by C. R. Moss
Feeling like a bucket of cold ice water had been thrown on her, Ivy gulped and nodded. “Let’s go in and find the guys, okay? Then maybe Robert will take us all up to his penthouse, and we can hang out there until the cops apprehend Travis and the whole mess blows over.”
“I think I want to sit here for a few more minutes. These new shoes are just eating my feet tonight. Besides, and I hate to say this, but won’t the cops need to catch Travis in the act with Kiran to be able to arrest him? If we go upstairs, that might blow their whole operation.”
Ivy chewed on her lower lip. “Damn it, you’re right. Okay. If you promise to stay right here, in sight of the volunteer table, I’ll go check on the men and come back. Sound good?”
Her cousin nodded.
“Cool. I’ll be right back.”
Ivy scanned the crowd as she scurried around searching for her men.
Neither was anywhere to be seen.
Needing a moment of peace and some air, Kiran snuck out of the ballroom. He strolled to the end of the concourse, lost in thought. What an interesting night so far. He had no clue where Ivy had gone off to, since it should have only taken a couple of minutes to fill out a card, and she’d been gone much longer than that. Robert had left when a Metro deputy chief showed up and asked for a private word with him.
Kiran wanted to enjoy the lull before the three of them went back upstairs.
“Well, hello, Mr. Emerson.”
Spinning toward the voice, he gulped. “Travis. What are you doing here?”
“Do you really have to ask?” The short, husky man reached into his jacket and pulled out a forty-five with a silencer attached. “I’m here to collect my due. And, this,” he waved the weapon in front of him, “is my insurance that you’ll cooperate.”
So much for a break in the evening. Taking a deep breath and gathering his scattered wits, he caught movement behind Travis. Seana? She bent over, pulled off her high-heeled shoes, and raised them above her head. “No!”
“No? You owe me my money. All of it plus int—”
Seana stopped in her tracks at Kiran’s shout. A puzzled expression skewed her face as her mouth silently formed the word “what?” The pointed tips of the heels stayed aimed at the man’s head. Did she really think hitting him with them would knock him out? Slowly, she lowered her weapons.
Before Kiran could tell her to leave, Travis growled and whirled, smacking her face with his fist. Everything from that point forward seemed to happen in slow motion. When Travis’s knuckles impacted her face, it looked like it’d turned to rubber, wobbling from the force. She spun, tripped over her feet, and fell. Her arms flailed in the air, but she couldn’t stop her descent. Seana struck her head on the marble floor and lay lifeless.
Kiran’s mouth dropped open. He jolted forward, wanting to check on her, make sure she still breathed and had a pulse. But Travis’s arm and the loud click from the pistol made him pause. “You bastard.” Making a fist, he planned to knock some sense into the loan shark and pay him back for hurting his friend.
Travis aimed the firearm at his head. A sinister chuckle rolled from him. “What? You think you can beat me up?”
A small group of men appeared at the other end of the hall and rushed up to them with their sidearms trained on the two of them.
Kiran thought his heart was going to give out.
One held a nine millimeter against the loan shark’s shoulder. “Travis Montgomery, you’re under arrest. Drop your weapon, put your hands on your head, and turn around slowly.”
As four men surrounded Travis and took him into custody, Kiran and Enzo dropped to Seana’s sides. What would his roomie say if her cousin died due to his stupidity? She’ll be mighty pissed, that’s for sure.
“Seana, baby, wake up for me.” Enzo checked her vitals then hollered at the officers to call an ambulance.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kiran asked, wanting to take care of his friend himself and not have some gangster paw her.
“I’m not who you think I am. My name is Zachary Russo. I’m with Metro, and I’m her date. You’re Kiran Emerson, Travis’s latest victim.”
“Oh.” His breath hitched when he thought about what could have happened. Kiran bowed and shook his head, wishing he hadn’t made certain assumptions and choices. “Um…yeah…about that.”
“No worries now.” Zachary clapped his shoulder and squeezed. “He and his cronies are going away. Your debt is cleared. You need to come with us, though, to make a statement. And if you could find Ivy, that’d be great. Tell her to get to Centennial Hospital so she can help admit her cousin and be there for her when she wakes.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
A few moments later, the emergency medical technicians arrived and whisked Seana away. Zachary followed the stretcher.
Shortly afterward, Kiran’s dates found him sitting on one of the benches that lined the large hallway.
“Oh my God,” Ivy blurted, sitting next to him. “What the hell happened? What’s with the police and the ambulance? Where’s Seana?”
“Ivy.” Robert stroked her arm. “Give Kiran a moment to gather his thoughts.”
Kiran’s insides twisted. He’d never wanted to hurt his friend or her cousin, and would never do anything to bring harm to the new man in his life either. He needed to start making better decisions. “All of this is my fault. Travis tracked me down. He wanted his money. He had a gun. Seana tried to stop him and….” The memories of the incident flooded his mind. Words failed him.
Robert knelt in front of him. “It’s okay. It’s all over now. Everyone is safe. Seana’s in good hands.”
“Did Zach say where he’s taking my cousin?” Ivy asked.
Kiran nodded. “Centennial. We should go. The cops need to speak to me anyway.”
“Use my car and driver so neither of you has to worry about navigating the mountain at night. I’d go with you, but my presence is still required at the event.”
“That’s all right, Rob,” Ivy offered. “We’ll go and come back as soon as we can. If we’re not back and our names happen to get called during the drawing, could you stand in for us?”
“Sure.” The resort owner gave each of them a quick kiss.
Kiran wished they didn’t have to leave, and that he hadn’t ruined the magic of the evening. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Don’t fret about it.” The green-eyed, gorgeous man stroked his hair. “Go. Take care of what you need to and get back to me as soon as possible.”
“We’ll do our best.” Ivy led him away.
Kiran hadn’t liked seeing the disappointment in Robert’s eyes. Would his new friend would still want him after all the trouble he’d caused?
Chapter Seven
Robert sat at a quiet table in the main resort restaurant, sipping an espresso and gazing out a picture window. The early morning glow gave way to golden sunlight. The day promised to be a good one.
Too bad I don’t believe it will be.
He’d waited for his dates to return until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. They never called to check in. His driver had returned with the car after dropping them at the hospital. He went to bed by himself. Something he hadn’t expected to do at the end of the night.
The two had brought happiness to his life. Thinking about them sent warmth radiating through him. He wanted to brag from the mountain top that he was at ease with the world again because of them. He hated to think they were gone without so much as a reason why or a true goodbye. But then, according to housekeeping, their belongings were still in their suites. They’d have to return eventually. Hopefully, they’d return to him. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.
“Mr. Bourbon?”
“Yes, Brandan?” When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Ivy and Kiran standing next to his assistant, beaming. He returned their grins. “You’re back.” He breathed deep to calm his enthusiasm so he wouldn’t end up looking like a giddy fool.
�
��Yep.” Ivy strolled over and pecked him on the cheek, then sat next to him. “By the time Kiran finished speaking with the police, it was real late. We ended up sleeping on chairs in Seana’s room, waiting to see if she’d wake up.”
“Has she?”
“No.” Kiran took the seat on his right side. “Zachary is with her now.”
Concern filled him. “Is she all right? What do the doctors say?”
She shrugged. “Tests are inconclusive. Blood work came back okay. Nothing showed up on the MRI. So now it’s just a wait and see when she wakes thing. Zach will call us when she comes around.”
“Good to hear. Things could have turned out so much worse.”
“That’s for sure.” Kiran slumped in his chair and stared at the table.
“Oh, and I should tell you,” Robert added. “Neither of you won your wishes.”
Their crestfallen expressions tugged at his heartstrings. He went over his businesses in his mind to see if there was something—anything—he could do for them, but all appropriate positions and employee housing were filled.
Brandan arrived at Robert’s side. “Mr. Bourbon, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I require your immediate attention on a matter of importance.”
Robert glanced at his assistant. “I’ll be right with you. Ivy, Kiran, excuse me for a moment, please.”
Ivy watched Robert walk with Brandan to the entrance of the restaurant.
“What are we going to do now? Sure, my loan is gone, but we still need a place to live.”
“We can probably crash on Seana’s floor for a while. Hopefully we’ll find jobs sooner rather than later. We can’t live in her one bedroom flat for too long. The cramped quarters would eventually drive us all nuts.” She moved her chair next to his and placed her cheek on his shoulder. “It’ll all work out.”
“I hope you’re right. The last thing I’d want is for Robert to think we’re a couple of losers.”
A pit of hopelessness opened in her stomach. Ever since she started working at the age of sixteen, she’d never been without a job. To think she’d be viewed as a lazy deadbeat crushed her. “We’re not failures,” she said to bolster her resolve. “We’ve hit a setback. That’s all.”
“Sorry about that.” Robert returned to the table.
“Is everything okay?” Kiran asked.
“Yes. The headaches of doing business—the normal stuff like dealing with people leaving their jobs without notice. I feel I’m a fair boss. My company has little turnaround. I can’t fault an employee’s family taking precedence, but they still leave me in a bind. I need to find new people, train them. It costs money and time….” He tilted his head and studied them.
“What?” Ivy inquired.
Robert smiled. “You two need jobs, and the position that opened is in my activities department. Since I run things around here, I can create a second position. You two could work for me. Take groups out hiking in the warmer weather, skiing in the winter. Stuff like that. And you could live up here at the resort.”
“With you?” Kiran perked up. A sparkle returned to his eyes.
“Not at first.” Robert chuckled. “I have a couple of ancillary buildings on the property with apartments above them. You two would stay there while we see where our relationships head. Then, if we all decide to take our trio to the next level, we can discuss moving in together and making our situation permanent.”
“Really?” Relief washed through her. She might not have won her wish at the event, but it still came true…along with her unofficial desire to find another male for her and her friend to share.
“Sure. I believe we all had a connection with each other, and I’d love to have you guys, my boyfriend and girlfriend, around. You need jobs and a place to live. I’m happy to do this for you.”
She sprang from her seat and threw her arms around him. “I accept the job, the apartment, and would be pleased to call the two of you my boyfriends.”
Kiran leaned over and kissed his temple. “Ditto what she said. I’d love to be with the two of you, too.”
Robert smiled. “Brilliant. It’s good to know wishes do come true.”
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
An eccentric and eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers Worlds of Possibilities. With stories from the light and sweet to the dark and deadly and varying degrees of sexual heat, writing as C.R. Moss gives her and her muses the freedom to explore worlds of possibilities when it comes to love.
For more about the woman behind the keyboard,
visit: www.crmoss.com
Sunset Desires
A blind date. A hot tropical evening. She’ll be someone he can’t forget. He’ll fulfill her ultimate fantasy.
Gwendolyn Tramonto is stunned to learn her cousin set her up with sex on the beach and it’s not the drink. But after a several year dry spell of no relationships, no dates…no sex, Gwen decides to take her cousin up on her offer and go out on the blind date. For once, she’d like to indulge in a fantasy, be wined and dined instead of the other way around, and if she and the man ended up in bed together, that would be a nice bonus.
Evan Cadell is looking forward to the date his uncle arranged for him through an exclusive matchmaking service and taking a one night break from work, life and all its demands. From Gwen’s profile, Evan knows what her fantasy is and believes he’s the man who can make it come true. But will one night in paradise be enough to satisfy their desires?
Sunset Seduction
One evening. One date. Easy, right?
Heather Tramonto, a business woman with only her career and a quickie on her mind, is all set for her 1NS date and a bit of adult fun—no conditions, no commitment—when a surprise shows up at her door.
Lane Stanwyck is entering the dating world after years of an estranged marriage and the passing of his hostile wife. When Madame Eve schedules an anonymous tryst for him—no conditions, no commitment—he believes it to be the perfect arrangement for his first time out in the dating field in ages. That is until he sees the woman of his dreams.
One night. No strings. That might be a problem for this pair.
Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~