Chapter 5

As she had expected, Brandy lay awake that night unable to sleep. Each time she closed her eyes she swore she heard something and each time she got out of her bed to investigate she found nothing there.

She had tried doing everything including counting sheep, and here it was nearly two in the morning and her eyes were still open like she didn’t have a busy day tomorrow. Before going to bed she had reread the note again, and like before a creepy feeling had escalated up and down her spine.

And she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one damn bit.

A few months ago, at one of the their sistah-circle dinner meetings, Carla had brought to the table the principle that fear would steal your livelihood, so the thing to do was to make your courage bigger and stronger than your fear. Well, tonight while quivering in bed Brandy was doing a piss-poor job of following that principle, mainly because she’d never had to encounter anything like this before.

Even after her decision to take over the running of the hotel, Kathie had warned her of the challenges she would face as a female hotel manager and that at all times she needed to walk a straight line with her male employees, not ever letting them make the assumption that she would cross over the line in her role as their boss.

Brandy sighed. She felt she had done a good job of keeping things strictly business. Oh, she was certain a number of her male employees found her attractive, since she’d caught a few of them checking her out from time to time, but she’d always maintained a high degree of professionalism between them. She had no intention of getting involved with anyone who worked for her and had sent out that message real quick. Kathie had commented to her once that she’d heard through the grapevine that some of them considered Brandy an ice princess and a couple of them had even questioned if she was gay since she never dated. But Brandy knew that most had heard the scandalous story of her and Lorenzo’s wedding and brief marriage, and felt the reason she wasn’t dating was because she was licking her wounds. She couldn’t help wondering if that’s what the person who called himself “The Man” thought? In his sick mind did he somehow think she needed him?

Brandy rolled over in bed. Tomorrow she would meet with her secretary, Donna Fields, to find out who had dropped by her office to deliver the rose. The older woman in her late fifties was sharp as a tack and her eyes didn’t miss much. Until this mystery was solved, Carla and Amber were right. Brandy needed to watch her back.

Brandy was at her office before Mrs. Fields arrived. Her heartbeat escalated and she stopped when she saw her office door open. She distinctly remembered closing and locking it the night before.

Passing her secretary’s desk, she took a deep breath and silently walked to the door and looked inside. Her security manager, Perry Hall, was standing at her desk with his back to her as he lifted the single rose to his nose to take a sniff.

She knew from reviewing his employment record a while back that Perry Hall was in his late forties, married for over fifteen years with two teenage boys. He was active in a number of athletic organizations that his sons were involved in and was a die-hard Orlando Magic fan. He was also active in his church and was vice president of the PTA at the school his sons attended. He had been employed at the St. Laurent during the five years that Lorenzo had run things and for a good ten years before that under the former owners, the Rawlins Group. He had been promoted to security manager after the former security manager left to go work for a Disney hotel a few years ago. Hall had been one of Lorenzo’s right-hand men, but for some reason after meeting him she’d felt he would do right by her and hadn’t seen a reason not to keep him on. So far he had proven to be a highly skilled and competent individual who knew his job and kept her abreast of things she needed to know.

She’d never had a reason to suspect him of anything…until now. She then quickly reminded herself that a person was innocent until proven guilty.

Brandy straightened her spine and entered her office. “Mr. Hall, what are you doing here?”

He turned around, quickly putting the rose back down on her desk. “Ms. Bennett, sorry, I didn’t hear you enter.”

She nodded as she placed her briefcase in a chair. “I see you like that rose, Mr. Hall.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Yes, I couldn’t help but admire it. My wife has a fetish for roses and this one is rather unique. The petals look so soft and the color is so deep it seemed more burgundy than red.”

Brandy nodded. He had yet to answer her question. “What are you doing here, Mr. Hall?”

He raised a brow after hearing the bluntness of her question. “We had a meeting this morning. I arrived a few minutes ago and thought I’d wait for you here.”

“Inside my office?”

He lifted a bushy brow. “Yes, is that a problem? Mr. Ballentine always preferred that we come directly to his office instead of waiting in the lobby area where his secretary worked unless his office door was closed.”

Brandy tilted her head back and looked at him. “And wasn’t my office door closed when you arrived?”

Perry Hall shook his head. “It was closed but unlocked.”

Brandy frowned. “I don’t see how that’s possible when I locked it myself before leaving yesterday.”

Perry shrugged. “The maintenance crew may have inadvertently left it open after cleaning around in here last night.”

She nodded. “I would appreciate if you made sure that my door is closed and locked each night, and that one specific individual is responsible for the tidying up in here. I prefer to know who’s coming in and going out of here.”

Perry nodded. “That can easily be arranged.” He then frowned. “Is there some sort of problem you’d like to tell me about?”

Until I find out who sent that note I can’t fully trust anyone.Brandy shook her head. “No, there’s nothing I need to discuss with you. There are times I’ll have confidential papers in my office and I prefer if my door is kept locked.”

Perry nodded again. “All right. Now would you like to discuss that issue that came up yesterday about the housekeeper we had to let go because she was caught stealing?”

Brandy sighed. He had made her aware of the incident yesterday. A missing ring from one of the guest rooms had been found in the woman’s locker. “And she admitted to taking it?”

“Yes, after she was questioned further.”

Brandy rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. This was the second person she’d had to terminate for thievery since taking over the management of the hotel. But she had made it clear from the beginning that dishonesty would not be tolerated. “All right then, is there anything else we need to discuss?”

“No, that about covers it.”

Brandy took the chair behind her desk. “On your way out, if you notice that Donna has arrived, please tell her that I’d like to see her immediately.” She then glanced down at the flower on her desk. “And since you’re so taken with that rose you may keep it. I was going to toss it out anyway.”

He looked at her strangely and said, “All right, I’d love to have it. I’ll take it home to my wife.”

Brandy leaned back in her chair as she watched Perry Hall leave her office with the rose, closing the door behind him.

Carla picked up the phone on the first ring. “Yes, Michelle?”

“I was finally able to reach Ms. Morrison for you, Ms. Osborne. Please hold on while I put her through.”

Carla tossed the papers she’d been reading aside. She had been trying to reach Sonya all morning to confirm their dinner and movie date. She had tried calling Sonya late last night and into the wee hours of the morning. When she hadn’t been able to reach her, she could only assume that Sonya hadn’t come home last night.

“Yeah, Carla, what is it?” a very sluggish voice said on the other end of the line.

“Sonya? Hey, what’s going on? I tried calling you several times last night and early this morning. Where have you been?”

“Out.”

Carla lifted a brow. “All night?”

“Yes. And why are you trippin’? I’m not a sixteen-year-old, Carla. I’m a thirty-two-year-old woman, for Pete’s sake. How about cutting me some slack here.”

Carla was quiet for the longest while. Then she said, “All right. I was just concerned about you.”

“Don’t bother.”

Again Carla didn’t say anything. It was apparent that Sonya was going through some things and more than ever Carla wanted to see her and be there for her. “Look, I just wanted to check to make sure tonight is still on.”

“Yeah, if you’re sure you can fit me into your schedule.”

Carla gritted her teeth and forced a smile. Sonya was determined to be difficult. “Hey, girlfriend, tonight belongs to us. Do you have a place you prefer going to grab a bite to eat?”

“No, you choose. Anywhere is fine with me as long as they serve seafood.”

Carla couldn’t help but smile. For a moment Sonya sounded like her old self. She knew that over the past year and a half their relationship had been strained but she was determined to get things back right. They had too much history to do otherwise. “Okay, I think I know just the place. How about Letos? We haven’t been there in a while. Then afterwards we can catch that new Queen Latifah movie. How’s that?”

“I thought you and your friends went to the movies last night.”

Carla ignored the sneer in Sonya’s voice. “We had planned to go after dinner but changed our minds. But even if I had gone last night there’s nothing wrong with going again is there? I remember a time when we spent a lot of our evenings at the movies, sometimes seeing the same one over and over again, especially if it was one Denzel Washington starred in.”

Sonya couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I remember that.” Then there was a long silence before Sonya let out a deep sigh. “Well, I’ll see you later. I need to get some sleep.”

Carla nodded. “And you’re sure you’re all right?”

She could hear Sonya’s slight moan on the other end. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just got a hell of a hangover, but I’ll be fine when I see you later. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

“All right.” After Carla hung up the phone she decided that when she saw Sonya they would have a long talk. The two of them were best friends, always had been and always would be, and she couldn’t understand Sonya’s insecurities about their friendship.

She sighed deeply. Yes, they needed to have a long talk.

Amber placed the last book in the shelf, then stood back and admired her handiwork. She had color coordinated the books in the section of her store she called the “Kid’s Corner” so they could be easily recognized. Thursdays were her light days and Eileen’s day off. Jennifer wouldn’t be in until noon to help with the lunch traffic. Last week Amber had hired a part-time worker, a male student from one of the local high schools, to work three days a week, mostly to unload and help put away stock. Already she found that Keith was a hard worker and the money he earned was helping to prepare him for college.

Amber looked up when she heard the bell that signaled that a customer had entered her shop. She arched her neck. From where she stood she could see the man but he couldn’t see her behind the planter and Humpty-Dumpty’s brick wall. His back was to her but then he slipped his hands into his pockets and slowly turned around as he studied his surroundings.

The woman in her immediately liked what she saw as her gaze slid over his face and body in one fluid sweep, and then another for good measure. His coloring was dark—a deep dark chocolate, her favorite. He was dressed casually, in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, and a pair of high-priced Nikes were on his feet, but from the way her body was reacting, he could have been stark naked.

A slight frown tilted her lips. Boy, she had it bad. The last thing she needed was for sexual urges to consume her mind and lead her astray, no matter how good the brother looked. But still, she couldn’t help but continue to check him out, for the moment not able to control her body’s response to him.

The tight fit of his jeans, the way his sweatshirt hung loosely over those jeans, not to mention the way that sweatshirt fit those muscled arms and shoulders were enough to give any woman, especially one who hadn’t had sex in a long time, a reason to feel intense heat between her legs. He was a man whose bones you’d want to jump any day of the week, any time of the day. A man who could make you forget all those principles of emotion and spirit fulfillment that were discussed at the sistah-circle meetings, especially the one that said, “Everything you need to be happy is inside of you.”

At the moment, in her opinion, if the man standing across the room ever got inside of her she would be more than happy, she would be thrilled right out of her bones. Just the thought of those firm, molded thighs wrapped around her, holding her in place when he made love to her was enough to make her forget that she was a woman who didn’t need a man, a woman determined not to want one. But then, there was something about him that was so basic, yet at the same time so complementary. Everything about him made her think of sex, sex, and more sex.

And that wasn’t good.

Amber blew her bangs out of her eyes. The room suddenly felt unbearably hot. She had to take a minute to catch her breath and to regain control of her senses. Something, probably the sound of her heavy breathing, caught his attention and he glanced her way. Their gazes met, connected, and held. She felt her heart thump against her chest and then her pulse began acting weird. His deep, dark eyes were definitely doing things to her—more specifically, doing things to her body. There was no doubt about it. Her panties were completely drenched by now.

Damn, I am simply pathetic.

“I take it that you’re open.”

That’s not all I am, she was tempted to say. Instead she came from behind the huge planter and Humpty’s wall and smiled, mainly to hide her misery. “Yes, we’re open. Were you looking for anything in particular or did you come in to browse?”

He smiled and her body went bonkers again. “I came in for a little bit of both. I want to read something for pleasure. Do you have anything to suggest other than those?” he said of the huge display of romance novels that stood in the middle of the floor. “They’re big sellers I assume?”

Amber’s throat went dry and she swallowed hard as she closed the distance separating them. Only standing a few feet away, she could feel the warmth of his body and could smell the scent of his aftershave. It was a manly fragrance and she found herself inhaling deeply to let it consume her nostrils. When she realized just what she was doing, she forced herself to look at the display.“Well,yes,especially this time ofthe year, romance novels are big sellers.”

He raised a dark brow. A very dark and gorgeous brow. “Why’s that? I thought Valentine’s Day was when people got silly and fell in love.”

She raised her own brow. He sounded a bit cynical although there was a teasing smile at the corners of his lips. They were lips that looked pretty damn naughty, but oh so nice. “Actually, people who believe in true love can fall in love at any time. But the reason we have a special display is because other than the summer months, late fall is the hottest time for reading and a lot of women like to read to escape.”

“Into fantasy land?”

“If you want to call it that.”

“I do.”

“Then what should women call it when guys become absorbed in books about superhuman heroes, creatures from the deep, Star Trek flicks, pets coming back from the dead, invisible men, and flying cars? Now that’s the stuff that sounds pretty much like fantasy to me. I find nothing whimsical about two people in a committed relationship.”

He bowed his head to fully meet her gaze and smiled. Then he released a deep, tumbling sound of laughter from deep within his gut. “Hey, lady, you got me there. You’ve definitely put me in my place.”

Amber smiled. “Not at the expense of losing a potential customer, I hope.”

He shook his head, still smiling. “No, not at all. I like women who speak their minds.” He glanced around again. “Do you own this place?”

“Yes.”

He looked at the huge sign inside the shop. “So you’re Amber?”

“Yes,” she responded, and wished he didn’t look so appealing. His nose was straight and his mouth was full, very full yet slightly curved. And she suddenly wondered how it would feel to spread her own mouth over that mouth and tinted a darker shade of brown at the thought. His voice sounded pretty damn good too. She could feel the goosebumps forming on her arms.

“Well, from what I can see you have a real nice place here. How long have you been in business?”

“For almost two years. In fact I’m having an anniversary party in a few weeks and you’re welcome to come.”

“Thanks, but for now I’ll just settle on that pleasure read.”

She nodded and stepped closer to him. “Before I make a few suggestions of my own, do you have anything in mind?”

“A friend recommended a book by Walter Mosley.”

Amber nodded. “Good recommendation. I take it you like mysteries?”

“If it will relax me, then yes.”

She chuckled. “Trust me. A good book can do more than relax you. It can carry you into another world if you get that absorbed in it.”

He braced his tall frame against one of the counters. “Really? I take it you like to read.”

“Yes, I love books. I use to be a librarian, so that should tell you a lot. And I take it that it’s just the opposite with you.”

He nodded. “I only read when I have to, mainly because I usually don’t have the time. I’m much too busy these days. I’m an accountant and tax season is fast approaching.”

Well, I’m glad you’ve decided to chill awhile and do some pleasure reading. If you like this book then please come back for others. We have a vast assortment of them here.”

He glanced around. “Yeah, I can see that.”

After Amber had shown him a copy of Walter Mosley’s latest book he agreed he would buy it. He also decided to buy a romance novel— out of curiosity and nothing else—and told her he would probably give it to his secretary since she had a birthday coming up.

When he handed Amber his credit card she glanced at the name. Cord Jeffries. “Will there be anything else for you today, Mr. Jeffries?”

“No, these two items should do it.”

“All right.”

After giving him his total, she presented the sales slip for his signature. She couldn’t help noticing his hands, how big and strong they looked. She bet they were hands that could evoke the most stimulating kind of passion and literally drive a woman insane. Amber cleared her throat when he slid the pen and sales slip back across the counter to her. He even had a real nice signature.

A few seconds later, she handed him the bag containing his books and the receipt. “Thanks for your business, and I hope you come back.”

His eyes lightened and he smiled. “I intend to.”

It was late afternoon when Brandy let herself into her suite. She’d had a meeting with the committee in charge of hosting the Florida Classic. Everyone was gearing up for the game that would be played in three weeks. Plans were in place to assure that every person who stayed at her hotel was well taken care of.

She dropped her briefcase and purse down on the sofa, and plopped down beside them. She decided to just stay in tonight and watch a movie and order something from room service instead of cooking herself. She appreciated the kitchen in her suite but tonight didn’t want to use it.

She stood and was just about to go in the bedroom to remove her clothes when she saw the note someone had placed on the breakfast bar counter that separated the kitchen from the living room area. She snatched it up immediately, recognizing the writing from yesterday’s note.

I stayed up late last night thinking about you and everything I plan to do to you. I hope you’re as ready for me as I am for you. Every time I see you I want you more and more and it won’t be long before I have you.

The Man

Brandy frantically glanced around the room. Everything seemed in place but someone had gotten into her suite and left another note. This one was just as creepy as the one before. Cold chills immediately swept up and down her spine.

She snatched up the phone to call security.