An hour later, he stood on the fourth-floor rooftop of his brownstone. If he looked past a bunch of trees and a couple of buildings, he could see the condo where the Sharpes lived. Why did he still have Desiree on his mind? Why was he still remembering every moment he’d spent with her tonight? Had she actually hinted that she and a former lover had been sexually incompatible in the bedroom? Was that why she thought they might be as well? Well, he couldn’t wait to prove differently. He had no doubt the two of them would light the bedsheets on fire.
When his phone rang, he pulled it from the pocket of his jeans. He knew who it was on the line. His friend Anthony Tombstone. “What’s up, Tomb?”
“You’re still coming home this weekend?”
“Yes.”
“Then we can celebrate?”
Cobra lifted a brow. “Celebrate what?”
“You will have made it through eight months of celibacy, with only four more to go. Just so you know, I got my money on you.”
Cobra frowned. “And who are you betting with?”
“Straw. He doesn’t think you can do it.”
“Oh, he doesn’t, does he?”
“Nope. And we need to prove him wrong. I have two hundred dollars riding on you, and I don’t want to lose my money, Cobra.”
“You won’t,” he assured Tomb.
“Good.”
“I’ll see you Saturday, and we can celebrate at any place but Swanky’s,” Cobra said. Swanky’s had always been his ‘go to’ nightclub whenever he came home to visit, but not anymore. He hadn’t set foot in the place since the night he met Bernice Whey there.
“I hear you,” Tomb said, chuckling.
After ending the call with Tombstone, and being reminded of that fateful night when he almost lost everything, Cobra was more determined than ever not to be tempted by Allison Desiree Sharpe.
***
“I’m glad the play went well, Camille. And I just saw the reviews! Fantastic! But why are you up so early? It’s eleven o’clock in New York, which means it’s five in the morning there,” Desiree said, shifting to a good position in bed.
“I didn’t sleep much after the play. I was too hyped up. You know how it is with me on the final night. The place was packed. Today is Friday, so there aren’t any clinicals. I get to hang around the flat and make this a ‘do nothing’ day.”
“I wish I could do the same. I have to report for work at eight.”
“How are things going with that, Rae?”
“So far so good. I’m really enjoying myself just learning the different jobs. The executive team is awesome and like Granddad, they are surprised that I know so much about business, considering I graduated from a liberal arts school.”
“I guess that means you haven’t told your grandfather what you were doing the past three years?”
“No, not yet. I’m waiting for the right time.”
“And how is your relationship with him going?” Camille asked.
Desiree released a deep sigh. “I’m not sure, Cam. He’s usually gone when I get up in the morning. However, I’ve been working late the past few days, and he doesn’t retire for the night until he knows I’m home. But he always did that whenever I came home from school.”
“So, what’s different?”
“He appears more at peace somehow. Whenever we share a meal, he seems genuinely interested in how my day went or how things are going at the office. I think he’s confused since I’ve yet to go to a nightclub. At the office, everyone knows I’m Richard Sharpe’s granddaughter, so of course, they treat me with respect. But it’s obvious they have high expectations for me.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all. I’m more like my grandfather than my father in that regard. I love being a part of corporate America and the challenges it presents. My dad, on the other hand, detested it. I think he would have much preferred to be part of the philanthropic arm of the Sharpe Corporation, as my grandmother was. Dad was always more interested in the social obligations of the company, and he would have been better suited to attending galas, speaking at events, and maintaining the family’s public image or reputation.”
