Big Daddy Sinatra: There Was a Ruthless Man(74)

Charles frowned. “I was interested in you. I am interested in you totally. Why would you question that?”

“Why do you think?” Jenay asked. But then she decided against even going there. Men and their libidos never ceased to amaze her. She, instead, thought about what it all meant, and how he would be duty bound to marry this Abby person, and she found herself fighting back the tears. She fought them with everything she had. She didn’t cry when Quince dumped her. She wasn’t crying when Charles let her go too. She stood up.

But Charles stood up too, and grabbed her by the hand. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve got to get back to work. Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is,” she added. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She was losing the battle fast. “I’ll find another position, I’m sure I will. But you’ve got to give me some time. That’s only fair.”

Charles frowned. “What are you talking about? What position? Give you time for what?”

Jenay looked at him. “I know how it works, Charles. You’ve told me repeatedly. Where you come from a man marries the woman he impregnates. That’s why Donnie married Susan, remember? That’s why you married your first wife.”

Charles couldn’t believe it. “You think I’m going to . . . You believe I’m going to leave you and marry Abby?”

Jenay didn’t understand why he would ask such an obvious question. “You said she was pregnant. You admitted you had been with her. You know you’re the father.”

Charles took her by the arms and looked her dead in the eyes. “I’m not marrying her,” he said.

“What do you mean? You have to. You said---”

“I know what I said! But that was before I met you. I’m not available anymore. I’m off the market. I’m not marrying her.”

Jenay had emotions all over the place. Was he telling her the truth, or what she wanted to hear? But Charles never told her or anybody else what they wanted to hear, unless it was the truth. “You’re not . . .I mean, we’re not breaking up?”

“Breaking up?” Charles could not believe she would even think such a thing. “Are you nuts? We’re just getting started! I’m not letting her or anybody else screw up what we have.”

“But she’s going to have your baby, Charles. What if she’s expecting you to follow the Jericho tradition? What if she’s expecting you to step up and do the right thing?”

“I am stepping up and doing the right thing. I’m being with you. That’s the right thing. I’ll take care of my child, and I’ll take care of my child’s mother. But she’ll never be my wife. She knew the terms of our relationship going in. She knew it would never be any more than what it was.”

“Booty calls,” Jenay said, to call a thing a thing.

Charles nodded his head. “Booty calls,” he agreed. Then a distressed look appeared in his eyes. He began to rub her arm. “I’m so sorry, Jenay,” he said.

She stared at him, and then touched the side of his face. “I can’t fault you for something that occurred before we decided to be in a committed relationship. I’m disappointed it happened too, but it’s something we’ve got to deal with now.”

Jenay thought about the ramifications, and she looked distressed too.

“What are you thinking about?”

“It’s going to be hard,” she admitted. “I’m sure she’s going to make a public display about it, and try to embarrass me by telling me and everybody else the so-called news. I’m sure she’s going to try to pull a page out of Paige’s playbook and make certain I know that she’s yours, and that she’ll forever be tied to you. But I’ll deal with it.”

But not if Charles could help it. He took her by the hand. “Let’s go,” he said as he began walking them toward the parking lot.

“Go where?” Jenay asked, walking swiftly with him. “Where are we going?”

“To let her know.”

“To let who know?” Jenay asked, although she knew who. “To let her know what?”

“To let her know that there is no daylight between us. To let her know that she can put on public displays all she care to, but she’ll be the fool. Not you.”

Jenay looked at Charles as they headed for his Jaguar. She’d never met a man quite like him. Talk about nipping it in the bud! Talk about ending it before it got started. Talk about doing the right thing.

She’d never met a man quite like Charles.



“Big Daddy just drove up,” the maid said to Abby Ridge. “And he’s got a woman with him.”