Chances Are

by Red Rose Publishing

  Manuel launched into rapid fire Spanish. Tal laughed and introduced Kayla to him. As they got off the water taxi, Manuel helped Kayla onto the dock.

  “Welcome, Senorita Michaels. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make your stay here more enjoyable.”

  “Thank you, Manuel, gracias,” Kayla said. “Please, don’t go to any trouble.”

  “It is never any trouble to please a beautiful woman.”

  Tal had never really paid attention before, but now he knew for a fact, it was possible for someone with Kayla’s darker coloring to blush. Her cheeks didn’t turn a bright red hue, but there was a noticeable attractive flush to it. He grinned and kissed her cheek. The water taxi driver finished unloading their bags and Tal paid him. He grabbed her bag and Manuel grabbed his before Tal could touch it along with his carryon. Kayla already had her carryon in her hand. “Please follow me,” Manuel said as he led the way up to the house.

  Kayla followed him and Tal came up the rear. She took a deep breath. “God, even the air around here smells good enough to eat.”

  Manuel chuckled. “Ah, that would be my wife’s conch soup.”

  Kayla grinned. “One of my favorites. Lead on.”

  “It’s not far. You can’t see the house from the dock,” Manuel said.

  “I spotted, I think, the roof from the boat.”

  “That’s right,” Tal said. “Sam had the house built in such a way it’s almost completely invisible from this direction.”

  There was a lot of foliage, and Kayla had no idea what the colorful blooms they passed were. They followed an inlaid stone pathway steadily angling upward, then they turned a bend and the ground leveled off.

  Before them was a rectangular shaped pool with water as blue as the ocean they just came from nestled between them and the house. No this wasn’t a house. It was a villa. The stuff of fantasies. It was made out of some sort of all white stucco with blue gray trim around the windows and a red tiled roof.

  They entered through what appeared to be a side entrance. But it was hard to tell; the house was all angles. She crossed the threshold into paradise.

  The place was as fantasy-like on the inside as the outside. They were in what appeared to be a sunroom, with columns rising the full height of the ten-foot ceiling near the sliding glass doors. The walls were done in shades of peach and white to match the floral patterned cushions on the wicker furniture throughout the room.

  Manuel crossed the room. She continued to follow him when he walked through an archway leading to a short hall, opening up into a larger area, a living room. To the left was a wide staircase with a wrought iron railing in the form of twisted vines. Manuel turned to her and said, “I’m going to take you to your room first. Then Tal can give you a quick tour of the place. Lucinda, that’s my wife, should have everything finished in about a half an hour. I’ll come find you when supper’s ready.”

  Manuel didn’t wait for a response but turned, climbed up the stairs and led them down a hallway, stopping at the end of it in front of an open door. He entered and dropped the cases at the foot of the king size bed, before excusing himself.

  Kayla stood in the center of the room admiring her surroundings. This room was done in shades of green, and the paintings in the room appeared to be renditions of the local scenery. Even the colors on the duvet matched the colors on the walls. Tal dropped the bags he had been carrying next to the one’s Manuel carried in.

  “This is the room I’ve stayed in the last few times I’ve been here,” he said, walking past her to the open drapes and gesturing at the window. “It’s got a deck with a great view of the beach.”

  Kayla wasn’t sure how she felt about staying in the same room with Tal. But he didn’t give her a choice.

  “So if this is your room, where’s mine?”

  “It’s right next door, if you want it. But I’d like you to be with me.” He crossed to her and held her waist. “I’ve gotten used to having you next to me. The truth is I want you next to me all the time.” He held her gaze a moment. “But if you don’t want to stay here with me I understand.”

  He released her waist and stepped back. As he bent to pick up her bag, she put her hand over his. “I want to stay with you too.”

  Straightening, he took both hands and raised them to his lips. “Thank you. Come on, let me show you around.” He released one hand but retained possession of the other while he gave her a tour of the house.

  Afterward, they returned to their room so Kayla could change before they ate. But she headed straight for the balcony to absorb the beautiful view of the ocean, and calm her troubled thoughts. She couldn’t help but wonder who else he had brought to this island paradise. Something of her doubts must have shown in her face, or maybe it was the way she wrapped her arms around herself.

  Tal came up behind her and placed his chin on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Why me?” she asked. “Was it my turn?”

  Tal turned her around to face him. “What are you talking about?”

  She tried to step away from him but he wouldn’t let her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her close to him. “Ah, I think I understand,” he said. “Why you? Because from the first moment I saw you that morning standing in front of the bank looking a little lost, I knew I had to talk to you. I wanted to know you. And in the short time we have been together, I feel as though I’ve known you forever. You’re smart, caring, thoughtful and as beautiful on the inside as out. You make me smile with just the thought of you. And I’ve never been more drawn to anyone in my life.”

  Kayla stood still while he spoke but she kept her eyes on his mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to look into his eyes. She was terrified she wouldn’t see what she needed to there. “Is that what you tell all the women you bring here?”

  He didn’t hesitate in his response. “I’ve never brought another woman here. This is where I like to come to get away from people.”

  “Oh,” Kayla said, believing him.

  “Kayla, look at me.”

  She put her hands on his arms, and when she raised her head he said, “I’ve never wanted to share this place with anyone else except you.” He lowered his mouth and captured hers. Just as she moved her hands to wrap her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, there was a knock on the door.

  Reluctantly, she pulled away. “I think that might be Manuel to tell us dinner, or supper as he said, is ready.”

  “I think you’re right,” Tal said. He went over to the door and opened it. Kayla didn’t remain on the balcony, she moved into the room. She heard Tal tell Manuel they’d be down in a minute. By the time he shut the door, she had grabbed her carryon bag and headed for the bathroom.

  The food was as heavenly as it smelled, and the company was even better. Tal tried to get Manuel and Lucinda to eat with them but they wouldn’t. They wanted to give them privacy their first day there. But Tal only agreed after he got Manuel to promise they’d have lunch with them tomorrow. After a delicious meal of conch soup and crab salad, Tal showed her how to get down to the beach. Walking along the edge of the water holding hands, their conversation returned to work, specifically the theft. It was still on both their minds, and the fact Sally, at least, might be nearby.

  “You know we were friends,” Kayla said to Tal. “Not best friends but close. We were very much alike, same age, both single, same kind of goals and aspirations.”

  Tal chuckled. “No, you didn’t share those last traits.”

  Kayla sighed. “I guess that’s true. You think you know someone and then this happens.”

  “There’s no telling about some people,” he agreed.

  “I just want this to be over with. I guess it will take a while for the local police to track down the taxi driver, and Agent Patrosky to get to Cabo?”

  “I’m sure the first thing the good agent does after she lands will be to go straight to the police station,” Tal said.

  “Well, we just can’t
seem to get away from bank business,” Kayla joked. “What are the chances?”

  “Unbelievable! But I have no intention of this interfering with our time together. We’ve told them all we could. We’ll let the locals and Patrosky take care of the rest.”

  “Yeah, but Sally, and maybe even Newington are somewhere on the mainland. I’m not sure if I can relax knowing they’re so close.”

  “Well since we don’t have to venture to the mainland unless we want to, we really don’t have to worry about running into either one of them again.”

  “Good point. But I didn’t expect to run in to either of them now. And you know as soon as Patrosky gets here she’s going to want to talk to us. Well you at least,” Kayla said grinning up at him. “She doesn’t much like me, and she liked it even less when she couldn’t come up with anything concrete on my involvement with a crime.” Kayla halted to look at the sun hanging low on the horizon, just about to kiss the water, as a boat in the distance stopped, partially blocking her view.

  Tal lifted their joined hands recapturing her attention. “You don’t have to be concerned about her ever,” he said as he kissed the back of her hand. “You don’t have to ever be concerned about me and other women. There are no other women. I’ve got the one I want.”

  They turned toward each other and were coiled so tightly together it was hard to tell where Kayla ended and Tal began.

  In unison, they sank to the white sand. Neither realized they were putting on quite a show for at least one of the occupants on the boat Kayla had observed moments ago. At the time, they probably wouldn’t have cared.

  “Stewie, what’s got your attention?”

  The woman stretched out on the lounge chair on the deck of the yacht anchored in the water asked her lover. He had been standing at the rail for a good fifteen minutes, his high-powered binoculars plastered to his narrow face.

  “Nothing sweetheart, just thought I saw someone familiar.”

  The woman immediately sat up on the lounge chair. “What?”

  The man finally lowered the binoculars and turned to look at the curvy blond. They had been together for the last three years. At first his plan was to just keep her around until she had fulfilled her usefulness. But he had come to care for her, and he didn’t want to spend his money on bimbos.

  She actually had a little class. He’d rather spend the money on someone he cared about, and who cared for him. It had taken awhile, but he had finally convinced her to help him and she loved him enough to do anything for him. While he trusted her, as far as he could, he wasn’t quite ready to tell her what he thought or rather who he thought he had seen. He needed to go below deck and see if he could get some information first.

  “It’s nothing, sweetie.” He walked over to her and kissed her, gently pushing her back to her reclining position. “You finish working on your tan. There’s still a few minutes of evening sun left. I’m going do a little checking on our accounts and join you when I’m done.”

  “What about dinner? Are we going to need reservations?”

  “We’ll see. I was kinda thinking maybe we’d have dinner onboard tonight.” He kissed one bared shoulder.

  “Mmm, that sounds good.”

  He pulled away before she could reach for him. “Just a few minutes and I’ll be back.”

  “Promise,” she said.

  “Promise.”

  Stewie went down to the cabin and turned on his laptop. It only took a few minutes to get the information he wanted. There weren’t many computer systems he couldn’t break into. He took a little longer checking his bank accounts. After seeing the couple on the beach, he had an idea.

  It was like playing a game of chess. The world was the board, banks and other financial institutions were the chess pieces and each piece was worth a certain amount of monetary value. He sacrificed as little as possible, and he may have just found the perfect sacrificial pawns. He made some new moves on the board in his head, shut off his laptop and stepped into the galley to get dinner started.

  Kayla and Tal had just made it into the house when Manuel stopped them.

  He grinned when he saw their state of dress. Kayla knew they were a sight. They looked like exactly as they’d been doing, rolling around in the water and sand while making love. She stifled a groan. Tal must have felt her discomfort; he squeezed her hand. She loved the way he could read her emotions and reacted to them. He showed her a little while ago how well he could read her needs.

  Her thoughts were wrenched back into the here and now when she heard Manuel mention the words FBI and agent. Agent Patrosky wasn’t wasting any time. They were to expect her in an hour. She had a few questions for them, but Tal led her to their host’s den. He had other plans.

  “I don’t want this to interfere with our vacation any more than it has to,” he said releasing her hand.

  Kayla remained standing. She was a mess and didn’t want to sit on any of the beautiful furniture. “Well I don’t see how you’re gonna stop her from intruding.”

  He picked up the phone and began to dial. “Watch me.”

  She couldn’t help laughing after he hung up. He had called the agent and told her they’d meet her at the police station in about an hour instead.

  “I’ll be damned if I let them come here,” he said taking her hand and heading for their room.

  “Will Manuel take us in one of the boats moored out there?” Kayla asked.

  “No, I’ll take us in and we can stop afterwards for a light snack and maybe some dancing.”

  “I like the way you think,” she said, entering the room.

  She unzipped her dress and dropped it at her feet while he watched. Naked, she turned and walked into the bathroom. A large slightly tanned hand covered hers as she began to close the shower door.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “What took you so long?” She smiled.

  His response was to reach behind her and turn on the shower, using his shear bulk to back her up until her butt touched the cool tiles of the wall, while her front was covered in the pure heat of him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The water drummed against Tal’s back, keeping time with his heartbeat. He laid his palms flat against the shower wall above her head. Leaning forward, he pressed into the warm body of pure, soft, lush woman in front of him. A ragged sound came out of his mouth at the exquisiteness of such contact.

  He lowered one hand until he had it wrapped around her thigh. He squeezed, as though of one mind, she raised her leg and he pulled it up higher, anchoring it around his waist. As she opened more of her body to him, he bent his knees and surged up and forward, pining her to the wall with all of him.

  His eyes drifted shut and he turned his face into the falling water in an effort to slow the heat rapidly building within. His one thought, to hang on. The pleasure and pressure was like nothing he’d ever experienced before, and he didn’t want it to stop a second sooner than it had to. But it was always like this whenever he was with Kayla. His.

  Before her name finished forming in his mind he whispered on a sigh, “Kayla.” Tal opened his eyes to find her staring at him with fire in those whiskey eyes of hers, and he willingly surrendered to her spell. He answered her fire by surging into her even more, moving in and out, higher and harder within her warm haven. She pulled his head toward her own and he growled, “God, this is good,” before her lips covered his.

  Her tongue entered his open mouth creating a parody of his actions. He couldn’t hold on any longer, like lava flowing to the crest of a volcano, the heat had to come out. Kayla swallowed his moan into her mouth and he flexed his thighs. Like a volcanic eruption, his release shot up from the depths of his being, out of his body and into hers, with such force he saw stars behind his now closed eyelids. And still the convulsions invading his body didn’t stop, as her clenching inner muscles wrung every last drop of cum from him.

  At last, his body stilled, but his lungs continued to labor for each breath. He rested his head
against hers and lowered her leg to the ground. He quickly held onto her waist, as much to stop her from sliding to the floor as to hold himself upright.

  I think I’m falling in love with you was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to say it. The man who reveled in the business world, challenged it on a daily basis and won, hesitated when it came to putting his heart on the line.

  Instead, he picked her up and took her out of the shower. Gently he lowered her to her feet only long enough to dry them both off. Picking her up again, he carried her to the bed and laid her down. He stood there watching her, transfixed by her mere presence in his life.

  “Tal, what’s wrong?” Kayla asked. “Shouldn’t we be getting ready to leave and…”

  “Shhh…no. Not yet. I need you right now.” He moved to join her on the bed and enfolded her in his arms. Since he wasn’t ready to tell her yet what he felt, and he wasn’t sure if she’d believe him, he had this powerful urge to show her. And he always followed his instincts. “I want to make love to you.”

  Kayla’s nerve endings were still humming from her experience in the shower. She had to bite her tongue from blurting out I love you when he looked at her with such need and wonder in his eyes. Oh my God! How did this happen? How had it happened? When? But as her body welcomed him once again, she knew the answer. It happened the moment he touched her hand the first morning they met.

  A knock on the door woke them up. “Yes, Manuel,” Tal called from the comfort of the bed. “What is it?”

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, Tal.” They could hear Manuel’s voice through the door. “But Agent Patrosky called twice now, and she said if she doesn’t hear from you in a half hour she’s coming out here. She said to tell you more money’s been moved.”

  “Is she still on the phone?”

  “No sir, she’s at the police station. She left the number.”

  “Thank you, Manuel.”

  Kayla began to giggle and got out of bed, but she didn’t get far. Tal grabbed her hand pulling her down on top of him. They rolled around getting tangled in the sheets. Laughing she said, “You crazy man. Come on, we’ve got to go. Cause you know if we don’t she’ll just come here.”