Taming Her Tycoon

by Yahrah St. John

  Ever since he could remember, he’d been angry with her for a life denied to him. It had hurt the most when he was younger, when other little boys would talk about their fathers, or Father’s Day would come around and his would be MIA. He would long for a tall, strong man to come and scoop him up in his arms and take him away from it all, but that day never came. And with each passing year, Lucius became angrier with Jocelyn for keeping the secret.

  Lucius was kicking pebbles with his bare feet when he saw a figure in the distance.

  Could it be?

  It couldn’t be.

  As the shapely figure in denim capris and an oversize sweater continued to walk toward him, Lucius realized he was right. It was Naomi.

  * * *

  Naomi stared in disbelief at the tall, imposing man striding toward her with a purposeful walk. Of all the odds, on all the days, why did Lucius Knight have to end up on her beach now? She’d come for a little space and peace of mind after the Brooks family dinner had ended with her on the hot seat.

  Her family had been extremely curious about Lucius, his intentions and her former feelings for the man. Though lately, those feelings weren’t all that former. Since his return to her life, Naomi hadn’t been able to get the man off her mind. He had a way of stirring up emotions and passions in her that she thought had been buried.

  She continued walking and only stopped when they were a few feet from each other. Lucius was wearing a frown.

  “What are you doing out here?” he inquired. “It’ll be getting dark soon and you shouldn’t be walking on a beach alone at night. It isn’t safe.”

  Naomi laughed and began walking backward. “Actually, I’m probably a lot safer than when I’m with you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Naomi shrugged and turned around to go back toward her car.

  “Wait up!” Lucius ran after her. He fell into step beside her. Instead of commenting on her statement, they walked together in silence. Eventually he asked again. “What are you doing out here alone?”

  She hazarded a glance at him. “Same as you, I suspect. Needed some solitary time.”

  “Rough night?”

  Naomi shook her brown curls. “No, I was with my family.”

  “Sounds like a rough night.”

  “Oh, that’s right, because you don’t believe in family,” Naomi replied, stopping in the sand to turn and stare at him. “Well, it isn’t like that for me, Lucius. I love my family. They were just a bit more opinionated than I would have cared for tonight. And it gave me food for thought, is all.” She started walking again, and Lucius followed by her side.

  “Hmm...” he murmured. “Care to share?”

  “Not really. And why are you out here alone on the beach? I would think you could find any number of obliging females to make a From Here to Eternity movie scene come to life.”

  He turned to stare blankly at her and paused midstride. “Excuse me?”

  Naomi laughed and stopped abruptly. “You’re not much on old black-and-white movies, huh?”

  Lucius chuckled. “No, I’m not. What’s it about?”

  “It’s an oldie but goodie. It’s about three soldiers and stars Hollywood legends like Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Sinatra. All the action takes place in Hawaii before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deborah Kerr is the love interest and has an affair with Burt Lancaster’s character. They share a steamy moment on the beach in the sand and surf.”

  “And would you like one of those Hollywood moments?” Lucius teased as he smiled down at her.

  She hated that even now Lucius looked just as sexy to her as he had all those years ago in high school. Except now he seemed more relaxed and less dangerous than he had in all their other encounters.

  Naomi grinned broadly. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

  She turned on her heel and began walking again.

  “Why can’t you keep still?”

  “Like you, I came for a walk, and we keep stopping.”

  “Would you prefer to be alone?”

  Naomi glanced at him but didn’t stop walking. “No, I don’t mind the company.”

  “Good, because I’m not leaving you out here where anyone could harm you.”

  “How gallant of you.”

  “Don’t be smart—” he wagged a finger at her “—or I’ll throw you in the surf and give you your From Here to Eternity moment. I’ll just bet that would quiet that mouth of yours.”

  Naomi’s eyes grew large. He wouldn’t dare. Would he? She stared in his deeply set dark brown eyes. And the answer was emphatic—yes, he would.

  * * *

  Lucius loved teasing Naomi and watching her get all riled up. There was a bright-eyed innocence to her that he found refreshing. He hadn’t found it in the beautiful models and actresses he’d dated. He couldn’t go beneath the surface with them, but with Naomi he could. Hell, even wanted to.

  “What’s on your mind, slick?” Naomi asked.

  “Slick?”

  “Yeah,” Naomi laughed. “Kind of suits you.”

  “Yeah, well, it sounds like you don’t think I’m genuine,” Lucius responded, and for some reason the thought bothered him. He wanted Naomi to know that he had feelings, real emotions. He wasn’t made of stone. An evening with his mother had shown him that.

  Naomi turned to stare at him questioningly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t.” He bent down, snatched up a rock and threw it into the surf.

  “Hmm...kind of sounds like I did, and I’m sorry. What brings you out on an evening stroll, Lucius?”

  He shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about himself or his reunion with his mother and their nerve-racking fight. He was tired of the same ole song.

  “You can talk to me. Maybe I can help.”

  Lucius glanced back at her. “There’s nothing you can do to help,” he responded, “except help me forget.”

  “And how would I do that?”

  Her question was all innocence, but the idea of how she could make him forget was not lost on him. He could think of a number of wicked things he’d love to do to her right now on the beach. How he would enjoy nothing better than to strip her naked and take her in the surf, plunging deep inside her as the waves crashed around them.

  “Hmm... I see your mind is in the gutter,” Naomi said. “And here I was thinking we were finally getting someplace.”

  He frowned. “We are. And if you must know, I was upset after seeing my mother.”

  “Why would that upset you?”

  “It’s a long story, but suffice to say she and I don’t see eye to eye. Never have, and that’s never gonna change.”

  Naomi reached out and touched his bare arm. A spark of electricity jolted straight through him, and he turned to her. Her eyes lowered, and he was sure she’d felt it, but he didn’t act on it. Instead, he continued. “I wish I had a family like yours, Naomi. You’re close and actually enjoy spending time with each other.”

  “Yes. We do. I don’t know what I’d do without them. They’re my support system.”

  “You’re lucky. Not all of us get to have that.”

  “Wait a second, what about your grandmother? I thought I read somewhere that she’s been a big part of your life.”

  Lucius smiled when he turned to Naomi. So she’d been reading up about him. It gave him hope that Naomi was more interested than she let on. “Yes, she is, but it’s not the same as having a mother and father who love you. Siblings. God—” he shook his head “—I remember being a little kid and wishing I had a brother or sister. Someone I could talk to or lean on, but there was no one except Grandma Ruby. And don’t get me wrong, she did her best and I’m glad I had her, but there’s always been something missing, you k
now?”

  Naomi nodded in understanding.

  Lucius was surprised at how much he’d shared with her. He usually kept his feelings and thoughts closer to the vest, but with Naomi, he could open up. Be himself.

  “I’m sorry, Lucius. It must have been awfully lonely for you.”

  “It was, but I made do. And eventually I made friends with Adam.”

  “Your attorney. The one who contacted Kelsey?”

  Lucius nodded, chuckling softly. “Adam is my man. There is no one I trust more than him.”

  “And what about your father?” Naomi inquired. “The article never mentioned him.”

  Lucius stood up straight. “I don’t have one.”

  “What do you mean? Everyone has a father.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then you’ve missed out,” Naomi said, “but you don’t have to anymore. You should come with me to Sunday dinner. You could meet my parents and siblings. See what it’s like to be part of a real family.”

  * * *

  Why the hell had she just invited him to her parents’ for dinner? The words were already out of her mouth and Lucius was staring back at her dumbfounded before she could take them back. The invitation was pure impulse, but her reaction to hearing his story wasn’t. She felt for the little kid who’d grown up essentially an orphan without either of his parents. Naomi wanted to show him that there was more to life than the hand he’d been dealt.

  Of course, the way he was looking at her was giving her serious reservations about the hastiness of her invitation.

  Eventually, however, Lucius spoke. “Come to your parents’ with you?”

  Naomi nodded. All of sudden her throat felt parched, and she felt like she was dying of thirst. She always had this reaction around Lucius, especially when he looked at her. Except this time, there was something different than the lust she usually saw—there was something akin to gratitude.

  “Thank you, I think I might like that.”

  “You would?”

  A grin spread across his gorgeous, sinful lips. “Yeah, does that surprise you?”

  “Actually, yes. Lucius Knight at a family dinner.”

  He shrugged. “Well, it’s as you’ve said. I’ve never been a family man.”

  “Well, perhaps it’s time you tried it on for size.”

  * * *

  And Lucius was willing to do just that, especially if Naomi was included in the package. The more time he spent with her, the more he knew that she was something special. She was single-handedly starting to renew his faith in human kindness and compassion. Something he’d long since forgotten.

  “Well, we’ve made it to my car,” Naomi said several seconds later when they arrived in the nearly deserted parking lot. Lucius rolled down his trousers and put on his shoes. Naomi did the same, pushing down her capris and donning the flats she’d been carrying.

  She unlocked her car door with her keyless entry. “Thanks a—”

  Naomi never got another syllable out, because Lucius covered the ground between them in a split second and scooped the lower half of her against him and then crashed his mouth down on hers. He’d wanted to kiss her from the moment he’d seen her on the beach, but he’d reined in his desire for her.

  But now, before she left, he wanted to taste her. Tilting her head for better access, he plundered her mouth like he’d never done with any other woman. He wanted this to be better than any kiss she’d ever had from another man.

  He tantalized and tasted her with gentle strokes of his lips. His tongue glided across hers, exciting them both until she moved her hands to his shoulders. She slid her arms around his neck and held his head to hers. And when he seductively, expertly, slid his tongue between her lips, she responded with provocative probes of her own. The way she was responding to him was wildly exhilarating.

  He pressed farther into her, backing her up against the car so she could feel the hard evidence of his arousal. Naomi moaned, ramping up the fierce passion surging through him. Lucius meshed their mouths together, driving for more pleasure.

  His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. He was so damn hot for her. He didn’t care that he was damn near sexing her on the street. He just wanted more. He clutched her bottom, grinding her even closer, and that’s when he felt her nipples rake against his chest. If he didn’t stop himself, she would goad him into losing control. What was she doing to him? She was like a drug that he just had to have a hit of.

  It took effort, but Lucius pulled back, breaking their kiss. When he did, they both sucked in air, but he didn’t let her go. He liked having Naomi against him. He stared down into her eyes—they were wild and dilated. “I want you, Naomi, but it can’t be here. It can’t be now.”

  They were in plain view of anyone walking by, and he was sure they’d already given the odd passerby quite a show.

  Slowly, he shifted, loosening his grasp, and opened the driver’s side door. He tucked Naomi inside. “But we will be together soon,” he whispered. “You can count on it.”

  * * *

  “He said, you’ll be together soon and that you could count on it?” Kelsey asked as Naomi laid out her mat at her Lamaze class several days later at Long Beach Memorial, where Kelsey would be having her baby.

  Naomi had agreed to be a fill-in for Kelsey’s husband, Owen, who’d had to leave unexpectedly on a business trip. Naomi had to admit that she was thrilled for some time with her best friend. With their busy schedules and Kelsey working from home, sometimes it was hard to link up.

  “Yes,” Naomi answered.

  “And when was this again?”

  “A few days ago,” Naomi said, offering Kelsey her hand so she could help her onto the mat, “when we ran into each other on the beach.”

  “Are you sure that was just a coincidence?” Kelsey inquired, accepting her hand. “I mean, he did follow you to Anaheim for the conference.”

  “That isn’t what happened.”

  Kelsey’s brow rose. “No? First we get an offer from Knight International and then suddenly you run into him at a natural products expo?”

  “I suppose you’re right, but the beach was different. He was visibly upset and genuinely shocked to see me. He’d just had a run-in with his mother that I gathered didn’t go well.”

  “A man at odds with his family? That isn’t good,” Kelsey replied.

  “It’s not like that,” Naomi defended Lucius. “His mother has been MIA since he was born and from the little bit I’ve gathered, he doesn’t have a father. You should feel compassion for him.”

  “I don’t need to. You’re doing enough of that for the both of us, Naomi. You always did have a soft heart. And I fear that Lucius is playing right into it.”

  “I disagree. And even if I did, it doesn’t matter now, because I invited him to my parents’ for dinner.”

  “You did what?”

  The Lamaze instructor clapped her hands. “Class, is everyone ready to begin?”

  “I invited him to dinner,” Naomi whispered in Kelsey’s ear as the class began. “To let him see a real family in action.”

  An hour later, as Naomi rolled up the mat, Kelsey picked the conversation back up.

  “This is a bad idea, Naomi,” Kelsey said once she was on her feet, “letting this man into your life. You know little to nothing about him and suddenly he’s meeting your parents?”

  “Kelsey, I’m not introducing him as my man or anything. Why are you getting so bent out of shape?”

  “When was the last time you introduced your parents to the man in your life?”

  Naomi rolled her eyes upward. When was the last time? She couldn’t remember.

  “That’s right. Do the math, Naomi. You’ve never invited a man to meet your family, now suddenly you’ve invited Lucius Knight? I don
’t think you’re being completely honest with yourself or me. I think you feel more for this man than you’re letting on. And I’m just afraid for you, darling. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and Lucius is just the kind of rotten scoundrel to stomp all over it.”

  Was Kelsey right? Her feelings for Lucius had grown exponentially since seeing him again a couple of weeks ago. And the attraction between with them hadn’t cooled. In fact, it had gotten stronger, more potent and more palpable. Sitting at work, all she had to do was think of Lucius or his kisses and her blood pressure would skyrocket. Was she going down a rabbit hole? Would Lucius stomp all over her heart?

  * * *

  “So what’s going on with your quest to obtain Brooks and Johnson?” Adam asked Lucius when they met up for drinks the next day at a gentleman’s club. Lucius had been busy working on another takeover project and hadn’t had time to catch up with Adam, though he’d left several messages. “You haven’t mentioned it in days. I thought you wanted the company.”

  “I do.” Lucius loosened his tie. After wearing a suit for a long day at the office, he was ready to relax. His jacket was already slung over the back of his chair. “But as you know, Naomi isn’t interested in selling.”

  “But there’s always her partner, Kelsey.”

  “And how has that been coming?”

  “Slowly,” Adam replied. “I’ve spoken with her once and since then she’s given me the cold shoulder. Said she was too busy to get back to me.”

  Lucius leaned back in his chair and regarded his friend. “I suspect Naomi is the reason for Kelsey’s lack of interest. I’m sure she’s pitching to her that selling would not be in the best interest of their company.”

  Adam reached for his glass of bourbon. “But our offer is more than generous. Kelsey would be a fool to turn it down.”

  “You haven’t met Naomi. I’ve never met a more stubborn woman in my entire life. She’s infuriating and opinionated and tenacious...” He stopped speaking when he noticed that Adam was staring at him strangely. “What?”

  Adam shrugged. “Sounds like you’re pretty hung up on the woman all of a sudden.”