LITMIR.BIZ

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later, Carmen walked into the den with Solomon’s plate and hers balanced on her arms. “Here you go.”

      Solomon took both plates and set them on the table, then he pointed at the television. NY1 was reporting on President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. “They broke the mold when that woman was created,” he said before digging into his breakfast.

      “I’m sure there are other women out there like her,” Carmen said.

      Solomon shook his head as he shoveled in a mouthful of grits. After swallowing, he said, “Nope. Most women don’t have an identity of their own and don’t know how to support a man. She could’ve easily told him, ‘Hell no, I’m doing my thing and you run for president later.’ Instead, she stood by him without losing herself in his dream.”

      “I would stand by my man, just like Michelle.”

      “I bet you would,” he said. “You’re going to make someone lucky one day.” Solomon looked down at his watch. “Damn, I got to get into the office. Richmond wants an update on the resorts.” And I got to get some real food, because, Carmen, you are no southern cook.

      “Don’t you want to finish your breakfast first?” she asked.

      “Wish I could, but you know Richie Boy. He wants you when he wants you. Thanks for taking me in and for this,” he said, pointing at the plate.

      “Anytime. I have to keep my business partner happy,” she said with a sweet smile.

      When Solomon hit the street, he thought about calling a car. The winter air was biting, but he didn’t mind walking. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to sparring with Richmond this morning and Carmen lived only three blocks from the office. Leaving his car parked in the garage at Carmen’s place would be one less headache for him to deal with when he reached headquarters. Richmond made a point of parking in Solomon’s spot when he came to the office. It was his way of saying he should’ve been running the company. Solomon smiled sardonically as he turned down Fifth Avenue. It made sense that Solomon’s headquarters would be located in the center of the city. He wasn’t one to shy away from the spotlight, and everything he did, including business, was done for maximum attention.

      Solomon entered the building, nodding to the security guard as he headed up to the top floor. Looking down at his watch, he realized that he wouldn’t have much time to shower and change before his brother arrived.

      When he got into his office, Solomon turned on the television and saw his bedmate from the previous night being led away from the W Hotel by police. Solomon turned the volume up.

      “Model Kinsley Monroe may be one of Maxim’s hottest women, but the staff at the trendy W Hotel saw what else is hot about the sexy model—her temper. Monroe was arrested early this morning after trashing a suite at the boutique hotel. Sources at the Times Square hotel say Monroe entered the hotel after the Maxim party with hotel mogul Solomon Crawford. Crawford was not at the scene when the trouble started. Crawford’s company is about to open a luxury resort in North Carolina, despite the troubling economic times. The Crawford chain of hotels has remained profitable this quarter, but insiders in the industry wonder if Solomon Crawford is stretching his company too thin by venturing into resorts when people are opting to stay at home rather than spending money for luxury vacations.”

      Solomon snapped the TV off and plopped down in his desk chair. Getting linked to Miss-Model-Gone-Wild wasn’t the way he needed to launch the opening of the resort in the Carolinas. As he rose from his seat to take a shower, his office door burst open.

      “Thanks for knocking, Richmond,” he said, without looking at his brother.

      “This is how you kick off the resort opening, by getting caught up in yet another scandal?” Richmond raged.

      “What scandal?” Solomon asked flippantly. “There are no pictures and I didn’t destroy a room. Whatever Ms. Monroe did is her sin, not mine.”

      Richmond shook his head. “When are you going to settle down and stop with the conquests of women? This is why Mom and Dad should’ve trusted me to run this company.”

      “Why, because Vivvy has your balls in her purse? Say what you want about what I do after-hours, but you would never have been able to expand this business the way I have. The only bad publicity is no publicity,” he snapped.

      Richmond shook his head. “My marriage has nothing to do with this. If I were the one sitting in that chair, I would’ve known better than to undertake a resort expansion in this economy. And the mountains down south? How profitable do you think this is going to be?”

      Solomon reached into his desk and pulled out the research he and Carmen had done prior to purchasing the resort. “If you would stop reading Page Six and read the reports I send you, you’d know all of this.”

      Richmond flipped through the thick folder, not reading the research. “So, this was Carmen’s idea? What do you really know about this woman?”

      “That she’s a hell of a business partner who has vision—something you lack.”

      Richmond narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Let me guess, you’re sleeping with her too.”

      “Actually, big brother, I don’t mix business with pleasure. Again, why are you so worried about my bedroom activities? Must be boring being with the same boring woman every night.”

      “Because they always seem to make front page news,” Richmond said. “I’m stepping back. This resort is yours and Carmen’s to ruin. Hopefully when you lose enough money, Mom and Dad will come to their senses and let me run the company and take the Crawford name off the gossip pages.”

      Solomon shook his head and fought the urge to punch his brother in the face. “You wouldn’t know what to do with this company if it was handed to you. Ever think that’s why the firstborn was passed over?”

      Richmond’s hazel eyes sparkled with anger. “You asshole. I can’t wait to see you fail.” He threw the folder across the room and stormed out of the office.

      CHAPTER 3

      It was noon before Kandace woke up, and her first impulse was to head into Hometown Delights. Instead, she got out of bed and headed for her laptop. She typed VACATION SPOTS into her Google search bar. An ad popped up for Carolina Serenity and its grand opening this week.

      “Wow, the mountains…I never thought about going there,” she said as she clicked on the colorful image.

      Soft sounds of jazz played through her speakers as the Web site loaded. Kandace clicked on the details of the new resort and found plush suites with king-size beds in half of the rooms, marble fireplaces, wall to wall carpet, and garden tubs. There was a full service spa, which offered one complementary service with a week’s stay. Ski lessons were available with professional skiers.

      “I guess I could try the skiing lessons, but I don’t know if I want to risk falling on the slopes,” she said as she clicked on the reservation tab. Kandace was excited to get away as she entered her information into the computer. As she clicked the reserve button, her BlackBerry rang.

      “Hello?” she said, without looking at the caller ID screen.

      “Is it true? You’re finally getting a life?” Serena joked.

      “Whatever. Let’s see how you heifers get along without me for two weeks.”

      “Just fine,” Serena said. “Besides, I’m going back to Atlanta now that Jade has this place and motherhood under control.”

      “What about you and Antonio?” Kandace asked as she printed her reservation confirmation.

      “You know, I don’t want to talk about that,” she said, but Kandace heard something in her voice that she’d never heard before—emotion. She wanted to ask Serena more questions about her “relationship” with Antonio, but Kandace let it go, knowing her friend would blow her off and keep whatever was wrong close to

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