Bride by Design 3: Manchala Nights (4 page)

We walked out to the breakfast nook, arm in arm like a couple in love. I savored the touch of Colin's smooth skin, his arms strong and muscular. We let go of each other when we joined the others who were already sitting around the table, and piled our plates with tropical fruit and pancakes.

I noticed Roger eying me, and he and Celine seemed to be giving each other the cold shoulder. Now that I thought about it, they hadn't been particularly nice to each other at dinner, either.

Rahul and Rani were in a somber mood - Rahul had just gotten news that his father had suffered a minor aneurism and they'd be flying back to
India
after breakfast. I was sorry to see them go, but I was sure Rahul knew that Don would
be giving the project to Roger anyway.

We hugged goodbye after our meal, and Rani invited us to come visit them in
Mumbai
.

"I'd love to," I gushed, feeling sorry that I would never be able to.

We split up into two jeeps to go to the beach. It
came as
no surprise
when
Celine and Roger rode with Don and Diane, while Keith and John rode with us.

We joked and laughed politely on our ride to the beach. Once we got there, I noticed a pergola had been set up for us to change. Celine had already stripped off her clothes and lay on a towel, sunbathing and wearing a bikini the size of a bandage.

I wondered if Colin found her attractive, and sn
eaked
a glance at him. But he was focusing on trying to charm Sir Donald, joking with him about British politics and his knighthood. Keith and John changed into swimming trunks and waded into the water, and
Don, Diane and Colin walked ahead briskly
.
I decided to walk
slowly in the other direction
, while I tried to collect my thoughts
.

I thought Roger would be keeping his wife company, so I was surprised when he came up
to
me.

"How do you like the beach, Lisa?"

"It's beautiful. Not as beautiful as Celine, of course." I smiled, pleased at my polite compliment.

Roger laughed cruelly. "
There's no
need to be nice, I know she's just with me for my money and pedigree.
S
he's
probably
told you just as much."

I was silent, surprised at his knowledge. I wondered how I'd feel if I knew my wife didn't love me.

I tried to be diplomatic. "Well, I guess some marriages make sense for other reasons."

Roger smiled thinly and nodded. "Like you and Colin, I suppose?"

I froze and looked at him coolly. "Colin and I are very much in love."

"I doubt that."

We looked at each other icily, and Roger finally said, "If I searched for a marriage license, would I find it?"

I ignored him and walked ahead
. I was worried I'd blow Colin's story and I sighed when Roger caught up to me.

"Don't run off. If you really are in love with Colin you should know something about him."

Now he had my attention. My curiosity got the better of me and I turned to him inquisitively. "What?"

He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. "Colin killed his foster parents."

I
stared at him in horror for a moment, and then
scoffed. "That's ridiculous. You can't just go around saying crazy things like that."

"Oh but I know it's true. Why do you think Colin goes to such efforts to hide his past?"

Just then,
Colin turned around and saw me with Roger. I watched him laugh and say something to Sir Donald, and the t
hree
of them started to walk
back
towards Roger and I.

Roger spoke quickly. "Colin's birth mom was a crack whore, he had no dad. When his mom died, he was adopt
ed
by an army lieutenant and his wife. The three of them lived on a farm in
Darlington
, and the
couple
died in
strange circumstances. Rumor is,
Colin killed them off for the land, which he sold to a strange man. He moved to
New York
with that money - and that was the seed money for his property development business."

I stared at him in horror, a coldness coming over me. What he said sounded so crazy, and yet… Nobody knew anything about Colin's past, other than the fact that he'd been adopted
and raised in a modest family
.
Where had he got the money to start a property development business, and what really happened to his family?

I hated Roger and thought he was an arrogant snob, but
I knew
he didn't have the imagination to come up with
a lie
lik
e this
.

"How do you know all th
at
?"

"When Colin started popping up everywhere, a guy who came up from nowhere, I hired a private detective who found out about all this. He's an experienced guy, he knows his stuff. You don't have to believe me but be careful.
Colin's real name isn't Colin Anderson - it's Craig O'Donnell.
"

We looked at each other silently until Colin
, Diane
and Don joined us. Roger looked smug and I wondered if he deserved to be.

"Roger, stop flirting with my wife." Colin punched his arm in a friendly way, and all of us laughed.

"I guess you lovers should be alone
for a while," said Diane, and Colin smiled at her gratefully, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me away from Roger.

When we were ou
t of earshot, Colin let go of my waist
and
asked,
"What did that dirt-bag say to you?"

I
shrugged and we continued walking. "Nothing worth talking about."

I didn't feel like bringing up what Roger had said. If it was true, Colin would deny it and come up with a plausible story. If it wasn't true… well, there was no way I'd know for sure.

I let Colin hold my hand as we walked briskly away from the others. My fingers tingled where he held me, but I resisted the urge to pull my hand away. The whole charade was for Don and Diane, and I didn't want to ruin things.

My feet sank into the sand and the waves crashed nearby. The sky was cloudless, a perfect, bright azure, and we walked wordlessly till we reached a sheltered cove. Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze. We'd left the others far behind and nobody was around. I breathed deeply, tasting the salty air, admiring the stillness that was broken only by the sound of crashing waves and the occasional bird
song
.

Colin turned to face me and wrapped his arms around me. "Have you thought about what we discussed last night?"

I felt flustered and my heart beat quicker. "Umm, yes. I mean, no."

I hadn't really had a chance to think straight. I remembered deciding once that I could have some fun and move on after the week was over, and then I'd decided that I wasn't strong enough to do it.

"What do you think?"

I looked into his eyes. They were sparkling in the sunlight, reflecting the aquamarine of the ocean. He smelled like the ocean, too - he looked so perfect on the beach. I could imagine him being a surfer, rather than a property developer.

I breathed in deeply but Colin didn't give me a chance to answer. He pressed me against him and I felt his lips crushing mine. The kiss star
ted gently, but soon we were cra
shing
into
each other, trying to melt
our bodies into one
. I found myself
lying on the sand pretty soon, my purse had been dropped somewhere and
my
dress was riding up.

This is fine,
I told myself, before allowing my brain to officially switch off. I grabbed at the buttons on Colin's shirt, desperate to bite into his chest, and he pushed me down
roughly
, nuzzling his face below my shoulders, trying to slide my dress off.

Just like my fantasy
, I thought hazily, as Colin pressed down on one breast and bit on my nipple through the dress. I moaned out loud, raking my fingers along his back, arching up for more. I was wet and hungry, I felt his erection pressing against me and I wanted him more than anything else.

Suddenly my cell phone rang out.

We both froze,
swiftly becoming
aware of where we were. I pushed Colin off me in a daze, and fished
my phone
out of my bag.

It was
an
unknown number.

"Hello, this is Lisa."

I glanced at Colin. He'd pushed himself up and was sitting on the sand, his shirt half-unbuttoned. I realized my own dress had been pushed down and I pulled it up, adjusting the straps.

"Lisa," a clipped voice rang in my ear, "This is Margaret from Brian Brito Designs. You interviewed with us for an Assistant Designer position last week?"

"Yes?" I held my breath, wondering where this was going.

"Are you still interested in working for us?"

"Yes, absolutely."
I wondered why I said that, but right now nothing was making sense and my brain was too confused to think.

"That's great. Can you come into the office tomorrow to do the paperwork?"

"Umm, I'm kind of
out-of-state on
a job right now. But I can come in on Monday, will that work?"

"Hmm. Well, I suppose it will. You'll have to start from Tuesday, then."

"Great, thank you so much! I really look forward to working with you."

Margaret hung up with a click, and I looked at my phone, bemused. I wondered what I'd tell them on Monday - why had I accepted a new job when I already had one? And why was I getting this job offer now, when all my life I'd wanted this kind of job but couldn't get one? I shrugged mentally - when it rains, it pours. It seemed like an a
lien concept to turn down a job offer.

Colin had joined me and was looking at me quizzically. I told him briefly what she'd said, and he
smiled
. "You'll just have to call them on Monday and
say you've got a better job. Why be an errand-girl for a small company when you can be a real designer for Anderson Developments?"