by Terra Little
“Laurent, what if I pay Mr. Patel a visit and try to persuade him to go with your deal? He likes me—he might listen to reason.”
Laurent opened his eyes. “Thank you, baby, but I can’t let you do that.”
“But if you don’t get it, I’ll be forced to deal with somebody else.”
He smiled at her sheer dogged determination. She would have her café in that spot no matter who owned the hotel. Her ambition was inspiring, and he had no doubt she’d succeed. But so would he.
He brushed her hair back from her cheek and pulled her forward to kiss her tempting lips. “He’s retiring, so yes, he’s going to sell to somebody. But he won’t get a better deal than the one I gave him. For two weeks he’s had me jumping through hoops, only to find out he’s been playing me this whole time.”
“You didn’t know another company was trying to purchase the hotel?”
“No, I didn’t. He didn’t like the initial deal my father proposed, so I was sent to negotiate a better deal. Then he tells me he wants to sell to someone who understands the hotel’s place in the community. He led me to believe that if I made an effort to understand Danville and the people who live here, we’d have a deal. But that wasn’t good enough. We negotiated a few more points that I had no problem with, but then I learned that I have some competition. This whole time he’s been juggling both companies to see who he could get the best deal from.”
“So what do you know about the competition?” she asked.
“I did a little digging around, and they are not the type of company he wants to deal with. He didn’t like the fact that I researched my competition, but I’m sure once he checks into everything I said, he’ll thank me. After all, I’ve jumped through all his hoops, and I doubt that the other company has.”
“So, was calling me for a tour a part of jumping through his hoops?”
He pondered her question for a few seconds. She had a confused look on her face. “In a way, but you helped me get a perspective I couldn’t have gotten otherwise. And in the process, I got to know you.”
She sat back and stared at him a moment before swinging her leg around and shifting her body until she sat next to him on the bed, reaching for the covers. What the hell had he said wrong?
“Did you use me?” she asked, her voice a pitch higher than before.
Laurent faced her, leaning on one elbow. “Of course not.” He didn’t like the way she put that, but had it not been for Mr. Patel’s request, he might not be lying here with her right now.
“I’ll send him a thank-you card. But if he hadn’t asked you to learn more about the community, you still would have called me?”
“I like to think that I would have, but I can’t say. Initially, I’d only planned to stay in town for a couple of days. I told you that.”
She turned and regarded him with puzzled eyes. “In other words, no. I did introduce you to a lot of people and give you that ‘insider’s perspective’ you were looking for. Was this a perspective you wanted to get as well?” She pointed between herself and him. “All a part of becoming one with the community?”
He reached out and pulled her back into his arms. “Of course not.” A cool breeze sailed through the room, as if someone had opened a refrigerator door. All the warmth between them vanished, along with his erection. Laurent could feel her slipping away from him. “You already know the answer to that. You’ve been on my mind ever since I ran into you at the hotel. Then, when we kept bumping into each other, I knew I was supposed to connect with you.”
She chuckled as she threw the covers back, swinging her long legs over the edge of the bed. “I hear what you’re saying and I know you’re right, but somehow I still feel a little used.”
“Tracee, don’t feel that way. Those tours, and you, are the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. It may look as if I used you in some form, but I didn’t.”
“How about the potluck? You met my whole family and got to meet a lot of the people who live out here. What do you call that?”
“I called it spending time with a beautiful young lady who invited me to the bed-and-breakfast’s potluck dinner. She introduced me to her family and I had a great time. The next day, she had me do something I’d never done before. I went horseback riding.”
“I’m not saying you didn’t enjoy yourself. Hell, I enjoyed myself. I’m just saying maybe you were attracted to me for some manufactured reason, not because you were interested in me. Then the sex got good, and here we are.”
He shook his head. “If it wasn’t for Mr. Patel, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of learning more about this town, or you. Maybe I should thank him instead of being upset with him. Because whether he sells to us or not, I walk away with something more valuable than just good sex.”
She shrugged and stared at him as if trying to detect if he was being truthful or not, which he was. If nothing else came out of this trip, he’d found a woman he wanted to be with. He didn’t know how, but he wanted to be with Tracee. He reached out to stroke her cheek, but she turned her head.
“I’m gonna need to think about this. Yeah, I thought we were having a great time, and then I started falling for you, but now I don’t know how I feel.” She stood up.
Laurent threw back his covers. “Tracee, where you goin’? Come back to bed.” He looked around at the glowing clock on her nightstand. It was 2:35 in the morning.
“I’ll be back. I need to use the bathroom,” she muttered before disappearing behind the bathroom door.
He lay back on the pillows and ran his hands over his face. Tonight couldn’t end like this—he wouldn’t let it. She’d admitted she was falling for him, and the feeling was mutual. Which was why he wanted to be up front with her. He didn’t play games with women.
When Tracee returned, Laurent patted her side of the bed. “Come here, let me talk to you for a minute.”
She stared at him, leery of his motives. He patted her side of the bed again, and she walked over to join him.
“You’re not really upset over this, are you?”
Tracee snorted. “I know I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help thinking that if Mr. Patel hadn’t played you against the Stephenson Group this whole time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. It’s not like you would have reached out to me anyway.”
To hear that name come out of Tracee’s mouth made the hair on the back of Laurent’s neck take notice. He’d been careful not to mention the name of his competition, but somehow she already knew. “How did you know who the other company was? I never mentioned them.”
“I have my resources.”
“How long have you known?” he asked, curious now that maybe she was trying to play him, too. Had she known from the moment he met her?
“Why? That’s not important.”
“It’s important to me,” he said, with a little more bass in his voice than he’d intended. Had she contacted anyone from that company?
She got out of bed again. “It’s important to me that I get my lease. You’re not the only one who knows how to do a little research. I’m going to take a shower.”
Laurent sat there thinking. Could she be in contact with someone from the Stephenson Group? Was that why she had such an attitude? To what lengths would she go to secure that lease?
He climbed out of bed and reached for his clothes.
* * *
The next morning, Laurent threw on his running gear and grabbed his earbuds. When he opened the door to his hotel room, he got the shock of his life. Standing on the other side of the door with his fist up, poised to knock, was his father, Thomas Martin.
“What are you doing here?” The words spewed out of Laurent’s mouth at a speed that made his father blink his eyes. He frowned and pushed past Laurent.
“I might ask you the same thing. What the hell’s going on?” he asked as he walked in.
In his signature Ralph Lauren business suit, his father looked around the room as if he expected someone else to be there. Laurent closed the door and removed the earbuds. “I told you what’s going on. You’ve gotten my reports. The deal is taking longer than I anticipated. Now I’ve discovered there’s another buyer in line.”
Thomas Martin shook his head. “So what? You’ve never let something like that stop you before.” He walked over and put his hand on Laurent’s shoulder. “This isn’t like you, Laurent. You’re a shrewd negotiator, or you used to be. What’s happened to you, son? I thought you wanted this deal.”
Laurent pulled away from his father’s condescending tone. “I do! But you need to give me a little more time.”
His father walked over and looked out the window at the city below. He stood there shaking his head before turning back around to face Laurent. “I gave you a few days, which is all it should have taken. So I’ll meet with Mr. Patel myself and discuss this new discovery. Go for your run. I’ll fill you in when you get back.”
Like hell you will. Thomas Martin was a fair man, but if you squandered an opportunity he’d given you, there might not be another one. Laurent saw the disappointment in his father’s slack face and heard it in his lifeless words. He’d let him down. The family’s troubleshooter and master negotiator wasn’t living up to his reputation.
He dropped his phone and earbuds on the table. “Wait a minute. I’m getting dressed. This is still my deal.”
Chapter 16
Standing in front of a mirror in what used to be Kyla’s room the summer she lived at the bed-and-breakfast, Kyla helped Tracee try on a Wonder Woman costume. “I think this thing is too tight, don’t you?” Tracee asked as she studied the strapless one-piece that showed off her curvy figure, but might be too much for a kids’ party.
“No tighter than this stupid jester costume you talked me into. Now be still while I get all this damned hair under your headband.”
“I’m glad Corra decided to throw a Halloween party this year. I prefer partying over waiting on some kids to ring my bell so I can toss them a few pieces of candy. Besides, the kids don’t come by like they used to anymore.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kyla took a step back and looked at her handiwork. “Wait until they get a look at you, superhero, in your over-the-knee boots and bright red lipstick. That shade matches the top of the suit perfect.”
“I look like a hooker,” Tracee said, glaring back at herself.
“No you don’t. Wonder Woman’s an Amazonian warrior. That’s what you look like.”
Tracee didn’t agree with her little sister, but since she’d gone to all the trouble of bringing the costume from Lexington, she appeased her. “So, is Miles coming to the party next week?”
“I think so. He said he would be in Lexington on the thirty-first, so I’m sure he’ll come. If he does, I might not wear this lame costume—we’ll get matching ones.”
“Oh, that’s so cute. I love to see couples all matchie-matchie.”
“Why don’t you and Laurent get matching outfits?” Kyla asked.
“Please, Laurent and I aren’t a couple. Besides, he’ll probably be gone by then.”
“Didn’t you say he was trying to purchase the hotel?”
“Yeah, but he might finish his deal and be out of here before Halloween.”
“But if he does purchase the hotel, won’t he be in town a lot more? I mean, if he’s going to run it, maybe he’ll relocate here.”
Tracee shook her head. “I don’t think Laurent has any intention of moving to Danville.”
Kyla placed her hands on her hips. “Did he say he wasn’t?”
Tracee shrugged and realized something for the first time. They’d never talked about what would happen once, or if, he purchased the hotel. He never said who would run it or if he’d be back in town to do anything. “He didn’t, but it’s not something I think will happen.”
“And you’re okay with that? Don’t try to tell me you don’t have feelings for that man, because I know you do. It’s not just a sex thing like you want me to believe.”
You could fool some of the people some of the time, but she could never fool Kyla. “So what if I like him. When his business is over here, he’ll go back to California. I’m just hoping he buys the hotel and leases me the space. I’m working on lining up a new partner.”
Kyla stood next to Tracee and started laughing as they looked at themselves in the mirror.
Tracee grabbed Kyla’s hand. “Come on, let’s go show Corra.”
Kyla snatched her hand away. “I’m not going out there like this. I look like a clown. We have guests.”
“Girl, nobody’s hanging out in the lobby. Who’s going to see us but Corra? Come on, she’s working on the computer at the front desk.”
Tracee took Kyla by the hand and pulled her out of the spare bedroom, down the hall and out into the lobby. Kyla begged her not to and laughed all the way. The minute they walked through the lobby entrance, a tall, distinguished older black man who stood at the counter turned toward them.
Tracee heard Corra say, “Ah, here’s Tracee now. Ladies, uh...this is Mr. Thomas Martin. He’s looking for Tracee.”
She dropped Kyla’s hand as a rush of adrenaline tingled through her body. Did Corra say Thomas Martin, as in Laurent’s father? Kyla turned around and retreated back into the family quarters. Tracee wanted to run away as well, but he’d already seen her.
Mr. Martin stared at her boots and worked his way up to her red lips, with raised brows. “Tracee Coleman?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m Tracee. You’ll have to forgive the costume—we’re getting ready for our first big Halloween party.” The suffocating suit made her breasts look as if they were ready to pop. And from the disapproving look on Mr. Martin’s face, she was sure he thought the same thing.
He offered his hand. “I’m Thomas Martin, Laurent’s father. Would it be possible to speak with you alone for a moment?”
His grip was firm, and the words in her mouth froze. She did not want to meet Laurent’s father dressed like this. Costume or not, he might get the wrong impression of her.
Corra came from behind the counter. “Tracee, you might want to step into the library for a little privacy.” She motioned them in that direction before turning the opposite way. “I’ll be in the office if you need anything, okay, Tracee?”
Tracee nodded, unable to verbalize a response. What was Laurent’s father doing in Danville? And how did he know to come looking for her at the bed-and-breakfast? Mr. Martin took a step back, and Tracee pulled herself out of the daze she’d sunken into. She smiled as she walked into the library. “We can talk in here.”
He walked in behind her, and she closed the pocket doors. She turned around to find his focus on the books. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” he said as he turned around to set his disapproving gaze on her again.
She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the coldness in his eyes. She sensed that this man did not like her. “Are you looking for Laurent?”
“No. I’ve come to speak to you.”
She uncrossed her arms and placed a hand over her heart. “Me!”
“Yes. I believe you’re the young lady who’s been occupying my son’s time since he’s been in town.” That wasn’t a question, but more of a statement, which he followed up with a curt smile.
She shivered. There was something not so nice about this man. “I gave him a tour of the town and we’ve spent some time together, yes.”
“And there lies the problem.” He walked away and ran his fingers across some of the books. No doubt looking for dust, the way he had his nose all up in the air. “You see, Laurent was tasked with closing a very important deal. It should have taken him a couple of days at the most.” He stopped and turned back t
o Tracee. “However, he’s been here for over two weeks.”
Tracee dropped her smile. “Yes, I know. He told me about it.”
“Well, you see, Tracee...may I call you Tracee?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Tracee, I know my son. He’s never let anything get in the way of negotiating a deal. He’s a Martin—it’s what he does. But he’s young, and the only thing I can think of that would distract him from taking care of business is a beautiful young lady such as yourself.”
Tracee wanted to smile, but the quick head-to-toe glance he gave her Wonder Woman costume let her know that wasn’t exactly a compliment. He’d come to insult her.
“I’m sorry, but are you trying to insinuate that I’m the reason Laurent couldn’t close that deal?” It was insane, she knew, but that sounded like what he was saying.
“On the contrary. I’m sure you helped him in numerous ways, and I thank you for that. Unfortunately, Laurent has a fondness for beautiful women. So when I received his report about a delay, I knew a woman was involved somewhere.”
“And you came to Danville to tell me that?”
He left the bookshelf and strode closer to her. “I came into town to finish the deal. Once I learned of your existence, I wanted to meet you myself. I wanted to see the woman who could cost my company millions of dollars. The woman who’d stolen my son’s heart.”
Was that what she’d done? “Mr. Martin, your son has stolen my heart also. In the short amount of time Laurent has been here, I have to admit I’ve grown very fond of him.”
He smiled down at the floor before glancing back up at her. “Of course you have. Laurent is a very sought-after bachelor. A young woman would be lucky to be seen with any of my sons. Laurent didn’t come to Danville looking for a woman. He had a job to do, and I thank you for helping him. But in a few days the deal will be complete and Laurent will return to California. I wanted to make sure you understood that.”
