by Cynthia Dane
It was official. No other woman could feel this good or be this perfect for him. Perhaps he was foolish. Perhaps he was committing a crime against their natures. It. Didn’t. Matter. One way or another, Miguel Bolivar would find a way to make Judith King his.
Money wasn’t an issue. There were stronger forces at play. Forces that could not be solved with money.
Maybe, though, they could be solved with some blasted love.
Judith fell asleep in his arms, not long after they ceased their intense lovemaking. Miguel held her as close as he dared, afraid to suffocate her.
“I love you, Judith,” he whispered, his mind and mouth so divorced that he didn’t know what language he uttered it in. “Do you know what a big deal that is for me to say? I will do anything to make you mine. Say what you want, and I will give it to you.”
She sighed against his bare chest. No words. No sign that she had heard him.
He would have to find a way to tell her in her dreams.
Chapter 23
JUDITH
The greatest feeling wasn’t finally arriving “home” after a long flight and a longer car ride in a chauffeured sedan, but that feeling of triumph Judith experienced upon walking through the Château’s front doors early Monday afternoon.
“All hail the conquering heroine,” Grace said, standing in the dining room doorway. She held up a glass of orange juice while Judith wandered toward the grand staircase, eager to throw her luggage in her room and be done with it. “See the ghost of Grace Kelly, Miss Monaco?”
Now I get why Miguel is tired of having Americans ask about Grace Kelly. After seeing all that the little nation had to offer… why did it always have to be a former queen who happened to be a famous American actress? At least ask me about the disappointment that was Monte Carlo. Who the fuck decided that Miguel couldn’t go into casinos? Wasn’t that what his family did for a living?
“No ghosts, sorry.” Judith opened her tote bag and pulled out a tiny bottle of French champagne, the souvenirs of choice she brought back. Er, I nicked them from Miguel’s plane. Right under his nose, no less. For some reason he found it greatly amusing that she forewent joining the mile high club for the tenth time in her life to search the plane for last minute souvenirs that looked like they could’ve come from Monaco. “Brought booze, though.”
“That’s because you are the best.” Grace air kissed her coworker before disappearing into the dining room again. “By the way, Monica said she wanted to see you as soon as you got home. She’s in her office. Catch her before she goes to her new home.”
Judith trudged upstairs, bags heavy and eyes heavier. Have not slept much. Between the time difference and the thrills of a weekend trip to Monaco… oh, and that raunchy as hell sex Miguel cooked up with her the night before.
After dumping her luggage in her room, Judith continued down the hall with one of the tiny bottles in her hand. Monica couldn’t drink at the moment, but at some point that baby would pop out and then it would be all alcohol, all the time.
“You’re back already?” Monica called from her bedroom as soon as Judith entered the master suite. “I hope everything went well. Your check-in texts weren’t bad.”
Judith lumbered through the bedroom doorway, depositing the bottle of champagne on Monica’s personal wet bar. “I was wined and dined in one of the most luxurious nations in the world.” She decided to add an addendum to that. “Did you know citizens couldn’t go into the casinos?”
“Doesn’t everyone know that?”
“No.” Judith looked away. “Did you get the pictures I sent you?”
“Yes. Lovely.” Monica pulled out her phone and thumbed through her recently acquired photos. Judith had sent anything pertinent, like the photos of Miguel’s apartment, his cars, his boats, and the choice, exclusive restaurants they were in. She even snuck a photo of his snotty sisters. That Dolores. God. If Judith had any inclination to marry Miguel, they were dashed now. No way would she ever put up with that shit for a family. Seth’s parents sound perfectly peachy in comparison.
“What do you think?”
Monica pulled her short legs onto her bed, sitting cross-legged with her stomach bulging in their gap. That looks so uncomfortable. Monica had taken to some rather unconventional postures and positions since becoming twice as wide as she was tall. Hard to believe she wasn’t due for another six to seven weeks. “I think either man would make a terrific patron. Although, if you want my professional opinion…”
“Of course I do.” Monica was one of the few women who knew more than Judith. Or at least she had a killer sixth sense for this business. Better than Judith’s, even if Judith had more sex work experience. “Lay it on me. The sooner this is over, the better.”
“Mr. Bolivar is my top choice for you. Not only does he have more money, but he has more powerful connections than Dr. Christens. We could always use more referrals here, especially if we go on to hire another two girls like we’ve discussed.”
Judith nodded. “I thought you would say that. I agree.”
“You do?”
“Why wouldn’t I agree? I want what’s best for the business. Not just yours, but mine too. Miguel and I get along great. There also isn’t as much…” Judith stopped. Emotional attachment. She shouldn’t say that. No need to worry Monica that something deeper was going on between her and Seth. Hmph. Miguel’s the one who keeps saying he loves me, though. She felt it more strongly with Seth. Blech. Both men were a headache.
And a heartache.
“Anyway, I agree. If Miguel offers the most money, we should automatically accept. You’re right about everything. If Miguel is my patron, then that’s about half the month where I don’t have to worry about him monopolizing my time and I can earn more from other clients. He’s also comfortable with the type of arrangement we have and isn’t prone to jealousy. He knows what I am and how we relate to one another.” He called me his girlfriend… “I talked to Seth about what would happen if he didn’t get accepted for patronage. He said he would still be able to keep our current arrangement going as is.”
“That’s excellent. Sounds like everything is falling into place as it is. We could almost call the bids closed with Mr. Bolivar as it is.”
Something was off in Monica’s tone. “So why don’t we?” End this swiftly! Judith was ready for things to go back to normal in her life.
“I would like to see how things play out for a little while longer. I’m curious how Dr. Christens will respond with his final offer.”
Don’t hold your breath. Seth was a romantic. He probably thought the money dirtied their masterful connection of what the fuck ever. I like being with him. He could be a good friend as well as a client. Something more than that? Miguel was more the type of man she preferred to have as a client. Someone hot, rich, fun, jet-setting, and staying out of her fucking hair most of the time!
“Should be a blast,” Judith sighed. “Now if it’s fine with you, I think I’ll go die in my bed for a while. I can barely walk as it is after two nights in a row with Miguel.” Did the many ever show her poor pussy any mercy? No. Bless him for it, but dear heavens. Judith saw herself out of Monica’s chambers. As she collapsed in her bed five minutes later, she imagined someone there with her. One thing could be said for all this attention from both men. They knew how to make a girl feel comforted while she slept.
Felt a bit lonely now.
Chapter 24
SETH
“You sure know how to blow an afternoon,” Seth said, lounging on one of many chairs along the port side of the Priss & Moan. He had a fruity drink in one hand. The kind that he secretly loved but would never be caught dead with in public. The marina didn’t count as public. Zack did not count as public.
At the moment, Zack was making the rounds on his vessel, texting a personal assistant about improvements he wanted to make and oh would she do him the honor of researching how much that would cost? He was also thinking about buying a small charter plane for his own
playboy bachelor amusement. Between throwing himself in death machines and playing loose and fancy-free with the possibility of STDs all over the city, Zack sure had a death wish of some kind. Probably thought life wasn’t worth living otherwise.
Shit, did Seth ever need someone like that in his life.
“This is the only way to blow an afternoon if you’re not actually getting blown.” Zack coiled some rope and then decided he hated this kind of rope. Should he get another kind? What kind of rope were the other billionaires using? Seth tuned him out until he said something worthwhile again. “Although that reminds me… the girls should be here within an hour.”
“The girls, huh?”
“So. Hot.” Zack dropped his ropes. “I met them at Lucky’s the other night. They’re not twins, but you would think they are. Because they’re both equally hot.”
“Uh… huh. So happens that there are two of them, of course.”
Zack slapped his hand on Seth’s shoulder, almost making him spill his drink. “It’s time for you to date a woman who is not milking your wallet dry in return for milking your cock dry. Hey, man, I ain’t gonna judge your dick’s love for Judith, but you should expand your horizons if hers are expanded 24/7.”
“Excuse you. That’s a lady we’re talking about.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “She plays the lady well, all right,” he mumbled. “Anyway, Toya and Tanya will be here soon. If you don’t want one of them, I’ll take both. I did the other night, so why not?”
“I can’t believe you sometimes.”
“It’s rich that Mr. Monogamy like you would be enamored with…”
“That’s different.”
“Of course.”
Seth sat up in his lounge chair and adjusted his sunglasses. The sun had disappeared behind some cumulous clouds, so he might as well see for a change. “You invite whomever you want. Who knows. Maybe I’ll get my own boat one day and you will never be invited.”
“First of all, the idea of you buying a boat is so fucking hilarious I can’t even laugh. Second, you not inviting me onto your imaginary ship makes it so we’re not friends anymore. Don’t be a dick, Seth.” He guffawed. “I’m going to put that reminder on your phone for you. Every time you act like a prick, I’m gonna call you up and have ‘DON’T BE A DICK, SETH,’ scream on your phone.”
“So mature.”
“You once decided to look up pussy for a living. Who’s the mature one now?”
Seth leaned over and glared at his friend – and then saw someone waltzing up the dock with eyes on the neighboring yacht.
“Hey! Senor Chico Rico!” Zack held up an arm to wave him down. “Haven’t seen you around for a while. Not since you made that lady your mistress, anyway.”
A hearty laugh floated up to the deck. “You’re killing me.”
“Come on up and have a drink with us! I want you to meet my friend.” Seth had no idea if that was directed at the stranger or at him.
Within another minute they were joined by a newcomer. Or at least Seth had never seen him around before. I would remember a guy like this. Tall, broad, and that disgusting mix of rugged masculinity and refined sophistication. Let me guess. European… Spanish or old money Latin American. Seth had seen plenty of each growing up and as husbands rushed in and out of his office over the years. He could smell that musky cologne from half a deck away.
“This is my friend, Seth Christens.” Zack brought the two men together as if they were about to clink champagne glasses and toast to familial success. “He’s a doctor.”
“Oh?” the other man said with a strange accent. Seth couldn’t place it, anyway. Not quite Spanish, not quite French, and vague traces of Brit in there. “I need to find a doctor around here.” He had an infectious, easy-going smile.
Seth needed to come off it already. This guy hasn’t done anything. I’m annoyed at Zack. When the hell wasn’t he annoyed at the stupid buffoon? “Unless you’re pregnant or think you might have cervical cancer, I’m not sure how much help I could be.” Seth extended his hand from where he sat, careful to move his fruity drink. Don’t judge me. I love fruit. The more acidic, the better. Hey, nobody said I was a dentist. “Good to meet you.”
The man shook his hand. Strong, and not a single callous. This man definitely came from an old money background. “Miguel Bolivar. I’m rather new in town.”
“He may be new in town, but he’s already old in my heart.” Zack was most pleased with this meeting of the buddies. “He bought the St. Jude next door. One of these days I’ll convince him to play chicken with me out in the bay.”
Miguel neither frowned nor showed any joviality at such a statement. He must like Zack enough to keep coming up on his deck. Zack was a great charmer, but there were a few who easily became exasperated with him. Somedays that could be Seth. Yet I keep coming back for more. He really did need to expand his social circles.
“So, what do you do?” That was the right thing to ask in these situations, right? Of course it was. Seth knew how to play the just-met game as well as anyone else. Now, if he could hide how much he hated that game… “Real estate?” That’s what most people with an accent like that were into.
“Close. My family is in casinos and resorts. We’re in talks to build a casino not too far from here. I’m overseeing it.”
“I can’t wait to have a new place to gamble all my money away,” Zack said. “You can count on me to keep the coffers full. Drink?”
Miguel accepted a beer. “I’m actually from Monaco. Well, Monaco and Spain. Mostly Monaco. That’s what I consider my personal home, anyway.”
“Wow.” Seth finished his drink and called for Zack to bring him a beer too. “You’re already one of the most elite of the elite here then.” Monaco was not the type of place his family would approve of. They wouldn’t care if Seth vacationed there every great once in a while, but to make it a lifestyle? He could already hear his father grumbling about excess and frugal wastes of money. “Pay your damn taxes!” One of the few multimillionaires around who got excited about paying his share of taxes. At least Seth would give him that.
“It’s a beautiful country, but there is a lot I like about here, too.” Miguel popped open his beer. “Like the women. Top class.”
“Hear, hear.”
Now that Seth could toast to.
To most around there, three rich men standing around drinking craft brew on a five million dollar yacht and talking about the beautiful women of the city was completely normal. Seth did not often partake in these sorts of get-togethers, organic or planned. Whether it was a lack of company (his preference) or no drive to have “guy talk,” Seth had eschewed most of this kind of socialization. Today, however, he found the company worthy of his time, if only because Miguel was more him, less Zack.
That and having a good love life for the first time in a long time made him more open to such discussions too.
“Found yourself a new Mrs. America yet?” Zack asked after polishing off his beer. “There are a lot of prime candidates around here. You’ve got your old money daughters and widows and divorcees… if you like cougars, I hear Caroline Grant is still looking for a new husband.”
“Don’t do that to him.” Seth had never heard a story about Caroline Grant-Mathers that didn’t end with busted balls and tears. “Although he seems the type to take care of himself.”
“Or, you know,” Zack continued, “you can find yourself a lovely little lady who is all ass and sass. Those are fun.” His grin was so fuckin’ dumb. Seth couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ve found a woman worth dating,” Miguel said, while also accepting a second beer. “I think I might even be in love. I just got back from a trip to Monaco with her.”
“Whoa, that was fast. I was only half serious.” Zack handed him another bottle and offered Seth another as well. He declined. “That’s faster than Seth here. We’ve been trying to get him hitched for a decade now.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Some things take time. I�
�d rather wait and find the perfect woman than waste my time chasing terrible ones. Unlike you.”
“I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon,” Zack said. “Not like our new friend here. Already falling in love and shit!”
“Sometimes you have to move halfway across the world to find the woman who is right for you.”
“Or you can stay in your own neighborhood.”
Both men exchanged a leveled gaze. What’s this all about? For some reason, a little warning bell went off in Seth’s head.
“Yahoo! Zackie!”
That feminine trill could’ve only been Toya or Tanya or whoever the hell she was. Zack rushed to the side of the boat and waved down at two women clacking in pumps and grinning through fake tans and department store sunglasses. Their bulbous fake tits were so frozen to their chests that not even seeing them bulge from black tube tops could make Seth do anything but shake his head. Miguel also did not look thoroughly impressed. At least he has tastes. Unlike this guy. Seth couldn’t wait to hear more stories later.
“Look, the girls are here!” Zack met them halfway down the ladder, helping Toya and Tanya to gingerly step on deck in their ridiculous pumps. Dr. Christens had half a mind to quip that they were destroying their hips wearing those things, but decided against it. “You’re just in time, ladies. We’re on our second round of beers and liable to loosen our zippers and wallets at any moment.
Seth rolled his eyes. Miguel took another swig of beer and set the bottle down on the wet bar.
“Unfortunately, I must be going now,” he said the moment Zack had an available ear again. “Business to tend to.” He shook both men’s hands once more. “See you two around. Thanks for the beers and the company.” He swung a leg over the side and descended the ladder as soon as both girls were safely on board.
“What an accent,” one of the young women said. “Why don’t you have an accent like that, Zackie?”
