”
29
Rita wandered around the casino until she found an empty seat at the roulette table. Games of chance weren’t really her thing, but she’d give it a shot.
She hadn’t seen Xavier since earlier that morning, and there were no messages from him on her phone either. That worried her. It was imperative that she gain access to his room, and she couldn’t very well do that if someone else was beating her time, namely Traci Jennings.
She placed her bet and watched the wheel spin.
“I didn’t think this was your kind of game,” a voice from behind her whispered.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Well, hello. I’d given you up.”
“Never.” Xavier glanced at the roulette wheel. “I have been very busy. Things that needed to be taken care of before we dock in Miami.”
“I see.”
“Would you care to join me for a drink … before dinner”
“I would. Thank you. I wasn’t doing very well over here anyway. And being in your company is just the thing to lift my spirits.”
He took her elbow. “Come. I have a table reserved.” He escorted her to the top deck of the ship to the glass-enclosed restaurant. They were quickly shown to their table.
Rita looked out onto the calm seas and the ink-black sky dotted with millions of tiny stars.
“This is beautiful. I didn’t realize there was a restaurant up here.”
Xavier smiled. “I told you: it is my responsibility to please a lovely lady such as you.”
Rita actually blushed. “You always know what to say.”
“If only I did.” His expression grew serious. “I’ve been thinking a lot of you.”
She reached for the goblet of water. Light danced off its polished surface, making the glass opalescent. “Have you Is that a good thing”
“It depends.”
“On what”
“On your answer to my proposition.”
“Oh” Her brows arched over widened eyes of curiosity.
He steepled his fingers beneath his mouth. “I have important business in Miami. It will take several days. I have a home there.”
Her pulse quickened.
“I’m inviting you to stay as my guest while I am in Miami.”
She lowered her lids and toyed with her glass. “A guest What kind of guest”
He smiled at the loaded question. “The kind who benefits from my benevolence.”
“A guest with benefits—interesting concept.”
“It will give us a chance to get to know each other. And then”—he shrugged slightly—“who knows.”
“Do you want an answer now”
“After we eat, after you come to my suite and share my bed. Then you can decide.”
A hot flush raced straight to her head and pounded against her temples. Her underarms grew damp. She reached for the water and then changed her mind.
“You seem to have this all figured out,” she said, struggling to maintain calm in her voice while her thoughts raced.
“Everything in my life is carefully planned. Something you will learn, should you take me up on my offer of hospitality.”
Her throat had gone so dry, she thought she’d choke if she tried to swallow. This time the goblet of water made it to her lips. She took a long slow drink. This may be her last chance to get into his room, but were they ready Jake swore up and down that it could be pulled off. But the plan was for tomorrow, not tonight. She needed to be sure that everything and everyone was in place.
“Let’s order, have a wonderful dinner, an exquisite time in your bed … and if you are as benevolent as you say, I just might take you up on your offer to be a guest with benefits.” She smiled wickedly over the rim of her glass.
Xavier tossed his dark head back and laughed from deep in his belly. “As they say in the States … You’re on.” He signaled for the waiter.
After dinner of penne pasta with clam sauce, steamed mussels, and a garden salad to die for, they danced under the stars and laughed over several glasses of wine.
Rita couldn’t remember the last time she’d been romanced or, better yet, seduced. At times when she listened to Xavier tell ribald stories of his life in South America, she was hard-pressed to see him as the ruthless killer and smuggler that he was reported to be. Under the stars and the glow of good food and wine, he was simply a devastatingly handsome, sexy, and charming man.
What would life be like with a man such as Xavier Suarez She would certainly have all the money and luxuries her heart desired. She’d never have to work a con again. She’d never have to forge documents for extra cash to feed her lust for the finer things in life or concern herself with the trivialities of everyday living. She would finally be queen of a castle and have a powerful and sinfully wealthy man as her protector. What if everyone was wrong about him
“You’ve come a long way from the back streets of Venezuela and Brazil,” Rita said as they danced to a slow song.
He held her close, and she inhaled his manly fragrance. She let her eyes drift closed.
“I’ve worked hard for all that I have attained. I knew since a little boy that I would not grow up in poverty, living forever in a shack with mud for floors.”
She heard the underlying pain mixed with determination in his voice.
“What about your family”
“I take good care of my family. All of them. The money that I make goes back to the town in which I grew up. They have schools now and a small clinic that helps many.”
“Not many people would do that. Most would want to get as far away from their pasts as they could.” She thought of herself and Eva, always running, always seeking.
“I am not like anyone you have ever known.” He leaned back and looked into her upturned face. “Always remember that.” He kissed the top of her head and finished the dance. He took her back to their table. “Would you like dessert before we leave”
Her heart jumped in her chest. “No. Actually, I want to freshen up a bit.” She rose and so did he. “I’ll be just a minute, and then we can go.”
He nodded and watched her as she headed off to the restroom.
Rita pushed the restroom door open, checked all the stalls before taking out her cell phone.
Jake picked up on the second ring. “Yeah…”
“It has to be tonight.…”
* * *
“Tonight!” Eva sputtered. “Are we ready”
“We have to be. Not much of a choice. We needed Rita to gain access to his room, and tonight is the night. We may not get another chance.”
Eva paced with her fist pressed to her lips. “Okay, then we have to get busy. But what about the safe”
“I’m hoping that everything we need is in the suitcase. If not, we have one more day.”
Eva sighed. “Okay. Call Jinx and tell him to bring the bag. And I’ll get ready.”
“Rita will call us as soon as everything is set on her end.”
Jinx arrived shortly with the bag. “She’s with him now” he asked as he set the bag down in the center of the room.
“Yeah,” Jake said, and went over the information on the computer.
Jinx grumbled something incoherent. Eva flashed him a look. “Rita will be fine. For what it’s worth, she’s a professional.”
There was something about the way she’d looked at Suarez, in a way she’d never looked at him—almost with longing. And it worried Jinx more than he was willing to admit out loud.
“I’m going to get dressed,” Eva said, and left the room.
Jake turned to his brother. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t.”
Jinx wandered aimlessly around the cabin. “I just have a bad feeling about Rita and this guy. You haven’t seen them together, I have.”
“She’s doing her job, Jinx. That’s it. When this is over, we’ll all walk away, and Rita will too.”
“I don’t know, man.” He shook his head. “I really don’t.”
Jake studied his brother’s worried profile. He knew how much Jinx cared about Rita, how much he always had. But Rita was a wild card. Sure she probably had a soft spot in her heart for Jinx, but Rita—even more so than Eva—was always out for the next big score. And this time Xavier Suarez just might be the jackpot for her. He hoped not. If Rita pulled a fast one on Jinx, he was pretty sure it would do his brother in.
* * *
Rita took a last check of her makeup in the bathroom mirror, applied a bit more powder to her nose, and freshened her lipstick. She made sure the vial was tucked deep inside her purse and then shut it.
She looked at her reflection. Would a night with Xavier be everything that she imagined And what about the morning after But if she did what she was supposed to do, she’d never find out.
That was the dilemma that plagued her. She turned away from the image of accusation in the mirror and returned to the table.
Whatever happened between her and Xavier would happen. She’d be sure to hold up her end of the arrangement for everyone else’s sake. Other than that—the chips would simply have to fall.