No Other Lover Will Do (18 page)

“I need you,” she cried out as she unbuckled his belt and stroked his erection through his boxer briefs.

“I'm here baby, I'm here for you,” he said as he started to kiss her heaving bosom. Kandace's nipples hardened in response to his tongue and the heat of his breath. She arched her body and Solomon wanted to dive in immediately, but he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't risk an unplanned pregnancy or anything happening to her. He reached into his pocket for a condom and came up empty.

“Damn,” he exclaimed.

“What's wrong?” Kandace asked.

“No protection,” Solomon said as he rolled off the bed. “Wait right here and I'll be back with a condom. Unless you have one around here.”

She shook her head. “We used all the ones you had here.”

Solomon dashed to the door, then hollered out, “Don't move until I get back.”

“All right,” Kandace replied. But when she heard the door close, she got out of the bed and double locked the door. As she got back onto the bed, the phone rang.

“Solomon,” she said as she answered the phone. “I'm not moving, unless you count me answering the telephone. But you called, so it is your…”

“Kandace, it's Alicia. What is going on up there?” she asked, her tone peppered with worry. “I called you earlier and some woman answered the phone and said you'd checked out. Jade and Serena are getting chains put on the tires of James's SUV to come up there.”

“A woman answered the phone? Oh my God, she was in here.” Kandace bolted upright in the bed and looked around the room to see if anything was out of place.

“Who was in there?” Alicia asked. “She sounded strange and scary.”

“I have to call you back. And there is no way you guys can get up here. There has to be at least two feet of snow on the ground.”

“Please hurry and call me back,” Alicia said. Kandace hung up the phone, hopped out of the bed, and dressed. Then she started looking through the room for signs of Carmen. She didn't find anything in the drawers or underneath the bed, but when Kandace opened the closet, she saw signs that the psychotic woman had been in her room.

Most of the clothes in her closet had been shredded. Shower gel had been squirted on all of her shoes, including her beloved Uggs.

“Damn it,” she exclaimed. “This crazy bitch.” Kandace dashed to the door and opened it just as Solomon was about to knock.

“What's going on? Why are you dressed?” he asked.

“She was here, in my room. She cut up my clothes and ruined my shoes.”

Solomon swore under his breath as he walked in to the room and headed for the closet. “My goodness. All right, I'm going to call the police.”

“I need to call Alicia back. She said she and Jade and Serena were going to try and come up here. Carmen answered my phone when Alicia called earlier.”

“You can call her from my suite,” he said as he dialed 9-1-1 from his cell phone.

Kandace leaned against the wall and dropped her head.
This is a nightmare. I could've gotten more relaxation working.

Carmen woke up when she saw the police cars pull into the resort. She smiled, thinking that Kandace must have found her parting gift. “I guess she did come up for air from underneath Solomon,” she muttered as she turned the car on to warm herself from the cold. She was happy to see that the snow had stopped falling and the parking lot had been cleared. She knew she'd have to leave the property for now, since the police were there. Kandace would no doubt tell them that Carmen was the one who had ruined her clothes, and then they would come looking for her. She calmly drove off the property and headed to the only store that was open in the inclement weather. Carmen pulled her coat around her and headed inside. She needed coffee and something to eat. She hadn't had anything to eat in days and now she was starving.

“Are the roads bad?” the clerk asked when Carmen walked in the store. “I've been here since the snow started and I want to go home.”

“They're pretty slick,” Carmen said. “Do you have any coffee?”

“Sure do, just made a fresh pot. I hope you got more than that leather coat to keep you warm,” the man said.

“Well,” Carmen said as she poured herself a cup of coffee, “I need a blanket.”

“I got some of those on the next aisle. Are you stranded here or something?”

Carmen picked up the blanket and sipped her coffee. “You could say that,” she said as she walked over to the counter. “My boyfriend and I had a fight and I'm just trying to get away from him.”

“Aww, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out in the snow alone. I bet you don't even have chains on your tires. You're not from 'round here, are you?”

“No, I'm not,” she said as she leaned across the counter and smiled in the old man's wrinkled face.

“Well, your boyfriend is a ding-dang fool for fighting with you and letting you drive in this snow. You're welcome to stay here until the snowplows clear the roads. I know that new fancy motel has some plows over there, but the state's plows should be along here directly. Then you make sure you leave that old boyfriend of yours out in the cold.”

“It was just a misunderstanding,” she said sweetly. “We'll make up and everything will be fine by the time we get back home.”

“I sure hope you're right. Love is such a fickle thing,” he said. “I tell you what, the coffee is on me and you go ahead and drink as much as you want as long as you keep me company for a while.”

This is perfect,
she thought.
The police won't come here looking for me because I'm sure Kandace thinks I'm lurking in every shadow in the resort. Not yet, but soon she will have to look in the shadows for me.

“Well, thank you, Mr.—”

“Jansen, Rorie Jansen.”

Carmen extended her hand to Rorie and smiled. “It's nice to meet you. My name is Sherry.”

 

The police detective snapped pictures of Kandace's ruined clothes. “Now, tell me about this woman,” he said as he looked at Kandace. “Why would she want to ruin your clothes, Miss Davis?”

“Because she's crazy,” Kandace said. “She used to be one of the executives with this company and she thinks I'm a threat to her.”

The detective sucked his teeth. “So, is this about a man or something?”

Solomon pounded his hand on the door. “This is about a disturbed woman who I fired. She's upset because she had romantic feelings for me that I didn't return. She's wanted in New York for questioning in a murder. I would suggest that you go out and find her.”

“Don't tell me how to do my job,” the detective spat. “All we have here are some ruined clothes and a woman who's angry. We don't have the manpower to waste on an investigation in to the matter of a scorned woman who is pissed off at her man.”

Kandace grabbed Solomon's arm when she saw that he was about to grab the detective. “Calm down,” she said. “Detective, this woman is dangerous and I don't feel safe.”

“There's nothing we can do unless she threatens you physically. This is simple vandalism since both of you admit she had access to the rooms. It's a misdemeanor charge and she'd probably be able to bond out within an hour.”

Solomon shook his head. “Well then, why don't you just get the hell out of here,” he snapped.

The detective glared at Solomon and stomped out of the room.

“That was a colossal waste of time,” Solomon said once they were alone.

“I know. But what am I going to do about clothes and shoes? Some of that stuff still had the price tags on,” she lamented.

“It can be replaced without a problem,” he said. “We can go to the gift shop right now. Then you can move all your replacement stuff into my suite. And the only place you're going alone is to the bathroom.”

Kandace gave him a mock military salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”

He leaned in and kissed her lips. “Funny. But I mean it. Carmen isn't going to mess with you anymore.”

“I hope you're right and I hope she's really gone this time.”

“If she isn't, I think the detectives from New York will be coming here to look for her in connection with Danny's murder,” Solomon said. “I told Detective Myer all about her and what Danny said to me the last time we talked.”

“Let's not even talk about her anymore. I just want to lie down,” she said.

“All right,” Solomon said as he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the elevator.

Once they made it up to the eighth floor, Solomon opened the door to his suite and Kandace crawled into bed. The suite looked totally different from the last time they'd been there. There was no broken glass, no notes written on mirrors, no overturned furniture.

“I'm going to order something from room service, some hot chocolate, or do you want something else?” Solomon asked as he sat on the edge of the bed beside Kandace.

“I don't want anything,” she said.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

Kandace propped up on her elbow and looked him directly in the eye. “What do you think? This disturbed woman cut up my clothes. I know they can be replaced, but I feel terribly violated.”

“I know, I know,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her. “I'm sorry that I brought this into your life.”

“As much as I'd love to blame you, I believe you when you said that there was nothing going on between you and that woman. But why is she so obsessed with you?”

Solomon shrugged his shoulders. “I thought Carmen and I were just friends. Maybe I told her too much about my personal life and she thought she could become what I was looking for.”

“What are you looking for?” Kandace asked.

“She's right here in my arms,” Solomon said.

Kandace shook her head. “I find that so hard to believe,” she said. “We barely know each other.”

“But I really dig what I know,” he said, then kissed her on the cheek. “You get some rest and I'll check on getting you some clothes.”

Kandace nodded, then closed her eyes. Before long she drifted off to a restless sleep.

 

While Kandace slept, Solomon talked to the manager of the gift shop and requested that she bring up a few racks of clothes and shoes for Kandace to try on when she woke up. He assured her that he would take care of the bill and that he would make sure the inventory was replenished once the roads were clear and planes could fly into Charlotte without a problem.

“Well, our sales have been down with all of the police activity that has been going on around here,” she revealed. “So I wouldn't worry too much about restocking.”

“I bet a number of guests have cut their vacations short,” he said. He made a mental note to check with Frances to see how many people had left the property. Solomon found himself happy that the snowstorm had stranded the guests who remained at the resort.

“When do you want the things sent up?” she asked.

“Send them now,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Crawford.” After hanging up with the gift shop, Solomon ordered hot chocolate and sweet croissants for him and Kandace to snack on after she finished picking out her clothes.

When he hung up the phone, he walked into the bedroom and found Kandace waking up.

“That was a quick nap,” he said.

“I couldn't sleep much. I kept seeing her face,” Kandace said. “I really hope this thing is over.”

Solomon crossed the room to her and stroked her cheek. “I think it is,” he said. “I really do. And I know what to do to take your mind off Carmen and her craziness.”

Kandace narrowed her eyes at him. “I hope you don't mean sex,” she said.

“Not right now. But I have a surprise for you,” he said. Just then there was a knock at the door. “And it's here.” Solomon opened the door and two gift shop workers wheeled in three racks of clothes and shoes.

“What is all of this?” Kandace asked as she sat up in the bed.

“You need clothes,” he said as he handed crisp fifty-dollar bills to the workers. “And here you go.”

Kandace hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she said.

“Well, this is sort of my fault, so I want you to pick anything you want,” he said as he closed the door behind the workers. “And I want you to get your
America's Next Top Model
on.”

Kandace pulled her pants and top off. “All right,” she said as she walked over to the clothing racks in her lace panties and bra. “We'll start with the ski wear because I still want to make my snow angels and there is plenty of snow out there to make them in.”

Solomon took a seat in the plush arm chair and smiled as Kandace pulled on a red and black one-piece ski suit that was waterproof. “This should keep me from getting incredibly wet when I make my snow angel,” she said as she zipped up the suit.

“I like it. Especially the way it hugs your hips,” he said. “Next outfit.”

Kandace unzipped the outfit and shrugged out of it. “I guess I need something for dinner, since we do plan to get out of this suite before I leave at the end of the week.” She flipped through the rack and found a black, yellow, and tan sweater dress. “I had a pair of shoes that would've gone great with this,” she lamented.

“Try it on,” Solomon said as Kandace held the dress against her body. “Because I can't wait to take that off you.”

She winked at him as she pulled the dress on, which fit her perfectly. “I think we should definitely go to dinner tonight,” she said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Solomon walked over to her. “Let me show you where I think this dress would look best,” he said as he lifted it up over her head and haphazardly tossed it on the floor. “Promise me that it's going there after dinner.”

“It depends on how good the meal is,” she joked as she shrugged out of his embrace. “So, are you ready for the fashion show to end already?”

“Not yet,” he said as he picked a slip dress from the rack. “Try this on.”

Kandace took the dress from him and kissed him gently on the lips. “You know this is too much.”

“And I know that anyone else would've left me in the cold when Carmen showed up the first time. You're special, Kandace, very special. And I will do anything for you,” he said as he held her against him.

She was about to kiss him again when there was another knock on the door. “What is it now?” she asked. “Macy's?”

“No, but you might want to cover up, and did you call your friends?”

“Shoot, I forgot,” she said as she dashed into the bedroom.

 

Kandace dialed Alicia's number and smiled as she thought about what Solomon had done for her. He was sweet and special, but was she fooling herself to think that they would share anything beyond the end of the week?

“Hello?” Alicia said when she answered the phone.

“Alicia, it's Kandace.”

“It's about time you called me back. What is going on up there?” Alicia asked. She heard Serena call out, “She's lucky the road conditions won't allow us to drive up there.”

“Things have been kind of crazy,” Kandace said. “Solomon's business partner was stalking him. She cut up my clothes and had been hiding out in my suite.”

“What? That's crazy. Are you sure he wasn't sleeping with her?” Alicia asked.

“She is deeply disturbed, Alicia. When he tells me that their relationship was strictly business, I believe it, because she's acting like all she needs is a pot and a bunny.”

“Michael Douglas slept with Glenn Close in
Fatal Attraction,
remember? Are you coming back to Charlotte when the road conditions improve?”

Kandace heard Jade yell, “She'd better. This is no relaxing vacation with some stalker tracking her every move. Solomon Crawford isn't worth it.”

“Actually,” Kandace said, “I think he is.”

“All right,” Alicia said, “I'm putting you on speaker.”

“What in the hell are you doing?” Serena demanded. “Please don't tell me you think you and the player of the century have a future?”

“You know,” Jade said, “I don't normally agree with Serena on matters of the heart, but she has a point.”

“Okay,” Kandace said, “I didn't say I was falling in love or getting married, but why should I let this crazy woman win? Solomon and I are having a great time. We're hanging out and getting to know each other.”

“How dangerous is this woman?” Serena asked.

“More than likely she's gone. The police in New York are looking for her,” Kandace said, deciding that she wasn't going to tell her friends that Carmen was wanted in connection with a murder.

“Maybe it was a bad idea for you to leave your BlackBerry in Charlotte,” Alicia said. “And when you get home, I'll get on you about not telling me about your liaison with Solomon Crawford.”

“Yeah, I'll tell you all about it,” Kandace said as she looked up and saw Solomon standing in the doorway holding a tray of hot chocolate and flaky croissants. “Listen, ladies, I'm fine and being well taken care of. But I have to go right now.”