by Nina Blake
Stunned by the vision in front of him, Conrad was amazed that words could come out of his mouth.
He’d told the staff to make sure the bathroom was stocked with toiletries and whatever else a woman would require but he’d expected her to come out in a large shapeless towelling gown. He was sure that was all he’d seen in the bathrooms the last time he’d been here.
Instead Bree looked sumptuous in an ivory satin gown with a matching sash. The gown hung from her petite shoulders, following the contours of her breasts, their gentle sway accentuated by the shine of the satin.
Having just come out of a hot shower into the humid tropical air of the room, there was no way she could be cold yet there was no denying what he saw, her nipples clearly protruding through the gown.
The sash clinched her slender waist while the robe slipped over the curve of her hips, falling full length down to the ground. Yet having so much of her body covered only made her more alluring. The soft satin slipped over her thighs, clinging to them as she glided closer to him, her painted pink toes reaching towards him.
His eyes slowly travelled the length of her legs and back over the curve of her waist and he was painfully aware that beneath the gown she was naked.
Magnificently, wonderfully naked.
One little tug on the sash and the gown would be easily parted, her most intimate secrets exposed. Then he had only to slide it from her shoulders and it would slip down into a pool at her legs.
His erection strained against his pants. He was fully clothed but Bree was one step away from being completely naked.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this way. Not with Sophie. At least he didn’t think so. They’d gone out for a couple of years and had even become engaged though that’d been more her idea than his. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking. Had she driven him wild like this while standing fully covered before him? Never.
As if to snap him out of his reverie, Bree planted her hands on her hips.
“Do you always stare at women like this?” she said.
She was too much. She’d pushed her chest out as if to assert herself but that sash wasn’t tied as tightly as she thought and the sides of the gown parted to better reveal her cleavage.
He saw the swell of her bosoms, saw the little hollow between her breasts and thought he would explode.
He spread his hands. “If you come out of the bathroom looking like that, of course I’m going to look at you. Where else would you like me to look?”
Bree extended one arm to the window, her breasts swaying with the motion. “There’s one heck of a view out here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“But the view in here is taking all my attention.”
“Well now that you’ve had such a good long look, perhaps you can look elsewhere.”
“But there’s so much more I haven’t seen.”
How would she respond? Would she play this little flirting game with him?
She sauntered to the window and Conrad was all too aware of the distance she was putting between them.
“Very soon all this will be yours,” she said over her shoulder. “The Residence, the land, the views. You will own it all. But not everything can be bought.”
“You might be surprised at what’s for sale.”
Bree turned and shot him a look which smouldered with something other than desire and, damn it, she was enjoying every moment. Confident and self-assured, she knew he wanted her. She’d let him look but she wouldn’t let him touch the goods on display until she was ready. If she was ready.
She walked slowly towards him, her eyes riveted to his. “You’re a very rich man, Conrad, and there’s a lot you can buy with your money but you can’t have everything.”
“Can’t I?”
“The problem with having so much money is that you always want more. There’s always something else you want. Another painting to buy. Another piece of property. But at some point it has to stop.”
“You don’t know me very well, Bree. I can’t think of anything I’ve wanted that I haven’t been able to have. It’s just that some things cost more or they’re more work or they’re just that little bit harder to get.”
Ignoring him, she stepped closer to the fruit platter he’d placed on the coffee table.
“Strawberries,” she whispered.
As she leaned over to make her selection, her fingers hovered over the melons and exotic fruits. Her gown gaped, exposing the fine flesh he longed to ravish. Her breasts hung down like soft ripe fruit and Conrad wanted to peel away her gown and devour that firm white flesh. He could clearly see one nipple, erect as though reaching out to something though not towards him.
This was painful for him. His eyes were wide open but still he couldn’t get his fill.
Then she reached for a strawberry and straightened, the gown once again covering her as she did so.
Tilting her head upwards, she took a long greedy bite, sucking in the sweetness of the fruit, her enjoyment showing in her face.
“Do you like strawberries?” she asked.
He stepped closer and looked down at her, his lips parted. She hesitated as though considering feeding him the remainder of the fruit in her hand but then slid the berry into her own mouth as if she’d thought better of it.
He held her gaze. “I like them very much.”
She shot him a quick smile as she bent over the fruit platter to grab another strawberry. Stepping closer to him, she reached up and popped the fragrant fruit between his lips. The sweetness exploded in his mouth. He ate slowly, determined to savour everything that was on offer.
Bree’s lips had curled to a seductive smile, or was it a superior one? She had him eating out of her hand, quite literally, and she knew it.
He inched closer and although she didn’t move away, she held her ground.
She’d already told him there were some things that couldn’t be bought with his money. Yet she was putting the goods on display and he couldn’t bear to be so close to what he yearned for without touching it.
Her lips were parted, her smile sultry as she looked at him through lowered lids. Was it possible he was misreading the signals? He didn’t care.
They may be playing by her rules, but he would make the next play.
He tilted his head down to hers, certain she was reaching up to him. His mouth slipped down over the pale skin of her throat as he trailed little kisses along the bare flesh.
Abandoning her neck, he lifted his head and lowered his gaze to the satin ivory gown which was failing so dismally in its efforts to cover her allure.
His fingers skimmed the satin neckline, slipping down towards the hollow between her breasts before he cupped the soft fullness of one breast in his hand, the smooth satin a poor barrier between his hand and the bare skin he wanted to ravish. He massaged the generous flesh, then gently tweaked the already erect nipple.
Bree tilted her head back and sighed, her full lips still parted, her eyelids lowered, desire smouldering in every feature.
Holding her gaze, he pushed the gown aside and his eyes slid down to admire the smooth curve of her bosom, now fully exposed. A soft cry escaped her lips but she didn’t push him away.
She tilted her head back and beckoned him with her eyes. Those eyes which had spurned him before now begged him soundlessly to take her.
Hot sexual yearning burned through his body. Surely she must feel the same.
Slowly he slid his hand over to her other shoulder, knowing how easily the smooth satin would slip off her fine, smooth skin.
Would she let him undo the sash and watch the gown fall completely from her body?
She’d already told him she wasn’t for sale yet she was allowing him to admire the goods, to touch them. She was telling him she wanted him.
“You see, everything has its price,” he said softly.
Suddenly her eyes burned not with desire but with anger. “No, Conrad. Not everything has a price.”
“I didn’
t mean that you were for sale.”
She pulled the gown across her chest and folded her arms. “I don’t care what you meant. Please leave. I’d like to rest now.”
“I know you must be tired but I don’t want you to misunderstand.”
“I understand better than you think. It’s been a tiring trip and I need some time to myself.”
Conrad took a step back and nodded before turning to leave the room.
He’d assumed too much. Insulted her.
He didn’t blame her.
* * *
Bree lay on the crisp white sheets of the king size bed, knowing sleep was useless. She looked at the clock on the ornate carved Balinese bedside table. It was after one. It’d be a long night if she didn’t get any sleep.
She’d long ago turned off the air conditioning, preferring the tropical air of Il Bosco to the sterile artificiality of climate control. She’d opened the French doors leading to the balcony which hung over the Chelsea River but there wasn’t even the hint of a breeze. Tonight there would be no respite.
Pressing her eyes closed, she tried to force herself to sleep though she knew it’d be useless.
It had been a dreadful evening. Conrad had tried to pursue some polite conversation over dinner and although she’d been thankful there were several other guests at the table with them, she hadn’t felt like being sociable, retiring early to her room.
Then again perhaps Conrad had done her a favour by telling her everything had its price. He’d made her feel like a piece of meat, a commodity, something that could be purchased. And in doing that, he’d probably saved her from the mistake of sleeping with him.
Because that was exactly what had been about to happen.
After finding out about Trevor and his engagement, she’d decided to do as she pleased on this trip. Decided to take whatever was on offer.
It was nothing to do with Olivia or winning the Eden Enterprises account. And it wasn’t an act of revenge against Trevor. In the most painful way possible, he’d shown her he’d moved on and wasn’t looking back. It was time for her to do the same.
Conrad Savage was everything a woman would want in a man. Rich, good looking, successful, sophisticated. Or so she’d thought.
Until he’d so coldly told her everything had its price.
Bree sat up in bed and dangled her legs over the edge. She’d been right in the first place. Conrad might be several steps up from Trevor Daniels but basically they lived in the same world and had the same values and that kind of man was not for her.
No, she needed someone more like herself. She had a career and a well paying, well respected job but she was more grounded than the likes of Conrad and Trevor. You didn’t get to be that wealthy without treading on people and compromising your integrity – two things Bree would never do.
She was never going to get to sleep at this rate. Perhaps a short walk would help relax her. Sliding off the bed, she looked down at the candy striped shorts hanging from her hips and hot pink singlet she wore as her bed time attire.
There was no point getting that satin gown which had done such a poor job of covering her earlier on. Anyway, no one else would still be up at this time of night.
She stuck her head out of the door to confirm what she’d thought. The lounge area was empty, lit only by a couple of lamps, and the concierge’s desk was unattended. Everyone was asleep. Everyone except her.
An odd sound cut through the quiet of the sultry night air. A rustling or swishing sound. Like gentle waves, perhaps. Turning towards the doors leading to the patio, Bree noticed one of the sliding doors had been left slightly open, the sounds from outside flowing into the room easily.
Curious, she stepped towards the glass door. They were so far from anywhere that she wasn’t concerned about the possibility of burglars or vagrants. This wasn’t Sydney. Yet who else would still be up at this time of night?
She slid through the small opening, her eyes caught by movement at the far end of the swimming pool. The pool lights were on and there was a full moon so she could clearly see a man walking around the pool.
Was it footsteps she’d heard or the sound of lapping water? She wasn’t sure.
The man stopped and turned towards her, and instinctively she ducked down behind a pot plant. She’d recognised Conrad immediately and didn’t want to get caught spotting him like a peeping tom.
She could have called out to him or simply slipped back inside her room but she was drawn. There was something about the solitary figure in the pale moonlight which enraptured her. She couldn’t have made herself leave even if she’d wanted to.
Conrad’s hair was shiny and wet so he must already have been in for a swim. Bree’s eyes were glued to his manly physique as he walked around from the far end of the pool.
His shoulders were broad and muscular, as was his chest, before his torso tapered down to his slim waist and hips. His chest bare, it was impossible even for the dim light to diminish his power and strength.
He was all man.
She couldn’t help but notice the confidence of his stride, his certainty. She’d thought him arrogant but now he appeared assertive rather than conceited.
Her eyes were glued to his masculine form as he stopped, his back to her. The moonlight fell on him in such a way that she could see the outline of the muscles on his back and the lateral muscles down the side of his body.
Dropping her eyes down lower, her lips parted. She hadn’t realised this was a midnight skinny dip and Conrad was completely naked.
Bree couldn’t help but stare at the tightest, sexiest butt she’d ever seen. His buttocks clenched slightly as he moved, reminding her this wasn’t a Michelangelo statue. This was a living, breathing man.
He raised his arms. The muscles of his back, bottom and legs elongated before he dived into the pool with the quiet swish of a well-practiced swimmer.
Bree stood from behind her hiding spot but tripped on the door mat. As she hopped through the narrow opening of the sliding door, she glanced towards the pool to see Conrad had turned in her direction.
Had he seen her? She hoped not.
Chapter four
“You handle the four wheel drive well,” Bree said.
She was trying to leave last night behind her, trying to forget about their argument but it kept coming back to her, as did the vision of Conrad naked by the pool. It was amazing she’d managed to get any sleep at all after that.
He hadn’t mentioned anything about his midnight swim and she certainly wasn’t going to bring the subject up.
Last night was over and today she was back in public relations mode. Conrad had brought her up to Il Bosco to show her the property, or at least part of it, as it was impossible to see all of the million acres. She couldn’t let herself forget she was here on business.
Conrad glanced at her, his gaze returning to the gravel road ahead of them. “You sound surprised.”
“I had you pegged as more of a city guy.”
“I’m Sydney born and bred and I don’t plan on living anywhere else. There’s still something about this part of the world that grabs me. This country is beautiful and rugged but it can also be extremely unforgiving. You have to know how to take care of yourself up here.”
“Is that why you’re buying Il Bosco?”
Conrad grinned. “Il Bosco is a challenge. It needs a lot of work, needs to be better developed and promoted and at the same time it needs to be protected and looked after.”
“You like the challenge?”
“I don’t like to do what’s expected of me but I’m no fool. I’m buying Il Bosco out of love for the land and because I know it’ll be a successful business proposition.”
She shrugged. “I guess it’s another excuse to travel up here more often if that’s what you want to do.”
Her tone was light hearted as she’d already decided to make an effort to be pleasant today. Nevertheless, she considered his words carefully.
Conrad didn’t like to d
o what was expected of him. Perhaps he was just doing as he pleased or maybe there was a deeper reason. She recalled reading on the Eden Enterprises website that Conrad had taken over the company ten years ago after his father’s death.
“Is this what you’ve always wanted to do?” she asked. “I don’t mean the travel. I mean running a large business.”
It was a few moments before he answered. “It wasn’t at first. I was only twenty-four when my father died and that’s a heck of a lot of responsibility for a young man but it’s different now. I’m comfortable with it. It’s what I do.”
“Didn’t you have any other family to help out?”
“My family were supportive but I was the only one up for the job. My mother had never shown much interest in the company and she was finally at a stage in her life where she could enjoy herself now the kids were off her hands. I have an older brother, James, an architect. All he ever wanted to do was design buildings. He was married and his wife was pregnant with their first child and basically he put his own family first. He didn’t want the stress.”
“Do you mean he shrugged off his responsibility?”
“Not at all. Actually I admire him for it. He knew what he wanted and stuck to his guns. His firm does most of the design work for Eden so it’s worked out well.”
“And you were expected to run the company?”
Conrad let out a short laugh. “I’m good at it. That certainly helps. But I’ve paid my dues and now I’m doing what I want. Like spending more time up here. Did I tell you about dinner tonight?”
“No, is something special happening?”
“I’ve ordered in some caterers to cook up a four course dinner for the guests at The Residence tonight. We’ll all be dining together.”
It appeared he, too, was making an effort to be pleasant. That should make things run more smoothly.
Moments later, the Landcruiser turned off the gravel road onto a dirt one and they pulled up near a tourist sign announcing their arrival at Zebra Springs.
Bree jumped out of the four wheel drive. There was the familiar red dust of the area, the Australian gum trees with which she’d grown up, but here they were mixed with palms and ferns, reminding her they were in the far north, not far from the Equator.
