just tired.”
“Man, when was the last time you had a date? I haven’t seen you with anyone in a while.”
“I’ve had a few dates,” Blaze responded. However, those dates progressed into nothing because he kept searching for the feeling and level of excitement he shared with Livi. “Right now my focus is on my work. There’s a lot going on with the hotels, but you wouldn’t know that since you chose to start your own firm.”
“Don’t start,” Drayden said. “Mom and Dad are fine with my decision.”
“I’m just giving you a hard time,” Blaze said with a chuckle. “I actually respect your decision to do your own thing.”
When the elevator doors opened, Blaze glimpsed a woman who reminded him of Livi, but she strolled past too quickly for him to be certain.
He cut his conversation short with Drayden and rushed out, looking for her.
“What’s up?” his brother asked. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
Blaze’s eyes scanned his surroundings, but the woman was nowhere to be found.
“Bro, are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
Blaze made another quick sweep of their surroundings with his gaze. “I thought I saw someone I knew.” When the words left his mouth, he felt a tingling sensation, the same sensation he always felt when he thought of Livi.
* * *
It was after 11:00 p.m. and Blaze preferred not to eat heavy when it was late. He made a salad and heated up a piece of grilled salmon left over from the dinner earlier with his family.
He could not stop thinking about Livi. The image of the woman near the elevator floated to the forefront of his mind.
Blaze released a long sigh. “Where are you, Livi?” he whispered.
He finished up his meal and then headed to his bedroom.
Blaze showered and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He settled down in his living room to watch television, although his mind was troubled. He did not know why, but he felt anxious. Maybe it was all the media attention on his family because of the new center they were building—Blaze had no idea, but he did not like the way he was feeling.
He focused instead on his father’s upcoming birthday party. Blaze was looking forward to the celebration. Malcolm certainly deserved this event, and it would serve as a token of appreciation for how much he was loved and respected.
Blaze tried to think of who he could ask to accompany him to the party. An image of Livi formed in his mind once more. Groaning in frustration, he tossed a pillow across the room.
Chapter 3
Livi laid her newspaper down on her breakfast table. The Alexander family continued to make daily headlines with the new center they were building to assist the L.A. homeless population.
Right after college, Livi had worked as Robert DePaul’s assistant until he grew ill and stepped away from the business. Livi left the company shortly after his death, but returned a month ago, to take over as manager and buyer of the Parisian Maison Boutique located in the DePaul Hotel in Beverly Hills.
With Robert DePaul’s son now at the reins, many of the employees decided to stay with the company. Livi had worked closely with Robert and trusted him. He was strategic in all of his decisions, so when he chose to leave everything to a son no one knew existed—Livi was not at all surprised by his actions.
As it turns out, the Alexanders were wonderful employers and astute businesspeople. Livi was thrilled that Harold DePaul was no longer at the helm. Although she liked him as a person, he was too blinded by power to take notice of anything else.
Livi often wondered what would happen when she and Blaze finally came face-to-face with each other. Would he even remember her?
Livi was not interested in his wealth. The night she met Blaze was a special one for her. Back then, Livi felt that she had met her soul mate. Everything had happened so fast.
One day, she and Blaze would have to have a conversation concerning that night because neither of them could pursue a future as long as they were bound to one another. She remembered how they were together. Being in the same city with Blaze had stirred up many emotions.
* * *
Livi pretended that she was not listening to the conversation between two of her employees as they worked to set up the display for an upcoming sale. She found that the handsome Alexander men were a constant subject of many of the female employees. She endured endless conversations from her staff and other hotel employees about Ari, Drayden and especially Blaze. Livi had heard that Drayden owned an accounting firm near Wilshire Boulevard. Like Blaze, he was rarely seen at the hotel.
Livi chuckled softly every time one of the women voiced hope that she would catch Blaze’s eye. She could not be sure, but Livi did not believe that Blaze would be interested in any of them. However, she did not know that much about him. When they had met in Vegas, she had no idea that he was in any way connected to Robert DePaul. In all the years she worked with Robert, he had never shared that part of his life with her. She was stunned when she discovered that Blaze was Robert DePaul’s grandson. It was indeed a small world.
Livi noticed that Blaze avoided the media as much as possible. His father and eldest brother appeared in the news frequently, but they were the face of the Alexander-DePaul Hotel Group and now the soon-to-be Robert DePaul Center.
Livi was also private and could relate to how Blaze must be feeling. Her heart ached for him, knowing how he felt about this kind of attention.
Both Sage’s and Ari’s marriages were featured in grocery store tabloids, and in several of the major magazines geared to the African-American market. Livi cringed at the thought of her personal life being the subject of the world’s conversations and criticisms. It was another reason why she had not approached Blaze—she feared the media exposing their special connection to public scrutiny.
She and Blaze would have to be careful.
However, Livi was not sure she could wait much longer. She had to find the right time to reenter Blaze’s life.
But what if there was no right time?
The question gnawed at her.
Livi knew that she could not keep delaying the inevitable. It only made matters worse.
* * *
Ari was working from home because he was flying out later that evening on the company jet to visit the Alexander-DePaul Hotel & Spa Resorts in Arizona. Blaze returned to the hotel the next day to meet with him.
He left his car with the valet and strolled into the spacious lobby of the hotel in Beverly Hills where Ari and Sage both maintained residences. Blaze was awestruck by the beauty of the hotel, with its Spanish Revival architecture and Mediterranean styling.
The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Blaze knew the employees were watching him. He walked briskly
