Hooked!: A Contemporary, Multicultural Romance (6 page)

Chapter
10

It
had been almost a month since Kammille had returned from Miami. And she didn’t
know when she’d ever get another chance to have anything even resembling a day
off, never mind a vacation. K&L Catering had landed the boutique hotel
account and sure enough, in warp speed, their business had taken off.

They’d
immediately doubled the size of the staff they had on call, even hiring
permanent servers for the first time. They’d hired an official office manager.
She and Liza had usually split these duties, but now they had clearly defined
roles and were just too busy to do it all.

Kammille
had never been more content … in her professional life. She was happy for the
work, because it kept her mind off Landon. She couldn’t believe that one night
with a man could leave such an indelible impression, but it had. He was like a
silent ghost who came with her everywhere.

Out
of the blue, she’d smell something that resembled his cologne. She see a man
with a big build – fireman, construction worker, maintenance man – and
immediately think of him. She’d even start to look for grey eyes on strangers.
They weren’t that common, she realized; especially his color. She’d venture to
say that he and whomever he inherited the unique color from were the only ones
with eyes that color.

Funny
the things you only notice when someone you care about has those traits.

And
Kammille realized that even though it sounded crazy, she had come to care for Landon
in that short time. Sure, most of it was probably lust. But if it had been just
about the sex, she wouldn’t be carrying this missing around in her heart a
month later. It went beyond the physical. In spite of how things had happened
between them, her ruby-red lips curled in a smile when she thought of him, and
his teasing about her name.

So
Miss Kammille with a K, two M’s and two L’s … you know what that means don’t
you?”

“What?”
she’d laughed at him.

“That
you’re mm mm good, and lickably luscious.”

“And
the K instead of the C?” she’d inquired.

“Oh,
that you’re insanely kissable, of course. That’s an obvious one,” he’d razzed
her.

“Just
what is that Cheshire-cat smile about?” Liza said as she entered Kammille’s
office. “You do realize that you’ve been vacillating between those kind of
smiles and a weird kind of sadness since you got back from Miami, don’t you?
What happened? It couldn’t have been much. You weren’t even gone for a whole
day!” Liza said, more to herself than Kammille.

“Nuh
ugh, ugh,” Kammille said, waving a French-manicured finger at Liza. “I’m just
following your orders,” she explained at Liza’s searching gaze.

“What
orders?”

“Before
I left for that trip you told me to do something sinful; something I’d even be
embarrassed to tell my friend about. Something that could make people wonder
what I’m smiling about? Well, let’s just say I took your advice and leave it at
that.”

“Oh
Kammille you are so unfair. I didn’t mean me keep stuff from me. After all,
we’re business partners … and you know I live for gossip. So spill missy!”

Before
Kammille could answer, their office manager stuck her head in the doorway. “The
chef for tonight’s banquet is on Line 2. He needs to speak with one of you.”

“I’ll
take it,” Liza said. “And thanks Cheryl,” she threw over her shoulder to the
young woman. She was very young and very pretty, but she was super-efficient at
her job.

Kammille
had been hesitant about hiring her, but she’d exuded such a sense of maturity
about herself – maturity beyond her age obviously. From her years as a social
worker, she sensed that the young woman probably had quite the story, and she
was a single mom. She loved that they were able to give a struggling young
woman like her a job. Heck, a career if that’s what she wanted! K&L was a
company that an employee could grow with, she was proud to say.

“Cheryl,”
Kammille said on her way out of the office. “Tell Liza I’m checking on final
preparations for the function tonight and that I’ll be over at the hotel, so if
the chef needs to speak with someone in person, assure him that I’ll be there.”

“Will
do, Ms. Howard.”

###

Kammille
looked around at the room full of sports stars – mostly unknowns, but a few
well-known, wanna-be actors, musicians, producers and other creative types
these events attracted. Tonight was a signing party for some young athlete;
perhaps the next Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Tom Brady.

All
she could see though was that everyone seemed to be having a good time, and
that there was more than enough food and drink. One thing she’d learned early
on about catering is that if guests are well fed and the alcohol is flowing,
you’ve won ninety percent of the battle.

And
this hotel’s chef – she wished she could afford to hire him away! His culinary
creations were events in and of themselves – from the unexpected pairing of
different foods, to the presentation. They always garnered press, which meant
more press for K&L.

No
poaching of client talent though; definitely not cool, Kammille thought as she
salivated over being able to have someone like that on their staff.

“Good
evening, Kammille.” She felt a warm breath on the exposed skin of the one-shouldered
dress she had on. “You’re every bit as beautiful as I remember.”

Kammille
froze. Every cell in her body recognized – and wanted to melt into – the sound
of that voice. No. Not now. I can’t deal with him now, her mind screamed.

“And
you’re every bit as stealthy as I remember, Mr. Shaw. Appearing and
disappearing at will. At least we’re both consistent,” she said bitingly,
turning to face him with an icy smile. No one but him could feel the frost.
Just looking at them, you’d think they were friends engaging in polite small
talk.

“I
guess I deserve that,” he replied.

Kammille
wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a response. Willing her feet to move, she
started to walk away.

Landon’s
hand shot out and grabbed her. “I’d like to speak to you ... in private.”

           
Kammille looked pointedly at his hand on her wrist. Damn him! It was just where
the pulse was beating – and dear lord, was it beating. They both stared at it.

           
“We have nothing to talk about ... in public or private,” she said.

“Your
body says otherwise,” he responded, looking down at the betraying beat on her
skin.

“Let
go of me,” she hissed.

“I
will do no such thing. Not until you agree to speak with me in private. I just
need a few minutes Kammille,” his voice dropped to a plea.

“I’m
in the middle of a job Landon.”

           
“I know, and my guests are having a wonderful time. So relax; you pass muster
with the person picking up the check for this evening.”

           
“This is your gig?” Kammille asked, surprised. She hadn’t seen his name on
anything. It was handled by The LS Agency. Then it hit her. “You’re the LS in
The LS Agency?”

           
“I always knew you were smart,” he said, a twinkle of hope that the ice was
thawing between them in his eye. “Now, may I please have a few minutes of your
time? If for no other reason than we’ll obviously be running into each other a
lot if this function is any indication.”

           
“We really don’t have anything to discuss,” Landon, she said and started to
walk away again.

“And
I say we do,” he said, reaching for her again. “I’m willing to cause a scene
Kammille, if that’s what it takes,” he warned.

“You
wouldn’t,” she said, panicking a bit.

“I
would. What I have to say to you is worth it to me. Like I said, I only need a
few minutes. Hear me out. That’s all I ask.” His grey eyes had gone from a
confident, almost  translucent blue, to a pleading, foggy grey.

It
touched Kammille, even though she had no desire to be alone with him.

“Fine,
if you insist. And only if it’s only for a few minutes,” Kammille said, giving
in. After all, what other choice did she have? She seriously considered adding
a hefty personal consultation fee to the bill for his blackmailing her into
this. “It’ll have to be in the hallway here. Unfortunately there isn’t a
crevice of privacy anywhere tonight.”

           
Kammille led him to the dimly lit hallway between the kitchen and the main
ballroom of the hotel. The space was used for waiters to run food, to keep
extra stacked chairs, etc. Now that the event was in full swing though, there
wouldn’t be any foot traffic there -- at least not every few minutes.

           
Landon forced himself to concentrate on what he wanted to say, instead of her
on taut bottom swaying before him. It reminded him of the beginning of that one
fateful night they’d spent together. She had a natural swish to her walk. She
had to know how sexy it was.

Flashes
of palming the smooth mounds of her buttocks in his hands, lifting her up to
meet his thrusts caught him off guard. He’d dreamed of her a thousand times
over this last month, trying to forget her. He’d even bedded another woman; a
steady he’d been casually sleeping with for years who always gave him
satisfaction. But not this time. Even she had said to him, “Whoever she is, go
back to her. You’re not gonna be any good to any other woman until you get her
out of your system.”

And
that’s what scared him … that he’d never be able to get her out of his system.

Landon
was glad for the tuxedo jacket he had on. His nature was rising and try as he
might, he couldn’t stop it, especially when what he wanted was swaying
delectably right in front of him.

He’d
planned to contact her on this trip; he just hadn’t been prepared to see her
tonight.  So when he’d spotted her across the room, he thought that he was
hallucinating; that his frequent thoughts had finally conspired to bring her to
life.

He
had no idea that it was her firm catering the event. He just wrote the checks;
his executive assistant handled all the details of dealing with vendors.

He’d
researched Kammille and had learned that she was the “K” in K&L Catering in
Atlanta – the firm that had landed the contract with
The X Spot
, a hotel
chain he did a lot of business with. His research had produced a lot of
professional info on her, but he knew precious little about her personal life –
and that’s the part that had taken up so much space in his head since their
fateful meeting in Miami a month ago.

Even
though he was ill prepared for meeting her like this, what he had to say had to
come out right. He had to make her understand that there was something between them,
even if he didn’t quite grasp what it was himself.

Chapter
11

Kammille
crossed her arms in front of her chest. She couldn’t possibly imagine what he
had to say that she would be interested in. The only thing she had to say to
him was take a hike!

“Five
minutes, then I have to get back in there,” Kammille said.

“Then
I’d better use the time wisely,” he responded. Before she could even begin to
guess his intentions, he’d backed her against the wall and his lips were
seducing hers open.

Kammille
had no time to form resistance. Her physical craving for him outweighed any
mental objections, and before her mind could catch up, she was purring in
acquiescence against him, her arms wrapped around his neck – receiving and
giving kisses like a starved woman. And starved she was – for the sight, feel,
touch and need of him. She missed him mightily.

Landon
groaned in satisfaction, and his hands laced their way around her waist,
kneading the top of her buttocks, clawing in their desperation. The feel of her
in his arms was almost surreal -- he’d visualized it; dreamed of it; prayed for
it so many times since their parting. And now, she was here – in the confines
of his embrace, and he was never going to let her go again.

“Whoa,”
he said as he lifted his lips reluctantly from hers, his chest heaving as he
strove to control the breath rasping from his chest.

Kammille
felt dizzy. She staggered, his strong arms steadying her as he continued to
massage the mounds of her buttocks.

"I've
missed you so Kammille. I made such a mess of things in Miami. I wanted to call
you so many times,” he said, nipping at the sweetness of her bottom lip.

"We
didn't exchange numbers," she said, breathing heavily, her tongue darting
in and out to receive his desire-filled pecks. It was the only rational thought
she was able to form at that moment.

Landon
chuckled. "You're not hard to find sweetheart; especially when you and
your firm make the business pages quite often."

Kammille
smiled meekly. She wasn't ashamed of her success, but she didn't like to brag
about it either. Her anger had melted. She had no room in her body for any
other emotion than desire, which she didn't want to admit. But it was the
truth. All she wanted now was to hear what he had to say; to get this
conversation over with so she could figure out how to move on. “I have to be
getting back Landon. So can you just say what you want to say?” she said, her
blood cooling just a bit after the initial explosion of lust between them.

Please
God, let him hurry up before I dissolve into him again, she prayed. Kammille
knew that if he decided to take her right here in this hallways, she’d be
powerless to stop him.

His
lips ground into hers again. He pulled her hips to his, grinding his hardened
shaft into her. Kammille liquefied.

“Damn
I want you so bad,” he spit out, lost in a sea of frustrated restraint. “The
first thing I want to say,” he said, gulping for air, “is I’m sorry for the way
I behaved in Miami. I saw you leave the hotel, you know?”

“You
did?” Kammille looked up at him, a mixture of desire and confusion in her eyes.

“Yes.
The cab driver was putting your bag in the car. By the time I navigated that
damn long staircase, he’d already pulled off. I couldn’t believe what I was
seeing. I was pissed – first at you, but most of all at myself.”

“I
don’t understand,” she uttered.

His
grey eyes penetrated hers, his hand cradling one side of her face. “I’m going
to say something, but please don’t react until I finish. Promise?”

Kammille
shook her head in the affirmative.

“I
hadn’t decided if I wanted to see you again after the night we spent together.”

True
to her word, she didn’t move, but she did react. Landon felt her body stiffen,
and the hurt in her eyes gouged his heart.

“I
see,” was all she said.

“I
was afraid Kammille. You brought out feelings in me that I wasn’t prepared to
have. But I never would have left you hanging. I left your room and went back
to mine to think. I didn’t call because you were sleeping so peacefully. If
you’ll remember, we didn’t exactly get a lot of sleep that night. I didn’t want
to wake you, and besides, we had a pending breakfast date, remember?”

“I
remember,” she said. She hadn’t forgotten one second of what had transpired
between them. She lowered her eyes, letting the hurt of what he said register.
She felt the sting of tears, but refused to let them fall. She couldn’t believe
how painful his words were. But then, she also couldn’t believe the things
they’d done; the wanton woman she became in his arms. Everything about her
reactions to him were a surprise. Why should this be any different? Kammille
kept her head lowered. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, hoping she
could keep it together until this conversation was over.

Landon
kissed the top of her head, and continued. “Anyway, I got hung up on a
conference call that lasted way too long. That’s why I missed you. By the time
I finished the call, in spite of my reservations about what I was feeling about
you, I couldn’t wait to spend the day with you. I ran down to your room and
knocked. No answer. I went back to my room to call you. No answer. That’s when
I jetted down to the lobby and saw you getting in the cab. I went to the
reservation desk to confirm that you’d checked out. Once it was confirmed, like
I said, I was pissed. I realized later that it was mostly at myself for missing
the opportunity of a lifetime with you.”

“Thanks
for the explanation. At least I know what happened,” Kammille said, not lifting
her head. Two more seconds; she needed two more seconds to swallow the tears
that were stuck in her throat. It still didn’t explain why he hadn’t contacted
her in a month. But it didn’t matter; what was done was done and he didn’t owe
her any explanations.

“That
brings me to why I haven’t contacted you this last month,” he said.

Kammille
wondered if she’d utter her last thought aloud, as he picked up on exactly what
she was thinking.

“I’ve
missed you like you wouldn’t believe, and one of the hardest things I’ve ever
done is
not
call you all this time. I wanted be sure of what I wanted.
I’ve lived my life a certain way – mainly, no serious romantic entanglements.
That’s the way I wanted it … until you.”

“You
mean at 34 you’ve never been in a serious relationship?” Kammille said, finding
that hard to believe.

“My
last serious relationship was two years ago. We even got so far as an
engagement, but I had to choose between getting married and having a family, or
growing my business. My success meant everything to me, so I chose my
business.”

“Many
people do both. It’s not an either-or situation Landon,” Kammille pointed out
slowly.

“It
is when your proposed spouse wants to get married and start popping out babies
right away. I wasn’t ready for that. I’m still not ready for that – at least
not the children part. So I broke off the engagement. But what I am ready for
is to have a special lady in my life. And I want that lady to be you Kammille.
I fell in love with you in Miami … it was easy for me to recognize, but hard
for me to accept. So what do you say, will you give me a chance?”

 “A
chance for what? We don’t really know each other. We
don’t
know each
other!” Kammille protested.

“Exactly.
So we need to start somewhere. I’m ready to settle down with one woman Kammille
– and I want that woman to be you. And right now, all I’m proposing is that we
date exclusively. I want it to go further, obviously. I love you – in case you
didn’t hear that part. But in spite of that, I realize we need time to get to
know each other; to build up to the ultimate commitment. And I want that
opportunity. I want to court you, take you out to dinner, go on vacations
together, plan out a future. When I commit, I commit with my whole being and I
know we have one -- if only you’ll give me a chance.”

“I
don’t even know where you live Landon,” she continued protesting.

Was
he serious?! Was this actually happening?

“I’m
based in Chicago, but I’m on the road 26 to 30 weeks out of the year, so I can
live anywhere. And I’m perfectly ready, willing and able to relocate here to
Atlanta. I’m here all the time anyway. All you need to do is say the word. Say
you’ll give us a chance Kammille.”

 “You’d
do that? … Just uproot like that?” she said, incredulous. Kammille’s head was
spinning. If someone had told her this morning that the day would end with the
man she’d fallen in love with coming back into her life and asking her to be in
a committed relationship, she wouldn’t have believed it. It was the proverbial
fairy tale; only fairy tales didn’t happen to women like her. It was for
southern belles like Liza, not New York City born-and-bred, career-focused
women her.

“They
say home is where the heart is … and my heart is with you Kammille. I love you.
I want to start building a life with you; to see where ‘we’ can take ‘us.’ Are
you game?”

Kammille
laughed out loud. “‘Are you game?’ Are you kidding me? So unoriginal Mr. Shaw?
So very unoriginal,” she said, laughing harder as she fell into him. “But yes.
I love you too and I’m definitely game. I’d be honored to see where ‘we’ could
take ‘us.’”

“Game
on sweetheart, game on,” he said.

Landon
enveloped Kammille in his enormous embrace, raising her face to his to ply her with
kisses. He didn’t realize until the second she accepted his profession of love
just how empty his life would be if she’d refused him. In his arms he held
everything he wanted, and he vowed never to jeopardize it so foolishly again.
This commitment felt liberating, not constraining. And that’s because it was
right.

Because
he’d become hooked on love … with this woman.