In The Name Of Love

VOTED BEST NEW ROMANCE & DRAMA FICTION WRITER OF THE YEAR- BY THE DLNA- MAY 2005






Chapter One






Derrick Rawlings lifted his 6’1" frame from the plush chair. He walked slowly to the window and gazed out at the calm waves of the Arkansas River. Meetings kept him very busy all day. He’d worked his butt off for six years in London, and his efforts had helped Rawlings Industries become a multinational company. He hardly had time to think about coming back home.


Derrick stood there with his long fingers shoved into the pockets of his black designer slacks. He leaned against the window frame and observed the waves. He, like the waves rising below, was turbulent. His heart had ached for his family in Arkansas, but he didn’t want to come back. His father had suffered a mild heart attack and his mother had insisted that he retire and that Derrick come home to replace his father as president of the company. Professionally, he had no problem stepping into his father’s shoes, but personally he didn’t want to be in the same country, let alone the same state with her.


It had been six years since he’d left Arkansas. Six years, five months, seven days, sixteen hours, ten minutes, and twenty seconds to be exact...and counting. He could see the face of the beautiful, brown-skinned woman float to the surface. He recalled the first time he had seen her. They had met at a local college hangout at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.


At twenty-five he had been in his last year of graduate school for business. She was in her second year of medical school. She wanted to specialize in obstetrics. Derrick could still see her long, thick, black hair, framing her oval face, and could practically smell the scent of her.


He thought of their many nights of sizzling-hot-passion that had remained etched in his mind. He could still feel her soft, wet, and wild body underneath his as they moaned each other’s name over and over again. He felt his body tremble when he remembered how he loved, stroked, and caressed her body from head to toe, not leaving one part unloved. He had been surprised, but arrogantly pleased to discover he was her first lover.


Lord knows he’d been no angel. Until he met her, he was a man who constantly enjoyed the company of beautiful women. If anyone had even suggested that he would fall in love and want to marry, Shari or any other woman, he would have laughed in his or her face. But Shari was different. She was special. She touched his heart. He fell in love with her. She made him a one-woman man. Evidently, she wasn’t a one-man woman. His jaw tightened as the memory of her and his best friend entered his mind. They deserved each other, yet Derrick couldn’t help wondering if they were still together although he hoped not to ever run into them.


A knock interrupted his thoughts.


"Come in," Derrick answered as he turned toward the door.


It was Trevor Wilson. Trevor was in charge of the marketing department. He stopped just inside the doorway.


"Busy?" Trevor asked.


"No, come on in."


Derrick strode to the sideboard and picked up the silver coffee pot to top off his coffee. He nodded toward Trevor who shook his head no and took the chair across from Derrick’s desk. On Derrick’s return to his seat, he closed the folder on the desk.


Trevor closed the door behind him and came farther into the office.


"Thanks for naming me head of the marketing department," Trevor said.


"There is no reason to thank me. I chose the right man for the position."


Trevor smiled and said, "Okay. So, how do you feel about coming home?"


Derrick took a deep breath, thinking of the words to describe how he really felt.


"To be honest," he began, "I have mixed feelings about it, but under the circumstances, I have no other choice."


He knew Trevor was aware of the reason behind his sudden transfer. Trevor had never met the woman that made him leave Little Rock and settle in London, but he had heard about her.


"Are you ready for Japan?" Derrick asked abruptly.


Trevor cast him a cool look. "Yes, I have everything under control. I realize this is a great business opportunity for the company."


"A very important one. With this move we open the door wider. Internationally. So nothing can go wrong."


Trevor nodded. "I know, I know, Mr. Rawlings," he teased. "I’m ready. Nothing will go wrong."


Derrick leaned back in his chair and massaged the back of his neck. "Sorry man, force of habit."


"Think nothing of it."


The intercom buzzed, interrupting them. Derrick leaned over and punched the button.


"Deborah," he said, "continue to hold all my calls, please."


"I’m sorry, Mr. Rawlings, but your mother is on line one. I thought you would want to speak with her."


"Excuse me, Trevor. Let me take this." He pressed the blinking phone button as Trevor quietly left the office.


"Hello, Mother. How’s Dad? Is he taking his medication? What did the doctor say?"


His father had a follow up appointment to see the cardiologist. He figured something had to be wrong for his mother to call him this early in the morning from Montego Bay, where they were spending their post-retirement years.


"He’s doing very well," his mother replied. "He is taking his medication and the doctor says as long as he takes it easy, he will live another thirty-to-forty years. I am calling because I promised your father I would call and see how you’re settling in."


Derrick smiled to himself. Dad would never change. He was still determined to hold on to the power he was forced to relinquish. It was determination, talent, and focus that made Albert Rawlings a prominent force in the computer business world. Those qualities were what made the company a giant in technology. Derrick couldn’t imagine him not being around, controlling and manipulating an organization of more than ten thousand employees, but his second heart attack forced him to give that up.


"Tell Dad to continue taking his medication and listen to the doctor. Everything is going smoothly, and I am settling in well," he added quickly. "Even the hospital fundraiser is on schedule for tonight."


Each year his mother hosted a fundraiser to increase awareness about African-Americans and heart disease. It was a formal affair held at the Excelsior Hotel in downtown Little Rock. Eleanor had been chairwoman of the event for the past couple of years.


"I’m so glad you’re continuing the fundraiser. I thought maybe we would have to postpone it when your father became ill. I feel better knowing it’s going to go on as scheduled."


"How is he adjusting to retirement?"


She took a deep breath. "Well as you know it was difficult for him at first because he’s used to being in the thick of things, but he seems to be adjusting."


"Where is he now?" He wanted to speak with his father. Maybe get some last minute instructions and advice.


"He went fishing. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s having the time of his life." Eleanor laughed.


"I envy him." Derrick joined in the laughter.


Eleanor chimed in, "I want you to know that we both feel a lot better knowing that you’re president of Rawlings Industries. Your father will call next week to see how things are going. My love to you," she added quickly and disconnected.


Derrick sat glued to the chair. He slowly placed the phone back into the cradle and ran his hand across his head. Did she just say she loved him? He couldn’t remember the last time she echoed those words.


"I’m almost afraid to know what could possibly happen next," he said.


*From the novel, In The Name Of Love*
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