She blinked, coming back to the conversation. “Oh yeah. He thought we should assign the transducers to one person, with another of the techs as backup.”
“Sounds reasonable. Who’d you choose?”
She smiled, and this time it was genuine. “I told them to choose among themselves. They picked Matt. Can you believe it?”
“That was bold,” he said, raising an eyebrow. She usually liked to control everything.
“If someone takes on the responsibility by choice, the odds are better they’ll give it a one hundred percent effort.” She shrugged. “It’ll be good for Matt.” She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “It was like he was being entrusted with something and it made him proud.”
“You did a great job.”
He waited for her to slam him down for the compliment. He’d screwed up last night, and she’d shut him out, literally. When he’d taken her the champagne, she hadn’t even unlocked the door. Today he’d expected the cold shoulder. She’d surprised him with a civil tongue, a smile, and now this, a polite thank-you.
“I’m out of here.” Atul appeared in the doorway this time, the colloquialism sounding strange and clipped in his accent. He didn’t make the mistake of wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Erin fluttered her fingers. “Have a good one.”
With Atul gone, Dominic tapped the keyboard again, typing in another search. “I’ve got a guy coming in next week to check the computers for viruses and malware.”
A line emerged between her eyebrows. “What for? We just upgraded the virus protection.”
Cam popped in then, cutting them off, and behind her was Steve. With each new face in the doorway, the next good-bye, Erin’s face grew more tense and her smile more brittle. He wanted to ease her pain, but he knew she wouldn’t accept his emotional support.
So when they were alone again, he went back to the malware issue. “Hansen suggested checking all our computers, and I agree. We could have been infected with a malicious software that’s enabled someone to see our financial data.”
“I guess that’s better than thinking one of our own people has turned against us.” She stared at him unblinkingly for a long moment. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Odd how in less than twelve hours they could go from the hottest damn sex to locked doors to being so fucking polite, each mindful of the other’s feelings. Like courteous strangers. He’d been careful to make sure she knew what he’d planned before he had the guy show up next week. In days of old, he probably would’ve told her the morning of, and she wouldn’t have cared.
He waved a hand at her. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
She was slow to round the desk to his side. “What?”
He hadn’t changed his position the entire time she’d been in his office. His feet were on the desk, the keyboard in his lap. He pointed at the monitor. “What do you think of this place?”
“Looks nice. What is it?”
She smelled sweet. Her lotion, he’d always liked the scent. “It’s a resort in Napa.”
“How much does it cost?”
He tipped his head back, looked up at her. “I don’t care. I want to take you there.”
She pursed her lips, but said nothing.
“This weekend, Friday and Saturday,” he added.
“No way are they going to have anything available this weekend, it’s—” She cut herself off lest she should have to say the dreaded word Christmas.
“Let’s test out your theory.” He clicked on the reservations tab, then filled in the dates for a two-night stay including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The wait was a couple of seconds, and it came back with an unusually low price. “Hah.” He pointed. “At this price, we can even afford to get you a massage.” He grinned. “A full-body massage.”
She wasn’t smiling; she wasn’t even looking at him. She was just staring at the screen, thoughts he couldn’t read running through her mind. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I do.” He hit the reserve button, then hitched his hip to tug out his wallet. “We’ll have a good time.” They would be away from home for Christmas. Perfect. He pulled out his credit card.
“Dominic—”
Without even looking, he held up a finger to stop her. “I want us to go.”
“Then why can’t you ask me instead of ordering?”
He pulled his feet off the desk and twirled his chair to face her. “Will you please go with me, Erin?”
She stared at him a long moment, her features intent, her gaze moving over his face. “If that’s what you really want.”
He didn’t want some half-assed agreement, where she could blame him if anything went wrong. “I want to be gone from here. I don’t want to think about work. I don’t want to think about the patent.” Then he reached for her hand, managing to grab her pinkie finger. “I want to fuck your brains out.”
She laughed out loud, then clapped her hand over her mouth.
“I’m off.”
They both jumped at Yvonne’s voice. Dominic almost dropped the keyboard from his lap.
“Oh,” Erin blurted. “Have a good weekend.”
“Oh, I will, I will.” Yvonne’s eyes sparkled. “I can almost smell the sausage stuffing.” She waved her hand and was gone.
“Do you think she heard?” Erin whispered, her cheeks pink.
He didn’t care. “I’m sure she’s rushing out to tell anyone who hasn’t left yet.”
She popped him on the shoulder. It felt good, a little joke, a tease. They’d weathered his faux pas from last night. He wouldn’t ask her to talk. He’d wait for her. What other choice did he have?
He started typing in his credit card number.
“I’m really surprised you can get such a great deal at such a late date,” she mused.
“Luck of the draw,” he murmured. Christmas week was actually very popular. Families went away together, families being the operative word. This resort was for adults only, no kids. Thus it wasn’t in high demand for the holiday weekend. In fact, you could call it the off-season.
“What should I pack?” she said, thinking ahead.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” he answered.
Not only was it adults only, this place was clothes optional. That was part of his surprise. But he had one more thing up his sleeve. If he could pull it off, he was going to make one of their biggest fantasies come true.
ERIN COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. “CLOTHES OPTIONAL?” SHE HISSED AS they followed the bellboy hauling the luggage to their villa.
It was Christmas Eve. Neither of them had mentioned it.
“I wouldn’t worry about it much while we’re outside,” Dominic said. “It’s too cold to be naked.”
She punched his arm. “You could have warned me.”
“You would’ve said no.”
“You’re damn right, I’m forty years old. I’m not showing my naked body in public.” If the bellboy was listening, he gave no sign of it as he guided the luggage cart down a wide path bordered with rhododendrons.
Dominic put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close, probably so she couldn’t sock him again. “I bet most of the people who come here are older than us.” He slid a hand down her back and squeezed her ass. “And most of the ladies sure as hell aren’t going to look as good as you.”
She glanced once more at the bellboy. His dark hair was short, his slacks pressed, and he was barely out of his teens. She couldn’t imagine being naked around a boy like that.
“Besides, clothing is optional.” Dominic was clarifying. “Meaning you can keep it all on or you can get naked.”
“Well, I’m keeping it all on,” she assured him, but she feared he’d never let her get away with it.
Their villa was a small adobe-style cottage with a patio in front, complete with table, chairs, barbecue, and a bed of flowers along the edge. The grounds were lovely, meticulously trimmed green grass, lush flowering bushes, and trees separating each of the
villas. There was privacy. They’d passed a few couples and singles on the way; all were fully dressed, thank God.
The bellboy unlocked the front door, then handed the card key to Dominic before guiding the luggage cart inside. He unloaded their two suitcases, a laptop—because they couldn’t go anywhere without checking their e-mail and the Internet—and a box of food and wine. She liked to have a glass or two of her favorite wine in her own room, and the restaurant was probably horrendously expensive. Though Dominic insisted they attend tonight, she didn’t want to eat every meal there.
Dominic palmed the boy a bill as he left. “Pretty nice digs,” he said once they were alone.
Erin had to agree. The small sitting room housed a corner sofa grouping, TV console, wet bar, fireplace, table and chairs. The sliding-glass door opened onto the front patio, and through a wide door to the right was the bed and bath. “At least we can stay in here and not go outside to see any naked people.”
He crowded her up against the wall, pressing his body to hers. “You’re dying to see naked people.” He nipped her throat. “And you’re dying to have them see you.”
She had to admit to a certain thrill of the spectacle. Part of her reason for arguing about the dress code—or rather the nondress code—was so that she wouldn’t suddenly blurt out how damn grateful she was for his thoughtfulness. He’d done this to take her mind off the day, to take her away from anything that might remind her. But he certainly had an agenda of his own, too. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it had to be more than getting naked in public.
“Well, they have a lot of rules,” she said, hoping to draw his plans out.
He nuzzled her hair, blowing on her skin, heating her through. Maybe his plan was simply seduction. It was working. “The rules aren’t so bad,” he murmured as he skimmed his fingers over the outer swell of her breast.
Okay, rules, they were talking about the rules. There were places where nudity was not an option, in the restaurant, for example. “We dress for dinner, sir,” the check-in clerk had told them. You couldn’t walk out to your car without your clothes. The hotel lobby was also off limits. Within the grounds, though, the pool area, the Jacuzzis, it was a free-for-all. “But don’t touch without permission.”
That was the rule that made her tingle. Because it obviously meant you could touch with permission. She wondered how much touching Dominic was going to give permission to.
“But you said I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to wear, so I only brought jeans. I don’t have anything to dress up in for dinner.”
He trailed a hand down her arm, then stepped away. “That will give me the chance to buy you something sexy from the dress shop in the lobby.” He shot her a seductive, heavy-lidded look. “Sometimes it’s more tantalizing when the clothing makes a man crazy to see what’s underneath.”
Oh yeah. He had an agenda.
23
SHE MADE HIM ROCK HARD IN HIS PANTS. IF ERIN DID THAT TO HIM, Dominic could only imagine her effect on the other men in the dining room.
The resort’s dress shop had an eclectic mix of styles, from classy to sedate to stylish to slutty. Ultra slutty. It was a nudist resort after all, with a whole lot of leeway on the amount of public touching that could go on. Dominic had purchased Erin a dress that drew attention to the delectable body that lay beneath the material.
It was a black drapy thing, with soft folds of material dipping low to expose a lot of cleavage, bare shoulders, and a short, flirty skirt that was little more than a series of scarves attached at the waist. When she walked, the scarves flowed around her legs, her thighs playing peek-a-boo. When she sat, the material fell apart to expose her gorgeous legs almost to the crotch. Wanting to keep something secret—and to heighten anticipation—he’d purchased her a pair of black lace panties. Yes, she was a walking advertisement for sex.
The clientele was well aware of it. The restaurant was dimly lit and classy, the tables set with crystal glassware and china with gold edging, and a gourmet menu, which meant the prices were high, the food elegantly presented, and the portions small. The average age of the diners was over forty; couples, small groups, a few men seated together dotted here and there, sipping expensive wine and demolishing rich, exotic hors d’oeuvres.
He could safely say his wife was a jewel among them.
“So, exactly what have you got planned for us?” Her eyes sparkled as much as the champagne. She bit into a mushroom canapé, her lips glistening.
Their table was small, round, intimate, his leg brushing hers because he’d moved his chair even closer. His pulse pumped blood through his veins, his eyes tracking her from throat to cleavage. “Dinner, then a stroll through the grounds, and finally a soak in one of the Jacuzzis.” Then his biggest surprise of the evening.
He was equal parts buzzing with excitement and thrumming with nervous tension. If she objected, he was totally screwed. But he’d made his plans anyway.
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” she complained.
He detected the tease in her voice. “Neither did I.”
She chose a spinach leaf daubed with beluga from the selection of appetizers he’d ordered. “So, naked hot-tubbing.”
“You’ll love it.”
A couple, done with their dinner, passed behind her as they left the dining room. The man’s gaze fell to Erin’s breasts. Tall with short, dark hair and a workout-trim physique, he was Erin’s type. There were some that were far too old, some that weren’t in shape enough for her, some that appeared too lecherous, damn near drooling. Dominic wanted classier for her.
“What if someone else gets in our tub?” she asked, waiting until the busboy had cleared the empty canapé tray.
“Then hopefully we have a very nice conversation with some new people.” And so much more, he mentally added.
She laughed.
Christ, he loved the sound. He’d been so damn smart for taking her away this weekend. At home, she’d have prowled the house like a caged animal. Here, her mind could play with other things. He told himself she would love everything he’d put together for her.
The waiter arrived, laying down their salads, topping them off with ground pepper. Alone again, she leaned closer, her hair brushing his cheek, her scent washing over him, and lowered her voice. “Is this a sex club?”
“Of course not. It’s a nudist resort.” But he’d read a few things online about the place. While not a club where people overtly engaged in sex out in the open, there were hidden groves, coves, nooks and crannies for a little discreet coupling, threesome, foursome, for seeing and being seen.
That was the reason for dinner in the restaurant and for the dress his gorgeous wife was wearing. He wanted her to be seen. Oh yeah, he wanted to advertise. He wanted to see what naughty things crawled out of the woodwork. It was about anticipation, about getting her primed and ready so that when he sprang his surprise, she’d jump at it.
“What would you do if it was a sex club?” he asked idly. As if he were doing nothing more than making polite conversation.
“I don’t know.” She speared a few greens on her fork and twirled them in the salad dressing.
Ah, so she wanted him to draw her out. Talk was foreplay. “How about a foursome with a hot couple?” He scanned the dining room, then moved his head slightly. “Them. I’ve seen him looking at you.”
She glanced in the same direction. The couple was their approximate age, the woman with poufy Farrah Fawcett blond hair, the man with a few strands of gray and attractive lines on a tanned face.
“Do you want to do her?” Erin asked, her tone neutral.
“I’m more interested in watching him lick you to orgasm and hearing you scream.” He trailed a hand up her thigh beneath one of the scarves. For him, it wasn’t about other women. Though it defied explanation, for him, it was always about her pleasure, even with another man. Holding her face in his hands and kissing her as she moaned from another man’s touch, another tongue on her, another cock inside h
er. “Thinking about it makes me fucking hard.”
She regarded him, her eyes so dark in the dim light, they were the color of the deepest part of the ocean, only a hint of blue. “You wanted me to do Shane, didn’t you?”
The steady rate of his heart doubled its beat. It had been two weeks, but she’d been thinking about the bartender. “I wanted you to enjoy yourself with him.”
She studied her dwindling salad.
He pushed a little harder. “I was thinking about Winter actually. You wanted to say yes, but you were afraid. I wanted the trip to Rudolpho’s that night to be a second chance for you to have your fantasy, whatever that was.”
Through his slacks, he could feel the warmth of her skin along his leg. A pulse fluttered at her throat. “I was afraid at the time. It just seemed so crazy inviting a man into our hotel room.”
“Is it so crazy now?” He waited, the noise of the dining room suddenly muted, his mind blanking out everything but her.
She gazed at him, her lips slightly parted, her lipstick glistening. “No. Not so crazy now,” she whispered.
Relief and desire rushed through his body. His cock throbbed with all the possibilities suddenly driving through his mind. He’d put a plan into motion, taken a huge risk.
Without knowing it, she’d just agreed to the plan’s execution. Yet he now saw the problems clearly, too. He’d been torn between his desires and the fear that she’d turn him down, but springing it on her was more like a trap. He wasn’t sure of her, hadn’t been sure for so long, and he couldn’t stand losing any ground he might have gained when she’d agreed to the trip.
Holding her hand, he squeezed. “Are you willing to take a chance?”
She pressed her lips together, and her eyes widened. “A chance on what?”
“That I’ve got a surprise you’re going to love.”
“What is it?”
He clucked his tongue. “If I tell you, it’s not a surprise. But I want you to know that something’s coming.”
His tensed muscles ached as if he’d waited forever, but when she finally let out a breath, he heard the slight shudder in it. “All right,” she said. “You can surprise me.”
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