Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit) (14 page)

In the sanctuary of the guestroom, Ashley unloaded. First, a firing of angry curses filled the air. She paced the floor, ranting. “That asshole! I can’t believe him!” Her arms flailed, throwing air punches. “Damn jerk! Fucking damn jerk! Oh, he’s going to get what’s coming to him. I’m going to serve his ass to him on a platter and watch him eat it. Ugh!”

Then, a river of emotions flooded her insides. She collapsed to the floor in a heap, muttering incoherently. “What’s wrong with me? I’m a good person. I’m pretty, smart. Where are the normal men?” Sobering after several minutes, she gathered her composure.

Finally, calm and rationale found her huddled in a corner. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cool wall. Of all the men on planet earth, why did she have to be attracted to this man? She reached up, snatched a pen and notepad from the nearby desk. Hurried fingers scribbled fiercely. The list noted the three items she needed to carry out her plan. Shopping tomorrow would be fun.

Sebastian shuffled along the sidewalk. Despite the lack of sleep the night before, his brisk pace hastened with each stride, nearly to a jog. He ran on adrenaline and his usual three cups of coffee. The presentation that had been his all-nighter lay at the bottom of his jeans pocket between a gum wrapper and two pennies.

“Hi,” he said, handing the flash drive to a young copy-center employee. “I need twenty color copies of a sixty-page presentation. Can the copies be ready later this afternoon?”

The wide-eyed girl gawked at him. She placed the flash drive into a plastic pouch. “Here.” She shoved a form across the counter. “Fill this out. Your job should be done by tomorrow morning.”

Sebastian frowned. “I need the copies this afternoon. I have to mail them tonight. Can I pay for rush service and get the copies by five?”

She rolled her eyes. “Probably not.”

He pointed overhead. “Your sign says you offer same-day service at an additional cost.”

She smacked her lips. “Sir, we don’t make guarantees on same-day rush jobs.” Miss Null and Void stared blankly. Her lackluster personality nudged him to the edge.

Sebastian glanced at her badge. “Lisa,” he said, placing both hands on the counter. “Let me tell you how this is going to work.” His glare locked on her like a missile. “I pay you money. You do the work. No questions asked.” Sebastian retrieved a pen from the counter and scribbled on the form. “Otherwise, I’ll have to speak with your boss and tell him or her about your horrible attitude and general lack of interest in making a sale.” His irritated voice raised. The girl flinched.

A hand with long purple fingernails snatched the completed form from Sebastian’s fingers. “I can have your copies ready at six o’clock,” the snarky voice said.

He eased back. Pocketed his hands. “Six o’clock will be fine. What’s the total?”

She typed a series of keystrokes into a computer. “One hundred and eighty dollars plus tax. Will you need them bound? Binding costs extra.”

“That’s fine. The extra cost is not a problem. I’ll be back at seven.”

Sebastian bolted for the exit. The vibration in his right pocket slowed his steps to a crawl. He pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the caller’s number. “Stephen,” he muttered under his breath. He punched the talk button. “What can I do for you, Stephen?” He didn’t hide his annoyance.

“I’m checking on your progress. The meeting is at seven on Monday morning. Is your proposal ready?”

Sebastian lowered his voice as a man and woman passed him on the sidewalk. “Yes. I’m having copies made now. They’ll ship tonight, in plenty of time for the meeting.”

Stephen didn’t say a word. “Hello. Stephen?” Sebastian asked.

Breaking the silence, “Uh, yeah. That’s great news, Stone. Why are you shipping the presentations? You do know there’s a hurricane headed straight for the Keys, don’t you? Shouldn’t you get an earlier flight out?”

Sebastian unlocked the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Yes. Of course, I know about the storm, but I’m not changing my plans. I’m leaving Saturday morning as planned.”

“Stone, that’s cutting it awfully close. You should try to get an earlier flight out. There must be flights leaving tomorrow. I’ll have Judith change your arrangements.”

Sebastian inhaled a deep breath. He couldn’t wait to see Ashley on Friday. The mere thought of her aroused him. “Stephen, that won’t be necessary. I’m leaving Saturday morning. The presentations will ship tomorrow. I’ll have them sent to Judith.”

Stephen huffed. “If you screw this up, I can’t protect you.”

A knot formed in Sebastian’s stomach. “I never asked for your protection. I’ll see you bright and early on Monday.”

“Seven o’clock, Monday. Later, Stone.”

“Good-bye, Stephen.”

The call disconnected. Sebastian’s hands came down hard on the leather steering wheel. He gripped the wheel tightly. Another vibration. He glanced at the incoming call. A smile washed away his angry scowl.

“Hey, man! What’s going on?” Weeks had passed since Sebastian last talked to his best buddy Daniel.

“I thought I’d better check on you. I figured you must be getting so much action that you forgot my number,” Daniel joked.

Sebastian chuckled. “No action yet, but not for lack of trying.”

“I’m surprised. You’ve been there for more than a week. Nothing?”

He huffed. “Daniel, man. There’s this woman, Ashley. I met her a few months ago in Atlanta under interesting circumstances. Ran into her again at the airport. We happened to be on the same flight to Key West. I’ve taken her out a few times. I like her.”

“You like her, but… I sense your hesitation.”

“But, she’s different. Different than my usual type.”

“Different can be good.”

“Different is definitely good. She’s got edge, which I like.”

“She a blond?”

“Nope. Darker.”

“Oh yeah, dude. Blondes are fun, but brunettes are wild. I’m jealous.”

“No, she’s not brunette. She’s black.”

The phone went silent. “You mean she’s black as in Goth or she’s black as in soul sista?”

Sebastian hadn’t ever considered how to describe Ashley. Being interested in a black woman had only ever been a notion, not that he had ever given the idea serious consideration. He started the engine and put the vehicle into reverse. “I mean she’s black as in African American.” He swiveled around to glance at his rear left and then right. The Jeep reversed out of the parking space.

“Wow! I didn’t think they liked us.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “They? Who in the hell is they?”

“Man, you know exactly what I mean, black women.

He shook his head. “They,” he said making air quotes, “don’t like you.”

“I’m not trying to be insensitive or insulting. I’ve seen many attractive black women who I haven’t had the courage to ask out. I wish I had your balls.”

Sebastian pulled out onto Duval Street. “I know you wish you had my balls.” He chuckled. “Ashley is an intelligent, beautiful woman. I didn’t have to think twice about asking her out. We had an instant attraction… chemistry.”

“You know I’m not a racist jerk, but I must admit, this news is shocking. I never knew you were interested in exotic women.”

Sebastian glanced at the clock on the dashboard. He still had time to run one more errand. “I never knew I’d be interested in any woman. I wish the circumstances were different. I would have liked to get to know her better.”

“Why don’t you continue to see her? She lives in Atlanta, right?”

“She does, but I… I don’t know.” Sebastian paused. “I haven’t had this much fun in years. I’ll see her Friday night. Maybe I’ll throw it out there. Maybe.”

“Sebastian, this is good. Hearing you talk about a woman is very good. If you do the deed, you have to let me know what that’s like.” He heard Daniel’s smile.

Sebastian pulled into the parking lot. The Flower Pot had the best selection of flowers in the Keys. “I plan to do the deed, and I absolutely will not share those details with you when it happens.”

“You really like this woman, huh?”

“I think I do. I like her. She’s interesting and she doesn’t hold back.” Sebastian slammed the door. “By the way, I need a favor. I need your help to find something. I’ll e-mail you details later. Can you help?”

“Sure, man. Whatever you need. I’ll look for your e-mail.”

“Awesome. I’ve got to run. The big date is Friday.”

Sebastian leaned against the front of the Jeep. One foot settled on the bumper. Busy fingers scrolled the address book. His chest tightened. His nerves hadn’t bothered him until now. The phone rang.

“Hello,” Ashley said, slightly hesitant. Normally she didn’t answer calls from unknown numbers. Seeing the Atlanta area code gave her chills.

His velvety smooth voice satisfied her secret desire. “Hello, beautiful,” Sebastian said. His husky voice quaked through her core.

Ashley’s pulse raced. She guided the rickety shopping cart down an empty aisle. Good thing no one could witness her gushing like a silly pubescent teen. “Hi, Sebastian,” she managed calmly. The cart rattled loudly as she strolled down the aisle.

“I’ve missed seeing you, talking to you. What are you doing?”

Her fingers curled around the basket’s handle until her hands ached. Would she have the nerve to go through with her plan once he had her?

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, her voice softening to a whisper. Ashley leaned down on the shopping cart handle. “Let’s leave things between us as they are. Besides, a storm is coming. Kerri thinks we should leave early.”

As though he found his courage in her weakness, “That’s not good enough for me,” he said, his tone marked with renewed confidence. “I want to see you again. I don’t care that a hurricane is coming. Let her leave. You can stay with me.”

She wanted to see him again, too. She stood up straight, put the cart in motion again. “Okay. Friday?”

“Yes, Friday. I want you all day.” His voice lowered to a seductive growl. “And all night.”

Ashley swallowed hard, fell silent. She should have been angry. To him, she had been a two-week booty call. Damn her for finding his desire for her sexy. With her plan, she could get what she wanted. She found her nerve and voice again. “What time?”

“I’ll pick you up at two o’clock. I have a special day planned for us. We’ll spend the evening at my place.” She heard the smile in Sebastian’s voice.

Her hand slipped. Bottles of lubricant slid off the top shelf and crashed to the floor. “All right. I’ll see you at two on Friday.”

“Ashley, are you okay? Don’t you dare hurt that ankle again before I get my hands on you.”

Desire tempered her fury. Bitterness would fuel her revenge later. Right now, Ashley focused on cleaning up the mess she had made. “Uh, everything is fine. I’ve got to finish my shopping.”

“See you Friday,” he said.

Ashley shoved the phone into her handbag. She squatted. There must have been a thousand bottles of lube on that shelf, now scattered across the entire floor. She stood, drove the cart to the end of the aisle in search of someone who worked at the small grocery store for help.

She wheeled the cart to the right. “Oh, crap! I’m sorry,” she squealed, almost making a handsome young clerk aisle kill. “There’s a huge mess on aisle sex.” Ashley cringed. A wave of heat rolled through her belly. “I mean aisle six.”

The clerk frowned and then headed in the direction of her destruction. Ashley followed and stood next to the endcap where gallons of water were on sale. He hopscotched down the aisle, carefully stepping from foot to foot to avoid the plastic bottles. A small gathering of shoppers and other store employees assembled at both ends of the aisle. He glanced back at Ashley, his face turning red. “Did you get enough K-Y Jelly or need anything else?” he asked, barely containing his laughter. Snickers came from the onlookers.

Ashley wished shrink-ray technology existed. She could shrink herself to two inches in height and duck for cover under a shelving unit. What the hell, she thought. “Yep.” She held up one of the tiny bottles. “I’m going to get everything I need Friday night. Thanks for the help.”

An odd sound came from her handbag. Ashley peered inside her purse. Light illuminated the leather cave. She reached in and lifted the cell phone to her ear. Piercing laughter assaulted her eardrums.