Real Love 2 (Second Chances)

by H. H. Fowler

  “You never really came to talk to me about Rev. Henderson, did you?” The malicious smile on Yasmine’s face only confirmed Drake’s suspicion. He opened the door and said in a firm tone. “Get out of this room.”

  Her pride visibly injured, Yasmine grew more defiant. “I’m not going anywhere!”

  “Then I will throw you out, if I have to.”

  “Go ahead and touch me. I dare you,” Yasmine threatened. She unzipped her pink dress, revealing a perfectly formed body clad in lacy white lingerie. “Now you had better close that door and come deal with your lust.”

  The audacity of Yasmine’s words threw Drake into a state of shock. He’d never encountered a woman as bold and as determined. But it was a complete turn off, especially for a godly man like Drake who respected a woman’s chastity. This was certainly a wakeup call and he was not about to be caught up any further in the devil’s plot to destroy his future.

  “Well, if you won’t leave,” he said to Yasmine, “I will.”

  True to his word, Drake walked out of the room, leaving Yasmine with her mouth open in disbelief. But she recovered enough to walk over to the bed and rumple the sheets. She tossed the pillows to the floor and then removed a few of Drake’s personal items. She also left a few little surprises beneath the bed that were sure to garner a high level of suspicion. With her pink dress now zipped back into place, she harrumphed her way out of the room. Drake should have had sex with her, instead of rejecting her because little did he know, his actions had just cost him his life.

  Chapter Six

  The Shale – as it was commonly known around town – was one of two coffee houses that catered to the nightlife of Devin’s Cay. It boasted a spacious, but cozy atmosphere, which provided the patrons an excellent place not only to relax and exchange friendly banter, but a place to read and meditate. The Shale, however, was the only place that was in a central location for Hunter and Kevin to meet. Hunter lived some ten miles across town in Paradise Blvd. and Kevin would have gladly driven the distance. But because Hunter was a very considerate woman, she instructed Sasha to arrange the meeting somewhere else that wouldn’t require Kevin to drive all the way to her home.

  A server had tucked Kevin and Hunter into a secluded booth, which provided picturesque views of the island from every angle. The dark blue waters surrounding the well-lit harbor and the lighthouse, which could be seen from miles away, helped set the mood of their meeting. But nothing compared to the cool, ocean breeze that blew against their faces. It especially calmed Hunter’s jitters as she took a quick sip of her peppermint latte.

  “It looks as if you’ve gotten Sasha to do your dirty work,” Kevin said after a brief pause. “That was very classy of you.”

  My goodness, Kevin, do you possess some supernatural power or you’re that good at reading people, Hunter wanted to ask, but she settled for a bemused look and two words that would buy her some time. “Excuse me?”

  Kevin smiled, his bald head seeming to glow beneath the iridescent lights. “Don’t worry, Sasha was quite poised about asking me to take you out. I didn’t think you would have agreed, especially at this time of night.”

  “So,” Hunter cleared her throat. “My coming convinced you that it was me who put Sasha up to it.”

  “Nope. It was simply a lucky guess.”

  Hunter looked away, completely mortified. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I’ve just told on myself.”

  Kevin found Hunter’s actions funny and it showed up in his boisterous laugh. “Since we’re being honest,” he said. “I will admit that I was kinda hoping we could spend some time together before I head back to Tampa tomorrow. I had a great time talking to you the other day.”

  Hunter slowly turned to face Kevin, one hand hiding part of her face. “Are you putting me on?”

  “I wasn’t sure you felt the same way,” Kevin said. “That’s why I was hesitant to follow up…well, and another thing…”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve never dated a white woman before. Never appealed to me in the least.”

  Kevin’s admission caused Hunter to move her hand completely from her face. “That is so bizarre of you to say.”

  “I know…it’s this crazy thing that I have about ethnicity…”

  “What I meant to say was that I’ve never dated a black man before…I mean, technically, your skin is not black; you’re light-skinned, but I think the same argument applies. Are you a Christian?”

  “Not really…” Kevin sought for a better response, but his mind was still reeling over the coincidence that Hunter too had never ventured outside of her race to find love. “Let me explain what I meant –”

  “Neither am I a Christian,” Hunter admitted, gently interrupting Kevin. “But someday I would like to be one and my hope is that that desire will not be a problem for the man I choose to spend the rest of my life with. You see, Mr. Beckford, I am an extremely blessed woman and I say so with much humility. But do you ever get the feeling that something is missing? I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve been living my life without any real purpose.”

  Kevin lifted his huge white mug and took a sip of coffee and while the warm liquid was rolling around in his mouth, he took the opportunity to study Hunter’s facial bone structure and the way strands of her blonde hair swept across her blue eyes. It was as if he was looking at a more refined version of Scarlett Johansson, if that were possible.

  “I love this openness about you,” he said, finally coming up with what he felt was an appropriate response. “Are you always this way?”

  Hunter blushed. “I don’t know if it is something you should love about me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I may just reveal too much and you may haul tail in another direction.”

  Kevin tossed his head back and laughed. “And you’re incredibly funny. What could possibly be so horrible in your life that would make me do such a thing?”

  “Everyone has secrets, Mr. Beckford and sometimes those secrets are not pretty.”

  “Well, I’m not asking you to share your secrets, am I? I am thoroughly enjoying your personality, which is a shock to me right now.”

  Hunter smiled, which indicated she was more relaxed now. “I know I may be veering off the subject a little bit, but I would love to feature you as a model in my upcoming photo shoot. You have the face for it…and the body.”

  Kevin rubbed his bald head and chuckled. “Now hold on girl, I know I could turn a few heads, but I definitely don’t do the nude stuff.”

  Hunter laughed. “What is it that you think I do?”

  “I don’t know, but if it involves anything with me modeling, I’m not interested.”

  “Well, let me put you out of your misery,” Hunter said. “I am a jewelry designer.”

  Kevin was dubious and it showed both in his tone and expression. “Are you kidding me? You’re gonna decorate this sexy body with your latest masterpieces and then expose me for the whole world to see? My dear girl, I don’t think so.”

  Hunter laughed so hard she drew the attention of some of the patrons. “You are so full of yourself. I would have you to know that my masterpieces are making great strides around the world, without the help of your sexy body. I’m guessing you’ve never seen or heard of the Hunter Rose Jewelry Magazine.”

  Kevin narrowed his eyes in jest, but he had heard of the magazine. In fact, he’d recently seen one of its glossy covers being displayed in one of the shops at Tampa International Airport. He’d even seen commercials from Kay Jewelers on TV, advertising the Hunter Rose collection. However, Kevin found it hard to believe that the mastermind behind it all could be traced to the woman sitting just a few feet away from him.

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Kevin rubbed his head again, unable to control his incredulous grin. “You’re the Hunter Rose? One and the same? How did I not make that connection?”

  Hunter didn’t really revel in the attention her success brought, but seein
g the way Kevin’s handsome face contorted with disbelief gave her the tickles. “Now, as I was saying,” she said. “I would really like it if you would consider modeling some of my designs. Don’t worry. All of my poses are PG-13. The raunchy stuff, as you will soon learn, is far from my taste.”

  Kevin’s dramatic actions simmered into a smirk, a smirk that said this gorgeous white lady was beginning to grow on him. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said. “I wonder what else I will discover about you before the night is over.”

  Hunter decided to play along. “Well, I can cook basically anything. From Italian to African American soul food. Both of my parents were chefs and being the only child, I was required to learn the art.”

  “Wow, lady!” Kevin exclaimed. “Where have you been all my life?”

  Hunter tried not to take Kevin’s remark too seriously. She knew that he was simply impressed with her credentials, which probably would fade away by the time she got back to Paradise Blvd. “But enough about me,” she said. “Tell me something about Kevin Beckford, other than the fact that you don’t date white women.”

  Kevin laughed and he would have jumped right into Hunter’s request had it not been for the ringing of his cell phone. It’d been well over two hours since he’d left the Smithson Hotel and Kevin just knew it was Drake checking in on him. And though Kevin was right to assume the call was from Drake, he was wrong about the reason. So wrong that Kevin almost dropped his phone into his coffee. He fumbled to his feet, the look of confusion and terror stitched into his face. Of course, this alarmed Hunter and brought her to her feet as well.

  “Is everything alright?” she inquired.

  Kevin was already backing away from the booth. “Please accept my apologies, but I will have to cut this meeting short…I’m sorry.”

  Hunter left some money on the table, quickly falling in behind Kevin’s long strides. “Please tell me what is going on. Maybe I can help you.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What is it, Kevin? Because I’m frightened out of my wits over your reaction.”

  Kevin didn’t stop walking until he got to his rental car. He turned to face Hunter, so swiftly that their lips would have brushed together had Hunter not stepped back in time.

  “It’s my brother…he’s being detained at the police station.”

  “Oh my God,” Hunter cried. “What are they holding him for?”

  Kevin closed his eyes, not believing what he was about to say. “On suspicion of raping a woman in our hotel room.”

  Chapter Seven

  Devin’s Cay Police Station

  It took Kevin less than eight minutes to cover the ten-mile distance to where Drake was being held for questioning. The ranking police officer, who’d taken Yasmine’s statement, appeared at the front desk just as Kevin was making his way in. Hunter was at his side, both seeming to be holding on to each other for support. They found it absolutely impossible to believe such a disgusting accusation about Drake. What scoundrel would do that to him? The young man had his issues with Sasha, and may have even been out of sorts these last six months, but rape was something Drake was not capable of.

  By the looks on Kevin’s and Hunter’s faces, the ranking officer could tell they were either family or friends of Drake. He stepped forward after he heard the couple inquiring about the arrest.

  “Officer Steve Mitchell,” he said, introducing himself. With such young-looking features and casually dressed in khakis, often times, the ranking officer was mistaken for a rookie. But he more than made up for it in his forceful tone. “I assume you’re here on account of Drake Beckford. Are you two married?”

  Hunter wasn’t expecting the question. “Er…no…we are…just friends.”

  “And what is your relation to Drake Beckford?”

  “I’m his older brother,” Kevin spoke up. He glanced at Hunter. “She is a friend of the family. Is Drake allowed to have visitors?”

  “Of course. We haven’t officially charged him with anything yet,” Mitchell said.

  “Could you at least explain why you brought him in for questioning?”

  “About an hour ago,” Mitchell said to Hunter’s concern, “a young woman came in and reported that she’d been raped by Drake Beckford. She gave us a statement and I am having things checked out as we speak.”

  “What does that mean?” Kevin inquired.

  “Just what I said,” Mitchell spat. “I pride myself on providing ample evidence so that the jury won’t have any problem with convicting. If your brother is indeed guilty of this crime, I assure you that he will be spending a long time in prison. Our judicial system has zero tolerance for such beastly behavior.”

  “Well I can assure you, officer, whomever this woman is,” Kevin said, “she is lying through her teeth.”

  Mitchell chuckled. “You’ve got some faith in your brother. My only hope is that when the truth comes out, and I can almost guarantee you it will, you are not disappointed in the outcome.”

  Kevin swallowed his retort and said. “Please take me to see my brother.”

  “I will give you fifteen minutes,” Mitchell said, simultaneously turning to Hunter. “But she can’t accompany you.”

  “Why can’t she join me?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Hunter stepped in, attempting to keep the peace. “You go in and see how Drake is doing. I will go home to Sasha and explain to her what is going on.”

  Kevin didn’t say it, but he appreciated Hunter for her graceful intrusion. She truly was a peacemaker. He followed the ranking officer behind the front desk, down a long hall toward a vacant room. It was dark, consisting only of two chairs and a table.

  “Wait here,” Mitchell instructed. “I will return with your brother in a few minutes.”

  Kevin took the opportunity to put things in perspective, but his mind kept replaying the words of the ranking officer. Our judicial system has zero tolerance for such beastly behavior. But then Kevin thought, but my brother didn’t rape anyone; he could barely hurt a fly. This doesn’t make any sense to me. Kevin combed his brain from top to bottom, trying to recall if he’d seen any strange women harboring about the hotel. But why would Drake go off with a strange woman, or any woman for that matter, when Drake barely had the guts to smooth things over with Sasha? Soon, Drake was shoved into the room by the ranking officer, knocking Kevin out of his deep speculation.

  “I know you’re not guilty of what you’re being held for,” Kevin said. “Just explain to me what happened.”

  Drake sat down and shrugged. And even though the look of shock was still present in his visage, he was immediately comforted by Kevin’s belief in his innocence. “Do you remember Yasmine Strummer?”

  “Of course I remember Yasmine…we used to date back in the day. She was like three to four years older than me and our mother had a fit over our age difference…” Kevin paused as an image of Yasmine walking in the elevator with Drake sharply came into view. “Before you go on any further, please tell me that the woman making these hideous claims against you is not Yasmine Strummer. I saw her getting into the elevator with you just before I left the hotel.”

  “The one and only, but you are right about one thing. I didn’t touch her.”

  “But why would she do this to you?”

  “My guess is as good as yours,” Drake told his brother. “After you got that phone call, I decided I wasn’t going to wait around for you. I turned toward the elevator and all of a sudden I heard my name being called. So I turned around to settle my curiosity and it seemed as if Yasmine had appeared out of nowhere.”

  “Was she actually in our room?”

  “Yes…”

  Kevin rubbed his head, like he usually did whenever he experienced different waves of emotion. “Why on earth would you invite that woman to our room?”

  “She told me that she had some information regarding Rev. Henderson and that she needed somewhere private to discuss it.”

  “Come on, man,
I know you to be more levelheaded than that,” Kevin spat. “And haven’t you learned anything from me growing up with the girls I dated? Women are very cunning creatures. You have to pay careful attention to what is being said, because nine times out of ten, our interpretation is completely different from theirs. You should have stayed in the lobby…or waited for me to join you…”

  “By the time I realized that,” Drake said regrettably, “Yasmine was demanding to have sex with me.”

  “Man, how did you two even get to that point?”

  “I don’t know…we were talking about Sasha and one thing led to the next, with her massaging my shoulders and touching me in ways I hadn’t been touched in months.” Drake locked stares with his brother. “I won’t lie to you, Kevin, I was tempted to give in to my lust, but I couldn’t imagine hurting Sasha like that, or ruining what’s left of my relationship to God. I jumped out of Yasmine’s grasp and told her to leave the room. That was when she turned on me.”

  “What do you mean she turned on you?”

  “She got aggressive all of a sudden, insulting my relationship with Sasha. Then she started taking off her clothes and that’s when she started demanding me to have sex with her.”

  “Wow…this is crazy…” Kevin shook his head. The more Drake revealed, the more unreal his story sounded. The Yasmine he was acquainted with back in the day was always bodacious, but never cruel and vindictive. It almost seemed as if Drake was talking about two different people. “So what did you do after she took her clothes off?”

  Drake kept his gaze on his brother. “What would you suppose I would do? I walked out of the room to clear my head. An hour later, as I was preparing to go back up to the room, I suddenly found myself being arrested by the police.”

  “Wait, let’s step back for a sec,” Kevin said. “Your first mistake was to invite Yasmine to our room and now you’re telling me you left her alone in the room? What were you thinking, man?”

  “What was I supposed to do at that point?”