A Christmas Song (5 page)

Denise shook her head. “I don’t know that anymore. A lot of time has passed and he’s probably had a bunch of beautiful and rich women in his life. What would he want with the girl next door?”

“He’d want you because you’re really a sweet person. He’d be a fool not to notice.”

“Screw you,” Denise said once the guest left the desk. “How come I’m such a sweet person today? Usually you and Bernard are calling me a bitch.”

Keisha chuckled. “You’re sweet today because you got laid.”

Denise frowned at her friend. “How do you know I slept with Trent?”

“Because your cheeks are all rosy and you have that ‘I’ve had the best sex in the world’ look on your face.”

Denise couldn’t pretend to be mad. “I wouldn’t say the best sex in the world since I’ve never had sex with anyone to compare it to. Let’s just call it noteworthy.”

“I wonder how Martin is going to take someone moving into his territory.”

Martin Jefferson ran the Huntington Orphanage now. They’d dated a couple of times, but never screwed. “Who is going to tell him? And it’s not like we’re sleeping together.”

Keisha shook her head. “I meant to ask you about that. Why haven’t you slept with Martin? Brother is all kinds of fine.”

“I don’t know. I don’t get turned on when I’m with him. It’s more like I’m having dinner with my brother.”

“Maybe it has something to do with you growing up at the orphanage. Maybe he reminds you of an authority figure.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I haven’t given him a chance.” She had promised him a dance tomorrow night. “So is Jerome looking forward to the benefit?”

Keisha nodded. “He’s all excited about getting dressed up in a tuxedo. The last one he wore was for our wedding.”

“I’m glad I decided to make it a formal event. How often do we get the chance to dress up?”

“Not enough,” Keisha said. The telephone rang and she answered it.

Denise waved goodbye to her and left for her office to check on some last minute details. It also gave her a moment to think over what Dante had told her earlier. He’d mentioned that Trent was lonely and he wanted to know if she was still interested in him. She couldn’t imagine the great and powerful Trent Lansing being lonely. But she didn’t think Dante would risk his friendship with the man if it wasn’t partially true. She entered her office, sat down, and got busy. The hall where the benefit was to be held had been decorated. The invited guests had responded and the entertainment had been locked on. The caterers were cooking and Santa was filling his sleigh with toys. There would be a brief trip to the orphanage for a tour and then all the kids were to be brought to the hall for the annual toy give-away and the visit from Santa. Then the kids would be taken back to the orphanage and the adult party would begin. Dinner would be served first and then the three bands would entertain. Hopefully it would all go off without a hitch.

Denise wondered how the rehearsal was going. She hadn’t heard them play in a while. She decided not to bother them. The next crew of managers should be arriving soon, giving her and Bernard time off to relax before tomorrow. To tell the truth she was really tired and could use the rest. Tomorrow her work day would begin at six and sometime in between work and the benefit, she had to slip off to go to the beautician and have her nails done. Then she still had to do a little shopping and pick up her gown for the benefit. If nothing deterred her, she might get everything done on time. Denise finished up, left her office, and went off to welcome the next crew.

§ § §

It was close to midnight when their rehearsal ended. Vince had left first after they put the instruments away and gone in search of his masseuse for his nightly massage.

M. J. had dashed off to his room to rest. Trent smiled. He bet M. J. hadn’t made it past Bernard’s room. That just left him and Dante.

“Do you want to go to the bar for a drink?”

Dante shook his head. “No, man. I’m tired. I think I’m going to call it a night and give Annette a call before I go to sleep.”

“Are you going to invite her down here to spend the holidays?”

Dante shook his head. “She has to work. The airlines are pretty busy this time of year. She told me she’d try to see me before we go on tour.”

Trent didn’t like the sound of this. Dante sounded heart-sick and Trent hoped he wasn’t trying to use Denise as a substitute for Annette to keep his bed warm for the holidays.

“I still plan to have some fun though. It will be like old times, just the six of us.” They walked to the elevator. “Have you gotten a chance to talk with Denise yet?”

Trent nodded. “Yeah.”

They stepped inside the elevator and Dante pushed the button for the top floor.

“Have you had the chance to tell her how you feel about her?”

“Not really. We didn’t talk long. Why?”

“I’m just curious. Boy, has she changed. That body of hers is spectacular.”

Trent frowned. “Stay away from her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been flirting with her. Don’t confuse her.”

Dante chuckled. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re trying to say. Don’t blame me if you can’t win her back. She and I are just friends. Or have you forgotten that?”

Trent sighed, feeling stupid. “No, I haven’t forgotten, but I don’t remember you ever taking notice of her appearance before. She was just one of the guys to you.”

“She’s still one of the guys. Just because I didn’t say anything back then doesn’t mean I didn’t notice her. I didn’t flirt with her then and I’m certainly not flirting with her now. Denise is bright, funny, and loyal. And she’s in love with you, you big dummy. But you left her here in San Diego. How many times have you talked to her in seven years? Do you know if she’s the same little Dee you fell in love with or has she changed?”

Trent shrugged.

“For all we know she can be involved with someone else. Maybe you should find out before your feelings get hurt.”

The elevator door opened. Trent stepped out and Dante followed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I have it from a very reliable source she’s dating the guy who runs the orphanage. You see, that’s what friends do. They find out things their lunk-headed friends don’t see because they’re afraid of getting hurt.”

Dante walked away from him. Who else could he have gotten the information from, except Denise?

Chapter Three

The tour of the Huntington Orphanage began early the next morning. Denise had invited the mayor and a lot of political dignitaries to the event. Most of them had agreed to put in an appearance. She had whipped her thick black hair into submission and had donned a nice navy suit and heels. She was busy giving last minute instructions to the hotel staff while waiting for Bernard and Keisha to join her so they could leave.

Trent and the others promised to be at the orphanage at nine, but the last time she saw them was at breakfast and they looked like they could still use some sleep.

Bernard and Keisha joined her in the lobby about a half hour later. Keisha looked pretty in a red suit. She bumped her brown hair under, trying to hide the fact that she too needed to go to the hairdresser later.

Bernard looked as fashionable as ever in his dark blue suit. The light blue shirt he wore beneath brought out the blueness in his eyes. He’d accessorized with silver jewelry, including a silver ring Enrique had given him. Bernard looked charming and well put together, but he had dark circles beneath his eyes which she assumed meant he’d spent the night in M. J.s’ suite or vise-versa.

“Come on, it’s time to get this show on the road,” Bernard said. “I’ve just spoken to Martin over at the orphanage and he said the guests have started to arrive.” He led them to the lobby door and she and Keisha followed him out to the waiting van.

Denise looked down at her watch.
8:00 am
. The orphanage was a ten minute ride from the hotel, and if there wasn’t much traffic the driver had enough time to drop them off and return for Three-Ringed Circus.

Bernard climbed into the passenger seat next to the driver, while she and Keisha climbed in back. Moments later, they sped from the hotel enroute to the orphanage. The temperature outside had a bit of a December chill to it, not unpleasant and certainly not uncharacteristic for San Diego.

Most of the stores and businesses in the area were decorated for Christmas, reminding her that she still had to pick up gifts for Trent and the fellows after she left the beautician. She’d already finished shopping for her other gifts, and she wouldn’t have this to do had Bernard told her earlier that the band would be arriving.

“Are you nervous about Martin and Trent meeting each other?” Keisha asked when they finally arrived at the orphanage.

Denise shook her head. “No. Why should I be?”

“Because they are the two most important men in your life at the moment.”

“I thought I was the most important man in her life,” Bernard said from the front seat.

“Hell, no. You’re the biggest pain in my butt. I like men who can protect me from harm, not the kind who spend more time in the mirror than I do.”

“Mess with me, girl, and I’ll tear those tracks out by the roots.”

Denise smirked. Her hair was all natural so his threat rolled off her shoulder. “No, I’m not worried. But Bernard should be. Enrique is back in town and scheduled to perform tonight.”

“I’m not worried, girl friend. We broke up.”

Keisha guffawed. “You know the man still cares about you. And he’s very possessive of his little Bernard.”

“Ha! He’s moved on, Miss Keisha. And besides, we had an open relationship. He didn’t care if I dated someone else. I’m happy to be with M.J.”

“That’s what you said, but have you ever tried cheating on him?”

“No,” Bernard answered. “M. J.’s six feet tall and built solid. He can protect me.”

“So you and M. J. are dating now?” Denise asked. “What’s it been, a day?”

“Ooh, you are so jealous, Miss Thing. I have my act together. M. J. knows a good man when he sees one.”

“I wonder if he knows how high-maintenance you are. He’s going to pay to get your hair and nails done at least once a week, and spend a lot of money on your suits.”

The driver chuckled. There were no secrets around the hotel.

“Very funny, Dee. You’re just jealous I won’t give you the time of day.”

“I wear a watch and have better tastes,” Denise told him.

They climbed out of the van and walked to the front door of the orphanage. The outside of the place had been remodeled since her and the fellows left, but it still reminded her of home. There were an awful lot of people outside. They entered the front door and stepped into the lobby. The place was swarming with more people, including the news media. She found Martin speaking with some people from one of the news stations. He beckoned them over. He looked quite handsome in a black suit and gray shirt. He’d been running the orphanage for the last two years and had a high rate of placing the kids with families.

“This is Denise Stewart, an alumnus of Huntington, and she’s responsible for putting this benefit together.” He put his arm around her shoulders and stood beside her while she talked to the reporters. She introduced Bernard and Keisha and they too got their fifteen minutes of fame. Bernard also got a chance to plug his hotel after she finished talking about the benefit. “It’s going to be fun for the kids tonight with Santa putting in an appearance. Later we have some great bands lined up to perform.”

“I heard that Three-Ringed might put in an appearance tonight,” one of the reporters said. “Is there any truth to this?”

Damn, she’d hoped to keep it a secret. “Yes, they’re scheduled to perform.”

“Didn’t some of them grow up with you here?”

“Yes, all four of them did. And they’re in town to help raise money for the kids.”

“Are there still any tickets available for the benefit?” another reporter asked.