Shades of Deception - Page 60/118

Could you recommend a nice place to stay? I look forward to hearing from you. I remain,

Very truly yours,

Divine Ono, Publisher

When Shaun read that e-mail, he was intrigued, but when he saw her photo, a rattlesnake could have bitten him, and he would have died a happy man. The woman was the epitome of loveliness. For almost an hour, he sat at his desk affixed to her picture. It was as though she had placed a hex on him.

The phones in the office were ringing off the hook, but he was too engrossed with her beauty to hear the sounds. Finally, he came out of his trance and forwarded all calls to his voice mail. The last thing he wanted to do was talk.

He immediately got back to her and wrote:

Dear Ms. Ono:

It was a pleasure hearing from you. I would be delighted to meet with you and discuss the possibility of buying your publication.

If you give me your arrival time, I will send a car to pick you up from the airport. I have lodging at my loft, and you may stay here as my guest.

Looking forward to hearing from you shortly.

Shaun

Divine got back to him. She would arrive at LaGuardia Airport at two in the afternoon and graciously accepted his invitation to stay at the loft. Lisa was not due back on the job for another two weeks.

On Friday morning, Shaun called in a housekeeping service to get Divine's room ready. Lisa usually took care of those details when out-of-town couples reserved one of the suites for their honeymoon and would make the room personal and alluring. He gave the team instructions to make the suite hospitable and romantic.

Chocolate covered cherries decorated the pillows; red, pink, and yellow rose pedals accentuated the bed, and scented lit candles filled the bathroom. One would have thought he was planning a night of hot and sultry lovemaking with this woman.

Divine's flight arrived on time. The limousine driver met her at the airport and drove her to the loft. When she entered Shaun's office, the two embraced and exchanged salutations.

He went on to say, "It is a joy to meet you, Miss Ono. Make yourself at home. I took the liberty of making dinner reservations for six o'clock this evening at a popular restaurant in Manhattan, unless you prefer to eat in."

Her response was, "That sounds nice. I am looking forward to having dinner with you in the city. If you could show me to my room, I would like to freshen up, and please, call me Divine."