She tried to move past him, but he shoved her back into the chair. “Don’t even try it, Monica. I may have had a few too many,” he held up the bottle, “but I can still overpower you. I know you took the discs, Monica. You even acted suspicious—nervous all the time, needing to know where I was every second of the day. I thought you were nervous about the presentations. I never thought…”
“Okay! You want to hear the damn reason, Tim? I didn’t want her to win, plain and simple. I wanted to add a little turmoil to her life.”
“Why? Why do you have it out for her?”
“The way you rant and rave over her—I was sick of it! All you talk about is Brandi. Brandi this, Brandi that.” She stood inches from him. “Are you that dense that you couldn’t tell that someone else may have wanted a shot at you?”
“You really are nuts.”
“You’re the one that’s nuts. How could you even look at someone like her? She’s black, Tim! What would someone with your looks and intelligence want with her?”
“This is so 17th-century Anglo-Saxon. I can’t believe it! Look at you; you’re not exactly ‘Miss White America.’ You were born in Hong Kong, for Pete’s sake. Where the hell do you get off…”
“What’s going on here?”
Both Tim and Monica turned to see Brandi standing in the doorway. Tim retrieved his bottle. “Perfect, just perfect; the other person I least wanted to see today!”
Brandi approached him. “Tim, I wanted to see you and try making up. I heard you two shouting and…”
“Really, you wanted to try and make up with me? Why? I’m a murderer, a liar, and probably an alcoholic by now. What would you want with a person like me?”
“Tim, please. I was on my way to Aunt Theresa’s house and felt the need to try once more.”
“Actually, Brandi, you are the last person I need to argue with.” His hand stretched out to Monica, as if he were introducing her. “What you see here, Brandi, is the main person who’s been wrecking my nerves today.”
“What wrong?”
“Lots. Remember your paper that you didn’t get to present at Niagara? Well, guess who had it?”
Brandi stared at Monica. “You took my paper?”
Monica grabbed her purse. “I’m leaving. I don’t care what you think, Tim. I didn’t take those discs, but you know why I would have, had I been that stupid. Besides, you have no real proof.”
“I have more than you know, Monica.”
She shot past Brandi, who stood there in disbelief as Monica left. “Tim, you’re just going to let her leave?”
“Yes. Why don’t you leave with her?” He picked up his cell phone to call Dean Moore at Madison to inform him of everything. Brandi walked off, crying.
This time, he didn’t care if she was hurting or not. He made the call, finished what was left of the scotch, and took another bottle from the liquor cabinet near his computer table. He walked into the living room to crash on the couch. Then he saw Brandi still there. “Why are you still here in my face, Brandi?”
“Because we need to talk.”
“Talk about what? How you dumped me? How you blamed me for having a brutal childhood? What the hell would I need to talk to you for?”
She walked closer to him. “You need to hear me out…”
He yelled, scaring her. “I don’t need to hear a damn thing!
Just leave.”
She had never heard him talk above a normal range, and it hit her that she had definitely blown it. Something in her still wanted to try again. So she reached for his arm, but he abruptly pulled away from her. “Tim, please listen to me. I know I hurt you.”
Ignoring her, he took his bottle and walked to the basement steps.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from you; now leave me alone, Brandi. Get the hell out of here.”
She ran to the steps and grabbed his shirt as he staggered down the stairs. “Tim, I’ve got to explain everything to you.”
He jerked away from her, losing his footing. She grabbed at his clothing, trying to stop the fall, but he tumbled down, landing head first against the cement.
“TIM!!!”
Brandi waited on pins and needles for two hours for Tim to come out of surgery. He was wheeled back into his room hours later, and she sat with him the rest of the night. Sometime that night, Dr. Hammond came in to see about Tim. Brandi was asleep, her head resting on the bed. The doctor cleared her throat, and Brandi’s head popped up. She looked up at Dr. Hammond’s face. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Hammond. You must be Brandi Miles.”
“Yes. He has mentioned you before.”
“You’re all he talks about.”
That made her feel awful, because she suspected that all he had to talk about lately was her ditching him. “I’m afraid he hasn’t had the best things to say about me lately.”
“On the contrary. He feels he did everything wrong, and has had nothing but good things to say about you.”
“I’m surprised.” She heard Tim’s labored breathing. “Dr. Hammond, what’s wrong with him? No one has told me anything really, except that he has some fractured bones.”
“He also has a concussion, and the hospital has to keep monitoring him because the injury is close to the brain. His medical doctor informed me that Tim was here and I wanted to check on him. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. He needs people like you, someone who loves him. I love him, too, but I’m sure he won’t allow me to show him after what has happened between us.”
Dr. Hammond saw the terrified look on Brandi’s face and tried to console her. “Not to worry, Tim is strong. He will pull through this, and you two will be together. But that was a hell of a fall he took.”
“Before this happened, we had some problems, and I took off like a scared child instead of dealing with them.”
“It couldn’t have been easy hearing about his past life, especially after hearing about the incident in the facility he was in.”
“Knowing that another child died wasn’t easy to hear about, but it was an excuse that I used. I love him more than I can imagine loving anyone.”
“Tim is lucky to have you, because there’s no one else except for a brother and his mother, and he has no contact with them. I have counseled Tim for years now, and he has grown quite a bit, but his past still hurts him. Unfortunately, it is something I can’t erase for him.” She smoothed Tim’s bedding. “It’s late. You need to go home and rest. Tomorrow maybe you can bring some personal belongings, like a robe and slippers.”
“Sure.”
She entered Tim’s house. Any reminder of Tim’s fall down the stairs surely would make her sick. She also wanted to avoid the bedroom. She used to love it there; many a night she had laid on that bed in her lover’s arms as they talked about their future, their marriage, children…a life full of love, but now that all seemed to be gone. His bedroom was also the same room he had made wild love to her, finally making her feel what it was like to be a total woman.
But she had to go in to collect things he would need for his hospital stay. When she looked under the bed for his slippers, she noticed a picture on the floor. It was of an unborn baby—a fuzzy, hazy picture of an infant. She turned it over and read: “Our first. Isn’t she beautiful? I love you, Tim…Charlotte.”
Then it dawned on her. “Of course, his baby; the baby they lost.” She tried to put it back in a box under the bed but it was stuffed with letters, all stamped, Return to sender. They were from Tim to Greg and had a Schenectady, NY, address. “Where the heck is Schenectady?” The postmarks on the letters were more recent than on the letter she had with the White Plains address on it. She just didn’t know where to begin. Operator assistance was of no help, because there wasn’t a Gregory Polaris listed anywhere. Her only choice was to drive to the address and hope she would make it there.
The next evening she stopped by the hospital, looked in on Tim resting, and kissed his lips. “Dre
am of me.” Then she left for Schenectady.
* * *
“You must be Destiny.”
The little girl looked at Brandi rather strangely. “Yes, and you are…?”
“I’m Brandi Miles, a friend of your Uncle Tim’s.” Destiny had Tim’s eyes. She was a lovely girl of twelve or thirteen, tall for her age, and had almost blue-black shoulder length hair.
Destiny continued. “You’re here about Uncle Tim?”
“Yes.”
“Good, is he here? I’ve never seen him.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s sick right now. Is your father home?”
“Sick? From what?”
“Please, I need to speak to your father. It’s very important.”
“He’s in the garage working on a Mercedes Benz. He’s a mechanic, you know.” She kept looking at Brandi, having never seen beauty like hers, let alone a beautiful black woman at their house. She kept questioning Brandi instead of going to get her father. “Are you Uncle Tim’s girlfriend?”
“I am.”
Obviously, Destiny had a very curious mind, but Brandi was becoming impatient with her questions. She had driven for hours and had coped with a flat tire, little money, and a lumpy bed in a fleabag hotel that had given her a terrible backache. The only thing she wanted to deal with now was the infamous Gregory Polaris. “Will you please get your father for me?”
“Sure. You can come with me, but he may be a little dirty.”
Brandi read the sign on the door as they approached the two-door garage: GM-certified mechanics on duty. Gregory Robert Polaris, owner; Chris Mayers, Asst.
Destiny pointed under the car. “He’s under there. Dad?”
A voice sounding much like Tim’s, asked, “What is it?”
“There’s a lady here to see you.”
“Bring her over here.”
Brandi turned to Destiny. “That’s okay. I’ll walk over.”
Greg’s voice echoed again. “You go inside and wait for your Uncle Chris. He’ll be here soon.”
Brandi watched her swish off. Taking her for a customer, Greg said he would be with her soon. “Just let me tighten this hose. What’s wrong with your car? You can leave the keys with me and my partner will take you wherever you need to go when he gets here.”
Brandi cleared her voice. “I’m not here about a car. I’m here about your brother, Timothy.”
He dropped his wrench and quickly slid from under the car. “You’re here about.…” Greg looked into her beautiful face, and then looked her up and down. Before him was what he thought a virtual goddess. She was a knockout from her shapely body, to her flawless café au lait skin. Realizing he was staring, he rose slowly walking toward her, and extending his hand. “I’m Gregory Polaris, and you are?”
She was disheartened by his non-reaction upon hearing his own brother’s name. She extended her hand. “I’m Brandi Miles.” As she stared back at him, she saw almost a replica of Tim, only darker and with green eyes. He was stockier than Tim but was still sexy in a pair of jeans and a torn t-shirt. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until he took her hand.
“Brandi Miles, huh? You’re here about Tim, did you say?”
She felt rising anger over his apparent indifference to his brother. “Yes, I’m here about Tim.”
“Are you his social worker?”
“No, I’m his…
“Parole officer?”
“I’m his fiancée.”
“You’re kidding.” He put his hand on his hip, backed up, and looked her over with those intense green eyes of his. “He always did have great taste in women, ‘cept for Nikki, and of course, Charlotte, well, from what Mom has told me, but we all make mistakes.” He wiped his hands on a towel on the hood of the Mercedes. “So, what’s this about?”
She hadn’t expected such terseness from him; he was Tim’s brother after all. She had wanted so much to say something that would bring out his caring side, if he had one. But his words told her emotions were something he would have to buy at the local drug store. She got to the point. “Your brother’s in real trouble.”
“As usual. What’s he done this time that would bring someone so pretty all the way up here to see me?”
She couldn’t mask the disappointment on her face and in her voice. “He’s in the hospital.”
“What for, detox?”
His wisecracks were getting on her nerves. “I’m serious. He was injured in a fall, and he’s in bad shape. He wanted me to see if you could come down, but I can see that you’re too busy.”
She turned to leave so Greg wouldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes, but he took her arm. “I’m sorry. You’re so teary-eyed. There must be something you’re not telling me.”
“Your brother needs you, Greg.”
“Brandi, my baby brother hasn’t needed me in years. What makes now so special?”
She hated getting into it, but it seemed Greg needed the whole story to be convinced. She sat down on the chair near the garage door. “Tim and I were to be married, but when I found out about his past I took off, leaving him alone to pick up the pieces. And then with this hospital thing…he just sounded so hopeless, Greg, like he was giving up and not even trying to live. He told me to find you and tell you he was sorry. What has he to be sorry for? That’s what I need to know.”
“A lot, but I can’t get into it right now. I have this Mercedes to finish by six.” He looked around nervously. “He’s really bad off, huh?”
Streams of tears rolled down her cheeks, and he quickly handed her a clean towel. “I just don’t know how to fix him this time. He’s not really responding to me.”
His eyes softened at the sight of her tears, but even her pain couldn’t keep him from noticing how perfect she was, more beautiful than any woman he had seen in a long time. Then he remembered who that beauty belonged to—his damn baby brother!
Brandi gave him the towel and smiled sheepishly. “I won’t waste any more of your time. I know you have that car to fix, and I’m sorry about everything. It’s just that I love him so much, and I think I’m losing him.”
His voice betrayed a trace of emotion. “I can tell you love him. He finally got lucky.” His eyes lowered for a minute, then he remembered who he was—the unbreakable Gregory Polaris, whom emotions bounced from, or so he thought.
He moved to the door, facing her. “Look, I finish here around six, but where are you staying? Maybe we can get something to eat and talk about this.”
“Could we? I’d really appreciate that. I’m at the Savoy off the interstate, room 216.”
“Is seven good for you?”
She brushed her tears back. “That’ll be good. That gives me time to look human again. I know I look like the living dead.”
He wanted to brush away the fine strand of hair that fell against her wet cheek. He put that thought away, for he knew he would want to touch her elsewhere. He was known to be a fast mover, but this wasn’t the right time, or the right person. He held the door open for her. “I’ll be there by seven.”
After she left, he closed the door and leaned against it. He was vulnerable for once; someone had finally penetrated his tough exterior, and it was Brandi. Her beauty haunted him, but her unavailability was like a knife in his chest. His main priority should have been his brother, but he hadn’t had to think of Tim in such a long time he had actually forgotten how. But with Brandi Miles, well, he hadn’t been so beguiled by a woman in years—not since Destiny’s mother.
Gregory picked her up at precisely 7:00. He drove off at high speed and, for all Brandi knew, he could be driving her to hell and back. That was the kind of person he seemed to be, impulsive and fast. She didn’t understand how two utterly different people could have come from the same womb. But Greg’s fast life somehow attracted her; he was something different, maybe even a little dangerous. He was no Tim. Yes, she felt an attraction to her fiancé’s brother, a big taboo. He oozed heat and fire, as if he would sizzle even in the rain. T
he attraction made her uncomfortable, half-regretting she had made the trip up there; half feeling that she was cheating on Tim just by looking at his brother. Anyway, she was on a mission, and intended to see it though, no matter what temptation got in the way.
They drove to the restaurant in silence, except for a casual word here and there. But there was nothing polite about him. He was just as rough around the edges in a Ralph Lauren sports jacket as he was in that greasy t-shirt.
After the waitress to took their orders, Greg searched her face and saw signs of her emotional day: eyes puffy from crying; brow creased with worry; lips tight with apprehension. He took a deep breath and plunged in. “Let’s get to the good stuff. What happened to my brother?”
She decided it was now or never. “There are two things. First, he was in a fury and devastated by a co-worker’s betrayal. He was angry with me, too, so he wouldn’t let me console him. He started down his stairs to the basement to get away, and, well, he fell to the cement floor. He has a concussion.”
“A really bad one?”
“Is there a good one? Yes, it’s very bad. Look, he needs you to be there. I thought that hearing of his condition you would want to be there, too.”
He changed the subject. “What’s the other reason you’re here?”
His lack of emotion after hearing about his brother’s accident was killing her, so she kept her own voice cold and unemotional. “I’m here because of his bad family life when you both were kids. It has tortured him for years. Anyway, it finally caught up with him, and I don’t feel that I’m helping the situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“I bolted after finding out about his life, but I came back because I do love him, but I can’t fix the real problem. You can, however. He needs someone other than me to be a stabilizing force in his life, Greg. I didn’t know what else to do, so I came here.”
“What has he told you?”
“Everything.”
“Then he told you that he killed someone? That kid was my best friend, the only person who was ever there for me. Tim took that all away with one punch. So, I don’t know how I can help either you or him.”
“But Tim was your brother. You could have stuck with him, and you two could have had one another.”
A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) Page 24