Tempting Isabel (Paradise South #1) (15 page)

CHAPTER 19

I
sabel met Raquel
at the Bay View Hotel the next morning, where the Rine/James wedding was being held. She wanted to show her face to the delegates to help bolster her assistant. The banquet manager, the customer service manager and the other jigsaw pieces to the
hotel-side
of the event puzzle were all at her beck and call. Since Vallarta was heading into hibernation for the hot summer season, weddings were their last hurrah until November. Wedding planners were treated like royalty then.

“The ladies are at the pool already, and I think most of the groomsmen are in the sauna or still sleeping. Late night,” Raquel reported. “And by the way…the maid of honor, the bride’s older sister, seems pissed that Lucinda isn’t heading the event herself. Just be warned, she’s a bit of a handful.”

“I like a challenge.” Isabel winked at her assistant, then moved onto other details—the dresses, the schedule, the vendors—until Charlie, the hotel’s customer service manager approached.

“Ah, I found you, Isabel. You just move too fast for me. I’m an old man…have pity.” He laughed and kissed her cheek in greeting. “You look lovely, Isabel. As always.” Charlie had treated her a bit like a daughter from her very start with Golden Rings.

“Thanks, Charlie.”
But
I know I look like I feel.
“It’s always great to see you.”

Between the home security issue and the conflicted sexual nirvana experience with Zack, she knew the shadowy bags under her eyes alone were enough of a giveaway, hardly even concealed by her professional makeup arsenal. Of the two hours she’d slept, she’d been less consumed by hauntings of her suspected home invader, Roberto, but more of visions of Zack, that
pleasure-giving
asshole.

She put both Zack and Roberto out of her mind and got back to planning. With Charlie, she went over the rooming list for the out of town guests arriving that day and then called Antonio to finalize all of the airport pickups. Raquel had reported that the bridesmaids’ dresses were brought up to the ladies’ rooms the night before while the bridal gown had just arrived, and the tailor was on site if they needed him.

Okay, so she’d have the bride try on the dress for her before taking her to see the church. But before heading up to meet Amy Rine
face-to
-face for the first time, she detailed the next night’s rehearsal dinner with Charlie, which reminded her, she had to stop by the grand ballroom for a last minute measurement. Some things she knew she just had to do herself.

“And Raquel, you’ll be here all day as anchor. Get the group whatever they need,” she said, finalizing the runaround route in her head. If all went her way, she’d get home early enough to grab a
catch-up
nap.

Her quick stop in the grand ballroom to grab the table skirt lengths became a small issue because, rifling through her bag, she found that her tailor’s measuring tape was missing. It must’ve fallen out somewhere. She’d have to check the limo if, that is, Antonio was still in the parking lot. She texted him, and as she stood from kneeling, Lucinda’s number flashed across her phone screen. She answered while ever so smoothly scurrying out of the hotel.

“Everything okay, Lucinda?”

“Love, remember the backup florist in Sayulita from a month or so ago…need the number.”

“Got it, one second.” Isabel pulled the phone from her ear to her eyes to be able to read it to Lucinda,
speed-walking
all the while.

And just as she found the number on her tiny phone screen—an
air-stopping
,
wind-knocking
collision.

*

All she could see was a wall of dark blue. A man’s torso?

A confirming deep rumble met her ears as her victim cleared his throat.

Yes, it was a real live person, a man.
Jesus, Isabel. It never
ends.

Getting her bearings, she took her face out of her phone and out of the man’s noticeably expansive chest. With a sigh, she stepped back. Peering up slowly, reluctantly, her eyes reached the face of her victim.

And she became immediately confused. Standing inches from her was a near duplicate of what had haunted her all night and all morning. It wasn’t Zack. This man’s vibe, his stance, his scent, and the color of his eyes, a deep chocolate brown, were all definitively different, but the uncanny resemblance in the rest of this man’s features freaked her out enough that she lost her words and her balance.

She stumbled back just slightly, but he caught her free hand. She steadied, sighed, and, looking down at their feet, she shook her head.

Get yourself together, for Christ’s sake.
Reset. Act
human.

She began to lift her head up, and as she did, she got an awakening view of the spreading dark blotch across the front of the man’s shorts, the crotch, and all the way down his legs. Lifting her gaze a bit further, an empty coffee cup in his grasp.

Then she heard some
far-off
voice, little,
high-pitched
, and garbled.
Shit, Lucinda!
Her hands fumbled, phone to ear. “So sorry, Lucinda. Yeah, I’m okay, just, well, can I call you back with that number? Three minutes…Thanks.” She hit “end” and looked back up to the face of her victim. “I am so, so sorry! What…how can I—?”

“It’s fine, really. If this is the worst thing that happens during my wedding weekend, I’m in damn good shape,” the man said, smiling sincerely, hands out in stoic surrender to his shorts.

In May and June, several weddings took place at the Bay View all at the same time, having as many ballrooms as they did. With a big dose of fear lacing her question, she of course had to ask, “You’re the groom of which wedding? I mean, congrats, and which wedding is yours? Because I’m actually coordinating a wedding here this weekend.”

“Oh, I’m Darren James, marrying the unbelievably amazing Amy Rine.”

Of course he was.

*

Isabel smiled widely, showing all teeth, absolutely overcompensating for the
two-way
torrent of anxiety shooting up and down her body. “Wow, huh, so…this is something. I’m Isabel Ruiz, your wedding planner.”

“Isabel!
The
Isabel?
Mucho Gusto!
Really great to meet you. God, Amy can’t say enough about you. You’ve already made things easier for her, and that, you know, makes things easier for me.” He cracked a brilliant white smile, just too similar to Zack’s for her to look at him for more than a moment before forcing her eyes away.

“Well, easier is only the start.
Smooth, fantastic, perfect
are all to come. And I agree, we should take this,” she said pointing at his
coffee-stained
crotch, “as a good sign. The worst is over. Just some ice, and you’ll be just fine for your wedding night,” she joked, but immediately felt her cheeks blush.

God, Isabel!

But Darren was very gracious, laughing at his own expense, despite the horribly embarrassing comment that flew out of her mouth.

“Well, listen, it’s so great to finally meet you. I’m gonna get inside to my groomsmen for some hardcore sauna time. We had a pretty hard night. You know, the bachelor party, too much alcohol, way too many strippers…so coffee”—he looked down—“and relaxation are the order of the day.”

Her head tilted, eyes narrowed, connection made.

Darren, Zack’s brother, and Darren’s groomsmen were at her bar last night with Zack. And they had moved on to the strip clubs without Zack? Zack chose to be with her instead?

Shit, Zack chose to be with her instead. He skipped a bachelor party, his brother’s bachelor party, and Destiny?

All to be with
me.

And the whopping receipt was for his brother’s bachelor party. Again, the one he’d totally skipped.

For me!
Her stomach churned.

“Okay, so…I’ll probably see you later then?” Darren broke her stunned train of thought.

“Right, yes. Have a relaxing day, and…I’m off to meet your
bride-to
-be!” Isabel yanked out a smile.

“Tell her I’m thinking about her, will you?” he said with the sweetest, most genuine expression on his handsome, practically glowing face—while her insides moaned with a tinge of unmistakable envy mixed with sadness and a touch of hope. Yes, hope, and happiness…for the couple.

“I absolutely will, and again, God, I’m just so sorry,” she said, waving to him as he made his way into the hotel to join his groomsmen and his brother, whom she’d been wrong about—again. And who was potentially falling for her, dangerous territory she knew, and who she’d have to be in close proximity to for the next several days for photos, rehearsals, fittings.
Jesus
.

She looked up to the rich blue, cloudless Vallarta sky.
God, is this a joke? Zack, the brother of the groom, at my fucking
event?

Her first
big-ticket
event, to boot. And she’d
already
slept with a guest, the best man, the brother of the groom!

*

Coño!
Her mind spun.

She’d have to find Zack, get him in private, explain that they had to act like strangers, all past interaction forgotten. The end. For the sake of her career, her livelihood. And, not that she’d tell him this lest he think her insane, for his sake and safety. All done.

Which is what she thought she’d accomplished with her
middle-of
-
the-night
escape!

Okay.
All would be fine. She could do this. She had no choice but to pull this off. And he wouldn’t have a choice either, damn it.

But all predictions in her gut pointed to inevitable chaos. If not played out in real life, then at least within her, more inner anarchy that she just didn’t need. How would she put out the emotional wildfire already sparked by Zack?

Oh God,
Zachary James. She now remembered seeing his name on the guest list. Zachary James, who nearly burned her alive last night, igniting parts of her she’d never known. Now, when she had the most extravagant wedding of her life to pull off, she’d be in his scorching presence constantly, like Venus’ proximity to the damn sun.

Jesus, Isabel. Buck the hell up.
It would only be a few days, and once this charade was over, he’d be on his private jet to wherever the hell he’d come from and she’d still have her job. Maybe even Lucinda’s entire company someday.

And he’d be long gone. Out of sight, out of mind.

Yes. That was best. Needed. Vital.

She smiled stoically. Fate, again with her sadistic sense of humor, had insisted on putting her and this temptation named Zachary James together again, scene after scene in her funny little play.

Well, fine.
She’d pass this bitch’s cruel test this time.
No fraternizing with the wedding guests.
So she wouldn’t fraternize and erased her memory that she had. Fraternized. With Zack.

Zack.
His name, how she’d whispered and screamed and moaned it only twelve hours ago.
Forget it, Isa!
Forget him.
Preserving her job was key…and the perfect excuse for setting her boundaries solidly and keeping to them. Because explaining the real reason she couldn’t be with him, not possible. Telling a
high-powered
American businessman that she was
cursed
? A mortifying disaster. She honestly couldn’t stomach the look she imagined in his gorgeous
sea-green
eyes. Beyond disbelief, they’d reek sheer disgust, and just the thought made her shudder.

A car horn startled her back to reality. “Isa! I’ve got to make a quick run…you left something in the seat?” Antonio asked through his car window.

She squeezed all thoughts out with a long blink. “Yeah, I think so. Thanks for waiting.” She slipped into the passenger seat.

“You okay? I saw you slam into that guy. You need to slow it down,
m’ija
!”

“Yeah, just too many things going on at once, I guess.”

“That was Darren James, the groom, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Her mind’s instant replay of the coffee spill made her eyes roll.

“Cool guy. Took him and his group to The Inferno last night. Funny guys. But his brother, I think his name is Zack, wasn’t with them, and he’s the real big tipper. Met him at the airport, seems above the club scene anyway.
Stand-up
guy I think. Anyway, I like ’em both.”

She smiled in agreement as she switched her focus to the floor for her tape measure. She reached under the seat and felt around. “
Ah-hah
!” She pulled the thing out, threw it in her bag with her cell phone—“Shit, Lucinda! I promised to her call back”—she found the time on her cell screen—“four minutes ago, damn it!” She sighed then
flick-flick
-flicked and found Lucinda’s amongst her favorites.

“Hold it, little sister.”

Her pointer finger paused.

“What’s the deal here?” Antonio patted his dash. “What’s our plan?”

“Right…well, I still have to double check the bridal gown, then get Amy Rine to the church for her sneak peek all before the first airport pickup. Can you drive us to the church, or do you need to send another car for us?”

“I already have two other cars on the airport runs, so I can do the drive to the church, then take you home afterward. I had Ray meet the alarm installer and locksmith already, so we need to meet him at your place early afternoon for the new keys and codes. And, because that will be done, I asked him to go to Roberto’s.”

“Antonio, you know Ray’s nature. He’s such a softie…he’ll end up chatting over coffee with him!”

“Not with this level of crazy, Isa. He’s freakin’ pissed. And anyway, I didn’t want it to wait another day, and with this wedding, I wouldn’t be able to get to him until Monday.”

“I guess sooner is better than later,” she said, stepping out of the car. She couldn’t think about it now, anyway. Too much crap all at once, even for a master juggler like herself. “Okay, just remind Ray to be tough, tell him to take no shit.”