radio shows , b ut Bro-mance 101 was Dev l in’s baby. He ’d started it five years ago from an idea. Today, it had grown into a lucrative talk show. There was even mention of taking some of his popular blog response s and turning them into a movie . He had a duty to his listeners and he wasn’t about to let a freak storm dictate his schedule. “No thanks ,” he told Ramon. “ I’ ll h ang out here for a while.”
Ramon shrugged his boney shoulders. “Suit yourself. I’m outta here.”
“See ya Monday.”
A flashing light signaling an incoming call on the audio console’s switchboard caught Devlin’s attention. He donned his headset and prepared to answer the call. His listeners were depending on him. Only when the show was done, would he allow himself to go home, relax, and enjoy a guilt-free weekend . He looked up just in time to see a jagged bolt of lightning streak across the sky and illuminate the dark horizon like a neon bonfire. He took a deep breath. He hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision to stay.
TWO
Sw hoosh, swhoosh! S w hoosh , s whoosh ! The rhythmic tempo of Zhané ’s windshield wipers echoed inside her car as the rubber blades frantically swe pt sheets of water from her windshield. Navigating traffic from the exclusive neighborhoods of Sugarland , Texas to the southwest side of Houston was normally a cinch for her. But on a Friday night, when party-goers mixed with torrential rain, it could be a reci pe for disaster. It might have been easier if she w eren’t driving through a tear-stained haze. She had her boyfriend , Malik , to thank for that. Well, ex-boyfriend now. He’d lured her out i n the rain to an upscale restaurant downtow n on the premise of discussing s omething important. Stupid her; she imagined it was a proposal. She ’d rushed home from work, dabbed on some Vera Wang perfume, pulled her tangle of curls into a fashionable upsweep, and changed into a slinky , black dress and matching pump s. She would n’t have gone through all that trouble if she’d known she was going to a break-up dinner.
She’d be the first to acknowledge that lately things had been a bit rocky with Malik , but she never expect ed him to drop this bombshell. When the two met last December at a Delta Sorority Mixer , the y ’d h it it off immediately. The y seemed to b e perfectly suited with the same ambitions and values . Both of them were business professionals . Both of them graduated from the University of Houston in the same year . They b oth e njoyed the smooth sounds of Kirk Whalum’s saxophone . They even drove the same car–although hers was a newer model. Their relationship seemed idyllic.
The n, she got a promotion at the firm where she worked . Initially, it was the blessing she’d sought mo s t of her adult life. As one of the few female execu t ives in the o il and g as industry , it was a significant accomplishment, and proof of her years of dedication. Not to mention she now had a six-figur e salary. She could do all the thi n g s she’d been wanting to do, like put a down-payment on a new home, finally pay off her student loans, travel the Mediterranean , and support the charities that meant so much to her. However, h e r new-found success came with a cost. She had to continue her grueling pace to show everyone that she deserved that promotion and all the perks that came with it. While her male counterparts were networking on the golf course, she was elbow- deep in reports, RFPs, and online research. She couldn’t afford to get caught slipping.
With her working so hard , and Malik launching a sports promotion business ( in addition to his continual training for the New York marathon ) , the threads of their relationship had begun to steadily unravel. In her naivety, Zhané thought they could work it out. Malik apparently hadn’t felt the same.
Now, she was driving from the
Ramon shrugged his boney shoulders. “Suit yourself. I’m outta here.”
“See ya Monday.”
A flashing light signaling an incoming call on the audio console’s switchboard caught Devlin’s attention. He donned his headset and prepared to answer the call. His listeners were depending on him. Only when the show was done, would he allow himself to go home, relax, and enjoy a guilt-free weekend . He looked up just in time to see a jagged bolt of lightning streak across the sky and illuminate the dark horizon like a neon bonfire. He took a deep breath. He hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision to stay.
TWO
Sw hoosh, swhoosh! S w hoosh , s whoosh ! The rhythmic tempo of Zhané ’s windshield wipers echoed inside her car as the rubber blades frantically swe pt sheets of water from her windshield. Navigating traffic from the exclusive neighborhoods of Sugarland , Texas to the southwest side of Houston was normally a cinch for her. But on a Friday night, when party-goers mixed with torrential rain, it could be a reci pe for disaster. It might have been easier if she w eren’t driving through a tear-stained haze. She had her boyfriend , Malik , to thank for that. Well, ex-boyfriend now. He’d lured her out i n the rain to an upscale restaurant downtow n on the premise of discussing s omething important. Stupid her; she imagined it was a proposal. She ’d rushed home from work, dabbed on some Vera Wang perfume, pulled her tangle of curls into a fashionable upsweep, and changed into a slinky , black dress and matching pump s. She would n’t have gone through all that trouble if she’d known she was going to a break-up dinner.
She’d be the first to acknowledge that lately things had been a bit rocky with Malik , but she never expect ed him to drop this bombshell. When the two met last December at a Delta Sorority Mixer , the y ’d h it it off immediately. The y seemed to b e perfectly suited with the same ambitions and values . Both of them were business professionals . Both of them graduated from the University of Houston in the same year . They b oth e njoyed the smooth sounds of Kirk Whalum’s saxophone . They even drove the same car–although hers was a newer model. Their relationship seemed idyllic.
The n, she got a promotion at the firm where she worked . Initially, it was the blessing she’d sought mo s t of her adult life. As one of the few female execu t ives in the o il and g as industry , it was a significant accomplishment, and proof of her years of dedication. Not to mention she now had a six-figur e salary. She could do all the thi n g s she’d been wanting to do, like put a down-payment on a new home, finally pay off her student loans, travel the Mediterranean , and support the charities that meant so much to her. However, h e r new-found success came with a cost. She had to continue her grueling pace to show everyone that she deserved that promotion and all the perks that came with it. While her male counterparts were networking on the golf course, she was elbow- deep in reports, RFPs, and online research. She couldn’t afford to get caught slipping.
With her working so hard , and Malik launching a sports promotion business ( in addition to his continual training for the New York marathon ) , the threads of their relationship had begun to steadily unravel. In her naivety, Zhané thought they could work it out. Malik apparently hadn’t felt the same.
Now, she was driving from the
Similar Books
