slowly over the surface of her lips. As her dream lover eased himself above her, she could feel her body falling open, her legs parting eagerly. Her limbs felt light and buoyant, her body possessed as it moved in sync with his. The moment was suddenly electric, energy spinning her beyond her wildest dreams. And just as she could feel herself being consumed by the rise of heat, perspiration dancing against her skin, she woke up.
The clock radio on the nightstand beside her was buzzing harshly and Bridget was startled to find herself awake, and alone. It seemed as if it took forever for her mind to catch up with her body, the memories fading ever so slowly, and then she remembered that she was home, in her own bed, no man remotely close to making love to her.
A creeping dampness in her panties made her close her slim thighs tightly together. The dream had been too real, her body responding with a mind of its own. Turning to see what time it was, Bridget reached for the digital timepiece, depressing the alarm’s off button. She squinted through the darkness at the pale green numbers on the clock. It was still early, not yet two o’clock in the morning. It dawned on her that she had set her alarm incorrectly, not paying attention before she’d turned over and had gone to sleep. She still had at least five hours of rest coming to her, and with any luck she could still take advantage of them.
A full bladder was suddenly calling her name and as she moved to get out of bed, pain bristled down the length of her right leg. Bridget swore, clutching the limb between her palms as she was suddenly reminded that her day had started badly and had only gotten worse with each passing hour, the wealth of it peaking on her return home.
She had literally tripped through the door of her town house, falling face-first across the threshold as the heel of her Ferragamo pump had lost a battle with the new doormat she’d purchased on discount from the Macy’s department store in downtown Seattle. Pain had exploded from the center of her bruised kneecap, triggering a trail of hurt down the length of the limb, up her thigh and into her hip. Profanity had spilled over her lips as she’d cursed loudly, not caring that her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Eloise Gibson, had been watching from her own entranceway.
As she’d lain sprawled facedown against the foyer’s tiled floor, Bridget couldn’t help but think that her falling was an apropos ending for what had been a hellish day. Tears had burned hot against the back of her eyelids as she’d kicked off the overpriced shoes and pulled herself up and onto her feet. The old woman was still staring, her gray head and a wrinkled appendage waving for Bridget’s attention.
“Are you okay, dear?” she’d asked.
Bridget had forced a smile on her face and had nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am. I’m fine, thank you. Just clumsy is all.”
“Are you sure now? I can call somebody if you need me to.”
“That’s not necessary, Mrs. Gibson.”
“Well, if you say so…”
“Thanks for everything, Mrs. Gibson. You have a nice evening,” Bridget chimed as she’d moved too quickly to close her front door. As she’d secured the lock, she’d heaved a deep sigh and had cussed again. Reaching for her purse, she’d picked up the contents that had scattered across the floor and dropped them all onto the wooden bench that decorated the entranceway.
Wanting to cry, she’d let the first wave of hot tears flow over her cheeks, her palm rubbing gingerly against her bruised leg. Before the tears could flood into a full sob the telephone on the end table at her side rang, pulling at her attention.
Bridget had shaken her head as she’d pulled the receiver into her hand, noting the familiar number on the caller ID. “Hello?”
“You have some mail, dear!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Gibson.”
“Just wanted you to know.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As she hung up the telephone, Bridget heaved another deep sigh. She had grown weary of the old woman’s timely reminders ages ago but had kept her annoyance to herself because Mrs. Gibson was better than any alarm system would ever be. Her watchful eye monitored all the comings and goings that occurred between her door and the entrances of the other occupants who resided in the small complex. And, for the most part, she was actually very sweet when she wanted to be.
Making her way to the rear of her home, Bridget had moved into the kitchen, searching her freezer for an ice pack to hold off the swelling. She had to be in court early the next morning and she didn’t need a bum leg slowing her down. The telephone ringing for a second time served to further distract her.
“Hello?”
“Bridget, turn on your television!” a voice had screamed from the other end.
“What? Jeneva? Is that you?”
“Of course it’s me. Turn on your television. Channel 76. Hurry!”
Bridget had reached for the remote and turned on the small, seven-inch monitor that was positioned beneath her oak cabinets. Her best friend’s excitement filled her ears.
“Isn’t he adorable! Look how cute he is! Hold on. I have to call Roshawn.”
Jeneva’s brother-in-law, Darwin Tolliver, beamed at Bridget from the television screen, the good-looking man promoting his new cooking show on the Homes and Food Network. He had been cute. Too cute, and Bridget had only been reminded that yet another man she’d been interested in hadn’t been interested in her.
Jeneva came back on the line. “Roshawn’s not home. I’ll have to call her later. So, what’s up with you?” she’d asked cheerily.
Bridget took a seat at the kitchen counter. “I lost my job.”
“What?” Jeneva’s voice was brimming with surprise. “What happened?”
“The partners are merging with another firm. It seems the new partners already have one intelligent, skilled, black female attorney on the roster and they don’t feel they have a need for a second.”
“Oh, sweetie! I’m so sorry,” her best friend hummed into the receiver.
Bridget nodded. “They’ll be transitioning our case-loads over and closing the doors in the next two to six weeks. I will actually be closing out my cases in the next few days so there’s really little left for me to do. Then I’ll officially be unemployed.”
“That stinks. So, what do you plan to do?”
“I don’t have a clue.”
The two had talked for another hour and when she’d finally hung up the telephone, Bridget had been sufficiently depressed. As she’d sat there staring blankly at the television set, the station ran the commercial for a second time. When Darwin Tolliver crooned his slogan “Let me show you how it’s done!” a chill had shimmered down her spine, straight into the pit of her stomach. What she wouldn’t give to have Darwin Tolliver show her anything his heart desired, she’d thought, the words floating into the empty room as she spoke them out loud.
That had only been a few hours ago, and if the dream was any sign, she still had the effects of seeing Darwin on her brain. Her bladder was now screaming loudly and Bridget shook the clouds of memory from her head. She eased her body up onto her feet and limped into the bathroom. Just thinking about Darwin Tolliver again had made her stomach flutter. She’d had a crush on the man since forever. The two had met years ago when his twin brother, Mecan, and her friend Jeneva had fallen head over heels in love. Her infatuation for him had even caused a brief rift between her and her other best friend, Roshawn Bradsher, when she’d accused the woman’s playful flirtations with him of being something much more. The two of them had worked through their differences and Bridget had been happy for her girl when Roshawn had gone on to meet and marry the love of her life, famed baseball star Angel Rios. Bridget was now godmother to their two children, three-year-old Dario and infant Belinda.
Between distance, bad timing and other relationships she and Darwin had never managed to hook up, though, and now here she was,