Fire & Desire (Hero Series) by Yvette Hines, Monique Lamont Page A

even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming.”

Eight
     
    Tiffany exited the kitchen. She was happy that everything was
going well. The Breast Cancer Society’s annual fundraiser benefit and ball
promised to be a resounding success.
    She and Josephine had worked on this non-stop over the last month.
It was an issue she and her partner held dear. Standing by the kitchen door,
she observed all of the attendees. The ballroom at the Marriott was packed. The
BCS committee had sold over three hundred tickets at three hundred dollars a
plate.
    People arrived at the cocktail hour and took the time before
dinner to mingle with each other as the live band played.
    She observed everyone. A bald, tall, brown-skinned man with broad
shoulders and what appeared to be a nice build under his suit caught her
attention. Her heart paused; for a moment she’d thought the man was Trevor.
    Her mind instantly drifted to two weeks ago when she had last seen
Trevor. She recalled how angry she had been. No one had ever made her lose
control in so many ways as Trevor did.
    She denied herself the memory of the carousel ride. It took
everything in her power not to think back to the interlude. When she slept, her
dreams were filled with heated reflections. The morning after it happened, she
awakened with a strong desire for sex.
    She had to hurry up and divorce him before things went too far or,
worse, her feelings began to get involved.
    Maybe it is too late.
    Tiffany refused to believe that. She wouldn’t allow herself to
become entangled in this relationship with him—anymore than she already
had.
    When the man turned to speak to some woman on his right, she
realized her mistake. She berated herself for her wayward thoughts about
Trevor.
    There were three twenty-minute speakers set up during dinner,
besides the remarks and comments made by Lavonia Demhart, the president of the
local chapter of BCS. Two of them were personal testimonials, and the other one
was a family member who had lost a loved one to breast cancer.
    Four years ago, Tiffany had been one of the speakers. The
testimonials were always an emotional time of the evening for her—as well as
for other attendees.
    Tiffany heard Josephine through the speakers as she directed
everyone to take their seats.
    Tiffany and Josephine’s seats were reserved in the back, closest
to the kitchen. If anything happened, they could leave without disturbing the
function.
    “How was everything in the kitchen?” Josephine asked her when she
took the seat beside Tiffany’s.
    Josephine wore a black chiffon dress with a scooped neck that left
the crown of her shoulders bare. It clung nicely to her body, stopping modestly
above her knee. Sheer black stockings and a pair of black chiffon covered heels
topped off the outfit. The only color to her ensemble was the honey color
highlights in her bone-straight, jet-black, short, tapered haircut.
    Her best friend’s eyes were so dark brown even they appeared
black.
    Tonight, Tiffany wore a black tuxedo dress with a white lapel
collar. The dress was sleeveless, tapered in the front at her waist and ended
at the tips of her shoes. The back of it was the part that made her a little
self-conscious because the dress wasn’t as conservative as those she normally
wore. It left the full expansion of her back bare.
    She’d received some curious looks from people. More than once,
she’d wished she’d just worn her sequin suit, or had left her hair down to
cover up part of her back instead of deciding on the French roll.
    “Great, no problems, Jo. Any concerns or worries from Lavonia?”
Tiffany sat next to Josephine.
    “Not a one. Things are going smoothly.” Josephine smiled.
    “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Breast
Cancer Society, we would like to welcome you to the Virginia Chapter’s
Sixteenth Annual Benefit dinner.” The emcee Bridget Kruse, the vice president
of the chapter, began the opening remarks as the servers collected the