“Please, son, have a seat,” my father said.
I found my place next to him and directly in front of Tina. She smiled coyly, and again I glanced from my father to Mr. Murdock. The server approached the table with appetizers.
“The jumbo crab cake with mustard butter and your burgundy escargots,” the server announced, placing the food on the table.
“I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of ordering water and an appetizer to appease you until my son arrived,” Christopher said.
“Are you all ready to order?” the server asked after placing a glass of water with lemon in front of each one of us. Tina looked to me.
“Ladies first,” I said.
Tina blushed. “Thank you.” She turned to the server. “I do have a bit of a seafood craving. I’ve had a taste for lobster for a long time.”
“I know what you mean,” Mr. Murdock said. “One of us has to get lobster before leaving this restaurant. It would be wrong to visit this place without tasting their fresh seafood.”
Tina glanced over the menu. “I’m already on it. I’ll have your steak and signature lobster tail please.”
I checked my watch then my cell.
“Do you have another appointment?” my father asked, noting my clock watching.
Mr. Murdock began ordering his food as I responded, “I have someone I want you to meet. She should be here any moment.” This brought Mr. Murdock’s and Tina’s full attention to me. I turned to the server. “Excuse me, there will be a fifth guest. Can you make room for her please?”
“Sure thing. Would you like to order?”
“This water is fine. I’ll wait until she arrives.”
“We should all wait then,” my father announced.
“No, it’s all right, you’ve waited long enough. I’d like for us to get started.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Pop, order your food.”
He did, giving me a glance before continuing.
The server left, and my father got right down to business.
“So, Charles, if you don’t mind,” my father said, “I’ll start by saying thank you for meeting my son and I today and introducing us to your lovely daughter. We both have a genuine interest to see our companies prosper, and at this time in Gemz’s growth, I want to make sure it holds the family ethics that I have spent the last few years devoted to molding and shaping to its current state.
“I have offered my son Josiah the option of taking complete ownership of Gemz, which is why I wanted you two to meet and get to know each other. If all goes well, you two could be partnering, and I will be on permanent vacation.”
“I wasn’t aware that you were looking to partner with another company,” I said, making sure he knew I wasn’t familiar with this type of charade he was playing.
“I figured if you didn’t take over the company, I would still need a CEO with some common ground to run Gemz, but if you signed the contract it would be ultimately up to you. However, having a partner with shared interest when it comes to business, growth, finances, employers, clients, and other things that could go wrong would be supreme for you, don’t you think?”
“Why would I need a partner when I have you?”
“Son, I want you to realize that I won’t be around most of the time. Taking over this company is a serious deal; some things will happen at the drop of a dime, and I could be on an island in Costa Rica somewhere. What will you do?”
“Costa Rica? Pop, are you taking a vacation you haven’t told me about?”
My father snickered. “Maybe.”
“So many secrets these days,” I said.
My father held up his hand. “No secrets. I’m laying everything on the table now. And the company needs order, stability,” he said, which was sounding oddly familiar to what Santana had said earlier.
“He’s got a point there,” Tina said.
“Does he?” I returned.
“Yes, and in the event that Mr. Rose isn’t around to assist you, my father should be. He is the best at what he does with Summer Rain. A real honest man with integrity and muscle. That’s who you need on your team.”
I glanced from the proud smile on Mr. Murdock’s face to the seriousness of Tina’s.
“And what about you?” I said. “Your father says you’ll be taking over Summer Rain. That means I’ll have to get assistance from you.”
Tina kept her focus on me. “I’m quite equipped to handle whatever comes my way, Mr. Rose.”
She held a twinkle in her eye that I recognized as a flirtatious indicator.
“Well said, baby girl,” Mr. Murdock said.
“I get the feeling you have a feisty daughter on your hands, Mr. Murdock,” I said. “I’m sure she could get anything she wants from you.”
“Most of the time.”
We all chuckled.
“Mr. Murdock, I’d like to personally thank you for taking the time out to visit with my father and me today.” I looked to Tina. “You as well, Ms. Murdock. However, we won’t be taking on partners anytime soon.”
My father looked at me with wide eyes. “When did we come to this conclusion?”
“When I signed the contract,” I said, giving him my full attention.
A smile crept across his lips. “You signed the agreement?” He spoke in shocked disbelief.
“I did.” I took a sip of my water.
“And you read all it entailed?”
“I’m not a degenerate, Father. Ms. Lean and I went over it in full detail.”
“We should still consider Mr. and Ms. Murdock as partners. You never know.” He shrugged. “And where is this girl you were telling me about?”
I almost laughed out loud. He just couldn’t help himself. He was interested in seeing if I would go through with his preposterous request.
“Speaking of, here she is now,” I said, standing.
Santana walked through the restaurant effortlessly. Her hair had been let down, and it bounced in layers around her face as she strutted our way. Our gazes connected and without missing a step, I guided her to me. As she neared, I got a clear look at her dress. She’d changed into a light blouse and a skirt that hugged her thighs enough to reveal a shapely figure but loose enough to not cause damage to my libido. It stopped at her knees. Pantyhose graced her legs, and the heels she wore brought her at least three inches closer to my height.
An aphrodisiac surrounded me when she floated to my side, and Santana leaned in and kissed my lips softly. “Hello again.” Her sultry voice sent a flare to my groin.
“You look beautiful as always,” I said.
My father cleared his throat.
“Pops, this is Santana Summers,” I said, “my girlfriend.”
Wide eyes met mine, and everyone glanced to Santana. She held a perfect smile as she came to my father’s side.
“Mr. Rose, it’s so nice to see you again.” She blew air kisses on both sides of his cheeks. Then looked to everyone else. “Hello,” her voice sang.
Mr. Murdock held out his hand, which Santana accepted. He leaned in and placed a kiss on the back and the hint of jealousy I felt surprised me.
“Good evening, Ms. Summers. I’m Charles Murdock, owner and CEO of Summer Rain Industries. This is my daughter Tina Murdock future owner and CEO of Summer Rain Industries.”
Santana reached for Tina’s hand, but Tina nodded a hello instead.
“I hope I’m not too late.” Santana took note of the appetizers just as the server walked up with everyone’s order.
“Oh sweetheart, we’re going to eat in private. Our meeting is just about over, and I felt it was time for you to meet my father.”
“And what a surprise this is,” my father said, staring at Santana. “Please have a seat.”
I held my hand out to take hers and led her back over to me. After helping her in a chair, I reclaimed my seat.
“This is the first time I’m hearing about anyone Josiah is remotely interested in.”
�
��Pop,” I said.
“It’s the truth.”
“And here you thought your boy might not be ready to settle down,” Mr. Murdock threw in.
I turned to my father but spoke to Mr. Murdock: “What else did he tell you?”
“That you were single,” Tina inserted, her vision casting a sharp glance from Santana to me.
I pulled Santana’s hand in mine. “Well, maybe my father shouldn’t speak so quickly next time.” I turned my attention to him. “Isn’t that right, Pop?”
My father nodded. “You might be right, son. You might be right.”
I glanced back to Santana. She squeezed my fingers and winked with a buoyant smile covering her face. I couldn’t help but notice Santana’s performance was neatly packaged. Almost as if she was leading from a place of understanding. I tried to dismiss the idea, but it curled up inside me like a close acquaintance and didn’t want to let go.
Chapter Nine
Santana
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Josiah asked.
“Not at all.” I smiled softly. With everyone tuned into our conversation, I made sure to give Josiah all my attention. I glanced at the glass of water sitting in front of him. “I’m sure your appetites bigger than that.”
Josiah nodded once. “Starved.”
“You should’ve at least ordered an appetizer,” I said.
“I had an appetizer before I arrived. Now I’m ready for the main course, but I was hoping you could help me with that.”
A ball of nerves shot up my arms and settled around my neck, saturating my body completely. His insinuation was so blatant and arousing that I was completely turned on where I probably should’ve been embarrassed seeing as how we were in front of company. I smirked and slowly shook my head as I reached for his jawline for a soft caress.
“Tease,” I said.
“So, Ms. Summers,” Josiah’s father began, “when we were in Montego Bay, I had no idea you and Josiah were dating. Is that why you two kept disappearing?”
I was sure my face lit up red as a blush covered my cheeks. Josiah found it funny, chuckling with that sexy ass dashing smile on his face.
“How long have you and my boy been dating?” Mr. Rose went on.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve been dating,” I replied. “We were friends for a while. I’m from Houston. I moved down here with Desiree when she decided to come back home a few months ago. Josiah and I met while I still resided in Houston. He was my hero of sorts.”
Josiah’s chuckling continued, and I had a notion to kick him in his shin. After a few seconds, he settled down long enough to respond to his father. “Santana was a friend of Julian’s. Her home was burglarized, and Julian asked me to watch after her while he was away on business. We’ve remained friends ever since.”
“If you’ve managed to pull my son from his rambunctious activities, then I welcome you. I also want to invite you over for dinner so we can become further acquainted.”
“Anytime,” I said.
“Mr. Rose,” Mr. Murdock said, getting back to business. He glanced from Josiah to his father. “I do hope you will consider partnering with us. If you’d like a tour of our headquarters, Tina would be more than happy to show you around.”
Tina’s eyes lit up, and she kept them focused on Josiah. She reached into a handbag that hung off the back of her chair and pulled out a business card sliding it over to Josiah.
“Call me or email me, and we’ll set up an appointment,” she said. “I’m sure once you’ve gotten a feel for what we can offer, you’ll change your mind about partnering with us.” Tina turned to Mr. Murdock. “Isn’t that right, Daddy?”
“I do not doubt it.”
“Thank you,” Josiah said, tucking the card into his breast pocket.
I made a mental note to remove it later and shred it. Then I paused my thoughts and wondered about where my mind had landed. Remember, Santana, this is all pretending, no need to get your panties all in a bunch.
“Pop, Mr. Murdock, Ms. Murdock,” Josiah called out, grabbing their attention. “It was nice meeting up with you, but if you don’t mind, Santana and I are going to grab a table.” He held his hand out and shook their hands.
“This place is pretty packed,” his father said, “are you sure you’ll be able to get a table?”
“You have the popularity of the Kardashians. I’m sure the owner would put someone out to give you a seat.”
Everyone turned to look at Tina with surprise.
“That’s being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Josiah responded.
“No, I don’t.”
The table grew quiet.
“Well,” I said, standing to my feet. Josiah stepped behind me, quickly adjusting my seat as I rose. “It was nice meeting you all.” I locked my arm with Josiah’s.
“You as well, Ms. Summers,” Mr. Murdock said.
Josiah nodded, and we traipsed away from the table. In my periphery, I saw flashes from cell phones where people were openly taking our picture. I followed Josiah to a window seat where we were practically put on display.
“Are you sure you want to sit here?” I asked.
“Would you rather sit somewhere else? I thought if we were going to put on this show, we should put it on thick.”
I nodded. “That’s fine. So,” I smoothed down my skirt and crossed my legs, “Summer Rain Industries, huh?”
“Have you heard of them?”
“Of course. I’d have to say they are about as popular as Gemz.”
“Almost.” Josiah offered me that wide sexy grin.
I laughed out loud. “Seems like your father is serious about partnering, or he would’ve picked a company with a lesser reputation.”
“You’re right about that. But I do think you may be on to something about him wanting to see if I’m interested in marriage.”
“Oh?”
“Before you arrived, he mentioned Gemz needing stability to withstand the test of time.”
My smile widened. “It looks like we have him in the palm of our hands, too,” I said.
“Trust me,” Josiah said. “We’ll have to keep this going all the way to the altar before my father reveals his true intentions. Which is one of the reasons I asked you if you would take this all the way if that happens.” He held me with a straightforward gaze. “Are you still game, Santana?”
I smirked. “I’m here, aren’t I, Josiah?”
His smile became bright again, and he picked up his champagne glass.
“To us,” he said. “May we last… forever.”
I kissed his glass with mine, and we sipped. This was going to be more fun than I thought, but I would remind Josiah later we should stick with the theatrics when we’re in public only. The last thing I wanted to do was blur the lines between real and fantasy. Even if I was already feeling fuzzy on the inside.
Josiah and I sat in Chops Lobster Bar for an hour when I received a text message from Carla.
Apparently, she’d been thinking about her job at the school and decided she wanted to use her paid vacation time while she had the chance. The problem was Natalie Rosenburg, the assistant principal, wanted to speak to Carla in person. So, Carla told Mrs. Rosenburg that she and I were out together so she couldn’t come in at that time. Putting it plainly, it backfired, and Mrs. Rosenburg asked for us both to come in.
With much reluctance, I had to cut my time with Josiah short and head to Carla’s apartment.
The door to the brick apartment complex opened, and Carla tugged at a skirt that barely touched her knees. The heels she wore were those stripper shoes I kept telling her might not be the best choice for school when she purchased them in Montego Bay. But she just had to have them, reasoning that school wasn’t the only place she visited. But I didn’t know who she was fooling. Although we’d been acquainted only a short while, Carla’s days and nights had consisted of being at work and going home.
She opened the passenger door and climbed inside.
/> “Thank you, girl. I appreciate you for coming.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice since you included me in your cahoots.”
“Cahoots?” she said, feigning astonishment. “No cahoots, I promise.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Natalie caught me off guard. You know how she is sometimes. I had no idea she would ask to see you, too. That was the last thing I was banking on.”
I pulled away from the curb and went in the direction of the school.
“I hope this doesn’t take long because I’m supposed to grab drinks with Octavia and Selena later.”
Carla reared her head around and put her hands on her hips. “Oh, so I don’t get an invite?”
“Well with you quitting your job, I didn’t think you would want to spend money when you should be saving it until you get something else.”
“Is that what you thought? I know I don’t live in an upscale townhome or anything, but I think I can afford a drink or two without the lights going out.”
“Okay, so does that mean you’re going?”
“I don’t know. I have to check my bank account.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Girl.”
“What,” she said. “Ooh, girl, I met this honey brown skinned brother at the library of all places. He was so cute. You know I was scoping out his ring finger like this.”
Carla bucked her eyes and tilted her head forward as if searching for something on the floor. I laughed and shook my head some more.
“Oh my God, you are so crazy. Do you think he can read or was he just there to scope out single desperate women?”
The smile on Carla’s face fell. “Oh, so you got jokes?”
I shrugged. “Actually, I was serious. Did he check out any books?”
Carla mused over it for a second. “Now that you mention it, I didn’t see him check out any books.”
I giggled some more.
Fever (Falling For A Rose Book 4) Page 7