He walked over to the window and started to draw the blinds when the rosy sunset caught his attention. It was the end of summer and September had settled in with the blazing heat, battling with the humidity and showers of rain. He braced his hands against the cool glass and peered outside. He should have gone to dinner with Rachel, but he had succumbed to his mother’s pleading for him to have dinner with them. It was something that he avoided whenever he could; which was not difficult. His parents were very active socially and apart from being involved in the business, they were on the board of several charities and did a lot of entertaining. With an impatient sigh, he shook off his dejection and went into the bathroom.
*****
Athena Blakely stretched languidly as she smoothed the soap into her skin. She was treating herself to a full body treatment. The relationship with Jeff had finally been put behind her. She was a free woman and had every intention of celebrating her freedom. He had been a jackass and a jerk, an asshole that she had wasted all of six months on. She had told him that it was over two months ago, but he had kept hanging on and begging her for a second chance.
“Second chance?” She had laughed in his face. “You are behaving as if we had a falling out about who gets the right side of the bed or who controls the remote, which by the way, you always seem to do. Honey, you were caught with your pants down, literally.”
“I made a mistake.”
“Let me guess: your penis fell into that bitch’s vagina and you had nothing to do with it.”
She waved her hand as he opened his mouth to counter. “It’s not important Jeff. I know it was not entirely your fault. I have been caught up in my career and have not been the girlfriend that I should have been, but I cannot forgive infidelity. That is where I draw the line. And besides, I don’t love you and I am pretty sure you do not love me either.”
“I do,” he had said earnestly. “I made a mistake and I would do anything to rectify it!”
“Darling stop embarrassing yourself by begging. I am done and that’s that.”
He had called her all sorts of names until she had told him to get out of her apartment.
Now she was indulging. She had been called by her agent and told that she had landed the coveted advertising campaign which was going to catapult her career and was going to last for several months. It would mean she could take care of her student loan, pay off her car and set herself straight. She could also buy her mother something very nice. Maybe send her on a cruise. Athena smiled whimsically as she visualized Debra Blakely’s reaction.
“Honey, I don’t need a damn cruise. I have everything I need right here in my antique store. I took a trip to Tuscany last summer and before that I went to Paris. I am well-traveled and in touch with the different cultures. Spend the money on yourself.”
Debra Blakely had been a single parent since Athena had been three years old when her husband had died while on active duty in the army and had struggled to take care of both of them. But she had done a pretty good job and Athena was grateful for the upbringing that her mother had imparted. It had made her into a strong and confident woman who believed that she could conquer the world and more. She had been interested in modeling since she was a teenager and had decided that commercial modeling was what she wanted to do. She had been called ‘African Princess’ by several ad agents because of her dark skin, tall slender curves and her short cropped black curls. Her nose was slightly flared at the nostrils and she had eloquent dark brown eyes that could flash with fire or appear cool and indifferent. Her lips were full and lush, drawing attention to her piquant face. She had an unusual beauty that made people give her second and third looks whenever she stepped into a room.
The ringing phone that she had placed on the towel brought her attention back to the present and she reached for it as soon as she wiped her hand. “Hey, Mom.”
“Honey, I thought you were coming over.”
“I was exhausted after I finished that photo shoot.” Athena stood up, the water streaming from her slender body and stepped out of the bath, reaching for a towel to wipe off the suds. She had been in the bath for more than half hour and her small nipples were puckered from the water. “And I just had another run in with Jeff.”
“Did he come over?”
“No,” Athena went into her bedroom and dried her skin, going to the armoire to select an old t-shirt to put on for bed. She had her first shoot tomorrow at the studio and wanted to be fresh and alert for it. Everything was riding on this campaign. She had met the couple who created it and they had gushed as they told her that it was like they had created the line just for her. “He was calling to give me his usual line about being sorry for what he did and the things he said to me when I told him to get the hell out of my apartment.”
“Is he going to be a problem?”
Athena put the phone on the sofa and pressed the speaker button so she could cream her skin.
“Like what?”
“A stalker. You are a beautiful young woman and any man who has been involved with you will have a hard time letting go.”
Athena let loose a full-bodied laugh as she finished creaming her skin and capped the tube.
“Mother, are you saying I am irresistible?”
“It’s not a laughing matter honey. I am concerned.”
“Jeff would never harm a fly. He is a jerk and has no idea what to do with a good woman, but he would never hurt me.”
“I still want you to be careful. I honestly thought that he was a nice guy that you could settle down with.”
“But I told you that I was just having fun. I was never in love with him.” She sat on the vanity stool and peered at herself in the mirror. Her complexion was flawless without a blemish and without any spots. She did not have to use makeup and made sure she used a minimum amount to highlight her unusual beauty.
“So why were you with him?”
“Mom, did you call me to rehash an old story?”
“I am sorry baby girl. Have I told you how proud of you I am?”
“Several times but I can never get tired of hearing it.”
“Well I am definitely proud. You are going to do great tomorrow darling.”
“Thanks Mom. Now tell me about your day.”
“You would never guess who came into the store today!”
“Milton Reeves.” Athena left the vanity stool and walked with cat like grace to her bed. Turning over the sheets, she crawled between them and pulled them over her, settling back against the pillows to get comfortable.