His Sexy Bad Habit (14 page)

Serena took the bag and set it on the bar. “I know a better treat than coffee cake.” She closed the space between them and brought her lips to his, kissing him slowly, savoring his sweet taste and relishing his hands stroking her back. When they heard the restaurant door open, the duo broke their kiss.

“Well, good morning,” Jade said as she and Alicia walked in. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Billups.”

Alicia smiled as Antonio said, “Good morning, ladies.”

“Morning,” Alicia said. “Are we early for the tour?”

Serena rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m surprised you made it here. Are you done trying to prove to everybody you’re a success without your family’s help?”

“Not by a long shot. That’s why I’m back,” Alicia said, then turned to Antonio. “Do you know what you’re getting into with this evil woman?”

“Evil woman?” Antonio asked. “Serena?”

Alicia nodded. “She drinks the blood of the young. Watch your back.”

“I wish I had something to throw at you,” Serena said.

Jade linked her arm with Antonio’s. “Pay them no attention. They’re like the sisters they never wanted. I have to say, I am impressed with what I’m seeing.”

“Thank you,” Antonio said. “Norman suggested the lace on the walls.”

The women looked at the trimming. “This is nice,” Jade said as she released Antonio’s arm and walked around the dining room. “It doesn’t look anything like—” Jade stopped talking when she saw Kandace and Solomon step into the dining room.

“It’s all right,” Kandace said. “You can talk about what happened.”

“Why relive the past? What are you doing here?” Jade asked as she walked over to Kandace and hugged the newlyweds.

“Taking a short break,” Solomon said. “We’re heading to Atlanta after the festivities are over here.”

“Where are you guys staying?” Alicia asked.

“A Loft,” Kandace said. “Since there isn’t a Crawford Hotel in Charlotte.”

“Yet,” Solomon said. “But I do know who to call when we start building one. This is some nice work.”

“Thank you,” Antonio said.

Solomon walked over to him and extended his hand. “I have a resort in Sugar Mountain that is in need of a makeover as well. Give me your card and we can discuss it,” Solomon said.

“All right.” Antonio reached into his pocket and handed Solomon his business card. “I guess I’ll hear from you after your honeymoon ends?”

“The honeymoon will never end,” Kandace chimed in. “But this workaholic will be back in the office soon enough.”

Solomon pulled his wife against his hip. “As long as you plan to come to work with me,” he said in a loud whisper.

“Aww,” Serena said. “Aren’t you two just sickening.”

Antonio laughed with Jade and Alicia as Solomon made a show of kissing his wife.

“Are you guys ready to see the restaurant?” Antonio asked. “As you know, we didn’t do anything to the kitchen or the back offices, but the dining room has been revamped. If you like what you’ve seen so far, be ready to be amazed.”

As Antonio spoke, Serena thought about how he had already amazed her and made her think she could have her cake and eat it, too. But when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, she realized that before she could think about the future, she was going to have to kill the past.

“Guys,” Serena said. “I need to take this call. And I might have to step out to talk to the food editor at
Creative Loafing
about the story they’re working on.”

“All right,” Kandace said. “Thanks for doing that. I know that’s my area.”

Serena dashed out the door and answered the phone. Though it came from an unknown number, she knew it was Emerson.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me? What part of that didn’t you understand?” she snapped when she answered.

“I was just making sure you received the flowers I sent,” Emerson said.

“Yes, they look lovely in my trash can,” Serena said. “Here’s what you’re going to do. Stop sending me roses and stop calling me.”

“Serena, we need to talk and I’m not leaving this place until we do. I didn’t fly across the country to give up easily,” Emerson said. “We have to put behind us what happened in the past.”

“Do you think it’s that simple?” Serena asked. “What are you here for, my forgiveness? You wasted your airfare. That’s something you will never get.”

“Why not?” he asked. “Serena, I’m sorry that I
did what—I want to explain everything to you face-to-face.”

“No. I don’t want to see your damn face,” she snapped as she got into her car.

“Then I’m going to keep calling and keep sending flowers. At some point, you’re going to have to talk to me.”

“Well, let’s get it over with. Meet me Wednesday at Starbucks in the Independence Center,” she said.

“Where is that?”

“Google it,” Serena snapped, then hung up. She drove to her place and stormed inside. She should’ve just ignored Emerson. Not only had he broken her heart, but she wanted to show him she was doing just fine without his wedding ring. And she wanted to know what was so damned important that he flew to Charlotte from Los Angeles.

Serena should’ve known that not showing up at the restaurant after a few hours meant she was going to receive a visit from her girls. So, when the doorbell rang at five after two, she knew who was there.

She opened the door and Kandace, Alicia, and Jade walked in with food from the restaurant, courtesy of the
Devon Harris Show.

“What’s going on?” Alicia asked as they bum-rushed Serena.

“I’m just a little tired,” she lied.

“No, you’re not,” Jade said. “Yesterday, you were happy until your cell phone started ringing.”

“And then you tossed out those roses,” Kandace said.

Serena shot her a look that meant
you talk too much.

“Who is Emerson?” Alicia asked as she began unpacking the food.

Serena grabbed Alicia’s hand. “Look, ladies, I
appreciate the lunch, but there is no need for your intervention. I’m fine.”

Jade rolled her eyes at Serena and headed to the kitchen to get ice and glasses for the fresh brewed tea she’d brought along with her.

“Serena, you’re not fine. If you were, you would’ve come back to the restaurant to flirt with Antonio,” Kandace said. “After everything we’ve been through, we’re going to head this problem off before things get out of hand again.”

“Don’t you think you should be with your husband instead of here?” Serena asked.

“My husband understands that I need to find out what’s going on with you,” Kandace replied. “Besides, he’s meeting with James about some property.”

“Great, so I’m stuck with you all for how long?” Serena asked as she pulled her oversized throw pillows from the sofa and placed them around the table. When they were students at Spelman, the four women would get together and lament their love lives with Japanese food and sake. They’d sit on the floor and eat and drink until they felt they’d solved their problems.

Serena didn’t have time for that kind of sentiment today. “Guys, please, I have some things I need to take care of, so can we just eat?”

“No,” Alicia said. “You’re going to tell us what’s going on.”

Serena sighed as she watched Kandace pile her plate with jasmine rice and green peas. She’d never told her friends about her life in L.A.

After graduation, they’d all tried to live their
dreams. Kandace had gone off to graduate school in Wisconsin, Alicia and Jade had stayed in Atlanta. Alicia took an internship with an event planning company. Jade became a CPA and fell in love with the wrong man. Serena had gone to L.A.

When Jade returned to the living room with a tray of glasses, Serena knew she had to come clean. She sat down and looked at her friends as they focused on her. “Well,” Serena began. “Emerson Bradford is a movie director. We met in L.A.”

“Wait,” Alicia said. “The Emerson Bradford who was hot stuff a few years back? What was the name of that movie?”

“Umm, it was done around the time of
Love Jones
and
The Best Man,”
Jade interjected.

“Something about Summer,” Kandace chimed in.”
Hot Summer
or something like that.”

“Sultry Summer,”
Serena said.

Jade slapped her hand against her thigh. “That’s right. You would not go see that movie with us.”

“No. Why would I want to put money into the pocket of the man who left me at the altar?” Serena said, then popped a piece of mushroom in her mouth. While she chewed, her friends stared at her with their mouths agape.

“Altar?” Kandace said.

“Left?” Alicia inquired.

“Married? You were going to get married and you never told us?” Jade questioned.

“Or invited us,” Kandace added.

“And you never thought to tell us the sorry son of a bitch left you at the altar?” Alicia snapped.

Serena nodded. “Listen, when I went to L.A., I had one goal. I wanted to get my screenplay on the big screen, then come back to Atlanta and give a chance to the young writers I’d met in college—get some quality black films out there.”

Alicia nodded. “That’s what you said about why you went to Los Angeles, but I thought you were going to be a star.”

“That too,” Serena said. “I had been taking a writing class and at the end of one of my sessions, Emerson showed up with this slick talk about him wanting to put me in front of the camera.”

“So, he was scamming you?” Jade asked.

“And you fell for it?” Alicia asked. “That—”

Serena held up her hands. “I didn’t fall for anything. Emerson was who he said he was. He opened a few doors for me, we made a film, and I fell head over heels in love with him.”

Again, three mouths dropped as they heard words from Serena none of them ever expected to hear.

“L-love?” Kandace asked. “You?”

Serena picked up another mushroom and popped it in her mouth.

Jade shook her head. “Why didn’t you ever tell us this?”

Serena shrugged her shoulders. “What was the point? When I came back to Atlanta, it didn’t seem important. But now, he’s back.”

“What the hell is he back for?” Alicia asked. “I
mean, he broke your heart, obviously made you a bitter woman and distrustful of all men—”

“That’s a bit much,” Serena chimed in.

“Whatever,” Jade said. “When you came back to Atlanta five years ago, you were different and bitter.”

“Well, Jade, how did you feel when you saw Stephen in the paper with that Barbie doll?”

Jade rolled her eyes. “But you guys were there for me and we would’ve been there for you.”

“Where is this bastard?” Kandace asked. “We can roll over there now and do what should’ve been done five years ago.”

“There’s no need for that,” Serena said. “I just want him to leave.”

“Do you know why he’s here?” Jade asked.

“No and I don’t give a damn,” Serena replied hotly.

Jade, Alicia and Kandace exchanged knowing looks.

Serena glared at them. “I know what y’all are thinking and you’re wrong.”

“What?” Alicia asked.

“Serena, you’re not going to be at peace until you find out what he wants,” Jade said. “You don’t have to see the bastard alone.”

Serena plucked a piece of bread from the middle of the table. “I do have to handle this alone. He’s not dangerous, so this isn’t another Carmen situation.”

Kandace rolled her eyes. “Can we not mention that name?”

“Yes,” Jade said. “Let’s focus on Emerson.”

“There’s nothing to focus on,” Serena said. “Why would he come back now after all this time?”

“I say find out and cuss him out. Then maybe you can be nicer to Antonio,” Alicia said.

Jade and Kandace laughed. “Oh,” Jade said. “She’s plenty nice to Antonio.”

Serena tossed her half-eaten roll at Jade. “Shut up.”

“You should’ve seen them kissing earlier,” Kandace said. “Wait a minute, when your phone rang at the restaurant; that was Emerson and not a reporter, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that was him,” she answered. While the women ate in silence for a few minutes, Serena wondered what she’d feel if she saw Emerson? Would old feelings resurface? Would she fly into a fit of rage?

“Serena?” Jade asked.

“What?”

“I said, what are you going to do about this guy?”

“The only thing I can do. Confront him, and move on with my life.”

“And does that include Antonio?” Kandace asked.

“We’ll just have to see,” Serena replied. “Now, can we eat so you all can get out of here and I can get some work done?”

Emerson walked down to the bar in the Westin Hotel and ordered a scotch and soda. He found Charlotte boring as hell and wanted to see
Serena sooner rather than later. He turned his back to the bar after the bartender handed him his drink and watched the people as they milled around, with drinks in their hands and newspapers underneath their arms.

It was nothing like Los Angeles where sitting in a bar meant watching some of the town’s most beautiful people.
Charlotte is very average,
Emerson thought as he sipped his scotch. Then he saw her walk across the bar and to his surprise, she took a seat beside him. Emerson glanced at her. She was curvy in all the right places and had steller legs he wanted to feel wrapped around his waist. He could see her in a movie, or at least in his bed for the night.

“Hello there,” he said to her.

She turned to him and smiled. “Hi.”

Emerson extended his hand to her. “I’m Emerson.”

“Casey,” she replied.

“What are you drinking?” he asked. “I’m willing to buy if you tell why you’re looking so sad.”

Casey rolled her eyes, then smiled. “Am I that transparent?”

Emerson held his index finger a couple of inches above his thumb. “Just a little bit.”

“I’m just upset by something I found out this weekend,” she said. “And there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about it.”

“Cheating lover?” Emerson probed.

“No,” she said as the bartender walked over to the bar.

“What are you having, Miss Casey?” he asked.

Emerson looked from Casey to the bartender.
Was she one of those women who hung around in hotel bars looking to catch a business man to take care of her? Then Emerson noticed her $5,000 Birkin bag. Since he wasn’t in Nevada, he figured she wasn’t a hooker.

“I want an apple martini,” she replied. “And why don’t you give my friend a refill on whatever he’s drinking.”

“Scotch and an apple martini coming right up,” he said.

Emerson turned to Casey and smiled.

“I buy my own drinks,” she said. “And because you seem like a nice guy, I’m going to buy you one, too.”

Emerson nodded. Maybe he was wrong about Charlotte.
I have to focus,
he thought.
Casey can be fun later but first I have to get Serena to sign the release form.

The bartender set their drinks in front of them and turned to his other customers.

“Cheers,” Emerson said as he tilted his drink to Casey. She tilted her drink back to him and then took a big sip.

“Is it really that bad?” he asked.

Casey smirked and grabbed a handful of nuts from the basket on the bar. She shook them in her hand. “Kind of. Have you ever watched someone walking into a snake pit, but when you try to stop them, they make it seem as if you’re the one with the problem?”

“You have to allow people to make their own mistakes. How do you know this person doesn’t like snake bites?”

“Because I know this person can do so much better,” Casey said as she gritted her teeth.

“Better as in you?” he asked, starting to lose interest in talking to a woman hung up on another man.

“I just know that a woman who lays around a man’s house naked isn’t someone worthy of anything more than a booty call.”

Emerson took another sip of scotch. “Why not show him that you don’t care? Men hate to see women we’ve taken for granted happy with someone else.”

“I don’t think Antonio would care if I walked into the next family gathering with Denzel Washington,” she said, then drained her drink.

“Well, Antonio is a fool.”

“Great observation.” Casey gave Emerson a cool once over. “You’re not from Charlotte, are you?”

“Not at all. I’m visiting from Los Angeles. I have some business here.”

“Banker?”

“No. I’m a filmmaker. If we were in L.A., I’d probably try and talk you into a screen test.” Emerson finished his drink.

Casey laughed. “I’m guessing that line works better in L.A.”

“Touché. But since I’m not doing anything tonight, what do you say you give me a tour of your fair city?” he suggested.

“All right. Since I picked up the tab for the drinks, why don’t you buy me dinner at Hometown Delights?”

At the mention of Serena’s restaurant, Emerson smiled widely. “I’ve been meaning to go there.”

“Then let’s do it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Antonio is there.”

“And why would he be there? Is the food that good?”

“The food is probably the last thing on his mind, but that’s a story for another day.” Casey reached into her purse and pulled out her credit card to pay for the drinks. “So, tell me about your films. Are you an artsy guy or a Spike Lee type?”

“I’m an Emerson Bradford type,” he said with a smirk. “Have you ever seen
Sultry Summer
?”

“Oh my goodness. I love that movie.”

“I wrote and directed it,” he replied proudly.

“Wow! But what are you doing in Charlotte?

This is as far away from Hollywood as you can get.”

“Well, I have a new project I want to release, but I have to get my star to sign off on it.”

“She’s here in Charlotte?” Casey asked. “I can’t see why she’d have a problem with you making her a star. Everybody in Charlotte wants to rise above the skyline and this star of yours can’t be much different.”

“That’s a movie in itself,” Emerson said as he stood up and held out his hand to Casey.

She placed her hand in his palm and looked him in the eye. “What’s this movie about?”

“A sexy serial killer who uses her body to get what she wants and to hide her murders. It’s like nothing anyone has ever seen—a smart and erotic thriller.” Emerson’s eyes glossed over as he
thought about how close he and Serena had been when they made that movie. How sweet she’d tasted after he watched her do those things on screen all day. Looking at Casey, Emerson had a brain storm. What if the public demanded to see the movie? If he built a buzz, leaked pieces of the film on the Internet and got people talking, the studio would put the film on the big screen and it wouldn’t matter if Serena signed off on the film or not.

“Are you ready for dinner?” he asked.

“Yes,” Casey replied and they headed out the door.

Serena walked into the dining room of Hometown Delights just to make sure she hadn’t been seeing things. Yes, the restaurant was full and there were people willing to wait an hour for a table. Alicia’s idea for a soft launch of the restaurant reopening was paying off. Serena didn’t expect the crowd to return so quickly, though. However, she couldn’t be happier. Well, she could’ve been happier if she and Antonio were lying naked across her bed.

Smiling, she wiped down the bar. She couldn’t wait until they hired a bartender so she could stop spending her evenings working. The bar was full because people were nosy, Serena surmised. They wanted to see if there were any signs of the horror that had happened at the restaurant. As she handed a patron a three-dollar draft, she wondered if Antonio was at home.
Maybe I should call
him and see if he would like some dessert,
she thought as she remembered the special chocolate cake Devon had made to celebrate the reopening.