Five Star Romance

* * *

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 across the floor toward the elevators.

Whistling softly, he went up to Ari’s penthouse.

The décor of his brother’s home featured dark wood crown molding and soft muted color schemes of sage, plum and ivory. The five-bedroom residence offered floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the interior with natural light.

Natasha opened the door just as he was about to knock. She stepped aside to let him enter, then said, “Don’t work too hard.”

He embraced her. “I should be telling you that.”

She smiled. “Ari’s in his office. I’ve ordered lunch for the two of you. It’ll be delivered at noon.”

“Thanks!”

Blaze walked to his brother’s office.

Ari was at his desk typing something into the computer.

“I don’t know who’s glowing more—you or Natasha,” he said with a chuckle as he took a seat. “Marriage must certainly agree with you.”

Ari glanced at him and smiled. “Natasha is everything I want in a wife. Joshua is the perfect son and now we’re having another baby. I’m over the moon.”

“I’m thrilled for you, bro.”

“What about you, Blaze? Los Angeles is filled with beautiful women—I’m surprised one of them hasn’t caught your eye. You used to be quite the ladies’ man.”

“All my energies have been focused on work,” Blaze responded. His guilt weighed upon him, choking him. He did not know how much longer his family was going to buy this explanation.

“Does Joshua know about the baby yet?” he asked.

Ari settled back in his chair. “We told him last night.”

“How did he take the news?”

“I wish you could’ve seen him, Blaze. He walked over to Natasha and started rubbing her belly as he introduced himself to the baby. He’s a proud big brother.”

Two hours later, Blaze left the penthouse and took the elevator down to the lobby. His steps slowed as he neared the Parisian Maison Boutique.

Blaze stared at the woman inside talking to a couple of women carrying an armload of shopping bags. The shock of discovery hit him full force.