"As to your father. . ." Tanner said.
Richard's head snapped up. "I didn't ask you to investigate my father."
"I didn't. I found a connection between your father and hers."
Richard hesitated a long moment. He was here to find out the truth. Not hearing what Tanner found was counter to Richard's reason for being here. "What's the connection?"
"The night her father died, he had met with your father. The meeting took place at the airport after her father arrived in her Florida. After that meeting Mason Echoes died in a one car accident on his way to this guest house."
"Is that all?" Richard asked.
"There's one more thing about Ms. Echoes. When she started her company years ago, I looked into the financing of the business. Her applications at several banks had been turned down. Ms. Simmons supplied a large amount of the financing that she obtained from a divorce settlement. Ms. Echoes' money came from her father. However, I have not been able to determine where the source of his income came from. When Ms. Simmons left the business, Ms. Echoes again turned to her father for financing and Mason Echoes delivered."
"Do you know where he got the money at that time?"
Tanner shook his head.
"Is there any indication that the money was counterfeit?"
"Can't make that leap, yet."
That one word, yet, was the crux of Richard's investigation. Would they find out the money that National Nutrition was built on was counterfeit?
"Any connection to off shore accounts?"
"I'm still looking into that if you want me to continue."
"I need to know the truth," Richard said. "If it doesn't encroach on your vacation."
Tanner wiped his concern away with the wave of his hand. "I'm glad to do it."
"When do you go back?" Richard asked.
"Vacation ends this weekend. We're flying back on Saturday. What about you?"
"I have a few more days of leave, but I have to be back by the middle of next week," Richard said. "Thanks for the details. I appreciate what you've found."
The two men stood and shook hands. Tanner slide the folder with the information he'd compiled across the table. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a small jump drive and handed it to Richard.
"Everything I have is on this."
Richard accepted the drive and moments later, Tanner had left the room and Richard was alone. Sitting down again, he opened the file Tanner had been reading from and read through it again. Nothing more was revealed through his own reading. Yet, Richard had the feeling he was missing something. Tanner was thorough and Richard marveled at how much he'd uncovered in twenty-four hours.
What disturbed Richard most was the source of the money that allowed April to begin her company. It was a small manufacturing company with only one product. In the intervening years, she's built it into a multinational billion dollar business. As a non-public company, she was not required to disclose financial reports. Most of the financials in the report were sourced from interviews and voluntary reports that her company issued.
Richard couldn't help but feeling pride for April and her accomplishments. He stood up and paced back and forth. At the same time, he wondered just where Mason Echoes got that much cash to give his daughter. More disturbing to Richard was whether April knew that the money could have come from a counterfeiting operation? And was she involved?
***
April had been so focused on her problems that she had barely given her surroundings any thought. The day was bright, clear and with only a smattering of the humidity Mimosa Island was known for. She decided to walk to the resort. Golf carts passed her, ferrying guests to and the beach or villas, as she made her way along the stone pathway to the main building of Casa Blanca Resort and Spa. The place reminded her of other luxury properties where she often stayed. This one had the advantage of palm trees and the sweet smell jasmine from flowering bushes she associated with the Sunshine State.
The room looked like a war operations center after three hours of discussion and negotiation. Josie had proved her worth as she always did. She'd set up a meeting room with a long polished table and all the necessary connections and supplies needed for connection to the National Nutrition data bases.
Her VP's and managers sprawled papers and laptop computers on the table alongside coffee cups and half-eaten pastries or cups of fruit. April was tired and needed a break, but the acquisition was important to her. She concentrated as the executives went through their tasks lists, presentations and recommendations. Most she agreed with. April trusted her staff and their direction for how to proceed with acquiring Briar Foods. Accepting them wasn't a problem, even though her mind was trying to multitask between what was going on in the room and Richard back at the guest house.
When the meeting broke up, Josie, usually the last one the leave the room, stopped her act of making sure nothing incriminating or secret was left behind, to corner April.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
The others had said their good byes and left the room. Only the two women remained. April and Josie moved back to the table and sat down, swiveling the chairs to faced each other. Josie's face held concern for the woman she'd worked for and with the last five years. They'd become more than employer and employee. They were friends.
"I'm all right," April said.
"You were distracted in the meeting," Josie told her. "Something I've never seen in you. Your mind is somewhere else or on someone else. So is it a man?"
April sorely wanted to confide in her friend, but she couldn't. What she held was a secret that she could tell no one. Josie was perceptive enough to know that something had changed, especially considering the way April had left the office and then this trip that came out of the blue. Unable to tell her the whole and complete truth, April seized the subject Josie had offered her.
"There is a man," she said.
Josie's face relaxed. "Are you in love with him?" The shadow of a mile curved her mouth.
April almost recoiled. Love! No, she shouted in her head. But her head rejected the comment, no matter the strength with which she delivered it.
"I don't know," April replied.
"Do I know who it is?"
April shook her head. "His name's Richard Steele. I met him only a few days ago."
She wasn't sure she knew who Richard was. She couldn't be in love with him. At least not with the man who'd been consuming her thoughts. She hadn't known Richard Steele for a week yet. Actually, she didn't know Richard Steele at all. The man, destroying her mind and causing her such distraction was not Richard Steele. So how could she be in love with him?
Yet, most of her waking thoughts were about him, seeing images of him, having breakfast with him, or going to the beach with him and making love with him. There was also the fact that she didn't trust him. She vacillated back and forth between the way he made her feel and the logic of her brain.
"How does he feel about you?" Josie asked.
"He's never said anything to make me believe we're more than friends."
But there was that kiss, the toe-tingling kiss that did more to communicate his feelings than any words could. Behind it was the thought that Richard could be another gold digger. The thought reminded her of how little she actually knew about this Richard Steele imposter. April had had her share of gold diggers. She could usually spot them after a date or two. She'd had no dates with Richard, although they had shared an afternoon on the beach. Breakfast wasn't a date, only two single people choosing to not sit at separate tables in an almost empty dining room.
"Does he act like a man in love?" Josie interrupted her thoughts.
"I don't think so."
"Do you think he's after your money?"
April shook her head. Josie knew about some of the gold diggers of April's past. "He didn't even know who I was. And he thinks that I work in the finance department."
Josie's smile became a laugh. She covered her mouth trying to stifle it. "How did he get that impres
sion," she asked through giggles.
"It's what I told him." April saw the humor and started to laugh too. She couldn't tell Josie the truth, that she knew Richard was an imposter, so she concealed herself. "I also told him my name is April Quinn. I left the Echoes off."
"That's good." Josie was still laughing.
She felt the release of tension that was coiled inside her. It was Richard that had her in knots. Her heart and her brain were tied together, each one warring for dominance and she was trying to appease them both, knowing that meant she'd lose on each front.
Chapter 7
April returned to the guest house, noting the differences between the resort with its sprawling grasses and pristine accommodations, and the shabbiness of the Eden Paradise House. Concentrating on the exterior of the building, she was unaware that she was walking straight into someone.
They bumped each other and she backed up as the two made contact. Looking up, April expected to find Richard reaching out for her, as they had met that way on her first day. But there was someone else, someone shorter. The man's hands tightened on her arms as he prevented her from falling, but his eyes opened wide. April took it for surprise at their collision.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
His hands released her and April noticed there was none of the fire or electricity that had accompanied Richard's touch.
"You're the cereal queen," he said, stating a fact and not an accusation.
"It's good to meet you." April offered her hand and she always did when someone recognized her. She didn't want to confirm their usual question, as it was often delivered as a question. However, this man was certain of her identity.
He shook her hand. "My kids are going to be thrilled that I met you."
Since she always carried coupons, she reached in her purse and handed him a few. "Let them have the next box on me."
She hoped he'd thank her and go on his way. April didn't feel like talking. Josie's comments were still running in her head and she wanted to go to her room where she could think, process the conversation and decide what to do.
"Thank you," he said.
April smiled and moved around him, not giving him the chance to continue their conversation. As she reached the second floor, Richard stepped into the hall. April stopped as they faced each other. Her heart nearly jumped out of her breast. Are you in love with him? Josie's question repeated in her mind. And she had the answer. How could she not be?
Even though she knew there was some secret he was hiding, she'd fallen in love with him. You don't get to choose whom you love, she thought.
"April?" he called.
She nodded, unable to speak. She resumed walking as did he. They met in the hallway a door down from the rooms across from each other where they used to stay.
"I want to talk to you, but I can't do it now. Will you be here after dinner? I won't be back until then."
"Talk to me about what?"
"I'd rather wait until I can explain everything."
She nodded. She needed to talk to him too, but she would listen first.
Richard stepped closer to her, close enough that she could feel his body heat, close enough that their souls mingled. April kept her eyes on the open collar of his shirt. For an eon neither of them moved. Then Richard's hand lifted her chin and feathered a kiss on her lips. It was so light that it almost wasn't there.
"See you tonight," he said and disappeared down the stairs.
***
The four walls of April's room boxed her in. Not even hunger had pried her from the confines of room twelve. She wanted to get into Richard's room, but she had no key and while some of the guest house doors could possibly be jimmied with a credit card, Richard's was not one of them.
She'd tried.
April paced her own room. It was hot and her hands couldn't find a comfortable place. She twisted them, telling herself she wouldn't go to him. Her emotions were too close to the surface and she didn't want to let the news of her feelings spill over. She knew they would, knew that with his touch, she'd be little more than a fountain of knowledge, telling him her feelings, and knowing that would give him a power over her.
She just wouldn't go. And if he knocked on her door, she wouldn't answer. But as the clock inched closer to eight o'clock, her resolve was waning. She told herself she wouldn’t go. That the kisses they'd shared meant nothing. They were only kisses by two near strangers. They owed each other nothing. But she knew she was going. The only way to get into his room was to have him open the door and admit her. Once inside, she had the chance of finding what she came for. She had to try and retrieve the box.
Maybe there would be a moment. It was a one in a million chance. Maybe nothing would come of it. Maybe Richard wanted to come clean, tell her his real identity. Without her knowing how, her hand was on the doorknob. Her cell phone inside a folded case held her door key. She opened the portal and stepped into the hall. The doors didn't close by themselves as they did in most hotels. She had to pull this one shut and listen to the lock clicking in place. The hallway seemed to imprison April, yo-yoing back and forth in a dizzying vertigo pattern. No other doors opened. She had a few seconds to decide if this was the course of action she wanted to take. She knew she had to do it. She'd rushed out of her corporate headquarters and come to this house. She tried to get her box and failed. With the end of the meeting today, she knew she had to be back in her office by Monday or the acquisition would fail.
April had no choice. She had to go all the way.
Barely ten steps separated rooms six and twelve. April stood in front of Richard's room, staring at the number as if she could make it change to something else. She had to knock. The consequences of not doing so would end her career. She reached out for the handle, but stopped before making contact.
Thoughts of Richard kissing her suddenly bathed her in warmth. She remembered the tenderness with which he'd held her, the way his mouth felt on hers, the way the kiss changed to hunger so strong they both had to fight it. April didn't want to fight it anymore. She wanted to feel the rest of him, know how his weight on her felt, how his hands moved through her hair. She wanted to know what that unknown part of him could tell her. It pulled at her. And she wanted to shed the skin of the secret princess. She had too many secrets and so did he.
She wasn’t made to lie and conceal. April was bone and blood and flesh, hot, pulsing flesh and banked emotions. Richard unlocked the flood gates on those emotions and made her feel more than any other man ever had. He’d kissed April and nightly she had hours of sexual fantasies running through my head and causing several areas of my body to stand at attention.
But she wasn't here for emotion. She was here for the truth and for the incrimination evidence that resided behind this door. She had to find out.
Raising her hand, April knocked.
***
"I would have come to you," Richard said, taking her hand and pulling her into his room.
"I thought you wanted to talk," she said.
"I do, but not now."
April didn't resist when he pulled her close. He didn't immediately kiss her, but held her in his arms as if she were a precious jewel. He liked the feel of her. His hand traversed her back, smoothing over her dress, down over her backside as far as his arms extended. Richard's mouth settled on hers, hard, hungry, and insistent. There was no build up the way their first kiss had been. Richard was sure of where he was going and taking the quickest route.
He wanted to devour her. He was devouring her. Wrapped himself around April, he drew her to him, pulling her inward as if he needed her to be part of his makeup, part of him, inside the same skin, sharing the same heartbeat.
Blood pounded through his body, singing a fierce song as it picked up speed and grew hotter with each revolution.
She met him with a force he’d never known. His tongue dipped deeply into her mouth, plunging, mating, dancing, fighting, dominating. Sounds smacked as their he
ads moved, shifted, their lips sought each others. Richard’s arms welded April to him. She was soft, like cotton candy, a pure confection that could evaporate on touch, but she remained solidly against him.
He needed her now, wanted her in his bed. The bed was only few steps away, but Richard's need for her was so strong, he was unsure if he would make it there, didn’t know if the force that both pulled them together and kept them in individual bodies would allow them to get that far. He found the zipper at the back of her dress. Slowly he pulled it down. Opening it was like peeling back the door to a furnace. Heat radiated from her skin, inch by inch, as he separated the zipper's teeth. He could feel the steam of her desire against his fingers. He touched the opening space. Her skin was hot, almost to the point of searing. His body grew harder against April's.
Pulling her closer, his body going to heaven at the things he planned to do to her. Richard pushed the dress down, starting with the straps. Slowly he ran his hands over April, feeling her accelerated heartbeat, hearing the hitch in her throat when his fingers encountered puckered nipples, stopping at her waist and riding the curve of my hips until the dress slipped away and pooled on the floor.
Her bra freed her breasts and he took them in his hands, then bent down and nuzzled them with his cheeks and lips. Squeezing April tighter, sensation burst inside him. His fingers moved faster and he couldn't wait to get her undressed and himself devoid of his clothes. Using his hands like weapons of sexual destruction he grazed her skin when they were both naked.
She kissed his chest, her mouth working its voodoo on him. Every molecule of his body tightened, stiffened, hardened. He wanted April and there was no doubt that she knew it. Long fingernails scored his chest, seeking, traveling, working their way up and down, going through arousal points that had him bending her backward. Still she kept her hands on him, emigrating to his waist and lower to his erection.
“April,” he groaned, pushing her to the bed and laying on it with her.
Richard snapped at the need that exploded within him. Like magic a condom appeared and he quickly sheathed himself. She was back in his arms the moment he finished. He lifted April. Her legs went around his waist, her back arching as he held her. He filled April, rooted himself inside her. The sound that came from my throat was music. He drove harder, holding her in place, kneading the flesh of her hips as his hands contracted and released in the same rhythm as he plunged and released inside her. She clung to him, holding on as he rode her, rode hard and fast, harder and faster, so fast he thought he’d break through the wall. But it felt good. He felt good. He was lost. Out of control. Unable and unwilling to stop. He was going to die here, the two of them exploding in a rapid fireball that ignited and consumed them. Yet the prospect of it did nothing to quail his energy. If anything he pumped faster and harder.
Barefoot Bay: Counterfeit Treasure (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7