Chapter Nine

“You didn’t have to do this, Lucy,” Bailey said in reproach as they settled into the booth where the waiter, Tim, at Joe's Seafood on Grand Avenue had seated them.

“I know, but if I had to sit and mope in my apartment for one more night, I was gonna scream. I needed to get out and so did you. You haven’t said a word since after you received the news two days ago and knowing you, I’m relatively sure you haven’t eaten anything either.”

Bailey didn’t bother responding. Lucy knew her too well. She was depressed and needed to pull herself out of the muck she’d allowed herself to sink in.

“It wasn’t the first deal we’ve lost and it won’t be the last.”

“Yeah, but somehow this one hit you very hard. Why is that?” Lucy wondered aloud.

Bailey glanced around the restaurant. It was one of their favorites. The ambience was inviting and warm and the food was delicious.

“Ladies, your usual bottle of wine,” Tim said as he appeared by their side with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

“You know us too well, Tim,” Lucy chuckled while glancing at the menu. “What is the chef’s special for tonight?”

“Chef Andrew said I must tell you he’s busy preparing crab bisque, which he knows you both love,” Tim said with a broad smile. “Of course, there is also Ahi Tuna served with a crispy potato pommes, spinach, mushroom and a red wine Bordelaise, followed by a delightful sweet potato pecan pie.”

“Hm, it does sound yummy. I’d like the bisque to start with and the tuna sounds yummy as well.” Lucy said as she handed the menu back.

“I’ll have the same, thanks, Tim,” Bailey smiled at him.

She squirmed in the chair, aware that she was being watched. She glanced around covertly but no one seemed out of place.

“So, are you going to tell me why losing the Sunset Hotels was so hard for you?”

Bailey smiled and moved her shoulders, trying to shake off the eerie feeling of being scrutinized.

“Grandpa Joe.”

“What does he have to do with it?”

“I suppose it’s because he lost his hotel to Carter Gibbs five years ago. It was just too close to home and it brought back all those painful memories. You know, watching him turn into a recluse. The celebrated hotelier everyone loved, turning into a shadow of the man he used to be.”

“And you hate Gibbs for that?”

Bailey shook her head. She took a sip of her wine and looked around again.

“I hate what he did. I can’t hate him, I don’t know the man and I’ve never met him, but I have followed Gibbs and Hutton’s developments over the years and I don’t like what they do. They’re ruthless and don’t give a rats’ ass for the history, or the lovely architecture. All they’re interested in, is making their next billion. Culture and heritage means shit to them.”

“And is that what they intend to do with the Sunset group as well?”

“I suppose so. Wilson said they are turning them into up market apartment hotels, which they intend to manage personally. If you ask me, that’s a lot of crack. They flip properties, they never keep them. It was just a way to get Wilson to say yes quickly.”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Lucy whimpered. It looked like she wanted to shrivel up. She couldn’t look away from whatever held her attention behind Bailey.

“What’s wrong, Lucy? You’re hyperventilating. Breathe, girlfriend. Deeply, once more, that’s better.”

“It’s him,” she whispered.

Bailey was hard pressed not to look over her shoulder.

“Him, who?” Bailey asked patiently.

“Master Fury. Oh god, Bailey, he’s so fucking gorgeous.” Her eyes shone like moonbeams in the night. “And I want him. I know it now. I want him.”

Bailey bit back the question that sprang to her lips.

I don’t want to know. I don’t!

She wasn’t going to ask if Master Rage was with him. She wasn’t!

“Damn, he sat down in a booth,” Lucy complained and her face fell in disappointment.

Well, that answered the question. Clearly Lucy couldn’t see who his companions were.

“Your crab bisque, ladies.” Tim served them their starters and filled up their glasses. “Please wave if you need me. The usual timeframe for mains?”

They nodded and began eating. Lucy’s attention was naturally more across the room than on her meal but Bailey didn’t blame her. Master Fury had most definitely twirled her in a wild orbit.

Just like Master Rage had done to her.

But it doesn’t matter; I’m not looking for a man. No, siree, I’m happy with my life.

Bailey suppressed the thought that maybe she was protesting a little too much.

“They’re leaving.” Lucy seemed prepared to duck and hide under the table. “It’s . . . oh fuck no. Don’t tell me he’s . . .”

“Lucy, snap out of it and finish one sentence for heaven’s sake,” Bailey prodded her.

“He’s . . . they’re with Daniel Wilson. God, Bailey, do you think he’s one of Gibbs and Hutton?” Her voice broke at the disturbing thought.

This time, Bailey didn’t try to stop herself and her head snapped around. Her gaze got caught by an enigmatic one. Even over the distance.

It was him.

Her Santa Dom.

The shock of the realization caused her to teeter precariously on the edge of an abyss as she tried to breathe deeply. The gorgeous man, walking next to Daniel Wilson, took her breath away. His tall, lean body was encased in an expensive charcoal gray suit that fitted his wide shoulders snuggly. The contrast of the white shirt and silver tie, to his short dark hair that fell negligently over his forehead was striking. So much so that she felt lightheaded. His powerfully built body moved gracefully, like a panther.

His features were striking and manly, the kind of face that stopped women in their tracks. Now she understood why the subs at the club swooned all over him. No woman could resist those high cheekbones or the square jaw. His nose was straight and full lips sported an engaging smile as they came closer. He looked like a modern version of a suave noir hero, from his roguish expression and his neatly kept stubble.

 “Bailey, what a surprise,” Daniel Wilson beamed when he noticed her. “And the lovely Lucy. It’s a pity I didn’t notice you earlier. Your company would have lit up our table.”

He turned to the two men standing by his side. “Have you ladies met my companions?”

“No, we haven’t had the pleasure.” Bailey’s voice was icy.

Get your act together, Bailey.

The pep talk didn’t help much. No man had ever made her feel this vulnerable. The look in her eyes turned fierce when she noticed his cocked eyebrow and the upward curve of his lips.

“Ladies, this is Carter Gibbs and Chance Hutton. And these two lovely ladies are Bailey Parker, the owner of Parker Hotel & Spas and Lucy Dillon, her business associate and close friend. I’ve been humbled by these two ladies’ work and professional ethics.”

 Neither of them had a choice but to accept the two men’s handshakes but Bailey ripped her hand out of Carter’s after the briefest of touch.

How cruel could fate be? She ended up with the man she abhorred the most.

Carter stared into her eyes for what felt an eternity, before he lowered his gaze. His eyes flashed as they lingered over her heaving breasts. A muscle ticked in his jaw when they lifted back to hers.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Parker,” Carter drawled in a dulcet tone that sent a shiver up her back.

Bailey’s spine went ramrod straight as she raked him with a loathsome look.

She cursed when she felt her perky nipples push up against her dress. The knowing grin on his face told her that her body’s reaction to his gaze hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I can assure you, Mr. Gibbs, the feeling is not mutual.”

Daniel Wilson looked confused. He’d been watching the heated looks being exchanged between Lucy and Chance, and had missed the tension between the other two.

“Bailey, my dear, don’t take out your frustration on Carter. I told you, it was a business decision,” he tried to pacify her.

“It might have been on your side, Mr. Wilson but the same can’t be said for this . . . this unscrupulous degenerate you’ve associated yourself with.”

Bailey rose regally and would’ve pressed her nose against Carter’s if she had been taller but as it were, the top of her head barely reached his shoulders.

She became conscious of his searing gaze. She gasped at the strong emotions harbored there, which completely confused her.

“Degenerate, am I? That wasn’t what you said four nights ago while—”

Crack!

The silence around them became thick and uncomfortable. Bailey noticed the shocked expression on Lucy’s face. The harsh red stain on Carter’s cheek brought her to her senses and she stormed outside like she was being chased by a Devil’s incarnate.

She had just walked through the door when she was whipped around and pressed against the wall.

Carter’s glare promised retribution as he pressed his face into hers. His voice sounded ominous.

“I don’t usually react in anger, Ms. Parker but at this very moment I am very close to whipping your ass black and blue.”

“Let. Me. Go,” she ground out.

Her eyes shot daggers at him which didn’t seem to have any effect on him, judging by the dark look in his eyes. Without the silly Santa disguise, his towering presence was overpowering and left her feeling small and vulnerable.

Carter didn’t move at first, but instead quietly watched the woman who had been shuddering and trembling in his arms four nights ago. He watched as she pulled herself upright. Her lithe and curvaceous body in the form fitting black cocktail dress momentarily distracted him. The tightening in his loins wasn’t a surprise.

“Not until you explain your actions in there.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. I said, let me fucking go,” she ordered with a toss of her hair.

“You like to live dangerously, pussycat. You have a very short and seemingly selective memory. Are you sure you want to challenge me so blatantly?”

His succinct admonishment subdued her querulous behavior instantly.

“I have nothing to say to you. Please, let me go,” she said in a muted tone.

“Not until you explain yourself. You slapped me in full view of an entire restaurant. I want to know why, Bailey.”

“Don’t pretend ignorance, mister high and mighty investor. You know why,” she lamented with flashing eyes.

His eyes narrowed warningly. “I’m not going to repeat myself again, Ms. Parker. Begin talking.”

“You knew I wanted the Sunset Hotels in Milwaukee. That’s why you wanted to keep me and Lucy under your . . . your spell for seven days! To screw up the deal; which you did. Congratulations.” The accusation rushed through thin lips.

The flash in his eyes warned her that he didn’t appreciate her insolent accusation.

“That’s an insult not just to me and Chance but to Daniel Wilson, Bailey. You should know he prides his integrity and honesty. There was no way for us to know who the other interested parties were.”

A small tremor shimmied through Bailey as she felt his eyes blaze over her body.

“Then why did you keep us there—”

“If you hadn’t run off, my pet, you would still have been there. Naked and so fucking sore and raw by now, you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

Bailey felt his eyes rake over her body again. A shiver of embarrassment tingled over her when her nipples became erect under his stare. She sucked in a deep breath when he traced an insolent finger over a budding nipple, pressing eagerly into the touch. She pressed her thighs together to stop the tremor in her loins. No way was she going to give in to the lust he awakened in her. Not again.

Carter smiled at the blush that covered her chest. Bailey glanced up and the icy retort died on her lips.

Focus, Bailey. Don’t let him get the better of you.

“As you noticed, Mr. Carter, we weren’t all that overwhelmed by you and Chance Hutton’s sexual prowess. And I hate deceivers. You knew who we were. That’s why you kept us there.”

“Except, there are two integral facts you are missing, Ms. Parker.”

“Oh, really? And pray tell, what would those be?”

“We had no way of knowing you would be at the club and secondly, pussycat, you bid on us. No one forced you to.”

Bailey glared mutinously at him and clamped her mouth shut.

Asshole. He had to have remembered that, didn’t he?

Carter stepped against her and folded his large hand around her throat. He pressed his face close to hers as he tilted her head back. Bailey whimpered as she was forced on her tiptoes when he tilted her chin further back.

He towered over her, exuding so much power she found herself breathlessly waiting for his words.

“And whether you wish to admit it or not, we’re not done yet, Bailey Parker. Not by a very, very long shot.”

She was still trying to still her heart when suddenly, he left her slumped weakly against the wall and walked back inside the restaurant. It took her a couple of minutes to get herself under control.

“You’re wrong, Carter Gibbs. We are done. You are still responsible for my grandparent’s losing everything they had worked so hard for their entire lives. I have no interest in being involved with a traitor such as you.”

Bailey walked back inside. Her steps faltered when her gaze got caught by his searing blue eyes and heat flared. Just like that, in a blink of an eye, he incinerated her resistance and left her floundering.

His eyes flickered to her breasts, narrowed and she watched as his tongue flicked over his lips, almost in a reminder of how her nipples had felt under his tongue.

It caused her body to quake with lust and she had no way to compartmentalize it. Her body began to cave in to the silent demand in his eyes.

“We better get going and leave these lovely ladies to finish their dinner. Besides, my Gertrude might box my ears if I get home too late,” Daniel joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“It was a pleasure to see you, Mr. Wilson,” Bailey said sweetly, deliberately omitting the two other men; a message they didn’t miss. The cold look in her eyes delivered the rest. She wasn’t interested.

The amused smile on Carter’s lips bothered her. The unrivaled self-assurance and raw sexuality unsettled her.

As did the promise in his eyes.

“Oh, I won’t be so sure about that, pussycat,” he leaned closer to whisper the last in her ear.

Here we go again! She moaned silently when her pussy tingled and she felt the hot wet heat between her legs.

Holy shitballs. I’m in so much trouble.