Not This Time by Erosa Knowles Read Free Book Online Page B

Frank.
    “ Hi Pam, Linda. Meet Frank.”
She pointed to him and pulled on her wrinkled dress
self-consciously. “Frank, this is Pam and Linda, some friends of
mine.”
    He nodded.
    Both ladies waved before speaking. “Excuse
us a minute.” They pulled her forward. “Girl, you are not going to
believe this,” Pam said whispering. “That heifer, Rose, came down
here for breakfast a little while ago with Hedrick. You could tell
he was embarrassed. He barely spoke when we saw him.”
    The name didn’t register. “Hedrick?”
    “ Damn, Frank must be the
bomb if he made you forget your ex,” Linda said in awe. Her eyes
slid to where Frank stood, hands in pocket, waiting.
    “ Oh, yeah, right.”
Veronique’s face heated at their gibes, for a moment she didn’t
remember. “Rose was at the hotel last night and probably offered
him some southern hospitality.” She shrugged, a little pissed,
since they were sisters and all, but times were tough, especially
when you reached a certain age. Besides, she’d told him there was
no chance they’d get back together. If Rose rocked his boat, more
power to them. She had a date with a hot fella and time was
wasting.
    “ I’ve got to go, I’ll see
you tomorrow night at the banquet.” She waved goodbye. Linda
grabbed her hand.
    “ Does he have a brother?”
She pointed at Frank, who was looking around the lobby.
    Veronique laughed. “I don’t know, it’s not
that kind of party.” A ping hit her heart at her trademark comment.
For the first time in a long time, she wished things were
different. She wished she had the time to invest in seeing if a
relationship with Frank was possible. He hit the bullseye on so
many levels with her. Sighing at the horrible timing, she put a
smile on her face and walked over to him.
    “ Ready?” He looked at her,
his eyes searching for something.
    “ Yeah. I’ll go pack, and
then check out. Where’s your truck?”
    He grinned. “At the hotel we just left.” She
groaned. “Want me to go get it?” he offered.
    “ Yeah. By the time you get
back, just come up to room 1517. I’ll be ready.”
    “ Okay.” He bent forward and
gave her a quick peck on the lips before leaving. She watched him
stride through the glass doors.
    “ Damn, that’s all I can
say.” Linda walked over and offered her a high-five. “You pulled a
big one.”
    If only they knew. But she’d never tell.
Years ago, Veronique had learned, at a high cost to her sanity, to
keep her sexual exploits private. She’d learned the hard way, even
good friends wanted what they couldn’t have. Offering Linda a small
smile, she turned and headed to the elevator. All the way up she
thought about last night and this morning. The way Frank smiled.
His woodsy scent, his full lips and power-train stamina. The man
had mad skills. She was looking in her purse for her room key when
the elevator doors opened, and didn’t see the broad set of
shoulders she bumped into.
    Without looking, she apologized and then
gazed into the startled eyes of her ex and Rose. At least Rose had
the grace to turn her head and walk into the elevator. Hedrick
froze, staring at her. His mouth opened and closed, no words
escaped. She was so over him and his bullshit. Pivoting, she walked
to her room.
    “ Have a good day.” She waved
and unlocked her door.
    ****
    The drive to Frank’s home took about an
hour. He played tour guide and pointed out landmarks. They passed a
sign and she waited for him to say something. He didn’t.
    “ That sign back there, it’s
your company.”
    Surprised, he looked at her and then smiled.
His face pinkened. “Yeah. How’d you know?” He took her hand.
    “ I researched you. Well, not
your personal stuff, your business. You don’t think I’d come spend
the night with you without knowing if you’d told the truth about
who you were, did you?”
    “ I should’ve thought about
it. But I was just glad you agreed. I really can’t put this meeting
off today. After that,