High Stakes Seduction - Book 3 (10 page)

"We can’t stay here all day, you know," Antonio said, his words floating to my ears from a distance. I realized I’d drifted off to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

"Can’t we just stay like this for a little while longer?" I murmured. I was only half joking. I really couldn’t think of a better place to be than in his arms.

He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "You can stay in bed if you wish, and I would love to stay here with you, but I have a meeting shortly. I need to have a shower."

I groaned, pushing myself up to look at him. "Business as usual?"

He leaned forward and kissed me on the tip of my nose, then in one swift motion, he rolled over, laying me on my back and slipping out of bed before I could stop him.

"I’ll be back to spend some time with you in Antigua," he said, though he might as well have been talking about purple cows jumping through space for all I was paying attention to anything but the chiseled lines of his broad shoulders and taut ass as he walked away from me.

"Uh huh," I murmured absently.

"—are you listening to me?" he said from the bathroom door.

I blinked up at him. "Um. Maybe?"

He smiled, shaking his head, then stepped into the washroom and closed the door.

I stretched languidly in bed, seriously considering staying right there for the day. But a rumble from my belly told me that wasn’t going to happen. I stood up and wandered to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. "Who did you say you were meeting with?" I asked, uncertain if he had mentioned it while I was distracted by the fluid movements of his body as he’d walked away from me.

"Just a few of the guys from the casino," he said.

Guys from the casino. For some reason I thought about the evening I’d finally decided enough was enough and bought the purple negligee to tease Antonio with. But that had backfired and I'd ended up trapped in my room when Antonio had shown up unexpectedly with a few of his male friends, discussing some kind of business dealings out in the living room.

I'd managed to shut my door without anyone noticing me, but I could still overhear at least part of the conversation. I hadn't liked the tone of it—something about the District Attorney—but I didn't catch the details. Then, suddenly, I remembered the one whiny voice and realized where I’d heard it before.

"Walker," I whispered, picturing his face among the men whom Antonio played poker with. I wasn’t sure who the other guy in our room had been, but I suspected these men had something to do with Antonio’s shadier business dealings.

"Don’t worry," Antonio said through the door and I heard the shower switch off. "We’re only meeting for a light breakfast, so I’ll keep it quick. Get yourself ready and I’ll meet you back here at about ten, okay?"

"All right," I replied, though probably not loud enough for him to hear me. I’d told Antonio that I didn’t care about his past or his business arrangements, but I couldn’t lie to myself. It still worried me that I had no idea what he really did. I didn’t like being in the dark.

He stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. "What’s wrong?" he asked before I could hide my concerned frown.

"Do you really have to go to this meeting?" I asked.

It was his turn to frown. He put his hands on my arms, studying me. "Yes," he said softly after a moment. "I promise, I’ll explain everything to you when I can. But for now, you have nothing to worry about. Go get dressed and get something to eat," he said, his frown transforming into a bright smile that instantly wiped away my worries. "I have a surprise for you this afternoon."

"Oh My God, Sis! It was freaking amazing!" I knew I was gushing like a schoolgirl, but I couldn't help it. Maria smiled at me through the screen, waiting patiently for me to continue.

"It was such a... a... an experience!" I was at a loss for words.

"Slow down," Maria laughed at my exuberance. "Tell me everything."

I took a deep breath. It was hard to know where to start. "Have you ever had a dream about flying? Not just floating, but actually flying through the sky?"

She nodded. "I went parasailing once with friends, back before... It was a blast."

"Well think about that, but much, much faster. The trees are zooming past—above, below, and right next to you—and there's only you and the cable."

Tony had been true to his word. He'd gotten back to the room at just before noon, and we headed straight for shore. He'd surprised me by taking us on the Rainforest Canopy tour—complete with five ziplines.

And here I thought he was just a reserved businessman who didn't know how to relax.

"Did you get any pictures?" Maria asked her standard question.

I giggled. "It was impossible to take any of my own, but they did take a picture of the two of us just before one of the descents. We're in full gear, so you can't really see our faces. We look like a couple of regular mountain climbers and not the rookies we actually are."

It had been a truly amazing day. Tony had laughed at the expression on my face when I saw where we were going.

"Okay, my little adventurous risk taker," he winked at me. "Let's see if this can satisfy your lust for adventure."

"Tony," I said, "you know you're the one who satisfies my lust." I reached up, placing one hand on the strap along his cheek and the other on his chest.

His eyes went dark, and I grinned, knowing all I had to do was step a little closer to cause that subtle flash I loved seeing pass through his beautiful eyes.

He grabbed my hand, laughing as he stepped back.

"Time enough for that later, Ange. Now pay attention to our guide. I expect to see you safe at the bottom."

I don't know which had been more exciting—the 328 foot drop through the forest, or standing next to Tony, in among the tress, fantasizing about him Tarzan, me Jane.

"It's probably a good thing they snapped the photo before the Screamer instead of afterwards," I shook my head, laughing at the look on Maria's face.

"The Screamer? What the heck is the Screamer?"

"A very aptly named drop—I swear to you, it was 328 feet of pure terror and exhilaration. It probably took me a full five minutes to get all my senses back."

Maria laughed at me. "You should see your face, sis! You're glowing!"

She was right, the warmth was obvious as I pressed my palm against my cheek. I grinned back.

"So, now it's your turn—tell me what's happening at the home front."

She looked down at her lap, smiling shyly. "Well, I thought a lot about your suggestion. It's been so long since I painted anything—and I'm not sure I'm ready to start back yet—but I really liked the idea of sketching some illustrations for Emily's stories. So I did a few. It was such fun, I asked her if it would be okay to do some more."

"And?"

"She was so sweet sis, and so solemn," Maria brushed away moisture from the corner of her eye. "She said the fairies look just like she saw them in her head. That was so much more precious to me than anything an art critic could have said."

"So, now you're collaborating?"

"Yep."

"Maria, that's such great news! I'm so happy for you. It's about time you went back to making the world a more beautiful place."

She laughed at me. "Oh, Ange, now you're exaggerating. But yeah, it feels good. Right now we're just doing black and white—some pencil sketches and a few pen and inks—but she made me promise to teach her how to paint."

How interesting, I thought. The child teaching the adult. "When are you going to let me see your drawings?"

"Oh soon. In fact, here's one about the fairy that lives in the garden." She held up a sheet with flowers growing everywhere. In the lower right corner was a tiny fairy peeking out of a tulip. She had a sweet smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

"Sis, that's wonderful! That fairy looks mischievous, I'd guess she's up to something."

"You'll have to wait for the rest of the story," Maria laughed, a sweet, genuine laugh that warmed my heart.

"Will you be done by the time I get home?"

"Maybe. You should be home in about four days, right?"

"About."

"Well good, maybe I'll have a surprise waiting for you."

"Not fair!" A surprise? What kind of surprise was she cooking up?

"I know you hate surprises, Ange, and no promises. Just the promise of a promise. And that's why I can't tell you about it."

I shook my head. "Not fair. You can't hold out on me."

Maria laughed. "We'll see," was all she'd say.

Feather light kisses on my shoulder roused me from a delightful dream about fairies and forests. "Good morning," I murmured, smiling into Tony’s beautiful chestnut eyes. "What’s on the agenda for today?" There were no ports to call on. Was it too much to ask that we spend the day in bed, I wondered.

"I'm sure you're not going to like this, but I’ve got a meeting," said Tony, leaning in to kiss me.

I sighed, turning my face away from his waiting lips.

"I’m sorry, Ange," he sat up. "but you knew this was a business trip. I can’t help that. Perhaps you could—"

"Come with you?"

"No," he said, a bit too quickly.

I sat up, crossing my arms. "What kind of business are you conducting, Antonio?" I asked abruptly.

His hand wandered to his wrist where his gold watch normally would have been. "There is a side of me that you know nothing about, Ange. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t take the chance of having you… involved in this."

"Involved in plans to remove the District Attorney from office?"

Antonio’s head turned sharply, his eyes dark slits as he nearly glared at me.

"I was in my room when you brought Walker and one of the other men back here," I said, answering his unasked question. "I didn't hear everything you were discussing, but I heard enough."

"Angela, I—"

"I’m worried about you, Tony," I said, my tone softening. "I'm worried about … us." I reached out to touch his arm. "Why are you involved with these kinds of people?"

He turned away from me again, pursing his lips. But he didn’t reply.

I shifted closer to him, resting my chin on his shoulder. "Tony…"

"I don’t need you worrying about me, Angela," he said quietly, reaching back to run his fingers through my hair. "I have this handled. But I don't want to worry about you. That’s why I can’t let you get involved."

"I can take care of myself, Tony."

He shifted on the bed, pulling me onto his lap. "I know you can," he said, "it’s one of the things I find so attractive about you."

I accepted the compliment and the deep, stirring kiss that followed, but despite what my body might have wanted, Antonio’s meeting plans weren't going to allow us the time to indulge.

He stood up, setting me on my feet as he did so. "Let’s go get breakfast."

I wanted to ask more about what was going on—with the District Attorney, with the politician, with these strange men who seemed more than a bit menacing. But the look on his face made me keep my mouth shut.

Over breakfast I tried again. I figured if I could get him to talk, things might go a little easier between us. After all, I'd made up my mind to go after him, regardless of his sordid past—and I figured this must be part of that past.

"Angela, I really don't want to talk about this. In college and for some time after, I was involved in some things I'm not particularly proud of. Not that I ever really got on the bad side of the law, but some of the people I know did."

"Like some of your gambling partners?"

He shot me an annoyed glance. "Gambling was part of it. And some other things. Some of the people aren't very nice, and some of what they do isn't very pleasant, either."

"Then why do you hang around with them?"

"Look, Ange, haven't you ever done anything you regretted? Something you were ashamed of?” He stared at me for a few seconds. “No, I suppose not."

I hoped my eyes didn't register the dismay I felt as he asked me that question. Before I met Tony, I'd always been such a "goodie-goodie"—except when it came to my college boyfriend. I know my face must have flushed with embarrassment as I thought about the way I'd let him use me in college. How I'd thought he loved me, when all he'd wanted was a virgin schoolgirl he could take advantage of. And how I'd let him shame me into sex—not just once, but several times—before I discovered what a cad he really was. How he'd boasted about all the virgins he'd deflowered—I couldn't help wonder how many there were in the two years we'd been together. And the final straw when I'd found him in my bed with my roommate's sister.

"Everyone has something," I managed to mumble, hoping my face would cool down quickly.

"Well, I'm trying to tie up loose ends. To take care of things so they don't come back to bite my ass. Or show up in my life unexpectedly and suck me back in."