Soul Temptation (Souls Entwined) (16 page)

“Vanilla Coconut.” Serene opened the bottle and smelled it. “Total yum.”

“Let me see it.” She reached for the oil in Serene’s hand while lifting the last one out of the box. “Oooh… This one’s called
Tiaré.
Whoa.” Sylvia lurched forward to grab the bottle Serene held as it slipped from her fingers. “Saved! Here, you open this one while I smell that one.”

The women exchanged bottles. Serene stared at the name on the label and a splinter of heat rose up her spine, making her straighten her back. She twisted the cap, lifted the bottle to her nose, inhaled and sighed.

Sylvia chuckled “That good, eh?”

Not as good as Oliver.
Serene cleared her throat. “It smells fantastic.”

“This was such an inspired idea, Serene. I can’t wait until the tropical flowers and plants arrive. It’s going to give Tempting Beauty a fresh new vibe.” Sylvia held up her hand. “Not that that your spa doesn’t already totally rock.”

“It rocks because you and the rest of the staff are dedicated to business as much as I am.”

“How sweet. Now, about my raise?”

“Ha ha.” Serene gave Sylvia the bottle in her grasp. “We’re going to need to pull in new customers to cover the one I just gave you.”

“Not going to be a problem with our new
Tiaré
package. Hey, I like that.”

Serene nodded, blinking away erotic images of Oliver tasting her for the first time. “Me too.”

“I wonder what it means.” Sylvia sniffed the container. “Mmm.”

“It’s Tahitian for flower.”

Curls of desire swept over her, dampening her panties as flashbacks of her and Oliver sitting in the sand watching two strangers have sex came to mind. Was he thinking about their time together too?

Stephen Banner’s cruel words about Oliver’s ‘playboy ways’ echoed in her ear, causing her unexpected pain, and Serene bit back a curse. She truly needed to get a grip. Oliver wasn’t thinking about her at all. In fact, he’d probably already taken someone new into his bed.

Sylvia sighed. “Flower… That’s beautiful. I want to go one day. Was it as pretty as the postcard you sent?”

“Prettier.”

Chimes from the front drew Sylvia to the door. “That’s the Mallory bridal party. We’ve got facials, pedicures and massages to do for the group.”

“Set them up and I’ll be out in a minute.”

Sylvia nodded. “I know you wanted to test these to see which to keep in stock, but I think you should order more of all of them.”

“I am.” Serene turned her head as Sylvia exited and gazed at the box of fragrant goodies. It had been almost two weeks since she’d gotten back from Tahiti and she still couldn’t seem to shake island reveries from her mind.

She walked over to the window overlooking a park, exhaled and acknowledged that she was more than a little restless. She didn’t feel a day over thirty, but lately, when she wasn’t daydreaming about Oliver making her come, all she could think about was how freeing and fun it had been to explore her sexuality. Why had she waited so long to do that? She didn’t want to waste another minute on boring relationships, unfulfilling sex.

Her solo Os didn’t even seem to satisfy her as much anymore. Not when she knew that climaxes with a partner were so much more intense. She longed to experience the all-encompassing pleasure Oliver had awoken her to. Serene pivoted from the sunny view outside and left her office, ready to personally welcome the women that had come into her spa for the first time. She just needed to find another lover capable of taking her body to full-on ecstasy like Oliver had.

That’s possible, right?

Had to be.

She’d felt an initial spark with Shawn. Friday night she’d actually try to cultivate it. Maybe there was promise there if she put in some effort. Honestly, she was tired of the dating scene, tired of feeling as though she was missing out on a true connection. She was happy that her younger sister had found her match, but witnessing the bond between Misha and Cameron had made her wistful for a meaningful relationship of her own.

Lord knew she didn’t expect her Prince Charming to show up out of the blue at this point in her life, but there had to be a solution to her growing need to have more of what Oliver had proven she was capable of experiencing.

Too bad she only wanted to explore more with Oliver.

* * * *

Oliver glanced at his watch.

Where was that redhead?

As if on cue, Oliver caught sight of Shannon being led by the hostess through his brother’s upscale restaurant. He forced a grin on his face as she approached, watched her stop to smile and snap photos with a few patrons and wondered if the woman always felt the need to make a dramatic entrance. Oliver got up from his seat and acknowledged that she did look amazing in her characteristic mile-high stilettos in glossy gold and a hunter green halter dress that shimmied right at mid-thigh.

“Oliver, so sorry about the wait.”

I was thinking about leaving.
Oliver pulled out her chair. “No problem.” He brushed his lips on her cheek when she leaned forward for a kiss.

“There was a pile-up on the Mag Mile.” Shannon took her seat and touched his arm. “I’m so glad you had time to meet me before my flight.”

“Me too.” Oliver sat down, poured wine in Shannon’s glass and handed it to her.

Liar.
He’d felt obliged to do so, especially since he’d promised Shannon he’d take her to one of his brother’s spots. “How long is your layover?”

“I need to be at O’Hare in about three hours.” A coy grin played across Shannon’s glossy red lips. “I wish I could stay the night.”

He wasn’t. He’d hoped Shannon would take Tahiti for what it was—a tropical tryst—but with the constant calls and texts, it was obvious that she thought they’d started something more.

If only Shannon were Serene.

Then, you’d be happy as fuck.

Happier.

“I’m starved. Did you already order?” Shannon asked while looking at the menu.

“I did. I picked a few dishes that Cameron’s famous for at this restaurant.”

Shannon glanced around. “Is he here?”

“Nope.” Oliver shook his head. “He tries to get home at a certain time every night for his wife now.”

Shannon’s green eyes softened. “Aww… How romantic. Those two had great chemistry from the start on
Celeb Chef
. I hate I missed their wedding.” Shannon rubbed her fingertips over Oliver’s hand. “Thank you for inviting me along as your plus one.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Speaking of plus one… I want to invite
you
to New York. I’ve been invited to this huge fundraiser gala taking place in a few weeks. Anybody who’s
anybody
in showbiz will be there. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather take with me other than you.”

“Thanks for the invitation, Shannon.” Oliver pulled away from her as their waiter presented their food.

“You’re welcome.”

“My schedule is pretty tight right now with work. Can I get back to you about that?”

Shannon studied for him for a second then gave him another winning smile. “Sure.” She unrolled her cloth napkin. “All of this looks delicious. Your brother’s cooking is amazing.”

“Wait until you taste.”

For the next two hours, Oliver wined and dined Shannon and managed to enjoy himself. He gave her a real kiss before shutting the door on her limo to the airport then stepped back on the curb, waving goodbye as he blew out a breath. Something was missing between him and Shannon. In his opinion, they lacked true chemistry, which was a shame. She was a lovely woman—funny, engaging and genuinely warm—but lately there was just one woman on his mind.

Oliver paid the valet before getting into his own vehicle. He’d just pulled into traffic when his car alerted him to his brother’s incoming call. “What’s up, Cameron?” He prepared himself to answer questions about Serene, knowing that their dad had probably waited all of twenty seconds to tell what he’d seen in Tahiti.

“It’s been a minute. Thought I’d check in.”

“How’s married life?”

Cameron chuckled. “Good. Different. I love it. You driving?”

“Yup. Just finished having dinner with Shannon.”

“Ah. Does she know you’re not interested in taking things further?”

“How do
you
know that?”

“Because you didn’t start off telling me how into her you are. You’re not feeling the redhead. I must say, I’m surprised, but then again, your lack of interest in the beautiful long-legged female only means one thing.”

Oliver merged into the turning lane. “Yeah, and what’s that?”

“You’re feeling someone else. So, who is she? Do I know her?”

Fuck. Here we go.

His brother laughed. “What’s her name?”

“A gentleman never tells, right?”

“Are we still talking about you?”

“That was a low blow, bro.” Oliver frowned when his brother laughed.

“It was. I apologize. You usually share some details about your latest babe. I find your lack of disclosure interesting, but let’s change the subject. Patch things up with Dad?”

Oliver’s grip tightened on the wheel as he recalled the last words they’d exchanged. “That would take more than a little patchwork to repair. Have you talked to him?”

“Not since we got back from the island. You know the two of us don’t chat on the regular.”

Oliver did, but he was surprised that their dad hadn’t disclosed what he’d seen. He intended to talk to him and make sure he didn’t. “I’m seriously considering making Vegas my last completed project as Executive Vice President of Banner Hotels.”

“You could work anywhere. Hell, start your own company, but Olie, the family business is in your blood.”

“Maybe so, but I’m done trying to please him.”

“So don’t. He put you in that position because, although he may project a lack of belief in your abilities, he
does
trust you to handle things, respects the job you’re doing.”

“Remember when I told you something along those lines concerning Dad and your restaurants?” Oliver flipped on the windshield wipers as a few raindrops transformed into a shower.

“Yeah, I didn’t believe it. Still don’t.” Cameron paused. “Shit. Well,
I
know what I’m talking about.”

Oliver chortled. “Uh-huh, so do I.”

“I’m going to have to cut this conversation short. Misha’s beckoning me to bring over the truffle popcorn and the Sharpie in my hand.”

“Truffle popcorn, really?” Oliver hit the button allowing him private access into his building.

“Don’t knock it. This stuff is damn good. Next time we watch a game I’ll fix some. Right now, I’m supposed to be helping Mish brainstorm ideas for Serene’s unofficial birthday bash.”

“Cool,” Oliver said, making sure to play it that way. “Who’s invited?”

“Don’t know yet.”

Oliver shook his head when his brother called to his wife that he was on his way. The woman had become the center of his world and he seemed happier than Oliver had ever seen him. “You go. Brainstorm with your truffle popcorn.”

“Hey, nobody jokes about my gourmet popcorn and gets away with it. Next time we talk, I want at least the first name of this mystery woman.”

“Goodnight, Cam. Please tell Misha I said hello.” Oliver ended the call. He shut off the engine and got out of his sedan.

Serene had a birthday coming up and he wanted to take part in the celebration. Oliver wondered if he’d get an invite as he entered the code for his alarm, opened the door and stepped inside, glad to finally be home. Moving on autopilot, he reactivated the security system as he loosened his tie. What would it be like to walk through the door and have the woman of his dreams waiting for him?

Oliver cursed. Odd little questions seemed to pop into his mind all the time since leaving Tahiti and they all involved Serene. It was driving him crazy, wondering if she was plagued with the same erotic dreams as he. Dark fantasies of the two of them entangled, sweaty, indoors and out. She’d been so damned responsive to his touch. He got hard every single time he thought about the feel of her toned yet soft body next to his, and shattering her belief that she couldn’t climax with a lover?

Well, that had been a serious thrill, had created some kind of bond between them, and he was certain Serene had felt it too. He wanted more, wanted to be the one to show her so many other pleasures, especially the sometimes blurred lines between bliss and a bit of pain. Even though she was older than him, it was clear she lacked sensual experience and that was a shame, because her body was made for play.

Oliver eyed the velvet pouch lying on his bookshelf as he strode into the kitchen. He liked incorporating toys with sex, anything to enhance his lover’s experience, and he hadn’t been able to resist buying the kinky trinket for Serene. He grinned as he pictured the stunned look on her face when he presented his impromptu gift to her.

Got to get her to see me first.

“Damn.” Oliver opened the fridge, reached for a beer then grabbed a little bottle of mango juice instead. He unscrewed the lid, took a generous sip and instantly thought of Serene’s dark chocolate nipples. That dazed look of passion in her brown eyes was never far from his mind. His cell vibrated against his chest and Oliver pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw two texts from Shannon and Kimberly.

Kimberly who?

Nothing from Serene. Almost three weeks and he’d thought about her every single day. They’d exchanged numbers, but Serene hadn’t seemed interested in exploring anything further between them. How the hell was that possible? Oliver had hoped she’d be so consumed with need for him that she’d dial his digits before he was forced to call hers. He scoffed, knowing she’d say he was more than a little arrogant to make that assumption. Yup, she’d served him a huge ego check that was just as sharp as the rush of fulfilling her needs as a woman had been.

Oliver went through his contacts until he got to Serene’s name. He wanted to hear her voice, especially her little laugh. If she wouldn’t call, he would. He’d never had a problem going after what he wanted.

Chapter Eleven

“I had a lovely time.” Serene turned to her date when he put his sports car in park.