Sheryl Lister - A Touch Of Love

After the last person finished, Brandon directed his attention to Khalil. “Khalil, you’re still going to be meeting with production about your equipment, right?”

Khalil nodded. “Next week. The second gym is scheduled to open in June and I don’t want any delays.” They had broken ground a year ago on the now three-level center, and the building would be completed in four weeks, barring any problems. He wanted all the equipment to be ready for installation.

“So, roughly three months until opening day. Let me know if you run into any difficulties. Is there anything else?”

Khalil glanced at the wall clock. It was almost eleven. Any hope he had of getting that coffee cake dissipated. When no one spoke, he pushed the chair from the table and started to stand.

“I have one quick thing.”

He dropped back into his seat and groaned inwardly. He loved his sister-in-law, but couldn’t she table her comments until the next meeting? Brandon had met Faith Alexander when he’d come to her rescue after a car accident. Unbeknownst to either of them, Faith was the long-lost daughter of Thaddeus Whitcomb, and rightful heir to the VP position. Uncle Thad, as they affectionately called him, had been looking for his daughter for twenty-eight years after his wife divorced him. Khalil smiled inwardly remembering all the fireworks that followed when Brandon found out the woman he had rescued and begun dating was actually going to be his second-in-command. He hadn’t been too happy since he’d grown up thinking he would head the company alone—a fact that Brandon had reiterated several times. Things had worked out between Brandon and Faith and they had married six weeks ago.

Khalil tuned back in to Faith discussing the new intern program. It gave him an idea about doing something similar at the gym. A few minutes later, the meeting ended.

“Hey, Khalil. I want to talk to you before you leave.”

He shot a glare at Brandon. Another five minutes passed before his brother made it over to where Khalil stood impatiently waiting.

“Why are you frowning at me like that?” Brandon asked.

“Because it’s after eleven and my coffee cake is probably gone by now.” He strode out of the conference room, leaving Brandon to follow. “If you want to talk, we need to do it on the way downstairs.”

Brandon chuckled. “Weren’t you grumbling about that three weeks ago when you were here?” He pushed the down button on the elevator.

Khalil only attended the weekly staff meeting when he had something on the agenda. “Yeah, and you’d better hope it’s not all gone again. Dad’s staff meetings never ran this long. You’re taking this CEO thing way too far.”

“Well, we have two new products in the design phase and have to finalize plans for our interns who’ll be starting soon, so there’s a lot to discuss.”

When the elevator arrived, they joined four other occupants and rode down to the first floor without speaking. As soon as the doors opened, Khalil hurried across the lobby to Oasis Café. The only things left in the display case in the spot where the coffee cake usually sat were the tipped-over sign and crumbs.

Behind him, Brandon laughed softly. “Guess you’ll have to get here early next time.”

Before he could tell his brother where to go, a tall, pretty woman approached.

“Good morning. Table for two?” She reached for menus.

“No, thank you.” Khalil pointed to the glass case. “Do you have any more of the low fat apple cinnamon coffee cake?”

“Sorry. We sold the last piece about an hour ago.” She chuckled. “It’s our most popular item and it goes fast. We still have some other pastries you can choose from.”

He frowned. He didn’t want any of those sugar-laden sweets. After spending over a decade in the modeling and fitness business, he was very selective about what went into his body. The only allowances he made were family dinners. His mother could throw down in the kitchen and he looked forward to the monthly get-togethers. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

She smiled. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Yes, I’ll take...” Khalil trailed off when a woman wearing an apron came from the back and placed a plate on the counter. A wide headband held back her thick, wavy natural hair, and she had flawless skin, wide, dark brown eyes and lush lips, all set in an exquisite mocha face.

“I saw you this morning and knew you’d be in. You’re later than usual,” she said.

The deep, throaty sound of her voice caught him off guard and sent a jolt to his midsection. Khalil sent a scathing look over his shoulder at Brandon, then smiled, reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “This is the best thing that has happened to me lately and I just may have to ask for your hand in marriage, lovely lady.”

Her brow lifted and she gave him a sassy smile. “Sorry, but I only accept marriage proposals from men whose name I know.”

His grin widened. “Is that right?” Was she flirting with him? She tried to pull her hand back, but he didn’t let go. “Then let me introduce myself. Khalil Gray. And you are?”

Staring at him, she said softly, “Lexia. Lexia Daniels.”

“So, Lexia Daniels, exactly how long do we need to know each other before you say yes to my proposal?”

Lexia shook her head and gently, but firmly withdrew her hand. “I need to get back to work.” She placed a cup on the counter, along with a decaf vanilla chai tea bag—his favorite. “Enjoy your coffee cake and tea.” She turned and headed back the way she’d come.

“This should improve your mood some,” Brandon said.

“Mmm-hmm.” Khalil had been here several times since the café reopened under new management almost two years ago and couldn’t recall ever seeing her. His gaze followed the sweet curve of her hips until she disappeared.

The other woman smiled knowingly and rang up his purchases.

He handed her some bills. “Is she the chef?”

She laughed. “No, Lexia isn’t the chef, though she can cook her butt off. She owns the place.” She leaned forward and said conspiratorially, “But she does make that coffee cake.”

Owner? Khalil was even more intrigued. He craned his neck trying to get another glimpse of Lexia, but didn’t see her. “Can you ask her to come back out for a moment? I didn’t get a chance to thank her.”

“You bet. By the way, my name is Samantha. But you can call me Sam.” She tossed him a bold wink and strutted off.

Brandon shook his head.

“What?” Khalil asked while filling his cup with hot water. He broke off a piece of the warm cake and popped it in his mouth. Lexia must have heated it.

“I thought you were dating that model you met six months ago. How are you flirting with another woman?”

“Not dating. It’s publicity.”

“You said you were done with modeling and appearances.”

“I am. It’s for her. Rosalyn’s agent and I go way back, and since she’s a relative newcomer, he thought it would help her career. I promised to escort her to the fund-raiser benefiting teen models in New York next month, but that’s—” He stopped short when Lexia approached. Up close, she was even shorter than he thought and he towered over her petite frame by more than a foot.

“Sam said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes. I just wanted to thank you for the cake. You’ve made my day much better.”

Lexia let out a short bark of laughter. “If that’s all it takes to make your day—” An embarrassed expression crossed her face and she cleared her throat. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“I am definitely enjoying it.” And he was enjoying her. “Does this mean I can count on you to save me a slice if I’m late again?”