by Francis Ray
He got out and went to open her door, but she got out by herself and started up the walkway. Tanner had little time to admire the graceful sway of her hips in a slim black dress that showed her long legs to perfection. He quickly caught up with her and took her arm. “Ayanna, what is it?”
“Nothing,” she said, her key already out. “I had a wonderful time, Tanner.”
“Do you really expect me to trot on back to the car and drive off?” he asked.
Ayanna had hoped … no, that was a lie, and she had lied to herself enough where Tanner was concerned. Tanner excited her as no man ever had. He stirred things in her that made her want to forget being safe, forget that caring for a man like Tanner could shatter her.
“A man like you could cause a woman a lot of trouble,” she said at last.
He stepped closer. He was pure temptation dressed up in a suit.
“The same could be said of you,” he said.
She tried one last time. “You have more experience at this than I do.”
There was a subtle shift in his predatory posture. Something flickered in his dark eyes. “I told you not to believe everything you’ve read about me.”
“If I hadn’t read one word, I could tell.” She shook her head, searching for the words. “It’s in the self-assured way you carry yourself, your dogged determination to have your way in everything. Your refuse to listen to ‘no’ unless you’re the one saying it.”
His brow puckered. “You see that as bad?”
His genuine puzzlement made her want to throw up her hands. “Tanner, when has a woman ever been able to say no to you and keep saying no if you wanted a yes?”
“Do you really expect me to answer that?” he asked, his mouth tight.
She sighed. “No. Good-bye, Tanner.”
“No,” he said, then gritted his teeth as if remembering her comment about his refusing to listen to no unless he were saying it. “Could we please go inside and talk?”
Ayanna had lived in the quiet older neighborhood for five years and both she and her mother were acquainted with many of her neighbors. There would be enough questions from her mother as to why Tanner was no longer around without her hearing about their arguing on the front porch. Ayanna stepped aside. “I won’t change my mind.”
Tanner didn’t say anything.
Closing the door, Ayanna waved him to a seat on the white sofa in the living room. She took a seat on the matching Queen Anne chair.
“The way I see it, my reputation has put me at an unfair disadvantage. The only way to change your mind and show you that I’m not ruthless or unconscionable is for you to spend more time with me,” he reasoned.
“That’s not an option.”
Tanner stared at her intently. “I want to see you. What would it take for that to happen?”
Promise me you won’t break my heart. She folded her hands in her lap. Life had no guarantees. She already knew that.
Tanner leaned toward her and his hand closed over hers, drawing her gaze to his. He’d moved so fast she hadn’t a chance to object or evade. It probably wouldn’t have done her any good, anyway, as he was not a man who yielded or backed down. And honestly would she really want to date a man who wouldn’t stand up and fight for what he believed in or wanted? She glanced down at their hands, felt the heat, and experienced the fear. “I need a few days to think about this.”
His hand tightened on hers, then relaxed. “You’ll call me by Wednesday?”
She almost smiled at his persistence. “Yes.”
He turned her hand over and pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist. With a will of its own, her other hand cupped his cheek and felt the incredible softness of his beard. In the next instant his mouth, hot and avid, was on hers, and then they were somehow on the carpeted floor.
As she’d feared and known all along, resistance never entered her mind. When in Tanner’s arms, his kisses heated her blood and made her burn. She heard him moan her name, and experienced a thrill of pleasure that she wasn’t the only one caught up in the madness. Then she was tumbling headlong into passion, fierce and greedy.
She moaned. Tanner was right. The need was intense.
Tanner lifted his head and stared down into Ayanna’s passion-flushed face beneath him. He wanted nothing more than to strip away their clothes—if he could wait that long—and sink into her softness. He knew she wouldn’t stop him.
He pulled her to him and rolled over, bringing her with him until she was on top. He muttered when his knee bumped the coffee table.
“Tanner?”
“It’s all right, baby. Just give me a minute,” he said, stroking her back, making sure his hand went no farther than her waist. “Nothing is going to happen.”
Ayanna shifted, then stilled when she felt the rigid bulge pressed against the notch of her thighs. “You positive?”
A ragged laugh tore from him. Uncertain if he heard regret or fear in her voice, he hugged her. “I control my body. When we make love we’ll both be ready.”
She buried her face between his neck and shoulder. He took what little comfort he could in the fact that she didn’t deny his words.
“What time do you think I could come by tomorrow?”
Slowly, very slowly, he lifted her face with his thumb and finger. “You won’t regret it.”
“I already know that,” she said, holding his gaze.
“Not that I’m not thankful, but what changed your mind?”
Her hand stroked his chest though his white shirt. “You did. You may be ruthless, but you didn’t take unfair advantage of the situation.”
“I wanted to. I still want to.”
Ayanna scrambled off Tanner, inadvertently rubbing against the part of him that wanted to be buried deep in her satin heat. He groaned.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked, still on her knees beside him.
He gave her a look that made her blush.
Gracefully he came to his feet, bringing her with him. “If you can make it around noon, Stephen Pointe, the consulting concept chef, has promised to serve a sampling of the Mediterranean and Asian cuisine he plans to serve in The Jade Room, which will be the largest and most formal of the two restaurants in the hotel.”
“I love Asian food. We don’t serve it at Leo’s and when I bring take-out, Tyrell has a fit,” she said.
“Then I’ll see you at noon.” He kissed her on the cheek and left.
Ayanna watched him get in his car and drive off. She didn’t know where tomorrow might lead, but she wasn’t running from it any longer. The question was no longer if she’d go to bed with Tanner, it was how soon.
Tanner was whistling when he opened the door to his leased condo. He’d chosen the location for its proximity to the hotel, but also for its view of the Potomac River. Looking out on the river always soothed and calmed him. It wasn’t a coincidence that all his hotels were located near the water. Adrian was the same way. They teased Raine about being a land lover. Only one of her three restaurants was near the water.
He was in his bedroom undressing when the phone rang. He hit the speaker button and jerked off his tie. “Tanner.”
“About time you made it home. I called twice.”
“Hi, Ra.” Raine never wasted time with small talk when she had a point to make. “Guess I forgot to turn on the machine when I left this morning.”
“Problems with the hotel?” she asked, concern in her soft voice.
He slipped off his Italian loafers; his socks followed. “Things couldn’t be better. I was in a rush to pick up Ayanna Hardcastle.”
“Whoa, big brother. Ayanna Hardcastle? And since when have you been in a hurry to pick up any woman?”
Tanner paused in the process of zipping up a pair of jeans that seamlessly flowed over his long legs and hips. He frowned, then smiled, zipping and snapping. “I guess this is a first. How did things go in Atlanta?”
“That crooked manager I dismissed for skimming profits from the previous owner was trying to g
et the employees to walk out en masse.” Her voice took on a hard edge. “Instead of being thankful that Holiday didn’t file charges against him but let him get off with restitution, he tried to get back at me.”
“Is he still in one piece?”
“Barely, but he won’t pull that stunt again and neither will the staff, unless they want to find other jobs. I called a meeting, showed them a stack of applicants waiting to take their place, the same applicants who, if hired, would get a bonus proportionate to profits. They decided they didn’t want to quit after all.”
He chuckled. Raine was definitely a chip off the old block. Never hesitating to crush the opposition. “I’m glad you’re on my team.” Pulling a melon-colored polo shirt over his head, he picked up the cordless phone and walked into his home office. His long, narrow feet sank into the ecru carpet.
“That’s the same thing Dad said this morning.”
Their father was probably on the golf course bragging to his buddies about Raine’s victory as they spoke. It was embarrassing at times, but their father always said telling the truth wasn’t bragging. Tanner hit the speaker button on the office phone and deactivated the handheld one.
“We’ll celebrate when you come back. I already figured out why we had reservations at Leo’s.” He sat at the U-shaped workstation and booted up the computer.
“So give.”
Tanner gave her a full report on Leo’s in glowing terms. “It’s a great supper club. Ayanna and her cousins have a right to be proud.”
“Any vulnerabilities?”
Tanner scrolled though his e-mail for the weekly reports from each hotel. “Nothing that you have to contend with in Atlanta or any of your locations. Leo’s is on a one-way street and a couple of times accidents have tied up traffic and cut down on business. But the restaurant has been packed each time I’ve been there.”
“So Leo’s does have a weak spot,” she mused.
Tanner’s attention wavered as he read the “Urgent” e-mail from Sidney Yates, his executive manager of The Rafferty House in Charleston. Tanner reached for the second phone on his desk and keyed in the number. “Have to run, Ra. I’ll call you back.”
“No need. You’ve given me the information I wanted. Thanks.”
Thinking she meant a report on how to duplicate Leo’s success, he gave his full attention to the problem in Charleston. “Yates,” Tanner said when the executive manager answered her cell phone on the second ring. “Rafferty here. What is it, why couldn’t you solve it, and why didn’t you call?”
Yates didn’t falter as she gave Tanner the details. A guest had slipped and fallen in the gift shop because of another guest’s spilled drink on the floor. The incident raised suspicion in the executive manager’s mind when the young woman, although claiming to be in a lot of pain and unable to stand on her own, refused to let the hotel doctor check her. She’d left with the assistance of the man she was with to seek private care.
“I want Slaughter to do a check on everyone involved,” Tanner said, referring to the head of security for the Rafferty enterprise.
“He’s already on it, and he’s checking the computer for similar incidents.”
“Good. Now, why didn’t you contact me sooner?” The episode happened when the shop opened at twelve. It was past three.
“I tried. You didn’t answer at home and your cell was off.”
Tanner muttered one succinct word. Not only had he forgotten to turn on his answering machine before leaving, he’d forgotten to turn his cell back on when he left Leo’s. It had always aggravated him when people’s cells went off in the theater or in restaurants. He’d been so concerned about Ayanna’s sudden quietness, he hadn’t thought about it. He had never overlooked something like that in the past.
“It won’t happen again,” was all he said. He didn’t accept excuses or make them. “Keep me posted.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yates?”
“Yes?”
“Good job.”
“Thank you.” There was relief in her voice.
Tanner hung up the phone, got up, and walked over to the window. Ayanna could cause him a lot of trouble and it seemed he was only beginning to realize how much.
SIX
Ayanna spotted Tanner the moment she rounded the street corner that Monday afternoon. Hands stuffed into the uncuffed pants of his double-breasted olive suit, he was pacing the sidewalk in front of his hotel. She didn’t have to check her watch again to know she was ten minutes late. Since she disliked waiting on people, she hurried over to him, words of apology already running through her mind.
When she was fifteen feet away, his dark head lifted abruptly and he stared directly at her, almost as if he had sensed her presence. The impact of all that intensity directed at her caused her steps to momentarily falter, her breath to quicken. What was it about this particular man that caused her body to react so strongly?
While she was contemplating the answer to that question, his hands came out of his pockets and he started toward her. All the people on the busy street seemed to disappear; the sounds of traffic faded away.
He was a couple of feet away when she blurted, “I had trouble finding a parking spot.”
His expression didn’t change as he took her arm and started back. “I should have sent the car for you.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said, still unsure of his mood. She was used to seeing a glint of humor in his eyes. Today there was none. “The laundry truck came in early and I had to check the order before I left.”
He pushed opened the glass door. “Welcome to The Rafferty Grand.”
Ayanna’s heart experienced a little pang. His words had all the warmth of an ice cube. “Tanner, if you’re busy we can do this another time.”
“I invited you,” he said, continuing through the lobby.
Ayanna dug in her heels on the light blue Italian stone flooring in front of the receptionist desk. “Obviously you regret it.”
Tanner looked at her, his mouth tight. “There was a problem at The Rafferty House in Charleston yesterday.”
Instantly contrite, Ayanna placed her hand on his chest. “Was? Does that mean it’s all right now?”
“Yes.” His mouth was a narrow line.
“So why are you still upset about it?” Ayanna tilted her head to one side.
He brought the full force of his gaze back to her. “Because it could have gone the other way if the executive manager hadn’t been on her toes, and the head of security hadn’t been able to find out the incident was a scam.”
“I’m still trying to figure out why you’re beating yourself over the head about it,” she said. “You wouldn’t have them working for you if they weren’t competent enough to take care of problems.”
“Because I was unreachable,” he said, derision in his voice. “I have always prided myself on being available to the people who work for and with me.”
Slowly Ayanna began to put everything together. “You weren’t available because you were with me.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I didn’t turn on the answering machine when I left my place, and I failed to turn my cell back on after we left Leo’s,” he stated flatly.
“I can see how much that bothers you and I have the perfect solution. Good-bye, Tanner.” She spun on her heels.
“No!” he said, grabbing her arm. The one word in the high-ceilinged space went through the room like a pistol shot, drawing the attention of the workers. “You can’t do that.”
“It was bound to end sooner than later.”
“Says who?” he challenged, his eyes taking on a dangerous glint.
Ayanna was about to reply when she noticed that it had grown quiet. She glanced around and flushed at seeing they were the center of attention. Worse, a few feet behind Tanner and to the left stood a thin, middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed graying mustache wearing a chef’s uniform. “I think your chef wants to speak to you.”
“He can wait unt
il we’re finished.” Tanner didn’t even look away from her.
Ayanna’s saw the chef’s eyes flash. Temperamental, just like Tyrell. If Tanner wasn’t careful he’d be minus a concept chef.
Sidestepping Tanner, she extended her hand to the glaring man. “Ayanna Hardcastle. Are you the wonderful concept chef Mr. Rafferty told me who is going to make my taste buds weep with joy?”
The man beamed and clasped her hand. “Stephen Pointe. Everything is ready.” He looked at Tanner and his voice cooled. “If Mr. Rafferty is agreeable?”
“Of course he is,” she answered for Tanner. “Why don’t I walk with you and you can tell me about the delicacies you’ve prepared.”
The chef smiled warmly at her, turning his back on Tanner. “Delighted. This way.”
Ayanna walked beside the chef, a prickling sensation in her back. Tanner looked as if he could chew nails. She was trying to help, but she wouldn’t put it past him to fire the chef and toss both out of his hotel.
Tanner wanted to toss the chef out the nearest window. Unfortunately, it was sealed shut. The scrawny man was fawning over Ayanna as he personally prepared her plate, all the time chatting with her as if they had known each other for years. The worse offense was when he took a seat at the table Tanner had ordered to be set with fresh cut flowers, linen, and sterling silver.
Tanner knew that his management staff was tiptoeing around him as if he were a ticking time bomb, but he couldn’t seem to help it. He wasn’t particularly surprised when, one by one, they quickly prepared their plates and left. If he hadn’t already told them that he expected a report on the dishes served, he suspected the majority of them would have taken one look at him and left.
Ayanna certainly didn’t appear concerned by the prospect of angering him, or of not seeing him again. She was sampling everything the chef put on her plate, then rhapsodizing over it as if she had never tasted anything so good. Tanner hadn’t bothered to fix a plate. The one his executive secretary prepared for him sat untouched on a table several feet from Ayanna and Pointe. Tanner hadn’t trusted himself to sit any closer.