and continue to pray for God to work to change their hearts. And I’m standing before you as a living witness that miracles can happen. You just have to believe that they can.”
Chapter 3
Monday morning Opal was seated at her desk when D’marcus arrived. He glanced over at her, gave her a curt nod as he crossed the room to his office.
“Mr. Armstrong, the minutes from Saturday’s meeting are typed and on your desk. I’ve also saved them in an electronic file.”
At her words, he’d slowly turned toward her and now she quickly searched his features for any indication that she was about to be fired. He wasn’t smiling—not that he ever did—but aside from that, she couldn’t gauge his expression. A part of her wanted to believe that he had gotten over what she’d said and that it was water under the bridge. However, she knew some men would consider her words disrespectful.
“Thank you, Ms. Lockhart, and please hold all my calls until noon.”
“Yes, sir,” she added with a quick smile of relief when it appeared he wasn’t going to let her go.
“And, Ms. Lockhart?”
She swallowed, thinking perhaps her relief had been premature. “Yes?”
“Thanks for dinner on Saturday. I enjoyed it very much.”
She blinked. He was thanking her for dinner? Gracious. As Reverend Kendrick had said at church yesterday, miracles could happen if you only believed.
D’marcus tossed his briefcase into the chair and let out a ragged sigh. He wasn’t sure just what he planned to do about Opal Lockhart. Because of her very efficient nature, she had become a vital asset to him, but, as far as he was concerned, just as he’d told Dashuan Kennedy on Saturday, anyone was replaceable.
But, while sitting in this very office on Saturday evening enjoying every mouthful of the food she’d brought him, he kept thinking that Opal Lockhart was a woman who could remind a man each and every time he saw her that there was more to life than work.
When she had shown up with the food, she had still been wearing what she’d had on earlier, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Although the length of the shorts could be considered decent, they had still shown her lovely legs. For the second time that day, she had stirred his hormones and for a split second as he had stood at the window and watched her leave, he had been tempted to call her on her cell phone and tell her to come back up to his office.
D’marcus grimaced. He was glad he hadn’t made such a move. That would have been the worst thing he could have done. His mind knew that, but, at the moment, his body wasn’t so sure. He counted backward, trying to remember the last time he’d been intimate with a woman, and was surprised to recall it had been well over eight months. It had been just that long since he’d socialized in any way. Lately, he had spent the majority of his time adding more stores to his portfolio, which required a lot of his time and concentration. No wonder he was beginning to notice just how downright horny he was now.
There was one way to fix his problem. Tonight when he got home he would check his address book to see which one of his female acquaintances who knew the score would go out on a date with him that weekend. A date that would eventually end up with them sharing a bed. If getting laid was what he needed, then he would take care of the problem—and soon.
Opal picked up the phone on the first ring. “Sports Unlimited, Mr. Armstrong’s office. Opal Lockhart speaking.”
“Ms. Lockhart, this is Mr. Stone, manager of the Viscera Apartments.”
Opal smiled. “Yes, Mr. Stone?” She hoped he was calling with good news.
“It appears I’ll have a vacancy within a few weeks.”
Opal’s smile widened. “That’s certainly good news.” Once she had made the decision to move, she had decided to check on the Viscera Apartments. They were a lot nicer than her current place and only minutes from the office, which meant a lower gas bill. Of course the rent would be higher, but she was a firm believer in getting what you paid for. And right now, she was tired of paying for sleepless nights in the party building.
“So I take it you’re still interested?” Mr. Stone was saying.
“Yes, most definitely.”
“All right. Then you can come by this afternoon with your deposit. We require two months in advance.”
Her eyebrows raised. Two months rent was a lot and not what she’d assumed. “Two months?”
“Yes. That’s our policy. If you don’t think you can—”
“No, there won’t be a problem,” she said quickly. She would take the money out of her savings, but she would have to replace it quickly if she still intended to get a new car at the beginning of the year.
“Good. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Okay, Mr. Stone, I’ll see you then.”
Opal had just returned from lunch when D’marcus buzzed her. “Yes, Mr. Armstrong?”
“Ms. Lockhart, could you step into my office a moment please?”
“Certainly.”
She gathered her notepad. He hadn’t been out of his office since he’d shut himself in there this morning, nor had he called out for her assistance.
She opened the door and walked into his office. He had removed his jacket, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. A ton of files were spread out on his desk.
He glanced up when she walked in. “We might be adding two other stores this week,” he said in a tone of voice that was all business.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. And, while it’s good news for me, it might not be for you, Ms. Lockhart.”
She swallowed tightly. Maybe she had told Mr. Stone prematurely that she would be taking the apartment. There was no way she could afford it if she didn’t have a job. “Why would you say that?” she asked as she sat down in the chair across from his desk.
“Because it will require you to work longer hours for the next two weeks. Of course I will pay you generously for any overtime.”
Relief spread through Opal. Little did he know, she considered what he was saying as good news. The extra money would help replace what she was taking out of her savings to cover the security on her apartment. And she couldn’t discount the fact that, if she impressed him by doing a good job, it would be a way to move up in the company. She would have her degree in the spring and there were plenty of opportunities for advancement within this company.
“Will you be able to work additional hours, Ms. Lockhart?”
She met his gaze. “That won’t be a problem. When will they start?”
“Tomorrow. Three extra hours every evening this week, except for Friday, should be sufficient. And let’s do the same for next week, although I want to throw Monday
