Say You Need Me (13 page)

Darrell gripped her buttocks and pulled her close, and Serena felt something hard.

Her eyes flew open at the realization that Darrell’s erection was pressed against her abdomen.

Good Lord!

From somewhere in her mind, the voice of sanity emerged, screaming,
You can’t do this!

She mewled as Darrell slipped a hand beneath her shorts, skimming the edge of her behind.
But it feels so good,
she protested.

You cant!
the voice of sanity replied.
Stop this—now!

Oh, man. The voice of sanity was right. She
couldn’t
do this. She was saving herself for her husband, not the first man who got her hot and bothered. She couldn’t let her emotions take over, or she was bound to make a mistake she would regret.

No matter how tantalizingly wonderful those emotions felt right now.

Groaning softly, Serena broke the kiss.

Startled, Darrell stared at her. A mix of emotions warring inside her, Serena stared back at him. For several long seconds, neither said a word, their faces so close their heavy breathing mingled.

Then suddenly, they both jumped apart.

“I think—”

“We need to—”

They spoke at the same time, then stopped. Quiet, they again stared at each other. The confusion on Serena’s face matched how Darrell felt.

“Cecil,” said Serena softly.

“Yes, Cecil.” Darrell took another step backward, putting much needed space between him and Serena. Yet he couldn’t stop looking at her. The rise and fall of her breasts with each ragged breath mesmerized him.

Serena promptly crossed her arms over her chest.

And Darrell promptly looked away. Good Lord, what had happened to him? His hormones were raging out of
control as if he were a horny teenager. He wasn’t acting like a man who’d traveled a few hundred miles to find his brother, but rather like one who’d come here hoping to score a piece of ass.

And what an ass…

“We should go,” Serena said.

Serena’s voice was like a splash of cold water in the face.
What is wrong with me?
He gave himself a mental kick in the butt to smarten the hell up.

“Yeah, we should,” Darrell agreed. “Yes, it’s time to find my brother.” He clapped his hands together and inhaled deeply. Then he turned and started for the door. He needed to get outside, and the sooner the better.

In the foyer, Serena bent forward as she slipped into her sandals, once again giving Darrell a delicious view of her butt. Man, was she doing this on purpose, or was she completely clueless to the fact that she was torturing him?

He reached for the door.

“You want to separate or go door-to-door together?” Serena asked as she stood tall.

“I think it’s best if we do it together. I mean,
go door-to-door
together.”

“I know what you mean,” Serena said.

Darrell met her eyes as he reached for the door. The mix of desire and confusion mirrored exactly what must have shown on his face.

“Yeah, I’m sure you do,” he said after a moment.

“I do,” Serena assured him.

Darrell opened the door. A cool breeze swept over him, for which he was grateful. “All right,” he said softly. “Let’s do this.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“Cecil, sweetie,” Virginia called from the bedroom. “Come on back to bed.”

“In a minute, baby doll,” Cecil replied.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” Virginia crooned, ending her words with a loud, lustful moan.

Cecil rolled his eyes. God, the woman was insatiable. All those studies that said older women were much more comfortable with their sexuality than their younger counterparts were definitely true.

Not that he minded, but right now, he had more pressing concerns than sex. He paced the living room floor, waiting for Eddie to return his call. Eddie still wasn’t answering his home phone, nor his cell, but he usually responded to his beeper.

He damn well better respond, Cecil thought, gritting his teeth. It was going on ten minutes since he’d beeped Eddie, and still Virginia’s phone hadn’t rung.

Sighing, Cecil made his way to the living room window. As was his habit these past couple weeks, he pulled the blinds back ever so slightly and peered outside.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Thank goodness. Not that he expected any problems here, but one could never be sure.

He’d been hiding out at Virginia’s house in Aventura for the last week, ever since Melanie had kicked him out of her Fisher Island home because her husband had returned from his overseas business trip. Melanie had proved to be a nice distraction, but she was a tightwad, and he didn’t mind the fact that he’d had to find somewhere else to go.

Hopefully, he could chill here for a while, because Virginia didn’t have a husband who would walk through the door at any minute. And Virginia was much more prone to parting with her deceased husband’s well-earned dollars.

But he didn’t want to come right out and ask. That wasn’t his style. So he’d dropped hint after hint that he needed money. Virginia could easily write him a check for a hundred thousand, but this time, she was playing deaf. Probably because after the last time she’d helped him out of a bind, he hadn’t kept in touch with her as he’d promised.

Women were all the same. After a while, they wanted to get serious, no matter how much they said they didn’t. Even the older broads, like Virginia. He’d started off as her boy toy, someone to satisfy her because her much older husband couldn’t, but now that her husband was dead, Cecil knew she wanted him around on a more permanent basis.

Hell, he’d just have to deal with that reality. At least she’d taken him in, no questions asked. It hadn’t been hard. A few compliments, a few strokes in the right places, and she had been begging for him to stay with her.

Though she was happy to have him around full-time, she hadn’t given him a dime.

Maybe he was slipping. He used to know how to play women right to get from them just what he needed, but in the last little while, he’d made some mistakes. Those mistakes had gotten him into the predicament he was in now.

If only Darrell were around. He still couldn’t reach his brother and couldn’t help wondering what was going on with him.
Was
he off on some romantic getaway?

The phone finally rang, and Cecil dove for it, answering it after the first ring. “Where the hell have you been?” he barked.

“Sorry, man,” Eddie replied.

“Sorry? Eddie, you know I’ve been trying to reach you for days. What the hell is going on?”

“I’ve been busy,” Eddie replied, as if that explained everything.

Cecil ground out a frustrated breath. “All right, give me the dirt. Did you find the buyer?”

Eddie spoke so softly, Cecil couldn’t hear. “What’d you say? Speak up, man.”

“Sheila’s sleeping.”

“I don’t give a damn about Sheila,” Cecil retorted. “Did you find the person who bought that jewelry or not?”

“Not.”

“You
didn’t?
”

“Yet,” Eddie qualified.

“Damn it, Eddie. Don’t you realize this is life or death for me? You
have
to get that jewelry back, you understand?”

“The guy didn’t want that other piece you offered him?”

“No, he didn’t want that necklace,” Cecil replied testily. “I already told you that.”

“Right.”

Cecil pulled the receiver from his ear, stared at it, and frowned. Sometimes he thought he was dealing with the world’s biggest idiot.

Putting the receiver back to his ear, he said, “Who can I call?” It was high time he took control of this situation.

“Man, I already told you I can’t give out my contacts.”

“Fuck your contacts,” Cecil said. “This is my life.”

“Relax, man.”

“
Relax?
”

“Yeah, relax. You’re gonna give yourself heart failure before Rex ever gets ahold of you.”

“Thanks,” Cecil replied wryly.

“I’m gonna call my sources again, okay? Then I’ll call you back. Will you be at this number for a while?”

“Yeah, but don’t call me till I beep you again. Okay?”

“All right. Give me a few hours. Well, it’s Sunday morning, and people are probably still hung over—so give me until this evening.”

“Whatever.”

“Hang tight, man,” Eddie said.

Easier said than done, Cecil thought, as he hung up the phone.

As Darrell and Serena walked down the long, winding driveway outside Cecil’s house, Serena said, “You mentioned before that you weren’t sure if you should pass yourself off as Cecil today. I’m kinda thinking you shouldn’t.”

“I decided I won’t. I think it’s better that I admit I’m Cecil’s brother. That’ll probably be my best chance to get info about him.”

When they reached the sidewalk, Darrell paused. “Which way?” he asked.

“This way.” Serena pointed to the right.

“Okay.”

Pivoting on his heel, Darrell headed the way Serena had suggested. The first house to the right had a long curved driveway, much like Cecil’s. While Cecil’s house was a pale
peach, this one was a pale yellow. Both houses were large with stunning landscaping, and Serena couldn’t help wondering why this house didn’t have a gate.

Still, as she and Darrell headed up the driveway, she was wary. People who owned houses like this were routinely paranoid about trespassers; she hoped they didn’t react badly to seeing two strangers on their doorstep.

At least no dog barked crazily when Serena and Darrell reached the door. Darrell rang the bell.

Several seconds later, a woman who looked to be in her early sixties answered the door. Quelling Serena’s fears, the woman smiled brightly when she saw them. “Hey, there,” she practically sang. “What brings you by today?”

Darrell smiled back. “Hello. Um, you probably think I’m my brother. He lives next door.” When the woman gave him a confused look, Darrell added, “I’m his twin.”

“Oh.” She chuckled. “Well, how nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Darrell said. “Look, I don’t mean to bother you, but I’m wondering if you can tell me when you last saw my brother.”

The woman pursed her lips, deep in thought. “Hmm. Not for a couple weeks, at least. Why? Is something wrong?”

“No,” Darrell responded without hesitation. “I thought I’d surprise him with a visit, but now that I’m here, he isn’t. It’d be just my luck to show up here and he’s gone out of town, touring the world or something. He’s got a lot more free time than I do.” Darrell chortled. “Does he by any chance get you to watch the house when he’s gone?”

The woman shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“Well, thanks anyway.”

Darrell and Serena got the same response at the next two houses, and at two houses across the street. Yes, the neighbors had seen Cecil around, but no, they didn’t know where he might be. And no, they didn’t water his plants when he was away.

“I don’t know, Darrell,” Serena said. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. With Cecil having a condo on the beach, maybe he didn’t spend much time here.”

“Let’s try a couple more houses on the other side of the street, then call it a day.”

Again, Darrell led the way, and Serena followed. At the front door of the next house they got to, Darrell rang the bell. They waited.

As he was reaching for the bell again, the door swung open. A gorgeous petite black woman, dressed in a white silk robe, appeared.

Her eyes registered first shock, then anger, as they narrowed on Darrell.

“Hello,” Darrell said.

“Hello?” the young woman replied, then guffawed. Her eyes darted to Serena, then back to Darrell. “How
dare
you?”

Oh, no.

“Let me—”

But before Darrell had a chance to say a word, the woman drew her hand back and slapped him across the face.

Son of a bitch! Darrell thought, his hand flying
to his face.
Not again!

“I can’t believe you’d have the
nerve
to show your face here,” the woman hissed. “And with…” She looked Serena up and down with distaste. “With some
tramp
!”

Serena’s hands flew to her hips. “Tramp?” she replied, taking a step forward. This from a woman who answered the door in her lingerie? “Lady, you don’t even—”

“Wait a second,” Darrell interjected. He gripped Serena by her upper arm and pulled her back. Serena’s eyes flashed fire at him, but he gave her an expression that told her to let him handle this. Then he looked at the woman again. “Please, just give me a minute to explain.”

“Explain? Oh, that’s beautiful. There is no explanation for what you did to me. I will never, and I mean
never
, believe another word that comes out of your mouth.” She
paused briefly, pain filling her eyes. “How could you treat me the way you did? After everything we meant to each other…”

“You really ought to listen to what he has to say,” Serena stated in a straightforward tone, making a marked effort to curtail her anger. After all, the woman’s wrath wasn’t really directed to her or Darrell, but to Cecil.

“You shut up,” the woman snapped, wagging a finger at Serena. “You have nothing to do with this.”

Serena gaped at the woman, then at Darrell, before once again turning her stunned face back to the woman. The anger returned full force, and Serena squirmed, trying to break free of Darrell’s grip. But he held her tighter, pulling her backward as he took a few steps away from the door.

“Down, Slugger,” Darrell said.

“Did you hear how she talked to me?” Serena protested. “That is rude to the nth degree—”

“What, you want a piece of me?” the woman taunted.

Serena was so livid, her nostrils actually flared.

“Let’s go,” Darrell said.

“She slaps you in the face, insults me, and you don’t even want to tell her the truth?” Serena asked, appalled.

“You think she’s going to listen to reason?” Darrell retorted.

“That’s right, Cecil,” the woman said. “Take your tramp and get off my property. Before I call the police.”

“You don’t even know me,” Serena yelled over her shoulder as Darrell dragged her away.

“Forget it, Serena,” Darrell told her.

But Serena didn’t want to forget it. She’d never met
anyone so rude in her entire life! Tramp? No one had ever called her a tramp before, and she sure as hell didn’t appreciate it now.

“Don’t come back,” the woman continued. “Oh, and you should be happy to know that I lost the baby.”

At those words, Darrell halted. If Serena wanted to break free of his grip, she easily could have now. But she no longer cared about telling the woman a thing or two about her attitude. She was too absorbed in watching the grief-stricken expression on Darrell’s face.

“What did you say?” Darrell asked.

“I lost the baby. You can call my doctor if you still don’t believe I was pregnant.” She squared her jaw. “So now, there’s nothing more tying me to you.” The woman’s voice trembled as she spoke the last words, and whirling around, she hurried into the house. A moment later, the door slammed shut.

“Oh, my God,” Darrell muttered. A sick feeling swam in his gut. His brother had gotten this woman pregnant? For Christ’s sake, hadn’t he learned a damn thing during his thirty-one years? Cecil knew firsthand what life had been like with an absentee father, so why the hell would he want to pass on that legacy?

Darrell had no doubt that with the lifestyle Cecil led, his brother wouldn’t be a part of any child’s life he might have. Hell, a kid needed a father. Cecil was a big boy and he knew better. If he was going to get involved with different women, how could he do so and not take better precautions?

“Darrell?”

Serena’s voice was soft and pain-filled, and Darrell’s gaze fell to her.

“I don’t know about you,” she began, “but I’ve had enough of this. At least for now.”

“Me too.”

Darrell took one last look at the woman’s house before turning and heading to the sidewalk. Serena fell into step beside him. But seconds later, when he rounded the corner to Cecil’s driveway, Serena veered away from him, hustling to the Viper.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what she was feeling. Even he couldn’t believe how much of an SOB his brother apparently was. The reality was clearly too much for Serena to cope with.

Serena yanked on the passenger side door, but when it didn’t open, she slammed a palm against the Viper’s hood. Then she dropped her head on the roof.

A lump formed in Darrell’s chest the size of Key West. Slowly, he approached her. “I’m sorry,” was all he could say.

“Open the car door,” she said.

“Serena.”

Determined eyes met his. “Open it.”

“Serena, I know this is hard. My brother’s turning out to be a bigger slime ball than I ever imagined. God, all I can do is apologize.”

“Pregnant?”

Darrell could only shake his head with disbelief and chagrin. “As unfortunate as it seems, it’s probably best that she lost the baby.”

Serena’s eyebrows shot up as disbelief crossed her face. “How can you say that? A child is precious—”

“And deserves to be raised by two loving parents. A kid needs a father, Serena. Cecil is a prime example of what can happen without one.”

Serena didn’t say anything, just slumped against the car. She wanted to tell Darrell to take her back to the condo so she could retrieve her car. When she’d agreed to join him in his search for Cecil, she had no idea she’d learn he was a first rate pig. Maybe the search for Cecil and her family’s heirloom simply wasn’t worth her pride.

She drew in a few calming breaths, and as she accepted the extent of Cecil’s deception, she rethought her position. She’d learned the worst about Cecil the day she’d discovered the necklace gone. Anything else—like him being involved with a thousand other women—wouldn’t be worse than that. She could only thank the Lord that she hadn’t given him her heart and body as well as her material possessions.

Her pride wasn’t an issue. She’d do whatever it took to get her family heirloom back. How could she not? God willing, they’d find Cecil by the end of the day—and she could have the satisfaction of wringing his neck before she headed back to work tomorrow morning.

Serena looked at Darrell. He wore an expression filled with disappointment and sadness. More pain filled her heart—for Darrell. Yes, this was hard for her because she’d been lied to, scammed, and robbed, but how hard must this be for Darrell? She tried to imagine what it would be like if she learned that her sister was a criminal. The thought was incomprehensible.

Serena pushed away from the Viper and started for the front door of the house. Quietly, Darrell followed her.

As he unlocked the door, he said, “I’d be happy to take you home, if you want. I give you my word that I’ll contact you the moment I find Cecil.”

It was a tempting offer, yet Serena said, “No. I said I’d help, and that’s what I intend to do.”

“God, Serena. I feel bad, and I’m not in your shoes. If what we’ve learned so far is any indication of what we’re going to find out, this search is going to be full of disappointments for you in terms of how much of an asshole my brother was to you.”

“I’m over it.”

“Are you? I saw your reaction to that woman’s news that she was pregnant.”

“I was surprised, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to play tough, Serena. I know this isn’t easy.”

“What do you want me to do? Tell you how much of a jerk I think your brother is?” She gave him a pointed look. “I’m sure you’d appreciate that.”

Darrell shrugged. “If that’s what you need to do.”

“Come on. I know you have a sense of right and wrong, but Cecil is your brother. I wouldn’t want anyone badmouthing my sister to me, no matter what she did.”

“I’m sure your sister wouldn’t do what Cecil did.”

“Never.”

“Exactly. You obviously had a Cosby family life. Mine was the exact opposite of that. Yeah, Cecil’s my brother, but given everything he’s done, I have no right to get upset with anyone who badmouths him.”

“Cecil’s already done what he’s done. Going home and moping about it won’t help me get my necklace back.”

“No, but—”

“No buts,” Serena said. “What do you want to do next?”

Darrell wasn’t sure why, but he was happy that Serena
refused to leave. He wasn’t quite ready to say good-bye to her.

“How about we take a break?” he suggested. “Get some food.”

“That’s a good idea. Coconut Grove is a really neat place. Have you been here before?”

“No.”

“Then let’s get a bite to eat at Coco Walk. I can also show you my store. Well…the store I’d thought was going to be mine. Maybe it’s still available.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Darrell asked. “I mean, what if it isn’t available any longer? Why torture yourself?”

“There’ll be another storefront, Darrell.” Serena spoke with confidence. “Seeing it again will make me more determined to succeed. I
will
open an antiques store one day.”

Darrell liked Serena’s spirit. She carried on in the face of adversity, refused to fail when others in a similar situation would have thrown in the towel. “All right.”

“Let’s drive closer to the downtown area, park, then do the tour of Coco Walk and area. It’s very scenic.”

Darrell agreed, and after a quick stop in the house to grab his wallet and Serena’s purse, they were on their way.

“Wow,” Darrell said as he cruised along Grand Avenue. “You’re right. This is beautiful.”

“This is the heart of Coconut Grove,” Serena explained. “If you hug the right, that will take you to a marina. You should see the boats down there.”

“You want me to go that way?”

“No. Stay straight. See that on the left?”

Darrell checked out the three-story structure with
walkways and escalators that led to various shops and eateries. “Yeah?”

“That’s Coco Walk. It’s like a city block within a block. It’s filled with shops and restaurants from casual to upscale. There’s even a platform in the center, where there’s nightly entertainment. Salsa dancers, Latin bands. That sort of thing.”

“Sounds fun.” Not that Darrell knew the meaning of the word. This trip to Miami to search for his brother was as close as he’d come to taking a vacation in years. “Where should I park?”

“Whoa,” Serena said, pointing to the left. “That guy’s leaving.”

Indeed, a man in a Mercedes was pulling out of a spot by a meter. When the man drove off, Darrell spun the Viper around and easily slipped into the spot.

He parked and got out. By the time he rounded the car to the sidewalk, Serena was putting money in the meter.

“That should do it,” she said.

“Thanks,” Darrell told her.

“No problem.” She secured her purse strap over her shoulder. She and Darrell started toward Coco Walk.

“You want to eat first,” Serena began, “or do you want to see the store I was telling you about?”

“Let’s check out the store.”

“It’s off the main road, but still in a high traffic area.” They strolled past Coco Walk. At the light, Serena started across the street and Darrell followed her. A crowd of people walked between them, and once they hustled by, Darrell reached for Serena’s hand.

“Lot of people out here,” Darrell commented.

“Uh huh. I’m telling you, this is a great location for a store. For any business.”

Serena stopped walking when she reached the sidewalk. Three roads diverged at this intersection—the one that housed Coco Walk, the one that led to the marina, and another smaller road that led to fewer attractions.

Darrell looked in the direction of marina. “Which way?”

Their hands still joined, Serena twisted her body toward the smaller street. “This way.”

She headed down the less populated road. Mature palm trees added to the beauty and serenity of the street and its upscale boutiques and outdoor restaurant patios.

“Quick,” Serena said, pulling Darrell across the street when no cars approached. As their feet hit the sidewalk, Serena abruptly stopped. Her hand tightened around Darrell’s.

“This is it.”

Though she could have released his hand as she scurried up the walkway to the store, she didn’t. And Darrell found he didn’t want her to.

“It’s small,” Serena said, “but it was all I needed.” Her eyes were wide with excitement as she looked up at him. “On the left, that’s where I planned to have my pottery display. I got some wonderful California pottery at an estate sale. It’s not quite antique—something has to be a hundred years old to be officially antique—but it’s highly collectible, and since the Great Depression, the value of the pottery has gone up substantially.

“And on the right,” Serena pointed in that direction, “I figured I would have a display of antique dolls.”

“Dolls?”

Serena glanced at Darrell. “Oh, yeah. You wouldn’t be
lieve how many different kinds of dolls are out there. And let me tell you, there are some serious doll collectors. Fanatical, almost.” Serena chuckled.

“I never would have guessed.”

“Oh, yeah. Porcelain dolls, rag dolls.” She paused. “You see that little ledge right there?” She pointed to a spot near the base of the window. “I’ve got this set of turn-of-the-century Victorian quilt pillows. Just gorgeous, and in immaculate shape. They would be perfect right there, along with this fabulous American quilt I found at a flea market.”

“Where do you have all this stuff?” Darrell asked in wonder.

Serena spun around. Her face literally shone as she gazed up at him. “I have a small storage unit with most of the items,” she explained. “Other pieces are in my apartment.”

“How long have you been collecting antiques?”

“Oh, at least a few years. Well, that’s when I started seriously, with the intent of opening a store.”

Darrell found himself smiling. Serena’s excitement was contagious.

“Gosh, I’m probably boring you with all this.” She stepped away from the store and started down the walkway toward the main sidewalk. Darrell grabbed her hand, stopping her.