“More or less.”
“Then I guess we must be talking about Trey too?”
“If the shoe fits,” Ivana voiced unapologetically, then drank more champagne.
“You’re looking as handsome as ever,” Helene told Trey.
He blushed as they found a moment alone to speak. “Flattery will get you anywhere, except for—”
She laughed naturally. “Such a pity.” Before Trey could respond, Helene said, “I’m only teasing.”
Trey feigned a sigh of relief, though under other circumstances he might have been all too ready and willing to pick up where they left off six months ago. Only now he had no interest in messing up a nice friendship or betraying Ivana’s trust again. Even if Helene was still drop-dead gorgeous in a form-fitting black halter gown.
“Good to hear.” He nervously looked around, expecting Ivana to come upon them at anytime in attack mode. If not Grant.
“Relax, Trey,” Helene told him. “We’re at a fundraiser, remember. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong as cosponsors of the event by talking.”
“You’re right, of course.” Trey felt he was being a bit paranoid without just cause.
“This appears to have gone off without a hitch,” she said. “I’m told that at least five-million has already been pledged.”
“Oh, really?” Trey liked hearing that.
“Yes, and the night’s still young.”
“Can’t wait to see what the final tally is.”
“Neither can I.” Helene grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “So I’m still waiting to be formally introduced to your brother. Or are you trying to hide him from me?”
Trey cocked a half grin. “Not at all.” He looked up and, to his surprise, saw Clyde approaching. Along with Grant De-Croch. “Looks like we’ve got company, including the man you’re looking for.”
“There you are, sweetheart,” Grant said, and gave Helene a kiss on the lips. “Should’ve known you would be cavorting with Trey here. Don’t let the man sell you another car. I think five are enough for now, don’t you?”
Grant laughed at his own ostentatious humor and shook Trey’s hand with a solid grip. “We did it. Everyone’s going home happy tonight. I know I am.”
Trey doubted the same could be said for him as he regarded the shorter, heavier man with a salt-and-pepper horseshoe hairline. “As well you should be, Grant.” He glanced at Helene uneasily, and then at Clyde.
“I ran into your brother.” Grant gazed at Trey. “Seems like an interesting young man.”
“He is.” Trey took a breath. “Helene, I don’t believe I’ve introduced you to my kid brother, Clyde.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Clyde,” she said with a broad smile. “Trey’s been bragging about bringing you into the family business.”
“I think he’s just afraid I’ll end up with the competition,” quipped Clyde.
Helene chuckled. “Who knows?”
“Over my dead body,” voiced Trey with little humor.
“Don’t think it’ll have to come to that,” Grant said. “He’s far more valuable to you if you’re alive, Trey.”
Everyone laughed, then Grant abruptly grabbed his wife’s arm and excused them to catch up with some other guests.
“Where’s Ivana?” Trey asked Clyde, as her unofficial chaperone.
“She went to the ladies’ room.”
Good, then she probably won’t bump into Helene, especially as long as Grant keeps her on a leash, thought Trey. “I see.”
“So that’s her, isn’t it?” Clyde asked intuitively.
Trey lifted a brow. “Who?”
“The lady you got involved with?”
Trey wondered how he came to that conclusion. Could Grant have figured it out too?
“Yes, that’s her,” he admitted preferring Clyde heard it from him than someone else .
“I can see how you could have fallen for her,” Clyde said. “She definitely has it going on.”
“Yes, she does,” Trey said, feeling regretful nonetheless. “Only Ivana has more going on.”
Clyde gazed at him. “You’re sure about that?”
Trey met his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you went after someone else. Ivana had to come in second at the time.”
Trey wondered where the hell this was coming from. “That had nothing to do with my feelings for Ivana. Or the fact that I find her the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Sorry, man,” Clyde said. “I’m not trying to cause anything. I think I know a little something about acting irresponsibly. I might’ve gone after Helene myself had the opportunity been there. The important thing is you owned up to it and are now back with your wife.”
“Yeah, I am.” Trey calmed down, realizing Clyde meant no harm and had been irresponsible far more in his life. Now they had both been given an opportunity to start over. “Speaking of my wife, I’d better go find Ivana.”
“Probably a good idea,” Clyde said in a friendly tone.
Clyde tasted the champagne, thinking about how Trey got testy when trying to defend his affair, as if he were allowed to make mistakes unlike others, which should then be pushed under the rug. Maybe Ivana would never let him forget the best thing in his life could slip right through his fingers. Clyde envisioned her in a red strapless gown that contoured perfectly to her slender body and nice-sized high breasts, turning him on. She would look even better with no clothing on at all. He tried to fight the obvious mutual attraction sexually, but found it getting more difficult by the day. He really did want to see things work out between Trey and his good-looking wife if this was possible. But was it?
Clyde sensed they still had a long way to go before getting it right again. In the meantime, he believed that Ivana’s sexual energy was probably wound up about as tightly as his, ready to explode at any time. If not with Trey, then somebody else.
He watched his brother move briskly through the gathering, and pondered whether or not the marriage would or even should survive between the infidelity, miscarriage, and barriers the two had formed. Or had it already ended without either Trey or Ivana realizing it?
Ivana was at the mirror in the ladies’ room applying lip gloss and feeling sorry for herself, when she saw the reflection of Helene DeCroch enter. Helene looked just as surprised when recognizing Ivana.
“Hello, Ivana.”
“Helene.”
These were the first words spoken between them this evening. Ivana had deliberately avoided any conversation for fear of speaking her mind. As she gathered herself, anger began to build up within like hot vapor. Ivana recalled first meeting Helene while she and Trey were at a restaurant. Even then, by Helene’s body language and lack of eye contact, Ivana sensed that something might have been up between Helene and Trey, but tried to dismiss it as women’s insecurity or paranoia.
Turned out that her fears were far from unfounded. Trey would later admit that the affair had been going on even then, right under Ivana’s nose. And might be continuing to this day for all she knew.
“Are you still sleeping with my husband?” Ivana asked her point-blank.
Helene stopped brushing her hair and met Ivana’s hard stare. “No, I am not. What happened between Trey and me happened a long time ago.”
“Six months is not a long time!”
“Long enough for you to get over it. Can’t you see that the man loves you?”
“Am I supposed to feel grateful for that when he chose to show that love by putting his penis inside you?” Ivana snapped.
Helene colored. “It was a mistake, all right? For both of us. Why don’t we just leave it at that?”
Ivana got up in her face. “Why don’t you go straight to hell!”
Helene backed away. “I’m not going to fight with you, Ivana, though I’m sure that would make you feel better about yourself. I can give you some advice, though. If you don’t start treating Trey like a man you want to hold ont
o, you’ll lose him for good.”
Ivana closed the distance. “And what—he’ll end up back in your bed?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. Maybe I’ll throw myself at your husband like a slut, too, and see if you still want to sleep with him every night afterward.”
Helene looked almost to the point of tears. “Do what you have to do. Just remember what I said.”
She grabbed her purse and went out the door.
Ivana had a good cry and then made herself presentable before leaving. Trey was waiting in the hall by the bathroom. She suspected he had talked to his former lover and was there to either comfort or lambaste her. She wasn’t sure either mattered at this point.
“Ivana—” Trey said.
“Take me home now, please!” she demanded. “Or I’ll get Clyde to do it so you can stay here with your precious charity ball and your slut.”
Trey eyed her sadly, placing his arm around Ivana’s shoulders. “We’ll go home together.”
Chapter Twelve
Willie sat at a table in the bar with his homie, Luther Raleigh. The two had hung out for a few years and had each other’s backs. It was a bond Willie once had with Clyde Lancaster, ’til the stupid bastard turned on him in favor of a brother who never really gave a damn about him.
“This dude musta sucker-punched you to take out that eye,” Luther said over his mug of beer.
Willie gazed at the tall, lanky man with a short, curly Afro. “Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.” He saw no reason to admit that Clyde had simply kicked his ass, even if Willie was positive the man was more lucky than skilled.
“So what you plan to do about it now that he’s out?”
Willie drank beer, allowing it to go down slowly. “Still trying to figure that out. He’s definitely gonna pay the price for what he did to me.” And the friendship Clyde kissed goodbye.
“Why don’t you just wait outside that huge house he’s staying in and blow the dude’s head off when he comes out?”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about that,” muttered Willie. “But I’m not crazy. I ain’t going down for murder—not even for Clyde Lancaster.”
Luther wiped his mouth. “So who says you got to make it easy for the police to come knocking at your door? Or don’t you want him dead?”
“Yeah, I want him dead all right,” Willie said bluntly. He pretended to point at Clyde and unload his three-fifty-seven Magnum, using Luther as a substitute. He flinched, as if really being shot. Willie grinned. “Be cool, man. Just practicing.”
Luther’s forehead furrowed. “Well, practice in a different direction.”
Willie chuckled, then got real again. “I don’t want Clyde dead just yet. Not ’til he’s suffered some, so he knows what it feels like to lose somethin’ important to him.”
“You mean like his car? Or you want an eye . . . maybe both eyes?”
“I was thinkin’ more like his old lady—if he had one. Or maybe his rich-ass brother, who feels he’s better than us.”
Luther got excited. “Yeah, offing his girl or brother would be payback.”
“Big-time.” Willie nodded, pondering the notion. “I’d save Clyde for last, then make him beg for his life, before ending it.”
“Sounds good. When do you plan to make this happen?”
“When the time is right and he least expects it.”
“You want me to take out his brother?” Luther asked.
Willie contemplated that. It would be a good way to get revenge while having someone else take the rap. But it would still leave him feeling incomplete. Unsatisfied. He needed a hands-on experience for justice to be served.
“Thanks, but I don’t need you for this one. I’ll handle it.”
Luther flashed a look of disappointment. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“Yeah, it is.” Willie finished off his beer. “Let’s get outta here.”
The two men walked from the bar, smoked a joint in Willie’s car, and cruised the neighborhood.
Willie thought about spending the night with Roselyn. Using his considerable skills in the bedroom, he could make her willing to do anything to get off. He’d give her a call later and invite her over. Maybe she could even bring that stuck-up roommate along for a threesome. Or for Luther to have some fun with.
“Look over there,” Luther got his attention.
Willie gazed across the street at a vendor selling hot dogs. Only one person was buying, an elderly man wearing a cheap suit. “So what about him?”
“You think he’s got any money?”
Willie considered this. “Maybe. Or could be the dude’s as broke as we are.”
“What do you say we find out?” Luther took another drag of the joint.
Willie needed only a moment to agree. He wasn’t much into taking reckless chances. But the man seemed harmless enough. And Willie expected to take two-thirds of whatever they got.
“Let’s do it.”
They waited ’til the man paid for his hot dog and walked away from the vendor. Willie followed slowly. He couldn’t let the man see his license plate and report to the cops. So he parked, deciding they would do this on foot and double around for the car later.
Willie took the three-fifty-seven out of his glove compartment, just in case, tucking it inside his pants. “Sure you wanna do this?” he asked Luther.
Luther hesitated, then grinned. “Yeah, might as well.”
“All right then. Let’s keep it short and simple.”
They got out of the car and followed the man for a bit, before moving upon him swiftly.
“We want your money, man,” Willie spat, his eye narrowed.
“What?” The elderly man looked dazed.
“You heard him,” Luther followed. “Give it up—your wallet.”
“I don’t have much.” He held onto the half-eaten hot dog haphazardly. “Why don’t you go after someone else?”
“Because we chose you, asshole!” Willie glared. He removed the gun and stuck it in the man’s stomach. “Just hand over the wallet and you live. Give us any trouble and you die. Which is it gonna be?”
The man seemed to nearly lose his balance, fear written all over his face. He took the wallet from his back pocket and handed it to Willie.
A wicked grin parted Willie’s lips. “Smart move, old man. You got anything else in those pockets?”
The man swallowed nervously. “Nothing of value.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Willie eyed Luther. “Check him.”
Luther obeyed, removing a dirty handkerchief and a lottery ticket. “What’s this?”
“Looks to me like the man’s hoping to get a lucky payout,” said Willie. “Only now he’s giving us the chance to get rich. Ain’t that right?”
The man remained mute.
Willie pushed the barrel of gun against his a rib cage, causing the man to wince. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes!” he sputtered.
Willie smiled. “That’s more like it.” He watched Luther put the lottery ticket in his pocket, as if his to collect. Willie planned to take possession of it later. He regarded the old man. “Walk away, and don’t look back.”
The man glowered, but wisely said nothing as he started walking.
Willie kept an eye on him for a few moments; then nudged Luther and the two ran in the other direction.
Luther laughed when they slowed down. “I thought that old fart’s eyes were gonna pop out, he was so scared.”
Willie chuckled, tucking the gun in his pants. “Good thing for him he didn’t do anything stupid.”
“Guess he liked living more than being in a coffin.”
Willie was glad that had been the case. He doubted seriously he would have shot the man had it come down to that. Killing someone over a few bills was not in the cards. Wasn’t worth doing hard time for. But killing someone out of hatred just might be.
Inside his car, Willie saw that the robbery had
netted him $157 and a credit card, worth perhaps thousands more. All in a day’s work, he thought gleefully. Now it was time to enjoy the night. Roselyn would provide the entertainment, and he would give her his undivided attention. Before turning it back to his nemesis, Clyde Lancaster.
Chapter Thirteen
Clyde sat in a chair opposite Stella Rockwell in Trey’s office as Trey ran sales figures off like they were nothing or everything, interspersed with talking about inventory, incentives, disgruntled customers, and expansion. While trying hard to be interested, Clyde knew he’d rather be elsewhere, doing something that made him want to get up in the morning or night.
I don’t want to let Trey down, but I don’t want to continue to pretend that I’m made out to be a car dealership semi-executive.
“We have to keep our costs down, while maximizing profits,” Trey was saying from behind his desk—or more lecturing in Clyde’s mind. “Car sales have softened lately, but it doesn’t mean we have to soften with them. I want us to look for any means to increase exposure and get the people in.”
Stella pushed up her glasses. “I have some ideas I’d like to run by you.”
Trey sat up. “I’m listening.”
Ten minutes later, Clyde found all the attention on him. “What?”
“I’d like to know what you think about Stella’s proposals.”
“And don’t hold back,” she said. “I can take constructive criticism.”
Clyde felt put on the spot. He couldn’t really say for sure what he agreed on and what seemed unworkable. And that was what was so damned frustrating. He was out of his league here and knew it.
“This isn’t working,” he said flatly.
“What’s that?” Trey said, peering at him.
“Me working for you.”
Trey exchanged glances with Stella. “Can you excuse us for a minute?” he asked her.
“No problem.” She looked at Clyde and stood. “I’ll be in my office.”
Trey saw her out, closing the door. “So what’s up, Clyde?”
Might as well tell it like I see it. “What am I doing here?”
Trey raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
The Secrets of Paradise Bay Page 9