day. D’marcus was a hunk. At six foot two, he had medium-brown skin, dark eyes, a clean-shaven face and short-cropped brown hair. Heads turned whenever he walked near women. And she was no exception. For no reason, he could make heated sensations flow through her whenever she was in a room with him.
The majority of the time he barely noticed she was alive, going about the job of making his company successful. Unfortunately, she was always quick to notice him: How well the clothes he wore fitted his body, how muscular and toned that particular body was, how the deep, husky sound of his voice could make her think of things other than business.
Even now, dressed in a polo shirt and a pair of jeans, he looked good, and she noticed as he moved around the room how the denim of his jeans stretched across muscular thighs and a firm butt. He also had a pair of lips that were very expressive. During the three months that she’d been working for him, she’d been able to decipher his mood just from watching his lips. And they were lips that were now moving again, she noted as she turned her concentration back on what he was saying.
“I think that should wrap things up as far as what we’ll say during the press conference,” D’marcus concluded. “And I hope you understand, Kennedy, that, if you cause us any more problems, you run the risk of ending your career with this organization. Understood?”
Opal watched as Kennedy narrowed his eyes. It was plain to see D’marcus had pissed him off.
“Yeah, I understand,” he responded in a clipped tone as he stood.
“Fine. We expect you at each practice session and preseason game regardless of whether you play,” D’marcus added, his expression tight and his tone of voice direct.
“Whatever,” Dashuan angrily threw over his shoulder as he left the room.
It was Opal’s opinion that D’marcus had handled the situation remarkably well, but then she wasn’t surprised. As his administrative assistant, she had seen him in action several times with both domestic and overseas buyers, and it always amazed her how astute he was in his business dealings.
“I appreciate you coming, Ms. Lockhart. I know it was unexpected.”
She blinked, then noticed the other two gentlemen had left, leaving them alone in D’marcus’s office. She stood. “No problem. You said it would take less than an hour and it did.” It then occurred to her that this was the first time her boss had ever shown his appreciation for anything. Usually, although she tried her best, they seemed always to be at odds with each other.
“Do you need me for the press conference later today?” she asked as she inserted her note pad into her desk drawer when she’d type the notes for Monday morning.
He shook his head. “No, I’ll have the task of explaining why one of my key players was charged with possession of an illegal substance. Dashuan, of course, will no doubt be thrilled with the hours of community service he’ll have to do.”
She nodded as she gathered her purse and placed the straps on her shoulder. “All right, then.”
He glanced at her T-shirt. “About your family reunion…”
“Yes?”
“I apologize for having to call you away from it.”
Now he was apologizing. This was another first. She shrugged. “No big deal, I told them I’d be back in an hour and I will be. I’ll see you on Monday.”
She moved to leave and then turned back around. She knew he intended to remain at the office awhile, so she said, “We have plenty of food. Barbecued ribs, baked beans, corn, potato salad, all sorts of desserts. If you’d like, I can drop off a plate for you since I know you’ll be here a while.”
D’marcus, who was about to reach for the phone, stopped abruptly and narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t need you to do that, Ms. Lockhart,” he said rather harshly. “If I get hungry I can very well order something up or stop what I’m doing and go somewhere for a meal.”
Although she should not have been, Opal found she was taken aback by his tone of voice. She really should be used to it by now. “Excuse me for making the suggestion, Mr. Armstrong.”
As she turned and walked out of the room she wondered why she even bothered trying to be nice to the man.
Chapter 2
“I’m glad you made it back,” Colleen Richards said when Opal stepped out on the patio.
“I told everyone I would,” Opal said, mirroring her smile. She and Colleen were more than first cousins of the same age. Opal considered Colleen her very best friend, as well. And Colleen’s sister, Paige, was Pearl’s best friend and roommate.
Opal glanced around. It seemed the crowd of guests had thinned. “What happened to the church group that was sitting over there?” she asked.
Colleen rolled her eyes. “Thanks to Amber, they left. I think a few of the sisters got disgusted with her brazen behavior. Megan Townsend left first, hauling her fiancé out of here so quick it almost made your head spin. And then when Amber started trying to flirt with a few others, their significant others hauled them away, as well.”
Opal sighed, shaking her head. “I thought Ruby asked Luther to talk to her.”
“From what I understand he tried but it didn’t do any good. He told Ruby that Amber said her flirting was harmless.” She shrugged. “It seems she was determined to get into mischief today.”
Opal glanced around the yard. “And where is she?”
Colleen chuckled. “When most of the single men left and she couldn’t do any more damage, she and that girl she was with left, too. She said they were going clubbing later.”
When Colleen fell silent, Opal released a deep breath. There was no way around it. She, Ruby and Pearl needed to have a serious conversation with their baby sister.
“Oh, and I might as well be the one to tell you that you were the topic of speculation among your sisters after you left,” Colleen said smiling.
Opal lifted a brow. “What sort of speculation?”
Colleen chuckled. “I tried to tell them D’marcus Armstrong wasn’t your type, but Pearl and Amber are convinced you should go after the man. He’s handsome, rich, looks good in his clothes, so they’re convinced he’ll look good out of them, and they think you’re what he needs.”
Opal rolled her eyes when she thought about how she and D’marcus had parted ways just moments ago. “Trust me, I am not what that man needs.”
“That’s what Ruby said. She doesn’t think he’s the type of person you should get involved with. He’s too moody. But Pearl and Amber said with all that money he has, they think you should be able to forget his moodiness.”
Opal shook her head. “Those two would think that way.”
“The three of them did agree on one thing though.”
Opal truly didn’t like the sound of that. “And what would that be?”
“They think you have a crush on the man.”
