Not This Time (3 page)

“
Ouch.”
He considered her, his? What the hell?

He shrugged. “The guy’s parents didn’t care
for her, thought she was a scheming whore.” He smiled. “She decided
to hedge her bets with me, I guess.”

“
Did he marry her?”
He planned to kick the guy’s ass? So the fight
with Hedrick wasn’t a fluke.

“
I don’t know. A year later,
she contacted me, wanting to talk. My business had taken off; her
brother worked part-time for me and must’ve told her she’d made a
mistake. At least that’s what she said over the phone.”

Veronique’s ex had done the same thing.
Pity, the grass always looked greener somewhere else, it’s only
when you smell the fertilizer you realize it’s all bullshit.

“
I wasn’t interested in her,
talking or otherwise, and never called back. I’ve seen her from
time to time. I speak, or wave, but I’m not interested.”

“
I hear you.” She picked up
her glass and sipped the cold beverage while she glanced at him.
Big guy. Good-looking, didn’t mind fighting if he thought it was
worth it, but would cut you off without a second thought. He
sounded like her.

Indifference hurt more than rage. Veronique
lived at that point with Hedrick. Not getting a reaction out of her
pissed her ex off, big time. He still didn’t understand he’d used
up his get-her-to-care pass, years ago. When she’d been younger,
with their small daughter to take care of, he’d wrecked her world
when he blithely informed her of his mistress’s pregnancy. He knew
she’d kick his ass to the curb, and a month after the divorce, he
married the heifer. The emotional upheaval she’d suffered had been
brutal; the man had been her world. Striving to survive the
excruciating sense of loss, she’d lost weight, her hair fell out,
she drank heavily, and if it weren’t for her baby girl, she never
would have made it. During that time, Cherise started having panic
attacks. Dealing with her child’s burgeoning problems left less
time to focus on her own. After a while, she barely gave the
asshole a thought, especially when he tried to come back.

“
Smart man.” She continued
sipping her water, watching him watch her. “I bet no one has ever
gotten close to you since then.” What was she doing asking such
personal questions?
Helloooo, this is not
that serious.
Get up and get down with his
ass. Better yet, let him fuck you senseless and move on.

Head tilted, he offered a crooked smile
tinged with sadness. “No. No one else has had the chance to get
close. I use the excuse of not enough time, but that’s not true. We
make time for things we want or think are important. Maybe I need
to meet someone who’ll make me want to set aside some time.” He sat
forward, arms resting on the table. His short beard framed a cute
smile. “But I will admit this,” he lowered his voice as though
sharing a secret. “I shoulda left town hours ago. Then I met you.
Now, I’m sitting in a restaurant, talking about things I haven’t
thought of in years. Conversation isn’t what I’m normally
interested in when I meet a sexy woman. Yet here I am, making time
for you to get comfortable with me. I find that almost as
fascinating as I find you.”

Her arched brow conveyed
he’d scored. Once again, the man left her speechless. They’d played
the last serve in a game of verbal volleys and she admitted he’d
won. No, she'd won. Rarely, did she meet a man who interested her
on all fronts. Physically, he had a body like Adonis. Mentally, he
was intelligent, thought before he spoke, and only spoke when he
had something to say. That alone catapulted him to the forefront.
Sexually, the man sizzled, leaving scorch marks on her libido. Her
panties were soaked and her need for sexual release had reached the
red zone.
Fire.

“
I’m glad you find me
fascinating.” She pushed away from the table; pinpricks of need
thrummed through her, sending additional heat to her core. In a
minute, he’d see steam rising from between her thighs. He watched
her stand, his eyes unreadable. She bent forward, his eyes dipped
to her breast before returning to her face.

“
But, I’ve run out of things
to talk about and I’m comfortably ready to leave.” She stood, and
slipped on her shoes as he threw some money on the table. Walking
to her side, he gently placed his large palm against her back and
left the restaurant. Waiting for him to ask where she was staying,
he surprised her when he guided her toward the bank of
elevators.

“
You’re staying
here?”

“
I keep a room here in case
I stay overnight.” Looking at her, he smiled. “I’m flexible if you
prefer to go somewhere else.” They’d stopped in the middle of the
lobby while she made up her mind. Her teeth worried her lower lip
while she processed her options. No matter how she catalogued
things, he was a stranger. She’d be with a stranger in her room,
around her things, but she’d have the home court advantage. Or be
with a stranger in his room, no worry about interruptions from her
sorority sisters. Besides, it gave the whole affair a more risqué
flavor.

“
I want to go to my hotel, I
need a few things.” She turned toward the door. “Maybe we can come
here tomorrow.” Once again, his palm heated her back. “I’m staying
at the Hilton, it’s not far. We can walk.”

“
Sounds good.” He took hold
of her hand, his large one dwarfing her smaller one. All around
them, people moved at fast clips, headed to various nightspots. The
cocktail party and subsequent jazz gala her sorority sponsored
every year had been under way for the past hour. Tomorrow, if she
showed up to any events, she’d hear all about what she’d missed.
Tonight, she planned to make her own music and something told her
she’d need an encore.

The vibrations and chimes from her purse
signaled a call. Grabbing her phone and glancing at the screen, she
smiled. “Hi, Baby Girl. What’s happening?”

“
Hi, Mama. You tell me
what’s happening. I just got off the phone with daddy. He said you
were supposed to meet him in Philly, but when he went to your hotel
room, some other man and woman were in your room. He’s been
searching for you for hours.”

Shock ricocheted through Veronique. Her feet
refused to move. She felt Frank’s stare, but at that moment was too
surprised to care. “What!”

“
I knew that didn’t sound
right,
you
planning to meet him at your Sorority Conference, not a
chance. Too much sand already at the beach kind of thing. But he’s
there in Philly somewhere looking for you. I don’t think he
believed me when I told him I hadn’t talked to you
today.”

She was still too surprised by her
ex-husband’s boldness to respond. Steam gathered in her belly and
rose in a gush of anger. Heat suffused her face. Damn Hedrick, she
ground her teeth, barely noticing the foot traffic on the busy
sidewalk.

“
He’s full of shit.” Give a
man a little bit of between the sheets action and they go batshit.
She’d planned to cut him off anyway, he kept pushing for more and
she had nothing else to give him. But why would he show up now? He
had to know she’d be pissed and wouldn’t want to see him on general
principle, plus sex between them was always at her
discretion.

Cherise chimed in. “Especially if he thought
I’d tell him where you were and what you’re doing. By the way, are
you having fun? Busy getting busy?” The teasing lilt in her
daughter’s voice made it plain she didn’t mean at the
conference.

Glancing up at Frank, who met her stare with
a raised brow, she sighed her frustration. Her hopes weren't
dashed, but they weren’t as high as before. She could kick
Hedrick’s ass for that alone.

“
I’m trying. I thought I’d
hit the mother lode.” She smiled at Frank’s inquisitive look.
Lordy, she wanted to spend some private time with this hunk
tonight, maybe they could return to his room. He’d strip her slowly
with his hands, the way he’d been doing all night with his eyes.
The man looked like he could eat some pussy, he’d probably have her
screaming his name—

“
Ma…Ma?” The shrill sound of
her daughter’s voice broke through her reverie.

“
What?” she snapped, annoyed
at the interruption of her fantasy.

“
How’d daddy know you let
somebody use your room? Is he in stalker mode or something? Waiting
in the hall to see what’s up? Oh snap, Ma. I bet that’s what he
did. He’s watching your hotel.”

Her daughter’s excitement
was misplaced for the situation, and as soon as she was in the
right frame of mind, they’d discuss the inappropriateness of her
response. Right now, she needed to get air down her tight
chest.
Breathe, Bitch.

A vise attached itself to her head and
squeezed, somehow that cut off her oxygen, because her head and
throat were in a competition to see which could cause her the most
pain. A large palm rubbed her back, offering support as small dots
danced in front of her. Placing her hand on her chest, moments
later she caught her breath.

Gathering energy, she needed to disconnect
before Cherise realized how badly her announcement affected her.
“Sweetie, I’m on my way from dinner. I’ll give you a call later.
Tell your fiancé hello and kiss Nora for me.”

Hedrick had lost his mind, and her hotel
room had lost its appeal. On her best day, she detested public
confrontations. The hotel she resided in also hosted her sorority’s
conference. Too many eyes and ears. If her ex-husband popped up,
she knew she’d read his ass like an encyclopedia. Time to change
plans.

“
Wait!” Cherise sounded
frantic. “Are you okay? Is someone bothering you in Philly? I know
some people who live out that way who can help you. They’re family
for one of Ross’s partners, but they’re down for whatever.” Cherise
had a taste for drama, and Veronique refused to feed it.

“
Calm down, I’m fine. I’m
not sure about your fiancé’s influence on you, you’ve gained a
violent streak. First thing you wanna do is call out some kind of
mafia.” She chuckled at her daughter’s scream of denial. “Listen,
there’s this fine man who’s been waiting patiently while I talk to
you. I need to take him somewhere private and ravish him before he
changes his mind.” Frank straightened and smiled at her. She winked
at him, certain he heard Cherise's squeal. Speaking quickly, she
cut off further questioning.

“
I appreciated the heads-up
and will deal with it. Night sweetie.” She clicked off and stared
at Frank, tugging his hand, she turned around to head back to the
hotel they’d just left.

“
Problem?”

“
That was my daughter. Her
father, my ex, is here in Philly looking for me.” No need to bring
him into all her business. They didn’t know each other well enough
to tell dark secrets.

“
What does he want?” She
arched her brow, and sent her best get-serious look at
him.

His face reddened as the realization hit.
“He wants you back.”

Chuckling, she squeezed his hand.
“Correction, he wants me back in his bed. But I’ve made other
plans.”

He smiled. “I don’t blame him, but he fucked
up when he let you go. I won’t make that mistake.”

Curious, she glanced at him.
The streetlights cast his face in a warm glow, making him appear
larger, harder. The word primitive sprang to mind. “What makes you
think
he
fucked
up? Could’ve been me.”

“
Doesn’t matter, he still
let you go. That means he fucked up.” He squeezed her hand as the
hotel came into view.

She laughed. He was refreshing and wonderful
for her ego. Tomorrow or the next day, she’d deal with Hedrick, but
tonight she planned to be thoroughly screwed. They entered the
foyer and headed for the bank of elevators. They’d almost made it.
She planned to ignore the sound of someone calling of her name, but
her gallant escort stopped and looked back. To keep from looking
silly, she stopped as well. Slapping on a smile, she waited for
Rose, one of her sorority sisters, to reach them.

The woman’s eyes roved over Frank’s muscular
form, no doubt calculating everything about him from his net worth
to shoe size, before facing her. Veronique itched to slap her. “You
ran out on the jazz concert, too?” Rose asked in a conspirator’s
whisper.

“
No. I had a prior engagement.” She held Frank’s
hand up for the woman to see in case she didn’t understand she was
intruding. Veronique tugged Frank’s hand and headed to the
elevator. Rose followed like a hooker hoping for a ménage à trois.
Obviously, she didn’t get the memo. Veronique didn’t swing or
share.

“
Oh, it’s just, well they
swapped things, moved the cocktail reception here after the jazz
thing, later on, after the music portion. I figured you’d…okay, I’m
going to walk over there and mind my own business. Have fun. See
you later, or another time. Nice meeting you—” Her words were cut
off as the elevator doors closed.

Frank pulled her tight in his arms, stroking
her back, and finally tilting her head up for a smoldering kiss. He
unleashed his need to be inside her with no interruptions. The wait
had been interminable, finally he’d taste the sweet honey between
her legs that he’d inhaled in the restaurant earlier.

Once the elevator stopped, he peeled her off
him and walked gap-legged down the hall toward his suite; damn, his
boner hurt. As major stockholders with the hotel’s franchise
licensee, Frank and his twin brothers kept four suites on this
floor available at all times for family and close friends.