Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series)

by Bolling, Iris

  “Xavier!” Zack yelled back through the door.

  “I’ll call you,” Diamond smiled as Xavier ran out the door. She looked at the card that read, Davenport Industries. Xavier started the company he wanted, she thought and smiled as she walked back to her office. Zackary must be the older brother he always talked about. He never mentioned how handsome his older brother was. “I don’t know how you put up with people like that,” LaFonde Shabazz said as Diamond walked behind the counter. “I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.”

  “I was ready to give him a piece of something else,” Deidra, another clerk joked. “That brother was fine.”

  Diamond gave Deidra a high five, “Hey,” they both laughed. “Indeed he was.”

  “His brother wasn’t bad either.” Deidra look questioningly at Diamond, “How well do you know him?”

  “Very well, but not in the way you are thinking.”

  “The way he was holding you suggested something else,” Deidra smirked.

  “No, just a friend.” Diamond turned to walk away, “Ladies I do believe we have more customers waiting.” Letting each of them know the excitement was over. It was time to get back to work.

  Sitting at her desk, Diamond stared at the card. The excitement may have been over in the office, but the build up in the lower part of her body was still kicking strong. She put the card in her purse as she massaged the hand touched by Zackary Davenport, trying to rub away the sensation that lingered. Professionalism dictated that she not react the moment she saw him. But the urge to go to him and ease his fears was overwhelming. Diamond didn’t know who or what had hurt the man, but she was certain the scars ran deep. She could see it in his eyes. Then, for the brief moment his eyes held hers, she knew—down in the gut knew, those were the eyes of the man that would teach her how to love. “Mommy said it could happen like this,” she whispered. Shaking her head and smiling, the thought she kept at bay as she was dealing with Zackary Davenport burst forward. He was the man she was waiting for. She laughed out loud, “Finally.”

  L

  Damn! The article in the newspaper was disappointing. “After months of speculation, Davenport Construction has been cleared of any suspicion in the blaze that destroyed several homes at the Franklin sub-division. Sources close to the investigation stated there was no clear determining factor in the blaze. Therefore, it’s been ruled accidental.” How in the hell could that be? “Sources further state Chief Hasting indicated one of the determining factors to his final decision was the unblemished record of Davenport Construction. There were no code violations or complaints against the company. In its five years of business, this was the first incident on record.” Unblemished! They don’t know Zackary the way I do. He turned his back on me without any thought to how I would survive. Stop raving like a maniac and think—think! Where did I go wrong? Hmm—maybe I was too clever. Yeah. I should have left something pointing directly to him, indisputable evidence that would lead the authorities directly to his door. What is it going to take to bring him down? Put him exactly in the same position he put me—living in a two bedroom shack roaches wouldn’t call home. Just the thought of him living high and mighty sends streaks of rage through my veins. I don’t want to be like this, but I need to hold on to the rage, the humiliation he and his father caused. Hell, I can’t make his father pay, but I damn sure can disrupt Zackary’s life. I need to hold on to the rage to take him down. Unblemished my ass! Wait—that’s it. His good reputation needs a mark or two. Yeah, that’s it. The fire could be the beginning now that it’s on record. Hmm, I’m feeling better already. Let’s see, what destructive things can happen in Mr. Perfect’s life?

  L

  Diamond

  Chapter 1

  One month later

  Zack appeared in the office early for the nine o’clock meeting. Normally, he would be on the construction site at seven each morning and not in the exquisitely plush office building that they recently renovated to accommodate the additional staff. It was good to have his baby brother, Xavier, in the business now. While Zack was an excellent builder, Xavier was the one with the business mind. Davenport Construction had grown to the next level and was now Davenport Industries thanks to Xavier.

  The construction company was started five years ago by Zack at the age of twenty-six during Xavier’s last year of college. Zack worked hard to learn the construction trade when he was forced to leave college to raise Xavier. Their father passed away when Zack was nineteen, leaving a fourteen-year-old brother to care for. Zack worked construction to pay the bills and keep the family home. He made sure Xavier did not want for anything, while he went without just about everything, including women. Yes he had those that would be around whenever he was in need, but he learned early not to depend on any one of them to hang around for any amount of time. His mother left when he was fifteen and his girlfriend left when the dream of the professional football career ended.

  None of that mattered now, Zack thought as he took a seat behind the desk in his office. Xavier was on board with short term and long term goals for Davenport Industries and Zack could not be happier. He loved his business, but for the life of him, he could not get used to dealing with his clients. All he wanted was the plans for the homes and his crew. The customer service end of the business anyone could have and Zack could care less about it.

  X-man, his nickname for Xavier, had structured the company into two sections. Section one, construction, Zack would handle the building of all projects and the hiring of his crew. Section two, development, X-man would handle the staffing of the business offices, designs, and land acquisition on new projects. It was a perfect setup as far as Zack was concerned. He was especially happy with the idea of not having to talk to clients. X-man had hired an intermediate to handle that. No more deciphering through customers’ mind changes. That would now be someone else’s headache. There were other aches he would have to deal with, like the fire that nearly destroyed his business. The authorities were still uneasy about the cause of the fire and to be honest so was he.

  Zack stood, unbuttoned his suit jacket, put his hands in his pockets and looked out the windows that encased one entire wall of his office in downtown Richmond. He could see the site for the new project in the distance to the north. Looking west across the James River he could see the homes of South Bend Estates, the project his construction company just completed. The very last house of the project was the one that burned to the ground. It was never clear to him how the fire started. The authorities stated the cause was faulty wiring, but he knew the sub-contractor that did the wiring job for him and they were top notch. He also knew faulty wiring was at times used as a catch all when the actual cause cannot be determined. His gut was still telling him there was more to the fire. Once the investigation was closed, Zack and his crew rebuilt the home at his expense and in record time to ensure the developers did not take a loss. His quick action quieted the whispers surrounding his construction company’s possible role in the fire. Fortunately, the incident had not stopped the investors from taking a chance with Davenport Industries.

  “Hey big bro. It’s a big day for the Davenports,” Xavier’s excitement was clear as he walked into Zack’s office. “Here I brought you a black coffee. What’s with the intense look?”

  Zack turned at the welcomed interruption to see his six-one, slim little brother, with his shoulder length locs secured at his neck, dressed in a tailored suit and Italian loafers. The thought, when did X-man get so tall and when is he going to cut his hair, crossed his mind. But he did not voice them, for his brother was right. This was a special day for the Davenport brothers. “Thanks man, I appreciate it,” Zack exhaled as he sat back at his desk and took a drink of the coffee. “Nothing to be concerned with,” he waved off the feeling. “The crew is itching to get started. This project will keep them working for the next twenty-four months, non-stop. You did good with this one X-man, I’m proud of you.”

  Xavier looked at his older brother with p
ride. He always wanted to make sure Zack knew how much he understood the sacrifices made on his behalf. If it took him the rest of his life, he wanted to make sure Zack never regretted the actions he took ten years ago. “Man, it’s the least I could do. You put your life on hold to raise me. Now it’s my time to give back.”

  “I don’t need back from you. I need you happy with your life and what you want to do with it.”

  “Zack, this is it,” Xavier smiled. “Pulling this project together is something I have dreamed about since I was in college. It’s taken me five years to get it started, but the day is here. And I’ll tell you, we have a hell of a team. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”

  Zack smiled, which in itself, was a rarity, “You did your part by gathering the team. Now it’s time for me to do my part.”

  “Hmm speaking of your part,” Xavier spoke cautiously. “Do you think you could possibly be a little pleasant today?”

  “I’m always pleasant,” Zack snarled.

  “Yes, to me you are.” X-man quickly stated, then cautiously continued, “However, you are a little rough on women. The board members consist of five people; our attorney and customer relations specialists are females. I’m asking you to put forth an effort to get along with both of them. I have put in a lot of time and resources with headhunters to bring this staff together. I don’t want to lose any of them because of your temper.”

  “I don’t have a problem with women!” Zack yelled.

  “Of course you do,” Mrs. Carson said as she walked into his office and placed his messages in the center of the desk. JoEllen Carson, all five feet three inches of her, was the only woman Zack allowed to say whatever she wanted to him. She had worked for the construction company Zack worked for and decided to come on board as his secretary when he started his own company. JoEllen kept all his paperwork in order and the bills paid on time. If it had not been for her, the business would have folded soon after he started it. Not only did Zack depend on her for his business, but personal ethics as well. She was the mother he never had. “You could simply try lowering your voice. No one is really afraid of you anyway,” she said while walking out the office.

  Xavier laughed at the bewildered expression on Zack’s face. “She’s lucky I respect my elders,” Zack yelled.

  “I’ll be in the lobby meeting the new employees and showing them around.” Xavier stood. “We will be in the conference room at nine sharp,” he stated as he walked towards the door. “And by the way, you look good in a suit, my brother. You should wear them more often.”

  Zack preferred his jeans and tee shirts any day to the comfortable but confining suits he had to wear for business meetings. Zack stood and posed for his brother. “Take a good look. After this meeting today, it will be a while before

  you see this again.”

  Chapter 2

  Zack stood in the conference room talking with Jake Turner, the Human Resources Director and Charles Meeks, Director of Finance. He found both to be professional and very astute in their individual fields. His attention was with Charles, who was discussing investments and the merits of diversity in your personal portfolio. Zack wasn’t an expert in the field, but had acquired a very nice portfolio for himself over the years. He invested well and those investments had paid off. They were interrupted when Julia English approached them to introduce herself. Zack’s first impression of her was how very articulate she was and with that her intelligence became evident. He was impressed X-man was able to bring her onboard. Julia was a very confident sought after Corporate Attorney, who expressed how thrilled she was at the prospect of working with a minority owned business. Her rationale for leaving a very lucrative six-figure income to take a chance on an up and coming company was simple. She wanted to help build something from the ground up. That’s the legacy she wanted to leave for her unborn child. That’s when she announced she, and her husband of four years, were expecting their first child in six months. The announcement did not necessarily sit well with Zack. In his mind, he questioned X-man’s decision on her hiring. However, remembering the request from his little brother, he would hold his tongue and hope the woman could not read what was on his mind. Before he could respond, Reese Kendrick, Zack’s best friend from high school, walked over. A pleasantly surprised Zack immediately shook Reese’s hand. “Man what are you are doing here?”

  The ex-police officer smiled and gave Zack a pat on the back. “I’m your Security Director. X-man asked me to keep it from you. He wanted to surprise you.”

  “Damn man. It’s a good surprise, welcome aboard.”

  “X-man has come into his own. You did a good job with him Zack.”

  “Yeah, I’m proud as hell of him and I know Pop would be too.”

  Zack suddenly felt odd. The bottom half of his body was filling with desire and his body immediately tensed. That bothered him since the only person he was talking to was Reese. He released Reese’s hand, took a step back and frowned. Taking a look at the small group around him, he noticed more people were in the conference room, but couldn’t account for the reaction his body was having. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Julia. She was very attractive, but not quite his taste in a woman. Besides, she was married and carrying a child. His body wouldn’t react to her—would it?

  “You okay Zack?” Reese asked puzzled by his friend’s reaction. Before Zack could respond, Reese’s attention was drawn away. “Whoa. Who in the hell is that with X-man?”

  The group turned towards the door. “Oh,” Julia exclaimed, “That’s the Customer Relations Director. I met her a few days ago and she is awesome.”

  Zack turned. A look of disbelief appeared on his face, then it changed to something a lot stronger—RAGE! “Awesome or not, I hope like hell he did not hire that woman to work for this company.”

  Xavier caught Zack’s reaction and knew there was going to be a battle. He only hoped Zack would contain himself until…

  “Xavier Davenport—my office, now!”

  “So much for hope,” Xavier chuckled. “As much as I would like to accommodate you big brother, I’m afraid we need to start the meeting.”

  Zack was half way out the door when X-man finished his statement. He stopped and glared at his little brother and bellowed, “NOW!”

  The room fell silent as Xavier held his brother’s glare. “Oh—you meant right now?” Xavier asked wittily. Zack stomped off. Xavier turned to the people looking on curiously, shocked at the outburst, and smiled. “This is a family matter.” He smoothly stated. “Please forgive us. Take a seat and we will be with you in a moment.”

  Xavier walked into Zack’s office behind JoEllen, as she asked, “What on earth happened? I heard you yelling down here.”

  “I’m afraid I’m what happened,” Diamond Lassiter smiled from the doorway with her hands clasped behind her back. “Hello Mr. Davenport,” she said as she took a step inside the office.

  Zack’s body went into battle stance. He folded his arms across his chest and stood with his feet apart. Anyone with good common sense would have run from the six-two, two hundred and twenty pounds of muscle that was beginning to growl at them. But not Diamond. No, not her, Zack thought as he watched her stroll over with her hands behind her back. She stopped in front of him and had the nerve to smile at him. Didn’t she know that it was against the law to have a smile like that? But damn if it wasn’t a pretty smile. He shook the thought from his mind. This was war. The woman was after him. He could see it in her eyes.

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” He snarled as he looked down at the woman that may be five feet four inches, one hundred ten pounds with every inch of it in the right place and a gleam in her eyes that could save a drowning man, and she had the nerve to have dimples. Dimples—his mind screamed!

  Diamond prayed her outer body did not show the turmoil of her inner body. There was something about being in the same room with Zackary Davenport that made her want to kiss all his anger away. She felt it that day in her office and
it was even stronger here. Man, he was pissed or scared, Diamond wasn’t sure which. But she didn’t care. She was put on this earth for this man. “Xavier was so impressed with the way I handled your situation the last time we met that he asked me to join the company. You made such an impression on me that day, I simply couldn’t turn away the opportunity to work with you.”

  What he wouldn’t do to kiss that smirk off her face. The thought angered him. He looked over her head at his brother, “Xavier, what in the hell could you have been thinking. First you hire Julia English who is either very much out of shape or is a few months pregnant. Here,” he glowered down at Diamond and frowned at the dimples that called out to him, “in Ms. Lassiter you have a woman I consider inconsiderate and incompetent. Have you lost your mind!”

  Before Xavier was able to reply, Diamond turned to him, “Did he have a run in with Julia also?”

  “No, I did not have a run in with Julia,” Zack snapped, “just you!”

  Diamond turned back to Zack and smiled, “I guess that makes me special.”

  JoEllen looked at Xavier and coughed to smother her laugh. She could not believe this young woman who looked to be all of twenty—maybe, was standing there confronting Zack’s anger like it was nothing.

  Xavier shrugged, “I figure if she could handle him as a customer, she could certainly handle any client we may have,” he whispered.

  Zack unfolded his arms and clenched his fists at his sides. “The only thing special about you is that you will be the first to tender your resignation. Whatever contract you have with this company will be paid out up front.” He pointed to the door, “There’s the door. Use it!”

  Diamond exhaled. “Mr. Davenport, you seem to be a reasonable man.” She paused as she stared at him. “Well, maybe not. But, I haven’t done anything in the first ten minutes of employment with your company to warrant a dismissal. Would you at least consider the fact that Xavier has put a lot of time and effort into assembling this team? He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his dream or your confidence in him. Do you honestly think I would be here if I was not the very best in this field? Is your belief in your little brother that low?”