The Sweetest Temptation. Rochelle Alers
worry about Savanna overdosing, because she’s going to have plenty of help.” Linda and Savanna looked more like sisters than mother and daughter, while Billy was a younger version of his father. There came a chorus of “amen” and “you ain’t lying” from several of the invited guests.
Faith leaned over and handed Roland a sharp knife. She’d covered the handle with a napkin. “Why don’t you and your fiancée get in some practice making the first cut? Then, I’ll take it from there.” She’d made the torte large enough to serve at least forty. Savanna placed her hand atop Roland’s and the moist blade of the knife sliced cleanly through the layers of ganache, frozen raspberry and white cream filling and sponge cake.
Faith took the knife from them. “I have gift bags you can give to your guests before they leave. They’re chocolates in edible packaging wrapped in cellophane.” It’d taken countless hours and skill to make the rectangular pieces of chocolate, then assemble them, using tempered couverture in a pastry bag to glue them together. All the tops were striped with either dark or white chocolate.
“I also made one for you and your fiancé to share with your parents,” she continued in a hushed tone. The smaller rectangular boxes each contained eight pieces of candy made with walnut caramel, while the larger round box held sixty in various shapes that were filled with mocha and nutty creams.
Pushing back her chair, Savanna stood up and hugged Faith tightly. “Thanks so much, Miss Whitfield. I can’t tell you how special you’ve made this day for me.”
“This is only the dress rehearsal for your big day.”
Savanna fanned her face with her hand. “I just hope I make it.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll make it,” Faith reassured Savanna as she picked up the torte, turned and walked in the direction of the kitchen.
Leaning against one of the massive columns separating the living room from the dining room, Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and watched Faith with Savanna. Everything about her radiated confidence—of herself and her place in the world. She claimed she preferred baking to cooking, yet her fish entrée was extraordinary.
He’d found her utterly feminine, something that was missing in the women with whom he’d become involved since his divorce. And although Faith Whitfield looked nothing like his ex-wife, there was something about her that reminded him of Justine. What bothered him was that his attraction to both had been instantaneous.
He occasionally dated women who tried too hard to impress him, while the ones with the pretty faces and gorgeous bodies were usually too insipid to keep his attention for more than a few hours.
Waiting until Faith left the room, Ethan made his way over to William Raymond. “I need to talk to you,” he said in a low, quiet voice.
William patted the empty chair his wife had just vacated. “Sit down, Mac.” Ethan complied. Vertical lines appeared between the deep-set dark eyes of the man who’d amassed a small fortune because of his innate gift for recognizing musical talent. “You’ve heard something about…?” His words trailed off.
William had spent most of his life avoiding trouble, but at fifty-four trouble had come knocking at his door in the form of a rival who’d threatened his son. It wouldn’t have unnerved William if the threat had been directed at him. He’d grown up on New York City’s mean streets, learning how to survive well enough to avoid becoming a statistic. But someone had gotten to him, struck his Achilles’ heel when they put his son’s life—heir to his music empire—in jeopardy.
“What’s up, Mac?”
“What do you think of sending Billy to Cresson to stay with my folks? He could transfer his credits from Bethune-Cookman to Mount Aloysius and get his degree there.” Billy had just completed the first semester of his sophomore year. A look of uncertainty crossed William’s face as he and Ethan regarded each other.
“Aloysius isn’t a historically black college,” Ethan continued, “and west-central Pennsylvania isn’t Florida, but I don’t think anyone would think of looking for him in the Allegheny Mountains.” He’d made the suggestion because his parents were professors at the college.
William’s face brightened as he ran his fingers over his mustache and goatee. Nodding, he crooned, “It could be you’re on to something.”
“It’s only a suggestion.”
“I like your suggestion, Mac. Now, all I have to do is convince my son that sending him to live with his great-aunt and -uncle would be in his best interest.”
Ethan patted his cousin’s hard, muscled shoulder under a custom-made silk and wool blend suit jacket. “I believe it would go better if I talk to him.” He knew Billy resented his father too much to listen to anything he had to say right now, even if it meant protecting his life. He leaned closer. “There’s something else you should know.”
The music mogul listened to his younger cousin, then nodded in agreement. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take care of it.”
Ethan felt a measure of satisfaction. He’d come up with a plan for his godson, but if Billy rejected his suggestion, then he would have to come up with an alternative solution. And he knew if WJ hadn’t been so focused on seeing his daughter married, he would’ve come down hard on Billy for his behavior.
Ethan hadn’t come to stay at the West End Avenue penthouse to protect his godson from what was potentially a real threat, but rather from his father’s explosive temper. Growing up, he’d witnessed the hurt WJ had inflicted on anyone who’d dared to cross him.
Faith slipped into her coat and gathered her handbag. She was ready to go home. She managed to slip out without encountering Kurt or Ethan, taking the elevator to the lobby. Someone was exiting a taxi as she walked out of the building. The doorman’s whistle stopped the driver from pulling away from the curb.
She got in, gave the bearded man her address, closed her eyes, then settled back against the seat for the short ride to the Village. The cabbie drove as if he was training for the NASCAR circuit, and Faith didn’t draw a normal breath until she found herself on terra firma outside her building.
The harrowing experience came close to making her swear off riding in New York City taxis for a very long time.
The ride, the lingering smell of the food clinging to her body and the image of Ethan McMillan’s sensual smile were forgotten when she brushed her teeth, showered and crawled into bed.
Other than an early-morning jog, attending mass and sharing brunch with Peter Demetrious, Faith planned to take advantage of the rest of her Sunday to do absolutely nothing!
Sunday dawned with an overcast sky and below-freezing temperatures. Dressed in a pair of sweats, a baseball cap, short jacket and running shoes, Faith inserted earbuds in her ears and began walking north, increasing her pace each time she crossed another street until she was jogging at a pace that didn’t leave her feeling winded. Although she preferred reading a book to listening to them, she made the exception when jogging.
As the narrator read a fairly explicit love scene, it reminded Faith why she’d stopped reading romance novels. What she didn’t want was to be reminded of her resolution not to date, because if she kissed one more frog she would swear off men altogether. The reason she’d downloaded the audio book to her iPod was because it was advertised as a mystery. But, damn! she mused, did the author have to be so descriptive when the female detective, having denied having feelings for her partner, finally went to bed with him? By the time Faith reached the next block the erotic scene was over.
She jogged to Chelsea, stopped at a Starbucks to sit and enjoy a latte before retracing her route. Every time she jogged she varied her route. Most times she stopped in Soho, Tribeca, Chinatown, Little Italy, the East Village or the Lower East Side.
When the heat and humidity became too oppressive to jog, she set off on leisurely walks. For someone who’d grown up in the suburbs, the bright lights, large crowds, noise