * *

  “You did what?!” Ebony loudly exclaimed, causing Sheree to flinch in response.

  “Belinda said you hadn’t invited her to tonight’s dinner so I did,” Sheree said.

  “This dinner is just supposed to be family. Belinda’s not family. She works for us,” Ebony said in annoyance.

  “You know Mama Ellis wants her there, she told you that herself, which was the reason you said you would call and invite her. But instead of doing that you call and pick a fight with her,” Sheree said.

  “I didn’t pick a fight with her,” Ebony pouted.

  “Well, you said something because now she’s feeling like she’s broken some professional rule and allowed herself to become too close to her patient’s family. She thinks she needs to keep it professional and not socialize with us the way she’s been doing,” Sheree explained.

  Ebony looked away, not wanting Sheree to see the guilt in her eyes. “She said that?”

  “Not in so many words, but it’s basically how she feels. Look, Eb, the fact that she hasn’t walked away after what happened that first night should show you she can be trusted. As much as I hate saying it, Mama Ellis won’t live forever, and I would like to marry, have kids and a place of my own someday without worrying about who’s going to remind you to eat when you’re working in the studio for days on end, or pull you out of those dark moods you tend to fall into,” Sheree said, her voice filled with emotion.

  Ebony looked up to meet her sister’s loving gaze. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.

  Sheree reached across Ebony’s kitchen counter and grasped her hands. “Say what’s in your heart. You did it for years with your music. It’s now time to practice what you preached.”

  Ebony grinned. “Guess that psychology class is paying off.”

  Sheree chuckled. “Gotta show you all your hard earned money isn’t going to waste.”

  “You know I love you, right,” Ebony said, suddenly serious once again.

  “Yes, and hopefully tonight you’ll be able to tell Belinda the same thing,” Sheree said.

  * * *

  Ebony glanced nervously toward the doorway that led out to Chayse’s Place garden dining area where she, Sheree, and Mama Ellis had just been seated moments earlier.

  “Anyone ever tell you a watched pot never boils?” Mama Ellis said with a knowing grin.

  Ebony sent a frustrated glance toward Sheree.

  “I didn’t say a word,” Sheree said.

  “She didn’t have to. I’d have to be blind not to notice the way you too are always watching each other when you think no one’s looking,” Mama Ellis told Ebony.

  “Don’t you two have anything better to do than watching me?” Ebony looked down at her glass of wine, only mildly annoyed.

  Mama Ellis and Sheree just grinned in response as it only took a moment for Ebony’s gaze to drift back toward the doorway. This time it was met by Chayse’s who was smiling broadly as she led Belinda by the hand to their table.

  “Well, look who I found wandering in,” Chayse said.

  Ebony found she couldn’t speak. One reason was the spike of jealousy she felt at seeing Chayse holding Belinda’s hand. The other was because Belinda didn’t look like the Belinda she knew. Instead of her usual entwined bun, Belinda’s locs were flowing freely down her back in a curly style. She wore gold and turquoise dangle earrings with a matching necklace, a sleeveless burnt orange knee-length wrap dress that molded to her luscious curves and complemented her smooth dark skin, and a pair of sexy gold strappy heels that showed off her French manicured toes. Ebony hadn’t seen Belinda in anything other than her nurse uniform since they first met, so to see her in regular clothes looking sexy as hell caught her off guard.

  Ebony watched as Belinda greeted first Sheree and Mama Ellis with an affection hug and then turned a wary gaze toward her.

  “Hello, Ebony,” Belinda said coolly.

  “Hey,” and a head nod was all Ebony could muster in response.

  Belinda’s gaze stayed with hers for just a moment before she turned back toward Chayse.

  “Did you get my message earlier?” Belinda asked Chayse.

  “Yeah, I got you, girl. Don’t worry about a thing,” Chayse said with a conspiratorial wink.

  “Thanks,” Belinda said with a sweet smile before placing a soft kiss on Chayse’s cheek.

  Ebony could see the affection they held for one another in their expressions, especially Chayse’s, and her mood darkened watching their interaction.

  After Chayse assisted with Belinda’s chair she announced, “Mama Ellis, in honor of your comeback, and gracing Chayse’s Place with your beauty and wisdom, dinner tonight is on the house.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Ebony said.

  “I know but I want to,” Chayse said. “Your appetizers will be out in a moment. Belinda, you having your usual?”

  “Yes, thanks,
Chayse,” Belinda answered.

  Chayse nodded and walked away.

  “Belinda, you are working that dress, isn’t she, Mama Ellis,” Sheree said.

  “Yes, she is. It’s so nice to see you out of that uniform. Thank you for coming, honey,” Mama Ellis said.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Belinda said, grasping Mama Ellis’s hand.

  As she, Mama Ellis, and Sheree chatted about a possible shopping expedition to one of the outlet malls, Belinda found it difficult to focus. She could feel Ebony’s heated gaze on her, and she fought not to turn toward her. When she walked out and saw Ebony looking as fine as ever, she didn’t think she would have been able to walk if Chayse hadn’t been holding her hand. With a fresh haircut, Ebony was wearing large diamond stud earrings, a simple gold chain around her neck, stonewashed jeans that fit loose but not loose enough to hide her firm behind, black suede Timberland boots, and an untucked white button-down shirt under a black suede blazer with the shirt and blazer sleeves both rolled over her forearms showing the three meditation bead bracelets Belinda had never seen her without. To Belinda, she was sexy no matter what she wore, but there seemed to be a darkness to the sex appeal she was feeling from Ebony tonight and it thrilled and frightened her all at once.

  Ebony barely spoke throughout the dinner, picking over her food with a dark, brooding countenance. Mama Ellis and Sheree simply ignored her, but Belinda could feel Ebony’s mood moving around them like the chill in the air right before a thunderstorm. At one point during dessert she pulled her wrap out of her bag and wrapped it around her shoulders for warmth.

  Ebony asked, “Are you cold?” with an angry frown.

  “A little,” Belinda answered hesitantly.

  To Belinda’s surprise, Ebony stood, took her blazer off, and walked around her chair to lay it across her shoulders. Mama Ellis and Sheree stopped in mid conversation to watch in awed silence.

  “Thank you,” Belinda said.

  “Welcome,” Ebony said, beginning to relax for the first time that night.

  The mood was quickly broken by Chayse’s arrival.

  “Sorry to disturb you folks, but, Belinda, she’s here,” Chayse said, not looking pleased.

  Belinda frowned as well. “She’s early.”

  “You want me to have her wait?” Chayse asked.

  Belinda sighed. “No, I’ll be right there. Thanks, Chayse.”

  Chayse nodded and walked away.

  Belinda stood. “I’m sorry to leave a little early, but I promised to meet someone tonight after our dinner and it looks like she’s here early. Thank you for inviting me,” Belinda said as she gave Mama Ellis and Sheree a hug and kiss in departing.

  When she reached Ebony she said, “Thank you again,” and handed her jacket back to her, already missing the warm musk scent of Ebony’s cologne that had enveloped her when she had placed it over her shoulders.

  Their hands brushed in the exchange, and Ebony’s gaze met hers with such longing that Belinda’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Ebony looked as if she were about to speak, then suddenly changed her mind.

  Ebony turned away. “Guess we’ll see you on Monday,” she said as she put her jacket back on.

  Belinda turned to say good-bye once again to Sheree and Mama Ellis and saw both of them looking at Ebony in frustration. Wanting to avoid getting in any deeper emotionally than she was with this odd little family, Belinda just turned and made her way into the restaurant. She walked to the end of the bar where her ex-girlfriend, Carla, waited.

  * * *

  Ebony sat nursing a now warm beer as she watched the two women talking and wondered what the hell she was doing. She had sent Sheree and Mama Ellis home with the excuse that she had to go into the studio. As soon as she put them in the car that was waiting for them she went right back into Chayse’s and found a table in a dark corner that would allow her to see and not be seen by Belinda as she watched her. She realized how crazy she was probably acting but couldn’t bring herself to leave. Sheree had told Ebony, not that she hadn’t realized it herself, that she had blown the perfect opportunity to tell Belinda how she felt.

  Ebony knew it was fear that had held her tongue. Fear that Belinda didn’t feel the same way and that she’d be left feeling like a fool once again. The same way she had felt when her mother had come back into their lives a year after Ebony had moved them to New York. She had sworn she changed and hoped Ebony would give her a chance to make up for leaving them the way she did. Ebony had been wary, but Mama Ellis suggested she give her a chance, and Sheree had been so happy to have her mother back in her life, so she let her into their circle.

  Everything had been fine for almost a year. Her mother stayed close to home, not wanting to be in the limelight. When people asked Ebony who she was she’d say her mother was a family member she was helping out for a while. And just when Ebony was getting comfortable with the thought of her family being together again, just when she let her guard down, she came home after picking up Sheree from school to find Mama Ellis handcuffed to the bathroom sink, their home trashed, and their mother, as well as anything worth value, gone.

  It turned out that their mother had used her connection to them to gain their trust so that she could help her pimp, drug-dealing boyfriend to rob Ebony blind. Ebony found out all this when she used some of her not so legal connections from her old life to find her mother and boyfriend. She gave instructions that she didn’t care what happened to the boyfriend and his crew, but she wanted her mother unharmed and brought to her.

  Unbeknownst to Mama Ellis and Sheree, Ebony had flown to Chicago, confronted her mother, and told her that if she ever came seeking her out again she would personally put her out of her crack addict misery. They never heard from their mother again, and Ebony never let anyone past the fortress she had erected around her heart again. Until now, she thought as she watched Belinda laugh at something the woman she was with said.

  “You know, most people would consider this stalking,” Chayse said as she sat in the chair beside Ebony.

  “Mind your business, Chayse,” Ebony said threateningly.

  “Look, Ebony, you’re my boi. I’m just trying to look out for you,” Chayse said, her tone suddenly serious.

  “You sure that’s all it is?”

  “Ebony, you know me. I’m not about competing for a woman. Especially one that’s into somebody else,” Chayse answered.

  Ebony’s gaze slid from Chayse’s back toward Belinda and her friend. “So is that who she’s into?”

  Chayse followed Ebony’s gaze and grinned knowingly. “Ebony, that’s not—”

  Chayse’s comment was cut short when Ebony quickly stood and started making her way toward Belinda. Belinda and her companion were in a quiet but heated conversation as Belinda tried to unsuccessfully pull her wrist from the other woman’s grasp. Ebony was already at Belinda’s side before Chayse was half way there.

  “Are you all right, Belinda?” Ebony asked.

  Belinda looked up at Ebony in surprise. “Ebony? I thought you all left a while ago?”

  “Mama Ellis and Sheree did. I stayed. Are you all right?” Ebony asked again, her voice taking on an angry growl as she lowered her gaze toward Belinda’s still grasped wrist.

  Belinda quickly snatched her arm away. “I’m fine,” she said unconvincingly.

  “Who the hell are you?” her companion asked as she stood to address Ebony.

  Ebony slowly turned toward the other woman.

  Belinda looked on worriedly. “Carla, this is my employer, Ebony Trent.”

  Carla had a height advantage over Ebony, but Ebony had bulk and muscle over Carla’s slim frame.

  Carla frowned in confusion for a moment, then her eyes lit up with recognition. “Hold up, Ebony Trent as in Ebony ‘The Beast’ Trent?” she asked with a huge grin. “Yo, you didn’t tell me you worked for The Beast,” Carla said to Belinda.

  She held out a hand toward Ebony. “I’m a big fan.”

  Ebony igno
red Carla and turned back toward Belinda. “You didn’t look all right.”

  “I said I was fine…wait, were you watching me?” Belinda asked.

  Carla’s chuckling stopped Ebony from answering. “Now I see why you haven’t been returning my calls. You been sleeping with the boss, and seeing who it is, I wouldn’t blame you.”

  Ebony turned, fists clinched at her sides, and said in a low growl, “Walk away right now.”

  The grin slid from Carla’s face into a worried frown. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  She slowly slid past Ebony, gave Belinda a quick nod in parting, and walked away.

  When Ebony turned around, Belinda was wrapping her shawl around her shoulders and turning to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Ebony asked in confusion.

  “Anywhere you aren’t,” Belinda said angrily.

  Ebony watched her walk away.

  “You’re going to have to work on that charm of yours,” Chayse said.

  Ebony lowered her head, sighing in frustration. “I don’t know why I seem to act like such a complete ass around her.”

  “I think you’re really feeling something for her you’ve never felt before and don’t know how to handle it.”

  Ebony gazed up at her. “So what do I do about it?”

  “Go after her. Talk to her. Tell her how you feel,” Chayse advised.

  “Yeah, she’s really gonna listen to me after I just broke up her date.”

  “Ebony, that wasn’t a date. Carla is her ex.”

  “Her ex? She looking to get back with her?”

  “Hell no. Carla runs through women like a junkie runs through needles. She’s only trying to get Belinda back because she was the only one who refused to put up with Carla’s bullshit. She was dumped by Belinda before she could do the dumping.”

  Ebony couldn’t help but think that sounded very much how she had been treating women for as long as she could remember.

  “You two are nothing alike,” Chayse said, as if reading Ebony’s thoughts. “Carla has no heart. She gets bored and moves on. You on the other hand have a heart hidden behind a protective wall and push women away when they get too close to keep your heart from being broken. Ebony, Belinda’s not your mother or any of those other shallow women you’ve dated. She’s not out to get anything from you. You want something with somebody genuine, Belinda is your woman. Go after her before you completely blow any chance of experiencing what a relationship with a real woman can do for you.”