One-Click Buy: September 2010 Silhouette Desire

by Brenda Jackson

  “That smells divine,” Sarina said, coming beside him and leaning over the pot to inhale.

  She closed her eyes and breathed theatrically, then smiled.

  “I didn’t think I could be hungry so soon after the tapas, but I’m prepared to be wrong about that.”

  “Good, I’m pleased to hear it,” he said, giving the mixture a gentle stir before replacing the lid. “I’ll put the rice on and we’ll be ready to eat in about twenty minutes or so.”

  “Can I do anything to help? Set the table or something?”

  “I thought we could eat outside on the terrace. The harbor is beautiful this time of year and when the sun sets fully, it’s lovely to see the lights. You’ll find place mats and cutlery in the drawers over there.” He gestured to a sideboard against the wall. “Would you like a drink while we wait for the rice?”

  “Just water will be fine. If I have any more wine, it might go to my head.”

  “And that would be a bad thing?”

  She just laughed and got the utensils and place mats out of the drawer before crossing to the wide glass picture windows that led outside onto his private balcony. The expanse of tiles with the toughened safety glass wall beyond, allowing an unobstructed view of the inner harbor, had been a major selling point for him when he’d bought the apartment.

  He’d loved living at the castillo—it had been his family’s home for centuries and he’d enjoyed the sense of longevity surrounding him while growing up, even more so when his parents had unexpectedly and tragically passed away. But once he hit his mid-twenties he’d wanted something intrinsically his own, and he was drawn to the busyness of the city—loved being close to his work where he headed up the publicity machine that was responsible for driving the del Castillo brand, in its many forms, to greater heights.

  “Wow, that view certainly is something,” Sarina said as she came back into the apartment. “It’s a good thing I have a head for heights with that wall of glass there.”

  “It unnerves some people. Are you sure you’re comfortable to sit out there?”

  “Oh, definitely, I wouldn’t miss the sunset for all the world,” she gushed enthusiastically.

  The phone on the wall gave a discreet chirp, distracting him from her smiling face.

  “Hola!” he answered, then frowned at the voice on the other end. “Sí, I understand.” There was another pause. “Well, of course we will manage. You make sure she is well cared for. If there is anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask. Anything, do you understand? Adios.”

  Slowly he replaced the receiver and rubbed his hands across his eyes.

  “Is it Benedict, is something wrong?” Sarina asked.

  “No.” He sighed. “It isn’t Benedict, thank goodness, but it is serious. My PA has been diagnosed with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, she’s being rushed into surgery now. That was her husband. He’s beside himself with worry about her and apparently all she could think of as they wheeled her away was for him to tell me that she won’t be in to work tomorrow.” He shook his head in amazement.

  “She obviously takes her job very seriously.”

  “Sí, she does. She is like my right hand in the office. I could never have spent so much time at the hospital with Benedict if she were not so trustworthy.”

  “You must be worried about her.”

  “I am, but I know the doctors at the hospital are among the best in the world. I’m sure they will do whatever they can. I do fear, though, that she will put more strain on herself fretting about leaving the office at what she knows to be such a crucially important time, aside from Benedict’s situation.”

  “How so?”

  “Our company is working on a major publicity push for the resort and the winery. Having to get another person up to speed will cause delays.” He shrugged and turned to open the fridge and grab the fixings to throw together a green salad. “Still, there’s nothing I can do about that. We’ll just have to make do, and reassure Carmella as best we can that everything is under control.”

  “Do you have a temp agency you can call to fill in someone else’s position at work and then second one of your existing staff into her role?” Sarina suggested.

  “It’s a good idea but we’re already operating on a skeleton staff through the summer.”

  “Perhaps I could help?”

  He laughed out loud at the suggestion. “You? There are no horses in my office, and the only time my staff jump is when I make them.”

  “Horses aren’t the only thing I can manage,” she replied, lifting her nose in the air. “I’ve been known to run— I mean, I’ve helped my sister a time or two back home when she’s been snowed under. She sometimes needs an extra pair of hands on a keyboard or a fresh perspective on her ideas.”

  Reynard noted her near mistake in revealing her true vocation. He pretended to consider her suggestion as he ripped apart lettuce leaves and tossed them into a bowl. If she’d orchestrated a reason to come to work in his office, then he might have been suspicious, since it could have been part of whatever plot she was brewing. But she couldn’t have anticipated Carmella’s situation. And besides, it might not be a bad idea, he decided, to have her exactly where he could find her every minute of the day. Eventually, she’d be bound to slip up somewhere and he’d be in a position to extract the truth from her, and put an end to her and her sister’s plans.

  “Do you really think you could?”

  “I’m going nuts with boredom at the cottage, Rey, give me a chance. If I stuff up, then you can fire me,” she said with a self-deprecating shrug.

  He nodded slowly. “Okay, then. Starting tomorrow you can be my temporary assistant. I warn you, though, I’m a hard taskmaster.”

  “Good,” she replied. “I enjoy a challenge.”

  Oh, she’d have her challenge, all right. But it wouldn’t be the kind of challenge she’d be expecting. It would be a challenge of her own honesty and truth, and it would be on his terms. Something he was very much looking forward to.

  Nine

  A challenge? Rina wanted to grab the words back into her mouth the minute she’d said them. What the heck had she been thinking? Work with him? Sara would never have done anything like that at anytime let alone when she was supposed to be on holiday—or, more importantly, enjoying life as the fiancée of one of the island’s leading citizens.

  She wasn’t kidding about being bored, though. Aside from the strain of waiting for news about Benedict at the hospital, at least there she’d felt useful, as if she’d had something of value to offer and add to the family’s comfort. At the cottage there was nothing. She’d met the cleaner and been soundly scolded both in Spanish and in English for risking life and limb on the rickety old bike. Now she wasn’t allowed to do her own grocery shopping or any cleaning around the house. And she got the feeling the woman wouldn’t be too happy that she’d done some gardening, either.

  With Sara not returning her texts or calls, she felt as if she was locked in limbo—and sitting still had never been her forte.

  “When do I start?” she asked.

  “Is tomorrow morning too soon?” Reynard replied.

  His expression remained urbane but she saw something in his eyes that made her think he expected her to withdraw, or find some reason to change her mind.

  “That should be fine. How shall I get into the office, though?”

  “Good question. The ideal solution would be for you to stay here,” he suggested.

  Again she had that sense that he was watching her. Preparing to gauge her reply.

  “That could work, or I could hire a car so I’m a little more independent.”

  His eyes narrowed a little. “Are you sure? You wouldn’t prefer to do without the worry of driving in the central city, on the opposite side of the road to what you are used to?”

  “I’m sure I’ll get used to it pretty quickly. I’ve driven in Europe before. It becomes logical when you’re driving in the left-hand seat to keep your left shoulder to the
center of the road.”

  He nodded slowly, but she had the impression he was less than pleased. For herself, as tempting as it was to stay in the apartment with him, she knew she would never be able to resist wanting to be more intimate with him. There was an allure between them that she found more and more difficult to fight. For the sake of her love for her sister, she didn’t dare give in to it.

  “It will not be necessary for you to hire a vehicle. There is bound to be a spare car in one of the garages at the castillo. I’ll call Alex and see what’s available if you’re set on driving yourself.”

  “I am, and I appreciate it.”

  “You like your independence?” he asked.

  “Within limits,” she acceded.

  If she really was engaged to him, she’d have agreed to stay at his apartment in a flash, but that wasn’t the case. Besides, for whatever reason, Sara had been keeping a distance between herself and Rey, and until she came back, Rina had to work harder to maintain it.

  Reynard turned to check the rice on the stove top.

  “Ah, dinner is ready. Would you take the salad and the dressing in that glass cruet to the table? I’ll bring the plates.”

  Rina did as she was bid and Rey followed behind her in a few moments with their meals plated up. They ate in a relatively companionable silence, given the way her mind was now racing. After their meal they watched as the sky turned myriad shades of purple before turning into a black velvet blanket peppered with golden stars.

  “I see why you chose to live here,” Rina commented. “It’s as if the sky is mirroring the lights in the city below.”

  Reynard nodded. “Yes, I never grow tired of the view. I wondered, at first, whether I would even notice the stars sitting here at night, but you can see everything when you look for it.”

  Rina shot him a sharp look. Was there a hidden message in there, or was she simply being oversensitive? When Rey didn’t say any more, she relaxed a little.

  “By the way,” Rey continued, “I took the opportunity to phone Alex while I made the coffee. He has instructed a staff member to bring a car around for you tomorrow morning. It is one of their pool cars so it won’t be missed.”

  “I really appreciate that. Will you show me tonight where I will need to go, before you take me home?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Sí, and we can make a quick call into my offices to get you a card for the parking garage under the building, too. Shall we be on our way then?”

  “I think that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t do to keep the help up too late.” She smiled.

  Rey snorted a soft laugh and shook his head. “Is that what you are to me now? The help? Is it not enough to be my fiancée?”

  “I didn’t mean any offense,” Rina amended.

  “No offense taken,” Rey said, reaching for her hand and leading her from the table. “But just so you know I’m clear on this, I heartily concur with office romance.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head, his lips warm and soft against hers, the lingering, slightly nut-flavored taste of their coffee on his tongue as he kissed her. Rational thought fled as he deepened the kiss and as she wound her arms around his neck, holding him close to her. Liquid heat flooded her body, curling around her like a burning silken ribbon of need which then tightened and clenched deep within her womb in an age-old response.

  Moisture pooled at the apex of her thighs, her skin there sensitive, yearning for more. Yearning for his touch. Her nipples peaked against the softness of her bra, her breasts full and aching for him. When his hands skimmed up her rib cage and cupped her through the fine fabric of her dress, she moaned, a guttural sound that came from deep within. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his palms, wanting to feel his possession without the barriers of the layers between his touch and her skin.

  He shifted and his hardness pressed against her mound, drawing another moan from her as sensation spiraled with increasing demand from her core. She lifted one leg, hooking it around his, tilting her pelvis so she could flex against him again and again, slow, firm. Firmer.

  He dropped one hand to clasp her thigh and the raw heat of his fingers curled around her flesh burned like a brand. He broke off the kiss, his breathing heavy, and rested his forehead against hers.

  “Stay.”

  His voice was thick with desire, the single word more a command than a request. But now that the moment had paused, instinct no longer drove Rina forward. With the slow consistency of molasses, awareness flowed back into her mind. What the hell was she thinking? Here she’d been only just telling herself to back off, to find that elusive level of distance she needed to be able to carry this pretense off and now she was all but plastering herself to the man.

  She pulled away, placed her foot firmly back on the floor and unhooked her arms from around his neck.

  “I…I don’t think I should.”

  Rey’s hand lingered on her thigh, slid upward to cup her buttock and pull her against his hips. “Stay.”

  His tone this time was more beguiling, pitched deeper, his eyes now burning with the promise of finding a way that would ease the desperate ache that now threatened to consume her.

  “I can’t. I shouldn’t have reacted like that…led you on.”

  “You didn’t lead me on,” he said softly. “You reacted honestly, as did I.”

  If she’d reacted honestly, it was about the only thing she’d done with an element of truth in it since she’d started this whole thing, Rina thought desperately.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t apologize. We are lucky enough to share a special spark of attraction between us. If we cannot be truthful about that, then what can we be truthful about?”

  Each word fell like a blow on her heart. If circumstances were different, she’d be free to explore that special spark he spoke of. Even as she thought it, a chilling wave of reality swamped her. If circumstances were different, it would be Sara here in his arms or, more realistically, in his bed.

  She curled her fingers over his and removed his hand from her body, every nerve screaming in protest even as she did so. Then, she carefully stepped away from his warmth and lifted her face to look him straight in the eyes.

  “Please, I’d like to go now. Thank you so much for tonight. For everything.”

  He gave her a small smile tinged with regret and turned away to grab his car keys from the bench top in the kitchen.

  “Not quite everything, hmm?”

  She smiled back, a reflexive action that completely lacked humor. “No, not quite everything, but that’s my fault, not yours.”

  “There is no fault, querida.”

  Silence stretched out between them as they left the apartment and traveled down in the lift to the basement car park. Once settled in his car, Rey grabbed her left hand, and held it against his thigh—just where she’d wanted to place her hand when they’d been driving together earlier. Instantly the warmth of his skin and the bunch of his muscles beneath the fine woven fabric of his trousers imprinted against her palm. It felt even better than she’d imagined.

  “No one said you could not touch me,” he said, his voice little more than a growl.

  Rina tried to pull her hand away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  His fingers closed over hers, trapping her hand where he wanted it. “Humor me, please. I promise, I will not bite.”

  Rina nodded her assent and he lifted his hand from hers and slid the car smoothly into gear.

  His offices were on the opposite side of the city from his apartment building. By the time they pulled into the car park, Rina was fighting back yawn after yawn as the strain of keeping her emotions and desires under control took its toll.

  “Do you wish to come upstairs with me, or wait in the car while I get you a swipe card for entrance tomorrow?” Rey asked after unclipping his seat belt and turning off the car.

  “No, I’m okay, I’ll come with you. It’ll help me to know where to go in th
e morning.”

  They rode the lift to his floor and he unlocked the large wooden double doors. For the second time that night, Rina stared at the del Castillo crest and was reminded of the lie she had perpetuated. And to think she’d had the nerve to challenge him on it over dinner. Where was her normally logical head at?

  The answer was simple. Her every thought, her every decision, was clouded by the man standing next to her. Despite everything, all she wanted was to be with him and that fell in total opposition to the love and devotion she owed her twin. A sudden shaft of envy speared her heart. Coveting anything of Sara’s felt wrong—so very wrong. But in this she was struggling to keep her balance.

  It didn’t take long for Rey to find her a key card for the parking garage downstairs and to allocate her a parking space.

  “This card will also give you access to the floors of the building from the elevator,” Rey instructed.

  “Thank you,” Rina said, trying to ignore the tiny zap of electricity that shot through her as their fingers brushed briefly.

  “I’ll show you where we’ll be working. Come with me.”

  Rina followed him past the luxurious reception area and down a thickly carpeted hallway. On each side she could see into a variety of offices. Some individual, some clearly shared in a more open plan environment. Near the end, the hallway widened considerably into a second waiting area. A desk and computer guarded the entry into another office space and as Reynard pushed open the doors, Rina felt as though she was being drawn into the inner sanctum of some medieval master.

  Rey flicked a bank of switches on the wall and subtle lighting brought the room to life. As opposed to the modern and somewhat minimalistic furnishings he employed in his apartment, this was all old-world splendor. With her PR background, Rina could acknowledge the clever planning behind the decorating decision. The del Castillo brand resonated with wealth, power and history, all of which were reflected in the richly decorated space.

  Highly polished mahogany panels lined the walls and deep leather furniture sprawled over the hand-knotted Persian carpets that covered the floor. A large partner desk dominated one side of the office, with a computer flat screen perched on one side. Judging by the papers scattered over the desk, this was very definitely Rey’s work space and he used every centimeter of it.