The Heat Seekers

“Forget about it,” Janessa insisted. “It’s over. Whatever I do about this baby, I can’t and don’t expect Dvontè to have anything to do with it. He made himself perfectly clear, and I hope I never have to lay eyes on him again.”

Tempest decided becoming violent wasn’t a viable solution. Geren was in NYC on business, but as soon as he got back, she would fill him in and let him deal with Dvontè. If nothing else, Tempest knew how Geren felt about kids. The mere thought of him expressing how much he wanted children to her the first night they made love proved that.

“You know what’s really ironic, Janessa?”

“What’s that?”

“You becoming pregnant when Dvontè doesn’t want a baby, and me knowing that I’ll never be able to give Geren the ones he craves so badly.”

Janessa ran her fingers through Tempest’s damp hair. “You haven’t told Geren about what happened that summer, have you?”

“No, I don’t know how to.” Tempest broke out in tears, and Janessa slid down on the bench beside her, taking Tempest into her arms to comfort her. “How can I tell him something like that?”

“Things are getting serious between you two. Eventually he’s going to pop the question, and you’re going to have to fess up.”

“I know,” Tempest admitted. “I love Geren, but I can’t marry him. Maybe the best thing to do is just break it off before I allow him to buy into an impossible dream.”

Janessa started laughing. Tempest looked at her like she had gone mental. “What’s so funny?”

“Us! If we’re not the queens of drama, then I don’t know who is!”

Tempest giggled, wiping away her tears. “Well, I guess drama is what makes life interesting.”

Janessa got up and headed to the car. The rain was finally letting up. “Come on, we’ll deal with our issues later. Right now, let’s go to Baskin-Robbins and get some triple-scoop ice cream cones.”

Tempest got up and followed her out into the mud. “I’m with that! You know stressed is desserts spelled backward!”

CHAPTER 22

reactions

the first thing Geren noticed when Tempest answered her door was the strained expression on her face. She favored a deer caught in a pair of headlights.

“Tempest, what’s wrong?” he asked in growing concern, having never seen her look so desolate before.

“Shhhhhhh!” Tempest placed her forefinger to her mouth and made no effort to open the door wider so he could come in. “Janessa’s sleeping.”

“Janessa? What’s she doing here?”

Tempest rolled her eyes. “She’s sleeping, like I just said.”

Geren sighed heavily, a symbol of his growing irritation. “Tempest, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Tempest was clueless. “Not that I know of.”

“You were so adamant about me taking you to the charity benefit tonight that I cut my business trip short so I could be here.”

Tempest clamped her eyes shut. Damn, how could she have fucked up so royally?

“Geren, I’m so sorry, baby! It completely slipped my mind. This whole thing with Janessa has me trippin’ hard.”

It took Geren all of three seconds to put two and two together, but he decided not to jump the gun. He’d warned Dvontè on numerous occasions to always wear a raincoat with the ladies he dealt with, but to no avail. “What whole thing with Janessa? What’s going on, Tempest?”

Tempest glanced behind her to make sure Janessa was still asleep on the couch. She could hear light snoring, and Janessa’s legs were sprawled out like scissors as usual, so she came out into the hall, leaving her door slightly ajar. “Let’s talk out here.”

Geren followed her down the hallway to the landing and sat down on the stairs beside her. He waited patiently for her to break the silence.

“Janessa’s pregnant,” she finally blurted out.