Aaron laughed a mirthless laugh. "If only women were your problem. Give me a client with woman troubles any day."
Jason heard the knock at his door and contemplated not answering. But he expected the door to door mechanic about Izzy's car, so he went to answer. The slender brunette with the wide aviator glasses was the last person he'd anticipated or wanted to see.
"Aaron, let me call you back."
"Hi, Jason." She removed her sunglasses and adjusted her purse in movements no doubt meant to entice.
"Fancy seeing you here, Sabrina. You've given up tormenting Izzy and the kid?"
Delicate almond eyes blinked up at him. She smiled a brilliant smile meant to put him at ease. "It's nice to see you again, Jason."
When he didn't respond or let her by, she reached up and wrapped cloying arms around his neck in a hug. He wanted to leave Sabrina where she stood on the porch, but knew it wasn't prudent, considering the paparazzi. He stood aside.
She coolly walked by him as if she belonged there, making sure to brush up against him on her way in. She sauntered through the foyer in a white linen dress like she owned the place. As always, she looked like sin with mischief in her eyes and a promise on her lips. "You know, Jason. I get the impression you don't want me around?"
He gave her a mock innocent look. "I don't know where you got that from."
"Are you going to offer me a drink?"
"What would be the point? You're not staying." With tilted head and narrowed eyes, he added, "Besides, I thought you were clean and sober now?"
"I am clean and sober, thank you. Doesn't mean a girl can't do with a glass of water." She made her way to the window. "God, you've got a fantastic view of the beach."
"We both know you're not here for the small talk or a glass of water, so what are you doing here? You didn't come all the way from Pasadena to shoot the shit."
She gave him her best 'Oh just amuse me' look. "I swear, you act as if I can't drop in on a friend. Maybe I just wanted to see your pad."
"Just like you dropped in to see your kid?"
For a split second, he swore he saw genuine pain in her eyes. "What the hell do you know about my kid?"
"Not much. Except he's a great kid, and he turned out that way through no effort of yours."
"Maybe that's what he needed."
Not sure what she meant, Jason dropped the subject. "What do you want?"
She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry I interrupted you and Izzy last night." A cat-like malice in her eyes belied her next statement. "I think you two would make such a great couple."
"That would be a first. Didn't you do everything you could to make sure we didn't go anywhere near each other?"
"See it how you like."
Jason laughed. "You're a piece of work, lady."
"So are you. Let's not forget that."
"Yeah well, we all have to grow up sometime."
She sidled up to him. "Is that what you've done? Grown up?"
He removed her arms from around his waist. She'd always been able to elicit an instant sexual response from him. Not anymore. "That won't work anymore, Sabrina. I'm tired. You can either tell me what you're doing here, or you can get out. Your choice."
She mastered an insulted pout. "Okay, fine. I came to you because I need help."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no surprise there."
"I need to borrow some money."
"That's a joke, right? First, you said borrow, implying your intent to pay it back." He continued, "Next, you forget you're an addict. Never give an addict money."
"It's not for drugs. And I would pay you back. I swear. I'm in a tight jam."
"So you thought of me?"
"Exactly. I've got some characters determined to get their money, and I've got nowhere else to go."
Some things never changed. "Izzy said no, huh?"
She blinked several times. "What does she have to do with me coming to you?"
"Just proud of her for telling you no."
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Let's leave Izzy out of this, shall we?"
He stared at her. Sabrina had always been self-centered but he'd never thought her to be cruel and uncaring. Izzy raised her son as her own and all Sabrina could think about was herself.
"So, Izzy said no, and now here you are."
She shrugged.
"You need to be careful where you lay your head, Sabrina. Sleeping with dogs and all that. I'm not going to help you."
She surged to her feet. "What, why? You know I wouldn't come to you unless it was important."
"You know why."
"Like hell I do. You owe me at least this."
"I don't owe you a thing."
A malicious smile spread across Sabrina's beautiful dark features. "I wonder how Izzy would feel if I told her about our last night together."
Jason felt the blood trickle and drain out of his face. "Too bad you can only play that card if she means something to me."
A smile, calculated and chilly, spread on over her lips. "Don't be a fool, Jason. Izzy's always been your Achilles heel." She sidled up to him like a leach on the hunt for blood. "And from your guilty expressions last night, she still means something to you. It's a no-brainer. I need a hundred grand. You give it to me, and I won't ruin your chances of true bliss or whatever."
A bead of cold sweat burrowed between his shoulder blades. "A, I won't give you a dime. B, you tell her about us, and I'll make your life a living hell."
Chapter Sixteen.
"What the hell do you mean there's nothing I can do? There has to be something." Izzy stared at her lawyer, Bryce Jacobs, over the expansive oak desk, hoping if she stared long enough, different words would come out of his mouth.
"I wish I could tell you different, Iz. But the ball is in her court. If she tries for custody, she'll have to stay clean for more than six months, prove she's capable of taking care of not only herself, but Nick. When was the last time Sabrina held down a job?" Disappointment etched on his face, he added, "I wish there was more I could do, but for now, we wait."
Izzy stood, her hands planted on Bryce's desk for leverage. "So I'm just supposed to let her continue to disrupt our lives? I can't live like this. We've got to have some kind of closure." Biting on her thumb nail, she added, "Nick deserves it."
Bryce shook his head which dislodged a shock of prematurely gray hair into the center of his brow. "Just because you agreed to allow her to see Nick doesn't mean she has to be in your house, you know."
Izzy knew. But knowing didn't stop the guilt from washing over her every time she thought about kicking Sabrina out. She would never be able to explain to Nick. "I have to do the right thing for Nick." Biting her lip to help force incumbent tears back, she added, "Am I a horrible person because I want her to fail? I want her to fall off the damned wagon. I want my son to myself."
Bryce sat on the corner of the table. He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "No, you're human. Look, no judge would give her custody right now given her extensive past. And while she still has a right to see him, we can fight to have that visitation monitored."
"This is my fault. All of it. Maybe I should have called child protective services all those years ago. Saved myself the pain."
He shook his head. "You never would have forgiven yourself. This is Sabrina. You'll have to be patient. Soon enough she'll fashion a noose out of the rope."
"In the meantime, I need to be on the lookout for anyone who looks shifty. If she invites that slime into our home-"
He followed her lead toward the office door. "First things first. Anything out of the ordinary happens, you call the police immediately. You can't do what you did the last time and square off with a drug dealer. Sometimes, I think you have a death wish." He took her hand. "If you even suspect she's using, get the police involved. It'll go on the record."
His smooth manicured hand generated enough heat to chase off the chill in her bones. She nodded as she forced a brittle smile. "You're right." It was time to take control of her life.
She let herself out into the hallway. One of her Ghana Homelands photos, "Village on Stilts," greeted her. She knew the photo was there, but it didn't stop the rush of surprise and pride every time she saw it.
Izzy quirked an apologetic smile at Bryce's assistant Lydia. Lydia had a penchant for trashy gossip mags. Izzy felt bad she hadn't thought to stop by the newspaper stand downstairs before coming in. "Sorry, Lydia. No Us Weekly for you today. I forgot to stop."
Lydia's thin lips curled into a tilted uplift of a smile. "Not a problem. I have the TMZ RSS feed."
Desperate for something to lift her mood, Izzy sidled up to the desk and selected two Hershey's Kisses from the candy bowl. She was very proud of herself that she knew both what TMZ and an RSS feed were. "C'mon, let's have it, what gorgeous Hollywood hunk is coming out as gay? Inquiring minds and all that."
Lydia tapped to the next page. "Nothing that good this week. Although-" Wide blue eyes twinkled with excitement. "That gorgeous tennis guy, Jason Whathisname? He's already dropped Cienna for a new chick. Some brunette." She sighed wistfully and added, "I so totally would."
Izzy stopped mid-chew. The melted chocolate acted more as a throat irritant, than nectar of the Gods. For the briefest of instants, Izzy wondered if someone had taken a photo of them together leaving his house. You're black, princess, not brunette. She reminded herself. For an instant, her heart did a panicked flutter in her chest as she considered someone might have a photo from their hot and heavy session in the studio.
Izzy hoped she didn't sound too curious with her next question. "Another star I suppose?"
Lydia shook her head. "You can't see her face in this picture. Only the back of her dress. But they're kissing for sure." She turned the monitor so Izzy could look for herself.
The brunette's head slightly obscured Jason's face in the photo, but the height was right and the house was unmistakable. Unfortunately, so was her white linen dress.
Sabrina.
Jason couldn't remember the last time nerves had tickled his spine. "You have no reason to be nervous you idiot," he mumbled to himself as he walked through the Z Con studio reception area.
Jessica, now blue-haired, flashed him a broad smile. The serene lilt of her lips reminded him of a Cheshire cat.
"Hi, Jessica. She in?"
"Izzy?" she asked, as she played with her pen and batted her lashes. He nodded, and she winked at him. "She's in the studio to your right."
Not sure what he was supposed to do about the wink, he gave her a wan smile. "Er, thanks." As he walked down the hall to the studio, he was sure he could feel her gaze on his butt. But he'd be damned if he'd turn around to look.
The jazzy sounds of Nina Simone met him before he stepped into the studio. Izzy bent over a table afforded him a spectacular view of lush curves wrapped in snug fitted jeans. If he kept looking, he'd be tempted to touch. No doubt, Izzy wouldn't want to give Jessica that kind of show.
He cleared his throat, but she didn't turn around. "Izzy?"
He moved behind her, but she still didn't turn until he brushed her exposed neck with his fingertips. In a swift move, she grabbed his wrist and whirled on him, fist at the ready.
Ducking out of the way and securing her fist behind her back, he blew out several harsh breaths. "Shit, Izzy."
Eyes wide with alarm and surprise, she stammered an apology. "Oh, God, sorry. I didn't expect, I mean, God, I'm sorry." In another swift movement, she released herself and took a step back.
He opened his hands palm out to give her some space. "Remind me never to piss you off."
"Crap, I said sorry." She pulled up a stool for him. "I didn't expect you to-well anyone, actually, to come up and touch my neck. It was reflex."
With her hair down and the sun streaming in to kiss the light brown highlights, a soft halo formed around her hair. A memory flashed-Izzy's lips, her firm body pliant against his. Those sexy mewling sounds she made when aroused.
Mouth dry, he cleared his throat in an attempt to get some moisture. "Some reflex."
Her smile went thin as she used a remote control to turn down the music. "Well, you shouldn't sneak up on people."
He laughed. "What? I called your name several times. You had your focus on your own world."
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, when I'm working, I get a little absorbed. The loud music helps me concentrate."
"I notice you still listen to Nina Simone when you want some focus."
"You remembered that? It was so long ago."
Of course he remembered. Izzy in focus mode was just about the sexiest sight he'd ever seen. She could literally block out the world and devote undivided attention to the task at hand. It was surreal. "Of course I remember. I got you her greatest hits when you won the conference title that year."
"Oh yeah. I remember now. Not much really changes, I guess."
There was a hint of sadness in her voice he couldn't place. He hadn't prepared for awkward. On his way over, he prepped his heart and body to deal with any of her reactions to Saturday night. Unfortunately, awkwardness didn't make the list. They hadn't had much chance to talk after he'd taken Nick home. Maybe he should have called before coming over, but he'd wanted to surprise her.
Walking over to the table, he noticed the photo she laid the matte for. An African man, years of wisdom in his crinkled eyes, stared back at him. It was the same photo he'd bid on at an auction, but lost.
The photo that spoke to him. Even though the man in the photo was near the end of his life, his eyes still held secrets. As if there was part of him he kept hidden.