Accepting his hand, she looked him directly in the eye. Her touch was cold and trembling. “I’m afraid you’ve arrived at a bad time,” she forced her voice to remain steady. It was beginning to rasp faintly as she spoke.
His expression registered her serious demeanor. “So I’ve heard. May I come in? Perhaps I can explain as to why I am here at such a fateful hour.”
So he knew. There was no doubt about it. Motioning him inside, she missed her footing and nearly came crashing down.
Charles reacted instinctively and reached out a well-muscled arm to stop her fall.
“Whoa,” he cautioned, caressing her thin waist gently until she could regain balance. “Let’s sit you down,” he suggested.
Blushing out of embarrassment, she apologized, taking careful steps down the hallway leading to the living room. She knew he trailed her closely from the soft patter of his footsteps. Perhaps he didn’t trust her to stay on her feet all the way to the living room. She wasn’t even sure if she trusted herself, either. She felt drained, as if life had just sucked every ounce of her youth away in one cruel swipe.
Making it to the living room, she tiptoed to where Sasha laid, her head buried in the pillow. “Sasha,” she said, touching her shoulder softly with her fingertips. “We have a visitor.”
“Tell them to go away,” she said, swinging her arm towards the doorway. “I need to be alone.”
Amber cringed, and then turned to Charles. “Is there any way you can come back another day?”
“That I can do,” he confirmed while knitting his brow. His expression turned to one of concern. “At least let me offer my respects. I am so sorry for your loss,” he said in dark languid tones. “If there is anything I can do…”
Sasha shook her head in the pillow, apparently listening. “Thank you,” she croaked.
“You look worn down.” He said as he observed Amber. “Allow me to at least take you out for some lunch,” he offered, smiling a little with high hopes. “Perhaps I can talk to you a bit and you can relay things to Mrs. Williams when she is in a better state.”
Sasha peeped up from her sulking position, her little white dress stained with wet tears. “Go,” she said peevishly. “I kind of want some time to myself.” She didn’t quite look at the two who stood before her. Her gaze was off somewhere distant, her eyes glazed over in the dim lighting.
“I can’t,” Amber bit her lip, casting one look at her stricken friend. “Don’t be silly.”
Charles voiced up, “Leave her be for a while. It is probably best. She will call you when she needs you.” His tone was soft and sure, as if he knew exactly what to do.
Reluctantly Amber debated whether to leave her friend. She couldn’t bear to see Sasha like this but she was hungry, and fresh air seemed rather inviting. The company wasn’t so bad either from the looks of him. He was tall and extremely handsome, with a slight touch of an accent going on when he spoke. There was something comforting about his presence, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Okay,” she finally agreed. “There’s a café down the street within walking distance.” She suggested.
“I think we can do better than that.” He smiled warmly, pulling out a set of keys from his khaki pants pockets. His ensemble from head to toe screamed money, especially the fancy tan leather designer shoes he wore.
Grabbing her purse from a nearby chair, Amber rushed to hug her friend reassuringly before heading to the hall. It was going to be a long day and night for Sasha. It wouldn’t be long before she received a phone call begging for her to come over. And, of course, she would do just that.
“Let’s go,” Charles proposed, opening the door to the welcome sunshine of New York City. Its streets were bustling with cars and pedestrians of all walks of life. The smell of car exhausts was in the air, soaking into almost everything surrounding it. But for those who lived in this particular area of the city, it was second nature to them. Only a few trees dotted the street, giving some shade to the tightly parked automobiles and as Amber cleared the small stairwell down to the sidewalk, she began to wonder which car was his, and where exactly the day would lead.
He paused and turned to her. “I had to park a bit down, so wait here and I will swing by with my car.” He requested, then turned to walk down past a few trees.
Amber contented herself with watching a couple of doves up in the tree. They nestled together, cooing as birds do. They looked so warm and affectionate that it made her smile. That was the first time today that she smiled, she thought, and it felt good. The other thing that touched her senses was the cool breeze hitting her dark skin. As it rushed down her luscious curves, she smiled at such wild fantasies coming to mind. Sometimes she liked to envision the wind as a man’s hands, delicately stroking her femininity with a lustful passion. Moments like these made her feel calm and content to be human for a time.