Exposed (Tropical Nights) (8 page)

Chapter Five

Rachel scurried around her bedroom, throwing clothes on as she gathered her notes, computer, and everything else she needed for work and shoved it all into her bag. She’d been awake most of the night trying to figure out what to do about Leo and Karen and the story she wasn’t going to write. She was especially worried about Leo. She replayed their kiss over and over in her mind as she tried to tease apart her warring feelings for him. When she finally fell asleep, no closer to any answers, she’d been so exhausted she slept right through her alarm. Now she was running late.

“Jamie, are you up?” she called to her brother.

She’d come home last night to find him asleep on the couch, video game controller still in his hand. She was used to the crazy hours he kept, but he had another job interview this morning so Rachel needed him to get off the couch and get ready. She heard a mumbled reply from the living room and figured Jamie was at least awake if not yet up and about.

Rachel’s phone rang and she fished it out of her overstuffed workbag and answered it without checking to see who it was.

“Have you left for my offices yet?” Leo asked.

Rachel felt a rush of heat to her cheeks at the sound of his voice. “Uh, no. I’m running a little behind this morning. Why? What’s up?”

“I got a call from my lawyer, Harry, this morning about my deal with the charter jet company in Isla Acarigua. Seems Bondell is threatening to walk over some of the contract details, and I need to fly down there to work this out in person.”

Rachel was flooded with disappointment. This was supposed to be their last
day together, but she wouldn’t get to see him if he was out of the country. She hadn’t reached any conclusions about exactly what to say to him; whether she could come completely clean or keep quiet since she wasn’t going to write the story and would never see him again anyway. Still, she had wanted a chance to see him in person one more time to at least thank him for giving her so much of his time.

“Oh,” she said, trying to keep her confused disap
pointment from coming through in her voice. “Will you be there long?”

“I’m le
aving within the hour and I plan to fly back tomorrow afternoon. Bondell likes to makes a fuss because he knows it gets him personal attention, but he’ll come around. He knows this deal is within his best interest as well as mine.”

“Oh,” Rachel said again, feeling stupid at her inarticulateness. “I hope it really does go that smoothly.”

“It will,” Leo said with confidence. “So, do you have a valid passport?”

“Yes
. Wait, what?”

“Well, new security regulations mean you need a passport to fly to the Caribbean islands now, so you’ll need to pack that along with your swimsuit.”

Rachel laughed. “I can’t just fly with you to Isla Acarigua.”

“Why not?
You’re supposed to be with me all day today anyway, so they won’t miss you at work. You have a passport and we’re taking my jet, so you don’t need to worry about travel details.”
              “But I…I mean, where will I stay?”

“I
co-own a hotel down there, so you have your pick of rooms. At no cost, of course.”

Rachel still wanted to argue that she couldn’t go, but she
realized she didn’t have a good excuse. There really weren’t any work or logistical reasons why she couldn’t spend a day and a half in the tropics. The only thing holding her back was the thought of how awkward it would be to travel with Leo, that and the complete—yet admittedly awesome—weirdness of jetting off to the Caribbean on an hour’s notice. That kind of impulsiveness wasn’t her nature and she was about to say so when something stopped her.

She looked around her tiny Brooklyn apartment and outside her window to see a gray New York day.
Outside her room, she heard her brother flipping through TV channels in the living room and her father snoring in drunken sleep in his makeshift bedroom.

S
he decided right then that for once in her life, she would give in to impulse.

There was no reason not to go, and frankly, she could use a day in the tropical sun. Nothing here would fall apart if she left for 24 hours, even if she usually felt like it would, and her father and brother could look after themselves for a day.

“I’ll come,” she said into the phone before she could change her mind.

“How fast can you be ready?”

Rachel had already grabbed an overnight bag and was throwing clothes and her swimsuit into it. “Twenty minutes,” she said.

“Good, because I’ll be there in ten.”

“You’re already on your way? How did you know I’d agree to come?”

“I thought you would have figured this out b
y now. I always get what I want,” Leo said, and Rachel could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Do you?” Rachel asked archly.

“Yep. Hey, Harry’s calling on the other line. See you in ten.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Rachel rushed around her room trying to think of everything she’d need for an overnight trip to the island. She wasn’t sure, having never made such a trip, so she decided to pack as much as she could fit into her bag. She was grabbing her toiletries when her phone rang again.

“I’m almost ready,” she said
into the phone, assuming it was Leo.

“Ready for what, dear?” Karen asked.

Rachel bit her lip nervously. She wasn’t prepared to talk to Karen right now. “What do I hear in the background?” she asked, partly out of genuine curiosity—she could hear the sounds of beautiful and exotic music and other noises through the phone—and partly to buy herself time to think.

“That’s just Rishi playing his sitar. He’s here for my mediation session.
Rishi,
priyo
, take five while I’m on the phone, will you?” Rachel heard the sounds of someone leaving Karen’s office. “His sitar scares the cats, anyway,” Karen said to Rachel in conspiratorial tones. “Now, what were you saying?”

“You were asking me what I was getting ready for.”

“Yes, right. And?”

“I, um, well
…Leo has a meeting in the Caribbean and he’s asked me to go with him.”

Rachel pulled the phone away from her ear as Karen cackled
into it with glee.

“Perfect!” Karen cried. “
My stars, Rachel, you have outdone yourself. How long will you be gone?”

“Leo’s on his way to pick me up now. We should be back by tomorrow afternoon.”

“So it will be the two of you, alone together on a tropical island, no distractions, no interruptions. Just the sun and crystal blue water and soft breezes blowing through swaying palm trees while you walk on sandy beaches with cold drinks in your hands. Leo will be relaxed and his guard will be down. Oh fiery sun and icy moon, think of all the dirt you can coax out of him in that situation.”

“
Well…about that. We need to talk.” Rachel swallowed hard. She had no idea how to approach this, how to tell Karen that she couldn’t write the article, how to phrase the news that was going to piss off her boss and probably end her employment at
New York Exposed
. Because as poorly suited as Rachel knew she was to gossip reporting, she still needed the job, and it was scary knowing she would soon be unemployed again.

“We’ll talk Monday when you’re back in the office.”

“There’s something I should tell you now. I—”

“I’m still on the phone, Rishi!” Karen yelled, and Rachel could hear sitar music in the background again. “I told you to wait!” Rachel could hear a muffled voice on Karen’s end of the line. “You’re right. I know, I know. Deep breaths. I am calm like
the glassy surface of the deepest pond. I am serene like a feathered kite floating on a gentle mountain breeze.”

“Karen?
Are you still listening?”

“Not now, Rachel dear. I need to hang up.
Rishi is right: my present utilization of earthly technology is disturbing my
wa
and I need to disconnect and let go, to clear my mind of the pollution of worldly goods and focus on my untouched center. I will talk to you Monday.”

“Wait, K
aren—” But Rachel was talking to dead air. Karen had hung up. Rachel was trying to decide whether to call Karen back when a text came through on her phone. Leo was waiting for her downstairs.

With a sigh, she grabbed her overnight bag and tucked her phone into it. She could wait until Monday to ruin her
career. In the meantime, she might as well try to enjoy the weekend.

Leo walked through the outdoor pool area of his hotel in Isla Acarigua, the cool evening breeze rumpling his cotton shirt and leaving the slightest tang of ocean salt on his lips. The air was still warm and slightly humid, and he was grateful his meetings were over and he was out of his business suit. He scanned the tables of the poolside restaurant until he spotted Rachel reading a book as she waited for him.

His heart thumped in his chest as
he watched her for a moment. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail but the breeze had pulled some strands loose, and the errant curls were dancing around her face. She looked relaxed and happy in a flowing, lightweight skirt that skimmed over her long legs. She was wearing a casual button-up shirt that was just tight enough to show her curves. Rachel was already sporting a hint of tan from her afternoon spent in the tropical sun, and everything about her seemed to glow.

God, she was bea
utiful. Leo wanted to go to her, take her into his arms and press his mouth to hers and see if she tasted like the sea. He hung back though, not wanting to break the spell by alerting her to his presence. He watched her for just a minute more, until Rachel looked up from her book and saw him. The smile that lit up her face made Leo’s chest tighten.

“How did your meeting go?” Rachel asked as Leo sat down at the table.

“It went well. Bondell has agreed to the contract, just like I knew he would. I’m sorry you couldn’t be present, but Bondell can be touchy sometimes.”

“It’s fine,” Rachel said. “It gave me the afternoon free to explore the island.”

“That’s so much better than sitting in a conference room arguing with a cranky Acariguan, trust me.”

Rachel laughed, and Leo couldn’t help but sm
ile at the sound. “I imagine so,” she said.

“So, are you ready for dinner? We can eat here by the pool, or we can go to one of the more formal restaurants inside.”

“Oh, let’s stay here. The weather is perfect and it’s so beautiful out here, with the way the pool is lit up and the breeze and the sound of the waves. And look, the sun is starting to set. Look at all the red and orange light it’s casting on the ocean. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Leo watched Rachel as she looked out over the water at the sunset, thinking the view was very gorgeous indeed.

“Mr. Hanlon, welcome back to White Sands Resorts. It’s always a pleasure to have you in residence.”

Leo tore his gaze away from Rachel to nod
a greeting at the waiter speaking to him. “Thank you—” Leo gave a quick glance to the nametag pinned to the waiter’s uniform, “—Rob.” Leo owned half the hotel, but he left the actual running of it to his business partner, Laine Brochman, and so he wasn’t around enough to recognize all the employees. They all knew Leo, of course, and were sure to acknowledge him whenever he stayed at the hotel.

“May I ge
t drinks for you and your guest?”

“What would you like, Rachel?” Leo asked.

“I suppose since I’m in the tropics I’d better have something fruity. How about mai tai?”

“Of course, ma’am.
” Rob turned to Leo. “Will you be having a Hanlon sour, sir?”

“Sure,” Leo said. “Thanks.”

“You have your own drink named after you?” Rachel asked as Rob left to get their order. “It’s good to be the king—or resort owner, I guess,” she teased.

Leo grinned. “It has its perks.”

“Must be rough, spending so much time on the island they all know your usual drink.”

“I’m actually not here that much. I’m really more of a silent investor than a hands-on owner. I stay here when I’m in the Caribbean for business or if I find time for a vacation, but Laine
, my business partner, runs the resort.”

“Do you find it hard to be so hands off?
I know you like to be heavily involved in your business and have a hard time entrusting the work to someone else.”

“
Oh, so you
have
been paying attention during your time with me, haven’t you?”

Rachel gave a
quick, mildly embarrassed smile. It was a casual, fleeting gesture, but it drew Leo’s attention to her mouth. Leo flicked his gaze to the pool, needing to look away from Rachel’s insanely kissable lips for a second so he wouldn’t give in to his impulse to toss away the table separating them and cause a scene. “I do usually find it hard to hand anything over to someone else, but not in this case.” He looked back at Rachel, keeping his eyes locked on hers, careful to avoid the danger zone of her mouth. “The Brochman and Hanlon families have been close for decades and our business interests often coincide. I trust Laine like a brother, and it was our deal from the beginning that I would put up half the money he needed to buy his first resort but that I didn’t want to be overly involved with the operations.”