The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  “Oh, I think we are closer to reaching mutually agreeable terms than you think.” His gaze honed to a razor’s edge. He leaned toward me. I squirmed in my chair. I couldn’t help it. “Don’t say no right away. Take these next few weeks with Jasmine to consider what I am offering. I’m talking about a salary that starts at a hundred thousand with royalty options. I know you have ambitions, Miriam. What I can give you is the means to make those dreams a reality. And in the end, it is after all only acting.”

  • • •

  I stumbled back to the penthouse distracted and dazed. Jazz awaited me, her swimsuit already on. Her eager expression faltered when she saw me.

  “Is everything ok?” She clutched my oversized tote tightly to her chest as she studied my face. “What did my father say to you?”

  “Just stuff about the Tropicana.” I was purposefully vague. “And your birthday.” I took my bag from her. It held my swimsuit and my cell in addition to everything else. Vincenzo had no tolerance for distractions when his employees visited his office. I wanted to check to see if I had any messages from King, but on the other had I didn’t. I was a little afraid to. I couldn’t take any more bad news. No matter what kind of pretty decorative bow he tied on it, Vincenzo Campanella’s job offer was just that. Bad news. “Ready to go swimming?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, but she seemed to have lost her enthusiasm. She knew something was up. She reached for me. I squeezed her hands. “Hey, it’ll be ok.” I licked my dry lips. “Did you call down to get us a cabana?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great. I’ll just go change real quick.” I gave her fingers one more squeeze before I released them.

  “Miriam,” she called after I had taken only a single step.

  “Yeah, Jazz?” I turned to look back at her.

  “You’ll always be my friend, right?” She shifted her weight nervously from one flip flopped foot to the other.

  “You know I will.”

  “What my father does. Well…” She trailed off, glancing around nervously, afraid to speak ill of him in front of the cameras that were all over the Tropicana, even inside the penthouse. “Well, who he is…that’s not me. I’m not like him. I will never be like him. You know that, right?”

  “I do. I know that very well. I told you all about my father. I am not him any more than you are yours.”

  She nodded. I went into the half bath and slipped into my suit avoiding my own worried reflection. It too closely mirrored hers.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Miriam

  I solemnly observed Jasmine from my spot beneath the shade of the striped cabana. Her laughter as she played volleyball with a group of girls in the tropical oasis themed pool probably sounded genuine to most, but I knew deep down she was unsettled. We had been making a lot of small talk mostly about nothing and exchanging the occasional forced smile since my meeting with her father. I would have to come clean soon and tell her what was going on, but I wanted to delay the unpleasantness as long as I could. Leaving the employment of her father was what I had to do, but that certainly gave me little comfort.

  “Miss Jackson?”

  “Yes?” I turned my gaze away from Jazz, slid my sunglasses down my nose and peered over the top of them at the young woman wearing a white polo and khaki shorts, the standard uniform for all of the Tropicana employees around the pool.

  “This is for you.” She lowered her silver tray.

  “I didn’t order anything.” I squinted suspiciously at the drink her tray contained.

  “Compliments of the gentleman at the bar.”

  “What gentleman?” I glanced past her. There was no one at the bar, not counting other employees dressed exactly like her. They scurried around outdoor speakers and a long table that looked like it was being set up for a DJ. There was often music by the pool.

  “Won’t you take it?” She moved the tray closer, blocking my view of the bar. “It’s a bushwhacker. They’re really tasty. I made it myself. There’s a card, too.”

  “Alright.” I took the paper, unfolded it and gasped as I read the words.

  Reina. For you.

  I reached for the drink. The hurricane glass was frosty cold when I picked it up. I removed the umbrella and brought the straw to my lips while my eyes actively searched the pool deck. The drink was delicious, rich from the ice cream and dangerously strong because of a combination of dark rum, Kahlúa and Crème de cacao. But where was Juaquin? And what did his note signify? Was this drink a goodbye gift or a yes-I-am-ready-to-fuck-you-again-hello?

  Unable to locate him, I checked on Jazz again, not that she needed my supervision given the two lifeguards in elevated chairs on either side of the pool. But she was my responsibility, and even though my job would end soon, I took it and her welfare seriously.

  Music suddenly blazed from the sound system at the bar. Keyboards. Heavily synthesized. A salsa-like rhythm. And there he was, no shade, out in the full sun, his bronzed skin glistening as if he had oiled it and wearing only polarized aviator sunglasses and black board shorts that rode low on his narrow hips.

  “Hola, Tropicana.” A cordless mic in one hand, a boyish grin on his handsome face, he threw his other arm up in the air pointing a finger at the cloudless Vegas sky. He jumped in time to the beat, and I rose from my lounge as if he had ordered me to do so. He and his music were just that compelling.

  “Ok, everybody.” He cast a glance around the pool deck. “Raise ’em up.” He clapped his hands together over his head. I set my drink on a nearby table, moving toward him like everyone else seemed to be doing. The rays raining down on him caressed all of the compelling contours of his impressive physique the way I hadn’t had the chance to the night before. We had come together so quickly he hadn’t even taken his shirt off.

  “Vámonos. Let’s go.” Elbow out, mic to his mouth, he spotted me. He ran his shaded gaze over me, from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes and then back up again slower. I flushed with warmth that had nothing to do with the desert heat and everything to do with the way he looked at me. His lips formed a sexy smile. He seemed to appreciate the little black bikini I wore. We were certainly color coordinated.

  Mamasota, can’t let you go.

  Seen you dance, seen you flow

  I want more, with you I’m an animal

  Eat you up just like a cannibal

  So baby here I am

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí y bésame,

  chiquita pero picosa!

  I had never seen him quite like this, never seen anything like it really. He ruled as a performer. He shrugged his strong shoulders. He spun with his arms up in the air. He clapped. He jumped and gesticulated widely in conjunction to the thumping beat while an audience gathered around him that included Jazz, the volleyball girls, Tropicana employees, and even hotel patrons that had spilled out onto the pool deck from the lobby. Everyone including me danced with him, and he seemed to feed off our energy.

  So addicted to the way you move.

  Just like a drug that sexy groove

  Puts me in a certain frame of mind

  To let you know you’re one of a kind

  So baby let’s get physical.

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí y bésame,

  chiquita pero picosa!

  Come on, C’mon, C’mon let’s go

  I gotta be part of your show

  Again and again, time after time

  Tonight you’ll see I’m gonna make you mine

  Mamacitas, goodbye.

  It was like there was some invisible cord lashing us together. Each flash of his arm. Every flick of his shaded gaze my way. Even the rolling gyrations of his hips drew me near. But mostly it was him and that sexy rhythm of his, a scandalous beat I had never been able to resist.

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí

  ¡Ven aquí y bésame,

  Mi reina.

  King beckon
ed, and I went to him. The music still blaring, he switched off his mic and passed it to an employee. Dipping and gliding gracefully through the bouncing crowd, he met me in the middle of it. He stretched out his arm, his fingertips gliding over my parted lips on their way into my hair. My breath hitched. He placed his other hand right above the top edge of my bikini bottom. My swaying hips stilled. His fingertips sizzled against my skin. Slow and sensually he slid his hand up to the indentation at my waist while he moved behind me. He pressed closer, his front to my back. If this hot approach was a precursor to how it was going to be when he brought our two bodies together during an extended lovemaking session, I was ready to get started on that right the hell now.

  • • •

  King

  “Reina.” I leaned in brushing the length of her hair aside to whisper into her ear. “You look hot as shit in that bikini, but I need to talk to you for a moment alone.”

  “Yes, of course.” Her eyes behind her semi-translucent shades growing large, she shivered even though we were standing beneath the blazing afternoon sun.

  “Miriam.” A cute little girl dripping puddles and wearing a concerned expression moved in front of me and my queen. “Are you going somewhere?”

  Miriam’s gaze passed over the girl to the big dude merely feet behind her. He had an earpiece in one ear and wore dark gray slacks and a navy blazer. Her hand went to her throat where I noticed her pulse beat rapidly.

  “Jasmine.” She refocused on the girl I realized was her charge. “Hey, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine. Juaquin Acenado.”

  “Hola, Jazz.” I removed my sunglasses, placing them on top of my head. The girl’s eyes widened. “You’re King, the drummer from Tempest. I saw you on Rock Fuck Club last week.”

  Chingao. “Um, sí.”

  “Raven almost turned you down.”

  “I’m sure a lot of that stuff is staged,” Miriam said, sending a disapproving glance at me before frowning at the girl.

  That wasn’t the case. Everything on the episode I had been in had actually happened and then some, but I thought it wise to keep my mouth shut about it.

  “And what were you doing watching a show that’s TV-MA in the first place? I thought there was a lock on the televisions in the penthouse.”

  “Uh-duh, Miriam,” Jazz fired back. “I saw the episode on YouTube. There are tons of ways to get around all those parental controls, and I’m too old for them anyway.”

  The guy with the earpiece cracked a grin which he stifled when he noticed me watching him. He withdrew back into the shade of a nearby palm.

  “I know you’re clever, Jazz. But I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be watching shows like that.” Miriam flicked her eyes to the security guard again before she leaned closer to the girl he was obviously in charge of protecting. “Do you mind staying out of the pool while I step inside and talk to Juaquin for a minute?”

  “Alright.” The girl glanced up at me studying me a long moment. “But shouldn’t you stay here with me? I mean, I don’t want Mr. Garner to say anything to my dad.”

  A visible tension seized Miriam. She licked her lips the way she did when she was nervous or turned on. I was pretty sure it was nerves at the moment. The security guy unsettled her or his boss did. Probably both. “It’ll be ok. We won’t go all the way inside.” She inclined her head. “Just over there by the alcove next to the waterfall.”

  Looking more mature than eleven, Jasmine nodded somberly. I found my heart going out to her. I might have my issues with my father, but she was obviously afraid of hers.

  “Ready?” Miriam had already taken a few steps toward the waterfall. Glancing over her shoulder at me, she cocked her head at an inquiring angle.

  “Sí.” I caught up to her and slid my hand to her waist. She made a soft sound of pleasure that I don’t think she would have wanted me to note. I was beginning to pick up on a lot of things, but I wanted to know more. I wanted all her tells, all her secrets, all her time, all of everything she would concede to me.

  When we reached the waterfall, she took my hand and drew me into the shadow of a nearby cabana. “We don’t have long.” She moved in front of me so we were face to face and tried to withdraw her hand, but I didn’t allow it.

  “Mi reina.” I threaded our fingers together, bringing her hand up to my mouth to skim my lips across her knuckles. Her skin was so soft. I lifted my gaze. Her eyes had darkened. “You’re beautiful and being with you last night was hot as hell. I want you. I want you in my bed.” I brought both her hands up to my neck and left them there so I could slide mine down her spine. Palming her lush ass, I drew her sexy body closer. “What do you say?”

  She looked undecided. I didn’t like that at all. Had I taken too long to press my claim?

  “Mamita, I promise I’ll make you shiver. I’ll make you beg. I’ll make you scream my name again and again when you come.”

  “You sound pretty certain.”

  “It’s not bragging if it’s the truth.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, wetting her lips. “I say yes, but there’s a good chance you’ll ruin me.” She whispered the last part so softly it almost seemed as though she hadn’t meant to say it aloud.

  “You’re right,” I confirmed. “After tonight you won’t want anyone but me.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Miriam

  “You can’t keep buying out the club every night,” I told Juaquin as I climbed into the passenger seat of his Hummer.

  “No, you’re right. I can’t, but we’ll talk more about that later. Right now I just want to enjoy finally having you all to myself.” He started to close the door on my side but stopped and pointed to the hem of my lacy sweater. “Tassels” he cautioned, and I pulled the knotted strings on the end of my sweater out of the way. He smiled a quick flash of his teeth that sparkled all the way to his amber eyes. My heart trembled, and I was still experiencing aftershocks when he folded into the driver’s seat. He fastened his seat belt and fired up the engine. Cannibal Corpse roared out of the Monsoon speaker system practically blasting my hair backward. “Sorry,” he apologized with a wry grin and cranked the sound down.

  “No worries. I listen to my music loud when I drive my Lamborghini, too.”

  “I thought your car was a Ford Fusion.”

  “It is. On the outside.” I smiled. I had been smiling most of the day anticipating seeing him after I was done at the club. “But she’s a 691-horse power 2017 Lamborghini Aventador under the hood.”

  “You like sports cars then?” His grinned widened. “I didn’t know that about you.”

  “Not particularly. I just don’t think my car should be judged by what she appears to be on the outside.”

  “Ah, I see. You’re idealistic.” He threw an arm over the back of my seat to pull out. “A beautiful dreamer.” He stroked the back of his hand across my cheek before he shifted into drive again. “You look gorgeous with your hair down, mamasota.”

  “Thank you.” Goosebumps on my arms from his touch, I turned the direction of the a/c vents away and settled into the plush leather seats before I glanced at him again. He was staring. He hadn’t yet stepped on the gas to get us out of the Sexxy Club’s employee parking lot. “What?” I asked when he continued to study me without saying a word.

  “I like having you in my vehicle.”

  “Why is that?” My smile grew. “Is it a serious thing like a biker asking a girl to ride on his motorcycle? Am I inducted into a club or something?”

  “No, nothing like that.” His gaze grew in intensity. “Not unless it’s a club of one. Never had a woman in that seat except my mother or my abuelita.” He looked away, stepping on the gas and steering us toward the gated exit.

  Holy shit, I thought, but didn’t say it. I liked the idea that I was the only one. “How is your abuelita doing? Does she have residual weakness from her stroke?”

  “Sí. She’s still in the wheel chair, but she gets stronger every day.” He frowned as he pulled onto
the main road. “It’s my father I worry about.”

  “Is he having more problems with his heart?”

  “Not that he lets on. But he hasn’t slowed down at work and he doesn’t comply with the doctor’s orders.”

  “Stubborn like you, huh?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He reached for my hand at the stoplight glancing at me briefly before it turned green. “I almost forget sometimes how much you know about my family.”

  “We’ve known each other a long time.”

  “In a lot of ways, sure. In others, not really.” His grip tightened on the wheel as he turned onto the road I knew led to his hotel. We had agreed earlier that we were going to his place not mine. He glanced again at me, the neon lights of the strip glittering colorfully in his eyes. “Are you sure about this, Reina? If your brother…”

  “I don’t want to think about my brother while I’m with you.” I covered our joined hands with my free one before he could pull away. I lifted his hand to my lips while he watched. I brushed a kiss on his knuckles like he had done to mine at the Tropicana pool. Then I ran my tongue over the spot where I had pressed my mouth and blew a warm gust of breath across it. “I’m very sure,” I told him, my voice a little husky. “Let’s not talk about changing our minds, either. Tonight’s about going forward.” He glanced at me sharply. He had an odd look on his face.

  “What’s that look for?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head.

  “Nothing you want to talk about, you mean.”

  “I said something similar to someone else is all.”

  “Alright,” I allowed, deciding based on the way he was acting that maybe I didn’t want to know who that someone was. Raven from Rock Fuck Club perhaps. “Moving forward,” I stated determinedly. “You made me some lofty promises earlier. Are you sure you can deliver?”