by Rosie Praks
“Simon! You bastard!” I leapt forward and ripped his head from that girl before my mind could formulate a plan.
“Owww, what the fuck!” he screamed, turning to me. That bastard squealed like a girl. His eyes glared at me, but once he saw Amelia, he shut his mouth and immediately went to her. “Amelia, it’s not what you think?”
Amelia looked like she was about to cry. Tears were already simmering in her eyes. That soft-hearted friend of mine.
It was all my fault. I was the one who introduced that bastard to my friend. All because he was the son of my father’s associate. I thought they made a good match. Good match my ass.
I tugged Amelia behind me and lashed out at Simon. “Not what Amelia thinks?” I reiterated my point. “What does Amelia think, with you smooched up to that girl like that, Simon?”
“Shut up, Kimberly. You stay out of this. I’m talking to my girlfriend.”
“No, you shut up and listen, Simon. No boyfriend would bring a random girl out to a night club and eat her face like that when he claims he has a bar exam coming up.”
“Amelia, don’t listen to her. I can explain.”
“What is there to explain?” I shut him off again. “The evidence is there.” Simon seemed to be running low on steam. And when he didn’t reply, I gave him my verdict. “You make a lousy lawyer.”
This only made him more determined to outdo me. But clearly, he hadn’t enough wits in his brain to counterattack my statement. He huffed, and knowing he’d been cornered with no way out, he escaped, dashing after Amelia, who was already backing out of the scene. He pushed me along the way too, gutless thing making me twist on my heel, and I knew then I would collapse on the dance floor.
Shit! Two assaults in one night. What a pleasant night this turned out to be.
Once again, I expected to hit the floor, land on my butt, and be the laughing stock of the whole club. But tonight just seemed to be the night when random knights in black suits came to my rescue. I was held back by a pair of strong arms, embraced from behind by a wall of steel chest.
“Are you all right?”
My heart convulsed. I looked up. Oh, dear Lord, help me!
Mr. Baritone-voice, the pure sex god had appeared once again.
His touch scorched me. Every single particle of my being came alive.
“Let my leg go. I need to see to my friend.” I tried to distract him from feeling my foot up and down like he was making love to my leg with his fingers.
He didn’t listen to me. His steel-grey eyes continued to manipulate the tensed muscle at my ankle.
“You twisted your ankle.”
“But my friend?” I tried one more time.
That got his attention, and once again, I was faced with his beautiful kissable lips and mystifying grey eyes. “Your other friends have already followed her.”
“But…” I wanted to say I wanted to follow them too, but those fingers were really distracting.
I tried. Seriously, I tried. When I found myself within his embrace, I was lost for a full minute before my brain kicked back into gear. I stood up, wanting to follow the rest of the party after Amelia had disappeared off into the crowd, only to fall back clumsily right into his arms. And he really was my knight in shining armor, gallantly carrying me off to his private booth, all the other girls glaring daggers at me for being the one to capture this dark knight’s attention.
My mind returned to the present situation when he massaged my leg a little too hard, squeezing it until I yelped.
“Sorry.” He smiled up at me. “Feel any better?”
I wanted to scream right there in orgasm. Did he know how fuckable he looked at that moment? Body crouched in a kneeling position, head below my knees, eyes assessing my ankle—I could imagine a thousand ways he could make me feel better already. And nothing involved him staring at my ankle.
“Better, thank you,” I rasped, darting my tongue out to lick my dry lips.
That small action made his eyes flick in my direction, flaring something stormy and intense.
The atmosphere changed. Tension brewed in the air. An electric sexual tension that was so virile and raw I could almost feel it and taste it.
Shit! Would this finally be the day I had a one-night stand with a complete stranger?
“Take better care of yourself. A beautiful and delicate girl like you should always have someone to protect her.”
If another man dared use the word delicate to describe me, I would have boxed his ears. But for him, I agreed wholeheartedly. A beautiful and delicate girl like me definitely needed protection against crazy men. And it was almost on the verge of my tongue to utter, Maybe you can protect me against those men, when he dropped my foot and looked up at me. I mean really looked at me, focusing all his attention on me.
Once again, my world tilted on its axis, and I couldn’t stop my smile from forming. He was too beautiful, too handsome to be described with mere words. My head become dizzy, too much of his pheromones in the air, intoxicating me until I was no longer talking straight.
“Thank… thank… thank…”
He laughed. That deep, husky baritone voice throbbed against my pleasure spot and instantly made me wet.
I harped incoherently again. “What… is… is—”
Why can’t I just ask him for his name? Better yet, go for his phone number too.
“Would you like me to call a taxi for you?” He cut me off before I could ask anything.
“My friends,” I managed to leak out, indicating they were probably waiting for me somewhere in the club.
He shifted his attention to his watch, an expensive-looking Rolex that must have cost over fifteen grand. Papa wore a similar one.
“I have to go now. Take care of yourself.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to stop him, pull him back and kiss him before he left. But I was too slow because, once again, my brain shut off when he smiled at me.
I watched as he disappeared, leaving me in a wet puddle.
Shit! Now there was nothing to dampen my desire except a cold shower. I must see to it tonight. More importantly, I had to see to poor Amelia.
As I got up and went in search of my friend, I wondered to myself, Will I ever see him again?
Chapter 1
Three Years Later
The sweltering summer air of Miami greeted me in a fierce welcome. I was already drenched in sweat as soon as I stepped onto the tarmac.
“Welcome to Miami,” I muttered to myself, checking my cell phone for the current time. 5:00 p.m. Miami time.
Miami was fourteen hours behind Brisbane. Amelia must be up already at 7:00 a.m., fretting about Dunstan’s funeral.
Poor girl. Dunstan was like a father to her, but now he’d died, all because of her sister’s cruel act.
What a way to treat a man who’d saved you from living on the streets. Corinne should have never brought that guy she’d met online to her house and hurt Dunstan’s heart like that. Then again, Dunstan was also wrong to be involved with Corinne. He was an old man, even older than Papa. I wondered if he had some problem with his family to actually have an affair with a woman who was as young as his daughter.
I’d never warmed up to Corinne. I didn’t actually know what Amelia saw in her sister to care and protect her like this. Then again, I didn’t have any siblings, so it was quite hard to factor in that part of my personality.
I really should stop thinking about other people and start thinking about myself. That soul mate of mine, the man I saw three years ago, who I dubbed Mr. Baritone-voice because of his ability to conjure up sexual images in my head just with his voice, was nowhere to be found.
Damn me. Countless hot dreams of us lying naked on a large bed, his hot mouth sucking the rose bud of my breast, still made me hot and bothered. Just remembering his six-pack abs sliding across my body and his cock thrusting into me made my skin glisten wet with a longing that could only be quenched with a cold shower.
I firmly shook my hea
d to calm my raging heartbeat and the throbbing of my clit, reminding myself it wouldn’t be long now before I could hit that cold shower. Feeling better, I went to collect my baggage.
One bag.
I traveled light. This was a business trip after all. Papa wanted me to meet his business partner Mr. Devereux from Devereux Enterprises. He owned a majority of the properties here in Miami. Both Mr. Devereux and Papa had similar ideas, wanting to join forces to create even bigger and better properties. And their project was a massive mall covering an area the size of three football fields right in South Beach. And it was my job to see to their proposal before accepting the terms of the joint venture.
After graduating from university just a few weeks back, I thought I could have the chance to travel around the world for a bit, right before I settled down to work for Papa, but he was a very persistent man.
“Why don’t you go to visit Beau, my business partner? You remember him, right, Kimmy-berry? He used to come to Australia when you were a little girl,” he said while we were having dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. “That way you could go sightseeing around America, all while getting some work done.”
“But, Papa. The world isn’t America. The world is Sweden, Germany, China, Thailand, Cambodia—not America. And besides, I don’t remember Mr. Devereux. Why don’t you go instead? It would be kind of a reunion for the both of you.”
Papa simply ignored my question. “Well, you can start with America first.”
“Seriously, Papa?” I rolled my eyes. “I only graduated like yesterday. The ink on my degree hasn’t even dried yet, and you want me to work?”
“Kimmy-berry. This is very important to Papa. If you’re happy with how they run things, then we’ll go ahead with the new venture.”
“Why does it have to be me? Haven’t you already discussed this with Mr. Devereux? I don’t need to be involved in this project.”
“Yes, you do, Kimmy-berry. You’re my only daughter, and in the future, this whole empire will be yours.”
“But that’s like light-years away.”
“You have to be prepared now.”
And that was how it ended, me being prepared for whatever was about to happen.
Being the good girl I was, I could never refuse Papa’s request. How could I? He was my dad and the only living relative in my family. Mum passed away due to breast cancer shortly after I was born. And now two weeks after that discussion, I was here. In Miami. Ready to meet Devereux.
But where is he?
I sank onto the couch in the private lounge, folding my legs and casually playing with my tablet like I hadn’t a care in the world. But it was all an act. I was beyond exhausted and irritable to boot. I was so tired from the trip, feeling my muscles in my arms tensing. My temperament wasn’t too pleasant either. During the flight, the turbulence was really bad, rocking my body like a baby rattle.
I looked at the time again. Papa said someone was to pick me up at the private lounge at 5:30 p.m. It was already nearing 6:00 p.m. I was hungry. I needed dinner, a bath, and a facial, like right now.
Just before I attempted to find myself a taxi, a middle-aged man walked into the lounge with my name written on a nameplate.
Finally!
I shook my head and stood.
“Miss Kimberly Henderson?” he asked, unsure. In my messy state, even I wasn’t surprised no one recognized the daughter of multi-millionaire Geoffrey Henderson.
“Yes. I’m Kimberly Henderson.” I tried to smile, but really, this wretched weather was getting to me. And I smelled like a skunk.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Henderson. The traffic is really bad. It took me more than an hour to get here.”
“I understand. Brisbane is pretty much the same.” I nodded and picked up my one bag but was stopped by the chauffeur.
“No, Miss Henderson, I’ll carry that for you.”
“Please call me Kimberly.” I smiled. “And your name?”
“John, Miss Kimberly. Mr. Devereux sends his sincerest apologies. He’s been detained at another meeting and won’t get to see you until tomorrow morning. He’s sending one of his sons to greet you at the hotel and take you out to dinner.”
“No. There’s no need. I’m really tired. I’d like some time to myself. Please tell Mr. Devereux I thank him for the suggestion, but I have to decline.”
“Okay then, Miss Kimberly. I’ll pass on the message.”
I nodded, pleased now to have some privacy before I had to meet all these people as Papa requested.
We made our way outside into the boiling sun, once again sweat pouring by the bucket from my body. Oh how I craved a cold shower.
We arrived at the Miami Silverton Hotel, one of the many hotels that were popping up like daisies around Australia and New Zealand. Hunter and Anton Silverton, both heirs of Silverton Corporation, had decided to expand their services in America too.
And excellent service they provided. If possible, I always planned to stay at the Silverton Hotel wherever I went.
“The meeting is scheduled at ten tomorrow morning, Miss Kimberly,” John reminded me.
“Thank you, John. I won’t forget.”
After showering and receiving a facial treatment, I couldn’t suppress my hunger anymore. I needed to eat. It was way past dinnertime already.
Although it was going to be a meal for one, I was still dressed to impress, as usual. A strappy summer dress, my freshly washed and dried chestnut hair cascading all the way down my back, and summer heeled sandals. I was quite pleased with my accomplishment since it was a job performed in haste.
“Table for one, please.” I smiled as a waitress approached me. She led me to a table near the window. The restaurant was on the fifteenth floor, so the view outside was quiet breathtaking.
I gazed around the restaurant. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as full as I’d anticipated. Looking at the menu gave every indication as to how expensive and well established this place was.
The waitress came back, and I ordered my favorite spaghetti bolognese dish, accompanied with a glass of pinot noir. Just when the meal was put in front of me and I was about to indulge, I sensed someone staring at me. I looked up and a man with blond hair and a bent nose smiled back at me.
“May I sit?”
I was about to say, No, I want to be alone, when he took my silence as an invitation. Maybe I should have taken my tablet with me as a distraction, making me less approachable. I really didn’t want any company tonight.
“Here on holiday?” he asked in his American accent.
“On a business trip,” I replied coldly.
“How crazy. You have an Aussie accent. Are you from Australia?”
“Yes, I am.” Again, I gave him the cold vibe, but he clearly wasn’t registering the warning.
“My ex-girlfriend was an Aussie. The last time we went to Queenstown New Zealand to bungee jump, she screamed all the way down. It was hilarious.”
“I don’t find that funny at all.” I put down my fork, my innate sense of justice kicking in. “How can you laugh at someone who’s scared? What if I dump you in a pool full of crocodiles? See if you’re scared and piss your pants?”
The man held a blank look, unsure of what to make of my comment. Then he burst out laughing, a full belly laugh that showed off his chubby tummy.
By this stage, I was already fed up with him, and a conversation from three years ago flitted back through my mind. “A beautiful and delicate girl like you should always have someone to protect her.”
Mr. Baritone-voice. I wondered where he went to after that night.
“I’ve already organized everything. All you have to do is put forward the presentation.”
I froze. My heart increased in beat. Every fiber within my body sizzled alive.
That voice coming from behind me, it sounded so deep, such a rich baritone, reminding me of Mr. Baritone-voice.
He was talking on the phone, I suspected. I couldn’t quite hear properly since Mr. Potbelly y
apped nonstop.
“Hush!”
That got Mr. Belly-roll to shut up for a minute while I listened to that baritone voice continue to speak.
“Father has set the meeting. It will be held at ten in the morning. Can you wake up in time?”
Why was that voice tormenting me? I must have been deeply affected, for I could never forget that voice.
“Okay. That’s all. I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care.”
Take care. That was Mr. Baritone-voice.
I swirled around in my seat, quick enough to only catch a glimpse of inky black hair just as the man took off. I hurried out of my chair, ignoring Mr. Jelly Belly, who moaned like a child when I made a dash to follow Mr. Baritone-voice.
I need to see his face to confirm my suspicion. Please tell me this isn’t my imagination. I swore if it were him, I’d make sure to get his name and phone number this time.
I caught sight of the man with black hair again as he walked into the main hallway. But there were so many people going in every direction that I couldn’t get close to him. Suddenly, he was swallowed up by the crowd. I gritted my teeth and weaved through. But he was already gone. When I thought I’d lost him again, he reappeared before my eyes, stepping onto the elevator.
“Hey!” I rushed up to the lift, waving my hand about, hoping he would see me.
But he didn’t. And that damn elevator closed its doors right in my face.
After standing there staring at the stainless steel for what seemed like ages, I blinked and laughed at myself.
Oh God, I must be crazy. After three years, I was still affected by that scorching touch on my ankle, those stormy eyes, those kissable lips, and that rich voice. I was acting like a stalker searching for my prey.
Chapter 2
It was bright and early and the sun was already beating mercilessly down upon me when I arrived at Devereux Holdings promptly before the 10:00 a.m. meeting. Immediately upon arrival, an elderly gentleman of about Papa’s age rushed towards me, his arms extended wide.