ZenithRising

by Marilyn Campbell

  I have a free hour at 6 if you would like to come to my suite.

  Noah glanced at the note then his pocket watch then Maggie. She nodded. He reached into his pants pocket and dug out a dollar bill. “Here you go,” he said aloud as he pushed the tip halfway under the door. “Let Mr. Davenport know we’ll be there.”

  “Thank you, sir,” the man said, sounding very pleased as he took his tip and stepped away.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re over-tipping. We’d better get moving. We only have a half-hour,” Maggie said without making a move.

  “It would have been nice to take a bath together,” Noah murmured, remaining right where he was. “Do you think it’s part of the supernatural power’s plan to keep us from ever playing in water?”

  She giggled. “It’s beginning to look like that.” She sighed audibly, rose to her feet and held out her hand to him. “C’mon, crazy man, time for Mr. Nash to do his thing.”

  He grinned up at her. “I thought that’s what I was doing.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him. “Just for that I’m taking first turn in the bathroom. Apparently you’re not as uncomfortable as I thought you—”

  Her words condensed into a squeal as he lurched to his feet, grabbed her waist and effortlessly flung her onto the bed. But before he could get into the bathroom, she bolted up and managed to give him a hip nudge out of the way. He grasped her wrist at the last second and yanked her back to him. Laughing heartily, he kissed her mouth then gave her a gentle nudge to the finish line. “Hurry up,” he teased with a pat on her ass. “You’re going to make us late.”

  * * * * *

  In an attempt to give a businesslike impression, Maggie had changed into the dowdy outfit and borrowed a tablet and pencil from the concierge. However, the trip to the Diamond Suite threatened her confident air. Because of old movies, she had seen elevators with grated doors and visible gears and pulleys. The one they were currently in required a skilled operator to work the interior handles and levers. It was interesting from a historical standpoint but being in one of the antiques was a lot scarier than she would have imagined. She clutched Noah’s hand the entire, shaky, painfully slow ride up to the fourth floor.

  The elevator operator waited as they exited the metal thrill ride and pressed the buzzer for the private suite.

  The door was opened a few seconds later by a well-groomed though average-looking, probably middle-aged woman. She definitely could be Lillian’s grandmother. “Mr. and Mrs. Nash. How nice of you to stop by. I’m Josephine Davenport. Please come in.” She stood aside and closed the door behind them.

  Maggie barely recognized the suite. Instead of one great room, the area appeared to be walled off into several small rooms. Mrs. Davenport led them into the one in front, which was clearly an office. A tall, striking man with salt-and-pepper hair rose from his chair behind the desk as they entered.

  Offering a broad smile and his hand to Noah, he said, “Robert Davenport. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nash.”

  “Likewise,” Noah said, giving the man’s hand a firm shake. “Please call me Noah. And this is my wife and publishing assistant, Maggie.”

  Remembering the manager’s reaction, she simply smiled and nodded.

  “Thank you, dear,” Davenport said to his wife with a note of dismissal in his tone. “Give us a knock in about forty-five minutes.” Josephine nodded with a half-smile then gently closed the office door.

  He sat and motioned for them to do the same. “I’m afraid I don’t have any of your books,” he said apologetically as he nodded toward the high bookcases. “But I’ve heard wonderful things about you. I understand you’re working on a book to be set in our hotel. While I see how that could be advantageous I would hope that your story would not cast an unsavory shadow over the property.”

  Maggie suddenly realized they hadn’t actually talked about the book Noah was supposed to be writing and she hoped he didn’t stick close to the truth for this part.

  “A portion of the book would take place in the hotel but I assure you it’s my intention to glamorize it and its guests. It’s a tale of a young man who lost an arm in the war and is unable to pursue his dream of becoming a boxer. Then his fiancée breaks their engagement and he’s thinking of killing himself. But he has a chance meeting with the owner of the hotel and, well, I hope you don’t mind if I don’t give it all away.”

  Davenport was obviously intrigued. “I understand but perhaps you’ll at least tell me if the owner helps this poor young man find his way to a good ending.”

  Noah nodded. “Absolutely. He’s a bit of a guardian angel in human form.”

  Davenport brightened considerably. “That sounds very entertaining. How might I be of assistance?”

  For the next twenty minutes Noah asked reasonable questions about owning and running a large hotel for wealthy guests and Maggie scribbled madly on her pad. Only she could tell Noah’s questions were all phrased to uncover any possible motive for the owner to be murdered but thus far she hadn’t heard a single thing that seemed relevant to their investigation.

  She let her mind wander away from the actual words being exchanged between the men and thought about Josephine Davenport. The impression she gave was of a nice, upper-class woman who was content in her wifely role. But according to hotel history, Josephine and her young son, Chester, managed to keep the hotel going after Robert’s tragic death, through the Depression and the Second World War. That had to have taken an incredibly strong, savvy woman. Was she the true power in their relationship or did her husband’s death force her to take on a role she’d never chosen to play?

  Maggie had seen something pass between the couple in the moment he’d dismissed her. Her intuition told her they loved each other but didn’t always like each other. Interesting, she thought. Rather than being the grieving widow who did what she had to do to support her child, could Josephine have been relieved by Robert’s death? Or worse, could she have been involved? What if Lillian wasn’t as concerned about her grandfather being called suicidal as she was afraid of someone uncovering a much uglier truth about how he died? Maggie felt something brush her arm and flinched. The contact felt very real yet nothing was there.

  “Have I forgotten anything?” Noah asked Maggie, though his look was one of concern for what had happened to her.

  She flipped through the papers on her pad as if checking her notes. “A couple things. You had wanted to ask him about whether he would ever consider taking on a partner.”

  Davenport laughed. “Goodness no. I consider Davenport my family legacy. Josie and I only have the one son but I’ve built something here that should stand long after his grandchildren are grown. I would never share this with an outsider.”

  Noah nodded to her to ask her next question so she did. “One of the subplots Noah is considering involves the owner’s life being in danger and the young man saves him in the end. What sort of threat might you face in your position? If not a greedy partner, what about a competitor?” Something stopped her from suggesting a more intimate motive for murder.

  The man furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. “I can’t imagine such a thing. Florida is wide open to developers. It’s a gold mine for anyone brave enough to conquer the terrain. It will be a long time before hotel owners have to fight over guests.”

  “That’s very interesting,” Noah replied. “I’ve heard rumors that the Florida land boom is slowing down.”

  “Poppycock. Those rumors were undoubtedly started by someone trying to drive the values down for their own investment purposes.”

  Maggie watched Noah quash the urge to correct Davenport’s misconception and came to his rescue. “Can you think of any other enemies a Florida hotel owner might have?”

  “Hmmm, you say this is a good man, a guardian angel, so that would seem to eliminate any sort of unethical activity. And quite frankly, under the current circumstances, I have had to establish good working relationships on both sides of the law…not t
hat the law is much of a problem this far south.” He gave it a bit more thought then shrugged. “Sorry, nothing comes to me that would be life threatening.”

  “One last thing,” Maggie said. “Noah noticed the beautiful crystals in the Amethyst Cave. How might he acquire something like those for our home in New York?”

  Robert smiled crookedly. “They are incredible, aren’t they? People think I’m being mysterious but I swear they were here when I bought the island.”

  Noah’s brows raised. “Really? You mean they were just sitting on the beach and you moved them inside?”

  Davenport chuckled. “No. I mean they were exactly where they are now. It’s the reason I named it Crystal Island. There are a few other rocks like that in other areas as well. My men tried everything to move them away from the construction zones but we just ended up building the hotel around them. The big granddaddy in the Emerald Dome gave us the most trouble until we figured out how to turn it into a waterfall. They went so deep into the ground it would have taken a dynamite blast and I didn’t want to take the chance of destroying such natural beauty.”

  “I heard something else very curious about this island,” Noah said in a casual tone. “Is it true you discovered it by accident?”

  “A very lucky accident. With all the pirate activity that went on around here in the past, it’s incredible no one ever recorded its existence. It’s almost as if it suddenly popped up one day just in time for me to sail into it.”

  Maggie stopped herself from looking at Noah. They now knew firsthand that totally incredible things were possible. Had the island been overlooked for centuries or did it only push its way above sea level for Robert Davenport to find? Was there a crystal deposit beneath the surface as she had guessed or was the entire island a rock? She quickly put the thoughts out of her head. The last thing they needed was another mystery to solve.

  Chapter Eight

  Maggie and Noah took advantage of the half-hour between the meeting with Davenport and their dinner reservation to take a walk along the beach and talk without risk of being overhead. Despite a number of other guests enjoying the last of the sun, the roiling ocean muffled their discussion. Following another couple’s example, they took off their shoes, stockings and socks and Noah rolled up his pant legs so they could enjoy the squish of the wet sand between their toes and the waves lapping over their bare feet. Every so often Noah bent down, picked up a seashell and tucked it in his pocket.

  “What made you flinch up there?” It was Noah’s first question about their interview.

  “It was strange. Like a feather duster ran along my arm.”

  “Maybe it was a ghost.”

  She smirked at him. “Thanks a lot. I really needed you to put that thought in my head.” She told him where her mind had wandered right before it happened. “I’m not saying Josephine killed her husband but I’d bet she at least has an idea of who did. I mean will. This time thing is still messing me up.”

  “And it seemed unlikely that he would take a partner. After money got really tight he might have changed his attitude but he was dead before things got that bad here. There are just too many ways a man of importance could get himself killed. It’s not possible for us to analyze all of them. I still don’t think we can eliminate him as our target though. We’ll just have to see what we see at tomorrow night’s affair.”

  Maggie cocked her head at him. “You sound pretty sure about our getting invited.”

  “I don’t see the invite being a problem. I’m more concerned about how we’ll get close to the engaged couple and their parents and the Davenports too if they’re attending.”

  “Are you kidding? For the Noah Nash? Unless the Fitzgeralds are really here and got themselves invited, you’ll be the most famous author at the party. I’d lay odds on there being a mad scramble to adjust the seating chart tomorrow morning.”

  He laughed. “Intuition?”

  She shook her head. “Common sense. Different subject—what did you think of his explanation about the crystals?”

  He shrugged. “He seemed sincere. And it would go along with your feeling about there being a crystal deposit under the trail we were on. He said the rocks couldn’t be moved. If they originated deep below the surface that would make sense. A major excavation would have hindered getting his hotel built.”

  “Same goes for revealing some sort of geological wonder on this island. I can see why the family decided to keep it a secret.” There was something else important about the crystals but she couldn’t put it into words.

  “What?” he asked. “I can almost see the gears turning.”

  She shook her head and sighed. “I’m not sure. Something about the crystals and the energy field and us being transported through time. Somehow it all has a connection to Robert Davenport’s death and family secrets. But when I try to put the pieces together they don’t make a picture.”

  He gave her a hug. “Sounds like we need a few more pieces. But since there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about that tonight, I say we set the puzzle aside and enjoy the evening.”

  Dinner at the Emerald Patio was nothing short of romantic perfection. The outdoor restaurant was laid out so guests could see the ocean on one side and the glorious pinks and oranges of the sunset over the mainland on the other. Dinner was a gastronomical treat adapted from the newly discovered flavors of Havana, Cuba.

  By the time the waiter served their dessert of flan with warm caramel sauce, Maggie’s brain finally succumbed to Noah’s suggestion to forget about the myriad questions and simply enjoy the sensual delights around her. But of all those delights, nothing was more sensually arousing than the man across the table from her. She moved her bare foot until she found Noah’s leg and tickled him with her toes.

  His mouth curved into a sly grin and she watched his eyes darken with desire. In an instant she felt her body awaken to the promise of pleasure. Like the sweet sauce on her tongue, his heated look was warm and tantalizing and made her anxious for another taste. It teased her nipples into tight little buds then moved downward through her abdomen until it settled in her pussy. Silently she mouthed the words, I want you, and his sharp intake of breath assured her he was more than willing to give her whatever she wanted.

  Maggie caught the knowing look on the waiter’s face as Noah hurriedly requested their check but she didn’t care what anyone thought about their rush to leave. Her mind was already blurred with visions of Noah removing her clothes, stroking her body, filling her with his thick, hot penis. For so many years she had believed she lacked the ability to enjoy sex like the heroines in her romance novels. Lust was an abstract concept that was completely alien to her outside those books. And yet, since Noah had come back into her life, lust had become a driving force. An obsession. An addiction. She could not get enough of him. It was almost as if she wanted to store up for the day she would have to go on without him.

  Noah helped her out of her chair and nudged her away from the patio. As soon as their feet touched the boardwalk he pulled her into a light jog. He had her giggling in seconds and the momentary shadow of insecurity was blown away.

  “Wait,” she said breathlessly at the door of the bungalow. “We’re going to track in sand.”

  He laughed aloud and gave her a quick kiss. “We’re on the beach. I think the maid expects to clean up sand in the room. But you just gave me an idea.”

  She was fully expecting another ram-it-up-against-the-door session but instead he led her straight into the bathroom and turned on the hot water in the tub at a trickle. Her hormones were pumped for a quickie, not a leisurely soak. But as he turned back to her there was nothing leisurely about him.

  He grabbed the lapels of her jacket, tugged it off her shoulders and down her arms and tossed it out of the small room. “I have wanted to do that all day.” Her prim blouse was the next to go. “In fact, I’m thinking of burning this whole outfit. You are way too sexy to be this covered up.”

  She chuckled as he swiftl
y unhooked her skirt then sent it and the blouse the way of the jacket. As anxious as she was to be out of the dowdy outfit, she wanted him out of his clothes as well. Hands and arms tangled as she went for his shirt buttons and he struggled with her underthings. In seconds they were both naked, flesh pressed to flesh, hands groping furiously to touch and feel every inch as quickly as possible.

  His mouth closed over hers and he pushed his tongue between her teeth. She playfully bit the intruder then sucked it deeper. His cock twitched against her belly and she moaned her need into his mouth. But when she wrapped her fingers around his sex, he took both her hands and placed them on his shoulders.

  “Hold on tight,” he murmured against her lips then kissed his way down her throat to her chest and nipped each rosy tip before kneeling at her feet. “Open for me,” he said, tapping the inside of her knees.

  As she spread her legs, her vagina quivered and gushed in readiness though he hadn’t yet touched her cunt.

  “So pretty,” he said then massaged her clit with his thumb as his index and middle fingers slid smoothly into her slit. “And sooo wet.” His thumb and fingers found a rhythm together, up and down, in and out. “I know I haven’t touched you here all day so it must have been something you’ve been thinking about. Tell me, sugar, what got you so wet?”

  He kept working at her nerve center, inside and out at the same time. If he just picked up the pace a bit… She tilted her hips and squeezed his shoulders.

  “Words,” Noah ordered. “I know you want to come and I want to do it for you but first you have to pay my price.” He pushed his fingers deeper then curled them forward as his thumb pressed hard to squeeze the sensitive spot between.

  She whimpered and clutched his shoulders as she shuddered from head to toe. The sensation was as powerful as an orgasm without any of the relief.