Romance in Dallas - Tycoon! (9 page)

He walked to the bedroom and looked down at
her while she slept. Giving up, he lay behind her, inching his hand
down under her waist, with his other hand pulling her to him.

Jace felt his hard chest against her back,
and his hardness pressing against her buttocks. She moaned at the
sensation, but it wasn't enough.

Turning in his arms, her lips found his in a
hard kiss, and her leg came over him. Her tongue moved in his
mouth, before she drew back and held her lips against his
lightly.

"Sweet," he murmured, kissing her upper lip,
then the lower, sucking and tasting her, "Sweet."

With every kiss, the heavy sensation between
her legs increased and needed release. She felt his hand stroking
her hair softly, as the kisses intensified, from soft to hard, to
almost punishing.

But his movements stilled, decreased, before
he said, "We need to talk, Jace."

Her eyes came up and met his.

He sighed, and continued stroking her hair.
"This will complicate our lives."

"I see," she said, still a bit breathless, "I
certainly would hate to complicate your life, Ram," she told him
before she sat up.

"You're not understanding what I'm
sayin'."

Hugging her knees, she said, "I understand
exactly what you're saying. And I agree totally." She rose and
walked into the cabin and lay on the couch with her face towards
the cushions.

"Jace-" he began, as he followed her.

She held her hand up.

"Damn it, look at me." He sat next to her
now.

"I can't look at you because then I'll want
to sleep with you and you don't want to sleep with me."

"You haven't read me very well, then," he
said dryly, "I just think people should talk about it first."

She turned to face him angrily. "I wasn't
about to go all the way with you. I'm in control of myself on that.
Total control."

He smiled, and thought she'd just
contradicted herself in a very endearing and interesting way.
"Well, I don't. Have control, I mean." His tone softened, "Every
time I look at you, I want you. But every time I want you, I see my
wife's face looking at me accusingly."

Frowning, she replied, "I didn't know."

"You lost your Gram. And you think of her
probably every day."

She nodded.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed.
"It's a similar thing, I guess. I don't know how to move on with my
life. I've been struggling with it since the day she died. I just
feel so responsible. If I had just held the steering wheel the way
I should have, instead of so casually, I could have banked left and
away from the speeder in the other car. If I'd had more control at
that minute, in those seconds, she'd be alive today."

"What was her name?" Jace asked softly.

"Susan."

"And the picture on your computer. That's
Susan?"

"Yes. She was an artist, extremely
successful. Her works were really in demand. They still are.
Critically acclaimed in the art world." Now, his eyes held a far
away look.

"Let's talk about it," she told him, as she
moved to the captain's chair.

His haunted turquoise eyes raked over her as
he sat in the opposite chair. "Yes, we'll talk."

Chapter 8

Victoria sat in first class on the airplane,
heading for Nassau, wishing she had her own plane like Ramsey.
After she'd given the stewardess a mouthful of curses and
diatribes, which she really knew the woman deserved, she pulled out
the newspaper article and picture where she'd kissed Ram. How she
remembered his lips, and the enticing scent of his aftershave. Not
to mention how handsome and self-assured he'd been at the fund
raiser.

She just didn't know where to go from here to
get his attention. She'd told a few members of the ever-present
paparazzi where Ram was headed, after she'd overheard it come from
the pilots lips as he chatted with someone in the coffee shop of
Ram's hotel.

Smiling now, she thought information was so
easily obtained on Ram. People didn't recognize Victoria as she
donned various wigs and disguises. She did her best lurking that
way, as well as fact finding.

"Would you like a drink, Miss Halliwell?" the
stewardess asked her.

"Yes please," Victoria snapped, "champagne,
your finest."

Of course, she thought, if she were in Ram's
nice jet, he would be serving her, along with bedroom servicing.
She sighed, and let her imagination run wild.

Ramsey's plane landed in Nassau in the wee
hours of the morning. Both he and Jace were exhausted, but he
thought that was due to their extended conversation. They'd spoken
about everything, his loss of Susan, Warren, Natalie, Ann and Lee
her PT partners, some of her most difficult patients, problems at
his hotels, and much more.

She'd worked on his back, massaged him
eventually and he was grateful for that. He told her it always felt
better after she worked the knots out of his muscles.

Now, he stroked her hair absentmindedly as
they went through customs.

"Where is your hotel?" she asked on the taxi
ride.

"Right on the beach. You'll love it. The
beaches here are really so pristine, a beautiful blue color. You
can frolic and swim while I slave away at umpteen meetings with my
staff."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Sounds like you're feeling sorry for
yourself," she laughed.

Smiling, he said, "Just save some time for
me."

Jace looked around as she walked with him
into the hotel lobby. The ceilings, she thought, must have been
sixty feet high, and sported painted murals in muted colors.
Gigantic palms were placed around, along with etched marble
columns. A huge sparkling chandelier hung in the middle of the
entranceway. The walls were also murals, and the floor tiles shiny
dark marble.

She noticed an atrium bar, along with huge
fish tanks, holding all variety of bright blue, yellow and pink
tropical fish.

Ram was on his phone, as usual, and motioned
her to sit and wait for him.

Next, she heard snatches of his conversation
with a broadly smiling chocolate-colored manager. The unusual,
lilting Bahamian dialect was lovely she thought.

A porter took their bags, while they rode an
elevator up to the room. Unfortunately, it was a speed elevator and
her belly lurched.

"I think my stomach's still down there," she
told Ram.

Laughing, he replied, "Sorry. I should have
warned you."

But, as she entered the penthouse, she
gasped. "Oh, Ram. It's lovely."

The living room was spacious, sporting muted
beige couches and chairs, with matching patterned seat-back
pillows. There were numerous potted large-leaf ferns, glass tables,
a dining table with four mahogany chairs, on the balcony four
casual chairs and another glass table, along with lounge chairs and
a blue shade umbrella.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she walked on the
balcony. The view below held miles of pristine, white beaches and
aquamarine water with small waves lapping, moored large speed boats
at a dock further down, along with tall swaying palm trees. A
swimming pool lay below, arching its way around lounge chairs and
blue shade umbrellas, with palms and red flowers.

She was fairly speechless, and with her hand
held against her mouth, turned to Ram. "Oh, my," she finally
managed.

He laughed, as he clicked his phone closed.
"Your eyes are like saucers. I'm glad you like it."

She half-fell into a chair, still looking
around at the suite.

"Can I get you anything?" He walked over to
the mini-bar in the corner, next to a compact kitchen.

"When is the last time you took a pain pill?"
she asked.

"It's worn off already, unfortunately."

She noticed he had limped on the way up to
the room. "Don't mix the two. That can be very dangerous."

He turned and crossed his arms, while he
gazed at her. "It won't kill me. Now, what would you like? Mixed
drink? Soft drink? Coffee? Tea? Me?"

Watching him lounge, she grew warm just
thinking about their closeness the day before. "I'll have vodka.
Straight up."

Then she thought she should kick herself.
After all, it was morning. "I'll throw caution to the wind," she
added.

"Don't worry," he said, as if reading her
mind while he popped the vodka bottle top, "you'll have time to
sleep it off."

He poured one for himself, returning to her
now. "There you go. Actually, a little later today, because I have
so many meetings and things to catch up on, I've booked you for a
spa treatment."

"I've never been to a spa before," she
said.

"My wife used to like it..." his voice
trailed off and he sat down stiffly on the chair across from
her.

"It's all right," she said softly, "you can
talk about her."

And, they did for a while. Jace found out Ram
met Susan at an art opening, where her paintings were displayed.
He'd married her a few months after that.

Jace noticed his conversation didn't go near
the accident or its causes. He just spoke of their life together.
And, she couldn't help feeling a tug of remorse for him and herself
as well, while jealousy pulled at her.

Ram left an hour later, dressed in a nice
suit, and he pecked her on the cheek before he left. "We're going
to Club Satire tonight for dinner. Upscale, kind of trendy. I think
you'll like it."

Feeling glum, she called and got directions
to the spa.

Once there, she met the owner, Mari, a
slight, dark-haired young woman who showed her the massage area,
the showers and whirlpool tub, hairdressing area and manicure with
pedicure stations.

"We'll start with the hair," the slim
director said, as her fingers combed through Jace's curls.

She washed then conditioned Jace's hair,
talking the whole time.

"So," she said, "you're here with
Ramsey?"

"Yes," Jace replied, loving the feel of the
head massage the woman gave as she washed and rinsed her hair.

"Okay," the woman said, "so this conditioner
is awesome, it's made from all natural ingredients, oils and herbs.
We'll leave it on for a while. I'll just wrap this towel around it.
So, back to Ramsey, how is he really?"

She led Jace to the massage area. "Define
'really,'" Jace answered, while she stripped nonchalantly then lay
face down on the cushioned table.

"You know, I'll never tell, in the sack and
all that?"

"Oh," Jace said, as the woman began massaging
her expertly, working out her kinks, "I don't know."

Stopping for seconds, the woman said, "You're
kidding, right? You travel with this stud guy, I won't even get
into the build on that beauty, and I'm not even figuring in his net
worth, and you've never...wow, I'm amazed."

"That's not why I'm with him. I'm actually
doing his physical therapy."

"Oh wow, you're a therapist. How cool. I'd
like to get the education one of these days."

"You've got a lot of talent," Jace replied,
"you're making me feel like a million dollars right now."

"Thanks, sugar. I really like to do this, the
massage that is. I feel like I'm doing some good."

Jace laughed, "I know you're doing me a ton
of good."

After the massage, and an herbal facial, Mari
gave her a manicure. "Wow, your nails are great," she said, "long,
and looks like you take good care of them."

Jace picked out a dark red nail polish color
just for fun. She usually didn't wear polish, but she liked this
hue. The pedicure followed with the same color. And Mari filled her
in on Club Satire and the type of dress to wear.

After showering and rinsing the conditioner
out of her hair, Jace sat as Mari blow dried her hair then
scrunched it up again in her hands, making long curls.

"Mari," Jace said on her way out, "thanks so
much for everything. Like I said, you made me feel like a
million."

"You're welcome sugar." She winked at Jace.
"Have fun."

Back at their penthouse, Jace applied her
make-up carefully, with eye-shadow, mascara, blush and red lipstick
which matched her nails.

She noticed it was almost six o'clock, and
Ram had said six, so she rushed to get dressed.

Ram found it hard to hold his temper with the
men in his meeting, who droned on and on. Finally, looking
pointedly at his watch, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
for the update, and I appreciate all your efforts. If there is
anything we didn't cover today, be here tomorrow, just give a
call."

As it was well after six o'clock now, he
called Jace on his way upstairs. "I know, I know, late again. Sorry
sweet pea. The meeting ran over."

She sounded distracted, as she said, "Oh,
Ram. Yes, that' okay, I was just surfing the net a bit, researching
something."

"See you in a few."

But little did he know just exactly what that
meant, what Jace would look like fixed up for 'trendy.'

He let himself in with the room key, and
stood rooted in his tracks.

Jace wore a sleeveless form-hugging, short,
black sequined dress, with black stockings, high heels, and a bit
of garter belt showing as she sat at the glass table with her legs
crossed. She looked startled, glanced up at him, and his breath
came out in a long sigh.

He thought she looked extraordinarily good.
Her eyes, smoky brown, almost seemed like cats eyes, tilted up, and
her generous lips dark red and sensuous in a slight pout. But her
hair, he thought, was shining like a cloud around her body, curly,
reaching almost to her waist.

"Ahm...You look...so..." but he just couldn't
even say how she looked, not out loud, he just wanted to file the
memory to take out later and remember her just like this moment in
time.