Authors: Angie Daniels
“Thank you so much,” she told Mary. “I can’t thank you enough.”
They barely had time to clean up the conference room before the public relations department’s ten o’clock meeting.
“I’m so glad you’ve come to your senses,” Debra whispered in Bianca’s ear as she gave Bianca a big hug, then bid her goodbye. “I’ll call you later.”
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By ten everyone had returned to their workstations except for Sheyna, who followed Bianca back to her office and sat in the chair across from her desk. The personnel director’s office was only two doors down from Bianca and right across the hall from her husband, Jace.
“How is your stomach doing today?” Sheyna asked in a soft voice.
“Better than yester…” She met her sister-in-law’s eyes. “You know, don’t you?”
Sheyna gave her an innocent look. “I’ve seen enough pregnant women in my life to know that glow anywhere. How far along are you?”
“Fourteen weeks.” Bianca took a deep breath. “I haven’t told my parents yet, so I’d like to keep it a secret for the time being, at least until I let them know.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
She believed her. The two had been friends long before Sheyna had fallen in love with her brother.
“I’m glad the two of you decided to marry. Raising a child is hard work and I couldn’t imagine doing it alone. Your nephew is so spoiled I don’t know what to do with that little boy. Jace just adores him. He rushes to day care every evening to pick him up and we fight over who’s going to give Jace Jr. his bath. Have the two of you decided on a date?”
“A date?” Bianca repeated, sounding confused.
“Yes, silly, a date!” When Bianca still didn’t respond, Sheyna added in a prompting tone, “For the wedding.”
“Oh, yes, well, we’re thinking maybe at the end of the month.”
Sheyna looked pleased by her response. “I would love to go with you to shop for a wedding dress.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Sheyna replied, eyes dancing with excitement.
There was no way Bianca was wearing the same dress she had intended to wear for her wedding with Collin.
Bianca spent the rest of the morning working on a marketing campaign for the new hotel in Fort Lauderdale. They had hotels
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all along the East Coast and L.A. and Las Vegas. The plan was to expand to the Midwest in the next two years. Bianca was determined to make that happen. Marketing meant everything to her. The Beaumont Hotel was her life. Showcasing something she believed in was easy.
She was barely six when her father first started bringing her over to the hotel. Like all his children, she started cleaning guestrooms and when she turned fifteen she was working at the front desk. By the time she had graduated from high school, there was nothing that Bianca wanted more than to work for the corporation. She had a vision and knew what it took to put the hotel chain on the map. Beaumont Hotels were now rated among the top twenty best hotels in the country. She would like to think that she was partly responsible for making that happen.
It was close to lunchtime when Bianca put her pen down and stretched her arms above her head. Despite her racing thoughts, she’d had a productive morning. Full-color advertisements were scheduled to run in all the leading travel magazines as well in
Ebony
and
Essence
magazines, in hopes of promoting the Beaumont Hotel as the top African-American hotel chain in the country. Bianca loved working at the corporate office, along with her brothers, Jabarie and Jace. Her father dropped in once a week to see how the corporation was being run. He’d retired officially three years ago and spent most of his time on the golf course.
Reaching inside her small designer purse, Bianca removed a stick of gum and stuck it in her mouth. As she reached for her favorite ballpoint pen, she glanced outside her office door and her hand stilled. London had gotten off the elevator and was heading her way. A tiny feathering of sensation started to uncurl slowly inside her—a potent blend of danger and excitement pumped intoxicatingly throughout her whole body.
Realizing that her mouth was wide open, she pursed her lips as she continued to watch London watch her. She noticed her ad-ministrative staff’s admiring stares as he strolled past them.
Heads turned and followed his every move.
London was fine, and everyone knew it. The gray slacks he wore fit him well and the charcoal, button-down polo hung comfortably from his broad shoulders. By the time he made it to her
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door, Bianca released a long breath and discovered that she had been holding it.
“Hey, sexy.”
She couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes were still glued to his.
“Hello, London.”
He pushed away from the doorway and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You remember why I’m here?”
She nodded. “To buy me a ring.”
“Good. I was hoping you hadn’t forgotten.”
Shyly, she lowered her eyelids. “How could I forget?”
He looked pleased by her answer. “I’m here to take you to lunch, as well.”
Nodding, she reached inside her drawer and pulled out her purse. Rising, she swung it over her arm. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“No, you’re not ready just yet.” He strolled over to where she was standing and brought his hands to her shoulders, bent his head and lowered his mouth to hers.
As soon as their lips touched, Bianca was swamped by a tidal wave of emotions. She parted her lips to give him better access.
Her entire body was shuddering helplessly as his hands slid from her shoulders to her thickening waist to hold her closely and meld her to his powerful body.
Her fingers reveled in the feel of his muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt and she moaned when she felt his hot, hard arousal against her belly.
She heard London groan just before he lifted his head and stared down at her. Struggling to regain her composure, Bianca was held by the depths of those shimmering dark eyes.
“I missed you,” he said and drew in a deep ragged breath.
“Me, too,” she heard herself admit only seconds before London took her hand and led her on unsteady legs out the door.
They left the jewelry store and London steered her outside and onto the sidewalk. The street was relatively crowded. Tourists were moving up and down Main Street in cars and on foot, a sure sign that the summer season was right around the corner. Holding hands they strolled up one block and entered Clarence’s Infamous Chicken & Fish House and took a seat near the back
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of the midsize dining room. Red-and-white checkered cloths covered the wooden tables. Memorabilia of rhythm-and-blues players like Louis Armstrong and BB King adorned the walls.
She’d asked for a simple engagement ring, but as she looked down at the beautiful piece of jewelry London had eased onto her finger, she was still in awe. Three emerald-cut diamonds winked in the sunlight. It was the kind of ring that she would have wanted from the man she decided to share the rest of her life with. For a fake marriage it seemed so wrong and the thought of all the people they were going to deceive caused her stomach to churn.
“What’s running through your mind?”
“London…” she began, trying to find the right words. “I really think this ring is too much.”
His brow narrowed. “Bianca, I can afford it.”
Bianca frantically shook his head. The last thing she wanted was for him to think this was about money. “No-no-no. That’s not what I meant. I mean this ring is too fancy for a…a marriage of convenience. I don’t feel right wearing this ring.”
London reached over and cupped her hand with his. “Sweetheart. Fake or otherwise, that is the type of ring a beautiful woman like you deserves. You shouldn’t have to settle for anything less.”
“But—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “No buts. You’re my fiancée and I want only the best for my future wife.”
His words and the passion shimmering in his eyes sent heat thrumming through every cell of her body. “Okay,” she said in a low murmur.
He smiled. “Good. Now let’s order.”
Their waitress came and took their orders and promptly brought their meals. They had been there almost a half hour when Bianca noticed London studying her. “You should eat,” he pointed out.
Bianca stared down at her meal, barbecue chicken and potato salad usually tasted mouth-wateringly good, but today…
“Is something wrong with the food?” he asked her, his eyes narrowing.
“Oh, no. It’s quite delicious,” she began. “It’s just that now that it’s on my plate in front of me, I don’t have much of an appetite.”
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“Is it your stomach?”
She nodded. “I feel nauseous.”
“I’ll have Josie bring you something else.”
“No-no, please don’t make a big deal over it. I can just nibble on some crackers.”
Truly concerned for her well-being, he pushed further.
“Bianca, you can’t live on crackers for the next six months.
You’re eating for two now. Which means you’ve got to take care of yourself and the baby.”
She heaved a sigh. There was no point in arguing; besides, he was right. No matter how bad she felt, she had her baby to think about. “I’ll try a bowl of chicken soup. “
His smiled and signaled for the waitress. “Good answer.”
Five minutes later, Josie delivered a bowl of piping-hot homemade soup. It smelled so good, she reached for her spoon and brought it right to her mouth.
“Mmm, delicious.”
He looked pleased. “I’m glad you like it. That recipe belonged to my mother’s mother.”
“It’s wonderful,” she said between sips.
“I try to use recipes from both sides of my family. I believe that’s what a family restaurant is all about. Every few months I introduce something else. My mother has a cookbook that was passed down for generations. I won’t run out of ideas for a long time.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “I thought this restaurant was started by your grandfather on your father’s side.”
As he reached for his lemonade, he nodded. “It was, but once I took over I decided the restaurant needed a change and added recipes from my maternal side of the family, as well.”
Bianca glanced around at the restaurant, which was filled with customers—rare during the off season. “Obviously, whatever you’re doing is working.”
He rewarded her with a generous smile. “Thank you. My father told me the same thing when I first broke the news that I was opening a new store. He looked over the books and was amazed at the tremendous growth of the restaurant.”
“He should be proud, and so should you. How’s the second restaurant coming along?”
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His light brown eyes gleamed with excitement. “Fantastic.
The contractors should be done by the end of the month. I have to drill at Dover Air Force Base this weekend so I’ll just drive up for a couple of days. The rest of this week I’ll spend interviewing candidates. As soon as I get a good manager in place, I won’t have to spend so much time up in New Castle getting things lined up.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Bianca said, and she meant it. Something that was important to London was important to her, as well. She wanted to share in his excitement.
“I’m planning a grand opening, but now that we’re getting married we need to coordinate the two dates.”
Her pulse raced at the reminder of their upcoming wedding.
“I was thinking maybe the weekend before Memorial Day weekend?” That was three weeks away.
“Then I’ll plan the grand opening for the weekend after Memorial Day.”
Bianca nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea.” She finished up the last of her soup.
“Feeling better now?”
Bianca leaned back in her chair with her hands on her stomach and looked up to find London watching her. “Much better now, thank you.”
While he finished the last of his fried chicken and baked macaroni and cheese, she rested her elbows on the table and watched him eat. London caught her staring.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just watching how you and all the people in this restaurant love your family’s cooking.” She leaned forward before continuing. “I would like to do some marketing for your restaurant.”
His brow rose with interest. “Really?”
“Yes. A little marketing can make all the difference in the success of a business. The state of Delaware is exactly ninety miles long. I want to make sure that everyone in either direction knows about Clarence’s Infamous Chicken & Fish House.”
“I’m listening,” he replied and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“I want to put print ads in all the travel brochures for Delaware
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and the surrounding tristate area. Also you need to consider coupons in Wednesday’s paper. People love thinking they’re getting something for free. Like buy one chicken dinner, get one free. Think about it. They’ll still want to buy a drink and dessert, only they’ll have to buy two now, instead of one. And for your grand opening, let’s have a deejay to play some old-school music.
That’s sure to bring folks out to eat and to snap their fingers. How about a free drink with every meal? And we can also—” Bianca broke off when she realized that London had stopped eating and was staring at her with such an intensity that it caused her insides to quiver. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just admiring how beautiful my fiancée looks when she’s passionate about something. You definitely know your stuff.”
Smiling, she briefly lowered her eyelids. “Thank you.”
“I love all your ideas, especially the part about offering coupons.” He brought a forkful of macaroni to his mouth.
“Do you think you’ll have time with all the wedding planning to do them?”
“For you, I’ll make time.” It would also give her something to do to take her mind off thinking about him all the time.
“I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, what are fiancées for?”