Touch of Heaven (6 page)

Tina sounded so disappointed that Raina almost felt guilty. “Sorry to let you down,” she said wryly, reaching for her latte and taking a sip.

Tina grinned, her dark eyes glittering with mischief. “Just because you don't want to sell your property to the man doesn't mean you can't accommodate him in other ways.”

Raina nearly choked on her drink.
“What!”
she sputtered. “Girl, have you lost your mind?”

Tina laughed, rich and full, a sound that delighted her clients almost as much as her soothing, capable hands. “I'm just saying, Raina. A man like that doesn't come around every day. Tall, dark and handsome. Rich enough to buy up all this land and build an office complex. Nikki said his suit must have cost at least five grand and he was driving a Bentley, for God's sake. She looked for a wedding ring and didn't see one. You think a man like that would still be available if we were back in Saint Croix?” She laughed again, as if the mere idea were preposterous. “So who
was
he, Raina?”

Raina frowned. “I already told you—”

“No, I mean what's his name? Hell, if you're not interested, let
me
give him a call!”

Raina reached for a folder on her desk, mumbling, “His name is Warrick. Warrick Mayne.”

Dead silence filled the room. Then Tina sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening in shock. “Warrick Mayne was
here?
”

“In the flesh,” Raina muttered.

“Why didn't you say so!”

“I just did.”

“No, why didn't you say so at
first?”

Raina frowned. “What difference does it make?”

“What
difference
does it make?” Tina stared at her, shaking her head in incredulous exasperation. “What am I going to do with you, Raina St. James? Do you know who that man is?”

“Yes,” Raina said through gritted teeth. “And if one more person reminds me, I'm going to—”

“Warrick Mayne is the president and CEO of one of the largest engineering firms in the country! He's worth, like, eighty million
dollars. Two years ago, they named a street in Houston after him. And don't you remember when he was featured on the cover of
Essence
last year? The girls and I were sitting around drooling over his pictures and arguing over who should get to take home the magazine since it was sold out in every newsstand around the city. You finally stepped in and said it was the property of the spa since you specifically bought it for the waiting area, even though when the magazine disappeared a couple weeks later we all figured you probably took it home for yourself.”

“I did not!” Raina protested.

Tina grinned slyly. “No one would blame you if you did.”

“I didn't.” Raina didn't need any physical reminders of Warrick Mayne lying around her house. God knows she wasn't likely to ever forget what he looked like. She had enough memories of the man to last her three lifetimes.

“Anyway,” Tina continued, “I just can't believe you didn't mention his name up front. Warrick Mayne coming to the spa is a very big deal.”

“Even if he
is
trying to snatch it out from under me,” Raina grumbled darkly.

Tina paused. “There is that.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Well, he
is
a businessman. You can't blame him for trying to do what he feels is best for his company.”

Raina shot her an accusing look. “Whose side are you on?”

Tina laughed. “Yours, of course! Believe me, I'm not biting the hand that feeds me. I'm just trying to see things from his perspective as well. And if you
were
thinking about selling to him—”

“I'm not.”

“I know. But if you were, he could definitely make you a nice offer. A
very
nice offer.”

“I don't give a damn,” Raina snarled. “I don't want his money. And you're starting to sound like Tyler Ralston, so just stop it.”

“All right, all right.” Laughing, Tina held up her hands in surrender. “This is your spa, Raina, and you have to do what's best for you. Trust me, I'm in no hurry to start looking for another job. I really like it here, and I like working for you. We all do.”

Raina smiled gently at her. “Then stop trying to break up the family. I'm not selling the property, so all of you are stuck with me.”

Tina heaved a long, dramatic sigh. “I think we can live with that.”

Raina chuckled dryly. “Thanks.”

Tina grinned lasciviously. “But I do feel bad about you sending Warrick Mayne away empty-handed. Are you absolutely sure you can't think of other ways to accommodate him? Hmm?”

Raina scowled. She thought about the string of beautiful, glamorous women Warrick had dated over the past several years. She thought of the way Deniece Labelle had been draped all over him at the restaurant last night, the way they'd held hands across the table and exchanged intimate looks that left no doubt in Raina's mind what they would be doing afterward.

“Believe me,” she said cynically, “Warrick Mayne is not suffering from a shortage of women willing to ‘accommodate' him. In fact, I think it's safe to say he has no trouble whatsoever finding, ah, available accommodations.”

“So true, so true.” Tina sighed enviously. “Of all the days I had to be off from work. If I were here, I wouldn't have let that fine man leave without at least offering him a complimentary massage. Lord have mercy.”

Raina couldn't help grinning. “We don't do happy endings, Tina. I'm not running that kind of business.”

Tina snapped her fingers. “Damn!”

The two women laughed.

“But seriously,” Tina said, sobering after a moment. “If you happen to run into Warrick again, could you please get his autograph, and possibly his business card, for my younger brother Alphonse? He's studying engineering at the university back home, and even
he
has heard of Warrick Mayne before. Alphonse is a huge fan of his, and I know he'd be thrilled to find out you actually met his idol.” She chuckled. “You could even put in a good word for my brother. Let Warrick know Alphonse is a straight-A student who'll be looking for a job when he graduates in two years!”

Raina smiled. “Hey, that's wonderful, Tina. I didn't know your brother was an engineering major.”

“God, yes. That's all he's ever wanted to be—an engineer. I guess that's another reason I admire Warrick Mayne so much. He's been such an inspiration to my little brother.”

Raina's smile softened. “Well, if I ever run into Warrick again, I will definitely get his autograph and tell him about Alphonse. I
don't know how much good it will do coming from me, considering I just turned down his sales offer.”
And considering he already hates my guts,
she silently added.

But at Tina's hopeful look, she found herself going a step further. “I know—that is, I've
heard
—that Warrick really enjoys mentoring youth. Remember he founded that community center in the Third Ward, and his company has a wonderful minority scholarship program for high-school seniors as well as paid internships for college students.”

“Alphonse would
kill
to do an internship at Mayne Industries,” Tina said wistfully. “But he's already tried applying for an internship there, and the competition is fierce. Alphonse said they receive so many applications that at a certain point they have to start turning people away. He thinks his chances are even slimmer because he doesn't live in the States.”

“Well, you know how it is sometimes,” Raina said sympathetically. “It's not
what
you know, but
who
you know.”

“Believe me,” said Tina, “if I knew Warrick Mayne, I would do whatever I could to help my brother get an internship with him.”

Before Raina could help herself or stop to question her sanity, she heard herself saying, “Tell you what. I, uh, know how to get in touch with Warrick while he's in town. I could give him your brother's résumé and ask him to forward it to the person in charge of the internship program. What better way to get a foot in the door than to go through the CEO himself?”

Tina's eyes widened excitedly. “Would you really do that for me, Raina?”

That was the moment Raina should have backpedaled. She should have done the right thing and leveled with Tina. She should have looked her in the eye and said, “Never mind. I spoke too soon. Warrick and I have a complicated past, and as much as I'd love to help your brother out, I'd really rather not put myself in the position of having to ask Warrick for anything.”

But instead of being honest, Raina shoved her foot—already in her mouth—farther down her throat. “Of course I would do that for you. And not just for you. I'm doing it for Alphonse, too.”

Tina squealed. “Oh my God! Thank you, Raina! My brother is going to be so excited when I tell him. I'm going to call him
during my lunch break and tell him to e-mail his résumé to you right away.”

“Now, I can't promise anything,” Raina hastened to remind her. “Like I said before, I didn't exactly greet Warrick with open arms when he was here yesterday. But I know him. Er, I mean, I've
heard
that he's very committed to helping young people, especially those interested in engineering careers. I don't think he'd refuse to pass along Alphonse's name just to spite me for not wanting to sell my property to him. He doesn't strike me as that type of person.”

Tina beamed with pleasure. “Everything happens for a reason, Raina. That's what my grandmother used to say, and she was right. Of all the places in Houston Warrick Mayne could have chosen for his new office building, he chose this location. You may not give him what he wants—and we won't even go there again—but God put him in your path for a reason. If nothing else, my baby brother might get an internship, eventually even a job, out of this whole thing.”

Raina smiled weakly. “You never know.”

Tina glanced at her watch. “I'd better head out there. My client should be arriving soon.” As she stood and walked to the door, she said, “I can't
wait
to call Alphonse. He won't believe it. And wait till I tell that silly Nikki. She's going to kick herself for not recognizing Warrick Mayne yesterday.”

“Actually,” Raina interjected, “could you hold off on telling Nikki or the others about Warrick's visit? I wanted to let everyone know at our next staff meeting.”

Tina frowned. “But that's not till Friday. Are you sure you want to wait that long? They might hear it through the grapevine.”

Raina pursed her lips. “Well, so far the media hasn't reported on the story yet, so I'm hoping that means Warrick intends to keep his plans under wraps until the sale is finalized.”
Which won't be happening if I have anything to say about it. And I do!

“I don't want the others to start worrying unnecessarily,” Raina continued. “If I were entertaining the sales offer, that would be one thing. But I'm not. So I think the announcement can wait until Friday.”

“Okay. You're the boss.” Tina winked at her. “I'll make sure no one is around when I call my brother about the internship.”

“Great. Thanks, Tina.”

When the door had closed behind her, Raina let out a long, shud
dering groan and dropped her head onto the desk. What on earth had she been thinking, volunteering to help Tina's brother get an internship at Mayne Industries? Had she lost her natural mind? After the way she'd treated Warrick yesterday—tearing up his card and practically throwing it back in his face—she couldn't turn around the next day and ask him for a favor! How could she possibly frame such a request?

Hey, Warrick? I know you despise me and hold me personally responsible for your sister going to prison, and I know I pretty much told you to go to hell when you approached me with a business proposition, but could you ignore all that and give my friend's brother an internship at your company? And, by the way, I'm still not selling my property to you!

Idiot,
Raina scolded herself, thumping her head on the desk. Not only would she have to put aside her pride in order to approach Warrick for a favor, but she'd have to promise something in return. Since giving him the one thing he wanted—her land—was out of the question, she couldn't think of anything else to offer. He and his family had already taken so much from her. Her pride, dignity, peace of mind. Her trust.

She didn't have any more to give. And the truth was that she wanted nothing more to do with Warrick. Ever.

Still, a promise was a promise.

With a deep sigh of resignation, Raina lifted her head from the desk and reached for the phone to make a call. Since she'd torn up Warrick's business card, she didn't have his cell phone or home number. And she already knew, from previous experience, that his secretary in Philadelphia guarded his schedule and personal information the way the CIA guards top-secret documents.