Endless Summer Nights (2 page)

Chapter 2

G
abriel glanced over his shoulder and above the rim of his dark sunglasses at the sound of the sliding glass door opening behind him. His brother, Max, stepped out onto the back deck with two bottles of imported beer.

“Here, looks like you could use one,” Max said, handing his younger brother a beer.

Gabriel took the proffered bottle that was so cold, beads of condensation dripped down the sides. He reached for the bottle opener on the circular glass table that sat between the two striped lounge chairs and popped the top. He took several long swallows, nearly finishing the bottle before taking it from his mouth. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Max stretched out in the chair next to his brother. “You can still back out if you don’t want to go through with taking the company public,” he said, reading his brother’s thoughts. “It’s your piece of the business. Do what you want.” His dark eyes flashed with humor.

Maximillian was forty, five years Gabriel’s senior, but more than being his older brother, Max had been father figure, mentor and best friend. He’d had to be in the absence of any real parenting. Javier Santiago was a philanderer, a ladies’ man. Their mother, Angela St. James, had left Javier long ago, as well as her two young sons, who were raised by a series of nannies and revolving-door girlfriends.

Unfortunately, the love of beautiful women did not fall far from the tree. According to the tabloids, the brothers were notorious playboys and brilliant businessmen. They managed their love lives the way they managed their businesses. They saw something they wanted, weighed the risks and went after it for as long as their conquest amused them. With striking South American looks that they’d inherited from their mother—dark wavy hair, honey-dipped complexions, haunting onyx eyes silhouetted by long black lashes—combined with their six-foot-three-inch frames, they cut impossible figures to turn away from when they entered a room.

“Ha, you make it sound so easy. Forget the months—years—of planning.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that, eh?”

Max shrugged his brows. “Where there is one plan there is always another. If something gives you trouble and doesn’t make your life easier or better...get rid of it.”

Gabriel shook his head in mild amusement. His brother was notorious for his flings, as well as his dismissal of anything undesirable in his life, from business to pleasure.

“I’ve made a commitment. I intend to grit my teeth and go through with it. If it takes a shining-up of my ‘tarnished’ image to secure the success of the resorts—” he lifted his hand in dismissal “—it’s a small price to pay.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Max intoned from his reclined position.

“Duly noted.”

“How much do you know about this
Sydney
Lawson, anyway?”

“I had one of my assistants look him up, only to discover that he is a she—a quite beautiful she, from the picture that I’ve seen.”

Max grinned. “Then it might not be as awful as it could be.”

“Hmm. She’s apparently very talented, well traveled and well respected by her clients. She’s related to that senator from Louisiana. His niece, I believe.”

“Ahh, a Southern...how do you say...belle.” Max chuckled.

Gabriel leaned back in the reclining lounge chair and closed his eyes against the waning Rio sun. An image of Sydni Lawson slowly bloomed behind his lids, coming vividly alive in his mind. Something inside shifted, his eyes flew open and he inexplicably expected to find her standing in front of him, touching him. He quickly pushed up from the chair and went into the cool recesses of the house for another beer.

He opened the fridge and was met with a welcoming blast of cold air that helped to clear his head. He reached for a beer and another for his brother. That momentary flash was surreal. He could have sworn that he
felt
her. But of course that was nonsense.

He pushed the door closed and headed back outside only to be met halfway by Max.

“I’ve got to run. Plans.” Max gave him a quizzical look. “Everything all right? You look...”

“I’m fine.” He focused on his brother and forced a cavalier smile. “I’m going to turn in early. I want to be mildly alert and interested when I meet with Ms. Lawson tomorrow. Enjoy your evening for the both of us.”

Max lifted a brow. “I will do my best. We’ll talk tomorrow after your meeting.” He clapped his brother on the shoulder and strode out.

Gabriel drew in a long breath and slowly gazed around the sprawling space of his four-bedroom home. He climbed the metal spiral staircase to the upper level and walked down the wide corridor toward his room at the end of the hallway. His bedroom looked out over the water and the mountains beyond.

So many stories had been written about his alleged conquests, his liaisons and salacious affairs. The truth was, this endless stream of women was more for show than anything based in reality. Unknown to anyone other than his brother, Gabriel picked and chose the women that he bedded with a meticulousness that rivaled the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack, which resulted in the women who shared his bed being very few and far between. The end result was the countless women who’d been on his arm, on his yacht, on his plane, in his home, but never in his bed; and his being unwilling to admit that he had no interest in them beyond the moment. The women often went on to tell anyone who would listen what an incredible lover he was. So rumors abounded. With his brother, Max, on the fast track to bedding every beautiful woman in the Western hemisphere, it was taken for granted that he was the same way. Like father, like sons.

Gabriel stepped out onto the balcony of his bedroom suite and leaned casually against the railing. The view beyond was magnificent. The sun hung mere inches above the ocean in a brilliant hot orange that poured out over the water in slow ripples. The mountains were cast in a dusky relief as pinpoints of light began to ping like warning signals across the city until everything beyond twinkled like diamonds embedded in a deep blue velvet blanket, just beyond reach.

From where he stood, all looked calm and postcard-perfect. But in a matter of days the pulsing sounds of endless samba music, laughter, skies lit with brilliantly colored lights and dancers in every available space dressed in barely there or garish costumes would flood the streets for Carnival.

No matter where he was in the world, he would always make it a point to come home for Carnival. The celebrations in Rio were like none anywhere in the world, and of course, he hosted one of the many elaborate parties for his exclusive guests. He would have to make it a point to invite Ms. Lawson to his gathering so that she could witness him in his element.

His pulse quickened at the idea of Sydni Lawson, and for the first time in quite a while he was actually looking forward to meeting a new woman.

Chapter 3

T
he twelve-hour flight from Louisiana with a connection in Miami and then on to Rio was blissfully pleasant. The first-class accommodations, full meals, drinks, reclining seats and several movies made the long flight bearable. When Sydni and Lynn landed it was already 10:30 p.m. local time and the only thing they wanted to do was shower and hit the sack.

On the cab ride to their hotel, the Copacabana Plaza Hotel, the magnificence of Rio spread out before them; from the pinpoints of light that winked along the sprawling city teasing passersby of the nightlife just beyond, to the majestic
Pão de Açúcar,
otherwise known as Sugar Loaf Mountain, for its resemblance to the traditional shape of a concentrated loaf of refined sugar, to the rainforests in the distance.

“Amazing.” Lynn sighed in awe as the landscape whizzed by them.

“I’m feeling a lot less tired,” Sydni stated. “If we didn’t have that early-morning meeting I would sure ’nuff put on my party shoes.” She yawned into her hand.

Lynn gave her a quick look and smirked. “Right.”

The cab pulled up in front of the Copacabana Plaza, reputed to be the most famous and luxurious hotel in Rio, having catered to the rich, famous and infamous for eighty years. It had been the stopping point for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Princess Diana. Even Michael Jackson had rested his head in the luxurious hotel.

The car door was opened by the waiting bellhop and it took a moment for Sydni and Lynn to absorb the magnificence of the hotel that far exceeded any pictures.

The hotel faced the Copacabana Beach and consisted of an eight-story main building with a fourteen-story annex totaling two hundred and sixteen rooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis court, fitness center, a three-story spa, two bars, a nightclub and two restaurants. It was a small city with an ambiance of elegance.

Once checked in they were immediately escorted to the penthouse suite that boasted two master bedrooms on either end of the penthouse, access to a private pool, terrace, an incredible view of the beach, French decor and butler service.

Sydni, who’d been used to traveling and staying in high style, had to force herself not to let her mouth drop open when they stepped off the elevator and into their suite. She paid the bellhop a very handsome tip, shut the door behind him and took one look at Lynn. They simultaneously squealed in girlish delight.

“
O-M-G,
I do not believe this place,” Sydni said as she walked from room to room, touching the exquisite furnishings and taking in the stunning views. She twirled around in a circle. “You hit the jackpot with this booking.”

“Well, you said money was no object and I knew that we wanted to make sure that we could impress someone like Gabriel St. James, and this was the place that kept popping up.”

“With good reason.” She walked over to the bar to find it fully stocked with some of the finest wines, liquors and beer.

“Actually, I’m a bit hungry. How about you?”

“Suddenly, I’m not sleepy anymore. Why don’t we freshen up and maybe go down to the restaurant? Or we could always get room service.”

“Or have the butler take care of it,” she added with a giggle.

They opted for room service and ate a light meal on the terrace overlooking the beach.

“All of your notes for the meeting tomorrow are on your iPad. Hard copies are in the red folders. The driver will be here at ten. The ride to St. James’s place is about twenty minutes. That should give you plenty of time to get there, unwind for a minute before the eleven o’clock meeting.”

Sydni nodded while she listened and sipped her wine. She wouldn’t admit it, not even to Lynn, but she was anxious about meeting Gabriel St. James. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but as the hour grew nearer, the tighter the knot in her stomach became.

* * *

Sydni took longer than usual to dress, organize the wild spirals of her hair and perfect her makeup. She’d opted for a simple sleeveless dress in a soothing ocean-blue with a micro thin leather belt at the waist. The simplicity of the design belied the luxurious fabric and finely tailored cut that defined, yet complemented, Sydni’s curves, without being obvious. Her three-inch heels brought her to a comfortable five foot nine and elongated her shapely legs and narrow ankles. Her jewelry was simple: a watch, small platinum studs in her ears and a thin platinum chain with a quarter-sized azure stone that went perfectly with her dress. Her purse and tote were a deep navy that matched her sling-back shoes.

“Car is downstairs,” Lynn called out.

“Coming.” She checked her reflection one more time, dropped her cell phone in her bag and then headed for the door.

On the ride over, that entailed driving along the two-lane highway that wound its way up and around the mountains overlooking the ocean, Sydni and Lynn once again reviewed the particulars that Sydni would present, questions that Gabriel might ask and what the answers would be. They also verified that they were able to get a signal on the iPad as they turned off the main artery and began a short drive up a curvaceous roadway. The area was suffused with massive overhanging trees, manicured shrubbery and brilliant blooms of lilac laelias, the indigenous orchid that was the country’s national flower. Interspersed were pink begonias that gave the entire atmosphere a sense of the surreal. And then suddenly the tropical paradise opened and a magnificent house of tempered glass, steel and wood loomed in front of them.

Sydni’s breath momentarily caught.

“Wow,” Lynn breathed.

“Exactly.”

The car continued down the lane until it came to a stop at the front of the house. The driver got out and opened the passenger door. Sydni stepped onto the graveled walkway. Lynn followed and stood beside her just as the front door opened and Gabriel St. James appeared on the threshold.

“Oh, dayum,” Sydni whispered between her teeth. He was nothing like his pictures. His pictures lied. This man standing in front of them was beauty personified. And not pretty beauty, but ruggedly gorgeous in every sense of the word, from the gentle wave of his ink-black hair, the deep set of his onyx eyes, the curve of his full lips to the cool brown sugar of his skin set off against an off-white linen shirt and slacks. Gabriel St. James was movie-idol fine.

Sydni tugged in a breath and began walking toward him as he came toward her. They stopped inches from each other.

“Ms. Lawson.” He extended his hand.

Sydni returned the gesture and a flash of something hot shot through her when his fingers gently wrapped around her hand. His eyes darkened and his long lashes lowered when he smiled.

“
Bem vindo
. Welcome.” He turned his attention to Lynn. “You must be the very efficient Ms. Covington.”

“I’ve been called worse,” Lynn teased, shaking his hand.

He chuckled lightly. “Please come in. I’ve set us up on the back deck where it’s much cooler. It will be ninety before noon. Will your driver be staying? If not, I can arrange to have you both taken back to your hotel when we finish our meeting.” His question was directed at them both, but his focus was on Sydni.

“No need to get a car. He’ll be back for us in two hours. I’m sure that will be enough time.”

The right corner of Gabriel’s mouth flickered upward. He turned toward the house and Sydni and Lynn stole happy glances at each other as they followed in his wake.

From the outside, although the great majority of the two-story structure was glass, you could not see inside the house. But once inside the views were spectacular. From the front door, the incredible sight of the mountains and the spread of the ocean on the far side of the house was visible. The entire first floor was a huge open space with designated areas distinguished by the arrangement of furniture that was mostly off-white in a burlap-type fabric with mahogany and bamboo finishings. There were vibrant pillows and throws that gave the space bursts of color. Small hand-carved statues sat on tables and in little nooks and what appeared to be very expensive pieces of art hung on the stark white walls.

Gabriel slid the glass door open that led to the enclosed deck and stepped out. He extended his hand to help Sydni and Lynn over the slight step.

A single fan blew slowly overhead and a see-through screen pulled down in front of the deck afforded a perfect view but blocked the rays of the sun.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

There were three reclining chairs set up around a large table that held glasses, a bucket of ice and a carafe of caipirinha—a mix of sugarcane spirit (cachaça), crushed lime, white sugar and ice—one of Brazil’s most popular drinks.

“I thought you might like this if you have not tried it before.” Gabriel picked up the carafe and poured a glass for each and handed them over. “What is the saying... It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

The trio laughed and raised their glasses.

“To a productive relationship,” Gabriel said, his gaze burning into Sydni.

Sydni’s hand shook ever so slightly. She took a sip, allowed the sweet liquor to sit in her mouth for a moment. “Caipirinha?”

He grinned and her stomach tumbled. “Very good.” He lifted his glass in salute to her.

“I can’t remember where I was, but I’ve tasted it before.
This,
however, is very good.”

He gave a slight bow before sitting down. “How long do you plan to stay in Brazil?”

“Through Carnival,” Sydni said.

“There’s no Carnival like the one here in Rio. You are in for an experience.”

“Better than New Orleans?” she countered.

“Absolutely. I’ll be happy to show you exactly what I mean.”

“I may take you up on that, but business first.”

He shrugged ever so slightly. “Of course.”

Lynn watched in mild amusement as the sparks flew between Sydni and Gabriel. She took the narrow binders out of her tote and handed one to Gabriel and one to Sydni.

Gabriel flipped the binder open and quickly perused the opening pages. He glanced up at Sydni. “From what I can tell, you have a good grasp on my business.”

Sydni felt her cheeks heat. “I took a good deal of time to study what you’ve done before and what you intend to do. I’m confident that Epic can build the kind of universal brand that you want in order to launch this new venture. If you’d turn to section two, it outlines some of the steps I would like to take to begin to repackage you.”

His gaze rose and landed on her. The hint of a smile teased his mouth. He dropped the binder onto the table and leaned back in his seat. He rested his hands casually on the arms of the chairs and Sydni could not help but notice his long, slender fingers. She absently ran her tongue across her lips.

“So, Ms. Lawson, you understand that this has been a family business for many years. My father built it from nothing. He began in shipping, branched out to land development. Our real-estate enterprise, the most recent addition, has done very well for us. My father would prefer to keep it that way. My brother...” He shrugged. “Max is shrewd, but easy. He doesn’t like complications. The idea to take the real-estate portion of St. James Enterprises public is my doing. I’ve seen others try and many were dismal failures. They lost millions. I won’t allow that to happen. I want to ensure success. I want the new brand, the image, to be clear and strong long before I open the doors for the world to see.”

“I’m curious about one thing,” Sydni said.

“Yes.”

“When I was doing my research I stumbled across information that said your family name is Santiago. So why St. James?”

Gabriel grinned. “St. James,
Sant Iago,
is the great patron saint. In business we felt that St. James—my mother’s maiden name—was much more acceptable on a broader scale. My certificate of birth still reads Santiago.”

“I see. Any other bits of folklore that I need to know about?”

“Whatever you need to know, I’d be more than happy to provide you with the answer.” He lifted his glass and took a sip.

Sydni swallowed over the sudden dry knot in her throat. “Do you have any questions for me?”

Gabriel leaned back, appraised her from beneath his lashes. “Are you free for dinner?”

Sydni blinked in surprise. “I...”

“I may have some questions once I go over the material.”

“Of course. I’m sure I can adjust my schedule if it’s necessary.”

“Good. Then let’s put work aside for now and I will give you ladies a tour of the property. Yes?”

“Sounds wonderful,” Sydni said. “Our driver should be back in about forty minutes.”

Gabriel stood and so did Sydni.

“You two go ahead,” Lynn said. “The travel is beginning to catch up with me. I think I’ll sit here and take in the view of the ocean.”

“Are you sure?” Sydni asked, giving her the “you bettah come on, girl” look.

Lynn smiled. “Very.” She waved her off. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.” She slid on her sunglasses and leaned back.

Gabriel slid open the glass door. “After you.”

Sydni squeezed by him and subtly inhaled his scent. She could feel the heat of him behind her and then he was at her side. He lightly placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her through the main level. He opened the door and extended his hand to lead her out in front of him.

“This is an amazing piece of property,” Sydni said once they were outside.

“My first taste of land development was about ten years ago. I was scouting around for a place to build a home and came across this place.”

“From the ground up?”

He nodded as they proceeded down the walkway that was like taking a stroll through the Garden of Eden. “Nothing was here but wild bush, trees and the ocean.”

“How long did it take you to build?”

“Hmm, four years from start to finish.”

On the side of the house was a little rippling pond that was filled with koi. There was a bench that was shaded by an overhang. The atmosphere at the pond was totally soothing, almost hypnotic.

“I come out here a lot when I have things on my mind.”

She glanced at him as they continued to tour the grounds. “When would you have time to sit and ponder?” she teased.