No Other Lover Will Do (9 page)

 

Solomon had been downing glass after glass of champagne. When he'd finished his final glass, he tossed it against the wall of the reception hall. The young waitress jumped as shards of glass flew through the air.

“That damned bitch!” Solomon had screamed as he turned over the table holding his wedding cake. “Make a fool of me when you're already married? Did she think she'd get away with it?” The white butter-cream icing splattered against the wall.

“Mr. Crawford,” the waitress had said. “Do you want me to clean this up?”

“I want you to get out of here.”

“But, sir,” she'd said as she slowly walked over to him. Despite his drunken state, he looked so handsome in his black tuxedo. He'd nearly ripped the collar of his shirt as he snatched his bow tie off. He attempted to walk away from her, but he stumbled and fell on top of her. She'd slipped on some of the icing and Solomon Crawford was on top of her. Though his hard body was crushing her, she liked this position. She wished they were both naked, though.

“Are you all right?” he'd asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, I'm okay,” she'd replied. The heat of his breath against her lips made her body tingle. “But you are in no shape to go out there.”

“It's a damned shame that you're more concerned about me than my so-called fiancée is. She left, didn't she? Left with that man.”

“Yes, sir. She's gone.”

Solomon swore under his breath, his curses burning her ears. “Sir,” she said. “Let me make you some coffee.”

“I don't want any damned coffee. But I guess I could let you up,” he'd said as he had made an attempt to stand. He'd wobbled as he held on to the edge of the counter and then extended his hand to her. She rose to her feet without taking his hand, afraid that the effort to help her would've dropped him to his knees again. He'd smelled so good, like patchouli and cinnamon.

“You're a mess,” she'd said as she used her apron to wipe icing from his lapels and cheeks.

Solomon had grabbed her hand and kissed it. He had the softest lips, not like the lips of the boys she'd kissed or that horrible man who'd taken her when her mother had been sleeping. But she'd showed him and her mother that she wasn't going to take their shit anymore when she burned the house down with them locked in the basement. Everyone had felt sorry for her, but no one in her hometown would take her in. It had been her Aunt Lucy in New York who'd given her a home. A home where she was treated like a slave. But her Aunt Lucy would pay too.

“I've got to get out of here. Are the people gone yet?” he'd asked her.

“No, but there is a back way out of here. I'll help you.”

He'd taken her face in his hands and kissed her lips ever so gently. “You don't know it, but you saved my life.”

She tingled again, feeling as if she had met Prince Charming. But he wouldn't want her the way she was, so plain and mousy. She'd seen the woman he'd wanted to marry and she was beautiful. She knew she had to beautiful too. So beautiful that Solomon Crawford wouldn't be able to resist her.

 

Now she was and it was time for him to realize the sacrifice that she'd made for him and how he was the only man she could ever want.

Kandace stretched her arms above her head as the first rays of the sun trickled through the white drapes. Her body ached in the best way—she ached like a woman who had been completely loved. Turning on her side, she saw Solomon smiling at her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, then kissed her on the forehead.

“Morning.”

“I was just about to order room service. What can I get for you?”

“Anything is fine,” she said. “Maybe some pancakes and strawberries and a lot of coffee.”

Solomon stroked her cheek and smiled. “How hungry are you?”

She shrugged. “I don't have to eat right this moment.”

He pulled the covers off her and smiled slyly. “Good, because I do.” Solomon rolled over on top of her and slid down the length of her body until he reached the crest of her thighs. Dipping his head down, Solomon blazed a trail to her womanly core with his tongue. Kandace trembled with anticipation as she felt his hand roaming her thighs. He kissed her tender folds of flesh until she was dripping wet.

“Umm,” she moaned as she pushed her hips into his lips. Solomon's tongue flicked across her throbbing bud and Kandace gasped as he palmed her bottom. With every lick, kiss, and suck, Kandace felt a small explosion between her thighs that was just a prelude to the nuclear meltdown Solomon was seeking to cause.

He dropped her hips and darted his tongue in and out of her, lapping up her juices.

“Solomon,” she cried as she reached the point of no return. Her legs quivered and every nerve in her body stood on end.

He inched up her body, raining kisses on her stomach, her breasts, and finally her lips. Kandace moaned in satisfaction as Solomon wrapped his arms around her. “Enjoy your breakfast?” she asked.

“Oh yes,” he said. “But you'd better let me order yours so that I can have seconds.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Please do.”

After Solomon ordered Kandace's breakfast, she headed to the bathroom to take a shower. When she looked in the mirror, she saw the red passion marks across her chest and smiled.
Turnabout is fair play,
she thought.
I'm going to give Solomon some marks of his own.
Kandace took a quick shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and headed back into the bedroom. From the doorway, she watched Solomon arrange her breakfast tray. That man was too sexy for words as he stood next to the bed in nothing but boxer briefs. She dropped her towel and then crossed over to him. Kandace wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against his back.

“That food can wait, but I can't. I want you,” she whispered.

Slowly, Solomon turned around, eyeing Kandace's naked body with silent appreciation. “And you can have me.”

Kandace slipped her hand inside his boxer briefs and stroked his rigid hardness. Solomon moaned and clutched her bottom as her hands glided across his manhood until he nearly exploded. She knew where and how to touch him. “Where's the protection?” she asked.

Solomon nodded toward the pillows as Kandace pushed him back onto the bed. Kandace reached underneath the pillow and grabbed the gold condom package. Before she opened it, she started kissing his neck, moving down to his chest, across his six-pack abs and stopping right at his thick erection. Flicking her tongue across the tip of him, Kandace felt a rush of desire and power. She'd never felt such a need to give pleasure to another person. Locking eyes with Solomon, Kandace took the length of him into her mouth.

“Umm,” he moaned as she sucked him. Solomon stretched his arms above his head as she took him deeper inside. “Oh, Kandace.” Shivering on the brink of an explosion, Solomon pulled her mouth off him. “Damn.”

She smiled as she rolled the condom down his throbbing erection. He was powerless to move as she straddled his body and guided him into her hot, wet valley. Kandace rotated her hips as Solomon clutched her bottom in ecstasy. She felt so good, so hot and wet that he couldn't hold back his climax. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “Don't do that,” he groaned as she ran her tongue across his sweaty chest.

“What if I just do this?” she asked as she ground her hips against him. Solomon howled as every nerve in his body stood on end. He was immediately aroused again. Holding Kandace's waist tight, Solomon sat up and pumped into her body, making her scream in delight. He could feel Kandace's orgasm building as he went limp with his own. Solomon rested his head on her breasts and closed his eyes. “Oh, baby,” he whispered.

“Umm,” Kandace said as she shifted her body underneath him. “I'm guessing my breakfast is cold now.”

Solomon propped up on his elbows. “And you don't care either,” he said. Kandace shook her head and laughed. He stroked her cheek and just stared into her eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“I'm speechless and that doesn't happen often.”

“Tell me something,” Kandace said. “Now that you've gotten what you wanted, are we done?”

“Not by a long shot,” he said. Words he'd never uttered to a woman before. Solomon knew he wasn't going to walk away from Kandace, he wasn't even sure if he could still walk. “Because I haven't gotten everything that I want.”

“What else do you want, Crawford?”

Solomon smiled and kissed her chin. “I'll let you know when I think of it.”

“I know what I want,” Kandace said.

“What's that?”

“My hike!”

“And I thought you were going to opt for another ski lesson,” he joked.

She shook her head furiously. “I will never get on another pair of skis. Tried it, hated it.”

“All right, all right. We can go on your hike after lunch, if that's all right.”

“Works for me. Now, I guess it's time for me to eat that cold breakfast over there,” she said as she eased off the bed.

“I know the owner, I can get you something hot,” he said as he reached for the phone and called room service.

After a fresh breakfast plate of pancakes, eggs, turkey bacon, and fruit had been delivered, Kandace and Solomon sat in front of the fireplace eating.

“Did you always want to go into the family business?” she asked as she picked up a strawberry from the bowl.

“Honestly, I had no intentions of getting into the business,” he said.

Kandace eyed him suspiciously. “Really? But you're so successful at it. What was your first option?”

Solomon took a swig of orange juice to wash down the bitter taste that was building in his mouth. “Filmmaking.”

“Filmmaking? I would've never guessed that. Why did you give it up?”

“I just did,” he said with finality in his voice.

Kandace knew she'd struck a nerve, but she was intrigued.

“What about you?” Solomon asked. “You always wanted to work in food service? Cooked on an Easy-Bake Oven as a kid?”

“Ha. No. I'm actually into marketing and public relations. I ended up co-owner of a restaurant as a business venture with my best friends.”

“So, you ladies just woke up one day and decided that you wanted to own a restaurant?”

“Of course not,” she said. “That doesn't make good business sense, does it?”

Solomon shook his head and Kandace continued. “My friend Jade was dealing with this asshole who duped her into investing in his crappy restaurant in Atlanta. When he became successful because of Jade, he thought he could just push her out of the way and replace her.”

“Cold blooded,” Solomon interjected.

“Well, we weren't standing for it,” Kandace said. “And we decided to beat him at his own game. He was looking to expand his bland chain into North Carolina and we bought the property from underneath him.”

Solomon nearly choked on a piece of strawberry. “Now, that is a hell of a business plan. I was wrong about the cold-blooded part. I think that describes you and your friends.”

Kandace shook her head. “That's why love and business don't mix,” she said. “But I'm sure you know that.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Besides, love is just another four-letter word.”

“Ooh, spoken like a very bitter man. So how did she break your heart?”

Solomon narrowed his eyes at Kandace. Part of him wanted to keep up his playboy facade, but for whatever reason, he felt as if he needed to share with her.

“She was my muse. I loved her and was ready to marry her. I was at the altar, about to say ‘I do,' when her husband showed up.”

Kandace reached out and stroked his arm. “Solomon,” she whispered.

“We met in Central Park. She had this bohemian vibe going on. At the time, that's what I was into. When she started speaking with this English accent, I think I fell for her right there on the grass. It helped that my parents were totally against us being together. Then, I wrote my first script, which was all about love, showed it at the Tribeca Film Festival. I had studios begging me to come to Hollywood and be the next Spike Lee. But that movie was all about her and when things fell apart, I didn't want to make any more movies.”

“Solomon,” she said again. He waved his hands as if to tell her that he didn't want to say anything else about it.

“What about you?” he asked. “How many hearts have you broken?”

“I don't break hearts,” Kandace said. “I've gotten my heart broken, though.”

“By what fool?” Solomon asked.

Kandace picked up a strawberry and bit the tip of it off. “The executive chef at my restaurant,” she said after swallowing the fruit. “Devon Harris and I were supposed to be married right after college. But his father didn't think I was right for his son.”

“So, why are you working with him?”

“He's famous and a good chef. Great publicity for the restaurant, and I don't see him that much anyway,” she said.

Solomon couldn't explain what he was feeling. Okay, Kandace worked with her ex. He didn't have a claim on her, so he had no cause to feel jealous. Yet, he did. What if the old feelings returned when she went back to Charlotte?

Stay cool,
he told himself.
This is what it is.

“That's good business, right?” Kandace asked.

“What?”

“Putting the hottest Food Network star in our kitchen. We've been full every night since we've opened.”

“Has he tried to rekindle the flame with you?”

Kandace laughed. “That ship has sailed, sunk, and is now home to a school of fish and coral reef.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to the side. “Why does it matter? Would you give your ex fiancée another chance?”

“Hell no. It's one and done with me.”

“And a leopard never changes its spots,” Kandace said. “I guess we're both bitter. Maybe that's why the sex was so good.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Let's try it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke.”

Kandace placed her hand on his chest and shook her head. “You owe me a hike, so I suggest you go to your suite, put on some warm clothes, and meet me in the lobby. Then, we can test your theory.”

Solomon rose to his feet and winked at Kandace. “Yeah, we're going to test the hell out of that theory,” he said as he headed for the door.

 

Carmen pulled up at the resort just in time to see Solomon and that woman walking out the main entrance. Ducking in the driver's seat of her rented SUV, she watched them walking as if they were close friends. Solomon lazily draped his arm across her shoulder and she looped her arm around Solomon's waist. “Where are they going?” she mumbled as she watched them disappear beyond the hill. Carmen jumped out of the car and stormed into the lobby.

“Hello, ma'am, welcome to…”

Carmen held up her hand and stopped the front desk clerk from speaking. “I'm Carmen De La Croix. I need to see Frances right now.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the clerk said as she picked up the phone and dialed the manager's office. “She will be right out.”

Carmen folded her arms across her chest and rocked back and forth until Frances entered the lobby. “Miss De La Croix, is everything all right?”

“Can we talk in your office?” she asked.

Frances led Carmen into her office, her mind spinning with every worst-case scenario. Had something happened? Were they going to be shut down? Was she being replaced?

“Frances, something happened in New York and I've been trying to reach Mr. Crawford,” Carmen said once she and Frances were in her office.

“Well, he's on the property, I'm just not sure where,” she said.

“I need a key to his room so that I can wait for him.”

“Is that a wise thing to do? I can have him paged,” Frances said.

Carmen shook her head. “This is a sensitive matter and it's best that I see Mr. Crawford and tell him. Frances, we're partners. He won't be upset.”

“I'll make you a key,” Frances said as she headed to the front desk. Five minutes later Frances returned to her office and handed Carmen the key card. “Should I tell Mr. Crawford that you are here?” she asked.

“I called him,” Carmen lied. “He knows that I'm waiting for him.”

“All right. Well, is there anything else I can help you with? Do you need a room? We don't have any more suites available, but there is a single room left.”

Carmen shook her head. “I'll be flying back to New York later. And I am thrilled that we don't have any suites left. Thanks for all of your help, Frances.” She left the office and headed to the top floor of the resort where Solomon's suite was. Carmen wished he was inside and waiting for her, but she knew he was with that woman. That bitch who had caused him to ignore her.

Carmen entered the room and was shocked to see that Solomon's cell phone was sitting on the table plugged into the charger. “He never leaves his phone,” she muttered as she picked it up. There were nearly one hundred missed calls showing on his screen. She deleted each call since most of them had been from her. Carmen looked around the room for signs that Kandace had been spending time there. She ran her hand across the bed, which she could see had been made up by the maid staff because there was a square of chocolate on the pillow. Carmen inhaled deeply and smelled the faint scent of Solomon's cologne. She missed him so much and wanted to be with him in every way. Crossing over to his closet, she flipped through the clothes that were hanging there, stroking the material of a designer suit. She was wishing that Solomon would walk through the door and take her into his arms and make love to her. She didn't like the way he had looked at Kandace. He'd looked at her as if she were special, much like the way he looked at Carmen on the fateful day after his wedding. She'd known at that moment that she and Solomon would be together. The time was now and somehow, she had to make it happen.