inspected it. “Oh, it hasn’t been worn.”
“And that is a pity,” a velvet smooth voice said from behind her. “You would’ve made that suit look good.”
Kandace whirled around and faced him. “Just who in the hell do you think you are?” she asked. “And how did you find my room?”
“I’m a man who gets just what I want and right now, I want you,” he said boldly.
Kandace rolled her eyes and attempted to walk past him, but he pulled her against his hard torso and her breath caught in her chest as he brought his lips to hers. Kandace’s body tingled from her scalp to the tip of her toes as he leaned closer and took her mouth with a searing passion that she thought was reserved for Hollywood movies and romance novels. For a brief moment, Kandace lost herself in the kiss, awakened by his tongue dancing against hers. But her common sense took over and she pulled back from him and slapped him with all her might.
“Stay away from me!” she snapped. “Don’t send me any gifts and don’t you ever touch me again.”
He stepped back and studied her body, reading the flashes of anger in her eyes, and the pout of her lips. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked. “Because your body is saying something else.”
“It’s saying get the hell away from me,” she said as she pushed him, then stormed out of the shop. Much to her dismay, he followed her.
“Hey, Kandace, wait,” he called out.
She turned around and glared at him. “What you need to do is stop talking to me as if you know me,” she said.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“And I don’t give a damn.”
“You will. What do you say we have dinner tomorrow night? In the grotto.”
Kandace shook her head in disbelief. “Are you mental? I wouldn’t have dinner with you if you were the last person on earth and had the final piece of meat in the world.” Kandace stomped off and headed for the elevator.
Solomon fought the urge to follow Kandace onto the elevator. The things he could’ve done and the buttons he could’ve pushed with her in that enclosed space. But Solomon knew he had to bide his time carefully. Smiling, he was happy that she wasn’t aware of his reputation or his true identity. Now he’d try something different with a woman—being himself.
CHAPTER 5
Kandace slammed into her room and flung herself across the bed. The kiss played in her mind as she rolled over on her back. His lips were soft, his technique was skillful, and had he not been the most arrogant and pompous jerk she’d ever met, that kiss would’ve affected her core.
Who was she trying to fool? That kiss stirred a dormant part of her that she wanted him to explore, slowly and thoroughly. Stop it, she thought as she picked up the hotel phone and dialed Serena’s number. She knew this call was going to cost her a pretty penny, but she needed to tell someone about this jerk.
“Hello?” Serena said. Kandace could tell she didn’t recognize the number on her caller ID.
“Serena, it’s me.”
“You couldn’t go one day without calling? I’m not telling you anything about the restaurant,” she said.
“That’s not why I’m calling. I need your brand of advice,” Kandace said.
“My advice?” Serena asked. “Are you sure, because I’m not going to be sugary sweet like Jade and Alicia.”
“That’s why I didn’t call them. We need to make this quick. I’m on the hotel’s phone.” Kandace launched into her story about the mystery man, their encounter at the grotto, his gift, and the kiss.
“He kissed you? Just like that, no provocation or anything?”
“That’s what I just said. Now, what should I do?”
“I would cuss him out and…No,” Serena said. “You’re on vacation and you could use a bit of sex in your life. What’s a vacation fling going to hurt?”
“Did you not hear anything I said about this man? He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and I don’t care how good he looks. Besides, I don’t even know his name.”
“How did he find out yours and your room number?”
“Haven’t a clue. Maybe he paid off one of the hotel staffers. I’m tempted to complain to management about this jackass. I came here to relax, not to get stalked.”
“Tell him in no uncertain terms, or better yet, find out who he is and turn the tables on him. If he’s a high roller who can pay people for information, he must be somebody important.”
“That sounds like a lot of work and I’m not feeling it. Besides, I left my computer at home.”
“Then just wait and see what he sends you next,” Serena said. “Look, I have to go. Someone’s at my door.”
“Antonio?”
Serena hung up without responding. Kandace would’ve called her back, but she decided to watch a movie instead. As she flipped though the channels, her mind wandered back to that man—the touch of his lips and the feel of his body pressed against hers.
Get a grip! What has lust ever gotten anybody? Kandace stopped flipping the channels when she looked up and saw him on the screen. He was dressed in a tuxedo, looking the epitome of class and culture. He was accompanied by an A-list actress whose movie had just premiered, but this shot was an older one.
“It looks as if Solomon Crawford has struck again,” the announcer said. “Despite rumors that his relationship with Heather Williams, star of Just That Kind of Girl, was getting serious, Crawford wasn’t on the red carpet last night and Williams declined to answer any questions about the hotel mogul.”
Kandace shook her head as everything started to come together. No wonder he found out her name and which room she was staying in. He owned the place.
You don’t know who I am, do you? Now that statement made even more sense. He was used to models, actresses, and singers throwing themselves at him. Kandace wasn’t going to fall for it. She grabbed the remote and switched the channel, at the same time stating firmly, I am not going to be another one of Crawford’s conquests.
Solomon headed in to his room and stretched out on his bed. More than anything he wanted Kandace and that killer body lying next to him. He wanted to peel her clothes from her body and kiss every tantalizing inch of skin he’d exposed. Of course, he would pay close attention to her nipples, licking and sucking them until she begged for more. Just thinking about it made him hard. Maybe he needed a cold shower until he convinced her that she needed to take a ride on him. As Solomon stripped out of his clothes, his cell phone rang.
“Crawford,” he growled.
“What’s wrong with you?” Carmen asked. “Is everything all right down there?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. And let me tell you, the grotto
