“I’ll make you a key,” Frances said as she headed to the front desk. Five minutes later Frances returned to her office and handed Carmen the key card. “Should I tell Mr. Crawford that you are here?” she asked.
“I called him,” Carmen lied. “He knows that I’m waiting for him.”
“All right. Well, is there anything else I can help you with? Do you need a room? We don’t have any more suites available, but there is a single room left.”
Carmen shook her head. “I’ll be flying back to New York later. And I am thrilled that we don’t have any suites left. Thanks for all of your help, Frances.” She left the office and headed to the top floor of the resort where Solomon’s suite was. Carmen wished he was inside and waiting for her, but she knew he was with that woman. That bitch who had caused him to ignore her.
Carmen entered the room and was shocked to see that Solomon’s cell phone was sitting on the table plugged into the charger. “He never leaves his phone,” she muttered as she picked it up. There were nearly one hundred missed calls showing on his screen. She deleted each call since most of them had been from her. Carmen looked around the room for signs that Kandace had been spending time there. She ran her hand across the bed, which she could see had been made up by the maid staff because there was a square of chocolate on the pillow. Carmen inhaled deeply and smelled the faint scent of Solomon’s cologne. She missed him so much and wanted to be with him in every way. Crossing over to his closet, she flipped through the clothes that were hanging there, stroking the material of a designer suit. She was wishing that Solomon would walk through the door and take her into his arms and make love to her. She didn’t like the way he had looked at Kandace. He’d looked at her as if she were special, much like the way he looked at Carmen on the fateful day after his wedding. She’d known at that moment that she and Solomon would be together. The time was now and somehow, she had to make it happen.
But that woman. She was going to be a problem, Carmen could feel it. Dropping her hand from the sleeve of Solomon’s jacket, she walked over to the bed and plopped down on it. Carmen closed her eyes, imagining that Solomon was there. How would she feel if he kissed her and removed her clothes slowly, massaging her tender breasts until her nipples stood on end? How would it feel to have him buried deep inside her wetness? Carmen slipped her hand between her legs, imagining that it was Solomon. Moaning, she nearly brought herself to the brink thinking about Solomon doing that to her. It was time for her to have him, and anyone in her way would have to suffer.
CHAPTER 12
“Look,” Kandace said as she pointed to a deer in the distance munching on dried grass. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Solomon laughed quietly. “Yeah, until it hops out on the road and hits your car.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “Can’t you enjoy nature for a second? It’s like Bambi,” Kandace said.
“All right,” he said as he shivered briefly. “Ooh, look at Bambi. What are you, some kind of nature buff?”
“No,” she said. “But I grew up in an area where there was no snow, no lush woods, and no quiet deer.”
“Really? And where was that?”
“Guam. My mother was in the military and we were stationed over there for a while. I think she joined the army after things went bad with my father to get over the heartbreak. She was a runner.”
“A runner?”
“Didn’t face her problems, just ran from them only to make the same mistakes over and over again. I was so glad to go to college and have stability for four years. That’s where I met Jade, Alicia, and Serena. We ended up getting close like real sisters. We didn’t have to join a sorority because we had each other.”
“That’s good. Women don’t keep close relationships very long,” he said.
“You know the wrong kind of women,” Kandace replied. “Look.” She pointed to a blue jay resting on a snow-covered branch. “I wish I had my camera or my BlackBerry.”
“You have a subscription to National Geographic, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t,” she said. “But National Geographic is one of my favorite channels on DirecTV.”
“And when you were a little girl you knew all the bird calls, didn’t you?” he ribbed.
“All the ones in Guam,” Kandace replied with a laugh. “What about little Solomon? What did you do when you were a boy?”
“Hmm, besides terrorize my nanny? I was into Tinkertoys, building cities to tear them down.”
“So destructive.”
“I was a boy with too much freedom. My parents were busy building the hotel business. My brother, Richmond, was too into comic books to be much fun. I had to do my thing.”
“Playing Godzilla?”
Solomon laughed and nodded. “There was this little bakery about three blocks from our apartment. I’d give Gabby the slip and go there.”
“And what did you do at said bakery?”
“Eat and flirt with the owner’s daughter. She would always give me the best day-old éclairs.”
“Always been a ladies man, huh?” she asked as she moved toward the tree where the blue jay was perched.
“She was six and I was nine. It made her day.”
“And so modest,” she laughed. “Look, more deer.”
Solomon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his hip. “This is beautiful,” he said, looking at her.
“It sure is.”
Solomon cupped her chin and tilted her head upward. “I wasn’t talking about the snow and the deer. I was talking about you.” Before Kandace could respond, Solomon had captured her lips in a searing kiss that was sure to melt the snow underneath their feet. When they broke the kiss, she was breathless. “Solomon,” she said, “we’re supposed to be…”
“Doing whatever we want,” he said as he caressed her cheek. “And I want you so bad right now.”
“Then let’s go back to my suite,” she moaned as he slipped his hand underneath her jacket and stroked her back.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said.
They left the path and headed back to the hotel. When they arrived at her suite, Solomon pressed her against the door and peeled each layer of her clothes off until she was wearing nothing but her black lace thong and matching bra.
“Damn,” he intoned as he drank in her body. “You are so sexy.”
Kandace smiled and reached for the zipper on his jacket. “No,” Solomon said. “Let me just look at you.”
Her face burned underneath his gaze. “It’s not fair that I’m standing here like this and you have all of your clothes on,” she said.
Solomon ran his index finger down the center of her chest and smiled. “On the bed—wait for me on the bed.”
Kandace sauntered over to the bed, transfixing him with the sway of her hips. Once she made it to the bed, Solomon stripped down to his boxers and crossed over to her. She was lying in the middle of the bed looking more seductive than any supermodel, and Solomon’s erection made a tent in his shorts as he looked at her and slid her legs apart.
“It took you long enough,” she said.
“Well, don’t let me make you wait a second longer,” he said as he hopped on the bed beside her. Kandace straddled his body and felt the throbbing evidence of his desire against her thighs as she kissed his neck. He grabbed her buttocks as her lips inched down to his collarbone. He held on tighter as her tongue danced across his chest and circled his nipples. Kandace arched her back as Solomon thrust his hips into hers. She needed him inside her, she needed him to take her to the brink of passion. But she had to make sure they were protected first.
“Solomon,” she said breathlessly. “Protection.”
“Yes, yes,” he said as he lifted her off him. He dashed out of the bed and grabbed his pants from the floor near the door. Solomon quickly grabbed the gold condom packet from his wallet, then rushed over to the bed. Kandace had taken her panties off and was in the process of removing her bra, but he stopped h
er. “Let me take care of that,” he said as he eased onto the bed and pulled her against his chest. He made short work of removing the lacy garment. He kissed her neck, then moved down to her smooth shoulder. “Mmm,” she moaned as he massaged her breasts with the skill of a baker kneading tender dough. Solomon suckled her breasts, making her body hotter than a burning log in the fireplace. Easing her on to her back, Solomon nibbled every inch of her tantalizing body until he reached the crest of her feminine mound. Kandace trembled as she felt his breath at her wet folds of flesh, which craved his touch and his tongue. Solomon didn’t disappoint as he dove between her thighs and kissed her until she released her passion.
“Solomon, Solomon,” she called out as orgasms attacked her senses. He pulled back from her and tore the condom wrapper open, then rolled it in place. He had to feel her wetness wrapped around him. As he lowered himself on top of her, Kandace arched back and thrust her hips forward to meet his. Solomon melted inside her and groaned as she rocked with him. She was so wet, so hot, and felt so damned good. “Oh yeah,” he moaned as Kandace tightened herself around him. “That’s it, baby.”
She called out his name again as their movements picked up speed and intensity. Solomon wrapped his arms around her and rolled to one side. Kandace wrapped her legs around him and ground against him. “Kandace,” he called out. “Yes, Kandace.” Solomon quivered as he exploded. She collapsed against him and closed her eyes as her heart raced like a race car’s engine.
Solomon kissed her forehead and held her tightly. Something inside him didn’t want to let her go. “Hungry?” he asked.
“Starving,” she replied. “We missed lunch, didn’t we?”
“By a long shot, Miss Nature Hiker.”
“Well, if you order us an early dinner, I’ll get the fire going,” she said as she stretched out against him.
“Sounds good to me,” he said. “But we can wait a few minutes, because I don’t think I can move right now.”
Kandace kissed his cheek. “Me either,” she said.
Carmen was tired of waiting for Solomon. There was no way he was still out with that woman. Slamming her hand against the bed, she picked up the phone and called the front desk.
“Front desk, this is Gia. How may I assist you today?”
“Gia, has Mr. Crawford returned to the property?” Carmen asked.
“I haven’t seen him, ma’am,” Gia said for the fifth time in the last hour.
Carmen slammed the phone down so hard that she cracked the receiver. Bouncing from the bed, she left the room and headed to the fifth floor where Kandace’s suite was. There was no way he was with her. This wasn’t Solomon’s style. Carmen knew he’d gotten into her pants by now. That dirty whore was probably happy to strip down and get Solomon into bed, Carmen thought as she stepped on the elevator. He’s going to tire of her soon, I know it. Solomon hasn’t met the kind of woman who can give him everything that I can. I love him and I’m getting tired of waiting for him to realize that he doesn’t have to go out and be with these airheads when he can have me. We’re going to be so good together and no one is going to stand in my way.
The elevator dinged when it reached the fifth floor. Carmen saw a room service attendant heading to the Wonderland Suite. She ducked behind a potted plant and watched a shirtless Solomon open the door and take the food. Her knees nearly buckled when she saw the smile on his face. Carmen couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him that happy.
“The fire’s going,” she heard a woman’s voice call out.
“I’m coming, babe,” Solomon replied, and Carmen’s blood boiled. When he closed the door and the room service attendant got on the service elevator, Carmen kicked the plant over and muttered a string of curses under her breath.
“Babe? Babe? He called her babe? What does he know about her and why is he in her room?” She kicked the overturned flower pot again, then got back on the elevator. As she rode down to the lobby, Carmen formulated a plan to get rid of Kandace Davis.
When she reached the lobby, she sought out Frances. “I’m sorry, Ms. De La Croix, but Frances has left for the day.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I need a room.”
“We’re at full capacity,” Gia said. “I apologize, but I can…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Carmen said with forced cheerfulness in her voice. “I’ll check back tomorrow. If you see Mr. Crawford, I need you to call me. Can I leave my cell phone number with you?”
“Of course,” Gia said as she handed Carmen a slip of paper.
Carmen wrote her number down. “It’s important that you leave this up here for all of the desk clerks. I don’t care how late it is, I need to talk to him immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gia said.
Carmen turned and walked out of the lobby. She didn’t hear Gia tell the porter, “There is something strange about that one.”
Kandace rubbed her stomach and leaned against Solomon’s thigh after they finished their meal of grilled chicken, winter squash, corn bread, and chocolate cake.
“That was so good,” she said.
“Better than your chef?”
“A little. You’d better watch that guy. I might pack him in my luggage when I leave next week,” she said with a laugh.
“That’s not going to happen,” Solomon said. “I’m possessive of my employees and if any man is going to stow away in your suitcase, it’s going to be me.”
“Have you ever been to Charlotte?” she asked.
“I passed through there once. But I’m starting to feel as if I’m going to have a good reason to spend more time there.”
“You know, you don’t have to say that,” she said. “We can have these two weeks and make memories and move on from there. I know that your life is in New York.”
“Wait a minute,” he said as he propped himself up on his elbows. “My life is wherever I want it to be. So, you’re saying at the end of your vacation, you don’t ever want to see me again?”
“Can we just be in the moment?” Kandace asked. “You don’t have to make promises that you may not be able to keep.”
“You’re going to speak for me now?” he asked. “I do what I want. And when I make a promise, I keep it. And I don’t make promises too often—ever, actually.”
Kandace sucked her teeth and dipped her finger in the leftover icing from their dessert. Before she could lick the icing from her fingertip, Solomon beat her to the punch, slowly sucking the sweet chocolate from her finger.
“Hey. I wanted that,” she said, then pretended to sulk.
“Well, if you’re going to think for me, then I’m going to eat for you.”
Kandace rolled her eyes and swiped the last bit of icing from the plate before Solomon could get to it. “I’m not listening to you,” she said after eating the chocolate. “I’m living in the moment.”
Solomon didn’t say anything, he just held on to her. A few days ago, he would’ve been happy to live in the moment, but after being with Kandace he knew no other lover would give him what she had given him. The passion was stronger than anything he’d ever felt and she didn’t give a damn that he was Solomon Crawford. Maybe that was why he was so turned on by her. She was impressed with him as a man and not because he owned an empire or had money. Their conversations made him think, made him want to be honest, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d opened up to a woman because he felt comfortable with her.
“Solomon, did you hear me?” Kandace asked.
“What? I’m sorry, I was distracted.”
“Cake…do you want to order another slice?”
“Yeah, but send it up to my suite. I want to show you something,” he said.
“Show me what?” Kandace asked as she rose to her feet.
“Didn’t I say ‘show’ and not ‘tell’?” he quipped as he stood up and kissed her cheek. “Put some clothes on and get a move on, lady.”
“You know what?” Kandace said as she slapped him across the chest. “T
here’s not going to be too much more of that. I didn’t join the military because I give orders, not take them.”
“Ouch! Yes, ma’am,” he said, giving her a mock salute. “You know, you’re kind of violent. I bet you have a leather bustier and a whip under your bed in Charlotte.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kandace replied with a sly grin.
“I intend to find out,” he said as she sauntered into the bedroom.
Carmen sat in her car fuming about Solomon and that woman. They were so familiar with each other. In the past Solomon had only treated her like that and now he was all smiles with this temporary sex buddy. She had to end this and soon. One thing Carmen had to do was let Solomon know she was in town. Maybe he’ll return to his room and get his cell phone, she hoped as she pulled out her phone and dialed his number again. Please let him answer, she thought as the phone rang.
“Crawford,” he said when he answered the phone.
“Solomon,” Carmen said with relief in her voice. “I’ve been trying to reach you. There is a problem in New York.”
“Carmen, I’m sure you can handle it,” Solomon said. “I’m on vacation.”
“Business calls,” Carmen heard Kandace say. “I guess the cake is mine.”
Carmen pounded her fist into her thigh. That woman was still with him and in his suite. He never shared his space with anyone. What made this bitch so special?
“Actually, I can’t handle it. Danny was murdered,” she said.
“What? What did you say? Carmen, Danny was murdered? I just talked to him yesterday.”
“That’s when it happened, at the office. Richmond is making a lot of noise about not knowing why Danny was hired or what he was doing at the office. Maybe you need to come back to New York.”
“I’m going to call you back,” he said, then hung up the phone. Carmen tossed her phone on the passenger seat and rubbed her throbbing thigh. How am I going to get in his suite and get her away from him? What if he doesn’t come back to New York because he’s so hung up on her? She can’t be that special. It’s only been a few days. Other than sex, what does this tramp have?
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