No Other Lover Will Do (20 page)

“Naked on the edge of a tub?” she quipped.

“With you in my arms, yes,” he said, then kissed her cheek.

“All right, then, I'd love for you to come back to Charlotte with me, but I have to warn you, my friends are going to give you a hard time because they can be pretty tough,” Kandace said as she slipped off his lap and into the tub.

Solomon turned the jets on low and climbed in behind her. “Ever made love in a hot tub before? I've dreamed about doing this with you since the first day I saw you in the lime green bathing suit in the grotto,” he said as he dipped down underneath the water and between Kandace's thighs.

“Solomon, you're insatiable,” she said when he came up and rested his head between her breasts.

“I know,” he said as he took her hand and placed it on his throbbing desire. “But you're the cause of this.”

“Oh, you would try to blame me,” she said with a smile.

“Can I help it that you're the most desirable woman that I've ever met and when I see you naked all I want to do is bury myself inside you until the sun comes up?” he asked.

“Okay, babe, that was the corniest but sweetest thing you've ever said to me.”

“Corny? Now, I've been called a lot of things, but corny has never been one of them.”

“Oh, so I guess I need to stroke your ego now and give you a list of other adjectives that I would use to describe you,” she said, then kissed him on the cheek.

“No, just do that again, only right here,” he replied, pointing to his lips. Kandace kissed him soft and slow, slipping her tongue into his mouth, savoring the sweet taste of him. He pulled her deeper into his kiss, enjoying the swell of her breasts against his bare chest. Lifting her out of the water, Solomon broke the kiss and sat her on the edge of the tub. He smiled at her as he slipped his hand between her thighs. Kandace's body responded to his touch instantly. She felt a tingling from the tips of her toes to the crest of her thighs. Solomon parted her legs as he pressed his finger inside her, searching for her throbbing bud of desire. She trembled as he fingered her most sensitive area and arched her back so that he could have better access to the center of her desire.

“Solomon,” she moaned as his finger was quickly replaced with his tongue. He nearly brought her to climax as his tongue danced inside of her, turning her into a pool of lust. Solomon gripped her hips as he continued his sensual assault of her body. Kandace pounded her hand against the marble surrounding the tub as she could no longer hold off the explosion between her thighs.

“You taste so good,” he said as he licked his lips. “I could feast on you all day.”

Kandace eased back into the tub, smiling ever so slightly as her body rippled with pleasure and satisfaction. “And I'm willing to let you,” she said as she grabbed his chin and kissed him. The mix of his sweetness and the taste of herself was incredibly arousing. Hungrily, she deepened her kiss and pressed her body against his and immediately felt his erection against her thighs. Kandace inhaled sharply as Solomon tore his mouth from hers and began kissing and sucking her breasts until her nipples were harder than diamonds and more tender than her lower regions. She gasped when his tongue grazed her nipples.

“I want you,” she said. “Need. You. Inside.”

Solomon didn't respond to her request verbally, he just lifted her from the tub and took her over to the marble bench near the shower. Kandace wrapped her legs around his waist as he sat her down and ground her body against his. Solomon's knees quivered as he felt the heat from her opening at the tip of his penis. He wanted to bury himself inside her immediately, especially when she kissed him, slipping her tongue between his lips and making him groan with anticipation. It took every ounce of self-control in him to pull away from her and dash into the bedroom to get a condom. But when he returned to the bathroom, sheathed and ready, he laid Kandace across the bench and dove in between her legs.

She expelled a cleansing breath as she and Solomon became one. She thrust her hips into his as he slowly ground his body against her, touching every spot to make her scream. And she screamed his name over and over again as she dug her nails into his caramel shoulder.

“Yes, baby,” he said as he plunged deeper. “Oh, you feel so good. So damned good.”

“You do too,” she moaned as he lifted her into a seated position.

“Ride me, baby,” he requested. Kandace locked her legs around his waist and moved her body like a belly dancer, slowly and sensually as Solomon held on to her waist. He'd never felt so good with someone else being in control of his pleasure. He matched Kandace's rhythm as he rotated his hips in concert with hers. Kandace threw her head back as she felt the rush of her orgasm settling in her hot valley.

Solomon was also on the brink of his own climax and when he felt the heat of Kandace's desire spilling down to his thigh, he couldn't hold back any longer. He released a guttural groan as he came and hugged her against his chest. She closed her eyes as she rested her head on him, and neither of them had the energy or desire to move.

It was nearly an hour before Kandace and Solomon dried off, put on robes and ordered room service. While they waited, Kandace lay against Solomon's bare chest and stroked his smooth skin. “This is nice, but what is taking room service so long? I'm starving,” she said.

“It's probably busy tonight,” he said. “But I can call and check.” As Solomon reached for the phone there was a knock at the door. “Right on time.” He hopped off the bed and headed for the door.

“Make sure it's room service,” Kandace cautioned. Solomon nodded as he looked into the peephole. When he saw the waiter standing there, he opened the door.

“Sorry it took so long, sir,” the young man said as he wheeled the dinner cart into the suite.

“Not a problem,” Solomon replied. “We found a way to pass the time while we waited.”

The waiter smiled as he looked at Solomon's robe. “Do you need anything else, sir?”

“No,” Solomon said as he reached into his pocket and handed the waiter a tip. “Actually, on your way out, put the
DO NOT DISTURB
sign on the door.”

The waiter nodded and headed out the door with the sign in his hand. Solomon rolled the cart into the bedroom where Kandace was waiting. “Dinner is served,” he said.

“Great,” she said. “I didn't even think to ask you what you ordered.”

“Grilled salmon,” he said as he lifted the cover off the main dishes. “Green beans with almonds, wild rice, and for dessert, chocolate cake or me, take your pick.”

She smiled as she scooted to the edge of the bed where the cart was. “I'll let you know after I eat,” she said.

Carmen closed her eyes as she leaned back on the bed. Now that she was warm, she had a chance to get her plan together. If Kandace was in the suite with Solomon, she was going to have to figure out a way to get him away from her. Maybe she should call Richmond and tell him that Solomon was in trouble.
That wouldn't work,
she thought.
Richmond doesn't give a damn about Solomon. No one cares about him the way I do. Why can't he understand that?
Carmen pulled out her gun and stroked it. She was going to kill Kandace. There was no other way to get that leech away from her man. With Kandace out of the way, Solomon would have no choice but to love Carmen.

“I know he didn't mean what he said the other night. He was just confused because we've been friends for so long,” she said to the walls. “But when I make him remember, he's going to see that we belong together and how he's always loved me. I'm going to show him and he's going to be so glad that I stayed in his life after that bitch hurt him at his wedding. He'll see, yes. He'll see that I'm the only woman he could ever love.”

Carmen crossed over to the door and looked out the peephole to see if the halls were clear. Unfortunately, one family was entering their suite and another was gearing up to leave. She was tired of waiting, but she couldn't risk being seen, not when she was so close to her man. So close to having Solomon's arms around her and feeling his lips pressed against her.

Then a lightbulb went off in her head. Frances could get Solomon out of the suite. Carmen would make sure Frances did just what she wanted. Carmen tucked the gun in her waistband and headed toward the door. She caught a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror and was mortified by her appearance. Her hair was disheveled and stringy, she had dark circles underneath her eyes, and her face was pale. “Oh my God, Solomon is never going to want me if he sees me like this.” She ran her hand across her forehead, then dashed into the bathroom. Carmen splashed hot water on her face hoping to get the blood flowing to her cheeks. But she still didn't like the reflection she saw in the mirror.

 

“You're ugly. I wish you'd never been born and now you come up with these lies about the only man who's ever loved me? What do you want me to do, put him out and get stuck in this house with you?”

“But, Mama, he touched me down there,” she'd cried as her mother raised her hand and slapped her.

She tried to cover her face, but her mother grabbed her hand and pushed her against the wall. “You're going to stop these damned lies!”

Tears poured from her eyes as her mother glared at her with hate. “I should've never had you. I shouldn't have waited so long to have that abortion. You're nothing, just like your father. He walked away from me because of you.”

“I hate you!”

“I hate you too! I always have hated you and I'm not going to let you cost me another man. Not this time. Get out of my sight before I do something to you.”

She ran as fast as her skinny legs would carry her to her bedroom. When she got in her room, he was in there waiting for her. “I told you she wouldn't believe you, little bitch.”

“Get out of my room.”

“This is my damned house. Every room and everything in it is mine,” he hissed through his yellow teeth. His breath reeked of cheap wine and cigarettes. He lunged forward and grabbed her, ripping her shirt. She struggled against him as he threw her on the bed.

“No, no,” she cried out as he pulled her pants down. Fed up with being a victim, she brought her knee up and struck a blow to his private parts.

“You fucking bitch,” he screamed out in pain. She pushed him to the side and ran downstairs and out the front door. Her mother didn't even look at her ripped clothes and disheveled hair. She stopped running when she made it to the storage shed in the backyard. He kept a gas can for the lawn mower back there. They were going to pay. They weren't going to hurt her ever again. When she opened up the storage shed, she grabbed the ax and the gas can. She dashed back into the house and found him sitting on the couch with her mother wrapped around him.

“You aren't going to hurt me again,” she yelled as she swung the ax. He and her mother screamed and ran toward the basement. She followed them swinging the ax and yelling obscenities that they'd hurled at her every day. When they got into the basement, she heard them lock the door. At first she tried to chop the door down, but then she started pouring the gas throughout the house.

“Do you smell that? Do you?” she screamed at the basement door. “Neither of you will ever hurt me again.”

“Chelsea, don't you do this,” her mother called out. “It's all a misunderstanding.”

“Go to hell!” She ran over to the sofa and poured the rest of the gas on it. Then she grabbed his cigarettes and lighter. She lit a cigarette and tossed it on the gas-soaked couch. She had expected it to burst into flames immediately like on all of the TV shows she'd seen. But it smoldered, smoked, and finally, she saw the flames. As she opened the front door, the flames started spreading. They were fast and furious just like her rage and anger.

And when she saw her reflection that night, she didn't like what she saw.

 

Just like today. “He can't see me like this. He can't think I'm ugly and hurt me like they did.” Carmen slapped her cheeks and tried to stop the tears from falling. “Solomon has to love me. He has to love me.”

When she pulled herself together and felt that she didn't look like that little girl from all those years ago, Carmen combed her hair, tucked the gun in her waistband, and headed out of the room to find Frances.

 

“I'm stuffed,” Kandace said as she polished off the last bit of Solomon's cake.

“You should be. I wanted that cake,” he said as he kissed a smidge of chocolate icing from her bottom lip.

She smiled and rubbed her stomach. “If you're slow, you blow,” she said with a laugh. “It was oh so good.”

Solomon hugged her tightly and kissed her on the neck. “You're too much,” he said.

Kandace crossed her leg on top of Solomon's as they lay back in the bed. “You're still on the hook to take me out to dinner and I promise I won't eat your cake.”

“All right,” he said as his cell phone began to ring. Solomon grabbed the phone and answered it. “Crawford.”

“Mr. Crawford, it's Detective Myer. We found something on the surveillance videos that you should know about.”

“What's that?” he asked as he sat up in the bed.

“Someone did enter the building that same night as Danny Jones. It was the woman you know as Carmen De La Croix. We canvassed the neighborhood near your office building, and the bartender at Jimmy Walker's remembered seeing the two of them there the night of the murder. According to the time stamp on the tapes, Danny returned to the office at twelve-thirty. Fifteen minutes later, Carmen entered the building and went up to the executive floor. She didn't sign in and there was no sign of her leaving the building.”

“What do you mean by the woman I ‘know as Carmen De La Croix'?” Solomon asked.

“I ran a background check on Carmen after she lied to me. She said that she was in Atlanta scouting property for your hotel chain. But we triangulated her cell phone signal to North Carolina. We have since lost the signal because she probably turned her phone off. I got her employee file from your brother, and the Social Security number that is on that file belongs to a dead Puerto Rican woman who would've been sixty-five years old had she lived.”

“What?” Solomon said in disbelief. Kandace mouthed, “What's going on?” and he held his finger up.

“Her real name is Chelsea Washington. She had extensive plastic surgery to alter her appearance, but you can't change your fingerprints,” he said.

“How did you get her fingerprints?”

“After we took another look at the video, I sent a crime scene unit over to Chelsea's office and they dusted for fingerprints. She came up in the system.”

“Why was she in the system?”

“Mr. Crawford, Chelsea Washington is a disturbed woman. She was arrested about four years ago in connection with the death of her aunt, a caterer named Lucy Smith.”

“That name sounds familiar,” he said.

“It should; she was the caterer at your wedding. After Chelsea was released, she disappeared when evidence surfaced implicating her in the murder of her aunt. I'm guessing Danny found out the truth about Carmen's true identity. I contacted the local police and they're looking for her because this woman is dangerous. The police chief there said he's going to have his officers comb the resort and post security outside your room or wherever you're staying.”

The phone in the suite rang. “All right, my other line is ringing and I'm guessing that's the police,” Solomon said, motioning for Kandace to answer the phone.

“Hello,” she said when she picked up. “Okay, hold on.”

“I've got to go,” Solomon told the detective. He ended the call on his cell phone and took the room phone from Kandace.

“Yes?” he said.

“Mr. Crawford, it's Frances. I need you to come to my office. There is a situation.”

“Is it Carmen?” he asked.

“No, it's about our guests. We've had a lot of checkouts and a few people are asking for their money back because of all the police activity.”

“Frances, can this wait until the morning?”

“It's pretty important and I'm off tomorrow,” she said. “I wouldn't bother you if I knew how to handle this situation.”

“All right, I'll be down shortly.” Solomon hung up the phone and turned to Kandace.

“What's going on, Solomon?” she asked.

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “This thing with Carmen is a lot more dangerous than I could've ever imagined,” he said.

“How so?”

“First of all, her name isn't Carmen De La Croix, it's Chelsea Washington. Her aunt, who the police believe she killed, was the caterer at my wedding. I think I met Chelsea. She was a kid or so I thought. After everything blew up in my face, I got drunk. I mean, falling down drunk. There was this waitress who helped get me out without having to look at my guests or anything. She took me somewhere and I passed out. When I woke up the next morning this kid was staring at me with a huge smile on her face. I couldn't remember anything but the fact that I got stood up at the altar. I told her thank you, offered to give her some money for her troubles and she said no problem. I took a cab home and never thought anything of it.”

“And that woman was Carmen?”

Solomon nodded. “Only she changed everything about herself, took this dead woman's identity, and became my right-hand woman. When she applied for the job, her credentials were impeccable. I guess Carmen De La Croix did work in the hospitality industry before she died.”

Kandace stroked her forehead. “This is crazy,” she said. “So, she's been fixated on you for a long time.”

“Obviously. The police think she killed Danny and her aunt. And I'm beginning to think that she killed the housekeeper here too,” Solomon said.

“Why would she kill the housekeeper?” Kandace asked.

“Maybe she got in her way. I don't know, but I'm thinking you should leave,” he said.

“What?”

“Carmen, or whoever she is, is dangerous. If she wants me, she probably thinks you're what's standing between us. I don't want her to come after you or see you get hurt because of this.”

“But, Solomon, what about you? She might come after you and she could kill you too,” Kandace said.

“You can't stop her and I'm not putting you in harm's way,” Solomon said. “The police are putting a guard on me until they catch that woman, whatever her name is.”

“Then I guess I'll leave in the morning,” she said. “Why don't you leave too?”

“I think I might, but hopefully the police will take her into custody soon. Shit, I told Frances that I would come down to her office and help her deal with some disgruntled guests. Looks like my fabulous opening has been marred by all the police activity that's been going on.”

“Solomon, don't go,” Kandace said.

“I'll call our security staff and get them to post up outside. I won't be gone long.”

“You're worried about me and I'm just as worried about you,” she said.

“I'll be fine and”—he tossed her his BlackBerry—“you keep this with you.”

Kandace caught the phone and smiled. “Thanks. Be careful out there.”

“I'm just going downstairs,” he said as he headed to the door.

 

Carmen slammed Frances's face into the desk. “Where is he?”

“I—I don't know. You heard me when I called him,” she stammered.

Carmen sucked her teeth and slapped Frances across the face. “Call him again.”

“All right, all right, but don't hit me again,” Frances exclaimed as she picked up the phone and dialed Solomon's suite.

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

“Is Mr. Crawford there? This is the front office manager, Frances,” she said as she watched Carmen stalk back and forth.

“He just headed downstairs to your office.”

“Okay, so he's on his way. Thank you.” Frances hung up the phone, then turned to Carmen. “He's coming now.”

“You better not tell him I was here.” Carmen ran out of the office and headed for the employee stairs. Now that she knew Kandace was alone, she was going to get rid of her.