Luck of the Dragon

Alec took another sip of his juice, all relaxed and at ease, the smug king of his freakin’ kingdom. Lucy swallowed a shuddering exhale and took another breath. She held it and focused on his too handsome face. He deserved to pay up. It would be nothing to him.

Why not?

Why not go to the freakin’ spa with a man with more money than she could imagine and fewer worries than Zeus? Maybe she could nab his thumbprint while he was getting a facial. At the very least, she could hide out from Gino and Joey.

Lucy stood up from the table and extended her hand to shake. “I’ll take your bet.”

“Oh no, this kind of agreement requires a different binder.” Alec pushed himself to his feet and stepped around the table.

Lucy stepped back. He was going to kiss her again.

Her lips tingled and her gut tightened in anticipation. That kiss yesterday had been one of the best of her life, pulling her body into sharp awareness. She should stop him, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to feel her nerves come alive, one last time.

Slowly, Alec pulled off her glasses. “I like these.” His fingers folded the glasses closed, and his thumbs pressed against the lenses. He smiled and set them on the table.

Lucy stared at her glasses on the white tablecloth. Alec’s buttery thumbprint had smeared the lens. Elation swept from her belly to her ribcage. She stepped into his open arms, going on her tiptoes, and met his mouth in an abandoned kiss.

Alec’s lips opened above hers in surprise, and she pressed her advantage, winding her arms around his neck, inhaling the wonderful male scent of him. Her head spun with pleasure, and she dove deeper into the kiss. Alec pulled her groin snug into his. Her stomach coiled and desire spun, threatening her balance.

“Mary, Joseph, and Peter.” She broke away and wiped the back of her mouth with a shaky hand. She was hot, under her skin, in her veins, like she would burst into flames. Sweat dotted her forehead and she wiped that away, too.

“What was that about?” Alec held his hands away from his sides in question.

“It was just a kiss.” Lucy smiled but her mouth trembled. She shook her head and laughed, and the carefree sound bounced around the room with a maniacal lilt.

“It was not just a kiss.”

She ignored his confusion and carefully put the contract and thumb-printed glasses into her briefcase. She had her print. Joey would be safe while she spent some quality time at the spa with a gorgeous man. She could reschedule their flight to tomorrow. The day couldn’t get any better. She might even have to relax a little…Explore the tingling that Alec started every time he touched her.

“I need to take my briefcase to my car and make a call,” Lucy said. And make a pit stop in the women’s bathroom on the first floor where Gino was expecting the print drop.

“I can send someone for you.”

“No, no I don’t want to bother anyone.”

“It’s no bother.” Alec frowned and opened the curtain behind the table. Blue Nevada sky stretched in every direction.

Lucy stared at the top of the New York, New York replica of the Statue of Liberty, and her head spun a warning dial. “How high up are we?”

“130 stories.” Alec opened the sliding door and stepped onto an open porch. His shoulders veed to muscled hips, his legs shifted with animal-like grace. He turned in a circle with his arms wide, as if he wanted to jump off. “I need a little air.”

“Be careful.” Lucy’s brain whiplashed from pleasure to panic, reactions she could not control. She needed to get away from the porch, hunch against an interior wall, lie down on the ground. She took a step backward, then another. “Heights really do bother me.”

Alec frowned, then stepped inside and latched the door. “It’s okay.”

“A walk to my car would do me some good.”

He steadied her arm. “If you insist.”

Alec’s tone sounded suspicious, and Lucy’s eyes snapped to his face. Did he know? Was he just playing along? Had her elation clouded her judgment?

What if it was all a gilded trap?

Chapter Seven

In the entryway of The Cathedral Spa, Lucy paused. The spa took up two floors and was made with stone arches and balustrades, making it look like a medieval cathedral. Along the exterior wall were authentic flying buttresses resembling those at Notre Dame. A stream, complete with foot bridges and waterfalls, wound through the entry and disappeared beside an arched doorway. The sound of birds, real birds singing, twittered through the air.

“I’ve read about this place,” Lucy said to Jane, Alec’s always-handy assistant.

Jane nudged her forward to the front desk. “It’s only been open for a month, but it has already received a five-star rating from Conde Nast and the Refined Traveler.”

A limestone balcony peeked above their heads, and colored cushions and Persian carpets accented serene seating areas. Stained glass panels with pictures of colorful dragons in flight and woodland and meadow scenes adorned arched windows. The effect was like being inside a glittering jewelry box. Lucy’s fingers curled with pleasure.

“This is Dr. De Luca,” Jane said to a woman dressed in light green medical scrubs. “Mr. Gerald will be joining her for a morning of services.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The woman typed on her computer. “Rosa and Lilly Belle are ready for them now.”

“I’m not much for facials and pedicures,” Lucy warned the anxious-to-please attendant. The woman just smiled and looked unconcerned.

“I’ll have suitable clothing sent up for the rest of the day. Size 8, petite?” Jane asked.

Lucy nodded. It seemed Jane was less friendly than before, but it was hard to tell beneath her overly professional manner. “I’ve never spent the day in a spa before. This wasn’t my idea.”

“Try to enjoy yourself anyway. Before we enticed Rosa away from the Venetian, she had a five-month waiting list.” Jane left, her closed-toe heels tap-tapping across the cobblestones to the elevator.

“This way.” The attendant led her along the stream, through the limestone arch, and into a private locker room. She handed Lucy a fluffy white robe and rhinestone flip-flops. Lucy looked at the sparkly shoes. Pure paste. Really, someone should complain about the quality of their fake jewels. Lucy smiled wide and kicked off her practical shoes.

“It’s lovely, isn’t it? I’ve worked in three spas, and this one is the best.” The attendant pointed through an iron gate. “You’ll join Mr. Gerald for your services in the atrium.”

“What services?”

“You’ll start with steam therapy and then have a hot stone massage, followed by aqua therapy. Mr. Gerald has arranged for you to have a mani pedi and facial at the end of the morning.”

“Mr. Gerald isn’t staying to have his nails done?”

“No.” The woman seemed slightly appalled at the idea and turned to leave. “You can put your clothes in the locker.”

“Wait,” Lucy called. Lucy didn’t like being naked with her gynecologist. She was way more than just uncomfortable about being anywhere near Alec Gerald naked. “What clothes am I changing into?”

The woman paused with her hand on the door. “Most people prefer to be nude. You’ll be completely alone.”