by Rachael Wade
I’m not sure if there’s any sense in holding back anymore. Physically or otherwise. If what Bernhard said is true, then Tanner is mine.
All mine.
Before I can speak, Tanner dips down and captures my mouth with his, gently grasping the back of my neck, cupping and brushing his fingers along my hairline. His body leans into mine, so naturally, so lightly, I feel our bodies merging and becoming one. I open wider for him, welcoming his tongue, and a light moan floats from his lips to mine. Lady Gaga’s voice becomes a blur, drifting farther and farther away, until all I can register is the sound of our breathing.
“Tanner,” I mouth against him. “I love you, too.”
His eyes fly open and he takes my face in his hands, pressing his forehead against mine. He shifts, stationing his feet firmly before me. “Will you please say that again?”
“I love you.”
“Leave with me.”
“Leave, where? We just got here.” I giggle, placing my hands over his. They’re still holding my face, clamping down a little harder, now.
“Anywhere. I don’t care. I just need to hear you say that over and over again as you come.” He bends and kisses me again. I grab his tie and let it glide between my fingers. For a split second, I hear the club’s music again. Our surroundings begin to pulse, and Lana and Brie’s laughter drifts toward us, from somewhere in the distance.
“We can’t ask them to leave. They’re having so much fun.”
“My driver will take them back whenever they’re ready.” He pries his eyes from mine to glance in their direction. His attention quickly returns. “They won’t miss a thing. But you will, and I will, if we don’t leave right this second.”
I grin up at him, knowing he’s right. Not about Lana and Brie—they’re here to spend time with me. Tanner brought them all this way to be with me, to celebrate and enjoy some much needed girl time in the midst of all the crazy with Jade. I want nothing more than to take advantage of the gift and be with my girls.
But if I don’t leave with Tanner right now, I will regret it, and deny him of something he’s been craving in the process. Because I don’t know if there will be another moment like this. I don’t know if there will be more time, at all. The moment we leave Aruba, whenever that is, we go back to the storm. Back to Jade’s lair and the twisted web she’s spun.
Back to reality.
“Okay,” I whisper, pushing him backward to stand from the bar stool. He moves with me, taking my hand, dragging me across the dance floor in a flash. I mouth a goodbye to Lana and Brie, lifting a hand to my ear in a telephone gesture. Lana catches on and nods emphatically, and Brie follows suit, waving wildly in our direction. “Shouldn’t we tell them—”
“My driver will let them know. Come on.”
When Tanner and I step out of the restaurant, darkness hits us. The sun has fallen and in its wake left a void of blackness, punctured by trails of light along the shops and sidewalk. Evening is in full swing, and tourists and locals alike are wandering the street in search of a good meal and some early nightlife.
Tanner pulls me into the towncar and tells Jeeves—or whatever the hell the driver’s real name is—to take us back to the hotel, pronto. We speed off, and I’m pulled in, completely immersed in a haze on Tanner’s lap. Every part of his body is touching every part of mine. There is no space or breath between us. Desperation fuels the energy in the car, snapping sharply and tightly like a rubber band.
It doesn’t register that we’ve arrived at the hotel until the driver cracks the divider and clears his throat. “Ahem, excuse me, Mr. Christensen? Pardon my intrusion, but we’re here, Sir.”
Tanner’s eyes are still undressing me; his hands are still clamped tightly on my hips. He stares up at me as I straddle his lap, dragging in a deep breath. “Right. Thank you. Please be sure to return to the club immediately and wait for Miss Banks’ friends. Please escort them home the moment they’re ready to leave.”
“Yes, Sir. As you wish.” The driver exits and opens the door for us. I quickly slip off Tanner’s lap and collect my things, then zip out of the car, tripping behind him as he tows me inside the hotel. The lobby is bustling as we enter, but I don’t pay attention to anything happening around us. All I sense is the warmth of Tanner’s hand as it holds mine, and the pounding of my heart as it fights its way out of my chest.
We reach the elevator, and a livid, scolding voice stops us cold. “Tanner Christensen.” We swing around in its direction, and my face instantly pales. Tanner’s hand grips mine tighter, and he instinctively gives me a little shove, directing me behind him, just behind his shadow. I take his lead at first, but then throw down the gauntlet when I see his mother’s face, stepping back out into view. I won’t hide from this woman. Not ever. “Of all the ridiculously stupid things you could’ve done, you do this? Now? In the midst of this merger? While Jade is aboard the Trident Voyager? Haven’t I raised you better—”
“Mother, stop. Right now. That’s enough.”
Margaret’s eyes pop wide, then slide from left to right.
“What do you think you’re doing here, Mother? Did you actually follow me?”
“This is my hotel!” Her voice shifts from restraint to a shrill siren of uncontrollable outrage. “I have every right to be here, and whether I followed you or not is irrelevant. The moment I realized where you’d gone and who you’d taken with you,” she shoots me a look of disgust, “you better believe I came right away. To confront you and show you what a fool you’re being!”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion on the matter.”
She surveys the lobby, becoming aware of the audience that’s begun to accumulate around us. Stepping forward, she lowers her voice, keeping her icy stare pinned on her son. “When your bedroom escapades begin to affect my business, I’m entitled to give you an opinion whether you want it or not.”
The elevator dings behind us and I jump, turning to watch the doors glide open. A surprised group of tourists empty out of the lift, eyeing us curiously as they pass by. Margaret storms forward, walking directly between Tanner and me, bumping our shoulders and breaking our connection.
“Inside,” she seethes. “Now.” Tanner’s jaw tightens and his eyes roll before he turns to follow his mother. We both step forward to join her in the elevator, but Margaret stops us, sticking a thin, bony finger into Tanner’s chest. “No,” she snaps, eyes flicking to mine. “Just Anya.”
Tanner’s hackles rise, and he instantly jumps to my defense, ready to spar with his condescending, intrusive mother. “Absolutely not.”
“Do you want me to discuss the date circled in red on your desk calendar with your little mistress, here?” Margaret’s gaze spits fire, sending Tanner stone still. “I didn’t think so.” Her hand shoots out to hold the elevator door open while she looks expectantly at me. “Anya. Step inside, please.”
“I don’t think—”
“That’s precisely the problem,” she cuts me off sharply, annunciating each syllable. “And apparently the only similarity you and my son seem to share. You don’t think. Inside, Miss Banks. Now.”
Tanner and I exchange a glance before I give into Margaret’s demand. Whatever she has to say, it must be damned important, especially if she saw it necessary to come all the way to Aruba to speak with us. As the elevator doors roll closed and I’m left alone with Tanner’s mother, my heart pounds even more wildly, this time racing with dread and a sense of overwhelming anger at her horrible timing.
“Well?” I cross my arms and station myself directly across from her, against the elevator wall. “You’ve successfully dragged me away from your son and cornered me in this metal box. Are you satisfied?”
“Let me tell you something, Miss Banks.” She straightens her back and lifts her chin, leaning back slightly to rest against the opposite wall. Her expression is smug and relaxed, but her demeanor isn’t fooling me. Her shoulders are tense and the veins in her neck are bulging. And based on her public displa
y of sheer rage back there in the lobby, I’m certain her patience is barely hanging on by a thread at this point. “Whatever you think you are to my son, you had better think twice. And whatever you think you are accomplishing by visiting Aruba with him, you couldn’t be more wrong. You’re only taking a wrecking ball to your dignity and your career by being here.”
“Did you really get on your jet and fly here to berate me?” My eyes narrow and my head tilts. “If what you say is true and I’m so very insignificant, why come all this way to scare me off? Why go through so much trouble to kick me out of Tanner’s life? I don’t know what Jade’s told you, Margaret, but not only has she hijacked my career and coerced me into writing for her company, she’s also made it very clear that her intentions with your son are nothing more than a public charade. If you can honestly sleep at night, knowing this is the kind of woman you want your son to marry, then I pity you.”
“Pity me all you want,” she spits, pushing herself off the elevator wall, “but that doesn’t change the fact that my son is taken. I don’t expect you to understand his arrangement with Jade or their relationship, for that matter. I definitely don’t expect you to willingly exit Tanner’s life, because obviously, you have no boundaries or respect for engaged men! I do, however, expect you to heed warning when I deliver one, so listen closely, Miss Banks.”
With one single stride, she closes the gap between us, bringing us face to face. She reaches to the left and jabs a button, and the elevator slows. The space fills with silence. The walls close in around me, the ceiling crushing me from above. I haven’t felt this kind of panic since my last scare on the Trident Voyager, and this time, it has nothing to do with the ocean and everything to do with the woman standing before me, who wields undeniable power over my heart and career.
All it will take is one sharp swing of the axe to destroy them both, and she knows it.
“You will end things with my son. Tonight. Right now. You will leave with me and board my jet, where we will return to Alvita immediately. You will then resume your duty to Jade Simmons and complete your writing assignment, and only then will you be escorted off the ship and taken home.”
“Excuse me—”
She jabs a finger at me. “From then on, you will continue to abide by your contractual agreement with Simmons International until Jade and Tanner are married. Shortly after, you will be dismissed from Jade’s supervision and can return comfortably to your original position with Four Corners Elite. This is your chance, Miss Banks. Your chance to bow out of your involvement with my son as gracefully as possible, while keeping your job intact. Everyone wins. You go home and go on with your life, and my son and Jade go on with theirs.”
“I’ll do no such thing.”
“Your only alternative is to continue to work beneath Jade’s thumb, and I can assure you, sweetheart, you do not want to continue down that road. What I’m offering you is a little mercy. Jade has none, do you understand?”
“Wait a minute.” I raise a hand in the air, unable to contain my disbelief. Air whooshes from my lungs and I scoff in her face. “You think you’re offering me a deal here? A better one than what Jade offered me? What Jade offered me was no deal. It was a threat. It was…blackmail. And what you’re proposing is no better.”
“Unlike my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, what I am able to see and more importantly able to admit is the potential for defeat when I see it, Miss Banks.”
Her comment sends me still. My nostrils are flaring and my cheeks are hot, but she’s got my attention. I’m all hers.
“Notice I never said you don’t mean anything to my son. What I am saying is that you are not what you think you are—you are not a woman who has captured his heart. You’ve captured his imagination. You appeal to him because you represent an out, an escape. From a responsibility he feels he isn’t ready for. But I know better. And so does Jade. You are nothing. You are disposable, and you will see that soon enough. If you are a smart woman, you’ll do as I say and will walk away from this catastrophe unscathed.”
I inhale sharply.
“Or you can opt for annihilation, and in that case, it will be me pitying you.” She reaches out again and jabs at the elevator buttons. The lift hums and resumes motion, and in seconds, which feel like hours, the doors open. A cloud of cool air drifts inside as the threat of suffocation dissipates and Margaret takes the lead. “Well?” She walks into the hallway and taps her foot on the carpet. I can’t move yet. I can’t even give my brain a jumpstart. All I can do is look at the mess before me and gawk at how quickly it’s blown up in my face.
What am I thinking? What makes me believe I’ll honestly walk away from this nightmare in one piece, with my job and with Tanner on my arm? Am I really that delusional? Tanner might love me, and I know now that I love him, too, but that doesn’t change the reality staring me in the face. I cannot hide from it here in Aruba. I cannot hide from it anywhere. It will always follow, will always seek me out. There will be no getting through this without suffering serious consequences.
I’m not willing to walk through any more, and I refuse to make Tanner walk through them, too.
When I open my mouth to speak, my throat feels dry. “Where are we?”
“This floor belongs to me.” She gestures to the penthouse space around her with a wisp of her wrist. “I need to collect some things to bring back with me to Alvita. I’ll just be a moment.” She makes a move for her desk and snatches up some belongings, stuffing them into a tote bag. In seconds, she’s back at my side. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Trust me when I say, this road will be much, much less messy than the alternative. Ha.” She huffs beneath her breath. “Jade doesn’t give in. Ever. And you can bet her wars always end with a body count.”
She starts for the elevator again, and I remain quiet, a limp ragdoll following in her wake. I cannot summon the will to speak. Numbness overtakes me. All I want to say, all of the fight I thought was left in me, has been washed away. It’s drifted to the sea, along with my dreams of being Tanner’s girl.
Everything passes in a blur as we’re whisked back down to the lobby. When the doors open, Tanner is standing there, waiting, his face grave.
“Anya,” he glides forward, “are you alright? What did you do, Mother?”
“I simply talked some sense into the poor girl.” Margaret shrugs, her expression blasé as she breezes out of the elevator and past her son. “Anya and I will see you back on the Trident Voyager. We have some business to tend to, don’t we, Miss Banks?”
“Yes.”
Tanner’s going mental. He’s in my face, gripping my shoulders. “What’s going on? Anya? Talk to me, baby. Let’s go somewhere.”
“There’s no time for that,” Margaret cuts in, latching onto my elbow. “We have a flight to catch. You’ll be filled in when we return to Alvita. You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”
“No.” My own voice surprises me. It pops out in a winded rush, filled with urgency. “You stay here, Tanner. Please show Lana and Brie a good time. You arranged such a nice get-together for them. Please, don’t cut it short. Your mother and I have some business to take care of. Everything is fine, I promise.” A pained grin seizes my face and I squeeze his shoulder. My gaze rolls up, locking with his, and I work hard to assure him, mustering every ounce of sincerity I can. He sees right through me, but I try, anyway.
“I’m not letting you leave until you tell me what’s happening.” He releases my shoulders and faces his mother. “Whatever you’ve done, Mother, it’s wrong. This whole thing is wrong—you’re completely out of line.”
“You were out of line the moment you chose to get involved with this little tart.”
“With all due respect,” I snap, “stop talking about me as if I’m not standing right here, in front of you. I’ve agreed to your demands. There’s no need to insult me any further.”
“There’s no need to insult her
, period,” Tanner growls, walking backward to follow us as his mother and I stride forward, moving for the hotel entrance. He’s determined, blocking our exit and cursing beneath his breath. He fishes his phone from his pocket and quickly makes a call, directing his driver to find and retrieve Land and Brie at once. When he hangs up, he’s right back in my face, refusing to let up. “What demands did you agree to, Anya? Tell me. Now.”
Margaret is just as determined, sailing right past him, guiding me by the elbow like a little schoolgirl. My pride is seared, but I’m slowly regaining control, getting myself together. My mission is clear, and I’m committed to its cause. No matter what I feel for Tanner, no matter what he feels for me, I must put an end to this now, before my involvement with him interferes with anything or anyone else.
“Tanner,” I speak calmly and evenly, “let’s speak about it when you return to the ship. I don’t want to cause any more of a scene. Please just—”
“Anya!” Lana’s voice blares from the hotel entrance. She and Brie appear and collide with Tanner, giggling and tripping over one another as they move in my direction. “We walked all the way here. Jeeves ditched us!” One look at Lana’s face, and I know we’re in for even more trouble. She’s been drinking, and one thing I’ve learned to fear when Lana’s tipsy is her nonexistent brain-to-mouth filter. “Oh no, is this the Wicked Witch of the East?”
“It’s the West, Lan!” Brie blurts out on a broken giggle. Margaret looks far from amused. In fact, she looks as if she might pummel my two fellow tarts. I might just join her. I duck between them and drop my chin, avoiding eye contact. Knowing Tanner, he will be quick to put a stop to the commotion, especially since it’s unfolding right here, in front of everyone, in his mother’s hotel.
