Because of Sydney (12 page)

I hooked my towel behind the door and walked to the closet. I had an hour before he was supposed to pick me up. There was enough time to get dressed and pack for an overnight excursion.

Although I was wondering with Mason if one night would turn into two. He felt unpredictable.

He had been right about Alice. When I called in to say I had a sore throat, she was surprisingly nice. The piece had bought me at least one day’s worth of capital. Hey, I was starting to sound like I knew something about business.

I threw a few sundresses into my bag along with a pair of strappy heels. I walked back to the bathroom to get dressed and dry my hair. I thought about tonight. Sex was a definite, right? Should I pack something? My PJ drawer was embarrassing. I hadn’t met a single guy since I moved to Padre, so it wasn’t like I had been busy resupplying my lingerie collection.

A man like Mason had good taste. High dollar taste. I rummaged through the drawer, throwing tank tops and boxer shorts to the side. These all screamed college girl. After last night I wanted to show him my complete feminine and sexy side. Way in the back was a balled up satin number with more straps than actual fabric. I had never worn it, but bought it at one of those sex toy parties my roommate threw before graduation. It would have to work. I folded it neatly and tucked it inside my bag.

I stepped into a pair of white shorts and pulled on a silk tank that had a deep V-cut in a bright shade of tangerine. For the first time since moving here I felt like an actual islander. I was headed out of town, traveling for the night. It was my first Texas trip. I closed my makeup bag and tossed it on top before zipping my suitcase.

Mr. Spontaneous would be here any minute.

I had never called in sick before. True, I had only been an employee for a few months, but it felt the same as it did when I skipped school senior year of high school. Everyone did it and the teachers had accepted years ago it was a senior tradition, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel guilty about it. I was supposed to be the good one. The one who followed the rules. Last night I think I broke every rule I had.

I heard a knock and walked through my studio apartment to open the door.

“Ready?” Mason’s eyebrows arched. His shoulders filled the doorframe. He was dressed in a blue button-up shirt. Holy hell, I didn’t know his eyes could turn that shade of blue.

“Yes, let me grab my bag.”

“I’ll get it.” He stepped past me, taking in my one-room apartment.

“It’s temporary.” I fluffed the pillows on my bed. I didn’t even have a couch. “Until I find something else.”

I had moved into the studio my second day in South Padre. It was part of a string of studio units on the sound side of the island.

He walked to the dresser and picked up a picture of Hailey and Gracie. I ran over to snatch it from him. “That’s personal.” I laid it face down.

“Sorry.” His brows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m all packed.” I pointed to the bag.

He picked up the suitcase as if it weighed the same as a pair of flip flops. “Let’s do this.”

I locked the door behind us and followed him down the stairs. His car was running, cool air filling the convertible.

Mason secured my suitcase in the trunk and made sure I was settled in the front seat before closing my door. It surprised me that he was such a gentleman. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because I thought he was self-absorbed. Everything he did contradicted the preconceived ideas I had of him. Except maybe last night. I could have predicted he was phenomenal in bed.

The car whipped in reverse and I reached for the bar on the door.

“You better hold on, girl.”

We spun out of the parking lot and merged onto the island roads. Before I knew it we had crossed the bridge and South Padre was in our mirrors.

“Do you always drive so fast?” I asked.

“I have a lot of ground to cover.” He tapped a few of the buttons on the computer screen on the dash. “My acquisitions are located from one end of the state to the other. And if you haven’t noticed, Texas is one damn big state.”

“You’re going to get us killed driving like this.” I clutched the handle tighter as we exited onto seventy-seven.

I looked at my driver. He had a devilish grin. He was enjoying the effect his driving was having on me. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him smile like that. My skin tingled.

“Don’t worry. I promise to deliver you to the hotel in one piece.”

“Have you ever crashed?” I should have checked his driving credentials before I got in the car with him.

“Not yet.” He smiled wider.

I looked out the window at the blurry landscape. “What kind of meetings do you have in San Antonio?”

“I’m meeting with a few contractors.”

“Shouldn’t they be coming to you? Why not meet in Padre?”

“I want to keep everything I’m doing with the resort as private as possible.”

“And you’re not worried I might write a big expose on it?”

“You are home sick with a sore throat. I don’t think I have to worry about you interviewing anyone.” He pulled his sunglasses down and I caught the message in his sapphire blue eyes.

“Right.” I didn’t like that he had pinned me in a corner.

“Have you ever been to San Antonio?” He lowered the radio so we could talk.

“I’ve never been anywhere but around the island. I went across the border when I first moved here so I could say I had traveled to Mexico.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t left Padre in three months?”

“Is that bad?”

“It tells me something about you.” He changed hands on the steering wheel so that his right palm rested on my leg. I liked that touching me came naturally to him.

“That I’m trying to work hard at my new job and prove myself to my boss?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“What then?” I waited—worried he was going to think I wasn’t the travel companion he really wanted. There were probably tons of women who were beautiful and spontaneous, willing to hop on a jet with him and cross the ocean. Women with adventurous spirits and travel savvy. I didn’t know if I fell into that category. I didn’t have any idea what category he put me in.

“That you needed to meet me.”

“Is that so?” God, he was arrogant.

“It is.” He gently squeezed my thigh. “We can have fun together, Sydney.”

“Fun?” I realized exactly what category he had grouped me in—the fun girl.

“We both work hard. We play hard.
Very
hard.”

My cheeks burned. Somewhere deep inside I knew this was bad. Mason was the kind of guy who got what he wanted when he wanted it. And when he was satisfied he would move on to the next thing. But with his hand on my leg and those bedroom eyes smiling at me, all I could think about was that I wanted him too. My body still ached from this morning, and yet I wanted more.

“So that’s what this is?” I tried to sound completely cool.

“Of course.” His eyes landed on the road. “Unless you’re not up for it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I don’t have time for anything else.” I found it was getting easier to lie today.

He chuckled low in his chest. “Exactly. We’re on the same page. I knew we would be.”

“Right. Same page.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “And it will be fun.”

“The minute it’s not fun we end it, ok? There’s no reason for things to get serious and ruin this. You’re a cool girl, Syd.”

My chest pounded. I didn’t know if I was entering into a relationship or I was signing up to be his summer pen pal. In college I encountered two types of guys: the ones who used my nickname and the ones who didn’t. The ones who called me by my full name, like my last boyfriend, were the ones who took me seriously. The ones who shortened it down to one syllable were the charmers. The flirts. The ones who wanted to keep it easy.

“It’s all about having a good time.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying. This man had me twisting words and thoughts, ignoring the warnings in my head.

“Now you’re talking.” Mason laughed and the music blared. “Wait until I show you San Antonio.”

For now, I told myself. I could do this. I could be his fun girl.

I
pulled up in front of the hotel and waited for the valet to situate our bags and park the car. A hot wind blew off the Riverwalk. San Antonio. It had been awhile since I was here. I had tried to buy one of the hotels last year, but decided I wouldn’t get the return I wanted on a resale. Good move on my part. The hotel was poorly managed and in another six months, the owners would be desperate to sell again. It would be the perfect time for me to snag it at the lowest dollar.

Sydney’s hair whipped around her face. She squinted at the sun.

“What do you think?” I asked. “Good place to get over a sore throat?”

She grinned. “I think I could make a speedy recovery here.”

“Not too speedy.” I nodded at a few of the men walking past us. “We’re not headed back to South Padre until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Right this way, Mr. Lachlan.” The bellhop waited for us next to the revolving door.

“They know who you are?” Sydney asked.

“I usually stay in the same places when I travel.”

She laughed. “And I thought you preached about being adventurous. Sounds like you are a creature of habit after all.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Just observing.” She grinned as if she had discovered one of my little secrets.

I tried to defend myself. “This is where I do a lot of business. It makes sense to stay here.”

The lobby was filled with men like me, only significantly older. They wore dark suites, some of their jackets slung on the back of barstools. This is where business deals happened. Not in an attorney’s office or in a conference room. Deals over a glass of bourbon and a strong handshake usually made it to the end.

“Are there any women here?” Sydney’s head swiveled.

“I see the only one I want to see.”

“That’s not what I mean.” She was staring at the bar. “Do you ever negotiate with women?”

“I think you and I have made a pretty good deal.” I winked, pleased we had negotiated terms we both wanted.

She wacked me on the arm. “I’m serious. Where are the women in this place?”

“I’m sure they are shopping or at the spa.”