“You taste so sweet,” he groaned into her ear as he thrust with a powerful rhythm. Dipping her head back and exposing her neck, Monroe immediately ravaged her skin with his teeth and tongue, each pinch and bite sending her body into a new dimension of pleasure.
Monroe’s grunts became primal, his need showing on his twisting face.
“Come. Faster. Harder,” she demanded as she curled her legs around him and pulled him tightly to her.
With all the fireworks of a Fourth of July celebration, Monroe brought her to the edge of the world where they both burst to life in ecstasy.
His arms collapsed as he rolled to her side and pulled her in tight, promising without words to never let her go. His grip was as strong as a bear. His breath, rapid. The fire crackled and popped, the shifting pile of burning wood settling as their bodies did. Aria nuzzled against his bare chest and stared into the fire, feeling a peace she hadn’t felt for many years. She fought sleep though her eyes were heavy. If she gave in, every minute spent in slumber would be wasted instead of enjoyed.
Chapter 10
“Are you relaxed?” Monroe asked in a husky, tired voice as he rolled to his side. They’d moved to the bed, which was a cloud Aria wished she could ride across the sky forever. But much like a fairy tale this would all evaporate. Come tomorrow this down-filled pillow-top mattress would be just another chore for her. Something she’d need to strip and stuff into the laundry cart with the wobbly wheel that pulled hard to the left. The champagne would just be something she was supposed to deliver to some happy couple. “Well?” Monroe asked, and she realized suddenly she hadn’t answered.
“Relaxed . . .” She sighed, rolling to face him. “I’m Jello. This was all too much. You ordered everything the resort offers. I’m completely relaxed.”
“Good.” He leaned in and brushed a sweet kiss across her lips. It was a stark contrast to what they’d shared. But oddly, it felt equally intense. “If you’re so relaxed, what’s that far-off look?”
“My days are relatively predictable. I’m considered a floater around here so while I don’t know what job I’ll have, I’m always sure I’ll be working my ass off most of the day.”
“Still plenty of ass there,” he teased, grabbing a handful and winking.
“You know what I mean.” She sighed. “Tonight you gave me more than a night of indulgence; you gave me an unpredictable evening. That’s priceless. The far-off look is me hoping I can will the sun not to rise.”
“Tomorrow can be the same,” Monroe countered as though all of this was so easy to fix. “We have work to do. You set me up with contacts. Maybe even help me access some company documents or financial reports. Then we can be right back here again.”
“Even if this extends a day or, if I’m lucky, two, it changes nothing. I just want to stop time. I want to change my reality.”
Monroe reached for her, and she instinctively rested her head on his chest as though they were long-time lovers settled into a comfortable routine. “Life isn’t the ride you’re on, it’s the car you drive. The steering wheel is in your hands. Your foot is on either the brake or the accelerator. If this isn’t the reality you want, don’t stop until it’s different.”
“I’m not dismissing what you’re saying,” Aria whispered, not wanting anything to ruin the moment. “I know in your life that’s probably been true. It’s not that easy for me. Nothing has been easy for me for a long time. I don’t expect a guy who can order a thousand-dollar bottle of face cream for a woman he hardly knows to understand that. You’re driving the car. Your hands are on the steering wheel. I can’t even walk myself off the curb.”
“We’re not as different as you might think,” Monroe corrected. “The place I’m at in my life . . . I certainly didn’t start there. I’ve been kicked around. I’ve had to fight my way to the top of the pile. You have fire in you. Anyone with eyes can see that. I can’t figure out what’s stopping you. For some reason you don’t want to tell me.”
“My life is the culmination of many mistakes,” Aria admitted. “I failed my family. I failed myself. That’s something I have to deal with for the rest of my life. I try to remember there are worse places to be, even with that kind of burden. At least I get to stick my toes in the sand every day.”
“But you’re far from happy,” Monroe cut in.
“I want things to change here. I want the power-hungry heartless bastards who think they run the world to get knocked down more than a few pegs. It would make me happy. It’s for everyone else here who deserves the relief.”
“Let’s say you could leave and start over,” Monroe said, and though she couldn’t see his face she could hear he was smiling. “Where would you go?”
“Paris,” Aria answered quickly. “When I was a little girl I never bothered with posters of the latest heartthrob. My walls were covered with cutouts of the Eifel Tower. I had atlases and maps with pushpins of all the places I wanted to go. When I was ten years old I had a complete backpacking trip through Europe planned.”
“It’s never too late,” Monroe asserted, and she found his optimism endearing even if it was out of touch with reality.
“You’re right.” She gave in, knowing he’d never understand unless she filled him in on the truth, which she didn’t plan to do. “Maybe someday.”
“We should sleep,” Monroe said quietly, and she tipped her head to see his eyes were already closed. She imagined that was the peace that came with having everything at your fingertips. Real rest was never quite as easy for her.
“Yeah,” she agreed, nestling her head comfortably against his muscular chest and pressing her naked body to his. “I can’t keep the sun from rising.”
“You can’t keep anything from rising,” he said, taking her hand and sliding it over his firm and aroused shaft.
“I thought you were tired,” she said through a playful smile.
“I was until I felt you again. Sleep has nothing on all this.” He lifted the sheet and looked over her body. “It’s not a hard choice. That is unless you want to sleep.”
She looked up at him from under her long lashes and blinked a few times, making him wait. Then she slid her leg over him and pressed her hands to his chest, mounting him and pinning him playfully to the bed. “Let’s see if we can break this bed.”
“Let’s see if we can break some records.”
Chapter 11
Monroe had a strong mind. He could will himself to conquer his thoughts whenever necessary. That meant pesky things like sadness or regret didn’t linger long. He applied logic and brought himself back whenever life knocked him off-kilter. It’d made him the businessman he was today. It made him a man who could walk away from anything. A deal. A business relationship. A lover. Life had taught him nothing was permanent so there was no point dwelling on something that inevitably would be gone anyway.
Yet with all his years of practice Aria had managed to grind the gears of his mind to a halt. Her priceless expression when he presented her with every indulgence she’d been lacking. The fire in her eyes as he brought her to ecstasy. The sadness that enveloped her entire body when she realized happiness was not sustainable. Every subtle mannerism and reaction she’d had was etched in his mind.
It took willpower to refrain from calling his pilot and having the jet fueled and on the tarmac. He could forget this entire deal and whisk Aria off to Paris. Give her the European fantasy she’d always dreamed of. The hurt that flashed across her eyes would be extinguished. The secrets she felt compelled to lock tightly within her would burst free. They wouldn’t matter anymore. But the ringing of his cell phone worked like a spear to burst the bubble he’d been filling with fantasy.
“Hello,” he barked, angry for the interruption as he waited for Aria to join him in the gardens. She’d run back to her bunk to get ready and ensure the contacts were willing to trust him.
“Monroe, it’s James West. Asher Barrington said we should connect.”
“Yes,” Monroe replied un
enthusiastically as he recalled Asher pulling out of this deal at the last minute and leaving him with a hell of a task.
“I’ve had some time to look at all the information you and Asher have discussed so far. There is enormous potential for growth on the island and I agree, even though the price tag is substantial, the Carle De Blu is the perfect first phase. If we can buy it and the surrounding property, we’d be positioned perfectly to corner the potential market. You have a great find on your hands. How’d you get tipped off to it?”
“You’d be amazed what people are willing to tell you when they think you don’t actually care,” Monroe explained. “Seeming uninterested is half the battle.”
“My wife would vehemently disagree with you,” James laughed. “She hates when I don’t look interested. We’re actually both scheduled to fly in tomorrow. We’ll be staying at the Carle De Blu as well. We’re obviously keeping this deal close to our vests here. At least this way I can get a feel for the place too.”
“I have some reservations,” Monroe cautioned. “Asher and I have a process for things of this nature. That is when he doesn’t back out on me at the last minute. I’m the recognizance guy. I can spot a liability from a mile away. You, being successful in your oil business, must already know this. The deal isn’t about what they tell you; it’s about what you can find out. I make it a point to pull back the curtain and see what’s actually going on. There have been dozens of acquisitions I’ve walked away from because of something I found while digging around.”
“You think there’s something significant there?” James asked, a ragged nervousness to his voice. “As a man who keeps up to date on things, I’m sure you know what West Oil has been through lately. We have dug ourselves out of a tremendous hole of public perception. I can’t risk jeopardizing the progress if you think there are some issues.”
“I don’t need any PR headaches either. Trust me. I don’t have answers yet. I’m only now getting the details together.”
James West paused and took a deep breath. “We’re checking in tomorrow afternoon and staying for two days. Think we can get this sorted by then?”
“We’ll either be greenlighting the deal by the time you’re ready to leave, or we walk away.” Monroe kept his eye on the path, hoping to see Aria’s sweet figure approach.
“That sounds rash,” James cut back, his voice flat and annoyed. “With the amount of money on the table, we should be bringing in consultants and our finance team. I’d like to run it all by my COO. Mathew is the numbers guy. This whole thing came up quickly, but I figured if Asher was interested it was worth my time. We can’t possibly know if this is viable in a day or two.”
“It’s been more than a day on my end. I received this tip about the potential investment a while ago, and I’ve been vetting it out ever since. Asher trusts me and my gut. If he were in your position he wouldn’t be questioning my advice to walk away. I’ve built an empire on trusting my instincts. Plenty of deals can look good on paper. As you know from personal experience, a company can present itself one way and have skeletons in the closet. West Oil, under your father’s leadership, was mostly smoke and mirrors. Right?”
“You can’t believe everything you hear on the news,” James said, and Monroe could tell his teeth were grinding together with anger.
“I never rely on the news,” Monroe insisted. “I get my information straight from reliable sources. Now if you can’t get on board with how I do things I’d suggest you cancel your trip. I get that you don’t know me, and my word means nothing to you. But these are my terms. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll be there tomorrow,” James said, without committing to the terms. “Let’s meet for dinner. I promised my wife this would be more vacation than work. Apparently cleaning all those skeletons out of the closet is hard work, and she’s convinced I need a break. She won’t want us talking business at the table, but after dinner we can grab a Scotch and hash this thing out.”
“I know a place,” Monroe said, finally catching a glimpse of Aria approaching. “I have to get back to digging for the good stuff here. Information is power.”
“Then tomorrow,” James said, sounding resigned to Monroe’s structured ways.
Monroe disconnected the call just as Aria bounced happily back to his side. “I hope I didn’t take too long.” She’d changed into a vibrantly colored cotton shirt and white shorts that hugged her body perfectly. Her luminous sun-kissed brown skin was glowing.
“I’d have waited all day,” Monroe said, leaning and kissing her cheek. “Where are we off to?”
“Come on,” Aria said, tugging his arm like an excited child. “Javier agreed to talk to you. His shift starts in thirty minutes, so we’ll have to hurry.”
Aria led Monroe past a gate and along a line of overgrown shrubs. The island music faded as the path narrowed. Every sculpted, well thought out detail of the resort was gone now. All that remained was a neglected area full of tiny bungalows, each only a few feet away from the next. The roofs were made of thatched straw and the sides looked no thicker than plywood.
“This is his,” Aria whispered. “We can’t talk long, and we can’t let anyone else know why you’re here. I told them you were a guy I met.”
“I am,” Monroe said, forcing a smile. In reality his chest tightened at the thought of Aria living in these conditions.
“Javier, this is Monroe. He wants to know more about how you got here,” Aria said, her voice still hushed as they stepped into the bungalow that was no bigger than ten feet across. Two bunks were pushed to either side of the room and belongings were crammed in every corner.
“Ah hi,” Javier said, his eyes darting around as he crammed his hands into his white uniform pockets. “I . . . um, I’m not so sure this is a good idea, Aria.”
“I told you,” Aria pleaded, “You can trust him. I promise. He’s here to help.”
The words cut at Monroe, temporarily stealing his voice. His motives were rooted purely in the business strategy. Did he want to shine a light on the issues Aria brought up? Sure. If it worked out. But the promises she was making on his behalf weren’t completely genuine.
“Javier,” he muttered, “I don’t intend to use your name or anything you tell me in a way that could hurt you or your current position. This is a fact-finding mission. That’s all.”
“Well,” Javier started, eyeing Aria closely as if he was still trying to decide if this was safe, “I grew up in south L.A. You were either in a gang or killed by one or both. Somehow I skated through the years, dodging it. When I turned sixteen I was out of options. They were threatening my family. My mother. It was either join or pay the consequences.”
“That must have been awful,” Aria cut in empathically. How she’d held on to her humanity in the face of the conditions she was working in was a mystery to Monroe.
Javier continued, his confidence growing. “I didn’t know what else to do. Then all of a sudden I get approached by these men. They start telling me I have better options. We heard that plenty when I was growing up. But it was usually just people telling us we could go to college. Be better. And it wasn’t ever true. But these guys were different.”
“They were trying to recruit you for a job here on the resort?” Monroe asked, knowing they were pressed for time.
“They were telling me they had this amazing opportunity. They’d pay for my flight down here. I’d get a place to live. A paradise. A job full of opportunity. I could even get my mother and brother down here someday once I’d earned enough.”
“It’s not better than south L.A. gang life here?” Monroe asked, trying to ignore the cramped quarters and the lack of accommodations. No one was shooting at them. No one was forcing Javier to sell drugs or steal.
“I haven’t been home in three years,” Javier said, a nervous cracking in his voice. “Even getting time to make calls back home is nearly impossible. I can’t make enough to do anything different. Every time I save up something, they turn to my contract an
d tell me I owe for something. Or they’re docking me for some infraction I didn’t even know about. It’s a trap. This whole place is.”
“So why not blow the whistle yourself?” Monroe asked, folding his arms across his chest. He could imagine how someone could get sucked into this trap, but for the life of him he couldn’t understand why they didn’t fight harder to get out.
“I . . . uh,” Javier rolled to his heels and bounced nervously. “No one back home knows where I am. The few times management thought I might get the bright idea of leaving or telling my family back home what’s going on, they reminded me the gangs were still there. They probably think I’m some kind of informant. A rat. No one disappears like that and then turns up years later. They suggested that maybe someone told them that, and my family would have to deal with it. It would be the end of them.”
“That’s extortion. An emotional hostage situation,” Aria cried angrily.
“You wouldn’t have to go home,” Monroe suggested. “Go anywhere in the world.”
“That would take a miracle, and to be able to do it with my family would be impossible. The people here, they are smart,” Javier said in a hushed voice. “And I’m not. I get to take two steps forward and three back. Any of us who think we can beat the system . . . they always find a way to show us we can’t. It’s hard to explain to a man like you.” Javier gestured at Monroe and his expensive shoes. “I’m sure no one gets anything by you.”
“I’m not trying to dismiss what you’re saying,” Monroe assured him. He could feel Aria’s eyes on him, scrutinizing what she must have felt was him being a jerk. “This is what people would ask. They’d see the problem and think it’s a simple solution. I want you to tell me why it isn’t.”
Untamed Devotion Page 5