She stood up and stalked back and forth in front of the fireplace. The only way she could make Solomon understand that he should be with her would be to get rid of Kandace. There was no other way around it. The bitch had to die.
Kandace smiled as Solomon led her to the lower level of the hotel. “What is this, the dungeon?” she asked as he opened the door to a basic room with a king-size bed and wall-mounted plasma TV.
“Yes,” he said. “This is where unruly guests go.”
“Then you should’ve been here a long time ago,” she joked as she plopped down on the bed. “But really what is this room?”
“This is just an extra room where we put a guest that’s waiting for a suite or is only going to be here for one night,” Solomon said. “But notice how soft the bed is.” He crossed over to her and jumped in the bed with her.
“I see,” she said as he pulled her into his arms. “This place is just like you, full of surprises.”
“And that’s a good thing, right?” he asked as he brushed his lips across her collarbone.
Kandace took his face in her hands. “Let’s say some surprises have been better than others.”
“Good, because I have one that I’m sure you’re going to like,” he said as he slipped his hands underneath her shirt and stroked her stomach with his thumbs. Kandace closed her eyes, falling into the pleasure of Solomon’s touch. He lifted her shirt above her head and replaced his fingers with his lips as he kissed her smooth belly, moving down to the center of her desire. Solomon pulled her pants and lacy panties down just enough to expose her wetness. Slowly, he slipped one finger between her wet folds of flesh, making her moan with delight and pleasure. Kandace arched her back as Solomon lowered his head and replaced his finger with his hungry mouth, licking and kissing her throbbing bud until her body shook like a trembling leaf in a windstorm. She gripped the back of his neck as her orgasm crashed down on her. “Solomon,” she called out breathlessly while he showed no mercy, continuing to lap the sweetness of her juices. Kandace’s body went limp by the time Solomon had gotten his fill of her. He inched up her sensitive body, stroking her and kissing her nipples until she cried out for him to stop.
“Baby,” he growled in between licks, “I’m just getting started.”
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” she said. Solomon slipped his hand between her thighs and stroked her until she was even wetter than before.
“You can take a lot more, I’m sure of it,” he said as he brought his finger to his lips and sucked the wetness from it. “I know you’re ready.”
He captured her lips in a searing kiss that would’ve knocked her down had she been standing. Kandace wrapped her legs around Solomon’s waist, pulling him closer to her. She could feel his hardness through the zipper of his jeans. She reached for his zipper, but Solomon held her wrists as he licked her neck, easing down to her collarbone and settling on her breasts. Kandace’s body felt as if a thousand candles were burning underneath her skin as his tongue danced across her taut nipples. “Yes, yes, Solomon,” she cried as he slipped his hand between her thighs and continued sucking her nipples.
Pulling back, Solomon looked into her eyes. “Are you ready for me?”
“No,” she said. “Because I want to taste you now.” Kandace pushed him on his back, then in a quick motion, lifted his shirt up and rained kisses down on his chest. She straddled his body and unbuckled his jeans, then stroked his erection up and down.
Solomon lifted his hips to help Kandace remove his jeans and boxers. When he was naked, she slid down the length of his body, allowing her tongue to blaze the path to his pulsating erection. He shivered when he felt the heat of her breath against the tip of his aching muscle. When she took the length of him into her mouth, his knees shook and his teeth chattered.
“Oh, Kandace,” he groaned as she bobbed up and down. Solomon closed his eyes and threw his head back in sweet ecstasy. “Yes, baby, yes,” he moaned as she brought him closer and closer to his release. Kandace pulled back, running her tongue up the length of his penis, sending chills up and down his spine. “I need to be inside you,” he said as he gripped her hips.
She placed her hand on his chest. “Protection,” Kandace whispered. She rolled to one side of him as he grabbed his discarded jeans and pulled a condom from his pocket. Solomon rolled the sheath in place in quick order, then returned to Kandace, easing behind her and pulling her against his chest. He slipped between her thighs, taking her from the back while nibbling on the side of her neck as she pressed against him. Her moans made him harder and he ground against her, eliciting the melodic tones of her pleasure that he yearned to hear. “Oh yes,” he cried as he palmed her breasts, and Kandace threw her head back, expelling breathlessly, “So-Solomon.”
He covered her mouth with his and kissed her, sucking on her full bottom lip as he released his desire.
Kandace turned around and faced him, resting against his chest and closing her eyes. “This has been a crazy day,” she said.
“But a wonderful night,” he replied as he kissed her on the cheek.
“So what happens next?” Kandace asked as she ran her hand across his chest.
“I’ve never gotten to this part before,” Solomon admitted. “I’ve never wanted to know what came next with a woman. Never wanted to see another day with a woman that I’d gone to bed with. You’ve changed me and that’s new to me.”
“What makes me so special, Solomon?” Kandace asked, struck by his honesty. “How am I any different from those other women?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s one thing that I can pinpoint about you. Or if it is everything that makes you who you are, but you’re a woman I want to know more about. I want to know what makes you smile, what makes you cry, and what turns you on—even though I have a good idea of what that is.” Solomon took her hand and placed it on his flaccid penis.
“Whatever,” she said with a sly smile. “It’s not much of a turn-on right now.”
“Let me catch my breath,” he said. “And I know that it will be a huge turn-on for you again.”
Kandace stroked his chest with her other hand. “Still, Solomon, I know your history and I’m not going to fool myself into thinking that we could possibly have a future here.”
“Why not?” he asked. “I hope you know that I can do anything that I want. And since I want to be with you, I’m going to make it happen.”
“And if I don’t want it to happen?” she asked, then shifted in his arms.
“Since we both know that’s not the case, I’m not even going to entertain that question,” Solomon said as he pulled her closer to him. “Why don’t you just live in this moment and we’ll think about tomorrow in the morning.”
“All right,” she said as she reached to her left and picked the TV remote from the nightstand near the bed. Kandace turned the television on and flipped to The Weather Channel.
“If you’re in the North Carolina mountains, get comfortable,” Paul Goodloe said. “A cold front is pushing through and there will be ten to twelve inches of snow falling. People at the ski resorts should rejoice for the wonderful skiing conditions.”
“Ugh, there’s that word,” Kandace said as she hit the mute button.
“What word would that be?” Solomon asked with a laugh.
“Skiing. I still, for the life of me, don’t get what people see in sliding down a mountain with little control to stop yourself from falling,” she said.
Solomon laughed and kissed her on the forehead. “With a little practice, you could shine on the mountain.”
“Well, I’m not going to be here long enough to get that practice and I must say that my instructor sucked,” she said, then pinched him on the arm.
Solomon rolled on top of Kandace and ran his tongue across her lips. “And you love it that your instructor sucks, licks, and kisses,” he said as he ground his body against hers. Kandace responded by thrusting her hips into his and instantly felt that he was
ready for more of her.
“Teach me something then,” she moaned.
Solomon reached for another condom and proceeded to teach Kandace a sensual lesson in lovemaking for the rest of the night.
Carmen woke up from a restless slumber. Tonight she’d figured that she’d fall asleep in Solomon’s arms, with his lips pressed against her cheek. Just like it had been so many years ago. The night that she’d fallen in love with him, Solomon had been so sexy as he slept, and despite how she tried to wake him up, he couldn’t and wouldn’t open his eyes. But that hadn’t stopped her from roaming his body with her eyes, hands and lips. The feel of his skin, the smell of him, and the softness of his lips never left her mind. Carmen knew at that moment she had to re-create who she was to make Solomon care for her.
She sat up in the bed just as the phone began to ring. She picked it up and said, “Hello.”
“You know, I’m so mad at you right now,” the female voice on the other end said.
“Huh?”
“Kandace, are you in such la-la land that you couldn’t call me? By the way, this is the friend you forgot to tell about Solomon Crawford—Alicia—just in case you have totally forgotten about me,” she said with a laugh. “I think this was fate that you met him, and I know you’re probably going to tell me no, but I need you to ask him if he will speak at the business conference I’m putting together. Of course James is going to speak, but we could get national coverage if Solomon Crawford would be our keynote speaker.”
Carmen seethed as she listened to this woman rattle on. She should’ve known that bitch and her friends would seek to use Solomon. No, he wasn’t going to speak at that conference and she wasn’t going to allow these women to draw Solomon away from her.
“I’m sorry, Alicia. Kandace checked out and I don’t think she’s ever coming back,” Carmen said in an eerily calm voice that belied the anger brewing in her very being.
“Who is this?” Alicia asked. “Where is Kandace?”
Carmen slammed the phone down and walked over to the window. She watched the steady snowfall and wished Solomon was standing beside her as she was sure he’d stood beside Kandace and witnessed the beauty of nature. Then she knew he’d turn to her and see her with new eyes. Eyes that saw how she had been the only woman there for him during his darkest day and that she was the woman he should be loving. Not all of those models, actresses, and definitely not Kandace Davis.
She’s no better than anyone else and Solomon will see that I’m the only woman who has ever had his back. I’m the only woman who has ever given a damn about him, even when he was at his worst. The only thing I’ve ever wanted from you is your love, Solomon. And I don’t care what else I have to do, I’m going to make you love me, she thought as she pounded her fist against the windowsill. “I’m going to make him love me,” she muttered as her hand throbbed.
Morning came in with a foot of snow and Kandace crept out of Solomon’s arms hoping to catch a glimpse of the falling snow, but the window in the room didn’t look outside, just into the boiler room. She shivered as she glanced at the equipment, seeing how the metal and blinking lights of the monitors were a direct contrast to the plush luxury of the rest of the hotel. This is a dungeon, I don’t care what Solomon says. She returned to the bed and crawled back in beside Solomon.
“I was wondering where you disappeared to,” he whispered as she nestled against him.
“I’m surprised you even knew I was gone with all that snoring you had going on over there,” she quipped as she kissed his cheek. “I was hoping I could see the snow this morning, but this room has no view.”
“I told you, this is a temporary room where people just stay for a few hours or one night. Our suites should be ready today, but I have a better idea than you moving back into your Wonderland Suite.”
“And what would that be?” she asked.
“Spend the rest of your vacation on the eighth floor with me. I have everything you want—a fireplace, excellent service, and me. You’re here through Saturday, right?”
“Yes, but what about…”
“What about nothing,” Solomon said. “When you leave here, I want you to be totally relaxed and completely satisfied. Let’s just say it’s the unofficial Crawford Hotels motto.”
“Oh, so you make sure all of your guests take a ride on Solomon?”
He laughed and tweaked her nose. “Just the ones who fill out a lime green bathing suit like you did and are named Kandace Davis.”
“Good answer,” she said.
“And,” Solomon said, “we might as well give another guest a chance to experience this place.”
“So, this is a business move, huh? And here I was thinking that you liked me.”
“Oh, I do like you, I like you a lot,” he said seriously. Kandace raised her eyebrow at him.
“You don’t have to say…”
“I know, and trust me, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it or mean it. Kandace, you’re special, very special to me, and I want to see where we go in the future.”
“With you in New York and me in Charlotte or Atlanta? Long distance relationships didn’t work after summer camp when we were kids. What makes you think it will work now?”
Solomon propped up on his elbows. “Let’s see,” he said. “I have a jet and I can be wherever you are whenever I want. Don’t make me build hotels in Charlotte or Atlanta just so I can see you every day.”
“I really think you’d to that,” she said with a laugh.
“Try me and find out,” he said. Solomon stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “And as much as I hate to get out of this bed with you, I have to go check in with my front office manager and make sure Carmen’s not on the property, and also find out what’s going on with the murder investigation.”
Kandace shivered at the mention of Carmen’s name. “God, I hope she’s gone,” she said. “How long have you known her?”
“Nearly four years, and all that time I had no idea that she was crazy. When I walked into my suite last night, she was waiting for me as if we were involved in more than business. That was a side of her I had never seen and never want to see again.”
“What are you going to do about her? I mean, she’s so involved in your business and there’s no way you can work with Carmen after all of this,” Kandace said.
Solomon nodded in agreement. “I wish this never happened, you know. As crazy as she is, she was a great asset to the business, but she has to go.” He reached for his BlackBerry and sighed. “I’m going to hate making this call.”
“To who?”
Solomon dialed a number. “To my brother, Richmond.”
“Do you need some privacy?” she asked.
Solomon shook his head, but Kandace went into the bathroom anyway. She needed a shower to wash away the feeling of dread that had settled on her shoulders as she thought about Carmen De La Croix.
“Richmond,” Solomon said. “We need to talk.”
“What? You have more accusations to hurl at me?” he snapped.
“Actually, no. First, let me apologize to you for the things I said when I was in New York. I know you didn’t have anything to do with Danny’s death and I have to tell you, you were right on another front,” Solomon said as his stomach clenched. Apologizing wasn’t his strong suit and apologizing to Richmond was akin to standing in front of a firing squad.
“Wait a minute. What are you admitting I was right about?” Richmond asked, and when Solomon heard the smugness in his voice, he wanted to hang up on him.
Instead, he decided to tell him why he called. Getting rid of Carmen was more important than worrying about his brother being a jerk. “Carmen De La Croix.”
“What about her?”
“She’s crazy and we need to let her go. Call the IT department and have them remove her access from the computer system. Then I need you to send an e-mail to all of our properties and have her banned from the locations.”
“What happened?”
“You don’t think she had something to do with it?” Richmond asked.
“After what happened down here, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Solomon said. “But she’s fired. She no longer works for us and we have to make sure she’s far away from us.”
“I can’t say that I’m surprised that she’s nuts. Since you’ve been gone, I’ve had some strange conversations with her. Any time I mentioned your name, she’d get this strange look on her face, as if I was making sacrilegious comments about Jesus.”
“Really? I guess you were trying to enlist her for your coup d’état,” Solomon observed.
“Maybe. I told you a long time ago that you were placing too much trust in this stranger.”
“Okay, I don’t need to hear ‘I told you so’ right now,” Solomon said. “Just give me the detective’s number.”
“All right,” Richmond said with a hint of laughter in his voice. “Hold on and I’ll find his card.”
He makes me so damned sick, Solomon thought as he waited for his brother to return to the line. It’s too bad Carmen didn’t develop a fixation on him.
Richmond returned to the line and gave Solomon the detective’s phone number. “I hope this woman has taught you a lesson,” Richmond said.
“And what lesson would that be?” Solomon snapped. “According to you, it was going to be a woman I slept with that brought me down. I’m still on my feet and I never slept with Carmen. What is it that I should be learning?”
“Why do I even bother talking to you?” Richmond said. “Get this mess cleaned up or I swear, I’ll have Mom and Dad remove you as CEO.”
“You’re not getting my job that easily,” Solomon said, then pressed the END button on his phone.
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