His Sexy Bad Habit (16 page)

Why does it even matter? I’m not trying to slip into those shoes,
Serena thought. But she was trying to downplay the fact that her feelings for Antonio were growing into something bigger than sex. She did want more from him, but she was afraid she’d find herself on the wrong side of love again.

As much as she wanted to forget that Emerson Bradford was in Charlotte, his image crept into her mind as she waited for Antonio. She had to find out what Emerson wanted, and get rid of
him and the ghost of his heartbreak if she was to ever be able to truly open up to Antonio.

The bedroom door opened and Antonio walked in with her clothes and purse. “Here you go,” he said as he crossed over to her and handed her the items. “I think you’ve missed some calls because your purse was beeping. Since my son might get up and head for the TV, I put your bag with the drinks in it underneath the sink.”

“Good thinking,” she said as she put her blouse on. Antonio climbed into the bed with her and pulled her against his chest.

“But, when I looked in on the little boy, he was still sound asleep,” Antonio said. “So, don’t button that up just yet.” As he was about to bring his lips to hers, Serena’s cell phone sounded.

“Damn it,” she muttered.

“Ignore it,” Antonio intoned as he stroked the tops of her breasts.

Moaning, she was poised to ignore the phone when a small voice called out.

“Daddy.”

“That you can’t ignore,” she said.

Antonio hopped off the bed and headed down the hall to his son’s bedroom. While he was gone, Serena grabbed her phone and looked at the missed calls log. There were six, all from an unknown number, but she knew who the caller was.

Emerson.

Emerson glanced at his cell phone. It was after seven and he still hadn’t been able to reach
Serena. He figured she wasn’t at the restaurant since she’d been there the night before. Sure, she could be sleeping, but he remembered she woke up at the same time every morning, despite what she’d done the night before. That’s why he’d loved working with her on the set. She had been a professional, unlike some of the other actresses he’d worked with. But there was more that he missed about her. Seeing her had fired up emotions he’d tried to bury with their film.

Damn, she was still as sexy as he remembered. His dreams had been tortured with memories and fantasies of Serena. The feel of her supple body against his and the sweet taste of her lips kept him tossing and turning all night.

Focus,
he thought.
She needs to sign the release. Anything else that happens is gravy. I can’t let lust get in the way again. But hot damn she looked so good. Knowing Serena the way I do, she’s never going to love anyone the way she loved me.

He dialed her number again.

“Stop calling me,” she snapped after picking up on the first ring.

“Serena, we need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” she replied.

“Yes, we do. Serena?” When he didn’t get a response, he moved the phone from his ear and saw that she’d hung up on him. He started to call her back, but decided he needed to see her in person. The only way he could do that would be to wait her out at her restaurant. From the tone of her voice, he figured she wouldn’t show up to their scheduled meeting.

Serena smiled as A.J. set her plate of turkey bacon, eggs, and banana pancakes in front of her like a perfect gentleman.

“Thank you, A.J.,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a smile as he pulled up a chair beside her at the dining room table. “Did you and my daddy have a sleepover?”

“A.J.,” Antonio called out from the kitchen. “Eat.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, then cut into his pancakes with the side of his fork. Before stuffing a huge piece of food into his mouth, he turned to Serena and whispered. “Well, did you?”

“Yes,” she whispered back.

A.J. smiled, then packed his mouth with food. After chewing, he asked Serena, “Are you going to sleep over more? Maybe next time we can all watch a movie instead of just you and Daddy.”

Antonio walked into the dining room with his
plate and shook his head. “A.J., please allow Miss Serena to eat before her food gets cold.”

“Yes, sir.”

“He’s fine,” she said. “And a sweet little boy, too.”

A.J. beamed at her compliment and ate his food in silence. When A.J. finished his breakfast, he took his plate into the kitchen, then asked if he and Serena could watch cartoons. She looked down at her half-empty plate.

“She hasn’t finished eating yet,” Antonio said, trying to hide his smile. “And you know the rules. No one leaves the table until they’re finished eating.”

Serena nodded. “I have to follow the rules, but you find some SpongeBob and I’ll come watch it with you as soon as I’m finished.”

“Okay,” A.J. said excitedly, then dashed into the den to turn on the TV.

Antonio turned to Serena. “Somebody likes you,” he said with a smile.

“He’s a nice kid.”

“He doesn’t usually take to strangers. Then again, he’s never seen me have a sleepover. I’m sorry he asked you all those questions.”

“There’s no need to apologize. He’s a curious kid. I can’t tell you how many times I had this same conversation with my dad and his women,” she said, then cringed.

“I remember you telling me about that.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Breakfasts like this were a common occurrence with Dominic and his
women. Only, they didn’t know they were just spokes in a wheel.”

“Well, that’s not how I do things around here,” Antonio said. “To be honest, I haven’t had a
sleepover,
ever.”

Serena shot him a look that said
yeah, right.

Noting the look on her face, Antonio leaned over and placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m serious. When my wife died, A.J. became my focus. The last thing I wanted or needed was some woman coming into my life trying to be A.J.’s mother.”

“So, you still love your wife? Do you think anyone will ever mean as much to you as she did?” she asked.
Where the hell did that come from?

“That’s a topic for a day when A.J. isn’t within earshot. But I will say this. I don’t go to sleep with ghosts at night,” he said, then took his plate into the kitchen.

Serena wondered if there was more behind what he said. Why did she care?
Because you care about this man,
Jade’s voice whispered in her ear. Serena picked up her plate and followed Antonio into the kitchen.

“Listen,” she said as she met him at the sink. “I wasn’t trying to suggest that you parade women around your son. Whatever you do really isn’t my business.”

“What do you mean it isn’t your business?” he asked as he turned around and looked at her. “Here’s what you need to understand about me. I don’t sleep around, I don’t play with people’s
emotions, and I want you to know what I do. You’re a part of my life now.”

“Antonio,” she said.

He stroked her cheek. “Serena, life is too short for me to beat around the bush. As much as I enjoy making love to you, I want more than that.”

She wanted more as well. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him but she just looked at him, afraid. She didn’t want another heartbreak.

“Miss Serena, I found SpongeBob,” A.J. called out.

Glad for the chance to walk away, she nearly sprinted into the den to watch cartoons with A.J.

Way to be an adult, hiding behind SpongeBob,
she thought as she took a seat on the sofa and smiled at a beaming A.J.

Antonio washed dishes and thought about the look in Serena’s eyes when he told her he wanted more. Was it fear? Was it disinterest? He’d spent his time with a woman who didn’t want to be with him and he was not going to do it again. Still, he needed a better feel of what Serena was really thinking. If she didn’t want to be with him, he knew Serena wouldn’t have a problem saying so. If she was interested in a physical relationship only, why was she in the den laughing with his son?

Drying his hands, Antonio decided he’d give her a little time to determine what she wanted, but he knew exactly what he wanted. He was falling hard and fast for Serena Jacobs.

“Antonio,” she said as she walked into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” he asked as he turned around and faced her.

She sighed and walked over to him. “I can sometimes be a bit of a punk. I can say just about anything I want to say except for how I feel about things some—most—of the time. I want more,” she said. “I like being with you in and out of the bed.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I don’t want you to be afraid to open up to me. I want to know everything about you, what makes you happy, your fears, your joys. I plan to share the same things with you.”

Serena hugged him tightly. “I’m going to work on sharing everything with you. But I have to tell you that I’m carrying some serious scars.”

“Then let’s get together later tonight and compare wounds. Because we have company right now.”

Serena turned around and saw A.J. standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “May I have some juice?” he asked with a smile.

“Sure,” Antonio said. “There is a juice box in the refrigerator.”

“Miss Serena, would you like some juice, too?”

“No, thank you, A.J. I’d rather have some coffee.”

Antonio handed her a mug and pointed her to the coffee maker. “I know you can make coffee.”

“What self-respecting, moonlighting bartender can’t make coffee?” she asked as she pulled out the coffee filters.

A.J. took his juice box into the living room and Antonio turned to Serena with a smile on his face. “I want you to know that A.J. doesn’t share his juice, so you’ve obviously impressed him.”

“Good,” she said as she waited for the coffee carafe to fill. “Because I want to finish watching SpongeBob with him.”

Antonio laughed, happily surprised Serena was interested in spending time with his son.

After fixing coffee for herself and Antonio, they headed into the living room and laughed at the antics of Sponge Bob with A.J. until mid-afternoon when Serena had to leave and head into the restaurant.

“Bye, Miss Serena,” A.J. said from the door as Antonio walked her outside.

“Bye A.J.,” she replied and blew him a kiss.

At her car, Antonio wrapped his arms around Serena’s neck and brought her against his chest. “This was nice,” he said.

“It was,” she said as she stroked his back.

“What are you doing after work? You still owe me that drink,” he said, flashing her a slick smile.

“Well, I think I can make that happen, but keep in mind, the Serena punch is powerful.”

Antonio winked at her. “I can handle it. I’d better let you go,” he said as he dropped his arms from around her.

“Yeah,” she said, but neither one of them made an effort to move. “Jade, Alicia, and Kandace are waiting.”

“Duty calls.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. “I just don’t want to answer.”

Antonio cupped her booty and smiled. “I don’t want you to either, but I have some calls I need to make for a project we’re starting next week.”

Sighing, Serena let him go and unlocked her car. “All right, we’re going to be adults and go to work. I’ll see you later.”

When she got in her car and backed out of the driveway, Antonio could do nothing but smile. He headed inside and saw A.J. had been watching him and Serena.

“Daddy,” the little boy said, “is Miss Serena our girlfriend?”

“Our girlfriend?” Antonio asked with a smile.

“Well, I like her too,” he said.

“She’s our friend, but possibly my girlfriend,” Antonio said, then scooped his son up into his arms. “Listen, are you okay with Miss Serena spending more time with us?”

“I guess,” A.J. said with a shoulder shrug. “She likes SpongeBob and she doesn’t want to drink all my juice.”

“Right,” Antonio replied. “There may be more sleepovers, but know that you’re still the most important person in my world.”

“Do you think Mommy would like her?” A.J. asked innocently.

“I don’t know. It’s just important to me that you like her.”

“I like her,” A.J. said. “She makes you smile.”

Antonio tussled his son’s hair and sat him
on the sofa. “What do you say we go to the lake in University City after I take care of some business?”

“Okay,” A.J. said excitedly. Antonio headed to his home office to get some work done, but all he could think about was Serena and how easy things were between them. He was happy for the first time in a long time.

As Serena sat in the office of the restaurant with Jade, Alicia, and Kandace, the smile on her face spoke volumes to everyone. Though they were supposed to be meeting about the relaunch event, the topic of conversation quickly turned to Serena.

“Your smile is creeping me out,” Alicia said when she looked over at Serena.

“What?” Serena said, the smile not leaving her face.

“This new and improved Serena is a bit much to take,” Alicia said. “But I don’t have to ask why you’re so happy.”

“That’s all Antonio Billups’s doing,” Jade said knowingly. “I know this has to do with more than just good sex.”

Kandace grinned. “Yep. That’s the same look Solomon had when we woke up this morning.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “Okay, Antonio and I are together and we’re very happy.”

“What about his son?” Jade asked.

“He’s a sweet little boy. He even offered me a juice box this morning. For a little kid, that says a lot.”

Kandace turned to Serena and asked, “Wedding bells?”

“See, I knew you guys were going to take things too far. Antonio and I are not close to getting married. We’re just enjoying being around each other.”

“I never thought I’d see the day,” Alicia said, beaming. “The Ice Queen has melted.”

Serena tossed a pencil at her friend. “I was never the Ice Queen,” she snapped.

There was a knock at the door and Devon peeked his head in. “You ladies decent?” he asked as he walked in with a tray of desserts.

“Well, if we weren’t, you’re in here now,” Alicia joked.

“When I heard your voices all the way down the hall, I thought I’d bring you some samples for the dessert party we’re having on the show next week.”

“Really?” Serena grabbed a red velvet cupcake. “You know, we should tie some of your shows to our menu.”

“That’s a good idea,” Kandace said as she grabbed a chocolate bar. “Antonio has your brain working, too.”

“Somebody needs to work around here,” Serena said. “Our general manager is slack since she’s a
mom now, the PR guru is still on her honeymoon, and I don’t know what Alicia has going on.”

“And you’ve just been working so hard seducing our contractor,” Alicia quipped.

Devon cleared his throat and set the desserts on the center of the desk. “I got to go,” he said. “Y’all are crazy.”

“Did you just meet us?” Serena called out as Devon left.

“Is that weird for you?” Jade whispered to Kandace.

“What?” she asked.

“Devon still being here.”

Kandace shook her head and took another bite of her chocolate. “That’s over and done with,” she said dismissively. “Maybe it would be hard if I wasn’t married to the love of my life.”

Serena nodded. “I’m proud of you, Kandace. You’ve handled working with Devon like a real woman.”

“Was there ever any doubt that I wouldn’t?” Kandace asked, then burst out laughing.

“Plenty,” Jade and Alicia said in concert. The women broke into laughter and sampled more of Devon’s desserts.

“So, Serena,” Alicia said. “Since you and Antonio have been spending all this time together, what have you done about the man from California?”

Pouting, Serena shook her head. “Nothing. He came in here last night.”

“What?” the other women exclaimed.

“And you didn’t beat him down?” Kandace asked.

“Or at least toss a drink in his face?” Alicia inquired.

Serena shook her head. “I wanted to but I couldn’t for two big reasons. One, we just reopened and the last thing we need is more bad press, and two, he was with Antonio’s sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law? Antonio’s married?” Alicia asked.

“He’s a widower,” Serena said. “Come on, I’m not
that woman.
If his wife were alive, I hope he wouldn’t be bringing me into his home, bed, and around his son. I can’t believe you’d think I’d be a part of something like that.”

“Just had to check. I’d hate to find out this guy is Tiger Woods,” Alicia joked. “But seriously, what does Emerson Bradford want? Are you going to find out?”

Serena took another bite of her red velvet cupcake and shook her head. “I don’t care what Emerson wants. He can kiss my ass.”

“Serena,” Devon called out. “Someone is here to see you.”

The four women stood up at the same time. “Do you think it’s Antonio?” Jade asked with a smile.

“What if it’s Emerson?” Kandace asked.

Serena looked at the door and shook her head. “Why are we acting like children?”

“Because if it’s Emerson, we’re going to kick his ass,” Alicia said.

Serena opened the office door and Devon
pointed her to the dining room. Her friends followed her closely and stood behind her like sentinels. When he turned around, decked out in an Italian suit holding a dozen yellow roses, Serena wanted to slap Emerson until his face turned beet red.

“I had no idea we’d have an audience,” Emerson said with a slick smile. “Serena, you and I need to talk.”

Glaring at him, Serena was glad the restaurant was closed so Devon could film his show. The last thing she needed was for customers to hear what she was about to say. “I don’t have a damned thing to say to you,” she snapped as she took the flowers from his outstretched hands and tossed them in his face.

“That’s the Serena I know and love,” Alicia whispered.

Emerson stepped closer to Serena as he brushed away rose petals. She didn’t move. Anger kept her rooted in place.

“Serena, is there some place where we can speak in private?” he asked.

“Hell no,” Kandace exclaimed. “Why don’t you just get out of here?”

Emerson glanced at Kandace and smiled. “Ladies, I don’t mean your friend any harm, but we have some private matters to discuss.”

“Maybe you should’ve had this conversation five years ago, jerk,” Alicia snapped. “Your movies suck.”

A flash of anger crossed Emerson’s face, then he masked it with a false Hollywood smile. “I’m
sorry you feel that way. But I want to talk to Serena about a movie.”

Serena bristled. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me. You came all this way about that damned movie?”

“That’s one reason,” he said. “But I had to see you, Serena.”

Jade touched Serena’s shoulder. “Do you want me to call the police?”

Emerson held up his hands, “Ladies, I didn’t come here to cause problems, but I want to talk business with you, Serena. If you and your friends will calm down and hear me out, this could benefit all of us.”

“Where was this concern when you left Serena at the altar?” Alicia asked.

Serena turned to her friends and mouthed,
I can handle this.
Then she turned to face Emerson. “Get out, Emerson. You can take that movie and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

“Serena,” he murmured in a voice that used to send her heart into overdrive. “Please. Do you remember what it was like when we made the movie?”

“Yeah, I do,” she said. “We wrapped, I went to the church the next day and you never showed up.”

“I regret that and I—”

Serena closed the space between them and slapped him as hard as she could. “Get out of here and don’t come back. I don’t give a damn about your movie.”

“You’re telling me this is enough for you?
Working in a restaurant?” Emerson said with sarcastic laugh.

“I don’t simply work here, you jackass. I own this place with my friends,” Serena’s friends grumbled in the background about him belittling their investment.

“Fine,” Emerson said. “But the movie is art and I’m going to release it.”

“Over my dead body! Let’s be real. That movie wouldn’t be spit had I not rewritten the script. But those days are behind me and I will not have you putting that movie on the big screen so you can make a profit.”

“Serena, maybe when you calm down, we can talk about this,” he said. “I understand you have to put on your little show for your girlfriends.”

“I’m not putting on a show, Emerson. When I first met you, I told you that I was not an actress and I’m not acting now, you slimy bastard.”

“You should reconsider,” Emerson said. “I know what happened here. This movie would give you all some needed
good
publicity.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Now get the hell out of here!”

Emerson nodded and smiled. “It was good to see you again.” He turned and walked out the door.

“I should’ve known,” Serena groaned once she and her girls were alone. “He’s trying to revive his dying career with the movie he claimed would make me a star.”

“What are you going to do now?” Alicia asked. “How are you going to stop him?”

“You should call Kenya,” Jade suggested.

Serena nodded as she thought about the movie. It was very sexy, damned near pornographic, and nothing that she wanted to see on the big screen. Five years ago when she thought her life was going to be in Hollywood, that would’ve been fine. But she was a business woman and it was not the kind of attention she wanted.

What would Antonio think if he saw her on screen doing those things? “Yeah, I’d better do that,” Serena said. “I really don’t need this right now.”

Jade pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called Kenya, then handed the phone to Serena.

When Emerson slammed into his hotel room, he knew what he had to do. He pulled out his MacBook Pro, jammed in the DVD of
De Chocolat,
and forwarded the movie to one of the hotter love scenes where Serena was prominently featured. He’d always loved the scene where she’d been in bed with the police detective investigating the string of murders her character had committed. Every inch of her supple body was highlighted. Looking at her breasts on the screen made his mouth water. Then, she turned from sexy to dangerous as she slipped her hand underneath the pillow, grabbed a knife, and jabbed it into the man’s chest as she continued to ride him.

“Well,” she said, her voice husky and seductive. “You can say you got fucked to death, Detective.”

Emerson edited the clip and prepared to leak it on YouTube and some other sites. But first, he had to set up a false account.
I tried to work with you, Serena. You brought this on yourself,
he thought as he uploaded the scene and called his assistant in L.A.

“Emerson Bradford’s office, how may I help you?”

“Annette, I need you to draft a press release about scenes from my upcoming movie being leaked on the Internet.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “Is this the
De Chocolat
movie?”

“You got it. Make sure you include some information about Serena Jacobs, the star of the movie who is now a restaurant owner in North Carolina.”

“All right.”

“And include something about the violence that happened at her restaurant last year, and Solomon Crawford.”

“Got it.”

“E-mail me a copy when you’re done.”

“Yes, sir,” Annette said.

Emerson hung up the phone and kicked back on the bed. He was going to build a buzz for this movie and his career was going to be on the upswing again.

Antonio watched A.J. as he flipped turkey burgers on the grill. “I’m a chef, Daddy,” the little boy said.

“You’re on your way,” Antonio replied. “But be careful. You don’t want to burn yourself.”

“Is Miss Serena going to come over and eat with us?”

“She’s at work. Maybe tomorrow we’ll go eat at her restaurant. I think those burgers are done now,” Antonio said as he took the spatula from A.J. and loaded the burgers on a tray. “Ready to eat?”

“Yes. May I call Aunt Casey and invite her over?”

“If you want to, go ahead. Make sure you wash your hands before you get the phone,” Antonio said. He really didn’t feel like dealing with Casey, but he wasn’t going to keep A.J. away from his aunt.

He walked into the house and placed the burgers on the stovetop. A.J. turned to him and said, “Aunt Casey wants to speak to you.”

“Thanks,” Antonio said as he took the phone. “Hello?”

“I was just making sure you’re all right with me coming over there,” Casey said.

“It’s fine, Case.”

“I wanted to check, because you haven’t been wanting me around lately.”

“Casey, can we table this for another time? A.J. is looking forward to seeing you,” Antonio said.

“Is that woman going to be there or is this just a family meal?” Casey asked.

Antonio gritted his teeth and groaned inwardly. “All right, Case, we’ll see you when you get here.” He hung up the phone and turned to A.J. “Ready to make that cole slaw you’re so famous for?”

“Yeah,” the little boy said. “Daddy, what’s a derelict?”

“Where did you hear that word? It’s not a nice thing to say about someone,” Antonio said, sure that Casey was the culprit.

“Well, Aunt Casey asked if you were still hanging out with a derelict.”

“Derelict is a fancy way of saying someone is bad news, but we don’t know any derelicts. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Antonio seethed with anger as they chopped cabbage, carrots, and onions. Casey had some nerve. He didn’t care how she felt about Serena, but she was not going to draw A.J. into her battle. A battle that she had no footing in. It wasn’t as if Antonio was having an affair with Serena while Marian was alive. No, he’d been the one to keep his marriage vows and Antonio was not going to allow Casey to make him feel guilty about moving on with his life.

As Antonio watched A.J. mix the slaw, the doorbell rang. “Be careful with the mixing and I’ll go get the door,” Antonio told his son. He looked out the window and saw Casey standing on the porch with a box of cupcakes. Antonio opened the door and stepped out.

“Am I uninvited?” Casey asked, noting the look of disgust on his face.

“Casey, I don’t appreciate you bad-mouthing Serena to A.J. He’s a child and doesn’t need to be drawn into your beef with her. I’m still trying to understand why you can’t respect the fact that I’m moving on with my life.”

“Because that woman is not good enough for you,” Casey snapped.

Antonio laughed. “It wasn’t too long ago your parents felt that way about me. But guess what—that’s not your call to make. What I do and who I do it with is none of your concern. I care about Serena and she is going to be a part of my life.”

“She’s not good enough for you. I-I love you, Tonio.” Casey sighed and dropped her head. “There, I said it.”