Beyond the Velvet Rope. Tiffany Ashley
at his watch, apparently anticipating his next appointment.
Conversationally, Thandie said, quite clumsily, “I have to admit, you’ve changed my mind about you, Elliot. Now that’s we’ve talked, I have a better feeling about my being here. Earlier, I thought you were trying to—uh—”
“Seduce you,” Elliot supplied with a rakish smile.
“Yes,” she breathed, relieved she hadn’t had to say the words.
“Oh, but I am,” he said simply. “In fact, I have every intention of seducing you, and putting you in every imaginable position.”
Thandie stared at him, too astonished to speak. This was such a radical transformation compared to the no-nonsense businessman he’d portrayed minutes before.
Elliot leaned closer, pressing his lips against the sensitive flesh just below her earlobe. “Good night, Ms. Shaw,” he whispered.
Thandie vaguely recalled the attendant parking her SUV at the curb, and walking around her vehicle on numb legs. Buckling up, she took a deep breath, and slowly eased into traffic. Unable to help herself, she glanced into the rearview mirror. She could see Elliot getting into a black Aston Martin parked on the sidewalk, directly in front of the Peppers restaurant. For fear of being caught staring, she quickly looked away. This was going to be a very long assignment.
Miami International Airport
Thandie parked the SUV at the curb just outside the terminal. She’d given up searching for a spot in the crowded one-hour lot. Besides, she’d rather take the risk of getting a ticket than attempt to navigate her newly rented vehicle into one of the slim parking spots.
She sent a text message to Len, letting her know where she’d parked and hoped it would not take them long to locate her before airport security insisted she move her vehicle. She killed the engine and tapped on the steering wheel impatiently. She did not have to wait long. Thandie could hear the loud laughter of her assistants well before she could actually see them. The pale beauty of Len Harris and the dark elegance of Raja Travis split through the crowd. They looked more like supermodels than public relations assistants. Both tall and slender, Len had bleached blond hair with bright green eyes, whereas Raja possessed the mysterious exotic loveliness that was common of her Indian heritage. Thandie got out of the SUV to greet them. Like excited teenagers, both girls ran to hug her. As usual, they were making a scene.
“I can’t believe we’re in Miami!” Len exclaimed. “This is so cool!”
Raja, typically the quiet one, agreed enthusiastically. “Miami is definitely the place to be this summer. You know the Shay Thomas concert will be here soon. Do you think we can get tickets, Thandie?”
Len gasped loudly. “I totally forgot his tour included a stop in Miami. I love Shay,” she finished dreamily.
“I heard Samara is his opening act,” Raja said.
“I can hardly tolerate her,” Len groaned.
“I bet if she gave you tickets to the concert you would tolerate her,” Raja taunted.
“If Samara gave me tickets to see Shay Thomas, I would sleep with her.”
“Calm down, girls,” Thandie chided. “We’re not on vacation. Let’s figure out how we’re going to manage the Babylon project first, and afterward all three of us can drool over seventeen-year-old rappers.”
“Shay Thomas is not seventeen,” Len corrected. “He just celebrated his twenty-first birthday.”
“And he’s a hip-hop star,” Raja informed. “Not a rapper.”
“Who cares?” Thandie sighed.
Raja and Len looked at each other before saying in unison, “We do!”
Thandie shook her head, no longer interested. She looked around and noticed each young woman was pulling along two oversize suitcases on rollers. It was enough luggage for five people. “Are those all your bags?” she asked.
“Oh, goodness, no,” Raja said with a wave of her hand. “That’s only half of it. We had to leave three of our bags in New York.”
“Can you believe they have a limit on luggage?” Len said sulkily as she checked her reflection in the tinted window of the SUV.
“We had to spend a small fortune mailing them to the office,” Raja said. “Amanda promised to send them to us once we got settled.”
“Great,” Thandie said under her breath. She unlocked the trunk, and helped them load their luggage into the vehicle. Afterward, she slid into the driver’s seat and waited until everyone was settled before putting the car into drive. At the same time, the girls pulled notepads out of their purses and were ready to take notes. They were used to Thandie delegating assignments while they were en route to one place or another.
“Okay, girls, promoting Club Babylon will be far from easy,” Thandie began. “It’s gorgeous, and huge. It’s four stories high.” Len and Raja took a sharp intake of breath at this, but Thandie talked over them. “Filling up a place with that much square footage will be difficult. We’ll have to work every contact we have. The good news is the club already generates a sizable crowd. Our job is to build the club’s reputation on the strip by hosting a series of promo events. In addition, we’ve also been tasked with coordinating the arrival of special guests. The next few weeks are going to be busy, but it’s nothing we haven’t handled before. We have to be organized and disciplined. Len, I want you to find out who are the big gossip columnists here. I want radio and newspaper contacts as well. Raja, I want you to work the agents of local celebrities. There are tons of stars in Miami. I want all of them to be talking about Club Babylon. I will be gathering information on every major event that is being hosted in Miami for the next three months.”
“When can we see the club?” Len asked.
“I’ll take you there tonight, and introduce you to the staff.”
“Including the owner?” Len asked hopefully.
Thandie gave a long sigh. “Yes, including Elliot.”
“Elliot Richards,” Len repeated dreamily. “Even his name sounds sexy.”
“I looked him up on Google this morning,” Raja supplied. “There wasn’t much to find. He doesn’t court the press. I could only locate a handful of pictures. Most of them were taken from afar. But from what I could see, he seems delightful on the eyes. Have you met him yet?”
Thandie didn’t want to talk about Elliot. In fact, she wished she had not mentioned him at all. Try as she might, what had occurred last night after dinner would not soon be forgotten. She remembered all too well the warmth of his breath on her neck and press of his lips against her skin. Even the thought of it made her shift in her seat uncomfortably. Suddenly realizing the girls were still waiting for her response, she answered in a guarded tone, “Yes, I’ve met him.”
“So...?” Raja urged.
“He is a sharp businessman,” Thandie said lamely.
Len laughed. “That’s not what we want to know, and you know it.”
Thandie gritted her teeth together. “Ladies, I really need you to concentrate on the project at hand. We’re going to have to work ten times as hard if we intend to finish on schedule.”
“Fine, fine. Be mysterious if you must,” Len said with a wave of her hand. “Where are we staying?”
“With Warren Radcliffe,” Thandie answered.
“Cool!” they chorused.
Thandie cast a nervous glance in the rearview mirror at them. “Please don’t tell me Warren has tried to come on to either of you.” Both Raja and Len