Singing a Song...

by Crystal V. Rhodes

Ten years Thad’s senior, he loved him like a brother. The man had helped provide him with self-dignity and a sense of worth. When no one else would give him a chance, Thad had done so, and for that he would always be grateful.

  Donald had been arrested for passing bad checks. On his release from prison, he had found it impossible to find employment. As an ex-con, he had been rejected for every position for which he had applied. Defeated, he had all but given up hope when his mother told him about the position as housekeeper with the movie star Thad Stewart. She worked next door to him as Dr. Alan’s housekeeper. She knew the actor and said that she would put a good word in for her son. Donald was skeptical. Why would someone like Thad Stewart trust him, let alone hire him to work in his household? He applied anyway. Thad interviewed him, then hired him at a salary that was beyond generous. He had been so happy that he had cried. When Donald tried to tell him the reason for his imprisonment, Thad had informed him that he had served his sentence. The past was the past. He was offering Donald a future.

  There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his employer. He owed all that he had to him, and today he was about to repay him in a small way.

  Donald placed Thad’s dinner on the table, then took a seat opposite him. “You know that Catina and Ms. Cameron got along pretty well when she was here. Once when they were talking, Ms. Cameron told Catina that she had a condo in San Francisco.”

  Thad looked up. “She does? Where in San Francisco?”

  “I don’t know, but Catina has the address. She’s in the city today visiting her mother. She won’t be back until tomorrow.”

  Thad shot out of his seat. “I can’t wait until tomorrow.” He grabbed the telephone and all but jammed it into Donald’s hand. “Call her. See if she remembers it.”

  Donald dialed his mother-in-law’s number. There was no answer. He called his wife’s cell phone. Again, there was no answer. Thad looked devastated. Donald thought quickly. “Dr. Alan might have the address. Maybe Ms. Cameron gave him both addresses for her prescriptions or…”

  The words hadn’t left Donald’s mouth before Thad was calling Alan. His adrenaline raced at the thought that he might be with Darnell soon.

  * * *

  Thad hadn’t taken his usual run this evening. If he had done so, this would have been his last day on earth. This made Moody’s entire trip to Tiburon an inconvenience, but he couldn’t trust anyone else to do the job.

  Initially, he had felt that Thad could be useful in tracking Darnell. She had been missing for weeks. Even his household staff had noticed her absence. He had overheard the gossip among them as they speculated as to her whereabouts.

  It seemed that Mrs. Sharon wasn’t talking about Darnell’s whereabouts. Neither had she mentioned Darnell’s relationship with Thad. None of the servants seemed to know about it. Mrs. Sharon had proved to be the kind of employee any employer would love to have—discreet.

  So, it was up to him to figure out where Darnell was. For several days, he had kept watch in Tiburon, but there had been no sign of her being there with Thad. Moody was baffled. There were only two conclusions to be drawn. Either she had come to her senses and had dumped the loser, or she was vacationing somewhere other than Carmel. Whatever the case, she wasn’t with Thad, and that was good because she wouldn’t be around when he died. He still planned on killing him. The man had violated Darnell. He wasn’t worthy of her, and just in case they were still seeing each other, he was going to put an end to it once and for all. The fact that the man had changed his routine today meant that it had to be another time. Damn! Of all the luck! That meant another trip to Tiburon, and too many appearances in the area could draw attention. That was the last thing he needed. Shadows didn’t leave footprints.

  * * *

  It was nearly nine o’clock when Thad arrived at Darnell’s San Francisco condo. The doorman and the guards all recognized him, so it wasn’t difficult to convince them that he had a business meeting with Darnell. Thad was almost dizzy with excitement when it was confirmed that she was home. Her apartment was buzzed, but there was no answer. They let him go upstairs.

  Nervously, he rang the doorbell. He didn’t know what to expect on the other side of the door. Would she be glad to see him? Did they still have a future together? He would know the answer by the time he left this evening.

  There was no answer to the doorbell. He knocked. Still, there was no answer. Maybe she was asleep, or perhaps she had left the building without the guards and the doorman seeing her. He tried the doorknob. He was shocked when it turned easily and opened.

  What was happening? She was in the apartment, and the door wasn’t locked? He felt as if he was in one of his movies as he glanced at the doorjamb to see if there was any evidence of forced entry. There didn’t seem to be. It was a good lock; a credit card couldn’t be used to open it. Yet, it was open. Taking a defensive stance, he entered.

  The apartment was dark and quiet. The curtains at the floor-to-ceiling windows fluttered in the breeze from the open door. He could see the lights of the city twinkling below. He stepped deeper into the apartment. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he noticed the Vanetta Honeywell painting that Darnell had purchased at Regine’s gallery. It was hanging on the wall opposite the entranceway.

  He called to her, alerting her to his presence. “Darnell!” There was no reply. Fear trickled up his spine. Something was wrong. His volume increased. “Darnell!” He proceeded down the hallway, alert to every sound. Listening closely, he heard a small whimper. It came from the cracked doorway to his right.

  Cautiously, he approached the door. It was then that he saw her in the dimly lit bathroom. She was sitting with her back against the wall, curled up into a ball. Her head was buried between her legs.

  Darnell’s tears had been reduced to sniffles. She had heard someone enter but couldn’t muster up the strength to be frightened. When her name was called, she knew who it was right away, but she hadn’t answered. She couldn’t. She was too tired. She felt as if she had no control over her mind or her body. So she sat there, wishing that everything and everyone would simply disappear.

  Thad’s heart constricted when he saw her. This wasn’t his Darnell. It couldn’t be Darnell curled up in a ball like a defeated child. He bent down to her. “Doe?”

  Gently, he lifted her chin. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Misery etched her flawless face. He couldn’t stand to see her this way.

  Splaying his fingers through her hair, he rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?”

  She sat motionless as he pulled a hand towel from the rack, rinsed it in cold water and dabbed at her watery eyes.

  “I’ve been so worried about you. Why didn’t you call me? It’s been weeks, baby. What is it? Has something happened to Lance?”

  Darnell’s head was pounding as she looked at Thad through slit eyelids. What was he doing here? What did he want? Let him go to his women. She didn’t care anymore.

  Closing her eyes, she shut him out. “Go away, Thad, just go away. I don’t want you here.”

  She couldn’t see his expression, but her words were meant to hurt him. Hopefully, they would get him to walk out the door. Instead, she felt herself being lifted. She didn’t resist.

  Managing to find Darnell’s bedroom, Thad placed her on the bed and covered her with a down blanket. She seemed so fragile, but he knew better. The Darnell he knew was strong and feisty. She didn’t like being thought of as needing anyone. Yet, everyone needed someone, and he planned on being that someone. He wasn’t going to go away.

  Sitting on the bed beside her, Thad caressed Darnell’s cheek. “You know something, Doe Eyes, I’m getting tired of carrying you around.”

  Darnell’s eyes flew open. “What?” Her tone echoed her displeasure. He had some nerve! Here she was stretched to the limit, as close to a nervous breakdown as she could get, trying to get over him and his skirt-chasing ways, while poor, sweet Lance was laid up in the hospital…

  Th
ad saw the dull light in her brilliant dark eyes start to flicker. Just as he had intended, his words had caused a reaction. Her burn was slow at first as she pulled herself up by her elbows and glared at him. Then her nostrils started to flare. Thad knew that she would be coming to life very soon. He was right. It began to rain fire.

  “You’ve got more gall than any man I know.” She sat up straight. “Who asked you to carry me around?”

  Her pointing finger hit Thad squarely in the chest as she poked him hard. “Here I was sick to my stomach, missing you…”

  She missed him?

  “My old boyfriend, my best friend is sick in the hospital…”

  Old boyfriend?

  “I’m trying to take care of him, get to a phone to call you…”

  She wanted to call him. She wanted to hear his voice!

  “And what do I find when I finally do get the chance to call you at home today…”

  She had called him! She had called him today?

  Darnell rose from the bed and stood over him, using her finger like a spear. “Some other woman answers the telephone.”

  Woman? What woman?

  Darnell gave him some neck this time. No doubt about it! She did care.

  “I’ve never loved a man the way that I love you…”

  Love? Did she say love?

  “And if you think that I’m going to sit by quietly and let you two-time me…”

  She loved him! She loved him! She loved him!

  “How in the hell did you find this apartment anyway? Did you have me followed? Did you follow me?” Darnell demanded, both hands firmly planted on her hips.

  Thad hardly heard a word that she said as his heart soared out of his chest. She loved him, and nothing else on earth mattered. Pulling her to him he stifled any further words of protest by kissing her until they both were weak and throbbing with need.

  Thad broke the kiss. His voice was fire. “Say it! Say it again. Say that you love me. You do love me. I know you do.”

  Darnell found it difficult to speak. Whatever protest she might have mounted before had vanished with the touch of his demanding lips against her own. “I…I…I…” she stuttered, unable to think, only feel.

  “I…I…I…nothing,” Thad mimicked, gathering her tightly in his arms. “You said that you were in love with me, so don’t try to deny it. I’m a greedy man. I want to hear you say it again.” He kissed her hair softly. “And again.” He kissed her eyelids. “And again.” He placed a kiss on her lips that was so tender it brought tears to her eyes.

  Darnell moaned. Why did he have to be like this? Why did he have to have such a silver tongue, such a knowing way?

  “Yes, I love you,” she whispered hoarsely. “I am in love with you.” She looked into his eyes so that the truth could be clearly seen. There would be no doubts, no second-guessing. “I love you, Thad Stewart.”

  Moisture gathered in his eyes, and he was barely able to contain his emotions. Darnell Cameron was in love with him. Of all the millions of men who adored her, who dreamed of being held in her arms, of making love to her, he was the lucky one. She loved him, and not because he was wealthy. So was she. She didn’t love him because he was talented or famous. She neither wanted nor needed any of those things from him. She had it all. What she wanted and needed were the same things that he craved—trust, honesty, loyalty, companionship and love. These were all of the things that he was more than willing to give her for the rest of their lives.

  His eyes devoured her hungrily. “Don’t you know that there’s no woman on earth that I’ve ever loved the way I love you?” His voice was husky with emotion as his mouth snaked down the soft flesh of her long, slender neck. “There’s no woman on earth that I want to be with but you.”

  “Then who was the woman who answered the telephone when I called?”

  “If it wasn’t Catina, I don’t know who it was, but I promise you that I’ll find out. I swear to you, there is no other woman in my life and never could be. I love you too much.”

  He kissed her again, then with deft dexterity removed her blouse and unfastened her bra. For a moment, he gazed at the rounded perfection of her naked breasts before his mouth took greedy possession and he suckled. Greedily, his lips caressed the length of her body as, together, they discarded her clothing piece-by-piece.

  With trembling hands Darnell traced the curve of his broad shoulders. She planted a kiss between the sharp planes of his muscular chest. Thad shuddered at her touch. When he allowed space between the two of them, she managed to unzip his slacks and strip them from his body, along with his briefs.

  Standing naked before her, he reached into the pocket of his discarded pants and handed Darnell the foil package that he had withdrawn. Guiding her hands, Thad’s eyes fluttered closed and he inhaled sharply as she covered his throbbing shaft. Slipping it on carefully, she watched him with smug satisfaction as she brazenly caressed him. Thad swayed. With an impassioned moan, he sank slowly to his knees. “Darnell.” One single word sealed his surrender.

  Rising, he lowered them both to the bed and kissed her with an urgency that left no doubt about his desire. His torrid tongue left a blazing trail of fire down the length of her belly, lingering maddeningly at her navel. Then he moved slowly downward, where he rubbed his nose gently against the mound of thick, black curls before gently kissing each inner thigh.

  Darnell’s body tensed. The air around them crackled. Slowly, he entered her and she tightened around him as he moved skillfully within her. Every fiber of his being wanted to explode, but he prolonged the pleasure for them both. With purposeful intent, he maintained control until they both were lost in a frenzy of passion and the world as they knew it vanished.

  CHAPTER 22

  Still drugged by passion, Thad and Darnell savored one another as they lay snuggled together. Thad traced her kiss-swollen lips. “I’d better go. The doorman and the guards know I’m up here. If I stay much longer, we’ll both be headlines before the morning edition hits the streets, but before I go, let me hear you say it one more time.”

  Darnell complied willingly. “I love you.”

  Thad showed his appreciation by reclaiming her lips once again, leaving her panting, pulsating, and craving more. This man could become addictive.

  Shaken, Darnell scooted up in the bed and leaned against the headboard in an effort to escape the spell that Thad was casting. She shook her head in exasperation at the dimpled, self-satisfied grin that he flashed at her as he watched her retreat. She groaned. “Oh, Lord, I’ve created a monster!”

  Thad laughed and sat up beside her. “Don’t tell me that you’ve had enough.”

  Unfortunately, she hadn’t, and that could prove to be a problem. Her mind traveled back to the woman who had answered his telephone earlier that day. She wouldn’t degrade herself by asking who it was, but she wanted to make it perfectly clear that she would not tolerate infidelity.

  “No, Thad, I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough of you. I do love you, but there’s one thing you must understand. I don’t plan on sharing any man who says that he loves me with another woman at any time.”

  Thad cocked his head in amusement as he observed Darnell. Her arms were folded across her chest and her mouth was tightened into a cute little pout. She was stubborn and demanding, bold and beautiful. The thought of loving anyone else was beyond his comprehension.

  “Believe me, sweetheart, you have no reason to worry about another woman.” He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Nothing and no one is more important to me than you.”

  Darnell could see his sincerity. She wanted to trust him, hoped that she could trust him. There was no foundation for any kind of relationship between them without trust. Reaching out, she ran a finger down the length of his cheek.

  “I believe you, but I still don’t expect another woman to answer your telephone.”

  He kissed her fingertip and sparks splintered through her system like shards of shattered glass as she watched him re
ach for his cell phone.

  “I don’t know who that was, but I’m going to find out.”

  Dialing his home telephone number, Thad took only a few minutes to discover the truth. Regine! He recounted his conversation with his assistant to Darnell.

  “She’s on your case hot and heavy, isn’t she?” Darnell couldn’t blame the woman; Thad Stewart was a catch. “But if she ever hangs up on me again, I’m going to be on her like white on rice.”

  “Good.” He threw that deep dimple grin on her again. “Kick her butt.”

  “Oh, you’d love two women sparring over you like alley cats, wouldn’t you?” Darnell pulled the pillow from behind his back and tried to hit him with it. Thad moved quickly, and she missed. Laughing uproariously, they tussled for the pillow and engaged in a mini pillow fight, rolling around on the bed until she ended up on top of him. Thad placed her head on his chest and stroked her hair soothingly.

  “You don’t ever have to worry about fighting for my love, Darnell. My heart belongs to you.” He kissed her lightly. “Now why don’t you tell me what was wrong with you earlier when I came in? You were on meltdown. Is it Lance? Has he gotten worse?”

  Darnell sat up with a start. Lance! She had all but forgotten him. How could she have been so callous? He was in the hospital fighting for his life, and she was here making love with Thad. Unconsciously, she moved away from him. As much as she needed Thad’s strength and support, at that moment she couldn’t avoid feeling guilty.

  “No, Lance is doing better, thank God, but it’s been a long, hard road for him.” She sighed. “I’m sorry that it took so long for me to call you. So much was happening.”

  “You scared me, baby. Not hearing from you was hell.”

  “It was hard getting away. I’ve been at the hospital night and day.”

  “I didn’t know what to think.”

  Darnell took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry I worried you. I was so frightened by his condition I didn’t know what to do. He’s so sick, and even though he’s better, his health is still in jeopardy. His liver is damaged, and the doctors are saying that he’ll need a liver transplant. I can’t abandon him now, not while he’s like this.”