by Louise Make
“Oh.” The petite woman seemed disappointed. “That’s all then? He was just here about work?”
“Yes, he’s been here before. Where, uh, is he? Has he left?”
“I think so. Robert talked to him and managed to calm him down. They were in your office, but I’ve just seen Robert go to his office alone, so the man must’ve left. Who is he, Langa?”
“The owner of the Sandton ROCH. Like I said, he’s just a client.”
Langa’s shoulders were tense as she made her way from the lifts. That had been a close call. Clearly she would have to set some ground rules for Lazola Rhadebe if she was to avoid a scene like this in the future.
She shut her door softly once she’d slipped into her office and leaned her forehead against it.
“Do you believe in coincidences, honey? I don’t.”
Langa spun around in shock and her eyes snapped to her desk. Lazola was lounging in her leather chair, watching her closely. His tone was light, but the expression in his eyes wasn’t.
“What are you doing here?”
He continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard her. “Things happen sometimes, things that seem utterly random. But I’ve learnt never to disregard random occurrences.”
“Lazola, what are you doing here?”
He rose and circled the desk slowly. “A simple phone call, for example. One day, out of the blue, someone who has no business having my number gives me a call.”
She straightened her shoulders, willing her knees not to buckle. “What are you talking about?”
He stopped in front of her, not touching her yet, but caressing her with his eyes. “An unexpected kiss, that’s another example. How often have I been drawn to a complete stranger with such intensity that touching her, kissing her was my only desire? Before you, never. How do I ignore that?”
Langa met his gaze unyieldingly. She recognised this story. “Lazola … I don’t think –”
“And just when I was certain that I’d never lay eyes on you again, I did. Coincidence? Was it just a fluke that our minds fitted together so perfectly, that you’ve made me laugh more than I have in years, that yours is the only touch that brings me peace?”
“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”
“Oh, but I believe you do, honey.”
Langa’s anger and frustration took over. She fled from her office before she could give in to the urge to beat upon Lazola’s chest and demand answers. Could he not see how much this cat-and-mouse game was hurting her? Or was he aware of her feelings and amused by her dilemma?
She rushed down the hallway, aware of the curious glances she attracted. She made a more conscious effort to control her features and tugged at her jacket. All she had to do was make it to her car without causing a scene.
“You can’t run forever, honey!”
What did the man think he was doing? Desperation propelled Langa’s feet even faster. How dare he do this at her place of work?!
“Or you could, but you’d always take our memories with you wherever you went.” By the time she registered that his voice was much closer, it was too late. Lazola grabbed her hand and stopped her before she reached the lifts. “And my heart.”
Langa’s breath was ragged, but she’d heard his words. “What?”
He turned her around to face him and she was mortified to see that a few coworkers had poked their heads out of their offices. Scenes like this never happened in real life, certainly not to women like her.
Lazola’s tone remained clear and certain. “I can’t let you run from me any more, honey. Not when you tear my heart out every time you do.”
Her head bowed; this had to be a horrible prank. “Please, Lazola. Please don’t do this to me. It’s too … I’ll never survive it.”
There. Now he knew.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you go again. I know you want to put as much distance between us as you can, but I need you. Give me a chance to show you how good we could be together.”
Langa could barely make out the earnestness in his eyes through her tears. “Why are you doing this? You can’t …”
Lazola drew her closer to him. “How can you turn away from what we have? It’s too deep and too explosive for you not to know it’s rare. Please don’t tell me that I can’t love you, honey, because it’s too late. I already do. Just give me a chance. I know I can teach you to love me too if you’d only give me a chance.”
“You don’t love me.” Her voice was bitter.
“Langalethu, this is one argument you can never win.” His tone was almost angry, his dark eyes blazing. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you that night at The Adonis. You were so beautiful, I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
Langa was shaking her head but his words continued to flow.
“Yes, honey. I held you and kissed you, and right then I knew I’d never be the same man again. You touched a place within me that no other woman has ever reached. I knew I needed to be with you forever. I told you that then.”
“No,” she gasped. “You just wanted to sleep with me. You said …”
His words came back to her then. “I need to be with you”.
Could he possibly have meant …? She’d assumed he wanted her in his bed. Could she have been wrong? No. If Lazola had loved her all along, he would never have used her behind another woman’s back. He would never have bought someone else a ring.
“I told you that I wanted to be with you, and I meant every word,” he said. “You fought me from the beginning, but my feelings still wouldn’t die and they never will. I know this. I’ve never known a woman as incredible as you. I told my family about you, honey. I told them I found the woman I want to marry.”
Langa’s eyes were large. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” A hint of amusement played across his features now. “My mother sent Thami out so fast, I’m fairly certain her plane landed before I’d even hung up the phone.”
“Thami?”
“I told you about Nomathamsanqa. My sister.”
“You told me she lives in Port Elizabeth.”
“Which is what made her speedy arrival so suspicious. I got the confession out of her, though. She was here to check out the woman who had such an amazing hold on my heart. And she’s been back a couple of times since.”
Langa was trembling, tumbling, grasping for any sort of stability. His sister? The woman with Lazola …
“I saw her. I thought you were engaged. When I heard that you’d bought a ring for her … I nearly died.”
He was frowning in slight confusion. “I did buy a ring. It was never for her, though … Wait, you were upset?”
“I was devastated.”
His grip on her arms tightened. “Langalethu, no more games and no more running. I’ve spent months now thinking you hated me and trying to work out how to win your heart. I need you to be straight with me, today and every day from now on. How do you feel about me? Do you … do you care for me?”
She had never heard him falter before, never seen him looking vulnerable and so hopeful.
“No,” she answered.
The pain she saw in his eyes prompted a silent vow within her. She would do all she could to ensure that he never looked like that again.
“It’s much more than caring. I love you.”
There was a pause in Lazola’s reaction, as if he expected her to take the words back. When she didn’t, he smiled. “You love me.”
“Yes, I do,” she confirmed. “You make it very hard for a girl not to.”
He pulled her closer and swept her up into his arms. Her surprised laughter entwined with his triumphant roar. When her feet touched the floor again, his lips found hers and for the first time Langa allowed her love to wash over him. Her kisses were confirmations, reassurances, promises – and Lazola groaned in full understanding.
He plucked apart her neat bun as he ignited her body with a joy that made her feel like she’d finally come home. He buried his fingers in her thick hair a
nd lifted his head to look down at her.
“You’ve ruined my hairstyle,” she murmured huskily. “Do you know how hard it was for me to get it to behave?”
“You’re breathtaking,” he replied in all seriousness. “I love the way you look. Your heart, your sharp mind. I love everything about you, honey.”
“I think I’m going to need to hear that a few more times before it truly sinks in,” she smiled.
“I’d be happy to oblige. How does every day for the rest of our lives sound?”
Her pounding heart was having difficulty keeping up. “Are you sure about this, Lazola? Forever?”
“Sure enough to have this,” he replied before taking a small box in burgundy velvet from his pocket. He lifted its lid and sank down on one knee, clasping her quivering fingers between his as he offered the token of his love.
He smiled up at her. “We’ve had a rocky start and that was because I’m a difficult man. But that ends now; this is my vow. I’ve never been in love before and I’ve had to learn to open my heart. I am here now and I’m yours. I will spend the rest of my days showing you how important you are to me. You challenge and excite me and I can’t wait to start our lives, our love, together. My heart is yours, Langa lami. Till it stops beating, it will be all yours. Will you marry me?”
Her dreams had sprung to life. “I could imagine nothing better. I’ve loved you for so long, Lazola. Yes, I will marry you.”
He rose and slipped the ring with its square-cut diamond onto her finger. Langa couldn’t stop her tears from falling, but Lazola barely seemed to notice them as he kissed her one more time.
The impromptu round of applause reminded them that they weren’t alone. Congratulations rose in waves. This was real. And it was better than any fantasy Langa could ever have fabricated.
*
The beautiful ring in the early-morning sunshine was the first thing Langa saw when she opened her eyes the next day. Lazola smiling down at her was the second.
She smiled back at him. “You’re still here.”
“There is no place else I’d rather be, honey. Every time I held you before, I had to renew my resolve not to do it again because letting go was hard. So I kept my distance – or, at least, I tried.”
“My heart broke every time I woke up alone before. Your work always came first, and I felt unimportant.”
Lazola lifted her chin and she marvelled at the wealth of emotion in his gaze. How had she ever thought of his dark-brown eyes as cold?
“You are the most valuable thing in my life,” he stated. “I haven’t been any good at expressing that to you until now, but I’ll make it up to you. Starting with holding you every night, all night.”
Langa touched his cheek and he kissed the ring on her finger.
“That sounds like a good start,” she bantered, “but you realise that list of perks will need to grow a lot longer once I’m working here?”
“Does that mean you’re finally going to see reason and accept the position as ROCH manager?”
“No,” she laughed at his scowl, “not yet. I’m enjoying what I’m doing far too much. But in a few years’ time, when Thomas is ready to retire, I might be open to another offer.”
“Good.” His smile was smug as he enveloped her in his strong arms. “And if you refuse me again, I’ll just have to drag you here, kicking and screaming.”
“Lazola!”
“You belong here, honey, in my home and my life. I won’t ever let you wander far again. I’d never survive without you.”
Langa accepted his possessive kiss willingly, knowing she felt the same in her heart. She had the man of her dreams by her side and would never take that for granted.
She tightened her arms around his neck and told him, without words, how much he meant to her. She told him she believed in him and trusted him with her heart. She showed him how much she needed him and promised him her love.
Forever.
About the Book
Synopsis
Langalethu Cima is young and ambitious – the perfect candidate to take on the demanding world of marketing. When she steamrolls her way onto the marketing campaign for the Rhadebe Omni-Chic Hotel, she isn’t prepared for the magnetism of CEO Lazola Rhadebe. Determined to make Langa his, Lazola introduces her to a world of luxury and love, forcing her to re-evaluate her priorities. But fiercely independent Langa is equally determined not to be a rich man’s plaything. Can Lazola convince her that he desires more than just seduction? Will Langa allow herself to think with her heart just this once?
About the Author
LOUISE MAKE is thirty, Xhosa and Capetonian by birth. She comes from a family of strong women. Her mother taught her the meaning of relentless tenacity wrapped in humility and compassion. Her father got her hooked on reading when she was young. She now needs reading like she needs air to breathe.
Louise spent most of her life in Cape Town and studied Theatre and Performance at UCT. She then moved to Joburg where she worked in sales, marketing and finally production positions at magazine publishing companies. After the births of her two sons, she slowed down a little and now works on a freelance basis, while focusing on her family, her writing, and her home in the friendly West Rand.
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Did you enjoy Five-Star Seduction? Join the Sapphire community on Facebook and look out for more titles by Sapphire Press:
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Are You a Writer?
Are you a writer? Do you want to get published? Write a truly South African romance novel for our new romance imprint, Sapphire Press – only 30 000 words. E-mail [email protected] for more information, or to let us know if you liked this story. Alternatively, send us a letter to Kwela Books, PO Box 6525, Roggebaai, 8012. You can also fax us at 021 406 3812. Feedback will be given on publishable manuscripts only.
Imprint Page
Sapphire Press is the romance imprint of Kwela Books,
an imprint of NB Publishers,
40 Heerengracht, Cape Town, South Africa
PO Box 6525, Roggebaai, 8012, South Africa
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.kwela.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sapphire.Press
Copyright © LN Make 2011
All rights reserved
No part of this electronic book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording, or by any other information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher
Cover image by Gallo Images/Getty Images
Cover
design by Hanneke du Toit
E-book design by Full Circle
Available in print:
First edition, first impression 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7957-0395-9
Epub edition:
First edition 2011
e-ISBN: 978-0-7957-0396-6
