He gave her body a raking gaze. She pretended not to notice his obvious examination and approval, but she could feel her cheeks grow warm. “Take my hand,” he instructed. His hands were large, swallowing hers. He could crush her, but instead he held her as gently as he could. “Take your time,” he instructed. “Slowly. Don’t forget, I’m your lover, not your enemy.”
“It’s easy to forget,” she said.
His eyes gazed over her once again, slowly drinking her in. She could smell Rick, feel his presence.
“Let’s get on with this,” she said. She found herself thinking once again of Sabrina. She had done a lot more than just admire Rick’s muscles. While Lessa had been worshipping him from afar, Sabrina had been experiencing his skills as a lover. She had no doubt Rick was as skilled at lovemaking as he was everything else.
“I’m curious about one thing,” Rick said. “When did you see me with Sabrina?”
“At your apartment,” she replied, not intending the words to sound as bitter as they did. “About ten years ago. My dad sent me over to deliver some papers.”
“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I’m surprised you even remember.”
Of course she remembered, she felt like saying. She had been madly, wildly in love with him. But before she could say anything, his hand settled on top of her rear end. She could feel herself grow short of breath as he pulled her to a stop. “Sabrina is behind you,” he said. “She’s watching us.”
He brushed the back of his hand across her face. “I’m going to kiss you, Lessa,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be a tender, passionate kiss. I want you to take your hands and wrap them around my neck. Can you do that?”
“Just relax,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
As he leaned forward, she closed her eyes and puckered up. His lips pressed against hers as his hand slipped around her small waist, pulling her in to him. As her bare flesh pressed against his, she was overwhelmed by his physical strength and power.
Slowly, he stopped. He smiled softly, his eyes caressing her. And for a moment, she forgot it was not real. He loved her and she loved him and that was all that mattered.
But instead of sweet nothings, he said, “You didn’t put your arms around my neck.” With a nod toward Sabrina, he added, “Next time follow instructions.”
Four
“As I told you, Mr. Parker,” Lessa said, still shaky from the kiss. “I’m not an actress.”
“Well, you better try. Because this is the only way to get back your father’s business. So no more tantrums.” He swung her back into him.
“Every time you touch me, it makes me dislike you even more.”
“Well, if all goes according to plan,” he said, pulling her so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, “by the end of the evening you’ll hate me.” He released her but still held on to her hand. “Shall we?”
The afternoon sun reflected off the blue Caribbean, beating through the palm trees that flanked the path. They made their way to the white sandy beach toward a waving Sabrina. Lessa was surprised to see that Sabrina was wearing a suit even skimpier than hers.
“This way,” Sabrina called out cheerfully.
Lessa glanced sideways at Rick. If Sabrina was wearing the bikini to impress him, it didn’t appear to work. He was looking intently at Lessa. “Showtime,” he told her softly.
“Well,” Sabrina said, the smile fading from her face as she saw Lessa, “I see you got the suit. Who knew you had a figure underneath those big, bulky clothes of yours?”
“Lessa’s in great shape,” Rick said, smiling at her proudly. Lessa couldn’t help but wince at the discussion of her physical attributes. She tightened the towel around her waist.
“She’s a competitive tennis player,” Rick said. “She even played at Wimbledon.”
“The Wimbledon Juniors,” Lessa corrected him, embarrassed by the exaggeration.
“How impressive,” Sabrina said, obviously unimpressed. “But does she water-ski?”
Why did Sabrina insist on talking to Rick as if Lessa weren’t there? “No, she doesn’t,” Lessa said, referring to herself in the third person.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Sabrina said, with mock sincerity. “Perhaps you’d like to stay here and settle into a beach chair. We won’t be long, will we, Rick?” Once again, she flashed her pearly whites.
“I’m always up for trying something new,” Lessa said as enthusiastically as she could.
Rick jumped on the boat and held out his hand. She made herself take his hand and climbed onboard.
The boat took off and Sabrina fell against Rick. “Whoa,” she said. Rick steadied her as Sabrina smiled at him gratefully. And that was when it hit Lessa. Sabrina was not only an ex-girlfriend, she was vying to be the current one as well. But did she really like him? Or was she, as Rick maintained, just trying to determine his response? After all, what better way to see if his relationship with Lessa was real?
As if thinking the same thing, Rick moved behind Lessa and slipped his arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and he smiled back.
“Does the rest of your office know what you’re up to?” Sabrina asked, staring at them intently.
“No,” Lessa said.
“Yes,” Rick said, at exactly the same time.
He squeezed her shoulders again and said, “They didn’t for a long time, but due to the most recent issue-”
“When I fired him,” Lessa added cheerfully.
“It’s become obvious that something is going on.”
“I see.” Sabrina said, picking up a bottle of sun-screen. She squirted some in her hand and stretched out one of her long legs, swinging it up and over the side of the boat. In a scene worthy of an X-rated film, she began slowly to smooth the lotion over her leg. It was obvious that Sabrina was doing some performing of her own. When she was done, she looked at Rick and said, “Lotion?”
He turned to Lessa and asked, “Would you mind putting some on my back?”
His back? “No,” Lessa said, taking the lotion. She squirted some on her hands and forced herself to touch his bare skin. His skin was smooth and his back was outlined with well-formed muscles. She dug in deep, running her fingers against the muscles that seemed to grow hard with her touch. It was sensual and intimate, not the type of activity one would normally perform with a business associate. But she could not allow herself to feel embarrassed. Sabrina was watching.
“Thanks,” he said huskily, as Sabrina signaled the boat’s driver to stop. “You’ve got quite a touch,” he added, giving her a mischievous grin.
Sabrina handed Rick a life jacket and said, “Why don’t you go first.” She helped it on him, making a point of rubbing in some lotion that was on his shoulder. “You missed a spot,” she said, smiling evilly at Lessa.
Lessa couldn’t help but resent the blatantly flirtatious act. If Rick really were her boyfriend, she would be fuming right now.
“Thanks,” he said, then plunged into the water.
“Don’t forget your ski,” Lessa said, tossing it in. He moved out of the way just in time to avoid being clobbered. “So sorry, darling,” she said.
Rick slipped on the ski and gave them the thumbs-up sign. He easily got up on the first try, all of his muscles taut.
Sabrina clapped her hands before focusing her attention back on Lessa. As Lessa watched Rick ski in and out of the wake, Sabrina said, “Rick and I met on a ski boat. It was very romantic. I took a bad tumble and had to be carried off the boat. Naturally Rick volunteered. All the other men, including my date, were sitting on the boat sipping their drinks. Well, that was that.”
Lessa nodded. What was she supposed to do? She had the feeling that Sabrina was testing her, but what could she say? “Rick is a very gallant man.”
“I take it you two met at work,” Sabrina stated.
“I met Rick when he came to work for my father.” Lessa could still see Rick standing before her, with his hair slicked back and his deep blue eyes, resplendent in an expensive suit. She remembered the feeling that had surged
