Romano saw an ex-athlete still looking for some of the limelight he’d never earned. “Yes. How are you?”
Cory indicated the vacant second seat at Romano’s table, and took it without being invited to do so. “Seeing you is making me feel just fine, Look, we’ve got a hell of a situation here. Our tennis pro took a hike with one of the wives—some weeks back. We’ve had no luck filling his place.”
Lucky ex-tennis pro. Romano hoped the bitch was loaded.
Cory leaned out to slap Romano’s arm. He wiped out the grin and replaced it with a somber frown. “Can’t tell you how sorry I am about Frank. What a talent. What a loss.”
“We haven’t buried my brother yet,” Romano said.
“No, no, of course not. But the worry. It’s got to be like a nightmare that never stops.”
“It is difficult. But we will not give up hope.” In fact, Frank was really scaring him. Since he hadn’t returned, and the business was growing too dangerous to pursue in some areas, money was showing signs of drying up. Without Frank to help replenish the Giacano fortunes, Romano must become very inventive.
“Look,” Cory said, “Ι don’t expect you to want to make a career out of this, but you’re a hell of a coach. Everyone says Frank Giacano would never have made it without Romano Giacano in his corner.”
Romano barely stopped himself from saying, “True.” “My brother is an incredible talent.” He was also an undisciplined, egotistical child with an insatiable appetite for dangerous thrills.
Cory clicked his fingers, and a white jacketed waiter did an impression of a lone ballroom dancer as he slithered and feinted his way between tables. Romano was tempted to applaud when the man arrived, clicked his heels, and gave a short bow.
“A bottle of Dom Perignon, please, Godfrey,” Cory said. “Very cold. And don’t you have some beluga caviar hidden away somewhere?”
With a wink and a twitch of the mouth, Godfrey signaled that he did indeed have what Cory wanted.
When they were alone again, Cory laced his fingers together on the table and said, “Take over as pro for us, Romano. I’m not going to pretend. We need someone who can resurrect the program, and fast. Just your name would do it. If you can’t commit to more than a limited contract, we’ll understand. But you can name your price. Anything. What do you say?”
A bona fide reason to remain—and a way to make his moves on Sonnie and her money less obvious. And, despite the threadbare opulence of the Sunset, the club was the only place of its type on the island, and the reserves had to be beautifully deep.
“Romano?” Cory said. The man’s anxiety made Romano want to smile.
“Nο contract.”
The golf pro spread his hands. “That’s a tough one. We need to cover—”
“Your asses will be covered by my word. If we can agree on terms, I won’t take off with a member’s wife. How’s that?” Cory guffawed and leaned back as Godfrey arrived with the champagne and caviar. “We’ll work something out.”
“Salary, and a percentage of the fees.”
There was a slight but visible slippage in Cory Bledsoe’s bonhomie. “Surely we can come up with a salary that’ll make the other unnecessary.”
The instant they had his name to throw around, the price of instruction would escalate enough to make his salary a pittance. “I’ll want a cut. I don’t work any other way. But if that’s beyond your resources, I will understand. I did not come here intending to work. Perhaps we should forget it.”
“Νο, no.” Cory raised his champagne and waited for Romano to do the same. “Salary and a percentage.”
They clinked glasses and Romano said, “Exact terms to be agreed upon.”
His companion drank and looked at him over his champagne glass.
Romano smiled encouragingly and contemplated how much he’d screw out of this little arrangement—just until he secured more lucrative sources of funds.
He looked up and across the cafe. Speaking of screwing, coming toward him was the woman who did it the best—and demanded the most in return. Of all the foul luck. Billy Keith—as she called herself again since the last divorce—had located him in the softly chattering crowd and came toward him, the skirt of her showy red dress swinging with each undulation of those hips.
He got up rapidly, looked down into Cory’s surprised face, and said, “I see my sister-in-law’s sister looking for me. We have business to deal with. Please excuse me.”
“Of course,” Cory said, craning around to see Billy, who was also being seen by every pair of eyes in the room. “Ah, yes, I remember Billy Keith. Have fun.”
Romano spared him an expressionless glance and went to meet Billy.
When they were within hailing distance, Billy’s husky voice announced, “I couldn’t believe you were here, darling. What a wonderful surprise. Jim Lesley’s with me. You’ll have to come and meet him.”
Romano didn’t have the faintest idea who Jim Lesley was; neither did he care. He was just moving within perfume range of Ms. Keith and already his dick was sitting up and begging. He would never understand how two women who shared a common father could be so different.
They met at midroom and Billy offered a cool cheek. Romano brushed it lightly with his mouth and restrained himself from whispering any of the things she’d undoubtedly hoped to hear.
He offered her his arm and she inclined her head while she slid her hand around his elbow. Making small talk, they walked from the restaurant. They didn’t stop walking until Billy reached her room. While she locked the door to the corridor behind them, Romano looked at the enclosed courtyard and pool beyond the sliding windows. When he turned back to Billy, the brilliant smile had fled.
“She’s with a man. Why didn’t you call me the moment you knew she’d hooked up with some biker on the make?”
Romano took off his silk jacket and tossed it over the back of a rattan chair. “I arrived yesterday—but you know that. You’re the one who told me I’d better get down here.”
“When did you find out about Talon?”
“What makes you think I did?”
“You went to the house?”
“But of course. Immediately.”
“She wouldn’t let you stay there, would she?” Billy asked.
He shook his head.
“She also won’t let me stay there, or Jim—Jim Lesley owns one of the most exclusive sanitariums in the country. He also happens to want me. That may prove convenient if it becomes necessary to send my dear sister away for a long rest.”
Romano couldn’t cover his surprise. “Sonnie wouldn’t let you stay with her? She loves you, Billy. She trusts you.”
Billy kicked off her shoes and sashayed toward him. “Evidently she doesn’t trust me in the same house where she’s living with a tattooed hunk.”
“She’s not…Νο, she’s not living with him.”
Billy’s immediate response was to slip a disk into the player she never traveled without. Allen Tgussaint’s voice, and his magic fingers on the keys playing strictly New Orleans music, swung into persuasive action. Billy danced as only Billy could dance. Arms outstretched, shoulders lifting, fingers clicking, she moved parts of her body Romano doubted some people ever discovered in theirs.
“My little sister has the look of a satisfied woman,” she said, getting closer. “I never saw her look that way. Your brother Frank spread himself too thin to have enough left over for her. Not that she could ever be his type. Chris Talon’s got to have plenty of what she needs. Whew. What a body. Now that’s the stuff of this girl’s wet dreams.”
She had always thought her crudeness was a turn-on. He’d never bothered to set her straight because he’d learned to shut out the sound of her mouth. There were other things guaranteed to make that easy.
“Are we likely to have a visit from your shrink friend?”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “We have to talk.”
Not before he got what he wanted at the moment. “It’s been a long ti
me for you and me, Billy.”
She spared him a long stare from her very dark eyes. “Business first, brother dear.”
“I’m not your brother.”
She stopped dancing. “Let’s sit down.”
“Let’s not.”
“Οh, Romano, don’t be so predictable. We don’t have time for any of that now.”
He was going to establish that he was in charge. “I’ll decide what we have time for.”
“Don’t try that approach with me,” Billy said. “We both know I don’t take orders—from anyone.”
That was the Billy he knew so well. He didn’t like it, but this wasn’t the moment to fight with her. “Let’s get back to business,” he said. “Unless we’re a whole lot luckier than I believe we are, there will be difficulties ahead for us. Your tattooed hunk may have a lot of influence over Sonnie. If that is so, the picture will change. She will be a problem to control.”
Billy put her hands on her hips. “If Talon becomes a nuisance, well—he can’t be allowed to become a nuisance, can he?”
She had always had the ability to cool his blood. Billy Keith lacked the one thing that separated a human being from the rest of the animal kingdom: she had no conscience. A good reason for him to control her at all costs.
“Can we?” she repeated.
“I am not concerned about keeping a badly dressed, uneducated moron in check, Billy. You may leave that to me.”
She took a breath deep enough to make it impossible not to watch her breasts. “Υou and I will work together now,” she said. “We will keep each other informed of everything, no matter how small. All we need is proof of Frank’s death, and you become his heir. At least in all practical respects.
“How naughty of Frank to talk Sonnie into putting her money into his estate, and then to make it your job to administer everything if he died before her. My parents will be beside themselves when they find out.” She shook a finger at him. “But don’t forget that you must look after her. Frank stipulated that, didn’t he?”
These were facts that were supposed to be known only to Frank and himself. Sonnie had been young, stupidly in love, and easily controlled after her marriage. She’d been persuaded to agree to what Frank described as a special trust.
“Romano?” Billy said. “What are you thinking?”
“That you are better informed than I realized.”
She laughed. “Frank enjoyed telling me about it. We enjoyed a lot of things. Poor Sonnie. She isn’t strong—in mind or body. When she has to be committed, you will become her guardian, and you will be even freer with her assets. Won’t that be nice?”
She left him speechless. He had his own plans, but they weren’t nearly as developed as hers.
“Won’t that be nice?” Billy said again, taking another eye-catching breath. “Or perhaps I should say that it will be adequate until something even more permanent can be arranged. Come, we’ll sit down and go over things more thoroughly.”
The excitement she made him feel wasn’t going away. “I’m going to love going over things with you, Billy. But first I shall love seeing you. Take off your dress.”
She scowled. “We’ve already decided on business first.”
“Fucking first,” he said, keeping his voice even. “I have missed you. I will think so much better after we really say hello.”
The anger remained on her face, but she stepped close enough for him to see the deep cleavage inside the zippered bodice of the dress.
First he undid her belt and let it fall. Next he unzipped her bodice as slowly as the pulsing in his penis would allow. Billy’s clothes were made to apply rather than wear. Not a wrinkle showed anywhere.
When he reached for her, she batted his hands away and opened the dress herself. His jaws locked; so did his thighs. It was his turn to take deep breaths.
Billy prided herself on not owning many bras. She peeled the bodice aside until it framed the most amazing breasts he’d had the good fortune to enjoy. He didn’t care how much she’d paid for them.
She wouldn’t let him touch her. “Take off your clothes,” she told him.
Ah, yes, how could he forget that she liked to play her little game of watching him strip before she took everything off?
He got rid of his shirt and his belt and started to unzip his pants. Billy stopped him. “ I’d like a little attention first. Do you know another woman as big as I am who doesn’t need a bra?”
“I do not. You are fabulous.”
“Rub them with the hair on your chest. I like that.”
He couldn’t stifle a groan, but he managed to do as she asked without ejaculating in his pants. He rubbed her, and she rubbed him. No hands, just large, hard nipples and jutting flesh against a chest he was glad he kept perfectly defined. She dipped, raked herself over his ribs, then went to her knees and licked his belly.
“Billy.” He moaned. “You’re killing me.”
She unzipped his pants and dropped them around his ankles. Then she stood and stripped off her lace-topped stockings and black thong panties. She’d always been able to surprise him—or shock him. A foot strategically placed behind his heels knocked him off balance, and, with his pants around his ankles, he couldn’t recover. He landed on his back on the bed, his feet still on the floor and his knees bent at the edge of the mattress.
Billy straddled his thighs, then leaned over to fill his mouth with first one, then the other of her breasts. The instant he tried to clasp her to him, she pushed away, produced a condom from a pocket, and slipped it on him.
The hem of her skirt was stiff and she used it to play. Back and forth she swept the glazed cotton, repeatedly flirting with the head of his penis until his hips came off the bed with every pass.
“Billy,” he pleaded.
She smiled at him, showing all of her sharp little teeth. “Okay, lover. This is for you.”
She raised her skirts to show him her small, rounded belly and the triangle of black hair between her legs. She reached down to separate herself. He could see how ready she was without even touching her.
“For you,” she said in a singsong voice, and impaled herself on him. The lady was strong. Her breasts bounced, once, twice, as she rose and fell on him; then he turned his head aside, incapable of stopping himself from pouring forth.
“Too damn fast, damn you,” he said through his teeth. She’d already come to rest on him, shuddering with her own release. She opened her mouth to breathe deeply and tossed her hair back. Α moment more and she left him.
“Billy, wait. I’ll be ready again.”
She zipped up her dress. “I won’t. Looks like you’ve been hoarding, love. Better get that off before you make a mess. I promised I’d meet Jim now. We’ll talk later.”
Ten
She was a married woman. On her wedding day she’d taken vows she’d never intended to break.
And she hadn’t broken her vows.
Cleaning the house, cutting bunch after bunch of flowers to fill vases for every room, keeping the washer and dryer rumbling away all day—no matter how tired she tried to make herself, how she concentrated on simple tasks, Sonnie couldn’t keep her mind focused on anything but Chris Talon.
Would she sleep with him if he wanted her?
He didn’t want her. He’d put on that crazy act in front of Billy and her friend that morning; then, once they had gone, he’d drunk coffee, eaten some of the food she’d prepared, and left.
She was back in Key West because the conviction that someone had tried to kill her here kept growing stronger.
What kind of person sent a woman who’d suffered as she had a box of calla lilies with a card to remind her of her child’s death, and a not-so-subtle suggestion that she ought to join that child? Someone who wanted her to run away? Someone who didn’t want her in Key West? Someone who wanted her dead?
She already knew the answers to her questions.
A gardenia floated in a crystal bowl on the wide parlor windowsill. Sonnie f
lipped a forefinger through the water to make the bloom spin.
Billy told Romano to come here. Billy, who was their father’s daughter by his first wife, had always overshadowed Sonnie, but she’d been kind, too. When Sonnie was hospitalized, Billy frequently slept in the room with her. Yes, Sonnie loved her sister and she wasn’t proud of the way she’d treated her that morning.
The phone rang. Sonnie lifted it from the desk and put the receiver to her ear while she returned to the sunlight by the window. “Hello.”
“Sonnie?” Chris had just enough of South Carolina in his voice to make him easy to recognize. “That you, Sonnie?”
Not that she wouldn’t recognize his voice anyway. “It’s me,” she said.
“You’re not much like your sister.”
Hours had passed since he’d left. “You just realized that.” Billy was gorgeous.
“No, ma’am. Noticed it right away. Forgot to mention it, that’s all. Do you two get along?”
She squinted against the glare through the swaying fan palm fronds. “Of course we get along.” Not that there hadn’t been some disagreements.
“Doesn’t always work out that way. But you trust her?” Sonnie turned her back to the window. “You’re making me feel strange. Of course I trust my sister.”
“It was nice having breakfast with you.”
“I’m glad.” She perched on the edge of the desk and swung a leg.
“Great coffee.”
He made her feel like a plain high schooler who just got noticed by the captain of the football team. “Thank you, Chris.”
“You look cute when you sleep.”
She almost dropped the base of the phone.
“Sonnie?”
“Thank you.”
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