A Taste of Temptation (Love Spectrum Romance) (15 page)

“I’ll be fine. Give me the keys back.”

“No way; you driving like that could get us killed. You’re in too much pain to drive anywhere.”

“Stop playing around, Brandi. I’m fine.”

She pushed the alarm key and it didn’t go off. “What’s wrong with your alarm?”

“Someone jimmied it.”

Not letting that stop her, she unlocked the door manually, pulled up the hood and disconnected the alarm. “We can drive it now. Get into the back seat.”

She drove as fast as she could while eyeing Tim in the rearview mirror. Her tears returned. “Had it not been for me being such a big shot with that nut, none of this would have happened.”

“Don’t be silly. This is not your fault.”

In no time, they were in front of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Brandi slowly slipped his jacket and shirt over his bandaged left hand. She handed him the bottle of painkillers from the pharmacy and a glass of water, then helped him get into his bed. “Take one of these and lie back.”

“No, we need to get you home.”

“I’m staying here until you’re better.”

“You know I don’t want you here as long as things are happening to me and my house.”

“Has anything else happened?”

“No. That’s only because I have a sensor camera in the garage now. Whoever the nut is, he’s scared of cameras.”

“Then lie back and let me do my thing.”

“Your thing? What thing is that?” he said with a smile.

“Comfort you; make sure you have everything you need.”

“I do. You’re all I need.”

Her head rested on his bare chest while her fingernails delicately stroked his muscles. “This wasn’t one of your best evenings, was it?”

“Aside from being with you, the entire day was a washout.”

“What happened?”

He did not want to discuss Claire or his brother. “Among other things, I learned that I may have to escort students to the writing clinics at Niagara University; that is, if one of my co-workers can’t reschedule his surgery. Also, the cops gave me hell about having a camera installed in my garage.”

“Why?”

“I purchased one that links my house to the cameras in the precinct. It cost a bundle, and they’re giving me the runaround, claiming that they may be too busy to respond to every incident. What did I buy the darn thing for if they won’t respond?”

“I think something else is wrong tonight.”

“Yeah, like my busted fist.”

“No. Something’s on your mind, and I think it’s your brother. Tell me about him.”

“What made you decide that?”

“I see how you stare off into space when I’m horsing around with Brian. You always seem to go to another place. There are things I need to understand about you, like what happened with Greg.”

“You will never know what that was like, so trying to explain it would be useless.”

“Can’t you try?’

“Look, Brandi, you have a loving relationship with your brother, even though you think you hate him at times, so let’s not get into something you can’t fathom.”

“I want to know everything about you.”

“You would run like crazy.”

“I’m not that demented, despite what Tiffany says about me. Come on, trust me. I want to know what it was like for you in that troubled childhood. Maybe I can make the second half of your life a happy one.”

“You are doing that already. It’s clear that you won’t let up until you hear all the dirt. So here goes. I grew up on the streets, as I told you. I was arrested all the time, and was in and out of foster care more times than I can count.”

“What happened to your parents?”

“Nothing! Dad was too drunk to give a damn about us, and eventually left when I was eleven years old.”

“He just left you and your brother?”

“And my mother, who then blamed Greg and me for him having left—me more than anyone else.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I was more trouble, always harder to understand, tougher to get along with. I danced to my own music and never followed anyone except for my brother. That was a big damn mistake.”

“You just needed more love than what you were getting.”

“I didn’t know what love was until I heard my baby’s heart beat for the first time. And now with you, I really know what love is. I just hope I can give you what you need.”

“You’ve doing it already. That’s why I want us to get to know one another. Tell me more about you and Greg.”

“I don’t know anything about him, really. I haven’t seen him in years. I went to his place to see his new baby, my niece, Destiny. She’s eleven years old now. My daughter would have been about ten years old. Her name was Dorian.”

“I love that name.”

“That’s our story. We had a big falling out years ago, way before Destiny was born. He blamed me for something that wasn’t my fault.”

“What?”

He hadn’t meant to let that slip. “I don’t want to bring that up. It’s involved and sordid, horrible.”

His speech beginning to slur; the pills were taking effect. “Okay, sleepy-time, Tim. I’ll be here with you, so don’t worry about anything.”

“I need to take you home.…”

She sat up, stared at his relaxed face, the face of an angel—maybe hell’s angel, but an angel nonetheless, and she loved him. She once again rested her head on his heaving stomach, needing to be near him, wanting so badly to explore lovemaking with him. Her hand traveled to his zipper, tracing the thick metal, wanting to play inside, but not wanting to awaken him. Instead, she settled for massaging his thighs. When he became fidgety, she stopped.

His groggy voice urged her on: “Why did you stop? That felt great.”

“I can play later. You need to go back to sleep.” His eyes slowly closed and he drifted into a deep sleep. Brandi held him close. She felt closeness was what a marriage was about, love and closeness. She loved being close to this man, and wanted to wake up and lie down with him for the rest of her life.

The flashing lights from Tim’s alarm clock awakened her. She sat up, looked at him zapped of all energy, and decided it was time for her own bed. She called a cab, fixed her hair and took his keys from the dresser to lock up. Sitting on his dresser was a letter addressed to Mr. Gregory Polaris at an address in Schenectady, NY. She quickly wrote down the address, hoping for a chance to get Tim and his brother back together. But she wondered if contacting him would make matters worse. Not knowing what she would eventually do, she shoved the scrap of paper into her purse and waited out front for the cab.

She saw the cab approaching and waved it down so the driver wouldn’t honk, possibly awakening Tim. On the ride down Tim’s street, she saw that familiar red car again. She asked the driver to stop so she could get the plate number, but as she approached the car, it took off and sped down the street. She stared until it was out of sight, wondering if it could be Eric.

CHAPTER 15

Tim woke with a start and looked to the side. No Brandi. He reached for the phone and called her. His hand was still throbbing badly, but nothing could stop him from seeing if she had made it home safely. It was 9:30; surely, she was awake by now. He could hardly wait to hear her sexy voice again.

Brandi caught the phone on the second ring, seeing ‘Polaris’ on the display. “Just the man I was thinking of. How are you this morning?”

“Great, now that I know you made it home okay. Why didn’t you wake me before you left?”

“Because you were sleeping so soundly. That painkillers knocked you straight out.”

“I think it was the beer from the pool hall.”

“How’s the hand?”

“It hurts, still a bit swollen.”

“You hit that guy really hard. It was kind of exciting watching you nail him.”

“I didn’t think my girl was the fighting type.”

“There’s still a lot about me you have to find out about. I like romantic things like having my man cook for me. Are we still on for that tonight, or does your hand hurt too much?”

“Nothing will keep me from cooking for you.”

“Will this cooking be in or out of bed?”

“Maybe both, but let’s not rush things.”

“Never heard a man say that. Men are usually the ones rearing to go.”

“I don’t want to rush with you. I want everything to be perfect. I want what we build to last a lifetime.” He put the phone on speaker and re-bandaged his hand while they talked. “Everything will be as you like it tonight. Oh, that reminds me. I got tickets for Shakespeare’s
As You Like It
, for tomorrow night. You said you wanted to see it.”

“I do. Thanks. So, what are we having tonight?”

“I still have to go to the market, but I was thinking of rack of lamb, mashed potatoes and chef salad, and key lime pie for dessert.”

“I didn’t know you could cook. That’s so exciting.”

“I learned early on, since I was on my own.”

“I’m sure everything will be wonderful, Mr. Timothy. That would be a good name if you ever get your own cooking show.”

“It’ll never happen. I like teaching too much.”

“What time should I come over?”

“That’s not going to happen, either. I will be your personal chauffeur. I’ll be uneasy about you coming here as long as the person behind the attacks on me and my property is roaming free.”

“You have had some trouble because of me, haven’t you?”

“Don’t feel bad about it. Nothing has been your fault.”

“Have you thought about moving?”

“There are nuts everywhere, Brandi. I can’t start running from them. Besides, I like my house, and my neighbors. We all watch out for one another.” He checked the time. “Hey, if I’m going to cook tonight, I’d better get to the market. I’ll be there around six. Is that good for you?”

“It’s perfect.”

* * *

A short while later, Tim discovered a hateful threat spray painted across his truck’s windshield: “She was lucky—this time! Next time will be different!”

He backed away from the truck and looked for the camera attached to his garage. It appeared intact. He removed it and took it straight to the police station to have the footage checked.

That evening, Tim pulled in front of Brandi’s house, and watched as she ran out and hopped inside, giving him a quick kiss. “So, what did my personal chef make me for dinner?”

“Brandi, about dinner, well, I didn’t make it.”

“You didn’t? Why? Was your hand hurting too much?”

“It wasn’t that…”

“Its okay, Tim, we can go somewhere else.”

“I think we will have to. We have to talk, Brandi.”

He looked bewildered and frustrated. “Tim, what’s wrong?”

“A lot.” He started the car. “I’ll tell you after we get something to eat.”

“I think I need to know now, because this is sounding really bad. You’re scaring me. Is it something that concerns me?’

“Ultimately.”

“Ultimately? I don’t understand.”

Tim soon turned into Tasty’s Burgers. “Let’s go in and order something. Then we can talk.”

“I’m going to have an anxiety attack. Can’t we just talk now?”

He got out and opened her door. “I’m sorry about this, but I couldn’t take you back to my house for dinner.”

“Okay, this is becoming maddening. What happened?”

He escorted her to a table and sat across from her. “Brandi, the truck was trashed again. Someone spray-painted the windshield.”

“My God! Were you hurt?”

“I’m fine—now.”

“I did see that red car again. I tried getting the plate number, but they sped off. What was spray painted?”

Their waitress took their order and left. He took Brandi’s hand. “Something to the effect you were lucky to have gotten away with your life last night.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m definitely not kidding, Brandi.”

“Did you go back to the police station?”

“Yeah. I took the surveillance camera with me. There was motion on it, but not enough to make out any real detail. Everything was fuzzy because of the darkness. Whoever it was made sure to stay on the other side of the truck, but I don’t know how anyone could have seen the camera. It was hidden by shingles. You have to get pretty close to the area to see it. It would have nailed them, and someone knew that.”

Their food arrived and they waited for the waitress to leave. “What did the cops say?”

“All they can do is continue to patrol the area and decipher what they can from the tape.”

“Maybe Dad can help with this.”

“What can he do, Brandi? He doesn’t want me near you in the first place. Now with this stuff happening, I’m sure he would rather you not be around me.”

“All Dad is trying to do is keep us apart because of this stupid race thing he has going on.”

“It’s more than that, Brandi. Your life is in danger, so is mine.”

“Then what do you suggest we do about being together?”

“I do have an idea, but you won’t like it. I don’t even like it.”

“Maybe I won’t, so just tell me.”

He fumbled for words, trying to find a simple, calm way to present his idea, but he couldn’t come up with anything but the truth. “Brandi, as I said, your father doesn’t want you at my house anymore; neither do I, until these attacks blow over.”

“Tim, do you want me to be with you?”

“Sure.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Brandi, I don’t want you hurt. Being with me could be dangerous for you. If something were to happen to you, I would die.”

“Are you suggesting we not be together at all? I know we aren’t safe in your house, but there are other places we can go, Tim.”

“You’re not understanding me, Brandi. Someone has something against me, and will apparently do anything to get to me. I don’t know if it’s a race thing, or something else.”

“What do you mean something else? Did you do something to someone?”

“No! I can’t remember every single thing that I may have done in the past, but I can’t remember hurting anyone. I don’t know why I’ve been targeted, Brandi.”

“Look, Tim. Other mixed couples have this problem. Someone doesn’t like them, but they still stay together. Nothing is going to happen to me while I’m with you. Don’t you want to be with me?”

“You know I do, Brandi, and this isn’t a black and white issue. Someone has it out for me, and I don’t know why. The best thing right now is to cool it until I can find out who is doing this. This is hard for me, too, you know.”

“We can work this out. We don’t have to be apart because of Dad’s stupid issues.”

“Can’t you understand? It’s more than his dislike of me. He’s a cop, Brandi. He knows what he’s talking about, and I think he’s right.”

“We don’t have to split up.”

“We’re not splitting up. We are just going to be separated for a little while.”

“How long?”

“Baby, I don’t know how long, but I promise you that I want you with me. That’s why I’m trying to find out what’s going on. Do you think I can stand going to your funeral?”

“You’re taking things out of proportion. We just started dating, and now I can’t have you. This is ridiculous, and too quick for us not to be together.”

“It won’t be long; just long enough to get a handle on everything.”

She pushed her plate aside. “Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Brandi, don’t do this. I know you’re upset.”

“Upset! That’s an understatement. We can still see one another through this. That’s what loving couples do, Tim. I think other things are going on with you.”

“Like what?”

“You’re letting things scare you, like my Dad. He’s finally getting to you. I think this entire race thing is getting to you.”

He stared for seconds. “Cool it with that, will you? The last thing I’m scared of is your father. You have to believe that.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is that the only man that I’ve ever cared about is using excuses to get away from me. Tim, don’t do this. Let me stay with you and work this out together.”

“I wish things were that simple.”

They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, neither one willing to back down. Once in the car, Tim took her hand. “Brandi, please, don’t read anything into this. I just want you to be safe.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“Brandi, don’t cry. Look at your beautiful face all stained with tears.” He kissed her trembling lips, feeling her inner heat and needing her close to him, but afraid to risk it. “I’d better take you home. It was a risk just bringing you out. I had to see you, though.”

He pulled alongside the curb and held her before she got out. “Brandi, I know you’re mad at me, but don’t be.”

“We didn’t have enough time together. I waited for you to leave Madison, and it was a long wait, believe me. Now that I have the chance to be with you someone ruins it. I still think this could be done another way.”

“What way? I’m doing the best thing for us. I couldn’t stand it if you were mad at me. This won’t take forever, I promise.”

“It’s going to feel like it. Dad and I need to talk, because I still think part of this is his idea, and he’s scaring you.”

“Don’t confront him. This is about you and me.” He brought her lips to his, kissing her as though it would be the last time.

She suddenly pulled away. “I can’t do this, not with a man who may not be mine anymore.”

“You will always be mine, Brandi. This is temporary.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“More sure than anything else in my life. I want you, Brandi, but I want you safe first and foremost.”

“Will you call me?”

“Every chance I get.”

He walked her to the door, not venturing any further. Brandi saw his reaction. “Aren’t you coming in?”

“Not for a while. Besides, your Dad might have something to say to me about even being out with you after warning me not to. I don’t want to make things any harder than they already are. You understand, don’t you?”

“I don’t understand anything anymore, but I know you have to do this.”

Their lips met once again before he left her at the door.

Her father met her at the door. “For Christ’s sake; you were out with him, weren’t you?”

“Yes. You know I love him, Dad, so why would you even say that to me?”

“The guy is dangerous, Brandi.”

“I think this is about your funny racial issues and nothing more. The thing is, whatever you said to him worked. He doesn’t want me around, either. Thanks a lot.” She ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom door, wondering if she would ever see him again; wondered if he would call like he said he would.

* * *

Tim called her off and on but was unable to reach her. Each time he called the house phone, her father would hang up on him. On Tim’s sixth try, Mr. Miles answered the phone again. “Is this that crazy ex-boyfriend, Tim, again?”

“Yes, so you might as well call her to the phone because I’m not going to stop calling.”

“She doesn’t want you calling here anymore.”

“Did
she
tell you that or did you come up with this on your own?”

“I don’t have time for conversations with men who ditch my daughter.”

“I thought you would be glad we’re not together.”

“Frankly, I am, but it hurts me to see Brandi crying over a criminal like you.”

“Whatever. Where is she?”

“Out with a friend; a male friend.”

“She’s home, so just let me speak to her for a minute, then I’ll be out of your life—but not hers.”

“My daughter has been crying for two days now. She tried hiding her emotions but her mother got it out of her finally. What did you do to Brandi?”

“Nothing. I’m trying to protect her.”

“Right. I believe that about as much as I believe trees can fly. I told her you would be trouble, and since you are, if I see you on my display again, I’ll find you.”

The phone practically shook in Tim’s hand from anger. “Find me, then. I’m on Lakewood, third house from the corner. I’ll leave the porch light on.” Tim thought about his words and realized that was no way to get back in Brandi’s good graces. “Look, man, I love her and that’s why we are apart for a while. I would never do anything to hurt her. Please, let me talk to her.”

Click!

Tim stood in the middle of his living room holding a dead phone. His heart bled, but what was more important than his own bleeding heart was finding out if his Brandi was okay. He would think of nothing but her that night, and would cuss the insensitive monster making his life hell.

On Christmas Eve, Tim went back to work because he had forgotten his Palm Pilot. Brandi had not turned her cell phone on, and he thinks it was on purpose. He had blown it with her, and he knew it. All he had wanted to do was try and explain his actions again and hope she would finally understand. Her father warned him about calling the house, so he didn’t. But that wasn’t enough to keep him from her. The day before, he went shopping and bought her a present. He, at least, wanted her to have it under her tree. That way, she would be forced to recognize something from him.

He packed the gift into his briefcase, retrieved the Palm Pilot and left. Seemingly within minutes, he had pulled up in front of Brandi’s house. The Miles house was beautifully decorated for Christmas, reminding him of a Christmas palace—something he had never had in his own childhood. Brian was outside shoveling the snow that had fallen the night before. He was torn about going in, not wanting to further hurt Brandi by showing up and not taking her into his life again. A face-off with her father certainly wouldn’t have helped the situation. At that point, the last thing he cared about was Mr. Miles. He wanted to mend Brandi’s heart and tell her they would be together soon. He decided to go in and take his chances.