What a Girl Wants (23 page)

“You’re delusional.”

“Am I?” She flung her hair off her shoulders. “You think your adoring public will accept anything you write, or your new staff will respect you after your past is leaked? Your reputation will tank so fast it’ll leave tread marks on your dossier. You’re supposed to be hosting a serious documentary show. Do you think the sponsors are going to want someone whose credibility will be too damaged for a quick fix—”

“Save your ball-busting mind games for your trashy talk show. Not working on me.” He smiled cynically. “I don’t give a rat’s ass who you’ll tell about what happened between us.”

Maybe he was too tired, or just fed up with this assignment and this whole day, but he just didn’t give a flying fuck any more. There was no way he’d give into her threats. He’d agreed to a gag order on their story, not to protect her, but to keep his involvement private. But these past few days he’d been inspired by Maddie to loosen the hell up and not obsess over everything in his life, past and present. If Washington wanted to publicly trash him in the media instead of Maddie, so be it.

“You want to stick it to me?” he said. “Go ahead. Tell the world what an asshole I was for blowing the whistle on you and ruining your chances of snagging a Pulitzer. Screw around with the facts, gossip about me all you want, I won’t ask for a retraction or even make a comment. Go for it. But you leave Maddie’s personal information and pictures out of this vendetta you have against me.”

“I’ll use the information I obtained from Victor Grant any way I please. You want me to keep quiet?” Her nostrils flared as she breathed in and held her head high. “We do things my way.” He could tell she wanted to show him how confident she was. “One way or the other I’m getting back into the publishing game. Either you help me out, or I’m cashing in on a five-page spread about the Hollister-Saunders saga. With pictures.”

He lowered his voice and made sure to speak slow and precise. “You release one fuckin’ picture of Maddie Saunders, leak or write one word about her and I’ll call in every contact and favor in the business. Researching material for obituaries will be out of your league. If that’s not enough, I’ll encourage Hollister to go after you with everything he’s got—”

“Freedom of the press.” Tiny beads of moisture gathered on her upper lip. “He may be filthy rich, but he can’t stop a story—”

“Maybe he can’t stop you from running to the tabloids, or writing a fictional account of the facts, but he can make your life hell.” His head pounded, but he resisted the urge to rub his neck. “He has resources to tie you up in legal bills so high that Boo Radley’s house will be out of your price range after he’s finished with you.

“It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses, he can afford to drag out the legal battle. And I’ll encourage him to do that.” He leaned in close enough to see a vein pulsating at the base of her neck. “Destroy those pictures and stay out of Maddie’s life.”

He must have gotten to her, because her face reddened and she took a step back. He went to the door. “You have to know by now that I never make empty threats.” He opened the door and stepped out.

“You bastard,” she yelled. “You’re going to regret
¾
”

Alex didn’t know what he was supposed to regret. He slammed the door behind him. She was already an unpleasant memory as he took the stairs down two at a time.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The great question that has never been answered, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is, “What does a woman want?”

—Sigmund Freud

“I think I like you two better when you’re arguing,” Tim said to Maddie and Alex the next day, sitting across from them on the Kanani Tour boat, sailing to Maui.

Alex pulled Maddie closer to him and planted a soft kiss on her temple. Her scalp tingled.

“Oh, man,” Tim said. “First the goo-goo eyes at breakfast and now this? Where’s the Dramamine?”

Maddie giggled. “You didn’t get seasick when we went whale watching.”

Tim shook his head. “Don’t need it for seasickness.” He stood, waving his finger back at forth between them. “Did I mention that I’m not surprised at this?”

Alex lifted Maddie’s hand to his mouth, kissed the inside of her wrist, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“I’ll be out on the deck.” Tim smiled. “You two are giving me a toothache with this sweet shit.” He winked and headed out.

Maddie was surprised at Alex’s public display of affection. Even though there weren’t many people inside the boat. Most of the tourists were outside on the deck in hopes of catching a glimpse of whales and wild dolphins.

“Come here.” Alex nudged her shoulder. “You’re too far away.”

“Any closer and I’ll be sitting on top of you.”

He waggled his brows, smiling. “Sounds good to me.”

She slid closer to him and breathed in the soapy scent still lingering from his morning shower. Even though he looked as tired as she felt—his eyes were bloodshot and heavy lidded—there was a sweet tenderness in his gaze, soothing her anxiety left over from last night.

“What’s gotten into you?” she asked. “I never would have pegged you as an exhibitionist.”

“You’re rubbing off on me.” He buried his face in her hair. “I missed you last night.”

It seemed like it was a long time ago since they had spent the night together. She knew exactly how he felt about being apart last night. “Bet you didn’t miss me messing up your bedroom.”

“As long as I’m the one taking your clothes off, you can pile them anywhere you want.” He caressed the back of her neck with his hand. “I even missed the way you hog the blankets, use my razor, squeeze the toothpaste from the top instead of the bottom…”

“Anal, much?” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll buy you a new razor—”

“Not necessary.” He rubbed his chin in her hair. “I like the intimacy.” Goosebumps chased his fingers as he ran his hand up and down her arm. “But you’ll have to change that toothpaste-squeezing thing.”

She gave him a playful jab in the ribs. “I didn’t know I was such an inconvenience.”

“Never.” He nibbled her earlobe. “I especially missed the way you press your sexy ass against me while you’re sleeping.” He sounded drowsy but still so damn sexy. “Missed the way your thighs tremble when I kiss the back of your knees.”

She liked this carefree side of him. Or was it his exhausted side? Whatever it was, it warmed more than her cheeks. “Now you’re talking. What else did you miss?”

With his lips lightly pressed against her neck, he whispered, “I missed drawing circles up, down, to the side, writing a best seller
hot
off the press on your delicious little button.”

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “Sweet Jesus.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Want me to stop?”

“Hell, no.”

Although, if he kept this up she’d be dehydrated from all the drooling that was bound to happen. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the knapsack beside her, unscrewed the top and downed most of it.

Sprinkling light pecks on the side of her face, he pulled her even closer. “Missed the way you wiggle your cute toes when I nibble your shoulder to wake you up.” He continued running his hand up and down her arm, and she continued sprouting goosebumps. “Missed the way your beautiful hair drapes across my leg after you slide underneath the covers and drive me crazy.”

She smiled. “What we in the business call a good header.”

“Award winning.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “No revisions necessary.” Smoothing her hair away from her shoulder, he stared at her breasts. “I missed feeling my hardness between those sexy babes.”

Oh my. He likes the B Sisters. However.
She sat straighter. “Wait a minute, we never did that.”

“Wishful thinking.”

The ocean breeze coming from the open window caused his hair to curl around the collar of his golf shirt.
Cripes, could he be any hotter?
Her happy valley was now at risk of a flash flood.

She drained the rest of her water, swung her leg on top of his lap and laced her fingers through his. “Want to know what I missed?”

He grinned. “Me feeding you chocolate?”

“That does make the top ten.” She glanced around the boat. An elderly couple sat behind them about twenty feet away, playing cards. A woman next to the couple was engrossed in a newspaper and opposite her were two men, playing backgammon. She lowered her voice. “I missed the way you move inside me, slowly at first and then—”

He smothered her next words with a tender touch of his lips. The light, feathery, slow back and forth strokes allowed her to memorize the feeling before he increased the kiss’s pressure. She ran her hand through his hair, tangling the thickness in her fingers, searing his lips against hers.

Last night, angst had kidnapped her sleep—she’d spent the night in darkness, tossing and turning. In Alex’s arms the darkness was now replaced with a radiant light.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “When we dock, it’s straight to the hotel. To get naked.” His expression washed over her like a triple X-rated caress.

“Mmmm. Sounds good, but Stewart Milton is meeting me soon as we arrive—”

“Who’s Stewart Milton and why is he meeting
my girl
?” He pretended to sound stern.

“He’s Maui’s media-relations rep,” she said next to his ear. “But we don’t have to wait.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m not
that
much of an exhibitionist.”

“Let’s start a Hundred Knots Club.”

He chuckled, the laugh lines around his bedroom eyes crinkling. “Knotty girl.”

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.”

“I want you everyday.”

Her lungs scooted over to give her heart room, as she felt it swell with ecstasy. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Nature’s calling. Be right back.” She untangled herself from him, grabbed her purse and headed to the ladies’ room.

After exiting the bathroom, her cell phone sang its tune. She dug it out of her purse and looked at the call display. “Hmmm. Hawaiian area code.” She pressed talk. “Maddie Saunders.”

“This is Crystal Washington. I’m returning your
urgent
messages.”

“Yes, thanks for calling.” Maddie glanced at the area code again. “You’re in Hawaii?”

“Skip the small talk. You left three urgent messages with my agent.” Crystal’s voice sounded deeper and raspier than it did on television. “What the hell do you want from me?”

Wonder who lit her tampon on fire this morning?
“What do I want?” So much for introductions and pleasantries.

Maddie glanced around. A young woman wearing gargantuan sunglasses lingered by the ladies’ room within earshot so Maddie found a private area on the bow, sat on a bench and took a deep breath. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? I understand you have an unusual interest in not only my life but my mother’s and her ex-husbands’ as well. Where we’ve lived, schools we attended and our medical records. I’m surprised you haven’t pestered the Starbucks barista about my hot chocolate addiction.” The sun disappeared as the boat cruised under a dark cloud. Fitting. “If this is research for your talk show, I’m flattered, but, no thanks.”

“My talk show?” Her scratchy laughter punctured Maddie’s ear. “Is this high opinion of yourself compensation for your mediocre life, career and juicy booty? Unless my producer is casting slutty mothers and the daughters who are following in their footsteps, then, no, you are not a consideration for a guest spot on my show.” A slight pause. “Now, aren’t you glad you tracked me down?”

Wow. Just wow.
Maddie was baffled as to where the hell this woman’s hatred had come from. “Don’t hold back on my account. Tell me how you really feel.”

“I express my opinions with as much vitriol as possible to make myself clear.”

“Is that how you classify a character assassination? As an opinion?” Maddie stood and gripped the railing. “What exactly are you looking for and why? I understand you even badgered my bank manager. This invasion of privacy is creepy, and it stops
now
.”

“Invasion of privacy? Please. You’re part of an industry that crawls up people’s asses with cameras and tape recorders everyday. The tables are turned and now you and your posse don’t like it. Tough. Deal with it.”

Posse? What the hell was she babbling about? She was out of her freaking mind.

The boat swayed against the sudsy waves, and the wind sent a shiver up Maddie’s spine. She wanted this woman to stop poking around in her private business. She’d hire Bernie again to dig further and find out what Loony Chick was after, because it was obvious she wasn’t going to give anything up.

“Maybe you have me confused with someone else?” Maddie said. “Or you don’t like my articles, maybe? Whatever the reason for this lunacy, stay out of my business.”

Washington expelled a laugh. “Too bad we didn’t meet under different circumstances, I could like you. You remind me of me in my early career days.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Get yourself a life. That way you won’t be so desperate to crawl into mine.” The desire to keep slamming her was strong, but she had no intention of sinking to Loony Chick’s level. Besides the Loon had experience.

“So,
Maddie,
I bet you worship the quicksand Alex Donovan walks on.”

“What does your weird obsession with me have to do with Alex?”

“How is he doing this morning?”

“None of your business.”

“I probably wore him out last night.” Washington purred and meowed like a cat. This chick was seriously twisted, Maddie thought. “Must have been past three by the time he left my room.”

Lying, troublemaking bitch.
Maddie clutched the phone so tight, she thought the buttons would pop off. Or
was
the Loon lying? Alex did say he didn’t get much sleep last night. He looked wiped. Did he know his ex-lover was in Hawaii?
Argh
. How could she actually believe this lying bitch even for a second?

“Okay, you’re boring me now. Call me if you ever need brain surgery. I’ll help you look for a good
proctologist
.” She raised her voice. “And stay the hell out of my business.” After pressing end she stared at the phone.

“Hey, Mads.” Tim walked toward her and pointed to her phone. “You planning on feeding that thing to Flipper? What’s up?”

She shoved the cell phone back inside her purse. “What’s a juicy booty?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“Do I have one?”

Leaning his back against the railing, he rested his hands on each side. “Since when do you fish for compliments?”

She took a step toward him, planting her hands on her hips. “Well?”

Tim nodded to where Alex sat. “You’re trying to get me thrown overboard, aren’t you?” She took another step forward, he held his hands up in surrender. “No you don’t have one. You have a fine one. In a bikini or those snug jeans you’re wearing.”

“Snug? Are you saying I look fat?”

“Oh, boy.” He turned his eyes skyward. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Were you with Alex last night?”

“For about an hour.” He pointed to her purse. “Who were you talking to on the phone?”

Sagging against the wall opposite him, she massaged her tired eye sockets with her fingers. “That poisonous excuse for a woman gives new meaning to the word bitch.” She rested her pounding head against the wall and sighed. “What the hell is she doing in Hawaii?”

Tim exhaled a loud breath. “You’re referring to?”

“Crystal Washington.”

“Did she contact you?” He sounded angry. Maddie had never seen Tim get angry.

“I left her a message.” She rubbed her aching forehead. “It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in someday. I didn’t talk to her for long, she was pissing me off so I hung up. But not before she lied about Alex leaving her hotel room in the middle of the night.”

He turned toward the water and remained silent.

“Tim?” She stood next to him. “She was lying, right?”

Still facing the water he said, “You’ll have to talk to Alex about that and don’t read anything into what that nutbar told you.” He nodded toward Alex. “Hey, while he’s dreaming, let’s grab a snack. My treat.”

Maddie turned and saw that Alex had fallen asleep. His arms were folded across his chest, and his neck rested on the headrest. “Yeah, she mentioned she wore him out.”

“She’s evil, and she even plays an evil bitch on TV.” He cupped her elbow and guided her toward the snack bar. “That piece of work was pushing your buttons. Don’t let her.”

They hopped on stools at the counter. Tim ordered a Coke and hotdog for himself. Maddie opted for some orange juice.

“You know the guy is nuts about you,” Tim said.

Maddie stuck a straw through the juice carton and shrugged.

“Even a cynic like me can see that you’ve both been doing this dance for a long time now.” He popped the tab off his can of Coke. “All the bickering, the driving each other crazy. Neither of you ever approved of anyone the other dated. I bet you know more about each other than you even realize. All those stunts you two pulled on each other and you still stayed friends.” He drank some Coke. “So there you are.”

Maddie sipped her orange juice. The tangy taste and citrus scent reminded her of the way Alex ate his oranges. He had to remove the white stuff around the fruit first, then quarter it and eat them one slice at a time. “You got that wrong. He never pulled any stunts on me.”

Squirting mustard along the hotdog he chuckled. “That’s what you think.” He took a healthy bite and swallowed. “After we came back from Peru—Christ, I’m still wondering how we came back with working parts. We were sporting goatees, long hair—”