Forces of Nature (8 page)

“Well,” Brooke said as she led the couple into the dining area, “every meal here is prepared by the girls. Most of the time it's really good. By letting the girls cook and clean, we are teaching them responsibility and adding a little discipline to their lives.”

Crystal pointed to where MJ and Renda sat. “This is my usual table,” she said. “But you are under no obligation to sit with me.”

Douglas smiled at her and before he could say anything, Brooke interjected.

“Mr. Wellington, I would love to discuss the history of Starlight House with you over dinner.” She pointed to a table in the front of the dining area. “This is where the staff sits and I would be honored if you join us.”

“All right,” he said, though his eyes were on Crystal.

She refused to return his gaze, afraid that her attraction would betray her.

MJ walked up to Crystal and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Miss Crystal, I knew you were going to save this place. Has that man changed his mind?”

“I'm working on it,” Crystal said as she sat down with MJ and Renda. She smiled at the girls and looked down at their plates. “So, what's good?”

“That guy is good looking. Is he your boyfriend?” Renda asked.

“Not at all. He's here because I want to show him how important this place is to all of us. Then maybe he won't tear it down.”

MJ wrung her hands and focused an intense glare on Crystal. “What if it doesn't work? If he tears this place down, where are we going to go?”

She wrapped her arms around MJ's shoulders and squeezed her tightly. “I'm not going to let that happen; I'll do whatever it takes to protect us and this farm. That includes Starlight House. You guys are extremely important to me.”

“We know,” Renda replied.

“Then you know I'm a fighter. But sometimes you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar,” Crystal said as she stole a glance at Douglas. He was seated at the table with the Starlight staff, looking back at her.

She quickly looked away from him before their eyes could lock. Crystal wished her hormones would stop racing.

After dinner, Crystal hurried back to her house, trying to avoid Douglas. She knew if she saw him again that she wouldn't be able to resist.

 

 

Closing his eyes, Douglas was about to explode. He couldn't listen to Brooke Fey talking about Starlight House anymore. He got it. The house was a last chance ranch for girls who weren't bad but had been in bad situations. He understood that people in Reeseville didn't want to give the girls a fair chance and despite this lack of trust, they proved themselves at the Starlight House. Sure, what she'd said made sense, and Starlight House seemed like a great place, but it didn't offer as many jobs as the business park would. He would be more than happy to build a new house for the girls.
Why don't these women get it?

“Ladies, thank you for dinner and for telling me all about Starlight House, but I really have to go back to my quarters and freshen up.”

Douglas rose to his feet, shook hands with Brooke and the rest of the staff, then bolted out of the dining hall in search of Crystal. When he arrived at her front step, he stopped and glanced at the door. Should he just walk in and take her into his arms again? Or should he return to the little house and fantasize about her?

“Do you need something?” Crystal called out from behind him.

Douglas turned around and smiled. “I was wondering why you ran out on me over there.”

“Because I had to put towels and blankets in the guesthouse, per your request,” she said before pushing past him.

Douglas grabbed her arm. “Where's the fire, Miss Hughes? I'm still waiting on my tour.”

She pulled away from him, smiled dryly, and walked up the steps of her house. “Why don't you meet me here in about an hour? There is something I want to show you.”

He returned her smile. “What do you want to show me?”

“The magic hour.”

Skeptical, Douglas agreed to meet her. “Should I wear anything special?”

“Comfortable shoes, Mr. Wellington,” she said before disappearing inside.

Douglas couldn't deny his attraction to her any longer, and he wasn't going to. He was going to have her and his business park. Scampering off to the guesthouse, Douglas prepared for his evening with Crystal.

Before long the moon lit the sky and Douglas was ready for his excursion with Crystal. As he stepped outside and glanced up at the diamondlike glow of the stars in the sky, he was taken by the quiet beauty of the farm. It had the look of a postcard with water from the irrigation system glistening on the manicured blades of grass, and off in the distance the vegetables cast warm shadows over the land. The farm looked like something ripped off
Little House on the Prairie.

A hand touched him on the shoulder. “Ready?” Crystal asked, looking down at his shoes. “Nice sneakers.”

“Are these comfortable enough?”

“Depends on you. Can you keep up?” She smiled, then took off running down a small dusty path.

Douglas followed, struggling to keep up with her because he was watching her behind bounce up and down.

She looked over her shoulder. “You're kind of slow there, Mr. Executive,” she said.

“I'm not used to this. I usually do my running on a treadmill.” Douglas stopped and leaned against a tree.

“Luckily for you, we're here,” she said, pointing to a small mirrored pond. “Look up.”

Douglas followed her directive and turned his eyes upward. The ink black sky resembled velvet sprinkled with jewels. “Wow,” he remarked as the light reflected from the pool. He glanced over at Crystal, who was awash in the glow of the moon and looking like an angel. “This is beautiful.”

“My parents said sunset is the magic hour. That is when God shows us His beauty and we should take time and reflect on it. That's why they built this pond. We used to come out here and have dinner sometimes.” Crystal closed her eyes as she talked. “But for me the reflection of the moon and the stars were surreal and beautiful. Like an expensive painting that should be hanging on the wall of a museum.”

Douglas stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her slim waist. “It really is gorgeous.” His lips were dangerously close to her ear. He wanted to gently kiss her lobe, take it between his teeth and send chills down her spine.

She opened her eyes, facing him and shaking her head. “How can you possibly want to destroy this?”

“Do we have to talk business now?”

Before she could respond, Douglas captured her lips in a smoldering kiss. He felt her body tremble as if she was trying to resist him but couldn't. Taking advantage of her lust, Douglas deepened his kiss, pulling Crystal so close to his body that she could feel every inch of him. Their clothing provided little barrier between their hot bodies, and he felt her feminine heat against his burgeoning groin. Placing his hands on her ample behind, Douglas tried to bury himself inside her.

She pressed her hand against his chest, breaking off their kiss. “You can't keep doing that,” she exclaimed.

He gently stroked her arm. “Why? We both enjoy it. Crystal. I want you with everything in me. You are the most alluring and beautiful woman that I've ever met and—”

“Is this your new ploy, trying to get me to change my mind about selling this place in between kisses and caresses?”

Holding her face between his hands, Douglas stared into her eyes. “I have real feelings for you and I'm sorry that it has to be this way.”

She pushed his hands away and frowned. “Am I supposed to believe you, knowing that you want this land to become the latest acquisition of Welco Industries? If you are really genuine, you will drop this proposal or at least find a new place to build your park.”

“And then what? You have your farm and thousands of people still don't have a job. I'm in a tough spot here,” he said, walking away from her. “You're the first woman that I've met who doesn't care about what Douglas Wellington represents. You actually hate it.”

She nodded and laughed. “You're right. I actually think you're rather sleazy,” she said.

Douglas encircled her waist and brushed his lips against the nape of her neck. “But you really love it.”

She turned around and smiled at him. “I wish you weren't Douglas Wellington the third. Why couldn't you just be Joe Regular?”

“Why couldn't you live two miles up the road?”

Surprisingly, Crystal leaned in and kissed him, hard and savagely. His body erupted at her touch. And just as quickly as she kissed him, she pulled away. “This is so wrong. You're my enemy and I should treat you as such.”

Crystal dashed away from him, leaving him standing there staring at his confused reflection in the pond.

Crystal paced back and forth in the kitchen wishing she didn't crave Douglas's kiss, his touch, his taste, and his smell. She wanted to make love to him more than she needed to breathe, but how could she be sure he wasn't trying to use her attraction to get what he wanted?

Is he that cruel?
she wondered as she walked over to the sink and got a glass of water. Glancing out the window, she spotted Douglas as he emerged from the woods. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. Crystal smiled, knowing that the phone wasn't going to have any reception on the farm property. She laughed loudly as he twisted his body hoping for the faintest signal. She was tempted to open the door and hand him her cordless phone. But who was he calling? Maybe he was telling the board that he was wearing her down. Well, if he talked on her line she could listen.
That would be wrong,
she reasoned as she turned away from the window.
But this is a war and I plan to win.

Crystal opened the door and stood on the back steps. “That's not going to work out here.”

Douglas snapped his head up as if he was startled. “What?”

“Your cell—the trees block the signal. That's another reason why it's so peaceful out here. There are some places where cell phones shouldn't be allowed and this is one of them.”

“If you say so,” he stated as he walked up the steps. “But I do need to make an important phone call. I didn't notice if there is one in the dollhouse.”

“There isn't a phone out there, but you can use the phone I have in the kitchen.”

Douglas smiled at her. “Is this your way of keeping me close to you?”

Crinkling her nose, Crystal scoffed at him. “I'm trying to be a gracious hostess, but if you want to contort your body hoping for one bar of signal strength, then knock yourself out.”

Closing the space between them, Douglas gently grabbed her chin. “Loosen up, Ms. Hughes, I was just making a joke. Do you mind if I use your phone? I need to check in with the office.”

Pushing his hand away, she stepped aside and allowed Douglas to walk into the kitchen. Though tempted to eavesdrop, Crystal walked into her living room, took a seat on the sofa, and flipped through her copy of
Ebony
magazine. Ironically, Douglas and his company were profiled in the issue.

I just can't get away from this man,
she thought as she looked at the handsome picture of Douglas staring back at her.

 

 

Peeping around the corner, making sure Crystal was out of earshot, he dialed up his godfather.

“This is Waylon.”

“Hey, it's me.”

“Where are you? I didn't recognize the number.”

“I'm at Hughes Farm and I think I've made a huge mistake.” Making this admission wasn't easy for Douglas, since this was the biggest project he had ever posed to the board. “This place is more than just a piece of land.”

“I hate to say I told you so, but I did. What are you going to do?”

Rubbing his hand over his face, Douglas replied, “I don't know. It's too late to scout another spot.”

“It's never too late, and if Ms. Hughes doesn't want to sell, what can you do? The board will have to understand that,” Waylon sagely replied.

“And you know that isn't going to happen.” Douglas imagined what the board would say if he went to them asking for another chance to find a spot—yes wouldn't be an option. “I should've taken your advice. If I had checked this place out I would have never suggested this as a site.”

“The place or Ms. Hughes? I think you're smitten with her.”

Placing his hand over his face to cover his smile, Douglas knew that he couldn't deny the fact that he had fallen fast and hard for the lovely Crystal Hughes. But after talking to Brooke Fey and the staff at Starlight House and watching the girls who lived there, how could he think about putting up a business park when these people were saving lives? Then again, if he bought a bigger house for the girls, Starlight House would be able to help more girls.

“This has nothing to do with Crystal,” Douglas lied. “Sure, she's a beautiful woman and all of that, but this is business and I have a hard decision to make.”

“Hope you learned a lesson in all of this,” Waylon said.

Douglas imagined his godfather leaning back in his easy chair, twirling a cigar around in his hand because he knew he shouldn't smoke it, with a big smile on his wide face. “And what would that be?”

“Always listen to me. I told you not to go after Hughes Farm. That place is magical, historic even. So, I'll do this. I'm going to put my feelers out there and see if the board is open to moving the location of the business park and you will be free to woo that woman.”

“This has nothing to do with a woman,” Douglas said.

Waylon laughed heartily. “This is certainly more than just business. Have a good week.”

When Waylon hung up, Douglas pondered what he said. It was true that this was more than just about business. He wanted to get inside Crystal's mind and her heart. He wanted to know all of her hopes, dreams, and fantasies, then he wanted to be the one to make them come true.

“Are you done?” Crystal asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“Yes,” he replied, removing his hand from the receiver. He closed the space between them, focusing his gaze on her face. “Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?” she asked, walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out a pitcher of sun-brewed ice tea.

“That sounds great,” he said. “Where are the glasses?”

Crystal smiled at him and pointed toward the table. “You sit down and let me take care of this.”

Following Crystal's directive, Douglas sat at the round wooden table and watched her as she removed a block of ice from the freezer, dropped it on the counter, then picked at it with an ice pick. In one fluid movement, she chipped off enough ice for two glasses of tea.

“I guess having an ice maker would be bad for the environment,” he said as she walked over to the table with the tea.

“That's right, just like tearing down this place, bringing in a bunch of bulldozers and gasoline-powered machines with all of those exhaust fumes.”

Groaning and leaning his head on the table, Douglas said, “I thought we were having a drink and not a lecture.”

“You know the most important thing to me is Hughes Farm. In the short time you've been here, you have to see the impact that it has on so many lives.”

“And, Crystal, more people would be served by jobs in this community if we followed through with what I've proposed. That's all I'm trying to do,” he said as he took the glass from Crystal's outstretched hand.

“We're never going to see eye to eye on this. Having you here is a bad idea,” she said. Crystal looked into his eyes and wished that she could tell him the real reason why she couldn't sit still, the real reason why she was breathless every time he walked into the room. Every time he looked at her, her heart skipped a beat and her temperature rose. Even the way he held that glass, slowly bringing it to his lips, made her wonder what those lips would feel like against her hard nipples, buried in the valley of her womanhood. Her glass slipped from her hand, crashed to the floor and shattered to bits. “Damn,” she muttered as she and Douglas began to mop up the tea and pick up the glass. “I'm not usually this clumsy.”

“Where did you go? Should we start using plastic cups? Or are those bad for the environment too?” he asked.

“Oh, hush. I'm fine,” she said as she turned away from him. She was more than a little embarrassed about her lapse.

Smiling, Douglas placed his hand on top of hers. “I'm aware of how you look.”

“Don't do that,” she snapped as she snatched her hand away from him. “Let's be clear on what's going on here. I want you to change your mind about building on my land.”

“And I want you to kiss me again,” he said, stepping closer to her and filling her space with his scent. Crystal fought to keep from shivering as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The warmth of his breath tingled against her ear and her knees turned to jelly, making it hard not to collapse against his chest.

Fight it!
her inner voice cried out. Crystal stiffened her back and pushed away from him. “I want to do no such thing and I think you should leave. I have things to do.”

“Anything I can help you with?” he asked as he leaned back on the counter.

Crystal swallowed a laugh. “You want to help me mop, sweep, dust, and fold laundry? Ha!”

“I understand, you don't want to be alone with me because you can't keep your hands to yourself,” he said with a sexy smirk that was nearly Crystal's undoing. “But don't say I didn't try to pull my weight.”

“All right,” she said, deciding to call his bluff. “You can clean the kitchen.” She tossed a dish towel at his chest, which he caught effortlessly. Sighing, she wondered if there was anything that man couldn't do.

“I have to clean the kitchen alone?” he asked more seductively than should've been allowed by law. Crystal inhaled as if she was about to launch into a yoga pose and nodded yes before making a hasty exit from the kitchen. Her best bet, at least in her mind, was to go to the laundry room and let her lustful thoughts of Douglas be drowned out by the spin cycle. On second thought, all of that spinning and vibrating would only intensify her longing, lustful need and throbbing between her thighs. She'd dust the living room. That was safe enough, wasn't it?

Making a turn for the supply closet, she grabbed the furniture polish and dust rags. As she passed the kitchen, she glanced at Douglas and his cleaning efforts. Surprisingly, he was up to his elbows in soap and water scrubbing the teapot. A beat passed before he moved the pot to the other side of the sink and thoroughly rinsed it. He caught Crystal's gaze and winked at her. She quickly turned away and dashed into the living room. Her heart was beating like a steel drum and all she could think about was Douglas hoisting her up on the kitchen counter and stroking her like she needed cleaning. As she started waxing the table, she knew it was her mind that needed a good scrubbing.

Douglas dried the dishes and placed them on the counter, not sure as to where they should go. He chuckled as he recalled the look on Crystal's face when he caught her gazing at him. Sweet and sexy. Was every part of her like that? How was he going to convince her to give him a taste of that sweetness? Drying his hands, Douglas decided that he'd mop the floor before going to find Crystal. Sure, household chores weren't his normal weekend activities—that's what he paid his housekeeper for—but something about being in Crystal's kitchen made him feel at ease.

I'd better not tell her that or she will swear that it's the majestic nature of this land and we'll be fighting again,
he thought as he opened the cabinet underneath the sink in search of Pine-Sol. Of course, all he found were organic cleaning products with confusing labels on them. Smiling, he decided this was a great excuse to go and find Crystal. Heading for the living room, Douglas was stopped dead in his tracks as he watched her bent over, polishing the solid oak table in the middle of the room. With each stroke, her booty wiggled a little and Douglas wanted her more than ever. Who knew housework was sexy, he pondered, then cleared his throat, causing Crystal to stand up and end his erotic show.

“Yes?”

“I was getting ready to mop and I didn't see any Pine-Sol and I don't quite understand the products you have underneath the sink,” he said in a low tone that reminded Crystal he was more male than she'd had in her kitchen in years. Hell, ever. But this man was not the one she should be having those kinds of thoughts about. He wanted to tear down the very house where she wanted to make love to him. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the question at hand. Cleaning products. “Right,” she said. “I don't clean with harsh chemicals, ‘cause it's bad for the environment.”

“Okay, but which one of these products cleans the floor?” he asked as they walked into the kitchen. Crystal bent over again, giving him another full view of her perfectly shaped behind. Again, he just wanted to reach out and grab it.

“Here you go,” she said, turning around with a white bottle in her hand. “Cleans better than Pine-Sol and it's made right here on this farm.”

“Is there anything you don't do here?”

Crystal placed her hand underneath her chin as if she was thinking, then said, “Nope. Well, we don't sell out.”

“Ouch. Do we have to go there with every conversation?” he asked, taking two steps closer to her. “You know what I want right now?”

Quivering as his warm breath tickled her upper lip, Crystal was about to ask him when the phone rang, giving her a needed escape. “I have to get that,” she said, then moved to the cordless extension on the edge of the counter. Douglas watched her every move as she picked up the phone and said hello. While she talked, he watched her full lips move and nearly lost it when she ran her tongue across her bottom lip. Was she actually talking or was he in the middle of the best dream he'd had in months?

“Dena, that isn't necessary,” he finally heard her say. “I have the situation under control.”

Douglas didn't like the panicked look on Crystal's face and it took everything in him not to grab the phone and tell her lawyer where to go and how quickly she could get there. Why was he so protective of this woman, at least in his mind? According to Crystal, he was the one causing her harm because of the business park. Just like she wanted to keep her family legacy alive, he wanted to honor his father's last wishes. This business park was a major part of it. Instead of grabbing the phone, he observed, stewing silently.