then, Solomon had sworn that he’d never trust another woman again. One of the first cases he’d given Danny had been to track down Alyessa. When Danny reported that Alyessa was living a life of luxury and was happily married to a duke, Solomon resolved that women weren’t to be trusted and he’d never allow another one to get close to him. He’d switched his career focus from filmmaking to the family business, which shocked his family and the Los Angeles studio executives who’d been interested in putting his movie on the big screen.
At first, Solomon had allowed Richmond to take the lead at work. He’d watched his brother and learned everything he needed to learn about the industry. Looking back on it, Solomon was pretty sure Richmond hated the fact that he was such an excellent teacher now that he was taking orders from his little brother.
“You all right over there?” Danny asked as he stepped off the treadmill.
Solomon dropped his weights. “Yeah, I’m just thinking about what I need for this trip. I’m probably going to make a regular reservation and see how smoothly things run. My workers don’t need to know I’m looking over their shoulder.”
“That’s a good idea. Maybe while you’re gone, I can get Carmen to go out on a date with me,” Danny said as he wiped his face with the bottom of his T-shirt.
“Good luck on that,” Solomon said. “I don’t think I’ve seen her go out on a date since she’s been in New York. She needs a life.”
Danny flexed his muscles. “And I’m just the man to give her one.”
CHAPTER 4
When Kandace pulled up to the mountain resort, she thought she’d found the route to heaven. Snow quietly fell on the lush green grass, and in the background of the eight-story resort was Sugar Mountain in all of its snow-covered glory. Kandace couldn’t tell if it was real snow or manufactured, and it didn’t matter one bit. She turned her gaze to the classic building in front of her. It resembled a castle, with frosted windows, two towers, and what looked to be a giant snow globe over the entrance. Inside the globe was the Crawford crest, which adorned all of the hotels in the chain. This one was covered in snow. “Wow,” Kandace said as she put her car in park. “I can’t wait to see the inside.” As she stepped out of the car, she was met by two porters dressed in gold and cream uniforms.
“Hello, ma’am,” the taller man said. “We’ll take your bags and Tony can check you in curbside if you’d like.”
Impressed by their customer service, Kandace smiled brightly and popped her trunk. “Thank you, Cal,” she said, reading his name tag. “I don’t have my reservation number handy, so I’ll go inside.”
“All right, ma’am. Enjoy your stay at Serenity,” Cal said as he and Tony lifted her bags from the rear of her rented SUV. Kandace smoothed her ponytail and headed inside. Entering the lobby was another breathtaking experience. The lobby was decorated in lush earth tones. The plush carpet was a cocoa brown color, and in the corner, the fire inside the fireplace roared. Kandace wanted to snuggle up in the lavish love seat across from the fireplace and read a good book.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” the desk clerk said. “Are you checking in?”
“Yes. Kandace Davis.”
The clerk pushed her blond hair behind her ears and began typing Kandace’s name into the computer. “Yes, Ms. Davis, I have your reservation right here. You’re going to be in our Wonderland Suite. It is a beautiful room with a private balcony and a fireplace.”
“Great, Brandi,” Kandace said, after reading the clerk’s tag. “I have to say, this place is beautiful.”
“Isn’t it? You’re going to love your room,” Brandi said as she passed Kandace her key card. “It’s on the fifth floor and three doors down on your right. Would you like me to schedule your spa appointment for you?”
“That’s all right. I’ll take care of it later, but thank you.”
Cal and Tony approached the desk with Kandace’s bags and Brandi told them where to take them. Kandace had expected the porters to ride on the elevator with her, but they didn’t. When she arrived on the fifth floor, she saw the porters leaving her room. Did they run up the stairs? she wondered as she entered the room. As soon as she stepped through the doors, any thoughts of the porters were replaced by the lavishness of the Wonderland Suite. Her feet sank into the white carpet as she made her way to the center of the room to take it all in. Her king-size bed looked as if it were three feet off the ground, and it was covered with a gold and cream goose down comforter. A twenty-seven-inch plasma TV hung on the wall. Kandace’s gaze fell on the marble fireplace in the middle of the sitting room. It was already stocked with wood, and in front of it was a sofa similar to the one in the lobby. Turning back to the bedroom, she saw the cherrywood wardrobe was open and her luggage was resting on the shelves. Unable to resist the call of the bed any longer, Kandace plopped down on the comforter and closed her eyes. So far, her vacation was wonderful.
When Kandace woke up, the sun was setting. She rushed over to the large bay windows and watched the majesty of the setting sun in the Carolina sky. The blue sky was a royal purple with bursts of orange. She saw a few people skiing down the hill next to the resort. Kandace figured that it was a beginner’s hill, but she wasn’t going try it.
Stepping into the bathroom, Kandace ran her hand across the marble countertop, then she turned on the jets in the walk-in shower. She stripped her clothes off and stood underneath the warm spray. As the water poured over her, Kandace felt nearly orgasmic. Shaking her head, she realized that this was the closest thing to sex she’d experienced since her breakup with Robert. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had offers for meaningless sex or promises of one-night stands that would make her knees tremble. But Kandace wasn’t a one-night stand, meaningless affair type of woman, and that seemed to be all men in Atlanta wanted. Charlotte hadn’t offered many more choices.
She saw how those types of relationships had hurt her mother, beginning with her father. Kandace thought of him as more of a sperm donor since she’d seen him only once in her life. For years, Kandace had more uncles than she could count. They never stayed around long and her mother always cried for weeks until she met someone else. Maybe that’s why Kandace had stayed with Robert for as long as she did. He allowed her to mask the heartache she continued to carry over Devon Harris.
Sure, she was able to work with him now, but back in college when she’d found out that he’d cheated on her with the one girl she couldn’t stand, Jolisa Covington from Richmond, Virginia, she’d been devastated. Her family had money and Kandace’s didn’t. The only reason Kandace had been able to attend Spelman had been because her mother had joined the army when Kandace was six years old, after her latest relationship fizzled. Scholarships and financial aid had been Kandace’s best friends until she found a plum work-study assignment. When she’d started dating Devon, son of NBA player and Atlanta god, Devon Harris Sr., Kandace was about to start believing in fairy tales. Then she’d met his father, who made it clear to the couple that Kandace wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted to see his son with.
Then she had been brought into the picture. Devon Sr. had handpicked Jolisa to end Kandace’s relationship with his son. Jolisa had been given carte blanche to make herself at home in the Harris household. At first, Devon had denied any attraction to Jolisa. He’d called her an annoying groupie. Then, she’d become just his homegirl. And finally, Kandace had walked in on the aftermath of Jolisa and Devon’s lovemaking.
Kandace hadn’t needed to hear Devon’s excuses. She’d heard them all before when one of her mother’s boyfriends had done the same thing to her. She pushed past him, leaving her dreams of moving to Paris with him crumpled like the sheets on his bed. One day, she’d vowed, Devon would be sorry he’d treated her this way. She had no idea that she would end up in business with him. Happily none of her old feelings returned. She was over Devon and no matter how Jade tried to tell her that she should give him another chance, she wasn’t going to do it.
Kandace was not going to play the same fool twice.