“That is why I called you,” her sister whispered into the phone like she had a secret to share. “I couldn’t call and tell Genise or Akisha about this. You know how those two are when it comes to me.”
“Tell me,” Sasha demanded, worried about her sister’s safety. “What in the hell did he try with you? Did you call the cops?”
Forget about her meeting tonight with Sterling. Hell, she didn’t care if not going cost her the promotion. Rachelle was in trouble! She was going to grab her siblings and then they were going to Luxury. This asshole wasn’t about to try anything with her big sister. They would kick his ass out of there so fast that his head would spin.
“Calm down. Cash isn’t trying to hurt me. I called you for a different reason.” Rachelle sighed. “Don’t get all protective on me. Remember, I’m the oldest, not you.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “If Cash isn’t trying to put the moves on you then why are you calling me?”
“I didn’t say Cash isn’t trying to put the moves on me. My problem is that he kissed me and I liked it. I mean it, was amazing. I didn’t want it to end. What is wrong with me? Is it wrong that I want a repeat performance?”
“What!” Sasha gasped, stunned. “Rachelle, you aren’t the one night stand kind of girl. You’ve never done anything in your entire life that wasn’t well-planned out. What is it about this guy that makes you want to jump into bed with him? You’re sounding more like Genise instead of yourself. You know that this is some of the crazy shit she would do just to piss you off.”
“I know that, but there is just something about him. You know how Mama always told us when we met the perfect man for us. We would know it, right?”
Sasha nodded and then realized that Rachelle couldn’t see her. “Yes, I know what you’re talking about, but you don’t know anything about this guy,” she warned. “He could be wanted by the F.B.I. or have an arrest record as long as your arm. Are you willing to hook up with him without even knowing if he’s married?”
“Sasha, you aren’t here with us. I mean, there is really this connection and I can’t explain the feeling. All I know is I liked what Cash was doing to me. I─”
“Are you really sure that he’s the one for you?” she questioned, trying to get to the bottom of what was going on with her sister. Sasha was thrown by this conversation with Rachelle. She had never heard her sister talk like this before.
“Maybe you’re just horny and want him to scratch your itch. I know it’s been a while since you’ve been in a serious relationship because of Luxury. I would hate for you to jump into something too fast and get burned.”
“Shit, Sasha,” Rachelle cussed at her. “I’m not attracted to Cash just to scratch my itch, as you call it. I feel a real connection with him. That’s why I called you. I wanted some advice from you.
“Do I take it the next level? The kiss we shared was hotter than a steaming cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Is this what it’s like to want another person beyond distraction?”
“Okay, how about you just flirt a little more with Cash and share a couple of more kisses with him?” Sasha suggested as she worried how quickly she could make it to Luxury.
“I don’t know how Mama would feel about you dropping your panties for one of our guests. She might even lecture you about controlling your need for sex.”
“Come on, Sasha,” Rachelle laughed. “You remember the story about how Mama got Daddy to fall in love with her.”
“Are you talking about how she invited him over to dinner for a home cooked meal and then at the end, when he was throwing the garbage away, he found several restaurant containers in the trash can?”
“You got it. I don’t believe Mama was thinking about taking it slow back then. She knew she wanted Daddy and went after him. I’m tired of being the good girl. I want to do something out of character once in my life.”
“Rachelle…” Sasha stopped talking at the sound of the doorbell.
Damn it. She didn’t even have to guess who was at the front door. Sterling was always so impatient. She was supposed to meet him, but she bet he had showed up at her house instead.
“I have to go. Sterling is at my front door. All I have to say is don’t get too crazy. I understand you want to break free from that reliable personality of yours, but don’t do too much at once.”
“Okay, thanks for your advice. I’ll take it into consideration.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” she asked as the doorbell chimed again. “God, he doesn’t have a patient bone in his body. I really have to get off the phone now. Sterling isn’t going to stop pushing that doorbell until I answer it. If he wasn’t so gorgeous, I would tell him to get lost.”
“How are things going between the two of you? Has he figured out yet that you’re in love with him?”
“I’m not…”
“Don’t try to deny it. I hear it in your voice every time you say his name. Just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt. I still remember how you cried for months over Kyler and his lies.”
“Like I was trying to tell you, I’m not in love with Sterling. He hired me to do a job and nothing else. Now, let me get off this phone so I can handle him. I’ll call you back after we’re done. Bye.”
“Bye,” Rachelle said and then hung up.
Getting up off the bed, Sasha rushed out of her bedroom towards the front door.
“I’m coming!” she yelled, hoping her boss wouldn’t ring the doorbell again. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of his lectures tonight. She needed to get this meeting done as fast as possible so she could call Akisha and Genise about Rachelle. They weren’t going to believe that their straight-laced big sister was thinking about doing at the hotel. It was almost too shocking to be true.
Sasha made it to the door and opened it before Sterling touched the doorbell again. Her eyes froze on his long, lean form in the yellow Polo shirt and tight blue jeans. Sterling’s shoulders strained against the fabric, making them look a yard wide. His bare arms were silky with black hairs. The opening in his shirt revealed a muscular chest covered with crisp black hairs.
Sterling was classically handsome with dark hair and light blue eyes that were staring down into hers right now. All of his strong features held a certain sensuality that made her wish he wasn’t her boss, but he was and nothing was going to change that if she landed this promotion.
“Good evening, Mr. Hamilton,” she said, regaining her composure. “Did I get the information wrong? I thought I was supposed to meet you at the office.”
An easy smile played at the corners of his mouth. “No, you’re correct. I was in the area so I thought I could just drop by here and pick you up for our meeting,” he answered in that rich voice she loved so much.
“I wish I could let you drive me, but I have to be somewhere right after our meeting. I need my car.”
His eyebrows slanted in a frown. “Do you have plans with another guy?” he asked, surprising her.
Well, she was going to check out Cash with her sisters, so she did have plans with a man. Cash just didn’t know about it. “Yes and no.”
Sterling’s chiseled jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed at her answer. “I didn’t know you were dating someone. Don’t let me keep you from your date, Ms. Williams. We can reschedule our meeting tomorrow at the office. Have a nice night,” he snapped at her before storming away.
Turning away from her, Sterling stalked off without giving her a chance to say another word. She watched in shock as he got into his car and then sped off from the curb without even looking back in her direction.
What in the hell was that outburst all about? she wondered as she went back into her house, slamming the front door closed behind her.
Chapter Eight
Snapping her phone closed, Rachelle tossed it down on the floor beside her leg. God, talking to Sasha hadn’t helped her out at all. In fact, she was more confused than she was ten minutes ago. Why couldn’t her sister just give her a straight answer? She
needed help and wasn’t getting any.
Cash had been in her life for less than twenty-four hours and she was actually thinking about having sex with him. Why did the guy make her want to break all of her golden rules?
She was so good at staying focused on the straight and narrow. Everything in her life up to now was practical and well-organized. Honestly, her confidence only grew when her family as well as her employees knew that she meant business.
Often she had very high expectations of others. Yet, her take-care attitude seemed to be the downfall of her personal life. Most of her past boyfriends thought she was too independent and self-contained for their liking.
They believed she was so hard to please. None of them could find in her life where she needed their help. She couldn’t help it that she liked doing things for herself, but her independence led to problems with men who wanted an equal part in their relationship.
Rachelle had tried to change her personality more than once, but it was hard to do after so many years. Then why, after only knowing Cash for a few short hours, did she want to become a different woman?
He made her want to find the spontaneous and adventurous side of her, that she never thought existed. Rachelle was drawn to how he just seemed to live for today. Maybe he could teach her to do the same thing.
She would never admit this to her sisters or parents, but she always thought her sisters got away with a lot more stuff than she had. They used being triplets to their advantage and nobody ever said anything about it. They may not be identical, but people still found them cute and adorable. Sasha, Genise, and Akisha constantly got special treatment from everyone in town.
She had to remain the “good daughter” and do everything her parents told her to do—she couldn’t set a bad example for her little sisters. If she didn’t know how to follow directions and listen to the rules, why would the triplets do it?
She was their role model to be a good girl and not get into any trouble.
It wasn’t until years later when Rachelle got accepted to an out-of-state college that she finally felt like she was her own person. She was able to do anything she wanted without worrying if her actions would hurt her precious sisters.
Now, she hadn’t wanted anyone to ever believe that she hated Sasha, Akisha, or Genise, because she didn’t. She loved them. Yet, she disliked being the one who constantly had to keep them out of trouble. Half of her life had been spent doing things for them, when she could have gone out with her friends—having fun, dating boys, and sneaking into the house after curfew. All the cool stuff a teenage girl loved doing.
She couldn’t keep living in the past. She could do anything she wanted with her life. She knew that Sasha meant well, but she was going to take her own advice and see where things could go with Cash. All of her sisters would agree that a little harmless flirting with Cash wasn’t going to hurt her.
Just as Rachelle was about look for Cash, the lights suddenly came back on. She had never been happier in her life.
“Yes!” Rachelle screamed. She was overjoyed Cash fixed the breaker problem. “I’ll make sure to give him a proper thank you when he gets back up here,” she said to herself. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with those hellish lights anymore tonight.
Leaning back on her hands, she relaxed in front of the fireplace while waiting for Cash to come back upstairs and join her. She hoped he was in the mood to finish what they had started earlier before she made the mistake of pushing him away. It was way past time for her to start living for herself, and not anyone else.
“Hi, beautiful. As you can tell I fixed the lights,” Cash said, coming back up to her with the flashlight in his hand.
“Yes, I noticed that you did,” she answered. “Thank you very much. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”
“I guess I’m more of a handyman than I first thought, which is a good thing for you,” he joked, falling down next to her on the floor.
Rachelle liked how good it felt having Cash sitting so close to her. She was still taken aback at how she was drawn to a man that she barely knew. “I want to thank you again for going downstairs and taking care of the problem. You really didn’t have to do it. I could have called the electrician to come and take a look at it.”
“No, I like the challenge of doing things with my hands. Besides, I wanted to do something to impress you since you’ve been doing so much for me tonight. I had to show you that I am still a man,” Cash said, running his finger down her bare arm.
She shivered from his light touch. Leaning closer to Cash, she whispered, “Well, I think I should give you some kind of thank you gift for your kindness.”
“What do you have in mind?” He cupped her face in his hands. “How about a kiss?” he suggested in a low, desire filled voice.
“I can promise you won’t hear any complaints from me,” she answered, staring into his steady gaze.
As his lips inched closer to hers, Rachelle slowly closed her eyes. The warmth of his breath brushed against her lips, and a second before Cash ended the torture of wanting to feel his lips again the ring of her cell phone jerked them apart.
“Damn it,” he mumbled under his breath. “Who’s calling you?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized against Cash’s mouth before moving back. She snatched the phone off the carpet. “I never get this many phone calls while I’m at work. Rachelle looked at the Caller ID and sighed. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
She was going to kill her sisters and her parents would just have to deal with it. She at least hoped they would visit her in jail after they got over their shock.
“Don’t worry about it. I can clean up our food.” He grabbed their trash off the floor. “It will keep my mind off the kiss that didn’t happen again. Who knows, I still might get another chance later.” He tossed everything back into the basket and then got up.
Cash winked at her before heading towards the kitchen. Her cell phone went off again and she flipped it open. “Why are you calling me?” she demanded. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work? You can’t be doing your job if you’re on the phone with me.”
“No, I’m not at work,” the voice told her.” I’m on my way to Luxury to check in on you and this Cash guy who’s staying there. I got a crazy phone call from Sasha about the two of you. How can you even think about sleeping with this guy?
“You know absolutely nothing about him. I can’t believe I’m coming there to talk some sense into my big sister. No one paid attention to any of my suggestions, so I left. I’m not in the mood to deal with him tonight. I should be there in less than ten minutes.”
What in the hell!!
Rachelle couldn’t believe Akisha was lecturing her over the phone about having a one-night stand. She didn’t need any kind of advice, especially not from her baby sister. She knew what she was doing.
“Akisha, you turn that car back around and go back to work. Sasha doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She called you for nothing. I’m just having a good time with Cash. I can promise you that I don’t need your help with anything,” she insisted.
“I was only working on some new dietary recipes for one of our clients. I told one of my co-workers that I had a family emergency and I got out of there as fast as I could. Besides, my boss Ethan is on a date with his newest girlfriend of the week, he doesn’t care if I’m there or not. He has more important things on his mind and it isn’t me. If we didn’t work together, he wouldn’t even know that I was alive and we both know it.”
Getting up off the floor, she started pacing in front of the fireplace. She didn’t want Akisha coming here and interrogating Cash for no good reason. Right now, they were only having some fun with each other. Why was it when she wanted to live a little her sisters tried to stop her? She was a grown woman and could do any damn thing she wanted.
“Alright, you need to listen to me. I don’t need you driving all the way out here for nothing. Whatever Sasha told you, she misunderstood
why I called her. Cash and I are only flirting with each other. Nothing for you to get all crazy about, so why don’t you turn back around and head home? I’m going to give the place another walk through before the night crew comes on and then I’m going to bed.”
“See, and there lies the problem. Sasha and I both believed that when you go to bed, you will have an extra body in there that shouldn’t be. I can’t believe you’re doing this. It’s so out of character for you.
“You are usually more cautious, reserved with men. I can’t even remember the last time you introduced us to a new man in your life. Now, this stranger walks through the doors of Luxury and you’re ready to give him sex. It’s just blowing my mind to no end. This guy needs to be in his own room tonight. How can you think about sleeping with him?”
“Why are you being so cautious?” Rachelle asked. “Aren’t you the one who’s ready to take on any challenge tossed your way? I thought out of all of my sisters you would be the one encouraging me to do it.”
She heard Akisha sigh. “I know you would think so,” her sister admitted. “However, I have known all of those guys longer than you have Cash. I want to meet him.
“I need to look him in the eye for my own peace of mind. I can’t let you do this. You would do the same thing for me. Furthermore, you may not like it, but I’ve every right as your sister to protect you. So, stop trying to talk me out of it. I’ll be there soon. Love you.” Akisha ended the phone call with a click in her ear.
“I can’t believe I’m being treated like a child,” Rachelle complained, snapping her cell phone shut and sliding it back into her skirt. “God, I wish I could have talked her out of coming all the way here for nothing.”
“Rachelle, what’s wrong?” Cash asked from behind her. “Who was that on the phone? Is everything okay?”
Twirling around, she smiled at Cash. “It was my sister Akisha. She called to tell me that she’s coming here to check on me.”
“Your sister is coming here to check me out, isn’t she?” he asked. “I’m not upset because I have nothing to hide. Honestly, I can’t wait to meet her. Is there something I should know before she gets here?”
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