A Lover's Mask (6 page)

In spite of her light, unaffected manner, Fernando knew she hurt deeply from such treatment. He knew that her seductive, boisterous and challenging qualities were masks she used to hide the hurt.

“Well, I'm stuffed,” she said, patting her nonexistent tummy.

Fernando stood. “Then let's get the hell out of here.”

 

“I'm leaving tomorrow.”

County blinked, but kept her gaze focused past the car window when she heard him. Knowing he hadn't shared the tidbit just to pass time, she swallowed the lump of emotion lodged in her throat and turned. “Have a good trip,” she told him.

“Come with me,” he said.

Mouth open, County watched Fernando for countless moments. She was waiting for him to smile and nudge her shoulder as if to say “Just playin”—she received no such indication.

“You're joking?” she presumed.

“I'm not.”

“That's crazy.”

“Why?”

“So many,
too
many reasons,” she went on, barely able to hear anything over her heartbeat. “Where would we go?”

“I have business in Seattle.”

“Ha! Reason number one. Aside from all the reasons you
must
be aware of, I'll label the obvious. I'm your father's least favorite person. It'd be hell for you.”

Fernando's handsome caramel-toned face registered pure disgust. “I don't give a damn about my father. If anything I want you more because of his disapproval.”

“Thanks,” County whispered, raking him with a scathing look.

He turned on the seat. “You know what I mean. I have business in Seattle, but it can wait. We can go anywhere,” he promised her.

County couldn't look away from the penetrating tug of his light stare. She was almost thoroughly intoxicated by him and in desperate need of a lifeline.

“I barely know you,” she tried.

“So come and get to know me then,” he challenged.

County shook her head. “This is crazy and we both have businesses to run. Besides, this won't wind up with us in bed again so—”

The kiss to cut off her words rendered her weak and willing at once. Soft moans filled the dark interior of the car. County pressed her hands to Fernando's chest with every intention of pushing him away. The brick wall she encountered only forced a breathless cry past her lips. She could almost feel the rumble of an impassioned growl deep inside him as he lay sprawled across her. His tongue thrust lustily and hot. His hands tightened on her waist when she suckled his lower lip and became an eager participant in the wet, possessive kiss.

Fernando was almost out of his mind with wanting her. He'd thought of kissing her all day and could no longer restrain himself. Her helpless cries in his ear filled him with a cocky certainty to know he affected her so. Her curvaceous form filled his hands, beckoning him to fondle and squeeze until his heart was content. He feared, however, that his heart wouldn't be content for quite some time. He felt desperate to have her near and knew he'd take whatever part of herself she was willing to give.

Contessa felt the raw emotion behind the kiss. It was an emotion that went far beyond desire, something deeper than anything physical. She'd never lost her composure with a man. Never—in any situation. She was always in control—always the winner of the game. But this man…

“Come with me,” Fernando urged again, only breaking the kiss to voice the command against her ear.

County buried her fingers in the rich silk of his deep brown curls. “I can't,” she moaned.

Fernando spent but a few moments longer kissing her jaw, the line of her neck and dip of her collarbone. “If you think I only want you in my bed,” he murmured against her skin and was drugged by her perfume, “I'll admit it. I do. I want you there very much. I want more too and it scares the hell out of me.” His deep-set gaze was intense and haunting.

“But you don't even know me,” County pointed out, barely able to speak as she struggled to catch her breath.

He grinned. “I think that's why I'm scared. I won't stop seeing you Contessa. Please don't ask me to,” he spoke in the same breath.

County tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and raked his hair roughened jaw with her nails.

“I won't lie and say that thinking of making love to you doesn't occupy a great deal of my thoughts,” he shared as though he knew she still harbored reservations about his motives. “Just please don't think making love is
all
I want from you.”

County couldn't move—couldn't look away from his engrossing stare until he glanced up. It was then she noticed they'd returned to her building. She prayed not to stumble or worse, fall, as the driver escorted her to the door.

F
ernando was true to his word. He visited Contessa faithfully for the next few weeks. Often, he arrived at her office by the end of work on Friday. Every woman who worked for Contessa House made a point of finding last-minute tasks to complete in order to catch a glimpse and perhaps a friendly smile or greeting from their boss's gorgeous, incredibly built gentleman caller.

County was no less immune. She felt as though she were caught up in a dream. Although Fernando's visits were brief, they whetted her appetite for more. She even found herself dreading that she'd have to toil through eight hours of work on Friday before seeing him.

 

“County? County? You with us, hon?”

Blinking, County fixed Spivey and Jenean with absent looks, before tuning in finally to where she was: her office for the weekly meeting on the Ramsey book. Clearing her throat, she ordered her head out of the clouds or, more accurately, away from Fernando Ramsey.

“I'm with you,” she assured them.

“So it looks like Marcus Ramsey is by far one of the family's most colorful characters,” Spivey went on.

Jenean waved toward County. “Well, you've met him, girl. Are we on track? Spending more hours researching him? You think it's worth it?”

“Well, what have we got so far?” County asked, toying with one of the buttons on the formfitting blazer of her champagne metallic tweed skirt.

“Aside from assisting in his brother's disappearance and the disappearance of evidence—”

“Or so it's suspected,” Spivey interrupted.

Jenean nodded. “Anyway, we're looking for any inconsistencies within his business dealings.”

County nodded and put on a good show of being interested in the rundown on the Ramsey elder. Alas, her thoughts had turned once again to his son. Today was Friday. Fernando was coming and she felt as anxious as a kid waiting for the school's out bell to ring.

“County?”

Again, Contessa shook her head and commanded herself to focus. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

Jenean exchanged a knowing look with Spivey and then fixed her boss with a sympathetic smile. “We know you're seeing his son, County. If you'd prefer we not—”

“No, no, no, don't do that Jenean.”

“But County we can understand if—”

“No Spivey,” County ordered, her lovely wide gaze sparkling with determination. “This is our business and we've been working on this damn book too long to just chuck it.” She told them, nodding when the concerned expressions Spivey and Jenean wore faded to satisfaction.

Silently, she chastised herself. She was becoming some sappy, daydreaming woman, letting herself be wooed by the king of Casanovas. But, damn it all, she didn't care, not when what he offered was so sweet and innocent.

Innocent?
Contessa almost chuckled, having linked the word to what she shared with Fernando. The description however, was, for the most part, true. Their time together was simple and easy—dinner, a show, a jazz concert, a movie…or they stayed in. Aside from taking her hand to help her from the car or keeping his palm at the small of her back as they walked, he hadn't touched her. County believed such gentlemanly behavior was more torturous than a full-blown kiss.

I could never lose my heart to a man like Fernando Ramsey,
she told herself, only to have a louder voice tell her,
foolish girl, you already have.

 

“Do you think this is fair to her, man? She's finally happy to be in Seattle and you're keeping her away.”

Quay closed his eyes and clutched the receiver in a tighter grip. He'd phoned Quest to discuss business and the conversation quickly turned to when he was coming home.

“Look Q, I'll tell you what I told Ty. When she talks about Seattle, I think about breakin' someone's neck.”

Quest massaged his eyes while reclining in the chair behind his desk. “I hate 'em too Quay, but no way in hell am I gonna let them have power enough to keep me from home.”

“I'll kill 'em if I see 'em Q.”

“You're entitled to feel that way,” Quest told his brother, grinning as an idea came to mind. “Tell you what, if you see Marc or Houston, you can have at 'em for five minutes before I pull you off.”

“I need more time!” Quay laughed.

“All right, fifteen minutes!” Quest promptly extended.

Quay rapped his knuckles on the message table he relaxed behind. “Done,” he said.

“Seriously?” Quest probed.

“Q man, I know it's time and I know I've been hiding out down here. It's just so easy, you know? It's so good being all alone—alone with the only person who completes me.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Quest said, smiling as visions of his own wife filled his mind.

“How is she?” Quay asked, knowing where his brother's thoughts were centered.

“Crying because she's getting fat,” Quest shared with a low chuckle, “and drivin' me out of my mind because I want her more now than I ever did.”

Quay grinned, folding one arm across his chest and enjoying listening to his brother. Clearly Quest was even more in love with Michaela now than ever. The strength of such love only made him more content and grateful for the love he'd been blessed to find.

“So, she's finally settling in to the idea of becoming a mama?” Quay asked, when Quest silenced.

“I think she's got a ways to go, but I'd rather have her stressing over stretch marks than trying to hunt down leads to a killer.”

Quay nodded, understanding his brother's relief. “That's why I didn't say anything.”

“About?” Quest probed, crossing his sneaker shod feet atop his desk.

“Well, I didn't want Mick getting all caught up in the Sera Black case again and I didn't want it creeping into my time with Tyke, but I can't get the case out of my head.”

“So spill it.”

“I keep thinking about what Wake said when I saw him on the train to Banff.”

Quest massaged the brand on his arm. “What about it?” he asked.

“When he started talking, he reminded me of how we met. During the interview his mom had to be our uncle's assistant.”

“Marc,” Quest supplied.

“Mmm…what keeps bothering me is that Wake said he'd been working for the man who was responsible for this.”

“Houston,” Quest said.

“It'd seem he's the one the evidence points to, but what if he'd been working for Marc?”

Quest's sleek brows drew close. “Quay, what the hell are you sayin'?”

“It'd make more sense. His mom was already working for him.”

“Do you think Marc killed Sera?”

“No, no nothin' like that,” Quay denied, massaging the back of his neck as he stood, “but I know the man has skeletons in his closet and if he used Wake to clean up Houston's mess, maybe he used him for other things too.”

Quest's left dimple flashed as he pressed his lips together and considered his brother's theory. “Things…things that could affect the family,” he noted.

“Mmm hmm and not for the good,” Quay predicted.

 

“Could we be overreacting about this, y'all?” Fernando asked his managers at The Spot where they met to discuss the sudden loss of personnel. “I mean, it's not unusual for a woman to want out of this line of work no matter how nice
we
think the arrangement might be,” he pointed out.

“It's just strange to lose so many girls in such a short span of time,” Mbeki Carpenter said.

“Maybe someone latched onto a better position.” Fernando debated, shrugging lazily. “Maybe she wanted to share the wealth.”

“A better position?” Terence Newsome inquired. “Fern, you think we're bein' taken by another club?”

“Do we know of any new clubs in the area?” he asked, after silence filled the room for almost a minute. “Ones that would boast the same benefits as The Spot?” He stared out over the huge back lawn from his office window at the east wing of the mansion.

Silence again. Clearly, no one had an answer. At least, not an answer they were comfortable admitting.

“I suggest then, that we start sniffin' around some of the clubs. The ones we
do
know about,” Fernando instructed, turning to fix his four managers with stern looks. “Let's see if they're havin' the same problem. Then try talking with a few of the girls and see if they know anything.”

“Already covered Fern.”

Everyone turned to see The Spot's only assistant manager Barry Evans walking past the office's double mahogany doors.

“Sorry I'm late Fern,” Barry apologized.

Fernando waved his hand. “What'd you find?”

“I spoke with two of the girls we lost. They got jobs with Hoover Lyles.”

“The travel agent?” Mbeki blurted.

“Mmm,” Barry confirmed with a nod and then smiled as the room came alive with male laughter.

Fernando even chuckled at the news. Hoover Lyles was a former customer who was quite successful until his overpriced travel agency was labeled a sham. The extravagant prices bought vacations which were far from extravagant.

“What's he got 'em doing?” Fernando asked, leaning against the edge of his desk and waiting for Barry's response.

“Well, the girls told me they weren't even sure at first,” he shared, skepticism creeping into his dark brown eyes. “They were told not to say a word about the offer because it was so secretive. They were finally approved after forwarding a portfolio and résumé.”

“Portfolio and résumé?” Chase Shefford, another manager, asked.

Mbeki grunted. “Sounds shady,” he said.

“What are they doing?” Fernando asked.

“That's the strange part,” Barry said and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees. “The job hasn't even started yet and they're already getting paid. Tell you the truth Fern, I don't even think the girls know what they're doing.”

This began another round of discussion amongst the managers. While their voices were raised in debate, Fernando caught Barry's eye and waved him close.

“Do what you have to and find out exactly what type of position this is,” he ordered.

 

Contessa didn't realize she'd been crying until she'd closed the door to her condo, removed her gloves and touched her face. Obviously, she'd been trying to remain cool in front of her employees. She'd looked disappointed enough when Fernando didn't show for his weekly visit. When someone mentioned that it was Valentine's Day and they were all excited to see what he'd do for her, she felt her heart drop. Clearly, he wasn't ready to spend time with her on such an
emotional
holiday. County told herself she was fine with that. After all, she wasn't ready either, right?

“Get it together,” she ordered herself shortly and hefted one of the huge Ramsey files she asked Spivey to give over before she left the office. She'd have plenty of time to go through it this weekend she noted grimly and dropped the file to the credenza.

Unbuttoning the fur-trimmed leather trench, she was about to remove it when something stopped her. There was an infrequent flashing originating someplace deep within the condo. It moved in a frantic fashion and flickered in the most mesmerizing way. The effect beckoned her closer instead of commanding her to turn and race out of the house.

In the living room, she found a beautifully set table for two before a roaring blaze in the fireplace. Roses had been sprinkled upon the floor where the table sat. The room smelled lightly of the scent. Her curiosity mounting, she stepped closer, observing the romantic scene. Soft music drifted about, something lovely and unrecognizable. Oriental perhaps? Whatever the genre, it only intensified the allure of the environment.

“I'm sorry I missed you at the office.”

His voice resounded below the music. Contessa turned to find him leaning against the living room's entryway.

“I had a meeting that ran late,” Fernando explained, easing his hands into the pockets of the gray nylon sweats he wore, “I wanted to get this done before you got home.”

“What is this?” County breathed, her hand raised to wave weakly toward the room.

Fernando chuckled and smoothed his knuckles across his beard. “You so hard you don't think about Valentine's Day?” he mused.

County's lashes fluttered as she turned to observe the table again. Swooning was a definite possibility as she was thoroughly affected by the seduction surging in the air. She jumped, feeling Fernando behind her as he moved to help her out of her coat. She prayed for her breathing to slow, as the action only caused her breasts to nudge his hands when they curved around the lapels of the trench. Of course, Fernando made a point of touching every part of her body he could reach. His fingers stroked the underside of one breast while his thumb softly manipulated a firming nipple. The caresses were so deliciously subtle, she could feel every part of her weakening in response.