Rival's Desire

Ray checked his watch. “I’m free around one.”

Viv thought for a moment. “Sounds good to me. Come by the office and we’ll head out.”

Ray leaned forward and kissed her cheek again. “I’ll see you then,” he whispered before heading out of the room.

Vivian collected her things and headed out a few minutes behind Ray. The president’s office was located around the corner at the end of a long corridor. When she stood outside the double polished oak doors, she took a deep breath and headed inside.

“Good morning, Caesar,” she greeted in an airy voice.

Caesar looked up from the folder he had been studying. His bright, deep-set eyes narrowed as they raked over Viv’s gorgeous figure in the flattering light blue suit. A long whistle flew past his lips, followed by a deep chuckle, when Viv twirled around for him.

“Very nice,” he complimented, reclining in the large black-suede chair he had requested.

Viv set her briefcase and mug on the desk and nodded. “You, too.” She took in the beige pin-striped suit he wore with a beige silk vest beneath and matching tie.

“I appreciate it,” he replied, his eyes still sweeping Viv’s body with heated strokes.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to argue about the desks,” Viv conceded, taking a seat.

Caesar’s brows rose as he turned his attention back to the files he’d been studying. “If I remember correctly,” he began, “I never really lost my temper about the whole thing. It’s you who always has an angry word for everything.”

“Me?” Viv breathed. “You lying dog. You almost ripped my head off when I mentioned havin’ this office to myself.”

Caesar leaned back in the chair and propped his legs on top of the desk. “I don’t think so,” he argued thoughtfully, scratching the line of his brow.

“Oooh! You make me so damn mad!” Viv clenched and unclenched her fists. Her blue pumps tapped the carpet methodically.

Caesar pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He let Viv stew for a moment before making another comment. “You know, Plum, if you need me to handle the meeting, I can.”

Viv shook her head, curly dark tendrils dangling outside the sleek French roll she wore. “Why would I need or want you to handle the meeting?”

“Well, you still seem to be on edge from last night,” he told her, pretending to be engrossed with the contents of the folder he held. “I’m a lot calmer, so I’ll probably make a better impression with the Tydes and—”

“Forget it, Caesar Morrison,” Viv snapped, standing behind her desk. “If you think I’m gonna let you handle everything and look like Snow White for the grannies, you got another think coming.”

Just then, the buzzer sounded.

“Yeah, Sandra?” Caesar called into the intercom as he watched Viv standing before him with her fists braced on the desk.

“Caesar, Kitty and Derrix Tydes are here for your meeting.”

“Thanks, Sandra, we’ll be right out,” he replied, standing behind his desk, as well. “So? Are you ready?” he asked Viv, his sleek brows rising in challenge.

Viv grabbed her portfolio and walked around the desk. “I pray we get through this meeting without a scuffle.”

Caesar laughed and offered her his hand. He smiled when Viv accepted it.

“Let’s do this.”

A short, brown-complexioned couple waited in the quiet, cozy lobby outside the president’s suite. They stood when Caesar and Vivian walked out to meet them.

Sandra had just arrived with a tray of coffee and smiled when she saw everyone. “Caesar Morrison and Vivian Desmond, this is Derrix and Kitty Tydes of the Tydes Inn, Kingston.”

Caesar and Viv stepped forward to shake hands with the brother and sister. Meanwhile, Sandra poured four cups of coffee and headed into the office.

“Your grandmothers told us they had beautiful grandchildren, but they did not tell us how beautiful,” Kitty remarked, her brown eyes twinkling merrily.

“Thank you,” Caesar and Viv replied in unison.

“We hope you’re as interested in our proposal as your grandmothers are,” Derrix stated, his expression clearly questioning.

Viv stepped forward and placed her hand in the crook of the handsome, older man’s arm. “Our grandmothers gave us plenty of information regarding your proposal. We assure you we’re very interested.”

Caesar nodded in agreement before smiling down at Kitty. “Shall we?” he asked, waving one hand toward the office.

“Mmm. This coffee is delicious!” Viv exclaimed later when they were all seated in the office.

Kitty Tydes practically beamed. “Thank you, dear. It’s a blend we serve in our inn.”

“Well, if the coffee’s this good, I can imagine what the food tastes like,” Caesar said, placing his cup and saucer on the coffee table.

“It used to be served in the gourmet coffee shops, until we convinced the owner of the recipe to let us serve it exclusively,” Derrix informed them.

Viv’s striking dark eyes widened. “And they gave it to you?”

Derrix shrugged. “For the right price.”

“But,” Kitty interjected with one raised finger, “he was happy to do so, since he has a lifetime pass to the inn.”

Everyone laughed and nodded at the man’s reasoning.

“Sounds like a fair trade,” Caesar said.

Derrix shook his head. “I don’t know about that. Do you know how many new visitors we’ve had since we brought this coffee in? The revenue in our little café has more than tripled.”

“Because of this coffee?” Viv asked, taking another sip of the delicious brew.

“Initially,” Kitty replied, “they come for coffee and wind up ordering everything else on the menu.”

Caesar grinned and propped his elbow along the arm of the high-backed leather chair he occupied. “And now the two of you want to add dolls to the list?”

Kitty nodded, her eyes never leaving the handsome face before her. “We met your grandmothers two years ago at a black entrepreneur’s convention in Hawaii. I was so taken by the collection of dolls they had on display, I stopped to talk to them.”

“At first, we proposed showing the dolls around our lobby,” Derrix informed them, pouring himself another cup of coffee, “just for decoration, but Francine and Carlotta suggested selling them in our gift shop.”

Vivian, who was seated opposite Caesar in the other white armchair, chuckled. “That’s Francine and Carlotta, always thinking about the sale.”

“Well, it’s good they did,” Derrix replied. “We took a shipment of fifty dolls with us to the inn. They sold out in less than a week.”