No Other Lover Will Do (5 page)

She took his hand and turned sideways to the hot tub. “Why don't you take a dip?” Kandace said, then pushed him into the hot tub. She sauntered out of the grotto, feeling as if she'd channeled her inner Serena. Still, she was bothered by how turned on she was by Solomon and his hot kisses.

He will not wear me down,
she thought as she entered the lobby. Though in the back of her mind, she wondered what it would feel like to wrap her legs around him in the throes of passion.

 

Solomon kicked back in the hot tub and closed his eyes, Kandace's image appearing in his mind. She had definitely piqued his interest and he wasn't giving up on her. But he was going to have to change his game plan, he realized. Kandace didn't seem as if she was easily impressed. That made him wonder, who was she? He knew she was single, and from the cost of her room, she obviously had her own wealth. Leaping out of the tub, he dried off and headed to his room. He was going to find out what her story was, then shift his seduction into high gear.

When Solomon returned to his room, he opened his laptop and typed her name into the Google search box. He was surprised to see that Kandace was a businesswoman in her own right. She was co-owner of a successful restaurant in Charlotte with three other women, including the sister-in-law of Carolina Panthers' wide receiver Maurice Goings. Things were starting to click for him now. This woman was probably around men like him all the time and she didn't want or need a thing from them. Impressing her with money and gifts wasn't going to work. But he had something else she wanted, and that kiss in the grotto proved it.

The next morning, Kandace awoke drenched in sweat. Her sleep had been plagued with heated dreams of Solomon Crawford's naked body. In her dream, he'd kissed every inch of her body, taking her to the brink of passion and beyond. Even as she sat up in the bed, her body throbbed with the phantom aftershocks of their lovemaking. Shaking her head, she grabbed the phone and dialed the front desk.

“Yes, Ms. Davis,” the desk clerk said.

“I'd like to book my spa treatment,” Kandace said.

“May I place you on hold while I check what times are available?”

“Sure,” Kandace said as she kicked out of the blanket. While she waited for the clerk to return to the phone, her mind wandered back to Solomon. Why was she allowing him to get under her skin? He was just trying to make her another conquest and she was no one's belt notch.
He could be yours. Why not love him and then leave him alone? He'd never see it coming.

“Ms. Davis, we have two times open. There's a nine
A.M
. spot and a noon spot.”

“I'll take the noon appointment.”

“Great. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

“Umm, could you transfer me to the restaurant? I'd like to make a breakfast order.”

“Yes, ma'am. Enjoy your day,” the clerk said before transferring the call.

After ordering breakfast, Kandace looked out the bay window to check the weather. She smiled as she saw the gentle snowfall, then realized that she hadn't ventured out in to the snow since she arrived. Maybe before her spa appointment she would take a short walk in the snow. After all, she'd traveled to the mountains because she wanted to see snow and feel the coolness of it on her face like people in the Christmas movies. She stepped back from the window and sat on the sofa across from the fireplace. The snow could wait, she thought as she walked over to the fireplace and placed two logs inside, on top of the kindling already laid. As she struck a match to light the fire, there was a knock at the door.

“Wow,” she said as she walked to the door. “That was quick.”

Looking out the peephole, she saw a man standing there holding a large bouquet of roses. Placing the chain on the door, she opened it just a crack. “Yes?”

“Kandace Davis?” the man asked. “I have a delivery for you.”

“Just a second,” she said. Kandace dashed into the bedroom and grabbed her robe, then opened the door. “Who are these from?”

“There's a card,” he said.

“Let me get you a tip.”

The man lifted his hand. “It's been taken care of. Have a wonderful day,” he said.

Kandace took the spectacular bouquet of red, white, and pink roses from his hands and sniffed them before reaching for the card.

It's a shame that I was assaulted, yet you get the flowers. Why don't we start over? Hi, I'm Solomon, and I'd love to have you for dinner.

Though she read the double meaning in his card, Kandace couldn't help but smile. His intentions were clear. He wanted her in his bed for dinner, but it was not going to happen. She set the roses on the coffee table in the sitting room, admiring their beauty as she grabbed her book.
All I have to do is ignore him,
she thought as she settled on the sofa.

 

Solomon had sent roses to women before, but he never found himself wondering what any of them thought about the arrangements. He wished he knew what Kandace's thoughts had been when she got the flowers and read the card. He wanted her for dinner in every way; first he'd feed her, then he'd feed off her. She had to be sweet, from those luscious lips to the tips of her toes, and he intended to find out. It was slowly becoming an obsession with him to get inside her. As fiery as she'd been last night, he knew she would be wild in bed. She would probably make him call her name over and over again, after he'd made her scream his.

Knowing that Kandace probably wouldn't be sending him a thank you note, he decided to find out what she planned to do with her day. He headed down the back stairway, which was marked “employees only,” and headed for the front desk manager's office. He figured he owned the place, he might as well use that to his advantage.

 

Carmen walked into her Manhattan office with a venti cup of Starbucks in her hand and a pair of Jackie O–style sunglasses covering her puffy eyes. She'd spent the night scouring the Internet trying to find every piece of information that she could about Kandace Davis. What she'd found out about the woman scared her because Kandace wasn't the typical woman Solomon sexed and left. She had more substance than the models and actresses that he normally bedded just to have something to talk about later. Kandace was everything that Carmen presented herself as, a businesswoman and a smart one at that. Though Kandace was running a successful restaurant in Charlotte with three business partners, she had a public relations business as well, based in Atlanta. Carmen hated her. She knew Kandace was going to be a problem. Carmen wasn't going to have anyone stand between her and the man she loved. She dropped down in her seat and snatched her sunglasses off. How could Solomon not realize that she was everything he ever needed? She was beautiful, smart, and all she wanted was to make him happy. How blind was he? She knew that he wanted a woman who wasn't blinded by the Crawford fortune, and she wasn't.

Carmen booted up the computer and pulled up the Crawford Hotel's Web site. She clicked on Solomon's picture and gazed at his smiling face. Closing her eyes, she imagined Solomon standing at the altar dressed in an Italian tuxedo as she marched toward him dressed in an ivory Vera Wang gown. Her hair would be curled in ringlets because Solomon had once told her that style looked good on her. She wouldn't cry on the outside because her makeup would be too flawless to mess up with tears. And tears were a sign of weakness anyway.

Solomon would take her hand and kiss it as he stared into her eyes. It would be a storybook wedding and she'd finally be the woman she knew she could be. A somebody with a husband everybody wanted.

“Carmen?”

She looked up from the computer and saw Richmond standing there. “What is it?” she asked.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” he said reluctantly.

“Yes, and you thought opening a new resort was a bad move,” Carmen said as she leaned back in her seat.

“I guess people still want to go to the mountains. The holidays are already booked at the resort.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I wanted to talk to you about your alliance with my brother. Solomon couldn't do half of what he does without you, but you're never going to advance in the company if you continue to be his fall girl.”

Carmen narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. “I'm no one's fall girl. Solomon has promised me…”

“Solomon doesn't give a damn about you and he's only keeping you around because you make him look good. Where is he now? Not here, not working.”

“Get out of my office, Richmond. You're just jealous of him. You'll never be half the man Solomon is. Solomon has moved this company to the top of the hospitality industry and you just hate that your little brother is showing you up. What do expect from me? Solomon gave me a chance that I know you would've never given me.”

Richmond shook his head. “You're a bigger fool than I thought. I'm sure there are many things Solomon gives you that I never would. I have morals. I don't know what's going on with the two of you, but when it comes to light, I hope there is still a business for me to run.”

Stalking over to Richmond as he walked out of her office, Carmen slammed the door shut behind him. Kicking the door with her Jimmy Choo clad foot, she silently wished Richmond would be the victim of a violent robbery. Then she and Solomon would have the whole company to themselves. If that idiot thought she would betray her man, he was sorely mistaken. She would never do anything to hurt Solomon, and if Richmond knew what was good for him, he'd stay out of her way.

 

“Mr. Crawford, I had no idea you were staying here with us.” The front desk manager, Frances Honeycutt, stood when she saw Solomon walk into her office.

He smiled at her as he extended his hand to shake hers. “I like to keep a low profile to get a true feel of the property. I have to say, you and your staff have been excellent. All of our guests are happy and will surely come back for another visit.”

“Well, we, uh, are living up to the Crawford standard.”

“Frances,” Solomon said as he took a seat across from her desk, “are you nervous?”

She ran her hand down her throat. “It's just been my experience that when the property owners show up, there's a problem.”

Solomon smiled. “Frances, you have nothing to worry about. But there is a slight problem.”

Frances inhaled sharply. “What can I do, Mr. Crawford?”

“The guest in the Wonderland Suite, I don't think she's very happy.”

Frances shook her head. “We haven't had any complaints, but I will be more than…”

Solomon held up his hand, cutting Frances off. “It's not that sort of problem. I met her and it seems as if she's suffering from being overworked. I'm just trying to make sure she gets taken care of in a very special way.”

Frances's face relaxed and the tension eased from her shoulders as she typed information into the computer. “Kandace Davis? I guess she's working on relieving stress. She has a noon spa appointment.”

“Really?” Solomon said. “That's good to know. Frances, I want you to keep me informed of her movements. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure she doesn't forget this trip.”

“Mr. Crawford, I'm a little uncomfortable with this. Our guests expect privacy in a hotel.”

“And I will respect Miss Davis's privacy. Keep in mind, I own this place and I'm not just someone off the street looking to harm a guest. Kandace and I have a history.”
No matter how recent it is,
he added silently.

Frances nodded. “I understand, sir.”

“And just so you know, there's nothing I'd do at this resort to cause a scandal. We have too much money to make.”

“All right, Mr. Crawford.”

Solomon pulled out his wallet, withdrew five crisp one hundred dollar bills, and handed them to Frances. “This is for your trouble.”

She accepted the money and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. Solomon looked down at his watch as he headed out the door. It was a little after ten. He had plenty of time to go to the spa and prepare his special surprise for Kandace.

 

Kandace woke up from her impromptu nap just as the flames in the fireplace flickered out. The book she'd been reading had long fallen to the floor and she was sure that she'd lost her place in the Phillip Margolin novel. Kandace loved reading suspense novels and would've kept reading had she not become transfixed by the snowfall outside and the warmth from the fire. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so relaxed—not with all the drama that had surrounded getting the restaurant off the ground and Jade going into labor at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Kandace knew she needed the rest and relaxation, but she was never one to sit still for long. Looking at the clock on the television, she saw she had time to take a walk in the snow before her spa treatment. She hoped that she would not run into Solomon because she just didn't know how to take him.

Kandace pulled her coat tighter as she walked near the beginner's ski hill. The snow was beautiful, but it was freezing cold outside, despite the fact that she was dressed in three layers of clothes. She dashed into the resort café to warm herself with a latte before her spa treatment. After placing her order and receiving her cup of gourmet coffee, Kandace searched for a table. When she found one, she was thankful to rest her feet. That is until she saw who was seated at the table next to hers.

“Kandace,” Solomon said. “Did you like the flowers?”

“Actually, I did,” she said as she took her seat. Solomon moved over to her table as if he'd been invited. She shook her head and sucked her teeth.

“Did I invite you to sit with me?” she asked.

“Not verbally, but I could see it in your eyes,” he said.

Kandace took a sip of her latte, then looked at him. He was dressed in a pair of chocolate brown corduroy pants and a cream turtleneck that hugged his chest like a second skin. The heat she was feeling between her thighs had nothing to do with the beverage she was sipping as her gaze fell to his big hands. Flashes of her erotic dream jumped to the forefront of her mind. “You need to get your eyes checked,” Kandace said as she took another sip of her latte.

“I have perfect twenty-twenty vision. What are you sipping on?”

“You own the place. Shouldn't you know the menu?”

Solomon smiled, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. She turned her head away and drained the rest of her drink. “I have to go,” she said.

“You don't have to,” he said. “You never gave me an answer either.”

“An answer to what?” Kandace asked as she glanced at her watch.

“Can I have you for dinner?”

Kandace rolled her eyes and walked out of the café. She was tempted to answer his question with a yes, thinking about the arrogance of that man and the sheer sexiness of him. The angel on her right shoulder was whispering say no and walk away, but the voice coming from her left shoulder was much louder. “Let him have you for dinner. You only live once,” Kandace heard the little devil on her shoulder cry out. Sighing, she wasn't sure how to answer Solomon's intriguing question.

 

Solomon kicked back at the table and watched Kandace sashay out the door. Her hips moved like palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze and he got hard just watching her walk. Since he knew she was going to the spa, he didn't make a sudden move to follow her. He was going to wait until she had no choice but to acknowledge the fire between them. When she was naked on the massage table, he'd make his move. Just as he was about to leave the café, his cell phone rang. He glanced down at the caller ID and saw that it was Carmen.

“What's going on, Carmen?” he asked.

“Guess who was singing your praises this morning?” she said happily.

“I'm kind of in a rush right now. I don't have time for guessing games,” he replied as he walked out the door.

“Richmond came in my office this morning saying that Carolina Serenity is doing great,” she said. “And that he was wrong to think opening our resort was a mistake.”

“That's Captain Obvious for you. Look, I have to go.” Solomon hung up the phone and headed for the spa. When he walked into the waiting area, the receptionist recognized him from his earlier visit.

“Mr. Crawford, hello,” she said with a flirtatious lilt to her voice.

“Hi. Show me to the massage rooms again,” he said, then offered her a wink.

“Down the hall and to the left. Only one is occupied right now,” she said.

He nodded and headed to the room where he knew Kandace was. He slowly opened the door and signaled to the masseuse to stay silent. Solomon stepped in and closed the door. On the table, he saw Kandace lying on her stomach with a towel covering her lower back. While some of her more interesting parts were hidden, what he saw lit a fire in his loins. Her legs were strong, thighs thick like a real woman and not someone who spent her life dieting for a movie role or a cover shot. Her skin looked like the finest milk chocolate and had him nearly drooling. Solomon handed the masseuse a hundred dollar bill and pointed to the door. The man took the money, nodded, and headed out the door. Solomon quickly took his place, massaging Kandace's shoulders and back with long deep strokes.

Kandace moaned in delight as his hands moved down her back. “That feels so good,” she said.

Solomon leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I can make you feel even better.”

Kandace opened her eyes and held her head up. “What in the hell are you doing here?” she demanded. Though she wanted to move, she wasn't dressed for running in her bandeau bra and barely there panties. Solomon looked down at her, seeing her bra with its clasp at her lower back for the first time, and shook his head.

“And here I thought you were naked,” he said with a grin.

Kandace grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her waist as she slid off the table. “You're a stalker and this has to stop,” she said. Solomon watched her lips move, but he couldn't process what she was saying. He'd known she was beautiful, but seeing her nearly naked, he couldn't hear past the crackling of desire in his heart and body.

“I'm not a stalker, but you're making a brother have to come on strong. You could end all of this if you'd simply cooperate,” Solomon said.

“That's not what this is. You're just not used to someone refusing the great Solomon Crawford. Once again, I'm going to tell you no.” Kandace followed Solomon's gaze to her breasts. “Pig!” she exclaimed as she covered her chest with her arms.

“Did you think I wouldn't look?” he asked as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he flashed her a wily smile. “You see them everyday. You know your breasts are amazing.”

Kandace shook her head and reached for her robe. “Every time I start thinking you could be a decent guy, you go out of your way to remind me that I should stay far, far away from you.”

Solomon rocked back on his heels. “What do you want, Kandace? What can or should I do to get you to admit you want me?”

“Try being sincere for once. I know you want to sleep with me, but give me a reason to sleep with you,” she said bluntly.

He raised his right eyebrow. “I can give you several reasons. Multiple orgasms would be the first of many reasons.”

Kandace sucked her bottom lip in and shook her head. “Any vibrator can give a woman multiple orgasms.”

“But I'm far from a vibrator.”

“Yeah,” Kandace said. “You don't have an off switch.”

Solomon poked out his lip like a sad little boy. “That was cold.”

“And so was interrupting my massage. I came here to relax and because of you, I haven't gotten much of that done,” she said, then poked him in his chest.

“Well, you've only been here for a day and the first few days of a vacation are never relaxing,” he said. “And you have to admit, you like sparring with me.”

Kandace shot him a cold look. “You're impossible,” she said. “Let me guess. When you were a little boy Mommy and Daddy yielded to your every whim.” Kandace gave him a slow once over. “Judging by your height, you played basketball and were the star of the team and that helped you get your way even more.”

Solomon shook his head. “You don't know me, Kandace. I'd love for you to get to know me, but you can't seem to let yourself go enough to enjoy whatever happens.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “Go with the flow, baby.”

Kandace stomped on his foot, though her blow made with a bare foot had little physical impact, and Solomon released her. “If you go out to dinner with me and have a horrible time, I'll take your no for an answer.”

“And if I tell you no now?” she questioned. “What are you going to do then?”

“You know I own this place, right? So, unless you plan on checking out, I'm going to show up everywhere you go until you say yes.”

“And you don't think that's stalking?” she asked as she rolled her eyes.

He shook his head. “I call it being persistent. You can end this whenever you want. Agree to have dinner with me,” Solomon said.

“Get out of here,” Kandace said. “And maybe I'll consider it.”

“I tell you what,” he said as he backed away from her. “Since you say I ruined your spa treatment, have a deluxe one on me. That way you can't say you were too stressed out to have dinner with me.”

“I said I'd consider having dinner with you, I didn't agree to anything,” Kandace informed him.

Solomon opened the door. “But you will,” he said, then winked at her before sending the masseuse back inside.

 

Kandace tried to think of something other than Solomon's hands as her real massage resumed. But she couldn't. His strokes felt so good and her body had been on fire as he touched her. She'd tingled from the roots of her hair to her toenails. Dinner with him would be dangerous, because she knew what his kisses did to her, and coupled with his touch, she was going to be in serious trouble.

“Miss Davis,” the masseuse said, “we're done. If you put on your robe, I can take you to your facial.”

“Thank you,” she said as she rose from the table and put on her robe. Kandace followed the man to another room and took a seat. Part of her wondered if Solomon was going to show up again. Once her facial got started, Kandace decided to relax and not worry about seeing Solomon again. At least not until she saw him at dinner.

 

Carmen slammed her phone into the cradle on her desk. She'd called Solomon five times in the last hour and her phone calls went directly to voice mail. She knew what that meant. Obviously that tramp Kandace had opened her legs to him. Carmen didn't know what it was about this woman that got under her skin so badly. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't know what was going on. When Solomon had his flings with models and actresses, he kept her in the loop, telling her how stupid they were and what a disappointment they'd turned out to be. This woman was different, because Carmen knew she wasn't stupid. And from the pictures she'd seen of her on the Internet, she wasn't ugly either. Still, she needed to know if Solomon had gotten what he wanted and was ready to move on. Better yet, to come back to New York. She picked up the phone and started dialing his number again.

“Knock, knock,” Danny said from the door of her office. Carmen looked up and faked a smile as she hung up the phone.

“Danny, right?” Carmen said.

“You're killing my ego,” he said. “I invite you to lunch and you never call back, then struggle to remember my name.”

“I'm sorry, we just ran into some problems at the resort in North Carolina,” Carmen lied.

“I thought Solomon was down there handling all of that,” Danny said as he walked in. “You know that guy works you too hard. Does he realize how valuable you are?”

“I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for the job,” Carmen said with a hint of attitude in her voice.

Danny threw his hands up. “I was just kidding with you. No need to get so testy,” he said. “Solomon is my boy.”

Carmen raised her eyebrow and leaned back in her seat. “All right, why are you here?”

“At some point today, you're going to have to eat. I'm here to insure that you eat one of those meals with me.”

While Carmen smiled at Danny, inside she was groaning and pushing him out of her office. Who did he think he was? Solomon Crawford? His line was stale and he didn't have half of the charm and charisma that Solomon had in his pinky finger.

“I'm sorry you wasted your time, but I can't go out to eat with you today. I have to put out this fire in North Carolina, head to my spin class, and then I have to brief Richmond on some other projects.”

Danny perched on the edge of Carmen's desk and stared into her expressive hazel eyes. “Tell me something. Are we ever going to go out? If you're not interested, let me know and I can stop making a fool of myself.”

Carmen patted his knee. “I'm sure you're a nice guy, but I just don't want to go out with you. Don't take it personal. I hope we can be friends, but nothing more.”

Danny nodded. “I can live with that, especially since we're going to be seeing more of each other anyway.”

“How so?” she asked.

“Solomon hired my company to run background checks on new employees and to do random background checks company wide.”

Carmen tugged at her hair. “He didn't tell me about this.”

Danny shrugged. “Probably slipped his mind. If you have any security issues or questions you want me to take a look at, I'm going to be right down the hall.”

“Then I guess we should have lunch and talk about what you will be doing for us,” she said as he stood up. “Is one-thirty good for you?”

“I'll check my calendar and get back to you,” he said, then headed out of her office.

Carmen was going to have to make extra nice with Danny. The last thing she needed was for that chump to uncover what she had worked so hard to hide.

 

Three hours after she entered the spa, Kandace stepped out feeling like a brand new woman. She would have to thank Solomon for her deluxe treatment, which included a facial, pedicure, manicure, and an appointment with the hair stylist on duty. Kandace had decided to try something new with her hair and allowed the woman to take two inches off her brown tresses. She ended up with a sleek bob that highlighted her cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. Though she'd have to give up her trademark ponytail now, she felt as if the sophistication of the cut was worth the sacrifice.

As she walked into the lobby, the front desk clerk stopped her. “Miss Davis, we have a package for you.”

“Thank you,” Kandace said as she walked over to the desk and took the box from the clerk. She knew it was from Solomon and a part of her couldn't wait to see what it was. Knowing him, she figured it was some skimpy piece of lingerie. And if it was, she was going to send it right back.
This man just isn't going to learn,
she thought as she tucked the box under her arm and headed for the elevator. When she arrived in her room, Kandace opened the box and instead of finding a tawdry piece of lingerie, she was treated to a beautiful red dress with a matching wrap. She pulled the dress from the box and held it against her skin. The silky material flowed as she spun around. “Good choice, Crawford,” she said to herself. Kandace stripped out of her clothes and slipped into the dress. Solomon had gotten her size perfectly, and the strapless, tea-length dress complimented her new haircut.