by H. H. Fowler
No, Ma, you’re wrong. If Sasha really loved the dirt I walk on, she wouldn’t be giving me such a hard time, especially when I’m trying to make things right. It’s been three days and she won’t even answer my calls. But instead of speaking out of the soreness of his heart, Drake simply smirked at his mother’s sharp tone. Since when had his mother and Sasha become so chummy all of a sudden? “Could you at least invite us inside before you blow me out of the water about my relationship with Sasha? I always thought you didn’t like Sasha like that anyway.”
Suanne suppressed her smile. “I never told you I didn’t like Sasha. I told you she had to prove herself and she has.”
“What does that mean?” Kevin questioned. “You’ve known Sasha basically all her life. She and Drake started dating when they were kids. What did Sasha need to prove to you?”
Suanne turned away from the front door, knowing she would be followed by her sons. But before she allowed them to riddle her with questions, she had two more questions of her own.
“How long have you boys been in Devin’s Cay?”
“Three days,” Kevin answered, knowing exactly where his mother was steering the conversation.
This time Suanne put a hand to her side. “And where have you two been staying?”
“At the Smithson Hotel.”
“So,” Susan said in that reprimanding tone she was famous for, “you mean to tell me that my boys have been here for three whole days, spending money on a hotel, when I have two empty bedrooms in this house? Your old rooms to be exact. Have you boys lost your minds?”
“Blame me,” Drake told his mother. “Kevin suggested that we come here, but I didn’t want to chance explaining anything to anyone. I knew after attending Rev. Henderson’s funeral, some nosey folks were going to be looking for me and your house would be the first place they’d look.”
Suanne seemed unconvinced. “You sure that’s the only reason and that you’re not trying to avoid Sasha?”
“I’m not avoiding Sasha,” Drake said. “I found her at Hunter’s home in Paradise Blvd. and she and I had a long talk. But there is still much we need to talk about…”
Suanne looked to Kevin for confirmation. “He’s telling the truth,” he said. “I took him there myself.”
A smile crept onto Suanne’s face as she turned away to get three clean mugs out of the cupboard. “I’ll make us some tea. You boys have a seat, because I’m not letting any of you go until I hear every detail of that talk between Drake and Sasha. And did I mention that Sasha came by to see me?” She playfully pulled at Drake’s chin like he was ten years old. “Oh yes she did, sweetie and she told me her side of the story. When she was through, I was thoroughly impressed by her courage and stamina. That was what I meant when I said she had proven herself.”
Drake scoffed inwardly because after hearing Sasha’s side of the story, he was more hurt and confused than ever. Certainly not as chipper as his mother appeared to be. But then again, maybe a lot of what he was feeling had to do with the shock of Levi’s betrayal – the mastermind behind that deadly note. Sasha wouldn’t go so far as to make up something like that, would she? Drake wanted to believe she wouldn’t, but every now and then an image of Sasha kissing Levi would suddenly pop into his head and send a coldness through his body. Drake hated the feeling because he wanted to trust Sasha again, but how could he when he couldn’t even get over a kiss?
****
It hadn’t yet been ten minutes since Drake and Kevin left to return to the Smithson Hotel when Yasmine showed up on Suanne’s doorstep. As she waited to be let in, she touched up her lipstick and then smoothed a lock of hair behind an ear. In another life she may have been Kevin’s wife, but Suanne didn’t fancy her sons’ girlfriends being older than them. At the time when Kevin first introduced Yasmine to Suanne, he was fourteen years old and she was seventeen – only three years apart.
But to Suanne, it was worse than committing statutory rape. And with Yasmine being a frequent participant in the local beauty pageants, Suanne thought such a lifestyle was too superficial and lacking the prominence of a more reliable career. She made all of that clear to Kevin within the first ten minutes of their meeting. So the relationship between Yasmine and Kevin was over before it even started. The door swung open and by the look on Suanne’s face, Yasmine could tell that Suanne recognized her, but was not that excited to see her.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Suanne quipped and then folded her arms as if she was ready for a challenge. “Yasmine Strummer – the beauty queen of Devin’s Cay. Haven’t seen you in these parts for a while.”
Yasmine cracked one of the brightest fake smiles ever. “Hello to you too, Mrs. Beckford. How have you been?”
“I’ve been just fine, child. What do you want?”
“You’re not even going to invite me in?”
“That depends.”
Yasmine swiped her hair out of her face. “On what?”
“Are you still interested in my son?”
“Your son?” Yasmine was genuinely confused by the question, but soon she was able to put together what Suanne was getting at. “Mrs. Beckford, if you’re referring to that one incident with Kevin, which happened so many years ago, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I have successfully moved on with my life and I haven’t any sort of interest in Kevin. I’m here to see Drake, by the way.”
Suanne responded without missing a beat. “You do away with Kevin so that you can stick your claws into Drake? My God, what kind of loose woman you turned out to be. But I expect no better from someone who’s wasted her life, strolling around in her underwear for the entire world to see.”
Yasmine held up her hand as if to call a truce. “Please, Mrs. Beckford. I didn’t come here to pick a fight or to be ridiculed because of the career I’ve chosen. I am here out of concern for Drake.”
“Why do you need to be concerned about Drake?” Suanne snapped. “He’s a grown man and he can take care of himself.”
Yasmine tried a softer approach, because it was clear that Suanne would never give her the time of day. “I don’t know if you are aware that Rev. Henderson wanted Drake to take over the church. There is even talk of a will, which Rev. Henderson recently updated, making Drake the beneficiary of his estate. But my father has gotten beside himself and has convinced the people that Drake is unfit to succeed Rev. Henderson as the next in charge of El Shaddai Ministries. At this moment, my father is ‘illegally’ operating as bishop in Rev. Henderson’s place, when it should be Drake.”
Yasmine paused for effect when she noticed Suanne’s hard expression had morphed into a pensive look. “I will be entirely honest with you, Mrs. Beckford,” she continued. “I love my father dearly and I will support him in just about anything, but this is just plain wrong. Drake should get what rightfully belongs to him. Could you please tell me where I can find Drake so I can explain all of this to him?”
When Suanne heard Yasmine querying Drake’s whereabouts, she suddenly retreated back to her hard expression. “I will pass on the message,” she said. “Goodbye, Ms. Strummer…you’ve wasted enough of my time.”
Yasmine stopped Suanne from closing the door in her face. “Please Mrs. Beckford, I don’t want my father to get into trouble with the law, especially when he’s about to celebrate his 60th birthday. He’s getting up in age and I am worried that if he gets into trouble, the stress of the situation will kill him. Please, Mrs. Beckford, tell me where Drake is. You know better than anyone that El Shaddai is Drake’s life and that he would only be fulfilling Rev. Henderson’s desire as the next one in charge.”
Again, that pensive look came over Suanne. She didn’t trust Yasmine, but the woman seemed to be sincere. Drake was right to assume that people would come looking for him, but this was a bit different, Suanne thought. This move for Drake could be extremely profitable, if half of what Yasmine said was true. Rev. Henderson may not look as if he had been laden down with wealth and riches, but Suanne suspected he had enough to
significantly enhance Drake’s financial status. She gave Yasmine one long hard look and decided that telling Yasmine where Drake was, was the sensible thing to do.
“He’s staying at the Smithson Hotel,” she mumbled. “And you didn’t get this information from me.”
“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Mrs. Beckford. I will be discreet.”
“You had better, or I will be coming after you.”
Suanne slammed the door in Yasmine’s face, but that was the least of Yasmine’s concerns. She’d gotten what she needed, which was a chance to spend one, intimate night with Drake. It did not matter so much how the plan would materialize, she just needed to get Drake alone and he would melt in her hands like wax. Her banging body and mouth filled with seductive wiles had made it nearly impossible for any man to resist her. She was not just a beauty queen, but a fully confident female, who knew how to get exactly what she went after.
Chapter Four
Hunter Rose was not only the name of Sasha’s best friend, but it was also the name of an up and coming jewelry collection, which was handcrafted from some of the finest materials of sterling silver and 14k or 18k gold. The custom pieces were then uniquely interwoven with a variety of gemstones, cultured pearls and even metal and glass that sold for a decent price. It had always been Hunter’s vision to make jewelry and to open up boutiques locally and around the region. In five years, she’d gone from making a few bracelets and necklaces to heading a team of ten people, including four bench jewelers who welded, soldered, polished, and finished every piece.
She’d even managed to open up two highly successful locations: One in Devin’s Cay and the other in Lakeland, Florida and another would soon come on stream in the not-too-distant future in Miami. However, the location in Devin’s Cay was undergoing a massive expansion, due to the rising demand of her eye-catching designs, which were also being sold in exclusive magazines, upscale brick-and-mortar chains and directly to consumers through her website. Hunter Rose was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. It afforded Hunter the privilege of living in the affluent gated community of Paradise Blvd. and the ability to cruise around in a late model Jaguar.
But even with such great blessings, Hunter was amazingly humble about it all. She only did interviews and guest posts if she had to and most times, she had to be talked into doing it by her employees. She would much rather live a solitary life, reading and enjoying nature. It was during those quiet times she received the best inspiration to design some of her greatest masterpieces, which had sold for hundreds of dollars per piece. These days, with business booming and life as sweet as it could ever be, Hunter worked from home more often and did most of her employer-employee communications via Skype.
She also loved to cook and having Sasha living in the maid quarters, it gave Hunter all the more reason to stay busy in the kitchen. Like now. She was fixing a gourmet dish with meatloaf, stuffed cabbage rolls and Spinach-Ravioli Lasagna. The mind-altering scents drew Sasha into the kitchen; she’d just taken a warm shower after getting off from a long day at work.
“Hmmm, that smells good,” Sasha said, taking a seat at the huge marble island. “What are you cooking?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s your favorite,” Hunter said. She opened the oven and stuck the meatloaf with a fork. “Everything will be ready in ten minutes.”
Sasha shook her head. “For a white girl, you sure can put it down. I’m embarrassed to come behind you.”
Hunter turned to face Sasha. Her flowing blonde hair was twisted up into a messy bun. “Both of my parents were chefs. It would have been a crying shame if I hadn’t at least learned the basics.” Hunter gave Sasha an assuring smile. “What are you so worried about? You’re a great cook. Hey…I have an idea.”
Sasha gave Hunter a side glance. “Uh oh. Whenever you say that, I know it’s something that I either don’t want to do or want to talk about.”
Hunter laughed. “Relax. What I’m about to say has nothing to do with you.”
Sasha made a face. “I don’t believe you, because somehow we always end up talking about Drake, which is not my favorite subject these days.”
“Well, you brought him up,” Hunter said, “so don’t go blaming me. And besides, the food isn’t going to be ready for another ten minutes. We should use the time wisely.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope, so listen…” Hunter sat on the opposite end of the marble island, trying not to reveal that mischievous side of her. “I was thinking we should all go out sometime…me, you, Kevin and Drake.”
Sasha couldn’t help but explode into laughter. “You see? This is exactly what I’m talking about.”
“What did I say that was so funny?”
“You said a lot, actually. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you have eyes for Drake’s brother.”
Hunter suppressed a smile. “I do not. Well, I just think he’s kinda…cute.”
Sasha grew quiet as her mind reflected on her childhood days, growing up with the Beckford brothers. All of them were good-looking men, light-skinned and all were a little under six feet in height. They were the life of the neighborhood. Armando was the musical clown. He had an amazing voice, but his dancing was way off. Kevin was the ladies’ man, who was seen with a different girl every other week. But Drake was more reserved and even though Drake was the youngest of the three, he carried an air of one being ahead of his time. He was usually the one discussing politics, religion or some other controversial subject with anyone who would listen.
Sasha loved a man who knew how to put his intelligence to good use and that was one of the traits that initially drew Sasha toward Drake. He was not only book smart, but he was full of common sense and possessed a heart of compassion. That was why Sasha had been so hurt and confused when Drake up and abandoned their new marriage for six months. She never knew him to be so cold and so inconsiderate. It didn’t matter what wrong she may have done, the Drake she knew back then would have given her the benefit of the doubt and allowed her the opportunity to communicate.
“You’ve got that look on your face again,” Hunter said. “I shouldn’t have said that Kevin is cute, should I?”
Sasha smiled, suppressing the affection she suddenly felt for Drake. “Girl, you’re too crazy. There’s nothing wrong with admiring someone. But I will say that those Beckford brothers are easy on the eyes and if you find Kevin attractive, then maybe you should do something about it. He is presently unattached, as far as I know.”
“Oh come on, Sasha,” Hunter gushed. “You know I’m not the type of woman to make the first move. And I’m too busy expanding my business to waste time trying to size up Kevin on my own. That’s why I was kinda hoping we could all go out and make it a double date.”
“I don’t know…” Sasha looked away, her heart-shaped face showing a measure of angst. “Drake and I are not in the same place we were six months ago. I would feel extremely uncomfortable in such a setting.”
“But why? I thought you and Drake were working things out between you two.”
“We are not exactly working anything out,” Sasha said. “A lot of damage has been done and it is not that simple for us to pick up from where we left off.”
“Gosh, Sasha. Who said that relationships are easy? But you’ve got to be willing to work at it – especially if you’re still in love with Drake. You do still love him, right?”
“If I didn’t I wouldn’t have allowed him within fifty feet of this place. Drake hurt me badly and I don’t know if I’m ready to open up my heart to him, only to have him crush it again.”
“Well, you already know my position on this situation between you and Drake. I don’t condone him abandoning you for all that time, but if Drake was some other man, I would have probably told you to move on with your life. But this is Drake we’re talking about: A good man, who I still believe would do anything for you. He came back, didn’t he? And it looks as if he’s trying to make it right.”
&nbs
p; “How do I know he won’t pull something like this again?” Sasha suddenly wanted to change the subject and it was sharply present in her tone. “And why do we always end up talking about Drake? Could we please talk about something else for a change?”
“Avoiding the situation is not going to make it any better,” Hunter tossed in. “You need to find room in your heart to forgive that man, because you’re not exactly innocent. You kissed Drake’s best friend, a man who is not your husband.”
Sasha shot Hunter a warning look.
“Okay, I’ll shut my big mouth and go take up the food. But that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook.”
Hunter was barking up the right tree, but forgiving Drake wasn’t really the problem for Sasha. It was the fact that she wasn’t prepared to restart life where they’d left off before all the drama. It was too painful to even think about – the way Drake had short-circuited their relationship based on a silly assumption. She admitted that she shouldn’t have allowed Levi to kiss her, especially with her husband so close in the next room, but how was she to know that Drake would secretly walk in on them and not say anything about it? She’d planned on telling him the truth at some point.
But more importantly, if Drake had come to her that night and confronted the situation instead of running away, she would have been able to explain that there’d never been any real connection with Levi. And that she’d always loved him and would spend the rest of her life making it up to him. This entire situation had even caused her to stop attending church, because she was too embarrassed to face the people. No doubt she’d become a laughingstock, especially in the eyes of those few who were jealous of her and Drake’s relationship. What did Drake get out of abandoning her anyway, because the only thing it did was made the situation worse?
Hunter rested a scrumptious plate of food in front of Sasha and then asked in a mischievous tone, “Is it safe to talk about Kevin? I really want to know what he’s like.”