by Ash, Leela
Her mind wandered back to the man at the bar. She had never responded so physically to somebody she had only just met. It may have just been his magnetism, but maybe it had been something else. Either way, his masculine face and piercing silver eyes had left a huge impression on her. She sighed and leaned back in the tub, imagining secretly what it might be like if his strong arms were wrapped around her. She closed her eyes to relish in the thought before shoving it out of her mind.
Although the fantasy was a guilty pleasure, she had to shake it off. The man seemed a little too self-absorbed to fantasize about. He didn't even say hello to the people at the bar, and he had just left her at the table as if he had forgotten she was there at all. And what was with the way he called her “Kate?” She hated it when people called her that. He wasn't the kind of man who was worth a second thought. Attractive or not, she had her standards. And her standards did not include being called Kate.
Katherine finished her bath and headed to bed, totally exhausted from her trip and emotionally drained from her confrontation with her mother. It would all be over soon, and she would never have to think about this island again. She thought once more about the handsome stranger before she let herself drift into a sound sleep.
Chapter 5
Dirk groaned as the alarm clock buzzed loudly in his ear. He had only been sleeping for an hour and awoke feeling surly and agitated. Tanner had helped him secure the rest of their accounts and move all sensitive information to a new network with tighter security, so at least that wasn't a concern anymore. Now all he had to worry about was making it through his father's wedding without nodding off into his cake.
As much as he abhorred tradition and ceremony, he felt obligated to put his best face forward. Despite his sleep deprivation, Dirk rolled out of bed and heading to the shower. He made it nice and cool to help him wake himself up, and tried to recall his dream from the night before. For some reason, it had involved the blonde woman he had taken to the bar. Her round, supple lips had been on his skin, tugging and pulling, sending tendrils of pleasure throughout his body.
There was something about her, something completely unlike any of the other women he had seen coming and going in the manor as he grew up. The women he was used to were cool and calculating, well accustomed to using their bodies to get what they wanted and instigating drama to seek entertainment in their sad, empty lives. There was something very much alive in Katherine, though. Something undeniably attractive.
If he got the chance to see her again, he would love to figure out what made her tick. She was mysterious and beautiful. Funny, too. Her company had been like salve to his wounds after the restless evening he’d been spending by himself. Yes, if she was within arm's reach anywhere on this island, maybe he would get a second chance to find out more about her.
What a hell of a night it had been. He stripped and stepped inside the shower, noticing his erection with amusement. He'd better take care of that before the ceremony. It was supposed to be his father's day, after all, and who could concentrate on him with Dirk's massive hard-on hogging the show?
***
Katherine was ushered into the room with her mother, where several women Katherine had never met were fawning over her and her wedding dress. Katherine begrudgingly admitted to herself that her mom did, indeed, look very beautiful, but who wouldn't in a million-dollar dress? Still, it was a happy occasion and she was determined to be as supportive as she possibly could. Maybe she was wrong and their marriage would last. She'd feel terrible for ruining her mother's happiness.
When her mother saw her, she beamed, and they chatted happily together as Katherine pulled her bridesmaid's dress on (shockingly, the least ugly bridesmaid dress she had ever seen). Eventually, the wedding was scheduled to begin, and her mother squeezed her hand excitedly before the bridesmaids lined up to lock arms with the groomsmen. Since she was the daughter of the bride, she went first, and caught the glimmering silver eyes of the man from the bar.
He looked astonishingly handsome, with his hair pulled into a neat ponytail. His five o'clock shadow was more pronounced, and the suit flattered his body in every way. He linked her arm, pulling her tightly to his side, and her heart skipped a beat. She was hit by a gentle fragrance of spicy cologne, and she snuck a glance at him. He was gazing down at her with a grin, and she felt again as if he could read her every personal thought.
Her face grew red, and his smile deepened. It was obvious that he knew she was attracted to him, and he seemed to be loving it. Katherine suddenly remembered the way he had left her sitting in the bar and recoiled. He was such a creep. And the way he seemed to relish in the attention she gave him – it nearly made her sick. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't wait to get to the end of the aisle.
When they did part, though, the casual drop of his strong arm left her feeling lonely and vulnerable. She was suddenly aware of her solitary state as she made her way to her side of the stage. As the other bridesmaids filed in and lined up behind her, she tried to avoid the gaze of the man across from her. His eyes bore through her, though, and she felt almost naked in front of him. It was a terrible time to feel self-conscious. Still, her heart thudded in her ears, and a deep thrill secretly bubbled in her chest.
It wasn't until her mother and stepfather had said their vows that her mind began making the connection. She watched her stepfather as he embraced the cocky, muscular man behind him, and her heart dropped in horror. The silver-eyed man was now, officially, her stepbrother.
Chapter 6
The reception was the most awkward event she had ever endured. Dirk was like a glob of honey, and women, young and old and in between, were begging him to dance with them or help them to reach the finest morsel of food at the long banquet table. He was more than happy to help, giving some of the older women sly winks that sent them reeling with pleasure. Katherine was outraged. Not only was he cocky and rude, but he was also a playboy. She had been nothing but another of his random flirtatious whims.
After the reception, her stepfather announced their plans to vacation in the mountains for their honeymoon. Her mother looked excited beyond belief, and Katherine couldn't help but feel happy for her. She was living her dream life, finally, and whether she had been a good mother or not, she still liked seeing her happy.
A huge private jet had been arranged for them, and they stepped onto the plane together, waving wildly as the crowd gathered around them threw flower petals and blew bubbles to see them off. Katherine waved, smiling at her mother, who laughed ecstatically when her husband picked her up and carried her into the plane. The crowd cheered and everybody whistled and clapped as the engines roared and they took off together for their honeymoon.
The crowd remained on the island and partied until the end of the night, but Katherine chose to retire early. She didn't want anything to do with the gaggle of rich strangers who had gathered to celebrate the wedding, and she wanted less to do with her new stepbrother. In fact, she would have been happy to avoid him for the rest of her life. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been to so much as strike up a conversation with the likes of him.
Katherine sighed and headed into the bathroom. It was still her favorite part about the estate. You live, you learn, she decided, lighting the comforting lavender-scented candles. At least now that she knew who he was and what he was like, she could take comfort in knowing that she had dodged a bullet. She sighed to herself and sank into the hot water to wash the day away.
***
Dirk left the party early. He was shaken and exhausted after his hellish night and single hour of sleep. And to top it all off, he had had a sex dream about his stepsister. Well, he hadn't known it was her at the time, but it was still pretty terrible. He couldn't help but feel dirty about it. He sighed irritably to himself, trying to reason it out. It wasn't like they were actually blood related. The fact was that he was a hot-blooded man who had a drink with an irresistible woman. For god's sake, he was a man after all, and whe
ther anybody liked it or not, he had his needs. He wouldn't apologize for being who he was.
He stripped off his shirt and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he fell into a deep, sound sleep.
The next morning, he was pulled from his slumber when he heard the staff rushing about the hallways in a panic. He stirred groggily and stepped out of his bedroom to see what the commotion was about. His long hair fell in his face, and he pushed it back, squinting sleepily in search of someone who could tell him what was going on.
His gaze rested on Katherine, standing at the end of the hallway. She was flustered and upset, and he went to her instinctively, his urge to comfort her overpowering. She looked at him without seeming to see him at first, and when she did, her face reddened and she looked down at the ground. He realized, with the closest thing to embarrassment that he had ever felt, that he was shirtless, and his tattoos and muscled form were probably not the most comforting thing she could have seen. He stopped himself from reaching out to her.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice hoarse and thick with sleep.
“The plane is about to leave the island,” she said, close to tears. “But I can't find my passport.”
Dirk fell back into the wall, rubbing his tired face. The woman wouldn't be able to return to the United States without it. He groaned.
“Where's the last place you had it?” he asked, his mind slowly awakening enough to kick him into problem-solving mode.
“I haven't seen it since just before I boarded the plane here,” she said quietly.
“You mean you didn't have it when you got here?” he asked, straightening to his full height and looking down at her. She looked scared, so he tried to ease the intensity of his gaze and lower his voice.
“I don't think so,” she sighed. “I was in a hurry, I almost missed it. I think it fell out of my pocket.”
“All right,” Dirk grumbled, suddenly agitated. “We'll figure something out.”
He stormed off, running his hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted was to deal with her irresponsibility first thing in the morning, especially when his company was in jeopardy. And the idea of being stuck for some unknown amount of time with her until she got a new passport was very unappealing. He had been looking forward to her departure home. It was one thing to have a dream about your stepsister; it was quite another to have her lurking around while you try to secure your business. He sighed deeply and headed toward the room where he gave the staff their orders.
“Everybody knows what you're looking for, right?” he growled. “Comb the grounds. If we don't find it within the hour, let me know. We'll have to make other plans.”
Chapter 7
Katherine's passport remained missing, and she locked herself in her room. All she wanted to do was cry, and crying in front of Dirk, or anybody else there for that matter, seemed like a terrible idea. She had been looking forward to getting off the island more than she had ever looked forward to anything in her life. And now, everybody else would be leaving without her. Who knew when she would be able to get back into the United States? Without her passport, she was stuck there. And the last thing she wanted was to be stranded on an island with her irritating stepbrother.
***
He hadn't seemed very fond of the idea either, which made her even angrier. And although she hated him passionately, the idea of him hating her back hurt. Then there was the lingering problem of the mental image she had of Dirk stumbling out of his bedroom, his muscular abdomen bared and shameless, just daring her to look. His well-defined stomach and broad, tattooed chest stuck with her as she sat on the bed and dropped her head into her hands. This whole weekend was turning out to be a nightmare.
Eventually, the search for her passport was called off, and a soft knock came at her door. She opened it wearily, hoping that her face wasn't red and blotchy from crying. A timid woman in one of the maroon uniforms greeted her like royalty. She blushed and shook her head fervently, until the woman straightened herself and got on with her message.
“Master Dirk has called off the search, Miss. It has been agreed upon that you should contact the embassy to report your passport lost.”
“I see,” she said, crestfallen. “Thank you. Do you know where I can find the number?”
The woman pulled a slip of paper from a pocket in her apron and handed it to Katherine. She gave her a small bow before turning on her heel and heading down the hallway. Katherine studied the number and sighed. It was time to play phone tag.
***
Dirk was annoyed to discover that Katherine's passport was nowhere to be found. She had probably lost it at the airport or on the plane. Either way, it was gone, and she couldn't leave the island. He had been looking forward to the time alone so he could work on his motorcycle. He showered and changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt and tied his hair up before heading to his office. Working on the motorcycle was out of the question now, between his uninvited house guest and the issues with the Russians, who were hell bent on making his life difficult. He was not a man accustomed to disappointment, but it seemed as if he would just have to get used to unexpected difficulties.
He sat down at his computer and gripped a tight fistful of hair as the monitor blinked on. He had to check to make sure his company was doing all right and that the Russian hackers were no longer a threat. What terrible timing to inconvenience his life, he thought bitterly, opening his email.
When the screen flashed in front of him, he immediately noticed that something was strange. He had four new emails from an anonymous sender, and in the subject line of each were intimidating caps-locked words. He furrowed his eyebrows and pinched the bridge of his nose. This definitely wasn't good.
Tanner had often warned him not to open emails like this, but his anti-virus software showed that they were safe. A cool sweat sprung up on his brow and he nervously clicked the first message that had been sent. He immediately recognized the choppy English and immature threats and sighed loudly before clicking through of the rest of the emails. They had been sent by the Russians, and the group was not happy. Apparently espionage was not above them, he thought, reading the final taunt. Despite his anger, the malice laced in the words chilled him. He knew they meant what they said.
“We are coming.”
Chapter 8
Dirk grabbed his phone and rushed out the door, dialing Tanner's number as he went.
“Did you see those messages?” he asked angrily, once Tanner's tired voice answered the phone.
“No, but I've been fighting another breach all night. I'm gonna have to sleep at some point, Dirk. Jesus.”
“Fuck. It's all right, I'll deal with this one. They said they’re ‘coming.’ Whatever the hell that means.”
“I don't know. Maybe they found out where you live during the last breach,” Tanner suggested.
Dirk groaned and sprinted powerfully toward the common room, where he called all the staff to meet him. When everybody was assembled, he ordered them to tighten security and comb the grounds. They were to report to him if they found any suspicious activity. As his staff dispersed, he suddenly remembered Katherine. She should be alerted to the dangers as well. He was about to order a staff member to brief her but suddenly felt ashamed. What would she think of him if she knew his business was in jeopardy, maybe along with their lives? If anything did happen, she would surely blame him.
He decided against informing her and then nearly collided with her as he rushed toward the armory.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” she said, with a resigned smile.
His resentment for her suddenly melted away as her kind eyes locked on his. He was pulled into their depths, and he had to fight hard to swim away. He heard the hurried shuffling of a staff member as she walked from room to room, slamming windows closed and locking them tightly, and was suddenly pulled back into reality. He didn't have time to deal with Katherine right now. He said nothing and pushed past
her, determined to arm himself to the teeth in case the worst should happen.
Chapter 9
Katherine returned to her bedroom, hurt and angry. What was wrong with that man? And why did she let his cruelty affect her so deeply? It wasn't as if she should expect anything more from him. He was, after all, just a scumbag. But something inside of her secretly yearned for the same glimmer of friendliness and companionship she had seen in his eyes the first day they had met. And, she thought as a deep flush colored her cheeks, part of her seemed to stubbornly hold onto the way his body so near to hers had made her feel so safe. Strangely enough, he also made her feel just as unsafe. As if he could do whatever he wanted to her at any moment, and she wouldn't be able to say no.
Thinking about him just made her angrier. There was something very wrong with that man, and she was just going to lie low until the embassy mailed her passport. Unfortunately, it was a weekend and she was having a hard time getting through on the phone. One of the staff members had suggested that she write a letter instead. Who knew how long that would take? But they certainly would get it, that was for sure. She groaned in misery, wishing she had just missed her plane after all.
She considered calling her mother but thought better of it. At best, the woman would offer her some half-hearted sympathy and hang up, complaining that her daughter couldn't look after herself for a minute. She'd never hear the end of how she interrupted her mother's million-dollar honeymoon with petty nonsense. No, she would deal with this on her own and, in the meantime, try to stay out of Dirk's way.
***
The next few days were chaotic. Katherine assumed everybody was still looking for her passport and had no idea that they were in any danger at all. The staff was busy and Dirk had cooped himself up in the office, ordering meals and sleeping on a small cot in the corner with one eye open. Eventually, his accounts were completely out of touch and encrypted so well that only he and Tanner knew how to access them. He spent the time on the edge of his seat, waiting for the shoe to drop. However, the time passed without incident, and Dirk finally allowed himself to step out of his office and take a much-needed break.
