A test of Love - Navaura Campbell (best management books of all time .txt) 📗

A voice inquired as she made her way down the stair case that separated the top floor from the bottom.
Glancing up, Denise came face to face with a Antone. "Why is it that you always seem to appear when I want you to disappear?" She inquired in a vexed tone.
Anton stopped in front of the stair landing. "Because we both know that's not what you want." His eyes held more mischief than normal.
"You wish! Now, will you please get out of my way?" Denise asked as she tried to side step him. He grabbed her arm as she tried, "Can't you at-least be nice?"
"Can't you at-least skip the formalities? I think we both know that dislike is an honest chord between us."
"I do like you." He stated. "Alot."
"I don't like you."
"Are you still bitchy about the party? That happened four months ago, let it rest."
"My distaste for you has nothing to do with that party."
"Don't you think that's a little biased considering I haven't been out with you not even one date yet?"
"No."
"I'm not that bad once you get to know me."
"I bet."
"Let's say you and I hook up some time?" He asked.
Denise pulled away from him, "I don't do hook ups."
"I bet you didn't say that to wonder bread when he asked you out, now did you."
Denise rolled her eyes, "What ever." She pulled her purse closer to her body. Her eyes narrowing. "I bet you just hate the fact that he's white and I'm black, don't you?"
Anton laughed, "I could care less about color, sweet heart. I don't like the idea that you think you're better than me. You're too good. You've been like that since the party."
"So, I hurt your ego, is that what's bothering you?" Denise's tone was crisp.
Antone leaned down into her face, his breath smelling of something sweet, "I can have any girl I want."
Denise raised a brow. "Except me."
Antone grasped her chin in his hand, "That's why I like you. You're so tough."
Denise tried to pull away from him. He held onto her chin, "Kind of like a wild animal that bucks. Like all animals, you need to be tamed."
Denise's eyes widened, feeling her body heat up in anger. "I'm not an animal."
Anton's eyes went to her mouth. "Cute. Real cute." He let her go. Taking a step back, he said, "I'll see you next time Denise."
"What ever." She spat out irritated because she knew now that she couldn't handle him. Not on her own anyway.
"Next time be ready."
"Ready for what?"
He glanced up at her, his eyes void of emotion. "Your date with me of course."

Just as Jordan pulled his car up to a parking space next to his building, he saw Kwan exiting the building. Getting out in a hurry, Jordan called out to him. Kwan turned, glared at him and then walked away. Jordan wondered what his problem was.
After Anton Left, Denise had scurried into the bathroom, her blood pumping furiously, her anger vivid in her dark brown eyes. He had no right to assume that she'd be with him. There was nothing she found the least bit attractive about him. Even his looks could not make up for a vicious personality. he was a cold guy. This, she could tell. Wiping her eye lids, she turned and exited the bathroom.
Jordan grasped the knob and was pulling it open, when he ran into a figure, or more likely, she ran into him. Looking down, he saw that it was Denise. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying.
"Are you alright?" He inquired.
"I don't want to talk about it." She stated, her tone hard.
"Hmmn, okay." Jordan obliged. She stood in the doorway not speaking, not moving. Jordan exhaled. "Did you come to see me?"
"Of course, Jordan. Who else would I be here for?"
Jordan raised a brow. "If you move out of the door way, maybe I can come in."
Denise stepped back and shoved her hands into her jean pockets. Without saying a word, Jordan came through and then walked up the stairs to his dorm room.

"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't care," Denise stated.
Jordan cleared his throat, his eyes meeting hers. A flickering of life in them. "What a way to start a conversation." He grabbed to cups from the cubboard and poured both of them glasses of hot water, which he'd started in a coffee pot. Grabbing to packets of hot chocolate from the cabinets, he pushed one across the table to where she was seated. They were seated at a round table in the kitchen. She grabbed one of the cups and emptied her packet into it. "I know."
"So what's this love confession about?" He teased.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I behaved over those pictures. But the guy in them look so much like you."
"Don't I know it."
"But..." Denise stated, taking another sip of the warm brew. "I know he's not. He's not even dressed like you."
I concur. He's way too uppity for my taste. Not too mention his hair is way too neat. I play basket ball, remember. Third, I'm a little bit more solid than he is. Last but not least, his eyes change colors, mine don't. In some of the pictures they even look blue."
Denise narrowed her eyes,"So, who is this guy?"
"I don't know, De-De."
"Any ideas on how we can find him?" Denise asked.
Jordan shrugged his shoulders, "No."
"Don't you know anything about Carrine?" Where she grew up? How old she is? Stuff like that?"
"I didn't ask."
Denise raised a brow. "How about her last name?"
"Brachman."
"At-least you got that," she commented.
"I wasn't interested in her whole life story, ok."
"So, you just used her for sex."
"It was a mutual agreement."
Denise licked her lips, "Please don't expect me to laugh, I'm not in the mood." Her tone was mundane. She seriously didn't find that funny.
Jordan reached out and ran his fingers over her hand. "I love you, De-De. Only you."
Denise frowned, "Pretty bad timing, Jordan, pretty damn bad timing."
Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight:
Neema pulled over to the side of the freeway, put on her hazards and then pushed the locks down in their proper space as she curled up in her seat. Of all the dumb things she'd ever done, leaving her phone at home had been one of the worst. By the time she'd noticed this fact, she'd already been within city limits of the town she'd been traveling to. She'd been going to her boyfriend's place for the weekend. This had happened on Friday, now it was Sunday. Now, as she sat waiting for someone to recognize her car and pull over, she wondered how her car had ran out of gas so quickly. She'd just refilled the tank. Glancing down at her watch, she wondered how long it would be before someone came along.
She fussed at herself for not thinking that although she only lived an hour away from her boyfriend's, there was the possibility of breaking down. Her boyfriend, Jonathan Miller had graduated with his name on the dean's list, with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. He was a drama teacher for Hardine High School, located about twenty minutes outside of Falsom Virginia. He and Neema had been dating since she was a sophomore in college. He'd already been out of the university for two years. So while she was only twenty three, he was thirty but looked younger. He was also ready for marriage, something she hadn't thought about too much. Clearing her throat, her mind wandered back to the present.
Denise cleared her throat. "So, what's her name?"
"What?" Jordan had been sipping his chocolate, just staring at her, wondering when he and denise could actually talk about the status of their relationship since he wasn't there.
"What's Carrine's last name?"
"Brachman."
Denise sat down at the computer desk, pulled up the internet and did a search on Zaba.
"Tell me something, De-De," Jordan stated softly. Denise typed in Carrine's name. "What's up?"
"Did you run into Kwan on your way back to your place?"
Denise's shoulders tensed. "No, why?"
Jordan could tell by the way she answered that it was a lie. "I saw him leaving and thought maybe you'd run into him, since you came out a short while later."
Denise cleared her throat, "Nope. Where's Carrine from Jordan? There are a lot of carrine Brachmans."
"Try the most current listing for Chicago Illinois."
Denise did so and an adress popped up: 231 E. Tuckard way, chicago Illinois.
Denise wrote the adress down and handed it to Jordan. "Where is this located?"
Jordan grabbed the paper but intentionally brushed his hand against hers. Denise felt the pitter patter of butterflies in her stomach. She watched as he read off the paper and then stated, "It's a duplex located on the North side of chicago."
"We need to call before we go out there." Denise stated.
"Go out there? Denise, we're in Virginia. I know you don't expect us to go out more than fifteen hundred miles."
"We can stop by Andrew's and Tanya's on the way."
"Denise, come on, christmas is right around the corner."
"Yep, we can go to your family's again for christmas and I can show off my new ring."
She held up her hand. Jordan stared at the diamond that sparkled on her ring finger. This filled him with pride at seeing the golden band that held the ten carrot together.
"We'll leave campus the day after finals and then return a couple of days before next semester begin."
"De-De, are you sure you want to go back, after experiencing my uncle Arlyn's response?"
Denise smiled, "How else will I be able to show off my ring?"
Jordan shrugged his shoulders. Silent.
"Plus, I want to find out more on Carrine. I don't understand why a woman would follow a man half way around the country when she's only known him for three months."
"Some women are like that," Jordan stated.
Denise raised both brows conveying her doubt, "No girl is like that unless she's psychologically impaired. How many girls do you know have done something like this? She considers me a threat when she's not even in the picture."
Jordan sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "You're right. She is a little melodramatic."
"Aww come on Jordan, you know that girl is crazy. If we don't do something, we could be her victims or something. Haven't you seen fatal attraction?"
"Have you seen the ending?"
"Jordan, this is real life." Denise stated, "Crazies do get away with this kind of thing, I mean come on, you had to change your phone before the girl stopped calling you. What kind of mess is that?"
"We should go to the police."
"And do what? Tell them that she's passing around pictures that look like you? I mean we don't have any evidence and you know they won't do anything without any proof of foul play."
"I guess."
"Anyway..." the vibrating of her phone went off in her purse, letting her know that someone was calling. She walked into the kitchen where her purse was and opened it. Pulling the phone out, she pulled the flap open.
"Hello?"
"Denise, thank God you answered," Neema's voice poured out over the line.
Denise smiled, "Hey, what's up?"
"I need to ask you a favor."
"Ok."
"Well, my car went out on the shoulder of the freeway right outside Falsom and I need a ride home."
"Are you calling from your