Carmen booted up the computer and pulled up the Crawford Hotel’s Web site. She clicked on Solomon’s picture and gazed at his smiling face. Closing her eyes, she imagined Solomon standing at the altar dressed in an Italian tuxedo as she marched toward him dressed in an ivory Vera Wang gown. Her hair would be curled in ringlets because Solomon had once told her that style looked good on her. She wouldn’t cry on the outside because her makeup would be too flawless to mess up with tears. And tears were a sign of weakness anyway.
Solomon would take her hand and kiss it as he stared into her eyes. It would be a storybook wedding and she’d finally be the woman she knew she could be. A somebody with a husband everybody wanted.
“Carmen?”
She looked up from the computer and saw Richmond standing there. “What is it?” she asked.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” he said reluctantly.
“Yes, and you thought opening a new resort was a bad move,” Carmen said as she leaned back in her seat.
“I guess people still want to go to the mountains. The holidays are already booked at the resort.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to talk to you about your alliance with my brother. Solomon couldn’t do half of what he does without you, but you’re never going to advance in the company if you continue to be his fall girl.”
Carmen narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. “I’m no one’s fall girl. Solomon has promised me…”
“Solomon doesn’t give a damn about you and he’s only keeping you around because you make him look good. Where is he now? Not here, not working.”
“Get out of my office, Richmond. You’re just jealous of him. You’ll never be half the man Solomon is. Solomon has moved this company to the top of the hospitality industry and you just hate that your little brother is showing you up. What do expect from me? Solomon gave me a chance that I know you would’ve never given me.”
Richmond shook his head. “You’re a bigger fool than I thought. I’m sure there are many things Solomon gives you that I never would. I have morals. I don’t know what’s going on with the two of you, but when it comes to light, I hope there is still a business for me to run.”
Stalking over to Richmond as he walked out of her office, Carmen slammed the door shut behind him. Kicking the door with her Jimmy Choo clad foot, she silently wished Richmond would be the victim of a violent robbery. Then she and Solomon would have the whole company to themselves. If that idiot thought she would betray her man, he was sorely mistaken. She would never do anything to hurt Solomon, and if Richmond knew what was good for him, he’d stay out of her way.
“Mr. Crawford, I had no idea you were staying here with us.” The front desk manager, Frances Honeycutt, stood when she saw Solomon walk into her office.
He smiled at her as he extended his hand to shake hers. “I like to keep a low profile to get a true feel of the property. I have to say, you and your staff have been excellent. All of our guests are happy and will surely come back for another visit.”
“Well, we, uh, are living up to the Crawford standard.”
“Frances,” Solomon said as he took a seat across from her desk, “are you nervous?”
She ran her hand down her throat. “It’s just been my experience that when the property owners show up, there’s a problem.”
Solomon smiled. “Frances, you have nothing to worry about. But there is a slight problem.”
Frances inhaled sharply. “What can I do, Mr. Crawford?”
“The guest in the Wonderland Suite, I don’t think she’s very happy.”
Frances shook her head. “We haven’t had any complaints, but I will be more than…”
Solomon held up his hand, cutting Frances off. “It’s not that sort of problem. I met her and it seems as if she’s suffering from being overworked. I’m just trying to make sure she gets taken care of in a very special way.”
Frances’s face relaxed and the tension eased from her shoulders as she typed information into the computer. “Kandace Davis? I guess she’s working on relieving stress. She has a noon spa appointment.”
“Really?” Solomon said. “That’s good to know. Frances, I want you to keep me informed of her movements. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she doesn’t forget this trip.”
“Mr. Crawford, I’m a little uncomfortable with this. Our guests expect privacy in a hotel.”
“And I will respect Miss Davis’s privacy. Keep in mind, I own this place and I’m not just someone off the street looking to harm a guest. Kandace and I have a history.” No matter how recent it is, he added silently.
Frances nodded. “I understand, sir.”
“And just so you know, there’s nothing I’d do at this resort to cause a scandal. We have too much money to make.”
“All right, Mr. Crawford.”
Solomon pulled out his wallet, withdrew five crisp one hundred dollar bills, and handed them to Frances. “This is for your trouble.”
She accepted the money and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. Solomon looked down at his watch as he headed out the door. It was a little after ten. He had plenty of time to go to the spa and prepare his special surprise for Kandace.
Kandace woke up from her impromptu nap just as the flames in the fireplace flickered out. The book she’d been reading had long fallen to the floor and she was sure that she’d lost her place in the Phillip Margolin novel. Kandace loved reading suspense novels and would’ve kept reading had she not become transfixed by the snowfall outside and the warmth from the fire. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so relaxed—not with all the drama that had surrounded getting the restaurant off the ground and Jade going into labor at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Kandace knew she needed the rest and relaxation, but she was never one to sit still for long. Looking at the clock on the television, she saw she had time to take a walk in the snow before her spa treatment. She hoped that she would not run into Solomon because she just didn’t know how to take him.
CHAPTER 7
Kandace pulled her coat tighter as she walked near the beginner’s ski hill. The snow was beautiful, but it was freezing cold outside, despite the fact that she was dressed in three layers of clothes. She dashed into the resort café to warm herself with a latte before her spa treatment. After placing her order and receiving her cup of gourmet coffee, Kandace searched for a table. When she found one, she was thankful to rest her feet. That is until she saw who was seated at the table next to hers.
“Kandace,” Solomon said. “Did you like the flowers?”
“Actually, I did,” she said as she took her seat. Solomon moved over to her table as if he’d been invited. She shook her head and sucked her teeth.
“Did I invite you to sit with me?” she asked.
“Not verbally, but I could see it in your eyes,” he said.
Kandace took a sip of her latte, then looked at him. He was dressed in a pair of chocolate brown corduroy pants and a cream turtleneck that hugged his chest like a second skin. The heat she was feeling between her thighs had nothing to do with the beverage she was sipping as her gaze fell to his big hands. Flashes of her erotic dream jumped to the forefront of her mind. “You need to get your eyes checked,” Kandace said as she took another sip of her latte.
“I have perfect twenty-twenty vision. What are you sipping on?”
“You own the place. Shouldn’t you know the menu?”
Solomon smiled, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. She turned her head away and drained the rest of her drink. “I have to go,” she said.
“You don’t have to,” he said. “You never gave me an answer either.”
“An answer to what?” Kandace asked as she glanced at her watch.
“Can I have you for dinner?”
Kandace rolled her eyes and walked out of the café. She was tempted to answer his question with a yes, thinking about the arrogance of that man and the sheer sexiness of him. The
angel on her right shoulder was whispering say no and walk away, but the voice coming from her left shoulder was much louder. “Let him have you for dinner. You only live once,” Kandace heard the little devil on her shoulder cry out. Sighing, she wasn’t sure how to answer Solomon’s intriguing question.
Solomon kicked back at the table and watched Kandace sashay out the door. Her hips moved like palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze and he got hard just watching her walk. Since he knew she was going to the spa, he didn’t make a sudden move to follow her. He was going to wait until she had no choice but to acknowledge the fire between them. When she was naked on the massage table, he’d make his move. Just as he was about to leave the café, his cell phone rang. He glanced down at the caller ID and saw that it was Carmen.
“What’s going on, Carmen?” he asked.
“Guess who was singing your praises this morning?” she said happily.
“I’m kind of in a rush right now. I don’t have time for guessing games,” he replied as he walked out the door.
“Richmond came in my office this morning saying that Carolina Serenity is doing great,” she said. “And that he was wrong to think opening our resort was a mistake.”
“That’s Captain Obvious for you. Look, I have to go.” Solomon hung up the phone and headed for the spa. When he walked into the waiting area, the receptionist recognized him from his earlier visit.
“Mr. Crawford, hello,” she said with a flirtatious lilt to her voice.
“Hi. Show me to the massage rooms again,” he said, then offered her a wink.
“Down the hall and to the left. Only one is occupied right now,” she said.
He nodded and headed to the room where he knew Kandace was. He slowly opened the door and signaled to the masseuse to stay silent. Solomon stepped in and closed the door. On the table, he saw Kandace lying on her stomach with a towel covering her lower back. While some of her more interesting parts were hidden, what he saw lit a fire in his loins. Her legs were strong, thighs thick like a real woman and not someone who spent her life dieting for a movie role or a cover shot. Her skin looked like the finest milk chocolate and had him nearly drooling. Solomon handed the masseuse a hundred dollar bill and pointed to the door. The man took the money, nodded, and headed out the door. Solomon quickly took his place, massaging Kandace’s shoulders and back with long deep strokes.
Kandace moaned in delight as his hands moved down her back. “That feels so good,” she said.
Solomon leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I can make you feel even better.”
Kandace opened her eyes and held her head up. “What in the hell are you doing here?” she demanded. Though she wanted to move, she wasn’t dressed for running in her bandeau bra and barely there panties. Solomon looked down at her, seeing her bra with its clasp at her lower back for the first time, and shook his head.
“And here I thought you were naked,” he said with a grin.
Kandace grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her waist as she slid off the table. “You’re a stalker and this has to stop,” she said. Solomon watched her lips move, but he couldn’t process what she was saying. He’d known she was beautiful, but seeing her nearly naked, he couldn’t hear past the crackling of desire in his heart and body.
“I’m not a stalker, but you’re making a brother have to come on strong. You could end all of this if you’d simply cooperate,” Solomon said.
“That’s not what this is. You’re just not used to someone refusing the great Solomon Crawford. Once again, I’m going to tell you no.” Kandace followed Solomon’s gaze to her breasts. “Pig!” she exclaimed as she covered her chest with her arms.
“Did you think I wouldn’t look?” he asked as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he flashed her a wily smile. “You see them everyday. You know your breasts are amazing.”
Kandace shook her head and reached for her robe. “Every time I start thinking you could be a decent guy, you go out of your way to remind me that I should stay far, far away from you.”
Solomon rocked back on his heels. “What do you want, Kandace? What can or should I do to get you to admit you want me?”
“Try being sincere for once. I know you want to sleep with me, but give me a reason to sleep with you,” she said bluntly.
He raised his right eyebrow. “I can give you several reasons. Multiple orgasms would be the first of many reasons.”
Kandace sucked her bottom lip in and shook her head. “Any vibrator can give a woman multiple orgasms.”
“But I’m far from a vibrator.”
“Yeah,” Kandace said. “You don’t have an off switch.”
Solomon poked out his lip like a sad little boy. “That was cold.”
“And so was interrupting my massage. I came here to relax and because of you, I haven’t gotten much of that done,” she said, then poked him in his chest.
“Well, you’ve only been here for a day and the first few days of a vacation are never relaxing,” he said. “And you have to admit, you like sparring with me.”
Kandace shot him a cold look. “You’re impossible,” she said. “Let me guess. When you were a little boy Mommy and Daddy yielded to your every whim.” Kandace gave him a slow once over. “Judging by your height, you played basketball and were the star of the team and that helped you get your way even more.”
Solomon shook his head. “You don’t know me, Kandace. I’d love for you to get to know me, but you can’t seem to let yourself go enough to enjoy whatever happens.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “Go with the flow, baby.”
Kandace stomped on his foot, though her blow made with a bare foot had little physical impact, and Solomon released her. “If you go out to dinner with me and have a horrible time, I’ll take your no for an answer.”
“And if I tell you no now?” she questioned. “What are you going to do then?”
“You know I own this place, right? So, unless you plan on checking out, I’m going to show up everywhere you go until you say yes.”
“And you don’t think that’s stalking?” she asked as she rolled her eyes.
He shook his head. “I call it being persistent. You can end this whenever you want. Agree to have dinner with me,” Solomon said.
“Get out of here,” Kandace said. “And maybe I’ll consider it.”
“I tell you what,” he said as he backed away from her. “Since you say I ruined your spa treatment, have a deluxe one on me. That way you can’t say you were too stressed out to have dinner with me.”
“I said I’d consider having dinner with you, I didn’t agree to anything,” Kandace informed him.
Solomon opened the door. “But you will,” he said, then winked at her before sending the masseuse back inside.
Kandace tried to think of something other than Solomon’s hands as her real massage resumed. But she couldn’t. His strokes felt so good and her body had been on fire as he touched her. She’d tingled from the roots of her hair to her toenails. Dinner with him would be dangerous, because she knew what his kisses did to her, and coupled with his touch, she was going to be in serious trouble.
“Miss Davis,” the masseuse said, “we’re done. If you put on your robe, I can take you to your facial.”
“Thank you,” she said as she rose from the table and put on her robe. Kandace followed the man to another room and took a seat. Part of her wondered if Solomon was going to show up again. Once her facial got started, Kandace decided to relax and not worry about seeing Solomon again. At least not until she saw him at dinner.
Carmen slammed her phone into the cradle on her desk. She’d called Solomon five times in the last hour and her phone calls went directly to voice mail. She knew what that meant. Obviously that tramp Kandace had opened her legs to him. Carmen didn’t know what it was about this woman that got under her skin so badly. Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t know what was going on. When Solomon had his flings with models and actresses,
he kept her in the loop, telling her how stupid they were and what a disappointment they’d turned out to be. This woman was different, because Carmen knew she wasn’t stupid. And from the pictures she’d seen of her on the Internet, she wasn’t ugly either. Still, she needed to know if Solomon had gotten what he wanted and was ready to move on. Better yet, to come back to New York. She picked up the phone and started dialing his number again.
“Knock, knock,” Danny said from the door of her office. Carmen looked up and faked a smile as she hung up the phone.
“Danny, right?” Carmen said.
“You’re killing my ego,” he said. “I invite you to lunch and you never call back, then struggle to remember my name.”
“I’m sorry, we just ran into some problems at the resort in North Carolina,” Carmen lied.
“I thought Solomon was down there handling all of that,” Danny said as he walked in. “You know that guy works you too hard. Does he realize how valuable you are?”
“I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for the job,” Carmen said with a hint of attitude in her voice.
No Other Lover Will Do Page 5