Island Conquest

by Brooke Hastings

  "Then I suggest you go down and explain that to Daniel," Michi said. "And try not to antagonize him. He's so used to having you disregard his wishes that perhaps it's understandable that he should think the worst."

  The manager smiled sympathetically and left the pool area. Lani decided to follow her advice. She wanted Daniel to know that he could trust her, so she dropped Brian off at the house and drove into Honolulu, intent on explaining what had happened.

  The twelve-story office building housing Prescott & Thomas, Inc. was almost deserted when Lani walked in, a uniformed guard the only person in the lobby. "Would you be Miss Douglas?" he asked. Lani nodded, and was directed to the eleventh floor. "Mr. Reid's office is to your right. You can't miss it."

  A wall of glass greeted her as she stepped from the elevator; the words "Recreation Division" were spelled out in gold lettering to the left of a set of double doors. No beautiful young woman graced the sleek reception desk, and the hum of the central air conditioning was the only noise to be heard. Lani searched for a suitably important-looking door, locating a carved wooden pair at the end of a short corridor. The office carried no identifying sign, but the right-hand door was slightly ajar.

  Her sandals made no sound as she walked over the thick carpet that lined the hallway. She peeked inside; Daniel was sitting with his feet propped up on a Victorian mahogany desk, sprawled back into a leather chair. His eyes were closed as he murmured into the mouthpiece of a beige telephone, the modern instrument looking totally incongruous in the antique-furnished office.

  Lani slipped inside and took several steps forward, catching the words, "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm out of circulation." Daniel's face wore a lazy smile. Then, the conversation concluded, he opened his eyes, reached out to hang up the phone—and spotted Lani, directly in front of his desk.

  His gray eyes iced over as he swung his feet to the floor and stood up, pointing to a spot about three feet away. "Come… over… here," he ordered, the words punctuated by brief, intimidating pauses.

  Let him get the tirade out of his system, Lani told herself tensely. Daniel was obviously in no mood to listen to explanations, no matter how reasonable. She approached the designated patch of carpet with resignation, dismayed to find that her hands were trembling although she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

  "Who do you work for?" he demanded, the measured tone only underscoring his anger.

  Lani contained the urge to throw herself at Daniel's feet, cringing with repentance as she answered with a sob, "I work for you, O most revered Lord of the Island." Instead she limited herself to a stoic, "The Maunalua Bay Hotel."

  "Which is owned by?"

  "Prescott & Thomas." Hurt mingled with annoyance. Why was he acting this way? He had no right to make her stand at attention while he cross-examined her like an errant schoolgirl. She wasn't eighteen anymore!

  "And which division administers our hotel business?" he continued in a cold voice.

  "The Recreation Division," Lani snapped, well and truly aroused now. And Daniel accused her of jumping to conclusions!

  "And who directs that division?"

  "You do!" she exploded, "and if you would listen to me…"

  "Which makes me your boss," he interrupted harshly, "and when I tell you to do something—or not to do it—you'll damn well obey me. We don't pay you to lounge around the swimming pool with a pair of six year olds!"

  It was the perfect opening for Lani to ask, "Not even if the customer requests it?" But she was much too upset, able only to scream, "Then keep your lousy paycheck!" before turning on her heel and storming out of his office.

  "You're not going anywhere!" The angry words assaulted her ears at the same moment that Daniel seized her from behind, his hands clamping themselves around her upper arms with very little gentleness.

  Lani's instinctive struggles were short-lived. After a moment her head drooped down, her eyes brimming with tears. "Please, Daniel," she said hoarsely, "you're hurting me."

  "Auwe!" The Hawaiian exclamation meant Ouch! or Alas! but Lani had no time to consider Daniel's apparent change of mood. He had taken a step forward, so that his body was pressed against her back. He snaked his left arm around her body, until it came to rest on her right shoulder, his forearm pressing lightly against her throat.

  While his lips nibbled down the side of her neck, his right hand tugged at the zip front of her cover-up, pulling it down to her navel to allow him access to the softness underneath.

  Lani was so shocked that movement and speech seemed impossible. In the past, Daniel had acted seductively or made provocative comments, but he had never actually touched her, not like this. She felt her breasts swell and harden, the nipples like little pebbles even before he slid his hand inside her bikini top.

  "Relax, princess." His breath warmed her ear as his teeth teased the lobe. His left arm dropped from her shoulder to her hip, pulling her intimately against his body, and she could feel his insistent masculinity as he molded her against his hard, lean length.

  Lani was aware of her heart pounding out of control, of her uneven, labored breathing, of the tingling weakness that made her want to melt against Daniel's body. But how could she? She was terribly in love with Daniel, but he had no such feelings for her. She hadn't meant to provoke him—somehow both of them had simply exploded—and now he was kissing her in anger, just like he had seven years ago. Only this time, she feared, the lesson would end on his office couch.

  Torn by conflicting feelings, Lani allowed herself to be touched and caressed, her only response a frightened quivering. Then Daniel slipped his hand down to her stomach, gently stroking the bare skin, and so alarming her that her trancelike state dissolved into whispered pleading. "Please, Daniel. Don't…" She was horrified when several tears escaped her eyes.

  He slowly released her, backing away to permit her to pull up the zipper of her cover-up and regain her composure. She started violently when, only moments later, he again placed his hands on her arms, turning her around to face him.

  "You aren't leaving yet," he stated with grim determination. "Not until I get some response from you."

  He lowered his head again, his mouth touching her unresisting lips, stroking them seductively, then lifting, only to descend and repeat the operation a second time… a third… a fourth. Both his arms stole around her body to hold her with a possessive firmness that brooked no attempts at escape. And by now, Lani was no longer capable of escape. The coaxing, teasing insistence of his mouth, rubbing against her lips, lightly playing with them until she was aching for more, had destroyed her defenses. Her body was feverish with desire, burning every bit of resistance and common sense from her mind. Daniel opened his mouth above hers and gently urged her lips apart, his tongue carefully probing, testing its welcome.

  Somehow Lani's hands crept up to slip underneath the open jacket of his suit to hold him around the waist. His kiss deepened into a voyage of exploration, his mouth gentle but passionate in its leisurely, thorough investigations. Lani's fingers curled into fists which clutched at his back. She made no protest when he pressed her body against his own, responding to his movements with a wanton instinctiveness. She heard a low moan and realized with shock that it had come from her own throat.

  But Daniel wasn't moaning. His breathing was regular, his hands firm and steady on her hips, his mouth deliberate and controlled on her own. Lani knew relatively little about men, but thought in confusion that if Daniel were in love with her, he would surely be more passionate, more hungry. Good heavens, she was making an utter fool of herself, responding so wildly. She slid her hands from his back, intending to push him away.

  He allowed the withdrawal, releasing her as soon as he felt her resistance and then holding her away from him and gazing down at her with amusement in his gray eyes. "Much better, princess," he murmured with a smile. Lani shrugged out of his grip, her face reddening with embarrassment at how easily Daniel had overcome her objections. And now he was laughing at her.


  Daniel cocked his head toward a silk brocade-covered couch at the far end of his office. "Sit down. I'll get you a glass of wine."

  "I don't… that is… I think… it's getting late, Daniel, and Linda has dinner…" Lani wanted only to escape. She couldn't stay here alone with Daniel, let him sit down next to her on the small sofa.

  He seemed to read her mind. "I'm not going to take advantage of your willingness, princess. I'll sit in the chair and we'll talk this out." When Lani made no move to obey his command, he asked in a dry tone, "Do you walk there under your own steam, or do I carry you?"

  "I walk," Lani said. Her heart was finally beating more normally. She had the feeling that Daniel had gotten what he wanted and wouldn't touch her again.

  He handed her a glass of red wine and sat down, as promised, in an adjacent chair. It was obvious that he had no intention of discussing his behavior. "Tell me what you were doing with Brian and Noriko today," he said as he made himself comfortable. He sounded every inch the boss demanding an explanation, but his tone lacked his earlier anger and sarcasm.

  Still wary, Lani told him in a careful monotone exactly why she had disregarded his instructions.

  "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Daniel asked in exasperation. Lani felt her face heat up defensively, and was about to deliver a heartfelt protest about his propensity to declare her guilty without a trial when he held up a hand to check her. "I didn't give you much of a chance, did I?" he admitted ruefully. "I'm sorry, Lani. It's been a lousy day, and when Michi told me you were with the kids, I was in a mood to decide you'd done it on purpose. I sat here, just waiting to nail you to the floor."

  "Oh." Lani took a sip of her wine. Daniel's apology encouraged her to ask him just what he had intended to accomplish by kissing her in such an intimate, insistent fashion. She mentally phrased the question, but even thinking about the wildness of her response made her blush, and it was all she could do to repeat that it was late and Linda would be wondering what had happened to them.

  "Don't worry about it. I phoned her before you showed up. She'll keep dinner warm."

  He hadn't been talking to Linda Wong when Lani walked into the office. She remembered his words— "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm out of circulation." At the time she had been too tense to do any more than register the phrase, but now she reflected on its meaning. Apparently Daniel had been rejecting an invitation, no doubt from some alluring creature. Was he too deeply involved with Michi Hansen to see anyone else? And if so, how could he possibly justify the advances he had made to Lani? How could she continue to live in the same house with a man who could virtually seduce one woman while supposedly committed to another?

  "I think I should get my own apartment, Daniel." She glanced at him to judge his reaction. His face was bland. "I mean, I can't keep living with you," she added rather desperately.

  "Really? Why not?" Daniel was smiling as he posed these questions, and Lani's temper began to simmer. Maybe he thought the situation was funny, but she didn't!

  "After… after what just happened? You can't be serious!"

  "Very little happened," he answered smoothly. "And what did happen won't happen again, I promise you. I have no designs on your virtue, Lani. You'll be a virgin on your wedding night, believe me." He stood up. "I'm getting hungry. Let's go home."

  Lani complied, handing her glass to Daniel and walking out of the office ahead of him. She had been shattered by his lazy words and couldn't let him see her face. Perhaps to him their romantic interlude had been "very little," but to her it had been overwhelming. She remembered her fantasies about how it would feel if Daniel made love to her, and now she had her answer. If he had loved her, it would have been the most sweetly exciting experience in the world. But he didn't, and the pain of it was so excruciating that she wanted nothing other than the solitude of her room, so she could cry her heart out.

  Chapter Eight

  Lani had her solitude; she pleaded a headache and went upstairs to her room as soon as they got home. Yet somehow Daniel's immediate expression of concern seemed so genuine that once she was alone, her essentially optimistic nature reasserted itself. After all, the situation wasn't hopeless. True, Daniel didn't love her, but he wasn't making marriage proposals to Michi or anyone else either. She preferred to tell herself that the way she could get under his skin was a positive sign.

  She was playing tennis with Brian late Friday afternoon when Linda came outside to fetch her into the house for a telephone call. "His name is Robert Bradley. Would that be the Robert Bradley?"

  It took a moment for Lani to remember why he was calling. "Yes," she said, and explained to the wide-eyed Linda about the circumstances surrounding the purchase of her car.

  Lani wasn't particularly eager to keep their dinner date, but she knew she would need some diversion if she wasn't to succumb to brooding and tears. It would be foolish to sit home alone Saturday night, miserably jealous because Daniel was off enjoying himself with Michi Hansen. She tried to make her voice enthusiastic as she said hello.

  "I'm looking forward to meeting you." Robert Bradley's voice was deep and pleasant as he made the conventional reply. "Daniel called me a little while ago to inform me that it was going to be a double date. I don't think he trusts me alone with you."

  That little piece of information caused Lani to flush with embarrassment. Daniel had always suspected her of being wanton, and her passionate response on Thursday afternoon must have convinced him how right he was. "It's me he doesn't trust," she blurted out, then bit her lip in regret.

  The comment was greeted by laughter. "If you mean that he thinks you're a babe-in-the-woods, you're right. He made a point of reminding me that you're only twenty-two years old. So let me reassure you. I have a fifteen-year-old daughter, Lani. The car is a birthday present for her. I also have a seventeen-year-old son. I'm well aware that you're too young for me."

  "Then why take me out to dinner?" The question slipped out before Lani could prevent it.

  There was another chuckle. "Mostly to annoy my friend Daniel. Rumor has it that he's pretty protective of you. I hear he almost shipped his cousin Tommy to one of the neighbor islands just to keep him away from you."

  Lani smiled for the first time since the previous afternoon. Perhaps a double date wouldn't be so unbearable after all, given the fact that Robert Bradley seemed intent on needling her stepbrother. Daniel couldn't quash an equal as easily as he could Tommy or herself. And he really was an unforgivable hypocrite to insist that other men keep their distance from her when he had done the exact opposite himself—even if his reason had nothing to do with unslakable passion for her.

  "Tommy's always been a perfect gentleman," she replied lightly. "Are we meeting you somewhere tomorrow?"

  "Michi and I are driving over to your house for cocktails. We're taking Daniel's car to the restaurant. See you tomorrow night, Lani."

  "Yes. And thank you for calling." Her farewell was somewhat distant. How could she have overlooked the fact that Daniel would be with Michi tomorrow? She would have to sit at the same table with him for hours, watching him shower another woman with love and attention. Suddenly, she dreaded the entire evening.

  It might have been easier if she felt even the slightest disdain or dislike for Michi, but she didn't. Michi was unfailingly warm and friendly to her, increasingly so as they got to know each other better. Obviously she was determined to have a good relationship with her future sister-in-law, Lani thought dejectedly.

  As she dressed for her date with Rob the next evening, Lani found herself wishing that it was Sunday afternoon, that she was donning her beautiful new gown in preparation for the wedding of Everett Thomas III. If only the evening were over with! For the past two days she had managed to pretend that Daniel's passionate embrace of the previous Thursday had never happened. She had seen him only at meals, where he directed most of his attention toward Brian. When he deigned to notice Lani he treated her exactly like a kid sister, and she affected a cool nonch
alance in return. But she doubted her ability to keep up the facade for an entire evening.

  She did not come downstairs until she heard the doorbell ring. When she walked into the living room, Robert Bradley was standing side-by-side with Michi Hansen. His gray-streaked hair and patrician features reminded Lani of an older version of Daniel; Michi, glamorous as always in an apricot-colored silk suit and coordinated blouse, smiled at Lani and complimented her on her outfit. Lani knew she looked attractive in the lemon yellow front-slitted skirt and lemon and white blouse she wore, but the knowledge did nothing to brighten her mood.

  Daniel introduced her to Robert Bradley, who immediately draped an arm over her shoulder and led her to the bar. He poured her some sherry, obviously completely at home in his friend's house. Then Linda brought in some Chinese-style hors d'oeuvres and everyone talked shop—the tourist trade—for the next half-hour.

  The restaurant was located in one of Robert Brad-ley's hotels. The two men commandeered the front seat of the Mercedes to talk over a business deal, consigning Lani and Michi to the back. As the evening proceeded, Rob became increasingly attentive, leaning over to talk to Lani in a sensuously soft voice, covering her hand with his own, directing numerous charming smiles her way. If Daniel objected, he gave no indication of it. He seemed far too interested in Michi to notice, and Lani, trying to hide her jealousy, responded to Rob's playacting with far more enthusiasm than she otherwise would have.

  She had little appetite for the food, which was excellent, although not, Daniel insisted, on a par with the Maunalua Bay's Koolau Room. "You're right," Rob agreed with a lazy smile. "My chef's not on a par with yours… he's better."

  The conversation often devolved into such friendly games of one-upmanship, but the competitiveness of the two men didn't prevent them from being business partners as well as close friends. The two companies were holding preliminary discussions concerning a joint development venture on Kauai.