Black Lace (15 page)

His eyes glowed with sensual mischief. He loved playing with her. “Didn’t you like it?”

“I did, maybe too much.”

His grin met hers. “Then my job here is done.”

Lacy grabbed up her clothes. “I’m going to get in the shower.”

He nodded. “Me too. Can I join you?”

“Only if you’re going to behave.”

“Behave like whom, what?”

Lacy said, “We’ll figure it out when we get there. Race you!” And she took off.

He jumped up and took off after her. “No fair. You take all my strength and then you want to race.”

He ran her down and scooped her up while she screamed with laughter. He stood there for a moment, just holding her and looking down at the sparkle in her eyes. Drake knew that at that moment, he would give up NIA if he had to in order to have her.

Lacy saw the emotion in his face and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just enjoying being with you, that’s all.”

“I’m having a good time too.”

He kissed her softly, then carried her upstairs to the shower.

By the time they washed, made love—another new experience for Lacy—and washed again, over an hour had passed.

The remainder of the evening was spent in the basement theater room watching DVDs on the big screen mounted on the wall. The large room was decorated like an old movie palace, complete with heavy velvet drapes, a couple of soft leather couches, comfy red movie seats, a large stand-up air popper, and a well-stocked bar. The large DVD and VHS library held titles that covered everything from the original
Cotton Comes to Harlem
, starring Godfrey Cambridge, to the modern day Lord of the Rings trilogy.

By the time the credits for
For Love of Ivy
, starring Sidney Poitier, began to roll, Lacy’s eyes were so bleary and she was so tired, she said to Drake, who was cuddled on the sofa beside her, “I need to go to bed, Your Honor.”

He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “Me too. Can I walk you home?”

Lacy looked up at his smiling and handsome face. “Yes, you may. In fact, you can even come in and spend the night.”

“Now that’s what a brother likes to hear.”

Taking her by the hand, he led back through the
house and upstairs to the bedrooms. The king-size bed was more than large enough for two, so they got in, snuggled under the covers, and Drake said to the computer, “Lights out.”

The female voice said softly, “Thank you. Good night.”

Lacy laughed in the dark.

Drake pulled her close. “What’s so funny?”

She made herself comfortable against his strong chest and thighs and reveled in the feel of his arms around her. “All this high tech takes getting used to. The computer isn’t taping what’s going on in the house, is it?”

“Lord, I hope not.”

She laughed again.

He kissed the top of her head. “I need to go to sleep. I am one whipped mayor. I was the one in Cleveland earlier today, remember.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you walked. You flew, remember.”

He tickled the base of her spine. “Are you saying I don’t have a reason to be tired? I drove here too.”

She giggled and arched away from his fingers. “Excuses, excuses. I wanted another lesson.”

He laughed. “Go to sleep, woman. You’ve had two lesson already tonight.”

“Thought you were supposed to be Dr. Lovemaster.”

“Who?” He laughed.

She turned and faced him in the dark. “Dr. Lovemaster.”

“I’ll show you Dr. Lovemaster.”

Before she could blink, he lifted her, and she came to rest laughing and stretched out on top of his hard chest and legs. “Is this Lesson Three?”

His hands were moving the thin fabric of her black lace nightgown sensually over her hips and languidly up and down the backs of her thighs. “Yes. It’s called ‘Riding.’”

She kissed him softly and passionately. “Riding what?”

“This…”

Lacy stilled, then said with surprise. “Really?”

Drake couldn’t help it, his laugh filled the room. Lacy Green was one of a kind, and he was having the time of his life. “Yes, really. Are you ready?” he asked before slipping a hand beneath her gown and teasing the honey-filled place he wanted to claim as his own forever.

Lacy purred, “Yes.”

So Drake, aka Dr. Lovemaster, gave her a lesson she never ever would forget, and after she screamed out the answers for the final exam, they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, they hopped into the car, swung by a fast food place for coffee and a bag of breakfast, then took off up the road to see Holland State Park. Lacy loved the view of the water that lined the narrow road they were on. There were small buildings on the shore, and boats of all shapes, sizes, and colors tied up at the slips and at the docks. It was so early in the day, Lacy saw no other cars. It was so early, in fact, the ranger booth at the entrance was unmanned. But the
gates were wide open, so Drake drove on through. He followed the cement road past parking lots and a sign that said
CAMPGROUNDS
, but she had her attention set on the large blue expanse of water that stretched across the horizon. She couldn’t get over the spectacular view. Who knew Michigan was this beautiful?

He parked the car on the edge of the parking lot overlooking the water. Soft jazz was playing on the CD, and Lacy couldn’t imagine a more perfect scene. To their left was a long concrete pier that extended out into the water. A couple of fishermen bundled against the still brisk April weather stood on the edge tending their lines. Gulls of all sizes lazily circled the marble blue surface, looking for food and enjoying the bright morning sunshine. “This is wonderful,” Lacy said, taking in the peaceful vista. “How long have you been coming up here?”

“Since I was real young. I had an uncle who worked in Holland, and he would drive us out here for picnics.”

“Can we get out?”

He grinned. “Sure. It’s probably pretty windy, so grab your gloves and your hat.”

Lacy put on her gear, buttoned up her pea coat, and stepped outside. The wind hit her like the force of nature that it was. Laughing and howling, she turned her back to its force. The wind was laced with grains of sand that hit her face like tiny stinging bees. But the wind and the view and the peacefulness were exhilarating. She raised her face to the elements, closed her eyes, and like a little kid, enjoyed nature’s assault.

Drake watched her reactions and knew this woman could really be the one. Instead of complaining about the cold or the wind, she was embracing it. He’d driven women to this spot who’d refused to get out of the car, but Lacy grabbed his hand and they set out across the winter-hard sand for the pier.

After leaving Holland Sate Park they turned onto Port Sheldon Road. According to the map in her lap, Port Sheldon snaked up the coast to Grand Haven, where another state park waited. Along the way they talked, laughed, and asked each other questions.

“Favorite sport?” Drake asked.

“Football. Yours?”

“Basketball. Are you having a good time?”

“I’m having a great time,” she said from the passenger seat. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“No?”

“No. I’ve had dinner dates and movie dates but never a see-the-lake date. You’re setting the bar pretty high.”

“Good.”

Grand Haven had another spectacular view. They were now twenty miles north of their starting place at Holland. Lacy looked out at the water from where they were parked and asked, “This is the same lake?” The water once again covered the horizon.

“Yep.”

Out on the water she could see men and women in wet suits standing on what looked like surfboards with a sail. Once the surfers were able to catch the air
currents, they skimmed across the blue surface as if it were made of glass.

They left Grand Haven, stopped at a chicken place to get some take-out lunch, then headed northwest for their last stop, the big state park in North Muskegon. And what a spectacular place it was. The entrance was lined with tall pines on both sides, and the road rose higher the farther they drove. When the road crested, the water sparkling like diamonds in the sun was all they could see. It took Lacy’s breath away. “Lordy.”

Drake understood. “No matter how many times I come up here, the first look at the water always blows me away.”

Lacy had to agree, and feasted her eyes on the sight. He turned left and took them toward the ranger station. It was mid-afternoon, and the booth was manned by a short squat brunette in a brown uniform. She took the money Drake offered and gave him a blue sticker for his window. She gave them a polite nod and Drake drove on.

He found a place to park in a lot on the shoreline, then they took out their lunch. There were no other cars in sight, and it gave Lacy the feeling that she and Drake were the only two people in the world.

After lunch he had a surprise. Reaching down beside his seat, he popped the lever for the trunk. “When was the last time you flew a kite?”

“It’s been years.”

“I have a couple in the trunk. Wanta try them out?”

Lacy’s grin spread across her face. “You have thought of everything, haven’t you?”

“I try.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. He finally pulled away and they got out to get the kites. The wind was less forceful now than it had been down south in Holland, but the breeze was still stiff enough to make it a perfect day for flying. The kites were cheap and easy to assemble. Lacy had Sponge Bob, and Drake had Spider-Man.

Lacy had flown a ton of kites during her Girl Scout days. Flying kites was like riding bicycles: Once you get it down, you never forget. Holding the guide string attached to Sponge Bob in one hand, she let him fly on a short leash while she walked around the small dune she’d climbed to test the direction of the wind. Drake, on the other hand, was down on the deserted brown beach running like a kid in a kite-flying commercial, but Spider-Man refused to take off. A smiling Lacy shook her head, then called out, “It’s never going to go up like that.”

Above her head, Sponge Bob was pulling at his leash. He’d caught the wind and was ready to fly to the sun. Lacy slowly let out a few feet of string, and Bob climbed. The more string she gave him, the higher he went. Soon, all the string had been let out and Bob was a speck in the sky, twisting and playing on the currents.

Drake watched her prowess with his mouth open.

Lacy saw the look on his face. Feeling Bob tugging, she walked in the direction that he wanted to go and called down to Drake, “You have to stand still first,
otherwise Spidey can’t catch the current. Come on up here, the wind’s better.”

Drake climbed to meet her, and a few moments later Spidey joined Sponge Bob in the sky.

Lacy had such a good time, on the ride back to the house in Holland she knew she was grinning like the village idiot, but she couldn’t help herself. The day had been wonderful. She didn’t know any men who kept kites in their trunks, especially none who didn’t seem to care that she could beat him flying them. She supposed that quality came from Drake having grown up with older sisters, but whatever the reason, his easygoing manner made him endearing.

Drake had enjoyed the day as well. “So, do you want to do this again?”

Lacy met his eyes. “As often as we can. I love it here.”

“Then we’ll put it into the rotation.”

By the time they made it back to Myk’s house, they were both exhausted and starving; it was something about being in the open air that had stoked their appetites. As soon as they hit the door, they heated dinner, then sat back and ate in a companionable silence.

Later, after the sun went down and they’d both showered and changed into comfy clothes, they were cuddled together on the couch in front of the fireplace. The lights had been dimmed by the computer. A nice CD was playing through the speakers, and once again Lacy was content. “Can we stay here forever?” she asked.

He squeezed her gently. “Sure.”

“If only we could. You have to go back to running the city, and I have to go back to a crazy man and find out if my friend Councilman Parker is our serial dumper.”

Drake went still. “What?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then she told him about the information she’d gotten from the HazMat. “Only three companies in the state handle the disposal of those specific chemicals, and Parker Environmental is one of them.”

“Now that is real interesting.”

NIA wanted Parker for murder, and Drake couldn’t help but wonder if her investigation would impact their own. He couldn’t tell her to back off without giving her a vital reason, because she would definitely demand one. Down the road the Parker issue might turn into a bone of contention between them, but for now he wanted to sit here with her by his side and wonder if she’d like to make love again.

To test the waters, he turned and asked her with his kiss. She responded with a heated yes, and they began the dance.

On Sunday afternoon when Drake pulled into her complex and waved at the guard on the gate, Lacy felt sad. Their interlude had been perfect in every way, and now she had Monday to look forward to.

He cut the engine. “Why so glum?”

“I don’t want to come home,” she said in a little girl’s voice.

He chuckled and traced her cheek. “I certainly
didn’t want to bring you home. We’ll go back soon, I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

They shared a long kiss, then got out of the car to go inside her building.

Once inside her apartment, Drake said, “How do you feel about having a bodyguard?”

She shrugged. “Mama wanted to call the Fruit.”

Drake stared. “Of Islam?”

“Yep. She says she has a connection.”

“Remind me to never make her mad.”

Lacy smiled. “She’d never be mad at you. She thinks you’re cute.”

He eased an arm around her waist and gently pulled her to him. “And what does her daughter think?”

“She thinks the mayor’s head is big enough. Another compliment and it may explode.”

He kissed her to pay her back. When they came up for air, he held her against his heart and said, “I have a friend named Walter McGhee who is real good at keeping people safe. I’d like him come over and hang out with you for the next few days.”