Five Star Romance

by Jacquelin Thomas

  William had come to purchase a bracelet for his daughter. Livi showed him what they had to offer.

  “I know she said it was a sapphire and white gold bracelet,” he was saying.

  “Oh, I know which one she’s talking about,” Livi responded. “Here it is.”

  He looked it over and smiled. “I’ll take it.”

  Livi had one of her employees ring up the purchase.

  “I’m glad you decided to come back home,” William said with a smile.

  “Me, too.”

  “Ari treating you well?”

  Livi nodded. “He and his father are wonderful to work for.”

  “Uncle Robert knew what he was doing,” William stated. “Too bad my brother hasn’t accepted that.”

  “It may take some time, but he will,” Livi said. “Harold doesn’t have a choice.”

  * * *

  There were times when Blaze missed his hometown. In Aspen, there were no hour-long commutes to work in a sea of heavy traffic, no outrageously priced real estate markets, no driving all the way across town to reach his favorite stores or restaurants. The residents all knew one another.

  At home at last, he kicked off his shoes and removed his tie. He just wanted to relax for a moment before working out.

  Blaze headed to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water that was decorated with Swarovski crystals.

  Bling H2O.

  He laughed. He still couldn’t get over the idea of designer water. The hotel kept the brand in stock for high-profile guests with discriminating tastes. Ari called it the Cristal of bottled water. In addition to Bling H20, the hotel also kept King Island Cloud Juice stocked for select VIP guests.

  Water was water in Blaze’s opinion.

  He finished off his water and then changed into workout clothes.

  An image of Livi formed in his mind. He wished that he could remember every single moment in Vegas with her. How could he forget what must have been a beautiful time?

  Blaze shook his head sadly. He wanted his memories back.

  Blaze never told anyone about his trip to Vegas. He knew his parents would have been disappointed in his behavior—partying irresponsibly with his frat brothers. Out of all the Alexander siblings, Blaze had been the most stubborn and difficult.

  Chapter 9

  Harold strolled around the newly opened Rosen Hotel Hollywood, a premier, ultraluxury property that was part of the Wilmington Group. It was nothing like the Alexander-DePaul chain of hotels. They could not come close. The Blythewood Hotel chain was proud of its new property in Hollywood and hoped Harold could make the Rosen as successful as its competitors—the properties under Malcolm’s control.

  He walked to his office and grabbed his car keys. There was someone he needed to see.

  “Harold, what are you doing here?” Livi asked when he walked into the boutique twenty minutes later. She tried to keep the surprise out of her voice, but failed miserably.

  He chuckled. “The last time I checked, I haven’t been banned from the hotel.”

  “I’m just surprised to see you here. It’s been a while.”

  His eyes traveled around the store. “Well, things have certainly changed, Livi. You’ve done a nice job with this shop.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What prompted your return to Los Angeles?”

  “My job mostly,” she responded.

  “I thought the reason you moved to San Francisco was so that you could be closer to your family.”

  “What’s going on? Why all the questions, Harold? When did you become so interested in my life?”

  “I’m just curious. That’s all.”

  “How have you been?” she asked.

  Harold grinned. “I’m fine. I couldn’t be better.”

  Livi lowered her voice to a whisper. “Why are you really here, Harold? I know you didn’t come here just to see me.”

  “I’m having lunch with my sister and since I was here, I thought I’d come say hello.”

  Livi folded her arms across her chest. “Huh...that’s interesting, since you never bothered to say goodbye. I called you a couple of times after I moved to San Francisco, but you never once returned my calls.”

  “There was a lot going on at the time.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “So, what do you think of your new employer?” Harold inquired.

  “Malcolm Alexander is great. He’s been very fair and generous to everyone. He reminds me a lot of Robert.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Harold muttered. “You’ve become a part of their family, I see.”

  She stiffened. “Excuse me?”

  “Everyone here is one big, happy family—at least that’s what my sister tells me.”

  “Yes, I guess you can say we are,” Livi responded.

  “A beautiful woman like yourself—I am surprised you haven’t caught the eye of one of the Alexander men.”

  Livi did not respond.

  “Tell me something,” Harold began. “Why didn’t you warn me of what was about to happen? I thought that we were friends, Livi.”

  “Harold, I didn’t know anything,” she responded. “I was in transition to San Francisco. I was just as surprised as everybody else to find out that Robert had a son. He never shared that part of his life with me.”

  “You were his assistant.”

  “Right,” Livi responded. “His assistant. You were his nephew and he never once said anything to you, either. Like anyone else, Robert had his secrets and they were his alone.”

  Harold scanned her face. “You had no idea that my uncle was about to screw me over? He never said a word to you?”

  Livi met his gaze. “Not one word.”

  “The thing that gets me is that none of you sided with me. You all just left me hanging.”

  “Harold, there wasn’t a side to choose. Robert made his decision. He didn’t ask for our thoughts or opinions because they didn’t matter. Robert had a legal right to leave his estate to anyone he chose.”

  “My uncle could have been honest with me and the rest of the family. He took the coward’s way out.”

  “How long are you going to hold on to your anger, Harold?”

  “I did everything I could to prove myself to my uncle. I just thought he...” His voice died.

  “Your uncle loved you, Harold. He loved you like a son, but Robert wanted to leave his legacy to his flesh-and-blood child. Would you have done any different if you were in his shoes?”

  * * *

  Livi was glad to be home. She removed her shoes as soon as she entered the three-bedroom condo. She took off her jacket next.

  Blaze was coming over within the hour, but she needed a few minutes to relax.

  Harold’s visit earlier had bothered her. She felt as if he knew something, but was waiting for her to confess.

  She debated whether to mention Harold’s visit to Blaze. Livi was sure that he had been on a fishing expedition for information, but she didn’t know what he was looking for. Maybe it was best not to worry Blaze, since she had no proof of anything concrete.

  As much as she tried, Livi could not escape the uneasy feeling that had come over her during Harold’s visit. She liked him as a person, but she was not sure that she could trust him. Although he truly loved his uncle, Harold had done some underhanded things behind Robert’s back, or so Robert had thought.

  Most of the employees had been loyal to Robert. They frequently told him about Harold’s doings, which was why Robert may have decided to leave everything to Malcolm. Perhaps he felt that his nephew did not deserve it or would not honor his final wishes.

  Livi changed into a maxi sundress and fluffed up her short curls with her fingers while she waited for Blaze to arrive. She was l
ooking forward to spending the evening with him. Livi had even pulled out a deck of cards.

  She and her friends had met Blaze and his buddies the very first night in Las Vegas. They spent some time in the casino but ended up playing Spades in Livi’s hotel room.

  We had so much fun that night. I can’t remember laughing so much.

  Livi wanted to recapture those moments. If she could remind Blaze of how happy they were in Vegas, just maybe...

  She let the thought linger.

  * * *

  I can’t keep my mind off Livi.

  The thought reverberated in Blaze’s head several times throughout the day. He had spent the last half hour of work in a conference room with the marketing team going over the new campaign. Blaze was itching to escape because he was so distracted.

  That’s when he decided to call Livi. He gladly accepted her invitation to come over.

  He shifted in his seat as he struggled to pay attention to the drivers on the packed freeway.

  The meeting ended shortly after 5:00 p.m. and Blaze had practically run out of the room. He had originally intended to lock himself in his office in hopes of tackling the mountain of paperwork on his desk, but he was too distracted by Livi.

  Blaze could not ignore the tingling in the pit of his stomach. His feelings for Livi were still present, although he fought to keep them from intensifying.

  “This is crazy,” he muttered. “I can’t have these kinds of feelings for Livi. It’s too soon.”

  Blaze swallowed hard. The intense attraction they felt toward each other while in Las Vegas had never dissipated. He was going to have to be careful around Livi. He wasn’t ready to settle down and did not want to make her think otherwise. He enjoyed being single. With his job, Blaze wanted the freedom to come and go as he pleased.

  Livi opened the front door almost as soon as he arrived. She smiled and stepped aside to let him enter.

  “Have you eaten?” she asked.

  Blaze shook his head no. “Would you like to go out and get something to eat?”

  “I cooked dinner.”

  He broke into a grin. “You cook?”

  She gave him a light punch on the arm. “Of course, I cook. I’ll have you know that I happen to be a great cook.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that, if you don’t mind,” Blaze told her.

  “Dinner’s ready, so why don’t we eat first,” Livi suggested.

  Blaze sampled the shrimp scampi over linguine and asked, “You know this is my favorite, don’t you?”

  Livi stared with longing at him. “I remember.”

  “It’s delicious.”

  She wiped her mouth on the edge of her napkin. “Thank you.”

  “Did I see a deck of cards on your coffee table?”

  Livi broke into a short laugh. “You sure did.”

  “We had dinner together, went to the casino and then went back to the hotel and played Spades with our friends. We made a great team in Vegas, didn’t we?”

  Livi nodded. “I thought so.”

  Their eyes met and held.

  She broke the gaze and tried to stem the dizzying current racing through her. “I have a confession to make.”

  “What is it?” Blaze asked. He took a long sip of his iced tea.

  “I did not make dessert,” Livi stated. “I would have, but I didn’t have enough time.”

  He laughed.

  “You have a wonderful laugh, Blaze. I love listening to it.”

  “I admire your zest for living.”

  “I believe in living life to the fullest—this way you have no regrets as your life comes to an end.”

  Blaze wiped his mouth, and then asked, “So you have no regrets?”

  “One,” she answered but did not elaborate.

  After dinner, they settled down in the living room, and kept the conversation light.

  Livi picked up the cards. “Do you remember how badly I beat you in Spades?”

  “You beat me?” Blaze shook his head. “I don’t think so. I have no memory of anything like that.”

  “Well, why don’t we play a quick game right now?” she suggested.

  Blaze broke into a wide grin. “I don’t think you want to do that, Livi.”

  She shuffled the deck of cards and placed them facedown on the table.

  Livi sank down to the floor.

  Blaze followed suit.

  He drew the first card. “I have a ten.”

  Livi drew next. “You go first. I have a four.”

  She laughed at the expression on his face when he drew the next card. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine. I got this.”

  Livi won the first round.

  “Okay. Okay,” Blaze said. “I’ll give you that round.”

  “You’re not giving me anything,” she responded with a laugh. “I won that round fair and square.”

  “I’d forgotten how competitive you are.” Blaze hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. He felt an eager affection coming from Livi. Every time her gaze met his, Blaze’s heart turned over in response.

  “It’s your turn,” Livi said, bringing him out of his reverie.

  Blaze won the second round. “Okay, we are going to have to play one more game to decide the winner.”

  Livi nodded in agreement.

  It was hard to keep his attention on the game. Blaze’s gaze raked boldly over Livi, dropping from her eyes to her shoulders to the creamy expanse of her neck. He was physically attracted to Livi, but he was just as attracted to her mind. She possessed a strong spirit, which he admired.

  “Playing Spades with you in Vegas,” Blaze murmured, “is one of my favorite memories, but what I remember most vividly is your smile and the way you looked at me. Livi, I want to be the man I see reflected in your eyes.”

  “You are that man,” she responded softly.

  His heart jolted and his pulse pounded. Livi had stoked a gently growing fire.

  “I guess we need to get back to our game.”

  Livi nodded.

  “I guess you’re the winner,” he said a short time later. Blaze checked his watch, and then said, “I should probably leave. I have a lot of work on my desk waiting for me bright and early in the morning.”

  He rose to his feet and then helped Livi up.

  They stood facing one another.

  Blaze embraced her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. “If you have no plans for the weekend, let’s get together.”

  “Give me a call,” she responded.

  He hesitated a moment before walking to the door. When he reached the knob, he turned around to face Livi.

  “Blaze...”

  He tingled as she said his name. Livi’s nearness kindled feelings of fire. Blaze would have preferred to sweep her into his arms and hold her close to him for a long time. He wanted to capture her full lips with his own, kissing her passionately.

  “I’d better go,” he whispered.

  “Good night,” she responded with a soft smile.

  Blaze forced all thoughts of making love to Livi out of his mind, especially since he was on his way home to an empty condo. The first thing he intended to do was jump into a cold shower. He needed to cool his desires.

  Livi had found her way into his heart and he hungered to be near her.

  If he were hoping to keep from falling in love with Livi, Blaze was already in trouble.

  Chapter 10

  Livi stood in the back of the conference room where Ari Alexander had summoned everyone for a company-wide meeting. She eyed the numerous women in the audience. Even in a crowd, Blaze’s presence was compelling. Some of the ladies were flipping their hair, and eyeing Blaze seductively. Before the meeting started, seve
ral women approached Blaze, grinning and batting their eyelashes.

  Livi found their actions disdainful.

  I can’t believe the gall of these women, she thought smugly. I never acted so cheaply. I was never so obvious.

  Her gaze strayed back to Blaze. Livi allowed her eyes to linger, appreciating the strong lines of his well-formed cheek and jaw, but it was those gray eyes of his that arrested her—intelligent eyes that seemed to peer through to her very soul.

  She studied him with the sensitivity of an artist, taking in his arched brows, the faint lines above his forehead and the full upturned edges. He was wearing expensive silk trousers in an olive color, a cream-colored, long-sleeved shirt and Italian loafers.

  “He’s so handsome, isn’t he?”

  Livi glanced over at the woman standing beside her. “Excuse me?”

  “I was talking about Blaze Alexander. He is so handsome. Ari is, too, but he has a wife.”

  She wanted to say, Blaze has me.

  “I heard he’s been coming by the boutique lately.”

  Livi turned to face the young woman. “Who told you that?”

  “A couple of people. Every time Blaze comes into the hotel, we know about it.”

  “I’m not sure he would appreciate the employees keeping tabs on him like that,” Livi stated.

  “It’s not as if anyone is going to tell him,” the woman responded. “He’s single and he’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with us looking.”

  Livi shrugged nonchalantly, and then walked over to an empty chair ten rows from the front. She stole a peek at Blaze and found him watching her. Livi gave him a tiny smile before dropping her eyes.

  She chuckled softly as the woman she had been talking to rushed forward and practically leapt over a chair to sit down in the second row.

  Ari stood at the podium and greeted everyone.

  Like the other women in the room, it was hard for Livi to keep her eyes off Blaze. She kept telling herself that she had every right to devour him with her gaze, whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not.

  It was Blaze’s turn to discuss the company’s marketing plans, and what those plans meant for the employees.

  Livi hung on his every word, just as every other single woman in the room did.