Night of Seduction (27 page)

“Well, that
goes for Kiki Simmons and Maxine Long.
”
He
hesitated,
“
I
’
ll be
leaving for Paris in the morning.
”

“Will you be
gone long?
”
Looking down at the floor she wanted
to kick herself for asking.

“I
’
m not sure.
I
’
ll be back for Jason and TeKaya
’
s
wedding.
”
Seconds ticked away before either spoke. He was
happy for his big brother and Siri
’
s little sister.
They
’
d found each other and had not allowed others to
interfere in their relationship. Siri was a little different from
her sister. She had experienced hurt before and was not as willing
to accept the love he was offering. For now, that was okay. But he
had no intention of letting her go. He would give her time to come
to terms with her feelings for him
—
then all bets were
off. He planned to claim the woman that had captured his
heart.
“
The media is a part of my life and that scares
you. Your reasons are valid, but I need you to understand,
I
’
m just a man that has fallen in love with a woman.
Music is what I do
—
it
’
s a part
of who I am. When you are ready to accept the man and the
musician
—
I
’
ll be waiting. My
heart is yours Siri, now and forever. Take care.
”
He said
before hanging up the telephone.

Siri sat at the
breakfast bar with the telephone receiver still in her hand, closed
her eyes and inhaled.
“
This is the right
thing to do,
”
she said.
“
This is the
right thing.
”

♫

The Rendezvous
Restaurant on Broad Street was chic and elegant. You could almost
see yourself through the shining hardwood floors. The long bar was
to the left, covering the length of the wall and leather bound
cushion seating lined the wall on the right, with a few tables in
the middle for dining. The open area seemed more like a meeting
place, than a restaurant. There were a few people seated at the
bar, one couple at the table eating and two men standing in a
doorway that apparently led to a VIP lounge. A young man dressed
casually approached her.
“
Good afternoon, are
you Siri Austin?
”

The smile was
immediate because he pronounced her name exactly right.
“
Yes. I am.
”

“Welcome to The
Rendezvous. Your party has arrived. Just follow me. Is this your
first time visiting with us?
”

“Yes, it
is.
”

“Then lunch is
on us today,
”
he said while pulling her seat
out.
“
If you enjoy your meal, please tell others about our
establishment.
”

“Thank you, I
will.
”

“Wonderful,
I
’
ll let Ms. Simmons know you are
here.
”

Waiting for Ms.
Simmons to appear gave Siri a moment to close her eyes and think
about her book. The story had changed so many times, but the night
she met Eric, the ending was as clear as day. She remembered her
laptop was literally attached to her body for almost three days as
she added the finishing touches. After researching several
publishers she had chosen to submit her manuscript to only
one--Crimson Publishing. Their long history of gracing the world
with love stories that enticed and entertained prompted her
decision. Her story began as a way for her to put into words all
the hurt, sadness, and betrayal she experienced during her divorce.
But, after that first night with Eric, it
changed
—
it began to heal the hurt, in a small
way.

“Siri Austin, I
presume.
”

Siri looked up
at the heavy, almost masculine voice to find a very tall, slim
female that might have been all of twenty. There was no way this
child could be Kiki Simmons
—
the literary
agent.

“Yes,
”
Siri hesitantly replied.

Sure enough,
the young woman extended her hand.
“
Kiki Simmons.
It
’
s nice to meet you.
”

Siri placed her
tote bag on the floor, stood and took Kiki
’
s hand.
“
It
’
s
—
nice to
meet you.
”

The two women
sat as Kiki stared at Siri as if trying to figure something out.
She folded her hands under her chin and smiled.
“
Well, you
certainly are not what I expected.
”

Siri
smiled.
“
Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about
you. How old are you?
”

“Twenty-six.
But what I lack in years I have in determination and
tenacity.
”
She sat back.
“
At least
that
’
s what my mother tells me. Does my age bother
you?
”

“I
don
’
t know yet. Do you know much about the publishing
industry?
”

“Only to the
extent that my father is an industry attorney/agent, my mother is a
New York Times bestselling author
—
three times over. And
my stepmother, Maxine Long, is a senior editor at Crimson, one of
the longest running romance publishing houses in existence. My two
older brothers own, Battle Publishing, which is where I worked
during high school and have interned every semester during
undergrad and law school. And unfortunately for them, the place I
plan to resign if this manuscript of yours is as good as Max
said.
”
She paused long enough to thank the waitress that
approached the table with her drink and allowed Siri to give her
order.
“
Now tell me about you. And don
’
t tell me
about the stuff I read in the news. I want to know who Siri Austin
is and why she wants to be published.
”

Siri reached
down, pulled out her manuscript, and placed it on the table.
“
The why is because I have a few stories to tell that
will
—
I want you to note
—
I said will, touch
the heart of millions of people that have experienced a failed
relationship and still believe in love. As for
me,
”
she sat forward and placed her hands under her chin,
impersonating the young woman
’
s previous
pose.
“
I
’
m a simple school
teacher that was born and breed right here in the good Old
Dominion. I have simple wants, simple desires just like your
average woman. Since it seems you have checked me out, you should
know up front, I don
’
t like publicity.
I
’
m not flashy, and I refuse to settle for anything less
than one hundred percent loyalty to this project. Is that something
you can deal with?
”

“Well, you
certainly aren
’
t the little prissy
school teacher the media made you out to be. Yes, I can deal with
that. However, can you deal with the fact that as an author only
you can sell your product? That manuscript can be the second coming
of Mark Twain and it won
’
t matter if you are
not willing to take center stage and tell people about your story.
According to Max, this book has bestseller all over it. But it
can
’
t and won
’
t stand alone. So
make a decision Siri Austin. Are you willing to do the book
signings, the publicity stops, and possible media coverage
it
’
s going to take to put this book where it is destined
to be?
”

Siri sat back
and exhaled.
“
You read the
articles. I
’
m sure you pulled up
old news coverage of my divorce. The media and I
aren
’
t exactly on friendly terms.
”

Kiki sat up
excitedly,
“
We
won
’
t be dealing on their terms. You had no control over
how your divorce was covered by the media. Here, you are in total
control, with the exception of what I
’
m going to insist you
do. You choose who, when, and where your events are
covered.
”
She took the manuscript off the table.
“
Let
’
s discuss financial
terms while we eat. I
’
m
starving.
”

The young man
who had greeted her earlier, approached the table.
“
This is my youngest brother, Garland. He owns this place.
Garland, this is Siri Austin and she is about to become my first
client. So
—
we need to
celebrate.
”

“Congratulations and good luck keeping up with this
one.
”

Siri smiled,
they seemed close.
“
Thank you. This is a
very nice place you have.
”
“
It
’
s been a
lifelong dream.
”

“Lifelong
—
boy you are barely
twenty-two and still wet behind the ears. You
haven
’
t lived long enough to have a lifelong dream. Now go
in the kitchen and put together one of those dishes you made for
Max.
”

Garland looked
at his sister, then bent down and whispered something in her ear
that made her laugh aloud.
“
Ms. Austin, do you
like seafood?
”

“Yes, I do, but
please call me Siri.
”

“Well, Siri I
hope your mouth is ready for the culinary delight
I
’
m about to prepare for you. Kiki will have to settle
for something on the menu.
”
He turned and walked
away leaving Kiki
’
s mouth wide
open.

“I
’
m telling
Mother.
”
She said to his back.

“You know, I
think we are going to work well together.
”

“I promise to
give you my all, and then some, starting with the remainder of my
weekend.
”
Kiki said as she picked up the book.
“
Night of Seduction. Hmm, will I need to pull out my toys to
make it through this book?
”

“No, but it may
help to have a live body next to you. A toy will not
suffice,
”
Siri replied as she picked up her drink and took
a sip.

“Oh,
I
’
m scared of you girl.
”
The two women
laughed.

♫

The car was
waiting at the side entrance to Eric
“
Silk
”
Davies
’
home when
Tyrone
“
Ty
”
Pendleton parked his Mercedes. The
driver was placing bags in the trunk, adding to numerous pieces of
luggage already stored.
“
Who
’
s
leaving?
”
he asked.

“Mr.
Eric,
”
the driver replied and continued with his
duties.

Ty walked
through the door of the mini mansion, which led to the rear of the
state of the art kitchen that was the heartbeat of the house. He
walked across the room to the back staircase, taking them two at a
time until he reached the second level. Smiling at the double
platinum albums and pictures of Eric, Jason and himself with other
celebrities that lined the walls, he proceeded down the hallway
until he reached the double doors that were open. Walking through a
sitting area, there was a sofa, table, and two recliners. On the
wall was a flat screen television that covered it. To the left was
a breezeway. Walking through, he entered the area of the room that
actually held the bed, and nothing else. Eric stood near the
window, dressed in a white long sleeve linen shirt, a pair of worn
jeans and sandals, looking over some papers. With his locs hanging
lose around his shoulder, he looked the role of a true
musician.
“
Hey,
what
’
s going on?
”
Ty spoke.