Romance in Dallas - Tycoon!

by Nancy Fornataro

  "Twentieth floor. You won't get sick on me now, will you?"

  His face was serious now, but she had the feeling with a simple provocation, he would start laughing at any minute.

  "All right. Let's go. I think I can handle it."

  The place was very retro, she thought, as they were led to a table by the dance floor. A disco ball spun and twinkled in the very middle, creating a colorful atmosphere and the 1980's music blasted. The employees seemed to know Ram, and some even called him by his first name as they stopped by the table.

  "You're very well liked, it seems," she told him, as their menus came.

  "I'm sort of a people person," he said. "I like them, they like me back." His look was bland, and she wondered what was going on in his head.

  She thought he looked sensational, in black dress pants, a bright white shirt, opened a few buttons on the chest, with his blond wavy hair combed back neatly from his handsome, chiseled face. And more than one woman eyed her enviously.

  The heady scent of his aftershave wafted around her.

  "Oh, by the way," she said, digging in her purse, "I'll hold these for you. The doctor called them in to the pharmacy downstairs and I picked them up."

  He watched her, eyebrows up.

  "Muscle relaxer. Can't give them to you now, though. Can't mix them with alcohol at all."

  "That was very nice, sweetheart. I appreciate it."

  She was about to tell him to stop calling her nicknames, but the way he did it was offhanded, and she had the definite feeling he used the descriptors for other women too.

  Nothing special for her, she thought. The story of her life. Nothing special, nobody special. The train of thought was depressing and she tried to put a smile on her face, as they chatted about the menu and the music.

  "Do you dance?" she asked him.

  "Not since...no. Not anymore. Just slow dances. I think I can still handle that."

  "And how was your back today?"

  His languid turquoise eyes searched her face. "Better. You're doin' me good. I'd about given up hope."

  Their burgers and fries came. "Cholesterol special," she told him. "But, I still love them."

  Watching the crazy, wild dancers now, she barely suppressed a giggle.

  "Watch that guy," she said, laughing between bites now, gesturing towards the man, "he looks like he thinks he's the best thing around, doesn't he?"

  But, Ram wasn't watching the dancers. As much as possible, he watched Jace's expressive face. He thought she looked sensational, and the nude glimpse he'd had of her in the room came back to him, every minute on the minute.

  After they finished the meal, a slow tune came on. He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor.

  Pulling her close with one hand on her back, he enclosed her other hand with his own, held it close to his chest.

  His lips close to her ear now, he whispered, "I'll be good. Promise..."

  Jace felt his hard chest, and his hand almost on her breast. With his whispers in her ear, she felt hazy, felt herself move closer to him instinctively.

  For some reason, his hand barely moved on her back, but she wanted it to rove up and down, she wanted it on her backside now. She couldn't make out what he was whispering in her ear, but her body responded to the warm sensation. It betrayed her words to him the night before. Heaviness settled between her legs, and just grew worse when she felt his arousal against her.

  Soon, too soon, the song ended. They stood for a few seconds, wrapped together, feeling each other intensely.

  But, she noticed as they walked back to the table he was limping.

  Not sitting down, she said, "How about a massage, boss? No funny stuff this time. On the table." She looked up at him with a smile.

  Suddenly, she saw a flash.

  He cursed under his breath then said, "Let's get out of here. We've got photographers following. It's a hazard for me on a daily basis. Paparazzi. They track my every move."

  Gathering up her purse, she wondered what on earth would happen now.

  However, hiding from view, Victoria thanked the photographer, on his way out now, and unobtrusively slipped him one hundred dollars. She'd tracked Ramsey from Hong Kong to the Philippines and back to Dallas again. And she was so aware of how much he hated publicity.

  Now, here in Hawaii, suddenly he had a girl tagging along. She sniffed her distain, as she watched the two of them walking quickly towards the upper floor elevators, and wondered if they were sleeping together.

  Victoria met Ram at a fundraiser for the children's ward at a hospital in Dallas a few years back. And to say she fell hard for Ram was an understatement. Sometimes, she just tracked his movements, so it was rare for him to see her. She was not obvious in that way. Each time she saw him was a carefully planned moment, almost to the second, like the man himself.

  "I think we'll get a penthouse in Bermuda," he said as they rode up in the elevator, "do you mind?"

  "Why would I mind?"

  "It has two bedrooms. I thought it might be more convenient for us," he said politely.

  "All right," she laughed, "who are you and what have you done with the real Ramsey?"

  A smile quirked his lips. "The real Ramsey. Hell, sweet pea, what you see is what you get."

  She had to admit, as they walked in her room, what she saw, she liked.

  He immediately shucked off his shirt, showing her his muscular back and shoulders.

  Setting up the table, and making sure it was secure, she patted it and he lay face down.

  She began with his neck. It was knotted and the muscles extremely tight. They seemed to loosen with her massage, and she smiled.

  His corded arms muscles were the same, and she worked her way down to the forearms then his hands, each finger and palm.

  But his back muscles were tighter than all the rest, and she worked on them a longer time.

  "Need you to take off your pants," she told him, "so I can get to the legs."

  "Don't know if I can get off the table. I feel like a wet noodle," he gasped.

  But, he finally removed them, as she went to get more lotion.

  Nice, she thought, while she watched his legs flex in response to her touch, kneading him, trying to get his body to relax.

  "Don't suppose you do a front massage?" he asked lazily, his voice muffled now.

  She laughed. "Not usually. I can reach everything from here." Then realizing how that sounded, she said, "The muscles, I mean." And that sounded just as bad, so she gave up.

  Ramsey's body was on fire from her touch, and he thought he was tingling from head to foot, quite literally, as she worked one of his feet, then the other.

  Her cell phone rang, and she said, "I'm sorry, Ramsey. I'll be right back. It might be Natalie; she still doesn't have the time difference down."

  Still lazy, he just rested on the table as she answered.

  "Hey babe," a voice said to her.

  "What do you want Ralph?" What a time for her ex-husband's phone call, Jace thought.

  "Just thinking about you."

  "Right. Tell me another one."

  "It's true. You sure you want to go through with this thing, then?"

  "It's a done deal. You know that. Too little, too late as the expression goes."

  "And you're the ball buster."

  She hung up on him, and turned the phone off.

  She approached Ram again, hesitated, and he heard her sigh. "Everything okay, darlin?'" he asked.

  "Yes, just a nightmare from my past. Sorry."

  He was silent for a minute, while she finished the massage. When she was done, he sat up on the table and watched her while she moved around the room, in her bare feet now, arranging her things then sitting at her laptop.

  As quickly as he could, he dressed in pants and his shirt leaving it unbuttoned. "What's going on?" he asked as he sat on one of the beds.

  The call had definitely spooked her, he thought, watching her now.

  "It's nothing, rea
lly." She started typing quickly. "I think we're done here, if you'd like to leave. I'm sure you have lots of work to do."

  "Nothing that can't wait. Can I assist with this nightmare?"

  "No. Thank you." And, totally ignoring him now, she typed in her notes.

  Two hours later, he couldn't sleep. His back really felt pretty well, compared to usual, and the muscle relaxant made him feel better, but her phone call was bothering him. He wondered why she had to be so secretive. And so damn professional. He turned on his bedside lamp, but before he did, he noticed her light was on. He saw light coming under the adjoining door. So, she must be up, he thought.

  But when he called her cell phone, he was forwarded to voice mail again. He found himself worrying about her. She'd been so upset about the phone call.

  Pacing back and forth, he knocked softly on the adjoining door to her room. When she didn't answer, he wasn't sure what to do.

  He ran a hand through his hair, before he opened it slightly. But he didn't see her, and he knocked again.

  Opening it all the way, and realizing he'd just caused her to wake up, while she lay on the other bed, he was stopped in his tracks.

  She lay carelessly on the bed, knees to one side, book resting on her stomach, and totally nude. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, as they observed him, confused.

  Neither one of them could say anything temporarily, especially Ram. He was rooted in his tracks, but his eyes wandered over her body hungrily, soaking up her sensuality, her long legs, her large breasts with their generous nipples, the edge of hair at her downy softness, and flat stomach, as his eyes linked with hers.

  He heard a gasp escape from her lips, before he closed the door.

  And, he thought, that picture of beauty would stay with him for the rest of his life.

  Chapter 5

  Jace woke the next morning, and knew she was in trouble. She didn't want to move, her throat was raw, and the first thing she did was cough. Plus, she felt feverish and had a headache.

  Finally, she was able to get up and around. Still naked, she walked into the bathroom, and realized as she looked at her reflection that her cheeks were pink from the fever, and her hair was wild and needed a brush.

  But, she knew then she didn't really care. Bed was the only place for her right now, she thought, as her stomach roiled.

  Finally turning on her phone as she got back into bed, she saw not only Nat called her but she'd missed several calls from Ramsey. Punching in Nat's number, she said, "Nat?"

  "Jace? Is that you?"

  Clearing her throat now, Jace said, "Yes. I have a terrible cold or something."

  "You sure it's a cold? I've heard there's a flu going around, with high fever and sore throat."

  Jace sighed. "I must have picked it up at the airport. So much for making a good first impression."

  "Well don't worry about that. Just stay put today. When are you two supposed to leave Hawaii?"

  "I don't know. I'll have to talk to Ram."

  Nat chuckled. "Ram now, is it? Oh, by the way, do you get a newspaper there?"

  "I think there was one outside my door yesterday morning. Why?"

  "Check out the society page. Or the people section. I think you'll be surprised."

  They clicked off and Jace was too tired to even go out and grab the paper. The phone jangled in her hand. "Yes?"

  "Jace? Is that you?"

  "You're the second person to ask me that in two minutes."

  "You sound terrible. I'll be right in."

  She realized she would have no time to put clothes on or even a robe, so she just pulled the covers tighter up against her chest.

  A few seconds later, he strolled in the adjoining door. "What's going on?" But when he looked at her, his gaze turned soft. "Are you sick Jace?"

  She nodded. "Flu, I think. When are we scheduled to fly out? And what's our next stop?"

  "I'm not worried about that. Do you need a doctor?" He sat at the end of her bed.

  "No. Nat says there is something going around. I'm not sure how long it will last." But her voice grew weaker and weaker, as her muscles started to ache.

  "You didn't get a flu shot this year?"

  She shook her head.

  "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, as his turquoise eyes met hers.

  "Maybe get me the newspaper."

  He smiled. "Are you sure you want to go there?"

  "Why?"

  "Who spilled the beans on that, your friend Natalie?"

  She frowned. "I don't understand. She just told me to look at it. I don't know why."

  He opened the door and retrieved the newspaper, went section by section, and gave her the 'Life' segment. On the front page, there was a large picture of her looking up at Ram at the retro club.

  "Oh, my," she said, as she reached for it. "What do they say? What could they say, I wonder?"

  He laughed as he sat back down on the bed. "Anything they damn well please, usually. I think they have us engaged in one of the papers. But you'll be glad to know that no mention is made of your name," he drawled. "They're clueless on that. Let's keep it that way. If you're ever approached by one of them, walk by like they aren't even there. Just ignore 'em. I'll give them a statement eventually."

  She nodded. "Think we can really keep it a secret?"

  "Trust me." His eyes scanned her face. "I can call a doctor now if you like, sweet pea."

  "No, really," she protested, inching up to a sitting position now, and regretting it, as she felt dizzy, "I'll be fine." Pausing, she added, "You look very nice today. Do you have more meetings?"

  He wore a grey three piece suit, shiny black shoes and looked very put together, she thought, with his wavy hair combed back from his face, freshly shaven and wearing a pleasant citrus aftershave.

  Still watching her, he said, "I just have one meeting today and one tonight around seven, which I have to attend. I was hoping to bring you tonight. It's for charity, special needs children. Just a little get-together, to raise money. I'll only stay about half hour. Same thing with my meeting today. I don't need to stay long. Especially with you sick an' all."

  But she was fading fast, her eyes closing as she nodded, and she felt him pull the covers up around her. His hand ran down her hair, then to her forehead. "God, you're burning up." And the next thing she felt was a cool washcloth on her forehead. It felt so good, she smiled.

  Ram went reluctantly to his meeting. And, true to his word, he only stayed a short time. He was too worried about her having such a high fever.

  She heard him come in an hour later, and looked up to see him drop himself painfully onto the other bed and lay against the two pillows.

  "How y'all doing darlin'?" he asked her as he loosened his tie, and flipped it off along with his suit coat.

  "Better, I think," she said softly. "I'm so sorry I'm sick, Ram. You need to go and attend to your business. Just leave me. I'll be fine, really." But, she knew it wasn't true. She felt weaker by the minute, and had barely made it to the bathroom and back while he was gone.

  "Just have to make a few phone calls. Rearrange things. Don't worry about any of it."

  She fell into a half-sleep, half-awake state then, as she heard his voice from a distance.

  "Dennis," he said, "the meeting for tomorrow, we need to change due to flu, my man. How about two days from now? Thanks."

  And again, "Marty, laid up with flu here, how about three days from now?"

  She heard him on the phone for a while then his voice faded as she listened to him open and close the adjoining room door.

  Ram lowered his voice. "Warren, she's got the flu."

  "Oh, crap," his friend said, "so that will delay you?"

  "I don't care about that. I just feel so helpless."

  "You can't fix everything, man. Don't even try. Just be there for her."

  "She's so damn foxy. It's hard to concentrate."

  Warren laughed. "That's a sure sign of something. Could it be love?"

/>   Sighing now, Ram replied, "I feel guilty. Plus she was clear on the fact she didn't want any ties. I just feel like I'd be cheating on Susan. Know what I'm saying?"

  "How long has it been now?" Warren said quietly.

  "A year and a half, plus a few days."

  "Put away the calendar. The old one, I mean. Open a new page in your book. I can't say I understand because I've never been married. But I've had relationships."

  "Yeah. Well, better go try to work some more. Get her some soup or something to eat. I'm not used to taking care of someone like this. Feel like a duck out of water."

  "Right," Warren laughed, "hey saw you two in 'Society' today. You didn't look too cozy, though. Work on it, Ram."

  "Not today, my friend."

  Ramsey called down and asked the advice of the cook, who said he'd send up chicken noodle soup and crackers, along with ice and water.

  When Ram went back in the room, she was shivering violently and he looked for an extra blanket, which he laid over her gently.

  Watching her, while he half-heartedly scanned a new proposal on the laptop he'd brought in, he wondered about her background. She was so silent about it, never divulging anything. Where was she from? Did she have siblings, and how many? Parents? He knew she didn't have boyfriends. But then who called her? He tried to think of the name she'd used. Ralph. Who was he?

  He just came up with more questions than answers, as his eyes roved over her motionless figure, now deep in sleep.

  Room service came with the tray, and she began to stir. "Hungry?" he asked her.

  Her cheeks were still flushed with fever. She shook her head.

  "You really need something in your stomach, sweetheart," he said, looking with her with concern.

  "All right," she said softly, as she pulled the covers further up on her chest and leaned against the pillows. "I'm so sorry I can't work with you on your physical therapy. But I'm sure I'll be up and around soon."