The Savvy Sistahs (15 page)

“Yeah, well . . .”

“And I’m holding you to it. Trust me. Brandy is in safe hands. Now where is Quinn? I need to talk to him for a second.”

Grey sighed when Alexia grudgingly told him to hold on. He didn’t envy his brother one bit. In fact he didn’t envy any man who married a Bennett.

“Yeah, Grey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on, but I believe I got some information today that may help move things along. I just need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure. What?”

“Handcuff your wife to the bed or something.” He could hear Quinn immediately start laughing on the other end.

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea, but any particular reason that I should?” Quinn asked. “Other than a few ideas I have of my own.”

Grey could just imagine his brother’s ideas. “I think she and those other two cousins of hers are planning a trip to Florida and I definitely don’t need that. They may decide to take matters into their own hands and heaven help us if that happens. I’ll have my hands full keeping all four of them safe. The person who is sending Brandy these notes is a lunatic or he’s trying hard to convince us that he is.”

Quinn sighed deeply. “All right, I’ll just have to come up with something to keep Alexia busy. Maybe I’ll get her pregnant again.” He sounded content and just a bit smug.

Grey laughed. “Hey, that’s your call.”

Grey had just hung up the phone when Brandy’s bedroom door opened and she walked out, fresh from her shower and looking sexy as hell in the same velour bathrobe from last night.

He had stayed pretty close to her most of the day and when he wasn’t around, he’d made sure the other investigators he had hired were. “Are you ready to order dinner?” he asked when she came into the living room. She sat down on the sofa, her gaze studying the floor.

“I’m not hungry,” she said softly, without looking up.

He nodded. That last note had really bothered her. “You need to eat something, Brandy.”

Her head snapped up and the look in her eyes was pure fire. “You don’t know what I need, Grey. What I need is for the person who is sending me those damn messages to stop. If they’re trying to scare me off it won’t work. I won’t give up my hotel, I won’t.”

He immediately closed the distance separating them and sat down on the sofa next to her. He reached out and tucked his thumb under her chin and raised her face to meet his. “Hey, everything’s going to be all right, I promise. I told you from day one that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

Without thinking twice about it, he pulled her into his embrace and began rubbing his hands up and down her back. “Don’t let the bastard get to you, Brandy. I’ll find out who he is, I promise.”

He could hear her deep sigh. He could also smell her scent. The latter was beginning to drive him crazy. It was also making his body hard as a rock.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, Grey. This pervert is turning me into a fraidy-cat.”

Grey chuckled softly, his breath warm against her ear. “You’re not a fraidy-cat. I happen to think you’re brave. Only a very brave woman could have managed to continue on with her plans today like there was nothing wrong. I think you should be proud of yourself.”

She leaned back and met his gaze. Her eyes, he noticed, were unusually bright and it seemed that every emotion she possessed was right there in that gaze. “You think so?”

His gaze slowly dropped to her lips. “Yes, I think so.”

For the longest moment neither said anything, then in a soft, barely heard whisper, she said, “Kiss me, Grey.”

When he didn’t move, she leaned her body forward toward him and whispered lower still, “Go ahead, even if you don’t want to kiss me, just do it to humor me. I need the kiss, Grey.”

He arched a dark brow, wondering how on earth could she think he didn’t want to kiss her when he was literally burning up with the need to taste her.

He folded her into his warm embrace as his mouth came down on hers. Her lips immediately parted under his and he stuck his tongue inside her mouth the exact moment he heard her long sigh of pleasure. The sound sent jolts of excitement racing down his spine. He felt vibrantly alive and passion, the red-hot kind, nipped him all over.

He made a noise that could have been a growl, he definitely wasn’t sure. All he could do was to continue to suck, lick, and taste her.

The kiss was mind blowing, slow torture.

She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on and he couldn’t stop kissing her if his very life had depended on him doing so. Moments later, when breathing became a necessity, he eased back but not too far where he couldn’t kiss the corner of her mouth, her cheek, nibble her bottom lip and sink his fingers into the thick mass of braids that spilled over her shoulders.

He continued to brush his mouth back and forth across hers, after not getting nearly enough of her taste. His gaze raked hers hotly. “One more kiss okay?”

Without giving him an answer, she took the initiative and covered his mouth with hers, staking her claim, continuing what he had started, and not holding back anything. He felt her shiver when his hand reached up and parted the folds of her robe, unerringly going straight to her breasts. His breath caught when he smoothed his fingers across a path that went from one nipple to the other. He made up in his mind, then and there, that the next time he would know the taste of them. He would also know the taste of her.

And there would definitely be a next time.

Once again they had to let loose for air and Grey closed his eyes and sank back against the sofa, not knowing if he would survive. He lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, in an effort—a totally wasted effort—to cut off her scent. It was stronger than ever—hot, enticing, seducing.

“Grey?”

It took all his strength to force at least one eye open to gaze at her. Talk about a woman being easy on the eyes, she was definitely that. Her robe was still parted and he could get a glimpse of her bare breasts. He decided to open both eyes and get an eyeful—at least as much as he could get. He was definitely a breast man. Always had been and always would be, and hers were every man’s dream. Even now he was tempted to lean forward, take his tongue and lick and suck her nipples until he was the ripe old age of one hundred.

“Grey?”

When she called his name a second time, he lifted his gaze from her breasts to her face. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

He lifted a brow. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For giving me what I needed tonight.”

Inevitably, his gaze left hers and lingered downward, stealing a token glimpse of her breasts again. “Is there anything else you need, Brandy?” She was truly a beautiful woman, he thought. And he wanted her.

He watched as she gently swiped her lower lip with that sweet tongue of hers. If she was trying to provoke him, it was working. He felt his already hard erection get harder.

“No,” she finally answered, softy. “I think that’s all for now.”

He met her gaze. “Are you sure?”

She smiled, the first he’d seen since she had received that letter today. “No, I’m not sure, but I’m trying to do the right thing.”

He arched a brow. “Which is?”

Her smile widened. “Spare you. I’ve got two long years to make up for.”

He sighed. She didn’t know it but he had a year up on her. Mental images, most of them crystal clear, flitted across his mind. “I don’t want to be spared.”

Now it was her time to arch a brow. “You sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive.”

She nodded as a soft chuckle escaped her throat. “I’ll keep that in mind…the next time.”

The lone figure paced the room, edgy, agitated. The plan wasn’t working. Another would have to be put in place and soon. There was no time to waste. Brandy Bennett had to get what was coming to her.

Chapter 13

G
ood morning, Grey.” Brandy breezed into the kitchen with an entirely different attitude than the previous morning. Getting kissed senseless followed by a good night’s sleep worked wonders for a woman.

She stopped short when she saw all the platters that were lined on her kitchen counter. “Looks like someone is rather hungry,” she said teasingly, meeting Grey’s gaze. It was obvious that he had called up room service.

“Yes, I’m hungry,” he said, uncovering the platters to expose grits, eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. “Care to join me?”

“Hey, why not?” she said, tossing her jacket across the chair. Brandy immediately went to the cabinet to get a plate. She was glad there was no awkwardness between them after their kiss on the sofa the night before. Evidently they both had looked at what had happened in a mature and logical way, and decided it was something that had been bound to happen sooner or later given their close proximity for the past couple of weeks, as well as the sensual vibes that had been radiating between them.

She crossed the small kitchen to the coffee pot to pour a cup of coffee. As far as she was concerned, her morning didn’t officially begin until she drank her coffee.

“What’s your agenda today?”

She decided to take a sip of coffee before answering Grey’s question. “I have several meetings but all on site and on the fifth floor where most of the meeting rooms are located.”

Grey nodded. If those were her plans today then they were his plans as well. He had no intention of letting her out of his sight unless he knew for sure his other investigators had her within their scope.

She was about to start filling her plate with food when the phone rang. “Go ahead and finish what you’re doing. I’ll get that,” he said, hoping it was one of his men with something to report. “Hello?”

After a brief pause he said, “Yes, Brandy Bennett is at this number.” There was another brief pause. Then he leaned his hip against the sofa and said. “I’ll tell you who I am once you tell me who you are.”

He cast a quick look across the room at Brandy. “Oh, Ms. Constantine. Please hold a minute.” Grey then held out the phone to Brandy. “It’s for you and I think you have a lot of explaining to do,” he whispered, handing the phone to her when she reached his side.

Brandy rolled her eyes. Evidently her mother was her usual pleasant self this morning, she thought sarcastically. “Mom? Hi, what’s up?” She then turned to look over at Grey who had returned to the kitchen. “Oh, that’s Grey. You know, Grey Masters, Quinn’s brother?”

After a brief pause Brandy said, “Grey’s just a friend who came for a visit. No, Mom, the two of us aren’t sleeping together.” After a brief pause she added in a frustrated tone. “Yes, Mom, I’m still on the pill.”

Grey, who’d been about to take a sip of coffee, stopped the cup midway to his lips when he heard Brandy’s last remark. He looked over at her and she gave him with a warm smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

“Enough questions about me and my sex life, Mom,” Brandy said getting a little agitated.“What I want to know is why you told Dad about his birthday party when you knew it was supposed to be a surprise?”

There was another brief pause. “I understand that, Mom, but two wrongs don’t make a right and you should not have spoiled things for him and the family.”

Grey couldn’t help but notice there was a longer pause this time. Evidently Ms. Constantine was trying to explain her side of things and he couldn’t help but smile.

“All right, Mom, but I think you owe them an apology, even if you feel you were right. I love you, too, Mom, and by the way, how’s Dad?”

Brandy rolled her eyes again. “And why would I be asking you about him? Mainly because I’m sure you’ve seen him in the past week. And how would I know? Just call it a daughter’s intuition.” Brandy released a deep sigh. “Okay, Mom, I’ll talk to you later and give Dad a kiss for me.” Brandy hung up the phone and rejoined Grey in the kitchen. He was already eating.

“When you get time I’d like you to give me another Bennett family history lesson. Your conversation with your mother just now sounded like a doozy.”

Brandy sat down at the table and immediately took a sip of her coffee. “It was.”

Grey paused in biting into his toast and said, “I hate to say this and I hope it doesn’t sound too disrespectful, but your mother sounds like she’s a pain in the . . .”—he cleared his throat and decided to say in kindness—“rear end.”

Brandy couldn’t help but chuckle.“That’s a nice way of putting it and yes, you’re right, she is. But my father wouldn’t have her any other way.”

After breakfast before they left to catch the elevator, Grey decided to let Brandy in on the latest development, at least part of it. “I’ve decided to let the local police know what’s happening, Brandy.”

A dark frown deepened her brow. “Why? I thought there would not be any police involvement unless it became absolutely necessary for fear of negative publicity for the hotel, Grey.”

“And that’s still holds true. There won’t be any involvement right now but they need to know about things just in case something major goes down. I don’t like the tone of the last note that was sent.”

Brandy nodded. Neither did she. “All right, Grey. I trust your judgment about all of this. All I want is for things to get back to normal and for whoever is sending those notes to stop.”

Automatically, without very much thought, he pulled her into his arms in a protective embrace. “Me too, and right now I want to be cautious. And one of the positive things is that one of the agents I used to work with in D.C. knows the chief of police here. He’s going to apprise him of what’s going on with the understanding that we have everything under control and they won’t be needed unless we call them.”

Brandy nodded again. “Is there anything else I should know, Grey?”

He thought on her question and decided that it would make his job a lot easier if Brandy was kept in the dark about some things for now. “No, there’s nothing else you should know.”

Carla picked up her phone. “Yes, Michelle, what is it?”

“Yes, Ms. Osborne, there’s a Mr. Jesse Devereau here to see you. Should I send him in?”

Carla inhaled sharply, not believing what Michelle had just said. There was no way Jesse could be here when she’d distinctly told him yesterday that she hadn’t wanted to see him again. Didn’t he understand that they had nothing to say to each other? The subject of whether or not Craig was his son was not open for discussion.

“Ms. Osborne?”

Sighing deeply, Carla decided to see him and try and make things clear with him once again. She would let him know that she had seen her attorney and asked that he do whatever necessary to make sure Jesse didn’t try seeing her.

“Yes, Michelle, send him in but please summon security.”

Carla stood as her office door swung open and Jesse Devereau walked in. “Jesse, I thought I made myself clear yesterday.”

“All I want to know, Carla, is if your son is mine.”

“I have no intentions of answering that.”

Jesse stared at her. “If he isn’t mine then why is my name on the birth certificate as his father?” When she didn’t reply immediately, he lifted a brow, waited. When it became obvious that she had no intentions of answering, he frowned. “Why are you being difficult? All I want is the truth.”

The truth?
There was that one word again that had no place between them. How could he want to speak of truth when he had lied to her that night? “I refuse to tell you anything. And just so you know, I’ve contacted my attorney and he’ll take whatever steps are necessary to make sure you stop harassing me.”

Jesse’s gaze narrowed. “Harassing you? All I’ve done is try to find out the truth and considering everything, I felt I should come directly to you for answers.”

“I refuse to tell you anything.” Carla’s attention slid past him, toward the doorway where Michelle and the security guard stood.

“Is something wrong, Ms. Osborne?” Sam asked, entering her office.

“Yes,” Carla said as anger seeped through her every pore. “My conversation with Mr. Devereau is over and I’d like you to escort him out of the building. And please make sure he doesn’t return.”

Jesse’s face lit with anger. Then without saying anything, he was gone with Sam following in his wake.

“Are you all right, Ms. Osborne?” Michelle asked, in a deeply concerned voice.

Carla leaned against her desk. “Yes, I’m fine.” But a part of her knew she wasn’t fine. She would never forget the furious look on Jesse’s face when he had walked out.

Mike watched an angry Jesse pace the confines of his suite, thinking he’d never seen him so angry.

“I can’t believe the woman,” Jesse said after a few minutes of constant pacing. “I’ve made every effort to talk to her and she refuses to have anything to do with me. She has to be the most stubborn person I know.”

Mike chuckled. “Then I feel sorry for the kid if he’s really your son, Jess.”

Jesse stopped. “What the hell are you talking about?” His tone was as cutting as his gaze.

Mike leaned back against the sofa and ignored both. “All I’m saying is that if the kid is yours then he doesn’t stand a chance, having both a stubborn mother and a stubborn father, since you’re the most stubborn person that
I
know.”

Jesse glared at Mike. “This isn’t funny.”

Mike chuckled again. “Trust me, I can very well see that and I’m curious as to what you plan to do now?”

Jesse took a seat at the desk in the room. “I spoke with John Kline a few minutes ago and things are being taken care of.”

Mike’s brows rose sharply. “John Kline?”

“Yes. I want to see just how stubborn she is when she’s faced with losing her company.”

The next morning Carla and Amber met for breakfast. Just before leaving home Carla had received a phone call from a friend who was a brilliant player on the New York Stock Exchange.

“She wanted to know what new product my company was coming out with for the recent movement in my company stock’s prices,” Carla told Amber, after taking a sip of coffee. “And she’s heard it will really hit gold tomorrow and was calling looking for a hot tip. I told her we didn’t have a new product coming out on the market. Now that has me concerned.”

Amber raised a brow. “What? The fact you don’t have anything new coming out?”

Carla shook her head. “No, the sudden movement of Osborne’s stock. When stock prices jump that rapidly and it can’t be linked to any

type of new innovation, it usually means one thing.”

Amber lifted a brow. “What?”

Carla met her inquisitive gaze. “Someone is buying up a lot of shares of stock.”

Two days later

“So what did you find out, Stanley?” Carla asked the man sitting across from her desk. Stanley Jerrott was Osborne’s senior attorney and if anyone could find out what was happening with the company’s stocks and why, he could.

“I made a few phone calls, Ms. Carla Osborne, and the news isn’t good. Osborne Computer Network has become the target of a hostile takeover bid.”

Color drained from Carla’s face and her eyes widened in shock. “But—but, I don’t understand…why? It’s not like we’re some Fortune 500 company. We’re a little guy compared to other major computer companies, so why us?”

Stanley shrugged big, massive shoulders. “I wish I knew, but the only person who can answer that is the man behind the takeover. But in a way, I’m really not surprised given the current merger fever in this country. However, like you I am surprised they would want us. It’s not like we make millions every year, so this doesn’t make sense.”

Carla nodded. She then stood and walked over to the window, not wanting to believe what Stanley had just told her about the takeover attempt. Mergers happened to big companies like IBM and Hewlett-Packard. In fact, Osborne Computer Network wasn’t even listed in the top one hundred computer companies in the nation. And their clientele was basically regional, although a lot of discussion had been done lately about expanding those boundaries.

She turned back to Stanley. “Have papers been filed with the SEC?”

“Yes.”

Stanley’s voice had been low when he’d answered but she’d heard his response just the same. She also knew what it meant. Anyone going after more than a certain percentage of a publicly held stock had to register their intentions with the SEC. With that out of the way, whoever the person was who’d set their sights on Osborne was free to begin acquiring vast quantities of the shares on the open market. All that he needed was enough shares to give him control of the firm.

Carla sighed. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing the company and not just for her sake—her main concern was her employees. If the company was forcibly taken from her, what would become of them? She’d heard numerous stories of how long-time, faithful employees got tossed out in the cold with mergers and she couldn’t stand the thought of that happening. A good number of them, like Stanley, had planned to retire in a few years and now with the threat of a takeover even that was threatened, since the company’s retirement plan could be eliminated.

She walked backed over to her desk but couldn’t sit down. She was too angry to do so. “Who is he, Stanley? Who’s the person trying to take over Osborne Computer Network?”

Stanley didn’t have to open the folder he held in his hand. The man’s name had been branded onto his memory. A few calls to friends he’d made on the West Coast had basically told him everything he needed to know about him. He was well known as a corporate raider; his reputation for taking over companies was legend. However, most of those Stanley spoke with were surprised he had ventured so far south for his newest acquisition. “A man by the name of Jesse Devereau.”

Stanley’s expression took on a high degree of concern at the sound of Carla’s gasp, as well as the way she suddenly sank down in her chair. Her features appeared in shock. He immediately stood. “Carla, are you all right?”

It was awhile before she answered, and even then he noted she was trembling. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said in a soft voice that had Stanley not believing her. Her reaction to Jesse Devereau’s name had him curious so he pressed forward.