Know Her, Love Her: Daisy & Belmont, Book ONE by Z.L. Arkadie Read Free Book Online Page B

get more speed and height. He took one last jump, soaring high above the ground, faster than he’d ever gone. Our smiles were as wide as the Grand Canyon. That was the last time we celebrated perfection together.
    “‘Mr. Joe Haywood was returning from a long day of crunching numbers. He was an independent accountant, and his wife, Melissa, was a caterer. Mr. Haywood always made it a point to drive the speed limit and watch for the sprightly kids in the neighborhood, who were known to dash into the street out of nowhere. He couldn’t have been more cautious when he collided with that Blanchard kid, going Lord knows how fast on his skateboard. Mr. Haywood’s car was unscathed, but my brother was dead. Our traveling days, my traveling days were over…’”
    Dexter’s voice becomes distant as he continues reading about how my strained relationship with my parents made me reclaim my love for traveling. The memory of Daniel lying in the street with his head busted open and dead eyes makes me want to weep. I constrain my tears though, because I’m not alone.  
    “‘Life was peaceful on the road, and moments were perfect—like sitting on that stone fountain, licking a paleta with the sweltering sun directly overhead, mothers chasing their little ones, people in business suits rushing back to the offices. But it’s summer, and we have no place to go, and just like then, Daniel is always beside me. He says, “This is cool, isn’t it?” and I say, “Yep.”’”
    I smile, choked up.  
    “That’s the voice of our narrator and the face of our host,” Dexter says. “After reading your book, I realized you’re not a traveler; you’re an explorer.”
    “You convinced me.” I clear my throat. “I have both feet in.”

    ***
    Belmont Lord

    Belmont ended the call before hearing the buzz. He’d already left four messages. Daisy was playing hardball, choosing to return his call when she saw fit. He hated waiting when it came to matters of the heart. She’d accused him of being entitled, and that had vexed him. Perhaps that’s why, early that morning, he’d tried to give it another go with Stacy. Once again, he couldn’t finish. Stacy was physically flawless, but Belmont didn’t find pleasure in having sex with her. He only wanted Daisy. Always had, probably always would.  
    He and Stacy had just ended a three-hour meeting with the Voyager Group. They would’ve sold all of their Chicago holdings to him if he had included two of his properties along Miami’s South Beach in the deal. Did they really think he would give up any part of Miami for Chicago? Voyager was the one with its head caught between the ropes, not him. In the last few days, Belmont had gotten them to drop the price significantly.  
    Initially, five investors had been interested in purchasing Voyager’s riverfront properties. They were all equally matched when it came to holdings, so Belmont had had to dissuade the competition. That’s where Stacy came in. She was one of the best investigators in his employment. She sniffed out their other projects, and Belmont used his contacts to sweeten those deals if they abandoned their interest in Voyager’s holdings. Their new contracts would remain legitimate but pending until Voyager’s properties were acquired by Lord & Lord Holdings.  
    There was one holdout: Reece Holdings. They were just as judicious as Belmont was. Although Belmont was impatient in love, meaning in matters concerning Daisy, he wasn’t when it came to business. He worked on one major project at a time, and so did Reece Holdings. They were just as focused as he was.
    Belmont grabbed lunch at the same restaurant where he’d run into Daisy. He hoped to run into her again, so he sat at a table near the window, waiting for Stacy. She was on a fact-finding mission to unearth anything she could on Matthew Silver, the CEO and son-in-law of Holden Reece, even if it was a jaywalking ticket from 1975. Belmont was about to put his cell