Worth the Wait (Crimson Romance) by Synithia Williams

inspect before lunch. I doubt their inspection will go as well as yours … ” His voice trailed off and his jaw dropped.
    Jared followed his line of sight as Cassandra Davenport, his public relations advisor, stepped into the lobby. He couldn’t blame the guy, Cassandra was fine. Her exotic looks, courtesy of a black father and Korean mother, combined with dark hair that stopped mid-back, large breasts, and well-rounded backside were enough to stop any man in his tracks. She raised a brow, a knowing smile on her lips as she approached them.
    Jared acknowledged Cassandra with a head nod. “Mr. Simmons, this is Cassandra Davenport. She handles my public relations.”
    Mr. Simmons’s eyes were glued on the black camisole peeking out of Cassandra’s red suit jacket. Jared cleared his throat.
    Mr. Simmons shook his head, as if snapping himself out of a daze. “Um … yes. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Davenport. I was just leaving.”
    Cassandra gave him her most award winning smile as she reached out a manicured hand. “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Simmons. I noticed you during the inspection.”
    Mr. Simmons face lit up like a light bulb. Barry looked at Jared and rolled his eyes. Cassandra had that effect on men. She’d once had that effect on Jared, but he’d known her for so long he now only saw her as a friend. And, she was too high maintenance.
    Cassandra continued talking to Mr. Simmons. “I’m glad to hear you all are finished. I need Jared for a few minutes before catching my flight back to L.A.” She turned to Jared. “Can we meet in your office?”
    Jared reached out to shake Mr. Simmon’s hand. “Mr. Simmons, thanks again. Barry, will you finish up with him?”
    Barry nodded and Jared walked away with Cassandra. As soon as they were on the elevator Cassandra frowned.
    “I can’t wait to get back to L.A. The men in South Carolina behave as if they’ve never seen a woman.”
    Jared laughed. “You get the same reaction in L.A.”
    She smiled. “You’re right. But if one more man calls me ‘ma’am’ I’m going to throw up.” Her frown turned into one of her well-practiced pouts. “When are you going to move back to L.A., Jared? The facility is up and running perfectly. You don’t have to stay here to oversee things, Barry is wonderful. I miss having my buddy around.”
    They got off the elevator and crossed the hall into the main office of the facility. One side was Plexiglas, allowing him to look out over the floor. Since Jared didn’t work there daily, he’d assigned it to Barry, but used it whenever he came to the facility. Instead of sitting behind the desk he went to the couch near the window, pressed a button to lower a screen, and sat down. Cassandra slid in across from him.
    “I’m not coming back to L.A., at least not anytime time soon. Like I told you before I left, I’m a southern boy at heart. I don’t like the hustle and bustle of L.A.”
    Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Southern boy my ass. You love L.A. The women, the excitement, the celebrities paying too much money to work out with you. You’ll be back.”
    Jared nodded and laughed. He did love the women in L.A., but the memory of Tasha’s caramel skin, honey-colored eyes, and soft lips filled his head. L.A. women didn’t compare to the sweetness of a Carolina girl. “Yeah, maybe. But for now, I’m staying here. My brother’s here so that works. Now, did you really need to talk with me, or did you just want to badger me about moving back to L.A.?”
    “Both,” she said.
    Jared could only laugh. He did miss Cassandra, his only female friend. He also appreciated she let one of the reasons for his hasty return to South Carolina slide: avoiding sleeping with her again.
    He’d met Cassandra while working at a gym after moving to L.A. Every other male trainer worked overtime to land her as a client, including him. She’d denied him at first, but as usual his tenacity won out. It wasn’t long before their workouts began