Summer Heat Wave

by Lauren Smith

  “Mermaids . . . ,” Anne sighed dreamily.

  Denver knew without turning around that the water ballet featuring his professional divers in “mer” costumes had begun. He had timed this perfectly.

  “Well, you don’t see that every day.” Jack chuckled. “That’s quite something. It makes me wonder what you have planned for Bali?”

  “Yes,” Anne said with a nod, glancing at her husband. “On the way over here, we were talking about your plan. Do you mean for it to be a sister site to this one or another experience entirely?”

  Denver shot a glance at Blair, and she smiled at him encouragingly, her thigh pressing more firmly against his.

  “Show them, honey. You’ve got the plans on your phone, right?” she asked, fluttering her dark lashes in a way that made him want to feather kisses on her closed eyelids. Damn, the woman was dangerous.

  “Yes, let me show you.” Denver pulled up his phone and began retrieving files through his cloud server while the waiter returned and took everyone’s dinner order.

  “For Atlantis Rising, I want to take it to the next level. An underwater hotel. Several companies are currently vying to secure funding, building permits, and locations. I have created models that are comparable to the models of proposed projects like the Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort in Dubai. So far, there are no other multiroom underwater hotels anywhere, but it’s going to be the new thing. I want to be more exclusive but still keep it in the realm of affordability for most of my current clientele.”

  “What is your pricing per night?” Anne leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. Denver knew from his research that Anne was the number cruncher, while Jack was more of the creative, big-picture thinker.

  Denver leaned in, going full business mode. “I want to keep it under three thousand. Hydropolis has a proposed fee of more than five thousand a night. I think that’s too steep.”

  “You’re right,” Blair said. “Keep it too high, and it becomes a once-in-a-lifetime price tag. Make it a little lower, and it becomes an every-other-year experience. More people can come, which means more people can talk about it. Therefore, you have the more popular, better-known resort.”

  “Exactly.” Denver was impressed that Blair saw the lower pricing as an advantage. By the look on Jack’s and Anne’s faces, they agreed. He had been nervous about proposing a more affordable experience, given his natural proclivity toward pricey experiences. But he wanted this hotel to be known around the world.

  “Let’s see some room examples,” Jack asked. Denver flipped through his phone again to show the underwater bedrooms, dining facilities, libraries, and even a concert hall.

  “I trust you have the best engineers working on this?” Jack inquired before he sipped his wine.

  “Naturally. It will cost a lot to pull them away from other projects, but they have been working on the plans and designs for over a year. The biggest trick is having a land station and a place to group guests easily and then use an underwater soundless train to transport them to the underwater lodgings.”

  “What’s the status of the one in Dubai? How close are they to building it?”

  He flashed a cocky smile. “That’s where we get lucky. Hydropolis ran into problems. They had some financial issues and disagreements with the Dubai Development and Investment Authority. There are plenty of places now that offer underwater restaurants, or semi-underwater rooms, but nothing like what I’m proposing. The government of Bali has been happy to work with me. They want Bali to become famous for the new hotel, and they have less ego than places like Dubai and less bureaucratic red tape and bribery requirements than you might see off the coast of China.”

  He let his statements sink in and glanced Blair’s way. She was watching him with breathless excitement, as though she could see the value of his vision and how successful it could be where others would fail. Knowing she understood him and his dreams caused a frisson of excitement to run through him.

  “Could you provide us with an entire financial proposal for the project this week?” Anne asked after she thanked the waiter who brought them their food.

  “I absolutely can.” Denver was ready with all of the financials and anything else they might need to make a decision this week about investing.

  As they ate, Denver explained as much as he could to the Hudsons about his plans for Atlantis Rising and the experiences hotel guests would have. Then the discussion moved naturally toward Blair and her work. He was surprised at how interested he was to hear about her ad work. It reminded him of his father and how Denver had loved looking over his father’s latest campaigns. The parallel sent a sharp pang straight through the center of his chest. Blair was a lot like his father, full of vision and passion for the creative aspects of advertising.

  As the dinner wound down, Anne changed the subject.

  “Is there somewhere we can go dancing tonight? I should be tired from the long flight, but I’m not. I’d love to go out and see a bit of the island.”

  A surge of triumph filled Denver, but it was tempered by the realization that he’d have to keep up the dating charade with Blair that much longer tonight.

  “The Waterloo Club is nice. I can call and have my car brought around.” Denver knew that club would be safe, classy, and fun for anyone wanting to get out and about on Paradise Island.

  “Great. Give us fifteen minutes to settle in, and we will meet you in the lobby,” Jack said before he and his wife left the restaurant.

  Denver shifted in the booth, only to feel Blair’s leg move away from his. They’d been touching the entire dinner, and losing the heat of her shapely, slender leg against his own was strangely disappointing. He forced himself to snap out of it.

  Denver and Blair both got up and walked toward the lobby to wait for the other couple. He placed his hand at the small of her back, wanting to touch her in some small way.

  “I think that went well. What do you think?” Blair asked.

  “It went well—better than I expected,” he had to admit. Having Blair as the fourth person in their party had helped the dinner go smoothly. By having her there with him, things felt even more balanced in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

  “I didn’t know your Bali hotel is going to be underwater. It sounds incredible.”

  “It’s something I’ve dreamed about for years. I got the idea when I was snorkeling over the underwater Bimini Road here in the Bahamas.”

  “What’s the Bimini Road?” Blair pulled a lip gloss from her small shoulder strap purse and coated her lips with a natural rose shade that matched her mouth. For a second, Denver forgot they were even talking. All he could see was Blair’s mouth, her lips pink and shimmering, and he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. He wanted to push her to her knees, command her to open her mouth and take him all the way. She would gaze up at him with those lovely doe-brown eyes, all innocent and yet sexy, as she sucked him into blissful oblivion.

  “Denver?” Blair said softly as she tucked the lip gloss back in her purse. He frowned at her because it was the easiest thing he could do to tamp down on the dangerous thoughts that involved them doing anything sexual.

  “What did you ask me?” He walked toward the valet desk to have one of the valets retrieve his car, and she followed him.

  “The Bimini Road. What is it?”

  Right . . . Atlantis . . . Now he remembered what they had been talking about.

  Denver leaned against the valet desk, one arm propped on the counter while he faced Blair. She leaned in to hear him, her body mere inches from his, and he liked having her full, fascinated attention.

  “The Bimini Road is an underwater rock formation north of the islands. It’s composed of massive limestone blocks. A lot of geologists and archaeologists believe it’s a natural formation, but there’s an element of mystery about it, because it looks like an ancient wall or road. The lost city of Atlantis has been associated with it for years, not that there’s any real evidence.”

  �
��People love to believe in things. I think it’s nice that magic still exists somewhere in the world, don’t you?” A dreamy smile lit her face in a way that made him want to memorize her features. God, she was a gorgeous woman, but even more so when she smiled.

  “I agree. It inspired the idea for an underwater resort, a true modern Atlantis.”

  “Will you let me come and stay when it’s done?” Blair’s tone was teasing, but he didn’t miss the hopeful hint in her words.

  “I could . . .” He still hated her father, but he wasn’t so angry with Blair, at least not right now. She had done a good job at dinner. His first instinct had been to say yes, that she was welcome anywhere he was, but then he remembered who she was. It bothered him, but not as much as it had the day before.

  “Well, let’s hope we survive dancing,” she murmured as the Hudsons joined them in the lobby again.

  Dancing. Denver cringed but deepened his resolve to play the part of a man wildly in love. Yet the thought of holding Blair close in the dark, having an excuse to touch her, caress her, maybe even kiss her, was an irresistible temptation.

  6

  The outdoor pool and dance area of the Waterloo Club was packed with rich young tourists. The smell of expensive perfumes, sweat, and briny sea air teased the senses. A DJ was set up near the pool, and music boomed from the expensive speakers hung all over the club’s interior and exterior. The night had taken over the skies, and the club’s lasers were flashing wildly in waves of blue and purple over the dancers.

  Denver put an arm around Blair’s waist as they navigated the crowd, and she leaned into him, relieved to have him protecting her as he guided her through the crush of people to where they’d be a safe distance from the pool.

  Anne immediately pulled Jack onto the dance floor, and they were soon lost in the crowd. Blair exhaled a sigh of relief since she could press pause on her pretend relationship with Denver.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked her.

  “Yes, thank you.” Her throat was dry, and she was glad to have a minute alone.

  “Stay here,” he commanded and then disappeared into the crowd toward the bar.

  Blair slipped into a chair at a little cocktail table at the back of the deck and watched the dancers. The music was fast-paced, with a good beat and melody. Every now and then, she caught glimpses of Jack and Anne dancing. Despite being in their late forties, the married couple seemed to have the vigor of a couple in their twenties. Blair was impressed—more than impressed—by the couple.

  They were a dynamic duo who ran their investment group. But it wasn’t just that. They were still happily married, still adorably romantic. They had what she had always longed for: a partner she could work alongside and still be hopelessly addicted to and in love with. She’d enjoyed kissing Denver tonight, even if it had been just on the cheek. His skin had been warm, and she’d caught a hint of his aftershave. It had felt so easy, so natural, so exciting, to play like he was hers. The entire time he’d pressed his knee against hers, she’d wanted to put her hand on his thigh, but she’d resisted the urge.

  “Here.” Denver joined her at the table and placed a glass in front of her.

  “What is it?” She took a sip.

  “A cranberry mimosa.”

  “Oh, I’ve always wanted to try one.” She took another sip. “Boy, that’s strong champagne.”

  “Too strong?” Denver leaned forward. “I can get you something else.”

  “No, no, it’s fine.” She could use a stiff drink to help her relax a bit. Dinner had been easier than expected, but she was still on edge. Denver had been able to talk about his hotel plans, but now they were in a setting that was supposed to display their romance, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to play her part to the fullest. Blair downed the remainder of her mimosa and stood to get another, but Denver caught her hand as she passed by his chair.

  “You should slow down. Too many of those, and—”

  “And what?” She rounded on him, but her heel caught on something and she fell onto his lap. He gripped her waist, holding her steady as she clutched his shirt.

  “And you’ll be tripping into my lap,” Denver finished for her as he caught her chin and tilted her face up to his. “Don’t tell me you’re a lightweight?”

  “I’m not.” She pushed on his chest in an attempt to move off him, but his grip turned hard.

  “They’re watching. Stay here,” he murmured before he pulled her face toward his.

  Blair’s heart pounded as she closed her eyes, expecting a kiss. But he brushed her hair back from her neck instead, and his mouth touched the sensitive skin of her throat.

  Denver Ramsey was kissing her neck, licking and nibbling his way up to her ear, and . . . Oh God, not that spot . . . Sharp hunger hit her womb, and wetness flooded her. She clenched her thighs together and held in a whimper of sexual need so powerful that it still escaped through her mouth as a humming sound. In that moment she couldn’t think beyond his lips touching her skin. There was just him—and his wicked mouth and his hand sliding up her thigh, under her dress.

  She jolted at the first brush of his fingertips on her mound. Her panties seemed to be no real barrier to him as he stroked her. He bit her earlobe just as he started to push her panties aside, and her legs weakened, opening to him.

  Suddenly a girl screamed, and there was a loud splash. Pool water exploded around them. Denver jerked her closer, as though to protect her. Blair struggled to catch her breath, even though she had no reason to be breathless. Had that just happened? She blinked to clear her daze and found the source of the distraction. A young man had pushed his girlfriend into the pool. The woman came up sputtering and splashing with a shriek, but she was smiling.

  Denver’s hold tightened on Blair, keeping her cuddled close on his lap. She felt coveted, desired, and protected as he held her. It was all part of the fantasy, the game, and Blair couldn’t help but enjoy it.

  “You two need to get out here,” Anne called to them from the edge of the dance area.

  “We’re being summoned,” she told Denver.

  “Then we must go.” He helped her off his lap, and she held out a hand to him. He stared at it, and Blair offered him an encouraging smile. He finally placed his hand in hers, and they started toward the dance floor.

  “Just to warn you, I’m a terrible dancer.” She grinned as he whirled her around and into his arms.

  “Oh?” He gave her another spin and caught her when she would have tripped. She fell against him, and he curled his arms around her waist.

  “Yeah, I’m all left feet with this kind of dancing,” she admitted. “Which means your toes are in danger.”

  “Well, all you have to do is use your hips and follow me.” He rolled his hips, and she didn’t fight him; instead, she did her best to relax into him.

  She was always too in control of herself to let go and dance. That and her inherent sensuality in dancing had never kicked in like it had for other girls when they hit high school age. She had been in gymnastics through middle school and could dance, but not like this. Denver’s moves were as fluid as the sea, and she let him have full control.

  The music boomed and soared as the DJ ramped up the beat. Lights flashed in a whirl around them. She gazed up into Denver’s face as the colored lights moved over their bodies. In the semidarkness, it felt less dangerous to want him the way she did. Like tonight was a dream, one that would leave her come dawn. She didn’t want to miss any of it.

  She curled her arms around his neck, and he lowered his head until their foreheads touched. They were two bodies, moving as one; nothing existed outside of that moment. For the first time in her life, she felt free, free in the arms of someone who had every reason to hate her. But right then, they were united in pretending they were madly in love. That was something, wasn’t it?

  Denver left Blair a while later to get two cups of water after they abandoned the dance floor. Jack and Anne also took a break from dancing. Jack join
ed Denver in his quest for drinks, leaving the ladies to rest at one of the tables behind the dance floor. When they reached the crowded bar, the two men stepped into line.

  “So, are you enjoying the island?” Denver asked Jack.

  Jack flashed him a smile. “Quite a bit. Anne and I haven’t been on a proper vacation for about a year, so we’re embracing this and choosing to live it up while we can.”

  “Good. That’s what the island is for—to let go and live.”

  “Speaking of living, Anne said she heard you live at the resort full-time?”

  “I do,” Denver said. As soon as the resort had been built, he had moved in. The need to separate himself from his past had been overwhelming. He had barely made it through college and graduate school before he had been desperate to flee to the islands.

  “You have to know I looked up Blair after we met her tonight,” Jack admitted.

  “I figured you might. And?” Denver kept calm as he waited to hear what Jack would say.

  “Well, I admit I was shocked when I put together who she is—or rather, who her father is.”

  There it was, the tiger in the room, as Blair had called it.

  “Yes, when I met her at a conference in Chicago, I didn’t know who she was. By the time I figured it out, well, it was too late. I was already falling in love with her.” The lie came off his tongue way too easily.

  “That says a lot about you.” Jack’s face was serious.

  “Does it?”

  “It proves you aren’t about to let a child suffer the sins of her father. Blair Ashworth has a sterling reputation for being a hard worker. Anne and I were actually going to call her in a few months about advertising for one of our other investments. We heard her name mentioned in a few meetings. Until tonight, I hadn’t put it together that Paul Ashworth is her father.”