Kalani frowned, while keeping his cool. "Don't be ridiculous. I'd hardly call talking to her pawing all over her. She's a friend and I'm trying to help her land a gig as a singer at the Kaanapali Palms. I'm just giving her a lift home. I won't be long."
He kissed Rosita on the cheek and fully expected her to bitch some more. Instead, she told him calmly, "I'll try to keep things from falling apart in your absence."
Kalani had no doubt she would do just that. It was in her DNA and she loved running the place. He was more than content to allow this, which gave him more time to pursue other interests.
Outside, he found Genevieve. She looked like a lost puppy, albeit a very enticing one.
"Is everything all right?" she asked nervously.
"Yes," he assured her. "Rosita won't give us any problems." At least not for the time being, Kalani thought.
They took the short stroll down the walkway on the ocean side of Kaanapali Beach, where Kalani had no trouble ignoring the tourists coming and going, as he was totally focused on Genevieve.
Once inside the spacious condo, they set everything else aside and had sex. For his part, Kalani felt reinvigorated each time they were together that way. Genevieve knew just how to get him off, and he was still learning what she wanted in bed.
Afterward, they sat in the living room and smoked a joint. He kept a stash of marijuana there, knowing it was something she enjoyed, and he had a vested interest in pleasing her, even when they weren't having sex.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Genevieve asked curiously, as she draped her leg across his.
"A job," Kalani said succinctly. He paused for effect. "I got you an audition to sing and play guitar at the Kaanapali Palms grand opening—and maybe you'll even get a regular gig at one of the hotel's clubs."
She flashed her teeth and hugged him. "Thanks so much, Kalani."
He took in her scent, arousing him. "I'm happy to help any way I can."
She pulled back. "I've been practicing several different songs. I really hope I can make the grade."
"With your voice and sweet guitar playing ability, I have no doubt you'll win them over, just as you have me."
Genevieve gave him a seductive look. "You won me over."
This was music to Kalani's ears. "Really?" he asked, playing along.
She sucked on the joint, made him do the same, and uttered sexily, "I'll show you how much."
As she went down on him, Kalani felt his temperature rise and, oddly enough, found himself thinking about Rosita, wishing it was her he was with at this moment.
* * *
Rosita Okamura had been affected more than she wanted to admit by Kalani's pretty girl toy showing up there and getting him to leave at the mere snap of her finger. It seemed like her husband was being ruled more by what was between his legs and what his latest mistress had to offer.
Not that she could blame him. After all, two could play that game and she had no problem keeping score.
She did wonder, though, if after twenty-five years, their marriage would survive, tradition and sacrifices aside. One could only assume that at the end of the day, neither of them would throw away everything they had worked so hard for. At least this was what she used to keep her going in their sexless marriage, by and large.
To satisfy her own sexual needs, Rosita called upon her latest lover, Chad, a good-looking waiter and bartender, whom she paid for his expert services, which he never failed to deliver on.
"It's really busy in here," he said, while mixing a drink for a customer.
Rosita could see that, but still wanted him, not because of Kalani's sexual escapades, but in spite of. "We'll be quick, I promise," she whispered in his ear. "Meanwhile, Tucker can man the ship during your absence."
"Fine." Chad nodded at his fellow bartender, Tucker, and followed Rosita to the back room.
Rosita was so turned on, and feeling a bit more daring than usual, that she decided not to go to the privacy of her office. Instead, they went into a storage room where she backed her lover up against the door and started kissing him passionately.
He began to return the kisses and before Rosita knew it, they had turned around so she now had her back to the door. She watched him slip on a condom, at which point, she raised her legs up so they latched onto his hips.
He made love to her and she had one long and one short orgasm, before the sensations died down and they uncoupled.
"Was it good for you?" Chad asked routinely, as he fastened his trousers.
"I think you know the answer," Rosita uttered boldly, straightening her muumuu.
"I'll take that as a yes." He grinned and put some lip balm on his mouth.
"Please do." She was not afraid to let him know he was more than up to the task of playing his role nicely. In a perfect world, it would have been better had she just been with her husband. But there wasn't anything perfect about the world they lived in.
As such, Rosita had learned to play the hand she was dealt and make the most of it. Just as Kalani surely was.
She grabbed a couple of bottles of wine, handing them to Chad, and then lifted another bottle to carry back herself to the restaurant, so no questions would be asked of either of them.
* * *
Chad Gibson resumed his duties, splitting his time at the restaurant between working the bar and waiting tables. Between tips and hourly pay, it was pretty stable income, with the place popular amongst vacationers staying on Kaanapali Beach.
But where he made his most money was his side occupation as a gigolo, servicing older women like Rosita, who referred him to other sexually dissatisfied women. At twenty-seven, Chad didn't see this as a lifelong profession. Yes, he enjoyed sex as well as the next person. Maybe even more. But he could only go so far as a boy toy for well-to-do women.
Especially when he had a girlfriend he was crazy about. He had met Adelaide Kehanu, a Filipino model who was working throughout Hawaii, three years ago when he came to Maui for a surfing competition.
He ended up staying on the island and hit it off with Adelaide. But she was on the other islands more than Maui, where they shared a cottage. A friend had introduced him to the gigolo business a year and an half ago. Struggling to make ends meet, Chad had taken up the profession. It allowed him to get out from under debt and actually put away some money for a rainy day.
He expected Adelaide to return home in a few days and they could pick up right where they left off, as always.
In the meantime, he would continue to juggle his jobs, while continuing to surf and scuba dive for fun and recreation.
* * *
At three-thirty, Stewart met with Victor Quail and other security personnel to be brought up to speed.
"We have the top of the line security system," Victor said, as they stood in a monitoring room. "Cameras are everywhere and can catch anything that's going down."
"I can see that," Stewart said, as he glanced at the monitors. "Not that I'm surprised. From everything I've seen, Ben is running a first rate hotel."
Victor chuckled. "Yeah, this is his baby all right. And he wants everything to go smoothly for the grand opening and afterward."
"We'll make sure it does," Stewart told him, in assuming his new position. Though this was a whole new can of worms compared to working in law enforcement and doing some private investigation work, he was more than up to the task. And it didn't hurt that he also had a support group that was just as dedicated.
"Let's go take a look at some of the other security equipment around the hotel," said Victor.
Stewart nodded. "Lead the way."
A short time later, he had familiarized himself with the hotel's security features and staff under his authority. He was also given a direct line to the Maui Police Department, who offered their support should it be needed, in wanting to make sure that things ran smoothly.
As it was, Stewart was aware that Kaanapali Beach was perhaps the safest place to be on the island, which bode well for him in prote
cting visitors from crime and making them feel at home with the accommodations.
With Yoshiko on his mind, Stewart tracked her down on the fifth floor. She was grabbing some items from her cart. Even in her housekeeping uniform, he couldn't help but feel she looked sexy.
"Aloha," he said, catching her slightly off guard.
She looked up and smiled. "Hi."
He grinned. "You're looking at the new head of security at Kaanapali Palms Hotel."
"Congratulations," she told him sincerely.
"I have you to thank for it, in part."
She raised a brow. "How so?"
"Well, you encouraged me to go for it. And I decided to take your advice."
Yoshiko showed her teeth. "I'm glad I could be of assistance."
"I think this calls for a celebration," Stewart said, meeting her pretty eyes.
"Really?" She held his gaze. "What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking dinner. Any place you want, especially since I haven't had time to familiarize myself with the local restaurants, aside from the Sun and Seas restaurant in the hotel."
Yoshiko took a moment, before responding, "Dinner sounds nice. And I actually think that restaurant is great. I can meet you there after I get off work at five."
Stewart was slightly disappointed. He had hoped they might get away from their work setting and go somewhere else. But the fact that she accepted the invitation at all suggested that she was open to seeing if this was headed anywhere, something she had alluded to at lunch yesterday.
"It's a date," he said, not wanting to put any pressure on her to move things along further than she was ready for.
"Great."
He still couldn't help but feel she was out of her element as a housekeeper, but kept it to himself. "Well, I guess I better let you get back to work then."
She smiled. "You, too. See you later."
Stewart walked away, thinking not only about Yoshiko and his attraction to her, but the need to return to Portland to get his things in order for the unexpected relocation to Hawaii.
* * *
Yoshiko watched as Stewart disappeared down the hall. She really was happy for him that her father had hired him. But she also saw this as an opportunity to dig for dirt or anything else that she could flush out on the side of Ben Crawford most people never saw. That included his other daughter, Leigh, whom Yoshiko suspected worshiped the ground he walked on—unlike her.
That's because he didn't discard you and your mother like yesterday's garbage, she thought irritably. Or a nuisance that interfered with his future plans.
Yoshiko checked her anger, realizing she needed to maintain a cool head if she was going to succeed at knocking her father off his pedestal, which included his latest multimillion dollar investment. Maybe Stewart could help her do that, with or without his knowledge.
Aside from that, she believed Stewart had a good heart and seemed like someone who might be entering her life at the right time. Or would there ever be a right time for someone who was badly wounded like her who was also very slow to heal? Especially when the main source of her despair was present at every turn.
Yoshiko sucked in a calming breath and went into the room she was cleaning. There were three other rooms to clean and then it was on to dinner with Stewart.
* * *
Leigh was stretched out on a chaise lounge on the beach in a purple one-piece swimsuit with her dark shades shielding her eyes from the sun. She was daydreaming about—who else—Masami. And they were doing—what else—making passionate love on the sand with a soft ocean breeze keeping them comfortable.
"Must be really good," she heard the voice say.
Opening her eyes, Leigh saw Masami looking down at her desirously. "Excuse me?"
"I was just thinking that you looked like you were daydreaming about something—or someone—that had your full attention. Maybe like me..."
"You wish." She colored, wondering if he could possibly be a mind reader as well as a chauffeur. "I wasn't daydreaming," she lied. "Just trying to catch some sun and work on my tan."
"You don't need a tan to be hot," he told her. "That just comes natural with you."
"If that's your attempt to get me back into bed, it's not happening." Leigh wanted to smack herself for saying exactly the opposite of how she truly felt. But she questioned just how wise it was to appear too overeager to want him, after his disappearing act early this morning—especially if he only saw her as an attractive sex object.
"It's not about that," Masami insisted. "Not all the time anyway. I want to get to know you, if you'll let me."
"Don't you mean if my father lets you?" she asked with a sly smile. "Aren't you supposed to be preoccupied with driving him around or whatever?"
"He gave me the rest of the day off."
"Really?" She lowered her sunglasses to see his face more clearly, even while noting that he was wearing a sexy red T-shirt, blue shorts, and flip-flops. "How did you manage that?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't hard. I took him into town; he finished his business, and he decided he wouldn't be leaving the grounds again today."
"Lucky you," she said.
Masami chuckled. "No, that was last night. Whether that will hold true tonight, who knows?"
Leigh frowned. "I thought we weren't going there?"
"We aren't—unless you want to."
She was getting turned on thinking about it, against her better judgment. "There are other things we could do," she suggested.
"I'm all ears. I have nothing but time for the rest of the day."
Leigh was starting to believe that maybe he wasn't just one-dimensional and did actually want something of substance from her.
But that could wait. Especially since all she wanted at the moment was his hot body, minus the shirt and shorts he wore.
She stood up and moved close to him so their faces were barely an inch apart. "Why don't we go to my suite and discuss it...or not—"
He grinned lasciviously. "Sounds good to me."
Leigh wondered what she was getting herself into in wanting him in and out of the bedroom. Was she playing with fire that would only get her burned? Or was this the start of something great that could give her a real reason to stay on Maui well past the grand opening?
By the time they reached her room and started making out, she decided to live for the pulse-racing moment. Afterward, she could approach the most desirable problem called Masami on a more cerebral level.
* * *
Kaanapali Beach Paradise, Part 1, is a bonus novelette included with book two of the Leila Kahana Mysteries, Murder on Kaanapali Beach.
# # #
The following is a bonus suspense thriller short story
KILL AND SAY GOODBYE
By R. Barri Flowers
He stood alone on the beach in the wee hours of the morning. Barefoot, with his trousers pulled up to just below his knees, he watched as the waves rolled across the body he had dumped there. It gave him great pleasure to give back to nature in a way that only the fish could love. Having a dead body to feast upon was like Thanksgiving Day for them.
All in a day's work.
Make that day and night. After all, it took him hours to catch his pretty prey off guard, render her unconscious with his handy stun gun, and take her back to his place for some real fun before finally putting her out of her misery. Then he took the lifeless body to the beach, placing her at the water's edge.
So long, lady, he mumbled to himself. Hate to kill and say goodbye, but I didn't really have much choice. And, unfortunately, neither did you.
He gazed out at the ocean a bit longer, contemplating his next move. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone rapidly approaching, tracking footprints in the sand. He assumed the jogger was trying to get a head start on other runners at this early hour.
He turned and quickly headed in the opposite direction.
* * *
Gena LaCrosse barely avoided stepping on a bigger than averag
e snail during her early morning run on the beach, which surely would have given her the heebie-jeebies. She hated the thought of taking any creature's life, no matter how gross they were.
She hated even more that she'd gotten involved with a control freak who didn't know when enough was enough. Fortunately she did, breaking off their nine-month relationship after he threatened her with bodily harm. As expected, her ex, Colin Murray—a bodyguard and former bartender—didn't take it very well.
His words replayed in her mind...
Don't even think about leaving me, Gena. I mean it! I'll say when it's over and it ain't.
Like hell it wasn't.
Gena refused to allow herself to be a prisoner in a relationship that was going nowhere other than down a dangerous path she wanted no part of. After contacting the authorities and being told she could get a temporary restraining order that they admitted wasn't worth the paper it was typed on if someone really wanted to hurt you, Gena did the next best thing.
She took a leave of absence from her job as a financial analyst for a Chicago firm and escaped under the cover of darkness.
Her boss, Phil Vale, believing she was overstressed and needed to get away for a while, offered Gena the use of his summer cabin in Fortune Beach, Oregon. Having never been anywhere in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, other than a brief stop in Seattle once, she jumped at the chance to disappear. At least until Colin cooled down and accepted the fact that they were never going to get back together.
The only condition was that Phil had to keep her location just between them, so no unwanted guests would find her. Phil agreed, and five days ago Gena made the cross-country trip. She was getting settled into the quaint, picturesque coastal community that was a haven for artists, retirees, and plenty of tourists looking for out of the way places to visit.
Being an active runner, Gena was able to pretty much fall back into step from day one. The beach, save for a snail or crab that found their way to shore, was pristine and a good, open space to jog before the late August heat took over with a vengeance in the afternoon.
Murder of the Hula Dancers Page 31