Ruthless Read online

  David laughed. “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

  “Well, what exactly did you mean, Mr. King?”

  Before David could respond, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Hold that thought.” He glanced at the phone. “That’s one of my Hong Kong buyers. I need to take this call.”

  “Good-bye, Mr. King,” Sheba said as she quickly retreated from the balcony, leaving David alone.

  David wanted to protest, but duty came before women. That had always been his motto, and he wasn’t going to disregard it, no matter how much he wanted Sheba. David spent the next thirty minutes putting out fires at his Hong Kong office. Once he was satisfied that the vice president of operations could handle the rest, he ended the call.

  When he returned to the ballroom, Sheba was nowhere to be found. “Uriah, where’s your beautiful wife?” he inquired, after approaching his employee.

  “She was feeling tired, so I told her I would meet her in the room.”

  “Thank you for talking to those investors for me. Look for a bonus on your next check,” David said as he patted Uriah on the back.

  “Thank you, Mr. King.”

  David remained in the ballroom until everyone had left. He didn’t feel like going home to his empty mansion, so instead he checked into one of the executive suites. He poured himself a glass of apple juice and sat back in the huge plush chair in the living room area. He leaned back and closed his eyes, not to sleep but to meditate.

  “Lord, I know that your word says in Proverbs six not to ‘Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.’ Well, Lord, it’s too late. Bathsheba Richards has gotten under my skin, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

  David heard a whisper. “Yield not to temptation.”

  David’s eyes popped open. The room was empty.

  Chapter 3

  “Ever since we got back from Dallas, you’ve been acting a little funny,” Uriah said to Sheba over dinner the Monday following their weekend trip to Dallas.

  “Baby, we had a full weekend. The shopping, the partying. I’m not as young as I used to be.” Sheba wasn’t tired physically, but mentally. She had been debating what to do about David. Ever since the night he led her onto the balcony, she hadn’t been able to keep him off her mind. She knew he’d wanted to do more than just talk. She’d been prepared to turn him down, but he didn’t seem like the type of man to take no for an answer.

  Uriah stuck his chest out. “I know it’s hard to keep up with big daddy and things. I gave you a full workout this weekend, so maybe we need to put you on some vitamins.”

  Sheba pushed David out of her thoughts and laughed. “Big daddy, I don’t need any vitamins. At thirty-one, I look better than those twenty-year-olds.”

  Uriah licked his lips. “Yes, you do, baby. Well, I just wanted to make sure my baby was doing okay.”

  “Baby, I’m fine. Just regretting I switched shifts with one of my coworkers.”

  “I don’t like you working graveyard.”

  “It’s only for this week, and then I’ll be back on my regular schedule,” Sheba assured him.

  After dinner Sheba dressed for work. She was barely through the hospital doors when one of her coworkers and longtime friends pulled her to the side. Annette Johnson said, “Yesterday we had a patient admitted, and you’re not going to believe this.”

  “What?” Sheba asked.

  “She looks just like your mother. I looked at her chart, and you both have the same last name.”

  “Did you ask her if she knew me?” Sheba asked.

  “Well, not exactly. She’s unconscious. Someone shot her, and she lost a lot of blood. Right now the doctor’s aren’t sure if she’s going to make it.”

  Sheba’s heart rate increased. “I need to see her.”

  Annette waited outside as Sheba entered the ICU room. The patient had a visitor. The teary-eyed woman never looked up. The woman said to Sheba, “Please tell me you came bearing good news.”

  “I’m sorry. I just stopped by to see her,” Sheba said. Sheba picked up her chart, and there it was in black and white. The patient had her maiden name. Even with all the tubes hooked up to her body and a swollen face, Sheba knew this had to be the woman her mother had been looking for all of Sheba’s life.

  “You know Delilah?” The woman glanced up. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. She peered at Sheba and then down at Delilah.

  “I think she might be my sister,” Sheba blurted out.

  “She never told me she had a sister.” The woman stared at Sheba in disbelief.

  “She didn’t know. I just found out myself. I’ve been looking for her for two years now.” Sheba stood near the bed and couldn’t take her eyes off Delilah.

  “Well, apparently, you didn’t look for her too hard. She’s been right here in Shreveport.” The woman had stood up and was now on the opposite side of the bed.

  “I’m still not sure she’s my sister, but she has to be. Too many coincidences.”

  “I can’t believe the resemblance.”

  “Are you one of her friends?” Sheba asked.

  “Yes, I’m Keisha.” Keisha’s face softened.

  “Keisha, I’m Bathsheba, but everyone calls me Sheba.”

  Just then a police officer walked in the room. The blond-haired police officer said, “We were checking to see if the patient was conscious. We’re still trying to find out who did this to your friend, Mrs. Graham.”

  “It’s Ms. Graham, and I think I know who did it,” Keisha responded.

  “Let’s step out of the room and give them their privacy,” the officer stated.

  “It’s okay. I’m supposed to be working, but I’ll stay here until you get back,” Sheba said to Keisha.

  Keisha and the officer stepped out of the room and closed the door. Sheba could see them through the glass window. She walked near the bed to get a closer look at Delilah Baker.

  “Even with all the bruises, you look just like Mama,” she whispered to the woman who could be her sister. “Too bad Mama died last year, before I could find you.” The noise from the machines filled the room. Sheba went on to say, “She loved you. She had to give you up because her parents wouldn’t let her keep you. She tried to find you when she turned eighteen, but no one would tell her where you were.”

  Sheba looked up, as if to the heavens, and said, “Mama, I found your little girl.”

  Delilah’s eyes fluttered open, and the alarm on one of the machines went off. Sheba did what she was trained to do as a registered nurse. The door to the room flew open as some of the other hospital staff came in to assist.

  A doctor yelled, “Her pressure is dropping. Someone give me the defibrillator stat.”

  One of the nurses yelled, “Bathsheba, this isn’t your unit. What are you doing here?”

  Sheba stuttered, “Sh-she’s my sister.”

  “Let us handle it from here,” the ICU nurse said.

  Sheba moved to the side and said a silent prayer. She couldn’t lose Delilah. She was her only link to her mother. “Please, God. Please spare her life.”

  The beeping noise from the machine sounded normal again. The doctor said, “Did you say you were her sister?”

  “Yes. Well, I think I am,” Sheba rambled. “Long story. But what can you tell me about her condition?”

  “It’s been a little touch and go for the last twenty-four hours. She needs your prayers, and we’ll work on her from this end.” He patted Sheba on the back, then left the room.

  The ICU nurse remained behind. “Sheba, I’m going to stay in here and monitor her. Are you still going to handle your shift, or would you like to call someone to take your place?”

  Sheba opted to take her shift. She called Uriah on the elevator ride up to her floor. “Can you believe it?” Sheba exclaimed after she had explained to Uriah what had transpired.

  “It’s amazing, if it’s her,” he responded.

  “I think it’s her. I think the l
ady in that hospital room, hanging on to her life, is my sister.”

  “Baby, before you go get emotionally attached to this woman, I think you should make sure.”

  “Even with a swollen face, she looks like my mama.” Sheba felt herself shaking. “Seeing her lying there brought back memories of seeing Mama those last days in the hospital bed.”

  “Maybe you should take off work today,” Uriah suggested.

  “No, I’m determined to finish my shift.”

  It wasn’t long before Sheba wished she had taken off, because she could not concentrate. Her mind was on the woman who could well be her long-lost sister.

  Chapter 4

  David’s meeting with his Hong Kong investors ended on a high note. The legal papers had been signed, and he was well on his way to becoming the owner of one of the largest television stations in the region. He sat back in the brown leather seat on his private jet as it glided through the sky, headed back to the United States.

  He watched as his staff celebrated their triumph by popping the cork on a bottle of some expensive champagne. David’s plan to become global was quickly becoming a reality. If only he could get his personal life in check.

  David had been married a couple of times. Each time, the marriage ended in divorce. His two ex-wives had married him mostly for the lifestyle he provided them, but David didn’t seem to mind, because they were eye candy and catered to his every need. Once they stopped catering to him, David found a way to get rid of them. Both of his ex-wives had got nice divorce settlements, and since they shared children, they received generous child support payments. Due to David’s busy schedule, he rarely spent time with any of his children, but he made sure they were well taken care of. Neither his kids nor his ex-wives would ever be accused of living the life of paupers.

  David loved beautiful women, but none could compare to the visions of Sheba that seemed to be permanently implanted in his mind. She was the wife of one of his directors. A man he trusted and admired. Uriah was the only man on earth that he actually envied.

  “Mr. King, I just received a message from one of my contacts in Afghanistan. Now is the time for us to make our presence known in the region,” said Wade Martin, one of the members of David’s staff.

  “Wade, who do you suggest we send over to set up the satellite office?”

  “Sir, I can give you an answer by the end of the day.” Wade turned on his laptop and began to work.

  David, tired from lack of sleep, closed his eyes. He would listen to Wade’s suggestion, but in the end, he would make the final call. Opening up a satellite office in the Middle East was something that hadn’t been done by any of his American competitors. His would be a first. Triumph swept across David’s face in the form of a smile just before he drifted off to sleep.

  David had a hands-on approach. Although he hired people who were good at what they did, in the end, he made the final business decisions. David started from humble beginnings. His family lived on a farm in Grand Cane, Louisiana. His father’s employer took a liking to David and hired him to work at his locally owned newspaper after school. He also allowed David to meet some influential people and introduced him to the world of the rich. Although David’s father provided for his family, and neither David nor any of his brothers went hungry, David wanted more. Seeing how some other people lived sparked his desire to do more. He would do whatever he could to make life better for his family.

  David worked hard to keep his grades up and received a full scholarship to attend Louisiana State University. David had a double major in business and technology. When the owner of the newspaper in his hometown died, his kids were quick to sell the paper. David took out a loan and purchased it. Before long, he was acquiring newspapers that had found themselves in financial trouble across the region.

  He used his technology experience and brought the newspapers up to date, taking advantage of the new era—which included the Internet. Not satisfied with just acquiring newspapers, David branched out into other media, adding television stations to his roster. David’s company soon became DM King Media, and the rest, as they say, was history.

  David’s eyes flew open when the plane hit a bout of turbulence, waking him out of his slumber. The pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom. “We’re trying to go above the storm clouds, so please make sure your seat belts are buckled. We should be around them in about five minutes.”

  David’s staff did as they’d been told. David knew he would not get any more sleep. The five staff members were all seated and buckled up. Wade sat with his laptop on his lap, still working diligently.

  David was very careful about his inner circle. Each one of the people here served a purpose. Being in the type of business David was in, he had to feel like he trusted the person he hired, or else theirs would be a short-lived relationship.

  Several people had been trying to undermine him and buy him out, but he would not sell any part of his company. He would revamp the way he did things before he would sell to his competitors. His goal was to never lay off folks, but if during the reorg, it was inevitable, he made sure they were given nice severance packages to tide them over until they could find other jobs.

  His employees thought David was a fair and generous boss, but they also knew that he could be shrewd and that he expected his employees to be dedicated and to work just as hard as he would in their positions. Because of the level of respect David paid his employees, they didn’t mind putting in the hard work and hours it sometimes took to keep David appeased.

  “You can now unbuckle your seat belts. It should be smooth sailing from here on out,” the pilot said over the intercom.

  David released his seat belt and went over to his desk. He hit a button, and the computer monitor eased its way up. His business mind was always working, so he spent the rest of the flight planning his next move in the Afghanistan market. It would take some doing, but if it was done right—and with the right officials palmed American money—he would be able to get his satellite office set up.

  “Wade, do you have any names for me?” David asked.

  Wade got out of his seat and took a seat near David. He opened up his notepad. “I’ve narrowed it down to Blake Mitchell, Simon Crenshaw, and Miguel Nardin. I had one other person, but he’s been with the company only a year, so I’m not sure if you want to consider him for such an important project.”

  “Who else do you have in mind?” David asked out of curiosity.

  “Uriah Richards. He’s taken the station in the Shreveport, Louisiana, market from the last spot to number one in less than a year.”

  “I’m well aware of his achievements, but I think Simon would be the best choice. Let me think about it.”

  Wade got up and went back to his seat.

  The mention of Uriah’s name caused David to think about Sheba. He licked his lips as his mind recalled the sight of Sheba in the shower. He wanted Sheba. He called Wade back over to him. “Call Simon and tell him to meet me at the Shreveport office tomorrow morning at ten.”

  “But he’s in the New York office, and we’re landing there to refuel.”

  David ignored Wade’s comment. “Tell Uriah to be expecting us. But do not tell either one what the meeting is about. Understood?”

  Wade had a puzzled look on his face. “Yes, Mr. King.”

  “Fine. Then it’s all set. After I meet with those two gentlemen, I’ll have my final decision. Thanks, Wade, for all of your help.”

  David turned off the computer and left Wade sitting there. He retreated to the private area of the jet. David used the last part of the plane ride to meditate. He kneeled down at the foot of the bed, closed his eyes, and recited one of his favorite passages from the Old Testament. “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

  David opened his eyes, hoping his mind would be free of Sheba, but
instead she filled his thoughts and caused a spirit of lust to overcome him. David, normally a man in control, was losing control.

  Chapter 5

  Sheba spent the majority of her time at the hospital. If she wasn’t working, she was holding prayer vigils in Delilah’s room. It had been three days since Sheba had learned of Delilah, and she had been praying fervently for her full recovery ever since.

  Uriah couldn’t understand her need to be at the hospital when she should be home, resting. She was at home now only to shower and planned to return to the hospital. She was startled when she heard the bedroom door open.

  “Sheba, baby, you need to sleep. I came back to make sure you got some sleep,” Uriah said as he dropped his briefcase down and walked up to her.

  The towel around her body fell to the floor as she flew into his arms. She didn’t realize how much she missed having his arms around her until now. She drew upon his strength and allowed herself to be carried to the bed.

  “Uriah, I need to be there when she opens her eyes. I want her to know she’s not alone.”

  “Baby, she’s not going anywhere. Even when she opens her eyes, she’ll be right there. What good are you going to do her if you’re exhausted? What good are you to your patients if you’re walking around like a zombie?”

  Sheba realized Uriah had a point. She hadn’t slept much these past few days. She would do as her husband suggested. She would sleep, and later on she’d go in an hour before her shift started. “I love you. Love you for always thinking about my needs,” she said.

  “I love you, too, Sheba. I don’t want to live my life without you. It’s my job as your husband to make sure you take care of yourself.”

  Uriah bent down and kissed Bathsheba lightly on the lips. The taste of his lips stirred something within her. She forgot about being tired as Uriah discarded his clothes. Seconds later, they were enjoying a morning love session.

  Once they were both physically satisfied, instead of cuddling like Bathsheba wanted, Uriah sat up in the bed and said, “I’m going to shower and then head in to work. I have a meeting with my boss and one of the other directors from New York.”