Determined to savor this final night in her arms, he knew he’d have to use a great deal of restraint to make sure that he satisfied Riana completely before he lost all control. With their bodies joined, Andre felt the burn of his need for Riana trace through his veins. She rocked with him, gripping his shoulders, arching her back, her legs around his waist, holding nothing back. It excited him to feel the raw sensuousness of her passion, to know that she was in total surrender as their soul-searing rhythm churned the sparkling bubbles. For as long as he could hold her, he tasted and teased and explored her bronze body, moving deeper and deeper into their own erotic world until they climaxed together and collapsed.
Later, lying in bed with Riana’s damp hair pressed into his chest, Andre cradled her tenderly. He felt strangely agitated, yet content. A shiver of sorrow descended as he mentally surrendered to Riana’s decision. He loved her. He craved her. But he’d have to learn to live without her.
She was right. There was no way they could make plans for a future. What did he have to offer a successful, smart woman like Riana? He was still a struggling student while she had her master’s degree, a secure career and would soon be a VP with a major financial institution. He was a construction worker with rough hands, a paycheck that barely covered his living expenses, and a wardrobe that consisted of jeans, work boots and a few dress shirts, while she wore chic designer clothes and thought nothing of dropping a few hundred dollars for dinner in a fine restaurant.
Her life was on a fast track to success, while his was tentative, unstable and shrouded in past mistakes. It hurt so much to admit that she was right, they didn’t belong together, and it would be selfish of him to pressure her about it. She deserved more than he could offer, and until he accomplished what he planned to do, he didn’t deserve her love.
Chapter 1
San Antonio, Texas, four years later
After the producer’s assistant attached a small black microphone to the lapel of Riana’s burgundy suit, he gave her a thumbs-up and disappeared into the dark shadows surrounding the brightly lit set. Riana stared at the television camera that was positioned directly in front of the sofa where she was sitting and took a deep breath, eager to get the interview started. She crossed her hands and placed them in her lap, making sure that her silver watch, her Tiffany charm bracelet and the diamond-and-ruby ring on her right hand were angled toward the camera.
Her mind clicked through the short list of talking points that she wanted to address, hoping that Sheri Sherman, the host of Community Business Focus, would not hog the interview, as she was known to do. Sheri was a gregarious, energetic television personality who conducted extensive research on the major players in the local business community and loved to pass along her knowledge in a chatty, informal style. It was well known that her guests had to seize control of the interview from the beginning. However, an appearance on Sheri’s half-hour show could be more valuable than a sixty-second prime-time commercial, and every businessperson in San Antonio coveted an invitation to sit down and talk with her.
“Let’s do it,” Sheri called out to the floor director as she swept onto the set and sat down in the fake Louis xv armchair next to the sofa. She was dressed in a bold red pantsuit with black satin lapels. The ruby and silver beads around her neck were oversized, dramatic and genuine; as were the rings she was wearing on each finger. With a flip of her long thin braids, she turned to Riana and blessed her with a wide grin. “You ready, girlfriend?”
“Absolutely,” Riana replied, licking her lips and praying that she didn’t have lipstick on her teeth. Too late now, she told herself as the director counted down from five and then leveled a pointed finger in Sheri’s direction.
“Hello, everyone,” Sheri began. “Welcome to Community Business Focus, where you get to meet the up-and-coming business leaders of our city. My guest today is Riana Cole, CEO of Executive Suites, Inc., an executive search firm based here in San Antonio.” Sheri shifted slightly and turned her attention to Riana, flashing another TV-perfect smile. “I’m so happy to have you here with me today, Riana.”
“My pleasure,” Riana replied in her most professional tone.
“How about a little background. You’re a native of San Antonio, aren’t you?”
“Correct. Born and raised right here, though I did leave to attend the University of Texas at Austin, and after getting my undergraduate and my master’s degree in Economics there, I came back home. I love this city and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.”
“I know what you mean. You still have family here?”
“Only a sister. My parents retired and moved to San Marcos in the Hill Country a few years ago, but they come back to the city quite often. It’s hard to leave San Antonio completely.”
“So true, so true. But San Marcos is just up the road. I know it means a lot to have family nearby.” She widened her grin and slid her tongue over her shiny white teeth, as if making sure she didn’t have lipstick on them. “Now, I understand that your company, Executive Suites, Inc., was responsible for getting Jerry Holmes, our new Director of Visitors and Tourism, to come to San Antonio last year. Our city has always been considered a great draw for tourists, but he is doing a fabulous job of marketing San Antonio to the world. So many international events are coming our way now. We’re lucky to have him here.”
“That’s right,” Riana agreed. “My company was tapped by the city to provide turnkey recruitment services for that search. It took some doing, but we were able to convince Mr. Holmes to leave Denver and come to our fair city. We also work with major corporations who are seeking highly qualified personnel.”
Sheri nodded. “So, you’re a headhunter?” Laughter followed. “Isn’t that another word for what you do?”
“That’s exactly what we do,” Riana stated with a smile, launching into her first talking point. “When a hard-to-fill position opens up within an organization, a public entity or a corporation, and the job calls for a specially trained person, human resource managers turn to me. I have a worldwide database of candidates and the ability to find the right person for the job in record time. Executive Suites, Inc., can save CEOs and human resource managers a great deal of time and expense.”
“How did you get started?” Sheri asked.
“Four years ago, I was stunned when my boss at the financial firm where I had been working for quite some time suddenly informed me that the VP position he had promised was not going to come through. In fact, they let me go.”
“Uh-oh,” Sheri interjected sympathetically. “I know that hits home with a lot of my viewers. I’ve even found myself holding the dreaded pink slip more than once. You know the media industry is a tough business….”
“I’m sure it is,” Riana stated, cutting off her host, eager to get her story told. “So, after I left the finance industry, I drew unemployment and looked for work. But every time I reached the interview stage for a position I really wanted, I was told that I was overqualified. I looked for six months. It was a discouraging, exhausting process, and it finally wore me down. I just gave up.”
“I know what you’re saying,” Sheri added with a short laugh. “Looking for work is work! Stressful, too.”
“Exactly,” Riana agreed. “So, I decided to start my own executive recruitment firm to match professionals, who are too often considered overqualified for the jobs they want, with the right employer. After doing my research, I applied for and was granted an SBA loan and then I purchased a franchise from Executive Suites, Inc.—a national recruitment firm with offices in ten major cities. I hired an assistant and prayed I would be successful. Three months later the business took off when I snagged two corporate accounts. It’s been booming ever since.”
“Wonderful! And so inspiring. And I must say you look successful, my sister. That suit is too sharp!”
“Thanks. Appearances do count, you know? If you dress the part and act like you’ve arrived, you’re halfway