There was no time for Terra to reply through her laughter as the other girls joined them, with a round of shots that Angela carried, her long, dark fingers and bright red nails wrapped around them. Adrianna cursed under her breath, knowing she couldn’t turn it down, and prepared for a long day tomorrow.
CHAPTER 3
The following evening, Adrianna had been sitting on her couch, watching television as she recovered from the late night of drinking and a rather difficult day at work filled with meetings and the beginning preparations for an upcoming convention they’d be hosting. That particular group was making outrageous demands on her time, and she knew it would only get worse upon their arrival. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to it.
She flipped channels, looking for a program that would interest her, feeling like a zombie. Her heart wasn’t in it. There wasn’t much on, and her mind was elsewhere.
With all the television dramas on cable these days, the sex was graphic, and she couldn’t take her mind away from that. Everything revolved around her desire now, and it consumed her. She could find sexual overtones in the simplest statements, the most innocent looks between TV stars, and everywhere else. Her brain was set on tunnel vision, and she needed to do something to satisfy her craving. She simply didn’t know where to begin.
Frustrated, she quickly shut off the television and tried to banish the thought from her mind. Sex involved a man, and she didn’t know how she felt about introducing any kind of man into her life at the moment. Looking around at the shelves and shelves of books, she knew she had something that could help her out, at least with temporary relief. She loved her collection of books tremendously, more than she had ever loved anything or anyone. Perhaps some reading could make her feel the way she wanted.
Browsing the wall of shelves filled with books, she found one of the Sookie Stackhouse novels she hadn’t read in a while. She thought back to Terra’s admonition that the kind of sex she wanted only happened in novels. Maybe she was right. If any woman in a novel had a great sex life, it was Sookie. Some might refer to her as a slut, but her sex life was active and certainly never got boring. Hell, she was doing the deed with vampires, werewolves, and even a weretiger. It should certainly satisfy Adrianna’s lustful craving and get this nonsense off her mind.
As she read about Sookie’s encounter with Alcide, she felt herself getting hot, and she shifted in her seat. Out of all the men Sookie was with in the series, Alcide was perhaps Adrianna’s favorite. He was a take-charge kind of guy with a heart of gold. He was a real man’s man, too, and buff. He could drive a woman crazy with a wink, and that only made her think about what he could do with his hands and mouth if given the opportunity.
Men should get lessons on how to please a woman, she thought. It was a lot damn harder than pleasing a man, and it should be just as important. She put the mission aside before she got too distracted by it and continued to read.
Picturing Alcide’s body all over Sookie’s was getting Adrianna worked up. It was ridiculous, really, how much emphasis was put on sex, but maybe she only felt that way because she wasn’t getting any. This was everything she craved, everything she wanted in her life. It was as if Charlaine Harris had tapped into her own mind and pulled out every detail of her deepest sexual fantasies. It made her wonder if all women yearned for the same satisfaction as she did.
Evaluating her life and her situation, she didn’t like what she saw. No matter how many friends she had or how successful her career was, at the end of the day, her bed was cold. Maybe she didn’t want someone in it every night, but it would be nice to have the sheets warm every now and then, with another body in her empty apartment to keep her company.
She needed to make a change, before her entire life went into an upheaval and she ruined her chances of a career she could be proud of, simply because she couldn’t keep her focus on the prize. This sexual urge was far too much of a distraction.
She hated the idea of bringing a complete stranger into her life, and she hated the idea of going out on the prowl even more. Adrianna wanted to avoid the standard hunting and gathering of men that came with the territory, and she desperately wished there was an easier way. She even gave the idea of calling Jason, a guy she’d used to ease her pain after everything with Tyrese, as Terra had suggested. She picked up her phone and, to her great relief, she no longer had his number.
It was time to shower and go to bed. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time as the water heated, then stuffed her braids into a shower cap and stepped under the water, telling herself that, somehow, she would work it out. And until then, she wouldn’t get her panties in a bunch.
CHAPTER 4
As Adrianna poured over last month’s budget and actual spend, trying to figure out why they’d come up so far over budget, she sighed at a knock on the door and looked up. “Come in,” she called reluctantly.
One of the young college girls who worked the front desk opened the door hesitantly. “Ms. Meredith, your eleven o’clock interviewee is here.”
Checking her clock for the first time this morning, Adrianna groaned inwardly at how fast time flew by. It reminded her why she hadn’t been out, finding that mind-blowing sex she was so desperately craving. She managed an expensive hotel, just outside of Times Square, and while she worked hard to keep her work hours reasonable, most days were ten hour days, and she worked six days a week. She didn’t have time for a date, much less sex.
Putting that thought aside, she nodded and waved for the girl to send him in. Scott Flanagan, she saw on her calendar and pulled out the file with his resume that she’d tossed in her drawer this morning. She stood to shake his hand as he came in, impressed with the tailoring of his suit, especially considering that the recent college grad likely didn’t have a lot of money to spend on that sort of wardrobe. She was also pretty impressed with his looks. If she hired him to run the front desk, she’d definitely see an improvement in ratings from female guests.
She stood and shook his hand, admiring his dimpled smile. “Good morning, Scott. Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Meredith.” He sounded sincere and young and bright, and Adrianna liked that in her employees. “I’m really excited at this opportunity.”
She nodded, reading over his resume. “I see you don’t really have any experience in the hotel business, but you’ve worked in customer service and you just got your degree in hospitality. That’s pretty impressive.” She looked up at him, and she had to remind herself of her own moral code. The young man was extremely attractive, but even considering taking what she wanted from him could break so many of her personal rules. First of all, he was much too young. Second, she had a gut feeling she was going to hire him, and she maintained a strict policy of not having any kind of relationship with coworkers or employees. Even the type of relationship she was looking for would become complicated in the workplace.
Clearing her throat and focusing on the task at hand, Adrianna asked him, “What made you want to get into the hospitality industry?” She listened as he talked about having lived in cheap motels with his mother as a child, before they’d finally landed in Section 8 housing in The Bronx. He expressed interest in making the experience enjoyable for people, knowing that so many people had issues when on vacation.
Everything she hit him with, he came back with a strong response, and by the time she excused him, Adrianna had made up her mind. She’d make the call later today to offer him the job, after he sweated it for a couple of hours. Besides, she was obligated to interview one more person for the job today.
For now, though, she was starving, and it was time to grab a bite to eat. She grabbed her purse and headed out, sending a text to Tommy, who once again wanted her to take a look at a ring he’d found. She hustled to the subway below, running up three stops and climbing the very long stretch of steps to the street level. Another two blocks and she stood in front of the jewelry store, staring through the window at her best friend’s so
on-to-be fiancé. She smiled as he paced nervously, checking his watch and obviously worried where Adrianna was.
Deciding she’d relieve him, she opened the door and stepped inside. “If you’re this nervous picking a ring, how on earth are you ever going to give it to her?”
Tommy’s face broke into a grin, and he hugged her. “Thanks for coming. I know we came close last time, but I think I’ve found the one.” His enthusiasm was contagious, and Adrianna followed him to where the clerk had the ring displayed on a black velvet background. It was absolutely gorgeous, titanium with a 1 ½ carat princess-cut diamond, flanked by small ruby chips for added flair. They were also Terra’s birthstone.
Taking the ring and holding over a white surface to check clarity, she also took the eyepiece from the jeweler and inspected for flaws. Finally, she handed it to Tommy, smiling broadly as he looked like he might be ill if she didn’t tell him something soon. “It’s the perfect ring, Tommy. I can see Terra going crazy for the ring and never taking it off for the rest of her life.”
He pumped a fist in the air, obviously celebrating his victory. “This is the hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do.” He shook his head and gave her another hug. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Adrianna was always glad to help her friends, and Tommy was a good man who worked hard to make Terra happy. They really deserved each other, and Adrianna had to admit that Terra had been right about something else – not all men were like Tyrese. Tommy proved that. But as far as Adrianna could tell, all the good ones were already taken. In fact, if she was honest with herself, Adrianna harbored a small amount of jealousy for her friends. She’d tried to find this sort of happiness and joy once; she’d failed, and she didn’t like failure, so she refused to try again.
But as they sat down for a quick lunch at a small café, Adrianna realized Terra must’ve spoken to Tommy after they’d gone out. “I hear you’re looking for a hookup.” He winked, and Adrianna groaned.
“No, Tommy, I’m not looking for a hookup.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you looking for something more? Because I’ve got two or three Army buddies who are really great guys, and I think you’d like them. In fact, I think Devon would be perfect—“
“That’s enough, Tommy,” she interrupted. “I’m not interested in hooking up or in dating. But thank you for asking and having my back. It’s always nice to have friends who’ll look out for you.” She’d had to get buzzed to explain the situation to her best girlfriend; Adrianna certainly wasn’t going to discuss this whole idea of hers with Tommy. Sure they were close, but Adrianna didn’t think she’d ever be that close to a man again.
Tommy looked disappointed but nodded in understanding. “I get it. But if you change your mind, let me know, and I’ll take some pictures of the guys and bring them back so you know your options.”
They didn’t rush through lunch, which meant that, afterward, Adrianna had to rush back to work. She’d barely blown back into her office and had time to sit down and repair her hair and makeup before the next interviewee was announced. This girl didn’t have nearly the qualifications as Scott Flanagan had, and since she really wanted someone she could groom into management material, she needed someone like Scott, who had at least gone to school and earned a degree in the appropriate subject.
She had picked up the phone to call the young man, but she hadn’t even dialed before yet another person called for her attention by knocking on her door. For about three seconds, she entertained the idea of remaining silent until whoever it was went away, but that wasn’t Adrianna’s style, especially in the work environment. She was professional to a fault and couldn’t ignore a client, whether that client was a guest or a team member.
“Come in,” she called, holding her breath and hoping she wouldn’t regret it. Before her brain even registered that the door had opened, some individual that appeared to be more of a blur than anything launched him- or herself at Adrianna and wrapped arms and legs around her.
Stumbling to keep from falling, the squeals and sobs coming from the person told her it was Terra. She chuckled, but she choked on it, realizing Terra’s arms were too tight around her neck for Adrianna to breathe. “Terra, let go,” she rasped, tapping the girl’s elbow.
Finally, Terra climbed off her, and Adrianna saw tears streaming down around a broad smile of joy. It was incredibly disconcerting, the mixture of emotions, and she handed the girl tissue to wipe her nose as she blubbered something about wonderful and forever; those were the only two words Adrianna could understand.
“I’m assuming Tommy proposed.” She made it a statement rather than a question. Terra just nodded, and Adrianna shook her head. “The man has no patience. You know he just found the ring today, like two hours ago.”
“I know, but he didn’t want to wait because it took longer than he thought to find the right ring, and now we’ve only got three months to get married before he deploys and we want it to be so special and you have to be my maid of honor—“
“Deploys? I thought he was done with tours of duty.” Adrianna carefully chose where she interrupted the conversation, though this really was news to her.
Bursting out in a fresh set of tears, Terra explained, “They want his unit out again, for another six months. He doesn’t have a choice, but the extra hazard pay will cover the wedding expenses, so we won’t be in debt when he gets home.” Suddenly seeming a little calmer, Terra took both of Adrianna’s hands in hers and asked, “Will you please be my maid of honor and help me plan this?”
Terra had just given her two reasons not to ever consider the idea of marriage. First, who knew when you and your spouse might have to be apart for months at a time? Second, to have a wedding, you had to plan it. Planning events at her hotel was part of Adrianna’s job, and if she ever had to do it for herself, after seeing what sort of insanity befell her guests, she might run screaming into the night. “I can’t help you plan it, Terra, I don’t know the first thing about it.”
“What a load of crap! You guys host weddings here all the time. How could you not know how it works?”
“Listen, I supervise. I give a budget and turn it over to the event planning staff. All I do is make sure the bride is getting what she wants, and the budget is strictly adhered to, unless the bride and groom agree to pay more.” As Terra’s face fell, she sighed and said reluctantly, “Alright, I’ll compromise. Give me a date, and I’ll make sure you get the banquet hall on the big day. And I’ll give you Juan Carlos to help you plan. He doesn’t come cheap, but he’s a miracle worker and will save you a lot of heartache and other, heftier costs in the process.”
The arms came around her again, and Adrianna winced as her windpipe was nearly crushed. “This is going to be absolutely perfect.” Suddenly, she pulled back. “I have to go. I have to go to my mother’s, and that’s going to be a nightmare of a trip.” Terra’s mother lived across the Hudson in Jersey City.
Adrianna shooed her from the office, laughing now at her friend’s joy and enthusiasm. It was nice to see this sort of happiness, even if it wasn’t something she could have or even wanted for herself. She swallowed a lump in her throat that shouldn’t even be there and picked up the phone again, only to be interrupted once more, this time by her boss. “John!” She hadn’t expected him to visit her today. He had three more hotels in the area to get to, and they had the marketing meeting tomorrow.
His smile was bright, and for the first time, Adrianna noticed just how handsome he was. His sandy brown hair was professionally styled but also a bit rebellious with his faux-hawk. His green eyes twinkled with some inside joke she didn’t quite understand but knew she would find hilarious. And his body – even in the tailored Armani suit, you could see that he frequented the gym and was slim and fit. She could almost imagine the six-pack beneath the double-breasted jacket and bright blue power tie.
Shaking her head and putting her thoughts up to her most recent goal, she focused on him and what he was saying
as he entered the office. “I just came by to check in and say hello. I know you had interviews today and wondered if you’d found your man yet.”
She smiled, relieved, having suddenly wondered if she was in trouble. “Actually, I have. He’s actually a little overqualified for a front desk clerk, but I think he’s a perfect choice to groom quickly for management.”
“Good call!” He sat casually across from her once again, running a finger absently along the edge of her desk and looking thoughtful. “I know it’s late, but I wondered if you’ve had a chance to catch lunch. If not, I thought perhaps I could take you, my treat.”
Something about his offer made her stomach flutter, and Adrianna was almost glad she’d already eaten. “I’m sorry. I met my best friend’s fiancé to help him pick out a ring. Apparently, we did quite well, since she came in here beside herself after he proposed. By the way, I told them we’d host the event. A paying customer, of course.”
“Of course. That’s wonderful, Adrianna, and no worries. Another time then.” He stood, and she couldn’t describe the expression on his face. Disappointment? Anticipation? Amusement? She didn’t know. She just nodded, a bit speechless, as he left. Had he just asked her out on a date, or merely as a professional courtesy, perhaps to discuss the future of their careers? If she really stopped to think about it, the curiosity and analyzing would drive her insane.
The Boss's Baby (Interracial with Baby) (BWWM) Page 2
