The Tycoon's Seductive Revenge (13 page)

For the fourth time, Ellie felt the culmination building inside. “Carter,” she begged, unsure if she could handle more of this devastating pleasure. She reached another soaring climax. Coming down from the high, she drifted in peaceful waves of bliss. She wanted him to experience the same unbelievable fulfillment he’d given her over the past several hours. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

That seemed to send him over the edge. His drives became faster, more powerful. His body tensed. Breath coming in ragged bursts, he squeezed her tight. With a powerful roar, he hit climax. He pulsed and throbbed inside her until he went still, absorbed in their mutual satisfaction.

Perspiration coated them. Sheets tangled around them. With a final groan, Carter collapsed in ecstasy.

After a few minutes of resting his head between her breasts, he pulled out, rolled onto his side and gathered her against him.

“You’re mine.” His statement hung in the air as they succumbed to sleep.

Twice more he reached for her in the night, woke her with kisses, and made love to her.
Incredible
, she thought, warm and safe in his embrace, wishing they had never parted. But when rays from the sunrise slanted through the blinds and struck her face the next morning, Ellie shot up in bed.

Carter slept soundly. He looked magnificent, his muscular physique and tanned skin glowing in the sunlight.

A sleeping lion
.

The fact that he posed the greatest threat to her dreams—yet was the only one who could make them come true—hit her hard.

Untangling herself from the sheets, she slipped out of his bed. Dressing quickly, she gathered her things. Then she glanced once more at Carter.

The attraction that brought them together the first time, when they were young and naïve, had been based on respect and love. What he was asking of her now defiled everything he’d ever meant to her. And he’d meant so much...

But this was not the young man she fell in love with years ago. The new version of Carter was bitter, angry, vengeful.

Anger and frustration consumed her.

I will not be used as a means to your end
.

Heart aching, she left his room. If he wanted her so badly, he would ask for her surrender—not demand it.

She raced back to her room before anyone caught her exiting his suite. Weary, aching in intimate places, she pushed aside memories of their night together. She glanced at the events on her calendar for that day.

The liquor and wine collection would be shipped to Neville in the next hour. A bubble of excitement rose in her chest, bringing with it a glimmer of hope.

When she saw what else awaited her, she groaned.

Arnoff Applestone would also arrive within hour. This was the last thing she needed complicating her life. Yet her uncle insisted she cater to each investor, in the hopes of winning a bid on the hotel that would erase her debt and secure her future.

Carter’s proposition, while achieving both aims, would not allow her any sort of freedom. She would be beholden to him, every move she made directed by him, scrutinized and judged. And what happened when Carter grew tired of their long-distance affair? What if he took up with another mistress, and decided to sell the hotel later on? The notion burned through her stomach like acid.

Would Arnoff be different? Would he allow her to keep her dreams and her freedom, with fewer strings attached?

Releasing a tense sigh, Ellie realized she was about to find out.

*

As Carter roused from slumber, he instinctively reached for Ellie. All he found were cold sheets. He sat up, scrubbing a hand down his face, and stared at the empty place beside him in bed. His hands fisted.

“This was not part of the deal,” he seethed.

Uncontrollable fury ignited in him. Did she think he’d let her slip away, after she gave him her word?

She thought wrong
.

Exhausted from their amazing night of sex, but fired up by her absence, Carter levered himself out of bed. He threw on jeans and a t-shirt, without bothering to shower or check himself in the mirror. He was in no mood to care.

Finger-combing his hair as he stalked down the hallway, he approached her room and knocked with his fist. “Ellie, if you’re in there, open up.”

No response.

“Don’t mess with me, little girl. You won’t like the way I play.”

Someone moved toward him in the hall. He turned to find Matilda. She assessed him coolly. “Miss Montgomery is not in her room, sir. You’d do better to look in the dining area. Last I saw, she was having breakfast.”

“Thank you.”

She gave a curt nodded.

Carter took off in the direction of the dining hall, his blood boiling. If she had waited, he would’ve ordered breakfast in bed. And lunch. And dinner. Andre would’ve delivered the meals personally, so they never had to leave the room. Carter wanted her right there beside him, or under him, always within reach.

One night wasn’t enough. Not nearly.
It’ll take a lifetime to get my fill
.

Carter was too pissed off to give that thought much consideration. Bottom line—she was his. And he wanted her back in his bed. Now.

Disheveled and not giving a damn, he paused in the dining area’s open doors until he spotted Ellie. She sat with her back to him, and across the table from her was one of the ugliest guys Carter had ever seen. His teeth were yellow and crooked—Carter could tell when the guy smiled at Ellie. Thready strands of hair swept over his bald head from a steep side part. His eyes were slightly bugged out, his nose flat and wide. He looked like a genetic experiment gone wrong.

How dare he sit at the same table with Ellie? That spot was reserved for Carter alone.

Prepared to stake his claim, he advanced on them. He heard Ellie speaking to the man cheerfully, in a careless ramble, as if she hadn’t just signed herself over to Carter, body and soul. As if they hadn’t spent the entire night making love and fulfilling each other’s every desire.

Carter stopped in front of them, pinning Ellie with a hard stare. “Did you think it would be that easy?”

Ellie’s teacup clattered to its saucer.

“You should know me better by now, sweetheart.” He held out his hand for her to accept. “You have an appointment. With me.”

She ignored his gesture. “Arnoff Applestone, I’d like you to meet Carter Stratton, the other investor interested in buying the Montgomery Hotel.”

Carter pointed at Arnoff. “This guy?”

Primly, she folded her hands on the table and explained. “You will be bidding against each other on Friday. I hope in the meantime we can leave our egos at the door and save the competitive spirit for the auction.”

“He is my competition,” Carter deadpanned.
Yeah, right
. “Come with me, Ellie. We need to finish nailing more details of our negotiation,” he said tongue-in-cheek.

Arnoff spoke. “The lady seems quite content in my company.”

“Who the hell are you to say what she does or doesn’t feel?”

“Carter, don’t make a scene,” Ellie hissed. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Then talk to me out there.” He pointed to the hallway.

Ellie offered a pained smile as she said, “Arnoff, please excuse us a moment.”

With a smarmy grin, he replied, “I’ll be here waiting, dear.”

Dear?
Territorial instinct kicked Carter in the gut. He whipped back around to set this idiot straight.

Ellie grabbed his arm, dragging him toward the exit. “Carter,” she said in a warning tone, “if you want to talk, let’s talk.”

When they reached the hallway, Carter switched their roles, leading Ellie into a shadowed nook beneath the curving staircase.

His hands flattened above her head, his body trapping her against the wall. “You think I came all this way for one night?”

“I don’t care what you came for. That’s all you’ll get from me.”

He chuckled low. “I don’t think so, honey. You agreed to my terms last night. You belong to me.”

“I agreed because I felt trapped. Now there may be an alternative.”

He stared incredulously. “The dude that looks like a toad? You’ve got to be joking.”

Eyes slitted, she notched up her chin. “If I’m going to subject myself to someone’s mercy, I want to explore my options.”

Dragging his thumb across her pink lips, he smeared her lipstick. “Did you wear this for him?”

He didn’t give her time to reply. He sucked her bottom lip, then her top lip, removing all traces of lipstick before he swirled his tongue into her mouth.

Ellie’s breathing turned rapid. Her hands went to his chest, but her shove turned into a caress as he kissed her more deeply.

Then his cell phone rang.

Cursing, he grabbed his cell and checked the caller ID.
Neville
. “I need to take this.” His eyes narrowed on her. “Don’t go far.”

The second she saw an opening, Ellie bolted. She shut herself in the women’s bathroom across from the dining hall.

“Neville,” Carter answered. He went upstairs for privacy. “Anyone ever tell you, you have the worst timing?”

“I have even worse news.”

Carter tensed. “Spill it.”

“The guys invested in the Pierce acquisition won’t release your funds until you meet them in person.”

“Excuse me?”

“I believe they’re going to resort to extortion.”

“That’s not an option.” Carter paced the second-floor landing. “I need that investment liquid by Friday.”

“It’s not going to happen. I’ve done everything humanly possible.”

“Who are these people you’re dealing with?”

Neville sounded weary and depressed. “I’ve come to learn over the past few days that the Mafia is alive and well. Thriving, actually.”

Carter felt like he’d taken a punch. “I’m never going to see that money.”

“Not likely,” Neville admitted in a small voice.

Until now, Carter never heard what a grown man sounded like on the verge of tears. “Then clear your calendar for the next two days. You’re going to be busy.”

“I’ve done all I can!”

“Now you can start leveraging my other assets. We need at least two-million. I’ll meet you at my hotel in Hilton Head in three hours.”

Chapter 9

Just when Ellie thought Arnoff might be a better alternative to Carter, everything changed the day before the auction.

It was Thursday afternoon.
Already
, she thought, staring down at the water from the top tier of Arnoff’s ostentatious yacht. The gray skies and murky waves reflected her dismal mood.

At first, Arnoff seemed like a gentleman, if a bit socially awkward in his mannerisms and appearance. But as of that morning, when Carter was nowhere to be found for the second day in a row, Arnoff made a complete reversal. He turned into the demeaning, self-centered, arrogant jerk he’d been the first time he visited the island to assess the hotel’s potential.

Ellie should’ve refused his invitation to go sailing on his yacht. Against her instincts, she’d accepted, although she’d made the captain promise not to stray more than a mile from El Dorado’s shoreline. Now she was regretting that choice more and more as the minutes stretched into hours, and their “little jaunt” became an all-day event. She felt jittery, tense, her fears of being on the water amassing into a knot of constant anxiety.

“Did you see the dolphins yet, sweet cheeks?” Arnoff came up behind her and patted her backside.

Ellie moved a few feet away. “I’ve lived on El Dorado Island my entire life—yes, I’ve seen dolphins.”

He opened a fresh pack of sardines. Ellie experienced a wave of nausea.

“Here.” He waved them in front of her face. “I found another batch. This should get the fish’s attention.”

“Dolphins are mammals, not fish.”

“Whatever. Throw them a few. See if they come closer this time.”

“This isn’t Sea World.” Grossed out, she forced herself to take a sardine from the can with two fingertips, holding it as far away as possible. She tossed the stinky thing overboard. “There it goes.”

The waves buried the tiny silver flash instantly. “No dolphins. Oh, well.” She checked her watch. “I think it’s time to head back.”

“It feels like we just got here.” Arnoff sidled up next to her, smearing his fish-greased hands over her white sundress.

“I’m not feeling well.”

He nodded. “It’s the waves. There’s a storm brewing out there. A hurricane, they predict,” he said with a shrug. “You’ll have to get used to being on my yacht, though. I take it everywhere I go up and down the east coast.”

“So?”

“You’ll come with me. I’m bringing you along when I travel.”

Oh, no you’re not
.

“I want to show you the yacht’s master suite. Now that’s real luxury.” He pulled her against him, his crooked teeth visible through his sneer. She’d think with all his money he’d get them fixed. Dentures would be an improvement. “Let’s go see what kind of action we can find in my bedroom.”

“No!” She tried to calm down. “I’d rather stay out here in the fresh air.” She put her hand on her stomach, reminding him she wasn’t feeling well.

“You’ll get used to it—you know, the sickness. I want five, maybe six kids.

Gross!
Ellie was tempted to dive overboard, even face her worst fear, anything to get away from him.

“You’ll look okay pregnant, even with the weight gain. Just make sure you lose it right after. I want you looking good, your hot, tight little body beside me.” He gazed at her with condescending ownership. “You’re great arm candy. The perfect woman to show off my success.”

Instead of dignifying his statement with a response, she angled away from him.

Every conversation they had since last night ended with her sidestepping his sexual innuendos, and him believing she’d come around.

She wasn’t sure how he would respond to an outright rejection. Better to wait until they got back to shore before she hit him with the news.

No, I won’t be your barefoot, pregnant little wife. No, I don’t want to have your children. I would rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean—during a hurricane—than see you naked or feel you touching touch me.