Over Trevor’s head, Sin caught Colin’s eyes. There were unanswered questions in them, an uncertainty that hadn’t been there since they became father and son. Sin gave him a reassuring smile, and the look faded. Turning on his side, Colin closed his eyes. An exhausted Trevor fell asleep in his father’s arms. Gently, he placed him beside his brother and kissed both boys before going downstairs to his daughter’s room.
There, he was in for another surprise. Gillian was also awake and no doubt would have been in Colin’s room also if she had known that the opportunity was available. She stretched out her arms to him. He picked her up.
“It’s much too late for you to be awake, young lady.” The teddybear nightlight lit the way as he moved down the carpeted loft stairs with her in his arms.
“Were you on a trip, Daddy?” the little girl mumbled sleepily as he paced the room with her in his arms. Her question reflected her confusion, intensifying Sin’s feelings of guilt.
“No, baby, Daddy just went out for a while.”
“Okay.”
Laying her head on his shoulder, like her brother she was soon asleep. After tucking her in, Sin steeled himself to face Nedra. Crossing his fingers, he hoped that she might be asleep as well.
* * *
Nedra stiffened as she heard the bedroom door open, and then close behind her husband. The lock clicked. She lay perfectly still. She was so angry she could spit nails. Where in the world had he been? It was two thirty in the morning! He had never done anything like this before.
She had been worried to death as she huddled downstairs in front of the television long after the children had gone to bed. Watching the news, she prayed fervently that his name wouldn’t be mentioned as having been in an accident. It was past one o’clock in the morning when she retired to their bedroom suite and walked the floors unable to sleep until there was some sign that he was safely at home.
Stubbornly, she had refused to call him on his cell phone. He had a watch. He knew what time it was! She wasn’t about to track him down. Yet, this was so unlike him to stay away from home and not let her know where he was. She had decided to rescind on her previous stance and call him when she heard the car come up the driveway. It was only then that she crawled into bed.
She knew his routine well. He would go check on the children before coming into their bedroom. As the minutes ticked by her anger intensified. By the time he entered the room, she could feel tears of rage well in her eyes. How dare he come home at this hour!
Although her back was to him, Sin knew that Nedra wasn’t asleep when he entered the room. He also knew that she was angry with him, and immediately he became defensive. After all, he had been trying to defend her against Jamison, and did she appreciate it? No!
Making as much noise as he could, Sin shut the bedroom door behind him loudly and stalked across the moonlit room. He turned the light on in the sitting room as he stripped and headed toward the bathroom to the shower. He left the bathroom door open.
Nedra was seething. He had some nerve deliberately flaunting his late hour return in her face. Even if she were asleep, after all of the noise he was making she would be awake by now. Obviously, that was his purpose. She didn’t plan on giving him the satisfaction of thinking that he had succeeded in rattling her. They had made a promise to each other early in their marriage that they would never go to bed angry, but she was angry, and it was his fault!
Having finished with his shower, Sin dried himself, brushed his teeth and went into the bedroom. Normally, under more amorous circumstances, he might stand by the bed and try to outwait her pretense at slumber. The game had become a part of their ritual whenever he returned home from an extended stay, but as their daughter had so astutely observed, he wasn’t returning home from an out-of-town trip this time. He was well aware that his late return home would hardly be greeted with any sort of love game.
Crawling into bed he snatched the covers over his nude body. He could feel the tension emanating from her body, but if she thought that he was going to be the first one to break the ice between them, she was sadly mistaken. He turned his back to her, lying just as stiffly as his wife.
Nedra bit her lip, trying hard not to sniff as the tears of anger flowed down her cheeks. She hated weepy women, and she was acting just like one. If only she could wipe her nose discretely. The only problem was that the tissue was on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Finally, unable to hold it any longer, she wiped her nose, swiped at the tears and sniffed as quietly as possible.
The sound of his wife crying pierced Sin’s heart to its core. In the four years since they had been married, there had never been an occasion in which he had made her cry anything but tears of joy. His pledge to her and to himself was that he would never cause her pain. Was he proving himself to be a liar?
Nedra lay berating herself for her tears. She would rather suffocate than let him know that she was crying.
She felt the bed shift as Sin turned toward her. A moment later, a tissue appeared over her shoulder. It was dangling from slender, dark fingers sporting a simple gold wedding band. She started to snatch it from him, then decided against such a vindictive act. Gently, she took it from his fingers. Sitting up in bed, she adjusted her back against the pillows then wiped the tears and blew her nose.
“I know that I should have called you.” His voice caressed her in the dark.
“Yes, you should have.” Nedra tossed the covers back and got out of bed. She walked over to the wicker wastebasket in the corner of the room and disposed of the tissue, giving herself time to think.
With his head propped on his hand, Sin watched his wife’s movements as she bent over the wastebasket and gave him a prominent glance at her round behind. She had been prepared to fight dirty tonight. Not only was she wearing his favorite fragrance, but she also had on his favorite nightie, the one with the barely there V-neck line and French-cut bikini bottoms. He could feel himself begin to harden, but fought to control himself. There were issues to discuss, and he wouldn’t allow his hormones to intervene.
Nedra crawled back into bed, this time propping her head up with her hand, just as he had. In the shadowy darkness of their luxurious bedroom, they faced each other. She was the first to break the silence.
“I’m mad at you.”
“I know. You have a right to be, and I’m sorry.”
“Where were you?”
“I went to a lounge to listen to some jazz and relax. I needed it after our, uh…disagreement today. I ran into Trevor’s teacher.”
“Miss Linwood?” Nedra looked past him, recalling the lovely young woman’s face in her mind.
“Yes. We got to talking and time slipped away.”
“You talked about Trevor? Is something wrong?”
“He’s having trouble concentrating in school.”
Nedra sighed heavily. “Oh, Lord. We should have known that could happen.”
“She’s concerned. His grades are slipping. She wants us to get in touch with her so that we can have a conference.”
“Of course.”
There was another moment of silence. “I told her what was happening with Trevor…about the custody fight.”
Nedra was surprised. Sin was adamant about keeping family business private, but she could see the necessity in telling Trevor’s teacher. She had a lot of influence in their son’s life. “All right, I can understand that.”
“Do you? Do you really understand?” With one long-boned finger, he reached out and traced the trail of dried tears on her soft cheek. “I’m scared to death of losing our son.” His voice was a tortured whisper.
Nedra closed her eyes as his touch increased her body temperature. She had to focus. “I’m scared, too, baby, and what happened between you and Royce doesn’t make me feel any more secure. He’s got too much power over our lives, and your brawling with him isn’t helping that.”
“But he was looking at you,” Sin spat the words, his anger rising even now. “He wants you.” Th
e words left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“But I don’t want him. That’s what you need to remember. What you’re saying sounds as though I’m some sort of idiot without a will of my own. What am I supposed to do, fall under his magical spell? Abandon my husband and my three kids—one of whom he’s trying to take away from us by the way—and follow him to Never Neverland?” Her tone conveyed the absurdity of it all. “Give me more credit, will you?”
“I understand what you’re saying.” Sin had to admit that the way she was putting it made a lot of sense, but it didn’t assuage his anger toward Jamison.
“Do you?” Nedra pulled herself into a sitting position. “Sinclair, faith is the only thing that’s going to pull us through this—faith in God and faith in each other. You scared me today, baby. I’ve never seen you like that. You were out of control, and one thing I’ve come to count on is your sense of control. It has helped raise these children, strengthen our marriage and makes you the man that I love more and more every day. But when you use violence, when you stay out late and come into this house at all hours…”
“I said that I was sorry.” Sin drew away.
“And, don’t worry; I know what you’re thinking. I’m not going to bring it up everyday for the rest of your life. You know your responsibilities, and I know mine. But I will say that I don’t expect it to happen again.”
“I’m not a child, Nedra. So don’t talk to me like I am one.”
“I know that you’re not, Sinclair, and you know that I’m not a woman to be trifled with. I won’t be taken for granted.” There was no compromise in her tone.
“And neither will I,” Sin countered. “So we agree on that, I assume?”
“Yes,” Nedra said, punching her pillow deliberately and scooting down in the bed. “You assume correctly.” She pulled the covers over her body, effectively closing the subject. Her actions gave him license to assume something else about this night.
Sin got the message. His late night excursion would cost him. With the possibility of a more amorous agreement no longer in question, he prepared to retire.
“Goodnight, hon.”
“Goodnight.”
Before long they fell asleep beneath the light of the moon streaming in from above, both with the hope that the morning sunrise would bring a brighter day.
Chapter 18
Sharon looked around the spacious two-bedroom cottage that now held the luggage and boxes that she had taken with her when she left Winston. Located on the other side of the swimming pool, within easy walking distance of the Reasoner household, this modern, split-level designer’s dream had been dubbed Marva’s Mansion by the family. It had been built as a home away from home for Nedra’s mother when she came to visit for extended periods. It also served as living quarters for Sharon and for Carla and her family whenever they came to the Peninsula for extended stays. Sharon loved its cozy elegance. She knew every crack and corner of this house. Yet, despite the familiarity, there was no place that would feel like home as long as she and Winston were apart.
Since the day after she and Rhonda had their talk at the hotel, Winston had called her everyday. It surprised Sharon that Rhonda had told her father where she was, but she didn’t mind. His calls weren’t usually long. He always inquired about her health, and told her that he loved her and asked her to come back home. Yet, he never said that he would try to help her friends. On that point he stood firm, and that was the one point of contention that stood between them. It was a standoff. They each remained stubborn in their resolves.
It had been an increasing amount of morning sickness that helped her decide to take Nedra up on her offer to come stay with them. She had felt dizzy a couple of times. It was better to be safe than sorry. She had left the hotel earlier that morning, leaving the Reasoners’ Carmel home as her forwarding address. That was for Winston’s benefit. After all, she was carrying his child, and he deserved to know how it was developing, at least that’s what she told herself. The truth was that she lived for his telephone calls. The sound of his voice was like balm for her soul. She missed him so much it was painful, but she was willing to bear it, determined not to give in to those emotions. It had become a matter of principle. Yet, that was small comfort when she went to bed alone at night and woke up alone in the morning. She asked herself everyday had she made a mistake in leaving her husband. Divorce was out of the question as far as she was concerned. She loved him too much, and she did not plan on raising their child without a father. What the end result of their standoff would be neither one of them could guess. As for now she would accept the hospitality of the Reasoner family and pray that everything would work out well for not only their family, but for her own.
“Hi, Aunt Sharon.”
She looked up, startled by the small voice in the open doorway. It was Gillian, accompanied by her best friend. Sharon smiled.
“Hi, kids. What are you two up to?”
“Gillian said that we had to help you,” came the reply from six-year-old Sweet, who was missing a number of teeth.
Sharon was tickled. It was clear who the boss in this relationship was. “And how did you figure that, little Missy?”
Gillian took that as an invitation to enter the cottage with Sweet right on her heels. “’Cause Mommy said that we wasn’t to bother you cause you didn’t feel too good. What’s wrong with you?”
Sharon shook her head in amusement. Only Gillian would translate the words “don’t bother” into coming to offer assistance. “Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart.” She gave the little girl a hug, offering one to Sweet, too. “I’m feeling fine, but I appreciate your concern and your help. Why don’t you take this box,” she picked up a small box off the floor and handed it to Gillian, “and you take that one.” She pointed to a box across the room for Sweet to carry. “You two can take them into that first bedroom over there.” She indicated the direction.
Happily, the children did as told and disappeared inside the bedroom located off the living room area. With their appearance the sadness that Sharon had felt previously lifted. Soon, she would have a child as cute as Gillian or Sweet. There was no reason to lament. She and Winston would work their problems out. She was sure of that. Their short separation had already garnered one positive result; she and Rhonda were getting along. The young woman had called her everyday since their time together at the hotel just to say hello and to ask how she was doing. If that minor miracle could happen, reconciliation with Winston couldn’t be far behind. With a smile at that thought, Sharon gathered an arm full of clothes from her suitcase and followed the children into the bedroom.
* * *
Sin was unable to concentrate. Everything seemed to be falling apart. He knew that he needed to fly to New York to conduct company business next week, but business was the last thing on his mind. There were too many matters of much more importance that needed attending to here. The information that he needed on Royce Jamison hadn’t come through yet.
While Brandon Plaine was still trying to see what information he could gather, Sin had contacted a friend on the East Coast to do some investigating, but two weeks had passed, and he hadn’t heard from him. He was becoming concerned and had made a call to him that morning to follow-up on his progress. His friend wasn’t available, so an urgent message had been left with his secretary. How long did it take to gather information on scum like Royce Jamison? Surely his old man hadn’t been able to cover-up every indiscretion. The man frequented prostitutes! There had to be something on him!
Two days had passed since his confrontation with Royce and still assault charges had not been filed against him. He was tense. He felt like a turkey around Thanksgiving, waiting for the axe to fall. He hated having put himself in the position of being at Jamison’s mercy. He hated the man.
Despite all having been forgiven concerning his late night excursion, there was tension in their home. Although they hadn’t spoken anymore about it, he and Nedra were still at odds about the rights he felt that Royce
Jamison should have concerning Trevor. How she could be so generous toward a man who was threatening to destroy their family was beyond him. The uncertainty and sadness about their family’s future was getting more and more difficult to keep from the children. They hadn’t told them about the possibility of criminal charges being filed against him. They hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The bond between him and his wife remained strong, and yet an uneasy feeling stirred deep within him that he couldn’t explain. It frightened him. He had to remind himself constantly of Marva’s departing words, stay strong. Too much was at stake for him not to do so.
The ringing of his private telephone line startled him. He looked at the caller ID. The area code was from the East Coast, but he didn’t recognize the number. Could it be his contact? His heartbeat quickened as he snatched the receiver from its cradle.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Reasoner,” the familiar voice greeted him. From the sounds in the background he seemed to be calling from a public telephone.
“What have you got for me?”
“The news isn’t good. It has been strongly suggested by people in high places that I back off.” He paused momentarily, waiting for a comment. There was none. “I have no direct proof, but I’m certain that palms have been greased, and they’ve been greased heavily.”
“How bad is it?” Sin’s inquiry was solemn. His friend had contacts from the East Coast to the West Coast, and in places even Brandon Plaine wouldn’t have access to. If he wasn’t able to help him find information on Jamison, it would be a big setback.
“Any possibility that I can match what’s being offered?”
“I’m not sure who all the players are, and the old man’s influence is far reaching.”
“Have you been threatened?” Sin was concerned. The two of them went way back. They shared secrets that could cost them both dearly if revealed. He trusted this man with his life and had done so many times. He hadn’t wanted to put him or his position in jeopardy by asking for his assistance.
Sinful Intentions Page 17