by Desiree Holt
The story about Taylor Cantrell was interesting and helped him to understand the woman better. But the woman he really wanted to get the details on was sitting next to him and he knew nothing about her except public information. But as they all chatted for the rest of the flight, more and more little pieces of her began to emerge. He made a mental note to take John Martino to lunch and make him cough it all up.
It was late morning when they arrived in San Antonio, landing at Skyplace FBO at San Antonio International Airport. The moment the cabin door was open and the stair released, a man in khakis and a collared shirt with the Arroyo logo on it jogged up to the cabin.
“Mornin’ folks.” He grinned. “I’m Greg Nagle, helicopter pilot for Arroyo. If y’all will come with me, the chopper’s all set just waiting for us.”
Liam stared at the man. He wasn’t unsophisticated by any means, and many of his clients had a lot of dollar signs attached to their names. But a helicopter? Not a vehicle?
John rose and shook hands with the man. “Good to see you again, Greg.”
“Always a pleasure, Mr. Martino. You, too, Miss Alfiore.” He looked at Liam. “Welcome to Texas, Mr. Benedict.”
“Liam, please.” He did the handshake thing.
“Let’s get going, folks. The barbecue’s already heating up.”
In what seemed like seconds, they were all in the chopper that, like the plane, bore the Arroyo logo, and lifting off over the busy city of San Antonio. Soon they were over the sprawling hill country with its quaint towns and busy ranches. Then they swooped over what looked to him like the most massive ranch he’d seen yet. Pastureland that went on forever, several acres dotted with cattle and directly below them the massive stone house that Liam now remembered seeing pictures of.
The party was set up at the side of the house, with a tent as well as tables and chairs on the lawn, and two open barbecue pits smoked away. They were all barely out of the chopper before Taylor hurried toward them, her lips curved in a wide smile.
“Hello, John. Sydney. And Liam, I am so very glad you came. I have a lot of people I want you to meet.”
“Uh-oh.” Sydney winked at Liam. “Taylor’s in matchmaking mode.”
“Matchmaking?” What the hell? “I don’t—”
Sydney laughed. “Not people, Liam. Businesses. Taylor has a well-earned reputation for matching up businesses since she took over the reins at Arroyo. She hasn’t been wrong yet.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing who she matches me up with,” he told her.
Taylor Cantrell seemed to be everywhere at once. She never lost her smile, never looked ruffled, all the while talking to her guests, making sure the bar and buffet were kept replenished, checking that everyone was having a good time, and introducing Liam to people she thought he should meet. But it was all done so smoothly Liam wasn’t even aware of it happening until hours later when he had a stash of business cards in his pocket and several numbers added to his cell. He’d been caught up in the swirl of people drinking at the bar inside the big tent or feasting from one of the very long buffet tables set out there. He could say without reservation that this was the most impressive and productive party he’d been to in a long time, if ever. It gave him a good sense of the way Arroyo was run and Taylor Cantrell’s knowledge and control. He owed John Martino at least a case of aged whiskey for hooking him up.
Every so often he caught a glimpse of Sydney in one small group or another, chatting away, looking comfortable. It was obvious to him that she had visited before and knew several of the people. Once or twice he tried to catch up with her, but then Taylor would tug him away to meet someone.
Noah, less gregarious, was the solid presence making sure it all worked. Liam thought he’d be an interesting guy to sit down with if the opportunity ever came his way.
The April sun was showing no signs of descending any time soon and the barbecue didn’t look like it was winding down when Noah came to fetch Liam.
“The helo is getting ready to leave, but Taylor wanted me to let you know if you’d like to stay the night we’ve got plenty of room.”
As tempted as he was to accept the invitation, and get a first-hand look at how the Cantrells operated, Liam knew he should leave.
“Thank you, and thank Taylor for me, but I have an early morning meeting. Then I blocked off the rest of the day to get at the software program I’m writing for a client. So, much as I’d love to accept your great invitation, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”
“Another time, then,” Noah told him. “Meanwhile, let me round up the others and we’ll head over to the chopper.”
Noah unclipped a two-way radio from his belt and spoke softly into it. Taylor broke away from her guests long enough to come say goodbye to them and thank them for coming.
“We’ll be in touch,” she told Liam. “I have big plans for your firm.”
“I look forward to it.”
It seemed like only minutes before they were lifting off in the chopper and soon setting down at the FBO at San Antonio International Airport. He followed Sydney and John up into the plane. They fastened their seat belts and they were off, heading east toward Tampa.
“Quite the experience, Liam,” John said. “Right?”
“I can’t even count how many people were there,” he said. “How does she keep them all straight? They weren’t all from Arroyo, were they?”
John shook his head. “A good many were, but you also had local bigwigs and representatives of major corporations Arroyo does business with. A lot of people want to eat at that table.”
“I imagine so,” Liam agreed.
“Taylor’s actually the person who sent me my first high-profile client,” Sydney told him. The head of one of Arroyo’s divisions who was charged with laundering money. Turns out it was his treasurer, who was very clever about it.” She grinned. “But not too clever for John.”
“So you’ve all known each other for a while.”
“We were all active in the Tampa financial and legal communities. Believe it or not, it’s a very close-knit group.”
“Oh, I do.” Liam rubbed his jaw. “When I was with Winters and Pryce, we designed software for a lot of them. Craig Winters hosted a lot of events, but none of this magnitude. The amazing thing is I really enjoyed myself.”
Sydney laughed. “That seems to be the signature of all the Cantrell parties.”
Conversation faded off after that. Liam would have liked to pick John Martino’s brain, but he’d save that for another time. He contented himself with watching Sydney, who had curled into a ball on the couch and dozed off. She was one of the few women he’d met who didn’t need a lot of makeup. Her thick lashes, now brushing her cheeks like long curtains, needed no enhancement. Her cheeks were a natural soft pink and he thought bright lipstick would only detract from her full lips. Lips he was dying to kiss, and lick and nibble on.
Holy shit!
He’d better slam that door shut in his brain or he’d be sitting there with an embarrassing hard-on. He leaned back and closed his eyes, doing his best to clear his mind of an image of Sydney Alfiore naked in his bed. He was damn glad when the plane finally landed.
Chapter Seven
As they deplaned, an attendant jogged out to let them know their cars would be out in a moment. By the time they reached the FBO building, two of the vehicles were just pulling up.
“Talk to you both soon.” John Martino waved at them as he climbed into his vehicle.
Liam paused with a hand on the door of his and realized there were no more cars being driven up.
“Sydney? Did they forget yours?” Liam glanced at her and noticed her searching for something on her cell phone. “They don’t leave you alone for a minute, do they?” he teased.
“What?” She looked up. “Oh, no, this isn’t business related. I’m ordering an Uber.”
“You didn’t drive to the airport?”
She shook her head. “My car had a problem, so it’s being serviced.”
Liam’s brows lifted. “On a Sunday?”
She grinned at him. “I’ve learned, sadly, that money will buy anything. But it’s not a problem. Not when there’s Uber.”
“Don’t bother ordering up a car,” Liam told her. “I’ll drive you home.”
“I’d hate to make you go out of your way this late at night,” she protested.
“Where do you live?” John asked. “Maybe it would be more convenient for me to drive you, Sydney.”
She laughed. “I feel like I’m in high school and the popular boys are fighting over me.”
John chuckled. “If only we were back in those days. So, what’s your address, Syd?”
In the end it turned out Liam was closer. Despite Sydney’s protests that she was inconveniencing him, and with John Martino doing his best to hide a grin, he just steered her over to his vehicle. As they pulled out onto State Road 60, the faint essence of her perfume tantalized his nose. Something flowery, but not overpowering. As long as the day had been, the scent still made his body sit up and take notice. Not that he needed much enhancement where Sydney was concerned.
He wondered if it was too late to ask her if he could come up for a drink? Coffee? Conversation? Incredible sex?
Fuck, Benedict.
He glanced over at Sydney leaning back in her seat and couldn’t help noticing how the lights from the highway outlined her body, making her breasts stand out in relief. His palms itched with the need to cup them, feel their weight, but he was hardly a teenager horny enough to make out in a car. Horny, yes. Teenager, no. But he couldn’t help wanting just the same, imagining her without her clothes, there for the feasting. He could run his hands over her, slowly mapping her curves. Taste every bit of her, from her nipples to the cream in her sex. Suck her nipples and bite them—
“So, you’d say today was a worthwhile event for you?”
Sydney’s warm voice startled him out of his erotic reverie, and he unconsciously jerked the wheel.
“Liam? Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. Of course. There was just some kind of trash in the lane and I didn’t want to hit it.”
“Oh. Okay. Back to my question.”
Question? Liam had to push the thoughts of Sydney’s naked body from his brain so he could give her an intelligent answer.
“Yes. Worthwhile on a lot of fronts. I got a pretty good feel for the spread of Arroyo and the mixture of businesses that make up the conglomerate. And I met some very nice people who seem interested in contracting Software By Design.”
“That’s part of the reason for this annual shindig. Taylor likes people to make personal connections and take it from there. She feels most times it works better than just bringing them together via Skype or even a business meeting.”
“It amazes me how she carries so much information in her head and still makes everything she does look so easy.”
“She was like that when she was a financial advisor,” Sydney told him. “That’s why the firm she was with hated to see her leave.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Oh, here we are. It’s that building right there.” She pointed to a tall brick and glass edifice. “You can just let me off in front.”
“Not on your life. I always walk a lady to her door.” And maybe at least steal a kiss. “And look. There’s a parking space right near the entrance that I think has my name on it.”
She laughed, that musical sound again that hit every pocket of testosterone in his body.
“Well, I’d hate for it to go to waste.”
Sydney’s condo was on Bayshore Boulevard, what many called the Tampa Gold Coast. He could have just stopped at the entrance and let her out. Through the glass surrounding the entrance, he could see a security guard on duty so she’d be safe. But he wasn’t quite ready for this short time he had with her to be over so he pulled smoothly into the space, shut off the ignition and climbed out, sending a message to his cock to stand down. If he was smart, he’d walk her inside and over to the elevator then say good night.
But, apparently, he’d left his smarts at the office, because when they reached the elevator, he placed his hands her shoulders and turned her to face him.
“You can tell me to go to hell afterwards,” he told her in a low voice, “but I have to have one kiss, Syd. I’ve wanted to do this since the first night we met.”
He lowered his head and touched his mouth to hers, gently at first, aroused by the softness of her lips and their delicious taste. Then he pressed a little harder, and, when she didn’t draw away, he let himself trace the seam of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. When she drew away, he mentally kicked himself.
What class, Benedict. I should at least take her to dinner before making a move.
“I’m sorry,” he began. “That was—”
“Far too public,” she finished for him, her voice low and husky. The elevator door stood open. “We should probably take this upstairs.”
The invitation stunned him. “Really? I mean, don’t you have to get up early in the morning for your feisty client?”
Her tempting lips curved in a smile that made him want to lick them. Along with every other part of her body. “I’ve stayed up later than this for him. I might as well stay up doing something I think I’m going to really enjoy.” The elevator doors slid open and she leaned against one to hold them there. “We had something click the first night we met. I felt it and saw that you did, too. Our insane schedules have kept up from doing anything about it, but I’m tired of waiting. This is an unexpected opportunity and I want to take advantage of it.”
She took his hand and drew him into the elevator. When the door closed, he turned her to face him and cupped her cheeks, studying her face. He wanted to be sure she wasn’t making a mistake. That he wasn’t making one, either.
“Are you sure about this, Syd? Really sure?”
“The only thing I’m sure of is I’ll kick myself if I don’t see where this goes.” She inhaled and let the breath out slowly. “This is just who I am. I want you, Liam. I have since that first night we met. You think I’m being too forward?”
“No, I don’t. I like it. I’m too old and too busy to play games and I’m glad you are.”
“If this—us—is a mistake, I want to find out now.”
“It’s not a mistake.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “I believe that.”
She breathed a sigh. “Good. Really good.”
At that moment the elevator doors slid open. Sydney took his hand and led him down the hallway to a door at the end. He found it interesting that instead of a standard lock, there was a keypad right above the door handle. He watched as Sydney punched in her code then followed her into the condo. She had barely closed and locked the door before he pulled her into his arms.
“Be sure, Syd.” God. He didn’t want her to have any second thoughts.
“I am sure. I think Fate created this opportunity and I don’t want to waste it.”
He wasn’t waiting any longer. He couldn’t. He cupped her face and brought his mouth down to hers, not tentative at all this time. He licked the smooth surface, tasting the faint vestiges of her lipstick, before urging her to open for him. God! She tasted like heaven—all the flavors of the day plus her own distinct essence. Liam licked every inch of the inner surface, brushing his tongue over hers and coaxing it to do an erotic dance with him. When she closed her lips around it and sucked him deeper inside, he thought he would lose it right then.
He threaded his fingers through the silk of her hair, using them to hold her head in place while he savored the taste of her mouth. He slid his tongue over hers and heat jolted through him when she closed her lips around it and did the sucking thing again. He hoped to god he didn’t come in his jeans just standing here in her little hallway.
Calling on every bit of restraint he could find, he lifted his mouth from hers. Her eyes were glazed with passion and the pulse at the hollow of her throat was beating frantically.
“I don’t think I want to do this standing up.” He wasn’t sure he’d last if he tried it.
“We don’t have to, you know.”
She took his hand and led him through what appeared to be a vast living room, down a hallway to her bedroom. A flick of a switch and the bedside lamps came on, giving the room a warm amber glow.
Liam was so turned on he couldn’t figure out where to start first.
The boots, idiot. You can’t make love to a woman with her boots on.
“Sit down.” He could hear the gravel in his voice as he picked her up and sat her on the side of the bed. “Yes. Like that.”
Then he figured out how to maneuver the boots, tugging them off one at a time. Sydney chuckled at his efforts, a slow, heated sound that made his cock twitch and his balls ache. Finally, he managed to get both of them free and tossed them in a corner. Then he pulled out his wallet, drew out two condoms and dropped them on one of the nightstands.
Sydney glanced over at them. “That all you’ve got in you?” she teased.
“All I was prepared for.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “I wasn’t expecting to have my fantasies come true tonight.”
“Fantasies, huh?” She looked up at him. “Maybe I have a few of my own.”
Jesus!
Liam gritted his teeth and reached for his control. The first thing he wanted to do was unwrap her and see every inch of the body that had starred in his nighttime fantasies. With the boots disposed of, he lifted her back to her feet and with slow deliberation unbuttoned her blouse, brushing the silky material aside so he could drink in the sight of her firm breasts lovingly cupped by lace and satin. He ran the tip of one finger across the creamy swells, the feel of her skin like satin beneath his touch. Her dark nipples, shadows beneath the flimsy material, teased him and made him salivate. He closed his lips around one of them, fabric and all, and slowly sucked it into his mouth.
“Oh, god.” Sydney clutched his arms to steady herself as she leaned into his touch.
That was his thought exactly. The nipple was firm and tight, and he couldn’t help closing his teeth around it and taking one tiny bite. Her little moan vibrated through him and went straight to his cock, which was sending him desperate messages. Not yet, he told himself. He wanted to savor this, to relish it, enjoy every single second.