Dreams Deferred (Brooks Sisters Dreams Series Book 2) Read online

  Charles pointed a finger at her. “Don’t even start. I don’t want to hear it. The doctor warned you not to overexert yourself and what do you do? Every damned thing you’re not supposed to including writing all hours of the day and night, not getting enough sleep, lifting boxes and other heavy objects, and volunteering for every bar association activity known to man.”

  Ivy watched the exchange with amusement. It was just like Kathy with her Type “A” personality to overdo it.

  Kathy crossed her arms across her considerable chest and sulked. “But it’s not fair. I can’t even babysit my favorite nephew.”

  Ivy laughed. “He’s your only nephew.”

  That drew a smile from Kathy. “He’s still my favorite. Who’s watching him now?”

  “He’s with my neighbor Luke,” Ivy said.

  Kathy’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t that your former cellmate’s brother?”

  “Yes.” Ivy felt herself getting defensive.

  “Have you checked him out? Does he have a criminal record like his sister? Are you sure Omari’s safe with him? You can still drop Omari off here. Charles can watch him,” Kathy said.

  “No. You need to rest and take care of my little niece in there. The last thing you need is for a two year old to be bouncing all over you. You only have one more week of bedrest. You can handle that. Besides, Luke is great with Omari and Omari loves him to death.”

  It was true. Luke babysat Omari six times over the past three weeks and had done a great job. Omari was happy to see him each time she dropped him off and wouldn’t stop talking about him. She even looked forward to seeing him after class when she went to pick Omari up. They’d fallen into a sort of routine with Luke carrying Omari downstairs and putting him in his bed, then staying to chat with her about anything and everything before heading back upstairs.

  With the chemistry between them and the way he was so good with Omari, it was getting harder and harder to resist the idea of them getting together. However, with everything going on and her track record with men, she wasn’t sure she was ready to start dating again. Charles’ voice brought her back to the present.

  “Are you sure, Sis? It’s no trouble for me take care of little man,” he said. “It’ll be good practice for when our baby comes.”

  “I’m sure,” she said. “You just concentrate on keeping your wife in this bed for the next week following the doctor’s orders.”

  “Oh she’ll stay in bed alright--even if I have to tie her down to it,” he said, his voice coming out in a growl.

  Kathy sputtered, but Ivy could see she was struggling not to laugh.

  Ivy grinned. “Hmm, wasn’t it those kinky sex games that got you two into this predicament to begin with?”

  Charles cracked up. Ivy joined him. Kathy pretended to glare at them, then joined in too.

  ***

  A week later, Zeke sat across from his attorney in an upscale law office on Brickell Avenue. “So, what are my options?”

  “Well, in Florida, child support is usually determined using a chart wherein your income and the mother’s income are looked at to determine the percentage of child support attributable to each of you. The amount is added together and then, using the chart, the court determines how much the monthly child support should be and how it’s divided between the parties.”

  “Well, how much is my share going to be?”

  “It depends on the mother’s income. Do you know how much she makes?”

  “No, but I hear that she’s working as a legal secretary.”

  The attorney raised his eyebrows. “Legal secretaries can make pretty good money. With your income combined with hers, it looks like you’re going to be on the top end of the child support scale. I’d say that you’re looking at paying about $3000.00 a month.”

  “What!” Zeke leaned forward in his chair. “I’m not paying that bitch $3,000.00 a month for some rug rat I never wanted to have in the first place.”

  “You might have to,” the attorney said, “and that doesn’t include back child support, health insurance, payments toward the child’s education, etc.”

  “There has got to be some way I can beat this.”

  “Well, you could get the mother to drop the child support petition. Or, if you could get full custody of the child, then the mother would have to pay you child support.”

  “That would be something wouldn’t it? But if I got full custody, I’d be stuck raising the brat myself or getting one of my bitches to do it. You might be on to something though. If I sue for full custody, that’ll motivate her to find a way to drop the petition. She’ll do anything to keep me from taking the kid.”

  “She may not be able to convince the court to drop the petition. From what I understand, she didn’t file it herself. The State did.”

  “So she was telling the truth about that. Did she consent to it?”

  “I don’t know. I could put in a call to her attorney and try to find out.”

  “You do that. In the meantime, go ahead and draw up the papers for full custody. If she did consent to the child support petition, the threat of losing her son will get her to withdraw her consent. In any event, it will motivate her to fight harder to get the case dropped. If that doesn’t work, I want the bitch to end up paying me child support.”

  “We need grounds for the full custody petition. You say she’s working as a legal secretary and going to school? We can probably use the neglect angle, then. She can’t possibly be spending enough time with her son.”

  “Yeah. That’s good.” An evil grin spread across Zeke’s face. “That kid is spending more time with babysitters than he is with his own mother.”

  Chapter VIII

  Ivy stood with a group of girls on the edge of the dance floor and bopped her head to the beat of the hip-hop music blaring from the nightclub’s speakers. The music was good, the DJ was even better, and the place was hopping. Bodies writhed, twisted, grinded and gyrated on the dance floor in groups, couples and single combinations. Normally, Ivy would be out there getting her groove on too, but she just didn’t feel it. Karen had dragged her out despite her protests, claiming she needed a distraction from her legal problems.

  She turned to look at Karen and smiled. She was still dancing with the cute guy who had asked her to dance almost as soon as they arrived. They’d been out there for three songs already and showed no signs of slowing down. Karen turned and waved at her, a big smile on her face. Ivy waved back, happy that her friend was having a little fun. She deserved it.

  Ivy saw a figure approach her table out of the corner of her eye and turned to look. Her eyes travelled up over a hard male body dressed in black jeans and a nice button down shirt until she found herself getting lost in Luke’s mesmerizing chocolate gaze. She felt her lips curve into a big foolish smile. She couldn’t help herself. The man was just so delicious looking.

  Luke returned the smile. “Hey there.”

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Where’s your partner in crime?” He looked around for his sister.

  Ivy pointed in Karen’s direction. “She’s over there dropping it like it’s hot.”

  “What?” Luke frowned and turned to look.

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “Have a seat, big brother, and let your sister have a little bit of fun.”

  “Huh?” He turned back to look at her.

  Ivy pointed to the chair next to her. “Sit. What are you drinking?”

  Luke settled into the seat. “I’ll have a Heineken. What are you drinking?”

  “I’m having a Cosmo. It’s just about done.” She tipped the glass back and drained it.

  Luke waved the cocktail waitress over and ordered the drinks, then he turned his attention back to her. He had this intense way of looking at her that made her feel as if she was the only woman in the club. Ivy wondered what it would be like to experience all that intensity in bed. She licked her lips.

  “So,” he asked, “why aren’t you out there on the dance floor? And don’
t tell me no-one asked you to dance, as sexy as you look tonight.”

  Ivy grimaced. “With everything that’s going on, I’m not really in the mood to party. Karen dragged me out here. She said I needed a distraction.” She was tired of being a drag so she decided to change the subject. She looked up at him through her lashes. “What about you? I didn’t know you liked to hang out in nightclubs, professor.”

  He laughed. “What are you trying to say? That I’m the old man in the club?” He reached over and poked her in the ribs.

  She grabbed her side and laughed. “Ow. Just asking, old man. No need to assault me.”

  He pretended to glower at her. “I should put you over my knee for failing to respect your elders, you young whippersnapper.”

  She grinned at him. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

  The waitress came and brought them their drinks. They sat there, sipping their cocktails, talking and flirting. Ivy couldn’t remember when she’d had as much fun. They only stopped when Karen finally decided to take a break from the dance floor. She and her dance partner joined them at the table.

  She gave Luke a hug and then turned to her dance partner. “Mark this is my brother Luke and my friend Ivy.” After the introductions were made, she plopped down in the chair across from Ivy. Mark sat next to her. “Whew.” She fanned herself with both hands.

  Ivy grinned. “I’m not surprised you’re hot and bothered the way you two were getting down and dirty on the dance floor.”

  Karen snickered. “Keep your mind out of the gutter. I was just getting my cardio on.” She took a sideways glance at her brother who was giving her the fish eye, then she turned back to Ivy. “Hey, let’s go powder our noses.”

  “Okay.” Ivy grabbed her purse and followed Karen to the ladies’ room in the back of the club. As usual, there was a line. They got in it.

  “Listen,” Karen said, “I need a favor.”

  Ivy eyed her suspiciously. “What?”

  “I need you to distract big brother so I can take that cutie home with me tonight.”

  “What? Distract him? How?”

  “You need to get him out of here. If he knows I’m leaving with that guy, he’s going to get all protective and say something. Then I’ll have to tell him off and it’ll kill the vibe. I don’t feel like having all that drama tonight.”

  Ivy thought about it for a moment. She’d had a good time with Luke tonight, but the attraction between them was getting stronger and stronger. She wasn’t sure she wanted to spend time with him outside of the nightclub. She didn’t know if she’d be able to resist him if he made a move on her. She’d probably end up making a decision she’d regret later. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea--for a number of reasons. Are you sure you want to go home with that guy? You don’t even know him.”

  Karen smirked. “Hell yeah I’m sure. Did you see his body? And he is blessed too. Girl, when we were grinding up against each other, I almost fell out. You know it’s been a minute since I had some.”

  Ivy chuckled. “You are such a fool.”

  Karen regarded her with puppy dog eyes. “Please?” She put her hands together in a prayer like position and shook them. “Come on. I’d do it for you.”

  Ivy laughed again. “Okay, stop begging. I’ll do it, but you owe me.”

  “Yay!” Karen grabbed Ivy and kissed her soundly on the cheek. “Thank you so much.”

  As they walked back to the table, Ivy thought about how she could get Luke to leave the nightclub without his sister. The best lies were the ones that were mostly true.

  After Karen and her date headed back out onto the dance floor, Ivy turned to Luke. “You know what I’d love?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’d love to get out of here and go play some pool. I haven’t done that in a long time.”

  Luke raised his eyebrows. “You play pool?

  “Yeah. It helps to take my mind off things. Know any good pool halls around here that are still open?”

  “I do. There’s one on Biscayne Boulevard not too far from here.”

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  “What about Karen? She doesn’t play pool.”

  “I know. She’s going to want to stay here and party all night long. I’m not in the mood for that. She’ll be alright. We came here with a group of girls. The rest of the entourage is over there.” Ivy pointed out a group of girls dancing together. “I’ll just let them know we’re heading out.”

  Before he could protest, she got up and walked onto the dance floor. She said goodbye to Karen then approached the group of girls she had pointed out as if she knew them. She danced beside one of them for a few beats then asked her for the time. She thanked the girl, gave her a little wave and headed back to the table smiling at Luke.

  “Alright then. I’ve said our goodbyes. We’re good to go.”

  Twenty minutes later, they entered a pool hall in North Miami. All of the tables save one were filled. Hip-hop music blared out of the jukebox. Luke took her hand and led her to the bar. He bought her a Cosmopolitan, got himself a Heineken and reserved a pool table. They set it up and selected cue sticks.

  “I haven’t played pool in a long time,” Ivy said.

  “It’s been a minute since I’ve done this myself.”

  “Yeah right. You’re probably a pool shark in disguise,” she said.

  “Well I did spend quite a bit of my youth playing the game.”

  She smirked. “This game and several other games I bet.”

  He laughed. “I’ll tell you what. You can break.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him, lined up the cue ball and took the shot. It was an excellent break with several balls of each type finding their way into the table’s pockets. “I’ll take big ones.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure you will.”

  Ivy laughed. “No silly. I meant that I have stripes.”

  “I know what you meant,” he said. “I was just a little surprised at how well you knew the lingo.”

  She lined up her shot and hit a striped ball into the left corner pocket. “I never said I didn’t know how to play. I just said that I hadn’t played in ages.”

  She almost ran the table. She would have but for the fact that Luke, who, she sensed, had been watching her backside with great interest as she leaned across the table to take a shot, finally decided to come up behind her and slap her on that area of her anatomy. She jerked and missed the shot. “Hey! No fair.”

  “You know what they say.” He picked up his stick and lined the cue ball up to take a shot. “All’s fair in love and war. And this is definitely war.”

  And so it was. Luke and Ivy had a great time, playing pool and distracting each other. After playing for a couple of hours, they returned to the apartment building. Ivy was a little tipsy, having consumed four Cosmopolitan martinis during the course of the evening. She dropped her keys while trying to unlock her door. Luke picked them up.

  “Oh thank you.” She held out her hand for the keys.

  “No problem,” he said. “I’ll do it.” He opened the door and handed her the keys.

  “Do you want to come in for a nightcap?” she asked.

  He stepped into the apartment behind her and looked around as she turned on the lights. “I think you’ve had enough to drink already.”

  She pouted. “I only had four drinks. The last two were a little strong though.”

  “Yeah, that place makes good drinks,” he said.

  “I like that place. We should go there again someday,” she said.

  “We will.” He led her over to the couch. She sat down. He sat down next to her.

  “I had a really nice time tonight,” she said. “I have fun with you. I like that.”

  Luke smiled. “I’m glad you had fun tonight. I did too.”

  “You know,” she said, “when you smile, I want to kiss you right there.” She touched his cheek in an area
where a dimple appeared every time he smiled. “I think I will.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. She then laid a trail of kisses down his face until she got to his lips. She kissed them. He kissed her back. Before they knew it, they were trying to devour each other like hungry wolves. Luke was the first to pull back.

  “I think I’d better go,” he said, his voice full of reluctance.

  What?” Don’t you want me?”

  “Oh yes. I want you very much, but you’re tipsy. When we make love the first time, I want you to remember it and for there to be no regrets the next morning.”

  “Okay,” she said, “but I don’t think either one of us will be getting much sleep tonight.”

  “I know.” He stood and she walked him to the door.

  “Lock up behind me.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  He kissed her goodnight. The kiss left both of them a little breathless.

  “Goodnight,” he said.

  “Goodnight.” Her voice was husky.

  He turned around, opened the door and left. He waited to hear her engage the door locks then headed toward the elevators.

  Ivy walked into the bedroom and threw herself, face first and fully clothed, onto the bed. Thanks to the alcohol, she was asleep within minutes.

  She was dreaming about making mad passionate love to him the next morning when the telephone rang. She sat up and immediately grabbed her head. It was throbbing. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls. She snatched up the phone to stop the incessant ringing. It was Karen.

  “So, how did your first date go with big brother? Is he still there? Put him on the phone. I am going to tease him mercilessly,” she said.

  “Karen? Why are you calling me so damned early on a Saturday morning? Have you lost your mind?”

  “No. Oh you’re no use. Put Luke on,” Karen said.

  “Luke? He’s not here. Why would he be?”

  “What? You mean that after all that talk you two didn’t do the horizontal mambo last night?”

  “No.” Ivy frowned as she tried to remember. It all came rushing back at her. She clapped her hand to her forehead and groaned. “Oh no.”