Uncensored Passion (Men of Passion) (34 page)

Whoever did that tattoo did one hell of a job,
Harm thought as she stepped farther into the room came toward the bar. It seemed to him that she was coming right at him. And his surprise deepened as she, indeed, did come to stand before him, asking, “Your name Harm Pranston?”

Sonofabitch!

“Yes.”

She stuck out her hand, “My father is Macklin McLemore.”

Why the hell did he send his daughter instead of his son?

“I was expecting your brother.”

“My brother?”

One perfectly shaped eyebrow shot up and her head tilted to one side, allowing that mass of hair to brush her full breasts.

“Yes. He told me I would be meeting with his kid Mac, or as he preferred to be called, M.K.”

She threw back her head and laughed. Harm liked her laugh. It was full on and throaty. Sexy as hell.

“So, tell me, Mr. Pranston, did Dad actually say his “son”?”

“Yes. Ah – well, no, not really but he implied that.

“Bet he said that Mac would be miffed if you didn’t use M.K. instead. Right?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, I come from a long line of stubborn, gonna-do-it-my-own-damned-Scottish-way Scots. Dad’s parents named him Macklin Kinnel McLemore after his father and grandfather, and he always hated that name. But then, when he didn’t have the son he wanted, damned if he didn’t name me Macklin Kinnel McLemore the fourth. He calls me Mac but I do prefer M.K.”

When she saw Harm’s confusion, she added, “Don’t try to understand it. It’s a Scottish thing. So, whether you like it or not, I’m your contact and the one with whom you’ll be working. Any objections?”

A whole hell of a lot!
Harm thought, but those words stayed in his mind.

“If you're wondering if I can get the job done, stop fretting. I’m the one who found your Emily Richardson in the first place, not Dad. In fact, I’ve been running the business quite successfully for a long time.”

“You’ve found Emily?”

“That’s why I wanted us to meet here. First, how about buying a lady a drink?”

“Sure. What’ll you have?”

She spoke to the bartender directly since he had appeared and was staring at her, waiting for the order and pretty close to drooling, Harm noticed. And for some reason, that irritated him.

“A shot of Jose Cuervo Gold. No, make that a double, handsome.”

The young guy beamed as he set the salt shaker before her. “Lime?”

“What else?”

The lady is serious about her liquor,
Harm thought as she settled next to him.

“So, this Emily. Is she a former wife or girlfriend?” M.K. asked.

The smitten bartender blazed a trail to place her tequila before her. Harm watched her lick the skin between her thumb and forefinger, pour salt there, lick it off, down the tequila in one quick gulp then suck one half of the sliced lime the bartender had placed in a saucer.

She did that like a pro. Wonder what else she’s good at?

Masking those thoughts, Harm said, “Now that you’ve had your drink, how about filling me in?”

She gave him her full attention then, and Harm was struck by her green-eyed gaze. With a jolt, at that moment he was reminded of Kayla Saradon, who had also gotten under his skin with her shimmering green-eyed look. M.K. had that same kind of temptress gaze.

Damn, why does she have to have green eyes?
Harm thought. His breath quickened as old memories ran through his mind…Kayla smiling at him…Kayla beneath him and above him… Kayla now lost to him forever.

M.K. recaptured his attention by leaning toward him with a mischievous grin, asking, “Anxious to reconnect with your old lover, huh?”

“Just give me the damned report!” he snapped.

Settling back on her seat, she said pithily, “All right. I didn’t realize it was such a touchy subject. One Emily Freemont, nee Richardson, has worked here at Sandia Resort and Casino for the last two years. She”

“Wait!” Harm interrupted. “She’s married?“

“Was. She’s been divorced now for twelve years.”

“What does she do here?”

“Nothing now. She quit yesterday and moved. My guess is she heard from one of the people I was talking to, that someone was looking for her and she bolted. That says to me that she’s running scared. So, tell me, Pranston, is she scared of you?”

“Hell, no. So why didn’t you contact me and let me know she’d already left here?”

“Tried to but you were already on the road, I guess. I left a message on your cell phone. Have you checked it?”

“No.”

“Well, there you go. When you do, you’ll hear me say that she left but I am tracking her. So far, she’s covered her trail pretty well. She took her son and hightailed it like a bat out of hell. I know she’s moved at least a dozen times over the years. And that sounds like the actions of an abused woman. If I thought you had done that, Pranston, no amount of money would keep me on the job.”

“I never abused Emily,” Harm gritted, even though it flashed through his mind that in a way, he had. “A son? You said she took her son. How old is he?”

“Don’t know exactly. Never thought to check on that. I know he’s a teenager.”

Sonofabitch! I may have a son.

Harm returned M.K.’s stare. She nodded at him. “Okay. Now I get it. The boy’s yours, right?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out. I want answers.”

“Seems to me a lot of time has gone by without those answers,” she said, with another raise of eyebrows. “So why now?’

Harm almost said, it’s none of your business. But all he did say was, “It’s time. Find her.”

“That’s my job,” she said flippantly. “And I’m damned good at it.”

Having said that, she slipped off the stool and stood before him, her fingers hooked in her jean’s pockets.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll find her again. In the meantime, maybe you could unwind a little here. Looks like you could use some down time. I’ll be in touch. Oh, and by the way, keep your cell phone on for a change.”

She fished out a card from her pocket and handed it to him.

“Here’s my cell phone number. I’m staying here, too, of course, and I’ve written my room number on it. What say let’s both get our bearings and go from there. I’ve got a couple of leads already. I know she took a Greyhound heading west but that bus makes a lot of stops so she could get off different places. Smart girl. She knows how to disappear. Wonder why she’s so afraid of being found? Tell me, how long have you been looking for her?”

Irritated by her accusatory tone, Harm said tersely, “I told you, dammit, that I never abused Emily. I haven’t seen her since we were in high school. If she’s running scared, it’s probably because of her ex. What do you know about him?”

“Nothing yet. But I will. I’ll let you know.”

As she started to walk away, Harm called after her. She stopped and turned around when he said, “By the way, M.K., I like your rose tattoo.”

Her smile was slow in coming but when it blossomed into a full-blown one, it was something to see. Dimples played in her cheeks and her green eyes twinkled wickedly as she pushed the jeans a little farther down and tapped her stomach with a finger, drawing his attention to the top of that dragon’s head tattoo.

“Thanks. But you’d like that one better.”

Their eyes held for a heated moment as Harm returned the smile, thinking,
I just bet I would. Wonder how far down it goes?

“You want to have dinner later?” He asked.

She didn’t hesitate. “Sure. We’ll talk strategy-or something,” she added with a half laugh.

Harm felt a stirring in his groin as he watched her walk away, her perfect bottom straining those jeans that seemed to be painted on.

Sonofabitch! Or something? Hope that means what I want it to mean.

He paid the tab and left the lounge. Tucking her card into his pocket, he thought how the day had been full of surprises. A lustful insistent voice inside whispered,
yeah, let’s
hope the night is full of satisfaction.
As if on cue the strains of the old Rolling Stones song—“I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” punched through the air from somewhere farther down the hallway.

As he rode the elevator to his floor, Harm silenced that lingering refrain with the thought,
maybe tonight I’ll get the satisfaction I haven’t had since Kayla. You never know.

On the way to his room, once again Harm was conflicted by thoughts of Emily running scared, and a boy he hadn’t known existed.

If he is my son, I wonder if she named him after me?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bobbi Cole Meyer is the pen name for Barbara Meyer, who relocated from her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career as a lyricist. Over the years Barbara has had numerous songs she co-wrote cut by major artists such as Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Barbi Benton, Stella Parton, The Soul Shakers, the Poppies, Bandana, Mason Dixon, the Wright Brothers and several others. She also co-wrote the theme song for the
Italian movie,
Summer Affair,
with well-known guitarist and composer, Bucky Barrett.

Now residing in the small town of Culleoka, Tennessee, with new hubby, Hank, Barbara is busy pursuing a second career, writing fiction, which she claims is her first love.

Barbara’s slogan is, “
grab them with the first paragraph and don’t turn loose until the last period.”

Writing as Bobbi Cole Meyer, Barbara released the erotic romance,
Obsessive Surrender
, in late 2013. Her previous books, written under the pen name, Cole Meyer, have been in several genres: drama, historical romance, sci-fi fantasy, and conspiracy thriller.

Visit her website at
www.bobbicolemeyer.com
.

Also From Bobbi Cole Meyer

OBSESSIVE SURRENDER

By Bobbi Cole Meyer

Inscrutable billionaire, Ivan Littlefield, is reported to be a sexually insatiable, uncompromising, manipulative playboy who discards lovers who are unwilling to share his explorations into the darker side of eroticism. No one knows that behind the arrogant, stoic façade there is a lonely, emotionally scarred man haunted by his past and driven by an obsessive, secret quest.

Then Ivan meets a naïve waif of a girl, Andrea Parker, and he sees the chance to fulfill his obsessive quest. He vows to have her; to mold her. But although he also vows to maintain control at all times, Ivan is blindsided by feelings he doesn’t want to acknowledge, but can’t deny—and he must face the reality that this obsession could lead to his surrender.

“For those readers longing for the next novel in the tradition of
Fifty Shades of Grey
, Bobbi Cole Meyer will surely delight!”

—Candy Caine, bestselling author of
Forever Yours

ISBN: 978-1-934675-51-9

Find
Obsessive Surrender
at
www.MyRomanceStory.com
and other online eBookstores.

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