Sex, Secrets and South Beach (30 page)

When Sparks heard a knock on the door,
he assumed it was room service. "Come on in," he yelled from the
bed while flicking channels on the TV. Police stormed his suite
after the bellman let them in.

"Jonathan Baker?" a butch female
officer questioned.

"Yeah?" Sparks answered, puzzled and
alarmed.

"You are under arrest for assault,"
she replied gruffly.

"Assault of whom?" he asked, already
knowing the answer.

"One Leilani Hong Thomas," she
informed him before slapping handcuffs around his
wrists.

In the darkness of her
bedroom, Dez could feel
every cut of
Bentley's muscular body as she caressed him.

"I've missed you so much," she
breathed into his ear.

"I've missed you too, baby girl."
Bentley grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Dez
felt her insides melt and her head spin. Quickly, she removed her
clothing before dropping to her knees to fiddle with Bentley's belt
buckle.

"No, baby. Not tonight," Bentley told
her before scooping her into his arms and placing her on the bed.
Before Dez had a chance to object, he was between her legs, softly
licking the center of her womanhood. Dez threw her head back and
allowed herself to enjoy the sensations washing over her body. He
pleased her with his tongue until she was quivering, begging him to
enter her. When he did, Dez wrapped her legs tightly around him,
putting all the passion she had inside into making love to him
until he climaxed, shuddering and holding her tightly as he called
her name.

They awoke the next morning to Ginger
banging on the door.

"It's open!" Dez muttered, her face
buried in the pillow.

"Turn on the TV now! MTV!" Ginger
commanded. Dez did what she was told. MTV News flashed a picture of
Sparks across the screen.

"Turn the volume up," Ginger ordered.
"Bentley, wake up! You need to look at this. You need to call your
brother." Ginger pointed at the screen.

The VJ broke the story of Sparks's
arrest in Miami, showing footage of a past interview with Sparks,
along with a tearful Leilani walking out of the police station
escorted by a lawyer.

"What the fuck?" Bentley asked,
rubbing his eyes.

"Bentley, your brother was arrested!"
Ginger exclaimed.

"What?" Bentley snapped to life. "For
what?"

"For assault," Ginger
relayed.

"Of who?" Dez asked, knowing but not
believing the answer and thinking that assault seemed totally out
of Sparks's character, though she'd put nothing past
Leilani.

"Your girl, Leilani." Ginger shook her
head and gave Dez a cautionary look. Dez felt her stomach lurch.
What the hell had happened? Did Sparks tell Leilani about their
tryst? She had to know.

"Bentley..." Dez began with fear in
her eyes and a trembling voice. She was afraid for both Bentley and
herself, and the future of Titanium Records.

"I'm on it. Don't worry, baby girl.
Everything is cool," Bentley reassured Dez with confidence. But no
one watching the broadcast was totally sure of that.

G
inny, I know that you have a man and a life
and
all, but do you
think that you could stay a few more days?" Dez pleaded with her
friend, her eyes childlike. They were in the kitchen, where Ginger
was fixing a snack for them. Ginger wasn't scheduled to return to
Miami for another day, but Desiree sensed that she was going to
need her friend's shoulder to lean on for longer than that. The
arrest had shaken her to the core because she wasn't sure whether
or not Sparks and Leilani's altercation was related to
her.

Bentley had left the house in a rush,
his cell phone attached to his ear. He kissed her and told her that
he loved her before he left, but Desiree felt like he was walking
out of her life for good again. She hated feeling so insecure, but
she couldn't seem to help it. She had already lost him once and
barely had him back. She was afraid that their reunion had been a
dream and that any minute she would wake up and discover that he in
fact did hate her and had not forgiven her at all. Everything was
so up in the air, so out of control. There was simply no telling
what the day would bring, and that scared her.

"Sure, I can stay," Ginger agreed. "My
man understands; we talk every day. I can stay as long as you need
me to."

"Well, it won't be that long. I just
need you to stay while we deal with this drama with Sparks and
Leilani. I don't really want to be alone right now."

"Girl, I understand. This has got to
have been quite an emotional roller coaster for you."

"Yeah. It's just one thing after
another."

"So what's up with your girl?" Ginger
asked, referring to Leilani. "What do you think
happened?"

"I can't call it. Leilani has a hot
temper, but Sparks is very mild-mannered. He's a laid-back, cool
type of motherfucker. My bad, Ginger. I can't stop cursing," Dez
apologized, and Ginger brushed it off with a wave. "Maybe things
got a little too heated. I just can't imagine Sparks beating up any
woman, though. Not like Leilani claimed he did. I'm just scared she
found out about me and Sparks or something," Dez
continued.

"Well, we'll know soon enough. When is
Bentley's flight supposed to get to Miami?" Ginger
inquired.

"The lawyer said by the time Bentley
got to Miami, Sparks would already be out. He doesn't have a
record, so arranging for bail is gonna be standard. He's gonna meet
Bentley at the airport, and then they're going to come back here,"
Dez explained.

"Sparks isn't going to have to stay in
Miami until the case is heard?" Ginger asked.

"I thought about that, and I asked
Bentley. He said that the lawyer assured him he had it all under
control. Famous last words, right?" Desiree smacked her lips in
disgust. She had a general distaste for lawyers. She'd met a few in
her day, especially since the business with the tape. She saw how
manipulative and calculating they could be, and she couldn’t trust
any of them, not even her own personal attorney, who'd looked over
her record deal.

"I'm sure Sparks has an excellent
team. And maybe you should have a little faith yourself. They are
handling a lot of your business, you know," Ginger told
her.

"I guess you're right." Desiree
sighed, still divided on the issue. "But lawyers get paid very well
to lie. They'll probably say anything to justify how much they're
charging!"

"Well, Sparks has the truth on his
side. At least, from everything you've told me about him, he seems
to. Good always prevails," Ginger said optimistically.

"Does it?" Dez retorted
sardonically.

"Sure it does. Don't you believe
that?" Ginger seemed shocked.

"Sometimes...but not
always."

"Well, it does," Ginger said with
finality. "Anyway," she said, changing the subject, "how is Sparks
gonna feel about a stranger in his house while he's going through
all of this?"

"He'll be cool. You're family." Dez
smiled, and Ginger smiled back.

"Dez, are you scared?" Ginger asked,
catching Dez off guard.

"Yeah," Dez answered.

"You shouldn't be. I'm here for you,
you know this. But where do you think that I'm getting my strength
from? I mean, it has to be coming from somewhere, right?" she asked
candidly.

"You're just strong, Ginger," Dez
reasoned.

"Yes, I am, but why?" Ginger raised an
eyebrow.

Dez shrugged. "I don't
know."
Some people are just tougher than
others
, she thought.

"Sure you do," Ginger told her. "It's
from God."

Dez said nothing.

"Desi, when you're faced with trouble,
you've got to lean on God. You've got to humble yourself and admit
that you don't have all the answers. You have to ask Him to show
you a way."

"Okay. And so then God just shows you
the way? I mean, I'm not trying to act funny, but I pray. I really
do. I still don't understand half the things that are going on
around me. What's up with that? Where is God when I really need
Him?" Dez asked.

"Everything isn't for you to
understand right now. You have to be still to hear his voice. And
don't look at it like you're testing God to see if he has an
answer. He does. You don't. You have to be open to hear the answer.
Be still and just trust in Him. Believe in something that you can't
really see or hear. You know He's there. That's what faith is.
Besides, if He weren't there, you'd be dead, wouldn't you? If He
weren't there, you wouldn't be here."

Desiree hesitated. "I
guess."

"There ain't no guess to it, Desi. You
either believe or you don't. You can't straddle the fence on this
one. This is your salvation!" Ginger said, a serious expression on
her face. Desiree picked at her fingernails.

"I need to ask you a question,
Desiree. It's the most important question you will ever have to
answer," Ginger stated dramatically.

"Go on," Dez replied.

"Are you saved, Desiree? Is Jesus
Christ your Lord and personal savior?"

"I guess so," Dez answered. She knew
what it meant to be saved. She thought she was, before Ernesto and
the foster home and the strip clubs. But when she really thought
about it, Jesus hadn't seemed to save her from much.

Ginger stared directly into her eyes.
"Have you ever asked him to forgive all of your sins? Have you told
him that you believe that he died on the cross so that you would be
saved from hell? Do you believe that no matter what, you're going
to heaven?"

"Well, yes, I did ask him to forgive
my sins. I do it every day. And I know that what he did at Calvary,
dying for us, is supposed to save us."

"Why do I sense that there's a 'but'
coming?"

"But me go to heaven automatically? I
doubt it. But then again, maybe you're right. I've already been
through hell," Desiree added.

"This is serious," Ginger said. "If
you've asked Jesus to come into your heart, to forgive you your
sins; if you believe in what Jesus did for us and that he's your
savior, then you're saved. Now, you've got to make an effort to
live a righteous life. You can't just go around doing whatever you
want and go 'Oh but I'm saved.' There are rules to life. They're in
the Bible. But God already knows where you're going to fall short.
And He's already forgiven you. Look, I know that this is a lot to
digest right now, but think on it, okay? I mean, really think about
what it means to have faith."

"Okay," Dez agreed. "I'll think about
it. But I don't think that I'll ever see things the way that you
do. I don't think I'll ever have as much faith as you."

"Oh, I'm pretty positive you will,"
Ginger stated matter-of-factly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Duh! Faith, Desiree, faith." Ginger
rolled her eyes at Dez, making her crack up.

Dez and Ginger spent the
day in Manhattan as a
distraction,
stopping in some of the fancy stores and boutiques that lined
Madison Avenue. Prices were mad steep for just about everything,
but Dez indulged her friend and herself in two outfits from
Lacoste.

"Pretty conservative, huh? You
couldn't have told me that we'd be rocking twin sets and plaid
pants a few years ago!" Ginger giggled.

"I know that's right. But this is cute
in a Palm Beach kind of way. Besides, I can wear this when I want
to be low-key. No one would ever recognize me in this getup," Dez
said, laughing.

"Yeah, but you look classy. Plus,
you'd be surprised how funky you can make that outfit look with the
right accessories. You know, a Kangol, some funky shoes, and a
unique bag. I bet if anyone saw you, you'd start a
trend."

"Don't make a sucker's bet, Ginger!"
Dez teased, and they burst into laughter, leaving the store with
their booty in two large shopping bags. They had a late lunch at
Tavern on the Green before making the long trek back to the
Hamptons. The day had been an excellent diversion from the current
situation.

"You know, I've been thinking about
all the things you told me. You know, about having faith and
everything. Ginger, you've been right. I need to trust in the Lord
a whole lot more. It's like this song they used to sing in my dad's
church, 'Noways Tired.' There's a line in there that
says..."

"'I don't believe he brought me this
far to leave me,''' they said in unison.

"You're right, Desi. He didn't bring
you this far to leave you. And now he's going to take you even
farther."

"I've also decided that when the heat
blows over, maybe after the BET Awards, I'm going to share my
story," Dez said. "There are some legal issues that will need to be
sorted out, of course. But I'm ready to fess up. There are probably
so many girls out there, just like me, just like us, who think that
they're all alone. They think that no one understands, and no one
cares. Maybe if they know that I survived, and I made it, they'll
find a way too. I'm not saying I have all the answers, but I think
I'll be able to make a difference."

"Oh, Desi! I think that's a wonderful
idea. If I can help you in any way, you know that I will. I'll even
volunteer my future husband's help! He can't say no to me," Ginger
joked. "But I know he wouldn't want to say no." She looked at her
engagement ring.

"I can't wait to meet this man. He
sounds like a helluva fella," Dez said.

"You'll have a chance soon," Ginger
told her. "His schedule is hectic, but he'll make the time to meet
you. I know he's dying to. I used to talk about you all the time.
He used to pray with me, that somehow you'd find me."

"I've got an idea!" Dez said, snapping
her fingers. "Why don't you guys come to L.A. for the BET Awards?
My treat, of course."

"Are you serious?" Ginger asked. Dez
nodded enthusiastically "Well, then, heck yeah! Consider it a
date!"

Ginger and Dez had barely been home
for two minutes before the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is," Dez said,
visibly on edge. "Like I said the last time, no one ever comes by
unannounced. And they have to get buzzed into the gate."

"Not this again, Dez. Dang! There's
only one way to find out; answer the door."

"It's probably Bentley and Sparks.
Maybe Sparks forgot his key or something. It is about time that
they arrived. They probably just punched in the access code and
came on in."

"Gosh! Stop jaw-jacking already. Oh,
forget it! I'll get the door. You've been so jumpy," Ginger
exclaimed, and opened the door.

Leilani stood on the doorstep, her
hands on her hips. "Who the fuck are you?" she said
contemptuously.

"Excuse me? I should be asking you the
same question. How did you get in?" Ginger retorted. Leilani and
Ginger, both over six feet in heels, stood face-to-face.

"Where is Sparks?" Leilani demanded,
attempting to push her way into the mansion.

"Oh hell no! Are you Leilani?" Ginger
clapped her hand over her mouth in astonishment.

"Ginny, who's at the door?" Dez
stepped into the foyer and stopped dead in her tracks. "What are
you doing here? How'd you get to New York so fast? Oh, you're crazy
as hell! I see I'm gonna have to kick your ass again!" Dez started
toward Leilani.