Sex, Secrets and South Beach (17 page)

“
I wanna be the
only
bitch," she
whispered, her breath warm on his dick.

"You can be that," he told
her.

She replied by engulfing his entire
penis until he was deep within her throat. Her mouth felt like warm
velvet caressing him. Desiree flicked the tip of his dick with her
tongue.

"You could say that shit to all the
females you meet. Are you gaming me? I'll stop if you are. And I
know you want this." Desiree had him right where she wanted him.
Once Desiree had a man in her mouth, he was helpless to resist her.
She'd perfected her oral skills as a way to avoid sex with men she
really didn't want to sleep with, but still get their
money.

"Never that, ma! Never that!" Bentley
whimpered helplessly as Desiree worked her jaws back and forth. It
was only a matter of time before he was climaxing in her
mouth.

"Damn, girl. You are the shit!"
Bentley exclaimed after he'd regained his composure.

Desiree looked at him innocently, as
if she hadn't just given him head in the car, and swallowed.
Forever the ingenue, she was artful at looking incredibly sexy yet
demure at the same time.

"I hope that's not all you got for me.
I mean, I really hope you ate your Wheaties and took your vitamins,
because I am not done with you yet."

"Well, then, let's get to the telly
cuz I'm not done with you either," he replied, and started the
engine of the Arnage.

Leilani stormed from the
bathroom angrily. Now
she knew why Desiree
couldn't stand Ysenia; she was just a big hater. But at the moment,
she couldn't stand either one of them. She was seriously pissed
off. Ysenia had ruined her outfit, Desiree had ruined her evening,
and to top it off, she was nowhere to be found. Bentley was no
longer in the VIP section, though the party in his honor was still
going strong.

It wasn't Chinese arithmetic for
Leilani to put one and one together. Desiree was obviously with
Bentley, God only knew where, doing God only knew what. She could
have at least said good-bye or sent her a page so she wouldn't
spend her evening searching for her. Leilani felt like if you came
together, you should leave together unless you specifically told
your crew otherwise.

There were a lot of crazy men in Miami
who would love the chance to slip a girl a Mickey and take
advantage of her. Females had to stick together. This would be the
last time she looked out for Desiree's selfish ass. She knew that
Desiree was a little younger than she, but immaturity was one thing
and rudeness was another.

"Who knows how Desiree was raised! She
doesn't have any home training! Desiree was just hating because she
was afraid that Bentley would check for me," Leilani said aloud to
no one.

But how come Desiree
always came up on the ballers? Leilani knew she was pretty,
and
she
was
all-natural. To top it off, she had a promising career in film. She
had beauty and brains, but unfortunately, men in Miami, at least
the men with money that she met, preferred their women on the
stupid side. She'd learned not to count on them a long time ago
because she wasn't going to dumb down for anyone. Was it too much
for her to find a man who wanted the total package and not just a
bimbo?

"Well, can I?" a voice boomed from
beside her. It belonged to a handsome, clean-cut man.

"I'm sorry. Can you what?" Leilani
asked, puzzled.

"I said you look like you could use a
drink. Can I get you one?"

Leilani sized him up. He
was very attractive and looked familiar, but she couldn't recall
where she recognized him from. The Audemars Piguet watch must have
cost him over one hundred large easily; but aside from it, he wore
no other jewelry. Some girls might think he was broke because he
had no ice, but Leilani knew he was just conservative. Her eyes
dropped to his shoes. They were from Prada's newest collection and
weren't even available in stores. She'd seen them in an issue
of
Maxim
. His
linen outfit, though casual, was of top quality and excellent cut.
It hung off his athletic frame like it was made just for
him.

"So do I pass?" he joked, calling her
out on her inspection.

He twirled in a circle and hit a GQ
pose.

"Yes." Leilani giggled, her anger
fading.

"Yes, I pass, or yes, I can get you a
drink?"

"Yes to both," she said,
flirting.

He looked into Leilani's almond-shaped
eyes and flashed a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. His skin
was a beautiful smooth butter pecan, and he appeared to be of
Hispanic descent. Leilani felt her heart do a little pitty-pat. He
wasn't just attractive, he was fine as hell! Where did she know him
from?

"I'm Leilani." She extended her hand
and shook his. It was soft, and he had a fresh manicure.

"It's nice to meet you, Leilani. You
are beautiful. Your accent is so sexy! Can I ask what you
are?"

"Can you tell me your name first?" The
remark came out a little harsher than intended, but having been
called so many names growing up due to her biracial background, she
was sometimes a little bit defensive. Leilani softened the remark
with a mischievous smile.

"My bad. I'm Sparks. I guess I'm used
to people recognizing me," he told her.

Then Leilani remembered where she
recognized him from. He was the CEO of Bentley's label, Titanium
Records. Sparks was Bentley's older brother and one of hip-hop's
hottest producers, commanding upwards of $200,000 a track. He even
had remixes for Mary J. Blige and Madonna under his belt. He was
one of the most talked-about people in the industry. Leilani felt
stupid for not recognizing him at once, even though he was low-key
and behind-the-scenes.

"Duh, my bad." Leilani rolled her
eyes.

"Nah, it's cool. It's real cool." He
was sick of women throwing themselves at him trying to come up, so
Leilani's ignorance was refreshing.

"I'm just kind of in another world
right now," she explained. "But to answer your question, I'm
Jamaican. And before you ask, yes, someone in my family is
Chinese–my mother." Leilani ran down the evening's events to
Sparks, but didn't let on that she had wanted to meet Bentley. She
played the "concerned friend" role like she was worried about
Desiree.

“
Your girl is cool. She's
in good hands. She and Bentley left a little while ago; he hit me
on the two-way," Sparks reassured her.

"Oh, okay," Leilani replied. She felt
the previous envy begin to disappear and focused her attention on
Sparks. He was older than Bentley and had more money; he was the
brains of the entire operation. Leilani smiled at the irony of it
all. Desiree was the queen of the sack chasers and frowned on
Leilani because she wanted to be known for something other than her
looks. And Desiree had no problem shitting on her in order to get
to Bentley. Yet Leilani was the one that had come up on the money
man, not Desiree.

"You know, we're working together in a
few days on Bentley's shoot. I'm a production assistant." Leilani
sipped her rum and Coke, then twirled the straw suggestively. She
wanted to be taken seriously, but that didn't mean she didn't want
to be seen as sexy.

"Damn. You look like you should be
modeling in it! You are so fine," Sparks enthused.

"Gee, thanks," Leilani responded
dryly. Was that all he could come up with? She looked like a
model?

"I meant it as a compliment. But I'm
glad you're not a model," Sparks came back quickly.

"What's wrong with models? I used to
be one," she said. She wanted to see just where his head was at so
she would know exactly how to play him.

"Nothing. Models are cool, but you
gotta admit that a lot of them's mental ain't tight. I'm just
trying to say that I'm glad to see that you have a brain to go with
your beauty. You seem like the total package, you know. You got a
nice style, you carry yourself well, you're pretty, and you're
smart. You got to have a man. Ain't no way a dime like you could be
single." Sparks grinned at her. Leilani dug his smile. Plus, she
always loved a compliment.

"Yeah, I am, as a matter of fact," she
replied. He was definitely showing interest and claimed to
appreciate a smart woman. This was too good to be true.

"Cool. Then I hope you don't mind
mixing a little pleasure with business. I mean, I hope I don't have
to wait until the video to see you again." Sparks ran his hand over
his closely cropped curls.

"I think that can be arranged."
Leilani grinned, glad that the night was starting to turn
around.

Desiree rubbed Bentley’s
hard-on as they drove the
few short blocks
from Babylon to the Loews Hotel. Desiree adored the Loews; it was
so plush. It would be the perfect place for her to put it on
Bentley. She couldn't believe he was hard again so soon after the
blow job she'd given him. She could tell from his stamina that they
were a perfect sexual match.

"Girl, you gonna make me crash my
whip. You makin' me feel so good!" he groaned as he nearly
rear-ended a yellow cab at a stoplight.

Desiree leaned over and let her
breasts brush against his arm as she kissed him on the cheek and
let her tongue trail down his neck.

"I want to feel you inside of me," she
breathed into his ear, and then stopped to nibble briefly on his
earlobe as she continued her ministrations to his throbbing crotch.
Bentley abruptly put the car in park, grabbed two handfuls of her
hair, and kissed her forcefully. The light changed colors and cars
honked and blew, but she and Bentley continued to grope at each
other until Desiree finally broke free and gasped for
breath.

"Get a room!" a frustrated motorist
shouted as he swerved around the car. A carload of teenage girls
recognized Bentley and shouted, "We love you!" which made them
laugh as they sped off down Collins Avenue.

Moments later they were in the Jacuzzi
tub of Bentley's suite with a bottle of Cristal. They took turns
pouring the bubbly, golden liquid over each other and licking it
up, then engaged in an hour of unprotected, animalistic sex.
Desiree was on such a high from the combination of Cristal and
Bentley that she didn't bother to protest when Bentley climaxed
deep inside of her. Hell, she even hoped she'd conceive, because a
baby by a baller of Bentley's stature meant financial security for
life.

Bentley kissed Desiree on
the forehead and held her as he fell into a deep sleep.
It couldn't be more perfect
, Desiree mused contentedly. She snuggled closer to Bentley,
smiling as she closed her eyes, her dreams filled with visions of
cribs, car seats, and cash.

D
esiree awoke the next morning thoroughly
satiated. It was like she was still dreaming, waking up next
to Bentley. Or, better yet, it was a dream come true. Desiree
watched Bentley as he slumbered. He was so adorable; he looked
innocent, the way Desiree imagined he did when he was a child. But
he was all man now, and Desiree wanted to experience more of
him.

Reaching across the bed and beneath
the tangled sheet, she massaged him until he was rock-hard and
throbbing. Deftly, she repositioned herself so that she was between
his legs, and proceeded to give him another phenomenal blow job.
She felt his body stiffen and immediately stopped. He wasn't about
to get off that easy; she had needs to satisfy.

Desiree straddled him, inching down
his elongated shaft until she felt his hardness deep within her.
She ground her hips against him, drenching him with her wetness.
She worked her muscles like a vise as she rode him until they both
cried out in pleasure and climaxed together.

"Shit! What a way to start the day!"
Bentley grinned, wiping away the beads of perspiration that had
formed across his forehead.

She smiled back. "Good morning,
papi."

They looked into each other's eyes,
grinning; no other words were necessary. They had a chemistry that
was beyond words. They'd both had plenty of sex, but none so
explosive or so intense. Bentley kissed her eyelids and forehead
and squeezed her tightly. He felt completely at ease, like he could
let his guard down with Desiree. And he knew it wasn't the sex that
had him open. It was her. She was special. He couldn't pinpoint
what it was, but he knew she had something rare, that "it" factor
that made her stand out in a crowd.

"Can I order room service? I'm
starving," Desiree inquired, snuggling closer to him.

"You can have whatever you want. I'm
gonna go down the hall and holler at Sparks. See what I gotta do
today. I hope you ain't got no plans for your birthday because
you're mine today."

"I'm all yours," she replied with a
mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She lay back languidly on the bed,
allowing him full view of her body.

"I like the sound of that," he said as
he reluctantly got out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. He
gave Desiree a peck.

"Order me some cheese eggs, grits,
steak, and some hash browns," he added on his way out the
door.

"What do you want to drink?" she
called after him, but he'd already gone.

After putting in his
order, plus a platter of buttermilk pancakes, a fruit plate,
assorted juices, and coffee, she flicked on the TV. As usual there
was nothing on. Desiree hated television unless she was on it. She
heard her two-way vibrating from inside her tiny handbag and
quickly retrieved it to check her messages before Bentley
returned.
Happy birthday, baby! I love
you, I miss you, where are you?
the LCD
screen read, followed by K.G.'s signature.
You don't want to know
, she thought.
Deciding to ignore his page, she headed to the bathroom to take a
shower. Bentley returned as she stepped out.

"Damn, you fine!" He shook his head at
her.

"Nah, that's you," she kidded him. "I
ordered the food. It should be here any minute," she said as she
wrapped a towel around herself.

Bentley yanked the towel away. "I
wanna look at you. You're so beautiful."

For the first time in a long time,
Desiree blushed. Because for the first time in a long time, it felt
like she was loved. K.G. claimed to love her, but it just wasn't
the same; she didn't love him. But she felt like she was in love
with Bentley. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of. Desiree
wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big kiss.

"
You're
beautiful," she told him,
smiling. She knew that it was some corny shit to say but she meant
it, and it just kind of slipped out. There was something about
Bentley that made her feel like she could really be herself. She
felt like she could trust him, even though she'd just met him. They
embraced and shared yet another kiss. Usually, Desiree avoided
kissing. It was way too personal and intimate. She kissed K.G., but
he took care of her, so that was different.

"We'll never leave this room if you
keep that up," he said, breaking free from her.

"My bad, what do you have to do
today?" she asked him. She wondered if this was what it felt like
to be married to Bentley.

"We gotta head out to this radio
interview at 99Jams around noon, but then we're free for the day.
We can Jet Ski and shit later. Maybe rent some scooters, whatever
you want to do."

"Cool. But, baby, what am
I going to wear? It's not like I can wear this outfit all day," she
said, motioning toward the leather skirt and top that lay in a heap
on the floor. "Should I go home and get a change of clothes?" She
knew damn well she didn't want to go home for clothes; she
wanted
new
ones.

"You can go pick something up right
quick if you can do it in an hour. I know how ladies are when they
shop. You and your girl can go together, but don't get
lost."

"Me and my girl?" Desiree was
confused.

"Yeah, your girl, what's her name?
Leilani. The Jamaican one that looks Chinese. She's in the room
chillin' with Sparks."

"What?" Desiree was shocked. Leilani
was chillin' with Sparks? The man was touted as the next Russell
Simmons! Leilani always had to try and one-up her. She was such a
hater!

"Yeah, ain't that a trip? Sparks don't
never hook up with nobody. He's a loner and shit, old nerdy-ass
nigga. That's my brother and I love him, but he's strange. He
thinks on a whole other level. I was starting to wonder if my
brother was gay and shit!" he said, laughing.

Desiree laughed along, but she didn't
think that shit was funny at all. "Yeah, that's a trip."

Desiree quickly slipped on her clothes
and shoes from the night before. She stood before Bentley, hand
extended to receive the money for shopping.

"Sparks is gonna give your girl a
credit card. That's how we shop. We write a lot of shit off as
business expenses for taxes and shit like that."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you in an
hour." Desiree was getting sick of the credit card shit. What ever
happened to cold hard cash? She kissed him again, then headed
toward Sparks's room double time. She didn't want Bentley to see
the anger brewing inside of her. Leilani was trying to ease in on
her territory, and the lioness that she was, she didn't like it one
bit.

When Desiree got to the
room, she found Leilani and Sparks with their arms around each
other, kissing and whispering and looking all googly-eyed.
Something was terribly wrong with that picture. Leilani was wearing
the stained white suit from the night before. Desiree cleared her
throat loudly. Leilani giggled and turned around holding up an
American Express Black card.
Oh hell no!
That's the shit you have to be invited to get! How did she come up
on that?
Desiree fumed internally. She
probably don't even know what that shit is! Desiree was rumbling
inside like a volcano as she coveted the credit card.

"Let's go shopping!" Leilani squealed,
her eyes twinkling. She ran up to Desiree like a schoolgirl and
threw her arm around her shoulder.

"I promise we'll be back in an hour,
Johnny!" She blew Sparks a kiss, and he caught it in the air.
Desiree swore she must have stepped into some kind of parallel
universe. What was this shit? Who the fuck was Johnny? And why were
they catching and throwing invisible kisses like they were in the
fucking third grade? As soon as they were out of earshot, Desiree
confronted Leilani.

"Yo, what the fuck is going on,
Leilani?" she snapped, yanking Leilani's arm from her
shoulder.

"What's the matter, Dez?" Leilani
asked, eyes innocent.

"What's the matter, Dez?" Desiree
mocked her. "What are you doing here with Sparks?"

"The same thing
you're
doing with
Bentley. Why are you bugging out?"

"You always talking all that shit
about being respected for your brain. Talking down on me cuz I
still model and cuz I let niggas take care of me. You always actin'
like I'm a gold digger, but if I am, so are you."

"First of all, maybe that's your low
self-esteem talking, because I never look down on you, or anybody
else, for that matter."

"Whatever!" Desiree threw her palm up
to Leilani's face.

"Maybe you feel bad about how you're
living, and that's just your guilty conscience talking. But for
your information, me and Johnny didn't do anything last night
except for talk and kiss, after you disappeared without even
bothering to say good night. After you straight up igged me to go
sweat Bentley. So don't even trip."

"You're just trying to be me," Desiree
fumed.

"Be you? Don't even get me started on
why that statement is wrong on so many levels."

"Oh, come on! You wish you still had
this body; getting a little thick there, aren't we? You wish you
were still in front of the camera, not behind it. You wish a star
like Bentley wanted you." Dez glared at Leilani, her eyes nearly
black with anger.

"From what I hear, Bentley wants
someone new in every town. But he especially wants his girl back in
New York. Why don't you ask your boy about that?"

"Fuck you, Lani. You just hatin'.
You're just tryin' to get me shook. Don't worry about me and
Bentley."

''And you don't worry about me and
Sparks." Leilani shook her head and started to walk away. Suddenly,
she turned on her heels to face Desiree. ''And why should I hate on
you? I thought we were friends, but you proved me dead wrong last
night when you were acting flaw. And as far as Bentley being a
star, you're right, he is a big star. But Sparks signs Bentley's
checks. Marinate on that, little girl." Leilani strode off ahead of
her.

"Yeah, whatever," Desiree replied.
There was really no other answer she could come up with. Sparks was
the CEO of Titanium Records. Bentley was fine, he had money, he had
fame and maybe even a girlfriend, if there was any truth to what
Leilani had said. Sparks had both those things–money and fame–plus
an additional one: power. Sure, Bentley possessed power onstage and
in videos: his image sold records, products, and a lifestyle. But
Sparks had the power to make things happen, to control an empire
and even the media and entertainment industries. It was becoming
more obvious every day that "pop culture" and "hip-hop culture"
were merging. Sparks had control. And he wanted Leilani. Something
was definitely wrong with that picture.

Desiree and Leilani shopped in silence
at a shop called Follies located on Lincoln Road. Leilani opted for
a nondescript sundress that was neither very casual nor very
dressy. Desiree thought it was something a schoolteacher would
wear. Who was she trying to fool? Dez decided on a short, strapless
denim minidress that looked extra sexy with her stilettos. They
purchased the gear on the AmEx card and put their old clothes in
shopping bags. Then they hot-tailed it back to the
Loews.

Desiree wanted to confront Bentley, to
find out if he had a girl back in New York, someone who had history
with him and possibly even his heart. She wanted desperately to
know if she was just some ass to him–an expensive piece of ass, but
a piece of ass no less. He couldn't be playing her, could he? As
much as she wanted to interrogate him, she held her tongue because
she knew that there was a time, a place, and a way to find out
everything she wanted to know. Besides, Leilani just wanted to get
under her skin, and if she caused a scene or initiated some drama,
she'd just be letting Leilani win. So instead she changed her game
plan. She acted like everything was cool and enjoyed the time she
was spending with Bentley to the fullest. She snuggled close to him
on the ride over to the radio station and made sure to laugh and
giggle a lot, just to work Leilani's nerves.

Desiree loved every minute that she
was at 99Jams. The DJ interviewing Bentley made a fuss about her
being in the studio, almost as big a fuss as he made over
Bentley.

"You girls have been calling all day
for a chance to holler at your boy Bentley. Well, I got a surprise
for all you fellas out there. Here with Bentley we've got the
beautiful Desiree Jackson. Now, for those of you who don't know the
name, I am sure you know the face and the body. You've seen her in
a ton of music videos. Desiree, tell the listeners who you've
worked with," the DJ asked her after he had finished getting the
meat of the interview from Bentley as he was preparing to take
phone calls from listeners.

"Wow, I've worked with practically
everyone. My latest project was P Diddy's newest joint. I was the
lead girl. But I've done some stuff with all kinds of artists from
Ricky Martin to Aerosmith. Tomorrow I'll be shooting with Bentley
I'm really excited!" she gushed, just to let Bentley know she
wasn't trying to steal his shine.