by Susan Stoker
“You are looking at Judge Landry. He spent the day here last weekend.”
“Okay.” He still wasn’t sure how this was a security breach.
Kendra hit the back button on her computer and the picture shrunk to a thumbnail size and next to it was a price along with his name. Even as he looked, the price next to the picture rose.
It didn’t take long to understand what was going on. “Someone is selling naked pictures of guests who would rather no one know they were here to the highest bidder.”
Kendra’s free hand curled into a fist as she worked the mouse with her other. “Not someone.” She clicked on the amount and the payment screen came up. She moved the cursor to the name where the money was being sent.
Adriana Perez.
Hunter gritted his teeth to keep an immediate denial from escaping. His gut told him this was bullshit. “Do you think Adriana is selling pictures of guests on the internet?”
Kendra looked at him like he had two heads. “What do you think?”
He tamped down his need to defend her. He’d examine that knee jerk reaction later. “The first thing we need to do is get that site down.” He had no doubt the resort would go under if it stayed live and word spread, which it would.
His need to stop that from happening just proved how much he’d already come to consider the resort home. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had. “I have a friend in…let’s just say I know someone who can get this site shut down immediately. Let me make a call.”
Kendra’s relief was palpable. “Thank you.”
He strode from the office and out the front door where the cell phone reception was best. He didn’t believe for one minute that Adriana was selling pictures. Someone wanted to make her life miserable.
Within minutes he’d talked to his friend in intelligence. A friend he’d made when he saved the man’s life on his first tour. Not only would he shut down the site, but do a little digging into who set it up and where they might be. Hunter reached for the door when Mac appeared.
“I just got the message we have a serious issue.”
He opened the door for her. “Yeah, I’m hoping I took care of the immediate threat, but you better come in.”
Once back in Kendra’s office, he walked behind her again. “Mac, take a look at this. Kendra, don’t change screens.”
Mac stepped up next to him. “What the hell?”
Kendra nodded. “That was my reaction.”
Hunter pointed to the top of the screen. “Take a screen shot. I want to examine this further, then refresh.”
Kendra did as instructed and a sad face came up with the words “We are having temporary difficulties.”
She snapped her head up to look at him. “So what does that mean? Will it come back up?”
“It means I have had the site shut down, but to those who were bidding, they will think they just need to wait for it to be fixed.”
“But it won’t go back up?”
He shook his head. “No, it won’t.” He stepped around to the front of the desk, the number of people behind it getting too crowded for him. “Where is Adriana?”
They all looked at him in surprise.
“You did call her to confront her about this, right?” He hated people going behind others’ backs.
Wade recovered first. “We can’t call her. Kendra has her cell phone.”
“I’ll go get her.” He wanted to tell her and see her reaction first. His gut told him this was too coincidental. He didn’t believe in coincidence and that belief had saved his life twice.
Kendra finally recovered and nodded. As he headed down the hall, he heard movement behind him. By the time he reached the front door, Mac had caught up.
She fell into step next to him. “You don’t think Adriana did this.”
“No. I don’t. Do you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know her very well, but she doesn’t strike me as the type to sneak around. She’s just so…”
“Obvious?”
Mac grinned. “Yeah.”
Hunter slowed his step. “Can you cover the whole resort for an hour or so? I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.”
“Sure. No problem. Let me know what you discover.”
“I will.” Hunter watched Mac head for the stable side of the resort. He liked that he could count on her if he needed to. Having a dependable comrade in arms was critical to survival…except this wasn’t survival.
He made himself continue to Adriana’s. Would he ever get out of military mode? Even if he did, the cop in him might never leave.
He hadn’t even reached the casita before Adriana came out.
“Where were you? You were supposed to still be asleep. I went over to make you dinner and you were already gone.”
He stopped in front of her, aware of her irritation at having her plans thwarted. He’d planned to tell her in her casita, but if his instinct was correct, outside might be better. “Kendra called me to come in early due to a serious security breach.”
Adriana put her hand on her hip and scowled. “It had better be really serious to wake you up early. You were in a deep sleep when I left you. It’s not right to call you in early.”
Her pique over his inconvenience surprised him. “It was very serious. Someone has posted naked photos of important people who have visited the resort and is selling them online.”
“What? They can’t do that! The resort will crumble back to the dust it came from. Oh my God, Kendra has got to be beside herself. We have to do something.” She started to walk past him as if she could fix everything immediately.
He wasn’t surprised. He grabbed a hold of her arm. “Wait. There’s more.”
Her eyes widened in dread, and she grabbed his arm in return. “Tell me.”
“The site shows you as the one selling them.”
Adriana’s eyes widened more even as her fingernails bit into his biceps. Her brows lowered before she opened her mouth. “Motherfucker!” She dropped his arm and stomped away but turned back to face him, her hand flying up in the air. “This is that fucking Dom’s doing. He’s getting back at me for his loss of control. He can’t go to any nudist resorts, so he wants to get me fired.”
Adriana took a second to take in more air. Her chest heaved with anger and her eyes were glittering dangerously. If it wasn’t such a serious issue, he’d be unable to resist fucking her right there on the ground. Shit, the woman was a walking temptation.
She glared at him. “Kendra knows I’m not behind this, right?”
He didn’t answer. He thought it might be the Dom as well, but Adriana could have other enemies. “Is there anyone else who may want to see you fired from this position, such as Mrs. B or an old client? What about other guests? The woman who accused you of sleeping with her husband?”
Adriana didn’t answer. She’d noticed he hadn’t answered her and even in the dying rays of the sun, he caught the flash of hurt in her eyes before she pulled herself together. “I think it’s the Dom, but it could be someone else. I did refuse to date a guy from town that I had a one-night stand with. He wanted more and started pestering me, but he stopped a couple weeks ago. All the guests this week, except that Mrs. Blanchette, have seemed friendly.”
At her mention of her one-night-stand, he tensed. He didn’t like the idea that her former lovers might come looking for her. “What about unruly guests at the bar?”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve only had three in the last three months and the next mornings they didn’t appear to hold a grudge that I had shut them off.”
His mind raced with possibilities. “Did any of them leave before you saw them again?”
Adriana squinted for a few seconds then looked at him again. “No. All three were here the next morning.”
That ruled that out. They probably wouldn’t find any good clues until his buddy in intelligence traced the site origin. In the meantime, Adriana had the right to have her say in front of her
boss. “I don’t think we’ll solve this tonight, but you need to tell Kendra what you know.”
Adriana’s hands flew up. “I don’t know anything. That’s the problem.”
He nodded as he walked toward her. The urge to comfort rose hard, and he struggled to keep it at bay.
She looked into his eyes and her look of angry hopelessness was too much to ignore.
He pulled her face toward his and kissed her, hard. Instinct told him she wasn’t one to appreciate soft. His instinct was right. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her tongue into his mouth, wrestling with his own.
Her taste filled his senses, chocolate, fruit and a flavor all her own, even as her scent enveloped him. She was all woman, sexy, curvy, and full of life.
The heat between them rose fast. His hand found her ass and he pushed her pelvis against his hardening cock, letting her know he wanted her. He grasped the silky strands of black hair and forced her to angle her face, allowing him better access to her mouth.
It was sexual anticipation and it felt good, right, hot. His body came alive to another level of feeling and need flooded him. Lust, pure and simple, moved him to leave her full lips and suck her neck, nibbling at the intoxicating skin.
He wanted her, here. Now. He sucked at the hollow where her neck met her shoulder and her nails dug into his back. A heady moan vibrated through her throat and into his ear.
He sucked harder, like a man whose life depended on hanging on to the dusky skin beneath his lips.
Movement in his peripheral vision had him letting up. He looked past the pulse that called to his dark side. Mac’s gaze met his for an instant before she continued her route by the staff casitas.
He could continue to feed the hunger inside, but his brain grappled with his lust and finally regained control. Carefully, he pulled Adriana upright and loosened his hold until she regained her own balance.
Stepping away, he looked her in the eye. “You need to talk to Kendra.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I do.” Stepping past him, she started for the main building.
He followed, ignoring the swing of her hips by keeping his gaze on the path ahead of her. He took deep breaths like they’d taught him, but his calm was only surface deep. It felt like he’d poked a hole in the dam holding his desire at bay and now the only thing keeping back the flood waters was one finger that itched to be free.
She didn’t wait for him to open the door at the main building, but instead marched straight down to Kendra’s office. Nor did she stop to knock before opening the door.
“You think I did that?” She pointed to the computer Kendra sat in front of.
Hunter felt a strange pride in Adriana for taking the offensive. He leaned against the doorframe to see how it played out.
Their boss stood. “What am I supposed to think? Your name is listed as the one taking in the money.”
Adriana strode straight up to the desk and put both hands on her hips. “Since when do I need fucking money?” She lifted a hand and pointed at Kendra. “And since when did you start doubting me?”
Kendra’s face changed to poker mode, but he recognized the shift in weight to her right side. She knew she’d screwed up. “I don’t want to believe it, but why would someone set you up?”
Adriana threw up her hands. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a jealous wife? Maybe an unhappy Dom? Maybe a drunk I rejected? It’s not like I’m an angel, but I’m smart enough to know which side my bread is buttered on. I don’t bite the hand that feeds me!” She slammed her hand down on the desk.
Kendra’s face cracked. “Shit, Adriana. What am I supposed to do here? Now I have two threats against Poker Flat because of you. If the resort goes under, everyone’s out of a job and the nudists are out a top-notch resort.”
Wade moved next to her. He sensed the same vulnerability Hunter did. Kendra was in a precarious position.
Adriana’s hands found her hips again. “So you want to fire me? After all I have supported you through? The threats to the opening? The owner requirement? Him?” Adriana lifted her chin to indicate Wade.
Kendra’s shoulders slumped and she gave a heavy sigh. “I know. I know. But someone wants you gone and they’re putting the resort on the line.”
Adriana stepped back. “I’ll make it easy for you. I don’t want to work for someone who doubts me. I’ll just leave.” She turned toward the door.
Hunter put up his hand and shook his head. “That won’t necessarily help unless we can determine that the person who put up that site knows what’s happening on the resort and how.”
“Wait.” Kendra stepped around her desk. “Are you saying someone here could be feeding information to someone beyond the resort?”
He nodded.
Adriana shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I know when I’m not wanted.” She brushed by him, striding out the door, but he kept his eyes on Kendra.
Wade came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll figure this out. We haven’t come this far to back down now.”
She turned her head. “I know. My heart says to do whatever it takes to keep Adriana, but my brain is being realistic. If the resort folds, where is everyone else going to go? Who’s going to hire a former madam as their cook? Or a former thief as their waitress? Or an accused arsonist to do their books? Of all my staff, Adriana is the mostly likely to land on her feet. If I fire her, the rest are safe. At least I hope.”
Hunter pushed off the doorjamb and shook his head. “If you fire Adriana, I walk. And I’ll bet I’m not the only one.”
Kendra’s eyes widened in surprise, but he ignored her look and left the room.
*
Adriana lay naked on the lounge chair on her back patio, her eyes closed as her body soaked in the sun’s rays. She’d packed her kitchen and deserved a break. Kendra hadn’t fired her yet. She had no idea why, but it was probably only a matter of time. Maybe it was because she was still on “vacation” and there could be some rule against firing an employee while they were on vacation.
It didn’t really matter. It didn’t take a fortune teller to see she would be out of a job soon. She’d packed her living room the day after she and Kendra had it out. She’d tackle her bedroom tomorrow. That Kendra would sacrifice her for the resort hurt, even if she’d probably do the same in her shoes.
But that Kendra had doubted her stabbed far deeper, more than she expected. She’d grown soft living at Poker Flat, where everyone looked out for one another. She needed to figure out what she wanted to do next.
Lacey had come by again and brought her more breakfast. She and Selma still believed in her and wanted her to stay. That was something. But Kendra wasn’t completely convinced it was a setup. And who could blame her?
On one hand, Adriana was flattered her boss felt she couldn’t have pissed off anyone that much, but on the other, that Kendra could believe she’d put Poker Flat in jeopardy stung.
She took a sip of her beer then lay back and closed her eyes. It was weird drinking in the middle of the day while at Poker Flat. By now, she would have the bar open and be serving guests, watching them hang out in the pool, probably would have given Lacey a hard time at least once and made Andrew blush a few times.
It sucked being ostracized. She hadn’t even seen Hunter the last couple nights. She didn’t have the guts to break into his casita again. He’d given her a pretty serious warning about doing that when he’d checked on her after she stormed out of the office. He seemed pissed, so she’d held back. That he might think she’d put Poker Flat at risk bothered her. Then again, she had no clue what that man thought.
She would have liked to do some online shopping for new toys, but Kendra had insisted on taking her computer as well. “Just to keep anything else from happening.” But she wasn’t stupid. They were going to try to find out if her computer had been hacked. That was the only reason she was still at Poker Flat. The tiny hope they would figure it out.
She should probably go shopping
tomorrow, before she went stir crazy and—
“Uh, Miss Perez?”
She opened her eyes to find Andrew staring at her. Now that was a boost to her bruised ego. She gave him a sultry smile. “Hi, Andy.” She bent one knee up and let it angle to the side a bit. As expected, his gaze left her breasts and riveted on her pussy.
This is what she needed, a little worship. “Did you need me for something?” She practically purred the words. She’d be happy to give the young man a blowjob right here just to have a little fun.
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard. “Um, not exactly. I was sent to give you a message.”
She grinned. The man couldn’t take his eyes from between her thighs. The urge to spread them wide was strong, but she’d never get the message if she did. “And the message is?”
“The people in casita number four wanted to know where you were. When I told them you were on vacation at your place on the resort, they asked me to tell you they were disappointed you haven’t stopped by the last two nights.”
Huh? That didn’t make sense. “How would I know to visit them?”
“They said they gave Hunter the message to give to you.”
Now that was interesting. She doubted Hunter forgot. Maybe he was mad at her, or maybe he didn’t get good vibes from the foursome. She couldn’t be sure which. They were a little pushy. “Was that all they wanted?”
Andrew drew in a breath. “No, they said for you to come over this afternoon. They have a surprise for you.”
Oh, now that sounded promising. It also would give her something to do with the rest of her day. Something pleasurable. Feeling a bit more like herself, she let her knee fall to the side, opening her pussy more to Andrew’s gaze.
The man took a deep breath and his hands fisted at his sides.
Glancing at his jeans, she could see an impressive bulge pushing at his zipper. “Andy, did you want to have a taste?” She moved her hand down toward the narrow slice of clipped hair that pointed to her sheath.
His head bobbed and he took a step forward, but then he halted. “Thank you, but I need to get back to work.”