The night line on her phone buzzed, and Tori looked at it with a feeling of dread. Everyone else had already left the office, and she was sure that would be Alex Green, again.
“Hello. Victoria Alvarez. Can I help you?”
“Tori, it’s Zack. You’re not still working, I hope. Would you like to have dinner tonight?”
“Zack! You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice. I was standing here by the window watching the lights come on around the Bay and feeling sorry for myself.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes. Where are you?”
“Looking out the window of my condo on South Beach watching the lights come on. I’ve ordered dinner sent up and would love to share it with you. I called your house, but of course, you’re not home yet. You shouldn’t be working so late. It’s not safe in downtown at night.”
“I’m fine. The night watchman will walk me to the garage. What is the address? I’ll freshen up and drive over.”
Zack gave Tori directions to a building on Ocean Drive in the historical Art Deco Restoration District of South Beach. “It’s apartment 800. Hurry up. I’m hungry.”
Tori showered quickly in the firm’s executive bathroom, replaced her makeup, and brushed out her hair. Her choice of a change of clothes was limited, so she settled for a soft, shape-hugging black velour jogging suit she kept at the office for after work emergencies. Tori dialed the security desk in the lobby to ask for an escort to the parking garage and was on her way.
As Tori pulled up to the entrance of the campy pastel-pink-and-yellow building on the ocean, her door was opened by a teenage parking attendant sporting a radical wedge haircut. After looking askance at the white pickup truck, he seemed to be really taken aback by the voice of Andrea Bocelli booming from the stereo speakers. She handed him a tip with a smile and said, “Mr. Talbot said to have you park it in one of his spaces and leave the keys with the doorman.”
“Sure thing,” he said with a look of awe on his face as he helped her alight. “Anything for Mr. Talbot.” She could see she had risen several notches in his estimation, pickup truck or not. As she walked into the elegant foyer of the building, Tori grinned to herself. I wonder what he’ll think when he sees my bumper sticker. Sharon and Robert had conspired to put the sticker, which said “My Other Car is a Horse,” on when she bought the new truck the year before. It had been at least two weeks before she noticed it, and by then the hot summer sun had baked it in place permanently. She had to admit it could have been worse. Their second choice had been “Cowgirls Do It in Their Pickups!”
* * * *
Zack was waiting when Tori stepped off the old-fashioned glass enclosed elevator directly into the elegant foyer of the penthouse apartment on the eighth floor of the Regency Arms. “What took you so long?” he growled as he pulled her into a ferocious bear hug. His chin rested on the top of her head as he gave her another tight squeeze. “Never mind, I’m just glad you’re here. It seems like I’ve been waiting for hours.”
“Zack! You’re squishing me!” She laughed as she gasped in a ragged breath. “It took me less than one hour to get here.” As Zack relaxed his crushing hold, Tori put her arms around his waist and reached up to brush a light kiss at the base of his throat. “Hi. I’m glad to see you, too.”
“Hi yourself,” he said as his mouth swooped down to capture her lips in a bruising kiss slightly tinged with desperation. His mouth softened on hers, and finally he came up for air as he shook his head to clear it. He was trying to camouflage his rage at the untenable position he found himself in, but he didn’t think he was successful. “Come on in,” he continued with a deep sigh. “It’s been a rough day.”
“Is this the only apartment on this floor? The elevator opened right into your foyer.”
“After we remodeled this building, I kept the top floor for myself,” he replied taking a deep breath. Take it easy, Talbot. Lighten up. The day’s events and their possible repercussions were weighing heavily on his emotions, he knew. “Give me a minute to call downstairs to Pinkie’s and have them send up dinner, then I can lock the elevator so it can’t come up to this floor.” Zack’s face lit up with a devilish grin, and he quirked one black winged brow as he imparted that bit of information.
* * * *
Tori looked around quickly as Zack led her through a set of carved mahogany double doors into the spacious living room enclosed on three sides by floor-to-ceiling glass looking out onto the beach and the dark ocean beyond. He had barely let her get a glance at the foyer, which was furnished with an elaborately framed gilded mirror, hung over a gilded hall table, flanked by crystal beaded wall lamps and side chairs. The floor was black-and-white marble in a checkerboard design. The living room was surrounded by a wraparound balcony with a spectacular view up and down the beach and out to sea. The moon was reflected on the water below.
As Zack picked up the receiver of a gold-and-white antique telephone on the table behind the sofa, Tori glanced around the huge living room. The furnishings were vintage 1920s art deco in keeping with the facade of the building. It was so completely different in mood than the modern glass-and-coral rock ranch house in Palm Beach that Tori was amazed. She never would have pictured Zack in this setting. It was so….flamboyant.
“This is a wonderful building.” As Zack hung up the phone, Tori continued tongue in cheek, “I especially loved the bright blue neon sign above the entrance. It goes great with the pink-and-yellow color scheme.”
“Pretty colorful, isn’t it? Believe it or not, that color scheme was approved by the South Beach Architectural Control Board. They keep a tight rein on the restoration of these old hotel buildings.”
“I remember there was a big flap years ago when the city wanted to knock down all these old, derelict hotels for Miami Beach redevelopment.”
“My father was lucky to pick up three abandoned buildings very reasonably, but the renovations cost a fortune. The structure and everything inside, from electrical wiring and plumbing to appliances and air-conditioning, had to be brought up to code and is brand new. It just looks old. This one is beach front and the other two are across the street. We’re still finishing the work on the last one.”
“Did you convert them all to condos?”
“Just this one. One of the buildings is still a hotel, and the other is luxury rental apartments. Property values in this area sky-rocketed when it went from low income to trendy and high rent in just a few years. Of course, there’s only so much oceanfront.”
“It’s amazing what some classy renovation and the right PR can do for a neighborhood.”
“Right place at the right time. Sit down and relax. I think I hear the elevator.”
Zack returned with a waiter pushing a dinner cart. The waiter continued on into the dining room through a set of French doors to the left where he quickly served dinner on the long rosewood table. Two places were set with beautiful linens, china, silver, and crystal. Fresh flowers graced the table which was surrounded by twelve high backed chairs upholstered in tapestry with a zebra stripe pattern.
“Pretty impressive, Talbot—for a man who likes plain coffee mugs.” Tori eyed the formal dining room with interest as Zack seated her at the table. “I didn’t know you had an apartment in Miami.”
“I don’t use it often, but it comes in handy. Mom uses it more than I do. I have to be here for business for a day or two.”
“It’s beautiful. I wouldn’t have expected you to like something so elaborate. Art Deco is an acquired taste for most people.” Tori thought the whole place was gloriously over the top—not to mention around the bend.
“To tell the truth, the renovation architect I hired to supervise the project had his decorator furnish this floor. We used it as the model while the other units were being sold. I never would have had the patience to put this together. I rarely use it anyway. The housekeeping staff from the hotel keeps it in order, and anything I need in the way of food can be ordered fro
m the restaurant on the first floor or brought over from the hotel.”
As they ate the excellent meal of Beef Wellington, braised vegetables, and salad, Zack slowly relaxed. Just being with Tori brought his blood pressure and his emotions down to a manageable level. When they had finished, he carried a tray with a silver coffee pot, cups, and slices of a sinful chocolate torte into the living room.
Tori poured the coffee and served the dessert as Zack attempted to settle himself on the rather baroque sofa. “I’ll tell you this may be a decorator’s dream, but it’s damned uncomfortable. If I spent any more time here, most of this stuff would be out the door,” he grumbled as he realigned his long frame and turned to face Tori.
“We’re a couple of sad sacks. It sounds like you had as wonderful a day as I did.”
“Actually, it was very interesting, and I think I’m on the way to solving some problems. At least I hope so. Let’s just relax and forget it all,” he said as he reached into a black lacquer box on the coffee table and took out a remote control. In moments the lights dimmed, mellow jazz from the invisible stereo system surrounded them, and the draperies opened fully to reveal an unrestricted panoramic view of the moonlit ocean.
“You are good, Zack. You are very good. This is exactly what I needed,” she said as she took a sip of coffee and relaxed on the sofa, her legs stretched out comfortably over Zack’s lap. He took one of her bare feet in his strong hands and began to gently massage it, running his palm up the calf of her leg. He gently kissed her instep and then gave the other foot and leg the same loving attention.
“That feels wonderful. Rub my feet and I’ll follow you anywhere,” she sighed, contentedly. When he had relaxed her almost to the point of semi-consciousness, she said, “Can I spoil you, too?”
“I was hoping you would. My back and neck are all knotted up. It must be the stress.”
“Take your shirt off and stretch out here, and I’ll see what I can do.”
* * * *
Tori sighed as Zack stood up and began to unbutton his shirt and pull it out of the waistband of his jeans. He flicked the snap and lowered the zipper. She held her breath as inch by inch his magnificent chest came into view and slipped into the open vee of his jeans. When he dropped the shirt on the carpet and turned to lie down on the sofa, Tori closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe in. When she opened them again the view was just as breathtaking. The rippling muscles of his broad shoulders and back gleamed bronze in the dim light as they tapered into his lean waist. The jeans tightly hugged his great butt and long legs. She was mesmerized. God, the man is put together.
“Where can I find some lotion?” she asked in a slightly shaking voice.
“There should be something you can use in the powder room off the foyer. Hurry back.”
Tori was glad for the respite. She needed a minute to get her breath and calm her ragged nerves. When she returned, she poured a generous amount of the rich hand lotion into her palms and warmed it. She climbed onto the sofa and settled herself across the small of his back. When she rubbed the lotion into Zack’s shoulders, her hands began to tingle with the electric current passing from his smooth sun-bronzed skin into her palms. She felt the sizzle course through her body right down to her pulsing clit. She couldn’t be near this man without bursting into flame. He was addictive. She worked her way down the strong column of his neck and spine until she reached the small of his back. She pulled his jeans down and massaged his hard butt muscles and then slowly worked her way back up again. Zack’s groans of pleasure were music to her ears.
“I love to touch you like this. Your body is like a work of art.”
“It’s a little battered and getting older every day, but you make me feel like I’m twenty again. I love the feel of your hands on my skin.” Zack rolled over and looked up into her eyes. “You must know how I’m beginning to feel about you. I don’t want to rush the moment, but you are more important to me every day, Tori. I think I love you.”
Tori didn’t know what to say. She felt it was too soon to say she loved Zack, but she knew those feelings were growing in her heart every day. Her experience with Alberto had made her more than a little wary and gun-shy. She smiled and reached down to kiss him. She placed feather-light kisses over his eyes and across his high cheek bones before she moved down to his firm mouth. She played with his lips, sucking and pulling, as she ran her slippery hands up over his sculpted pecs and shoulder muscles. Her hands loved him when her lips refused to say the words.
* * * *
Zack felt the weight of his secret pressing on his heart, not to mention his conscience. It was getting harder every day to try and let this comedy of errors play itself out. He wasn’t used to living a life of deception, and it didn’t sit well with him. Military honor and ethics had always played a large part in his life. I guess I just keep hoping it will all go away, but I know that’s not going to happen. Eventually, the shit’s going to hit the fan. Zack reached up and crushed his mouth against hers in desperation as the feelings bubbled up inside him. He pushed his jeans the rest of the way off.
He grasped Tori’s waist and quickly rolled over on top of her. He pulled her top off over her head and brushed the bottoms down and off her ankles. Her smooth skin felt wonderful against him, and he reveled in the feelings. He knew he was rushing her, being too rough, but a demon inside him urged him on. He needed her, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would have her. He flipped the front catch of her lacy bra open. The tightening of fear in his chest added an edge of despair to the kisses he pressed to her neck as his lips traveled down to her full breasts. He flicked his tongue over the raspberry nipples that he knew ached for his touch. The look in her eyes tore at him. He could see the love growing there. He knew he was going to hurt this woman before it was all over, and he was beginning to hate himself.
Zack pushed it all aside as his muscular thigh opened her to his hot gaze, and her body arched against him. She was wet and creamy for him. He lost his mind and saw red as lust overtook him. He spread her thighs wider and put his throbbing cock between the lips of her hot pussy and mounted her like an eager stallion. Her cry of pleasure spurred him on. He was beyond reason and gentleness. He looked into her fathomless eyes and took her, took what he needed from her. His tongue possessively swept through her lips and plunged into her mouth as his hungry cock plunged into her waiting pussy. Her body gloved his hard cock like hot, wet silk. He drove into her ruthlessly as the firestorm of his passion exploded. His emotions were overflowing like the hot seed spurting into her womb as they both ripped into an uncontrolled orgasm.
When reason returned, Zack was astounded and horrified at his own behavior. He didn’t think he’d ever lost control like that in his life. He buried his face in her neck. “I’m so sorry, baby. I don’t know what came over me. Did I hurt you? I’m sorry…”
* * * *
Tori pulled him close and just held on. She could hear his harsh breath and feel the tension in his magnificent body. She didn’t know what had gotten into Zack—what demon was riding him. He had always been a demanding and possessive lover, but he had never been this rough with her. She knew something had to be bothering him. She just didn’t know what it was or how to approach him to find out. He’d been acting oddly for a while.
“Please say you’ll forgive me, Tori. I didn’t mean to hurt you, baby.”
“It’s okay, Zack. You didn’t hurt me. We’ll be okay… It will all be okay.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Tori met Alex Green at Bob Grossman’s office on Wednesday at one o’clock for the scheduled deposition. She had been unable to get a private moment with Robert to discuss the ethical situation she found herself in and her desire to withdraw from this case. She had had no choice but to show up and represent her client to the best of her ability until other arrangements could be made.
The conference room at Grossman, Connelly, Whitman, DeCostanza & Segal, P.A., was large and comfortable. The videographer had set up
his equipment at one end of the large, mahogany conference table. Tori and Green took seats at the opposite end of the table. Tori opened her file in front of her and scanned through her notes.
Bob Grossman and his associate entered the room with a tall blond man that Tori knew to be the CEO of Z-Tech, Chuck Jackson. He looked furious. Knowing what she did now, Tori couldn’t really blame him. She tried to school her features to an impassivity she didn’t feel as they took seats across from her, and she greeted them with a relaxed smile.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope we can keep this short and sweet.”
“I doubt that, Ms. Alvarez. I have quite a few questions for your client.” Bob Grossman had a great poker face. She had to give him that.
“Let’s get started then.”
Grossman read the style of the case into the record and began the questioning.
“So, Mr. Green, when did you start your employment with Z-Tech and what were your duties when you were first employed?”
The questioning went on for over an hour as Grossman took Green through each year of his employment, the projects he had worked on, and his specific duties before he brought up the terms of the Employment Contract, which was produced and entered into the record. Of course, Tori objected just for form.
“Gentlemen, I think now would be a good time for a break.” Tori smiled at all the parties around the table. “I certainly could use a breather.” She could see that Grossman wasn’t happy to have his rhythm interrupted, but sometimes that was part of the strategy.
“Let’s take twenty minutes so Ms. Alvarez can breathe. How about if we reconvene at two thirty?”
The Appearance of Impropriety Page 16