Less Than Perfect Circumstance by Kristofer Clarke Page A

us . I was definitely enjoying Denise’s company. Whenever she got an invitation to the dance floor from some man who we watched dancing like he had too left feet, or one who had obviously left his dancing shoes at home, she declined only to later drag me to the same dance floor with her. She was very careful not to dance too close. I thought there was an overly jealous boyfriend lurking among the guests, but that didn’t explain how I managed to get all her attention. Denise wasn’t threate ned by the attention I was giving to her, e ither. Whatever the reason, we enjoyed the unobtrusive play between a man and a very attractive woman.
    “Pardon me, Monsieur, M adame Kessler. ” Andre w said, interrupting my brief escape. “H ave you had a chance to look at your menus?” 
    “Give us a few more minutes, please.” Denise glanced at her watch and responded. She reached in her sm all red purse and removed her cell phone . “You don’t mind , do you?
    “Girl, I don’t pay your phone bill, ” I said, looking at her as if she had just ticked closer to crazy.
    “That’s not what I mean, fool.” 
    She pressed a number on her white Iphone.
    “Do you mind if I spend the rest of the afternoon with you?” she asked, pressing the phone against her ear. She stared across the table at me.
    “You are more than welcomed to,” I responded .
    Could my day get any better? I thought, and kept the smile on my face as I took another sip of win.
    Denise contacted her assistant, Brandon, and asked him to clear her calendar f or the afternoon. He was told to transfer any calls that needed her immediate attention to her cell; otherwise, she would return all calls when she returned to the office the next day . She gave him permission to take an extende d lunch, which meant he had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted. I liked the way Denise treated Brandon. He was her right-hand man. Even when he was new and barely broken in, she never had a devil-wears-prada moment with him.
    Denise was a successful and talented female sports agent at Starpower Sports and Entertainment, and her resume spoke for itself. She represented football players like Neal Howard and D’AndreKadian, French basketball standout Andres Kosavaz, and young talents like Cuban-bread PetreWascavage, a baseball player who recently signed a 6-year, multimillion-doll ar deal with the A’s. She represented the best athletes and entertainers in the industry, and Denise is partially responsible for the agency’s acquired reputation. She frequented many of the nation’s exquisite re staurants. Le Petite Poisson had been the backdrop for many meetings with her clients and fran chise representatives.
    “Toni, this is Denise. I am out having lunch with Trevor. If you need to reach me, call my cell.”
    Reaching Toni’s voicema il wasn’t surprising to Denise . A Supervisor of the Pediatric Surgery for the Residency and Medical Students program at John C. Hart Memorial Hospital, Ms. Toni Dale Hadley ma intained a hectic schedule that didn’t leave room for much else. Somehow, Denise and Toni managed to make their relationship work.
    “Checking in with the mister?” I teased, chuckling, knowing I would have done the same, if I had someone to check in with ; if I had Kelvin to check in with.
    After Denise ended her message to Toni, Andrew returned to announce the chef’s special for the day. Denise declined and suggested the wrapped steamed fish and later, a Watermelon Box.
    During lunch, Denise and I were involved in delightful conversations about work, relationships, our plans f or the week, and finally, Kelvin.
    “So how is Mr. Carrington doing?” Denise asked with enthusiasm.
    “He’s fine. I spoke with him this morning. He’s at a conference in New York.”
    “Really! That man’s a traveling fool. I don’t know how you did it.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “How did you handle him being away at conferences and meetings all the time?”
    “Actually,