Scent of Gardenia (Scott Tucker Series) (26 page)

Chapter
64

Margaret
left the door open just below deck, giving the men a view of her changing back
into her bikini. As she looked into the mirror, she got excited seeing them watching
her. She had the wet suit off, but was taking her time brushing her hair. They
were like boys looking into the girls’ locker room. She turned to put on the
bikini bottoms, smiling in the direction of the door.
You’ve been caught
guys.
When she waved, they turned their heads away.

She went
topside, acting like nothing was wrong with what just happened. “Okay, boys the
ladies room is available for you men to change now. They all rushed
simultaneously to the door.
Now, it’s my turn.
She went to the bow,
moved a very small brass plate, and watched the men as they changed into their
street clothes.
This is the best part…no, not really…those are.
She
picked out who she would add to her ‘guest suite,’ but realized she would have
to get him back to her house first. It was going to be dangerous, but she was
more than ready. When they were almost dressed she closed the small hatch, and
returned to the stern.

She
handed a business card to all the men, but when she handed the chosen one his
card, she had written a note on the back. She showed him the back discretely,
and winked at him. When she turned, she made sure she brushed against him.
She
was on fire now. Maybe I should ask them all if they want to come back to my
house.
The men were so quiet, not like they had been before they all
changed.

She went
to the bow, pulling on the rope until the boat was over the anchor line. She
could feel eyes devouring her. She gave them the best view she could think of
and then the anchor let go. She worked the rope, wishing they were in deeper
water so she could continue the display. She could see her excitement in the
top of her yellow bikini. She smiled; all
six
heads had to be focused on
her right now.
She was glad she was going to be able to get some relief when
she got home.

When she
came back to the cabin, all of the men turned quickly and looked at some
imaginary object.
She had this scenario down pat…I know what’s happening and
know what you will do next.
Her feet went out from under her and she was in
a heap on the floor. They all came over to see if she was alright.
It gave
her the view she wanted.
“I’m sorry. I slipped on the wet floor. I’ll have
to be more careful next time.” They all helped her get to her feet, but their
eyes were focused where she wanted them.
If they really thought about it…how
did the front of my top get wet if I landed on my back?

They all
were seated at the rear of the boat, but they were like crows on a wire…all
looking at her. Every once in a while she would look over her shoulder and
smile. She knew just how to stand to get the most out of the trip.

Once
they were tied up at the dock, they all thanked her for the great dive. She
collected the fee from each of them and she thanked them all for the extra
tips. “Are you men coming back to see me again soon?”

The
question surprised them, but then one answered, “Our plane leaves the day after
tomorrow, but we wanted to make a dive before we left the island.”

She
smiled. “Well if any of you change your mind on tomorrow, another excursion can
be arranged. You have my number…it rings at my house if I’m not here. I can
also give you a reduced rate if only one of you can make it.” Margaret looked
at the man she had chosen and winked at him.

He
smiled, looking at the card and then at the back. It said, ‘YOU have to call
me!’ His smile got even wider.

As she
climbed off the boat, the men followed her up the gangplank to the path and
parking area. As the men walked by, she made a point of touching the back of
the man’s pants.

After they
were gone, the office phone started ringing. She rushed inside to answer it.
“Hello, Rusty’s.”

“It’s
me. I have the pictures you wanted. Can I count on the bonus you talked about?”

“I’ll
leave it in the usual place.”

He
added, “The pictures are already waiting for you. One other thing…”

“Yes. Is
this going to cost extra?”

“I hope
so. I took pictures of the FBI lady and her associate. They were being followed
again by a young man on a motor scooter. I took a picture of him for you. I
followed them all to Denny Longo’s boat, and the two FBI agents went out in his
boat again. Here’s what you need to really know…the young man came to your dive
shop, meeting two other men there. I think it was by accident, but they looked
like they knew each other. When they left the dive shop, I followed them to the
Hamilton Princess
. When I was about to leave, the young man left the
hotel and went over to the
Hamilton Harbor Hotel
.”

She
thought about what he said. “You did great. I’ll leave some extra for you. If I
need to reach you, can I still reach you at the number I had before?”

“You
can. Are you sure we can’t spend a few minutes together?”

“I’ll
see you. You can see me in your dreams. Bye.”

*.*.*

She
locked up the dive shop, heading to the usual drop place. Picking up the
package, she left an envelope with his cash in it. She rushed to the truck to
see what the people looked like. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There really is
a God…I’m sorry…there really is a Devil…and it wears a yellow bikini.

Minutes
later she was on the phone to her friend. “Hello, it’s me this time.”

He
asked, “Did you change your mind about spending some time with me?”

She
hesitated. “Sort of…I’ll make a deal with you. If you can find the young man
you saw on the scooter, and bring him to my boat, I’ll tie you up all weekend
when we’re both available. How does that sound?”

“How
soon do you want him delivered?”

“Yesterday
would be soon enough.”

“I’ll
try right now, because I know where he was the last time I saw him. I’ll hold
you to your promise about that weekend.”

“No, my
friend…I will
hold you
to it. Call me. Bye.” This was incredible news.
She started the truck, giving some thought as to who was going to get lucky
when she got home.
She was ready for all of them. They must have missed her
while she was away.

Chapter
65

I
checked out of the hotel, leaving my bags just off the lobby. I needed to
return the scooter since I would now be helping Mike with his investigation. I
started up the scooter and drove down the alley right next door. When I turned
in the scooter, the woman returned my deposit money. She was curious if
something was wrong with it. I indicated there were no problems. I just had
another friend who had a rented vehicle.

Rather
than head back to the street, I took the footpath, making it easier for hotel
guests to get to the rental place. The hotel offered a discount if you used
their rentals.

I could
see the harbor lights along the path, which was elevated considerably above the
level of the bay. The path was lighted, but different sections were in darkness,
needing some obvious maintenance. I could see the hotel in the distance, but I
was more focused on the harbor view. I passed a small parking area, which might
have been used for employees, since it wasn’t crowded with vehicles. As I
continued walking, I observed only one other person since I left the rental
shop.

I said,
“Hello,” as I passed him. The man looked familiar.

“Good
evening sir.” I heard him stop walking. “Wait. Excuse me; you’re one of the
people I took pictures of today.”

I
stopped walking, waiting for him to approach me. He reached in his sport coat
pocket, pulling out a picture, handing it to me. “Here, you can have this
picture…I have other copies.”

I could
tell it looked like me standing in the photo, but I really couldn’t see any
detail. He waved me to look at it under the light at the parking area. A minute
later I was trying to see the picture under the improved but limited light. Then
all
the lights went out.

Chapter
66

By the
time Margaret reached home, she had worked up an appetite and was ready to
devour the best beef she had on hand. However, it wasn’t four footed beef she had
in mind for dinner.
Well, technically it was correct, but they came in
pairs.
Her interest was on her two friends…Nils and Jules. Her teasing the
men on the boat had her so excited she didn’t care about eating food, she was
interested in another kind of craving.

She was
still wearing the bikini from the earlier excursion. She headed straight to the
basement. When her bare feet felt the cool sand between her toes, she could
feel the warmth elsewhere. She stopped to listen, wondering if they were all
talking again. There weren’t any voices, only the occasional sound of the
chains rattling. She snuck up to Nils’ cell, watching his limited movement. He
was awake, but she could see his eyes opening and closing slowly. He was
falling asleep.

She
waited until his eyes were closed, then silently unlocked his cell door and
approached him. Teasing the men on the boat and seeing Nils’ naked frame,
caused her breathing to become rapid. She resisted her urges, waiting and
watching, then waiting some more. She could hear his deep breathing, knowing he
was now fully asleep. He had an incredible build. Although she knew every inch
of him by now, she needed to study him some more. Her chest was heaving. She
could hear the air escaping from her lungs.

Out of
the corner of her eyes, she saw his eyes flutter. She turned to see his eyes
get huge as he realized she was standing there. His eyes went to her yellow
bikini top. He closed them quickly. She jabbed him, and his eyes popped open.
He was pretty well trained by now. She shed her top, running it over his chest
and down his body. She looked down, noticing them both getting excited. Several
minutes later, he was no longer in control of his body. She had all the puppet
strings, knowing just how to pull them. She could write a book with what she
had learned. She closed her eyes, focusing on the man she saw in the photo.

Later,
they were both soaking wet from perspiration. She felt like she was burning up,
even though it was cool in his cell. Nils couldn’t physically respond to her
any longer, so she was just wasting her time. She remembered the tall black man
just next door.
Why waste my time here any longer, when I have Jules’ jewels
right next door.

Margaret
picked up her bikini from the sandy floor, heading out of Nils’ suite. She
thought she heard something, stopping to listen. It was the phone ringing in
the distance. She went running down the hall and up the stairs. The phone was
still ringing when she reached it. “Hello?”

There
was just a dial tone. She stared at the phone willing it to ring again. She
wondered if it could be the man from the dive she had chosen, or could it be
her friend with good news. She contemplated dialing his number, but if it
wasn’t her friend, she might miss the other call. She took a seat and stared at
the phone. She waited and waited without any result. The scent of lovemaking
filled the air.
Why am I so intent on two other men…I have more than what I
need right here. I even have another redhead to enjoy a different kind of love
making.
She continued to stare at the phone willing it to ring.

She had
no idea how many minutes had passed. The phone hadn’t rung again and she was
bullshit. She looked at her feet, which were still covered in part with sand,
but there were yellow things scattered on the floor. It was her bathing suit,
or what was left of it. She had no idea how she shredded the material, but the
proof was only inches away.
She thought about how much she loved that
suit…how could you do something like that? She couldn’t remember either ripping
it or cutting it, but the evidence was right there. Men, they’re the ones that
made me do this.
She picked up some of the pieces, throwing them at the
phone and around the room.

All of a
sudden she realized, Holly was just waiting for her. She wouldn’t have to deal
with any men. She quickly headed for the basement, thinking about how to make
the men come to Holly’s rescue. She felt the cool sand between her toes and
took a deep breath. Her eyes were closed mapping out her strategy—

There
was a ringing in her ears and she quickly opened her eyes…the phone was
ringing. She went running up the stairs and picked up the phone. “Hello,” she
said, out of breath.

“Hello,
it’s me.” He hesitated, and then added, “You’re going to owe me that weekend.”

Chapter
67

Mike was
concerned that Scott was still not back. Scott was supposed to call when he got
checked out of the hotel.
Did he forget? That’s not like Scott. I’ll give
him some extra time.

Thirty
minutes later, Mike felt he had waited long enough, and called the hotel desk
to ask them to place a call to Scott’s hotel. They made the call while he
waited on the line and when the
Hamilton
Harbor
desk was on the
phone, he asked, “Can I have Scott Tucker’s room please?”

“Just a
minute, sir.” There was a pause, then, “I’m sorry, Mr. Tucker checked out over
an hour ago.”

Mike
couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you sure he checked out?”

“Yes,
his bill shows ‘paid in full.’” There was another pause, “However, his luggage
is still waiting near the lobby for him to come back for it.”

“
Come
back
…I don’t understand.”

“He
asked if he could leave it there for a few minutes while he returned his rented
scooter next door.”

Mike was
still processing what he heard.

“Sir,
can I do anything more for you? Do you want me to have him call you when he
returns?”

“No. I
don’t think that will be necessary. He knows where he can reach me. If you do
see him, just mention that Mike Miller called. Thank you.”

*.*.*

Mike
immediately headed to Scott’s hotel just up the street. He went in the hotel
lobby and spoke to the clerk on the desk, who confirmed Scott’s luggage was
still where he left it. He asked where the rental facility was and the clerk
told him about the convenient path leading to it.

Minutes
later he was talking to the woman at the rental booth about whether Scott had
indeed returned his scooter. She remembered him, indicating he had. She said he
headed toward the connecting path just after returning the scooter. It had to
be over an hour ago now.

Mike was
concerned as he walked across the path, heading back to Scott’s hotel. He
passed a small parking area, stopping to check it out. It was darker along this
section of path. He looked at the landscape lighting along the path, noticing
there should have been a light right where he was standing. He bent down, finding
the light with the lens and bulb broken. He then headed down a side path over
to the parking area, noticing two scuff marks on the path where it entered the
parking area. He looked around the area and noticed something against one of
the small rocks. It was a scooter rental slip. He went under one of the parking
area lights, looking for the name on the slip…Scott Tucker. Oh my God—
no!