Randa didn’t say anything for a second. He figured she was getting ready to hand him his head in the big floppy hat she was wearing because she had no platter. Or maybe offer him a Kleenex.
Her voice was quiet when she said, “I think that’s a wonderful reason for a tattoo.”
And just like that he deflated. She looked a little deflated herself. Her shoulders were slumped instead of thrown back to show off her breasts. And she fiddled with a strand of hair. But she didn’t remove her hand.
Tony glanced down at her hand on his arm, then shook his head. “Listen. I shouldn’t have snapped. You were curious. I understand. I’ve just had a hard time… dealing with all, but there’s no reason to snap at you.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Show me the old girlfriend’s name, the one who broke your heart.”
He smiled and was happy to know it came easier this time. “No girlfriend, not unless you count Wendy Bates, school librarian.”
“Ooh, were you in love with her?”
Tony sighed. “Well, I loved her. When I was fifteen, I kept getting into trouble in school. I got detention more than once and she was good enough to assign me book reports.”
Randa leaned back. “Good?”
“Better than scrubbing gum off desks or cleaning toilets. And the books she gave me, they weren’t on the required reading list. They were good. And fun. And that was the first time I knew books could be either, you know?”
“Good for her. Have you gone back to show her how little Tony turned out?”
Tony laughed. “God, no, she might still recognize me, but she didn’t really seem the tattoo sort. A lot of people aren’t. I’m not sure she’d take it as a compliment.”
“I know what you mean.” Randa squeezed his arm and then reached up to smash the floppy hat down. When she put her hand back down, it was on the arm of her own chair. And Tony was damn sorry.
Randa straightened in her seat. “Hey, do you think you could convince the shuttle driver to drop me off somewhere? Oh, I would love you for that!”
Tony stared out over the pool. “No, his route’s set. Sorry.”
Randa adjusted her glasses so she could peer out over the top. “I could pay. I have money, you now. How much would it cost me to take him out of his way?”
Tony shook his head. “Nope. You’d leave somebody stranded at the airport or here, late for their flight.”
She wrinkled her nose. “But not for long. I mean, how much trouble could it be?”
“None. Because it’s not going to happen.”
“Oh, well, fine. I’ll just call a taxi, go to the airport, get a car and find my own way. If I end up halfway to Texas, though, it’ll be all your fault.”
“Can’t read a map? Here’s a clue… if you see Arkansas or Mississippi, turn around.”
Randa laughed. “I’m not very good with maps. But don’t worry yourself about me.” She patted his hand and then rested both hands on her stomach. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from those hands or that stomach for a minute.
He had to give her credit. She didn’t pout. He would have figured her for a pouter.
And even though he knew he was going to do it anyway, his brain shouted warnings as he said, “I was thinking about hitting my favorite bookstore this afternoon. I could give you a ride.”
He had no idea what he expected her reaction to be but she immediately clapped her hands with a happy squeal. Her beautiful red mouth was a luscious O of surprise and delight. She looked like he’d just offered her a first-class ticket to see the Taj Mahal. Tony felt the tension building across his shoulder blades.
“No way! That would be awesome. I don’t suppose there’s a shoe store nearby, is there?”
Tony bit back the sigh that so desperately wanted to escape. There was no way he wanted to go on a shopping expedition. “I have no idea where to find the kind of shoes you wear.” And no desire to know.
Randa shrugged a shoulder. “Okay, well… I just forgot to bring any sandals or flats so it’s all heels, all the time.” She pasted on a bright fake smile. “But that’s not the end of the world. At least I’ll look fabulous.” And she would. Tony had no doubt about that. She took off her sunglasses and said, “What time were you planning to leave?”
Tony said, “How about four? I do have one condition, though.”
Randa tilted her head. “A condition? Like, a payment or something to take me with you? No problem. How about I buy you dinner?”
“Well, maybe. I like to know a little bit about people I chauffer around.”
Randa froze and Tony could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She was getting ready to lay down some whoppers if necessary.
He didn’t feel like being lied to. He pointed at the pool. “Show me what you can do, Miss Captain of the High School Swim Team.” Gorgeous pools and cloudless days like this one should not be wasted, not even for expensive girls who lived in fear of wrinkles.
Randa started to shake her head but changed her mind. He could see the second she decided which face she was going to put on. She ran a teasing finger down his arm and he fought a shiver. “You’ve got it, Tony.”
She stood beside the lounger and reached up to peel the floppy straw hat off before she shook out her hair. Tony hoped he wouldn’t be required to contribute to conversation. Anything that came out of his mouth this second would sound like God, yes. Please, yes. Show me the suit now.
Randa dropped her sunglasses on the hat and slowly unbuttoned the white, long-sleeved, gauzy cover-up before stripping out of it quickly. She let it drop from her fingers across his lap and Tony nearly nodded his thanks. Instead, his eyes were glued to her. He’d hoped for a bikini. Those hopes were dashed. Instead she wore a pretty conservative one-piece that was cut high on the hips and low enough to tease at the V of her breasts. And the rest of her was nothing but perfect, satiny skin. “Still too skinny, Tony?”
He nodded and tore his eyes away from her hips, her tiny waist, and her perfectly sized breasts to watch her face.
Her teasing smile slipped a bit and he thought he saw honest desire in her eyes. She took an awkward step away from him and then seemed to remember her audience. She turned and glanced over her shoulder before prowling over to stand at the end of the pool. She executed a flawless shallow dive and made four quick trips up and down the length of the pool. He tried to be objective. She was a clean, fast swimmer. But none of that mattered. She could be doggy paddling and refusing to get her hair wet, and he’d still think she looked amazing. He watched her float around aimlessly for a minute or two before she swam over to the side of the pool.
The sight of her climbing out of the pool was unforgettable. Possibly life changing. More than anything he wanted to kiss her, strip her, and take her. With her hair wet and slicked back from her face he could see teasing, intelligent blue eyes. And her body would bring stronger men than Tony to their knees. It was a damn good thing the sight of a water drop disappearing into the shadow between her breasts had frozen his tongue and nailed his feet to the concrete. He might have embarrassed himself then and there.
Instead he nodded mutely as she slipped into her cover-up and asked, “Meet you in the lobby at four?” He watched her move quickly across the hot concrete in her bare feet and felt the despair of a man who was going shoe shopping soon.
He didn’t want her to burn her feet. Or to be unhappy. Or to be here for anything other than to see the finest Elvis-themed hotel in the world. He wanted her to be a normal girl, maybe one who worked nearby. One he could have met at the bookstore.
He watched Randa pause at the door to the hotel and scan her room key. Before she disappeared inside, she smiled and waved at him over her shoulder. And he and his frozen tongue loosened up enough to say, “Shit.” He was in for it. No matter how this turned out, he was going to have regrets. She was here through the weekend. That was enough time to fall under her spell and give up all the hotel’s secrets. That would be just about right. From famine to feast to f
amine again so quick he’d probably lose his mind.
Then again, if he didn’t go any further with her, he’d spend unhealthy amounts of time thinking about her wet and half-dressed. Probably for the next fifty years. She was like the world’s most perfect steak. He couldn’t let her go, but eating her would ruin other steak for him.
Eating her? Apparently the brain breakdown had already set in. He shook his head as he grabbed his towel and went to his apartment.
Misty greeted him at the door with a whiffled sniff, trotted outside to water the bushes, and ran back inside before he even dropped his towel over the rail out front.
“Hot, isn’t it, Mist?” There was no way she nodded but it sure looked like she did. He handed her a dog biscuit. “I think we ought to see if the bed works for a nap today. You in?”
Misty chomped her biscuit and wagged her tail at him. She jumped on the bed and heaved a happy sigh. Tony changed out of his trunks and then stretched out next to her with his own happy sigh. He had no idea how long it would last but he felt sure today’s attempt at sleep was going to be successful. A beautiful blonde in a swimsuit was a fine thing to dream about.
Chapter Five
* * *
RANDA HAD BEEN ecstatic to see Misty stretched out under a sheltering palm frond when she made it to the lobby ten minutes early. She’d waited as long as she could. When she’d gotten out of the shower after her impromptu swimming exhibition, she’d carefully dried her expensively straight hair before adding her notes about the pool to the report she was drafting. Estimating the cost of building a new pool was difficult, so she’d made a few phone calls to some of their recent contractors to request bids. Hotel room renovation was easy. She could figure that in her head. Anything out of the ordinary required bids. And the contractors knew very well to take their time. If they were lucky enough to get the job, her father would expect them to come in under the first bid. Way under. There were enough Whitmore properties that it wasn’t hard to find contractors willing to work with them, even at bargain basement prices.
Forget kindness. Just kill ’em. Randa could feel the whack on the back that always accompanied her father’s rules as the thought ran through her head.
After she’d made notes about every call and every suggestion, she stretched out on the bed. She should probably send what she had to her father because he expected results, but any mistake she made would mean lost revenue. And if he found out she hadn’t made it past the first floor yet, he would not be amused.
Hit them fast. Hit them hard. Most of his rules were easy to remember like that. So far, she was breaking rules left and right.
But that was her number one goal for Friday: see the rest of the rooms. She wasn’t sure how she’d manage it just yet, but she hoped a little time spent in the car with Tony, a flash of long leg in a short skirt, and her very best leopard-print heels would work wonders. She needed to look both harmless and appealing. She was pretty sure she’d nailed it.
But the icky sensation that crept up her spine at the thought of using his attraction to get what she wanted unsettled her. She did it all the time. With old geezers who ought to know better. And Tony might even know better. There was the possibility that it was her own attraction to him getting in the way.
She really wished she was just a girl and he was just a guy. And they were headed out on a date.
At four in the afternoon on a Thursday.
To a bookstore.
It would definitely be a one-of-kind date, especially in her life. Normally her dates required semiformal wear, valet parking, sommeliers, hours of smiling and gritting her teeth, and either crushing boredom or growing irritation. Even worse, they were always business arrangements, either at her father’s direction or by her own attempt to get some deal moving. To be fair, the actual worst date she’d had was with the fiancée who had texted his favorite fitness model all through dinner.
Since she’d just ended that engagement—to two hotels on Hawaii—she probably ought to take her time, ease her way back into dating. Those hotels had belonged to Stephen Lee and his easygoing son, Stevie. Her father had always wanted a Hawaiian property. And as long as he didn’t have to give up his long line of bikini babes, Stevie was ready for a wife too. For a little while, she’d thought she could live with that.
Turning down the dream of a Hawaiian escape was hard, but she’d done it anyway. Her father was not amused. Hadn’t all of her brothers made advantageous matches? Why was she being so selfish? Why couldn’t she see he only wanted what was best for her? And by that he meant best for his hotel chain.
Randa really hoped that what was best for her was a man who would at least try for fidelity, even if he didn’t have hotels in Hawaii. In one of her rare fits of stubborn independence, she’d decided she deserved a chance to find out. Since she’d ended the engagement by telling Stevie exactly what she thought about his plans at the weekly family business meeting, her father had been looking for a place to send her. And here she was. Wishing she was about to go on a date. Dates led to relationships, so it was good it was out of the question. A fling, though… that was different.
Rocking the Whitmore boat was one thing.
Could she give herself permission for a fun fling too?
She ran her hand down Misty’s silky neck and tried to ignore the sadness that came with the realization that, no matter how much smarter it was not to get involved, this “date” really was about business at the heart of it.
But if she could just get over her minor moral qualms, this would be a blast. Seducing Tony had benefits other than getting an inside peek at the hotel. The only question was whether she had the guts to go for it.
“Ready?” Tony’s voice brought her back to the real world.
Randa bent to kiss Misty’s head right between her fluttering bows, making sure to straighten her legs and stand slowly so that Tony got the full effect of everything she was working with.
She slowly spun around to face him and nearly tumbled right off her heels when she saw he wasn’t even looking at her. Instead he was leaning over the front desk reading something Laura was holding.
“Yeah, we’re short in housekeeping tomorrow. I’ll help after my shift’s up, maybe take up some of the slack. I think we’ll still be ready by check-in.”
Randa crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the marble. Tony didn’t even glance her direction. Misty stretched out and rested her chin on Randa’s foot, stilling the beat of her righteous indignation. She fumed loudly in his direction, but she didn’t disturb the dog.
Laura shook her head. “We’ve got to get some people hired. You can’t keep picking up all the slack, Tony.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Two interviews scheduled tomorrow. Maybe they’ll both work out for something.”
Laura nodded. “Right. And the new front desk guy starts training tonight. That’ll help.”
And they both said, “And Willodean will be back on Saturday.” It had the sound of something they’d been repeating to each other as encouragement for a while. Like everything would be better with Willodean.
Being that appreciated must be nice.
Laura waved her hands at Tony. “Go on. Get. Go get your books. I’ll ask KT if he can help out in the morning. He’s in town for a few days.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Good with a toilet brush, is he?”
“Not exactly.” Laura laughed. “I won’t tell him that part. You want help, don’t you?”
Tony shrugged. “Don’t know how much help he’ll be, but I’d really like to see it. Call him. And maybe call the woman at the temp agency.” Laura looked like she was going to protest. “I know! This is not a permanent solution, hence the name ‘temp.’”
Laura grumbled. “Fine. It’s just that when the expansion kicks in, we’re going to need trained staff on hand and—”
“We better go if we want to beat the traffic. Place closes at six anyway,” Tony said as he slid on his sunglasses. Randa tried n
ot to look too interested in whatever the expansion plans were. More hotel rooms? Not that it would have mattered. Tony was at the sliding doors before he even noticed she was stuck to the marble floor.
“Sorry, Misty. Gotta go now.” Randa carefully slid her foot out from under Misty’s chin and did her best to slink across the lobby. She couldn’t read the expression on Tony’s face and his eyes were hidden behind dark lenses. Still, when he put a hand at the small of her back to guide her out into the furnace blast of the parking lot, Randa felt like she might be achieving the desired effect.
Tony kept one arm wrapped around her and pointed at a dark blue pickup truck with the other. “This is me.” He raised both eyebrows and waited for her reaction.
Randa honestly had no idea what to say. “It’s very… clean.” And it was. Other cars were covered in the dry, dusty film of a long hot summer, but Tony’s reflected the sun as intensely as the glaring white lights over the bar in Viva Las Vegas. She had no idea how he accomplished that, but it looked good. Until her eyes slammed shut in self-defense.
“I like to take good care of my stuff.” He watched her as he opened the door. “Be careful. Leather seats.” He sent a very obvious stare down her legs to her heels. “Wouldn’t want you to burn your legs.”
Since he seemed to be waiting to close her door for her, Randa slid into the passenger seat and yanked the ridiculous skirt back down. She’d be lucky if she didn’t burn her cheeks thanks to the length of the skirt she’d chosen with which to wow him.
Harmless and appealing. She repeated it in her head.
She reached up to grab the seat belt and glanced at his face. He didn’t look particularly wowed. Or bothered. Or even really aware that she was already safely inside. He was staring at the concrete. And the small movements of his lips looked like he was counting.
“Tony, you can close the door now. I’m all in.” She slowly blinked wide eyes up at him.
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