Summer Vows (Arabesque) by Rochelle Alers Read Free Book Online Page B

to be impulsivity or a temporary lapse of common sense.
When Daddy finally did talk to me he said that if I’d wanted to go off and see
the world, then he would’ve hired a chaperone to accompany me wherever I wanted
to go. The fact that I didn’t trust him enough to tell him of my plan hurt him
more than I could’ve imagined. He reminded me of that when the rumor about bad
blood between Serenity and Slow Wyne was made public.”
    “You didn’t tell him about what went down between you and Basil
Irvine?”
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because if my father hadn’t thought I was capable enough to
run the company, then he wouldn’t have relinquished control once he decided to
retire. Would you have asked my brother that question if he were CEO?”
    A frown settled into Jacob’s features. “It’s not about gender,
Ana.”
    “Then what is it about?” she asked, her voice rising in
annoyance.
    There was only the sound of the slip-slap of rubber on the
roadway as he drove onto the Long Key Channel. “It’s about trust and respect,”
Jacob said softly. “It couldn’t have been easy for your dad to start up a new
record label when he had to compete with legendary giants like Atlantic,
Capitol, Sony, Epic and RCA. Nowadays you have to go head-to-head with Virgin,
Interscope, Slow Wyne and Island Records Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. The genre and
players may have changed, but the business is still the same.”
    “How do you know so much about record companies?” There was no
mistaking the awe in her tone.
    “I read a lot,” Jacob said glibly. “I need you to answer one
question for me.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Are you feuding with Basil Irvine?”
    “No. Basil has been in business long enough to know he can’t
win every negotiation. Justin Glover isn’t the first artist he’s failed to sign
to his label and I’m certain he won’t be the last. I’ve lost count of the number
of performers we’ve lost to other labels for one reason or another. I just suck
it up and move on.”
    “Maybe that’s because you’re a gracious loser. I don’t like to
keep bringing up gender, but you have to remember you’re a woman, so someone
with an ego like Irvine’s isn’t going to accept defeat as graciously from a
woman as he would from a man.”
    Ana knew Jacob was right about her gender when it came to
Basil, but she wasn’t about to admit that openly. Basil had earned a reputation
as an astute and aggressive businessman, and despite his reputation as a
misogynist women still fell over themselves to be seen with him.
    Jacob turned off onto Royce Creek Drive, driving a short
distance before pulling into the driveway of a two-story house. Maneuvering
under a carport, he lowered the windows, and then cut off the engine. He rested
a hand on Ana’s shoulder. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
    Unbuckling her seat belt, she shifted on the seat in an attempt
to take in her surroundings. One side of Jacob’s house overlooked a canal with
direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. Ana smiled when she thought of waking up to
water views. Her favorite pastime was sitting on her condo’s balcony at sunset
drinking a chai latte. It was as if all the stress of the day faded as the sun
sank lower in the horizon before disappearing and leaving the darkening sky with
splashes of red and orange.
    She didn’t have to wait long. Jacob returned, sans the hat he
should’ve discarded a long time ago. To say he wasn’t into fashion was an
understatement. She did recall him wearing a suit to the baptism, but that was
expected because it was held in a church. What she couldn’t remember was him
being at Diego’s wedding.
    Ana stared, her eyes becoming wider behind her glasses as Jacob
came closer. Without the hat she was able see all of his face. Her gaze lingered
on the elegant ridge of his cheekbones before moving down to his sensual,
masculine mouth. She found her protector to be genuinely handsome, and she could
not imagine why