Trusted (Club Indigo Book 2) Read online

  "That sounds like a fun job," Suzie said. "I love to cook and bake. I work in food science, but it's not the same as having your own place must be."

  "You're right," Sonja said. "There's nothing like the expression on a satisfied customer's face when they've taken their first bite of something you made from scratch."

  Laura and Julie went over to a table to discuss a web design problem Julie was having, and Sonja invited Suzie to join her at the bar.

  "So, what do you do in food science?" Sonja inquired. Sonja was what some people would call overweight, and others would refer to it as a BBW. She had a sweet face with chubby cheeks, sultry dark brown eyes, and ebony skin. Her straight, shoulder length, jet-black hair contrasted with her casual yellow sundress.

  Suzie scowled, "I work in a lab developing new products for frozen entrees. The pay is good, but I get more frustrated by it every year."

  Sonja grinned, showing off her white teeth. "I think I get why you wouldn't like it. It's soulless food."

  Suzie looked dumfounded and then beamed at the other woman. "Exactly. That's a great way to describe it. I love to make high quality food, but this isn't that. I'd really like a chance to see people enjoy what I make, too."

  Sonja brightened. "What's your specialty? Do you like cooking or baking more?"

  "Cooking is great, but I really love baking. I made the desserts for Laura and James' collaring ceremony."

  "Those were really great. I had three different kinds. Your red velvet cupcakes were superb, but how did you manage to keep the lava cakes warm without cooking the insides?"

  "Cupcakes are easy. You have to take the time to get the decorations looking good. Lava cake is more challenging—the timing has to be just right on the bake. Then you can use a steam tray to keep them from cooling too much without baking the center. What else did you try?"

  "Your sweet potato pie. It's not something I was expecting to see at an event like that. To be honest, I don't think I've ever had it at a gathering of mostly white folks. It was almost as good as what my grandmother makes."

  "Thank you for the compliment. I got my recipe from a neighbor of ours when we were growing up. She was an older African American woman who taught me a lot about baking. The first time I tasted it, I was in love. I had to work hard to make it up to her standard."

  "Well, you succeeded. When I tasted it, I was sure it had been made by someone black. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out it wasn't. Have you ever thought about baking for a living?" Sonja asked.

  "Once in a while, but it's always been a pipe dream. I need the stability of a regular paycheck and benefits, with my kids."

  "The café is doing really well these days, and I've been wanting to expand it to add a bakery as well. Right now, we're just a lunch place downtown. We're only open Monday through Friday because the area is pretty dead on the weekend. I'd like to add breakfast, too. Would you be interested in getting involved?"

  "What? You can't be serious. We just met." Suzie's mouth gaped open as she looked at the woman in front of her.

  "I'm completely serious. I've had your baked goods. You know your stuff, and you're unhappy where you are. I also consider myself a good judge of character. I really have been wanting to expand, but my partner isn't interested. She thinks it's too much risk. Actually, she wants to sell out and move to Florida to be closer to her children. She wants me to buy her out or find someone else to partner with. Any chance you would be interested? I'd have to get a loan to buy her out. I probably could, but I'd have to put the expansion on hold. When it comes down to it, I really want someone else to share ideas with. It's easy to go off the deep end with an idea if you don't have a partner who can help you see reason."

  Suzie thought about what Sonja was saying. Her own place—it would be like a dream come true. She could cook and bake, and people could come for lunch or take their food home with them. She felt energy and hope rising. She started nodding her head, but then reality caught up with her. "How much capital would I need?"

  Sonja named an amount. "We have a ten-year lease on the premises. There's plenty of room to expand in the kitchen. The rent is paid for the next six months, and both my partner and I are making good salaries and still putting money back in the business. We have four full-time kitchen staff, not counting the chef, plus wait staff, busboys and so on. We provide health insurance for everyone working more than thirty hours a week, and we're not stingy with anyone's hours to keep them from qualifying. It's usually standing room only at lunchtime during the week. I've been wanting to add breakfast to the schedule. Everyone thinks it's a good idea except Carol, my partner. She's really been a wet blanket about new ideas. I think she is ready to retire.

  When she saw she had Suzie's attention, she continued. "If the bakery part takes off, that could also lead to outside catering, which would be another way to expand. If you wanted to concentrate on the baking, you could leave the cooking to the chef. She would like more responsibility, I think. She and Carol have locked horns recently about changes to the menu. Think about it, Suzie. I believe we could do great things together."

  "You realize I don't have the business experience, right? All I'd really be bringing to the table is the baking and cooking," Suzie said.

  "The business side of it isn't that hard. With a good business plan, I'm sure you could swing a loan for your half. Then we'd be equal partners. At least tell me you'll consider it?" Sonja cajoled.

  "Sure, I'll think about it," Suzie said, "but I'm not sure I can swing the money. I don't have much in savings, and I'm afraid of what kind of collateral a bank would want."

  Sonja continued to monopolize Suzie's attention for the rest of the evening with ideas of all they could do together in the café. Laura had to physically separate the two when it was time to leave. "You've got my phone number, Suzie," Sonja said. "Give me a call when you've had time to think about everything. I'll be waiting to hear from you."

  "What was that all about, sis?" Laura asked. "I wanted to introduce you to other people, but I couldn't get your attention away from Sonja."

  "We were discussing Sonja's café and how she wants to expand to include a bakery as well," Suzie answered. "But I don't have the kind of money it would take to buy into the business."

  They caught James up on the conversation on the drive back to Suzie's.

  "Don't sell yourself short," James said. "Your baking skills are top notch. Speak to some people about the money before you talk yourself out of it. There are lots of options for business loans. Buying into a successful business is way easier than starting one from scratch. I should know."

  After a long, dreary day at work, Suzie decided it was time to bite the bullet. If she didn't want to work at the lab her whole life, the opportunity Sonja provided might be her way out. But what about the money? She could make her mortgage payments without too much trouble, but she was still paying off medical bills from Richard's treatment and hospice care. Before he got sick, she had thought they had good insurance, but they soon found out how much it didn't cover. Richard had helped her set up payment plans for the larger bills so her credit wouldn't be damaged. She had put almost all his life insurance into the children's college funds. With her payments on the medical bills, they didn't have much cash left over for frills, but she knew she had made the right decision. Richard had had great care with hospice and he'd gone peacefully. Five years later, she was still paying a hefty sum of $500 a month. She only had six months left until the medical bills were history. She knew she would have more options then.

  She opened her old laptop and pressed the start button. Since the old machine was so slow, she went to make herself a cup of tea and had a look at the children. When she returned to her computer, it was running. Thank the Lord for that. She fired up the browser, which took ages as well, and when the connection was finally made, she used Google to find help.

  On top of the results were advertisements, and she skipped those immediately. She skimmed the
page and right under the business consultant listings, her attention was caught by the first person in the results. C. Carmichael, CPA, CMA, MBA. Impressive titles. Not one to postpone, Suzie swiftly filled in the online contact information and made an appointment for the next day. She had nothing to lose since the first consultation would be free of charge.

  Since she had her computer on, she went on Fetlife and started browsing. Kinky & Popular displayed amazing pictures, but her attention was caught by a piece by a sadist. He wrote about the "kiss of the whip" and what an intense feeling it was for both himself and his sub. Suzie started thinking about what it would be like to feel that "kiss." Would it be too much? Would she trust Captain Connor to do it? Laura had told her it was his specialty, but she barely knew him. She came out of her daydream abruptly. It was much later than she realized and past time to be getting dinner ready. Luckily, she had leftover tomato soup. The children wouldn't mind soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. She shut down the laptop and went into the kitchen.

  Chapter 7

  T he following morning, Suzie trotted up the three stone steps to the stately brownstone. She tapped the knocker on the dark green door. The house looked solid and trustworthy, like what she'd expected from an accountant. What kind of person would the occupant be? She imagined an older, boring type with glasses.

  "Suzie?"

  Suzie's eyes widened at the greeting when the door opened. She had been stuffing her keys in her overflowing purse but now froze as she looked up at the last person she'd expected to see. Only he wasn't wearing his kilt.

  Captain Connor regarded her as intently as he had watched her at the club. Holy hell, he'd seen her naked . She couldn't do this. She couldn't stay and discuss how to buy a business with—him. It was too—

  "S-sorry." Suzie turned and started to leave.

  "Whoa, hold on." He touched her shoulder. "Why don't you come inside?"

  "I don't know. I didn't want to invade your life. I didn't know. I…" Her voice trailed off. She felt as helpless as the first time they had met at the club. She was wondering where her backbone was when this man was involved. She wasn't a doormat, damn it!

  "Don't worry, missy. I'm not going to bite you, at least not here. Come inside and we'll talk about what I can do for you."

  She licked her lips involuntarily as she imagined what he had done to her at Club Indigo. Get your mind out of the gutter, Suzie !

  His eyes brightened as he followed the movement of her tongue over her lips. He ushered her inside and said, "Why do you need my professional services, I meant?" His mouth curled and creases formed at her embarrassment. He kept knocking her off balance, the bastard!

  They settled in his office. The surface of his desk was clean and shining with only a computer, a pen, and a desk blotter calendar on it. The only object out of place was his glass, which had left a small puddle of water behind when he picked it up to take a sip. She sat on the couch with a cup of coffee cradled in her hand. He sat across from her with a legal pad. He had looked sinfully gorgeous in his kilt with his hair wild. In his business attire of button-down shirt and slacks, he looked a tad less ferocious but still commanding and panty dripping hot. She couldn't wrap her head around his profession. His hair was in a neat ponytail, which gave him the look of someone in a more creative business than accounting. With his bulky body, straight back, and alert gaze, he belonged in the military or in law enforcement or something more physical. No, she couldn't fathom a man like that sitting behind a desk pushing papers and punching numbers. She imagined him pushing across a battlefield and punching bad guys.

  "Suzie?" she heard a hint of amusement in his tone. "Did you hear my question?"

  She pulled out of her reverie. "Sorry."

  "Stop apologizing. Start talking."

  Suzie couldn't contain a smile at his bluntness. She looked him squarely in the eye and started to explain about her situation. She started with Richard becoming ill and then the bills. She talked for what seemed like forever and he didn't interrupt. He listened, on occasion jotting down something on his pad. By the time she came to the part about her conversation with Sonja, she was much more at ease and had almost forgotten that he had seen her naked.

  When she finished, Connor waited a moment before saying, "I think you have great potential, Suzie. This is how things work with this. I'll help you draw up a business plan, apply for a loan, and get you up and running. You don't owe me anything for that. What you will owe me is a commitment to be my client for at least three years. Is that acceptable?"

  "I don't know. Sonja must already have an accountant. What if she doesn't want to switch?" Suzie asked.

  "In that case, I'll send you a bill for services rendered."

  "Okay, I guess that will work." Suzie was still not sure about the arrangements.

  "The first step is your finances." Connor continued. "The second step will be checking out The Savory Table. Is what they're asking a fair price? What will expansion cost? Can that be included in the loan, or should it wait? For a loan, we'll look into the Small Business Administration. They guarantee some loans with cooperating banks. I've negotiated for that setup several times. It means you need very little in the way of a down payment. I've not used an SBA loan for an existing business. I think it's possible but haven't tried it before. I'll also need to meet with you and Sonja to develop your business plan. After that, it should be full steam ahead."

  Two weeks later, Connor tapped a rhythm with the fingers of his left hand on the top of his desk and put the phone to his ear. He finally had all the data he needed for her business plan and he was impatient to get things going with Suzie. Suzie answered on the third ring. After a greeting and a few pleasantries, Connor announced the reason for his call. "Can you meet me for lunch at The Savory Table next week?"

  "Is this business or pleasure?" she asked.

  "A bit of both. If you say yes, Sonja will join us for the business part. Now that we have the plan, we need to discuss next steps. We really should talk to Carol, too, to find out if there's any wiggle room in the price."

  "Okay, sounds good to me. I can get away for a longer lunch on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Shall I call Sonja to set things up, or will you?"

  "I'll take care of it," Connor said, and they ended the call.

  Connor was about to call his mother about their plans for his next visit when his phone rang. "Carmichael," he answered brusquely.

  "Hi, Captain Connor, this is Sonja," she said tentatively.

  "What can I do for you, Sonja? By the way, 'Captain' is only for the club."

  "I was just talking to Carol and our accountant. Carol wants more money."

  "What? We've been operating on the assumption that the price was firm. How much more does she want? Suzie is already uncomfortable with the size of the loan."

  "Another $40,000. Carol hired an outside appraiser and this is the number they came up with for half the business. You could always do the same and see if they get something different. From talking to our accountant, though, it seems like the valuation is fair. I really hope you can talk Suzie into it. I want an equal partnership. That's the way it's always been with Carol and me."

  "I'll need to take a look at the books, myself. What's your accountant's phone number and Carol's? Do you know who the appraiser is? I don't know how Suzie is going to handle this. Let me think on it for a day and get back to you."

  Armed with the contact information, Connor set out to do the due diligence he should have already taken care of. He slapped his forehead, wondering why he hadn't done it right away. It wasn't like him to ignore such basics.

  As he thought about his lapse, he wondered if he had let himself be distracted by his client. He realized that Suzie had wormed her way into his unconscious and that recognition stopped him short. What did all this mean for him? They clicked as play partners, certainly. Her masochistic tendencies satisfied his inner sadist, and she had all the makings of a submissive as well. He knew a lot about her car
eer plans from their work together, but they hadn't really discussed their personal lives, other than basic things.

  What did he want? He was forty-seven now. He'd always thought he wanted a family of his own, but he kept waiting until he was out of the military. Was he getting too old to start from scratch? He wasn't sure he had what it took to take care of babies. If he had children now, he would be in his late sixties when they graduated from high school. Suzie was a widow with two children. Would being a stepfather be enough for him? Did she want a husband?

  Answers would have to wait. He slapped himself again to get his mind back on business.

  He knew the appraiser, and her reputation was impeccable. He could certainly get another appraisal, but he would have gone to her firm if he had started with that, so he decided to let the appraisal stand. He called his favorite real estate lawyer to discuss the situation and confirm his opinion that another appraisal was a waste of time and money.

  Connor knew Suzie wouldn't react well to a higher price, so he tried to think of alternatives. Would Sonja want to buy the remaining portion of the business and become senior partner? He didn't think so from what she had said when she called. There was another possibility. He had his inheritance now and he needed a place to invest it. What if he bought a share in The Savory Table? Or even better, loaned the additional money to the business and get paid back with interest. He would offer a slightly lower rate than they could get from a bank, but it would still beat basic savings returns and avoid the ups and downs of the stock market. If he was seriously considering a future with Suzie or someone else, he would want to preserve his capital.

  What would Suzie think? Would she accept money from him, or would she see it as charity? She had already said she wouldn't borrow from family. That's when it hit him. He would invest it in the café but through Sonja. She could pretend to borrow the extra money from the bank but get it from him instead. As far as he could tell, it would be a sound investment. She and Suzie could work out repayment options between themselves if Sonja wanted Suzie as an equal partner.