Glorious Sunset by Ava Bleu Page B

wasn’t just her treatment of the help that was beneath her. He felt hurt and let down. He felt further betrayed and lonelier than he ever had.
    For a moment, almost as if she felt his sadness she looked at him, but he was no longer in the mood to look at her.
    Violet felt a stroke of hurt when Taka looked away, again. She wondered at the disappointment she saw in his eyes. She wondered why suddenly the eyes that had lit a fire earlier were now so cold. She looked at her messy plate of ribs and over to Brenda’s neat little salad and lost her appetite. It wasn’t until she heard Jerome that she realized he had taken in the whole transaction.
    â€œHey, man. You sitting over there glaring at folks, you need to lighten up,” Jerome said.
    Gary agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s right, man. You way too uptight.”
    Taka grimaced with the effort to withhold his temper. How dare the man intrude when he was having a “staring-avoiding-staring” match with his wife?
    â€œNow, see, here’s what you need to do to release some of that tension.” Jerome leaned across the table to Taka in a conspiratorial manner. “You see that honey over there at the bar? What you need to do is go over there, tell that honey what you’re all about, and go hit that.”
    Gary laughed.
    Violet had lost any amusement she might have had and watched as the two men in her life goaded the genie. Bringing him had not been a good idea.
    Taka looked at Jerome. “Hit that? What does that mean?”
    Gary snickered as Jerome leaned closer to whisper the explanation in detail. Violet’s eyes widened as Taka finally understood and . . .
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    A half hour later Violet helped Jerome through the door of her apartment as he leaned against her, still groaning over his newly blackened eye.
    â€œThat dude is crazy,” he whined while Violet tried to soothe his bruised ego. Taka came in behind them, ignoring them both to sit on the sofa.
    Violet glared at him. “You didn’t have to hit him. We’ll never be able to eat there again.”
    â€œA man who speaks such filth deserves to be hit. And you, how could you enjoy the company of such a cretin?”
    Jerome straightened. “What’d you call me, man?”
    â€œOh, shut up, Jerome. You know he’d crush you like a bug,” she told her beloved. He smartly backed down, looking indignant.
    â€œI must relieve myself,” Taka said heading to the bathroom without looking back. “I expect him to be gone when I return.”
    Violet’s eyebrows rose. Wasn’t that some crap? The man was stalking around giving orders like he lived there or something. Bad enough he’d tried to ruin her night, now he was giving orders? She would have to set him straight sooner rather than later, but right now she had to take care of Jerome, the big baby. She helped him to the sofa and went into the kitchen, filled a plastic bag with ice, and returned to put it on his eye. Her ministrations and small kisses on his wounded eye caused him to turn to her with kisses of his own. She pulled away and he groaned.
    â€œCome on, baby. It’s been a week.”
    â€œI have a guest.”
    â€œThat crazy mother? He shouldn’t even be here. Why can’t he stay at a hotel?”
    â€œHe’s family.”
    â€œThen you come home with me. Come on, what’s going to happen in one night? He can’t watch himself, he gotta have you around all the time?”
    Violet looked at the door. She didn’t know if she should lose more time but she needed a break from the genie and his eyes. The man was always watching her. “I don’t know.”
    Jerome kissed her again and she felt a small flutter in her belly. It had been a week and she had needs. It didn’t help that Taka was a good-looking son of a gun. She was only human; she wasn’t blind. After spending the day with him she’d noticed more and more,