Saving All My Lovin' (6 page)

Stephanie visibly shuddered. She wrapped her arms around her body and slowly rocked back and forth in the chair. “I could have stopped him,” she murmured like someone coming out of a deep sleep.

“How? He’s a grown man who apparently had one thing on his mind. How were you going to stop him?”

“I have a gun.”

Barbara’s hand flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp. “What?” she hissed, her eyes wide in shock. “Are you crazy?”

“I think I could have done it,” she said so softly Barbara wasn’t sure she’d heard her.

“You think you could have done it,” she repeated. She craned her neck forward. “You would have actually shot the man, maybe killed him. That’s what you’re saying?”

Stephanie looked away, tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.

“Steph.” Barbara came from behind the desk and bent down in front of her. “Look at me.”

Stephanie glanced up.

“This is serious hon. A helluva lot more serious than some fling with your boss. And now he’s showing up here.” She shook her head. “He has to be stopped.” She jumped up.

Stephanie grabbed her by the wrist. “Barbara, please, leave it alone. I can handle Conrad.”

“With a gun!” Her expression was a roadmap of worry and concern, veering off in several directions at once.

“We’re going to get security for the spa. I’ve had my locks on my apartment changed and I’m going to change my number.”

Barbara paced. She wondered if Stephanie had enough skill to put a positive spin on the police carting her away after shooting her ex-lover. Lawd. She pushed out a heavy breath.

“Look, I want you to promise me that if he even thinks about coming near you, making threats or making you feel uncomfortable in any way you go straight to the police. ’Cause, Steph, I swear to you, if you don’t I will. And you know I’ll do it. I love you girl, and I’m not going to sit back and let something happen to you.”

That declaration set off a new bout of tears. Finally Stephanie pulled herself together. “I’ll be all right.” She sniffed and snatched a tissue from the box on the desk and wiped her eyes and nose. “And I’ll follow your advice. I promise.”

Barbara gave a short snap of her head. “And get rid of that gun.”

A
nn Marie stepped outside of Pause and began walking down the street to where she’d parked her car. The meeting she’d just left with the girls still had her head spinning. The very idea that Stephanie was perhaps being stalked by her ex-lover was unnerving to say the least. Although she didn’t go into details, Ann Marie was sure that there was more to the story than Stephanie was telling and it was pretty clear Barbara knew more than she let on.

She took a quick glance over her shoulder—just in case—and tucked her purse more securely beneath her arm. You just never knew when a lover
was going to flip, she thought as she disengaged the alarm on her car. One minute they could be the most sweet, loving person you’d ever met, the next a stalker or worse—a long lost husband who wasn’t lost at all.

She got in the car and pulled off several moments later. When she came to a stoplight, her cell phone rang. Without looking at the number she reflexively pressed the telephone icon.

“Hello?”

“So you weren’t going to return my call?”

The center of her chest knitted into a tight knot. “Terrance.” She blew out a breath. “What is it?”

“Why did Raquel move out and into an apartment?”

“What does that have to do with you?” Her temples began to pound.

“She’s my daughter, Mari.”

“It hasn’t mattered to you all these years. No sense in claiming to care now.”

“You took that option out of my hands a long time ago when you stole my daughter and disappeared.”

Her heart raced at an unnatural clip. “Stole your daughter!” She laughed to keep from screaming. The light turned green. She stepped on the accelerator with such force she shot through the intersection, her tires screaming.

“It was wrong Mari. You know it was wrong. No one has the right to steal a child from its parent. All those years I can never get back—we can never get back.”

“Don’t try to make me feel guilty, Terrance. Don’t you dare.” She turned the corner on two wheels, screeching to a halt at the next light.

“It broke my heart.”

Her throat clenched.

“You never knew that did you?” The lilt of his voice caressed her in hidden places.

She swallowed. Her eyes stung. “It was a long time ago, Terrance.”

“But I haven’t forgotten. You were the only woman I ever loved, Mari. No matter what you may think.”

“I don’t want to hear this, Terrance. Not now. It’s too late.”

“It’s never too late to make amends.”

Her hands were shaking. She put the car in Park, squeezed her eyes shut. “It is too late,” she murmured. “I’m not the same girl.”

“Yes, I know. And I can’t wait to see the woman you’ve become. You remember how it was between us, Mari?”

Her nipples hardened as she stifled a moan.

“Do you?” he whispered in her ear.

“I…I have to go.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

The call disconnected.

Her body trembled with a need she’d kept in abeyance. Just his voice, just the mere mention of what they once had turned her into a cat in heat.

Focus girl, focus. Put Terrance out of your mind. You have a date with a great man. Terrance Bishop is the past. Sterling Chambers is the present and maybe the future. Focus.
She repeated the mantra all the way to her apartment.

Ann Marie made quick work of taking a shower and changing into a pair of jeans and a freshly starched white blouse. She freshened her makeup and fluffed her shoulder-length hair. She’d just purchased a pair of three-inch heels made of denim that she’d been dying to wear. This was the perfect outfit. She checked her appearance in the mirror. Satisfied she hurried out. Baring any late evening traffic, she should arrive at Sterling’s place right on time.

Sterling opened the door and a slow smile of appreciation spread across his mouth. His dark eyes rolled down her body then up to her eyes. He leaned forward and put a light kiss on her lips.

“Hey.” He took her hand and ushered her inside. “Welcome.”

“…to my lair said the spider to the fly,” she joked.

Sterling chuckled. “Naw, nothing like that. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Can I help with something?”

“This is your night. Maybe you can do the honors next time.”

“Love to.”

“Want a drink?”

“Sounds good. What are you having?”

“Brandy.”

“I’ll take a short one with ice.”

“Coming right up.” He walked toward the bar on the far side of the simple but totally contemporary living room.

Ann Marie followed him into the room and looked around. He definitely had good taste, she observed. Understated and classy.

The butterscotch colored leather sectional looked soft enough to melt in your mouth. A low, smoked-glass table and two smaller matching ones were the focal points of the room, that is until she noticed the entertainment unit. It rose almost to the cathedral ceiling and was at least six feet in width. A state-of-the-art stereo system sat on the top of the multilevel unit. Set directly in the center was a plasma-screen television, the size of which she’d
never seen before. One vertical cabinet held an innumerable amount of CDs and actual albums. The other cabinet held DVDs and VHS tapes. He certainly must like music and movies, she thought.

She walked around and took in the two art pieces that hung on the wall. Both were abstracts in brilliant colors with a focus on the butterscotch color of the sectional.

“Here you go,” he said, coming up behind her with her drink.

She turned and took the drink. “You have a great looking place.” She sipped her drink.

“Thanks.” He glanced around absently. “It’s comfortable.” He walked over to the stereo, lifted a remote control and turned on the music. Kem drifted sensuously into the room. “So, how did everything go today after I left? You all looked pretty busy.” He walked toward the couch and sat down.

Ann Marie took a seat. She smiled. “We stayed busy right up to closing.” She shook her head slowly. “It’s really quite incredible how well things have taken off.” She leaned back against the plush leather. “Terrance called,” she said softly and glanced at him above the rim of her glass.

“Oh.” His eyes jerked in her direction then away.

“What did he say, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“He wanted to know why our daughter Raquel moved out.”

His brows rose. “Why did she move out?”

Ann Marie looked away. “It’s a long story.”

“We have the whole night.”

She sighed then leaned back in her seat. “She moved in a few months ago. Left her husband. Or should I say her husband left her—for another man.”

“Whoa. One of
those
brothers.”

“Seems so. When she left she came to me. It was hard at first. Raquel and I have…never been very close. But then we seemed to be making some headway. She helped out a great deal with the opening of the spa. I found out things about my daughter that I’d never known.” She smiled sadly. “Then this thing with her pops…”

He sipped his drink thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t explain why she moved out.”

Ann Marie stood and walked toward the bar, thought about refreshing her drink but changed her mind. She kept her back to Sterling. “We had a falling out about her father.” She turned to him. “I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

Sterling blew out a breath. “Done. If you want to…I’m always willing to listen.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

Sterling got up. “Dinner should be just about ready.” He walked to the kitchen. He turned off the oven and opened the door, pulling out the pan with the steaks and baked potatoes. What had happened? he wondered as he put the tray on the counter. He wanted to get to know Ann Marie. But the more he found out, the less he actually knew. Maybe getting involved with her and all her issues was more than he bargained for.

He took two plates out of the over-the-sink cabinets and placed them on the counter. But there was something about Ann Marie that moved him. For all of her tough exterior there was a softness underneath that longed to come out. He wanted to be the one to open that door. Terrance Bishop, he thought, spooning the food onto the plates. What kind of man was he that could leave such an impact years after he’d been long gone? It was clear that he still shook Ann Marie. Was her reaction to him simply one of old memories and bad vibes or did she still care about the man she remained married to?

He walked into the living room with the plates. When he saw her standing in front of the windows she looked so tiny and vulnerable. He was going to make it his business to wipe Terrance Bishop out of her mind and, if need be, out of her heart.

“Dinner is served, Madame,” he said in a very bad British accent.

Ann Marie turned, a gentle smile on her face. Sterling’s insides shook just a little. Yes, he was going to make her forget.

“We can eat in here.” He placed the dishes on the table. “I’ll get the salad.”

“I’m impressed,” she said crossing the room and sitting on the couch.

Sterling winked. “I have all kinds of skills and talents.”

“I’m sure.” She spread the napkin on her lap. “Is this something you do for all your lady friends?” She cut into her tender steak.

He shrugged slightly. “I don’t make it a habit if that’s what you’re asking.”

She put a piece of steak in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “It seems that you know all about my dirty laundry and other than where you work and live I know nothing about you.”

He grinned. “I’m used to being the one who asks the questions.” He wagged a finger playfully at her and did a pretty good imitation of Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in
The Godfather
. “This one time I’m going to let you ask me about my business.”

Ann Marie cracked up laughing. “If you ever quit your day job you could do some stand-up.”
She put down her fork and wiped her mouth. “Well have you ever been married, have any kids?”

“No to both questions. I’m an old-school brother. I have no intention of putting the cart before the horse. I want the wife first then the kids.” He paused a moment. “To be truthful I’m not really interested in a wife either.”

His answer was surprising to Ann Marie. She wasn’t certain if she was disappointed or not. “That’s honest,” she said.

“I guess it’s because I didn’t have the best of role models. My mom and dad had what you would call a dysfunctional marriage. It ended ugly and the ugly ending was the best part. The years getting there…” He shook his head slowly, frowning as the past entered his present. “I grew up thinking that
bitch
and
no-good bastard
were terms of endearment, that the Saturday-night boxing matches weren’t only reserved for television. I got the live broadcast right in my house.” He sighed heavily. “We were poor. I mean really poor. The kind of poor that sits by the window and waits for the welfare check. The kind of poor when your vocabulary only consists of four-letter words and your only form of entertainment is to sit on a bench and watch the world go by while you cuss it out for not including you on the trip.
The kind of poor when you believe that the only way out is down, and drugs and violence are the quickest way to get there.” He looked into her eyes. “I saw and heard things growing up that left a stain on my soul that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to remove.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He held up his hand. “No. It’s okay, really.” His features went through a series of movements. “After dealing with that for years, it hardened me in a way. I never attached myself to anyone. Whatever I did was for the moment—immediate gratification. I guess it came from being deprived of so much for so long. I just want to gobble everything up as quickly as I can and move on.” He reached for his drink on the table and took a long swallow. “Pretty shallow, huh?”

“Not at all. We all have pasts that color our present. What and who we are today is made up from all the little pieces we picked up along the way.”

“Sounds very wise,” he said with a sad smile.

“Don’t know about wise, but I do know that it’s true. The trick is to be able to see all that and learn from it. Some folks are luckier than others in that regard.”

“What have you learned from your past?”

Ann Marie lowered her head then looked directly
into his eyes. “That no matter how far and how fast you run, your past will always catch up with you.”

They were both silent as they listened to their pasts tapping gently on the door, begging to be let in.