At the Brink

by Anna del Mar

  “Noon?” No wonder my belly protested.

  “You’ve slept away the morning,” Rosa yelled. “You must have been tired after all that traveling and whatyoumacallit.”

  She knew why I was here. She knew!

  “Are you hungry?” she hollered over the sweeper’s roar. “You must be starving.”

  She turned off the vacuum and marched over to the closet, from where she returned carrying a silk robe embroidered with a Chinese dragon. She laid the robe at the foot of the bed before steamrolling back into the closet. “I’ve got a breakfast basket waiting for you on the balcony if you please.”

  I took advantage of her brief absence to put on the robe and scurry from the bed to the balcony, pulling down on the short hem. If Rosa was scandalized, she didn’t show it. Did she know what her boss liked to do in this room? Did she suspect what kinds of “accessories” were stored in the antique traveling trunk? Did she think I was a common slut for being here?

  I had a vision of Rosa dusting our decadence, disinfecting the room from the lust dripping from the walls, vacuuming all the wickedness we’d spilled on the floor.

  I forced myself to inspect the basket on the table. Something smelled divine. I poured a cup of coffee and took a sip. The heat of the rich coffee warmed my belly and settled my nerves. I peeled away a checkered cloth to discover a plate of freshly baked muffins.

  I picked out a muffin and bit into it. A burst of tropical flavors exploded in my mouth, reminding me that I’d woken up in paradise. Gorgeous, expansive views surrounded the balcony where I stood. The sea’s astonishing greens and blues shimmered beneath the sun’s bright rays, paradise’s dazzling palette. That new, pragmatic voice inside me encouraged me to enjoy the moment.

  Behind me, Rosa attacked the huge bed like a sumo wrestler, ripping off the dirty sheets. I hadn’t counted on meeting anyone out here, but now I was curious: What did Rosa know about Josh? Could she help me figure out the man who had such a devastating effect on my wits?

  Time for a little old-fashioned sleuthing.

  I set my breakfast aside and went to help Rosa make the bed.

  “Thanks for breakfast.” I walked to the opposite side of the bed and tucked the sheet’s corner under the mattress. “The muffins are delicious and the view of the island from the balcony is stunning.”

  “Oh, you like the island, don’t you, child?” Rosa smiled. “Good eye. Good taste too, if you like Rosa’s baking. Coconut muffins are Mr. Josh’s favorites.”

  “He likes muffins for breakfast?”

  “And for dinner too, sometimes.” Rosa stretched the flat sheet over the mattress. “Mr. Josh, he’s very health conscious, but he’s got a sweet tooth. He doesn’t indulge it much—well, hardly ever at all—except for Rosa’s muffins. Those he loves.”

  “I never made him for a sweet lover,” I said and, instantly regretting the play of words, blushed to the root of my hair.

  “You can’t hide a thing, can you?” Rosa chuckled. “With all that blood rushing to your face?”

  “It’s hell,” I admitted, tucking in the top sheet. “Where is he?”

  “Mr. Josh?” she said. “He’s locked up in his rooms, working likely, though I wish he’d rest instead. But working’s all he likes to do.”

  “Did you see him this morning?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Was he, um, fine?” I was the worst detective in the history of detectives.

  Rosa stared at me. “You want to know if you pleased him?”

  Dear God, just strike me with a bolt of lightning. “Forget I asked.”

  “He looked fine,” Rosa said, “but he went swimming.”

  “Swimming?”

  “He likes to swim,” Rosa said. “But this was a long, hard swim, out to the other side of the bay and back. He only swims that long when something’s troubling him. I’m hoping that something ain’t you.”

  As if anything could trouble steely Josh, let alone me. I looked out on the bay. I wasn’t good at estimating distances, but it seemed to me it would’ve been at least three or four miles to the other side, a long swim by any account.

  “He must be quite the fitness junkie,” I said.

  “Mr. Josh demands a lot out of his body,” Rosa said. “He’s got no mercy.”

  “Amen.”

  This time, Rosa stared at me with a gleam in her eye. “You ain’t like the others, are you?”

  I sighed. “I hope not.”

  “I think you might be different.” Rosa folded the coverlet at the foot of the bed. “You say please and thank you. You ask questions. You help. You hear what Rosa has to say. Yeah, I think you might be different.”

  “Were there—you know—a lot of others?”

  “Haven’t you asked Mr. Josh?”

  “Like he’d answer me.”

  “Our Mr. Josh, he’s not exactly free with his thoughts, is he?” she said. “But don’t let a little problem like that bother you, child. He’s bound to learn.”

  “Not in my lifetime,” I said, fluffing the pillows.

  Rosa startled me by laughing. “What has Mr. Josh gone and done now? Has he brought an honest woman to the cove? ’Cause you seem like an honest girl to me.” Her shrewd little eyes fixed on my face. “Oh, yeah, I see why he’s swimming in the ocean like a crazy dolphin. I see his troubles in your eyes and they’re only gonna get worse.”

  No way. If Josh worried about something, it wasn’t me. He was probably working out some mega-million dollar deal in his mind. Most likely, he’d had enough of me last night and I would be going home today.

  I’d come into this with full knowledge and clear expectations. At most, if I managed to interest Josh for the duration of the WindTech venture, my expiration date was the day those prototypes began whipping energy out of air. Meanwhile, he could drop me anytime and return to his regularly scheduled programming. Why did the thought of other women bother me? Why did I want to see him again? How had I allowed him to mess with my brain like this?

  Maybe I was losing it. Maybe I was suffering from some sort of psychological attachment disorder. Yes, that had to be it. Maybe Bree would know what it was and what to do about it.

  Rosa’s voice startled me out of my thoughts. “Miss Lily, is everything all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” she said. “You seem upset.”

  “No, not me.”

  “Then perhaps you could just place the bolster on the bed and stop twisting it around like you were wringing a chicken’s neck?”

  “Oh.” I put down the bolster. “Can I ask you a question, Rosa?”

  “Only if Mr. Josh would want it answered.”

  “How long have you known Josh?”

  “A while,” she said. “I take care of him and he takes care of me. He’s good, Miss Lily. He’s kind of like the coconut.”

  “The coconut?”

  “Hard and gruff outside, sweet and milky inside.”

  I’d never thought of him quite that way but it was an accurate description.

  “Mr. Josh is the kindest, nicest person you’ll ever know.” Rosa tied the dirty linens into a bundle. “Did you know he built me a house? The hurricane came and wiped everything off the map, and Mr. Josh, he showed up and built me a house like a palace. And he bought us motor boats so my grandchildren could fish and I could come out here and take care of his house. Ain’t a bad man who does stuff like that.”

  Rosa was right. Only a very good man would take care of others like that.

  “I’ve got to get going,” Rosa said, “but Mr. Josh, he told me to give you a message. He said he’d be busy and didn’t want to be disturbed. He gets cranky like a crab in a jar when he’s disturbed. He said you could go outside if you wish, but stick close to the ma
in house and don’t venture beyond the point. Use suntan lotion ’cause the tropical sun is very strong down here. You may go in the pool, but there’s to be no jumping or diving. You may not swim in the ocean unless he’s there.”

  “What am I, a toddler?”

  “Oh, Miss Lily, he’s just a little bossy sometimes, ’cause he worries, but he means well, child, so listen to what he has to say. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Rosa put away the vacuum cleaner and the cleaning caddy. “There’s a fruit bowl and a fresh pasta salad in the refrigerator if you get hungry. Enjoy the house. God knows it needs to be enjoyed more often.”

  “Thank you, Rosa. I’m glad I got to meet you.”

  “Me too,” she said. “I wish you many happy returns.”

  And with that, Rosa heaved the bundle of laundry over her shoulder, grabbed the food basket and negotiated her way down the stairs.

  I looked around the room, trying to make sense of what I’d learned. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a little more than before. My eyes fell on the traveling trunk beneath the window where the suntan lotion stood like some sort of a secret clue. I smiled. There was a sketching pad with a box of charcoals next to the bottle.

  I did a little half dance just thinking about all of the wonderful landscapes I could sketch, then tamed my enthusiasm when I spotted the tiny bikini folded beneath the pad. I had no doubt as to who’d put it there or why. Mr. Josh wasn’t around, but he was still giving orders.

  Resigned, I stepped into the shower and washed off. Afterwards, I put on the bikini. By my standards, it hardly covered anything. But I’d made an agreement and now I had to live by it. I put on suntan lotion, but not too much. I wasn’t above wishing for a little tan to avoid my typical pale-greenish winter look. Then I grabbed the sketching pad and my cell, and made my way down the stairs.

  As I went by Josh’s bungalow I didn’t detect any sounds or movements inside. Maybe after the long night and the hard swim he was asleep. I smiled, thinking I’d contributed to his exhaustion. The thought made my step springier and my spine straighter. Good posture was bound to help the pesky bikini stay in place.

  I stole a bowl of pasta salad and a bottle of water from the kitchen and made my way to the pool. Pasta wasn’t a good choice when one was wearing Band-Aids instead of a bathing suit, but what the heck. I found a sunny spot with a stunning view and a cushioned chaise, ate my lunch, and began sketching. I kept an eye on Josh’s bungalow, expecting to see him soon, but he was a no-show.

  I spotted a yoga mat by the pool. I hadn’t seen it there yesterday. Like the sketch pad, it was a thoughtful gesture that I appreciated. I did my yoga routine while enjoying the tropical heat, then jumped into the pool. Ooops. It felt wonderful, but I wasn’t supposed to dive in the pool. I looked around. Since Josh was nowhere to be found, I got out of the pool and did it again.

  After a while, I went back to my sketches. They were becoming obsessively repetitive. Instead of landscapes, my pages were full of faces, or more specifically, different angles of the same masculine face. On the pages, Josh stared at me, wearing some of his most common expressions, the annoyed frown, the frightening scowl and the irritating, know-it-all, three-quarter smirk.

  I started to sketch him from the waist up and then realized something else. While he’d seen and explored every part of my body last night, I hadn’t gotten a glimpse of his. What did I really know about Josh Lane? Not a heck of a lot. I knew he liked his sex on the naughty spectrum. He liked to be in control and he found erotic experimentation a lot more exciting than vanilla sex. To be honest, after last night, so did I. Sex was Josh’s ultimate outlet. He took his passions seriously. That much I got.

  I wondered how Josh’s naked body would feel to my hands. The mere thought hardened my nipples and dampened my sex. I got up, too hot to think, let alone draw. I set aside the sketching pad. Surely I could be doing something more productive.

  I decided to explore the rocky point west of our little beach. I took a long walk out there, scrambling over some rocks and finding a shallow tidal pool. Peering into the water, I discovered a new and fantastic world. A host of fascinating creatures lived in those pools. I waded into the shallows and using my cell’s camera, took all kinds of pictures.

  At one point, a prickle of unease raised my hackles. I looked around, but I didn’t see anybody. Fool. This happened when lonely city girls visited deserted islands. The feeling passed. Soon enough, I got back to taking pictures.

  Engrossed in my explorations, I never heard anyone approaching. By the time I looked up, Josh stood above me on the rocky ledge. He wore a pair of gray drawstring pants low on his hips and a plain running shirt that highlighted his broad shoulders and muscular biceps. He was on the phone, gesturing for me to get back to shore. By the look on his face, he was not pleased.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lily

  “Hang on,” Josh said to whoever was on the line before he turned his attention to me. “Lily! What the hell are you doing?”

  “Taking pictures?”

  “Did you ignore my instructions and walk over to the point?”

  “What point?” I said, cringing inside.

  He glared and pointed. “Over there.”

  “I don’t think I went that far, but maybe.”

  “Did I not tell you to stick close to the house?”

  “Well, Rosa said—”

  “Did you see anybody out there?” he demanded. “People, movement, anything?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Cancel the alarm,” Josh said, speaking into the phone then pausing to listen. “No, there’s no need. I did a thorough sweep of the property and found no signs of security breaches. No, Riker, you don’t need to send in a team. Stand down. It was a false alarm. Lane out.”

  “What happened?” I asked as soon as the call ended.

  “Someone tripped the perimeter alarm.”

  I grimaced. “Me?”

  “You,” he said and he wasn’t smiling.

  “Sorry.” I caught a glimpse of the discreet bulge in the back of his pants. “Are you carrying a gun?”

  “Never mind that,” he said. “Get out of the water.”

  “Do you really need a gun out here?”

  “Out,” he said. “Be careful where you step. Look out for sharp rocks and sea urchins.”

  “Okay,” I said, resigned to endure his attitude, but only because I’d learned firsthand that he lived in a perilous world.

  “Shuffle your feet to avoid the stingrays,” he said.

  “Shuffle, got it.”

  “Lily,” he barked, when I missed a step and sank to my waist. “Over here. Now!”

  “Geesh.” I waded back to the rocks. “You’re going to get old before your time.”

  “You certainly have that effect on me.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me up onto the ledge.

  I felt suddenly awkward standing before him for the first time since last night. Struggling with a bout of shyness, I flashed him a crooked smile. “Hello.”

  He didn’t say hello, or good afternoon, or how are you. In fact, he didn’t bother with any kind of greetings because his cell rang.

  “Lane here.” He paused to listen then turned to me. “It’s Parkview.”

  My heart dropped to my feet. “Is it Mom?”

  “Your mom’s fine, but they need to know what music you want played for her.”

  “Oh.” Sudden fear gave way to incredulity.

  “Well?” Josh said impatiently.

  “Billy Joel and Elton John in concert.”

  “You got that?” Josh said to the person on the other side of the line. “At what time do you want it played?” he asked me.

 
“I always get there at around noon,” I said. “She seems more alert then.”

  “Noon, on the dot,” he said to the telephone. “Yes. I will require confirmation.” He hung up. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I didn’t think you’d remember.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my memory.”

  “Oh, I’m not implying that, it’s just that, well, with everything, even I forgot.”

  A fleeting frown showed that he’d registered my oblique reference to last night and chose to pass on it. We were not going to talk about it.

  Instead, he said, “Didn’t I tell you not to get in the water without me?”

  “No, you didn’t tell me,” I said. “But Rosa—your housekeeper, the one that you never mentioned to me?—well, Rosa did convey your messages.”

  “And yet you chose to walk out to the point and get in the ocean, disregarding my instructions.”

  “I wasn’t swimming. I was wading. Two different things.”

  “Safety and security are nothing to be casual about,” he said. “You must learn to follow directions.”

  “Why are you so paranoid?” I said. “We’re alone, in the island’s most isolated spot, protected by your cameras and alarms, and all you want to do is yell at me?”

  The stare he aimed at me burned hotter than the sun “You can get hurt around here. The rocks are slick, the tides shift often. You can slip, hit your head and drown like that.” He snapped his fingers. “You can get stung by an urchin or a puffer fish or a stingray. The sea is like a living organism. It has moods. It can look placid one moment and kill you the next.”

  “I can fall down the stairs and break my neck too, but you’re not being a dick about that.”

  He frowned. If this discussion continued along the same lines, I might end up locked up in my bungalow without access to the perilously slick bathroom for the duration.

  “Forget it.” I tugged my bikini bottom into place and marched back to the beach. “I’m off to dry land, see?”

  “Wait a moment, Lily.”

  I stopped and turned.

  “What the hell have you done?”