Ivana’s eyes watered. “I just want to be happy again.”
“So do I,” he insisted. “No reason why we can’t both still be happy with each other if you’ll only meet me halfway.”
She wiped her eyes. “I married you out of love, Trey. I still want it to work between us. Just give me more time. . . .”
Trey touched her warm thigh and felt aroused. “I need you, baby.”
Ivana flinched. “If you want to have sex, regardless of my feelings, just say so.” She opened her legs as though preparing to accommodate him.
Why does she have to make this so damned hard? “It’s not just about sex.”
He could feel her stiffening beneath his touch, and he pulled away.
“It’s always about sex!” she said tartly. “That’s why you ended up in another woman’s bed. You can’t deny that. So let’s just get it over with.”
Trey gritted his teeth. “I’m not a damned pimp, and you’re not a whore!”
Ivana sneered. “I’m the wife of a man who wants to be inside me whether I’m into it or not. What’s the difference?”
Trey’s anger threatened to boil over. He managed to control it, realizing he’d been his own worst enemy and was now paying the price in a big way. He had to take Ivana at her word and believe that with time she would come around and they could be a loving couple again in every sense of the word. To think otherwise would tear him apart.
Right now, he just needed to keep his head together and at least try to pretend things were fine in his personal life. With Clyde coming tomorrow, the last thing his brother needed was to enter a household beset with stress and strain, while trying to start life over without feeling he was walking on eggshells.
Trey shot Ivana a hard look. “I’ve never forced you into doing anything you didn’t want to, and I’m not about to start now. I’ll leave you to your magazine, or whatever.” He didn’t bother to wait and see if Ivana had second thoughts, wanting only to get the hell out of there before either ended up saying something they truly regretted.
It was only after he was out in the hall that Trey began to seriously wonder if they could ever get past the one mistake he’d made. Or was this marriage doomed no matter what?
Ivana watched as Trey left the room without looking back. She had thought he would try a bit harder to spend the night in her bed, but was grateful he apparently got the message.
Damn you, Trey, for being so cool under a fire of your own making.
Ivana threw the magazine on the floor, putting her hands to her face to have a good cry. She didn’t want to live like this any more than Trey did. But she couldn’t simply turn off how she felt just because he wanted her to.
Why did you betray my trust? How can I make myself not hate you more than I love you right now?
Ivana ran thin fingers across her high cheeks to remove the tears. Now was not the time to pity herself. Trey’s brother was coming, and whether she liked it or not, she was determined to at least keep up appearances. After all, this was only a temporary thing. Or so Trey promised. The sooner they pacified Clyde with the welcome mat after his years behind bars, the sooner he would get tired of it and they could send him on his merry way.
Ivana grabbed the remote and cut the TV off. She got out of bed and sauntered into the hall, looking in both directions for any sign of movement.
After determining that Trey was in his shower, Ivana went downstairs and fixed herself a drink. Thank goodness the hired help was not around to snoop and report back to her husband. She downed the martini in one easy swallow and made another for good measure.
Chapter Two
“Last night for you,” Raymond Gunfrey tsked from the top bunk bed. “Bet you won’t be able to sleep a wink.”
“I’ll sleep just fine,” Clyde Lancaster told his cell mate. Yeah, right. How could he even think about sleeping when he was mere hours away from freedom at long last? After spending the better part of nine years incarcerated, the last thing Clyde wanted was to waste one moment unconscious.
He looked up through the darkness at the underside of the bed above, weighed down by Raymond’s hefty frame. It was something Clyde had gotten used to for five years now and was glad it was almost over—taking nothing away from Raymond. After a rough start, he’d become good friends with the man who was probably the one person on the inside who kept Clyde sane.
“When you’re out, be sure to tell the ladies I said hello,” Raymond said.
“You’ll be able to tell them yourself soon enough. Three months and you’re out of here too.”
“It’s seventy-eight days, to be exact. And, believe me, they can’t come soon enough.”
Clyde scratched the stubble on his chin. “Tell me about it.”
Raymond was serving time for armed robbery. Clyde had seen a big change in the man over the years. Still had a hard edge to him, but it was no longer channeled in the wrong direction. This was something Clyde could relate to. He wasn’t looking for more trouble, only a chance to make something useful out of his life while he still had one to live.
“Hey, you awake, Raymond?” Clyde asked an hour later.
“Am now.” He stirred groggily. “What’s up?”
“Just do me a favor, man.”
“All you got to do is ask,” Raymond said.
“Promise me you won’t do something crazy like kick your new cell mate’s ass when I’m out of here—meaning you extend your stay as the State’s guest for no good reason.”
Raymond laughed humorlessly. “You got my word on that. I won’t do nothin’ to jeopardize my release. Besides, I’ve got something to look forward to once I get outta here. Or was that just prison talk about you and me going into business together?”
“Not just talk,” Clyde replied thoughtfully. “When you’re out, look me up and we’ll see what we can do to put some honest cash in both our pockets.”
“Count on it. After surviving this hellish jungle, we can probably do whatever we set our minds to out there.”
“Yeah.”
Clyde turned on his side and wondered about that. Was there really an opportunity to better his life in the real world? Or would it be even harder to get past the barriers separating the haves and have-nots? Had people like his rich brother gobbled up all the roads leading to the good life, leaving nothing but leftovers for those on the outside looking in who only wanted a fair chance to make it?
Clyde thought about his brother. Trey Lancaster was one of the most successful African American men in Paradise Bay, if not the entire country. He’d read more than his share of articles in the business and community sections of the newspaper about Trey. Even caught him on TV once or twice. Seemed like his brother had the Midas touch when it came to making loads of money and leading a life of comfort and envy.
Trey was a ladies man, too. Or at least one lady. His older brother had gotten married a while back, Clyde mused, having seen a photo of Trey’s bride. From all indications, it was a good marriage and Trey was damned lucky to have the eye-catching former model as his bride. Or was it the other way around?
He and Trey had exchanged a few letters recently, which Clyde found uplifting, even if they never really said much to each other as if to risk ruining a good thing. When Trey had offered to put him up ’til he got back on his feet, the pride in Clyde wanted nothing to do with his brother’s charity and pity. But the wiser part of him realized it would have been foolish to let pride stand in the way of common sense. Why not live in the lap of luxury for a taste of how the other side existed? As soon as he could, Clyde planned to be out of there and into a place of his own.
Closing his eyes as though he could shut off troubling thoughts, Clyde lay on his back again. His one major regret in being behind bars was missing his mother’s funeral. He’d wanted to pay his respects to the only person who ever truly cared about him no matter his faults, but the prison turned down this request, not giving a damn as to how much it meant to him.
Sorry, Mama. I k
now I let you down. Wish I could’ve been more like Trey instead of the black sheep of the family. But I’ve changed after being stuck in this hellhole. Hopefully for the better. I’d like to still make you proud someday.
Clyde found his mind wandering to a secret he’d taken with him to prison and probably would to his own grave. It pertained to the very reason he was sent up the river and robbed of nine precious years of his life.
Hanging out with Willie Munroe back in the day had proven to be the worst mistake of Clyde’s life, causing him nothing but trouble. All they did was get high and steal from other thieves and petty hoodlums. Then the moment that changed Clyde’s life forever came when Willie decided to up the ante. He planned to go solo, breaking into Trey’s place, figuring he could come away with enough to finance his drug habit and a whole lot more.
Though Clyde felt it just might teach Trey the lesson that he could be brought down to earth in a hurry like anybody else, the man was still his brother. He tried to stop Willie from targeting Trey, or at least persuade him that Trey was off limits.
But Willie begged to differ, rejecting any change to his plans. The two of them came to blows. And more blows. While Clyde ended up with cracked ribs and a broken nose, Willie suffered far more. He’d gotten a concussion, lost an eye, a few teeth, and very nearly his life. But he had lived, and so instead of facing a charge of second-degree murder, Clyde had escaped with aggravated assault and a shot at freedom while still young enough to appreciate it.
Trey had publicly lambasted him, distancing himself from Clyde like he was poison and no longer his brother. Clyde had been just as stubborn, never telling Trey that he fought the bigger, stronger Willie to try to protect him and what might have happened had Trey and Willie come to blows that fateful night. He’d figured maybe it was best that Trey continued to believe he was nothing but a lost cause. Thay way they could go on hating each other as always, which somehow seemed as though it were meant to be.
Clyde realized now that he had gone about it all the wrong way. He’d had enough time behind bars to understand that. But he couldn’t undo history.
Maybe if I’d been honest with Trey from the start, we could’ve gotten past this and been brothers again instead of virtual strangers all these years.
Clyde decided it was all water under the bridge now. Did no good to rehash a very stupid thing he did, even if at the time Clyde actually thought he was doing something right for a change in having Trey’s back, whether his brother deserved it or not.
He opened his eyes. The clock on a metal table told Clyde that freedom was only an hour away. He could almost taste it, even if bittersweet.
One day at a time to reestablish his life and keep from falling back between the cracks. Clyde took solace in the thought.
Trey waited outside the gates of the Oregon State Penitentiary. Admittedly, he was more nervous than anticipated in awaiting Clyde’s exit from the place he’d called home for the past nine years. What the hell did one say to a brother he barely knew anymore?
Just try and let bygones be bygones. We’ve both grown over the years and can use that as a measure for moving forward.
Ivana had not offered to accompany him and Trey hadn’t asked her to. She would see Clyde soon enough. For now, it was best that the two brothers reconcile their differences as best as possible by themselves.
Trey watched as the man he recognized as his brother emerged from the prison and began walking toward him. He waited as if glued to the spot, then at the last moment decided to take a few steps in Clyde’s direction.
“What’s up, man?” Clyde’s voice was deeper than Trey remembered, perhaps the voice of a man too long without freedom.
“I’m good,” Trey told him, smiling crookedly.
The two now stood toe to toe, awkwardly, as if sizing each other up for a prizefight. Finally, Clyde stuck out a hand and Trey reached for it. It was a firm handshake, and neither pulled away before Trey felt compelled to hug his brother. He could feel Clyde’s hands slapping at his back in return.
“Good to see you, Clyde.”
“Yeah, same here, Trey.”
Trey stepped back and studied his younger brother. At thirty, Clyde was maybe two inches taller at six foot three, bald, and looked to be in terrific shape, which impressed Trey, considering where he’d been for nearly the last decade. Though he could see the soft lines of aging etched on his brother’s forehead, Trey saw this as a sign of maturity, which he hoped would carry Clyde from this point toward a life of responsibility and wise choices.
“Looks like you’ve been working out,” Trey voiced.
Clyde kept a straight face. “Yeah, well, there’s not much else to do behind bars but lift weights, do push-ups, and jog.”
“I suppose.” Trey tried to imagine a life of forced confinement and realized it was something unimaginable.
“Haven’t changed a bit,” Clyde told him. “Still lean and mean with no gray strands in that hair.”
Trey smiled. “There’s a few if you look hard enough. As for the weight, I’ve put on maybe six or seven pounds. I hide it pretty well.”
“No reason to do that. You look great.”
“You too.” Trey met his eyes and felt a little tingle. “My car’s over there.”
Clyde shifted his gaze long enough to peer at the gray two-toned Mercedes. He grinned. “You always did know how to drive in style, big brother.”
Trey grinned self-consciously. “Helps when you own the dealership.”
“Yeah, guess it does.”
They began to walk toward the car.
The drive was quiet to start, each man preferring to wrestle with his own thoughts.
For Clyde’s part, he was simply trying to adjust to the fact that he was actually out of prison and part of the free world again. He had some ideas of what he wanted to do with his life. Making them work was a whole different thing. But hey, after what he’d been through, things could only get better. Or so he hoped.
He looked at the profile of Trey, who seemed deep in contemplation. Clyde wondered if his brother was still the control freak with a his-way-or-no-way attitude. Or had he mellowed over the years? Was he was having second thoughts about putting him up for a while? Maybe the wife was not onboard. Trey hadn’t spoken much about her, and Clyde figured he had his reasons.
It’s probably none of my business. Unless it had something to do with his arrival.
“So tell me about your wife,” Clyde tossed out for better or worse.
Trey never looked at him while saying, “What do you want to know?”
“Well, how’d you meet?”
“At a charity function in New York City.”
“So she took pity on you, huh, bro, and donated to your cause?”
Trey chuckled. “Not exactly. We dated for a bit before things got serious. Then marriage came. It’s seven years later . . . and we’re still together.”
Clyde raised his brow, hearing nothing about love, as if this was something he knew a lot about. He’d been too busy getting into trouble back in the day to get serious with anyone. But that was then, and this is now. “So everything’s cool at home?”
Trey sighed. “Not exactly.”
“Oh. . . .”
“I might as well be upfront about it,” Trey spoke unevenly. “I had an affair six months ago.”
“Is that so?” Clyde’s eyes grew with surprise.
Trey gulped. “Don’t ask me why, because I love my wife and always will.”
“Then I won’t ask.”
“Thanks. Anyway, Ivana ended up having a miscarriage shortly thereafter and things have been strained ever since.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Clyde was more shocked to find out that his can-do-no-wrong big brother had apparently done some serious wrong. Guess he’s human after all. “Especially about losing the baby.”
“I won’t lie, it’s been hard, but we’re trying to work through it.”
Clyde looked at him, ill at ease. “So,
I guess my hanging around isn’t helping your situation any?”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Trey said, stealing a glance at him.
Clyde’s thick brows touched. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. Our problems are just that. Ivana is okay with your spending time with us. She knows you’ve had a tough go of it and wants to see you get back on your feet. Just like I do.”
“I appreciate what you’re both doing for me.” Clyde planned to tell the Missus in person, but wanted Trey to know right now.
Trey gave a half smile. “I know you do.”
“And I plan to get my own place as soon as I can.”
“Take your time. We’ve got plenty of room and a staff who are looking for someone else to cater to besides me and Ivana.”
Clyde nodded. He’d already had enough of people catering to his needs, whether he wanted them to or not, and wanted to do for himself. But he realized that this was the life his rich brother was accustomed to and there was no reason to make any noise when Trey was merely showing his hospitality. He was making it hard to resent him, though such feelings still festered inside Clyde like steam in an engine waiting to pour out. Some things couldn’t just go away overnight, if ever.
“It’s good to be out,” Clyde said, even though he knew there would be a period of adjustment. But freedom spoke for itself.
“I’m happy for you,” Trey told him. “Whatever I can do to help make thing easier, you just ask.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Hey, we’re brothers, first and foremost. Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” Clyde said. He wondered if that was a good or bad thing, considering how much brotherly love or lack of had cost him. But that was over and done with. He’d paid his debt to society and had no desire to bring up something that would only stir up thoughts better left alone.
“Good.” Trey gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.
He turned onto a meandering upscale residential boulevard lined with alternating pine and oak trees. The evening sun was beginning to set and the sky was a mixture of orange, red, and yellow.
The Secrets of Paradise Bay Page 2
