The Dinner Party, Making Life-Long Love Connections

By B.L Wilson

The Dinner Party, making life-long connections (Jimson Murders Volume2) is a sequel to The Guardian & Her Captain. It continues the story of secondary characters Dr. Elizabeth Reid, who is Sophia Jimson’s ex-fiancée, and Josephina Macklin, the city hospital security guard who requested a transfer to get away from her feelings for the doctor.
Elizabeth receives a dinner invitation from a mysterious wealthy contributor to the hospital where she works. Although she is reluctant to attend, her boss insists, as the contributor wants to thank her for saving his son’s life. When she attends the dinner, two strange and alarming things happen: Elizabeth sees Josephina for the first time in three years and a gang of gun-toting men bursts into the premises.
Elizabeth manages to escape the ensuing shooting and hides. As the sound of gunfire surrounds her, she happens upon a seriously injured Josephina. Can the two women survive this tragedy?

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.L Wilson
• Release date: Oct 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005625559

B.L Wilson

B.L. has always been in love with books and the words in them. She never thought she could create something with the words she knew. When she read ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird,’ she realized everyday experiences could be written about in a powerful, memorable way. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with that knowledge so she kept on reading.Walter Mosley’s short stories about Easy Rawlins and his friends encouraged BL to start writing in earnest. She felt she had a story to tell...maybe several of them. She’d always kept a diary of some sort, scraps of paper, pocketsize, notepads, blank backs of agency forms, or in the margins of books. It was her habit to make these little notes to herself. She thought someday she’d make them into a book.She wrote a workplace memoir based on the people she met during her 20 years as a property manager of city-owned buildings. Writing the memoir, led her to consider writing books that were not job-related. Once again, she did...producing romance novels with African American lesbians as main characters. She wrote the novels because she couldn’t find stories that matched who she wanted to read about ...over forty, African American and female.

Book preview

1st: Welcome to West Riverview Hospital & its staff.

Dr. Sophie Jimson waved at Memo, one of West Riverview Hospital’s security guards, and then walked over with a food tray. She sat down at the staff cafeteria table to interrupt his lunch. She grinned triumphantly as she took a seat across from him. I can’t wait till this weekend.

You look like the Cheshire cat that swallowed a canary, feathers and all. Doc, what’s going on? Memo asked between large bites of his third slice of meat lover’s pizza with everything. He had two unopened bottles of water and a large veggie salad.

Sophie’s eyes grew large watching him wolf down the last of his slice, then he started on the veggie salad. I’m amazed you can walk after you eat all of that, Memo.

Memo frowned and stopped eating. Come on, Doc, stop picking on me. I’m losing weight. I go to the gym when I leave here after my shift. I run up and down the stairs from the tenth floor and back down to the basement twice and sometimes three times a day. I walk home. You know my brother had a mini-stroke a while ago. My older brother died of one three years ago. He was 63. I got two more brothers. I’m the baby and so I’m trying to beat the odds. He noted how she look ready to burst if she didn’t tell him something. Forget all that. What’s up with you today, Doc?

Sophie leaned closer, keeping her voice low. Remember I said I might ask her this weekend?

Memo nodded, studied her excited face, then grinned. Okay, Doc, show me the ring I know you bought.

Nope, I didn’t buy one. I resized my mother’s wedding and engagement rings. I think she’ll appreciate a family heirloom. Sophie prayed Elizabeth would appreciate the gesture. She was unsure of Elizabeth’s feelings about her family. While Lizzie hadn’t met her father yet, she thought they might get along. It would provide the link she needed to come back home again.

She hadn’t wanted to reconnect with her father until she met Dr. Elizabeth Reid. While Lizzie’s parents had died years ago, she reinvented her family here at West Riverview. She loved how Lizzie helped folks; her patients as well as her coworkers admired and respected her. She took on cases that looked impossible and managed to save lives, then did her own version of patient follow-up. If Elizabeth wasn’t like that, they wouldn’t have met.

She doesn’t know about the rings, huh? Memo studied Sophie Jimson’s beautiful caramel face and amazing green eyes. He’d heard through the grapevine all that beauty hid some not-so-nice deeds. Dr. Liz agreed to take Dr. Sophie, who was a head shrinker, and remake her into a trauma surgeon. The wealthy father pressured Dr. Sophie’s former patients to settle for large, undisclosed settlements. The father convinced the former clinics and hospitals where Dr. Sophie worked not to prosecute her. Then Sophie’s old man pressured his hospital buddies to hire his daughter and remake her as a trauma surgeon here at West Riverview. Hospital gossip said the old man decided Dr. Lizzie was the best of the best surgeons and just the person to do the rehabilitation on his daughter.

He hadn’t seen any evidence of Dr. Sophie forming illicit relationships with her patients. When did she have the time? Dr. Lizzie kept her too busy to think. Most days, she looked happy but tired. He suddenly saw fingers snapping in front of his nose and sat back.

Pay attention, Memo. Look at the rings. Tell me what you think. Sophie opened a double heart-shaped antique silver box that contained a diamond cluster engagement ring with a silver band and a matching plain silver wedding ring.

Busybody Betsy, seated at the next table, was eating with one of her admission unit friends, Nazza Khan.

They overheard the conversation and looked at each other.

Did you know they were together? Betsy asked with a frown.

Nope. But you knew, right? Nazza remarked. Her good friend knew everybody’s business in the hospital.

Betsy shrugged then whispered, They must be good at keeping secrets. I never even saw them kissing, let alone be so close to marrying. She peeked at the rings Dr. Sophie was showing Memo. She whistled softly then whispered, They’re beautiful. I wonder if she’ll say yes to Dr. Sophie.

Why wouldn’t she? Nazza asked.

In her heart of hearts, Betsy didn’t think Dr. Liz would marry Dr. Sophie. She couldn’t explain why the marriage wouldn’t happen. I don’t know. Maybe she will say yes and marry Dr. Sophie. She smiled. That would be quite a wedding, since Daddy would be paying for it, huh? Would we all get invitations?

I bet we would. Daddy could afford it. He’s got more money than God.

I hope Dr. Lizzie says yes. It would be a fabulous wedding. Busybody Betsy glanced at her watch and sighed. We’d better get back to the unit before they come looking for us. She and Nazza rose and quietly left the cafeteria.

Memo leaned over to look at the rings closely. He knew the women were seeing each other. He didn’t know it was that serious. He’d caught them in Dr. Lizzie’s office months ago. He’d heard odd noises coming from an office that was supposed to be empty. It never happened again.

Then he started noticing little things. How the two women looked at each other when nobody was looking. He saw lingering touches of fingers when files, phones, or other items were exchanged between them. Or how hands rested on shoulders or around waists for seconds longer than normal. The women shared lunch together often. He noticed the little affectionate things the women did with each other, such as setting up place mats or wiping crumbs from each other’s faces. He wondered if anybody else noticed. He hoped not. Dr. Lizzie could lose her job or her station for intimate relations with a subordinate.

These rings are nice, very nice. When and where are you going to pop the question? Memo picked up the ring holder to look at the rings. He didn’t want to touch them. He’d heard it was bad luck for a man other than the groom to touch wedding or engagement rings before the marriage. While he didn’t believe in superstitions and old wives’ tales, why take a chance?

If I can convince her to go with me this weekend to meet my father, that’s when I’ll do it.

Didn’t you say you’d never go see him again? That you were done with him?

That was before I had something good to tell him and somebody good in my life worth talking about.

Memo nodded. Good luck with that one, Doc. When Sophie gave him the side eye, he chuckled. No, I really mean it. I’d like to see you both happy. You both deserve to be happy. He didn’t add with each other. He didn’t know why he didn’t add that part. When is this special weekend happening?

Sophie closed the antique silver heart-shaped ring box. My father invited me to spend this weekend at his country estate upstate. I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce my father to my fiancée and my fiancée to my father.

Memo nodded then looked into green eyes. She has no idea about any of this, does she?

No. It’ll be a complete surprise. I want to keep it that way too.

Dr. Elizabeth Reid stood at the entrance to the cafeteria scanning the tables. She smiled when she spotted the back of familiar shoulder-length, light brown dreadlocks with lighter-blond streaks. When the woman pushed the right side of her locks away from her face, silver earrings twinkled in the sunlight. Elizabeth pressed a finger across her lips when Memo recognized her. She snuck over. Much as she wanted to kiss the back of her lover’s neck, she didn’t. She couldn’t afford to reveal to the world her love affair with a subordinate. She sat down.

I heard something about a surprise. What’s the surprise, Dr. Jimson?

Memo casually covered the ring box with a large hand and scooped it up, putting it in his pocket before Dr. Liz could ask about it. Doctors, I gotta go relieve my coworker. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. You know how evil Joey gets when she’s hungry and if I’m late coming back. Well, I might need the ER today. He looked at Sophie. Stop by later if your boss cuts you some slack today. His eyes travelled to Elizabeth’s face and he winked at her as he rose from the table. We know how she can be a hard task master.

Humph. I expect the doctors working under me to be on call night or day if they expect to learn anything about trauma, Elizabeth remarked.

Sophie smiled at her supervisor. You know that’s not a problem for me, Boss. She stirred her cold coffee then drank it, scowling at the taste. Eck! Cold coffee.

I came down here to remind you we had surgery this afternoon and tonight. We have five patients for follow-up in the clinic. I shifted the afternoon surgery to after the clinic closes.

Elizabeth’s phone rang, interrupting her conversation. This is Dr. Reid speaking. Eyes widening in surprise and then in despair, she quickly rose from the table. What’s the ETA? She nodded then shoved a hand into a pocket of her lab coat. She pulled it out to snap fingers at Sophie then pointed to the phone. School bus accident. It blows our plans for the surgery. Contact surgical OR. Tell ‘em to leave all theaters free subject to change. Reschedule our patients for tomorrow or the day after. She swiped off and started dialing her interns and residents. This was an all-hands-on-deck call. She hated those kinds of emergencies, but that was what she was trained to do. Several awards said she was the best at it too. She placed a hand over the phone.

Dr. Jimson, after you complete those tasks in the next six minutes, meet me in ER’s triage. Elizabeth frowned then rubbed her temple in thought. No, meet me at the loading dock. Apparently, it was a multi-vehicle pileup. A school bus, a garbage truck, a city bus, and five or six cars on the West Side Highway. We have burn victims mixed in with crash victims. One of the vehicles caught fire and exploded. We’re the closest hospital. We’re getting most of them. We’ll set up triage outside in the loading dock.

She turned her back on Sophie as she always did to make serious calls. She called the triage unit, security, admissions, and the other units involved. She included maintenance because she needed tents set up to protect victims against the darkening summer sky. It was early afternoon. She sighed as she took the stairs up to the loading docks. They would be lucky to finish treating and operating by morning. She surveyed the area. Maintenance had begun setting up tents, and Nazza, Betsy, and three other admin nurses were taping labels and colors above each tent’s entry. That way, EMS techs knew where to take patients.

The labels on each tent were based on the five levels of a patient’s medical condition, which were red, meaning immediate, requiring immediate treatment. Orange meant very urgent, requiring treatment within ten minutes. Yellow was urgent, requiring treatment within one hour. Green was standard, requiring treatment within two hours. Blue was non-urgent, requiring treatment within four hours.

One of the tents set farther away from the other tents was labeled the morgue. A medical examiner, a morgue assistant, and a police officer would be stationed there. The ME and the nurse would do a quick examination for potential ID and post time of death. The officer was there to gather a list of known relatives for proper notification.

In the hours that followed, Sophie and two residents finished closing operations that either Dr. Reid or Dr. Covington or Dr. Tolliver, who replaced Dr. Langhorne, started. The three senior doctors were operating on other patients. The OR reminded Sophie of an assembly line with humans as the product to be repaired and reassembled. Blood was barely cleaned and the operating theaters disinfected when another patient was wheeled into either the surgical OR, the OR in the trauma unit, or the maternity ward’s operating theater. It was the same story in Orthopedics. None of the staff could remember when West Riverview had been this busy since 911.

Dr. Jimson frowned. She’d helped her last patient settle into the surgical ICU, which had been merged with two other normally separate wards. She realized separate ICU units meant stretching already lean nursing care to the limit. She decided to combine the ICU into two large temp units until the medical crisis was over. Hopefully, that meant patients’ medical conditions quickly improved and they could be transferred to other wards for post op care.

She noted her boss seemed to be everywhere yesterday and into the early morning hours today. She spotted Elizabeth assisting in triage, wheeling patients upstairs to surgery, providing CPR and later comforting a single mother when her child died.

However, she hadn’t seen Elizabeth in the past forty minutes. She wondered where she’d find her. She went looking in Elizabeth’s office. It was empty. She checked outside in the loading docks. It was empty of medical personnel. Maintenance was busy cleaning up the bloody bandages, sheets, and pieces of clothing. They hadn’t removed the tents, as they would need to be sterilized or destroyed.

She sighed. Joey, Memo, Betsy, or Nazza might know where Elizabeth was. She needed to see Memo anyway to retrieve her grandmother’s rings. She’d start with him first. She hated asking Joey Macklin about anything concerning Elizabeth. The young woman had a nasty attitude when it came to giving up information about her dear friend Elizabeth.

She walked inside from the loading docks and spotted the big man sprawled on a lounge chair in the lobby. Memo, where is she? She shook his arm. He was clearly exhausted.

Try her office, Doc.

I did. She’s not there. She’s not outside at the docks either.

Memo dug into a pocket and pulled out the silver antique ring box. Take this back before I lose it. He closed his eyes. There is one place she might go. Did any of her patients pass away?

Not her patient. Yes, a child did die last night. She was up front when the sanitation truck hit them in the front driver’s side.

Try the staircase outside her office a floor below or above it. She goes there when she wants to be alone. He forgot to mention that this morning she might not be alone. Everybody knew Joey Macklin carried a torch for Elizabeth. Everybody but Elizabeth could see it.

Sophie decided to climb the stairs up to the fifth floor. At the third floor, she could hear voices but was too tired to recognize the voices. By the fourth floor, she knew Joey was speaking to Elizabeth. She looked up and saw Elizabeth resting her head against Joey’s shoulder. She caught Joey’s attention with a raised eyebrow.

It looks like your ladylove finally found you, Lizzie, Joey remarked softly and gave Elizabeth a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. She rose and dusted off her uniform’s slacks. I’d better go and let you two talk. Memo must be going crazy being down there alone. She walked the few steps to the door and disappeared inside.

Should I be jealous she sat with you and I didn’t? Sophie asked. She studied Elizabeth, noting the exhaustion in her face and the dampness in her eyes. She was feeling left out. Once again, she felt jealous too. Why couldn’t you find me and tell me, huh?

Annoyed, Elizabeth wiped at her eyes. Joey’s a longtime friend. She’s the kid sister I never had.

Next time, come and find me. Stay away from her. You don’t need her when you have me, okay?

You know there’s nothing but friendship between us, Sophie! Elizabeth snapped and then quickly rose ready to leave, until Sophie tugged her back down.

Sophie studied Elizabeth, watching her anger build. Her chest heaved rapidly in and then out. How can that be sexy? How can that be a stimulant? And yet it was. Elizabeth’s body was talking to her body and suddenly filling her with new energy. She scooted closer. You are so … She didn’t finish before she ran her hands through Elizabeth’s white afro then tugged her face closer for a kiss.

At first, Elizabeth turned her face away. Come on, Lizzie. I know you want some too, Sophie whispered, caressing the outline of Elizabeth’s full breasts and hard nipples pressing against clean scrubs. You’re excited too, aren’t you? She pinched and then twisted Elizabeth’s hard nipples. You smell good. You just showered. Does that mean no underwear? She straddled Elizabeth thighs before she could move away.

Elizabeth didn’t want to move anywhere when Sophie pushed up her top to lick hard nipples, ravishing them with an educated tongue, then sucking hard on her nipples, drawing a tiny bit of fluid from each one, which signaled a high degree of excitement. The dampness leaking out between Elizabeth’s legs said the same thing. She reached down between their bodies to slip into the waistband of Sophie’s scrubs, until a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

Nope. Hand, lips, and tongue. Other good stuff comes later when we’re alone, Sophie whispered. She kissed Elizabeth’s lips, inserting a tongue deep into Elizabeth’s mouth as her hands dug into Elizabeth’s dripping vagina. She stopped kissing to encourage her lover, whose body wiggled and squirmed underneath her. That’s it, Lizzie. Push up. Wet my fingers like a rainstorm. Oh-o-o yes, Baby, that’s it, squeeze ‘em, too. Before Elizabeth could issue a howl of delightful completion, Sophie shoved her tongue inside Elizabeth’s mouth.

2nd: Prior Engagements.

Dr. Sophie Jimson’s cellphone rang as it sat on Dr. Elizabeth Reid’s end table next to the king-size bed they shared this morning. After the major medical crisis at West Riverview had become manageable, the two women had taken an Uber for the seven or eight blocks to Dr. Reid’s apartment. This was unusual for the women for two reasons. Elizabeth always walked home. She thought of it as good exercise, just the way she took the stairs instead of riding the elevator. Hiring an Uber rather than walking was a sin as far as Elizabeth was concerned.

Second reason being, that Elizabeth demanded Sophie never ever leave with her from the hospital. She wanted to keep her work life separate from her personal. She knew if she didn’t insist on it, Sophie could be very affectionate in front of the entire hospital staff. She knew this because Sophie tried to do exactly that three times. She finally cancelled all their dates and wouldn’t take Sophie’s calls for the next month to get Sophie’s attention. That isolation finally forced Sophie to comply. Elizabeth loved her job. She wouldn’t allow Sophie or anybody else to put her job in jeopardy because of a personal relationship.

This morning, the two women were bone-numbingly tired. Elizabeth was too exhausted to worry about the rules she created for their relationship. Sophie was secretly overjoyed that things were going her way for once. Sophie called the Uber driver she normally used and they rode to Elizabeth’s place. During the brief ride, Elizabeth had fallen asleep. That meant Sophie had to cajole, convince, and finally tickle Elizabeth into wakefulness then haul her into the building and up to her place. Once that deed was done, the women collapsed on the bed fully dressed and fell into a deep, well-deserved sleep.

When the phone’s ringtone climbed into Elizabeth’s dream and disturbed it, she fumbled around the end table until she found the phone. Hullo, Dr. Reid speaking.

Dr. Reid? Do I have the right number?

Elizabeth sighed and opened one eye. The man’s rumbling baritone sounded cultured and polite. Who are you trying to reach, Sir? Perhaps I can help you.

I thought this was Dr. Jimson’s phone. I’m her father, Frederick Jimson. She hasn’t returned my calls as she promised she would. I wanted to speak with her about that.

Elizabeth sat up in instant surprise. Oh my. You’re right, sir. This is her phone. She issued a nervous laugh. We’ve been so busy at the hospital, I automatically picked up the phone. That’s just me answering any ringing phone that could be a patient in jeopardy. She exhaled, praying that excuse made sense to him. Should I have her return your call?

You sound odd, Doctor … um, Reid, is it?

Yes, Sir. I’m Elizabeth Reid. Elizabeth nearly moaned with pleasure into the phone when she felt hands where they shouldn’t be on a phone call like this one.

You’re her immediate supervisor, aren’t you?

Yes, Sir. I supervise your daughter. Elizabeth loved the feel of long fingers stroking her outer lips until they grew slick. She knew those same fingers would be inside her soon.

Frederick smiled. He hadn’t had to bail Sophie out of trouble for the last three years since she started working at West Riverview. He or his lawyer, Emerson Gunn, stayed in constant touch with the hospital’s administration and the board of directors. He already knew Dr. Elizabeth Reid was the perfect strict supervisor for his wayward, strongly independent offspring. Sophie must be doing well. I haven’t heard negative things about her performance.

Elizabeth could feel the heat building up. Sophie hadn’t given her best efforts yet. She squeezed her eyes shut to try and clear her mind of the excitement she was feeling. She coughed several times. Sir, I have a strict rule about discussing my doctors’ performances with civilians. I won’t do it without a court order; even then, my discussion of their performance would be extremely limited in scope.

Frederick chuckled. I can see my daughter has the right kind of supervisory assistance. Whenever you have a free moment, please tell her I called. As always, the answer is yes for my baby girl. He paused then smiled He’d make an offer and see what happened. Dr. Reid, if you wouldn’t think I’m trying to influence you, I’d love to have dinner with you sometime.

Elizabeth bit into her lower lip as Sophie’s hands, her long surgeon’s fingers, delved into her vagina then began stroking whatever they could find. Oh god, that’s so good, she whispered.

Frederick heard the soft whisper and grinned. Like everybody else, Dr. Reid had her weaknesses too. She was with somebody making her feel good this morning. He wanted to hear more and decided to keep her on the phone a little longer. Then it’s a date, Dr. Reid?

Yes, keep doing that, Elizabeth whispered. You know all my weakness, Lover. Make me … o-o-oh. Yes, Sir, she remarked in a normal voice. I mean, I have to go! Oh my GOD! Her pelvis gyrated, following the fingers diddling her core so delicately.

Sophie reached around Elizabeth’s body to swipe off the phone and then continued to stroke her lover’s clit. She nuzzled the baby hair on the back of Elizabeth’s neck. Lizzie still wore street clothes, but it didn’t matter. She lifted Lizzie’s scrub top off and tossed it in a corner, then pushed Lizzie’s scrub bottoms further down her ankles. Finally, I got you where I want you, Lizzie Reid. Naked and at my mercy. I intend to take full advantage of you, she whispered, watching her lover as she had a second climax.

In the meantime, Frederick laughed aloud as his daughter’s cell phone went dead. Now I want to meet you, Dr. Reid. You’re talking to me on my daughter’s cellphone while somebody is screwing you. I definitely want to meet you now. He looked around his Fifth Avenue brownstone and sighed. He was in the large bedroom waiting for inspiration. He could hear the women that he hired to help him find it giggling as they bathed together in the walk-in tub. He needed something to do until he looked down at his naked hardness. Girls, get in here. I’m ready! Frederick bellowed.

"What did you think?" Sophie asked, playing with the bedlinen. She had stretched out her length across Elizabeth’s king-size bed. They were both naked now. She watched as Elizabeth gasped for breath. She’d flopped over onto her back taking deep gulps of air. She loved watching gloriously heaving brown breasts tipped with hard cranberry-red nipples. She also loved the contrast in her high yellow skin tone and green eyes with Lizzie’s shades: darker warm brown skin and hazel eyes.

I … think … I … to … get … in … better … shape. Walk … more … do … more … stairs. Whew! Elizabeth moaned when Sophie’s fingers stopped playing with the bedlinen. Sophie had switched over to playing with her nipples, pinching and then twisting them until she frowned in pain not pleasure. Ouch! That hurts! She banged on Sophie’s hand. Stop that.

Use the safe word or I twist it off, Sophie threatened. She could see how much it hurt because Elizabeth’s nipple was reddening and a little puffy.

Red, damn it. R-E-D! Elizabeth yelped. Her eyes watered from the pain in her nipple. I thought we agreed not to do this game of yours again. You know I don’t like it. She rose from the bed and marched to the bathroom to apply a cold compress to her right tit.

Sophie sighed then climbed off the bed and followed her lover into the bathroom. She loved Elizabeth, but she needed more excitement in the bedroom. She stood at the doorway watching Elizabeth apply a cold washcloth to her injured nipple. You didn’t answer my question.

Piercing hazel eyes stared at Sophie. Humph! Go get me some ice for my nipple, Sophie!

Tell me what you thought about my father. I’ll make you feel better. I promise.

Elizabeth turned away from the face basin to