Free The Ultimate Merger by Delaney Diamond Page B

in and out of meetings and spent the rest of his time
on his laptop conducting research and communicating with his staff. He’d hoped
to be farther along in the deal by now, but he’d just have to be patient a
little while longer.
    He flexed his shoulders and grabbed
the room key from the desk. He’d been in the room all day, and it was now dark
outside. He needed a break. Time to get out and see a little bit of what
Chicago had to offer.
    Downstairs, he asked for a
recommendation to a place where he could get a drink and unwind. Before long,
he headed out on foot to a nearby restaurant recommended by the concierge. When
he arrived at Giovanni’s he could hear music playing and the weekend crowd had
already started gathering.
    One of the best ways to relieve
stress was in the arms of a woman. Unfortunately, he’d been so busy he hadn’t
had time to make the acquaintance of anyone during his short stay. The energy
of the patrons and the beat of rock music would have to suffice tonight.
    Renaldo sat at the bar and ordered
a scotch. As he nursed his drink, mentally listing everything he had to accomplish
next week, a tall black woman walked in. She entered the restaurant with a
straight spine and a confident walk. At first he gave her only a cursory
glance. She appeared to have just left work, dressed in a plain gray business
suit with a white silk blouse and very little jewelry. After she took a seat at
the opposite end of the bar, his eyes strayed to her again.
    With her kinky, chestnut-colored
hair pulled back from her face and clipped neatly at the back of her head, he
couldn’t tell its true length. She didn’t wear much makeup on her tawny-colored
skin. Good thing, too, because she had an attractive face.
    In one graceful movement, she
removed her blazer and then twisted on the stool to hang it over the back of
the chair, the motion causing the silk blouse to pull taut across her chest. He
was a breast man, and she had two nice-looking ones. Not big, but enough to
almost fill his hands. His jaw tightened at the thought as he swirled the
scotch in the glass. He hoped she was alone. If so, his situation might be
improving.  
    He enjoyed burying his face in the
perfumed cleft of a woman’s cleavage. What would the cleft between her breasts
smell like? The thought stirred his loins awake.
    As he watched her, Renaldo wondered,
too, about the color of her eyes. Were they brown or black? He soon received an
answer. She idly scanned the room and her gaze landed on him. White heat pooled
in his stomach, causing him to halt the swirling motion of his hand.
    Light brown. Stunning.
    ****
    Sabrina didn’t think she could have
experienced a greater shock if the force of a lightning bolt had coursed
through her body. For a moment she froze, bewitched by a pair of eyes as black as
midnight.
    Unnerved, she dragged her eyes away,
but not before she registered the man’s other features: an aquiline nose, short-cut
hair the same color of his eyes, and swarthy skin which suggested he might be
Italian or Latin. His white shirt opened at the collar to reveal a strong
throat and a sprinkling of crisp, black hair.
    Even though she’d looked away, she knew
he still watched. She could feel it.
    “What can I get for you?” the
bartender asked with a friendly smile.
    She ordered a glass of red wine.
When he walked away, she picked up the menu to check out the selection of
appetizers, disregarding the biting intensity of the feelings that had just
flowed through her. A few minutes later, she placed an order for stuffed
mushrooms and had a glass of wine in her hand.
    Glancing around the bar, careful
not to look straight ahead again, she regretted telling Ernestine not to come. They
always had fun when they hung out together. Well, she’d have the next best
thing soon enough. She’d left Samuel a voice mail before she left work, so he
should be here soon.
    Unable to resist, she let her eyes
drift back across the bar. A pretty brunette had