Part 1 (1/2)

Melody.

A Novel.

BY STACY-DEANNE.

Dedication.

To my mother, Elva, You were my mother, sister and best friend.

There is not a moment that goes by that I do not miss you.

You went through all of my journeys with me and creating.

Melody was one of them. Melody is the most favorite story.

I've ever written so it's only fitting to dedicate it to you.

I love you endlessly. We will be together again some day.

I hope I continue to make you proud.

Elva N. Reed (RIP).

(1946-2006).

Acknowledgments.

I would like to send out a special thanks to everyone at Strebor and Simon & Schuster. Thanks for making writers' dreams come true. Special thanks to Zane, you are a phenomenal woman and you've used your expertise and knowledge to bring other writers to the forefront. It means a lot that you appreciate my work. It's been a pleasure working with you.

To Charmaine Parker, thanks for being a s.h.i.+ning light for us authors while we go through publication, editing and just plain waiting. I've had a lot of questions and you never hesitated to help me along. Thanks for always being cheerful, positive and for the time you spend helping authors' books to reach their final stage. I know the job of helping us all can't be easy, and it is not taken for granted.

Last, but not least, thanks to the readers for picking up this book. I hope you enjoy it. I wrote it for all of you.

Chapter One.

Melody Cruz hated to make a.s.sumptions. Yet what else could she think? She smelled his overpowering cologne, still she didn't turn around. She could feel Keith's presence as he entered her bedroom. Already this had been too much.

”What are you doing in my room?” She cuddled her bare bosom. ”Answer me, Keith!” He didn't. ”What's your problem?” What was his problem? Here she stood half-naked while his eyes fondled every part of her body. ”Just go away, please.” She shook. ”Please go back into the living room.”

She had no idea what to make of this. He'd been one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen. His alluring green eyes rested within his creamy tanned skin. His magnificent dark hair completed the picture of perfection. Yet something about Keith Taylor seemed off. Even his good looks weren't enough to keep Melody's mind off his latest action.

She sensed that her being frightened turned him on. He took deep, hollowed breaths. She imagined him smirking. His handsome face flushed with demented delight. How could she feel this way about a man she'd just met? What did he want? Something about him brought out fear that she couldn't explain. Already she felt his mind controlling her emotions.

She still refused to look at him. Even at twenty-three years old Melody felt uncomfortable about being naked in front of men. A familiar self-consciousness awoke inside of her. Her body shut down beyond her control.

Keith panted loudly through deep grunts. Melody's knees knocked, her fingers sweat and her body ached from anxiety.

”Mmm...beautiful,” he whispered. She heard him crack his knuckles, while she envisioned cracking his neck. Suddenly the breathing sound disappeared. His cologne drifted from the room. She took a deep breath, realizing he'd left. She retrieved her blouse and went to the hall. She wanted to glance down the stairs before locking her bedroom door. ”Oh my G.o.d,” she sighed. Talk about a lasting first impression.

Her sister, Sarah, always managed to attract the oddest men on the planet. Melody wasn't surprised that Keith Taylor made Sarah's list of latest lovers. Melody picked up on Keith's disturbed nature the first time she laid eyes on him. She wouldn't dare leave her room until Sarah arrived. Luckily she didn't have to wait. She heard Sarah rus.h.i.+ng upstairs.

”Hey, Mel, you in there?” Sarah knocked.

”Uh, just a minute.” Did she sound nervous? She didn't want to sound nervous. She ran to the door and the thought of their parents entered her mind. Melody never could understand why they forced their way into her head at the oddest times. Maybe it was a sign. She always had the feeling they looked over her and Sarah from heaven. She needed that comfort right now. If not now then when?

She barely remembered their parents. They'd died in a car crash when Melody was three and Sarah was six. They were the result of a biracial romance; a Latino mother and a white father. That may have explained Sarah's undying interest in white lovers. Melody couldn't remember Sarah ever dating a Latino guy. They were so different that Melody often had to convince herself that they were sisters.

Sarah had blonde hair and s.h.i.+mmering green eyes. She didn't have a single Latino feature. Melody, on the other hand, couldn't have looked white if you doused her in flour. She had dark skin, long dark hair, dark brown eyes and thick luscious lips to match. Melody had been graced with height. Her father had been very tall as well. Sarah took her height from their mother, who had to stand on boxes to grab cans from the kitchen cabinet.

Melody equated her parents' differences with the differences between her and her older sister. They were equally beautiful in different ways. Melody kept their mother's maiden name, Cruz. Sarah went by their father's name, Johnson. Melody was the sensitive, self-conscious one. Sarah was the strong, confident, successful one. They both had big hearts but wanted different things out of life.

Melody just wanted to be happy. She didn't care about materialistic things or money. She could live in a shoe if she had someone truly special to share it with. Sarah's idea of love relied on a man's looks, money and status. She was independent, make no mistake. But Sarah lived for men. She based her entire existence on what men thought of her. She didn't seem to feel complete without some man's attention.

The sisters were separated after their parents died. Their uncle only wanted Sarah, claiming he couldn't afford to take care of two small girls. Melody had long ago dismissed his excuse. How much more could it have cost to take care of a three-year-old, anyway? Melody got stuck being raised by Aunt Lucia who had never been able to take hold of her bills, let alone her devastating mental problems. If Lucia's mental state ran in the family, Melody wondered if she'd snap, too, one day. Sometimes she felt insanity would be an improvement.

Sarah acquired the best of everything. She dated the best-looking men and wore the best-looking clothes. She got all the attention, always. A gorgeous blonde beauty? Melody couldn't compete. She didn't want to, and she didn't try. She loved Sarah deeply, and they were extremely close. Sarah had always been there for her. Melody would have done anything for her. She just couldn't understand Sarah's obsession for pleasing the men in her life.

Melody opened the door and fell into Sarah's arms. Sarah rocked her back and forth. Keith had given her the fright of her life. No need in wasting time. Melody would have to tell Sarah about Keith before Sarah fell in love with him.

”Sarah...uh...” Melody panted.

”Hey, baby sis, what's wrong?” Sarah squinted. She playfully wrapped a chunk of Melody's hair around her finger. ”I love to be hugged but this doesn't feel right, Mel.”

Melody struggled to force out the words. She couldn't imagine how silly she would sound. ”Sarah, Keith...he...”

”Oh yes! Let me tell you about Keith.” Sarah giggled. ”He is the absolute greatest guy in the world!”

”No Sarah, listen to me...”

”Oh he's made me the happiest woman in the world. Sit down Mel, and let me tell you what he did for me.” Let me tell you what he did to me, Melody thought.

”Sarah, please listen, okay? Look, Keith...”

”He heard about me not being able to take those college courses and guess what?” Sarah rubbed Melody's arm, which irritated her newfound goose b.u.mps.

”What?” Melody moaned. She hoped her att.i.tude would signal some hint to Sarah. She gave up interrupting her big sister. No one could stop Sarah when she gloated about yet another one of her ”new men.”

”He's paying for my courses, Mel. Isn't that wonderful?”

”How?” Melody glanced around the room. ”Those courses are running from fourteen thousand and up.”

”I know but he had money saved up from a trust fund. And he gave it to me.” Sarah leaned over in a flirtatious pose. ”Wasn't that just the sweetest most considerate thing you've ever heard? I love him, Mel.” Melody now had cause to worry. If Sarah had fallen in love with Keith she couldn't burst her bubble by telling her what had just happened. But what could she do? Let Sarah believe that this obvious p.r.i.c.k could be the man of her dreams?