Five Star Romance

“Don’t start,” Drayden said. “Mom and Dad are fine with my decision.”

“I’m just giving you a hard time,” Blaze said with a chuckle. “I actually respect your decision to do your own thing.”

When the elevator doors opened, Blaze glimpsed a woman who reminded him of Livi, but she strolled past too quickly for him to be certain.

He cut his conversation short with Drayden and rushed out, looking for her.

“What’s up?” his brother asked. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Blaze’s eyes scanned his surroundings, but the woman was nowhere to be found.

“Bro, are you okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Blaze made another quick sweep of their surroundings with his gaze. “I thought I saw someone I knew.” When the words left his mouth, he felt a tingling sensation, the same sensation he always felt when he thought of Livi.

* * *

It was after 11:00 p.m. and Blaze preferred not to eat heavy when it was late. He made a salad and heated up a piece of grilled salmon left over from the dinner earlier with his family.

He could not stop thinking about Livi. The image of the woman near the elevator floated to the forefront of his mind.

Blaze released a long sigh. “Where are you, Livi?” he whispered.

He finished up his meal and then headed to his bedroom.

Blaze showered and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He settled down in his living room to watch television, although his mind was troubled. He did not know why, but he felt anxious. Maybe it was all the media attention on his family because of the new center they were building—Blaze had no idea, but he did not like the way he was feeling.

He focused instead on his father’s upcoming birthday party. Blaze was looking forward to the celebration. Malcolm certainly deserved this event, and it would serve as a token of appreciation for how much he was loved and respected.

Blaze tried to think of who he could ask to accompany him to the party. An image of Livi formed in his mind once more. Groaning in frustration, he tossed a pillow across the room.

Chapter 3

Livi laid her newspaper down on her breakfast table. The Alexander family continued to make daily headlines with the new center they were building to assist the L.A. homeless population.

Right after college, Livi had worked as Robert DePaul’s assistant until he grew ill and stepped away from the business. Livi left the company shortly after his death, but returned a month ago, to take over as manager and buyer of the Parisian Maison Boutique located in the DePaul Hotel in Beverly Hills.

With Robert DePaul’s son now at the reins, many of the employees decided to stay with the company. Livi had worked closely with Robert and trusted him. He was strategic in all of his decisions, so when he chose to leave everything to a son no one knew existed—Livi was not at all surprised by his actions.

As it turns out, the Alexanders were wonderful employers and astute businesspeople. Livi was thrilled that Harold DePaul was no longer at the helm. Although she liked him as a person, he was too blinded by power to take notice of anything else.

Livi often wondered what would happen when she and Blaze finally came face-to-face with each other. Would he even remember her?

Livi was not interested in his wealth. The night she met Blaze was a special one for her. Back then, Livi felt that she had met her soul mate. Everything had happened so fast.

One day, she and Blaze would have to have a conversation concerning that night because neither of them could pursue a future as long as they were bound to one another. She remembered how they were together. Being in the same city with Blaze had stirred up many emotions.

* * *

Livi pretended that she was not listening to the conversation between two of her employees as they worked to set up the display for an upcoming sale. She found that the handsome Alexander men were a constant subject of many of the female employees. She endured endless conversations from her staff and other hotel employees about Ari, Drayden and especially Blaze. Livi had heard that Drayden owned an accounting firm near Wilshire Boulevard. Like Blaze, he was rarely seen at the hotel.

Livi chuckled softly every time one of the women voiced hope that she would catch Blaze’s eye. She could not be sure, but Livi did not believe that Blaze would be interested in any of them. However, she did not know that much about him. When they had met in Vegas, she had no idea that he was in any way connected to Robert DePaul. In all the years she worked with Robert, he had never shared that part of his life with her. She was stunned when she discovered that Blaze was Robert DePaul’s grandson. It was indeed a small world.

Livi noticed that Blaze avoided the media as much as possible. His father and eldest brother appeared in the news frequently, but they were the face of the Alexander-DePaul Hotel Group and now the soon-to-be Robert DePaul Center.

Livi was also private and could relate to how Blaze must be feeling. Her heart ached for him, knowing how he felt about this kind of attention.

Both Sage’s and Ari’s marriages were featured in grocery store tabloids, and in several of the major magazines geared to the African-American market. Livi cringed at the thought of her personal life being the subject of the world’s conversations and criticisms. It was another reason why she had not approached Blaze—she feared the media exposing their special connection to public scrutiny.

She and Blaze would have to be careful.

However, Livi was not sure she could wait much longer. She had to find the right time to reenter Blaze’s life.

But what if there was no right time?

The question gnawed at her.

Livi knew that she could not keep delaying the inevitable. It only made matters worse.

* * *

Ari was working from home because he was flying out later that evening on the company jet to visit the Alexander-DePaul Hotel & Spa Resorts in Arizona. Blaze returned to the hotel the next day to meet with him.

He left his car with the valet and strolled into the spacious lobby of the hotel in Beverly Hills where Ari and Sage both maintained residences. Blaze was awestruck by the beauty of the hotel, with its Spanish Revival architecture and Mediterranean styling.

The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Blaze knew the employees were watching him. He walked briskly across the floor toward the elevators.

Whistling softly, he went up to Ari’s penthouse.

The décor of his brother’s home featured dark wood crown molding and soft muted color schemes of sage, plum and ivory. The five-bedroom residence offered floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the interior with natural light.

Natasha opened the door just as he was about to knock. She stepped aside to let him enter, then said, “Don’t work too hard.”

He embraced her. “I should be telling you that.”

She smiled. “Ari’s in his office. I’ve ordered lunch for the two of you. It’ll be delivered at noon.”

“Thanks!”

Blaze walked to his brother’s office.

Ari was at his desk typing something into the computer.

“I don’t know who’s glowing more—you or Natasha,” he said with a chuckle as he took a seat. “Marriage must certainly agree with you.”

Ari glanced at him and smiled. “Natasha is everything I want in a wife. Joshua is the perfect son and now we’re having another baby. I’m over the moon.”

“I’m thrilled for you, bro.”

“What about you, Blaze? Los Angeles is filled with beautiful women—I’m surprised one of them hasn’t caught your eye. You used to be quite the ladies’ man.”

“All my energies have been focused on work,” Blaze responded. His guilt weighed upon him, choking him. He did not know how much longer his family was going to buy this explanation.

“Does Joshua know about the baby yet?” he asked.

Ari settled back in his chair. “We told him last night.”

“How did he take the news?”

“I wish you could’ve seen him, Blaze. He walked over to Natasha and started rubbing her belly as he introduced himself to the baby. He’s a proud big brother.”

Two hours later, Blaze left the penthouse and took the elevator down to the lobby. His steps slowed as he neared the Parisian Maison Boutique.

Blaze stared at the woman inside talking to a couple of women carrying an armload of shopping bags. The shock of discovery hit him full force.

Her hair is much shorter now, but that woman is most definitely Livi.

Blaze hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions. What he felt for Livi cast aside any doubt as he burst through the double doors of the boutique, walking with purpose.

Livi halted, shocked, but seemed to recover quickly. “M-Mr. Alexander,” she murmured. “What can I do for you?”

“Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asked, aware that everyone in the shop was watching them intently.

She gestured toward the back of the store. “Yes. My office is in the back.”

Blaze gently took her arm and escorted her to the office so they could talk in private.

Once they were in the office, he closed the door behind him. “I can’t believe that you’ve been here under my nose all this time.” He came close, looking down at her intensely. “I was just about to hire a private detective to try to find you.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’ve only been back in Los Angeles for about a month now. I was living in San Francisco.” Livi hesitated, blinking with bafflement. “Blaze, you’ve been looking for me?”

“I wanted to see you again.” He eyed the nameplate on her desk. “So, Carlyle is your last name.”

“Oh,” she murmured. “I thought you knew that.”

Blaze gave a short laugh. “I might have, but for some reason I didn’t remember.”

Livi smiled. “You were quite the party animal.”

“So were you. But I’m sure you must have figured out that you worked for my father.” Blaze paused, then added, “Livi, why didn’t you let me know that you were here?”

She was completely honest in her response. “Blaze, I’ve only been back in Los Angeles a month. As soon as I got back, I wanted to contact you, but I didn’t know what to say. I considered it many times. My friend Sybil kept telling me to call you or send an email.”

“I still can’t believe that you’ve been with the company all this time.” Blaze hoped his tone concealed the mixed emotions he felt.

“Why have you been looking for me?” Livi asked.

“We had a great time in Vegas and then you disappeared. I feel like we have some unfinished business.”

Livi met his gaze. “What kind of unfinished business?”

He shrugged. “That’s why I’ve wanted to find you. Few women have left an impression on me the way you have, Livi. We have a connection.”

She smiled. “Yes, we do share a connection.”

“So you feel it, too?” he asked.

Livi nodded. “Blaze...”

“I only have one regret,” he quickly interjected before Livi could finish what she was about to say. “I really wish I could remember our last night together.”

* * *

Livi kept her expression blank as she replayed Blaze’s words in her mind.

“What do you remember about that night, Blaze?” she asked, alarmed.

“We partied and I remember our friends teasing us about spending so much time together.”

Livi smiled and nodded. “They kept saying that they thought we were going to run off and elope.”

Blaze laughed. “Now that would have been something.”

Her eyes wandered restlessly around her office. Livi could not look him in the eye.

“Livi,” Blaze prompted. “What’s wrong? You’ve gotten quiet on me.”

“Do you remember being in the hospital?”

He met her gaze. “Some of it. They said that I fell off a stage. The doctors told me that I suffered a traumatic brain injury. They said that I suffered from retrograde amnesia. I don’t remember anything that happened before I fell.”

“But you remember me?” Livi asked. “How is that possible?”

“According to the doctors, people with retrograde amnesia do not lose all their memories. From everything that I’ve read about it, usually it’s the events that happened right before the injury that are lost.” A smile tugged at Blaze’s lips. “I could have fallen from the second floor of this hotel and I don’t think I could ever forget you, Livi.”

She looked up at him, meeting his warm gaze. “Every time I thought about seeing you face-to-face, I could never get past this moment. It always stopped here.”

“I’m still somewhat shocked at seeing you,” Blaze said. “In the back of my mind, I always felt that I would see you again, but I had no idea that it would be like this.”

“I’m sorry for not coming forward sooner.”

Blaze met her gaze. “That would have been nice. You owed me that much.”

Hearing a noise, Livi gestured toward the door. She did not want her employees listening in on their conversation. “Blaze, can we finish this discussion at another place and time? I really have to get back out there. Martha may need some help. An employee called in sick and another one is on vacation.”

“Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow?” Blaze asked.

“I’m actually hosting a baby shower for one of my employees. She’s going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks.”

“What about dinner?”

“I have to check my schedule, but right now I need to help Martha close up.” Livi quickly wrote down her home and cell numbers. “Give me a call tomorrow and I’ll let you know about dinner.”

She handed the paper to Blaze.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, then strode quickly out of the office without a glance backward.

“It was nice seeing you, too,” she whispered softly. She shrugged off her disappointment, and then headed out to the sales floor.

“Are you okay?” Martha asked.

Livi nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Disconcerted, she crossed her arms and pointedly looked away.

“What was that all about? I’ve never seen Blaze Alexander in here before.”

“I guess he decided to check out everything,” Livi responded. “Martha, let’s focus our attention on getting the shop in order. I don’t want to stay late tonight.”

She felt like kicking herself for not contacting Blaze. Although he had tried not to show it, Livi could tell that he was angry that she had chosen to keep her whereabouts a secret from him.

Livi had chosen to keep her heartbreak a secret from him, as well. However, that wasn’t the only secret she was keeping.

Chapter 4

Blaze silently noted that Livi was more beautiful than he remembered. She looked much younger than her twenty-seven years. When they’d met in Vegas, her hair had been shoulder-length, but Livi now wore it short, the dark brown color complementing the warm glow of her sienna complexion.

His mouth tightened as he forced himself to remember the way she had treated him while they were in Vegas. Blaze left the hospital looking for her, only to discover that she had checked out of the hotel. He had heard from one of his frat brothers that Livi had come to the hospital, but she left without seeing him.

Livi’s reaction to seeing him just now puzzled Blaze. She looked guilty, as if she were hiding something from him.

But what did she have to hide?

There was no point in speculation, he decided.

“Livi and I are going to sit down and have a discussion,” Blaze whispered to himself. “I have to know why she ran off like that.”

Strange and disquieting thoughts raced through his mind, but his heart rate increased every time he pictured Livi’s smile. His first impulse had been to wrap his arms around her, but he wisely held back. He couldn’t deny how much he longed to feel her in his arms or her soft lips against his. Seeing her and not being able to touch her proved to be unbearable. Blaze did not want to ignite any rumors among the hotel staff. He knew how quickly things spread along the employee grapevine. He refused to subject Livi or himself to the unwanted attentions of their coworkers.

Whatever happened in Vegas was just between Livi and him. Blaze wanted it to stay that way.

* * *

Later that evening, Livi found Sybil waiting for her when she arrived home. She was surprised by her friend’s visit. She thought Sybil would be spending the evening with her fiancé.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Sybil had a key to Livi’s condo, but she rarely used it. When she did, it was only to water Livi’s plants whenever she was away on a buying trip.

“Todd and I had a fight,” her friend told her. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I came here. I hope you don’t mind.” She swiped at her tear-streaked face.

“Of course I don’t mind, Sybil.” Livi tossed her purse on the leather ottoman, and then sank down beside her friend. “What happened this time?”

Sybil seemed to have the worst taste in men, as far as Livi was concerned. She loved her friend like a sister, but Sybil had constant drama in the relationship department.

“I think he’s seeing someone else.” Sybil released a long sigh. “Go ahead and say it...you told me so.”

“All I’m going to say is that Todd is not worth all this heartache,” Livi said. “You deserve so much better.”

Sybil nodded. “I really don’t want to talk about that jerk. Let’s just focus on you. How are things?”

“I saw Blaze earlier,” Livi announced. “He came to the boutique.”

“Really?”

Livi nodded.

“What happened?”

“Nothing much,” Livi answered. “We talked for a few minutes and then he left. I had to get back to work, but mostly, the boutique wasn’t the right place to have that kind of discussion.”

“I take it that you two will be seeing each other again then,” Sybil queried.

“Blaze mentioned getting together for dinner. He was very nice to me, but that was about it, so I don’t know if there is anything to talk about.”

“I don’t believe that. You two were very intense in Vegas.”

“As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What Blaze and I shared stayed in Vegas.”

“How do you feel about it?”

Livi shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I guess he turned out to be a jerk, too.” Sybil rose to her feet. “I’m in need of a glass of wine. How about you?”

Livi looked up at her friend and smiled. “I have some in the fridge.”

She returned with the wine bottle and a glass, which she gave to Sybil. “I wouldn’t call Blaze a jerk, but he isn’t the same man I met in Las Vegas.”

“You’re not having any?” Sybil asked, pointing to the wine.

Livi shook her head no.

They lounged on the sofa and watched a movie.

Livi stretched and yawned. “I think I’m going to call it a night. I have a long day tomorrow.”

Sybil agreed as she checked her phone. “Todd’s called me seven times already.”

“Are you going to call him back?”

“Not tonight. I’m going to take a hot bubble bath and go to bed. I need to clear my head and I can’t do that if I talk to him right now.”

Livi hugged her friend. “Stay here as long as you like. I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll get dressed and have breakfast at the café on the corner before heading off to work.”

“Sounds good,” Sybil responded.

Livi showered, and then slipped into a pair of boy shorts and a camisole. She settled in bed and opened up her laptop.

She typed retrograde amnesia into the search engine. Livi wanted to know more about Blaze’s memory loss.

The information she found confirmed what Blaze had told her. People with this condition were unable to recall events that occurred before the onset of the trauma. Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed when she read that medical research had found no way to restore the memories that had been lost.

Her heart grew sad at the thought that he would never remember their last day together.

* * *

The next evening, Livi moved around her bedroom in a panic.

She wanted to look nice for her dinner with Blaze, but she could not figure out what to wear. She glanced over at the pile of clothes on her bed.

Livi was acting as nervous as a schoolgirl going on her first date. She wanted to wear something that would rekindle what they’d experienced in Vegas.

“Sybil, I need you,” she called out.

“What about that black dress with the draped ruffle down the front?” Sybil suggested as she strolled into the room. “You know, the one you bought when we were in San Diego. I’m sure it still has the tags on it.”

“I thought about wearing that one, but...I don’t know.”

“Okay, so what time is your date?”

Livi glanced over at the clock. “In a couple of hours.”

She knew style and fashion, but drew a blank at the thought of seeing Blaze tonight. Livi wanted to “wow” him.

Sybil gestured toward the closet. “C’mon, let me see what we can come up with.”

Livi pulled out the black dress with the draped ruffle.

“No, it’s not sexy enough,” Sybil said with a shake of her head.

Livi tossed it on the bed, and then walked back to her closet.

This time she came out with a sleeveless, drop-waist, draped, red dress. A strip of gold beading adorned the shoulders. “What about this?” Livi asked, holding up the jersey knit dress.

“That’s the one. It hugs your body in all the right places,” Sybil stated. “Wear your black platform pumps. The ones with the gold studs.”

Livi smiled and nodded. “I have the matching purse for those shoes, too.”

“Are you planning on wearing any makeup?”

Livi frowned. “Do I need to?”

“Just a little,” she suggested. “And wear your hair slicked back.”

Sybil sat in the living room watching television while Livi showered and prepared for her date.

When Livi entered the room twenty minutes later, her friend gave her a thumbs-up.

“You look great.”

“Thanks so much for your help, Sybil.”

She surveyed her reflection in the wall mirror.

Livi was pleased with what she saw, and hoped that it served as a subtle reminder to Blaze of what they once shared.

They had elected to meet at the Chart House restaurant in Marina del Rey. Livi knew Blaze chose not to eat at one of the hotel restaurants because he did not want any of the hotel employees to see them having dinner together.

Livi left early for the restaurant so she could be the first to arrive. It would give her a few moments to compose herself before seeing Blaze.

The Chart House was one of her favorite places to eat. Livi loved the stunning waterfront location that offered scenic views of the marina and picturesque Southern California skies.

To her dismay, Blaze was already at the restaurant and was seated in one of the booths by the window. Livi took a deep breath as she walked over to join him.

He stood up and waited until she sat down before returning to his seat.

Livi bit back a smile. Blaze couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her.

She sat in the chair, her fingers tensed in her lap.

“Thank you for meeting me here,” he said, recovering.

“It sounded more like an order than an invitation,” she muttered uneasily.

He seemed taken aback by her response. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Livi gave a slight shrug.

The waiter approached their table.

Blaze and Livi both ordered a glass of chardonnay.

Their gazes met and held, making Livi nervous. She thought she detected a flicker in his intense eyes, causing her pulse to skitter alarmingly.

“You’re staring,” she murmured and stirred uneasily in her chair.

“I’m sorry,” he responded. “Livi, I can’t believe we’re in the same room after all this time. I really thought that I would never see you again.”

She picked up her menu with trembling hands. “I wanted to contact you, Blaze. I just didn’t know what to say, especially after I left the way I did.”