Erotic Encounters (23 page)

Hot sex did not make a valid basis for a true relationship, but she had assumed there was more between them than just bare skin. She thought she had grown to know the man between the extremes. Could she have so badly misjudged the situation? Misjudged him?

Now she wasn’t sure what to think or do. Of course, first and foremost was to maintain an outer show of professionalism in front of everyone, and that was best accomplished by keeping a safe distance from Gage. Her cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts and jerking her back into the realm of the business at hand.

****

Gage stood just inside the door to his balcony. He stared out at the blue sky and sunny day. The new snow glistened across the mountains and on the trees. He could see the work crews plowing out the secondary roads now that the main ones were drivable. The town was coming alive again. He glanced up at the sound of a jet approaching the airport.

Excellent skiing on the three feet of fresh powder added to the existing base. What more could a ski resort ask for? He turned away, then slumped into the large chair in front of the fireplace. But what about the ski resort’s owner? More than anything he had wanted Afton to spend the night with him. He liked the idea of waking up and knowing she would be there.

He understood the logic of why it was impractical under the circumstances. She was right. Stuart being in the kitchen signaled the reality that other employees would be at the lodge in the morning. The last thing he wanted to do was compromise her reputation, fuel speculation about what might have happened between them during the time everything was shut down or cause her embarrassment. He had been pleased with Stuart’s assumption that they had probably spent the time trapped together by arguing.

But the night had felt so lonely. The sound of her voice, her laughter, the way she tilted her head…all the little nuances that reached inside him and touched his soul. He didn’t know what to do. Explore the possibility of a relationship? Even though he had no emotional involvement in it, he was still legally bound to the last relationship he had tried—a relationship that had turned into a total disaster. It had been a long time since he had been as confused as he was at that moment.

What he wanted was tempered by his past experience.

He allowed a slight scowl to settle on his face. Exactly what was it that he wanted? He definitely wanted more of Afton Pendleton, but how much more? For how long? For what ultimate purpose? The questions frightened him, but the potential answers frightened him even more.

He pulled in a deep breath, held it for several seconds, then slowly exhaled. It did not provide him the release from the tension coursing through his body as he hoped it would. The ringing of the house phone broke into his thoughts. He stared at the phone as it rang two more times, then finally grabbed it from the cradle.

“Brennan.”

The voice of Ronald Stevens greeted him. “Sorry to bother you, Gage. A reporter from the local newspaper just found out that the owner is on the premises and would like to do an interview with you. I have her on hold. Do you want to talk to her?”

“Sure, why not.” He heard the lack of any enthusiasm in his own voice but didn’t seem to be able to do anything about it. A moment later the reporter was on the line.

“Mr. Brennan? My name is Cynthia Hargrove. I’d like to bring a photographer with me and do an interview with you about the opening of the lodge. Is there any possibility we could do it this afternoon so it could make the morning’s paper?”

Gage glanced at his watch. It was already two o’clock. “Be here in an hour.”

“An hour? I had something closer to—”

“In an hour or not at all, Miss Hargrove.” He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice. “I have other obligations and that’s the only time I can work you into my schedule. Perhaps if you had called earlier or would be satisfied with a time later this week…”

“Of course, Mr. Brennan. In an hour. Thank you.”

A newspaper interview. He had no interest in the appointment he had just confirmed. Perhaps if it had been a national magazine he might have garnered more enthusiasm, but the local newspaper? Everyone in town already knew about the lodge, the natural hot springs, and everything else. A local interview would have no impact on business. And as far as news value, the storm was a much more viable story than yet another ski lodge. He glanced at his watch again and emitted a sigh of resignation. An hour. He had time to take care of some other business matters before being confronted by the reporter.

He forced himself out of the chair, ascended the stairs to the loft and sat at his desk. He had a mountain of paperwork having nothing to do with the lodge. He had been putting it off, and it wouldn’t wait much longer. But before he got down to his own business, he grabbed the local phone book and made a quick call.

Gage kept busy until the phone rang and the desk clerk informed him that Cynthia Hargrove and her photographer had arrived for their appointment. He returned a couple of file folders to the desk drawer, then headed for the lobby. He glanced around before leaving his suite.

No, there wasn’t any reason for the reporter and photographer to be in his private domain. He’d give them a tour of the guest common areas, show them a couple of guest rooms and answer their questions. With any luck, he would be sending them on their way in less than two hours. He wasn’t too worried. She had mentioned needing to make a deadline for the morning’s edition. It was a schedule she would have to follow.

He paused before entering the lobby, taking a minute to size up the reporter. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. The way she drummed her fingers on the registration desk while tapping her foot on the floor clearly defined her impatience. An immediate surge of caution made him wary and confirmed his phone call to the newspaper. Cynthia Hargrove was not a staff reporter. She was a freelance writer from whom they occasionally bought Sunday feature articles. She did not have a deadline to meet for getting an article in tomorrow’s newspaper. His first impulse had been to cancel the interview, but instead he made another phone call.

He approached her and held out his hand. “Miss Hargrove? I’m Gage Brennan.”

She shook his hand but held on to it a little longer than he thought necessary. “A real pleasure to meet you. May I call you Gage?”

“If you’d like.”

“I really appreciate you taking this time for an interview.” She flashed what she apparently felt was a sexy smile. “I’ve jotted down several questions, so shall we get started?”

Gage turned his attention to the man carrying a camera bag and holding a camera. “And you are the newspaper’s photographer?” He turned a pointed look at Cynthia. “Perhaps you could introduce me to your associate?” He purposely allowed the edge to his voice. If she was running a scam or trying to make him believe she was an important publicity source, then she needed to sharpen her skills.

An obviously embarrassed Cynthia made the appropriate introductions.

“Why don’t you ask your questions while I give you a brief tour of the facility?”

“Uh…yes, of course.”

Gage took them through the lobby, into the great room with the large wood burning fireplace and comfortable chairs and tables for evening gatherings. He showed them the swimming pool and the pond fed by the natural hot springs. They toured the restaurant and cocktail lounge, then he showed them a typical standard guest room and one of the guest suites. He was fully aware that the photographer had not taken very many pictures and those he did take seemed to be more on impulse than something he had given any thought to or discussed with the reporter.

They finally returned to the lobby. “Well, Cynthia, I hope I’ve satisfactorily answered your questions. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“I do have another question, Gage. I’ve heard that you maintain a private owner’s suite here at the lodge. May we see it? Get a taste of how the man who owns all this prefers to live?”

He cocked his head, made eye contact and leveled a serious look at her. “A private suite? And where would you have heard such a thing?”

“I…uh, I thought it was common knowledge.” His question had obviously caught her off guard.

“In that case, it seems that
common knowledge
forgot to let me in on the secret. There isn’t anything to show you that you haven’t already seen.” He extended his hand in a gesture of concluding their interview. “I look forward to reading your article in the morning paper.”

He glanced toward the elevator just in time to see Afton step into the lobby. He quickly called to her and motioned for her to join them.

“Afton, this is Cynthia Hargrove. She’s doing an article about the lodge for the local newspaper. Cynthia, this is Afton Pendleton. Afton is the event planner and is responsible for the grand opening party. This snow storm has made her work twice as difficult in that she had to gather up the pieces of the unexpected cancellation and try to redo everything in less than a week’s time. I’m sure you’ll find her input interesting. So, if you ladies will excuse me, I have lots of work to do.” He turned his attention to Afton. “Could I see you for just a moment?”

Gage led Afton out of hearing range from Cynthia. “I’m not sure what she’s really doing here, but according to the local newspaper she doesn’t work for them. The only thing she seemed interested in was questioning me about the existence of an owner’s private suite, which I denied. It would seem to me that the angle for her story would be the last minute weather cancellation of the grand opening and then the scramble to reschedule it. So, perhaps woman to woman you could figure out what the hell she’s doing here and what she’s really after?”

Afton took a moment to assimilate his rapid fire comments. The wariness in his eyes matched the concern in his voice. And his nearness sent an emotionally charged shiver through her body. His aftershave combined with the masculine scent that was uniquely Gage Brennan. She wanted so much to be able to taste his lips on hers, to feel his arms around her. “I…you caught me at a loss. I was just taking a much needed break from my work. I guess I can give it a few minutes—”

“And then we need to talk. Just the two of us. We have things we need to get settled, things to work out. I’m not sure…” His voice trailed off as if he wasn’t sure of what he wanted to say. “Have dinner with me in my suite. Is six o’clock okay for you?”

“Six o’clock will be fine.”

“See you later.” He flashed a sexy smile, but the intimate little squeeze he gave her hand said so much more. She watched his retreating form for a second as he headed toward the business office behind the registration desk. Then she turned toward Cynthia.

“What kind of information would you like? Do you have any questions about the grand opening celebration that I could answer for you?”

“Uh…well, not really. I think Gage provided all the information I need.”

Afton shot Cynthia a curious look. “I’ve been reading the local newspaper every day since I arrived three weeks ago, and I don’t recall ever seeing your byline. Which articles were yours?”

Cynthia’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Afton. “I think I do have a question for you. What is your relationship with Gage Brennan?”

“My relationship with Gage? I’m an event planner. His company engaged my services to plan the grand opening party for the ski lodge.”

“How long have you known him?”

“I met him for the first time when he arrived here a few days ago. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. Tell me. What do you know about his business—the corporate structure? Does he have a staff public relations person or are you after that job?”

“You know what? I have a lot of work to do, and you don’t seem to have any viable questions for me, so if you’ll excuse me…”

It took all of Afton’s effort to keep her irritation out of her voice. It had just become blatantly obvious that Cynthia Hargrove was looking for a job at the least. And at the most, she was after Gage himself.

A slight smile tried to tug at the corners of her mouth as she turned away from Cynthia. It was also blatantly obvious that whatever she wanted, she wasn’t going to get it from Gage. He had disappeared as soon as he could get away from Cynthia. Or more accurately, as soon as he found someone he could hand Cynthia over to. She tried to stifle the amused chuckle that threatened to escape into the open.

Then her thoughts turned to more serious matters. Exactly what was it he wanted to talk to her about? Was dinner a way of softening the bad news that it had been nice, but now it was strictly business?

She had kept busy during the day while being secluded in her room. She had accomplished far more than she thought she would, especially considering that every time she paused, her thoughts immediately raced to Gage Brennan. Her body betrayed her at every turn. No matter how much she concentrated on business, she continued to crave his touch. The feel of his bare skin against hers. The taste of his kisses. His hard cock filling her pussy while she writhed in orgasmic abandon.

She took a calming breath as she glanced at her watch. She still had a lot of work to do before six o’clock. There were a surprising number of people checking into the lodge. In spite of the storm, it looked as if things were off to a good start. The grand opening party would be a week late, but she would make sure it was worth the wait. She took a few minutes to apprise Ronald Stevens of the situation with the
alleged
reporter, then returned to her room.

Afton worked until the time she needed to prepare for dinner. Following a quick shower, she dressed and applied fresh makeup then sprayed just a hint of her favorite perfume. She hurried from her room to his private elevator. A minute later, she stood in front of his door. She tried to swallow the anxiety that had been building inside her for the last five minutes. Raising her hand, she hesitated for a moment then knocked on the door of his suite.

The door opened, and he immediately pulled her into his arms, then shoved the door closed with his foot. It felt so good to be wrapped in his embrace again. Her body trembled with excitement. His mouth came down on hers, infusing her with all the passion that had previously passed between them. She opened her mouth and eagerly accepted his probing tongue as it brushed against hers. She ran her fingers through his thick hair, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breathing increased. Every fiber of her existence came alive with desire.