Sex, Secrets and South Beach (31 page)

Leilani pulled a switchblade from
behind her back and wielded it menacingly. "Oh, I'm ready for you
this time, bitch!" she said. Dez and Ginger both stepped back
hastily.

"Are you Sparks's new bitch, his
flavor of the month?" Leilani asked Ginger, and stormed her way
into the house.

"That's my sister," Dez answered.
"Leave her out of this."

"You're probably trying to set her up
with Sparks," Leilani said accusingly.

"I'm engaged to a doctor in Miami. I
don't want your man," Ginger answered softly in an attempt to calm
her down.

"Hmmm, well, maybe Dez wants my man.
She always was a greedy bitch. Always had to be the center of
attention! Bentley wasn't enough for you, huh? You just had to have
my man too, didn't you? You never could stand to see me get ahead,"
Leilani screeched maniacally.

"That's not true. Nothing has ever
happened between me and Sparks. It's strictly business, you know
that," Dez lied.

"It's strictly business, you know
that," Leilani mocked. "You think I'm stupid. But I'm not. You
are."

"Leilani," Ginger pleaded, grasping
Dez's hand. "Think about what you're doing. No man is worth all
this."

"Ha! Sparks is. And if I can't have
him, you two sure as hell won't," Leilani threatened.

"Leilani, you already have Sparks,"
Dez began.

"Had. I had Sparks. He dumped me for
no apparent reason! Which means only one thing: you got to him. And
now, you're going to pay," Leilani warned.

This bitch done lost her
mind!
Dez thought.
I had no idea she was this much of a nut job.

Leilani continued to hold the two at
knifepoint.

"I tried. God knows that I tried to do
everything in my power to make that man happy, everything. I was
more than a woman. Then out of nowhere, bam! He says he isn't
feeling this. It isn't working. Well, I'm tired of getting the
short end of the stick! I'm tired of busting my ass to be the best,
only to get shoved to the background! That shit is over!" Leilani
barked.

"Leilani! What the hell are you doing
here?" Sparks bellowed from the doorway. He and Bentley had arrived
and let themselves in to see Leilani holding Ginger and Dez at
knife-point.

"Now, is that any way to greet your
woman?" Leilani cooed, her personality switching 180
degrees.

"Why do you have a knife? Leilani,
what are you doing?" Sparks asked cautiously.

"Oh, this little thing? I'll put it
away. I was just teasing them, baby. I came here to talk to you, to
apologize for what went down in Miami. But they wouldn't let me in.
I know we can work out whatever is wrong."

"How did you find my house? I never
gave you this address," Sparks said, inching his way toward
her.

"It wasn't easy. You're a tricky one,
aren't you? But nothing can stand in the way of true love. Once I
found out where you lived, I hid in the bushes and waited for those
two hos to come home. I ran in the gate behind their car. Smart,
huh?" Leilani grinned, satisfied with herself.

"Put the knife down," Sparks
ordered.

"Not until you agree to talk with me.
Tell me you still love me," Leilani begged. "Tell me we can work it
out."

Bentley, Dez, and Ginger stood frozen,
their mouths agape.

"Girl, you know I still love you. I
was just trippin'. I had a lot on my mind. I'm sorry." Sparks
played along to appease her.

"I knew it! Oh, I love you so much,
baby." Leilani tossed the knife aside and ran to Sparks. She held
him tightly and smothered him with kisses. Sparks grabbed her and
wrestled her hands behind her back. He shoved her out the front
door and locked it. Dez ran into the kitchen and called the police
while Leilani banged on the door.

"Oh my God!" Ginger placed her hand
over her heart.

"Are you okay?" Bentley asked
her.

"Yeah, just a little bugged out is
all," Ginger responded.

"You must be Ginger, Dez's sister.
Bentley told me all about you." Sparks extended his hand, and
Ginger shook it.

"I wish that we had met under more
pleasant circumstances," she said, smiling.

"I wish that we'd met before you got
engaged," Sparks quipped.

"Bentley told you, huh?"

"Yeah." He grinned back flirtatiously.
"As you can see, my luck with women sucks."

"I just got off the phone with the
police. They'll be here shortly," Dez interrupted, returning to the
foyer.

Leilani was still banging on the door,
demanding to be let in.

"She can't get off the property unless
she hops the gate," Sparks told them.

"Well, at least now you can have the
charges against you dropped. It's obvious that she's a stalker. She
needs some serious help," Ginger told him.

"That's true. But I feel sorry for
her," Sparks admitted.

"You were going to feel even sorrier
for her if she didn't have that knife. She was about to get the
smack-down all over again!" Dez piped in.

The police arrived and hauled Leilani
off the premises. Sparks decided not to press charges. He just
wanted the matter to be done with.

"I don't think that's such a good
idea, dude. That bitch is sick. She might come back," Bentley
warned him.

"She won't come back," Sparks replied,
and hoped to God he was right.

June 2002-Los
Angeles

D
ez was accustomed to being pampered, but
her experience before the BET Awards was bar none the most
indulgent experience of her life. She'd spent the week working hard
on her performance piece with Bentley. In addition to their
collaboration and her performance of "Down to Ride," she was going
to introduce a few of her new songs in the form of a medley. There
were also the press junkets, interviews, and meet-and-greets that
came with the territory.

The whole pre-awards process had been
hectic. Sparks and Bentley insisted that she be totally relaxed and
look her absolute best, so it was arranged for Dez to not have to
lift a finger the day of the ceremony. First, an aesthetician
arrived at her suite at the Chateau Marmont to give her a facial
and body scrub with glycolic acid so that her skin would be
radiant. Then she received a ninety-minute head-to-toe Asian
massage, complete with warm stones being placed on all her
"chakras." The attendant informed Dez that the placement of the
stones would open her body up to positive energy. Dez figured that
she needed all the positive energy she could get. She was so
nervous, and it was hard to believe how much had happened in just
under a year.

She took a break for a snack and
reflected on her journey to the realization of a dream that no one
had believed was possible, not even her. She finally understood
that it was by God's grace that she was able to come so far. She
used to believe that it was because she was pretty and because she
was slick that she had been able to remain on top. But where did
her looks and her "game" come from? Dez chose to believe that they
were gifts from God. She realized He hadn't given her any more
troubles than she could bear, even though it had felt that way many
times. Everything He'd brought her to, He'd brought her
through.

She used to think that God put her in
the ghetto and had her overcome so many obstacles because He
despised her. He couldn't have cared; otherwise, life would have
been good instead of so hard. Now she knew that God put her right
where He needed her to be to do whatever it was He intended for her
to do. She had survived the concrete jungle of New York, rising
above the millions of nameless, faceless people to make something
out of herself in a tiny little city near the Atlantic
Ocean.

Dez was grateful. She could have died
that night with Ernesto. And since then, she'd found herself in
many situations that could have gotten ugly. But somehow she always
survived. It wasn't her looks or her game, it was a
blessing.

"You better get it all out now.
Because once I make up that pretty face of yours, you had better
not ruin all of my hard work," a pretty young makeup artist who
resembled Halle Berry kidded her. Dez looked up startled. She
hadn't even realized that she was crying.

"My bad." Dez wiped her face with her
forehand and smiled.

"Don't apologize. It's cool. I'll make
sure to hook you up, but try and be careful. I know it's hard,
though. If this were all happening to me, I'd probably be so happy
that I'd be in tears too," the makeup artist, Kennedy, stated. She
patted Dez's hand. "Congratulations! You deserve all of
this."

"I do?" Dez asked, surprised a total
stranger would say such a thing.

"Sure. Some of these artists can be so
evil! I've been peeping your style all day. You've been really
friendly and gracious to everyone. We understand that performers
and celebrities can get nervous before a big night like this. But
some of them go a little overboard."

"Well, I've been there and done that.
You wouldn't have said that I was friendly and gracious if you'd
met me last year. Maybe not even last month!" Dez
admitted.

"Well, what happened? Why the big
change?"

"Jesus. My sister helped me find Him
again," Dez answered with a smile.

Kennedy smiled back. "Amen. I knew you
deserved this, girl! You'd be surprised at how many stars are
atheists or believe in crazy cult religions and the like. It's been
a while since I worked with a fellow Christian."

Dez noticed that Kennedy was wearing a
beautiful cross around her neck. It made her feel good to be
respected by another Christian. Dez knew her lyrics weren't exactly
clean or religious, but she knew her heart was good, and she was
trying to be a better person. Apparently, it hadn't gone
unnoticed.

Forty-five minutes later Dez inspected
her face in the mirror, visibly pleased.

"You did an excellent job!" Dez
complimented Kennedy.

"Honestly, I've had my makeup done by
a million different folks, but this is the very best!"

"Well, it helps when the canvas is
beautiful to begin with," Kennedy replied, lifting Dez's face and
sprinkling her with shimmery powder that gave her a golden
glow.

There was a knock at the suite
door.

"Can you get that?" Dez asked Kennedy.
"I need to use the bathroom."

"Sure, no problem," Kennedy agreed,
while Dez slipped into the bathroom.

Dez turned on the water, quickly
folded a towel, placed it next to the commode, and kneeled on it
gingerly. She felt her stomach lurch and the bile rise as she
heaved into the toilet. It was the third time in two days she'd
vomited, and she knew in her gut that it was more than just the
jitters. Her period was more than two months late, her breasts were
extremely tender, and she couldn't seem to stop spitting. She'd
even picked up a few pounds and was always exhausted. Dez flushed
the toilet and carefully wiped her mouth. After checking herself
out in the mirror, she decided that she looked fine and went to
slip on her clothes.

Whose baby is it?
a nagging voice inside her head asked. She shook
the thought away. No doubt it was Bentley's baby.

"Dez, these came for you! Aren't they
beautiful?" Kennedy presented Dez with a huge bouquet of exquisite
calla lilies.

"Oh my God! They're fabulous! Calla
lilies are my favorite. But no one knows that except for my sister,
Ginger. They must be from her. But I wish they were from Bentley."
Dez knew she shouldn't share her personal business with a virtual
stranger, but everyone knew that she and Bentley were an item. Dez
plucked the card from the bouquet.

Congratulations! Here's to
the future. I love you! Bentley.

A huge smile spread across Dez's
face.

"Judging by that grin, those flowers
are from your man. That ain't a sister smile," Kennedy
quipped.

"Yeah, they're from my baby," Dez
replied.

"You're a lucky woman," Kennedy
said.

I sure hope so!
Dez thought. If the baby was Sparks's and not
Bentley's, her life would be in shambles again! Dez couldn't figure
out how she kept getting into such messes, but with God on her
side, she knew that she would find her way out.

"You better get a move on, Dez!"
Kennedy told her. "It's almost time for you to leave."

Dez quickly slipped into the
custom-made gown designed by Donatella Versace. It was gold,
sequined, and supershort, yet managed to be sexy and classy at
once. Dez twirled in the mirror; she felt just like a fairy-tale
princess. She had it all: good looks, a great career, recognition,
and the man she loved. And now she was going to be a mommy. It
reminded her of the day that she, Tasha, and Shelle saw the
football players' wives back in Morristown. She'd come far.
Everything she had dreamed was now a reality. What could be
better?

Dez's stylist, hairdresser, and
Kennedy carefully packed everything that she'd need for the
ceremony: hairpieces, makeup, and her performance outfit and shoes.
They were going ahead of her in a separate car, while Dez, Bentley,
Sparks, Scoop, and Jazzy piled into a bulletproof stretch Hummer to
dazzle the red carpet. Ginger and her fiancé were not going to
attend the ceremony. Ginger's man hadn't been able to get away in
time to catch an early flight–but they were meeting them at the
Titanium Records after-party. Dez wanted her sister there, but late
was better than never. Besides, they wouldn't have been able to
have any fun, since she was performing with Bentley, announcing an
award, and hopefully winning one. Dez couldn't wait to share the
news of her pregnancy with Ginger. She and Bentley would probably
get married! It looked like both of them had finally found true
happiness.

"Thanks for my flowers, babe," Dez
cooed in Bentley's ear as she slid into the Hummer next to
him.

"No doubt, baby. Ginger told me you
like calla lilies," he replied, grinning.

"Yo yo, listen up!" Sparks yelled over
the rowdy entourage, who were smoking cigars and blasting Dez and
Bentley's single as loud as the volume would go.

"I want to make a toast!" he
exclaimed, popping open a bottle of Cristal with a flourish. He
poured everyone a glass.

"This family has been through a lot,
but we made it through in one piece. What else would you expect
from Titanium? We are the toughest. To family!" Sparks held up his
glass.

"To family!" they echoed, glasses
extended.

"
A la familia
," Dez said in Spanish.
"
Salud!
" She
clinked her glass with Bentley's, marveling that soon they would be
family in more ways than one.

The trip to the Kodak Theater was
short, but the lineup of limos and chauffeur-driven luxury cars
created major gridlock.

"You ready, Dez?" Sparks
asked.

"No doubt!" she answered, full of
excitement.

"Good. We believe in you and we got
your back, no matter what happens tonight. You know how to handle
the media, and your performance is tight. I'd say you're as ready
as you're going to get. Good luck, lil' sis. I love you." Sparks
looked at Dez with warm eyes. Dez knew that there was more to his
statement than he let on, but she disregarded it. The past was the
past. Sparks looked at his brother. "I love you too,
man!"

"Damn! For a minute I thought you had
eyes for my girl!" Bentley teased.

"Nah, man," Sparks lied, giving his
brother a pound and Dez a kiss on the cheek.

Dez swore she could hear the guitar
lick from "All Eyez on Me" as she stepped out of the Hummer
assisted by a huge bodyguard. All around her, cameras were
flashing; the media were in a frenzy. And what was this? They were
calling her name! Journalists and fans all vied for her attention.
Dez was so overcome with emotion she thought her heart would
explode. She posed for the photographers while peeping Bentley out
the corner of her eye. He and Sparks were busy taking pictures and
fielding questions of their own from the media. Abruptly, Bentley
grabbed her arm and pulled her close to speak with Ananda Lewis.
Dez had always admired Ananda; not only was she beautiful, she was
down-to-earth.

Many times Dez had practiced answering
questions from Ananda for all of BET and MTV's viewers to see. It
was such a rush to finally do it. And just when Dez thought that
this moment had to be the very best moment of her life, chaos
erupted. First there were the blinding flashes of light that hurt
her eyes. Then there was pain, pain so intense that it was
immobilizing. She fell to the red carpet, made even redder by her
blood. Her eyes went blurry and out of focus as terrified masses of
people attempted to flee the scene. Why wasn't anyone helping her?
And where was Bentley?

"Bentley!" she called out weakly to
him. Dez held her hand in front of her face and willed her eyes to
focus. Her hand was covered in blood.

I've got to get
help!
Dez thought in a panic.
After all I've been through I ain't going out
like a sucker.

Dez struggled to scream. "Someone
please help me! I'm pregnant. Someone please help my baby!" And
then everything went black.