“All we can do is pray that everything will be all right for her,” said Nedra as they stood watching the car disappear into the night.
“It’s going to be different, that’s for sure.” Carla hooked her arm through Nedra’s as they started back toward the house followed by their husbands. “I know San Jose is just an hour away, but trying to adjust to a new husband, a new stepchild, and a new job, I don’t know—”
Nedra gave Carla’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “She’s a big girl. Everything is going to work out fine,” she said with confidence. Silently she whispered a prayer that her words would be true.
Later that evening, it took more than confidence to alleviate the fear she felt when Sin told her about the mysterious stranger.
“And Colin said that he saw the man at the airport.” Her voice wavered. “I didn’t notice him.” She sounded worried, even though she knew that hadn’t been her husband’s intent.
Slipping up behind her as she undressed for the evening, Sin slid his arms around her. Remnants of the perfume she wore tickled his nose. He felt a twitch. Her scent, the sexy haircut and the memory of last night’s sensuous homecoming had been tantalizing him all day. Nedra relaxed against him as he tried to refocus his attention.
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. It could just be a coincidence.” He nuzzled her neck and inhaled. “He’s probably some innocent tourist, and I’m making too much of it.”
“But he could also be a child molester, or a kidnapper, or a—”
Smoothly, Sin turned her in his arms and covered her mouth with his own, effectively halting all speculation. Nedra resisted, pulling away. She was slightly breathless.
“This could be serious, Sinclair.”
Between a shower of kisses, Sin tried to reassure her. “When we go to the school on Monday, as a precaution I’ll give them a description of him.” He helped her out of her bra. “That way they’ll be on the lookout if he shows up again.” Cupping her breast, he planted a kiss on each nipple. That subject was closed. On to something else.
“And we’ll tell the kids to be on the lookout, too.” She gently raised his burning eyes to look into her eyes. This subject was too serious for them to get lost in the flames that would soon consume them. She had to be sure he was with her. “But we’ll try not to scare them. Agreed?”
Sin nodded. “Agreed.”
She rewarded him with a kiss as his hands worked their way past the elastic in her bikini panties. Grasping her bottom, he brought her flush against him, relieving her of the lacey panties she wore with the skill of a magician.
Breaking the kiss, he hugged her tightly. “Do you know how much I love you?”
“Why don’t you show me?” Nedra whispered. “Lock the dressing room door. It’s playtime.”
Sin needed no further prodding as he stripped off his pants and shirt. By the time he reached the door, he was halfway out of his briefs. Just as he turned the lock, there was a knock on the other side of the door.
“Mommy? Daddy? You in there?” It was Gillian.
Her parents froze—Nedra standing in the middle of the floor nude and pulsating, Sin leaning against the closed door, rock hard, his briefs resting unceremoniously at his ankles.
“What is it, baby?” Nedra rasped as she fought to regain some composure.
“You said you wanted to talk to me about the fight with that boy?” Gillian didn’t sound too happy.
“Didn’t we tell you kids to knock on our door before you came into our room?” Sin growled as he watched his wife cover her nudity with a robe.
Gillian caught the disapproval in his voice. “I knocked on the bedroom door, but you didn’t answer. So I came in.” She rattled the doorknob.
Nedra chuckled, but Sin failed to find the humor in the situation as he pulled up his briefs, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the pain in his loins. He sighed in frustration.
“Gillian, you know the rule. If we don’t answer don’t come in.”
“But you said that you wanted to talk to me, and I didn’t want to get in trouble.” There was the threat of tears as her amplified voice lowered to an agonized whisper. “I want to be a good girl.”
Her words had their intended effect. It looked like playtime was over.
* * *
Rhonda Duncan’s jaw tightened as she looked out the living room window and watched her father’s car move slowly up the driveway toward the house.
“They’re here.” She spoke into the headset of her cell phone. On the other end her fiancé, Garth Saunders, fell silent, waiting for a further report.
Rhonda’s dark eyes followed her father as he parked, then leaped jauntily out of the car and rounded it. His daughter noted that there seemed to be an extra spring in his step as he opened the door for his new wife and she emerged. Rhonda gasped. Garth was alerted.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Her voice was tight. “It’s just…”
She hadn’t expected her father’s new wife to be so stunning. When he described her as “breathtaking,” she thought that it was the body he was describing, since she was sure that’s what was used to trap him into marriage. Unfortunately, this woman had beauty as well as a body.
“It’s just that what?” Garth sounded impatient.
“It may not be as easy as I thought getting rid of this one.” It hurt her heart to admit it. The other women had been so easily dismissed.
“She looks that good, huh?” He couldn’t hide the curiosity in his voice. “Well, he hasn’t exactly dated dogs in the past either. How old did he say this one was?”
“He said she’s thirty-seven, but she looks younger. She probably lied about her age and had a face-lift.”
Rhonda’s voice dropped as she watched her father and Sharon standing in the driveway, kissing passionately. This was a little too much!
“But she will be out of my father’s house within six months.” Her tone was venomous. “I swear to that!”
On the other end a smile crossed Garth’s face. He liked this dark side of Rhonda and hoped to see more of it. It was quite a challenge to see how far she would go.
“Don’t be too hard on her, Ronnie. After all, your father deserves to be happy.” He knew what her reaction would be, and he was right—defensive.
“I’ll decide what makes my father happy, nobody asked you. I’ve got to go. They’re coming.” Disconnecting, she snatched the headset off and slammed it on a table. How dare Garth question what made her father happy! She and her daddy had been a family of two since her mother died, and she had done everything on earth to make him happy. No gold digger was going to take her place, especially some woman he hardly knew? How could he marry a stranger?
Rhonda had put on the best face possible when her father broke the shocking news of his marriage. On her way back to her apartment, she had broken down completely. She had pulled off the road and cried for hours. Garth had to come after her and take her home.
As Rhonda nursed her feelings of hurt and betrayal, her tears had quickly turned to anger. She rationalized that her father’s money had to be the only reason why such a union had occurred so quickly. He had financial means and this Sharon person didn’t. So it was the woman who walked through the front door of her father’s home toward whom all of her anger now focused.
Sharon felt the chill as soon as she crossed the threshold to what was to become her new home. The large brick house with the four columns at its entrance reminded her of a Southern plantation. The architecture wasn’t common in this state. The interior was luxurious. A gleaming crystal chandelier greeted her in the entranceway. The rooms to her left and right were decorated with expensive colonial style furniture; woven brocade curtains graced the windows. Costly Oriental rugs covered the polished hardwood floors. This house was a far cry from the modest, three-bedroom home in the Seattle suburbs in which she had been raised. The home she shared with her parents had been filled with love and warmth. It radiated welcome to all who enter
ed. This house did not. It was cold and austere. She didn’t like this house.
As she entered the living room, Sharon came to a sudden stop. A woman in her early twenties was standing near the panel of windows that looked out onto the front of the house. She was about the same height as Sharon, slender and willowy. Copper-colored tresses complemented her light brown complexion and fell in a curly mass past her shoulders. She was small boned and her features were delicate—a small nose and thin lips—with dark brown eyes framed in thick lashes that looked so like her father’s that it left no doubt that this was Winston Duncan’s child.
“You’re Rhonda, aren’t you?” Sharon stuck out her hand. “I’m Sharon. Very nice meeting you.”
Rhonda looked at the extended hand as if it were a foreign object before shaking it. Both grips were strong as they shook hands.
“How do you do.”
Rhonda’s greeting was polite, but reserved. Sharon understood her reservations. She and Winston had discussed his daughter on their way home and how she would feel about the sudden intrusion of another woman into her father’s life. Sharon remembered how she felt when her own widowed father had started dating several years after her mother’s death. She had been out of college, on her own and living in another state, but still resented the thought that someone else might want to take her mother’s place. Rhonda would be a very special person if she didn’t feel the same, and the young woman’s demeanor warned her that this was the case. She and Winston had agreed that her approach to Rhonda would be direct. There would be no avoiding any of the issues between them. Sharon got straight to the point.
“I’m sure that your father’s sudden marriage to me is difficult for you, Rhonda. You don’t know me and more likely than not suspect that I have ulterior motives in marrying him, but let me assure you that the only motive that either one of us has is that we love one another. Your father is gentle, caring and kind. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“Really?” Although she was surprised by the woman’s candor, Rhonda remained unmoved by her declaration. “He’s also a very rich man and a prime target for gold diggers. So tell me, does that describe you?”
Sharon didn’t react, recognizing that she would be the scapegoat for Rhonda’s anger and not Winston. He was to remain the unwilling victim of her feminine wiles. That was fine. She answered quietly.
“No, it doesn’t describe me. I work for a living, and I plan on continuing to do so. I’ll start a new job next week as the Social Work Director of a nonprofit organization in Seaside.”
Rhonda raised a perfectly arched brow. “Seaside? You expect me to believe that you’re going to drive for an hour to work everyday when you no longer have to work at all?”
“Whether you believe it or not, it’s true. The organization provides services to the children of substance abusers and their families.”
“Substance abusers. Dope fiends. Crackheads. Is that a clientele with which you’re familiar?”
Sharon overlooked the implication. “They’re simply clients that I’m trying to help.”
“Are you two through talking?” Winston entered, carrying his wife’s luggage.
“For now.” Sharon continued to hold Rhonda’s eyes.
Sitting the luggage down, Winston’s eyes traveled from one face to the other. The stance each woman was taking made it clear to the other that neither was about to give an inch. Much to his dismay, it appeared that the war had started.
“Is everything going to be all right between you two?” He looked more hopeful than he felt.
Sharon turned her attention to him. “I’m sure that everything will be fine.” She gave him a reassuring smile.
“Good.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Come on, I want to show you our bedroom. If you go up the stairs, I’ll be right behind you.”
When Sharon was out of earshot, he turned back to his daughter. “Remember your promise to me to make her feel welcomed.”
Rhonda bristled. “If there’s a problem it won’t be me that caused it.” But she did have every intention of making the tenure of the new Mrs. Duncan a short one.
Chapter 6
Nedra watched her with love-filled eyes as Gillian skipped barefoot across the sandy beach to where J.J. and Jana sat building sandcastles with her best friend, Sweet. Earlier that day, after church, they had invited him to the house for the day. Despite holding firm to the punishment she and Sin had imposed on their child, the silent tears that Gillian had shed at having to miss the outing at the amusement park had torn at both their hearts. Today’s play date was an unspoken compromise, and the children were enjoying it thoroughly. Sweet was fiercely devoted to Gillian, and she basked in his willingness to cater to her every whim.
“Those two are destined to be together,” said Carla, observing the interaction between the two children. “But that boy is going to have his hands full.”
“You can say that again. Gillian Reasoner is a challenge, but I think he’ll be able to handle her.”
Shifting to get more of the sun’s rays, Carla sighed. “I hope the same holds true for Sharon’s husband.”
“Carla.” There was a warning in Nedra’s voice.
“I know! Give it a chance. You’re just chanting Sin and Jacob’s broken records. You know good and well that Sharon doesn’t know anything about that man. Yes, he seems nice enough, but two weeks together and they make a lifetime commitment. He’s got to be as crazy as she is!”
“She’s not crazy, just lonely. Sharon needs someone.”
“Desperately! That’s the problem, but companionship and marriage are two different things. As a minister you can’t tell me that you can go along with this.”
Nedra couldn’t deny it. Her friend’s quickie marriage disturbed her. Carla took Nedra’s silence as agreement with her position.
“First Richard, now this stranger! When is Sharon going to learn?”
“Mommy! Mommy!” Gillian ran toward them, her face flushed with excitement. Sweet was right on her heels, looking just as excited. The two children fell on their knees in front of her.
“Yes, baby?” Nedra brushed the array of cornrowed braids off her child’s face. Carla had braided the hair of both girls yesterday evening, and Nedra was grateful for the reprieve. Combing her daughter’s hair was an exercise in endurance.
“Mommy, didn’t you say that God was in the ocean over there?” Gillian turned to point toward a natural archway, where the rocks jutted out to the sea. The waves lapped against the rugged crevices gently.
Nedra smiled, remembering the conversation she had with her daughter as they walked this stretch of beach one evening.
“I said that God is everywhere, sweetheart, in the sky, the trees, the ocean, even there where that rock arch was shaped by his very hand. So yes, God is over there, too.”
Gillian turned to Sweet triumphantly. “See, I told you.”
“Whoa!” The little boy’s brown eyes widened in amazement. “Neat!”
Having obtained the information they needed, it was instantly forgotten as the two of them raced back to take their places beside the twins. Nedra’s thoughts drifted back to Sharon and her unexpected marriage. It was her belief that God had a hand in every action. That being true, then she knew that her friend’s marriage had not been a mistake and she prayed that it had a chance of survival despite its unorthodox beginnings.
* * *
Colin listened as his friends laughed and joked about the subject at hand—girls. All that the guys seemed to talk about lately was females. Since they walked into the hangout and spotted Samantha Castor and her gang, the girls had been the only subject of their conversation.
His eyes shifted across the restaurant to the girl who had flirted with him so shamelessly yesterday. Her eyes were waiting. Quickly he brought his attention back to the table. He didn’t want to give Samantha the slightest indication that he might be interested in her. He sure didn’t want his boys to notice the silent exchange between them, but it w
as too late.
“Man, I would kill if she would just look at me like that.” Stephen Cohen didn’t try to disguise the envy in his voice as he pushed his mop of black curls off his forehead.
“No lie!” Kendall Freeman agreed in his usually excited manner. “I’d be down for whatever she wanted to do to me, man.”
The suggestive comment brought the expected snicker from Stephen and another exchange of raucous comments. Colin leaned back in the booth and gave a disgusted sigh. It seemed that speculation about when he would fall under the spell of the enchanting Samantha was rampant among those who cared. She was the most popular girl in junior high, and he was the most popular boy. The irony of the latter continued to amaze him. It seemed that these children of the privileged needed a live anti-hero and had deemed him as the heir apparent—something he could live without.
Being one of the few African-Americans in his school, it was assumed that he was a good athlete, and he had proved to be just that. Yet, he was also gifted academically, which seemed to surprise everyone, especially when he emerged as one of the top students in his class. Colin’s talent had helped his school win almost every science and math competition in the state. No one knew about his background. He was simply the oldest son of Sinclair and Nedra Reasoner, and that was as it should be.
The other popular kids in the school viewed him as a quiet rebel. He rejected their exclusive clique, preferring to hang with the so-called “rejects,” like shy, introverted Stephen, who had a lisp, and Kendall, who was plagued with acne. His friendship with the two boys had served to elevate their status in school, but it also fostered both admiration and confusion among his peers. To them Colin was an enigma, a teenager who stood out from the crowd and apart from them simultaneously, and they all hoped to bask in his glory.
As he sat with his friends, listening to their banal chatter, his mind drifted to how drastically his life had changed. In four short years, he had gone from digging in garbage cans to feed himself and his brother to eating in gourmet restaurants. He went to school with the children of some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in California and held his own academically. Who would have guessed?
Sinful Intentions Page 5