No Other Lover Will Do. Cheris Hodges
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NO OTHER LOVER WILL DO
Kandace stormed into her room and thought about calling the front desk to complain about that jackass. No matter how cute he was, she would not succumb to his smooth voice and killer body. At least she didn’t give him her name.
Well, if I see him again, I’m just going to ignore the horn dog, she thought as she peeled off her wet suit and headed for the shower.
Still, as she stood in the shower, her mind wandered back to his haunting eyes, and despite herself, when she felt the lick of the water against her neck, she thought of his lips and tongue being there. Kandace quickly shut off the water.
Just as she finished drying off and rubbing lotion on her skin, there was a knock at the door.
“Yes,” she said as she wrapped herself in the robe and looked through the peephole.
“Delivery for Kandace Davis,” the hotel messenger said. Kandace opened the door and accepted the large white box.
Kandace looked at the box wondering who sent her a gift. There was no card on the outside of the box, so Kandace opened it. Inside, she found a red fur bikini. She lifted the barely there garment from the box and a card fell to the floor. She dropped the box on the bed and picked up the card.
I want to see you in this and then I want to see it on the floor. It was signed, The Jackass.
Also by Cheris Hodges
JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH
LET’S GET IT ON
MORE THAN HE CAN HANDLE
BETTING ON LOVE
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
No Other LOVER Will Do
CHERIS HODGES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s hard to thank everyone who stood by my side while I wrote this novel. First, I have to thank Irene Russell for her insight and for answering my nursing questions. Thank you for being a good friend.
Thanks to my tattoo artist, Joe Hart, who allowed me to come and bounce ideas off him, and for the wonderful skin art.
To my family, every member, especially my mom and dad, Doris and Freddie Hodges, for all of the support and love.
Thank you to all of the members of the Cheris F. Hodges Book Club. You guys rock and I couldn’t do this without you.
To the SBS Book Club, Sistah Friend’s Book Club, the PWOC Book Club, Yolanda Cuttino and the Sistah Unlimited Book Club, thank you for everything.
And last but certainly not least, to the reader with this book in her (or his) hands. Thank you for allowing me into your world.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1
Solomon Crawford turned his back to the buxom blond model lying beside him. She was on the cover of Maxim this month and he thought it would’ve taken him longer to get her in bed. In reality, it had only taken him two hours and a bottle of expensive champagne to get “what’s her name” to drop her panties and give him what every man in America wanted. But for all her beauty and silicone, she was a complete bore in bed. The woman lay there just like a sack of flour and Solomon had never been more disappointed. He probably would’ve had more fun watching paint dry or grass grow.
The red numbers on the alarm clock next to the bed read four-thirty. Hell, the room is paid for, he thought as he rose from the bed. Solomon didn’t even try to be gentle or quiet as he reached for his discarded Armani slacks and Italian leather loafers.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice deepened by sleep.
“Home,” he said.
“But, I thought we could…”
“Listen, we’re done. And honestly, there’s nothing you can say or do to make me want to spend another minute with you,” Solomon said as he buttoned his shirt. “The room is paid for, but checkout is at noon.”
“You’re going to leave me here alone?” she asked incredulously. “How can you do this to me? Do you know who I am?”
Solomon shrugged as he picked his jacket up from the armchair near the door. “Just another piece and not a very good one,” he said, then walked out the door. Solomon heard a crash as he headed down the hall to the elevator. Maybe if she’d shown that kind of passion in bed he would’ve stayed until at least five. Solomon chuckled as he stepped onto the elevator and rode to the W Hotel’s parking garage. She, like so many before her, would get over it and have a great story to tell about her night in Solomon land.
Solomon Crawford was the kind of man that women couldn’t help but get naked for. He had money, power, and model good looks. To the many women he’d bedded, he was an untamable stallion they had to ride at least once. And one ride was all they’d ever gotten. Solomon didn’t believe in fidelity, love, or all that other bullshit that sold greeting cards and roses. He wanted sex and it was given to him freely. The only thing he’d ever worked for was building his family’s hotel empire. The Crawford chain of hotels and resorts stretched across the United States and Canada.
Three years ago, Solomon had been handed the reins to the business when Cynthia and Elliot Crawford retired from the hospitality business. His older brother, Richmond, was super pissed when he was passed over to run the business. Richmond was forty years old and thought he knew more about running a hotel business than “the little playboy.”
But at age thirty-five, Solomon had been more than ready to take charge. Solomon knew the only way to shut Richmond up was to take the business to the next level and that he did with the help of his bright business partner Carmen De La Croix. Carmen talked him into investing in resorts and making the Crawford name synonymous with deluxe vacation resorts. Of course, Richmond thought this was a bad idea until they turned a million-dollar profit in the first quarter. And the money kept rolling in. Solomon knew he’d be lost without Carmen. She was the only woman he was able to talk to and trust. She didn’t want anything from him and he liked that. Why couldn’t the women he slept with be more like that? Solomon Crawford wasn’t going to give anyone a diamond and a happily ever after—that