by Katie Dowe
“I am not a damned novice!” she snapped. But she knew that he was stating a fact. She had watched him throughout the evening and had been drawn in by his stories and his smooth charm. She had almost given in to his desire for them to go walking along the shore, even though she had seen it for what it was: a ploy to get her into his arms and possibly into his bed! But she had wanted to feel his lips on hers even though she knew the kind of man he was! She had come home that night and relived the evening, closing her eyes and seeing his classically handsome face and penetrating gray eyes. She had remembered how his strong, close-shaven jaw felt against her palm and when she had touched her lips to his she had found herself wanting more!
“I know you are not.” Hanson said quietly. “Just keep in mind that this is a job like any other.”
*****
“Liam darling!”
A familiar voice gushed as he made his way swiftly into the modern art museum. He had a meeting with the curator about the paintings the trust had decided to loan to the museum for an extended period. He was running a little late but the eager curator had told him that he would wait for him to get there. He stopped and turned to look at the beautiful brunette coming his way. Alexa Coleman was the wife of a business associate who had been trying to get him into her bed for the past year without success. Liam adored women but he had one unwritten rule: he did not mess around with other men’s wives and that was that, no matter the appeal.
“Alexa,” he inclined his head and waited for her to come up to him.
“I have not seen you in ages,” she purred as she placed a hand on his arm.
“I have seen Robert around several times.”
“I have been in Europe for the past two weeks but I am back now and I am hoping that we could have dinner.”
He gently removed her hand from his arm and stepped back. “I have a meeting that I am late for.”
“Will you call me at least?”
“It’s not going to happen between us Alexa and you know why.”
“If you just say the word, I will divorce Robert in a minute.”
“I doubt that,” he said dryly. But it was not in him to leave a woman without a favorable thought, that’s why he added, “If things were different…”
“For a beautiful man like you, it pains me to see that you have this ridiculous scruple.” She pouted.
“One that I live by.” He gave her his charming smile, turned and walked away swiftly. Alexa stared after him, the regret evident in her gaze, before she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
*****
“Hi,”
“Liam?”
“I am just walking out of the modern art museum and thought that I should give you a call. There is a new exhibit that is being showcased next Wednesday and I was thinking that we could go together.”
“We are already seeing each other tomorrow Liam,” Amani reminded him.
“How else am I supposed to work on getting you into my bed if I do not get to see you?” he asked plaintively.
“That’s what I really like about you Liam, you are nothing if not honest,” she told him dryly.
“I want honesty between us darling,” he told her teasingly.
“I will let you know,” she told him.
“I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. How about coming by early in the morning so I can show you around?”
“I think I will.”
“See you tomorrow darling.”
Chapter 4
Liam could not believe how anxious he was to see her! He had spent the night on the yacht and made sure that everything was in perfect order for the party later on, but most of all he wanted to impress her. He had resisted the urge to call her last night, telling himself that he was behaving like a damned schoolboy with his first crush! He had not had a crush since he was in kindergarten, when he had fallen headlong in love with his teacher, a slim young woman with a mass of dark brown hair. He had told his parents that he had every intention of marrying Ms. Kirkpatrick when he got older and had spent the entire year bringing her little gifts that he had taken from home, only to be returned by her as soon as she saw his parents. He had been crushed when she had gotten married the next year and had cried in his mother’s arms. He looked back and laughed as he remembered that time! Now for the first time in his life he was feeling something other than lust for a woman and he could not believe it! He strolled along the upper deck and watched as the caterers finished setting up for the party. Liam admired the sleek lines of the boat that he had named ‘The Lorelei’ after his sister. He had hoped that she would have been around longer, but she had gone to Europe and had told him just yesterday that she was having a whale of a time! He had warned her about the European men and told her to stay away from them.
“Darling you are one to talk,” she had told him with a laugh and she was right! He was hardly one to talk about self-control when he did not hold himself back from having a woman if he wanted her. He had instructed the crew members to watch out for Amani and to have someone bring her on the upper deck. The dark blue water of the pool glistened in the brilliant sunlight and he was hoping to have a private swim with her before the crowd descended on them. He went to sit at one of the tables and was served the delicious coffee kept on board, as well as some fresh strawberries. He did not remember to ask Amani to come by for breakfast, but he was waiting in case she did just that!
He was on his second cup when he saw her approaching. He put away his cup, got to his feet and walked slowly towards her. She was wearing a white bikini top that looked startling against her skin! A colorful shawl was wrapped around her slender waist and Liam felt his heart slamming against his ribs as he walked towards her.
“I was just thinking about you and here you are,” his voice was seductive, his eyes warm as he stared at her. He took the bag from her shoulder and put it on one of the lounge chairs, before taking her hands in his. “How about having breakfast with me?’
“I would love that,” she murmured, concentrating on his face and not on the way the sleeveless shirt clung to his muscles. He had shorts on and she had noticed the hairs on his muscular legs. His hair was mussed by the wind. He took her hand and pulled it through his arm as he led her to the table he had just vacated. A crew member dressed in white came forward to take their order. He waited until the man had left before he leaned forward. Taking her chin between his fingers he lowered his head to hers slowly. Everything inside Amani's head screamed for her to stop him, but she could not. His lips touched hers lightly, teasing hers, his breath fanning her and sending the shivers racing up and down her spine. Her eyes closed as she waited for him to deepen the kiss, her lips parting in anticipation, but apart from touching his tongue to hers lightly, he pulled back and released her.
“Later,” he whispered huskily, his eyes on her parted lips.
She did not respond and was grateful when their breakfast arrived just then. He talked to her lightly about general things but they both could feel the sexual tension emanating from their bodies! He told her about the museum pieces that the trust, which had been set up by his family, donated or loaned out to museums all over the world.
“You are in charge of the trust?”
“Mother is actually, but I am the one who has the last say about what goes where.” He had finished his meal of scrambled eggs and bacon and was leaning back in his chair drinking his coffee, his long tanned legs with the dark hairs lying against the skin stretched forward. He looked like what he was, a very wealthy man who had been born into the extreme wealth of old money, which give him the confidence and authority that had surely been in his family for generations. He just had to want something to get it. Amani realized the truth of that and felt a dart of fear for what she was planning on doing to him. Liam Moses had the power to make her suffer if she was ever discovered, in more ways than one!
“Amani?”
She shook her head as she realized that he had said something to her that she was supposed t
o respond to.
“I am sorry, what was it?”
“I was asking you what you did for a living.”
Amani took her time before answering. She had always stayed away from questions like these to minimize the need to lie, but she realized that she was going to be required to respond. “I work at the art gallery a few days a week when I am not traveling,” she told him truthfully. He was going to go there looking for her when this was all over and Hanson would tell him that she had taken off, which would throw the suspicion off him.
“You like to travel?”
“I like new experiences and I try to go to a different place when I can.”
“What’s your favorite place to be?” he asked her.
“St. Tropez,” she told him immediately. “I like the picturesque village and the sound of the water when I take a walk along the shore.”
“My favorite place is Trinidad and Tobago,” he surprised her by saying. “I am a big calypso fan.”
“I would never have guessed,” she told him with a laugh.
“There is more to me than meets the eyes.”
“I am beginning to see that.” Their eyes met and held for a moment before she looked away.
“Why are you not in a relationship?”
The question threw her and had her turning her head back to look at him. “No particular reason.”
“Were you in a difficult one?”
She started to answer flippantly but changed her mind at the interested look in his eyes. “No,” she told him honestly. “It was not satisfying enough and I think life is too short for me to waste time with someone who does nothing for me.”
“So you are looking for long term?”
She shrugged. “Eventually.”
He put away his cup and stared at her for a moment. “You know my reputation.”
“Who doesn’t?” she asked with lifted brows.
“I cannot promise long term.”
She leaned against the table and smiled at him in amusement. “I am not asking for any sort of relationship, Liam. We are just hanging out.”
“Surely you do not believe that?” he scoffed.
“It is what it is,” she told him firmly. “I know your reputation and would be stupid to go into anything with you.”
“Are you afraid of getting your heart broken?” he asked her lightly.
“Maybe.”
“I promise to take great care of your heart.”
“Don’t make promises you cannot keep.” She pushed back her chair and got to her feet.
“Now how about that tour?”
He insisted on holding her hand as they made their way to the lower deck where he pointed out and identified the different rooms. There was cause for concern on her part when he took her to his suite, a lavishly equipped room decorated in the palest ivory and an adjoining bath, larger than her room and bathroom combined. She had started to make her way out of the cabin when he pulled her into his arms, his hands spanning her small waist, his fingers caressing her skin. He loosened the scarf around her waist and the flimsy material dropped to the floor, giving him a full view of the curves outlined against the flimsy bikini.
“So beautiful,” he whispered as his hands moved up to cup her full breasts, the nipples hardening at his touch.
“Liam-“
“Please don’t tell me to stop.” His hands drifted up to cup her cheeks, his thumbs wandering over the smooth skin. “I want to kiss you Amani and I also want to make love to you, but I am not going to until you are ready.” He bent his head and his lips brushed softly against hers. Amani held herself rigid, trying to fight the undeniable desire she was feeling. Her hands lifted to brace against his chest, at first to push him away and then to press her fingers against the warmth she could feel through the thin shirt. Her lips parted involuntarily and his tongue darted in slowly, drugging her senses as he ventured in even more. Her senses screamed out that she should stop and remember her objective. He was a job, and after she finished she would be gone and would never see him again. But as his lips moved against hers she found herself responding in ways she had never done before. His mouth slashed against her with the expertise he had practiced throughout the years and before long she found herself moving closer to him, her hands going around his neck, her fingers linking before trailing along the back of his neck, her starved body responding to his touch like never before! With her breast pressing against his chest Liam felt the raw desire exploding inside his body. When his tongue plunged into her mouth he felt a fierce heat darting through his body with an intensity that defied description! Amani was so caught up in the passion that she had no idea he had loosened the knot of her bikini top, exposing her breast to his seeking hands. Her body arched as his thumbs caressed the tight buds, sending spasms of desire through her body! Something in her brain was screaming for her to push him away but she could not do so, she could not feel anything except the fire and heat racing along her churning body. He dragged his mouth from hers and bending his head he took a nipple inside his mouth, his hands drawing her closer so she could feel his burgeoning desire. It was when his body started pressing her back against the bed that reason surfaced and she found the energy and the resolve to push him away from her! She avoided his hands as they reached for her and shakily tied the strings of her bikini around her neck. “Back off Liam,” she warned as he continued to stalk her.
“Why?” His voice was husky, and it took all of his will power not to pull her into his arms and ravish her. She wanted him, of that he was sure, so he had no idea why she was denying them both!
“Because I am not going to become one of your many conquests,” she told him firmly, as she knotted the material around her waist, her hands trembling slightly. She should not have come! She thought furiously. She had underestimated his expertise in getting any woman he wanted and overestimated her ability to be able to resist him. It would not happen again!
“You would not be.” He told her quietly. Christ! He was still hard and he wanted her so badly that he could feel it in every fiber of his body!
“Why? Because I am special?”
“You are.” He closed his eyes briefly before continuing. “You are the first woman I have ever wanted to talk to so much-“
“Do you realize how that sounds?”
He raked a hand through his dark hair, messing it up even more as he stared at her. ”You want me too,” he pointed out.
“I also want a chalet in Switzerland but I know my limitations.”
“I could buy you one,” he said half-jokingly. He lifted his head as he heard voices and knew that people had started to come aboard. He resented the intrusion for the first time in his life and wished he had more time to convince her that they needed to be together.
“Your guests are starting to arrive.” Her voice had cooled somewhat and a mask had dropped over her exquisite features. He had a feeling that he would not be getting anywhere with her right now. Maybe later, but not now!
“Shall we?” He stretched out a hand which she ignored as she walked in front of him and out of the cabin. He had hoped to keep her by his side for the rest of the day but she avoided him much to his amused annoyance. She was not uncomfortable with the crowd of selected people from his society that were gathered there. She seemed to fit in with the celebrities and the people from high society who were mingling around, laughing and talking and enjoying the enormous amount of sumptuous food that was being served. At one point he saw her splashing in the pool with a well-known movie star and he felt the unfamiliar pull of jealousy as he watched the man wrapped his arms around her waist as they surfaced. He was friends with Derek Mullings, but he wanted to put his hands around the man’s throat and choke the life out of him for touching her! What the hell was wrong with him? To prove to her and to himself that he had not completely lost his senses he gave in to the requests of a persistent blonde he was seeing a few months ago and went with her into the pool, his arm draped around her waist. But Amani eit
her had not noticed him or did not care. How could she behave like this after what they had shared inside his cabin? Suddenly he could not stand the incessant chatter of the woman at his side and with a disgusted sigh he left her in the pool and hauled himself to the side, his brooding eyes following the woman who was tormenting his mind and body. The swim suit was soaking wet and highlighted her breasts, outlining the nipples, the very nipples that had been inside his mouth. With an impatient sound deep inside his throat he left the pool and went to his suite to change out of his wet swimwear, pulling on tan shorts and a yellow t-shirt. His heart slammed inside his chest as he saw the woman draped across his bed, but he stifled his annoyance and disappointment when he realized that it was not her. “I don’t remember inviting you in here, Cheryl,” he said calmly as he ran his fingers through his wet hair.
“I never usually need an invitation.” She had taken off the top of her bikini and her small white breasts were exposed.
“You do now,” he told her pointedly. “Get out.”
“Darling you are being mean and that is not you,” she whispered as she climbed off the bed and started to shimmy out of her bikini bottom. He walked over swiftly to stop her and that was how Amani saw them. Her eyes took in the scene and he saw the contempt on her beautiful face.
“Sorry for interrupting.” She turned and left swiftly.
Swearing beneath his breath he left the almost naked woman standing there and caught up with her just as she had grabbed her bag and was heading out. “Please let me explain.”
“You don’t owe me any explanation,” she told him coolly, trying to pull away from him. But he held fast.
“I came out from putting my clothes on to find her on the bed. I thought it was you at first-“
