Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series)

by Bolling, Iris

  “No! Hell no. I didn’t meet Diamond until after the Franklin project.” He stood, “And if you know anything at all about Diamond you wouldn’t even consider her as a suspect in this. That just goes to show you don’t know a damn thing about her.” He stormed out slamming the door behind him.

  Richard sat back in his chair and snickered. “I know you’re in love with the woman.” Shaking his head, Richard went back to the report on his desk. He would deal with Zack and his love life later. Right now he had to figure out who was out to destroy Zackary Davenport.

  L

  Zack drove to Davenport Estates thinking who in the hell would want to bring him down? Who was the woman watching his house and how in the hell was he going to get Diamond off his mind? Stopping in front of the model home he jumped out of the truck and stormed inside heading straight to the office only to find it empty. Bending over the desk, trying to determine where Diamond may be, Zack looked at the calendar. No one was scheduled for a showing until later. He stood up, but his hand hit the top of a jar tipping it over. Marbles in the jar fell to the floor. “Oh hell!” Bending down quickly to stop them from rolling away, he began to gather them. As he picked them up one caught his eye. “Well I’ll be damned.” He smiled as he looked at the marbles. “It looks just like my marbles.” His smile spread as he picked up another, and then another. He stood there with a hand filled with marbles that looked just like the ones he’d had as a child. Hell, he knew the manufacturers made thousands of the damn things, but these looked just like his. After a moment, he let the marbles roll slowly from his large hands back into the jar, and then replaced the top. The marbles and the momentary trip back to his childhood relieved some of the tension he was experiencing from the morning’s events. Taking a deep breath, a single thought came to mind. There had only been two women in his life that had ever caused him harm. He was going to determine which one was out to get him now. But one thing was certain, it was not Diamond.

  Chapter 18

  The week went by without any more sightings of the woman outside his home or any phone calls from Richard. That was a relief, but he still could not get a location on Celeste or his mother. Joshua hadn’t returned his calls. That usually meant he was out of the country. However, he knew Joshua would show up soon. Until then, he would just sit tight. As much as the no sightings relieved him, no signs of Diamond frustrated him more. Other than sold signs popping up on multiple lots of land, there was no sign of Diamond. Zack knew she was deliberately waiting until he was gone to post the signs. It didn’t matter, because tonight she had to see him. The estate gala was tonight and that was her baby. There was no way she would be able to avoid him tonight. At some point, he was going to apologize to her for his behavior and find a way to at least co-exist with her at the office. The truth was he missed her not being around and if he didn’t see her, touch her or kiss her soon he was going to lose his mind. Zack looked at himself in the mirror. He hated tuxedos as much as he did suits, but he had to admit he looked damn good. The eyes reflecting back at him were admitting something more. “You are a fool Zackary Davenport if you go another night without making Diamond Lassiter your woman.” Zack looked away and shook his head. When he looked back the eyes said the same thing just in one word—fool.

  L

  The ballroom located on the first floor of the Davenport Towers was decorated in simple elegant black and white. The table linens were white, with mini black house replica weights holding down black and white balloons that reached the ceiling. The chairs were covered in white linen with black bows. Some tables had beautiful calla lilies with black bows tied around them in a crystal vase. Tables with models of each home offered in Davenport Estates were located around the room, along with five models of condominiums available in Davenport Towers, with furniture and lighting in the center of the room. Diamond took one last look around to ensure everything was in place before allowing the bartender and hostess in to prepare for guests. A celebration was the last thing she felt like, but this was an important night for Davenport Industries and it was her job to ensure this event was the talk of the real estate community in the morning.

  She looked out the French doors that led to the courtyard and the homes beyond to ensure the lighting was working just right. At some point tonight, she was scheduled to take potential buyers on a night stroll through the estate. She looked forward to that tour. It was the one thing she knew would take her out of the room and away from Zackary. Some way she would have to make it through the evening without crossing his path. After what happened a week ago at the Habitat house she did not want to give him any reason to lash out at her again. So far she had done a good job of staying out of his sight and it had helped—some. It was just moments like now when he stayed on her mind regardless of what she did. However, tonight she planned to spend most of the evening in the background and give the tour when the celebration was at its peak. That way the multitude of people would keep them separated. But just one more thought of him before she closed Zackary Davenport from her mind. She couldn’t help but smile when her mother told her the house was complete and the inspectors would be out early Monday to put their seal on things. If all goes well, Barbara and her son would be able to move in on Tuesday. Until then, Zackary had put them up in a hotel. He was indeed a special man, Diamond thought as she sighed. He just wasn’t going to be her special man. That was it, no more thinking of him.

  “Well, what do you think?” LaFonde asked as she walked up next to Diamond at the doors.

  “I think Xavier and Zackary have created a beautiful place for some very fortunate people to call home,” Diamond replied without turning around.

  “I agree, but I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about me.” LaFonde held her arms out and did a complete turn when Diamond looked her way.

  “Wow, who’s the lucky man?”

  “Girl this is for me. I’m not thinking about any man, especially if he’s going to put me in a funk like you.”

  Diamond frowned at her, “This is my doing. Not Zackary’s.”

  “Why do you always defend that man’s actions? He talks to you like dirt and treats you worse.”

  Diamond sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was allow anyone to have such a bad opinion of Zackary. However, she knew LaFonde very well, the more she defended Zack the deeper her loathing would go. “He really is a nice person LaFonde. But let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about you and how beautiful you look tonight.”

  “I do look good, don’t I?” LaFonde rubbed her hand on her locks that were up in a crown.

  Smiling Diamond replied, “Girl you look better than good. You look like a breathtaking damsel waiting for the right knight to come along and claim his prize.”

  With the remote, Diamond turned the lights to the grounds off as they both laughed and walked over to the entrance from the lobby to open the doors.

  By nine o’clock the room was packed with people dressed elegantly in their evening attire of gowns and tuxedos. No, this was not an everyday open house, this was an event. Invitations had been sent to a number of dignitaries from the city and other prominent citizens of the metro Richmond area. She was surprised to see the Attorney General of the state, J.D. Harrison and his wife Tracy along with his sister and her husband, James and Ashley Brooks. Her sister Pearl was his Press Secretary and informed Diamond that she had invited them, but she had not expected them to attend. It was an honor to have them present, Diamond thought as she watched the action from the kitchen located off the ballroom.

  “Looks like a good turn out.”

  She turned to see Xavier standing behind her smiling. “Yeah, it looks good,” she nodded wondering what he was doing there. “Why aren’t you mingling? This is the time for you to be talking about the designs for this building. At some point you know we need to show your condo.”

  “Whenever you are ready the key is at the desk. Now explain why you are in the kitchen and not out there.”

  “You kn
ow me—I like to make sure everything is flowing right.”

  “Yeah, I do know you. You’re hiding from Zack,” he replied folding his arms across his chest.

  “You look just like your brother when you stand like that.” She smiled. He did not respond he just continued to stare at her as a waitress walked by with a tray of champagne heading towards the ballroom. She brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his well fitting tuxedo. “I don’t want to upset Zack tonight. This is a special night for him.” The strain of holding back the tears that threatened to come forward showed on her face.

  Xavier reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry Diamond. I don’t know what to tell you when it comes to Zack. He’s fighting his feelings for you, but neither of us can beat that realization into him.”

  She smiled shaking her head, stepping back before the tears spilled, “It’s not important.” She kissed his cheek. “You are a great friend. Now, go out there and be a good little brother and support him. You know he must be going a little crazy around all these people without you next to him.”

  “You should be out there too,” he sighed.

  “Right now would be a good time to do the tour of the grounds, don’t you think.”

  Xavier sighed, “Okay, I’ll set it up.” Holding her hands, he held her arms out, “You are wearing that dress, Hmm,” he shook his head and walked out the door.

  Xavier walked out into the crowd with the intention of pulling his brother aside and giving him a piece of his mind about the way he was treating Diamond. Didn’t he know that she was the woman who could put a permanent smile in his heart? No, he just had to be so damn stubborn and blind. How could he look at that woman and not see the love she has for him? He never thought he would refer to his brother as a fool, but damn if he wasn’t acting like one and he was just at the point where he was going to tell him so when he saw the woman that almost ruined his life walk through the door.

  Stunned like a deer in a set of headlights, Xavier did not move for a moment, then he looked in the direction of Zack. He had to get to his brother. Pushing his way through the crowd he walked up next to Zack just as he turned towards the door. “Xavier, I was wondering where you disappeared to. You remember Marian and her sister Adriane.”

  Blocking Zack’s view to the doorway, Xavier smiled and nodded as he grabbed his brother’s arm. “Yes, hello ladies. I hope you are enjoying the evening and I hate to do this but I need to speak with Zack for a moment. I promise I’ll bring him right back.”

  “Like hell you will,” Zack replied as they walked away. “Where in the hell is Diamond? I’ve been looking all over for her.”

  Reese walked over just before Xavier could speak. The look on his face showed he saw the same person Xavier had a few moments ago. “Zack let’s take a walk in the courtyard,” he said almost as a demand rather than a request.

  Folding his arms across his chest Zack asked, “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Actually, that’s what I was coming to tell you, man.” Xavier declared. “Diamond is ready to do the estate tour. We need to meet her by the door to the courtyard.”

  “It’s about time she got here. Well let’s go,” Zack said as he walked through the crowd. Xavier and Reese shared a concerned look.

  “She’s been here since four this evening setting up and getting the staff started,” Reese felt he had to say as he followed behind Zack. “I don’t know what your problem is with her, but the girl has worked her butt off around here. You should be singing her praises instead of pitching a fit every time she is around.”

  Zack stopped and turned to him, “I don’t pitch a fit every time I see her.” Reese and Xavier stared at him in stunned disbelief. “Let’s just get this over with.” Zack turned just as the French doors opened and Diamond walked through.

  Diamond stepped inside wearing a shimmering gold gown that hugged every curve of her body. The strings at the top of the gown crisscrossed right above her breasts and fell over her shoulders. She turned to close the doors and he could see the spider like pattern of strings that held the gown together, exposing her bare back down to the area where her behind formed into a perfect apple bottom. Her hair was pinned up with a few strands dangling from the crown of her head. The teardrop diamond earrings fell down stopping right above the shoulders he longed to kiss. The makeup was so light, it didn’t appear she had any on, but she did—he could tell from the lipstick she was wearing which was right where his eyes were now drawn. She was exquisite. The mirror was right, he was a damn fool.

  This was Diamond’s first test now that she’d made up her mind to accept that Zackary really did not want her in his life. But she still had a job to do and she had no intentions of failing at that. Doing all she could to keep her eyes from meeting his, Diamond adjusted the microphone attached to her gown and began to speak to the crowd. “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us in what we hope will be a memorable evening for you. If you have never experienced the Garden of Eden, brace yourself. This is going to take your breath away.” She hit the remote and the lights illuminated the grounds as if it were the middle of the day. “Welcome to Davenport Estates.”

  Diamond narrated the tour of the grounds creating a frenzy of excitement about the property. The outrageous plan to introduce the Towers as if it were an opening night on Broadway worked. By the end of the evening, there were at least a hundred commitments from potential purchasers for the condominiums. That was more than she had anticipated. For the next hour after the tour, Diamond and LaFonde were busy setting up appointments for the following week. The interest in the property pleased her for two reasons. First, the homes in the Towers would be fifty percent sold before the building was completed and second, working occupied her completely and she did not have a moment to think about Zackary.

  “I’ll take that,” LaFonde offered as she stood, referring to the appointment book they had used for the evening. “You have not mingled at all tonight. Get a drink, take a load off and enjoy the evening you have made memorable for others.”

  Diamond took the book from the woman she considered a friend, “You worked just as hard as I did putting this together. I’ll handle the book. You go dance or something. Enjoy yourself and show off your new look, that’s an order.”

  “Yes ma’am,” LaFonde saluted as she walked away.

  As she cleared the table, a few people spoke and said what a wonderful time they’d had at the grand opening. Some even said they had never experienced a grand opening like this one and they looked forward to visiting the estates again. Pleased with the comments, Diamond smiled and continued cleaning up the area. Her back was turned and she didn’t see him approach but she knew Zackary was standing nearby, she could feel his presence.

  “Is it your plan to avoid me for the rest of the night?”

  Without turning, she shook her head, “No, I’ve been busy tonight.”

  “So I’ve noticed.” Zack put his hands in his pockets and continued. “I had my doubts about this plan of yours but you pulled it off. You did a great job.”

  She smiled at the compliment, “It was different. People tend to like different.”

  “Different, like you.”

  Turning to him, she blushed and a frown immediately covered his face. Why does he do that she wondered. One minute he is sweet, warm, open and then the next he is shutting her out. Wanting to ease his tension, she spoke up. “You know it’s okay. I understand and accept what you said about us. I want us to remain friends. So, thank you for the lessons and I promise you I will get past this obsession for you.”

  He feigned shock as he put his hands to his chest, “You are obsessed with me?”

  Rolling her eyes upward, “Well, maybe a little,” she returned the smile.

  The two held each other’s eyes for a moment, until she looked away. “I remind you of something unpleasant in your life. And since I only want to see happiness on that handsome face of yours, I’ve decided to keep my distance.” She pick
ed up the last of the documents from the table and balanced the paperwork in her arms. “I’ll see you on Monday,” she smiled and literally ran into the ballroom.

  Zack watched as she walked away. He had been waiting all night to talk to her and in a flash she was gone. Not sure if it was his conscience kicking in or his libido responding to the sight of her behind in that dress, but something was urging him to go after her. He took a step towards the door but stopped when he heard a voice he never thought he would hear again. “Hello Zackary.”

  Chapter 19

  With her nerves playing havoc and her heart breaking Diamond’s insides were telling her to get to a place where she could breakdown without causing much embarrassment to herself or Davenport Industries. With her head down, she swiftly walked by the few guests that remained in the ballroom. Just as she began to feel freedom she collided with a brick wall, at least that’s what it felt like. Papers went everywhere. When she saw her gold sandals that her feet were still in, in the air, she braced herself for the impact of her behind hitting the floor. With her eyes closed a scream escaped her throat, just as a strong arm circled her waist. She grabbed the arm and held on to the hard body for dear life.

  “Diamond,” Xavier yelled, “Are you all right?”

  Realization hit her that she was no longer plummeting to the floor. She slowly opened one eye and looked into the face of—who was he? Oh yeah, he was the same man that caught her before.

  Seeing the look of recognition on her face, Grant Hutchison smiled down at the woman with the dimples. “Is this a habit with you?” he asked with an amusement-laced voice.

  There was clearly a smile in the statement as she opened the other eye and found herself lodged against his body. She eased down until her feet touched the floor. Adjusting her dress she turned to the concerned faces of people still in the room, “I’m fine everyone. Please continue with your evening.” Sure her face was flushed with embarrassment, she bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was walking. Please forgive me.”