Strategic Seduction

by Cheris Hodges

  Alicia nodded, then watched Vivian saunter out of the restaurant. She really didn’t like her. This isn’t about her, Alicia thought as she finished her meal.

  * * *

  Richmond paced his office wondering how things were going with Alicia and Vivian. What if Vivian went all crazy bitch on her and they got into a fight? Nah, Alicia wouldn’t let that happen, he thought as he paused for a brief moment. And Vivian wouldn’t want to cause a scene in public.

  Richmond had given Alicia the fake check, but cautioned her not to tell Vivian that the check wasn’t real. He still believed that his ex would run off with the money. And if she did that, Richmond would know that everything everyone said about Vivian was true and he’d wasted too many years of his life trying to make that woman love him.

  He couldn’t help but be happy to have Alicia in his life and in his heart now. But if she didn’t hurry up and give him a call, he was going to go out of his mind.

  Solomon walked into the office and shot his brother a questioning look. “What’s going on? You heard from Alicia yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “You think Vivian kidnapped her?”

  Richmond glared at his brother. “When are you going back to New York?”

  Solomon sat across from Richmond’s desk and shook his head. “You need to calm down. I know you’re worried about Alicia doing this, but once this thing works, you get Vivian out of your life.”

  “But if anyone hurts Alicia, there won’t be a hole in hell where they can hide.”

  Solomon threw his hands up. “Damn, who knew you were a gangsta like that?”

  “Would you let Kandace do this?”

  Solomon leaned back in his seat. “I almost lost my wife before I had a chance to spend forever with her. We’re with two strong women, and we have to trust that they know what they’re doing.”

  Richmond nodded and then his phone dinged. She took the check.

  “Well, Vivian did the one thing that I knew she’d do,” Richmond said. “She took the money.”

  “Like that was ever a question,” Solomon quipped.

  A few minutes later, Alicia walked into the office looking exhausted. “What did you ever see in that woman?” She crossed over to Richmond and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “That’s the million-dollar question,” Solomon said. “And we could never get the answer to that question.”

  “We all make mistakes so that when we find forever, we know,” Richmond said. “So, what’s next?”

  Alicia perched on the edge of his desk. “She’s going to send him a picture of the check and set up a meeting.”

  “And I don’t give a damn what you say, I’m going to be there,” Richmond said. “No arguments, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Alicia smiled, then leaned in and stroked his cheek. “Yes, sir.”

  “Ooh, I like the way you say that.”

  Solomon cleared his throat. “Hey, guys, I’m still here.”

  “Then you should leave,” Richmond said. Solomon rose to his feet and smiled at the couple.

  “You guys are nasty,” he said as he walked out the door.

  “Glad we’re alone now,” Richmond said as he slipped his hand underneath Alicia’s lace shirt. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” He brought his lips down on top of hers, kissing her slow and deep. Alicia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as their tongues danced.

  Richmond pulled back from her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He kissed her again. “I don’t want to have to worry about someone taking you away from me either. I’m worried about you getting involved with this thing.”

  “Richmond, everything is going to be fine. You don’t have to worry.”

  One more kiss. “What do you say we get out of here and spend the rest of the day in bed?”

  “Sounds good to me. Oh, and I brought you takeout from the restaurant, so we don’t have to get up for anything.”

  “Make sure you text Kandace and tell her to keep Solomon away from the house for at least four hours.”

  Alicia pulled out her phone and sent the text. “Done,” she said.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  Richmond sped to the house, parked the car, and scooped Alicia out of the passenger side. They barely made it to the foyer before Richmond started undressing her. “God, I want you,” he moaned as he dropped his pants and wrapped her leg around his waist.

  Thrusting forward, they melted together. “Yes,” she moaned.

  “I love you, I love you,” Richmond said as they ground against each other.

  “Are we even going to make it to the bed?” she breathed against his ear.

  “Eventually.”

  She bounced against his hardness, getting wetter and wetter with each thrust. Alicia exploded and Richmond lifted her in his arms.

  “Now, we take this to bed.”

  After spending the next two hours making love, Alicia and Richmond shared takeout from Trader Vic’s.

  “This is good,” he said. “And needed, because you wore me out, woman.”

  “Right back at you. I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk for a few days. But I like it.”

  He held out a spring roll to her. “When you’re the boss, you can work from home. And home can be right here in this bed.”

  She bit the roll and he placed her hand on his chest. “Not until Felix is in jail,” she said after chewing and swallowing her food.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I’m still not sold on this.”

  “Richmond, I don’t want to fight about this. I’ve made up my mind, the plan is in motion and . . .” When her phone dinged, indicating that she had a text message, Alicia reached for it. “And Felix is ready to meet for his money.”

  “There goes staying in bed for days. All right, where are we going?”

  She looked down at the phone. “It looks like he wants to meet at Amélie’s.”

  “Let’s go.”

  They got dressed and headed to the pastry shop. Richmond and Alicia found a table in the back of the shop where they could see Vivian and Felix walk in. Alicia set up her iPhone so that it could capture the image of the two when they arrived.

  “Are you sure that they’re coming?” Richmond asked after they’d been waiting for about ten minutes.

  “Well, if they try to cash that check, then both of them will be going to jail,” Alicia said.

  Richmond nudged her. “There she is.”

  “And here he comes,” Alicia said when she noticed Felix. “Smug bastard.”

  “Relax. Today, he gets what he deserves.”

  “Maybe we should move a little closer,” she suggested.

  “You do that. I’m going to stay out of sight,” he said. Alicia nodded and headed to a table closer to where Felix and Vivian were sitting.

  * * *

  “Nice to see that some people keep their word,” Felix said. “Where’s the check?”

  Vivian folded her arms across her chest. “Where’s the video? I’m not going to give you anything until I know that video is gone.”

  “You’re still pretending that you didn’t know what was going on?” He laughed. “Vivian, you came to me mad as hell about your ex. I just wanted to give you a little leverage to get that million dollars that you wanted.”

  “By drugging me and having sex with me while I was unconscious? You’re a real great guy.”

  Felix laughed. “Say what you want, but you got what you wanted. You should be thanking me.”

  “I should be stabbing you with a rusty knife. And I didn’t get a million dollars. Cheap bastard.”

  “Temper, temper.” Felix pulled out his laptop and turned it toward Vivian. “Just look at the beauty of this video.”

  Vivian slammed the lid of the laptop down. “Don’t do that. Not in public.”

  “Maybe we should try again
and go for two million this time.”

  “Delete it.”

  “Hell, maybe I want a million now. Never knew how important this was to you.” Felix leaned back in his chair. “Coffee or an éclair?”

  “This isn’t a date,” she exclaimed. “You made an illegal video of me and you want to act like we’re sitting here on a date? Go to hell.”

  Felix smiled. “Well, if you could get half a million, I’m sure you can get the rest. Say, in seven days? Now, give me the check or I’m uploading this video to my favorite porn site. Hashtag Vivian Crawford.”

  “You bastard.” She reached into her purse and slid the check across the table.

  “And you know that I did shoot the video where I didn’t show my face. So, it’s going to be all about you.”

  She leapt to her feet and started to storm out of the bakery, then she saw Alicia and smiled. “You’re going to wish you never met me,” she spat at Felix.

  * * *

  Alicia could’ve killed Vivian when they locked eyes. Was she trying to ruin their plan? But she was able to get back to the table with Richmond without Felix seeing her. “That woman is a piece of work.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Do you still have that cop’s card, or did you give it to Vivian?”

  “I think I have a card back at the office. He wanted me to press charges against her because she’d been trying to blackmail me.”

  “Then let’s call this guy so that he can get the real criminal.” They headed out the back and Alicia figured that their nightmare with Vivian and Felix would be over sooner, rather than later.

  Chapter 26

  Two days later, Felix Thompson walked into Richmond’s office expecting a million dollars. The police had monitored a call between Felix and Vivian where she’d told him that Richmond would give him the money. Atlanta Police were going to be at the ready to take him down if he showed up.

  And there he was. Alicia stared him down as she opened the door.

  “Aww, black beauty,” he said. “Good to see you.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re a piece of shit, you know that?”

  He stroked her cheek and Alicia recoiled at his touch. “Don’t you ever fucking touch me again! I can’t believe you did this to someone and you’re here to get paid for it. There is a special place in hell for you.”

  Felix kissed at her. “And you can join me.”

  Alicia would’ve kneed him in the balls if she didn’t know what was waiting for him when she moved out of the way. Finally, he was going to pay for everything that he had done to her and, she assumed, other women. Stepping aside, she waited to hear the magical words that she’d wished she had heard as an undergraduate.

  “Felix Thompson, you are under arrest for extortion. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you at government expense. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

  Alicia smiled as the Atlanta police officers ushered Felix out. “Felix,” she said. “Make sure you smile for the cameras.” She nodded to the media presence out in the parking lot. “Now, everyone will know what a son of a bitch you really are.”

  He glared at her and before he could say anything, one of the officers nudged him forward and out of the building.

  Richmond walked up behind Alicia and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m glad this is over,” he said. “Do you know what a remarkable woman you are?”

  “Do you know how scared I was?”

  “I couldn’t tell because you kicked ass, babe. Let’s get out of here.”

  She nodded. And as they headed home, Alicia was looking forward to a future with her man, her baby, and their amazing life.

  Six months later

  The hotel was about two weeks from opening. And Alicia felt as if she was as big as a house. She and Serena had taken to sending each other belly pictures every morning to see who was bigger. Jade thought they both were ridiculous.

  Kandace and Solomon, along with Devon and Marie, had come down to Atlanta for the opening. Devon had wanted to show Marie his hometown through his eyes. His wife had been used to coming to the A to party back in the day. Their daughter was going to spend the week with her doting grandfather in Charlotte.

  “She’s going to be totally rotten when she comes home,” Marie had said over dinner one night.

  “Like she wasn’t before she left,” Devon said. “It’s hard to say no to my baby, though.”

  “Get ready, Alicia,” Marie said. “When a baby comes along, we lose the ability to say no.”

  Richmond placed his hand on Alicia’s belly. “I can say no,” he said.

  “I’ve seen what you do for Kiana. You can’t say no,” Alicia said, then kissed him on the cheek.

  “Devon, this is delicious,” Richmond said. “What is it?”

  “It’s a new take on my Orleans chicken, because I’m sure a certain restaurant in Charlotte might not like it if we shared recipes. So, this is Sweet Auburn Chicken and spinach.”

  “I’m in love,” Alicia said.

  Marie smiled. “I told him that he better not let Bobby Flay tell him to put more peppers in everything.”

  “This has a little bit of kick to it, but it isn’t overpowering,” Alicia said. “The spinach and onions are delicious.”

  “And a good thing about this is you can switch it out for shrimp or salmon,” he said.

  Richmond nodded. “How long will you be here to train the cooking staff?”

  “Two months,” Devon said. “The recipes are simple and delicious.”

  “I can’t wait to open this place and have it become another icon in Atlanta.”

  Marie sipped her wine and smiled. “With all of us working together? How can we lose?”

  Alicia reached across the table and gave Marie a high five. “Sounds like we’re getting a shout-out on your blog?”

  “Absolutely. Are you guys going to do weddings at the hotel?”

  Richmond shrugged. “I’m thinking we’re going to be all about the honeymoon at this hotel. Sensual rooms with big soft beds. A lot like the hotel we stayed in while we were in Paris.”

  “Probably where y’all made that baby,” Marie quipped.

  They all laughed, and then Devon rose to his feet to get the dessert. And to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t his signature chocolate cake.

  “This is my ivory delight, buttercream and moist yellow cake,” he said as he cut everyone a slice.

  Alicia decided that she wanted to eat the whole cake. “Oh my God. This is the most delicious thing that I have put in my mouth today.”

  Richmond raised his eyebrow and reached for her plate. “I will stab you with my fork,” Alicia quipped. “Taste it.”

  He put a forkful of his own cake into his mouth. “This is good.”

  “And will be an exclusive dessert for the hotel,” Devon said.

  “That’s not fair,” Alicia said. “This would be so good at Hometown Delights.”

  Richmond tilted his head to the side. “Don’t you live here now?”

  She pointed her index finger at him. “You’re right. Never mind.”

  After dinner, Marie took her husband to her favorite club in Buckhead just to show him that she still had a little bit of party girl in her. Richmond and Alicia decided to share a quiet night on the sofa, creating a social media buzz about the new hotel. Alicia created a Facebook page for the new hotel and it already had five thousand likes.

  “Let’s just hope we can get that many reservations for the first three months,” Richmond said as she showed him the page.

  “We will, it’s the new and shiny thing.”

  Richmond closed the lid on her laptop and set it on the coffee table. “Enough work,” he said. “It’s time to relax.”

  “Fine, but I have to get a picture of that cake and post it t
o Instagram.”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “It might not be here tomorrow, because I want another piece, now,” she said with a wink.

  “I’ll get the cake, you take the picture, and then we relax. No arguments.”

  She gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.” While Richmond headed into the kitchen to get the cake, Alicia picked up her laptop and Googled Felix Thompson. She and Richmond had been so busy with the hotel opening that she hadn’t had a chance to pay attention to what had been going on with his case.

  When the news story popped up, she read it with rapt attention.

  Former educator Felix Thompson pleaded guilty to making an explicit video of a woman without her knowledge or permission. Then he tried to blackmail her for a million dollars. The woman, who was not associated with the charter school where Thompson worked, turned the camera around on Thompson and filmed his blackmail attempt.

  The guilty plea allows Thompson to avoid being listed as sex offender. But he does have to surrender his teaching license and he has been fired from the charter school. He will be spending ninety days in jail.

  “I thought we were supposed to be relaxing?” Richmond asked when he returned to the sofa.

  Alicia closed the laptop and smiled. “You know me, sometimes it’s hard to turn off.”

  “And you wanted to see what was going on with Thompson, right?”

  She nodded. “He pleaded guilty, lost his job, and all of Atlanta knows he’s a piece of shit.”

  “Good. Now we can put that behind us.” He handed Alicia her cake. “Have I told you that I love you?”

  “Yes, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too,” she said, then leaned in and gave him a slow kiss.

  Epilogue

  The lobby of the Crawford Bistro and Hotel had been transformed into a chic starlit night. Twinkling lights gave the room a beautiful glow that made it seem as if time had stopped. Richmond, just like the one hundred guests in attendance, held his breath as Alicia appeared in the doorway, holding Solomon’s arm. She was a vision in her yellow-white gown and her hair pulled back in a tight bun. A small tiara adorned her head in lieu of a veil. The “Wedding March” began to play and the guests rose to their feet.