Part 2 (2/2)

Kate folded her arms loosely across her chest and regarded him with amus.e.m.e.nt. aDo you really?a aAlways,a he replied, reaching for theHotel Services folder on the desk.

aThen how much do I owe you for the physician and ambulance?a aNothing,a Mitch.e.l.l said, flipping to the Room Service section of the handbook.

aDidnat you offer them money so that theyad agree to come out here and treat a dog?a aI appealed to their humane instincts.a aI see,a Kate replied, pretending she believed his story. aAnd is that why they got here so fast, too? I mean, they were here less than ten minutes after you walked into the lobby.a Mitch.e.l.l glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was watching him with a knowing little smile, and he had a sudden, impossibly premature impulse to wrap her in his arms and cover that tantalizing mouth with his. That thought made a smile tug at the corner of his own lips as he shrugged and said, aThey got here quickly because itas a very small island.a aAnd also because you promised them avery big tip?a Trying to ignore the impulse to laugh, Mitch.e.l.l focused on the menu. aWhat would you like for dinner?a Kate named the same delicious meal shead ordered the night before. aI think Iall have the sea scallops and a prawn and avocado salad,a she said, bending down to check on the sleeping dog.

aWould you like me to phone room service?a he asked.

aYes, please,a Kate said over her shoulder. aOrder anything you like. Ordereverything you like,a she joked, imagining the enormous tip he must have given to entice the ambulance drivers and a physician to race at top speed to the rescue of an injured stray dog.

Maxas nose felt warm to her touch, and his breathing was shallow and a little fast, but the physician had told her to expect this. Behind her, she heard Mitch.e.l.l pick up the telephone receiver, but a moment later he put it back in the cradle with a sharp clack. Puzzled, Kate glanced over her shoulder and saw him standing beside the phone, holding a piece of lined tablet paper in his hand, his dark brows drawn into a scowl.

A sheet of tablet paper . . .her tablet paper!Her tablet paper with the note shead written to help the police identify him if she disappeared. aI can explain,a she said, surging to her feet and walking over to him.

aIam dying to hear it,a he said coolly, and handed the note to her.

Kate reacted to the chill in his tone with an intensity that startled her. She didnat want to insult him or make him think badly of hera”not now, not when she was so grateful to him and liked him so much. He hadnat sounded this curt and unfriendly when she blamed him for the b.l.o.o.d.y Mary and dumped it on his s.h.i.+rt. Trying to think of the least offensive explanation she could give him, she reread what shead written on the note.

aIave gone out to dinner with a man who says his name is Mitch.e.l.l Wyatt. I met him this afternoon in the Sandbar when I spilled a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary on his s.h.i.+rt. The waiter can give you his description.a Stalling for time, she laid the offensive note back on the desk. aTonight,a she began haltingly, awhen I wasnat sure what I should wear to dinner, I decided to call you and ask where we were going.a She paused, nervously rubbing her palms against the sides of her pants.

aGo on,a he said brusquely.

aBut when I phoned the hotel operator and asked him to ring your room, he said you werenat staying here. That made me . . . well . . . uneasy. Possibilities started to occur to me that I hadnat considered earlier, when I believed you were a guest here and agreed to have dinner with you.a aWhat possibilities?a he demanded.

Kate wanted to be evasive, but that was impossible with his rapier blue gaze pinning hers. aThere were certain things about you that made me think you might be aa”a She almost choked on the word. aa”gigolo.a His scowl deepened. aAwhat ?a aPlease, just try to look at it from my perspective. You were hanging around a very expensive hotel that youare not staying at, youare outrageously handsome, youare incredibly smooth, youare totally charming, and youare avery fast workera”within two or three minutes of meeting me, you askedme to takeyou to dinner.a His expression hadnat softened a bit, which told Kate two things: He wasnat flattered by her complimentary remarks about his looks and charm; and he was waiting for an explanation as to why shead instructed whoever read the note to get a description of him from the waiter.

Raking her hair back off her forehead, she admitted the entire embarra.s.sing truth. aI was upset at the possibility that Iad been tricked into having dinner with a gigolo, but then I realized you could be a lot worse than a gigolo.a aI canat think of anything more repulsive than being a gigolo.a aNo, but you could have been worse than arepulsive.a You could have been dangerous. You could have been a murderer who picks up single women in hotels in the islands, kills them, and buries their bodies in the sand . . . or . . . something like that. . . .a Kate trailed off, feeling like a colossal idiot.

aSo you left a note for the authorities to find in case you disappeared?a Kate nodded miserably.

aBecause you wanted to be sure I wouldnat get away withyour murder?a Kate was so mortified and so annoyed with herself that she missed the thread of amus.e.m.e.nt in his deep voice. Unable to hold his gaze, she looked toward Max. aIt didnat seem quite so idiotic then as it does now.a For the second time in a few minutes, Mitch.e.l.l had to fight down the impulse to haul her into his arms. To distract himself, he turned away and picked up the telephone.

Startled by his abrupt move, Kate said, aWho are you calling?a aRoom service,a he said mildly.

aIn that case,a Kate said contritely, ayou may change my order to a large plate of humble pie.a Mitch.e.l.l was still grinning when the room service operator answered his call.

Chapter Eight.

LEAVINGMITCh.e.l.l TOdeal with room service, Kate went into the suiteas luxurious bathroom/dressing room to clean up. Twisting around in front of the full-length mirrors that lined one wall, she brushed at the bits of gra.s.s and dirt stuck to the back of her pants, but there was a damp stain on one side that was very noticeable.

Conscious of the pa.s.sage of time, she walked over to the closet and considered her choices. Holly had helped her pack because the night before Kate was to leave for Anguilla, shead gotten one of the fierce headaches that had been plaguing her since her fatheras death. Holly had chosen outfits that were suitable for a romantic holiday with Evan, and none of them seemed completely appropriate for this particular occasion.

Kate decided on a pair of cream silk lounging pants with a wide band of gold Moroccan embroidery at the hem and a delicate cream silk camisole with a straight neckline and narrow spaghetti straps that tied into bows on her shoulders. The outfit seemed a little too softly feminine to suit dining alone in a hotel room with a strange man, but it covered everything except her arms, and the neckline was perfectly modest, so it seemed like the best selection among the clothes she had with her.

She changed quickly and slipped on a pair of gold sandals. At the mirror above the hammered bra.s.s sink, she paused just long enough to run a brush through her hair and put on fresh lipstick. She was absolutely determined to atone for everything shead put Mitch.e.l.l through by making the rest of his evening as enjoyable as she possibly could, and that meant not keeping him waiting alone any longer than necessary.

The telephone began ringing while Kate was applying lipstick, and she reached automatically for the extension hanging on the wall beside the mirror; then she hesitated and let it continue ringing. Evan phoned every night at about this time, and this call was undoubtedly from him. If he was calling to explain that he couldnat make it to Anguilla the next afternoon, then head probably be relieved to leave that message on the hotelas voice mail for her. If he was calling to confirm that he was going to arrive as planned, she could listen to his message later. Right now, she had a rather urgent debt to repay to the man in the next room, and the only way she could repay it was by being the best hostess she could possibly be. That was one thing Kate knew how to do rather well, having grown up in the restaurant business.

She took a last glance at herself in the mirrored wall behind her; then she turned off the lights and left the room.

She expected to find Mitch.e.l.l outside on the terrace enjoying the balmy, moonlit night, but instead he was standing beside the sleeping dog with his hands in his pockets and a bemused smile on his face. She stopped in the doorway, arrested by his expression, trying to guess what he was thinking, but then something else struck her: He looked as immaculately groomed as he had when he first arrived at the hotel that evening. His thick black hair was beautifully cut and styleda”and completely unmussed; his snowy white s.h.i.+rt was as unwrinkled as his tan trousers, and his brown loafers were gleaming. Head draped the navy blazer head been wearing earlier over a chair, and head folded his s.h.i.+rtsleeves back onto his forearms, but other than those two alterations in his appearance, he certainly didnat look as if head helped load and unload a large, unconscious dog on and off a stretcher.

Earlier that day, in the dim light of the restaurant, shead been too mortified at having doused him with the b.l.o.o.d.y Mary to do more than form an impression that he was handsome. Tonight, shead been too busy with Max to actually study the man whoad gallantly responded to her appeal for help, but now she realized Mitch.e.l.l Wyatt wasnat merely handsome, he was absolutelygorgeous. He was about six feet three inches tall, with extremely broad shoulders, a muscular chest, and narrow hips. His face was tanned, his jaw square, his brows thick and straight above dark-lashed eyes that she already knew were a deep indigo blue.

Normally Kate was unimpressed with exceptionally handsome men, because they were usually either vain and shallow or subtly effeminate, but this man was thoughtful and kind, and he was thoroughly male. Standing perfectly still in the living room, with his hands in his pockets, he positively emanated masculine vitality and s.e.x appeal.

All of those attributes, combined with his wry sense of humor and blas sophistication, made Kate decide that he was, in every respect, the most attractive man shead ever encountered. Glamorous, sophisticated women undoubtedly dropped into his arms when he crooked his finger at them, Kate thought with an inner smile. She, however, was neither glamorous nor very worldly, and for once she was rather glad of those shortcomings, because he wouldnat be tempted to turn the full force of his charm and good looks on someone like her. The evening had already been nerve-racking enough without having to fend off halfhearted advances from a lethally attractive male. Belatedly realizing shead been studying him for far too long, Kate stepped forward and announced her presence by saying the first thing that came to mind. aIam sorry I took so long.a He turned at the sound of her voice; but instead of replying, he looked her over slowly from head to toe with a smile of frank masculine appreciation that was so flattering and unnerving to Kate that she had to concentrate on walking without tripping over her own feet. As his gaze traveled back up to her head, she braced for a suggestive compliment.

aYour curls are all tamed down tonight,a he observed mildly. Kateas nervous misgivings evaporated in a relieved laugh.

aI tortured them into submission with a flat iron and blow dryer,a she said, stopping beside him. aHowas the patient doing?a she asked, bending down to lightly scratch behind Maxas ears. Her fingertips encountered a light dusting of a powdery substance that hadnat been on him before, and she noticed more of it on the white carpet around where he lay. Kate glanced uncertainly over her shoulder and held up her powdery fingertips. aDo you know what this is?a aFlea powder. I had housekeeping bring some in while you were changing clothes.a aWhy do you think he has fleas?a aBecause they were dragging him toward the door while I watched,a he said drily, as he grasped her arm, urging her up. aIad stand back until that stuff does the job or youall be awake all night scratching behind your own ears.a Surprised and touched to discover head gallantly taken care of yet another problem for her, Kate straightened and looked searchingly at his handsome, tanned face. Shead been uneasy about him simply because he was outrageously good-looking, and she had an impossible impulse to tell him that, and then to apologize for it. Instead, she said with soft sincerity, aYouare very sweet.a Mitch.e.l.las reaction was s.e.xual, not sweet; yet as he gazed into her luminous green eyes, he found himself wondering if there was actually some truth to the axiom that the eyes were a window into the soul. His attention s.h.i.+fted almost immediately to her full lips, but just as he started to act on his impulse to kiss them, the silence was shattered by musicians down at the beach launching into a rousing steel-drum rendition of aJamaica Farewell.a Kate stepped back immediately, smiled, and tipped her head in the direction of the music coming in through the open terrace doors. aI love calypso music. Did you arrange for that, too, when you arranged for the flea powder?a Her recovery was so smooth that Mitch.e.l.l would have actually believed she hadnat realized what was about to happen between them a moment before, except that her skin was too fair to conceal the telltale pink tinge on her high cheekbones. Her pretense struck him as entertaining but humorously unnecessary. They were both adults, they were obviously attracted to each other; therefore, they were going to end up in that inviting king-size bed in the alcove later on. Mitch.e.l.l saw no reason for either of them to pretend the situation was otherwise. aIf Iad arranged for that music,a he a.s.sured her drolly, aIad have told them I prefer a much slower tempoa”at first.a Kateas eyes widened at the double meaning she read into that remark. Earlier, shead accused him of being a afast worker,a but even if he was, he surely couldnat intend to make a flying leap from a discussion of fleas, to an aborted kiss, to a blatant s.e.xual innuendo, without pausing in between.

Or could he?

Kate decided her imagination was running wild and reminded herself that her goal tonight was to be a good hostess. aLet me fix you something to drink,a she said with a quick smile as she turned toward the suiteas well-stocked bar. aWhat would you like?a aVodka and tonic if you have ice. Otherwise, plain vodka.a aIam sure we have ice,a she said, and confirmed it when she lifted the top off the ice bucket. aThe staff here looks after everything. They even give you chilled towels while youare at the beach.a From the refrigerator, she removed a miniature bottle of vodka, some tonic, and a fresh lime.

aYou had a phone call while you were changing clothes,a he said.

Kate glanced at the red message light flas.h.i.+ng accusingly on the desk phone and opened the bottle of vodka. aI know. Iall listen to the message later.a aWhen are you expecting him to arrive?a His casual, conversational tone was as startling to Kate as his astute conclusion that she was expecting a man, but somehow she managed to glance over her shoulder, smile, and answer his question as casually as head asked it. aTomorrow evening, probably.a As she added ice to his gla.s.s, she waited for Mitch.e.l.l to comment, and when he didnat, she felt compelled to fill the awkward silence with added information about a boyfriend she didnat really want to discuss with him in the first place. aHeas trying an important case in court during the day and working to negotiate a settlement between the parties at night. He flew down here with me four days ago, but the judge decided not to continue the case again, and so he had to turn around and fly right back home. He thought the case would be over quickly, but itas been dragging on and on.a As Kate finished speaking, she realized the additional remarks about Evan were probably a good idea. Shead not only confirmed to Mitch.e.l.l that she had a boyfriend, shead provided enough additional facts about him to bring him into sharp focus right there in the room, where he would now be a barrier between Mitch.e.l.l and her. If Mitch.e.l.las earlier comment about the atempoa he preferred had actually been a s.e.xual reference, Kate knew there would be no more of those to deal with now. He wouldnat try to kiss her again, either, and so she wouldnat be foolishly tempted to let him. No matter how likeable he seemed or how attractive he was, the fact remained that Mitch.e.l.l was a total stranger and they were alone together in a hotel room. aWeave been going together for years,a she threw in for good measure, to further eliminate any lingering chances of overtures and temptations.

Kate poured the vodka over the ice in Mitch.e.l.las gla.s.s, serenely certain that everything shead said about Evan would ensure that the lovely evening ahead would be completely free of any more unnerving sensual undercurrents.

Mitch.e.l.l watched her, completely satisfied that the lawyer-boyfriend was no obstacle whatsoever to their going to bed together tonight. It was apparent to him that Kate didnat imagine she was in love with the lawyer; women who believed they were in love gave off unmistakable signals, particularly when they spoke of their lovers, and Kate Donovan wasnat giving off any of those signals.

The boyfriend wasnat even likely to be an annoying inconvenience if Kate and he also decided they wanted to enjoy each other for an additional day or two. In Mitch.e.l.las experience, lawyers who predicted they could successfully conclude aan important casea in a few days were either deluding themselves or trying to delude someone elsea”in this instance, Kate.

In his mind, Mitch.e.l.l envisioned a prosperous, middle-aged lawyer whoad managed to dazzle Kate years before, not long after she was out of college. He could have confirmed his suspicions with a few questions, but it was disadvantageous to the mood of the evening to further discuss another lover with her. Besides that, Mitch.e.l.l felt it would be in bad taste for him to pry into the absent manas personal life at a time like this. Under Mitch.e.l.las personal code of European s.e.xual ethics, sleeping with another manas lover was perfectly allowable if the lady was willing. However, discussing the absent man with her was a needless and tasteless invasion of the manas privacy. It was ungentlemanly. And Mitch.e.l.l abhorred ungentlemanly behavior.

Unaware that her discussion of Evan had accomplished exactly the opposite of what she thought, Kate added a slice of fresh lime to the vodka and tonic, and took Mitch.e.l.l the finished drink. When she held the gla.s.s out, he made a silent joke about the b.l.o.o.d.y Mary shead spilled on him earlier by stepping back and eyeing her warily before he cautiously took the gla.s.s from her outstretched hand. Of all his attractive qualities, Kate decided she liked his disarming sense of humor besta”undoubtedly because it was easier to forget his good looks and relax when they were joking with each other. Smiling good-naturedly at his gibe about the b.l.o.o.d.y Mary, she asked the first question that came to mind. aWhere did you learn to speak Dutch?a aIn Holland,a he replied, and took a sip of his drink.

aWhen were you there?a aWhen I was eleven or twelve.a He seemed a little unforthcoming on the subject, but Kate stuck with it anyway, because it seemed like a good conversational starting place. aWhy were you in Holland at that age?a aI went to school with a boy whose family lived in Amsterdam, and he invited me to spend a couple of summers there with his family.a aIave never been to Europe,a Kate said as she turned away and headed back toward the liquor cabinet, abut Amsterdam is one of the places Iad especially love to see. Do you know what I think of whenever someone mentions Amsterdam?a aNo,a Mitch.e.l.l replied, studying the easy, unselfconscious grace of her walk and the way her dark red hair tumbled in a gleaming waterfall of waves and curls halfway down her back. aWhat do you think of when someone mentions Amsterdam?a She shot him a rueful laughing look over her shoulder as she crouched down in front of the refrigerator. aThe same two things you do, Iam sure.a aMarijuana and prost.i.tutes?a Mitch.e.l.l speculated with certainty.

She stood up with a bottle of Perrier in her hand, but instead of saying he was correct, she fumbled with the top on the bottle for several seconds, trying to get it off. Intending to offer to help her, Mitch.e.l.l started forward; then he realized her shoulders were shaking with laughter and he stopped in surprise. aWhenever anyone thinks of Amsterdam,a he stated with certainty, athe first two things that come to mind are restaurants with marijuana on the menus and prost.i.tutes standing in storefront windows.a She laughed harder and she shook her head vigorously from side to side, causing her hair to s.h.i.+ft across her ivory shoulders like a wavy crimson curtain. aThat isnot what most people think of,a she managed unsteadily after she finally got the top off the Perrier and poured some of the sparkling liquid into her gla.s.s.

aWhat else is there to think of?a he asked.

She turned fully toward him then, her face alight with laughter. aTulips!a she informed him, picking up her gla.s.s and crossing the room to him. aAnd ca.n.a.ls. Everyone thinks oftulips andca.n.a.ls when they think of Amsterdam.a aNoteveryone, obviously,a Mitch.e.l.l pointed out.

aApparently not,a she agreed, but she refused to concede the issue based solely on his opinion. aHowever, I would like to point out that when you see pictures of Amsterdam on calendars, you see fields of bright tulips and beautiful ca.n.a.ls. You donot see photographs of menus with marijuana as an appetizer, nor prost.i.tutes standing in store windows.a aThe marijuana choices are listed on a separate menu,a Mitch.e.l.l corrected, deriving the almost-forgotten, boyish pleasure of an innocent, lively debate over meaningless trivialities with an impertinent girl who attracted, amused, and opposed him. aThey arenat listed underAppetizers. a aThey should be,a Kate informed him, automatically thinking like a restaurant owner. aMarijuana is an appet.i.te stimulant.a aAre you speaking from personal experience?a Mitch.e.l.l inquired with a knowing grin.

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