Read Online Close Quarters: A Novel (Zane Presents) by Shamara Ray - Free Book Online

Perhaps the woman wouldn’t speak up or complain because she was aware of his lack of accessibility from the beginning, but there are bound to be repercussions when a woman is unfulfilled on any level.
    “What about you? Are you planning to marry Ellis?”
    “If he asks me.”
    “You won’t be happy.”
    “Why would you say that?”
    “That’s not the life you want.”
    “Since when are you an expert on what I want?”
    “I know what you need.”
    I ignored Malik’s smirking face across the table and dared to ask the question. “What do I need, Malik?”
    He leaned forward and poured more wine in my glass. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
    My face grew warm. I cleared my throat. “You ventured to make such a bold comment. Tell me what I need.”
    “Two things. To loosen up and an open mind.” Malik got up and started clearing the table.
    I turned in my chair to face him. “That’s not what you were going to say.”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “I can tell you were thinking something else.”
    A fleeting smile touched Malik’s lips. He turned around and began washing the dishes. If he was thinking something different, he wasn’t going to tell me. Maybe he was trying to leave it to my imagination to figure out what he meant.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
MELINA
    I rushed home from the office to get ready for dinner with Ellis and his mother. She was hosting an intimate dinner party at her Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment. Ellis was sending a car service to pick me up at seven. I had been to enough of his mother’s events to know the appropriate attire. I pulled my little black Michael Kors dress from the closet and carried it to the bathroom. I wanted the steam from the shower to knock out any wrinkles in the fabric. I gave myself a pep talk while I lathered up. I would not let Ellis’s mother get to me tonight. Even if she worked my nerves, I would be as sweet as candy.
    I performed a final inspection in the full-length mirror on my wall. Hair styled in a tight chignon, dress flatteringly showcasing my curves without being tight, sheer black stockings, three-inch heels and my small beaded bag. Almost perfect. I fished my diamond studs from my jewelry box and placed them in my ears. Perfect.
    I turned off my bedroom light and went to the living room to wait for the car service. My stomach was a bit unsettled, a side effect of spending the evening outside of my comfort zone. When Ellis’s father was alive, he would compensate for his wife’s uppity behavior. I could always count on him to be warm and inviting. We would discuss a range of issues from the state of the black community to White House politics to sports. He would inquire about my business and even referred a few of his colleagues asclients. It was a pleasure to be around him; I looked forward to our discussions. His wife, on the other hand, had one favorite topic—what was going on in her world.
    The driver called up to let me know he was outside. I slipped into my mink, a Christmas gift from Ellis, then locked the door behind me. A town car waited at the curb. I had to tell Ellis, in the beginning of our relationship, not to send limousines to pick me up. If we were traveling together that was one thing, but when I was riding alone, I preferred not to be so pretentious. Besides, I felt silly having that much car to myself. It took some time, but he finally relented and obeyed my wishes.
    I arrived at my destination faster than I would have liked. I checked my face in my compact before we stopped in front of the luxury apartment building. I placed a tip in the driver’s hand as he helped me exit the town car. A doorman dressed in a black suit with a jacket resembling that of the leader of a marching band, held the door to the lobby open as I passed. I walked over to the gentleman sitting at the desk in front of the elevator bank. I gave him my name and he granted me access to the elevator strictly reserved for the penthouse.
    Caroline, the Harlow