by M.J. Kane
Chapter 24
Three months later.
“Ms. Phillips, you have a call on line three.”
I sighed. “Thomas, how many times have I told you, call me Yasmine?”
The young, pimpled faced kid, who worked the front desk, blushed in my doorway. He looked like he’d pass out on the floor if I smiled at him. Talk about a teenage crush.
“I’m-m-m-… sorry, I just can’t─”
What he couldn’t do was get the words out without stammering half to death. Where did my father find this guy?
“It’s okay, just send the call through.”
Thomas shut his mouth, nodded, and walked into the doorframe. He looked at me again, his face even redder from embarrassment.
I allowed a half smile, not wanting to throw too much at him for fear of having to transfer the call myself.
He responded with a dorky grin and headed back to the front desk.
The Phillips’ Family Inn had been in business since I attended high school. I’d been assistant manager of this location since graduating college. My parents sweated blood and tears to open the establishment.
After years of planning, my great-grandmother’s death left my mother enough money and the perfect property to build their dream.
Twelve years later, there were two locations with the possibility of a third opening up next year. Talk about following your dreams.
My dream did not include running a hotel for the rest of my life.
Fashion was my thing. I spent every free moment researching and using my family and friends as test dummies. As far as they were concerned, I became the ‘go to’ person when needing to dress for the occasion. My best friend, Ebony, was one of my better case studies. The day we met, she wore a pair of jeans and an everyday t-shirt that hid her beauty. It took a few months to break her shell.
My goal was to start a business as a fashion consultant. I had the skill, the talent, and the motivation. All I needed was time. And a location to work out of.
I chewed on my lip and pulled out my calendar. Time…time…time…
A date circled in blaring red ink made me pause. Javan and I had an anniversary coming up. Eight months. How did that happen?
Long-term relationships and I did not get along. Too many chances of happiness had turned to heartache. The last man who’d broken my heart put a nail in the coffin. Looking for love no longer interested me.
By no means was I gay; I loved men. I loved their attitudes, their style, their swagger... hell, I loved sex. A man could have me all day in any way. But my heart was forbidden. No man would ever reach there again.
Yet, somehow, Javan slipped through a loophole and planted himself there. For eight months. Most of my ‘friends with benefits’ relationships barely lasted three months.
Maybe watching Ebony and Brian’s relationship grow rubbed off on us. Especially since he left Ebony behind to follow his career. After Brian left, Javan started spending more time with me. He became interested in my mind as much as my body.
The phone rang and snapped me out of my thoughts.
“This is Yasmine Phillips, manager of the Phillips’ Family Inn.”
“Yasmine, it’s Brian, how are you?”
“Brian? How have you been? How’s the tour?”
He laughed. “Man, it’s been one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve learned a lot and met so many people.” He sighed. “But honestly, I’m ready to come home. That’s why I’m calling. We’ll be back in a week, and I want to do something special for Ebony. It’s been three months since we’ve been together and…well…” Nervous laughter came through the phone. “We need some time alone, you know? Could you hook me up with─”
“Say no more. I’ve got the perfect room for you guys. It has a balcony overlooking the rose garden.”
Brian sighed heavily. “Thanks.” He wasted no time giving me the details of what he wanted. Ebony would be very pleased.
“I like your style, Brian. Maybe you can give Javan some pointers. Our anniversary is coming up─” His unexpected outburst made me pause. “What are you laughing at?”
He cleared his throat. “Did you say anniversary?”
“Don’t be a smart ass, Brian.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, you were saying?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s next week. Maybe we can meet up for dinner or something. I’ll fill Ebony in on the details later. Do you think you guys can unwrap yourselves long enough to join the festivities?”
“Um, sure. Let us know, and we’ll be there.”
“Cool. Now if that’s all…”
“Actually,” Brian paused. “Yasmine, can I ask you something?” The tone of his voice changed.
“What’s on your mind?” I doodled on a note pad.
“You’ve been friends with Ebony for a while.” He paused again.
I tapped the pen on my desk. Patience was not one of my strong suits. “What do you want to know? If it’s something private because of the sister code…” I shrugged even though he couldn’t see it.
“I understand. Have you noticed anything different about Ebony? I mean, is she okay?”
I sat the pen down. Of course, she’d changed. She was in full school and work mode. I admired her dedication. Once she set her mind on something, she went all in. “She’s good, just stressing about school as always. It’s her last year, and the pressure is intense. Besides, with you gone, who else is she going to play with besides the monkey?”
That made him laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve been so busy I thought I missed something important.”
“Don’t worry about her. I’ve been busy myself, but I’ll check on her.”
“Thanks, Yasmine,” he said and ended the call.
Brian was right, Ebony had changed. Her hard work and dedication to her job were nothing new. But once he left, she started working harder than usual.
She ate, slept, worked, and talked to him when she could. But when it came to Kaitlin and me…
I could understand why she avoided us. After all, we were spending time with our boyfriends while she waited by the phone. And the three months without sex thing…damn. I’d be a freaking lunatic by now.
Ebony needed an intervention, a girl’s night out. The mission: get her back to the way he left her. It was way past time for her newly-acquired frumpy look to go.
Time to plan. I called Kaitlyn; she agreed with my idea.
Only one thing left to do. Call Javan and cancel our plans for the evening.
Smooth jazz music played while I sat on hold. Calling him at work irritated me. I wished he would keep his phone on.
“Thank you for calling Franklin and Associates. How may I direct your call?”
I ground my teeth. I hated the receptionist. She never hesitated to play games when she transferred my call. She also had no qualms letting me know her eyes were on my man.
“Sandra, I’ve been waiting for over five minutes. Is he available?”
“Oh, Ms. Phillips, I’m sorry. Hold the line for a moment, I’ll check.”
I wanted to reach through the phone and slap her.
Another minute passed.
“Hello?”
Javan had the sexiest voice.
“Hi, baby, it’s me.”
“Ah, Yasmine…” The moment he realized it was me because the bitch would never tell him his voice dropped an octave. It was impossible not to fidget in my seat.
“Were you busy?”
“No, my last patient left a while ago. I’m wrapping up paperwork now.”
“One of these days, I’m going to cuss her ass out,” I said hotly. “She left me on hold for five minutes.”
Javan’s husky laugh tickled my ear through the phone. “Should I warn her now or wait to pull you off?”
“Don’t tempt me.” I could visualize her skinny ass running around the office.
“Hmm, the idea of you fighting over me turns me on. Why don’t you s
wing by in say…thirty minutes? We can have lunch in my office. You’ll end up eating in your car, but I’m sure you’ll leave a very satisfied woman.”
Having ‘lunch’ with Javan was always creative. A time check left me disappointed. “Unfortunately, our computers crashed for the second time this week. I’ve got an emergency call for a computer tech now. I’m stuck.”
“We all have to work.” I could hear the rustle of paper. “Then tonight, my place. Both of us naked with you on top?”
The visual image of his body drove me crazy. Tight muscles under smooth chocolate skin. The man could have been the spokesperson for the Hershey’s corporation. There always seemed to be a sexual current flowing around him. It pulled me like a magnet.
“That’s why I’m calling. I’ve got to cancel. Brian’s coming back in a few days, and my girl needs help. Ebony’s been in her own little world since he’s been gone. Who knew she’d be stuck on him?” I laughed.
“What’s wrong with her?” The rustling noise stopped.
“She’s been MIA for three months, stuck in her room not wanting to talk. I think she’s a little jealous.”
“Of what?”
“Of our relationship. Plus Kaity’s got Luke. Think about it, she was with Brian a few months, and then he left.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. Look, I’ve got to go.” All sense of flirting left his voice.
“Okay, me too. The computer geek is here.” I studied the man who’d suddenly appeared in my doorway. “Love you.”
“Yeah, later.”
I hung up the phone. Why didn’t Thomas notify me the computer technician arrived?
Always eager to appreciate a good-looking man, I studied him.
He wore dark rimmed glasses, black pants, and the standard white shirt and black tie worn by geeks across America. He had cocoa colored skin, with shoulders hinting at a nice build beneath his shirt. He wore his hair in a low cut, typical black male fashion. Generous lips were surrounded by a trim goatee. Though he didn’t hold a candle to Javan’s thick frame, he was attractive…in a geeky sort of way.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Phillips, my name is Zachariah Givens. I’m here to service your computers.” He pointed over his shoulder down the short hallway leading to the front desk. “I rang the bell twice, but no one was out front.”
I sighed in exasperation. “Thomas must be on break.” I made note to address him about leaving the front desk unmanned without informing me. We were a small hotel chain, but we ran our establishment as if we were one of the big boys. “And it’s Ms. Phillips. Come in.”
I rose from my chair and smoothed the tight fabric over my hips. My skirt stopped at the mid-point of my thigh, my legs were naked without panty hose, and I wore sensible, yet stylish heels. Most men would have watched the movements. He didn’t. Guess he got offended by my comment.
“Look, I didn’t mean anything by calling you a geek. You reminded me of─”
“No problem.” His voice was flat and impersonal. “I hear it at least five times a day. It comes with the job.”
O-kay. So he was a geek with no sense of humor. Fine. But his voice had a hoarseness that was sexy as hell.
I moved out of the way so he could sit at my desk.
“What type of problem are you having?” He adjusted the chair to fit his height.
I frowned. I wasn’t that short.
It took five minutes to run down the problems we’d been experiencing. “So can you fix it?”
“I’ll have to run a diagnostic on the system and check each terminal before I can tell what’s going on. It’s possible you’ve got a virus, or,” he studied the computer set up, “your system is outdated and can no longer handle the work load.”
That was not the news I wanted. My father wouldn’t be pleased either.
He glanced at his watch. “It’s going to be a while; you might want to grab lunch. Leave me your number, and I’ll call when I’ve got my diagnosis.”
What the hell? Was he kicking me out of my own office?
My jaw clenched, I breathed deeply, and exhaled slowly. I didn’t know this man, and he didn’t know me. Did he assume he could just waltz in here and take over my office?
No way in hell was that about to happen. I paid him; he worked for me.
I crossed my arms and glared. He stared back with hazel eyes that shouted intelligence beneath those black frames. They were gorgeous.
“It’s not time for my break,” I said firmly. “I’ll wait.” With that said I sat in a chair in the corner of my office and crossed my legs. My skirt hiked up a few inches exposing my thigh.
His eyes broke our challenging stare, and he glanced at my legs. About damn time he noticed.
“Suit yourself.” He turned back to the screen and began keying in code, tuning me out as if I didn’t exist.
Well, damn.