“Oh yeah.” She eased out of the booth. “Do you remember how to get back to my hotel?”
He nodded.
“I’m in room 304. Give me about ten minutes and come in. I have a surprise for you.” Mikelina gave him a seductive smile.
He watched the sweet sway of her ass as she walked out of the bar.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIKELINA WAS GIDDY with excitement as she waited for Bastien to arrive. She had slipped into a red-and-black teddy and a pair of sexy heels that she wouldn’t dare wear out of the bedroom for fear of breaking her neck.
“What are you doing?” she asked herself in the bathroom mirror. The woman who looked out at her didn’t look like Mikelina, professional concierge. It was some newly sprung sex goddess. Mikelina the concierge didn’t have hours-long sex fests with a guy she just met. And she certainly didn’t bring him back to her hotel room for more.
“You deserve this,” she told herself. Bastien was the perfect lover. He was sexy and sweet and knew exactly how to make her quiver and moan. Best of all, he’d be gone at the end of next week and she’d never have to worry about seeing him back away in revulsion when he found out her father was the Tanner Presley.
There was a quiet knock on her door. Now or never. She took a shaky breath, squared her shoulders and walked back into the bedroom. “Come in,” she said, unsure of how to pose seductively. In the end, she just stood there. But it must have been good enough because Bastien’s eyes darkened and he locked the door behind him.
“Take off your clothes,” she said, giving him orders for a change.
He shrugged out of his T-shirt and kicked off his shoes. She loved watching the play of his muscles as he moved. He was erect and Mikelina couldn’t wait to get her hands on him.
“I like how you look at me,” he said when he was naked. “You look like a pretty present. Do I get to unwrap you?”
“If you’re good,” she said, licking her lips.
“I’ll be very good, but I think you already know that.”
She walked over to the night table and showed him the bottle of massage oil. “I thought you might like a rubdown after all that driving today.”
His cock twitched.
“I’ll do your back first,” she said.
“Then do I get to do you?”
Mikelina nodded. “All night long if you like.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be until 6:00 a.m. It’s not like Jace and his friends will miss me.”
Bastien lay on the bed with his arms crossed under his forehead. Straddling his ass, she poured the massage oil onto his back. He inhaled a quick breath.
“That’s a little chilly.”
“I’ll warm it up,” she said and started rubbing his back and shoulders with the heels of her palms. She moved in slow, wide circles, enjoying each curve of his muscled body.
“I can feel your wet pussy on my ass,” he said, his voice muffled.
“What can I say? I like touching you.” Mikelina stroked his neck and his arms before reluctantly getting off him to continue to rub her hands down his thigh and calves.
“That feels amazing,” he said, sounding drugged and sleepy.
“You can roll over now,” she whispered, her insides feeling shaky and needy.
She nearly came from the look in his eyes.
“Is it my turn next?” he asked in a smoky voice that made her even wetter.
Shaking her head, she straddled him again. Mikelina gasped at the touch of his hot, hard shaft between her legs. Pooling the massage oil on his chest, she continued her circular strokes. This time, she dragged her nails lightly over him and rocked against his cock.
“You’re soaked.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Her heart was thundering.
Bastien reached down and pulled the crotch of the teddy to the side. Now, there was nothing separating them, just skin on skin. He squirted some of the oil between them and Mikelina shuddered in pleasure when he arched and slid effortlessly inside her.
“Oh,” she murmured as he poured oil into his palms and then slid his hands under the frothy underwear to cup her breasts.
As she rocked on top of him, he glided his hands over her sensitive nipples. She was a little sore from their passionate lovemaking this afternoon, but she wouldn’t stop this for anything. The decadent sensations of his tugging fingers and the friction of his hard cock inside her were awakening her out of a dream. She had been sleepwalking this last year, but now she felt present and alive.
“Are you going to come for me?” he crooned, rolling her nipples between his slippery fingers.
She nodded, unable to speak.
“I want to see you use my body to come.”
Mikelina held on to his shoulders and rode him slow and deep. He half ripped, half pulled the teddy off her until just scraps of lace hung to her. He touched her everywhere with oil-slick fingers and as they glided together, every inch of her body was on fire for him.
She cried out over and over again as she neared completion. Bastien’s eyes were half-closed and he was breathing hard. Mikelina called his name as her orgasm shattered over her and then let him flip her onto her back. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she gave him everything as he took her fast and hard. He kissed her long and passionately until their breathing quieted down.
Rolling off her, he tucked her in close and fell immediately to sleep. It wasn’t until she was stroking him and fighting off sleep herself that she realized they hadn’t used a condom.
* * *
Bastien hated his alarm with the fiery rage of a thousand suns, especially since it was way the hell over there. Mikelina was a comfortable weight on him and fortunately his alarm hadn’t wakened her yet. He peeled himself away and staggered to his phone which was still in his pants pocket.
5:00 a.m.
What asshole set his alarm for 5:00 a.m. when he was on vacation?
Oh right. It was him and he had a fishing trip booked for this morning at six. What asshole...?
Oh right. Him again. Groaning, he shut off the alarm and staggered to the bathroom. He closed the door and called Jace. Might as well get them going, too.
It went straight to voice mail. Son of a bitch. He tried the three stooges right in a row and their phones also went to voice mail. Fuck it. Bastien took a quick shower.
When he came out with the towel wrapped around his waist, Mikelina rolled over. “Is something wrong?” she said and yawned.
“No, sorry to wake you. I’ve got to get the boys up for the fishing trip.”
“Have fun.” She smiled and flipped back over.
He contemplated crawling back into bed with her, but that wouldn’t help him get to know Jace any better. He wanted to say something to her, tell her what an amazing day yesterday was. But she was already snoring softly. Brushing a quick kiss over her temple, he pulled the covers up over her shoulder and quietly left the room.
He yawned the entire drive back to the house. At least he had a decent cup of espresso in his future.
After he let himself in, he started a pot of coffee and then went upstairs to get the guys up and moving. Except no one was in their rooms. It didn’t even look like their beds had been slept in.
Another round of phone calls yielded the same result. They didn’t know where to meet the boat. He hadn’t thought he needed to tell them. He was sure they weren’t already up and out. Were they still at Flow? Locked in? Doubtful.
Bastien got changed out of his club clothes from last night into shorts and a T-shirt. He wasn’t about to spend the entire day waiting for Jace and his friends to stagger in. He made another phone call, hoping that Mikelina would pick up.
“Hi,” she said huskily.
“Do you want to go out fishing with me today?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
MIKELINA BOOKED CHA
RTERS for her clients all the time, but aside from the first trip Captain Lila took her on to show her what she could offer her clients, this was the first time since her father was arrested that Mikelina had been on a fishing boat for more than a quick trip.
Tanner used to take her out on a boat called Mermaid’s Kiss. Mikelina deliberately didn’t use that boat for her clients because she couldn’t take the memories. Maybe out here in the fresh ocean air and deep blue skies, she could make new ones.
It would be easy instead to think of Bastien with his shirt off and sunglasses on, perched on the side of the boat waiting for a fish to bite as the boat slowly trolled along. There were six poles in the water baited with squid. They were out for some sailfish, but anything could be biting today.
But she didn’t think she could enjoy herself until she addressed what happened last night. Looking around the deck to make sure Captain Lila wasn’t nearby, Mikelina stepped in close to Bastien. Her stomach fluttered when he snaked an arm around her and drew her in close. God, she loved the feel of his skin against hers.
“I wanted to ease your mind about something,” she said in a lowered voice. “I’m on the pill and I’ve got a clean bill of health.”
Bastien blinked. “That’s good. I don’t have any diseases either. Um. What brought this on?”
“We didn’t use protection last night.”
He gaped at her. “You’re right. I hadn’t even noticed.” Rubbing his hand over his face, he groaned. “Of course, if anything comes of it, please let me know what you need.”
“Nothing will come of it,” she said. “Like I said, I’m on the pill.”
“You have my number. Use it if you need to?”
She blinked her eyelashes at him. “New York to Florida is quite the booty call.”
“But worth it.” He slung his other arm around her waist and brought her in for a quick kiss.
“I think so, too.” She grinned. “Do you want me to rub more suntan lotion on your back?”
“After last night, we’d be belowdecks before you know it.”
“What would Captain Lila say?” Mikelina asked.
“I wouldn’t care. I get paid whether you fish or fuck,” Captain Lila said as she walked by, carrying a cooler.
Bastien barked out a laugh. Mikelina was used to her crusty ways and just shook her head.
“I got water, lemonade, iced tea and beer,” Captain Lila said. “Help yourself. We’re going to drop anchor for about twenty minutes, but if nothing’s biting, I’ll take you to another spot.”
Mikelina baited her hook and took the chair next to Bastien. She’d probably fall asleep, but that was all right. She was never any good at reeling the fish in. With any luck, they wouldn’t get fish at the same time and Bastien could bring it aboard. She hoped they caught something so they could have fresh fish for lunch. Captain Lila cleaned the catches and cooked the fish to order right on the boat with her portable grill. Mikelina wanted hers dipped in egg and panko and fried up. Of course if they didn’t catch anything, it would be cold-cut sandwiches.
She remembered one time she tried to use bologna as bait because she figured the fish would like that better instead of a crunchy old crab. Her father had let her and told her not to be disappointed if she lost her bait. Well, she lost her bait all right, but they hit a school of mahi-mahi and it went for her hook anyway. Tanner had been so excited, he almost dropped the pole and together they’d reeled it in.
It was a good thing her sunglasses were on. Turning away, Mikelina wiped the tears away before Bastien could see them.
She didn’t want to think about Tanner. She also didn’t want to hate her father either, but until he admitted what he’d done instead of staunchly proclaiming his innocence, she wouldn’t speak with him. It was like her whole childhood was a lie.
Selena had asked her once if she was sure that he was guilty. Tanner Presley could be very convincing when he wanted to be.
Mikelina had originally thought it was all one big mistake. But after the FBI seized all their computers, they found the evidence needed to convict. She wished it hadn’t been true, but wishes were for children. Adult wishes never came true.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Bastien asked.
Snorting, Mikelina shook her head. He couldn’t pay her enough to reveal those thoughts. “I was wondering where your groom and groomsmen are. Do you think they’re in trouble?”
“If they were in a Miami jail cell, I’m pretty sure someone would have called me.”
“The last time you saw them they were at Flow?”
“Yes.”
Mikelina stared at her fishing pole for a second. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but it’s possible they were still there.”
“At five in the morning? Last call is at two.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Flow’s open until 5:00 a.m. for the VIPs. And they’re not about to kick them out at five on the dot.”
“I’m old,” Bastien said sourly.
Laughing, she smiled at him. “Time flies when you’re having fun and if they were still in the club, their phones would be dead by then.”
“I don’t think I can do this.” He put his arm around her. “I don’t want to dislike Jace. But we don’t have a damned thing in common.”
She liked when he played with her hair like that. “It doesn’t have to be friendship or mortal enemies. You can still have a pleasant acquaintance with him.”
“I wanted my sister to marry someone better than him.”
“What’s wrong with Jace?”
“He’s a spoiled little punk who has been given everything he’s ever wanted. He’s rude, inconsiderate—”
“Whoa!” Mikelina said, holding up a hand. “That’s a lot of resentment. No wonder he’s avoiding you.”
“He’s not avoiding me. Why? What did he say to you?”
“Nothing. But I’m sure he can sense all this hostility. Why do you have such a low opinion of him?”
Bastien sighed and angrily jerked on his pole, reeling it in to check his bait. “He and my sister have had a rocky relationship. Jace blows hot and cold. Sometimes he leaves on an adventure with his asshole friends for a week and doesn’t think about telling Kitty until after the fact. One time, she had to find out about it on a friend’s social media page. She thought he’d broken up with her and just didn’t bother to tell her because he had an arm around another girl in the picture.”
“That is gross,” Mikelina said, scrunching up her nose.
“But it turned out it was just a friend’s girlfriend and they all decided to go skiing in the Swiss Alps that week.”
“He should have asked your sister to go.”
“My sister has a job. She can’t just up and leave. Jace knew that. His excuse was he didn’t want her to feel bad that he was going away without her. It never occurred to him, though, not to go. YOLO, FOMO and all that crap.”
Mikelina thought about it and her bullshit detector was buzzing slightly. “Does she trust him?”
“I don’t.”
“Yeah, I get that. But does she?”
“Yes, but she sees the best in people. I’m afraid this is just another lark for him and he’s not settling down as much as he’s doing what his father wants him to do.”
“His family wants the marriage?”
“Both our families do. It’s a good brand merger, but I want something more for Kitty.”
“Does she love him?” Mikelina asked.
“Yes. She can’t see what a complete schmuck he is.”
“Does he love her?”
“He better.”
“Do you think he loves her?” she asked.
Bastien clenched his jaw. “I think so. I was hoping to get a better insight these few weeks. I’m not sure what’s an act and what’s real when it comes to him. I’m afrai
d he’s going to marry Kitty to shut his family up, and then continue on with his carefree ways. I’m afraid Kitty is going to get hurt.”
“I think you’re a good brother,” she said.
“I think if he’s having sex with hookers or strippers, I’m going to kill him.” Bastien didn’t sound like he was kidding.
“No need to go that far. If he is, I’m sure Kitty will call the wedding off.”
“She’s going to be hurt, though.”
“If he’s cheating, she’ll be devastated. You going to jail for assault won’t make that hurt any easier to bear.”
“It would make me feel better.”
“No, it would ruin your life,” Mikelina said, feeling a pit of dread in her stomach. She was the expert in incarcerated relatives. “Look, if Jace is cheating on her, he’s the jerk you say he is. But if he’s not, you’re getting upset over nothing. Until you have proof, you can’t work yourself up into believing he’s the devil. Maybe he’s just an inconsiderate ass.” She shrugged. “That’s not a crime. If it was, there would be a lot more people in jail.”
“True.” Bastien got up and stretched, putting his pole in the rod holder. “I’m going to grab a beer. Do you want one?”
“I’ll take a lemonade.”
He rooted around in the ice chest until he found one and then brought it back to her.
“Your phone keeps beeping,” she said, “but it’s not Jace.”
“It’s the office. I haven’t taken a vacation in over two years and I think the place is falling apart without me.”
“Is it anything urgent?”
“We make shirts and pants. It’s nothing that can’t wait two weeks. And if it was, my father or my assistant VP can handle it. It’s crazy that they feel the need to check in with me with every decision.”
“That sounds like habit. Are you, Mr. Ainsworth, a micromanager?”
He snorted. “No. Who the hell has time for that?”
“Someone who hasn’t taken a vacation in two years.”
“You think they’d be glad to get rid of me for a few weeks. Hell, I’m surprised they’re not throwing a party. It’s Taco Tuesday and the prick is out of the office.”
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