Dane

by AC Arthur

  “Emmet was a means to an end. An assignment I needed to complete,” she said hoping the latter would make up for how the first explanation may have sounded. “I was there at his party that night to do a job.”

  Dane shook his head. “What type of job has you posing as another man’s woman? What type of job puts you in that man’s bed at night?”

  “I was not in his bed at night,” she countered.

  “No,” Dane said with a slight nod. “You were in mine.”

  A waitress brought them glasses of water. Zera sat back in her chair and Dane ordered for himself. On a nod from her, he requested the same meal for her.

  “This is not how I envisioned this conversation going,” she said after a few moments.

  “I never envisioned this conversation,” he stated evenly.

  Zera gritted her teeth. She’d known this wasn’t going to be easy. She hadn’t guessed that Dane’s clipped and accusatory tone would be so painful.

  “Emmet is dead,” he said before she could think of how she wanted to approach the rest of the conversation. “You said so yourself and last night I tried calling the numbers I’d had for him and even called the company he’d mentioned freelancing for the last time I’d seen him, but he was nowhere to be found. So I guess that’s it.”

  “You didn’t believe me?”

  He ignored her question.

  “We went to college together, but we weren’t the best of friends. I don’t subscribe to personal relationships of that sort. You did your thing and I did mine. So let’s just end it there.”

  She flattened her hands on the table and stared at him. “But I have more to say.”

  “If it’s on the same subject, save it. You don’t owe me any explanations. I shouldn’t have asked that question last night. From this moment on I don’t give a damn what other man you’ve been with. Let’s just enjoy our late lunch and move on.”

  It sounded like a command and Zera did not like that. She’d been trained to take orders, and normally, she did so without too much qualm. But this time she felt like she should push back a little more. She should fight to say the words, only what words was she going to say? When she’d decided to come here she’d known that she wouldn’t be able to tell Dane the full truth. She’d planned to adjust her story so that it still contained her main theme—that she would never in a million years have voluntarily chosen Emmet over Dane. Now, he was telling her that none of that was necessary. If Zera knew what was best for her, she would take that and run with it.

  Zera didn’t count herself a fool.

  “I could eat a late lunch,” she said.

  “Fine,” Dane replied.

  Dane was through with secrets being revealed. He was tired of things from the past coming back to bite a person in the ass. And the very last thing he wanted to hear or think about was Zera being with Emmet, regardless of the reason. He just did not want to know.

  They enjoyed the chicken pad thai and the scenery and basically ate in silence. There were things Dane had planned to do today, but this morning’s emergency conference call with representatives from his San Francisco office had altered his schedule. The fact that at the time, it was close to midnight in California, Dane had known the call was urgent and so had not argued too much about taking it. Hours later the issue had been settled and he was able to finally shower and get ready for the day. Thoughts of Zera had ceased at that point.

  He hadn’t dreamed about her, but then, Dane rarely dreamed. He had never been one to dream, or at least he’d never recalled said dreams when he woke in the morning. That could have been considered a good thing since, as it turned out, his life had been pretty eventful so far. But he had sat at that table near the window in his room where he’d stood last night talking to Bernard, and thought about the woman who was now sitting across from him.

  Today she looked refreshed and prettier than ever. Her high cheekbones and pert lips just a part of her overall allure. She’d left her hair out again today, but this time had added a little curl to the even-cut strands. Jeans fit her long slender legs perfectly, while the breezy material of her sleeveless lavender blouse crisscrossed over medium-size breasts. She wore no rings on her fingers and only a chocolate-colored leather bracelet on her right wrist.

  “Are you here for business or pleasure?”

  Her voice snatched Dane from his thoughts and he sipped on the last of the beer he’d ordered before replying.

  “A little of both,” he told her.

  “Tell me about your business,” she said.

  He frowned. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because I’m tired of sitting at this table in uncomfortable silence,” she replied.

  When he only stared at her she hunched her shoulders for a look that was both innocent and sexy at the same time. Dane cleared his throat and used a napkin to wipe his mouth one last time.

  “I am starting a new business venture. Preliminary meetings have taken place long distance so far and now it is time to put things into motion. For that, I needed to be here,” he said.

  “Oh, so you’ll now have a division of your company here in Paris?”

  What did she know about his company, Dane wondered. When he had been here before, that was not something they talked about. In fact, they hadn’t talked much about anything the other was involved in—whether business or pleasure—when they’d been together before. They’d only talked about the moment, the surprise, and delight of it all.

  “In a way. It’s more like a new partnership with…my cousins,” he said after a slight hesitation. Dane still wasn’t used to claiming all this family he now had.

  Zera folded her arms and rested them on the table in front of her. She leaned in a little close as she nodded. “In what area of business?”

  “Energy conservation,” he said and smiled up at the waitress who set the black folder with their check on the edge of the table beside him.

  Zera reached into her pocket. “Let me get my wallet,” she was saying.

  Dane had already pulled his from his back pant pocket and was tucking his credit card into the folder.

  “Put your money away,” he said with slight irritation.

  Did she really think he would make her pay for her food?

  “This is not a date,” she quickly countered.

  “It is not,” he agreed. “But I think I can pay a lunch tab after you went to all the trouble to find me.”

  She slipped her small wallet back into her pocket and tilted her head as she stared at him. “It was no trouble.”

  He raised a brow. “I didn’t tell you which hotel I was staying in, so you had to figure that out somehow.”

  “I have friends in the hospitality industry here in the city. It was just a matter of making a few phone calls,” she replied.

  Dane wasn’t so sure he liked knowing he could be found in just a few phone calls. Then again, it wasn’t as if he was on some secret mission. Nor was he hiding from anyone, so he dismissed the issue.

  “Nevertheless, I can pay for your meal. Next time, however, it’ll be your treat.”

  He had no idea why he’d said that last part. Was there even going to be a next time? Seeing Zera last night was a surprise, hearing her call his name a little while ago, another shock. But would they see each other again? No.

  “Sure,” she replied quickly. “How about breakfast tomorrow? I recall you have a fondness for French pastries.”

  She recalled? Dane did not want to think of the things she recalled about their time together. He didn’t want to admit that his memory of those days and nights were also crystal clear in his mind.

  “I have meetings all morning and into the afternoon tomorrow.”

  Was that disappointment he saw quickly flash over her face?

  “That’s fine. If you have a moment to do some sightseeing before you leave, let me know. I mean, since we have cleared the air between us, there is no reason why I cannot play tour guide for you.”

  None e
xcept every second that he was near her was like a sweet type of torture. The kind that a man could be truly enticed by because he knew the end game would be worth it. Dane did not have time for torture of any kind. Especially not by way of a female relationship.

  “How about dinner? I can pick you up at seven,” he said, again shocking himself.

  She smiled and Dane’s shock withered away, to be replaced by warmth that spread quickly throughout his body. She had a brilliant smile that showcased straight white teeth and touched her eyes with just a hint of light.

  “That sounds fantastic,” she replied. “Dinner tomorrow at seven.”

  Yes, Dane thought. He was going to have dinner with Zera and then that would be it. He would continue his trip, handle his business and return to the States inside the two-week window which he’d allotted. That would be all.

  But as they stood and walked out of the restaurant together, Dane thought differently. His gaze shifted to the sway of her hips as she walked in front of him. When they stepped outside of the hotel, a warm breeze had the scent of her perfume wafting up to his nose and filtering through his body. She extended her hand for him to shake and he thought it was the silliest thing considering all they’d been through. But it was smart, and still, the supposed casual contact only added to the brewing arousal he’d been trying valiantly to deny.

  “Tomorrow at seven, I will pick you up,” he told her and reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. “Give me your number and address.”

  Zera pulled out her phone as well. She rattled off her number and then paused.

  “I will meet you,” she said. “I have business to tend to tomorrow as well so it may be easier to just meet at a restaurant.”

  Dane raised a brow as the thought of her not wanting him to know where she lived entered his mind. It was quickly dismissed as inconsequential. There was no need for him to know. None at all.

  “I will text you once I make the reservations,” he said and then gave her his number.

  “Great,” she replied.

  “Yeah, great,” he said, and because Dane considered himself a man of action, he ignored all the bullshit he’d fed himself during their meal together.

  He stepped closer to Zera, wrapping his arm around her slim waist and pulled her hard against him. The kiss was also hard and urgent, a quick punch of need that he had to get out of his system. His lips pressed against hers, his tongue not waiting for an invite, but pushing through to tangle quickly and hotly with hers.

  It was enough, Dane told himself as he let her go and broke the kiss with no more warning than he’d given her about it in the first place. He stepped back, enjoying the look of aroused confusion on her face for only a moment, before he turned to walk away.

  He could still do that, Dane thought as he continued down the street without looking back. He could walk away from Zera Kennedy with his world intact. He’d done it before and he was glad to know he could do so again.

  Chapter 4

  Dane Donovan’s net worth was $300 million. This included $42 million in Donovan Oilwell stock he’d acquired in the last three years. So it should have been no surprise to Zera when he met her at the lot where she’d parked her car and escorted her to the dock on the Ile de la Cité. She tamped down on awe and giddiness as he stepped on board the shiny yacht and held out his hand to help her onto the deck as well. Once aboard, Dane nodded to the driver and walked them down to the lower deck.

  “Have a seat,” he said in a deep gruff voice and motioned to the white leather bench seats that stretched along one side of the vessel.

  She did and, regardless of the top-of-the-line elegant décor, kept her gaze focused on Dane. This evening he wore charcoal gray slacks, leather loafers, and a lighter gray chambray shirt. His short beard was freshly trimmed, chest broad and defined even through the material of his shirt.

  “When you asked me to dinner tonight, I didn’t think you would go to this much trouble,” she remarked as he was fixing them both a drink.

  Zera hadn’t considered they would be sharing a meal on a yacht, but she had enough experience with this particular man to know that wearing the long flowing red skirt, short-sleeved white bodysuit and red striped sandals was a good idea. Dane didn’t do anything half-assed. He dressed impeccably, whether it was a designer tuxedo or jeans and four thousand dollar tie-up shoes. And he looked great in everything. Zera especially recalled how the boxer briefs he used to wear molded over the thick cheeks of his tight ass. She’d been thinking about those boxer briefs a lot in the past three days.

  “Well, since I had to call you the other day to cancel our first dinner. Then could only manage two quick lunches with you in the last couple of days, I figured I owed you,” he said and then handed her a glass.

  Zera sipped the red wine and smiled. She’d told him that she preferred red yesterday when they’d debated what the appropriate time of day to have wine was. To her way of thinking the answer was all day, every day. Dane preferred after five. It was almost eight now and she noticed he’d fixed himself a glass of whiskey.

  “You don’t owe me anything,” she said and then took another sip from her glass. “I mean, we both have lives we’re living.”

  “True,” Dane replied and took a seat on the opposite side of the bench.

  If they weren’t alone, at least four people could fit into the space he’d left between them. Zera tried not to think too much into that. She shouldn’t be thinking too much into any of this, but that was much easier said than done.

  She finished her wine and he finished his drink.

  “Dinner will be served in twenty minutes,” he told her. “You’ll like it. I selected a few things that I recalled you enjoyed.”

  “You remembered what I liked to eat,” she said. Sometimes Zera’s candor was problematic. But it had been said, so she looked at him expecting a response.

  He stared down at his empty glass for a few moments, before standing and setting it on the bar across from them. When he turned around again, he looked at her and gave that small smile that was way too charismatic for any one man to possess.

  “While I remember our past, I’d rather stay focused on the present,” he replied.

  She nodded. “Okay. I can work with that.”

  “Can you?” he asked and then stepped closer to her.

  He knelt down in front of her and Zera’s fingers tightened on the stem of her glass.

  “I can…do anything,” she said. The flash of a scene from her childhood when her grandmother had made her recite those very words came with such potency that the glass wobbled in her hand.

  “Then you need to decide if we’re doing this,” he continued.

  Zera wished she hadn’t finished her drink. Her fingers moved over the glass. She wanted to shake, but fear was not an option. Besides, there was nothing to fear. Dane would never hurt her and whatever he was proposing obviously required a yes or no answer.

  “Are we doing what, Dane?” she asked before standing. For a second he was still on his knee in front of her, his face perfectly aligned with her center. It throbbed in response and she pressed her thighs as tightly together as she could manage without being obvious. Seconds later, Zera was moving around him. She went to the bar and refilled her glass, taking a sip before turning back to face him.

  He had moved so that he was now sitting on the bench again, his legs spread apart, hands resting on his muscled thighs.

  “Starting another affair,” he said as simply as if he’d just given her a weather report.

  Zera took another sip because the sight of him sitting there in a position that was clearly inviting her to straddle him, take him, take them both to the pleasure she’d so desperately missed, was making her throat dry.

  “I don’t do affairs anymore,” she replied finally because it was the right answer.

  In the past few days since Dane had been in Paris, Zera had thought about almost nothing but him and what they’d had four years ago. She recalled ev
ery second of those days and nights and experienced that same ache in her chest that she’d had on New Year’s Eve when she watched him walk away. It had felt so fresh and so intense that she’d vowed never to put herself in that position again. It was too much. Combined with everything else going on in her life, it was enough to push her over the brink. Zera wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “What else have you got to offer?” she asked Dane, already knowing his answer.

  Dane didn’t do forever either. He’d said as much when they were together before. Zera was banking on that position to have remained the same.

  “Just this,” he said and lifted his arms so that it appeared he was offering himself.

  Oh, that was so tempting. Having Dane Donovan again was more tempting than the thought of giving her mother her greatest wish and returning to Nairobi. Zera knew instinctively that she couldn’t afford to do either one.

  “That’s good,” she said, purposely making her voice lighter to take the sexual tension now filling the air away. “But I’ll pass.”

  She was finishing off her second glass of wine when he chuckled.

  “Okay,” he said and then shrugged. “That’s cool. I’ll be here another week and a half. Let me know if you change your mind. In the meantime, let’s have dinner.”

  “Great idea. I’m starving,” she said as she watched him stand and head back up the steps that would take them to the deck.

  She was tempted to fix herself another glass of wine. This time she would fill it to the rim and down it in one continuous gulp so that it could hit her fast and hard. Perhaps she needed to fill her glass with whiskey instead. Anything to convince herself that she was doing the right thing and that she could actually resist falling into bed with Dane again.

  Zera knew she had to resist.

  So many lives depended on her staying focused this time. And once she let Dane back into her heart, Zera knew just how vulnerable she would be. Not only was another affair with Dane Donovan not smart, this time it could prove deadly.