by A. C. Arthur
Everyone laughed and Noelle felt more contented then she ever had in all her life. She was surrounded by people she loved and who loved her. If she never had another happy day in her life, this one would suffice.
“So I guess I owe you guys a congratulations,” Linc broke through the laughter. “The Gramercy II looks great. I know that’s because of your efforts,” he said, nodding toward first Josette and Kent, who had come to sit on the arm of the chair next to his wife, then to Noelle and Brock, who had placed her jewel-clad feet on his lap.
“Thanks, man. I told you it would be spectacular,” Brock said.
“I never doubted you for a minute,” Linc quipped.
Noelle chuckled. “Yeah, right. That’s why we both received a million phone calls and e-mails and text messages.”
“That’s all right. We’ll be more than ready for the grand opening on Labor Day. And I want all of us to be here. So, Trent, you and Tia either get married in the next four weeks or wait until after the holiday. Sam, clear your schedule. Max, you and Adam work your traveling and real estate buying around that day. And you, Ms. Lakefield, the new addition to the bunch, you take a few days off from the museum to come and celebrate with us.”
“Sounds like one hell of a party.” Karena smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“So now that the Gramercy II is finished, Noelle can come back home with us in the morning,” Jade said, looking tentatively from Brock to Noelle.
“I was thinking,” Brock began, his hands still moving over Noelle’s calves, his eyes lifting to find hers. “That maybe Noelle might consider staying here in St. Michaels for just a little while longer.”
Noelle’s heart lurched, her smile spread. Yes, she was definitely happy. She’d come here to do a job and she’d found the love of her life. She looked at Jade then at Karena and wondered what both these women who were so close to her were thinking at this very moment. What reckless and irresponsible thing did they think she was going to do next? And then she looked at Brock and in his eyes saw the woman he believed her to be. She saw the strength, the courage, the ambition and felt free and reborn. Tears welled in her eyes once more but she willed them not to fall.
“I was thinking,” she said, sitting up and taking Brock’s face in her hands, “that maybe, Brock wouldn’t mind me staying here in St. Michaels for just a little while longer.”
His initial answer was a kiss.
“I was thinking,” he whispered against her lips, “that maybe Noelle would like to leave St. Michaels for a little while, say, go on a cruise.” The birthday gift from Kent and Josette that he hadn’t wanted before, was now coming in handy.
Her answer was a smile followed by another kiss. First a quick peck, then a slow nip and finally a deep intertwining, that should effectively silence whatever any of the people standing around them were thinking.
Epilogue
Karena took her seat on the plane and immediately buttoned her seat belt, just like when she got into a car. It was just one of those things she was anal about. Actually, if her sisters were the ones telling it, they’d say she was anal about just about everything. She, however, liked to think of it as having an orderly life—everything in its place and all that.
That’s how she managed her business dealings, her family issues and her personal life—otherwise, she would have checked into the sanitarium by now.
She was just about to reach into her bag and pull out her laptop when the seat beside her was taken.
“Hello, again,” Sam said with an easy smile that had Karena’s toes warming.
“Well, hello to you. I didn’t know we were booked on the same flight.”
“Neither did I. Originally I was going to stay another day just to make sure that things went smoothly with Luther’s extradition. But Brock assured me that he’d go down to the police station to personally see the man off.” With that Sam had packed his overnight bag and headed for the airport, hoping to find a flight leaving for New York sooner rather than later. And lady luck seemed to be on his side—in more ways than one, he noted, as he was now looking into the cheerfully pretty face of Karena Lakefield.
They’d officially met last night at dinner, the one where Brock announced that Noelle would be moving to the east coast with him and Jade nearly fell out of her chair. The memory had Sam chuckling. He’d known Trent Donovan for almost ten years, and he’d shared some of the Donovan family dinners and enjoyed them immensely, but none as much as last night’s.
The lady with the coal-black hair styled in a short spiky do and seductive eyes was the cause for that.
She was one of the Lakefields of Manhattan. The minute Noelle had said her name, he’d made the connection. The Lakefields ran the most exclusive and affluent African-American-owned art galleries in the United States. And although his brother-in-law, Lorenzo Bennett, had just recently opened his own gallery, Renny had nothing on the Lakefields’ status in the art world.
That’s exactly the impression Karena gave him—refined, delicate, priceless, a piece of art worth buying for whatever amount was asked.
“Good. I’m glad that whole episode is over. I feel so bad for Noelle and all that she’s been through.”
“Yeah, but she’s got Brock now, so I’m sure she’ll be well taken care of from here on out.”
“Hmph, must be nice,” she said with a frown, then looked out the window.
The plane was just about to take off when Karena’s cell phone chimed. She cursed and answered it quickly, looking around to make sure none of the flight attendants noticed that she hadn’t turned it off as they’d asked.
“Hello?” she whispered.
“What? Monica, I’m on the plane. Can this wait until I get home? No, I don’t leave for Texas for another two weeks.
“It’ll be fine if we wait, Monica. Yes. I know.” She rolled her eyes skyward and sucked in a breath as the plane lifted from the ground. The worst parts of flying were takeoff and landing in her book.
“I know, Monica. Look, I’m hanging up. I’ll call you when I get home.
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’ll call you when we land.”
“Trouble on the home front?” Sam asked when she’d snapped the phone closed, turned it off and stuffed it into her purse.
“Not exactly. My older sister, Monica, is a slave driver.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she manages our family gallery in Manhattan while I do all the buying and supervise the sales division.”
“I see, a family business. I know all about those.”
“Are you in a family business?”
“Nah, I’m one of the apples that fell far from the tree.” He chuckled. “My family owns restaurants up and down the eastern seaboard. But at my PI firm I employ mostly family members. My twin sister and Trent’s cousin to name a few.”
“That’s right, you and Trent are good friends. Well, I’ll tell you people are constantly telling me to get a life, but Monica is the one that needs to take a chill pill,” Karena said with a grin.
“Really? That’s interesting,” Sam said thoughtfully.
“How so?”
“Is Monica involved with anyone right now?”
“No. Didn’t you hear when I said she was a workaholic? The only way she could be involved is if she’s sneaking a man into the museum after hours because, I swear, that girl sleeps there.”
“I think I know somebody who would get along famously with her.”
Karena frowned. “I don’t usually do the matchmaking thing,” she began, “but tell me about him anyway.” She was smiling and turning sideways to look at him.
“He’s my brother-in-law’s older brother. His name’s Alex Bennett, and I don’t think he ever peels himself away from his desk, either.”
So as the plane soared higher into the clouds Sam and Karena talked about Alex and Monica, then about their jobs and finally about themselves. By the time the plane landed, they’d exchanged all contact information with a pr
omise to call when they had some free time.
A promise Sam happily planned to keep.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3808-8
FULL HOUSE SEDUCTION
Copyright © 2009 by Artist C. Arthur
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