LITMIR.BIZ

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caught dead with, then you can bet he’ll hit on me. Trust me, it never fails.

      There’s something about being on television that makes people think they know you. And when guys think they know you, they’re much more forward. For example, a few weeks ago at a fund-raising event, a well-dressed black man approached me and passed me a note. It read, “You and me, outside in the gazebo in five minutes.”

      Needless to say, I didn’t make that date.

      I have such shitty luck with men that I have sworn off dating. I really have. What’s the point? There’s not one decent single guy out there.

      But Rhonda, a camerawoman at the station, tells me I’m wrong. She swears that she’s got the perfect man for me—her cousin.

      I’m not particularly interested in seeing this guy, but Rhonda has been on my case about it for months. So, despite my obvious bad luck with men, I have decided I am a glutton for punishment and have accepted a date with Rhonda’s cousin for this evening. I put off meeting Trevor for months—until I realized that Rhonda wasn’t going to drop the issue.

      There is a knock on my dressing-room door. “Come in,” I call.

      Rhonda pokes her head through the door. “Hey, Lishelle.”

      “Hey.”

      “I love your hair like that.”

      I tuck some locks behind my ear. I’m still a bit self-conscious about it. When it comes to hair, I’m pretty conservative. I keep it nape length, and never color it anything other than black. At least I hadn’t. All that changed last weekend when my stylist urged me to do something different. I caved under pressure and allowed her to add some auburn highlights. Believe me, I started having a panic attack once I’d passed the point of no return. But Jenny, my stylist, promised me it would complement my skin tone. And she was right.

      “Thanks,” I say to Rhonda.

      “Trevor will be impressed.” She winks.

      But will I be impressed with Trevor? For Rhonda’s sake, I hope so. She’s been trying for so long to get us together.

      “What time are you meeting him?” she asks.

      “Eight o’clock.” That will give me a little time to freshen up after the newscast is over. I plan to meet Trevor at a restaurant downtown. He offered to pick me up, but I politely declined. If I have my own car and things don’t go well, I can leave.

      I’m jaded, can you tell?

      “You’ll have a good time,” Rhonda assures me. “Trevor really is a sweetheart.”

      “I hope so.”

      Rhonda gives me a smile then disappears. Knowing I have work to do, I force myself out of my chair. I still have to get my hair and makeup done, and after that, it’s showtime.

      Two hours later, my head is still pounding. I’m at the restaurant now, sitting in my car in the parking lot, dreading the thought of going inside. I just don’t know if I should do this. Knowing my luck, this date will cap off a stressful day with even more stress. I should probably just go home and go to bed.

      But I am here already, resigned to my fate. I may as well try to enjoy myself. There are worse ways to spend a Thursday night than meeting a potential new boyfriend.

      I apply more lipstick before getting out of the car. Then, as I walk up to the restaurant door, my stomach flutters with nerves. I hope I’m not making a mistake. Really, it’s not like I need a man, although I admit that having one might be nice.

      “Hello,” I say to the male host once I’m inside. “I’m meeting someone. Crenshaw. Trevor.”

      The host peruses his open schedule book. “Ah, yes. Right this way.”

      My hands sweat on my Louis Vuitton clutch as I follow the host through the Macaroni Grill. This was Trevor’s choice, and a good one. It’s casual but upscale and has great food.

      “Here you go.”

      “Thank—” The rest of the word dies on my lips as I see a man rise. For a moment, I am stunned. Pleasantly stunned.

      So this is Trevor. Wow. He is tall, very well groomed. A gorgeous dark-skinned brother. I am definitely impressed.

      “Lishelle, hello.”

      God, that smile must have broken countless hearts.

      “You found the place okay?”

      I force myself to speak. “Yes, yes, I did.” I smile awkwardly. “Hi.”

      I extend my hand, but Trevor steps toward me and gives me a hug instead. “It’s so good to meet you. Believe me, I’m a fan.”

      I smile bashfully and wave off his compliment. (I really did smile bashfully. Sheesh, what’s come over me?)

      Without missing a beat, Trevor pulls out my chair for me. As I sit, I can’t help thinking that his mama must have raised him right.

      “I’ve taken the liberty of ordering some wine,” he tells me, and gestures to the chilled carafe. “It’s white, Riesling.”

      “Lovely,” I practically sing. Lovely? Lord, when was the last time I used that word? Really, I need to tamp down on my overexcitement. Trevor is going to think I’ve been dating men from Mars.

      Which isn’t exactly a stretch.

      Trevor pours me a glass, then lifts his own glass in a toast. He touches it to mine and says, “To new friendships.”

      “To new friendships,” I echo, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I have finally hit pay dirt.

      Two glasses of wine later, I’m feeling very relaxed. And headache free. Accepting this date with Trevor is probably the best thing I’ve done in a long, long time. I’m even thinking of inviting him home, depending on how things progress. This isn’t like me, but you have to understand, I haven’t had sex in ages, and the fact that I’m sitting across from an eligible man has sent my libido into overdrive.

      Trevor has been telling me about what it’s like to work as a lawyer. (Did I tell you I’m intrigued by the legal profession? Especially when it comes to fine-looking brothers who do their best to keep creeps off the streets?) I’m sipping wine and grinning like a fool, hanging on to his every word.

      “I couldn’t believe this guy. It was like, every single one of his neighbors testified to the fact that they saw him chasing the guy with a knife, heard him uttering death threats, and he totally denied it. No defense, just a straight denial. And when he fired his lawyer and proceeded to defend himself…Even the jury could hardly keep their laughter under control.”

      Trevor laughs, and I do, too. It might be interesting to see Trevor in action—in court. And I’m definitely thinking that it would be very interesting to see him in action in the bedroom.

      “Ah, well.” Trevor’s laughter subsides. “Enough about me. I want to hear all about you.”

      “Me?” I point to myself, as if there’s any question as to whom he’s referring. “Oh, there’s not much to tell. Certainly nothing as interesting as what you’ve told me.”

      Trevor tilts his head ever so slightly and says, “I seriously doubt that.”

      I draw in a deep breath to keep my erratic heart under control. “I…I guess I do have some interesting stories. Mostly from earlier in my career, when I was a field reporter.” The truth is, I have a lot of interesting stories. But I’d rather talk about me and Trevor and whether he’s doing anything later. It’s not exactly the time to bring up this suggestion, though. “What do you want to hear about? The streakers or the death threats?”

      “Death threats?”

      “Oh, yeah. I was covering a story about a feud between two business owners. One guy had a cleaning business in town for

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