James (Members From Money Book 34)

by Katie Dowe

  “Good. I'll leave and meet you at the apartment.”

  “What are we doing?”

  “Going out to dinner.”

  “It’s Tuesday.”

  “So?”

  “Normal people wait until the weekend to go out to dinner, James.”

  “You aren't normal. See you later.”

  She hung up from him with a smile on her face. He spoiled her and she loved it. She looked up as Markeeta came into the office. “Just make sure you give me enough notice before you leave.”

  “What?”

  “Honey, you're marrying a freaking billionaire. As much as I love out partnership, I know it has a short shelf life.”

  “I'm not going to stop working.”

  “As I said before, you're marrying a billionaire and as much as I know he adores you, I can't see him having his wife slaving at the chocolate store from Monday to Saturday. One: you don’t need the money and two: he's going to want you traveling with him.”

  Kennedy sat back against her chair. “We never discussed that.”

  “You should. I'm sure he won’t want to mention it first because of what you went through with that asshole. You're going to be the one to instigate the conversation.”

  Kennedy stared at her friend and nodded slowly. “You're right.” She lifted her hands and pulled her fingers through her hair. “I suppose I can stop taking a salary starting now and still do the books.”

  Markeeta leaned forward. “Honey it's okay. I'm not going to feel betrayed. You're going to have a whole new life very soon. I'm just saying that you should give me enough notice and discuss it with your man.”

  Kennedy nodded slowly. “I will.”

  *****

  “How fancy is this place?” Kennedy asked him as she rifled through the vast closet. He kept adding to her wardrobe and she'd stopped protesting.

  “Very fancy.” He came to stand behind her and reaching forward he took out a slinky amethyst dress with a plunging neckline. “How about this?”

  She lifted her head and looked up at him. “I love you,” she whispered huskily.

  “I know, but I love to hear you say it,” he whispered back. “We have an eight o’clock reservation.” He started to move away and she grasped his arm.

  “I know why you're doing this.”

  “Doing what?”

  She turned and looked at him. “I told you that I never went out—” He bent his head and cut off the rest as his lips took hers in a stunning kiss that had her clinging to him.

  He lifted his head and stared down at her, his expression intense. “I told you that I will make every effort to erase the past,” he said softly.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You're the most amazing man I've ever met and I cannot believe that we're together.”

  “Believe it,” he whispered.

  *****

  They were met at the door by the manager who almost bowed to ground when he held the doors open for them. “Mr. Zhang we have everything set up.” The Chinese man said, beaming. “Please come this way.”

  “This is your newest restaurant,” Kennedy whispered as he held her hand and guided her to the back, where a dark blue sofa went all the way around a round table. Candles were burning and there wasn't a single menu on the table. He waited until she was seated before taking a seat next to her. “We have the special for tonight: stir fried shrimp and scallions.” The man looked at both of them. “And you requested the Costa Delight for the wine.”

  “Unless my fiancé wants something different,” James said as he looked at her enquiringly.

  “No, that’s fine.”

  The man nodded and hurried away.

  “This is very nice,” she murmured as she looked around.

  “I can make love to you right here and no one would bother us,” he told her huskily as he lifted one slim hand and brought it to his lips.

  “Good to know,” she told him teasingly. Her eyes wandered over his clean shaven face and the way the custom-made dark blue suit fitted his body. She shivered as she remembered that underneath his clothes there was a muscled body that she loved to touch and taste.

  Their food came and they ate in relative silence. She told him about work and he laughed at the episode of one of the customers refusing to pay for her drink because it had too much whipped cream.

  “I have to talk to you about something,” she finally said.

  “Go ahead.”

  “We never talked about money.”

  “No, we never do.”

  “I think I'm going to have to stop working.”

  His dark eyes met hers. “It’s up to you,” he said carefully.

  “You were never going to say anything to me about that were you?”

  He looked down into his wine. “He controlled you and I never will.”

  She reached across and took one of his hands. “I know that and I want you to know that I will never compare you to him. Please feel free to talk to me about anything or suggest anything to me.”

  “I will, but I want you to know that you're free to do anything you want to do,” he told her soberly.

  “I want to travel with you whenever you go somewhere. I want to be a proper wife to you and be there for you when you need me,” she told him sincerely.

  “And as much as I love that I want you to be able to find your niche and do your thing,” he told her gently. “Anything you want to do, baby.”

  “I love that.” She lifted his hand and curved it against her cheek. “And I love you James.”

  “There's something I need to do.” He looked up as the waiter came over with the dessert tray. “I asked them to serve your favorite dessert.”

  Kennedy’s eyes lit up as the man placed the tiramisu onto the table.

  James nodded and the waiter left. “Before we start eating that I want to make this official. He took the box out of his pocket and placed it in the center of the table. “Kennedy Clarke I want to officially ask you to be my wife.” He opened the box and she gasped at the sheer beauty of the diamond nestled there. He took it out and, taking her hand, he slipped it onto her finger. She stared down at it dazedly and then looked up at him. Her fingers clutched his and her eyes were bright with tears. “I love it,” she said huskily.

  He lifted her hand and kissed it gently.

  “And I love you,” she added.

  “My love,” he said huskily.

  *****

  “Hey.” He'd woken up at midnight to find that she wasn't next to him on the bed. They'd come home at nine and he'd made love to her slowly. She'd told him she was sleeping with her ring on to get used to it.

  She was sitting at the counter with her hands clasped on the counter.

  She dashed tears from her cheeks and smiled at him. “I didn't want to wake you.”

  “When you leave my side you wake me.” He came in and sat opposite her. “Why are you crying?’

  “I wasn't—”

  “Kennedy.”

  She bit her bottom lip and stared at him. “You're going to find out that I'm not worth all of this—”

  She broke off as he stood up abruptly, his expression bleak. “Stop right there.” His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “I never want to hear you saying that ever again.” He took a deep breath. “How many times Kennedy? How many times do I have to prove to you that you're worth everything? God! The more I think that I'm making progress the more I'm failing. My father tried to break me by making me think that I would never be good enough and I rose above it. I need you to stop right now Kennedy and I mean it.”

  He stood there dismayed as she burst into tears. He moved forward swiftly and took her into his arms. He lifted her and took her back to the bedroom and sat on the sofa, rocking her as she cried against his bare chest. He held her and felt the remorse that he'd attacked her!

  She finally lifted her head and he wiped her tears. “I'm sorry,” he muttered.

  “I'm the one who's sorry. I got emotional when
I woke up and saw this ring winking up at me and then I turned to look at you lying there. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.” She shook her head. “Do you know what you've done for me James? Do you know the confidence I have now? Do you know how much it means to me that you love me? Do you?”

  “I'm beginning to realize.” He tilted her chin. “Let me tell you something darling. I was emotionally unavailable until I met you. Now I often feel like singing and dancing when I think of you. It’s because of you that I want to do that. For the first time in my life I feel alive, so it's something mutual. It's not one-sided.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Thank you,” he whispered back.

  *****

  “Your man really knows how to spoil a girl, honey,” Markeeta said as she came in with the bunch of roses. “This is the third time this week.”

  Kennedy smiled as she took the vase from her friend and sniffed. It had been a week since the engagement and she'd reluctantly taken off the ring and left it at home after the first couple of days because it was drawing too much attention. He'd taken her out to the movies over the weekend and on Sunday they'd gone for a drive in the country. It was drawing nearer to her wedding date and she was getting more and more excited.

  “I cannot believe this is happening to me Markeeta. It feels like a fairytale.” She put the vase on the side of her desk and stared at it. “He spoils me for no reason.”

  “He loves you and wants to make up for the crap you went through,” Markeeta commented.

  “He does that,” she said dreamily. “Okay, let’s discuss business.”

  “Uh oh.” Markeeta took her seat slowly. “Hit me with the bad news honey.”

  “I haven't decided what I want to do yet. I've discussed it with James and he pretty much said it’s up to me. I know he's saying that because he doesn't want it to seem like he's controlling me. That man!” She shook her head ruefully. “I won't be coming back when I leave to get married but I won't be taking my half of the capital—” She held up her hand as Markeeta made to protest. “I insist. I'm not going to need the money. It’s my gift to you, so please accept it.”

  “I wasn't going to say no,” she said with a grin. “I'm not dumb. I was going to tell you that I found a replacement, even though she will never be able to replace you. It’s my sister and she's been out of work for the past month.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have stopped working at that time.”

  “No hurry honey. She's off to the Caribbean for two weeks and won’t be back until October. After that she wants to go to Florida to sell her house and move here. So you leaving in December is fine.”

  “I'm going to miss this place,” Kennedy said wistfully. “When I was going through hell it saved me.”

  “You can always come in for free pastries and drinks,” Markeeta told her with a smile.

  “I will.”

  *****

  “I met someone,” Joan said casually as her sister came back into the beautiful living room with mugs of hot chocolate. Kennedy had persuaded her to come over for a visit and spend the night. James had gone to the club and wouldn't be back until late. She hadn't seen her sister in two weeks.

  “How long?”

  “A month,” Joan said sheepishly as she sipped the hot chocolate. The electric flames crackled in the fireplace and there was coziness about the room that had them relaxing.

  “And you're just saying it to me.”

  “Honey, you were seeing James for months and I had to find out from him,” Joan pointed out.

  “You have a point,” Kennedy said sheepishly. She'd been feeling guilty that she was so happy and her sister was still alone. “How is he?”

  Joan shrugged. “I'm taking my time on this one. He's kind and sweet and divorced like me. His wife left him for a younger man. We talk about relationships and everything but I'm taking it slow. He's a firefighter.”

  “A very noble profession,” Kennedy commented.

  “He wants to meet you.”

  “So bring him around.”

  “In a restaurant is safer. I don't want him coming to this fancy place and then it doesn't work out between us. James is a billionaire and I don’t want anyone getting any ideas,” Joan said firmly. “I met his sister and we hit it off.”

  “I thought you were taking it slow,” Kennedy teased.

  “I am, but his sister came into the restaurant when we were having dinner.” Joan sipped her hot chocolate. “I like him a lot and that makes me afraid. I fell too fast for my ex-husband and it was a disaster. I'm not making the same mistakes again.”

  “Don’t be too hooked up on the past,” Kennedy advised her. “I held on to the past and it almost destroyed what I feel for James.”

  “You're right but I'll still take it slow. His name is Marcus Whyte and he's this giant of a man with a gentle laugh and a solidness about him that relaxes me. I like him a lot, Ken and I'm scared. I want something like what you have with James but I'm afraid that it's not going to happen with us. We haven't had sex yet. As I said I'm taking it slow, like a snail.”

  “I'm happy you found someone, honey. Invite him to the wedding.”

  “That’s what I wanted to find out from you. With that enormous guest list I was wondering if you're going to have room for one more.”

  Kennedy laughed at that. “I assure you that the hotel ballroom is capable of holding hundreds.”

  “Look at you, getting the wedding of your dreams!” Joan said in wonder.

  “I told James I wanted a very big wedding and he's determined to make it the biggest this town has ever seen!”

  Joan looked at her sister and shook her head. “It’s wonderful to see you like this. You're laughing and have that soft glow about you like a woman in love. I'm so happy for you.”

  “I am a woman in love with an incredible man!” Kennedy said with a sparkle in her eyes. “I cannot wait to marry him.”

  *****

  The break-in happened when she was just about to lock up and leave. She'd told Markeeta and Sylvia to leave while she finished up and she would do the closing up. It was a little after seven and she hadn't minded staying because James had a late meeting. She finished the payroll and turned the lights off. She'd told them to lock the doors on their way out. She picked up her purse and turned off her laptop then headed for the front. She froze as she heard footsteps a few feet away. She was positive that she was alone in the place and knew that if anyone was in the store it had to be someone who didn't belong. She dug into her purse for her phone and stifled a groan as she realized that she'd left it in the office. She started to take her time to go back for it when she stumbled over a stool. She stood there, rigid with fright, galvanizing into action when she heard the footsteps coming towards her. She started running but she wasn't swift enough. She felt the heavy body crash over her and pin her to the ground. “Bitch!” he whispered. “I'm going to shove my dick inside you so far that it's not going to come out.”

  Kennedy felt helpless fear creeping over her and for a moment she froze, not knowing what to do. But then the training she'd been learning from Julia and James kicked in. She waited until he had eased up before she made her move. As soon as he eased up she turned swiftly and, lifting her knee, she slammed it hard into his crotch. He screamed in agony. She scissored her feet up and plowed them into the softness of his belly, sending him crashing to the side of the counter, hitting his head in the process. Kennedy scrambled up and raced to the office, closing and locking the doors behind her. She pushed up a chair behind it and reached for her phone to dial the cops. She then called James.

  “Kennedy where—”

  “Someone's in the store!” she whispered

  “I'm coming.”

  She heard the man knocking against the door and went to push several more chairs in front. She looked around for any sort of weapon and picked up a baseball bat. “I called the cops!” she called out. “And my fiancé has a black belt in karate.”
<
br />   Her body sagged in relief when she heard noise in the room and realized that someone else had come.

  Chapter 11

  He broke the door down to get to her, not waiting for her to open it. She flew into his arms and he held her tight, his breathing shallow. He'd died a thousand deaths on his way to her and his body trembled with the pressure. He stepped back after a little bit and tilted her chin up. There was a slight bruise on her left cheek and he felt his fingers tightening on her skin. The bastard had hurt her and if he had gotten here before the police he would have torn him from limb to limb. Maybe that had been a good thing.

  “Those moves that you and Julia taught me came in handy,” she told him huskily. “I fought him, darling.”

  He saw the humor in the situation but only for a moment. “He hurt you.”

  “Just a little bit.”

  Just then an officer came in. “We're taking the perpetrator downtown Ms. Clarke,” his dark brown eyes wandered over James. “Would you mind coming down to make a statement?”

  “No!” James said briefly. “You caught him in the act so there's no need for her to come there.”

  “Darling, I don’t mind—”

  “You're tired and shaken up and I'm taking you home right now,” he said firmly.

  “It can be done at another time,” the officer assured them. “Just come into the precinct when you can and make the statement. I'm happy to see that you're okay.”

  “Thanks officer,” Kennedy told him.

  As soon as the man left he took her over to the sofa and sat with her in his lap. He sat there for a while and didn't say anything. Then he spoke. “I told you that I will never do anything that remotely resembles controlling you,” he said quietly. “I know what that feels like firsthand and I promise you that I will not be doing that., He took a deep breath. “I'm not going to tell you to stop working—”

  “I've already decided to stop working,” she interrupted him.

  “I already know that.” His hands cupped her neck and he caressed her throat. “I'm going to be worrying about you staying here by yourself.”

  “I'll finish up for this week and then that’s it.”