ONE WEEK LATER
I had been biding my time with Ms. Valentine. She was a woman constantly on the move with several meetings each day, both in and out of the office. I easily recalled when I used to move around a lot like that, hustling to get my business to the next level.
I thought it was cute that she was doing the same, but there was a clear distinction between us—she came from money, I didn’t.
The only thing I had surmised from the background check that had come back thus far was that she was an heiress to a large communications company.
Her father, was the founder and CEO of Lewis-Cox Communications Company, and he had also come from money.
Her mother was famed former soap opera actress, Carolyn Lewis.
The woman had won several distinguished awards for her acting through the years, and Mr. Lewis had just as many for his communications company.
I didn’t understand why their daughter, Camilla, had to work so hard to build her business.
There wasn’t an issue with her having her own business or building it from the ground up.
The only thing I knew, was that if my parents had the type of money hers had, there would be a lot of options that would have made the road a little easier, even if only to open doors that were closed.
Yet, from all I could tell, she worked as hard as I had to build what she had, and she hadn’t taken a single dime from them.
In fact, from what I derived from David, she didn’t seem to have a relationship with her parents, just her sister, Courtney, who was a pediatrician.
Both daughters seemed to be detached from anyone for the most part.
They were so married to their careers, that they ate, slept, and breathed their jobs.
I watched her on the monitors as she stepped off the elevator and headed into her office.
This was the third time that she had arrived today.
Just as I knew that, I also knew that she would be here for another four or five hours.
Over the last three weeks, I had spotted her pattern.
She arrived at seven in the morning, left two or three times a day, and she usually returned with storage boxes or document tubes.
She left the office every Wednesday between six and seven, and the other nights she didn’t leave until ten or eleven at night.
I had become addicted to watching her from my camera.
Although it would have been easy for me to arrange, I hadn’t encountered her again since our midnight rooftop encounter.
I wanted our run-ins to be as organic as possible, but it was killing me.
I wanted to orchestrate a run-in just so that I could hear her voice again, inhale her scent, or just be in her presence.
I had been sending her flowers and lunch every day, and I always instructed the vendors to send it from anonymous. Although I had Brick to install cameras in her office, I didn’t have him install audio, because I didn’t want to push the privacy violation any further than I had.
I tapped into the camera that was in her office. There were only two people there with her, the young girl, who I had realized was her assistant, and the older woman who flirted with every young man she saw. She was a cougar in its rawest form.
I switched cameras to monitor Camilla’s office, and she was on a phone call. She appeared to be stressed, and I wondered if everything was okay. For the first time, I wished that I had audio installed in her office. Whatever was bothering her, I wanted to make it right. `
A plan formulated in my mind as I decided it was time for another encounter between us. I saw her dropped off in the morning by a car service, so I knew that she hadn’t driven herself to work.
“Frankie, would you please get me Fields Royalty Car Service on the line?” I instructed my assistant after I dialed her.
“Yes, sir.”
Within a minute, she buzzed me again.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Blackwood, what can we do for you?” Yousef, the dispatch operator, asked.
“Have you received a booking for Ms. Camilla Valentine for this evening?”
“Yes, sir. We’re scheduled to pick her up soon. Our driver is en route and should be there within seven minutes.”
“I need you to cancel.”
“Has she arranged other service, Mr. Blackwood?”
“She hasn’t, but you don’t need to be concerned about that. I’ll take care of her.”
“Should I tell her that, if she calls?”
“No, Yousef. Just tell her there was a mix-up, and you’ll look into it and get back to her as soon as possible. I will have five grand deposited into your account before you leave for the night. I’ll transfer you back to my assistant, Frankie, and she’ll take care of you.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
“No problem, Yousef.”
I switched over to Frankie. “Frankie, I need you to deposit five grand into an account for Yousef once we clear the line. I’m about to transfer him to you, and he’ll give you the details.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Blackwood.”
I ended the call and sat back for a few moments. I was grateful that the car service she used happened to be owned by my good friend, Kanaan Fields, of Fields Supply Chain. Yousef knew me very well; that was why I was confident that I wouldn’t be questioned.
I watched on the monitor as Camilla wrapped up her evening and straightened her office.
I kept watch over her until she arrived out front.
After five minutes, she pulled out her phone, and I knew that she must be checking on her car service.
She paced back and forth as she fussed before she finally hung up.
She threw her hands in the air and made another call. I stood and headed to the elevators.
“Good night, Mr. Blackwood,” Frankie called out as I passed her office.
“Good night, Frankie.”
I took my private elevator down to my private bay in the garage. My driver, who also served as my bodyguard, Creed Evanston, waited at the rear of the Bentley and opened the door for me. Frankie would have informed him that I was on my way down no sooner than I passed her office.
“Creed, head around to the front before we leave. We have to make a pitstop on the way home,” I instructed.
“Yes, sir.”
He eased the car out of my bay and headed for the exit.
“There will be a young lady out front pacing back and forth. She’s wearing a lime-green fitted dress with a white belt. She’s upset because her car service has been canceled, and she doesn’t know why. You need to convince her that the building owner has sent a car service for her inconvenience.”
“Let me guess, she doesn’t know you’re the building owner?” He looked in the rearview mirror at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope.”
He smirked and eased around to the front of the building, where Camilla was still pacing back and forth.
Creed parked the car in front of the building and hopped out to walk around to her. I listened as he explained that the building owner had sent a car service to ensure that she arrived home safely.
“It’s just one of the perks of executive level management for anyone who has a lease in the building, ma’am.”
“How did you know my car service hadn’t arrived?”
“The owner and management have a contract with the car service. They informed us that they would be running late for one of their clients, and to please provide a driver for you if we had one available.”
She eyed him curiously.
“I don’t know you.”
“You can verify my identity at the front desk. Listen, I understand your hesitation, but we just don’t want our tenants using any form of public transportation at this time of the night.
“Well, the busses stopped running an hour ago, and I was about to order an Uber. It’ll just be another twenty-something minutes.”
“Ma’am, it’s a little after eleven. It’s not safe for you to be standing out here waiting downtown alone.”
Her fists clenched and unclenched, along with her jaw. After she exhaled deeply, she replied, “You have a point.”
Rodney stood a few feet away, taking a smoke break. When Camilla turned back to him to verify who Creed was, he confirmed that Creed could definitely be trusted. He told her that Creed was “good peeps,” and he would take care of her and get her home safely.
She conceded, and I prepared a rum for me and a rum and coke for her.
I had just sat back in the seat when she bent down to climb inside of the car. “What the hell?” she shrieked. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you get home safely.”
The moment she backed out, she bumped into Creed. She spun around and jabbed a finger at Creed. “I don’t know what type of games you’re playing, but I’m not riding with him. I don’t know him, and I also don’t trust him.”
Rodney stepped up at the same time that Lyndon, another security guard, stepped outside.
“Is everything good, Ms. Valentine?” Lyndon asked at the same time that Rodney asked, “You guys need some help?”
“There was a mix-up with my car service. This man offered me a ride home, which was fine because you vouched for him, Rodney. Except, I didn’t expect to be riding with someone else—someone I don’t know.
Could you all recommend another car service, perhaps?
” she asked, pointing from Lyndon to Rodney.
“Honestly, Ms. Valentine, this is your safest bet,” Rodney stated.
“Yeah. The fact that he’s taken interest in your safety speaks volumes. I promise that you’re in good hands with Mr. Blackwood,” Lyndon professed.
“I hardly doubt it, and I’m not sure I should trust him. He has a habit of letting his lips get him into trouble that he cannot handle,” she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her gaze at me.
I smirked and replied, “I can handle anything these lips get into.”
The color on her face turned a warm red.
“Ms. Valentine, I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Mr. Blackwood is the best thing you could bet on. You are his tenant, and he does own the building. Why would he not have your best interest at heart?” Lyndon asked.
I could tell from the way her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted that she was shocked and flabbergasted. She turned to look back at me, and I couldn’t help the arrogant smirk that settled on my lips.
“Really. Why am I not surprised?” She dropped down inside of the car, and Creed closed the door.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were that night on the rooftop a week ago, and why did you give me such a hard time?”
“You’re so cute when your nostrils flare like that,” I replied.
“Can we be serious for a moment?”
“I was. Actually, I thought you were the one giving me a hard time. All I wanted was a kiss and a date. Was that so hard to make happen?”
“It didn’t have to be hard at all. All you had to do was simply respect my wishes and keep your lips to yourself. I have no idea where those things have been.”
“Nowhere they weren’t wanted. Give Creed the address to your home, or he’ll keep circling the block”
“Ugh! I cannot believe that I’m about to do this. You’d better not infringe on my privacy, sir.”
“I promise the next time that you call me ‘sir’ you’ll be on your knees.”
Her eyes flashed, and I saw the way her chest heaved. She wouldn’t admit it, but I could tell that she was turned on. She immediately turned away from me to give Creed the address before I spoke up again.
“I promise not to stalk you, Scout’s honor,” I stated, holding up my index, middle, and ring fingers with my thumb holding down my pinky.
“I somehow doubt you were ever a Scout.”
“You’re damn right about that.” I took a sip of my rum before I finished speaking. “Besides, I’m too busy to stalk anyone, but if you make things difficult, I might be inclined to pay you a visit.”
“How could I possibly make things difficult?”
“By denying me one date; that’s all I want.”
“I’m not giving you a date.”
“Do you like Caribbean food, Ms. Valentine?”
“I said that I’m not going on a date with you.”
“That’s not what I asked. You have a hard time answering questions. Do you like Caribbean?”
“Yes, I love Caribbean food.”
“Creed, stop by that little spot that was opened up last month.”
“Yes, sir.”
My phone rang, and I held up a finger to stop her questions.
“Ms. Valentine, please enjoy your drink while I take this call.” She eyed her drink suspiciously but took a sip as I answered the call.
I listened as Elian gave me an update on the takeover that was in progress. We were almost finished with it, and I felt like I could breathe a little easier. Another domino had fallen, and I could sweep it up into my empire.
We spent the rest of the ride with me on the phone, and I ended the call as we stepped into the Caribbean restaurant. She looked around with bright, interested eyes, but she didn’t speak another word until we were seated at a table and had ordered from the menu.
“Why didn’t you tell me you owned the building that I worked in?”
“How are you and your staff settling in?” I asked rather than answering her question.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you owned the place?” she repeated.
“What difference would it have made?”
“A huge difference.”
“How?” I challenged.
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say that how I responded to you would have been very different had I known you were my landlord.”
“It shouldn’t matter. You should treat everyone with the same amount of dignity and respect.”
“You mean the way you did me?”
“You were trespassing.”
“Yeah, whatever. Do you always manipulate situations to your will?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” I thought about how I had caused the car service to cancel on her, but I was sure she didn’t know about that.
“How you were supposed to be taking me home, and yet, here we are at a restaurant of your choosing, having a dinner that I didn’t ask for, with a man who has treated me rudely.”
“You need to eat. You spend so much time at the office, and I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t go home, go to sleep, and then get up to do it all over again without fueling your body.”
“Why are you worried about my body?”
“Let’s just say that I have a vested interest in your body.”
“Why?”
“I’m interested in you, Camilla. I find you attractive, and I want to get to know you better.”
“Is that all?” Her tone of voice was a bit sassy, but I felt that I was breaking her walls down.
“I think that if you were to let your guard down just a little bit and get to know me, you might find someone you genuinely like underneath.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I do. Now, will you go out with me?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll have to think about it. I don’t like mysteries. I’m an open book, and I believe the men I’m dating should be too.”
That was unfortunate, because I wasn’t an open book, neither would I ever be.