When another woman approached her, she looked up in a daze.
"My name is Char Boyette," the petite woman said. "Ramsey asked me to check on you." Her blue eyes searched Jace's. "Are you all right, then?" She cocked her blonde head.
Jace said, "Yes, thank you. It's all just a bit much, I don't usually dress this formally or attend events like this."
Char sat in the chair next to her. "Yes, when I was first married to David I was a bit shocked to see the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I was just a little country bumpkin from Louisiana."
Jace smiled at her. "Thought I detected a bit of southern accent."
"Not like Ramsey, though. He's such a charmer…" she paused, "I hope Victoria hasn't been spreading her rumors again."
"Rumors?"
Char sat back and said softly, "When David and I were first married she did everything in her power to come between us. And she seemed to know just when we were having a fight or something. She'd just insinuate herself and come on to David."
"And," she continued, "she's been after Ramsey for years. I think the woman is really obsessed with Ram. And, poor guy, he's just so unfailingly polite to everyone; he just can't seem to tell her to buzz off."
"That sounds like Ram," Jace responded, "he's such a lovely person. Very kind and gentle." But, for some reason, she couldn't get the other woman's words out of her mind.
"Shall we go?" Char said. "He told me you're his physical therapist. I've always been interested in that line of work. Why don't you tell me about it?"
And the two walked back into the ballroom, their presence keenly noticed by Victoria and Ram both.
Chapter 10
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Jace. She met all types of people, and even fast danced with a few men, with Ram watching her and grinning appreciatively.
At the end of the night, when the elevator doors closed, he pulled her close to him. "I have another surprise for you, sweetie pie," he whispered in her ear.
She grew hazy as he whispered, then kissed her neck. "What? By the way, I need to speak with you about this dress, Ram."
He pulled away and looked down at her. "It's beautiful on you. Don't you like it?"
"It's not a question of like. It's the expense involved."
He smiled, pulling her closer again. "Don't you worry about money. That's for me to address." And while his hands roved her backside, he said, "Aren't you curious about the present?"
But, she just gasped as his wandering hands worked their magic before finally her eyes met his.
Pressing his hardness against her, he said, "That's one present, sweet pea, just for you." And he took her hands in his. "I've got another right here."
He reached into his pocket and produced a large multi-carat ruby ring, surrounded by diamonds, and placed it on her right hand ring finger.
"Oh, Ram," she exclaimed, "I couldn't accept it. It must be worth a fortune."
"As am I," he countered, smiling down at her. "What's the next problem?"
The elevator door opened, and they walked into the penthouse.
Jace took the ring off. "Really, Ram. I just can't take this. I'm one of your employees."
His brows furrowed and he looked at her curiously. Slowly, he said, "Do you love me, Jace? I haven't heard you say it yet."
But, with him asking about Ralph earlier, and with the memories, all bad, flooding her, she just stood silently. Taking down her hair, shaking it out, she approached him with the ring. "I really cannot accept this, Ram." She placed it in his hand.
And with that, she walked into the second bedroom.
In seconds, he was behind her, pulling her back against him. He looked down at her, his eyes hard and his body stiff. "Say it," he said tersely. "I know you're in love with me, damn you anyway. Why can't you tell me?"
She'd never heard that tone from him before. Jerking away from him, Jace said, "You didn't tell me about the other women in your life. I thought I was the first since your wife."
He looked at her incredulously. "You are. Who said differently?"
But she was silent.
He crossed his arms. "We could stay here all night like this, darlin.' You really need to tell me."
The electricity between them crackled in the air, before she said, "I need to get to bed. I have a patient to attend to early in the morning."
He sighed then and ran a hand through his hair. "That would be me, I assume."
She nodded.
"All right," he said slowly, as he turned to leave, "I have to go somewhere now for a few minutes. Will you be all right?"
"I've been all right now for years," she told him softly.
Victoria and Marley were finishing what she thought was a very boring lovemaking session, and she'd just completed washing up when Ram called her.
Looking with astonishment at the name on her phone, she quickly composed herself. "Yes, Ram?" she said in her best sexy, low tone.
"Meet me. Downstairs. In the Le Fleur coffee shop."
Not wanting to seem too available, she said, "I was just getting ready for bed, Ram." But, she hastily added, "What time did you want to meet?"
"Right now."
"Sure, let me just get dressed."
"Make it fast." And, he hung up in her ear.
She was thrilled beyond mention at the tone in his voice, hard, commanding, one she'd never heard before. "You will go back to your room now," she told Marley. She always liked to cover all her bases. What if Ramsey wanted to come back here? she thought.
"So," he said, slowly dressing, "the big man finally called you. Let me know if it's worth the wait, will you dear?" he said sarcastically.
"Oh, do shut up. What to wear, my God, this is so sudden."
Marley let himself out, and she decided a mini dress might show off her legs, and she just made the assumption he was a leg man, since her new breasts hadn't seemed to impress him too much.
She was delighted to see he was already at a back table in the café as she arrived.
"Ram," she said warmly, as he stood stiffly, and gestured to a chair opposite him. "What can I do for you?"
His turquoise eyes settled on hers with a hard look she didn't even realize he was capable of. "What's going on, Victoria?" he asked.
She grew uncomfortable under his scrutiny, and shifted in her seat. "I don't know what you mean, Ram darling."
"You know what I'm talking about. My companion. What exactly did you tell her? I saw y'all go into the ladies room after she did."
"Why I don't know what you're talking about. For heaven's sake, explain yourself, Ram."
A muscle in his jaw twitched, as he said in a low tone, "Don't go near her again." He paused, while his eyes pierced hers. "If you persist in this rumor mongering, I will blackball you from every function you can even think of. Understand?"
Her hand came up to her throat, then came back down on his fist which rested on the table. "I would never do anything to hurt you, Ramsey. How can you think such a thing?"
He smiled tightly. "Very easily. Take your hands off me, and pay attention to my words." Then, he rose to leave, "I mean what I say, Victoria."
Ram arrived back at the penthouse a few minutes later. He walked immediately to the second bedroom, where Jace stood, still dressed in her gold outfit, staring out the window.
Without saying anything, he approached her and took her gently by the arm, turning her towards him. Jace looked as if she'd been crying, and his brows furrowed.
"What is it?" he said softly. "Tell me."
But she was silent, just staring at him with accusing eyes.
He gathered her in his arms, while she hesitantly put her arms around his neck.
He drew her close, then closer, as his arms caressed her backside before lifting the dress. And he groaned as he realized that all night she'd worn no underwear at all.
"Jace," he whispered, "I love you so, talk to me. Tell me what you like and tell me about your past. Tell me everything."
His hands roved her skin, smoothing, caressing, while her breath left her at the sensations he created. He lifted her leg and his fingers found her readiness, delved inside then out, while she gasped with pleasure.
And she realized just how fickle her body was, it betrayed the barriers in her mind, while he kissed her lips hard, and nuzzled her neck. "Ram," she began, but the look he gave her was dynamic, with his eyes a deep shade of turquoise now.
He slowly let her leg down, and his hands smoothed her dress. "I'll let you sleep," he whispered, as he stepped back. Then, in a firmer voice said, "We're going on the yacht tomorrow. Just you and me. Be ready at six o'clock sharp. Leave your cell phone and laptop here."
"But," she protested weakly, "what should I bring? The table? And clothes?"
At the doorway, he said, "Leave the table here. Clothes are optional." With that, he strolled out the door towards the other bedroom.
True to his word, Ram knocked at her bedroom door at five forty-five the next morning.
Bleary eyed, she threw the last of her clothes into a small suitcase, and joined him in the outer room. He'd set up coffee from room service, and she gratefully accepted a hot cup of the brew.
"You ready?" he asked after a few minutes.
"Yes." She never liked to talk in the morning, it seemed to sap all her energy.
They arrived at the large dock area half hour later, and she gasped as she saw the size of his yacht named 'Suzy-Q' probably, she thought, named after his wife. It had a spacious deck area with padded lounging chairs.
"Look around if you like," he finally said, as he took their suitcases from a deckhand on the dock.
Fascinated by the huge yacht, she saw a Jacuzzi by the outside sunning area, and when she went inside the large living room, she saw long, circular couches, built in tables, a dining area with a glass table and eight chairs, then a circular staircase below the bar area. Heading up, she saw the master bedroom had not only a king bed, but built-in cabinets and also a circular sofa. There were six other bedrooms, some with queen beds. All sported unusual artwork on the walls, and she stopped to study the paintings. They were modernistic in design, and she found herself drawn into the core of them, noting the flair and movement.
She heard Ram come up behind her. "Susan was very talented," he said softly. "Well," he said, a bit louder, "are you ready then?"
Turning to face him, she said, "Where are we going?"
"I don't know yet," he said, "why? Do you have a port in mind?"
She found herself blushing for some unexplained reason, as he continued to stare at her.
"Do you have a coffee maker?" she asked finally.
He laughed. "Yes. I've already started it. Would I forget the coffee?"
As they rode along, Jace listened to the swoosh of the waves against the heavy bow, and smelled the clean, salt air. She found herself growing drowsy from the sun, and woke to the sound of engines roaring, then backing quickly.
Looking around, she saw they were now in a good sized cove, but no dock was apparent, as well as the shore being empty and devoid of people.
She heard a thump, before Ram came down the stairs from the upper captain deck.
"Where are we?" she asked him, shielding her eyes from the sun.
"I'd tell you the latitude and longitude, but just briefly I'd say we're out in the middle of nowhere."
Her eyes roamed over him, realized he wore a t-shirt and jeans, before he quickly stripped both off and plunged into the crystal clear light blue water.
Bounding to her feet, she watched him swim to shore. "What are you doing?" she yelled after him.
He grinned back at her, and gestured for her to swim to him. There was only one problem, she thought with dismay. "I can't swim, Ram," she said to no one in particular.
After pacing the deck for a few minutes, she spotted a life jacket. "If I can use this," she said out loud, "I can manage to get over there."
Changing quickly to her bathing suit, she searched for and finally found a ladder leading down to the water.
"Well," she stated, "I can do this. I just need to hold onto this jacket thing…" Her voice faded off and her resolve started to crumble, as she perused the distance between the yacht and the shoreline.
But she finally climbed down, grabbed the jacket, and let herself slowly into the water. It was warm, she thought gratefully, as she began paddling towards him.
Something happened, as she was half-way to him, some water in her mouth or throat, and she choked, before she went partially underwater. She panicked with her legs and arms flailing frantically while she lost hold of the life jacket.
Ram saw her start to go under, and he quickly ran and dove into the water. Soon, he arrived at the spot he last saw her. But, she was nowhere to be seen. He dove to search, and finally saw her halfway to the bottom, her hair flowing out from her body like gossamer, bubbles floating from her mouth.
He reached her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the surface. She sputtered, and tried to fight him.
"Jace!" he yelled. "Stop, Jace!"
Her head whirled around and her arms still thrashed. But after he held her at the surface a while, she seemed to calm.
"What happened?" he asked, still holding her up.
"Can't swim," she gasped.
"Jesus H, why didn't you tell me?" he said, as he pulled her towards the yacht.
She had just enough strength to climb the ladder slowly, before she collapsed on the deck.
Ram grabbed some deck towels and mopped at her face and body. "You should have said something," he admonished.
"You never gave me a chance," she said weakly, as she finally was able to sit up.
"Here," he said, "sit on a chair."
And, that's where she stayed for the next hour, without moving.
He finally sat next to her on the lounge chair. "Would you like to lie down for a while? As I said, clothing is optional. We're all by ourselves here, you know."
He watched her face, and noticed the subtle change. "Come with me," he urged, as he took her hand.
Leading her up to the master bedroom, he said, "Sit. I'll brush your hair." He'd rinsed it for her earlier, along with her body, to get the salt water off, and now he pulled out a brush.
Softly, he brushed it all to the ends, as she tipped her head back. "Now," he said softly, "lie down. Rest." But as she lay on the bed, he just couldn't bring himself to leave her. Grabbing her from the back, nuzzling her neck briefly, he fell asleep along with Jace.
It was dusk when he woke, with his arm thrown casually across her waist, and he groaned and pulled her tightly against him, against his hardness.
Jace responded to him, as her hand roved along his thigh.
They both shucked off their bathing suits, and stood on opposite sides of the large bed, watching each other.
"God, you are so beautiful," he said gently, as he lay back on the bed with his arms open for her.
"We're alone," she said sleepily, "all alone?"
"Yes, sweet pea. We're all alone."
Lips against his now, she said, "And you'll make love to me?"
He crushed her with a kiss, hard, harder still, while his tongue delved in and out of her mouth, ran across her lips, before he kissed his way to her neck.
She moaned as he drew her breast to his lips, sucked on the nipple gently, slowly taking one breast then the other.
His lips moved down her stomach, then to the brief downy patch of hair between her legs.
Gasping now, she held his head gently, while his tongue roamed in and out of her, on her bud, then flicking the bud while his fingers rolled in and out of her wetness.
Not used to the heady sensation, she moaned then cried out as he brought her quickly to her climax.
"Damn," he whispered, "I can't wait," and he pulled himself inside her, thrusting gently, then har
der, as she cried out more and more, louder and louder.
But, he pulled out then and looked down at her. "You want me, sugar pie?"
"Yes," she gasped, "please, now."
"You're sure?" he teased, still looking down. Quickly, he rolled her over to be on top of him, but purposefully avoiding pulling himself into her again.
She grabbed for him, but he rolled her on her side. "Let's make it last," he said, grinning.
Her breathing was ragged now, as she said "Hell with that. Now."
Bringing her leg around him, he entered her quickly, while she gasped. They moved together in rhythm, as she tensed, caressed his arm and his back, while the sensation made her see stars, as she screamed loudly with the feel of it.
Natalie swore as she clicked her phone shut. Where could Jace be? It had been hours, and she needed to speak with her urgently.
Pulling out the file she'd started on Ramsey Knowles, she quickly scanned and found an emergency contact number.
"Hello," she said as a man answered, "I'm trying to contact Jace Lombard."
"Who?" His voice sounded sleepy and she realized it was after eleven at night. But then, she was a night person.
"Sorry. My name is Natalie and she's an employee of mine. I'm trying to phone her or Ramsey and neither one is answering."
He chuckled in her ear. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"It's not the slightest bit funny," she said, as her eyes scanned the newspaper article in front of her. The picture showed Ram and some red-head, with her hands on his, both sitting at a table. She really needed to tell Jace about this. The article mentioned someone named Victoria, and it linked them romantically.
Romance in Dallas - Tycoon! Page 9