FOREVER MINE(16)

And Mike had already found the perfect home for them; one he thought would fit their needs. Sonya would be moving into it within a few weeks. He decided to wait until after the wedding to officially move in, but had assured Sonya he would definitely drop by for occasional sleepovers.

He glanced around the room at the other couples that had been invited; couples like Grey and Brandy Masters, Cord and Amber Jeffries, and a number of others he’d met since moving to Orlando. Mike still considered his home base as Los Angeles. He and Sonya, who after the wedding would begin working for him as his marketing manager, would be doing frequent visits between both the West Coast and East Coast offices.

An hour or so later while the party was in full swing, Mike took Sonya’s hand and pulled her with him outside on the patio, needing to be alone with her for a few minutes. Once in private he pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, deep kiss.

When he released her, she smiled up at him. “What was that for?”

He smiled back. “To say thanks for doing such a great job. Jesse and Carla were really surprised. They had no idea.”

Sonya chuckled. “I know. All things considered, I think everything is going well.”

“It is. You throw a great party, the soon-to-be Mrs. Mike Kelly. Umm. And that reminds me.”

She leaned back. “What?”

He met her gaze. “Now that we’re getting married, just what do you plan to do with your little black book? If you care to give it to me, I’ll be glad to burn it for you.”

Sonya couldn’t hide her grin. “I think I’ll keep it?”

At the deep frown that appeared in Mike’s face she smiled and said. “Not for me but to pass on to someone else. And I know just the person I want to give it to.”

Mike pulled her into his arms. “That’s fine, just as long as you get rid of the damn thing.”

“I promise that I will.”

And then he was pulling her back into his arms deciding since this was their sneak-out-for-a-minute time, he would put it to good use.

And so he did.



Find out who gets Sonya’s little black book!

Coming in April from St. Martin’s Press,

Brenda Jackson’s single title novel





HER LITTLE BLACK BOOK




(Purchase your copy wherever books are sold)





CUPID’S BOW




The poem “My Love Is Yours” was written by Brenda Jackson.





Prologue




This card is perfect. A satisfied smile covered sixteen-year-old Kimara Stafford’s face. She had been standing for the longest time studying the vast display of Valentine’s Day cards, trying to pick out the special one for Kyle Garwood, the son of her parents’ best friends.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was truly in love with him. She thought of him every waking moment and constantly daydreamed over a picture she had of him.

She never thought much of the fact that he was eight years older than she was. All she knew and cared about was that she truly loved him and had always loved him, but had kept her feelings a secret. Tonight, that would change.

“Haven’t you picked out a card yet?”

Kimara turned around to her friend Sandy. She nodded, holding up the card. “I think this one is perfect.” She opened the card and read the verses aloud. “See, it’s just the card to give an older man. It’s not mushy.”

Sandy nodded in agreement. “When will you give it to him?”

Kimara smiled dreamily. “Tonight. He’s flying in from D.C., where he’s attending grad school at Howard. My parents and I are going to the Garwoods for dinner. Kyle’s grandfather will be there too.”

“It must be nice to have a crush on a twenty-four-year-old man.”

“I don’t have a crush on Kyle,” Kimara murmured softly. “What I feel for him is true love-- the real thing-- and not some puppy-love or teenage hero-worship stuff.” She grabbed Sandy’s arm and pulled her toward the checkout counter. “Come on, let’s go. I want to look my best when I see Kyle tonight.”

Later that evening, after Kimara and her parents arrived at the Garwoods’ home, Kyle walked in with a beautiful woman at his side. He introduced her to everyone as his fiancée, and went on to announce they would be getting married the following year on Valentine’s Day.

Everyone was so busy congratulating the couple that no one noticed Kimara’s stricken face, the tears gathering in her eyes, or the huge envelope she’d been holding being discreetly dropped in the wastebasket, just moments before she quietly slipped from the room.

No one noticed, except Kyle’s grandfather.





One




Ten years later



“What stipulation!”

Kyle Garwood V’s voice did nothing to hide the anger he felt as he towered over the man sitting behind the huge mahogany desk. “I think you had better explain just what you’re talking about.”

Mason Long straightened in his chair. “It was your grandfather’s wishes that the terms of his will be followed. He has stipulated that in order for you to inherit the entire Garwood fortune, you must marry within sixty days of his death.”

Kyle gave him a piercing glare, one known to stop men dead in their tracks. “If this is a joke, Mason, I’m not laughing.”

Mason nervously patted the top of his head. “It’s not a joke,” he said with a wry grimace. “If you refuse to follow through with the conditions set forth, a hefty bulk of the Garwood fortune will be divided among your grandfather’s favorite charities. The only companies you’ll have exclusive control over are those left to you by your father.”

Kyle turned away from the attorney and walked over to the window. Frustrated creases angled in toward the corners of his eyes. Leave it to his grandfather to pull one over on him, even at the end. Taking a deep breath, he let his gaze stare out the window at the view before him. Downtown Atlanta, a metropolis of streets filled with honking cars, curious sounds and huge glass skyscrapers. The city had been the home of the Garwoods for nearly one hundred years. The family had settled in Atlanta not long after the first Kyle Garwood began working as a young chemist alongside Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute. While there, Garwood developed a formula that had basically revolutionized the black hair industry. As a result, Garwood Hair Products were introduced and Garwood Industries founded. From there they had expanded into black cosmetics and later clothing and entertainment. There weren’t too many money-making ventures Garwood Industries had not touched, making the Garwoods one of the wealthiest black families in America.

Kyle turned around. “Why did he do it?”

Mason leaned back in his chair. “Because he knew you would never marry by choice, so he decided to force you into it.”

“He was right. I would never marry by choice,” Kyle said, remembering the reason why. Nine years ago he’d been engaged to be married on Valentine’s Day, but had called it off after finding his fiancée in bed with another man the day before the wedding. He swore after that he would never be fool enough to trust his love to another woman again. And that was one vow he planned on keeping.

Mason leaned back as far as his comfortable chair permitted, and studied Kyle.

He had been his grandfather’s attorney for the past five years, and had been appalled over the conditions his client had ordered to be added to his will just months before his fatal heart attack. Kyle represented the fifth generation of Garwoods, and had a reputation for three things: good looks, being irresistible to women, and money. Not necessarily in that order, but when you were a Garwood, the order of things didn’t matter. He stood well over six feet tall, had broad shoulders, and was considered by many to be extremely handsome. His sable eyes, short curly black hair, and velvety copper skin were the trademark of the Garwood men and were known to melt the heart of even the most resistant female. At the age of thirty-four, he had a reputation of being one of America’s most eligible black bachelors.

“I won’t marry, Mason.”

“I think you should give it some consideration, Kyle. Just think of what you could stand to lose if you don’t.”

“I’m wealthy in my own right, I don’t need my grandfather’s money,” Kyle snapped.

“That may be true, but there’s never been anyone other than a Garwood in complete control of Garwood Industries. Are you willing to give up what’s rightfully yours?”

Kyle turned back to the window, knowing the answer to Mason’s question without really thinking about it. He breathed in deeply, trying to get his rising anger under control. He had vowed years before to never let his grandfather bully him into anything, especially marriage. However, he would not let the old man get the best of him. If he needed a wife to inherit what was rightfully his, then so be it. He would marry a woman to adhere to the conditions in the will. Then, within a reasonable time, the marriage would be dissolved. Of course he would make sure the woman received a nice settlement for her trouble.

A mocking grin touched his lips. He would contact his own attorney immediately.

Afterward, he would contact Splendor Ray, the model he was currently seeing. Splendor wasn’t wife material, but she would do for a quick marriage followed by an even quicker divorce. Quickies were her specialty.