High Stakes Seduction - Book 2 (9 page)

His eyes sparkled with approval.

"Now it's my turn!" I walked back into the showroom, pulling down a multi-colored shirt in mauves and blues.

He laughed when I handed it to him, shaking his head and furrowing his brow slightly.

"Oh come on," I said. "I know it's not your regular uniform, but we
are
on vacation. Loosen up a little."
You might actually like it
, I thought, but bit my tongue to stop from saying any more.

He cocked his head at me, narrowing his eyes a little. "Okay." Then he stepped into the dressing room.

I tried not to be nervous. I had pretty much pushed him into trying on the shirt. What if he hated it?

"Angela." I turned my head at the sound of his voice.

"Oh Antonio! You look…
great!
" The colors were perfect, bringing out his eyes and the warm tan of his skin. The shirt across his shoulders gave him a casual island flair. "Now you
look
like you're on vacation!"

He laughed again at my enthusiasm.

Feeling a little brazen, I stepped to his side, taking his arm and turning him so we could see ourselves in the mirror. “Let’s do something fun tonight, can we?"

He raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. “What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s go dancing.”

“Hmm, I’m not much of a dancer,” he said thoughtfully. “But you do deserve an evening of fun.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

After dinner, we made our way over to a lounge I hadn't been to yet. It was decorated with ebony furnishings and trimmed with gold and silver. A single red rose and a tapering candle sat between us at the cozy table for two that Antonio chose, right in front of the little stage.

I looked around, curious and, I'll admit it, a bit nervous. “I-I’ve never been to a burlesque show before.”

Antonio smiled. "It's a unique experience, for sure,” he said, as the waiter poured our champagne. "This is not something you'd normally find onboard. I arranged tonight's show as a special treat for our politician friend."

"But you didn't tell me about it until tonight?"

He shrugged. "Angela, I wasn't sure it was something you'd like. But when you mention dancing, and having fun, I thought this might be a nice diversion for you."

I glanced around the intimate room, recognizing faces from the previous night. "So this is a private party? Is that why they asked for your name at the door?"

"Yes. Special invitation only."

Then the lights dimmed around us, leaving little more than the flickering candlelight to see by. A bright spotlight flicked on with a buzz and the thick, velvety red curtains shivered on stage. One long, sinuous leg, wearing nothing more than a stiletto, peeked out between the curtains, joined by the sound of trumpets that swept into a swanky jazz tune. The slinky woman attached to that smooth, tanned leg, eased out from behind the curtain, her scantily clad hips swaying to the rhythm as she danced her way across the stage, singing a sultry tune from the 1920s.

As the show went on, I noticed it consisted almost entirely of women, with a few male backup dancers. For the finale, the first woman was joined by several others, performing some highly athletic and jaw-dropping moves that I couldn’t even imagine myself doing. But I also noticed their clothing—if you could call it that. They wore barely-there corsets, and minimal covering.

I spent as much time watching Antonio as I did watching the performance. I wasn't quite sure what to think. The women were quite talented, if somewhat suggestive, and Antonio seemed mesmerized by it all.
Is this the kind of thing he likes
? I wondered, as the show came to an end and the ladies took their bows

A dark-haired woman in a green outfit winked at us, and then locked eyes with Antonio giving him an almost imperceptible tilt of her head.

Antonio tipped his head, nodding back with a slight smile.

I turned towards Antonio, expecting the women to head off stage as the applause died down, but grew confused when he stood up instead. As the curtain closed behind them, the performers came down off the stage to mingle with the audience.

“Tony, darling!” The dark-haired woman made a bee-line straight for Antonio, arms outstretched. He smiled and took her hand with an eager grin. She planted a kiss on his cheek, one muscled leg raised dramatically. I saw her whisper something in Antonio’s ear as his arm slipped around her waist.

I stood there awkwardly, waiting for the display to be finished.

“Hello, gorgeous!” the woman exclaimed, stretching a manicured hand out to me. “How’d you like the show?”

“It was very… entertaining,” I managed.

She squeezed my hand and pulled me close, creating a warm sandwich of bodies that Antonio seemed enjoy. The woman leaned between us and said in a husky voice, “Thank you for coming, Tony. Are you ready to let me show you a thing or two? I promise, you'll like it.” I swear, she positively
purred
!

Antonio chuckled, obviously enjoying her attention. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills.

“Oh honey,” the woman purred but her eyes shone with pure gratitude, “you’ve done so much for me already. But, I suppose a little more couldn’t hurt.”

I tried not to wonder what she meant by that as I watched him peel off two twenty dollar bills and tuck them into the low cut bodice of her corset.

“Don’t let that serious side of him fool you,” she said to me. “Your man is a sweetheart. But I’m sure you already know that.”

I glanced up at Antonio, who gave me a shrug and a grin, much like he had the other night at the casino. I was seeing a whole new side to him and I wasn't sure what to think of it. He didn't seem embarrassed by any of this, in fact, he seemed to enjoy it. The truth was, I really had no idea what was going on. I stepped back out of their arms and turned to find another woman, a red-head, had sauntered over, as if summoned by the money in Antonio’s hand.

"Denise! Come meet my friend Tony! And you be extra nice to him, he's my special friend!" The dark haired woman stepped back, giving the redhead room to wiggle up to Antonio.

"Oh! You're Tony," she gushed. "Krissy's told us all about you. You've been so good to her. We should all be so lucky to have a benefactor like you." She leaned in to give Antonio a full body kiss.

Benefactor
? That's not quite what I remember them calling it where I grew up!  I stood there, watching helplessly as they stood there flirting and laughing. The women giggled as he stuffed twenty dollar bills into their waistbands and the edge of their corset.

I stepped away, ending up by the bar, ordering myself a drink and trying not to let all this upset me. I looked up to find Antonio heading toward me. I gave him a smile I didn’t feel and turned away.

I felt his fingers slide along my arm. “Are you ready to go?”

“Absolutely,” I said, trying not to sound as jealous as I suddenly felt.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I finally worked up the nerve to break the awkward silence that had been with us all the way back to our cabin. He sat down on the arm of the sofa, but I was too wound up to sit.

“Antonio, I-I don’t understand what it is you want from me on this trip.”

“What I
want
from you?” he said, stretching the phrase into a drawl as he watched me pace.

I frowned. “I thought you wanted… I thought I was… I mean…“

“Angela, you are my associate, are you not?”

“Well, um… yes,” I stammered.

I hadn’t really planned out what I was going to say when we got back to the room. Much less expecting the need to talk at all. But after the fun we'd had earlier today, and then the "show" tonight, I was totally confused. For my own sanity I needed to know what was going on.

"Then what is it you are expecting of me?" he asked me quietly.

I stood there in shock—
what did I expect from
him
?

“What do mean? You're the one who…
s-set up
… this… trip." I bit my lip, praying I would stop stammering.

“This is a business arrangement, just like all of our other arrangements, Angela."

"Yes."

"Then what kind of game is it you think you're playing?”

My mouth fell open, but no words came out. This conversation definitely wasn’t turning out like anything I had expected.

Antonio rose, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You came to me asking for help. I'm doing my best to provide that help. What more did you want from me?”

"But, I thought you—"

"You thought it would be easy to get what you wanted just because you're beautiful? Angela, there are a million bright and beautiful women in the world. In my line of work, I've seen them all."

He gazed out through the glass door, staring at the moonlight on the ocean, almost as if I wasn't there. Some part of my brain noticed he'd called me beautiful—but there was an edge to this voice that I didn't understand.

“If you believe that you are being treated unfairly, or that I am expecting too much from you, then perhaps you need some time to rethink this arrangement. Otherwise, I expect you to fulfill your commitment," he said, turning his back on me. “I’m going out for the evening.”

I looked up at him sharply. “Wait. Where are you going?”

He turned and gave me a look, but he didn’t respond.

I sighed heavily. “Antonio, please don’t go back to the Casino tonight. Can we please just talk about this?”

“Right now there’s nothing to talk about,” he said, reaching for the door. "But while I'm gone, please consider what's important to you. And where your own priorities lie."

I slumped back on the sofa as I heard the door click behind him. Unwanted tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't swallow past the lump in my throat. For a moment, I almost gave in to the turmoil burning inside me. But then I balled my hands into a fist, my nails digging into my palms. I still didn't get it, but I was
not
going to let it end like this.

***

I stormed down the hallways until I reached the Casino, then stopped short when I saw Antonio standing just outside, chatting with three men dressed in dark suits. I drew back before he could see me, hiding around the corner.

I heard them laughing, though they were talking too low for me to hear their conversation. I peeked back around and gasped, putting my hand to my mouth to stifle the sound. I recognized the man with the scarred face that I’d seen walking out of Antonio’s office when I accepted his first job offer.

My heart raced, pounding in my chest. What were such creepy guys doing on the ship?

And what was Antonio doing, talking to them like they were all such good friends?

Just what the hell was going on here? Suddenly my anger turned to fear.

I backed away, my plans for confronting Antonio forgotten. I turned, and rushed back to the cabin, my heart still thudding in my chest.

Chapter Twenty-Four

MARIA

"Here Miss Maria," said the serious young girl, handing me a small flower. "Daddy, the flowers are so pretty! I'm glad you brought us here."

I smiled down at Thompson's daughter sitting next to a small bush of lantana, tiny rainbow-colored flowers in a small circled bouquet.

Thompson knelt beside her, letting her lean against him. “I knew you’d like it, Emily.” He looked up at me, grinning proudly.

I smiled back, glad he'd invited me on this impromptu, early morning visit to the park. I looked back and forth between the two of them, admiring the family resemblance. Little Emily looked so much like her father. She had the same sharp features and her bouncing curls were just as rusty brown as his. Plus, they shared the same sparkling blue eyes.

But unlike Thompson, with his big, muscled arms, and his thick legs, Emily was thin, confined to crutches and leg braces to help support her weakened legs. By the look on her face and the laughter in her voice, though, you’d never know she had a disability that could hold her back.

Standing in the middle of the garden, she looked exactly like she belonged there—another part of the bouquet in her rainbow-colored shirt.

I looked down at my own legs. Did I have as much courage as Emily? Or was I using my unresponsive legs as an excuse to hide away from the world?

“Angela comes here sometimes to do wedding and engagement photos.” I looked out over the fields upon fields of flowers in every hue imaginable. “I don’t know why I never came with her.”

"It's a lovely place. Emily loves it here, don't you, dear?"

She looked up at her father, face beaming with love and joy. "Daddy, it's my Happy Place."

I covered my face for a moment with my hands, a shudder running down my body.
My Happy Place
. When was the last time I'd had a Happy Place? Way too long ago.