by Bobbi Smith
"You're sure about that?"
"Positive. The only thing I'm interested in is keeping my father happy and claiming Riverwood."
"Well, I hope this `marriage' works out the way you've got it planned."
"It will."
Nick sounded far too confident for Slater's peace of mind, and he knew he had to warn him about the one thing that might disrupt all of his carefully laid plans.
"Now, there's one last thing you need to realize about this marriage if you're going to prove anything to your father," Slater began.
"What now?"
"Fidelity. It means everything in marriage..."
His final observation conjured up immediate thoughts of Jordan and Philip, and Nick wondered if she would be able to stay away from her shipboard lover while they were carrying out this charade. He certainly hoped so. He knew he could hold up his end of the bargain, and he was counting on her to do the same.
"There should be an overriding desire to be faithful to each other no matter what," Slater finished.
"I won't have any trouble."
"What about Montgomery?"
"I've been thinking about him, and I think the best course is to tell my father that he's an accountant I've hired. There would be no reason for my father to question me on it as long as things go according to plan."
"Are you going to let him stay in the main house?"
"No. He'll be staying out in the old overseer's cabin," he answered quickly as their carriage drew to a stop before the infamous house of ill-repute.
They descended, their mood jovial. They were ready for a little relaxation and a little celebrating, and this seemed the perfect place. Their knock at the door was answered by Madame LaFleur herself, a tall, buxom, hard-looking blond of indiscriminate age, who was wearing a skin-tight, low-cut red velvet gown.
"Good evening, gentlemen," she greeted in her throaty voice as she studied them both. "Come on in.,,
She held the door wide and sized them up as they entered. She found she couldn't decide which one was the more attractive-the taller one who was darkly handsome with an electrifying presence or the one who had sun-bronzed hair, a more rugged physique, and a smile that could charm the pants off an old maid. As she eyed them, she decided it was a draw. They were both delicious and promised to liven things up considerably. Her girls were going to enjoy this.
"Ladies! We have visitors," Madame LaFleur announced.
At her direction, Nick and Slater strode from the dimly lighted, red-papered foyer with its curving staircase into the parlor, where two seductively clad young women were lounging on two overstuffed, red velvet sofas. As they caught sight of Nick and Slater, they came to their feet and rushed forth to meet them.
"Hello..." the dark-haired, curvaceous woman called Delilah drawled as she approached Nick. She slipped an arm through his to rub her full breasts against him. "My name's Delilah. What's yours?"
"Nick," he responded with a smile.
Delilah appeared to be the kind of woman who instinctively knew exactly what a man wanted and never hesitated to give it to him. The thought appealed to Nick. He was looking forward to a night of pure abandon and sexual release. As Slater had said, this would be his last chance for a long time to come, and he might as well take advantage of it. Yet even as he contemplated the heated hours to come, Nick found himself thinking about Jordan and the way she'd looked when he'd awakened her.
"Well, Nick," she said running a hand up his chest, "would you like to have a drink down here ... or go upstairs and enjoy one there?"
"Why don't we just go on upstairs now?" he agreed quickly, trying to put thoughts of his future "bride" from his mind.
"Oooh, you sound like my kind of man."
"What kind of man is that?" he asked.
"One who likes action instead of small talk. I've never been big on chitchat."
"Believe me, Delilah, talking is the last thing I feel like doing tonight."
The tall redhead named Charice came to join Slater, and he was delighted. He was standing with his arm around her talking in low tones when Nick and Delilah started from the room.
"Take good care of him, Delilah," Slater called out. He earned a black scowl from Nick when he added, "He deserves a little extra attention tonight."
"Oh? Why is that? Has he done something really special?"
"He's getting married soon."
Her amber eyes lit up at the news. The predatory female in her was pleased that she would be taking another woman's man, even if only for a little while. "Well then, I'm just going to have to show you an extra good time so you'll remember it, and me, for a long, long while." Delilah's smile was hot and avid.
"Enjoy yourself, Nick," Slater chuckled as they disappeared from the room.
Now that they were gone, Charice took the opportunity to draw Slater over to one of the sofas. "Would you like a drink, Slater? We have some wonderful brandy and some very potent bourbon."
"Bourbon sounds fine."
Slater watched in appreciation as the voluptuous beauty moved sinuously to the small bar and poured him a liberal amount. When she came back to hand it to him, she leaned forward just enough so he could get a revealing look at her cleavage. Then she sat down closely beside him and rubbed provocatively against him.
"Are you in a hurry tonight?"
"No, I've got all the time in the world," he told her and then wondered at the tinge of regret that he felt.
"Good," Charice responded huskily. She kissed: him hungrily, and he returned the embrace with equal fervor. When the kiss ended, she breathlessly cooed in Slater's ear, describing all of her very special talents to him. It was all the encouragement Slater needed. Keeping an arm around her, he stood up, holding her firmly against him with one arm and keeping the tumbler of bourbon safely balanced in the other hand.
As they made their way from the room, Slater found he was a little tense. He had come here tonight because he wanted to relax and enjoy himself. To his distress, though, thoughts of the conversation he'd had with Nick in the carriage kept haunting him, and with those thoughts came vivid memories of a woman with hair the color of midnight and skin as soft as silk.
In that moment, Slater was glad Charice was a redhead, for he needed to forget, not to be reminded. He dragged Chance against him and kissed her wildly. His embrace was passionate, almost too much so, but Charice didn't notice. She reveled in it.
Despite the desperation of his kiss, Slater found that the woman in his memories was still there, alive, deep inside of him, and he wondered if he would ever find peace without her. Francesca had been the one woman whose touch had left him burning with an unquenchable flame and whose kiss had given him the only sheer bliss he'd ever known. She had been his heaven. Her death had condemned him to hell. This beauty in his arms might satisfy the aching physical needs of his body, but there was no other woman alive who could heal the ache in his heart.
"Are you all right?" Charice asked, drawing back to see the sudden bleakness in his expression.
Slater finished off the bourbon in one swallow, then gave her a big, deceptive smile. "I'm fine," he lied, and he started up the stairs, pulling her along with him.
Nick pulled on his pants and shirt before he turned to look at Delilah. Even though he'd started out wanting to enjoy himself to the fullest, something had changed. Somewhere in the midst of the unadulterated lust he'd just shared with the willing Delilah he'd discovered a great emptiness.
Oh, Nick knew he'd performed admirably, and they had both been satisfied by the encounter. But while she wanted to continue all night long, he could only think of escaping her clinging nearness. He'd found no peace or relief in her embrace. Nick was puzzled by his reaction, and he could make little sense of it. He only knew that he felt trapped, almost stifled, and he wanted to leave.
"She must be very special," Delilah said with a bittersweet smile as she rolled to her side, posing artfully as she watched him.
"Who?" Nick asked distracted from his
disturbing thoughts.
She gave a soft, derisive laugh. "Your fiancee of course."
"Oh..." At the mention of Jordan he suddenly felt even worse.
"You must really love her."
"Why do you say that?"
Delilah gave him a knowing look. "What we just shared was wonderful, but let's face it, your heart wasn't in it. Your thoughts were somewhere else ... with someone else."
Nick had sense enough not to argue. Try as he might, he'd been unable to completely wipe Jordan's image from his thoughts.
"She's a very lucky girl to have a man like you. I hope she realizes it."
Inwardly, Nick grimaced. Instead of pleasing him, her compliments left him feeling jaded. He finished dressing quickly, tossed her money on the nightstand and headed for the door. "Good-bye, Delilah."
After the maids had gone, Jordan lost herself in the absolute glory of her first hot bath since leaving England. It was pure heaven. The water felt like liquid silk upon her body, and the perfumed soap the hotel provided was luxurious. She scrubbed every inch of her skin until it glowed and then shampooed her hair until it was squeaky clean. Jordan lay back and soaked in the tub until the water got too chilly for her to remain comfortably. Regretting that she had to get out, she vowed never again to do without a daily bath.
Jordan wrapped a fluffy towel around her slim body and then dried her hair as best she could with the extra towel they'd given her. That done, she sat on the side of the bed where she could see herself in the mirror over the washstand and worked at combing out the tangles. She had just finished when there came a soft knock at the hallway door.
"Yes? Who is it?"
"It's me, Jordan, Philip."
Jordan hurried to the door, but only opened it wide enough so she could talk to him. "I'm not dressed. Give me a few minutes to get some clothes on and I'll come down to your room."
"Why don't you just let me in?"
"Harrison told Nick that we were lovers, and he believed it, just like everyone else did on the ship. I don't want to risk him coming back early and finding you here."
Philip groaned, but did not argue the necessity of lying to Nick. "My room number is 224, the last door on the right."
"I won't be long."
Jordan tied her hair back with a single ribbon, then pulled on her clothes. With one last glance to make sure she look presentable, she hurried down the hall to join her brother.
"Come in," Philip called out when she knocked on his door.
"I made it." She was a trifle breathless as she hurried inside after taking a quick look down the vacant hall. She'd been afraid that she might come face to face with Nick on her way to see Philip. Feeling safe knowing that he wasn't back, she closed the door firmly behind her.
Philip didn't understand what was going on, and he wanted an immediate explanation. His voice was stern as he demanded, "All right, Jordan, what's going on? I don't like your staying in a room that's connected to Kane's."
"It's nothing like what you think," she offered quickly, wanting to soothe him with the truth.
"It's not what I think, it's what is. You're practically living with the man!"
"You mean my fiance, don't you?" she ventured and then waited nervously for his reaction.
"Your what?" He stared at her aghast.
"Nick wants me to marry him, and I've agreed."
"Marry him? Are you out of your mind? You don't even know him!" Philip was staggered by the idea.
"I'm hardly out of my mind," she responded evenly.
Philip couldn't imagine how she'd gotten herself into this. She had no idea what kind of man Nick was! Why on God's earth would she consent to marry him? "I won't allow you to do this."
"You can't stop me, Philip, and you won't want to once you know everything. Now, hush a minute, and give me a chance to explain."
"This had better be good," he growled, dropping down on the bed while she sat in the only chair.
"I know it sounds crazy, but this really is a godsend."
"You're so innocent, Jordan... You don't know what you're letting yourself in for!"
"Oh, yes I do."
"How can you say that when you're planning to marry a man you don't even know?"
"I am going to marry Nick, but we've already agreed that it will be a marriage in name only."
"What? What's going on?"
"I don't know all the facts yet. He's promised he'd tell me everything tomorrow. I only know that for some reason he needs to get married right away, and since he doesn't really want to get married, he has decided to buy a wife. That's why we're here." She went on to explain to him about their conversation in the warehouse. "I told him I'd do it, but only if he bought your papers, too."
"I'm sure he was pleased with that idea, especially if he thought we were lovers."
Jordan shrugged. "I don't care. All that mattered was that we be together."
Philip thought the whole thing sounded strange, but the fact that they weren't going to be parted tempered his reaction. He got up from the bed and went to kneel on one knee before her. He knew what a true innocent she was, and he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt by this arrangement of Kane's. He took her hands in his as he looked deep into her eyes. "You're sure that it's going to be a marriage in name only?"
"Quite," she assured him, going on happily, "and then, when he doesn't need to be married any longer, we're going to annul the whole thing. Then you and I will both be free."
"This is wonderful... It sounds almost too good to be true." Philip was thrilled, and he took her in his arms to give her a big hug. "It's just so good to know that we're not going to be separated."
Suddenly, without warning, the unlocked bedroom door flew open and in stalked Nick, his face a mask of disapproval.
Nick stood in the doorway, staring at Philip and Jordan. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or what he'd just overheard.
After leaving Madame LaFleurs', Nick had returned to his room at the hotel. Seeing the glow of lamplight from beneath the connecting door, he'd thought Jordan was still awake, and he decided to ask if she had everything she needed to spend a comfortable night. He knocked and waited for a response, but when none was forthcoming, he became both concerned and suspicious. Nick opened the door only to have his worst fears confirmed. Jordan was gone. He'd known immediately where he would find her.
Nick had been furious as he'd started down the hall to Montgomery's room. He'd told Jordan that he wouldn't tolerate such behavior; and yet here she was, the moment his back was turned, running off to her lover. If she couldn't respect his wishes in this matter, if she couldn't be trusted to keep her word, then there would be no point in going through with the bargain.
As Nick stared at the intimate little scene before him, he was stunned at the depth of affection and caring that was mirrored on their faces. Jordan looked almost radiantly happy in Philip's arms.
At the sight of Nick glowering at her, she quickly pushed away from Philip. Feeling guilty about being found in what looked like a compromising position, a telltale blush stained her cheeks. "Nick..." she gasped in surprise.
"I thought we had an understanding, Jordan," he said in clipped tones, his accusing gaze upon her.
"We do...it's just that..." Jordan was still in shock from his unexpected appearance, and she wasn't thinking clearly enough to make up a good lie quickly.
"I told you that this dalliance of yours could not continue. I instructed you at the start about how things were to be. Did you forget your promises to me the moment I left the hotel room?"
Philip was infuriated by Nick's insults. He surged to his feet, his hands clinched at his sides. He wanted to throttle Nick for his insolence, and only barely restrained himself.
Nick understood the threat in his action and also realized that Philip had managed to restrain himself He turned a deadly glare on the indentured servant. "Wise decision," he said coldly.
"Please..." Sensing her brother's temper was about t
o explode, Jordan moved between them, wanting to diffuse the situation. She couldn't believe the terrible timing of Nick's arrival. "I'll go on back to my room. Good night, Philip." She shot him a pleading look.
He saw her look, and the belligerence went out of his stance. "Good night, Jordan."
Nick stood back to allow Jordan to pass, then gave Philip one last ominous glance before following her from the room. He shut the door firmly behind him.
"Jordan," he said her name with sharp emphasis and stopped her rapid flight down the hall.
Jordan drew a deep breath, then turned toward him, her emerald eyes wary and questioning. "Yes?"
"Join me in my room, please. I believe there are a few things we need to discuss."
Jordan gave a slight nod of her head, then continued on her way. Nick was surprised by the quiet dignity she commanded, and his initial anger at having found her with Montgomery faded.
The white-hot haze of his fury slowly easing, Nick found himself quietly observing her as she walked away. He realized for the first time that she was wearing a different gown, and though it was plain and serviceable in style, it fit her quite nicely. His gaze followed the rhythmic sway of her hips as she moved, and an unwelcome heat began to build within him. His warm regard lifted to her pale hair, and he visually caressed the silken tresses. Her hair shone like moonglow in the softly lighted hallway, and he wondered vaguely what it would feel like to run his hands through it.
When Jordan reached the door to his room and paused to look back at him questioningly, Nick gave himself a hard mental shake and hurried after her. He told himself sternly that he wasn't attracted to her and that it didn't matter to him personally what she did with Montgomery just as long as she waited until after the annulment. This was a business deal between them-nothing more.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Jordan asked once they were inside the room. She seemed coolly composed, while in truth, she was trembling inside for fear of matching wits with him. He held their futures in his hands. She couldn't afford to upset him.
"If our bargain is to work, you must hold to what we agreed upon. I thought you understood that your liaison with Montgomery could not continue. You must put an end to it now, before anything goes any further."
