Truth and Circumstances

By Yolanda D. Gautier

Denise Devareaux is an accomplished professional who has sacrificed a personal life for her career. Raymond Sterling is a successful businessman whose family ties threaten to destroy everything he has worked hard to achieve. With past relationships ending in disaster, neither of them wanted to be vulnerable to love again. A chance meeting will bring them together...but will their circumstances keep them apart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257244386

Book preview

coincidental.

1

"Dammit! Denise muttered under her breath, as she glanced at the clock in her office. It’s already after 5 p.m., and I haven’t finished half of what I needed to get done today." She hurriedly scanned the remaining documents for the file she was working on, and began entering notes in her office computer. Just then, her cell phone rang.

Hello? No, I haven’t forgotten…I’ll be there! I just have to finish up a few things in the office before the weekend…Okay, bye!

It had been another stressful week for her, and this was one time she was determined not to work late. Denise Devareaux began working at Courtlandt Casualty right after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Management from Xavier University of New Orleans. Full of enthusiasm and potential, she accepted a management training position, which after 13 years, ended up as nothing more than a desk job as an overworked and underpaid senior commercial claims specialist. Now, she spent the majority of her time sorting out other people’s problems, often at the expense of neglecting her own. At age 34, Denise managed to maintain her 5’4" petite but toned frame with a regular exercise routine, which served more as a regimen for stress relief, than a sincere effort to stay in shape. After the painful demise of her engagement to her college sweetheart a few years prior, she had not taken much interest in her physical appearance. Thankfully, due to her kindhearted nature, and a favorable gene pool, her natural beauty needed little assistance.

After completing her final task for the day, Denise quickly logged off her computer, and began to gather her personal belongings to prepare for a swift departure.

Where are you rushing off to…you got a hot date tonight? She glanced up to see her supervisor leaning casually against the doorway, smiling mischievously.

Yeah, I wish! she replied. Actually, I promised to meet my girlfriend Tanya for a few drinks, and as usual I am running late!

Well, try to relax and have a good weekend.

Thanks Mike…you too! Denise replied as she rushed past him and out of the door.

Michael Miller had been Denise’s supervisor for the past 10 years, and he had watched her mature into a knowledgeable and valuable employee. He admired her work ethic, and knew he could always count on her to get the job done, even if it meant late nights and weekends. He found Denise attractive, but he never dared to cross the line with her. He knew Denise dealt with him strictly on a professional level. Plus, he was quite certain she was not the least bit interested in a middle-aged, balding, slightly overweight, and married man, such as himself.

Downstairs, as Denise quickly but cautiously pulled out the parking garage in her practical, late model Toyota Camry, her cell phone rang again.

Tanya? Yeah, I am leaving the office now. If you would quit calling me, I would have been there by now! Bye!

After ending the call, Denise slowly pulled the car into the street. While waiting at the red light, she rummaged around with her free hand, until she located her favorite Sade CD. After loading it into the CD player, she leaned back into the headrest, as soulful, melancholy strains of music filled the space around her. With a deep sigh, she mentally prepared herself for what she assumed would be another relatively dull weekend.

2

The Lagniappe Bar and Grill was bustling with its usual activity, as the after-work crowd poured in to celebrate the culmination of yet another week at the office. A visibly irritated Tanya was sitting alone at the bar, alternately tapping her fingernails on the marble-like bar surface, and glancing at her diamond-encrusted Versace watch.

I don’t know why I expected Denise to leave work on time! she pouted to herself. Now here I am sitting at this bar lookin’ like some desperate hoochie!

She cradled her frosty glass in perfectly manicured hands, took another long sip of her top shelf margarita (frozen, no salt), and tried to appear interested in the newscast on the overhead flat screen television, before one of the overly-confident men in the restaurant attempted to approach her…again.

Tanya Wilson was one of Denise’s closest and dearest friends, although she sometimes tested Denise’s patience with her overbearing personality. Tanya and Denise had been best friends ever since they were assigned as roommates during their freshman year at Xavier University. A native of Louisiana, Tanya was tall, curvaceous, and striking in her appearance. With her Café Au Lait complexion, and long, naturally wavy hair, she was used to be being the center of attention when she entered a room, and admittedly, she preferred it that way. Her career as a Pharmaceutical Representative for one of the Nation’s leading drug companies was suitable to her aggressive nature. Unlike Denise, she spent a significant amount of her time, and money, on maintaining her appearance, just in case Mr. Right Part III happened to be in the vicinity. After two failed marriages, one to a high-profile athlete, and the other to an intense corporate executive, and no children to slow her down, she was still determined to make the third time a charm before her age started to have an adverse effect on her appearance.

Denise! Over here! Tanya exclaimed, waving frantically as she spotted Denise at the entrance. Denise smiled and headed toward her direction.

Tanya observed her friend as she approached the bar area. Fridays were casual dress days at the office, and Denise was plainly dressed, as usual, in modest blue jeans, a brown button down shirt and brown low-heeled sandals. Her shoulder length hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. With her small, wire-framed glasses perched precariously on her nose, and a large, shapeless brown leather bag slung over one shoulder, Denise looked more like a college student coming home for the weekend, than a seasoned corporate employee. Her appearance was in sharp contrast to Tanya’s tailored, crème-colored Donna Karen pantsuit, gold, strappy, high-heeled Dolce & Gabbana sandals, and a matching gold handbag.

I really need to get my girl a serious makeover, Tanya thought to herself as Denise rushed over and took a seat on the nearest bar stool.

Sorry I’m late, Denise said apologetically.

Tanya replied, Please… if I had a dollar for every time I heard that before, I could retire. Now, hurry up and order something! The Happy Hour drink specials will be over in about 10 minutes.

Denise looked up and signaled the bartender to bring her whatever Tanya was drinking.

It’s been another rough week… Denise began.

Girl, tell me about it, Tanya interrupted. I called on this doctor today who had the nerve to ask me if there were any ‘other services’ I could provide to persuade him to prescribe my products. I told him that I did not appreciate what he was implying, and that I did not need to provide extra incentives, because the quality of our products speaks for itself!

And…what happened after that? Denise prompted dutifully.

Well, after I set him straight, and he apologized profusely…. I went on and gave him my cell number, just in case. After all, he was kind of cute! Tanya smirked.

Tanya, you have issues! Denise laughed.

Well, at least I am not trying to dry up like an old prune, Tanya teased, Girl, how long are you going to wait before you get back out there?

Let’s not go there again. You know I don’t have time for anything, or anyone else, in my life right now, Denise retorted and defensively crossed her arms over her chest.

Humph, Tanya responded, with her eyes gradually widening as she glanced toward the entrance door.

Well, I’ll be damned! Speak of the devil and in he slithers.

Reluctantly, Denise followed her friend’s gaze, and spotted Dexter Warren, her college sweetheart. Not surprisingly, Dexter was still as handsome and physically fit as the day she first saw him on campus. With his reddish-brown complexion, wavy hair, and perfect white teeth, he looked like the young Billy Dee Williams that swept Diana Ross off her feet in the movie Mahogany. And, of course, he wasn’t alone. Clinging to his arm like a leech was a slim, but shapely woman, wearing a tight, low-cut black dress which made her already ample bosom look as if it would spill over and out at any moment. Her long, straight black hair (probably a weave), sharp features and overdone makeup made her look like a darker-skinned version of Morticia from the old The Addams Family television show.

Typical, Denise thought to herself. Just then, Mocha Morticia spotted the two women looking at them, and quickly steered Dexter in the other direction.

Oh please! Tanya reacted, Like somebody else really wants his triflin’ behind!

As she sipped on her drink, Denise’s thoughts drifted back to a few years ago, when she and Dexter were planning their wedding. After dating on and off for the better part of ten years, a marriage seemed inevitable. That is, until she received the phone call from a desperate-sounding woman, who was trying to get Dexter to help out with their son’s daycare expenses. Apparently, he had neglected to mention to Denise a little detour he had taken during a particularly busy year, when her job required her to travel back and forth to Dallas for several months to monitor a complex lawsuit that was headed toward a costly trial. After the usual denials, Dexter finally consented to a blood test, which confirmed that he did indeed start a family without her. As was her nature, Denise tried to be forgiving and supportive, and had even made the effort to get acquainted with the precocious toddler during his court-ordered biweekly visits, but the trust that was broken caused irreparable damage to their relationship. Since then, Denise had been very guarded about her personal life, and had done very little dating. She threw herself into her work routine, and gave little consideration to getting involved in another serious relationship. However, seeing Dexter for just that one moment brought back the deep, aching emptiness that she thought she had overcome.

Look, Tanya, unless you want to go somewhere else, I think I would rather just head home and get some rest.

Denise, why would you let that man put a damper on our night out? He didn’t even see us before his guard dog pulled him away!

Yeah, and let’s keep it that way, Denise replied as she stood and reached for her bag. Tanya, I am just not in the mood for this anymore. I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?

Sure, but if I don’t answer, I just may be on a date with a devilish doctor Tanya winked, as she pulled a crisp $20 bill from her purse, and placed it on the bar counter. Hold up a minute, and we’ll leave together.

3

As soon as her key made contact with the front door, Denise was greeted by the urgent barking of her energetic canine companion, who had been eagerly awaiting her return. Maxwell was a squat, loveable mutt, with short legs, a long torso, and a tousled mess of wiry nutmeg brown fur… the end result of his Dachshund and Yorkshire terrier lineage. Denise preferred to refer to him as a mixed breed. She had rescued him several years ago from a local SPCA animal shelter, when he was just a scrappy little puppy, and he had been her faithful companion ever since. Maxwell, or Max as she chose to call him, was one of the few reasons she looked forward to coming home in the evenings. Max was obedient enough to have free roam of the house while she was gone, but due to her unpredictable schedule, she installed a doggie door so he could have access to the backyard, in case he couldn’t wait for her to come home and take him out for his daily walk.

Hey Max, she cooed as she entered the door, then lowered herself to the floor, and gathered the small bundle of fur in her arms, Did you miss me?

Maxwell responded by covering her cheek with quick, sloppy kisses, before jumping out of her grasp and running in small, fast circles around the room until he tired himself out.

Well, at least I still have one male left to come home to, Denise said reflectively.

After feeding Max and taking him out for a quick walk, she ate some leftover Chinese Food, then showered and changed into a shapeless, oversized grey t-shirt and some fuzzy pink slippers.

Denise had always been very organized, and had her life carefully planned out by the time she had completed high school, graduating with honors in the top 10% of her class. By now, according to the plan, she was supposed to be married to a handsome, devoted husband with two adorable and well-behaved children – a boy and a girl of course. She would have been successfully juggling her roles as a wife, mother and successful business owner, all while maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a balanced diet, regular sessions with her personal trainer and of course, her monthly day spa retreats.

Where did I go wrong? she sighed as she curled up on her overstuffed tan suede couch, and absentmindedly stroked Maxwell’s non-compliant fur, while he settled contentedly into her lap. She spent the remainder of her Friday evening listening to old Brian McKnight and Luther Vandross songs, while flipping through her photo albums, and reliving happier times with Dexter.

The remainder of the weekend was characteristically uneventful for Denise. She got up early on that Saturday morning, and purged her memories with an intense workout at the gym. After her breakup with Dexter, Denise had purchased a 2 bedroom, 1 ½ bath townhome in Sugar Land, Texas, a thriving suburb near her hometown of Houston, Texas. She lived in a gated community, that was quiet and well-kept, where the neighbors were friendly enough, but usually kept to themselves, and their own business.

Confident that she had once again gotten Dexter out of her system, she caught up with her mom for dinner on Saturday evening, and then had brunch with her dad on Sunday afternoon, before preparing for another grueling work week.

As the only child of Frank and LaVerne Devareaux, Denise felt obligated to share herself which each of them equally, as much as time would allow. Her parents were not wealthy, but they did their best to provide her with a happy and secure childhood. She was educated in private schools during her formative years, and enrolled in piano lessons, ballet class, and any other activities they felt would enable her to grow into a well-rounded adult. Although they divorced shortly after Denise completed high school, Frank and LaVerne still remained on good terms. They were very proud and supportive of their daughter, but often worried that she was wasting too much of her youth and potential in a mundane job, with an almost non-existent social life. LaVerne had made countless attempts to set her daughter up with what she considered to be the most eligible bachelors at Greater Blessings Community Church, and although her mother meant well, Denise had made it clear that she didn’t want her assistance in this aspect of her life. In spite of her efforts to put up a good front, Frank could sense Denise’s underlying sadness, even though he was secretly quite pleased that pretty boy Dexter was no longer in the picture. He had never felt he was good enough for his daughter anyway.

Above all, Frank just wanted Denise to be happy and contented with her life. Plus, both of them were secretly still hoping to welcome a grandchild, or two, into their lives before they were too old to enjoy it.

4

Raymond Sterling slammed his fist on his mahogany wood desk.

You did what!? he yelled angrily into the phone.

Relax man, his brother Damon coaxed, Everything is taken care of. We will have the money back before you know it. Just work with me on this, Bro.

How many times do I have to tell you to check with me first before you make decisions that could affect us both? I am not willing to lose everything I have worked so hard to establish over some half-assed scheme! Raymond seethed.

"Now look Ray, I admit I made a bad investment decision, and we took a hit for it, but I told you I would make it right, and I am working on it. I just need for you to go along