Southern Comfort (9781622863747) Read online

  Seriously, a text message! Well fuck you too then.

  Teri knew she couldn’t be mad. She knew the best thing was to spend a day or two at Devon’s house. The last thing she needed was her white neighbors wondering why the black lesbian was causing a scene in their community.

  As she got in her car she noticed a flyer for the daycare. Porsha popped in her head. She thought about all the amazing nights they shared and the meals she was going to miss. It almost made her want to call. But in the end she knew it was only right. It was always best to rip the Band-Aid instead of pulling it off slowly.

  Teri pulled into her regular parking space at her job. She noticed a new car sitting in the spot reserved for the chief of staff of the hospital. She knew Carl had a love for cars but never expected to see him driving a cherry red sports car.

  Teri greeted the nurses and staff as she headed to the pharmaceuticals department. Teri was the manager of the hospital’s pharmacy and head pharmacist. The small hospital facility was created for terminally ill patients. Teri mostly dealt with high-end pharmaceuticals that were designed to make people’s final days as comfortable as possible.

  “Hey, Ming,” Teri said as she walked into the main pharmacy area. The short Asian man was separating red pills into sets of four.

  “What’s up, boss?” Ming and Teri were the two pharmacists for the small hospital.

  Teri was always amused by Ming and his need to try to talk as “urban” as he could. They joked around a lot about how Chinese his parents were and how they were pressuring him to marry someone. They had no idea that he was gay and currently in a long-term relationship with a buff black man who looked more like a football player than a doctor.

  “What’s the orders looking like?”

  “Rather slow for right now. Did you see the new acting chief of staff yet?”

  “New chief?” Teri turned around. “Where is Carl?”

  “Gurl.” Ming sat in his rolling chair and pushed himself across the floor. He crossed his legs and let the professional side completely go. “Do you not read your e-mail? Carl announced his resignation like two weeks ago. Haven’t you noticed he hasn’t been strutting around here?”

  “I just figured he was off on one of his big trips.”

  Ming shook his head. “No, honey, he resigned. But you know I have the tea right? Baby told me that he had two sexual harassment claims filed by two of those little skanky nurses on the fourth floor. You know he was fucking them right?”

  Teri curled her lips. It was a known fact that Carl had a thing for young, hot nurses. She had even walked past his office one day to hear moans coming from under the door.

  “Well word on the floor is he had a wild night with the new blonde and that girl with the bad red hair color. So he tried to send a picture of his junk to one of their e-mails and made a mistake and included Ms. Harriett on the e-mail.”

  Teri’s hand flew up over her mouth. “Get the fuck out of here!”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Ming threw his head back. “So you know that old bitty wasn’t having it. So he resigned.”

  Teri laughed as she unlocked her office door.

  “So anyway there’s a new acting chief and the bitch is bad. Walked in here in a pair of red bottoms I would kill for.”

  There was a knock at the pharmacy door. One of the head office admins popped her head in. “Oh, Ms. Howard, you are here. They need you in a meeting in ten minutes in the conference room.” The admin smiled before closing the door.

  Teri and Ming looked at each other. The only time she was called into the big meetings was when big changes were being made.

  Teri pressed the up button for the elevator. She got in the empty elevator and pressed the top floor.

  “Can you hold that for me please?” a woman’s voice rang out.

  Teri quickly pressed the open button so the doors wouldn’t close. Looking down, Teri noticed the tall black stilettos as they walked in the elevator. Teri’s eyes shifted up as she admired the insanely sexy body of the chocolate woman with childbearing hips wearing a suit that looked like it was tailor made for her.

  “Thank you,” the woman replied. “Floor eight please.” She smiled as she glanced over to see the button was already pressed. “Oh.”

  Teri and the woman made eye contact. Teri shifted in her position. She hadn’t seen anyone that fine in a long time. The woman’s chocolate skin looked completely flawless. Her hair was laid to perfection in a short, funky haircut, on her ears were obviously real diamonds, and there was no ring on the finger.

  “Looks like we are headed in the same direction.” Teri held her hand out. “I am Teri Howard.”

  The beauty shook Teri’s hand. Her skin felt like silk. Teri noticed the change in expression when she said her name the woman’s eyes widened.

  “Ms. Howard, pharmacy right?”

  “Yes, correct.”

  The woman shook Teri’s hand faster. “I am Victoria Gold, the acting chief of staff.”

  “Oh yes, right, hello.” Teri didn’t want to let go of her hand. They finally stopped shaking hands as the elevator door opened to their floor.

  “So I guess we are headed to the same place after all.” Victoria chuckled.

  “I guess so.”

  The two walked onto the administration floor. The receptionist sitting at the front desk looked at them as if she had seen a ghost. They smiled as they walked past her.

  “She doesn’t like me very much,” Victoria whispered. “We had a small run-in this morning.”

  “Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good.”

  “Let’s just say I like people to be prepared, and she wasn’t.”

  They walked in the conference room to see all the department heads and board members sitting around the long conference table. Levi, the chair of the board, stood up.

  “All right now it looks as though we can get started. As you all know Dr. Harrison is no longer with us. But we are pleased to introduce Dr. Victoria Gold as the acting chief of staff.”

  The crowd all clapped as Victoria stood next to Levi. Victoria made eye contact with Teri briefly. A sexy smirk appeared on Victoria’s face. Teri couldn’t help but think that smirk was meant just for her.

  “Well first I want to say it is wonderful to be here in Memphis. I come from Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia, but I have always loved the work that is being done in the healthcare world here in Memphis. I look forward to working with all of you.”

  Teri scanned the room. Obviously she wasn’t the only one in awe of the new chief. Women were sizing her up while the men were trying to look through her clothes. Teri’s eyes made it back to Victoria. She was like everyone else; she couldn’t take her eyes off of her.

  “Well I won’t hold any of you up. If you need anything my door is always open. Thank all of you again for your time.”

  The room clapped again as people rushed to greet her and shake Victoria’s hand.

  “Fine, isn’t she?” a deep voice whispered in Teri’s ear. Carlos, one of the doctors and Ming’s Adonis boyfriend, stood next to Teri.

  “That she is,” Teri said admiring the way Victoria’s breasts seemed to be sitting up perfectly. She couldn’t help but wonder what they looked like.

  “I think she bats for your team, too.”

  Teri’s head quickly snapped around to Carlos. “Get out. What makes you think that?”

  “Just a feeling I got when I met her this morning. She didn’t give me the look that most of these women around here do. You know, that ‘I will fuck the shit out of you’ look.”

  Teri and Carlos both laughed. The room began to clear out. Victoria’s eyes shifted back to Teri. She began to walk toward Teri until she was standing in front of Carlos and Teri.

  “Dr. Gold, this is—”

  “Teri Howard. We met briefly in the elevator,” Victoria said cutting Carlos off. “And, please, call me Victoria.”

  The intercom system rang out calling Carlos’s name.

  “On
that note I must get back to work.” Carlos nodded his head as he walked out the door.

  “Well again it was nice meeting you, Teri. I am sure we will see lots of each other.”

  Teri shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know about that. They like to keep me locked away in the pharmacy.”

  “Well we will have to do something about that.” Victoria winked.

  Teri felt a familiar feeling creeping over her. She wondered if Victoria could be flirting with her.

  “Well, let me go. You know they have me in meetings for the rest of the day. It was a pleasure meeting you, Teri. Until next time.”

  Victoria walked out of the room leaving Teri standing in her spot. Teri shook her head; there was no way Victoria would be that bold on their first meeting. Teri chalked it up to her having an inviting personality as she headed back out of the room.

  Chapter 4

  Willow could tell the weather was about to take a turn for the worse when she dipped into her favorite small coffee shop. It was fairly empty; she knew the atmosphere would change as nighttime came and the famous SoHo area livened up with all kinds of characters. The one thing she loved about her holidays in the city was visiting the lesbian hangouts, something she didn’t have near her university and definitely at her countryside home.

  She ordered a cup of espresso and pulled out the book she was reading. She didn’t know what made her listen to Piper who insisted that she read the latest mommy porn book that was sweeping the nation. She let herself get lost in the romance of the two main characters as best as she could in between the horrible writing. Willow shook her head as she read another repetitive statement from the male lead telling the female how much he loved her after screwing her brains out.

  Within seconds of starting her book a loud clap of thunder rang out as large raindrops began falling to the ground. Willow loved the way the large raindrops were hitting the window of the coffee shop. It was calming; the perfect weather to get her through the bad book. Even through the bad parts, she felt a little envious of the main character. She wanted someone to long for her the way the male wanted the female in the book, just not with as many corny lines.

  She buried her nose in the book. She heard the bell from the door ring out. Willow peeked up from her paperback to see a woman standing in the door. She nodded her head, as she watched the woman standing at the door trying to wipe the rain off her drenched outfit. Willow had to admit, the woman’s choice of outfit was hot. The mix of preppy with a bit of urban flare was different from what she was used to out of the London lesbian scene. The woman’s hair was braided in stylish cornrows in the front but loose braids in the back. She had to be at least five foot eleven, and very toned.

  Willow watched as the woman shook her head. Willow felt her heart starting to race as she finally caught a glimpse of the woman’s face. Not only could she dress but she had to be the sexiest butch woman she had ever seen in her life. Willow knew the book had warped her brain; she couldn’t possibly be staring at someone as gorgeous as she thought.

  “This rain stuff is crazy,” the woman muttered as she looked out the window. She began scanning the coffee shop for a place to sit.

  An American, Willow thought. No wonder she hadn’t seen anyone like her before; she wasn’t from London.

  “I’m guessing you are new to London and our weather,” Willow spoke out. She couldn’t believe she actually said something to the woman.

  The sexy specimen turned her head to the voice she just heard. Her eyes widened. There sat a beautiful chick staring at her. She wondered when she was going to see one of the London hot lesbians she’d seen pictures of online but up until then all she’d seen was white chicks or really butch black women. This girl was definitely different.

  “Yeah, I knew it was called dreary London but this is ridiculous. It came out of nowhere.” The woman walked closer to the table.

  Willow smiled and nodded her head. “It happens. FYI: always carry an umbrella.” Willow and the girl both laughed. Not only was she gorgeous but she had a beautiful smile to match. “Would you like to have a seat?” Willow asked.

  The woman sat down at the empty chair at the small, round table. She put her carrier bag on the windowsill. “Hello, my name is Katrina, but most people call me Tree,” Katrina said as she extended her hand.

  Willow put her palm in Katrina’s. She felt an electric pulse run through her body. Who was this girl and why was she having this effect on her? “I’m Willow; most people call me Willow.” Willow smiled.

  “That’s cute.” Katrina smiled back.

  The two locked eyes again. Willow could feel her body heating up. Katrina was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen outside of television. Willow couldn’t help wonder where the other half was. She knew someone that fine couldn’t be single. “So what brings you to London?”

  “Oh, food actually.” Katrina glanced at the menu. “I’m a chef and I’m opening a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, so I decided to come over to Europe for a month to see the sights and taste the cuisine. I’ve been in London for three days; next up is Paris tomorrow.”

  Willow wanted to scream. The perfect woman walks in and sits at her table and she meets her on her final day. “Have you had anything good here?”

  Katrina shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly, it’s been okay. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that no one puts ice in drinks.” They both laughed.

  “Sorry to hear that. We have some great food places actually.”

  “Yeah, that’s too bad. I’ve wanted something good but best I’ve found was fish and chips.”

  “Head over to Nando’s and get some piri piri chicken.” Willow batted her long natural eyelashes.

  “Nando’s? Yeah, I need to check that out. I love piri piri chicken,” Katrina said not taking her eyes off Willow’s big brown eyes.

  The connection was obvious. The two chatted as if they were old friends catching up after a long time apart. They couldn’t believe how much they had in common. Both loved food, traveling, and fashion. Willow told Katrina all about hot spots in various European countries she had visited. Katrina found herself admiring the well-traveled Willow. Although she could tell that Willow came from a certain type of wealth, she didn’t come out like an arrogant rich chick.

  “So if you love the countryside so much why are you even here in the big city?” Katrina asked Willow as she walked back to the table with two more coffees.

  Willow’s face dropped. She thought about her father. “Well after my father passed I decided to come back into the city and start working on my career again. I am a fashion designer.”

  “Really? Man, that’s cool. I love fashion.” Katrina nodded her head.

  “I can tell; you have a very unique look about yourself. It was the first thing I noticed.” Willow wanted to slap herself. She didn’t want the girl thinking she was weird for staring at her.

  “Really? Is unique a good thing or a bad thing?” Katrina asked.

  “Good.” Willow nodded her head. “Very good.”

  The two stared at each other smiling.

  “So what brings you to London?” Willow took another sip of her coffee. She noticed the change in Katrina’s face. Her face dropped a bit.

  Katrina thought about Saura. “Well the truth is originally I was coming to try new foods and just experience being out of the country. But then my ex broke up with me and moved to another city so this trip became an experiment in healing.”

  Willow wanted to jump for joy. At least the girl was single, which was all she needed to know.“I didn’t have a breakup, but when my father passed I just wanted to get back in the city to get away from our family home. Too many memories, ya know?” Willow sipped her coffee again.

  “Yeah, I totally know.”

  “Well, then, to escaping our pasts.” Willow held up her coffee cup.

  “And to new futures.” Katrina clicked her cup against Willow’s. The intensity was growing; they couldn’t take their eyes
off of each other. “So tell me more about this Nando’s place,” Katrina broke the silence.

  “There’s one down the street actually. Best piri piri chicken you will ever eat.”

  “Big words. I will have to check the place out. I do need to put something on my stomach other than coffee.”

  Katrina and Willow both laughed. Three hours had passed and it felt like Katrina had just walked in. The rain had long passed and the nightlife of the street was starting to take over. The once empty coffee house was now buzzing with all sorts of characters, but somehow they still felt like they were the only ones in the room.

  Katrina didn’t know what was coming over her but this girl was working a magic spell on her. She wasn’t ready to leave her just yet. “So, Ms. Willow, would you maybe like to introduce me to this Nando’s? I mean if you aren’t busy,” Katrina asked without taking her eyes off of Willow.

  Willow felt the ball forming in the pit of her stomach. There weren’t too many things she knew in life but one of them was that she wasn’t going to let the night end in the coffee house.

  “I guess I could eat.” Willow smiled.

  The two stood up, gathering their belongings. Katrina held the door for Willow. “Well, Ms. Willow, lead the way.” Katrina held her arm out. Willow locked arms with Katrina, and she knew it wasn’t going to be the last time.

  The two walked out of the restaurant full on more than just food. They couldn’t stop laughing and talking. Willow didn’t know why, but it felt like she had known Katrina her whole life.

  “So is there anything else you want to see in London?” Willow asked, still not wanting the night to end.

  Katrina frowned as she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think so, but I can say for the first time this whole time I don’t want to leave.”

  Willow felt the butterflies flying in her stomach from Katrina’s statement. She had to fight with herself to stay calm and not let her excitement cover her face.