be. A man who was honest and loyal and unafraid to face the consequences of his actions. A man willing to step forward, admit mistakes, and make amends. Considering what Zach had put Lora through, he owed it to his sister to make that attempt.
But even as Joel set up the clandestine meeting and contacted his partners at ESS for a conference call to line up a way out for Zach if he had the guts to take it, he wondered if Zach was capable of that kind of redemption. Or was Zach so far gone that he'd completely and irrevocably turn his back on the one person who loved him unconditionally, despite the fact that he'd sold her soul to a loan shark?
In a few days, Joel would find out exactly what kind of man Zach was. And so would Lora.
Once he'd finalized his plans and secured his partners' approval, Joel called Zach's cell phone, which went straight to voice mail. No big surprise there. Joel left him a detailed message, and had no problem playing on the other man's conscience, or using guilt to get the results he wanted. At this point, Joel was willing to do whatever it took to make this reunion happen and offer Zach the chance to get the help he needed for his addictions.
The big question was, would Zach show up? Or would he take the coward's way out?
Only time would tell.
Chapter Thirteen
THE man could cook, and that was a huge point in Daniel Barnett's favor.
Meeting his gaze from across the dining room table at his house, Sydney leaned back in her chair and placed a hand over her full stomach. She couldn't believe how much she'd eaten, but the pecan-crusted chicken he'd made, along with buttered green beans and roasted herb potatoes, had tasted so good she hadn't be able to resist a second helping. The man kept impressing her at every turn, with his culinary talents, his dedication to his job as a math teacher, and the seemingly effortless way he resisted her sexual advances.
Yeah, especially that, damn him.
Even last night, after she'd closed down the bar following the Halloween bash and the rest of her employees had gone home the place had been cleaned up, she'd hoped to have a little fun with Daniel and their pirate costumes.
Except he hadn't cooperated. Oh, she'd managed to get some hot and heavy kissing out of him, more than enough to get her juices flowing, but that had been it, despite her protests for more.
So when he'd invited her over to his place for dinner the next night, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to fire things up between them, in a way he wouldn't be able to refuse.
Seduction and satisfaction were the goals for the evening.
'I take it you liked dinner,' Daniel said, his tone pleased. 'Either that, or you were being very polite with that second helping.'
She laughed, enjoying his humor. Heck, she enjoyed most everything about this man. More than she ever would have anticipated. 'Trust me, I don't waste good calories on second helpings unless it's truly worth it. Dinner was delicious. In fact, if I didn't see you prepare and cook the meal yourself, I would have thought you had it catered in,' she teased.
'Not a chance.' His caramel-hued eyes were warm and mellow with his own brand of playful flirtation. 'I told you I love to cook.'
She reached out and strummed her fingers along the stem of her wineglass. 'Yeah, well, when a guy says that, it usually means boxed potatoes, canned green beans, and chicken on the barbeque, not this gourmet meal you put together.'
He winked at her. 'Stick with me, sweetheart. I have all kinds of tricks and talents up my sleeve.'
Oh, she was hoping so.
The term of endearment he'd used, along with the husky tone of his voice, sent a pleasant warmth seeping through her that had nothing to do with the expensive wine he'd served with dinner, and everything to do with
'Something chocolate and absolutely decadent.'
'Mmmm.' She let the sexy sound roll up from her throat in a tantalizing purr. 'I like the sound of that.'
He laughed deeply. 'Does everything have a sexual connotation to you?'
'Only when I'm being sexually deprived,' she retorted sassily.
'Awww, poor baby,' he crooned, though his eyes held a devilish glint that told her he wasn't at all sorry for his part in her sexual frustration.
Releasing a breathy sigh that snagged his attention from across the table, she lifted her hand to her throat, then slowly skimmed her fingers along the opening of her blouse, and was immensely gratified when his gaze followed the trail. Her nipples puckered from her own caress, and he noticed that, too.
She wet her bottom lip with her tongue, a long, slow swipe that would hopefully add to his own arousal and discomfort. Or, at the very least, make him think of all the wicked ways she could use her mouth and tongue on him. She was more than willing, given the chance.
His eyes grew dark with desire, and she smiled. 'You know, there is more than one way to put me out of my misery.' Hot, hard sex was her preference, but hell, at this point she was willing to settle for some heavy petting and a few orgasms.
'What, and spoil all this fun between us?' he drawled. He thought for a moment, then shook his dark blond head. 'Nahhh. I'm having way too good a time just the way things are.'
He stood to clear the dining table, and she joined him, deciding that the man was the female equivalent of a cock-tease. Amazing. She was used to dealing with aggressive men who couldn't keep their hands off her-until they got what they wanted. And here she was offering it up to Daniel, and he'd just politely turned her down. Again.
She placed her utensils on her plate, and when she reached for his dishes across the table, he stopped her.
'I'll do this,' he insisted, taking the plate from her grasp. 'Why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room while I clean up the kitchen real quick. I'll be there in five minutes, max.'
'Okay.'
She headed into the adjoining room, and instead of sitting down on one of the brown suede couches to wait for Daniel, she strolled over to the wall unit and casually scanned the items on the shelves. There were hardbound books, most of which were spy novels, along with the James Bond novels he'd told her he collected. There was a nice stereo unit and a stack of CDs ranging from jazz and country to rock, but what drew her attention the most was the array of framed photographs he had on display.
She smiled at the picture of Daniel with two little boys dressed in baseball uniforms-his nephews, she guessed. And it was obvious by Daniel's affectionate grin and the way he was ruffling one of the boys' hair just how much he adored them. Another photograph showed him with another man his age, who possessed similar looks but appeared very serious in nature, and a beautiful woman caught laughing at something just as the snapshot had been taken. Siblings, she assumed, and moved on to another picture of an older couple who were clearly his parents.
His father was handsome, with distinguished features and the appearance of a well-established doctor. In the photo, his mother was wearing a designer summer outfit, and the left hand resting on her husband's chest sported a huge rock of a diamond and an equally impressive diamond tennis bracelet. They were standing next to a new Jaguar, with a two-story estate home in the background, confirming what she'd known all along-that despite the modest salary he no doubt made as a high school math teacher, Daniel Barnett came from a wealthy, upscale, and classy family.
And Sydney was as far from classy as a woman could get. Considering her checkered past and the things she'd done to get to where she was today, there was no way that she'd ever fit in Daniel's world beyond a brief fling. And he had to know that, too.
It was time to be assertive, to heat things up, get the deed done, and move on before she got any more involved with Daniel than she already was.
With that plan in mind, she scanned the stack of CDs and chose The Fray and slipped it into the disc player. Seconds later a rhythmic beat filled the room, along with the lead singer's smooth, rich vocals. Closing her eyes, she
