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  Joy’s Valentine

  By

  Destiny Wallace

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Joy’s Valentine by Desetiny Wallace

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! ™

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red Rose™ Publishing

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Copyright© 2013 Destiny Wallace

  ISBN: 978-1-4543-0264-3

  Cover Artist: Dawné Dominique

  Editor: Lara Parker

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

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  Joy’s Valentine

  By

  Destiny Wallace

  Joy’s sister, Marla, was a true knock-out. She wore a tiny wool skirt that showed off her long legs, a bright red sweater, and her long hair flowed to the middle of her back. Joy noticed Marla had dyed her hair a reddish-brown since she’d seen her at Christmas…she’d probably go back to blonde when spring returned. Marla was so thin, yet there she sat, stuffing her face with a chocolate croissant.

  “So, what brings you to the city?” Marla asked when Joy sat across from her.

  Joy smiled. “I’ve been staying at Eli’s place ever since we got back from Europe.”

  Marla rolled her eyes. “I still don’t understand how you could just hop a plane with a perfect stranger. You didn’t know anything about him!”

  It was Joy’s turn to roll her eyes. “Just because I didn’t run down your list of questions doesn’t mean I didn’t know him.”

  “My list of questions?” Marla repeated, cocking a perfectly plucked brow.

  “What do you do? What kind of car do you drive? Do you own any real estate? What’s your total net worth? Are you first or second string?” Joy ticked off each question on her fingers.

  Marla frowned. “Don’t even start that shit.”

  Joy sipped her coffee but didn’t snap back at her sister. She just reveled in the fact that for once Marla was jealous of her. Marla was the beauty who got any guy she wanted. Joy was the brain guys didn’t even give a second glance.

  Yet, somehow, Joy was the one that had picked up the hottest guy ever and had a romantic jaunt with him through Europe. Joy was the one who decided not to return to work and stayed in his penthouse apartment.

  Joy was the one stepping out of character and Marla didn’t seem to like it one bit.

  Marla was still gazing at her when Joy’s cell phone rang. She gave her sister the “just-one-minute” finger and answered it. Marla rolled her eyes when she saw the dopey grin that made it so obvious who was on the phone even before Joy said a word.

  “Hi Eli,” Joy purred.

  “Hello, love,” his deep baritone answered. He’d taken up that pet name when she’d mentioned how much she loved the way British people used it. “What are you doing?”

  “I just sat down for some coffee,” Joy said turning toward the window so she wouldn’t meet her sister’s eyes.

  “You sure did come off tea quickly,” Eli teased.

  “I know. If they made a support group I’d try to quit this coffee habit.”

  “I don’t know about that…you’ll need your energy tonight.”

  Joy giggled. “I’ll just bet.”

  “So, would you be at your favorite café on the corner of 11th Avenue?”

  “Yup.”

  “Good, I’m just a block away, I’ll join you.”

  Joy’s breath hitched in her chest. “No, no,” she stuttered glancing at Marla who watched her intently. “I’ll just meet you later and we can get a real lunch.”

  “Nonsense! I’m almost there already. I’ll see you in a minute.”

  “Oh,” said Joy miserably, “Okay.”

  “I take it that was lover-boy,” Marla said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and just a hint of venom.

  Joy nodded as she slipped the phone back into her purse. She wasn’t ready for Eli to meet Marla. She probably would never be ready for that. Considering, Marla had stolen…uh…borrowed…at least three of her exes through high school, Joy purposely kept the few men she’d let into her life far from her sister’s sinister clutches. Now, Eli was walking right into the lioness’ den. She took another sip of coffee and barely tasted it as it went down in a miserable lump.

  “He’ll be here in a minute; if you have somewhere to go you can go ahead and…”

  Marla’s face changed from a smirk to a smile. “He’s coming here? Trust me; I have nowhere else I’d rather be.” She fished a compact out of her purse and primped.

  The bell above the door chimed and Joy turned in time to see Eli walk in. He wore a heavy black trench to protect him from the icy wind. Eli cut quite a figure walking into the café. He was tall, 6’4”, with broad shoulders and a lean build. His chestnut brown hair had grown out a bit since they’d met. Two months ago his hair had been a bit long, falling into his bright green eyes. Currently, he kept it slicked straight back and tucked behind his ears. Eli was also handsome; his jaw was square, his nose straight and narrow, and a full, pink mouth.

  He smiled at Joy and slipped off the coat as he approached the table. Under the coat was a custom-made Brooks Brother’s suit.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Joy turned back to her sister. Marla finished reapplying her coral pink lipstick and her let her mouth hang open as she stared at Eli.

  “Shut your mouth. You look like a fish,” Joy said, a perfect imitation of their mother.

  Marla glared at her and slid out of the booth just as Eli reached their table. No doubt so he could get a good look at just how short her skirt was.

  “Hi,” Marla cooed as she extended her hand, “I’m Marla, Joy’s sister. You must be Eli.”

  Eli nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Marla just nodded, not releasing his hand. “Please excuse me,” she said, “I was just on my way to the ladies room.” She released her grip and sauntered away.

  Joy noted the extra swish in her sister’s hips as she walked. An image of slapping Marla so hard her head did a 180 and stuck that way flashed in Joy’s mind for a split second.

  “Hey,” Eli said sliding into the booth next to her, “get over here and warm me up.”

  Joy blushed but slid closer to him. She sighed contently as he put his heavy arm over her shoulders. “How’s work?” she asked.

  “Interesting,” Eli said before stealing a sip of her coffee.

  “Really?”

  “Very,” Eli said. He slid the cup back in front of her. “My boss offered me his condo in Florida for the holiday.”

  Joy gazed up at him, confused. “What holiday?”

  “Valentine’s Day,” said Eli with a chuckle.

  “Oh.” Joy blushed. She’d managed to completely block Valentine’s Day from her personal
calendar after years of having no need for the commercial holiday.

  “So, what do you say? Can I tell Mr. Pitman that we’d love to use it?”

  “Sure,” Joy said with a shrug.

  Eli started to speak again but at that moment Marla returned.

  “Sorry about that,” she said, not even pretending to address Joy as she stared at Eli.

  He smiled. Joy frowned. “That’s okay. We were just about to leave,” Eli said, slipping his arm off Joy’s shoulders. “We just decided to go out of town for the weekend and I want to take your sister shopping for some new things for the trip.”

  It was Joy’s turn to look like a fish. She blinked at Eli until he stood to put on his coat. Then, her brain kicked in and she slid out of the booth. Eli helped her with her coat and grabbed her coffee.

  “I’ll call you,” she said to Marla before they hurried out onto the busy street. She would have given anything to see Marla’s face as they walked away, but she wouldn’t give her sister the satisfaction of looking back.

  “That’s perfect,” Eli said as he reclined on the bright red circle that served as a seat in the area just outside the dressing rooms. He’d rushed her into the tiny boutique two blocks from the coffee shop. Joy had been hesitant to choose anything since all the price tags had at least three numbers before the decimal, but Eli beckoned a sales girl over and begged her assistance. The tiny blonde girl gazed at Joy’s body for a full minute before abandoning them.

  “I don’t think anything in here will fit me,” Joy whispered to Eli after the woman disappeared.

  He shook his head and smiled. To her surprise the sales girl returned with an armload of clothes, set up a dressing room, and waited patiently to critique each piece with Eli.

  Joy did a quick spin, making the full skirt on the maroon cocktail dress swoosh. She put her hands on her hips, noting how the gold belt made her waist look tiny.

  Joy gazed at herself in the three way mirror, speculatively. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. Her rich brown complexion went well with the maroon dress. She was 5’6” and had a generous helping of boobs and hips, which gave her a nice hourglass figure. Joy knew she’d never be tall and thin like Marla, but most of the time she didn’t care; especially times like this when she wore a dress that accentuated her favorite assets.

  “It’s amazing!” the sales girl, exclaimed clapping her hands.

  Joy nodded in agreement and retreated back into the dressing room to try on something else. She had just gotten down to her underwear when her cell phone rang. She dug it out of the purse, under the “maybe” pile of clothes she’d already modeled. “Hello,” she said quickly without checking the caller ID.

  “Joy Ayanna Grady,” her mother Terri responded.

  Joy’s stomach clenched. She’d been avoiding her mother’s calls since the now infamous Christmas blowup when she’d left the family home after causing quite a scene. Now her mother used her full name and that scary emotionless voice, like she’d done something wrong. Well…something else…

  “Oh, hi Ma.”

  “Don’t you ‘hi Ma’ me. I just got off the phone with your sister.”

  Joy cursed her sister…then Alexander Graham Bell for inventing the telephone in the first damn place. “Oh, I just left Marla. We met for coffee. She looks good; dyed her hair brown.”

  “Save the pleasantries,” Terri snapped, “What’s this I hear about you shacking up with some man you just met?”

  Joy glanced at the door and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “I’m not shacking up.”

  “Oh really? You’re not? Well, last thing I heard you were living in Virginia with no boyfriend and no prospects. That was two months ago…now you’re staying in some guy’s apartment in Manhattan after you followed him to Europe instead of spending Christmas with your family.”

  “I didn’t follow him…I accompanied him on a business trip.” Joy cupped her hand over the phone to further cover her conversation.

  “What the hell kind of business was that? You know what…I don’t want to know. You just get this fellow here as soon as possible so I can meet him. I want to know what kind of game he’s running.”

  “He’s not running a game!” Joy snapped. She’d forgotten about privacy and her voice echoed in the tiny room.

  “You tell me what a grown ass man is doing picking up a woman and sweeping her away, then holing her up in his apartment and keeping her from her job, her home, and her family! What’s he up to if he’s not running a game? What could he possibly want?”

  “ME!” Joy sobbed. Her mother’s words made too much sense.

  No doubt, Marla told Terri just how attractive Eli had been. In Terri’s mind he was probably a pimp. They didn’t know it was Joy’s idea to take a sabbatical so they could get to know each other even more.

  Joy had been waiting for the other shoe to drop for going on three weeks. The romance of their weeks in London and Paris was fading. Any moment now, she expected Eli to look at her and ask what the hell he was thinking. Joy was waiting for him to come to his senses, so in spite of what her mother thought Joy had not taken leave of her senses.

  “Oh, honey,” Terri said with a sigh. “Just bring him home and we’ll straighten everything out.”

  Joy swiped the tears off her face and shook her head. “I can’t do that. We’re going to Florida for Valentine’s Day. Our flight leaves in the morning.”

  Terri was silent on the other end. “Okay. Fine. Go ahead and go to Florida, but this isn’t over.”

  “Trust me, I know.”

  Her mother sniffed. “I’ll call you every day you’re down there.”

  Joy glimpsed Eli’s shiny leather shoes standing just outside the door. “Considering it’s supposed to be romantic…I won’t answer…but you can leave messages.” She ended the call and turned off the phone before her mother could respond.

  Eli knocked softly. “Are you okay, love? You sound upset.”

  “I’m fine,” Joy lied, “my mom just called and…I don’t really want to talk about it. Just sit and I’ll put on the next dress for you.”

  “Okay,” said Eli. It was a few seconds before she saw his shoes retreat though.

  “So,” Joy said when they had returned to Eli’s apartment, “Marla’s pretty gorgeous, huh?”

  “You’re sister?” Eli asked, dropping the shopping bags onto the black leather couch. “Yeah, she’s pretty.”

  Joy felt like such a girl for asking that question knowing exactly where it would lead. Straight down the path of bad answers that would make her feel two inches tall.

  “Your mom must have had a tough time with the two of you,” Eli continued as he walked into the kitchen.

  Joy dropped the rest of the bags onto the couch and followed him. “What are you talking about?”

  Eli pulled a stack of menus out of a drawer. “I mean, she had two gorgeous daughters and a son who was too young to beat up any interested boys. I’ll bet she had to buy a gun to keep the guys away.”

  Joy blinked, slowly. “Uh…no…my sister didn’t really have many boyfriends in high school.”

  Eli put down the menus and gazed at her. “You must have had all the guys then.”

  Joy flushed. “No, I waited for college to start dating, too.” Joy didn’t know why she lied. Maybe she just didn’t want to talk about the number of times she’d gotten dumped when the guy found out Marla was her sister.

  His eyebrows lifted. “Too bad we didn’t go to the same college.”

  “Whatever…growing up, all the guys were after Marla, not me.” Joy studied the tiles under her Nikes.

  “Ahh,” Eli cooed. “That explains a lot.”

  She gazed at him.

  “Your sister…I don’t want to insult you but she struck me as…high maintenance.”

  Joy lifted an eyebrow. “High maintenance?”

  Eli nodded, retrieved the menus and flipped through them as he spoke. “You know…fake boobs, expensive clothes…yet,
she wasn’t dressed for work in the middle of a Wednesday.” He chose a bright orange menu and shoved the others back in the drawer. “Lots of makeup, not so much personality…” He seemed to catch himself and focused on Joy again. “Geez, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk about your sister like that.”

  “No, you shouldn’t,” Joy agreed, “but by all means please continue.”

  Eli laughed. “All I’m saying is that she’s putting in all this effort to be beautiful and she probably was pretty enough to begin with. I think most men prefer a natural beauty…like you.”

  A very un-ladylike snort escaped before Joy could stop it.

  “What’s so funny?” Eli said approaching her.

  Joy tucked her hair behind her ears. She had to look up when he slipped one arm around her. “It’s not funny…it’s just that…I’ve never been referred to as a beauty. My sister is the former model…tall, thin, perfect.” She tried to take a step back but Eli wouldn’t let go of her.

  “Are you kidding me? You’re a perfect fit. You’re soft, and sweet.” He slipped his hand under her sweater and brushed his fingers over her bare skin. He stopped at her bra hooks and changed direction, moving down again to touch her stomach and then up to cup her breast. “You have an infectious giggle, a beautiful smile, and you don’t smear makeup all over my pillows.”

  Joy’s breath came in harsh gasps as he touched her. “So one of my most attractive features is the fact that I don’t wear makeup?”

  Eli nodded. “That…and there’s that patch of freckles right here.” He tickled her gently below her left breast. Joy giggled and tried to wrestle his hand out of her clothes. “Don’t forget about the butterfly tattoo right here,” he said touching the spot on her hip he’d kissed many times.

  Joy’s eyes widened. His fingers were trying to unbutton her jeans. She yelped and backed away from him. “If you meet my mother, don’t tell her about that.”

  Eli’s green eyes went perfectly round. “I think you mean when…and did I discover your dirty little secret?”