This Time (2 page)
Authors: Ingrid Monique
Chapter 2
“Wha' yu' think?” Lori asked as she stepped from the dressing room, modeling an elegant maternity evening dress in peach chiffon. They were in a boutique on Main Street uptown, St. Pala. Kelee looked at her sister and nodded with approval; it was the perfect dress for her. They had been shopping for a dress for the past three days and Kelee was getting tired. They had an important political fund-raiser to go to tomorrow night, and they had to find something for Lori today. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to choose from on the island where high fashion was concerned. The dress her sister had on was overpriced, but that was the way it was in the Caribbean. Anything designer and imported was overpriced. Now if they were in New York, Kelee knew they would have gotten the same dress for half the price and it wouldn't have taken them this long to find one.
She did like the dress Lori had on. It accentuated her belly, yet still managed to flatter her figure. This was definitely the one. They would look no more.
“This is definitely the one,” Kelee said, as she inspected the dress closer. The dress was off the shoulders and fell in layers to floor. It was absolutely perfect. They were not leaving the store without it.
“It's so hard to shop for events when yu' pregnant,” Lori commented, checking her figure in the mirror with a frown.
“No more looking; this is the one,” Kelee told her. This was the sixth dress Lori had tried on since they had been in the store. They had been to three other shops since morning and found nothing, until now. This dress would definitely do.
“I like it,” Lori agreed.
“Good. Let's pay for this and get some lunch; I'm hungry,” Kelee said. Lori headed back into the dressing room to remove the dress. It was almost two
P.M.
, way past lunchtime, and her stomach had been protesting for the last hour.
P.M.
, way past lunchtime, and her stomach had been protesting for the last hour.
Kelee took the dress and went to pay for it while Lori got back into her own clothes. Minutes later they left the shop in search of food. They were uptown so there was an array of exotic trendy and local restaurants to choose from.
“What's good and close by?” Kelee asked. They were standing on a busy sidewalk just outside the store. The hot afternoon sun beat down on them. Kelee wiped away the sweat forming on her upper lip as she slipped on her shades.
“Tali's. It's just down the next street.” Lori led the way.
“This is good,” Kelee said as she enjoyed her fresh lobster pasta salad. Kelee paused and smiled at Lori, who was busy with her curry-coconut shrimp and rice. They were seated in the patio area of the restaurant. It was bustling with a late afternoon crowd of regulars and tourists. St. Pala, like most islands in the Caribbean, had an eclectic mix of cultures. It was an island rich in minerals, sugar, and coffee. The economy was growing steadily with new businesses. Most of the east and west ends of St. Pala catered towards tourists offering some of the most exquisite resorts in the Caribbean. Downtown St. Pala City was the financial center of the island, with its bustling businesses. Downtown was the heart of St. Pala. It offered the best of everything. Kelee loved to shop here because it offered the best bargains on the island.
As Kelee watched her sister eat, she smiled, knowing she was eating for two. Lori gazed up at her and smiled, sipping her fruit punch. While they waited for dessert, Kelee went to the bathroom. When she made her way back to the table, she saw him. From his profile, she could tell he was fine. He kissed Lori's cheek, smiling down at her. The first thing Kelee noticed about him was his muscular physique; he wasn't big or bulky, he was just right. His polo shirt clung to his incredible biceps. Nice, very nice. She smiled.
“How yu' doin'?” the man asked, touching Lori's belly. Kelee noted his deep, rich Caribbean accent, definitely a native. He definitely worked out, she could tell by his muscle tone. She wondered what he looked like naked. She paused in her steps. She didn't even know the man and here she was lusting after him. For all she knew he was probably married with kids. She looked at his hand; no wedding band. That still didn't mean anything. A lot of married men didn't wear their wedding rings.
“Good. Good to have yu' back.” Lori smiled up at the man. Kelee's eyes traveled down the rest of his body: nice ass and nice thighs. Damn, he was fine. As if sensing her, the man looked up and paused. His face was borderline perfect with a square jaw and a slightly straight nose. He had smooth caramel-colored skin, his hair black and wavy. His lush lips were inviting. Kelee reached the table; she kept her gaze locked on him. The man continued to stare at her from behind his shades. Kelee wished she could see his eyes.
He straightened up to his full height. He was almost six feet and he smelled good. He continued to stare at her. She wondered if he was as intrigued as she was. After all, he was staring, which was a good thing.
“Sean, this is my sister Kelee. Kelee, Sean St. John,” Lori introduced them with a wide grin on her face.
“Nice to meet yu', Sean.” Kelee smiled and extended her hand to him.
Sean took her hand as he took off his shades. Slanted hazel eyes met hers. Suddenly Kelee had a feeling that she knew him, but from where? She had seen those eyes before, but where? She couldn't place them.
“Kelee.” The way he said her name with such familiarity sent thrills down her spine. Kelee searched her brain trying to figure out where she knew him from, but nothing clicked. Why was he so familiar?
“Sean, join us?” Lori suggested.
“Can't, I have a meetin'.” He glanced at Lori.
“Yu' must come by for dinner so we can catch up,” Lori insisted.
“I'd like that,” he said and looked at Kelee with such knowing intensity that it made her even more curious. If he didn't know her, then he obviously knew of her. “Kelee.” He nodded to her, then hurried off. Kelee watched him disappear into the restaurant.
“So who is he?” she asked casually as she sat down. Lori smiled, digging into her pineapple upside-down cake.
“Fine, isn't he?”
“Excuse me, married lady.” Kelee glared at her, amused.
“I'm married, not blind; plus, I was referrin' to yu'.”
“Who said I was interested?” Kelee responded.
“Yu' eyes did.”
Kelee was a bit embarrassed. Had she really stared at him that badly? “Leave my eyes out of this.”
“Don't worry, yu'll see him again at the party tomorrow night.” Lori grinned.
Kelee had to admit that the idea of seeing Sean St. John again excited her. There was something about him.
“Yu' still haven't told me who he is.”
“He's our minister of security.”
“He's a cop?” Kelee couldn't help but be disappointed on hearing he was a cop. She frowned and shrugged.
“He's more than a cop, he protects the entire island,” Lori added.
While Kelee didn't care for cops, she couldn't help but wondering about Sean St. John.
“What's his mix?” His slanted hazel eyes had her curious.
“His mother is Chinese and his father is West Indian. He's single and much sought after.” Lori bounced her brows at her.
Kelee got the hint. “I'm sure he is.” Kelee grinned. “As fine as he is.”
Lori laughed, finishing off her cake.
Sean St. John barely paid any attention to what Carl Wess had said during their business lunch. Kelee Kingsly was all he could think about. She was back in St. Pala. He had prayed for this day for the past ten years; now it was here. What he didn't expect was her not recognizing him. Another surprising fact was that she was Lori's sister. He had known Lori for years, had always heard her talk about her sister in New York, but he had never thought they would be the same person. He knew at least four different Kelees, so the name wasn't foreign to him. He never thought to put them together.
Sean had met Kelee on the beach while he was staying on the west coast at his father's beach cottage. When they had first met he was going through his Rasta phase, with long dreads and a full beard. Granted, he looked a lot different then, but how could she not recognize him? The memory of their five-night love affair was still fresh in his mind. She was the first woman he had fallen in love with, the only woman he had ever loved.
Kelee was seventeen when they met. The attraction was immediate and electric; the intensity of their passion was still fresh in his mind. The nights they had spent together exploring each other bought back pleasurable memories. He was twenty-one at the time and thought she was at least nineteen, until she told him her age after they had made love and he had discovered that she was a virgin. The way she had come on to him, he would have never thought she was untouched. She knew what she wanted and he was more than willing to give it to her. She had wrapped him around her little finger with her incredible budding body. She still had that incredible body, only more matured. She had filled out nicely; he recalled her now fuller breasts and rounded hips. She was cute then, now she was stunningly beautiful. After five nights at his beach house totally enthralled in each other, she had disappeared. No good-byes, nothing. Now she was back and she had no idea who he was. The thought of it made him laugh.
Sean headed downtown to his office. As usual, the streets were swamped with traffic and vendors, taking him an extra ten minutes before he reached the municipal building parking lot. The municipal building reflected its colonial heritage with its stippled roof and slated windows. The municipal building housed a number of government offices. His office, which was the Office of Defense, was housed on the first floor of the building. He made his way down the old marble corridor to his office. His receptionist Clair was gone for the day. He tapped on his partner Jack Henry's half-open door to let him know he was in the office.
In his office, Sean unholstered his gun, which he wore behind his back, then dropped into his plush chair. His office was large, with a view of the back parking lot. The walls were lined with file cabinets and in one corner sat a shelf of surveillance equipment. He was about to make a call when Jack walked in, tapping on his door.
“Wha' yu' have on Mike?” Sean asked Jack Henry as he sat behind his desk. Jack was his right-hand man, and a damn good undercover special agent. Jack was a tall, thick, dark-skinned man with haunting, cold green eyes. His eyes gave him an intimidating look, which worked well in their line of work.
“The boat was clean.” Jack frowned. His heavy voice boomed off the walls. Sean shared in Jack's disappointment; they had been watching Mike Curve for the past year. Curve was a businessman and a ruthless killer who used his business and his connections to traffic drugs on and off the island. Curve was a hard man to touch, mainly because he remained so visible, and of course there were his connections on and off St. Pala. Getting to Curve was proving to be more and more difficult as the days went by. Not being able to catch him was starting to frustrate the hell out of Sean. Curve knew he was after him, and was good at eluding him. But Sean was determined to bring him down no matter what it took. Drugs were starting to destroy his island and he would do anything to stop it. One way or the other he intended to get rid of Curve.
Sean's most recent victory over Curve was taking down three of his men in a drug bust off the north coast. That was three months ago. Drugs were still leaking into St. Pala, and his job was to put a stop to it. Not being able to get to Curve was starting to frustrate Sean; he needed something tangible on him and he needed it soon! But Curve had too many people in his pocket, which made it damn near impossible to get to him. To make matters worse, Curve's legitimate businesses on the island provided cover for him. But Sean knew he would slip up one day, and he would be there to get him.
“So we have no'ting,” Sean said, frustrated.
“He has too many eyes.”
“We need to put out his eyes.” Sean knew he had to get working on Mike's informers or he'd get nowhere fast.
His thoughts drifted to Kelee, and he smiled. Kelee was a whole different matter, a pleasurable one. Her return to St. Pala was at a bad time, but he would make do with the time he had to deal with her.
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