“My reputation is just fine!” Candasee fumed. Trust him to try to excuse his intrusiveness as being considerate! He just didn’t understand he couldn’t control everything and everyone!
He continued as if he hadn’t even heard her, “Look I left it in the inner powder room area of the bathroom so you could have full privacy. I can also leave for a while if that would make you more comfortable,” he added quickly as he slid forward on the chair preparing to stand.
What did privacy mean from someone who had already seen, touched and tasted every millimetre of her body, she mused silently and trembling slightly at the memories which suddenly flooded her mind. Was she trembling in anger or from the deep attraction she was still feeling even in this moment?
He was already freshly dressed in a clean deep blue shirt and black slacks which made the grey of his eyes look so much more appealing. His short dark-brown hair was still slightly wet from his shower and curled invitingly on his head. He was what one would describe as being biracial, having a white Scottish father and a black mother. His light-brown skin tone favoured his father’s side of the family while he inherited his nose and thick lips from his mother’s African side. A towering six foot three to her medium frame he always made her feel so secure, protected and very aroused whenever he stood near to her. Maybe that is why her anger dissolved so quickly last night! Coming up here was a colossal mistake and the faster she could get out and get back to her room and forget that any of this ever happened, the better it would be for all of them. There was no way she would let him know that she still carried a blazing torch of feeling for him, not to mention the tell-tale moisture she was beginning to feel seeping between her legs. It was too embarrassing to think about.
Still feeling apprehensive about accepting his honourable gesture, Candasee again considered leaving the suite. Checking the time by the clock on the wall, she saw that it was just after seven thirty and by now Nathan would probably have come looking for her to go for the early morning jog they spoke about in the elevator last night.
Nathan! Oh no! He was the last person she wanted to explain her state of dress to and where she was returning from. He would never understand that it wasn’t what it looked like! When she didn’t answer her door, she hoped Nathan would assume that she was sleeping in late and leave her be.
She could see Darius examining her expression closely and waiting patiently for her response. Thinking quickly, she decided that Darius’ suggestion would be best considering her limited options.
“Okay Darius, I will change here, but only if you leave. I should be done in about twenty minutes, but no breakfast,” she replied finally.
At her response Darius smiled exposing a straight row of white teeth but he stopped himself suddenly with some effort as though he realized she’d noticed his immediate, jubilant reaction. Clearing his throat from some imaginary blockage, he was soon walking out through the door promising to be back in twenty minutes saying that there was something that he needed to discuss with her.
She had no intention of staying that long though! This whole scene was already too intimate for her. She had a fiancé now for crying out loud, an exclusive relationship with a man who actually loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her! She would take a quick shower and change and try to be gone in ten minutes, eleven if she was late. Seeing this tender side of Darius was unexpected! Gone were the judgemental and angry expressions with which he regarded her in the past. He actually seemed happy to see her and she didn’t know why that thought alone unnerved the heck out of her. So the faster she could get out of there, the better.
As Darius walked away from his room, some lightness entered his steps. As much as he would have liked nothing more than to reacquaint himself intimately with his wife in the shower, he knew that he needed to regain her trust first and if that meant leaving his own suite for twenty minutes then so be it. She said no breakfast but he was undaunted. He wasn’t a big fan of large breakfasts, preferring to drink coffee and perhaps eat a Danish roll on some occasions, but this morning he was looking forward at least to sharing a meal with Candasee again. This would be a wonderful beginning to these eight days. He had a lot to make up for! He wouldn’t be taking her no for an answer!
He took his private elevator downstairs and decided to take a stroll around the property to see what was happening as the staff worked on the preparations for two events the hotel was hosting. Occupancy was high at this time of the year and the hotel would be full for the next few months.
Already several guests were swimming in the pool and a group had spread out yoga mats and were doing some stretches on the pool deck. Darius assumed that they were part of the arts intensive because most tourists to the hotel slept in late and were hardly interested in exercising. If they did, they tended to concentrate their activities to the state of the art gym where it was cool and air-conditioned.
Leaning against a hut that sold locally-made souvenirs, he watched the yoga group, allowing his mind began to drift back to the times he would see Candasee stretching and dancing at their home in the past. She always looked so beautiful and so graceful when she moved and it always bewildered him then why that always stirred so much darkness and anger in him simultaneously. She was an excellent dancer but he held a secret in his heart that he’d never shared with her about why he wanted her as far away from dance or any kind of career in the arts. She had even invited him to see a few of her public performances with her dance troupe, but he never attended any of them, preferring to schedule a conflicting meeting so he had the perfect cover. Finally bribing her dance company had been the lowest he ever thought he could go and yet he still did it. The thought of it now filled him with regret and revulsion at how far he’d been willing to go to get what he wanted.
He’d thought that if he could express enough displeasure and disapproval about her career choice that it would somehow cause her to rethink leaving her work as an attorney. He tried every angle, the money angle, the loss of social standing, and the accusations that she simply wanted to parade her body on stage in the full view of other men but none of them worked. The more they fought about it, the more agitated and frustrated they both became and finally he did the unthinkable. When she found out, she didn’t want him or their marriage anymore and who could blame her?
The very thing he feared happening to him still did, even though he tried to stop it! He knew she would probably have reconsidered her stance if he had shown some regret but his pride got in the way. He was a powerful business man that influenced the way people spent their money, the way they thought and invested and yet he had no power over his own headstrong wife. That rubbed at him until he was raw and somehow he convinced himself not to let go of his stance! He told himself that she should have respected his feelings on the issue and recognized that what she did affected his life too! It was selfish, stupid and it was the biggest mistake of his life, because beneath all of those raw emotions and the pride that he held up like a façade was the truth that he loved her desperately and never ever wanted to live his life without her.
The months following their divorce saw him become even more of a workaholic than he’d ever been before, just to put her out of his mind. Of course it never worked and his ridiculous work schedule saw him spending more time here at the hotel or travelling than at their home. In fact, he had not gone back to the house in Willercrest Heights once in the last three months, preferring instead the convenience of his office suite. Too many memories haunted him there, memories that that he still could not deal with till now.
The divorce was his fault.
He was the one who pushed her away by trying to control her decisions. He was the reason he’d lost the privilege of waking up beside Candasee every morning and being the recipient of her love.
As he glanced impatiently at the watch on his wrist to see the progress of the time and to determine whether he should return to the suite, he overheard a man asking around to some of the persons stretching,<
br />
“Has anyone seen or heard from Candasee this morning?”
This immediately piqued Darius’ interest as he studied the concerned expression on the other man’s face!
Someone in the yoga group replied no and the man made a 360 degree turn looking all around to see if he could somehow spot her. Partially concealed by the standing sign outside the hut he was able to observe the man without attracting his attention. One of the male members in the group walked up to where he was standing and grabbed his bottle of water from the wall surrounding a low garden with low growing bromeliads.
“What’s up Nathan, are you all set for the sessions later? You look worried about something,” the man asked after taking a long swallow.
“I’m fine Dave, and so are the plans for the intensive. I just need to meet with the events coordinator again this morning but for now it seems that the transition should be smooth. All of the delegates arrived last night safely despite the weather as well.” Nathan replied. “Look, I just need to find Candasee! We planned to meet this morning and I can’t seem to find her anywhere. I’ve tried calling her cell as well but she isn’t answering it,” he exclaimed anxiously.
“Hey you two seem to be getting pretty close?” the man with bottle asked in a teasing tone while elbowing Nathan.
Nathan paused and smiled before continuing, “Well yeah, we are! She’s finally agreed to marry me. We’re engaged”.
Darius felt as though someone knocked the air out of his lungs. She was engaged to someone else?
“That’s great, congratulations! Look, she’s probably just too tired from yesterday and decided to sleep in a bit later than usual,” replied the man with the water bottle.
“Hmm! Well she was pretty exhausted when we arrived last night,” replied Nathan thoughtfully. “Maybe you are right! I’ll go down to the beach one more time to look for her there before going back to her room. I’ll see you at the meeting in about two hours and Dave, if you do see her tell her I’m looking for her,” said Nathan as he walked off in the direction of the beach.
Candasee was here with her fiancé? The thought of Candasee being involved with and marrying someone else was not something he’d been prepared to face. Ramon was right, he’d stalled far too long. He would rather choose to swim a marathon in the Arctic Sea than to see that happen. It was pure fantasy and pure arrogance on his part to assume that someone as beautiful as Candasee wouldn’t capture the attention of one hundred someone else’s by now. What was he thinking? After all they were divorced for two years now. It wasn’t as though he did not go out on a few dates himself since they’d separated, right?
That little pep talk did nothing to calm him at all. From the time he’d heard the word, ‘engaged’ leave that man’s mouth he knew another dimension of complexity had been added to his plans to woo Candasee over the next eight days.
From the looks of it her partner Nathan was about the same height as he was, six foot two and was extremely fit, judging by his lithe and muscular frame. He was definitely handsome in his own right.
Darius frowned as he considered just what all of this could mean. She’d given her heart to someone else. Engaged didn’t mean married right? There was still a chance. From the heated moment they shared briefly last night, he could tell there was still something between them. He was suddenly glad that he took this stroll downstairs because now he knew he would need to take a more direct route in capturing Candasee’s heart again.
Looking at his watch, he noted that he’d given her about fifteen minutes already and decided to make his way back to his suite. He had an important meeting at nine-thirty with the set-up crew from the travel show and he needed to be ready by then to greet them downstairs with the planning committee.
Taking the main elevator this time, he emerged eleventh floor anxious to see Candasee. For a second out of the corner of his eye he almost thought that he saw the main elevator doors closing to his right. As far as he knew the rest of the floor was currently unoccupied. Thinking that perhaps his imagination was running overtime he quickly made his way back to the suite and made a call to let housekeeping know he was back and they could bring up the breakfast. After hanging up the phone he knocked discreetly at the bedroom door.
“Candasee, are you ready?”
No answer came. He knocked again and after hearing no reply he opened the door to check what his suspicions had already informed him of. She was already gone and he had just missed her by a few seconds in the hallway. She had no intention of waiting to speak to him! She had only opted to change her clothes in case she ran into Nathan and she didn’t stick around because she needed to meet him. Refusing to be daunted, this was just the beginning and her resistance only served to awaken the hunter inside of him. He was up to the chase because he wanted the prize more than anything else. He’d spent many hours just watching her sleep in his bed last night and in his heart he knew that was where she belonged. He had to fix this rift he’d created between them no matter what!
Thinking quickly, he called back food service and requested them to meet him at room 746. He needed to have his say before she got downstairs to meet Nathan or even before he made his way back upstairs to find her again.
Since when did he go running around behind women? The answer was already clear to him as he saw his agitated expression mirrored on the glass wall of his office. This was no ordinary woman but his Candasee, his wife. He’d stopped calling her his ex-wife months ago because it fit what was in his heart. Who cared if was reality or not? It was his truth and nothing would change that!
He exited the room and took the elevator down to the seventh floor just as the food service emerged from the adjoining one. He thanked his employee and took over pushing the trolley to 746. He knocked at the door and waited. He did not have to wait for long before Candasee pulled open the door hurriedly saying,
“Nathan, sorry about this morning, oh it’s you!” she exclaimed with surprise. Her voice trailed off at the sight of Darius filling her doorway and the scent of the delicious breakfast beneath the tray-covered trolley he stood behind.
With some difficulty, he forced himself not to wince visibly at her mistake and remained calm about the fact that she was expecting someone else to meet her at her room at that moment.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked.
“Well, actually yes,” she said straightening her neck and looking into his eyes with thinly veiled defiance.
“I thought I told you that I need to talk to you!” he said in what he hoped was a steady voice.
“I know, but there isn’t anything for us to talk about.”
“Listen, I know you are hungry! You were always a breakfast eater. Even if you allow me ten minutes of your time, may I come in?” he asked speaking quickly before flashing her with a smile. “Please,” he added meaningfully.
She always had a low resistance to that boyish grin of his and against her better judgement found herself standing aside to let him pass by before closing the door.
He wheeled the cart with the food toward the dining table and took off the plates and set up the meal quickly while she watched in silence. What on earth was he doing down here? She had hoped that he would have gotten the message when she left earlier than planned and his usually busy schedule should have taken care of the rest.
“What do you want Darius? You can’t stay long,” demanded Candasee planting her hands on her hips, leaning her head while looking at him with an annoyed expression. The last thing she needed was for Nathan to find him here.
“Please sit, I just wanted to talk with you, is that such a crime?”
“No, it isn’t but it’s not as though we are still even remotely friends. I made a big mistake coming up to your room last night. I was really exhausted and I don’t think I was thinking clearly so I apologize for invading your privacy. Okay? There is no need for us to even interact at all while I am here.”
Wow, he had a lot of work to do to break through the armour she was wea
ring.
“Sit! Please!” Unfazed by her response Darius repeated the words softly, gesturing to the chair at the dining table.
Candasee could see that she was losing the battle here with this man. Why was he acting so strangely? She sat down and he removed the stainless steel covering of her meal,
“Your favourite breakfast Madame, and Chef Alexander sends his regards and welcome”, he said with a faux French accent and a small flourish.
Candasee despite her resolve to hold on to her serious demeanour could not help but smile and then sighed softly as the aroma of the strawberry pancakes and candied bacon filled her nostrils. Her stomach rumbled and let her know that she was indeed hungry.
“By the way, that’s mademoiselle to you! But I am not going to make a huge fuss about it right now because these pancakes look absolutely divine!” she said taking a fork and cutting off a piece before popping it in her mouth, closing her eyes and allowing the flavours to melt in her mouth. Thank goodness, in addition to her active lifestyle she’d always had a pretty high metabolism and she could eat most things without the guilt or the weight gain! Chef Alexander always had a soft spot for her indulgences back then and he knew how to keep her coming back for more!
Darius noted her witty comeback silently and they both began to eat without saying much to each other at first. The food was so delicious! He had even ordered a bowl of pink grapefruit and sweet cream, as well as hot cappuccino to top it all off. Eating this much just before having to conduct a dance session might not have been wise but the melt-in your mouth quality of the pancakes made her sigh with each bite!
“I take it that the food meets with your approval,” said Darius with his eyes fixed on some syrup drizzled at the corner of her mouth. Her moans of pleasure were driving him to such distraction that it made it hard for him to concentrate on his own plate! She hadn’t changed one bit! Even the most mundane things took on new excitement with her. Her naturally upbeat and infectious nature always made him smile even at his lowest moments. She was creative and very expressive and could never hold back her feelings for long no matter how hard she tried.
Fighting Destiny Page 7