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Chapter 20
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One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 1
“Is she dead?” With her heart hammering against her chest, she lowered her head onto the body of the woman who lay lifeless on the Persian silk rug.Colleen Caddell listened keenly for a sound, even the faintest of it. She listened for something, anything. But there was nothing. Horror struck her face as, slowly, her gaze averted towards Liz Parker who was standing right above her. “I can’t hear her heartbeat,” she said, almost in a whisper. “Are you sure? Step aside, let me listen.” As Colleen backed away from the body, a fragment of her hair got stuck in the flower sterling silver brooch pinned on the blouse of the woman. She had to tug at her hair to break free and when it finally came undone, she stepped aside for Liz to check her pulse and listen for a heartbeat. Just as Colleen had said, there was nothing.“She is dead,” Liz confirmed rather quietly. But that did absolutely nothing to pacify her friend, who was immediately thrown into a frenzy as she stalked around the room
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 2
MILLIONAIRE OWNER OF LOURDES AEROSPACE MURDERED IN HER HOME. . .CAMILLA LOURDES OF MILLION-DOLLAR AEROSPACE COMPANY FOUND DEAD. . .THE OWNER OF DETROIT’S BIGGEST AEROSPACE COMPANY WAS SHOT DEAD IN HER HOME. . . Colleen read every article that was written with those headlines or anything remotely close to it. In the last seven days, she stalked the internet like an addict searching for any leads involving the case; looking to see if the police confirmed someone was in the room with Camilla Lourdes when she kicked the bucket. A memorial service has already been held for her after her body was cremated by her family as she wished. So, Camilla was gone physically, but she still haunted Colleen’s dreams. Liz snatched the phone away from her hand. “Goodness, Colleen! You’ll go mad if you continue like this.”Then, the taxi driver pulled over in front of the twelve-foot silver steel gate of the resort, effectively shutting what was going to be another round of Colleen nagging abo
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 3
The briefing was just as the name: brief. It lasted no more than twenty-five minutes and in all of that time, Colleen could barely concentrate on what was being said. Three things were playing catch in her head. Firstly, Selena. She had told Liz about Selena when she got into the main hall and they made sure to steer clear of her. Not that it was necessary anyway, Selena was rather preoccupied with flirting with a blue-eyed man sitting opposite her. At least that was behind them. For now. Secondly, the one thing that worried her the entire week: Camilla Lourdes's death. And this brings us to the third participant of the catch game in her head, Camilla’s son. This one had dark hazel eyes that pierced into hers when he gaped at her with a glint of amusement while they were in the men’s room. She had muttered an apology before she ran out of there. Although she was sure he didn’t hear it because her voice was in an undertone. She was never one to go fill her head with images of a be
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 4
Andre Jacques Lourdes. . .He will be in charge of the Detroit Entrepreneurship Summer Camp from now on. Something he never imagined he would be doing in his life. But Camilla Lourdes loved helping people—in her way. Especially ‘displaced’ young adults who she knew had so much to offer to society. And this was exactly what led her to found the Lourdes Foundation six years ago. This was only the second edition of DESC and it was unfortunate she couldn’t be there to see how much success came out of it. To this cause, Andre was dedicated. If, for once in his life, outside the business world, he hoped to do right by his mother. How helpful and livening was it that he came across Colleen Caddell? A woman who, stunningly, seemed to rivet him?As the soft melody of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Dark Paradise’ wafted through the massive space of his living room, Andre waltzed into the kitchen, flipping open his cabinet to take out the two-piece cocktail shaker set to do what he knew how to do best,—asides
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 5
"Jeepers! Now that, Liz Parker, is a view. Quickly, hand me your phone. I need to capture this essence.” Colleen urged rather impatiently and Liz, grumbling beneath her breath, pulled her phone from her back pocket and handed it to her. She watched as Colleen first took a snapshot of the high ceiling that shielded the sun but left an opening small enough to let in some of that summer sunlight into the lobby which reflected the water rocks mural on the ground floor. Holy Moly! It was luminously magnificent. Then, she took a couple of selfies, posing weirdly for each one. This was her being a little optimistic and open-minded. She begged Liz to get in a photo with her, who, begrudgingly, did so. When she was done, she handed the phone back with only one request, “please do not delete any of those heavenly pictures, they’re called memories. And pictures provide the best ones.” Considering Liz was known to clear her gallery now and then for reasons best known to her, it was im
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 6
"No way this dress cost over a thousand, seven hundred dollars!” Harbor Bridge Resort and Spa was the second largest in Detroit and, as such, had to live up to that name in terms of maintenance, building, and rebuilding. That is to say Andre Lourdes was spending a hell of a lot of cash on running the place. But let’s not even go to the figures he is receiving in return. The place could cater to at least five families over twelve months. And make no mistake, I am not talking about a couple or some widowed woman with two children. I am talking about a family of four and more. Part of the numerous subtleties the resort housed was a Chanel Store. In the same store, Andre had made a prepaid deposit of what she presumed to be a whopping amount of dollars. Because why then would he say, “For the Meet and Greet event this evening, y’all need to look your best! So, on that note, you’re more than welcome to walk into the Chanel Store in the building and pick whatever catches your fancy
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 7
The next day, Sunday, was a little quieter than the rest of the week. Probably because the residents of the resort, after all the fun they had Saturday night, getting knocked up and knocked out, deemed it important to have some rest and give the party spirit a rest ahead of the new week.After last night, after Andre's-twin-brother's little comment about mistaking her for some redheaded Sophia, whoever the hell that was, she realized she was getting in too deep with the man. Confirmation was how she only wanted to see him yesterday evening despite the flood of men, and women, whom she could chat away the lovely evening with. She could barely concentrate on any other person in the event after that highly awkward conversation between her and his brother, and didn't want to be a buzzkill to Liz or anybody else as they all appeared to be having so much fun laughing away the evening while she brooded what Andre's relationship might have been with this Sophia. So, she cut her evening short
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 8
"What are you doing in my room?" She hollered in the room, making sure to leave the door open for fear of the unknown as she, angrily pushing forward, reached where Andre was sitting and grabbed the framed photo of her in a bathing suit away from his hand, hiding it behind her. "Up, up from my bed! You'll crease the edges. How did you even get into my room in the first place?" Andre, with a coy smile, measured Colleen up close. Good gracious, that body con stress she was wearing had his brain going haywire, flying in the direction of sinful and unapologetic. But he had come here this evening to render an apology for Gaten's behavior last night. And although there was nothing remotely apologetic about her slim, curvy frame in that black dress, he knew seducing her into her own bed at this moment would only confirm all the despicable things she thought about him. So, wearing his invisible good boy hat, Andre lifted himself from the bed just as she had instructed, quietly moving to
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One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 20
ANDRE watched as Tobias walked into the dining hall and headed for where Colleen sat with her friends, Liz and Jessalyn, chatting and laughing so happily. His eyes followed every move of Tobias, from when he walked into the hall, scanned the place for a certain redhead, and when he spotted her, strutted in her direction. He watched him speak to her in what he was sure was whispers, and after barely any convincing—because why would he need to convince somebody he had locked lips with yesterday—, she stood up and followed him to wherever the hell they had talked about.Yup! Andre was definitely paranoid. He tightened his grip on the tableware in his hand, so hard it began to hurt. But he didn’t feel any pain down there. The affliction he was feeling right now wasn’t from the knife in his hand, it was from watching Colleen follow Tobias out of the dining hall. “Easy there,” Valentina all but purred from behind him, in that velvet-textured voice of hers that made even the ladies ballyh
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 19
“Andre! Andre! Please wait!” A demented-looking Colleen called after him in a shrill she was certain could wake a dead man from the grave, but it all fell on deaf ears. Andre was past hearing. Andre was past listening. Andre well was beyond seeing, even. Not flinching for even a second, he hollered towards the elevator, his breathing rapid, his chest bouncing heavily, and jaws flexing. He couldn’t even bring himself to see anything other than what he had seen five minutes ago: the image of Colleen and Tobias kissing. Angry was an understatement to describe how he was feeling. Pushing down the button for the twenty-fourth floor, the elevator doors closed swiftly right in the face of Colleen who was ready to jump in there with him and explain how this was all just a huge misunderstanding.Determined to set things straight, she hurried to the next elevator and pushed down the button for the twenty-fourth floor. Guess granting her access to the floor came in handy way too soon, in th
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 18
It was going to be a long day.As part of learning marketing, Darren James, the biggest marketing professional in Michigan, thought to test their skills on the subject by making them sell tee shirts and props for the forthcoming Last Day of the Summer fest being held in the resort. “And that is the last batch of our props." A weary looking Tobias said, dropping the bag filled with shirts, hoodies, face caps, summer hats, and what-not, on the floor beside a freaked out Colleen. “Whoa! That’s a lot. And we’re supposed to sell everything before. . .”“8 pm today.” “Now that is next to impossible in the Oxford dictionary.” .“Tell that to sweet sensation, Darren James,” Jessalyn Russo said from behind them. “He thinks that because he can sell things with a snap of his fingers, everybody should, too.”“When really, all that is going for him is his good looks,” Liz added, her face contorted in a frown as she looked over the bags next to Colleen. “Our bag is just as big as this. And it’
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 17
As fast as her legs could carry her, without giving away the impression that she so desperately wanted to get out of here so that she can finally breathe something other than Valentina’s choking perfume, she hurried out of the court. Bae-cation, she said. My daddy pulled some strings, she bragged. Colleen felt infuriated! At Valentina for being so beautiful, with an opposite attitude. And at Andre for not telling her that his ex-girlfriend was going to be at the tennis game she got them tickets to. Okay, now she was sounding like they were in a relationship. When really, all that was there between her and Andre was something even she couldn’t quite put to words yet. Was it love? Hell no. How could she fall in love with the man she met twelve days ago? Maybe it was just a little bit of likeness and attraction. He was gorgeous after all. “Just a little bit of likeness,” she muttered to herself as she stomped into the lobby. When she was on the floor leading to her room, she heard
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 16
By 4 pm, Colleen was waiting for Andre just outside the courthouse, dressed in a white chiffon top, a pair of tightly fit slacks, and a summer hat to shield the sun which was at its peak. As she watched the players practice before the game actually began, a favorite unintentionally registered in her brain. The man in the pink polo shirt with a visor over his head seemed to strike the ball remarkably well. Or so she thought. He played with so much vigor, enthusiasm, and professionalism, that Colleen thought his opponent stood no chance. Well, that remained to be seen. Glancing at her wristwatch, the time was almost 4:10 and there was still no sign of Andre. She sighed. Just because he made a booking—coerced a booking—at VIP doesn’t give him any excuse to be late. If the whistle sounds for the first set, Colleen swore under her breath that she would go inside without him. Even if it meant settling for the bad seat because the court was packed. Just then, she felt a hand snake around
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 15
COLLEEN rode the elevator to the 24th floor and appeared in front of the large wooden double door. With the tickets in her hand, her heart in her mouth, and her legs in the air. Okay, not literally in the air. That was just her daily mental and reality check that she wasn’t falling and falling and falling. . . The door flung open. Lo and behold, a divinely gorgeous being materialized, dressed in white and blue summer shorts. Only. That is to say, the rest of Andre Lourdes’ body was left exposed and oh dear, Colleen almost gorged out the heart in her mouth. I told you this was a bad idea, her subconscious hammered. Firstly, Andre cocked his head backward, and when he confirmed it was truly Collen at his doorstep, after a mental slap, a slow devious grin tugged at the corner of his lips fully aware of what her very eyes were beholding. An out of breath Colleen shook her head, shaking away the unholy thoughts that were beginning to dance around in her head. Feigning ignorance at hi
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 14
ANDRE was right in picking that green dress. Sizing Colleen with his eyes, as he always does whenever she was up close, he knew she was a size 8. So when he waltzed into Chanel’s store asking for a green dress for a certain redhead that could steal the attention of an entire room, the attendant knew who he was talking about. And just as he thought, he was right. Immediately Colleen stepped into the hall, heads swung in her direction. Even Andre’s breath caught. She was just so beautiful. Swiping a glass of champagne from the tray, he proceeded to meet the woman of the night. His night.“I suppose a little credit should be accorded to me,” he said, handing her the champagne glass. “The whole room is looking at you, Colleen.” She shivered nervously as she took in the pairs of eyes glancing in their direction. “You know, that kind of makes me uncomfortable.” “Uncomfortable because you happen to be the most beautiful woman in here, tonight?” Andre passed her a heartening smile, collec
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 13
LIZ: DO NOT FORGET THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY, TODAY. DARREN JAMES WASN’T SMILING WHEN HE SAID HE WOULD BE TAKING STATISTICS. WHAT ARE WE? TWELVE? ANYWAY, I SENT THE CARDS YOUR WAY. THEY SHOULD BE ARRIVING FIVE MINUTES AFTER YOU READ THIS.”Colleen read the notification and almost immediately, her phone rang. “Just checking to know if you saw the message,” Liz said when she hit the answer button. “Yes, I saw it. Thanks.” A few minutes later, a knock came on her door.Thinking it was the person Liz sent to deliver the cards, she quickly slid into a pair of biker shorts and skipped out of the closet to get to the door. To her surprise and infuriation, it was no other than Andre Lourdes, holding a long hunter-green maxi dress and of course, the cards Liz was just speaking of. For the longest two minutes of her life, she was standing, he was standing, and they were both staring at each other. But the difference was, Andre had his usual, charming, cocky smile. And boy, Colleen was
One Summer, Two Affairs Chapter 12
The next morning, Andre showed up in her room with a suit. A well-tailored double-breasted suit that fit him like skin and made Colleen’s jaw drop to the floor when she flung her door open to see him. How convenient was it that the first thing she sees this morning is Andre in a suit after a night filled with sinful dreams about the man? But this morning, she was feeling a lot more like herself. No way he should have that much power over her body just by him being two feet away. That was not the Colleen Caddell she knew. She had never squirmed over a man. Until she met Andre Lourdes. Making a throat-clearing sound, she asked, “why are you dressed like that?”“I have a business meeting.” Just as he said, there was something very business-y about his tone and Colleen concluded that that was Andre Lourdes in his element—closing multi-million dollar deals with all of his charm. Charm she was so desperately trying to make herself immune to. So, she forced a smile, waved him goodbye,
