Amanda opened her eyes with a start, and turned her head. Natasha was stood right next to her, looking out over the balcony. She had moved in absolute silence. Amanda couldn’t fail to be impressed, and unnerved.
“I’m sorry?” she said, trying to conceal her shock at being caught unawares.
“Joshy,” Natasha replied, a knowing smile on her face. “I could tell straight away.”
Amanda really wanted that to be true, but suspected Natasha was only being polite. “I hope that’s true,” she said, “but sometimes it’s hard to tell how he really feels.”
“Oh, I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Natasha tittered. “The vacuum cleaner shows more emotion that he does.”
Amanda flushed with pleasure, and felt an unexpected connection with the woman. Over dinner, she’d quickly realised she had nothing in common with Natasha. She was much more of a girly girl like Sabrina, whereas Amanda had always been a tomboy. She, Amanda, had always been more comfortable round boys than girls, but on the enigmatic subject of Joshua they had found common ground.
Amanda nodded eagerly. “Tell me about it. He doesn’t give much away at all.”
“With Joshy everything is in reverse. The colder he is to you on the surface, the hotter you make him inside.”
Amanda’s eyes widened at that particular titbit. Could it be that Joshua had some genuine feelings for her and was simply trying to mask them? Amanda had deep doubts about that. She realised she was being too open with Natasha, and feared her cover would get blown if she said too much.
“Don’t get me wrong, Joshua’s wonderful,” she said, putting things back on a formal footing. “It’s just he can be a little distant sometimes, but I wouldn’t change him for the world.”
Natasha smiled sweetly, and edged closer to Amanda. The woman’s strong perfume bombarded Amanda’s senses. “That’s very loyal of you,” she said, her voice a deep whisper. She brought up her hand and ran one elegant finger lazily along the contours of Amanda’s left cheekbone.
Amanda stiffened and tried to back away, but found she was paralysed with fear. “You’re very pretty,” Natasha went on softly, “in a homely kind of way. I didn’t think that would suit Joshy’s tastes though, especially after me. Maybe that’s why he’s not screwed you yet.”
Amanda’s jaw dropped and alarm bells started to ring in her head. “What? What are you talking about?”
“You think I can’t tell?” Natasha was still smiling and speaking in a kindly tone, but Amanda heard the sliver of contempt in her voice loud and clear. “A woman knows when Joshua’s bedded her, believe me. But then, you’re different to me.” Natasha cupped Amanda’s face in her warm hands and tilted her head upwards.
Amanda stared into her grey, pitiless eyes, helpless as a kitten. “You’re not like us, like me, Joshua and Toby,” Natasha pronounced grandly. “You’re not our kind. An art dealer? Don’t make me laugh. You’re like that imbecile Ashley, a snivelling peasant who just happened to catch the eye of one of their betters.
People like you worship people like me and Joshua. We are the Master Race. You spend your whole pointless little lives desperate to snatch just a fraction of our attention.”
“That’s not true,” Amanda said tightly. Anger had surfaced inside her and she wanted to push the vile woman away and escape her toxic presence. Natasha’s dark charisma held her in a vice though, and her poison coated words made a terrible kind of sense.
“He’ll get bored of you,” Natasha said with indifferent certainty. “Little people have very limited novelty value, but don’t take it to much to heart, babydoll. When he’s finished with you, you might provide me with some entertainment.”
Natasha suddenly leaned in and pressed her lips against Amanda’s mouth in an intense, lingering kiss. Amanda’s eyes widened in utter shock, and her heart was racing fast.
“Beautiful, girls,” Toby’s mocking voice came out of nowhere.
Natasha broke the kiss, and Amanda backed away staring in wild confusion. Toby was now standing on the terrace, seemingly to have materialised out of thin air. He had his iphone camera pointed at the two women.
Natasha swept past Amanda and went to join him. “You get the shot?” she asked abruptly.
“Perfect,” Toby replied, “sweet.”
Natasha barely glanced at the phone and gave a sharp nod. “Good. Let’s go. I’m simply dying of boredom.” Without even another word or look directed to Amanda, she strode back into the living area.
Toby snickered and turned away from Amanda with a parting contemptuous glance. Amanda remained on the terrace, her legs shaking and her mind whirling like a dervish. What the hell had just happened here?
She was still standing out on the terrace in a state of utter confusion, when Joshua wandered out to find her a little while later. “Oh, there you are,” he said. “I think that went rather well, don’t you?”
“She kissed me,” Amanda said in a faint voice. “That insane woman ripped my confidence to shreds and then she went and kissed me.”
Joshua nodded. “Yes, I know.”
Amanda gave him an incredulous look. “You know?”
“Sure,” said Joshua. “It’s all over social media.”
He took his Blackberry from his pocket and handed it to her. Amanda took it from him and looked dumbly at the screen. Staring back at her was the image of her and Natasha locked in the infamous kiss.
“Oh my God, this is on Instagram,” Amanda said in a numb voice.
“Yes, Miss Brooks. It’s also on Facebook, Twitter, Kik and probably each and every other one of those contemptible social media sites. Toby uploaded his snapshot of your tender little moment with Natasha to his Twitter feed, and then let the internet do its nefarious work. You’ve sent half the online world into meltdown. It’ll make the news.”
“But why?”
Joshua shrugged. “Because most people are celebrity obsessed zombies, I guess.”
“I mean why did she choose me to pull this stunt?” Amanda said angrily, her mind starting to function again. “What was the point?”
“Two points,” said Joshua, correcting her. “One, it generates tawdry headlines and raises Natasha’s profile. She might act like she’s richer than Solomon, but her luxurious lifestyle takes a lot of upkeep, and her daddy is getting fed up of supporting her, so she’s decided to rebrand herself as a reality TV star. They indulge in this tawdry nonsense all the time.”
“What about the second point?” Amanda demanded.
Joshua gave her a pointed look. “Two, she wants to humiliate me. It’d be quite a coup for her to seduce my new girlfriend. Proves I can’t keep you satisfied.”
“It’s disgusting!”
Joshua cocked an eyebrow. “Miss Brooks, I didn’t think you were small-minded.”
“She’s not the first girl I’ve kissed, for your information,” Amanda retorted. “It’s disgusting how she is playing all these nasty little games. Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?”
“Relax. It’s just her way. I have nothing to worry about.” He smirked and winked at her. “Or do I?”
“It’s not funny!” yelled Amanda, hurling the Blackberry with all her might over the terrace balcony. The stress of the situation, coupled with Natasha’s cruel jibes about how small and pathetic Amanda was, erupted unchecked to the surface now and tears sprang in her eyes.
Joshua stared at her and glanced in the direction of where his Blackberry went. “That’s no way to treat company property, Amanda,” he said in a deadpan voice.
“That’s it, have a good laugh!” Amanda yelled at the top of her voice. Joshua flinched and looked stricken.
“That’s why you brought me here, wasn’t it!” Amanda went on, now past the point of return. “I’m just one of the feeble little people you can just pick up and play with when you’re bored! Never mind that I have feelings, I’m not one of the special people like you!”
“Amanda,” Joshua said a frightened qu
iver in his voice, “calm down.”
“Drop dead!” Amanda snarled and marched passed him.
“Wait!” Joshua said quickly. He reached out and grabbed her arm before she could escape to her room.
“Get off me!” she yelled, and struggled to get free of him. He pulled her to him, and she pressed against his hard body. Her fury reached a crescendo and she suddenly crushed her mouth to his.
He responded instantly, parting his lips so their tongues could meet. Amanda let out a murmur of pleasure, her body aching with desire. He loosed her arm and she hugged him hard, clawing at his back and stroking his short cropped hair.
His hands caressed the length of her body, coming down to her hips. His kissing was urgent, and she felt his manhood grinding into her. She responded without hesitation, losing herself in feral heat, desperate to devour every inch of him.
His one hand drifted lower and eased its way under her dress. She shuddered at the touch of his fingers on her bare skin, and wet heat blossomed between her legs.
“No!” it was more of a growl than an articulate word. Without warning, Joshua pulled away from her. “I can’t,” he moaned, his voice raw and shot through with pain. “I’m sorry!”
“Joshua, wait!” It was Amanda’s turn to try and catch him, but he moved too fast. He literally bolted off the terrace and disappeared into the suite. Amanda breathed hard, trying to weather the maelstrom of passion that had been excited inside her.
She wanted to run after him, to find out what was wrong. She longed to hold him again, to have him touching her, to have him thrusting deep inside her.
But she stayed where she was. A cold desolation settled over her soul. There was no point trying to chase something that didn’t belong to her. He had rejected her, plain and simple. She hugged herself tightly and started to sob.
He had to escape. Her scent was intoxicating. He couldn’t fight her but he couldn’t surrender either. If he did that, there would be no going back. He would have to tell her the truth. He would have to show her what he really was. At that moment of truth, it was far easier to run.
He darted through the hidden passage connecting his suite to the side door leading into the forest beyond the hotel grounds. His body screamed with the exertion and he ripped off his clothes as he ran.
At last, he was out of that gaudy, oppressing building with its seductive scents and dark predators. His bare feet welcomed the soft touch of leaves and dirt and he plunged into the beckoning undergrowth, surrendering to his true nature.
Chapter 5: Hidden Depths
She was going to leave. The realisation hit her as soon as she woke up the next morning. There was no other choice. After what had happened first with Natasha and then the kiss with Joshua, she couldn’t see any way back. Natasha was right. She was one of the little people, and she had no place in this world.
Resolved in her purpose, Amanda dragged herself out of bed and slipped on a silk dressing gown over her night shirt. The clock said it was 10 am. The wedding was four hours away, so she had plenty of time to pack her stuff and make arrangements to get off the island. She would speak to Rebecca about seeing if it was possible. Joshua would probably be the better person to speak to of course, but she couldn’t bear to face him.
Mustering up the courage, she left the safety of her bedroom and padded into the living area. There was no sign of Joshua, and relaxing a little, Amanda went to the kitchen to fix herself a fruit salad. She was coming back through to eat her food on the terrace, when something suddenly lunged up from behind the couch she was walking past.
She jumped away in fright, almost dropping her salad. Her fear turned to annoyance when she realised who it was. “Ashley!” she exclaimed. “You scared me half to death, you jerk! What the hell are you doing here?” She frowned as realisation dawned. “Have you been here all night?”
Ashley scratched vigorously at the insane tangle of hair on his head. “Um, yeah,” he said groggily, blinking against the light. “Where am I?”
“You’re in Joshua’s suite,” Amanda said. “Natasha and Toby must have left you here.”
Ashley gave her a vacant look. “Oh yeah,” he said at length. “Natasha. Cool.”
Amanda sighed. She was in no mood for this. “I think you’d better be going,” she said gently. “You’re getting married in a couple of hours.”
Judging by his expression, this sounded like breaking news to Ashley. He nodded slowly and then curled up to go back to sleep. Amanda went and made him some coffee and waffles and called down to reception to ask someone to escort him back to his suite. In the meantime, Joshua still had not surfaced. Taking advantage of his absence, Amanda dressed quickly and left the suite to look for Rebecca.
* * *
She found Rebecca in one of the airy breakfast rooms, and the manageress could tell straight away that something wasn’t right. The breakfast room was not very busy, and they sat down in a corner table so Amanda could unload her burden.
“Things are not working out between me and Joshua,” Amanda said when Rebecca had fixed them both a coffee. “I want to leave the island, as soon as possible. Today, even. Do you think you could arrange that?”
Rebecca nodded slowly, a serious expression on her face. “It’ll be difficult what with organising the wedding ceremony, but I can do something, I think.” She gave Amanda a searching look. “Are you sure you want to go so soon though? Can’t you two patch things up?”
“It’s not working out,” Amanda said, a catch coming into her voice. “I don’t know. I just don’t understand him.”
Rebecca nodded sympathetically. “Joshua is . . . complicated, to put it mildly, but he has a good heart. You mean a lot to him, I could tell straight away.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” Amanda retorted bitterly, wiping away the tear that had trickled down her cheek. “I just wish he’d show me how much he cares, rather than just messing with my feelings.”
“Give him time,” Rebecca urged. “You just need to be patient.”
Amanda smiled, and was almost tempted to confide in her but hadn’t the energy to go into all the gory details of how this crazy situation came about. Besides, if Rebecca found out the truth, she might think Amanda was just some kind of mercenary gold digger and turn on her. The last thing she wanted was to jeopardise their fledging friendship.
“You like Joshua a lot don’t you?” she observed. “He said that he helped out your dad.”
Rebecca nodded. “He did more than that. He saved this whole island.”
Amanda gave him a surprised look. “What?”
“Maho wasn’t always the tranquil paradise it is today,” Rebecca explained. “Before we became a democracy, we were controlled by a military junta. A man called Colonel Feta ran this island like a prison camp.
People lived in fear of being arrested and tortured, and unless they were part of the ruling elite, they lived in utter poverty. I grew up in the slums, and my father tried to change things. He was a political activist, and appealed to the West for help, but they would do nothing.
Maho has a lot of valuable minerals and Feta had done a deal with some pretty powerful mining companies, so neither the US nor the UN would touch him. The Colonel had my father arrested and he was left to rot in a political prison camp in the interior of the island. I’d given up all hope of ever seeing him again, until Joshua came along.”
“What did he do?” asked Amanda, completely engrossed by the woman’s story.
“Joshua had met my father when he was in America, and he made such an impression on Joshua that he tried to persuade Mr. Tarran Senior to try and do something. Joshua’s dad was reluctant to interfere because Feta had strong connections inside Congress, but when he died and Joshua took over the business, he was determined to oust the junta.
He used his wealth and influence to find and rescue my father, and then engineered a popular uprising amongst the people. Joshua and a number of pro-democracy groups from the US took joined in the protests a
nd the Colonel feared political reprisals if Joshua or any other American was killed on Maho soil.
Luckily nobody was hurt, and Joshua negotiated a deal with the junta. They were allowed to leave the island without being harmed and Joshua ensured they were financially provided for. When they were gone, democratic elections were held and my father was elected president. Joshua was hailed as a national hero.”
“Amazing,” said Amanda in awe. “I never heard about any of this in the news though?”
Rebecca nodded sagely. “The government kept a lid on it for fear of the potential scandal, and that suited Joshua just fine. He invested in rebuilding Maho’s infrastructure and making it into a billionaire’s hideaway by constructing the Shere Khan.
He cleared away the slums and provided everyone with proper housing and high quality education and healthcare. Most people work here or at the businesses in the nearby towns and everyone has a decent standard of living. He also created a conservation area for the wildlife. Things are so much better, and it’s all thanks to Joshua.”
Amanda sat back in her chair, unable to deny her deep respect for the man. “I had no idea.”
“Stay around, and you’ll find out a lot more,” Rebecca said gently, giving Amanda’s hand a squeeze. “Just give him time. You won’t regret it, I promise.”
Amanda decided to stay, but only until the wedding was over. She owed Joshua that much at least. Even though Rebecca’s story had touched her greatly, and she now saw Joshua in a fresh light. This revelation though did not change the current situation.
She couldn’t be around the guy without him driving her crazy. His touch, his charm, his looks were a lethal combination, and she was powerless to resist. If he hadn’t pulled away from her last night, she would have given herself to him without hesitation.
The power he had over her both frightened and excited her. He could make her do anything, and he seemed intent to play with her until he got bored. Then he could discard her like a broken doll. She thought about sweet, drug addled Ashley, and dreaded what would become of him in Natasha’s clutches. She refused to suffer the same fate with Joshua.
Romance: The Tiger's Hired Mate: BBW Tiger Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 2) Page 5
