Читать книгу No Other Lover Will Do - Cheris Hodges - Страница 11

Kandace slammed into her room and flung herself across the bed. The kiss played in her mind as she rolled over on her back. His lips were soft, his technique was skillful, and had he not been the most arrogant and pompous jerk she’d ever met, that kiss would’ve affected her core.

Who was she trying to fool? That kiss stirred a dormant part of her that she wanted him to explore, slowly and thoroughly. Stop it, she thought as she picked up the hotel phone and dialed Serena’s number. She knew this call was going to cost her a pretty penny, but she needed to tell someone about this jerk.

“Hello?” Serena said. Kandace could tell she didn’t recognize the number on her caller ID.

“Serena, it’s me.”

“You couldn’t go one day without calling? I’m not telling you anything about the restaurant,” she said.

“That’s not why I’m calling. I need your brand of advice,” Kandace said.

“My advice?” Serena asked. “Are you sure, because I’m not going to be sugary sweet like Jade and Alicia.”

“That’s why I didn’t call them. We need to make this quick. I’m on the hotel’s phone.” Kandace launched into her story about the mystery man, their encounter at the grotto, his gift, and the kiss.

“He kissed you? Just like that, no provocation or anything?”

“That’s what I just said. Now, what should I do?”

“I would cuss him out and…No,” Serena said. “You’re on vacation and you could use a bit of sex in your life. What’s a vacation fling going to hurt?”

“Did you not hear anything I said about this man? He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and I don’t care how good he looks. Besides, I don’t even know his name.”

“How did he find out yours and your room number?”

“Haven’t a clue. Maybe he paid off one of the hotel staffers. I’m tempted to complain to management about this jackass. I came here to relax, not to get stalked.”

“Tell him in no uncertain terms, or better yet, find out who he is and turn the tables on him. If he’s a high roller who can pay people for information, he must be somebody important.”

“That sounds like a lot of work and I’m not feeling it. Besides, I left my computer at home.”

“Then just wait and see what he sends you next,” Serena said. “Look, I have to go. Someone’s at my door.”

“Antonio?”

Serena hung up without responding. Kandace would’ve called her back, but she decided to watch a movie instead. As she flipped though the channels, her mind wandered back to that man—the touch of his lips and the feel of his body pressed against hers.

Get a grip! What has lust ever gotten anybody? Kandace stopped flipping the channels when she looked up and saw him on the screen. He was dressed in a tuxedo, looking the epitome of class and culture. He was accompanied by an A-list actress whose movie had just premiered, but this shot was an older one.

“It looks as if Solomon Crawford has struck again,” the announcer said. “Despite rumors that his relationship with Heather Williams, star of Just That Kind of Girl, was getting serious, Crawford wasn’t on the red carpet last night and Williams declined to answer any questions about the hotel mogul.”

Kandace shook her head as everything started to come together. No wonder he found out her name and which room she was staying in. He owned the place.

You don’t know who I am, do you? Now that statement made even more sense. He was used to models, actresses, and singers throwing themselves at him. Kandace wasn’t going to fall for it. She grabbed the remote and switched the channel, at the same time stating firmly, I am not going to be another one of Crawford’s conquests.

Solomon headed in to his room and stretched out on his bed. More than anything he wanted Kandace and that killer body lying next to him. He wanted to peel her clothes from her body and kiss every tantalizing inch of skin he’d exposed. Of course, he would pay close attention to her nipples, licking and sucking them until she begged for more. Just thinking about it made him hard. Maybe he needed a cold shower until he convinced her that she needed to take a ride on him. As Solomon stripped out of his clothes, his cell phone rang.

“Crawford,” he growled.

“What’s wrong with you?” Carmen asked. “Is everything all right down there?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. And let me tell you, the grotto was a great idea. Our guests are looking lovely in it,” he said.

“Sounds like you’ve already met someone,” Carmen said quietly. “That’s fast, even for you.”

“Something like that. I will say this, being here is heavenly. No one knows who I am. That’s going to make it even better with Kandace.”

“Kandace? What is she, twelve?”

“Definitely not. So, have you heard from Danny?”

“Why do you ask that? He’s your friend.”

Solomon laughed; his friend had apparently chickened out. “He wants to take you out. He thought there was something going on with us, so I gave him the green light. He’s a good guy and you know, Carmen, you work too hard.”

She sighed into the phone. “I’d rather work hard until I get what I want.”

“Let me guess. You want the fairy tale and the house with the white picket fence. That’s cool, but you don’t have to limit yourself while you’re holding out for Mr. Right.”

“I already met Mr. Right. He’s just not ready to commit yet,” she admitted.

“If he doesn’t want you now, why should you wait for him?”

“He’s worth it,” Carmen said.

“Does he know how special you are? Because if he doesn’t, he’s not worth a damn.”

“He’ll know soon enough that he can’t live without me and we’ll be together. But enough about me. What’s up with your latest piece?” Carmen asked.

“Nothing yet. She’s different, not the typical woman. She doesn’t seem that impressed with me, but that’s going to change soon enough,” Solomon said confidently.

“Hmm,” Carmen said. “Be careful. I heard southern women can get pretty clingy.”

“I’m not worried about that. But if you go out with Danny, make him take you to the Blue Water Grill.”

“You don’t have a problem with your friend going out with me?” she asked. “What if I find him to be a jerk?”

“You guys are adults and anything that happens between the two of you is between you two,” Solomon said.

“All right. Well, if he calls, I might go out with him. By the way, Richmond called me. He’s very upset about your name being linked to Heather Williams and her recent depression.”

“Tell him that he has other things to worry about and this latest news story isn’t going to do anything but put more bodies in our hotels.”

“I tried to tell him that, but he’s not happy at all,” Carmen said.

“If he calls you again, tell him to take it up with me when I return,” he said. “Don’t let me hold you up. We’ll talk later.”

“All right,” she said. Solomon hung up the phone and decided to head back to the grotto in case Kandace was there to relax. If he saw her again tonight, he’d get more than a kiss.

Carmen knew something was different. Something was going on with Solomon and this woman, Kandace. First of all, Solomon didn’t work for any woman and he seemed to be willing to chase after her. Why can’t he chase after me? How can he not see that I’m the woman for him? He needs someone who can match him on every level, not some country bumpkin.

Carmen called the front desk manager at the hotel. “Good evening, Frances,” she said. “This is Carmen De La Croix from Crawford Hotels.”

“Yes, ma’am, is there a problem?”

“No, I just need to check our guest registry. Please e-mail it to me. I hear that things are going really well in North Carolina.”

“Yes, they are. We’re at ninety percent occupancy and all of our themed suites have been rented.”

“That’s good. I’m really proud of the hard work that the staff has put in down there,” Carmen said.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Frances said. “You should have the guest registry in your in-box by now.”

“All right, Frances. Thank you for your help.” Carmen hung up the phone and checked her e-mail. She scanned the list for Kandace’s name and Solomon’s. She smiled when she found his alias, Steven Carter. I should’ve known he was using this name. I guess he didn’t want the staff to know he’s staying there. Kandace Davis…who is this woman who can afford the Wonderland Suite for two weeks?

Just as Carmen was about to type her name into Google, her cell phone rang. “What?” she snapped.

“Is this Carmen?” a smooth male voice, which wasn’t Solomon’s, asked.

“Who is this?”

“This is Danny Jones, Solomon’s friend.”

Carmen rolled her eyes. “Oh, hi. Solomon told me that you might call. I wish I could talk, but I’m in the middle of something.”

“Then let’s meet for lunch,” he said.

“I’ll call you back,” she said, then snapped her phone shut. There was no way she would go out with Danny. He wasn’t Solomon and she wasn’t going to settle for second best.

If Kandace had been honest with herself, she would’ve admitted that the only reason she’d headed out to the grotto again had been because she wanted to see if Solomon was there. Now that she knew who he was, she knew how to handle him. But the truth of the matter was, she was curious about him and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Granted, she didn’t follow celebrity news closely, but she’d heard a few stories about Solomon Crawford and his exploits with some of Hollywood’s finest. That kind of news wasn’t the sort of thing Kandace and her friends paid attention to. His kiss, though, had gotten her attention, and the wanton part of her wanted more. She knew Solomon Crawford wasn’t going to be satisfied with just a kiss. And if she was honest with herself, she’d be able to admit she wasn’t either.

Kandace pulled on her freshly laundered bathing suit, grabbed her Uggs and robe, then headed out to the grotto. As soon as she made it to the entrance of the hot tub, Kandace thought about turning around. What was she doing? It was starting to snow, a sign that she should be sitting in front of her fireplace reading rather than trying to accidentally on purpose run into Solomon. Kandace dropped her hand from the doorknob and turned to head back inside.

“You’re not leaving already, are you?” Solomon asked. She hadn’t noticed that he’d crept up behind her.

“If I wasn’t, I am now, Solomon,” Kandace said.

“Oh, so you do know who I am,” he said.

She shook her head. “Don’t flatter yourself. It just so happens that your mug was all over the television this afternoon. Once I found out who you were, it put your attitude into perspective.”

“And what perspective do you have now?”

“Obviously, you’re bored and you think I’m an airhead actress or model you can impress with your money.”

“Something tells me you got your own money. And besides, I’m not interested in your bank book.”

Kandace folded her arms across her chest. “And I’m not interested in you,” she said as she opened the door to the grotto. Solomon walked in behind her, keeping his eyes on her shapely figure. When Kandace stopped, he ran smack into her backside. Solomon snaked his hands down her sides and cupped her bottom. Kandace gasped as he pulled her against his thick erection. Then he teased her neck with his lips. “You know you want me,” he breathed, causing goose bumps to form on Kandace’s arms.

“Get your hands off me,” she said breathlessly, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t move because her feet had taken root and her body wanted his touch more than she was willing to admit. Solomon twirled Kandace around and forced her to face him. Though her face was contorted with anger, Solomon knew it was a mask. Masking her desire and passion. Anyone as angry as she was had to be passionate, and he was damned sure going to find out.

He brought his face level with hers. His lips were dangerously close to hers and he could feel her trembling. But instead of a kiss, Solomon got a swift knee to his midsection.

Doubling over in pain, he dropped to one knee. “The next time I tell you to take your hands off me, listen,” Kandace hissed. “That pretty boy look may work on Heather Williams, but I’m not her.”

Solomon looked up at her, his lips curled into a smile as he wrapped his hand around her leg. “Smooth as silk and feisty. I like you, and you can deny it all you want, but you wanted me to kiss you.”

Kandace tried to step back, but Solomon tightened his grip. “I’m still touching you,” he teased.

“Are you dense?” she asked.

“No,” he said as he released her leg. “I’m focused, and right now, I’m focused on you. Those legs are amazing.”

“Solomon,” she said, “I don’t want you.”

“But I want you, and nothing else is going to make me happier than having those legs wrapped around me.”

“Then prepare to be sad.”

He rose to his feet and stood inches away from her. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “You owe me, now.”

“I don’t owe you a damned thing.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Really? You assaulted me and I could easily press charges.”

“Then do it.”

“I’d rather do this,” he said, then quickly pulled her against him and captured her lips with a passionate fury she couldn’t escape.

Kandace melted against him and allowed him to press his body into hers. His arousal was evident as he deepened the kiss and his hands roamed up and down her body. She shivered as his kiss headed down her neck and across her collarbone. Then as quickly as the kiss began, Solomon ended it. “Now, lie to me and tell me you didn’t like that.”

She didn’t answer him, couldn’t because her tongue was thick and her mouth felt like it had been packed in cotton. Kandace shook her head and walked toward the edge of the hot tub. Solomon followed her and held his hand out to her. “What do you say we get out of here and go back to my suite?”

She took his hand and turned sideways to the hot tub. “Why don’t you take a dip?” Kandace said, then pushed him into the hot tub. She sauntered out of the grotto, feeling as if she’d channeled her inner Serena. Still, she was bothered by how turned on she was by Solomon and his hot kisses.

He will not wear me down, she thought as she entered the lobby. Though in the back of her mind, she wondered what it would feel like to wrap her legs around him in the throes of passion.

Solomon kicked back in the hot tub and closed his eyes, Kandace’s image appearing in his mind. She had definitely piqued his interest and he wasn’t giving up on her. But he was going to have to change his game plan, he realized. Kandace didn’t seem as if she was easily impressed. That made him wonder, who was she? He knew she was single, and from the cost of her room, she obviously had her own wealth. Leaping out of the tub, he dried off and headed to his room. He was going to find out what her story was, then shift his seduction into high gear.

When Solomon returned to his room, he opened his laptop and typed her name into the Google search box. He was surprised to see that Kandace was a businesswoman in her own right. She was co-owner of a successful restaurant in Charlotte with three other women, including the sister-in-law of Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver Maurice Goings. Things were starting to click for him now. This woman was probably around men like him all the time and she didn’t want or need a thing from them. Impressing her with money and gifts wasn’t going to work. But he had something else she wanted, and that kiss in the grotto proved it.