I could hear my phone ringing as I struggled to get my keys into the door of my apartment.

“Hello, you have reached Cory Dandridge. Please leave a brief…” the answering machine had started before I could pick it up. After racing through the door and to the phone, I dropped my luggage and shopping bags on the couch as I picked up the phone, cutting the machine off simultaneously.

“This is Cory,” I announced.

“Hey, baby,” she said.

I recognized the soft, raspy voice on the other end of the line and responded, “What’s goin’ on, baby girl?”

She started in an apologetic tone, “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, not at all. I was just walking through the door, but actually I’m glad you called. I should have been home an hour ago, but my flight was delayed coming out of La Guardia. The airport security will delay a flight at the drop of a hat right about now.” My tone changed when I remembered the news from my trip that I wanted to tell Paula. I began with, “Baby, guess what. I have some news that I’m really anxious to share with you,” and asked, “Do you think that you’ll be busy in about an hour or so?”

“Well, Marvin is out with a client playing golf, and I’d like to get out of here before he comes home. So if you want to see me I need to leave out now.” Paula continued in a humble manner, “You know, so I don’t have to go through any changes getting out of the house.”

I understood perfectly. So, after exchanging a few minutes of small talk I told her to come on over, even though I had wanted the hour to shower and maybe straighten the place up a little. I said, “Okay. I’ll see you shortly, then.” I hung up the phone and plopped back onto the couch. I wasn’t feeling so tired I needed sleep. It was more that my mind and body just needed a break from the nonstop motion I had endured during the past few days.

I’d just gotten back into town after three days in New York meeting with a relatively new digital security corporation that my company was attempting to buy out. In the relatively short time that I had been working for Pavillion I had grown accustomed to the aggressive manner in which we attempted to buy out smaller companies. After 9/11 most of the security companies were trying to expand to meet record demands for high-tech security. Our unspoken mission seemed to be to take over small companies that were doing something right before they became tomorrow’s competition. Our researchers, or spies as most people called them, had alerted us to a new company, Hakito Electronics, that was on the rise. PSC research had informed the board of directors that this company was on the brink of introducing a variety of cutting-edge software that made innovative use of wireless technology. PSC knew that this software would allow them to put a virtual stranglehold on the digital security industry.

I was sent to New York because, not only was I the assistant director of the sales and acquisitions department, I was the top salesman for eighteen months running as well. At worst, I would sign a contract for them to use our satellites for all of their business, but George Bell, my glory-stealing supervisor, was positive that I could convince Hakito Electronics to sell us controlling interest in their company. I did exactly what was asked and made my pitch very aggressively, to convince them they needed PSC. To my surprise, though, it turned out that the only thing they were convinced of was that they needed me to join their company as soon as possible.

The meetings were extremely tense and heated. I actually believed that their board had decided collectively to hate me before I had even started my presentation. After the second day of meetings, I became quite frustrated with their stubborn refusals. I was quite indignant, I’m sure, when I expressed PSC’s plans to delve into their market, which would cause a divide in the available profit margin for the next few years, until the supply for the cutting-edge software and digital programming chips that they produced increased. PSC, I’d explained, could afford to lose money, if need be, for a few years on this venture, but under those circumstances, a smaller corporation like Hakito could end up going bankrupt.

They wouldn’t budge from their stance, more than likely because they knew that when they began heavy production the previous year in their new digital technology division they had virtually cornered the market. Their extensive research and knowledge of the future of the industry enabled them to recognize the idleness of the threats I delivered. They had the patent rights on their side. It would be at least two years before they would have to share their superior design secrets. By that time they would surely grow in worth from a multimillion-dollar company to a possible billion-dollar one.

I was truly surprised that, after the meeting hadn’t gone as well as I’d hoped, instead of throwing me out of their boardroom, the entire clan of management heads invited me to lunch. I admired their good sportsmanship and agreed to join them. As we dined at Benihana on East Fifty-sixth Street, the surprises kept coming. Jamison Hakito, the nephew of the company’s founder, told me that both he and his uncle found my no-nonsense, borderline rude approach to business to be just what their company needed.

As lunch went on, Jamison continued complimenting me. He admitted to me that he had spoken with a headhunter I’d used back in Atlanta and was impressed with my background and credentials. I was impressed that he had been thorough enough to research me before I’d come up. Before I finished my pepper steak, he flat-out offered me a job.

Although they nearly sold me then and there when they told me all of the ways I would benefit from joining them—generous stock options, executive privileges, and the like—I told them I needed some time to think it over. They told me to take a week or two to get back to them, but they had two positions to fill immediately, and if I wanted either I should let them know as soon as possible.

I hated to imagine what Mr. Bell would think about me leaving PSC when I told him of their offer, if I decided to take it. He would probably assume that I had gone there and seen an opportunity to sell myself and run with it. Nothing would have been further from the truth.

I basically made up my mind when, on the ride back to my hotel, Jamison told me that one of the positions available was as head of the sales and production team in their Washington-Baltimore offices.

It was like fate was calling me home. I had thought about moving home for the past few months, since my mom had suffered a mild stroke. She wasn’t sickly, but it was just that Mom, even at fifty-five, had a tendency to overdo it. My older sister, Brenda, was there to check in on her, but she had enough pressure just trying to raise her children, Tory and Kyle. With this job offer and the chance for me to move back home to the metropolitan area, suddenly it seemed things were falling into place.

As I sat on the coffee-colored love seat, I looked out the balcony door. I was enjoying the feel of the cool leather on my naked back as I noticed the beautiful November day that Atlanta had been blessed with. I began to think about how much I would miss the city and the people if I elected to take the job with Hakito Electronics. It was so pleasant in the area near Phipps Plaza, where I had made my home. The thought of actually leaving made me feel a bit nostalgic. Since coming to Atlanta to get my master’s degree at Georgia Tech I’d made so many good friends, and none greater than Paula. I guess that’s why I was more than a little anxious how she would receive the news of the job offered to me while I was in the Big Apple.

It was getting close to when Paula should have been arriving at my apartment, if she had left her house immediately, as she’d said. My mouth was getting a little dry, so I rose from the sofa to get myself a glass of Welch’s white grape juice. While up and moving around, I opened the balcony window. On the way to the balcony I stopped and turned on the stereo. I reached into my packages and pulled out the new music I’d scooped up from Best Buy. I emptied the CDs out and ripped off the plastic covering. I loaded them all into the player and started the Glenn Lewis disc first. I read the cover to see which song I had seen the video for on BET in the hotel. That song first, then I figured I’d check out Mary J.’s joint. Ja Rule and Ludacris would have to wait until later.

The breeze blowing into my living room felt so inviting that I stepped out onto the balcony and decided to sit out there until Paula arrived. I turned the music up loud enough so that I could hear it on the balcony.

It was at least 65 degrees and unbelievably comfortable on the balcony. While resting one leg up on the rail, I lay my neck down on the plastic back of my lawn chair. I closed my eyes, but I could see the rays of bright sun turning the inside of my eyelids to orange covers. With the perfect amount of wind blowing across my face, I was beginning to drift into deep relaxation mode. I almost didn’t hear Paula at my door, but rose quickly when the second series of knocks came.

I opened my door and saw Paula standing there smiling. She was as beautiful as usual. She had her hair down instead of in the usual pulled-back style she sported to go along with her classroom image. She stepped into the foyer and greeted me with a hug and a soft kiss that made me feel warm inside.

“Hey, handsome, I’ve missed you.” She kissed me again.

“It’s only been four days, baby,” I replied, as I gently squeezed her hands and pulled her to the couch.

“I know, but it always seems so much longer when one of us is out of town.” She went on, “Answer me this: How come when we sneak off for a couple of days, time always goes so quickly?”

I scratched my head and acted like I was deep in thought. “I don’t know. Maybe time just flies when you’re getting done.” I smiled, and she offered a frowning, disapproving look before walking off.

Paula went into the kitchen to fix herself a glass of spring water. I heard a package opening and she reentered with a handful of Girl Scout cookies.

“I know you don’t mind, these being your favorite and all.”

I replied, “Just don’t get too crazy with ’em. Even though you did buy them.”

She ignored me as she made her way back into the kitchen for a second handful. While she was in the kitchen I walked into the bedroom to retrieve the Manolo Blahnik boots I had brought Paula back from Manhattan. As I was pulling them out of the bag, she walked into the doorway of the bedroom.

“Watcha doing?” she asked.

“I’m looking for a little something I picked up for you.” I pulled the Bergdorf’s shopping bag out.

“Oh, wow, thanks, baby.” She opened the box so she could take a good look at the boots. “One thousand dollars. You paid one thousand dollars for these boots?”

“Oh damn, how did you know? I pulled the receipt out of the bag, didn’t I?”

“There’s another one right here on the side of the box.”

“Oh, sorry. I told them it was a gift and to remove all of the tags.”

She shook her head, smiling in disbelief at my generosity, and walked into the bathroom. As I finished putting away the rest of the clothes in the garment bag, Paula walked out of the bathroom clad only in a black lace bra that made her breasts stand straight up and a pair of matching thong panties.

I knew what time it was and welcomed the advance. I pulled the covers back and she slid seductively into the satin sheets and lay on her stomach directly in front of me. My view was superb as I undressed quickly and joined her.

We spent the next couple of hours enjoying each other by giving each other massages between bouts of making love. When eight o’clock rolled around, she got up to get dressed. As she slid her shoes on she turned to me and woke me with a kiss on the forehead. Then she asked me whose music had been on the CD player earlier.

“This cat named Glenn Lewis. He just came out, but he is blowing up.”

“That CD is nice. I think I’ll take it with me.” She grinned. I shook my head no. “I promise I’ll bring it back.”

“Just like you brought back Jill Scott?” I swiped.

“Now, you knew you weren’t getting that back. That was the CD of the year. Plus, I gave you the fifteen dollars for it.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

We went back and forth until I grabbed her and pinned her down on the bed and kissed her for a while. As our clothes began to fall off again Paula placed her hands on my chest to push me back.

Then in a curious tone came…“Oh, Cory, I almost forgot…. What’s the news that you wanted to share with me?”