Forces of Nature (9 page)

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “I'll see you in the morning.” Then Crystal hung up the phone and turned to Douglas.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Just some legal stuff,” she said with a shrug. “Anyway, back to the mopping. This is concentrated, so you don't have to use a lot of it to get the floor clean.”

Douglas offered a mock salute. “Yes, ma'am,” he said. Crystal looked around the kitchen and nodded in approval.

“You did a good job for a spoiled rich boy.”

“There's more to me than just good looks and money,” he said with a wink.

Crystal turned away from him, thinking about his other stand-out attributes: soft lips, sweet tongue, and hot hands. “I'm going to finish polishing the furniture. The mop is behind the refrigerator,” she said, then dashed out of the kitchen.

Once she was alone in the living room, Crystal thought about her conversation with Dena.

Crystal returned to polishing, though the table had a shine on it that was close to that of a mirror. As she rose to her feet, she grabbed her cleaning supplies and headed for the supply closet. When she walked out the door, she ran chest first into Douglas.

“Where's the fire, Crystal?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Will you get your hands off me?” she said, her voice shaky.

“Sorry,” he said without releasing her. “I finished mopping. What's next?”

“I have to do laundry and you can mop the bathroom.”

“How about a break?” he asked. “Because I find it hard to believe that you spend your Friday nights cleaning.”

“And just what do you think I do on the weekends?” she asked, looking down at his arms around her.

Douglas relented and let her go. “Well, I think you sip ice tea under the stars. You said this place is magical . . . so show me some more magic.”

“How about I show you to the bathroom so that you can finish helping me. You volunteered, remember?”

“You're a hard woman,” he said.

“Douglas,” she said, “maybe we can take that walk after we're done. Then you can see more of what this farm has to offer and understand just what tearing it down would destroy.”

“And I need you to understand that you're the most beautiful woman that I've seen in a long time and I can't get the thought of your kiss out of my mind.”

Crystal gasped, but Dena's words blared in her head, bringing her back to reality.

“Down the hall on the left,” she said.

“What?”

“The bathroom. I'm going to do laundry.”

“Why don't I help you with the laundry instead?”

Crystal inhaled and thought about the lacy underthings waiting in the basket and Douglas touching them as he loaded the washing machine. “No, thank you.”

His smile made her heart skip a beat and her blood boil. “If you need a break or this is too much work for Douglas Wellington the third, then feel free to go back to your quarters. I really don't need your help.”

“What are you afraid of?” he asked. “After all, you invited me here.”

“You have a really big ego,” she snapped. “I invited you here because you need to see . . .”

Douglas grasped her chin, tilting her mouth upward, and then he captured it in a hot, sultry, and knee-shivering kiss that threw Crystal's mind off balance. What warning had Dena given her? Aww, hell, it didn't matter, she thought as his tongue probed her mouth, meandering around as if there was nothing wrong with them kissing again. As if he wanted nothing more from her than to make love to her until their bodies melted together.

As if he didn't want to destroy her family's legacy. That thought sobered her. Crystal pulled back, swallowing the lust inside her and trying to push up anger. It didn't work. “Douglas, you can leave now.”

“Leave as in go back to the dollhouse?”

She nodded, then took off down the hall. Douglas followed her, grasping her shoulder and making her look into his eyes. “What's going on here?” he asked.

“You're keeping me from my laundry,” she snapped.

“You don't give a damn about that laundry. Every time I kiss you, you want to run out of here as if your pants are on fire. If they are, I'd be more than happy to put it out.”

“Douglas,” she said, her voice low and seductive to his ears, “there's nothing for you to put out and if you think for one second that I'm going to sleep with you tonight, you can forget it.”

“I have no intentions of sleeping with you—tonight. But soon enough, you will be ready and I'm going to be right here. The first, the last, and the only time I will turn you down is tonight.”

“Turn me down?” she asked incredulously. “You're out of your mind.”

“I know you're not ready,” Douglas said with a smile. “Soon enough you will be.”

Crystal rolled her eyes and wiggled his hand from her shoulder. “You should really get out of here before I simply lose control and ravish you. Since you've turned me down and all,” she sarcastically said.

“One more kiss?” he asked, then leaned into her. While Crystal fully expected a soul-shattering kiss on the lips, Douglas surprised her with a tender peck on the cheek. She fought to keep her face neutral, since he didn't need to know what she was expecting.

“Good night,” he said, then turned down the hall to leave. Crystal started to stop him, but she just stood still and waited to hear the door close. When she heard the slam, she realized that she'd been holding her breath. Expelling a sigh, she turned back to the living room and to her surprise, Douglas was sitting on the sofa.

“I thought you left,” she said.

“And I thought you were so hot to go do your laundry,” he replied with a blinding smile. Despite every logical thought in her head, telling her to kick him out, Crystal sat down on the sofa beside him. “Besides, you owe me a walk.”

“What's your game?” she asked.

Douglas inched closer to her and slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I could ask you the same thing,” he replied. “Let's take that walk.”

Sighing, Crystal agreed. Maybe getting out of such close quarters with Douglas would allow her to think, give her a chance to show him more of the farm and its majestic acres. Who was she fooling? Being outside with him was going to leave her just as tense and frazzled as she felt right now—with his strong arm around her.

They stepped out on the porch and Crystal stole a glance at Douglas, who was looking up at the sky as if he was transfixed by the clearness of it all. She smiled.

“Looks like you're beginning to see the magic and I haven't even started the tour.”

“Funny,” he replied. “I'll admit the stars look brighter out here.”

“Yet you want to cloud the sky with smoke stacks and plumes of smoke from your business park.”

Douglas shook his head. “And give thousands of people jobs to go to every day so that they can put food in their family's mouths. You think this is all about growing my company when it's much deeper than that.”

They stepped off the porch, heading toward a path that Crystal pointed to. “But what about the people who already depend on this farm? The Starlight girls, in particular? Don't you understand some things can't be measured in dollars and cents?”

“Money makes the world go round, Crystal.”

“And since you have a lot of it, you just expect the world to dance because you dropped some dollars?” She fingered her hair and shook her head. “Douglas's personal strip club?”

“You just can't admit the good that Welco has done for Reeseville, can you?”

She stopped walking and faced him with her head cocked to the side. “Good? I guess closing the Fresh Food Market doesn't count. How many farms went under because that grocery store couldn't compete with that supercenter of yours?”

“And how many families can count on a store where they can meet all of their needs without having to drive all over town? If the Fresh Food Market was meeting the needs of the community, then what would a little competition hurt?”

“You just think throwing money at people solves everything, don't you?” She dropped his hand and shook her head. “Money is nothing more than paper.”

“You act as if you don't like money, but you're not hurting. Do you even know what most of the people in this town are going through while you sit here on you precious land handing out fruits and vegetables. I'm creating jobs, not salads.”

“Maybe that's why I can stand up to you when everyone else in this town just gives you what you want. I will not let you take this farm from me and the people who need it.”

“And what about the people who need jobs? Look past this farm and look at Reeseville. People need this business park. I'm not trying to do a land grab here, but I want to make this town a better place.”

“You don't give a damn about this town!”

“You're not the only one with roots here,” Douglas retorted. “My family is from here as well. And though we don't have mythology like Hughes Farm, my father wanted to do something here. Provide jobs and opportunities that no one else in Duval County wanted to give to poor people.”

Tilting her head to the side, Crystal was taken aback to hear Douglas speak with such passion about his family's business. Still, Welco was a heartless corporation, no matter what story Douglas wanted to spin.

“Why here? Why this farm?” she asked. “If you really care that much . . .”

“Crystal,” he whispered, “this is just business.”

She glared at him and shook her head. “And until you realize that it's more than that, I don't want to have another conversation with you. Dena was right. This was a horrible idea.” Crystal spun away from him and stalked back to her house.

Inside and alone, Crystal wanted to scream. Douglas wasn't going to change, he was all about money and there was nothing she could do to get through to him. Why hadn't she listened to Dena? This wasn't some romantic movie, this was a businessman, a sexy man whose lips seemed to be drawn to her like magnets. And boy did those kisses leave her feeling weak.

Not weak enough to give in to his buyout however, and if he thought kisses and hot caresses were going to sway her, he needed to think again. Or maybe she was being swayed. Swayed toward letting him inside her bedroom, between her thighs and inside her hot and waiting valley.
Stop it,
she thought.
That man is bad news and losing your heart to him is about as smart as losing your farm to his company.
Sinking back on the sofa, she tried not to think about the warmth of Douglas's touch. As she closed her eyes, the phone rang, interrupting her naughty fantasy before she even got started on it.

“Hello?” she said breathlessly into the phone.

“Crystal, what in the hell are you doing?” her mother asked in a calm tone that obviously belied how she really felt.

“I guess this is about Dena's call,” Crystal replied. “Mom, I have things under control and I'm not going to lose our farm.”

“Should your father and I come home and help you? Dena told me that you're up against Welco and her arch rival, Waylon.” Crystal could've sworn that she heard her mother chuckle.

“This is the second time I've heard his name tonight. What is this all about?”

Erin expelled a breath and said, “That's Dena's story to tell, and I think your father and I may need to pay a visit because both of you have more than business on your mind. Douglas Wellington Jr. was a hard man and I can only imagine the business lessons he taught his son. That being said, daughter, what made you think it was a good idea to invite him to move in for a week?”

“He hasn't moved in. He's staying in the guest cottage and . . . what do you mean by ‘Douglas Wellington Jr. was a hard man'?”

“This isn't the first time they've come after this farm, Crystal,” Erin said. “Your father was so bitter after that battle. Why do you think we moved?”

“Why didn't you all tell me any of this before?” Crystal asked, now on her feet pacing back and forth.

“Because it wasn't information that we wanted to saddle you down with,” she said. “And we thought the land grab was over. I guess we were wrong. I haven't told your father that you have that man's son staying on our property.”

“Is there something else that you're not telling me?” Crystal asked.

Erin sighed again and told her daughter that she would check in with her on Monday.

“Mom, don't . . .” The dial tone sounded in her ear before she could say “hang up.”

Now, this is just getting weirder. My mother doesn't keep secrets from me!
Crystal glanced at the phone and started to call her mother back. Instead she dialed Dena's number. Dena wasn't just the Hughes family's lawyer, she was an old friend of the family. She and Erin were best friends. Crystal was sure that Dena could shed some light on what her mother was trying to hide.

“Hello?” Dena said.

“Dena,” Crystal said. “We need to talk.”

“Have you gotten that man off your property?” she asked.

“No, and that's not why I'm calling you.”

“Then what is it, Crystal? I hoped your mother would've talked some sense into you and told you what a silly game you're playing.”

“No, but she did tell me about Douglas Wellington's father.”

Dena fell silent and Crystal knew she'd hit a nerve. “Your mother told you what, exactly?” Dena asked.

“That he was a hard man. What did she mean by that?”

“That's your mother's story to tell and obviously, she didn't tell you.”

“Funny,” Crystal said. “That's the same thing she said about you and Waylon Terrell. Now, someone is going to give me some answers!”

“Crystal, we all have a past and your mother and I don't want you to repeat the mistakes we made.”

“What mistakes?” she asked, annoyed that both her mother and her lawyer were trying to pull the wool over her eyes.

“You don't want to be involved with the Wellington clan,” she said. “You're going to have to trust that your mother and I know what we're talking about. Crystal, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. All you need to know is Welco has always wanted this farm.”

“Why, though?” Crystal asked as her mind filled with the thought of Douglas's kiss. “I have no clue what you and my mother are talking about.”

“If you're lucky, you never will, Crystal. Trust me when I tell you that Douglas will do anything to get what he wants and if that means pretending to love you, he'll do it.”

She sighed and sank into the sofa. “So, this happened to you or my mom?”

Dena groaned. “Douglas has to go if you really want to save your farm. You're going to win this through the courts, not through whatever fantasy you thought would play out this week.”

After hanging up with Dena, Crystal was even more confused than she was when she'd called her.

 

 

Douglas walked past his quarters and headed back to the reflective pond Crystal had showed him earlier. Underneath the moonbeams, the pond looked like a silver mirror. He wished that Crystal was by his side. He wished that he could stop the purchase of her property, but his hands were tied. Dipping his finger in the water, he watched as the ripples wrinkled his reflection. This land was unique and part of him regretted putting the wheels in motion to tear it down. But going back to the board now would mean that he'd be removed from his position, and he couldn't disappoint his father's memory. He'd taken the CEO position because it was what his father had wanted. And when Douglas had discovered documents that had been marked “Hughes Farm,” he thought that getting this land would be a way to honor his father. The Douglas Wellington Jr. Business Park would capture what meant most to him, Douglas surmised. Growing up, Douglas was acutely aware that Welco had been his father's top priority. He couldn't recall playing catch or watching football with his dad. Everything had been about business. There had been days when Douglas waited at his father's feet while he wrote reports and ignored his son. Had it not been for Waylon, Douglas's childhood would've been relentlessly sad.

Still, he wanted to build this tribute to his father.

Thinking about the file, Douglas wished that his dad was around to answer why Hughes Farm was so important to him. The notes on the farm had been vague, but since they'd been his father's, Douglas assumed that he didn't need to do any more research, despite Waylon's urging for him to do so. This was his father's baby and more than anything else it would be a gain for the county.

But why was this farm so important to everyone?
I need to see that file again. Maybe I missed something about why he needed this place.
Since he wasn't going to have the pleasure of Crystal's company, he decided to go to his office and take a look at his father's notes about Hughes Farm.

Walking back toward his truck, Douglas saw the lights were still on inside Crystal's place. Was she thinking of him as he'd been thinking of her? He started to forget the file, stroll up to her door and give her a good-night kiss that would stay on her mind all night. As he was about to do just that, the lights went out inside the house. He hopped in his truck instead. He had a week to get Crystal to realize that she wanted him inside her bedroom as much as he wanted to be there.

Starting the truck, he drove slowly up the driveway, feeling as if he was leaving some utopia and heading back to a reality that he wasn't sure he wanted anymore. It was getting a little too easy for him to understand why Crystal was fighting so hard to save her family's farm. And he'd only been there for a half a day.

Who was he kidding? It was Crystal that he was enchanted with—as he had been since the day she handcuffed herself in his office. Maybe it was because she hated his money and forced him to work to earn her trust. Maybe it was how sweet she tasted every time he kissed her. Or maybe it was the burning heat of desire that smoldered inside him every time their eyes locked.

I have got to get this woman out of my head. She's standing in the way of progress and no matter how sexy she is, she is still a distraction,
he thought. And as much as he tried to remember that this was simply business, Douglas knew business had nothing to do with what he was feeling and what was going on. That's why he needed to know what his father had been trying to do with that land. Why was it so important to him?

“Does it really matter?” he mumbled as he picked up his cell phone to see if he had service now that he was a few miles away from the farm. He saw the blinking icon for his voice mail and a couple of text messages. When he clicked on the first text message, he smiled at his godfather's warning.

 

Don't forget your true purpose for being there.

 

“That's been long forgotten,” he muttered. “And that's why I've got to see this file.” Before he could drop the phone onto the passenger seat, it rang.

“Yeah?” he said.

“Douglas, it's Deloris, and I've heard the craziest rumor,” the reporter said.

“I don't have anything to say to you,” he retorted.

“Is it my fault that you're so quotable? Are the rumors true? Are you staying with Crystal Hughes at the Hughes Farm?”

“No comment,” Douglas said, then clicked the end button.
How does this woman know my every move?
he thought as he turned into the parking lot of Welco Industries. Looking at the dark office building, he wondered if he should give the board what they wanted—his resignation. Then he could leave the company and do something he wanted to do.
Like Crystal.
Douglas looked around as if he expected to see someone else standing near his truck.

Giving up his position in the company would seem like a slap in his father's face, though. After he figured out what his father's plans were for Hughes Farm, he would make a decision about his position with Welco Industries.

Climbing out of the truck, he headed inside to his office. On nights when Douglas wasn't out of town, looking for something discreet and meaningless, he'd find himself in his office working, trying to make up what he thought had been failure to his father.

So when Waylon told him to research Hughes Farm, it hadn't mattered because Douglas knew his father wanted that land.

Now, he wished he'd been more businessman and less son seeking his dead father's approval. Walking into his office, he turned the lights on and saw that his file cabinet drawers were slightly ajar. He never left his cabinets open. “Who's in here?” he bellowed. After getting no reply, Douglas opened the drawer where he kept his father's file on Hughes Farm and his diary.

“Shit,” he groaned as he pulled all of the contents out of the drawer. The diary and the file were gone and he was pissed. Douglas had found the diary last year and hadn't brought himself to read it. Part of him knew there was something dark in those pages that he wasn't ready to read. But one day, he planned to read it. Now it was gone. Grabbing his desk phone, he called Amy.

“Hello?”

“What happened after I left the office?” he growled into the phone.

“Mr. Wellington?” she asked.

“Get here, now!”

“Y-yes, sir,” she stammered.

Douglas slammed down the phone and continued his search. Why did someone want that file? There wasn't anything in that file that could help . . . Crystal! Did she have someone on the inside? Had she used this plan to get him away from his office, cut off from communications, and now she had the file that . . . No. He wasn't going to believe that she would be that underhanded. But why wouldn't she play dirty? Crystal made it clear that she would do anything to save her farm. He wasn't going to put stealing past her. But he couldn't come out and accuse her.

So, how was he going to broach this subject to her? Douglas picked up the phone and dialed Crystal's number, but he hung up after the first ring. What was he going to say to her? He couldn't just hold the phone and listen to her saying hello. That's what stalkers do. Pacing back and forth in his office, his mind danced from anger to desire as he thought about the missing file and the touch of Crystal's hand on his shoulder. The sensations that ran through his body as he recalled her soft moans as they kissed inside her house almost negated the negative thoughts he'd been having about what had been taken from his office. Until Amy walked in. His mind shifted back to the business at hand.

“Who was in my office?” Douglas boomed.

“I—I don't know. When you left, I got a call from—”

“Amy, when I'm not here you know that you're not supposed to leave your desk without locking my office. We've had this discussion before.”

“I didn't, sir. I didn't leave your office open. Mr. Terrell came by looking for you and you weren't here.”

“You're saying my godfather went into my office?” Douglas was about to fire her for telling what he thought was a lie.

“No,” she said. “Mr. Terrell left and I walked him to the elevator. When I returned your office door was open and I thought you were back. I looked in the office and no one was there. I closed the door and then I left.”

Sighing, Douglas thought about what she said and who would've gone into his office. It had to be one of the board members. Other than himself, Waylon, and Amy, they were the only people who had carte blanche in the building. That was going to change. Douglas sent Amy to her desk to wait for him while he called security.