Heart's Secret. Adrianne Byrd

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СКАЧАТЬ He sipped his drink. “Then again. It could be just like you said.” He met Jaxon’s stony gaze. “You’re lucky.”

      The room thickened with a deadly tension, but the ever cool Jaxon waited out his adversary.

      “Anyway, congratulations are in order.” Richard drained the rest of his brandy and got back to his feet. “We all can’t make ninety million in a day.” He purposely set his empty glass on Jaxon’s desk and headed back toward the door. “See you around, Jax.”

      “Sure thing, Dick.”

      Richard only chuckled as he made his grand exit.

      Jaxon waited until the door slammed closed before muttering under his breath. “I really hate that asshole.”

      Chapter 2

      “Hell, no,” Zora said, and then proceeded to laugh in Melanie’s face. “What did you do, fall and bump your head?”

      Melanie laughed, as well. “I know it may sound crazy…”

      Zora cocked a brow. “It may?”

      Melanie tried again. “Okay. It is crazy. But come on. Humor me. I’ve got a feeling about this.”

      “Oh. One of your feelings.” Zora made air quotes and a look that said Melanie had lost her damn mind. “No offense, Mel. But I’m not sure I even get what it is that you do. Rich men pay you to find them women. Isn’t there another word for that? Starts and ends with a P?”

      “You’re not funny,” Melanie said. “Why are you giving me grief about this? It’s not like you’re dating someone.” She frowned. “Are you?”

      “If I said yes, would you drop this ridiculous idea?”

      “Probably after I ran a background check on the guy.”

      Zora laughed as she reached for her wineglass. “That would be funny if it weren’t probably true.”

      “We’ll never know since you never date.”

      Stunned, Zora set her glass back down. “What are you talking about? I date.”

      “Yeah. Every full moon.” Melanie shook her head at such a waste. “And I don’t get it. Everywhere you go men are asking you out, but you never accept.”

      Indignant, Zora sputtered, “That’s not true.”

      “Excuse me, ladies,” their waiter interrupted as he returned to their table with a new bottle of wine. He showed Zora the label.

      “What’s that? We didn’t order more wine,” Zora said.

      The waiter smiled. “Yes, ma’am. The bottle is compliments of the gentleman over at the bar.” He popped the cork.

      Melanie’s and Zora’s gazes followed the direction their waiter indicated with the tilt of his head to where a tall, handsome brotha lifted his glass and winked. The women smiled their thanks and then glanced at one another.

      “See?” Melanie said.

      “Whoa. We don’t know if the bottle was for me, you or both of us,” Zora reasoned.

      The waiter cut in. “Mr. Blackburn asked that I also give you this, Ms. Campbell.” He held out the gold-embossed business card. “And to tell you that he enjoys your work.”

      Zora accepted the card while Melanie sat back with an I-told-you-so expression. “That doesn’t count,” Zora said. “Fans do things like that all the time. It’s flattering but—” she shrugged “—they’re more in love with an image. You know. You’ve been there.”

      Melanie had indeed been there. In her early twenties, she, too, had been on the fast track in the high-fashion world of modeling. In fact, she and Zora met and were roommates in a Manhattan apartment building that housed young models back in the day. Within minutes of meeting, the two women fell into an easy friendship that lasted over the years.

      “Then in that case,” Melanie continued, “you should trust me to find you someone that won’t be intimidated by your money or fame.”

      “I don’t know. This whole thing still has a pimpish feel to it.”

      Melanie rolled her eyes. This isn’t gonna be easy.

      The waiter poured the ladies two new glasses of wine and instructed them to “Enjoy.”

      They both flashed him a brief butterfly smile and then fell silent as Zora read and then reread the business card. Either she was contemplating calling the brotha or tossing the card like she normally did.

      “Soooo.” Melanie picked up her fork and stabbed a few vegetables in her salad. “Are you going to call him?”

      “Yes,” Zora decided, but then countered. “Maybe.” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

      “See?” Melanie dropped her fork and shook her head. “Why do you do that? You always shut the door on opportunity.”

      “Please don’t lecture. I didn’t bring my bottle of Excedrin.”

      Melanie kept charging ahead. “A career is great, Zora. But it won’t warm your bed at night.”

      Zora laughed. “You’re a fine one to talk.” She reached across the table and grabbed Melanie’s right hand. “I don’t see a ring on your finger, Ms. Millionaire Matchmaker. Don’t you think you’re being just a little hypocritical?”

      “We’re not talking about me,” Melanie said, a bit more testily than she liked.

      “Maybe we should talk about you.” Zora wasn’t going to relent now that she had an opening to get her dear, but nosy and pushy, friend off her back. “I mean…shouldn’t you lead by example?”

      “Hold up. That’s not fair. I’m a widow,” Melanie countered. “Or have you forgotten that?”

      “Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Zora released her hand, but then chose her next words carefully and softly. “But Steven has been gone for quite a while.”

      Melanie reached for her wine. “It doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago.”

      “I’m sorry,” Zora said contritely. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

      Melanie drew a deep breath and tried to force the memories back where they belonged—in the past. She needed to focus on the matter at hand and that was pulling off the miracle of getting Zora Campbell and Jaxon Landon together. For now she would have to chalk this day up as a loss. She had lost control of the conversation and she would have to approach the subject another time and in another way. But no worries. Melanie wasn’t the type to give up so easily.

      “So I hear you’re getting married,” Dale Forrester yelled above the Velvet Rope’s pulsing hip-hop bass before he invited himself to plop down at Jaxon’s private booth with his usual double Scotch sloshing in his left hand. “When I heard, I couldn’t fuckin’ СКАЧАТЬ