Forces of Nature (4 page)

When he'd said that he wanted to make Welco more of a part of the community, sponsor some events and things like that, Clive was the first one to scream that those social events would do nothing for the company's bottom line. Maybe if the company had done more in the community, people like Crystal Hughes wouldn't think of it as an evil empire. And maybe she wouldn't look at him as the devil.

The board had warned him about making himself the “face” of Welco. But while Douglas's plan was to make the huge company seem more personable, what he ended up doing was giving the press and people like Crystal Hughes a target.

Her name sent shivers down his spine. That woman was so sexy, so alluring, and such a pain in his rear end. Why couldn't they have met in a bar, Crystal wearing something low cut and tight, clinging to her luscious curves? He'd buy her a drink, take her for a fast ride in his Jag, and watch the wind blow through her silky hair.

Pressing the gas, Douglas opened the engine up, sending the speedometer over one hundred miles per hour. The excitement of speeding down the road made him tingle, much like good sex would. But who had time for a sex life? Douglas couldn't find a woman who was actually interested in him and not his bank account—another problem in making himself Welco's face.

But Crystal didn't seem like the gold-digging type. Quickly Douglas put the brakes on his thoughts. She might not be a gold digger, but she was the enemy. Sexy as hell, but his enemy nonetheless.

The next day, Douglas found out just how much trouble Crystal could be. He picked up the morning newspaper from his front doorstep and the headline jumped out at him. “Woman challenges Welco growth.”

Sitting down on the top step, Douglas read the story intently. He wasn't surprised to see Deloris's name on the byline.

Crumpling the paper, Douglas tossed it into the recycling bin on the edge of his porch. Standing, he cursed himself for speaking to Deloris because he knew she'd twist his words, like she always did. As he walked into his house, the phone rang. He didn't need to look at the caller ID display to know it was the office. Of course the board saw the paper and if Douglas knew anything about those old men, he knew they were not amused. Grabbing the phone, he barked hello.

“Mr. Wellington, this is Amy. The board has called an emergency meeting and they're here waiting for you.”

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “Tell them I'll be there in fifteen minutes.” Douglas hung up the phone and plopped down on the sofa. His temples throbbed relentlessly and he hadn't even had his first cup of coffee. Realizing that the longer he kept the board waiting the harder things were going to be, Douglas pulled himself up, showered, dressed quickly, and headed to the office, ready to take his lumps. Somehow, he was going to have to convince Crystal Hughes to sell him that farm—especially if he planned to keep his job as CEO.

Crystal placed her newspaper on the table as she reached for her cup of organic, fair trade coffee. Satisfied that she had made some waves, she knew her work had just gotten started. Sipping the strong coffee, she closed her eyes and saw Douglas Wellington's face. His slate gray eyes haunted her. Why did he have to be so damned fine? He should've looked like the monster in her head instead of the man of her dreams. And what a dream she'd had about him last night, his hands all over her body, touching her in places she didn't know existed. Those lusciously thick lips kissing hers, sucking her bottom lip, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth. Heat rushed to her cheeks and moisture pooled between her legs as she recalled her dream.

Standing, Crystal walked to the back window overlooking the acres of crops growing in her backyard. The man starring in her erotic dreams wanted to take this away. The man of her dreams was cruel and callous, putting the almighty dollar above the needs of people. She picked up the newspaper and reread Douglas's comments. How could he make judgments on people he didn't even know? The Starlight girls weren't delinquents; they'd just had a bad turn in life. Some of the girls came to Starlight after years of abuse or for committing a petty crime, but after a few months, the difference in the girls was clear to anyone who bothered to look.

Crystal found herself proud of each girl who emerged from Starlight House and became a productive member of society. The girls who completed the program successfully went on to college, many heading for her alma mater, NCA&T. Two former Starlight girls had written a book about the program.
Maybe I should give Douglas a copy so that he would know who these kids are that he maligned,
she mused.

She looked back out over the land and took another sip of her coffee. What if Douglas Wellington saw what this land meant to people? What if he walked the fertile soil and understood the history of Hughes Farm and why selling it would be a loss for the entire community and not just her family?

Turning toward the garden, she watched several girls from the Starlight House picking ears of corn and peppers. Those vegetables would be washed and donated to the homeless shelter in downtown Reeseville. People needed to know how much of a difference the farm made in the lives of these girls. Crossing the room, Crystal grabbed her phone and called a friend at the local TV station.

“Moses Johnson,” he said when he answered.

“Good morning, Moses. It's Crystal.”

“I was just about to call you. I just read the paper.”

“Then why don't you get a camera crew down here. Some of the girls are in the garden and I have a lot to say about Wellington's comments this morning. How dare he talk about those girls that way! That slimy son of a . . .”

“Whoa, Crystal, calm down. Better yet, save it for the cameras. We'll roll a crew that way and have you on the noon news,” he said.

Smiling, she told him thanks and hung up the phone. Round two was about to begin. Douglas Wellington III didn't have any idea who he was messing with.

About an hour later, a news crew from Channel 12 pulled into Hughes Farm. Crystal and some of the girls stood in front of the camera as the reporter set up her shot. Seconds later, Crystal was taking the reporter and the cameraman on a tour of the farm, showing them the crops, the group home, the greenhouses where she grew rare roses and orchids, and finally the steps of her home.

“This house,” she said, “is over four hundred years old. But if Welco has its way, it will be reduced to rubble. History will be erased, and why? So the company can increase its profits?”

The reporter nodded to the cameraman to cut. “Thank you, Ms. Hughes,” she said. “This is very compelling.”

Crystal smiled and shook hands with the petite blond. “Thank you for coming out here.”

The woman returned Crystal's smile before hopping into the news truck. Crystal wondered if they were heading to Welco Industries. A lightbulb went off in her head and she turned to MJ and Renda. “Grab some markers and meet me on my front steps in thirty minutes.”

The girls looked befuddled, but they followed Crystal's directive while she ran in her house, grabbed her keys, and then hopped into her car heading for the local office supply store. If there were going to be news cameras at Welco, she was going to be there with picket signs and the very delinquents Douglas wanted to make judgments about. Can you say “round three”?

 

 

“Totally unacceptable,” said Clive Oldsman. “Why would you say something like this to a reporter? What in the hell were you thinking about? This makes you and Welco look just like the assholes Crystal Hughes says you are.”

Douglas leapt to his feet as Clive tossed the newspaper in his face. “Look, this is going to blow over. Every time we develop land around here, someone complains. Do you want to scrap our plans and scout another site because of one newspaper article? I'm sure Ms. Hughes has made her point and we shouldn't hear anything more from her. Now, you all have taken up enough of my time today. Good day, gentlemen.” Opening the door, Douglas waited for the six members of the board to leave. Everyone exited except Clive, who closed the door behind them.

“You'd better make this go away. Our stock is already taking a beating and this can only make it worse,” he hissed.

“I know that,” Douglas said. “But even with the so-called beating that you say our stock is taking, we're still raking in profits. So, what's your damned problem?”

Narrowing his eyes at Douglas, Clive sighed. “You're nothing like your father. He must be turning in his grave as he watches you run this corporation into the ground.”

“Why don't you get out of here before I say or do something I might not regret,” Douglas replied.

“What I
regret
is the board appointing you president when you obviously can't handle it.”

Unable to control his anger, Douglas grabbed Clive by the collar. “You pompous son of a bitch! My family built this company and you're not taking it away from me. The business park will get built, the stock will rebound, and you will resign from this board.”

Jerking away from Douglas, Clive straightened his shirt and shook his head. “You'll be out of this company before I will. You can bet the bottom line on that.” He stormed out of the conference room.

Douglas closed his eyes, counted to ten, and prayed for a quiet rest of the day. But as he walked into the lobby, he knew his prayers wouldn't be answered. A camera crew rushed toward him. “Mr. Wellington, Mr. Wellington,” the reporter called out. “Do you really plan to level Hughes Farm? Do you stand by your comments in the
Reeseville Gazette
?”

Throwing his hands up, he said, “I have no comment. Now get off my property.”

A few board members who were lingering by the door turned around and followed Douglas into his office. Fred Jones, Dorian Harper and Willis Reed stood in the doorway of Douglas's office. Fred spoke first. “This is ugly.”

“Very,” said Dorian.

Douglas, who'd taken a seat behind his desk, folded his arms across his chest. “We've dealt with worse. Do you remember what happened when we brought Welco-Mart to north Duval County? People said our store would kill all of the mom and pop local businesses. But when those same people saw we used local businesses to build the shopping center and the salaries that Welco-Mart paid, things died down.” Reaching in his desk drawer, Douglas retrieved a bottle of aspirin. Flipping the cap off, he dumped two pills down his throat and swallowed hard.

Willis nodded. “When we built Welco-Mart, we controlled the press. Seems as if Ms. Hughes has the media eating out of her hand. Douglas, I believe you will take care of this, but this Crystal Hughes woman is going to be a problem.”

A sexy problem. Why does she have to be so fine and so difficult? Why does she have to haunt my thoughts?
Douglas stood and ushered the three men out of his office. When they walked into the lobby, they saw Crystal, an older woman and seven girls marching on the sidewalk holding picket signs. “Welco hates children,” the signs read.

Douglas's attention fell on Crystal, who was dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans that accentuated her luscious curves and taut ass and a white tank top that clung to her supple breasts and exposed a sliver of her flat stomach. Her flowing hair was parted down the center and hung on her shoulders in two thick braids, framing her beautiful face. For the first time, Douglas noticed her doe-shaped black eyes, perfectly shaped nose, and those lips. He'd dreamed of those lips since she chained herself to Amy's desk. Crystal was a classic beauty, the kind of woman he'd shower with diamonds and gold. He wanted to peel those clothes from her body and make slow love to her in a room filled with roses and candles.

One of the girls pointed to the entrance where Douglas and the board members stood. The group started to chant loudly, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Hughes Farm will not go!”

Douglas felt Crystal's angry stare focusing on him, but even with a scowl on her face, she was beautiful. Opening the door, he walked outside and sneered at the protesters.

Willis grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. “Don't make a scene,” he warned.

“I won't. Maybe I can reason with them.” Douglas just wanted a chance to talk to Crystal. Slowly he crossed over to her, standing inches from her. She lowered her sign and glared at Douglas.

“Ms. Hughes, this is cute, but you can picket here all night and nothing is going to change. The city council and county commission have given us the go ahead on this project, the land will be rezoned, and everyone around you has sold their land to Welco. Why don't you do the same?”

Crystal's grip tightened around the wooden handle of her sign. Douglas had no clue if she was going to strike him or not. Instead, she hoisted her sign high above her head and began chanting, “People aren't for sale, people aren't for sale. Hey, hey, ho, ho, Hughes Farm will not go.”

Gently taking her by the arm, Douglas pulled Crystal aside. “Ms. Hughes, we can't have this out here. This is a business; I'm going to ask you to move across the street.”

Snatching away from him, she hit him on the shoulder with the sign. “You know what? I'm sick and tired of you thinking that you own this town and all the people in it. Were you picked on as a child? Do you need to buy things to make up for other shortcomings in your life?” She looked pointedly at his crotch.

Douglas laughed. “You're funny. Just stop standing in the way of progress and maybe we can be friends. And if you'd like to find out about what you're looking at, then I'd be happy to show you just how wrong you are.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she swung the sign, which he caught this time. “Not even if you were the last man in the galaxy! And the only way you'll get my farm is over my dead body.” She tore away from him, rejoining the other protesters, and chanted even louder.

Even though he didn't want to, Douglas went inside and called the police. He'd tried to warn her, he reasoned.

As the officers leapt out of their cars, Douglas regretted his decision. He watched from his office window as the police begin to cuff the protesters. When he saw Crystal in the clutches of an oversized officer, he wanted to rush outside, pry her from the man's grip, and usher her inside the office. Then he would check her for injuries, kissing her tender wrists if they showed signs of hurt.

Shaking his head, Douglas tried to make himself believe that Crystal needed to go to jail, even though he knew it wasn't true.

 

 

Crystal caught Douglas's stare as she was stuffed into the back of a police car. If her hands hadn't been in cuffs, she would have flipped him off. How dare he! The protest was peaceful. Now he stood in the window gloating because she was being carted off like a criminal. The cop took off down the street toward the Duval County Detention Center. Sighing, Crystal realized that she may have caused trouble for the Starlight girls. If Douglas pressed charges, some of the girls at the protest might end up in a juvenile detention center because of previous criminal charges.

“All right, miss, out of the car,” the officer said as he opened the door.

“Enjoying yourself?” Crystal snapped. “You arrested us for no reason. What are you going to charge us with?”

“Nothing,” said a voice behind them.

There was no mistaking that voice, rich and smooth like an expensive leather coat. Crystal whirled around, staring into slate gray eyes. Douglas walked over to her as the police officer unlocked her handcuffs.

“You shouldn't have called the police in the first place.” She rubbed her tender skin and glanced up at Douglas. “Why aren't you pressing charges?”

“I don't need the bad press. Ms. Hughes, what is it going to take for you to end this and let Welco handle its business?”

Placing her hands on her hips, Crystal shook her head from side to side. “This isn't business to me, it's my legacy. My family has owned this land for nearly one hundred years and worked on it many years before that. So, if you think I'm going to step aside and let you bulldoze it, you'd better think again.”

The sly smile that spread across Douglas's face enraged and excited her all at once. Turning away from him, Crystal shivered inwardly. How could she desire this man, this sexy, arrogant, pompous, alluring man with the haunting eyes?
He's evil,
she forced herself to think. Facing Douglas with a fresh anger, she pushed him out of her way.

In a surprising move, Douglas grabbed her arm. “Ms. Hughes, why don't we calmly discuss Welco's plans over dinner? We can behave like civilized adults.”