The Savvy Sistahs by Brenda Jackson

had been discovered that Brandy’s fiancé had screwed around on her with the maid of honor, and then had the gall to put the encounter on videotape—a tape that Brandy had found a mere two days before her wedding—the four cousins had devised a plan that set in motion the guarantee that Brandy Bennett would be financially set for life.
    According to Quinn, what had gone down was classic Bennett style and had pretty much buried whatever past differences the women had had. On the day of the wedding the four Bennett cousins had united for one cause—to make damn sure that the groom knew that payback was a bitch…or in this case, bitches.
    “Good morning, sir, and welcome to the St. Laurent. Do you have a reservation?”
    The perky hotel clerk’s question brought Grey out of his musings and he looked into her smiling face. “No, I’m here as a guest of Ms. Bennett.”
    Although the clerk’s face didn’t lose that smile, he did note the spark of interest in her eyes. “Are you a relative, sir?”
    Keeping his smile in place, he responded, “A relative?”
    She nodded. “Yes. The reason I asked is because usually we have a special floor of suites that are exclusively reserved for Ms. Bennett’s relatives when they come to visit.”
    Grey shook his head, understanding. “No, I’m not a relative. I’m a personal friend.” Again he saw the woman’s eyes take on a speculative look. Evidently Brandy Bennett did not make it a habit to have male friends checking into her hotel as guests. If this clerk was a talker then news that the boss had a male visitor would spread around the hotel in no time, which was fine with him. If whoever had taken it upon themselves to harass Brandy Bennett was someone who worked for the hotel, the sooner that person knew that Brandy had a male friend visiting, the better. One thing that Grey detested more than anything was someone who preyed on women, so this all fit into his plans perfectly.
    On the flight from Atlanta he had decided the best way to handle things was not to let anyone know that he intended to be Ms. Bennett’s bodyguard. If word got out that someone was stalking her, business at the hotel would drop drastically. So he decided to take on the role of her lover while finding out who had sent her those messages.
    Of course Alexia and the cousins had their own ideas. They figured it had to be the no-good ex-husband, Lorenzo Ballentine. According to Alexia, it was common knowledge that Lorenzo was still pissed that he’d lost the hotel to Brandy during the divorce, and that Brandy had recently asked him to stay away from the hotel. Although Grey would not discount Ballentine as a prime suspect, he wouldn’t overlook anything or anyone. For some reason he had a feeling the person sending the messages was someone Brandy least suspected.
    Having left the Bureau nearly three years ago, not long after his wife Gloria’s car accident, he had started Masters Investigative Services in Atlanta. However, he kept his ties to the Bureau open with the many friends he’d left behind. In his employ as investigators were four very skilled former special agents, but Grey had been the one Alexia and her cousins had specifically wanted to handle this case. They had to know for certain that Brandy Bennett’s life was safe and secure. Luckily, he had just wrapped up a case and had given the Bennett cousins his word that he would fly to Orlando and stick to Brandy Bennett like glue if he had to, making sure that whatever threat was hanging over her head was dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
    “I’ve contacted Ms. Bennett to let her know you’re here and she indicated she would be right down.”
    Grey nodded. “Thanks, and it appears that the airline misplaced my luggage. When it’s found please make sure it is delivered to Ms. Bennett’s personal suite.” The truth was that he had been given special clearance to transport all the high-powered surveillance equipment that he