by Bobbi Brattz
Anger burned in his gut at the word. His furious gaze pinned her to the mattress better than his weight ever could. “I have no need to rape anyone.” His low growl was punctuated by a shudder that ran through her body. He felt it everywhere they touched.
“Then let me up!” she whispered in a quivery voice.
“Are you going to sit and just talk to me without trying to run outside screaming again?”
Time stopped for breathless moment while she thought about that then began to gnaw on her lower lip. Finally, she nodded, her eyes glued to his as though she waited for his teeth to sink into her skin. Disgusted with himself for scaring her, he released her and sat up on the edge of the mattress as he watched her move away from him, heading to the other side of the bed. She stepped off to go sit on a comfortable chair on the other side of the room.
Disgusted that she’d think so poorly of him, he dropped his chin to his chest and rubbed the back of his aching neck. This was not going as he thought it would. All he’d planned on doing was checking on her while she slept. He hadn’t expected her to be such a light sleeper, or he’d never have entered the room in the first place.
“How did you open the door?” she asked quietly.
“I have keys to every room, but I’ll give you the one to yours and it won’t happen again.” Suddenly, he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Until you want me to come and visit you, that is.” His teasing voice held a deep growl that made her visibly tremble, her eyes widening. Pleased with himself, he crossed his arms and faced her.
Her mouth dropped open. “Is that all you ever think about, your conquests?”
“Are you admitting to being one of my conquests?”
As her fear calmed, she seemed to find her courage and narrowed her eyes.
“You will never, ever, make me one of your conquests. You haven’t got what it takes, and you’re definitely not my type.” Her chin raised a notch in a dare.
“I think I’m every woman’s type, especially yours. Now, let’s talk about—”
“Are you for real?” she cried, her expression filled with outrage. “You think so highly of yourself, you womanizing creep! Why you—”
Mateo put up his hands for peace between them. “Okay, okay! You’ve got me. Let’s not go there again. Can we just have a simple conversation without the name-calling?”
As she huffed with indignation, he fought back a grin. She was even more adorable when she was angry, if that was possible. Her fingers clenched then unclenched as she struggled to control her anger, but he also caught the beginnings of a reluctant smile.
To give her time to get a hold of her temper, he bent over and picked up the painting and hung it back up on the wall, turning his head quickly to catch her unguarded expression. As he’d expected, her gaze was glued to the image in the painting, her sexy lower lip disappearing once more between her sharp white teeth.
“I have hundreds of paintings like this from the locals. They love that not only am I a famous Hawaiian, but that I help them with their bedroom issues. Nothing shocks me. They love that and try to come up with new ideas for me to talk to them about.”
“Now I see why you’re so into yourself, besides having all those women fainting at the mere sight of you,” she said with a great deal of sarcasm.
Pleased that she was gaining momentum, he snickered. “Yes, they do indeed do that. It’s my irresistible charm, of course. I can’t be faulted for being such an erotic icon as well as extremely well-endowed.”
“Oh, brother,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Let’s talk about you now.” He walked over to her and knelt down at her feet, grinning when she backed up despite her newfound bravery.
“What about me?”
“Well, considering your situation, you’ll be staying here with me for a while. Since there are no rooms available at the resort, you’ll be sharing my quarters.”
“I’m not sharing anything with you! As a matter of fact, I refuse to take anything from you for free, especially this room and food. I want to work to make the money to pay for them.”
About to protest, he suddenly realized that she’d hit the nail on the head. He knew just how to get her out of his system and resolve her own financial issues. Before she could say anything further, he lifted his hands in a sign of surrender to stop her.
“Wait! Hear me out. Ms. Hooper. You obviously have no choice but to share my home, for now, but in the meantime while you wait for your documents, I have a suggestion. Since you are obviously unaffected by my handsome demeanour and charm, I want to offer you a job. I’m in need of a model for my seminars. I think you’ll do perfectly.”
“A model?” she asked before bursting into laughter. “You need glasses, buddy. If you haven’t noticed, I’m no model. I’m at least fifty pounds too heavy, I have freckles, my nose is crooked, and my boobs are so big I practically trip over them!”
“Well, you do have a point there, but I’m sure we can get around those obvious disappointments.” A poker face expression hid his amusement from her. If she only had a clue as to the way she affected him, she’d realize that all those traits made her practically irresistible to him.
Her jaw dropped at his agreement, cheeks filling with more outraged color.
“Here’s what I plan on doing to hide the obvious flaws in your character. We’ll give you a mask to cover your face, put a wig on you, and hide most of you with a sheet while in class. How does that sound?”
Stunned, she frowned at him while she mulled over his words for a moment.
“What kind of modelling do I have to do?”
“You obviously know I’m a sex therapist.”
Snorting, she nodded as though doubting his abilities.
“Well, I need a model so I can show my clients how to pleasure their partners in the bedroom, or anywhere else they plan on having sex.”
“What?” she shrieked. “I’m not having sex with you in front of a room full of people!”
“Oh, well, we can do it in private if you’d prefer, but I wasn’t asking you to have sex with me. You’ll only demonstrate how to have sex with another model.”
“What?” This time her squeal rose up a few more notches.
Mateo had to rub the tip of his finger in his ear to try and still the sudden ringing.
“You apparently are having difficulty with your hearing. We’ll have to get that checked when the doctor gives you a physical tomorrow.”
“What?” she cried even louder, about to leap to her feet. He gently pushed her back on the chair and leaned in closer.
“I can’t have you giving any diseases to my other model. His wife wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“What? Wife?” Flabbergasted, she stared at him as though he’d grown a second head.
Once again, he rubbed his ear.
“Listen, can you stop saying that? My eardrums can only take so much. What I said was that my models all get tested for a list of sexual diseases before I allow them to enter the classroom. My doctor will check you out tomorrow, and on Monday the classes begin. You’ll do one, one-hour slot each day for five days. That will give you a thousand dollars a week and—”
“What?” she screamed, her eyes going wide with disbelief.
“I asked you to stop doing that. Now, get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and I like to rise early.” He gave her a wicked grin to tease her about his innuendo.
“No doubt,” she snapped.
Mateo bit back a pleased chuckle as he leaned in close until his lips were nearly touching hers.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to keep your hands to yourself, my dear. I don’t sleep with my models.”
For a brief moment, he felt her melting until his words sank in. “What? Why, you—”
As he turned to leave the room, he tossed the key into her lap then closed the door tight.
“Oh!” she shrieked.
He laughed in delight as he heard the key hit the door.
“She�
��s enchanting,” he muttered. “I can’t wait to get her into my bed. Maybe I’ll invite Piers to join us.”
He didn’t fall asleep right away, the ringing in his ears keeping him awake as well as the feel of her soft body beneath his, her lips offering surrender as he’d ravaged them to silence her. What a way to keep a woman quiet! He couldn’t wait until morning when he could start teasing her all over again. He never had so much fun with a woman, ever.
“I wonder how long it will take to get her into bed. I’ll start working on her in the morning.”
Long into the night he tossed and turned only to finally doze off with visions of her ripe melons cupped in his palms, her taut nipples caught between his teeth. He wondered if they’d be dark and wide, or perhaps, small, pink, and turgid. As his eyes finally closed, he fell into erotic dreams of her worshiping his body.
* * * *
The phone rang early in the morning. Mateo instantly picked it up and growled, “Hello?”
“Dr. Mann. Sorry if I woke you. It’s Jimmy at the airport. The police found Ms. Hooper’s belongings including her passport, though her money and any valuables are gone. Should I send them over, or will she be coming to pick them up? I can have her on the next flight out.”
At first the words didn’t register, and then as he rubbed his eyes with two fingers and a thumb, a wicked thought made him smile.
“Hang onto them for a few days, Jimmy. Ms. Hooper has decided to stay here with us. Don’t mention it to anyone else though. Can you keep them at your place?”
“Ah, Dr. Mann, I might get into trouble for that if anyone found out. We have a company policy.”
“You know I’ll take care of any details, Jimmy. Just tell them the lady has asked you to bring them here and I’ll take care of the rest of the details. Thanks.”
After hanging up the phone, Mateo rubbed his palms together in delight. He was going to teach his model a thing or two about taking on a love shark!
Chapter 2:
Soothing Dangerous Waters
“Good morning, Ku’uipo.”
The welcoming voice made Rae look up as she entered the large dining room. Mateo sat in a comfortable chair with the sunlight behind him offering a warm glow as he sipped his coffee.
“What does that mean? Fat? Ugly? Stupid?”
His frown in the face of her tart words didn’t make her feel any better about being in his company.
He shrugged. “It means model.”
“Oh,” she said, relaxing her battle pose.
“Have a seat. Mokihana will bring you some breakfast. Do you like coffee?”
The frown disappeared, leaving a pleasant smile. Unsure of why he was in such a jovial mood, she nodded and remained silent.
Moki entered the room through a frosted glass doorway wearing a wide grin.
“Good morning, dear. Here’s a cup of the good stuff. I’ll be right back with your breakfast.”
Before Rae could tell her that she wasn’t hungry, Moki disappeared again. Rae was almost relieved that she hadn’t had a chance to lie since she was famished, having not eaten since early morning the day before.
“I’ll be taking you to see Dr. Kaaumoana after breakfast, and then we have to go and buy you a few things to wear.”
“I prefer not to be any more indebted to you, Dr. Mann.” Ashamed that she was so dependent on him, she kept her gaze on the hot brew in her cup.
“Regardless, the clothing will be part of your costume, so you’ll allow me to buy you what I deem fit and be done with it,” he growled, turning back to his morning paper.
Unable to argue his point, she sighed, allowing silence between them to descend until questions threatened to overwhelm her. Finally, she gave into the desire to ask them.
“Um, you didn’t tell me what I’d be modelling.”
Lifting his gaze to meet hers, he gave her a serious look.
“Why, you will be my sex model. I have to show my clients where all the erotic points on the body are, including inside your vagina.”
“What?” she shouted.
Mateo winced. “You’re not going to start that again, are you?”
“I’m not some sleazy woman you can just—I’m not going to—no way!”
He grabbed her wrist before she could stand and held her in place with a warning glare.
“You will do what I ask since you already agreed to take the job. I’m in a fix, and I require a model. Since you’ll be well disguised, no one will even know it’s you. Now be quiet and drink your coffee, and if you scream like that once more, I’ll turn you over my knee and spank your bare bottom!”
For a breathless moment he held her gaze until finally he nodded, released her wrist, then turned back to his coffee and took a sip. Not about to take his high-handed attitude, Rae was about to leave the table and head for the front door but stopped at the tone of his dangerous cold voice.
“Don’t even think about it!”
“I need to use your phone.” Her chin lifted in defiance.
One dark eyebrow rose in question. “To call who?”
“The police!”
Moki entered the room with a hearty laugh. “You don’t need to call the police on my boy, Ms. Hooper. He’ll take good care of you. I know he will.”
Dismayed at the woman’s obvious hero worship of the not-so-good doctor, Rae shook her head. “That’s just what I’m afraid of.”
The woman’s ample bosom jiggled as she laughed while placing a plate of fresh fruit, cheese, and edible flowers in front of her. Rae’s stomach gave a loud grumble.
“Oh, my, how long has it been since you ate last, child?” Moki asked, her eyes full of sympathy.
Rae felt the pressure of unreleased tears suddenly rush up at the woman’s concern and avoided her gaze.
“Just before I arrived. I’m fine, thank you.”
Though Mateo didn’t comment, it was obvious by the look on his face when she glanced at him that he didn’t believe her. Rae waited for the woman to leave the room then checked to make sure he was engrossed in his newspaper before digging into her meal. She polished it off in no time, her face flushing as she realized how fast she’d eaten when he’d barely touched his own meal.
“Would you like more?” he asked without looking at her. “I’m not hungry this morning.” Before she could refuse, he pushed his plate in front of her, edging her own out of the way, then went back to his paper.
Rae made it through half of his food before she admitted to being too full to eat another bite. As she pushed the plate away, she sighed, picking up her cup to finish the coffee, the aromatic smell filling her senses now that her hunger was appeased.
Now that she was done, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room, and she realized that he hadn’t turned even one page since she’d sat down at the table.
“I guess you’re a slow reader.” She wondered if she could trick him into admitting he hadn’t been reading at all.
“Hmmm?” He turned to look at her with his warm brown eyes and stared back at her in question.
“Never mind.” Suddenly she felt uncomfortable, her mind spinning for an excuse to leave his scrutiny.
“If you’d like to have a shower before your exam, I have some dresses you can look through. I’m sure one of them will fit you until we get you something appropriate to wear. I had Moki lay them on your bed. Make it quick though. Your appointment is in an hour.”
This time he did turn the page, seemingly captivated by the next article. Since she couldn’t argue with him, and felt absolutely grubby from being in the same clothes and underwear for the past twenty-four hours, she left the table without another word.
She walked down the hall to her room and gasped when she arrived at the doorway. On the neatly made bed lay a number of colorful Hawaiian dresses.
The array of colors was so bright, the materials so beautiful, she had a hard time choosing. In the back of her mind, she wondered how many women had lived under his roof to have left so many
things behind. Unable to choose, she closed her eyes and moved her hand over the items then grabbed one. When she opened them, she found it was a lovely hot pink dress with a hibiscus flower pattern. She held it up to her and nodded. It would fit perfectly.
Twenty minutes later, she left her room, her wet hair hanging down past her shoulders in damp ringlets. The dress was snug around her breasts, making the crevasse between them look even deeper than usual. The cotton material fell to mid thigh. A matching pair of sandals that had sat on the floor beside the bed also fit to her amazement. At this rate, she wouldn’t owe him a dime!
Pleased with herself, she met him in the hallway. His impersonal glance was almost a disappointment to Rae. She thought she looked quite nice in the gown. A frown on her face, she followed him out the front door to a blue Jeep that sported the resort logo of two sharks entwined around a heart with red Hawaiian flowers surrounding them.
With the hood down on the jeep, she knew her hair would dry quickly enough so she left it free. Before she could reach for the door handle, he was there, opening it for her. Without a word, she stepped in and waited for him to close it behind her, but instead, he leaned over and pulled her seat belt over her waist, attaching it to the buckle.
His musky male scent filled her senses as he took his time, his fingers brushing past her nipple, making it harden. Rae bit back a gasp and leaned back as far as she could into the seat, but he didn’t seem to notice. After it clicked into place, he closed her door and walked around to his side of the Jeep, climbing behind the wheel.
“I plan on spending the day shopping for things for the seminars, so we’ll be doing a bit of travelling. Moki packed us a picnic lunch.” A quick turn of the key in the ignition started the Jeep, and they began the trip.
“Hey! Wait a minute. I never said I’d go on a date with you. There will be no picnicking!”
From the corner of his eye, he shot her an amused glance. Though his fingertips appeared to be relaxed on the steering wheel, he was definitely in control as he drove.