Anything For Your Love (20 page)

“Oh, Ami, do you think he will ever speak to me again?”

“Jada, you are my girl and that’s my cousin. I love you both, but you need to find your own way with this one. Listen to your heart. It's right, you know. Listen, I gotta go. We’ll have dinner when I get back. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Jada paused just a second. “Ami?”
“Yeah?”
“Did my grandma call you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said, the smile evident in her voice. “Thanks, girl.”

“No problem, I know you’ll be there when I need it, so use your resources. See you later.”

“Bye.” Jada smiled and turned to her grandmother.

“My goodness. I was beginning to think you had lost that beautiful smile,” Her grandmother quipped.

Alex came out of the courtroom once again the victor. As he exited the courtroom with his team, Thomas Sinclair greeted him.

“Another great performance, Alex,” Sinclair said, extending his hand to him.

“Thank you, Tom.”
“Are you and your team going out to celebrate?”
“Not me, but these guys are more than welcomed. They worked extremely hard.” Alex gestured to his team of attorneys. “As a matter of fact, I need to apologize to these guys for my temper and behavior over the past few days. Dinner is on me at The House tonight. Let’s say, seven thirty p.m.” They all eagerly agreed. It was getting harder and harder to get in The House for dinner any night of the week.

“Do you have any big plans for yourself?” Sinclair asked as they headed toward the court house doors, his team actually excited for the first time in nearly a week.

“Actually, Tom, I need to be out of the office for a few days, if you all don’t mind.”

“Of course not! Take all the time you need. If you don’t mind me asking, is everything alright? The family doing well?” He asked with genuine concern.

“My family is doing just fine, but if all goes as planned, my personal life will be much better than alright,” Alex said with a smile that, for the first time in days, reached his eyes.

He reached his office only to find Ami, Ty, and Chris waiting for him. His family would worry themselves to death over each other. “I see they dragged you along, Christopher. Who’s running The House?” He asked as he rounded his desk. He carefully kept his voice in the same depressive tone he had all week. “I thought I told Karen no visitors.”

Before Chris could speak, Ty jumped right in. “Don’t even try it, I talked to Mom this morning. She told me she came to see you last night.”

“All we want to know is when your flight leaves?” Ami asked as she propped her hip on the corner of Alex’s desk.

Alex eyed Chris. He responded with a shrug of his solid shoulder. “Moral support. I like her.”

Alex smiled because he truly loved his family. They always knew when someone needed a swift kick and that was just what he needed. When they thought they were right, they would not take no for an answer.

Ami walked over to him and pressed a piece of paper in his hand. “She’s been at her grandparents' home, but she should be back at her place by now. I spoke to her Grandmother today.”

“Thank you, Ami, for being the voice of reason, no matter how harsh,” Alex said as he hugged her tight.

“Please. I’m sure I’ll find something new to yell at all of you about,” Ami joked. “There are plenty of you.”

“Not me,” Ty chimed in. “I’ll give advice on love, but I need variety in my life!”

“I’m with Ty,” Chris agreed.

“To answer your question from before, I fly in four hours. So, if you all will excuse me, I have to go.” Alex picked up his briefcase as they all started to leave his office. “By the way, you all did not have to send Mom after me.”

“Yeah, we did.” Chris laughed. “No one else was coming in there. You’ve been brutal.”

Everyone laughed, knowing that Chris was right. No one wanted to go remotely near an angry Alex. His tongue could cut like a brand new knife when it went unchecked by his anger.

Alex called for a car to take him to the airport on his way home. He felt like he had been given a second chance and he was not letting it slip by. He had come to the conclusion, with his mother’s help, that he needed her in his life and he was going to get her.

After shopping on one of his favorite luxury store’s website earlier that day, he had picked out a ring and sent Karen to pick it up. He was definitely going to have to do something nice for Karen. Even on his toughest days, she was still the sweetest, most efficient person he knew, outside of family. She always knew what was best for him, even when he had no clue. She was his second mother.

He had packed a bag the night before and purchased an open ended, first class ticket to Los Angeles. He arranged a car service to pick him up once he arrived.

Philadelphia International Airport was unusually quiet. Alex sat at the gate waiting to board his flight, staring out of the wide window. He thought about his mission and he was actually nervous. What if she shut the door in his face and refused to speak with him? Could his heart talk another blow? The thoughts were spinning like a tornado in his head and it was beginning to make his head hurt.

“Shake it off, Love,” He said to himself. “That is your woman.”

Alex boarded the plane with renewed confidence. For the second time, he was going to get his girl and that time she would not get away. He would make sure of it.

It had been quite some time since Alex had been to California and it was hot
.
Really ho
t
, He thought as he listened to the pilot announce the time and temperature. He adjusted his watch to the west coast time. He was glad he opted to wear linen pants and tee-shirt because they breathed.

He strode with confidence through LAX. He noticed that more than once he attracted the attention of a young lady. He smiled politely because he only had one woman on his mind and he was there to get her. For five hours, he went over and over what he’d plan to say to her. He spent five hours thinking about her kiss and her touch. This absolutely had to work.

Outside the airport, his car and driver were waiting patiently. He stood near a Mercedes sedan holding a sign with his name on it. “Mr. Love, welcome to Los Angeles. I’m Charles and I’ll be your driver here in the city of angels for as long as you need me.” Charles extended his hand to Alex.

Alex slid his sunglasses on, which completed hi
s
G
Q
cover shot look. The sun was shining brightly, which boosted his spirits. “Thank you, Charles.” He took the man’s hand in a warm hand shake. “It’s nice to meet you. Please, call me, Alex.”

“Ok, Alex...” Charles said as he took Alex’s bag, “but I think we should get out of here. Apparently, you are causing quite a stir, which is quite a feat considering all the celebrities that come through here.” Charles gestured to a group of women who were staring at Alex with flirtatious smiles.

Alex flashed a perfectly white smile at the women. They all seemed to giggle and blush. “I think you are right, Charles. Let’s go.”

He gave Charles the address he where wanted to go to instead of his hotel. “Nice neighborhood,” Charles commented. “Lots of new luxury condos in the area. It’s really beautiful there.”

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to cancel my hotel reservation today. A brotha needed a plan B, just in case.”

Charles chuckled. “Women problems? Although, I can’t imagine a fella like you having too many of those.”

Alex smiled behind his sunglasses. “Not women, Charles, woman. The one. Are you married?”

“Yep. Sixteen years to the most wonderful woman on the planet,” Charles answered proudly.

“When you guys got together, was it easy?” Alex continued to inquire.

“Oh, heck no. She wanted no parts of me. Wouldn’t even look at me for weeks.” He chuckled. “Her sisters thought I was just a rough neck from the wrong side of town.”

“Did it ever occur to you to give up?”

“Not for one minute. I knew she would be my wife the second I laid eyes on her. If you ask her now, she knew it, too, but you know how things go. Sometimes, life gets in the way, but I persisted.”

“Um,” Alex said as he stared out of the window, watching the palm trees breeze past.

“Going to get her back, son?”

“That is my mission. I don’t plan to leave Los Angeles without her.”

“That’s the way to do it, son.” Charles smiled broadly. “Bet your pop is proud.”

Alex smiled back. “I’m sure.”

Twenty minutes later, Charles pulled to the curb of an extremely nice, luxury condo building. He got out and opened the door for Alex. “Here we are. Do you need me to stay?” Charles asked as he retrieved Alex’s bag from the trunk.

“No thank you, Charles,” Alex replied.

“Alright, well, here’s my cell number. Call me when you need me, I won’t be far,” Charles said as he rounded the car. “Enjoy Los Angeles!”

“Thanks. I intend to,” He replied almost to himself as he looked up at the well kept building.

Alex walked purposefully into the lobby of the building. He was a man on a mission. A mission he had waited his entire life for. Jada Whitman was the woman he loved and he was there to claim her. He approached an older, Hispanic gentleman at a security desk reading the newspaper and was completely unfazed by Alex’s appearance. He barely looked up in Alex’s direction. Alex cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, I would like to see Jada Whitman, please,” He announced professionally.

Raphael looked up, glanced Alex up and down with as much disdain as possible, and asked, “Does she know you are coming?”

“No,” Alex responded, feeling a little annoyed.

“Sorry
,
G
Q
man. Can’t let you up unless the tenant puts you on the list or you have an appointment.” Raphael went back to reading his paper with a quick flip of his wrist.

Alex took a deep breath to steady the anger that was quickly rising. He did not just travel clear across the country to be turned away by building security. “Listen, she will want to see me. Just call her place and tell her Alexander is here.”

“What role are you trying to audition for?” Raphael asked, eying him suspiciously.

“What? Role? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you must be one of those writers. Although, you sure look like an actor. Did you spend your life savings on that outfit?”

Alex placed both hands, palms down, on the desk in front of Raphael. “I’m not an actor, writer, or even in the industry. This is a rather important, personal visit that will happen today. I am currently in recovery from a very bad temper, and you are one smart comment away from making me fall off of the wagon.”

Raphael raised his pointer finger to respond when his cell phone rang. “Just one second, young man. Hello?”

“Hey, Ralphy, baby. It’s Ami,” Ami spoke sweetly in the phone.

Raphael had always been smitten with Ami and loved when she visited. “Hey, lovely lady. How are you?”

Alex couldn’t believe he was taking a call. A personal call, when he needed to get upstairs. “Excuse me.”

“Hang on there, young fella. A lady is on the line. What can I do for you today, young miss?”

“Well...” Ami continued, “I’m calling because my cousin is coming to see Jada today and she doesn’t know. They are good friends and he wanted to surprise her.”

Raphael eyed Alex. “Can you tell me what he looks like?”

“Sure. He’s about 6’3”, about two hundred and twenty pounds with milk chocolate skin and light brown eyes. Looks like he could be an actor, but he’s not, trust me. He doesn’t have one acting bone in his body.”

“Can he be pushy and demanding?”

“Yep, that’s him. His name is Alexander. He’s a good guy, Ralphy. You can let him up. I’ll bring you something special from home. I always do.”

Raphael smiled as he looked over to Alex, who was now pacing the floor, trying to be patient. “You say he’s a good guy, huh?”

Alex paused and looked at Raphael. Who was he talking to? He slid his sunglasses off and placed them in his pocket.

“Yep, Ralphy. The best.” Ami continued. “You know I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

“Alright, Ms. Ami. I’ll handle this for you. Tell that Mr. Reed to do his job and do it well. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Ralphy. I’ll tell him. See you.”

Alex lowered his head and smiled. He was going to have to repay Ami one of these days. She was always on her game. He finally looked up at Raphael with a visibly more relaxed look on his face.

“So, Ms. Ami says you are her kin. Is that right?”

Alex removed the previous harshness from his voice. “Yes. That’s right.”

“You got some identification? Lots of crazies out here you know.”

Alex removed his driver’s license and handed it to Raphael.

“Love, huh?” Raphael said, examining the license. “Go on up, son. Third floor, number 32. She’s in there. Good luck, young fella. I’ve seen her cut down the best of them.” Raphael handed the license back and picked up his newspaper.

“Thanks. Yeah, I know.” Alex picked up his travel bag and headed toward the elevator. This was it. What was he going to say? What was she going to say? He was suddenly nervous, but refused to turn back. He had to have her.

Jada was sitting in her office reviewing paperwork on some upcoming film projects. Ironically, two of the proposals wanted to shoot in Philadelphia. Of course, the two in Philly were the most promising for the next block busters, which would take her there for quite some time
.
Great
!
She thought to herself.

She looked at her cell phone for what must have been the hundredth time that day. She knew she should call him. She wanted desperately to call him, but what would she say? She didn’t think she could handle it if he rejected her, now that she truly believed that she loved him. She picked up the phone and flipped in open. Staring at it for several long moments, she closed the phone and gently placed it back on her desk. She had to get the nerve up to call. Just thinking about it was making her palms sweat. She knew she had to do it and soon, or it would surely be too late. She sighed as she spun her chair around to look out of her office window and take in the sunshine.

She was wearing her favorite, low riding sweat pants that were faded and the bottoms frayed. Her slender hips barely held them up and they dragged on the floor when she walked. Her fitted NYU tee shirt stopped just above her belly button and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung perfectly off the back of her head. Her feet were bare and her toes were painted a soft shade of pink. She reached for her bottle of water as her door bell rang. She often wondered why she had a door bell when there was a doorman. Why hadn’t Raphael called up? He normally didn’t let anyone up, especially knowing the business she was in. She was definitely going to have a talk with him. Especially if it was some wanna be actor trying to break into films. The bell rang again. She got up and headed toward the door, intent on making the unwanted visitor leave.

Standing just before the door, she was suddenly nervous. It was those same butterflies she got whenever Alex was near. She shook it off, believing herself silly. What would Alex be doing at her door, anyway? She opened it.

The door swung open and Alex thought he would fall to his knees from the sheer beauty of the woman standing in front of him. She was obviously not expecting anyone based on the outfit she was wearing, but that didn’t matter. She was gorgeous and sexy as hell. At that moment, he realized just how much he had missed her.

His gazed locked on hers. He finally broke the spell they both were apparently under, leaned against the door frame, smiled that dazzling smile, and said, “Hey, Jada.”

Upon seeing Alex, Jada definitely thought she was imagining things. She blinked to make the image of him go away, but she wasn’t dreaming and Alex was standing in her doorway. He was flawless. He was wearing tan linen pants and a fitted cream silk tee shirt. The muscles in chest were clearly visible and his features were relaxed. His chiseled milk chocolate face and piercing eyes set a fire deep inside her. Her gaze swept over him, finally settling on his lips. He smiled that perfect sensuous smile as he spoke his greeting, and she realized she was holding her breath until he spoke.

Finally, she found her voice. “Hi, Alex,” She spoke, although she still had not moved from the spot where she was standing.

“Can I come in?” Alex asked innocently.

“Oh. Yes. Of course. I’m sorry,” She stammered, clearly rattled and nervous. He liked it. Served her right for leaving him the way she did he thought as he continued to smile at her. “What are you doing here?” She managed to say, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“I came because you have something that I need,” He answered casually as he walked around, surveying her living room. He picked up a framed photograph of her laughing that sat next to a photograph of what he assumed was her parents and brother. “Nice place,” He commented.

“Um, thanks. Can I get you something to drink?” She asked, still unnerved by his presence, but needing to do something with her hands.

Alex stopped taking in his surroundings and focused on Jada. She unconsciously licked her lips and a wicked smile curved his mouth. He walked over to her and watched her place her hand on an accent table to steady herself. He came to stop just inches away from her. He could feel the heat from her perfect body and struggled to keep control of the situation. He leaned close to her ear and caught the sound of a sigh escaping her lips. In his deep, husky voice he told her, “What I need is you.”

He placed his hand on her hip and the flame that started when the door was opened was now a raging fire. He slowly brushed a kiss across her lips, intending for it to be a gentle gesture. She parted her lips for him and his gentleness suddenly became urgent. He was home.

She was completely stunned that Alex was in California, let alone her home. Before she had a chance to put up any resistance, he was kissing her, and she liked it. Loved it, as a matter of fact. He was pulling her closer, holding her body to his. She felt like she was floating on a cloud called Alexander and she never wanted to come down.

He was expertly kissing her. Reacquainting himself with her and memorizing her. He was holding her so tight, he could feel her heartbeat against his chest. His hands slid from her waist to the firmness of her behind. He heard an unmistakable moan from her, or maybe it was him, no matter, he deepened the kiss because she was melting in his arms. He was her strength and he had very little of that when it came to her.