Our eyes met and the electricity I had felt upon arrival went up another notch. It was tempting, so very tempting. Instead I turned to teasing him with a bit of wit, my best weapon in any fight. "This is beautiful Brock and quite surprising," I said after he seated me."I never would have taken you for a romantic. Is this little area special to you?"
My question caught him a bit off guard and he looked across at me as he was seating himself across from me at our intimate little table. He looked around at the grove, his face softening into a look I had not seen on his face before. There was almost a peace there as he gazed around.
"Yes, this is exactly like a grove that grew outside my family home. I loved that place and would often spend hours in it, just feeling the peace of the trees." He looked back at me with a hint of the joy he was remembering in his eyes. "I thought it would connect with you as well."
He was right, it did. My parents had been old fashion hippies who lived off the land when I was young. It wasn't until I started high school that the decision had been made to live in a city where I could get a better education then what the communal school could offer. I loved living in a vibrant city like Los Angeles, for all its problems. Still, I never missed a chance to return to Northern California and the forests where I had been happy as a child.
As dinner arrived the aroma of South American spices filled me with other good memories. I recognized the dish as bandeja de arriero, a specialty of Columbia where I had cut my teeth on journalism. It was one of my favorites. He smiled at me as I inhaled the scent of old memories in the platter of beans, pork and plantains cooked as only they do in Columbia. A true peasant's dish and one I often ordered while there.
"Mrs. Sanchez used to run a restaurant in Columbia and this was her signature dish," he told me. "I have come to love it for its simplicity and knew you had spent some time in Columbia, as I did. It is a remarkable country." With that our discussion turned to places we had both seen and our experiences in them. It was a deft move to tamper the fires we could both feel rising within and it worked for a while.
But as the evening continued and the wine flowed, I couldn't help but feel the pull of attraction returning. The flame from the candles in the old candelabra gave an almost magical sparkle to the touch of silver along his temples. From time to time he would reach out and touch my hand as he talked of the beauty of the countries he had visited, sending shivers up my spine. Our talk often turned to intimate things and the magnetism between us matured from a quiet flame to an all out raging fire. My entire body ached to be held by him, to feel his touch of skin on skin all over and know his kiss.
Brock
As she sat there across from me, the candlelight just made her look even more beautiful. We had been talking for several hours now, well past the dinner and dessert. I felt as if I never wanted this evening to end, though I knew it must be late. Our port was done and it was time to take her home. As we strolled quietly through the glen to Sam and the waiting car, I longed to pull her in my arms and cover that glorious mouth with kisses. It was a generous mouth, one that had laughed with me when recalling my happy memories and spoke with quiet sympathy when I talked of the pain of losing my family at a young age. Her mouth invited kissing repeatedly. But I felt that it was too soon to make that assumption.
I lost my resolve to wait when she turned her head up to me as we reached the car, looking up with such naked longing in her eyes. I swept her into my arms, feeling her mouth soft and sweet against my lips, my tongue demanding and exploring. Her body molded against mine as if it belonged there.
Soon my hands were filled with the lush softness of her long hair and I was tempted to throw caution to the winds and pick her up and carry her into my home. But then she hesitated, and I knew our time would come soon but it wasn't tonight. Reluctantly I stepped back, helped her into the car and told Sam to deliver her home with great care. Sanity only returned after the car had turned down the long driveway and into the night.
Janie
I walked into the house, feeling as if it had been another person who had walked out of here a few hours earlier. I felt more thoroughly kissed then any woman had a right to feel, and all I knew was that I wanted more. That there would be more, I had no doubts. But what had happened to that calm collected reporter that was determined to ferret out Brock's dark secret?
If it had been anyone else I would have thought that this past night was a deliberate seduction to throw me off the scent of whatever he was hiding. But the chemistry between us was unmistakable and impossible to fake. We both knew it was there.
He had revealed himself to me in more ways than one tonight. I had seen a vulnerable side to him that was unexpected and yet honest. He had listened to my own tales with compassion and understanding. That alone was sexier than any kiss could ever be. But that kiss, it had a fire to it that was impossible to deny. I shivered at the mere thought of it. Still, I was no closer to finding out about whatever he was hiding then I was before. I knew it was bigger than the simple creative differences he had with some of his artists like Ricardo. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of voices outside our front door.
The front door banged open and a deliriously happy Jasmine walked in, with the most remarkable man on her arm. "Oh Janie I am so glad you are home! This is Antonio Stavros. He owns that new nightclub I told you I was going to check out tonight and is a friend of Brocks. We have had the most amazing evening."
His generous nose and dark complexion gave away his Mediterranean roots, just as his impeccable groomed rock star looks cried out money. The two looked at me, and then looked back into each other's eyes. I had heard of him before. The club was just his latest in a long string of successful nightclubs he owned around the world. I had also heard he was a bit of a ladies' man. He kissed her hand, her arm and her neck, then bowed and bid her good night. As the door closed she sank into the couch next to me. We sat up as the night slid away, sharing our tales of romance and discovery. I fell asleep a few hours later, and dreamed of Brock's kiss; his arms around me and what more we might discover of each other the next time we met.
Brock
I woke in the morning with Janie's image burned into my brain. I had a busy day ahead of me, filled with meetings from morning to night. But whenever I could I took a moment to remember that night and found myself determined to see her again and soon. I could taste her lips everywhere I went and found myself obsessing about her as I had not done in years about a woman. But how to bring her into my life without endangering what I was about to do? I would simply have to find a way.
No sooner did I think of her then I saw she texted me:
Woke this morning remembering that kiss.
That was all it said. It was really all she had to say and she knew it. I texted back:
I need to see you again soon and discover where that kiss can lead. I will send the car around at 7 tonight.
She agreed and I found myself calling Jasmine to make changes to my schedule. Mrs. Garcia was off tonight so I had Jasmine call my favorite restaurant and order a little of everything to be delivered. Sam had his instructions for picking up her and I worked hard through the day determined to let nothing interfere with our evening.
Janie
When Sam came by with the car I was a wreck of nerves and anticipation. The very short and almost sheer lace dress Jasmine had pulled from her closet left nothing to the imagination. I had protested to Jasmine that if there was ever a dress that screamed sex this was it. She just grinned and asked me exactly what it was I wanted from this second date. I had to admit that sex was on the menu tonight and I wanted him to know. Still, when Sam arrived I was having second thoughts and it probably showed in my nervous behavior.
He smiled gently as he helped me into the huge black limo. The scent of magnolias filled the back seat from a profusion of them heaped all around me. How could he know they were my favorite flower? I smiled quietly to myself, seeing Jasmine's hand in this. It also comforted my jitte
ry nerves to see this sign of his care for me. Or was he just trying to throw me off the scent of his secret with all of this seduction? I couldn't quite believe that but the journalist in me couldn't quite let go of the idea either.
When we arrived he was waiting for me at the front door. This time we walked straight into that mansion that spoke of old time glamour and I suspect a bountiful wallet to restore it and keep it as beautiful as it is. My spiked silver heels clicked on the marble floors as I looked around at the beautiful hand-carved panels of wood on every wall and a curved staircase climbing to the second floor that looked like something straight out of an old-fashion movie. Come to think of it, it probably was since I knew that Chapman had filmed many of his early films in this house. Brock saw me looking around in appreciation.
"Would you like a short tour of the house before we eat?" he asked. "I am happy to say that we have finally been able to have it restored to its original state." Even as he said it, his arm had seductively encircled my waist and the desire in his eyes spoke of a very different type of dinner. I shivered in anticipation even as my brain struggled to maintain control while taking in the beauty around me.
I looked around me in approval, well aware that at one time there had been talk of tearing down this amazing old house. The last five years had seen an army of specialists working round the clock to bring it back to its old glory. I voiced my appreciation as he took my arm while we ascended the stairs. "You will get a better view of it all from the gallery above. I just had my collection flown out from New York last month and hung so you will be the first person to see it."
I gasped at the array of Picassos, Monets, and Rembrandts arrayed on the walls. Any museum would be green with envy at this collection. I recognized several statues from a recent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and then remembered that the entire exhibition had been financed by Brock. He certainly knew how to make a city love him. I wondered if this was a show of wealth and power, meant to impress me and keep me silent about whatever he was hiding. At the same time, every touch of his hand continued to send a thrill down my spine and a longing that made it almost hard to breath. We continued down the hall to an array of master bedroom suites filled with air, light and the most amazing collection of antiques.
As I looked up at him to ask a question, I saw the desire flame in his eyes, a desire that reflected my own. Without a word he bent down and enveloped me in a kiss that I felt travel from my mouth and down my quivering body until I felt light headed and could barely stand. He must have known, for in one swift movement he picked me up and carried me to the bed, laying me gently down and covering me with more kisses.
My hands went up to his face, his hair and down his back tracing the hard muscles that curved down. I tingled with barely held desire as his hands traced up the bare skin of my arms while his lips followed suit down my neck. With a look up to make sure this was what I wanted, he pushed the lace of my dress from my breasts and covered them with kisses, then slowly began to tease my nipples with his tongue until they were hard buttons of desire.
I was panting with need by then, and his hands had wandered down to the hem of my lace dress, pushing it up until I was completely exposed. His hands found my tiny panties and ripped them off with barely a thought. With his lips encircling my nipples with increasing passion, his fingers swiftly found their way between my legs and I was suddenly filled with wave upon wave of heat that left me gasping. When I reached for his cock, he smiled and gently pushed me away.
"We will get to that my love, but right now I simply want to give you all the pleasure I can." When he had made me climax for the fourth time, I reached for his cock again and without words begged him to enter me. There was no question he wanted it, for he was hard and so large I at first had my doubts I could take him all in.
With the smallest of movements he produced a condom from a jacket pocket, put it on in a flash and was soon filling every crevice of me with pure unadulterated male sexual energy. Building up slowly at first we were soon rocking in rhythm as he plunged into me, deeper and deeper. I thought the room would light up with the electricity that ran from his cock into my body. We reached our climaxes together and then slowly let our bodies cool and climb down from the heights we had known.
The rest of the evening is a blur; though I know we somehow eventually got dressed and went downstairs to a now cold dinner. We smiled and he whipped up a quick omelet in the kitchen as he opened a bottle of wine. The evening spun out into dawn as we curled up together on a couch on the second floor balcony, drinking champagne and watching the sun rise. I snuggled down into his shoulder, unwilling to let go of the night even as I knew I had to leave and face the day. Somehow, I knew he felt the same as his hands ran through my hair and he refilled my glass.
"I have an important meeting in two hours Janie." He kissed me again and then stood up. "I can tell Sam to drive you home; do you think you could be ready in half an hour?" He wasn't being cold, he was being practical. It is actually one of the traits I discovered that I like about Brock, his practical approach to life with a deep sensual passion hidden well below. It might also be a clue to his secret, though now I was reluctant to dig up anything I thought could hurt him in the long run.
When I got home I expected to find Jasmine waiting to hear all the details. Instead there was a note from her on the kitchen table.
Have to fly to Greece today. Got a text from Antonio and he is in trouble. I know you just met him but I love him and I have to do what I can to help. Tell Brock what is happening as Antonio and Brock have known each other for years. I forwarded you the text.
I grabbed my phone and soon read the text she forwarded to me that said Antonio was being held for ransom and she was to be the go-between. I knew that Brock and Antonio were involved in a lot of business together, could this be part of the secret he was hiding? Even if it was, he was the person best able to do something about it.
I picked up my phone and called Brock immediately. But what I heard didn't make any sense. He was standing with Antonio when I called him; they were at the same meeting. I heard him talk to Antonio and then return to the phone.
"I am getting the plane fueled and heading out there a soon as it is ready. Antonio and I will get to the bottom of this, don't worry Janie."
"I am not going to worry because I am coming on that plane with you Brock. This is Jasmine, my sister in everything but blood."
He understood. "Okay, be ready in fifteen, I will send Sam to pick you up on his way to get Antonio and me. I also need to explain a few things to you, but we can do that on the plane." I had a feeling that he was about to tell me about whatever it was that he and Antonio were up to that had jeopardized Jasmine. I just hoped we could get there before anything happened to her.
MOMENTS OF DEVOTION
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
The Moments Series Book 2
www.amazingromancebooks.com
Antonio
I had flown out from a meeting in Singapore to meet with Brock about our "little project" the night before. I always believe in having a good night's sleep before trying to accomplish the impossible over breakfast, as Brock so often calls our latest venture. But then, like me he has always preferred the challenge of doing something others consider impossible. It is a quality I both admire and understand which may be why we have been friends for over a decade.
But no sooner had we met with the team then Brock's personal phone rang. When he looked down at it, he immediately picked it up. This was important, too important to ignore. It was confirmed when his face changed from a smile to one of concentration, including a quick glance my way. "Janie I am in the middle of a meeting right….she what?....no he's right here."
He turned, gestured for me to step aside with him from the meeting and then talked in a quiet voice. "It's Janie. It seems that someone contacted Jasmine last night and the text seemed to come from you. Someone has lured her to Greece in the belief you are in trouble out there."
I looked down at my cell, which is never far from my side. This was obviously a hack job, and a fairly sophisticated one at that since my cell was designed by my own engineers and should not have been vulnerable to hackers. "This sounds serious Brock. Whoever is doing this must be planning to use her as a hostage against me."
My mind rolled back to our last kiss, the first we had shared since I had first began to date her a few weeks past. It was a kiss that had shook me down to my knees, and I knew it had with her as well. Where this was going I wasn't sure but of one thing I was certain, Jasmine was not going to become a pawn for The Project.
I started the ball rolling on tracking these hackers down. He nodded and turned back to the phone. "I am getting the plane fueled and heading out there as soon as it is ready. Antonio and I will get to the bottom of this, don't worry Janie." She commented back and he looked at me with a note of exasperation mixed with admiration in his eyes.
I knew that look, and found myself wondering about this new love of his. She seemed quite capable of not only keeping up with Brock, but of standing up to him. Not an easy task for anyone, but especially for any women he had ever met. She was obviously the exception to most women's immediate response to him; one of giving in to his every need and then being left behind when he found them no longer a challenge.
"She insists on coming along Antonio." I protested, feeling that she would only get in the way if things should get ugly. But he shook his head. "She can handle herself and she has connections in different ways then you or I have that might come in handy."
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 21