Seductive Fantasy
Seductive Fantasy
Janelle Denison
HER FANTASYAfter spending years making her computer company a success, Alexis Baylor is finally putting herself first! Through Fantasies Inc., she's arranged to indulge in a passionate, no-strings affair with a gorgeous stranger. Only, she never suspects that stranger of having a hidden agenda of his own….HIS FANTASYJackson Witt is going to make Alexis Baylor pay. Convinced she stole the technology that would have made him a mint, Jackson intends to steal something from Alexis–her heart. His plan is simple–to infiltrate her fantasy, seduce her senseless and then leave. Only, he hadn't
“I want to find out what that dress is hiding,” Jackson whispered
Alexis smoothed her fingers down the front of his shirt, a sassy, impudent light brightening her eyes. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you,” she teased.
Jackson tightened his grip on her hips. With gradual pressure, he drew her closer so their bodies brushed enticingly, just enough to tantalize. “Just so you know right up front, I want to do things with you and to you that might shock you.”
“I want to be shocked,” she said, moving her thighs restlessly against his.
He nearly groaned as a hot jolt of awareness settled low. “You’ll do whatever I want?” he continued. He needed to know how far she’d go with him, if she’d be willing to shed every inhibition on a whim.
Alexis entwined her arms around his neck, crushing her breasts against his chest. Softness to hardness. Heartbeat to heartbeat. Her fingers slid into the hair at the nape of his neck, her thumbs gently massaging the taut muscles there.
“I’ll do anything,” she said in a husky whisper. “And everything…”
Dear Reader,
May 2001 marks the celebration of the Get Caught Reading campaign, a national promotion created by North American publishers to encourage reading for the sheer joy of it. Books can take you into totally different worlds—worlds where the good guys always win, where love conquers all and where even the most unattainable fantasy can be fulfilled. And speaking of fantasies…
Welcome to FANTASIES INC., a place where your deepest desires can be satisfied. Seductive Fantasy is one of four lush island resorts that cater to provocative requests, which suits Jackson Witt’s purpose just fine since he’s got seductive revenge in mind. Alexis Baylor is looking to be seduced, but little does she know the gorgeous stranger who pursues her is more than an innovative lover. Both indulge in erotic pleasures and sensual adventures that leave them wanting more than they’d originally bargained for, but what happens when Jackson’s true identity—and fantasy—is revealed?
Don’t miss the upcoming books in the miniseries—Secret Fantasy, Intimate Fantasy and Wild Fantasy. Each will transport you to a private world full of decadent possibilities. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of Seductive Fantasy. You can write to me at P.O. Box 1102, Rialto, CA 92377-1102, or at janelle@janelledenison.com.
Do you have a secret fantasy?
Janelle Denison
Seductive Fantasy
Janelle Denison
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Don.
You’re living proof that fantasies do come true.
This one is for you alone.
Contents
Prologue (#uf1fc4350-d669-5181-9603-c247245f51e8)
Chapter 1 (#u492d44ae-a8ed-5396-a17b-63d38455fc21)
Chapter 2 (#u2bb08ac3-4320-529c-9c5f-718496ca10ac)
Chapter 3 (#u50fd2b41-30c9-5781-baae-b0cbac094779)
Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
ALEXIS BAYLOR wanted to have an affair and conceive a baby, and Merrilee Schaefer-Weston would do her best to accommodate the other woman’s request. Merrilee’s business was, after all, all about fulfilling her guests’ fantasies.
“Ms. Weston, the seaplane is due to land at Seductive Fantasy in half an hour. The express boat is ready to take you to the island to greet our arriving guests.”
Merrilee glanced up from reviewing Alexis Baylor’s fantasy requisition papers and smiled at her assistant. Fantasies, Inc. encompassed a cluster of four lush paradise resorts off the Florida Keys. While her main office was situated on Wild Fantasy, the first of four island retreats, she traveled daily via boat to the other three themed resorts: Seductive Fantasy, Intimate Fantasy and Secret Fantasy.
“Thank you, Danielle.” She glanced at her wristwatch, noting the time. “I’ll be at the dock in ten minutes.” Before her assistant turned to leave her office, Merrilee asked, “By the way, has personnel hired another pilot to replace Mark?”
“Yes, they have.” Danielle thumbed efficiently through her notes on the clipboard she carried. Her finger came to a stop halfway down the page. “Here he is. C. J. Miller is slated to take over Mark’s position next month, as scheduled.”
Miller. As always when Merrilee encountered the very common last name, a head-to-toe chill swept through her, along with a flood of bittersweet memories of being young and head over heels in love. Those beloved recollections of her soulmate hadn’t faded one iota over the thirty-five years that had passed between her romantic love affair with Charlie Miller, his unexpected and devastating death in Vietnam, and her marriage of convenience to a man twenty-three years older than her.
Merrilee had struggled through the lonely years that ensued, being a dutiful, faithful spouse to a cold, unemotional man who treated her more like a possession than a wife. She hadn’t even had the luxury of having children to fill her life with joy; her husband’s impotence had prevented that.
Upon his death five years ago, she’d inherited millions—more money than she’d ever realized Oliver was worth. She’d never enjoyed the role of pampered wife and couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life languishing in a mansion. And so, Fantasies, Inc. was born.
It might be too late for her to find ultimate happiness, but she’d decided to use her inheritance to fulfill other people’s fantasies. She lived vicariously through the pleasure and satisfaction they discovered while on her island resorts. There was no fantasy—be it romance, adventure, or deeper desires that bared one’s soul—that Fantasies, Inc. couldn’t provide.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have believed her concept and themed island resorts would be so hugely, phenomenally successful.
“Ms. Weston?”
The distant voice of her assistant effectively pulled Merrilee back to the present. She blinked, shook the past from her mind, and focused in on the concern etching Danielle’s features. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
The young woman tipped her head, regarding her curiously. “We were talking about the new pilot, C. J. Miller.”
This time, Merrilee kept her thoughts firmly grounded and on business. “C. J. Miller. Right,” she murmured, jotting down the name—as if she could forget it—and the date the man was scheduled to take over Mark’s position.
“I’ll go tell the boat driver you’ll be at the dock shortly.” With a swish of her perky ponytail, Danielle turned and left the office.
With only a few minutes to spare, Merrilee picked up the fantasy request she’d been pondering before her assistant’s interruption. Alexis Baylor wanted to be desired and pursued by a gorgeous, sexy man, and hoped to conceive a baby with no strings attached; the man’s involvement would stop there. While it would be easy to find a man eager to accommodate Alexis’s request for a hot, erotic, one-week liaison, this particular fantasy had lifetime repercussions Merrilee doubted the woman had considered in her quest to fill that empty void in her life. Happily-ever-afters were Merrilee’s specialty, and she always tried to give her clients two choices at the end of their fantasies—either walk away and continue as they were before, or take a risk that could reshape their whole entire life.
Merrilee drummed her manicured fingernails on her desktop and noted the date of Alexis’s fantasy vacation. Though she couldn’t guarantee conception—only fate could assure that—she had a month to figure out the woman’s perfect match and donor. A man who’d fit both Alexis’s and Merrilee’s criteria. For Alexis, a man in his prime, both physically and sexually, who would seduce her single-mindedly. For Merrilee, a man who’d never shirk his responsibilities should he learn the truth. A man of integrity who’d ultimately fight for what was his. If that’s how this particular fantasy played out.
All Merrilee could do was bring two matched souls together…it was up to the couple to grasp the happily-ever-after within their reach.
1
“DAMN THAT Alexis Baylor,” Jackson Witt muttered beneath his breath.
Four years ago, Jackson vowed he’d never allow another woman to dupe him. That Alexis Baylor, a complete stranger, had managed to accomplish that feat not only made him feel like a fool, but also incensed him beyond reason. He was certain that sensation wouldn’t abate until this whole aggravating mess was over. And it would be…just as soon as he discovered Alexis Baylor’s greatest weakness and used it against her. Just as she’d used him.
The woman’s underhandedness had hit him professionally as well as personally—right at the heart of his company, Extreme Software. He was still reeling from the knowledge that Fred Hobson, a man he’d hired on as part of his design team, had been a plant to steal the secret technology Jackson had spent years perfecting. The man had abruptly quit nine months ago and was conveniently and immediately picked up by Gametek, the company Fred had previously worked for before hiring on with Jackson’s firm. Gametek had obviously wasted no time utilizing Extreme Software’s design.
In Jackson’s opinion, and with the facts he had at his disposal, it was no coincidence that the proprietary code Gametek had used in their new, revolutionary gaming software matched his exactly, or that Alexis Baylor, owner of Gametek, was a ruthless businesswoman who’d stooped to piracy to obtain success.
With a disgusted grunt, Jackson tossed aside the Business Wire he’d printed from the Internet a week ago—his first shocking insight into Gametek’s violation. The company’s press release announced that their innovative action-adventure game, Zantoid, compliments of his technology, was scheduled for market introduction that fall. Seemingly overnight, Gametek, a San Diego-based gaming software company Jackson had never heard of before this fiasco, was suddenly a big competitor. After Gametek’s public statement, their stock shot to an all-time high and was holding steady…and would plummet to an all-time low by the time Jackson was done with Gametek, and Alexis Baylor.
The stakes were personal, an unwelcome reminder of how women always wanted something from him, from his own mother to the ladies he dated. Usually it was his money and what it could buy that women found so attractive, and while Alexis Baylor didn’t have a direct hand in his wallet, she sure as hell had a direct source to his financial gain. He’d worked too damned hard to build his company, struggled through too many lean years to allow this woman to reap the benefits of something that was his.
Glancing at the clock on the wall in his office, he noted the time of 8:50 a.m. He had another ten minutes before Mike Mansel arrived. Mike was his best friend, as well as the private investigator Jackson had hired for an in-depth, confidential report on Alexis Baylor. He wanted specific details on the woman, from what she ate for breakfast, to whom she was seeing, to what she did in her leisure time, and every idiosyncrasy, no matter how mundane, Mike could discover.
Feeling edgy and impatient, Jackson pushed away from his desk and stood. He paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows dominating one entire wall in his Atlanta high-rise office, but the movement did little to burn his restless energy.
He’d already discussed with his attorneys about filing a complaint alleging copyright infringement, unfair competition, trade secret violations, and a bunch of other legal mumbo jumbo, which included seeking an injunction against Gametek to keep their software from hitting the market while they battled specifics in court. While his lawyers explored all legal possibilities against Gametek, Jackson craved personal compensation—a way of evening the score between himself and Alexis Baylor.
He wanted to take something from her, just as she’d stolen from him, something private and emotional that would never allow her to forget who he was, and what she’d done. He refused to let yet another woman use him for her own gain and get away with the deed. The type of information Mike unearthed on Alexis would determine Jackson’s plan.
“Mr. Witt,” his young secretary’s lilting voice drifted through the intercom on his desk, “Mike Mansel is here to see you.”
Anticipation swelled within Jackson, chasing away the more frustrating emotions that had been his constant companions for the past week. “Thank you, Rachel. Send him back to my office and hold my calls until he leaves.”
“Yes, sir.”
The line disconnected, and less than a minute later Mike, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, sauntered into Jackson’s office in his normal, easygoing manner. Despite his carefree attitude, Mike was a highly respected P.I. Jackson had not only trusted him implicitly as a friend since their college days, but regarded him as a discreet businessman as well.
Mike set his scuffed leather briefcase on a clear spot on the corner of the solid oak desk, and Jackson reached across the distance to shake his friend’s hand in greeting before sitting down in his chair.
“Thanks for making this case a priority,” he said, knowing how abrupt his request for Mike’s services had been.
The other man shrugged off his gratitude. “You can express your appreciation by buying me a cold beer sometime. Seems I owe you for all the business you’ve sent my way.”
Mike was one of the few people who didn’t expect anything from him but friendship, so it was extremely easy to promote him and his P.I. agency. “You don’t owe me anything, Mike, and your fee will be in the mail by the end of the day. Now, what’ve you got for me on Alexis Baylor?”
“Not much other than a normal, predictable, everyday schedule and some background facts that don’t add up to anything illegal or disreputable, personally or professionally.” Mike sprawled his long, lean body into one of the beige leather chairs in front of the desk. “Sorry to disappoint you, Jackson. The woman is so damn clean she squeaks.”
Jackson knew better than to believe Alexis was completely guileless and led an exemplary life free of any infractions or misdeeds. Not after he’d discovered she’d used one of her own as a mole to unearth secret information from his company.
A wry smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “Maybe that’s because she depends on someone else to do her dirty work.”
“That may be,” Mike conceded, “but I spent five solid days of surveillance and gathering information on her, trying to find something to lend credence to your claim that this woman is ruthless, and I’m telling you, there’s nothing remotely unscrupulous about her that I could discover.”
“Consider her a good actress, because I have Gametek’s press release that states otherwise. She stole my technology through Fred Hobson, and I want to even the score.” He tapped his pen on his blotter impatiently and rerouted them back to the business at hand before his friend could argue further. “Tell me what you did find on her.”
Mike stared at him for a long moment, then opened his briefcase, pulled out a file folder and withdrew a sheaf of papers stapled neatly together. “It’s all in my report, but I’ll give you a brief rundown.”
He tossed the typed summary in front of Jackson to read while he went on to recite the facts by memory. “Alexis Baylor’s parents died when she was ten, and her uncle, being the only family she had, raised her. Martin Baylor never married and devoted his time to his company, Gametek, which never took off while he was alive. From all accounts, Alexis was a quiet, shy girl and followed in her uncle’s line of work. She attended San Diego State University, majored in Computer Science, and graduated at the top of her class. She went straight to work for her uncle designing basic computer games. When he died three years ago, she inherited the company.”
Jackson dragged a hand over his clean shaven jaw. “How convenient,” he drawled.
Mike shrugged off his comment. “Alexis was Martin’s only family, too, so there really was no one else to take over the business. She didn’t inherit much in the way of wealth, considering the company was near bankruptcy. From what I learned from other sources she’s been working on Zantoid for the past four years, but hadn’t been able to market the software because it was lacking a specific proprietary code to make the game run smoother, faster, and make the graphics more vibrant and real.”
“My proprietary code,” Jackson interjected through gritted teeth.
“Yes,” Mike admitted with a pained half-smile. “There’s no denying that the code is yours, or that she’s reaping the benefits of your technology. She’s received hundreds of thousands of orders for the software since announcing its release.”
Jackson’s gut twisted with aggravation. Exhaling a taut breath, he waved a hand in the air between them, as if the gesture alone could dismiss that disturbing news just as easily. “Go on with your report,” he said, desperately needing to grasp onto something concrete about the woman he could use to his advantage. “What do you know about Alexis’s personal life?”
Reclining in his chair in a deceptively lazy stretch, Mike folded his hands over his stomach and rested one sneakered foot over the opposite knee. “She actually goes by the name of Alex. She just turned twenty-eight and has never been married. She dates occasionally, but hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years. Though Dennis Merrick, the man she promoted to vice president of the company after her uncle’s death, seems very fond of her.”
The woman hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years? Jackson frowned, wondering why, and latched onto the most plausible explanation. “Is there something going on between her and her VP?”
Mike shook his head. “No. From what I could find out, he’s been with the company for over ten years and was her uncle’s right-hand man so it was a logical promotion to VP. She seems to depend on him for support and decision making and while he appears to be a good friend she spends occasional time with outside of the office, the interest is very one-sided.”
Nothing to exploit there, Jackson thought in growing dissatisfaction.
“She’s very plain and unassuming,” Mike continued with his findings. “She spends her days at the office, goes out to a nearby deli for lunch, usually alone and with a book. She reads romantic suspense, in case you’re wondering,” he added with a grin. “She orders the same thing every day, a chicken salad sandwich, a side compote of fresh fruit and an iced tea with two lemons. She works at the office until nine or ten at night, and when she leaves for the evening she heads straight home to her two-bedroom condo in San Diego. Always alone.”
Jackson winced at the woman’s dull and boring social life. Mike’s profile of Alexis didn’t even come close to matching the vixen-like vision he’d conjured in his mind. “Are we talking about the same woman here?”
Mike laughed, but his humor quickly faded away. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jackson. If the woman has an unscrupulous side, immoral habits or condemning fetishes, she hides them well. Her two biggest indulgences in the week that I had her under surveillance were a box of Amaretto truffles, and a few silky, lacy underthings she bought for herself at a lingerie boutique. Other than that, the woman is as straight as an arrow.”
Jackson snorted at that, remembering how he’d totally and completely misjudged his fiancée, too. How easily she’d deceived him with outward appearances and practiced affection. On the surface she’d presented the facade of a devoted and loving woman who catered to his every need and made him believe they were matched physically as well as intellectually. The kind of lifetime mate he could trust and build a life with. And then he’d discovered the deeper, scheming motivations she’d had for wanting to marry him. It had been a very nasty, public breakup four years ago, one that had made him keep women at arm’s length ever since.
Looking back on the relationship, Jackson now realized he’d played right into Lindsay’s ploy. He’d wanted to believe she’d share in the kind of emotional intimacy and trust that had always been missing from his life, things he’d secretly desired for years but had come to accept he’d never have. His own mother had never provided emotional nurturing and unconditional love, then had completely abandoned him when he’d been a teenager. She’d traipsed back into his life years later when he’d become a successful businessman, pretending love and adoration and begging forgiveness. The little boy in him wanted so badly to believe that she’d changed that he’d allowed her back into his life, until it became painfully apparent that she, too, was only interested in his money. He was merely another person in a long line of fools she’d used for her own purposes.
He wasn’t one to hold onto grudges, yet every time he tried to let go of the past and let down his guard enough to trust someone and build a relationship, he was blindsided by ulterior motives and betrayal. It was safer, easier and less painful not to allow another woman that close.
Jackson rubbed his thumb along his chin, trying to ignore the churning in his belly those memories evoked. “What does Alexis look like?” he asked, tossing aside the thoughts of those two self-centered women for the current one wreaking havoc with his life.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask that question.” A slow grin eased up the corners of Mike’s mouth. “She’s certainly nothing spectacular or anything like the sophisticated beauties you’re used to dealing with. Definitely not the kind of woman who’d turn your head twice if you passed her on the street. Her features are pretty, but plain, and while she wears loose, unfitted clothing it’s fairly obvious that she has real womanly curves beneath all that camouflage.”
Leaning forward, Mike rifled through the contents of his briefcase and pulled out a manila envelope. From that, he withdrew an 8x10 glossy photograph and held the snapshot across the desk for Jackson to take. “I used my zoom lens to get a close-up of her for you. There are other shots in the envelope you can look through later.”
Jackson examined the candid picture through critical eyes. The photograph had been taken as she was leaving her office building midday, accompanied by a thirty-something, brown-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses. First, Jackson focused on Alexis. As Mike had divulged, her looks and appearance were plain and unassuming and nothing remotely close to what Jackson had imagined. Minimal makeup enhanced her features and her glossy black hair was pulled back into one of those French braids. She wore an untucked, loose navy blue blouse that hinted at generous breasts but didn’t fully display them, and a flowing patterned skirt that swirled around her legs and ankles.
Despite the unflattering clothing, he couldn’t stop himself from envisioning the satiny, lacy under-things she might be wearing beneath the practical, unflattering outfit. He imagined warm, soft skin against cool silk, and a flush of unexpected heat infused him. Annoyed with his response, he immediately shook those unbidden thoughts right out of his head.
Sophisticated and extraordinarily beautiful, she wasn’t. But he didn’t doubt Alexis’s intelligence. She was laughing at something the other man must have said, and her eyes, a pale but sparkling shade of blue, seemed to say “I’m at the top of the world“.
Of course she was sitting pretty…she was in the position to make millions from all his hard work.
“Who is the guy with her?” Jackson asked curiously.
“That’s Dennis Merrick.”
Jackson looked once more. No, they didn’t seem like lovers in the picture. Alexis appeared more amused by the man than enamored. But there was no denying the wistfulness in the other man’s expression as he gazed at her.
Setting the photo aside, Jackson indicated the report and pinned his friend with an unrelenting stare. “You do realize, don’t you, that you’ve given me nothing substantial to work with here.”
“What can I say, other than sometimes that happens.” Mike’s tone held a silent apology as he stood and closed his briefcase. “I can only give you information that’s available. I dug as deep as I could on Alexis Baylor, and while I have no doubt she stole your design, I couldn’t find anything personally incriminating on her.”
And that put Jackson back on square one and without a way of exacting personal retribution from Alexis as he’d hoped. “I know you did your best,” he acknowledged, still confident in Mike’s abilities, but disappointed nonetheless. “Thanks for your time and work on this case. I’ll catch you later for that cold beer.”
“I’m holding you to it.” Lifting his briefcase from the desk, Mike turned to go, then swung back around, his head tipped to the side. “I forgot to mention something. It’s in my report, but just so you know, Alexis is leaving this Saturday for a weeklong vacation.”
That snagged Jackson’s attention and he shuffled past the photo of Alexis and her VP to the summary Mike had given him. “To where?” he asked as he thumbed anxiously through the pages for the information he was sure Mike would supply.
“A place called Seductive Fantasy.”
Jackson glanced up sharply, certain his expression reflected his incredulity. “What the hell is Seductive Fantasy?”
“Believe it or not, it’s one of four island resorts off the Florida Keys that caters to people’s fantasies—for a price, of course.”
Jackson’s jaw opened, snapped shut, then he shook his head in disbelief. “You’re joking, right?” Mike had to be. He’d never heard of anything so ridiculous. So intriguing.
“I checked it out. Fantasies, Inc. is legit, and so is Alexis Baylor’s reservation.”
Which put a whole different spin on Jackson’s quest for personal revenge. “What’s Alexis’s fantasy?”
“All fantasies are confidential.”
“There has to be some way to find out—”
Mike held up a hand, stopping his tirade. “I called the resort directly. Trust me, Merrilee Schaefer-Weston, the woman who owns the place, is a stickler about confidentiality. And I can’t blame her, considering that she’s dealing with people’s deepest, most private secrets and desires. But it is a fascinating concept, don’t you think?”
“Very fascinating,” Jackson murmured, feeling a rush of excitement as he realized how Alexis’s fantasy vacation could work to his advantage as well. Anonymity. Close proximity. His fantasy. Could getting to Alexis truly be as easy as filling out paperwork, paying a fee and stepping into a role that would enable him to walk away the victor this time?
He managed, just barely, to tamp his exhilaration. “Is she going to this island with anyone?”
Mike shifted on his feet and reluctantly divulged more. “It’s a single seat reservation, so I’m assuming she’s going alone.”
“Perfect.”
Understanding dawned across Mike’s face. “I take it you have a fantasy of your own to request from Ms. Weston?”
Jackson gave him a smug smile. “I believe I do.”
Mike frowned. “I know you’re upset, but doing something like this is so unlike you.”
“What can I say?” Jackson said without a trace of an apology. “Alexis Baylor put my business and livelihood at stake. I’m tired of being used by women with agendas. This time I’m doing something about it.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Jackson,” he said in a low, cautioning tone of voice.
Jackson’s deep laughter filled his office. “Why? Because I might just get what I ask for?”
“Exactly. For as intriguing as I find this fantasy stuff, I can’t help but think that there are things and outcomes a person can’t factor in when they wish and pay for something that doesn’t come naturally.” He shrugged. “It’s like messing with fate.”
Or maybe this whole setup was fate. Jackson rocked back in his chair, refusing to allow his friend’s warning to deter him, no matter how logical Mike’s comment was. “That’s your suspicious P.I. nature talking, Mansel.” After all, what could go wrong?
“Maybe,” he acknowledged, but clearly wasn’t done expressing his concern. “You’ll probably get your revenge against Alexis Baylor in the guise of some other fantasy, but you might want to consider that the cost could be a personal one for you, too.”
Jackson rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the premonition of doom Mike was conjuring up. He’d already paid personally because of Alexis Baylor, and couldn’t imagine walking away from that fantasy resort after a week’s time any worse off than he already was. “That’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.” His tone rang with finality.
“Well, good luck, then.” Mike’s chest expanded as he inhaled a slow, deep breath. Then one of his easygoing smiles graced his mouth. “Call me when you get back, and we’ll have that beer together.”
“And celebrate the success of my fantasy,” Jackson added.
Once Mike was gone and Jackson was alone, he contemplated the situation and what had so unexpectedly fallen into his lap. Before he called Fantasies, Inc., he needed to figure out what kind of revenge he wanted against Alexis—not that he’d give Merrilee Schaeffer-Weston any insight to his real fantasy. The other woman would ban him from her resort if she knew his true intentions, and rightly so. No, it was imperative that Merrilee believed his motivations for requesting a fantasy were sincere.
He only had a few days to put his plans into motion. Once his fantasy was set up, Jackson decided he would give his attorneys permission to go forward with the lawsuit, the day before Alexis was due to leave on her vacation to Seductive Fantasy. Alexis would be aware of the impending lawsuit as well as the name of Extreme Software, but most likely wouldn’t have the time to uncover specifics, such as who Jackson was, until he divulged the truth at the end of his fantasy. In a week’s time, when he returned, he could follow through with court dates and appearances. And every time she’d see him during the trial he’d accumulate another personal victory, because she’d have to face him day after day.
He glanced at the picture Mike had taken and remembered what his friend had said: she hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years. He didn’t know the reasons, and in the scheme of things it didn’t really matter.
He’d just chosen his private, personal fantasy.
He wanted plain and single Alexis to fall hard and fast and deeply for him. No woman could resist an out-and-out romantic pursuit. And in the end, once he knew he’d ensnared her emotions, he’d walk away with the knowledge that he’d stolen something integral from her.
Her heart.
2
DON’T LOOK OUT the window and you’ll be just fine.
Alexis Baylor chanted that litany over in her mind as the small seaplane started its ascent from Miami for the fifteen minute flight to Seductive Fantasy off the Florida Keys. Keeping her eyes closed since boarding the compact aircraft, Alex now forced herself to take deep, even breaths to ease her anxiety as the plane scaled higher and higher. Her entire body felt the building velocity, and the buzzing sound of the engine seemed to rattle her bones. Despite her best efforts to remain calm, her stomach insisted on gauging even the most subtle dips they encountered during their upward climb.
Relax, relax, relax…
Her muscles remained tense; her heart beat triple-time. Alex never believed she harbored a fear of flying. In fact, her flight from San Diego to Miami had gone smoothly and remarkably well, without any incidences or panic attacks. Sitting in first class and being surrounded by luxurious leather seats while listening to a soft jazz station on the supplied headset, she’d been lulled by the comfort and security of being in a big, sturdy jetliner. But the moment she’d stepped aboard the Fantasies, Inc. commuter plane, an acute case of apprehension and claustrophobia had seized her, along with a flood of painful childhood memories that had a more profound effect on her than she’d realized.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
Thankfully, the plane reached elevation and leveled out. Gradually, so did Alex’s erratic pulse, but she knew better than to open her eyes and look out the window beside her. She had no desire to see the vast blue ocean below, or think about the awful last moments her parents must have spent together before their own private Cessna airplane had plummeted, taking them to their watery grave off the coast of San Diego.
She settled back into her seat as comfortably as her rigid body would allow, determined to keep her mind on other, more delightful matters for the duration of the flight…like the fantasy she’d bought and paid for and would soon experience. Yet even that exciting diversion was encumbered with troubling thoughts when she recalled how she’d nearly cancelled this trip at the very last minute.
Yesterday afternoon, to be exact. Right after her company had been served with an unexpected and disturbing complaint alleging copyright infringement and seeking an injunction against Gametek. The plaintiff, Extreme Software, claimed that it owned the proprietary code she’d used in her game and was filing a lawsuit to keep Gametek from marketing Zantoid. A hearing had been set for the week after she returned from her vacation. Her lawyers assured her it wasn’t necessary for her to attend the proceeding, but she intended to go nonetheless and see for herself the parties who were suing her company—and trying to cash in on her success.
But until that court date, Dennis Merrick, the VP of her company, assured her that nothing would be gained by her calling off the trip she’d booked six months prior. He’d insisted she go, relax, and have a good time, and promised to handle the lawyers, investigations, and any legalities that might arise in her absence. As always, he made it more than clear that she could always count on him.
A wry smile touched the corner of her mouth. If Dennis knew the nature of the vacation she’d been saving toward for the past two years, ever since she’d read a magazine article about Fantasies, Inc., she was certain he wouldn’t have been so supportive of her decision to leave. In fact, he would have been downright appalled. But his opinion made no difference. She knew what she wanted and nothing could change that. She wanted to be swept off her feet and seduced by a sexy man, no strings attached, and return home pregnant with the child she’d desired for years. A baby who would love her unconditionally and give her the sense of family she’d never really had.
Dennis would have gladly volunteered to fulfill her fantasy. Except she didn’t want the complication of mixing their business relationship with something more intimate. There was also the important fact that she didn’t connect with him on a physical and emotional level.
She’d known for years that Dennis harbored feelings toward her, but she’d always been careful not to lead him on or give him the wrong impression. She adored him as a friend, trusted him as an employee and respected him as a man. Dennis, for all his loyalty and obvious affection toward her, didn’t make her feel breathless with excitement. No man ever had. Then again, she wasn’t the type of sensual, sophisticated woman who inspired a man’s intense, sexual interest. And since she’d recently come to the conclusion that she’d probably never experience the kind of passionate, impetuous, devoted relationship her own parents had shared, this fantasy would be her last chance to embrace all those lush, uninhibited, thrilling pleasures she’d been denied before she settled into motherhood. Alone and on her own.
In the meantime, with an attractive, enticing stranger picked out for her sole enjoyment and gratification, she’d wholeheartedly indulge in the feeling of being desired and desirable. She planned to drench every one of her five senses in the luxury of being romantically pursued.
Alex released a calm breath and shifted in her seat. Because of the personal, intimate nature of Alex’s request, Ms. Weston had assured her that she’d do her best to make sure that her fantasy man would possess the same physical characteristics as she—black hair and blue eyes—so that there would be a much greater chance of conceiving a baby with her same traits.
Obviously, there was no promise that she’d leave with a child—only Mother Nature, not a paid fantasy, could guarantee that. But in five more days she’d be at her most fertile, and she planned to make the most of that opportunity.
Without warning, the plane hit an air pocket, and the cabin shook from the unexpected turbulence, jarring Alex out of the tranquility that had settled over her. She sucked in a sharp breath and her hand automatically shot out to grip the armrest between her seat and another passenger’s. Instead of cushioned upholstery she came into contact with the firm, sinewy muscle of a man’s arm. Hair roughened and incredibly warm and inviting, his skin disturbed her more than the aircraft’s brief change in altitude.
Chagrined that she’d latched onto a stranger, a very masculine, athletically built stranger if that strong arm was any indication, she immediately snatched her fingers back and settled her balled up fists in her lap.
“Sorry,” she murmured, keeping her eyes tightly closed, as if that could conceal her acute embarrassment. She might have been able to hide her eyes but there was nothing she could do to disguise the obvious heat spreading up her neck, across her cheeks, and all the way to the tips of her ears. The burning sensation made her feel restless in a way she didn’t fully understand.
Before she could contemplate her startling reaction, long fingers grazed lightly across her clenched knuckles, and her pulse skyrocketed. Someone, the man she assumed was sitting beside her, picked up her hand, drew it across the armrest separating them, and slowly and gently unfurled her fingers. She swallowed, hard, as he flattened her hand between two incredibly large palms, engulfing her in a strange mixture of heat and soothing comfort. She’d been alone for so long, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d experienced such a tender gesture.
He swept his thumb along the veins in her wrist, then pressed it against her rapid, erratic pulse. “Your heartbeat is unsteady. Are you okay?”
His voice was smooth and rich, like the decadent Amaretto truffles she indulged in on occasion. Spirals of awareness curled through her, wreaking havoc with the feminine nerves that had lain dormant for too long. Unable to speak for a variety of reasons, most prominent of which was her response to him, she nodded jerkily.
“Then open your eyes and look at me so I can see for myself that you’re okay,” he coaxed in that deep, delicious tone.
For the first time since boarding the seaplane, she lifted her lashes…and stared into a dark, velvet blue gaze that made her own blue eyes pale in comparison. Her stomach dipped, and this time being thrown off balance had nothing to do with the plane hitting an air pocket, and everything to do with the man sitting next to her.
He was big, solidly male and gorgeous in a way that made her feel extremely self-conscious of her own ordinary features. For the sake of comfort during her long ten-hour trip to Florida, and admittedly, out of routine, she’d twisted her hair into a French braid to keep it neat and tidy, and had worn a comfortable loose skirt and blouse to travel in. Never in her entire life had she been more aware of her appearance…and how frumpy she must look.
“That’s better.” A charming grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “At least now I’m assured that you’re not going to pass out on me.”
No, but she was feeling a bit light-headed from all this attention. She struggled to find her voice. “I’ll be fine…just as soon as we land.”
“Which can’t be soon enough for you, I take it?”
She shook her head and laughed, the sound strained with nerves and the kind of tantalizing awareness she wasn’t used to feeling. “No. The sooner the better.”
His hair, she noticed, was cut into a neat, executive-type style that accentuated his handsome, chiseled features. The thick strands were an inky black, and a perfect complement to her own ebony mane. So far, he had the makings of her own personal fantasy man.
A staggering excitement rushed through her blood at the thought, though she couldn’t be certain that he was the one. He could be just as he presented—a gentleman assisting a woman in distress. And most likely he was exactly that.
He tipped his head, regarding her curiously. “Are you afraid of flying?”
“Sort of,” she admitted. “My parents died in a small plane just like this one.”
“Aah,” he said in understanding, giving her hand a gentle, compassionate squeeze that tugged at something equally elemental within her. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.” She rested her head against the back of her seat, keeping her gaze averted from the window. “I was only ten at the time, but being closed in and flying over the ocean brings back memories of how they passed away.”
“Understandably so,” he murmured.
Realizing he still held her hand between his, and sure he’d rather let her go but was being polite, she attempted to withdraw from his grasp. He held her captive, his hold firm, his fascination with her undeniably genuine. Pressing her splayed fingers against a taut, denim-covered thigh, he lightly trapped her hand beneath the press of his palm.
As if she was going anywhere!
Absently, he stroked the skin between her thumb and forefinger, the caress so intimate and sensual it made her quiver deep inside. “Maybe I can help keep you distracted for the remainder of the flight.”
Oh, she was most definitely distracted…and mesmerized. His sole focus was on her, which was beguiling in itself.
“I suppose we should start with introductions,” he said, another lazy, sexy smile making an appearance. “I’m Jackson Witt. And you are?”
Completely smitten. Alex supposed that’s what happened when a woman was the focal point of a gorgeous man’s attention. She’d dated a handful of men, one long enough in college to constitute a relationship, but none had ever made her feel so entranced and infatuated at first glance.
She noticed the suddenly intense way he was staring at her, as if he was waiting for some kind of reaction. Well, she was definitely affected by him, except there was no way for him to see the internal flurry of rippling heat and sultry desire he evoked.
She called up a reciprocating smile that she found came easily to her lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Jackson,” she said, and was taken aback by the visible relief that passed across his expression. It was gone so quickly, she had to wonder if she’d imagined the odd emotion. “I’m Alexis Baylor, but everyone calls me Alex.”
“Why?” he asked abruptly.
She shook her head in confusion. “Why what?”
“Why does everyone call you Alex when Alexis is such a beautiful name?”
She ducked her head, contemplating his comment. Honestly, she’d never felt much like an Alexis, a name which to her implied elegance and grace.
Slanting him a glance, she shrugged, having long ago grown used to the boyish nickname. “My uncle, who raised me after my parents passed away, always called me Alex, and I suppose it became a habit.”
He grinned with sinful intent, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “One I intend to break…Alexis.”
The way her name rolled off his tongue was like a silky, sensual caress to her senses. Adding to that pleasant mental stimulation was the featherlight stroke of his fingers between hers, where she’d suddenly become ultrasensitive. While his touch was innocent, her entire body hummed with a luxurious warmth, one that was provocative as well as enjoyable.
“So, where are you from?” he asked.
She knew he was trying to make idle conversation, and she appreciated the diversion. “San Diego.”
A dark brow winged upward. “Considering how uncomfortable you seem in a plane, how did you manage to get to Miami? By train?”
She laughed, and this time the sound was light and carefree, lacking the tension that had engulfed her earlier. “I flew, of course. It’s the smaller commuter planes I have a problem with, not big, sturdy jetliners. And where are you from?”
“Atlanta.”
She toyed with the end of her braid, which curled over her shoulder and rested just above her breast. “And I take it you’re going to Seductive Fantasy, too?”
He nodded, his gaze shifting from the play of her fingers to her mouth, then her eyes, his perusal slow and lazy. “Yes.”
So, he either had a fantasy or was someone’s fantasy—or maybe both. “For a fantasy?” she asked, hoping the obvious question would unearth deeper information about the man.
His eyes darkened, turning a smokey shade of blue. “Most definitely for a fantasy,” he murmured.
She shivered at the sudden intensity cloaking him. Unable to help herself, even though she knew she was venturing into private territory, she asked, “What is your fantasy?” Was that her voice that sounded so breathless?
Beneath her trapped hand, his muscles bunched, belying his relaxed expression. He sent her a chastising look, tempered with flirtatious charm. “Why, Ms. Baylor, shame on you. I believe that information is confidential, as is your fantasy. Unless you care to share yours first?” he invited.
Her skin flushed, at being so bold as to ask about something so intimate, as well as at the thought of divulging her own deepest desires. Not only did she not really know this man and his personal intentions on Seductive Fantasy, but she wanted her request to play out on its own accord, without planting any preconceived notions in another man’s head. Though with him admitting that he had his own fantasy to explore at the island resort, she didn’t hold out much optimism that they’d be paired as a couple.
She let out a regretful sigh. “No, I’d rather not share my fantasy, and I apologize for asking about yours.”
“No apology necessary,” he said sincerely. “I suppose the nature of this vacation retreat does stir one’s imagination. I have to confess that I’m equally curious to know what you’re looking for on Seductive Fantasy.”
Unadulterated passion. Uninhibited desire. A father for my baby. She kept those secrets tucked away. “Let’s just say I’m trying to cram a lifetime of missed opportunities into one short week.”
He turned the hand resting on his thigh over and traced a long, tapered finger against her palm, tickling her skin and arousing her to a fever pitch at the same time. “Well, I hope all your fantasies come true, Alexis.”
She stared into his compelling eyes, hopelessly lost in the sea of sensuality she saw shimmering in the depths. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I hope so, too,” she replied huskily.
He continued doing incredible things to her hand, her fingers. Subtle, yet provocative caresses that had her breathing deepening and her body softening against her seat. Despite her best efforts to remain immune to his alluring touch, her belly quivered and her breasts swelled against the lacy webbing of her bra. The man was very close to providing the unadulterated passion part of her fantasy—and she couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of his plan, or merely just a coincidence.
“We’ve arrived at Seductive Fantasy.” The voice of Mark, their pilot, drifted from the cockpit and into the cabin. “Please stay seated a moment longer, until the plane is secured and the door is unlatched.”
Alex’s eyes rounded in shock. “We’re here?” she asked incredulously.
Jackson’s chuckle vibrated with a wealth of amusement. “Yep. I think it’s safe for you to look out your window now.”
Trusting him, she glanced out the small portal, stunned to discover that they had, indeed, landed. Water lapped at the floats attached to the seaplane as they glided smoothly on the ocean. They were slowly drifting toward a wooden walkway extending from the white sand beach of a lush island. Beyond stood a gorgeous hotel designed with Mediterranean appeal, and surrounded by bright tropical plants. Excitement blossomed within her at the sight of such beauty and elegance—the backdrop for her personal fantasy.
“Incredible.” She looked back at her companion, unable to stop her own laughter from bubbling up out of her. “I wasn’t even aware of the plane descending.”
He winked at her. “Then I guess I lived up to my promise to keep you distracted.”
Oh, he’d definitely managed that. Her elation dwindled as reality made an uninvited appearance. So, his attention had been a ruse after all, to keep her mind off the short trek across the Atlantic. Of course. She’d been silly to think otherwise, even briefly.
“It was very nice meeting you, Alexis,” he said, drawing her out of her disappointing thoughts. Lifting her hand, he brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles, then finally released her from his hold.
She immediately missed the warmth he’d generated. “Likewise,” she replied.
Once the cabin door was open and they were free to exit the aircraft, they unbuckled their seat belts, along with two other female guests Alex hadn’t realized were sitting across from them until that moment. The four of them stepped out onto the walkway, and Alex squinted against the late afternoon sun as two men unloaded their luggage. The women’s bags were the first to appear and were tossed onto a brass cart. Jackson’s suitcases were next.
“Right this way, sir,” one of the employees instructed, and started down the walkway toward an older woman waiting at the end of the platform. Without a final backward glance at Alex, Jackson followed the other man.
Alex watched him go, and with each step he took that put distance between them, she grew more desperate to catch his attention again.
Just one more time.
“Jackson…” his name slipped from her lips before she could stop the impulse.
He turned around, inclining his head questioningly. “Yes?”
Now that she had his undivided attention, as well as the interest of the Fantasies, Inc. employees, what did she say?
“Thank you,” she said, expressing the gratitude he deserved. Self-consciously, she smoothed a hand down the front of her skirt and summoned a smile. “You made the flight more bearable, as well as enjoyable.”
“It was my pleasure,” he drawled in a low, sexy voice any woman would find vastly appealing. No doubt, many women had. “Maybe we’ll run into each other on the island.” With a final wave, he turned back around and continued on.
Butterflies hatched in Alex’s stomach, making her feel like a schoolgirl in the throes of a crush. And oh, what a wonderful feeling it was! “Yes, maybe,” she whispered to his retreating back. I certainly hope so.
Once her luggage was secured on a separate cart, Alex followed her guide to the end of the walkway. The woman who’d greeted Jackson moments ago now turned a bright smile her way. They clasped hands, and Alex was instantly immersed in the other woman’s warmth and hospitality.
“I’m Merrilee Schaefer-Weston,” she said, introducing herself. “And please call me Merrilee. Welcome to Seductive Fantasy, Alex.”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here.” Alex had known just by talking to the other woman on the phone that she cared a great deal about her clients and their requests, and she immediately liked Merrilee. The kindness and dedication she witnessed in her gaze gave Alex more proof that the woman was devoted to her business and making her guest’s fantasies come true.
“The island is yours to do as you please, in whatever way it pertains to your personal fantasy,” Merrilee continued, and Alex was certain Jackson had received the same commentary before he’d disappeared down the path leading to the hotel. “If there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, I’m only a phone call away.” She indicated the pager clipped to the waistband of her taupe-colored slacks. “My guests and their comfort are my number one priority, and I’m available 24-7. Do you have any questions before your fantasy begins?”
“I do have one,” Alex admitted, chewing absently on her lower lip. “How will I know who my fantasy man is?”
A knowing smile curved Merrilee’s lips. “He’ll be everything you asked for, maybe more. He’ll pursue you and make his intentions known.”
Relief swept over Alex. “That’s good to hear, because I’m not real good at making the first move when it comes to the opposite sex.”
“You won’t have to.” The assurance in Merrilee’s voice rang strong and true. Then her expression softened perceptively. “And if I might impart a few words of advice before your fantasy begins, I’d tell you to follow your heart, Alex. It might lead you places you’ve never been before.”
Alex couldn’t contain the shiver that coursed through her at Merrilee’s statement.
Two hours after they parted ways, Alex sat on the patio of her opulent suite, watching the sun set over the horizon in brilliant shades of pinks, purples and oranges. She contemplated the other woman’s pearls of wisdom, and found Merrilee’s choice of words odd considering love and emotional commitment weren’t a part of her fantasy. She was entering this fantasy with practical expectations, not unrealistic hopes for the future.
Still puzzled but now hungry, Alex went back inside her room and flipped through the menu for room service. She had decided to eat in her room tonight—even if that meant missing out on her first opportunity to get acquainted with her fantasy man. She was too tired to be engaging, too exhausted to even enjoy a flirtatious advance. And admittedly, she was still too wound up from her encounter with Jackson to give another man a fair chance. She’d be refreshed and ready for romance and adventure after a good night’s sleep.
As she waited for her meal to arrive, she strolled back out to the balcony, wrapped her hands around the cool railing, and scanned the suites across from hers. She wondered which one was Jackson’s, and if he was off enjoying his own fantasy…and with whom.
WITH TIKI TORCHES and moonlight illuminating his way, Jackson strolled from his private cottage on the beach along the curving walkway that wound around the resort’s lavish pool area. Without a doubt, the island was ideal for romance, forbidden temptation and erotic trysts. Unfortunately, disappointment was his only companion after his late-night walk to burn off the restless energy that had consumed him since arriving on Seductive Fantasy that afternoon.
Thanks to Mike’s help, Jackson had managed to discover Alexis’s flight times and book himself a seat on the same shuttle to the island, a way of insuring that they met before they even arrived at the resort. After how exceptionally well his first encounter with her had gone, he’d been hoping to proceed with his romantic pursuit this evening, but she hadn’t cooperated with his personal strategy. Much to his frustration, he hadn’t run into her since they’d parted ways at the dock.
With a harsh sigh of dissatisfaction, he made his way toward the Players’ Lounge, deciding that if he didn’t find Alexis in the singles’ club, he’d call it a night. He entered the establishment, sidled up to the bar, and ordered a Tom Collins. While he waited for his order, he searched the guests mingling in the lounge and the couples dancing to the tunes the band was playing, hoping to find a certain black-haired, blue-eyed woman.
“Looking for someone special?” a female voice asked.
Jackson turned on his stool and wasn’t surprised to find Merrilee standing beside him at the mahogany and brass bar. During the day he’d seen her around the resort tending to her guests’ comfort and needs. And checking up on the progress of her clients’ fantasies, he assumed. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
A knowing smile made its way to her lips. “Alexis Baylor, by chance?”
He stiffened in his seat, wondering how in the world she’d made that connection when he’d been so careful to keep his intentions to himself. “What makes you think I’m looking for her?” The bartender delivered his drink, and Jackson thanked the other man.
“It was just a guess.” She tilted her head, regarding him through kind blue eyes. “My pilot told me that the two of you hit it off on the flight over from Miami, and I saw the interaction between you and Alexis at the dock.”
He laughed, breaking up the tension that banded his chest. Seeing no harm in divulging the truth, he said, “An accurate guess, I admit.” He took a long swallow of his cool, tangy drink and reached for the bowl of shelled peanuts on the counter. “I was looking for Alexis.”
“Well, Ms. Baylor opted to eat dinner in her room,” Merrilee informed him. “At last account she was in bed for the night.”
Jackson met Merrilee’s gaze as he took another drink, trying to gauge why she was supplying him with so much personal information on Alexis. “Looks like my efforts at trying to find her tonight were futile then.”
“But tomorrow is another day.”
“So it is.”
Merrilee hesitated for a moment, then said, “On your fantasy application and when we spoke on the phone before you booked your trip, you said you wanted to find a woman you could open up to and trust.”
“Yes.” He managed, just barely, to refrain from wincing as a twinge of guilt nudged him. The lie he’d fabricated for a believable and acceptable fantasy had been a necessity, one he wasn’t exactly proud of considering how much he liked and respected Merrilee. But he’d been pushed too far by one woman too many, and in order to obtain what he truly wanted from Alexis Baylor, he had no choice but to hold tight to that pretense.
He continued. “My relationships with women have been…lacking. And I’ve been betrayed one time too many.” That much was pure truth. “It’s a novel concept to me to be able to trust a woman.”
She gave a compassionate nod of understanding. “I did tell you that you’d have to see how your request played out once you were at the resort, that I couldn’t guarantee that you’d find a woman who suited your fantasy.”
He tossed a few peanuts into his mouth and chewed. “I remember.”
“However, I did want to ask, how does Alexis fit your perception of the kind of woman you want to open up to and trust?”
Jackson nearly choked on his peanuts. Coughing, he washed down the snack with a huge gulp of his drink. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was singling him out, and offering him exactly what he wanted—a direct link to Alexis, all based on their connection on the seaplane.
He regained his composure and clung to his pretense. “I’ve only met her once, but Alexis could be that woman.” He stared Merrilee straight in the eyes. “I definitely want to get to know her better, but the question is, do I fit into her reason for being here at Seductive Fantasy?”
“I believe you could, very easily. But of course the decision to accept you will ultimately be up to Alexis.”
If all went as he planned, Jackson didn’t see that as a problem, not after the way Alexis had reacted so favorably to him on the seaplane. He’d use that attraction to his advantage. “So, how do I go about doing this?” he asked.
“Well, I can help you out a bit.” She smiled mischievously. “As part of your fantasy, and Alexis’s, I can give you complete access to her whereabouts at all times, day or night. A phone call to Stewart at the concierge desk will provide you with details and information on Alexis so you can keep track of her. However, if I see that she isn’t interested, the privileged information will discontinue.”
“Fair enough.” Jackson realized that Merrilee was attempting to act as matchmaker and trusted him with Alexis. He did his best to ignore the tightening in his gut and the little voice in his head making him question what he was going to do. “For starters, can I have her room number?”
“Room 305, in the main hotel,” she supplied easily, then pressed her soft hand to his arm. “I hope she’s the one who makes up for all those other women in your life.”
Jackson forced a smile and held back the comment, she’s going to be added to the growing list. Merrilee moved on to mingle with other guests, granting Jackson a reprieve. Tossing a tip for the bartender onto the counter, he left the Players’ Lounge and followed the path toward the hotel to seek out Alexis’s room for future reference.
He shook his head as the day’s events filtered through his mind. His first evening on the island certainly hadn’t turned out as he’d expected. Then again, if he was honest with himself, Alexis Baylor wasn’t what he’d anticipated, either. Not at all.
The pictures Mike had taken of her had accurately depicted her physical attributes. What those candid snapshots hadn’t captured was just how soft and lush her mouth looked, how smooth and luminous her skin appeared, or how expressive her blue eyes were. Despite her plain, reserved packaging, she possessed the potential to transform herself into a sensual beauty, but obviously wasn’t aware of her appeal. He found that realization amazing, especially when he was accustomed to women using their looks to their advantage.
In the flesh, Jackson had discovered that this particular woman was a paradox. The fascinating bits of vulnerability and softness she’d displayed on the seaplane had clashed with the image of the ruthless businesswoman he’d conjured in his mind. She’d been far more demure and reserved than he’d visualized, and he was finding it difficult to mesh the two individual, contradictory impressions.
With a disgusted grunt at his own gullibility, he reminded himself that this woman had cheated him and his company. Regardless of her modesty when it came to men, she definitely took an aggressive approach in business.
An approach he fully intended to emulate for the next week. A gradual buildup of flattery and romance to something far more assertive, persuasive and single-minded—a combination most women found difficult to withstand. And Merrilee had offered him the perfect opportunity to make Alexis the center of his attention. He’d initially take the chase slow and easy. Tease her. Tempt her. Then ultimately seduce her.
Judging by the attraction that had sparked between them in the seaplane, he had a strong feeling that Alexis Baylor wouldn’t be able to resist him. Pursuing her, and delving past all that reserve, wouldn’t be difficult for him, either. Not when she intrigued him, aroused him even, with her contradictions.
Jamming his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, Jackson followed the pathway through an elaborate garden of exotic plants and flowers flanking the courtyard designed between two separate wings of the hotel. There were benches situated along the trail and pillars entwined with night-blooming jasmine, scenting the air with a drugging, seductive perfume. His steps slowed and he glanced up at the four stories of suites looming in front of him, counting three up and five across, pinpointing Alexis’s room. The interior was dark, but she’d left the glass slider open to allow fresh air to slip inside. The diaphanous sheers covering the window billowed gently in the fragrant, sultry evening breeze.
He imagined her warm and soft in her bed, her breathing deep and even. Did she wear her hair down and free, or did she keep it neat and orderly even at night? She might dress practically in loose clothing, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what she slept in—something silky and decadent as Mike had suggested during his investigative report, or nothing at all? A slow burn settled in Jackson’s belly at the thought.
Soon, he’d find out.
Tomorrow, the seduction would begin.
3
IF HER FANTASY MAN was on the island he had yet to make an appearance, and half of her second day on Seductive Fantasy was nearly over.
Exhaling a breath of frustration, Alexis lifted her gaze from the romantic suspense novel she couldn’t quite concentrate on. She scanned the guests lounging around the pool area and couples conversing at the swim-up bar who were obviously enjoying their fantasies, whatever they may be.
For the umpteenth time in the past hour since she’d eaten a light lunch at the outdoor café, she searched for a dark-haired man with blue eyes who would set his sights on her and make that all important first advance. A man like Jackson.
There were many men with her requested characteristics, but none showed her any interest other than a brief glance or cordial smile. While she wasn’t sitting directly in the sun and had opted for the shade of a large palm tree because she burned much too easily, she couldn’t be in more plain sight for her soon-to-be lover to find her.
She’d always been an extremely patient person, but suddenly discovered she was very antsy to move on to the next phase of her paid vacation. Her fantasy. Now that she was refreshed and rested, she was eager to taste the heat of passion, and anxious to experience the kind of tantalizing, rapturous sensations she’d only read about.
Shifting restlessly on the lounge chair, she stretched her legs and flicked her flowing skirt over her exposed knees and calves. She frowned, realizing just how clothed she was compared to the rest of the scantily clad women around her—realizing, too, just how much attention they were receiving in comparison.
Though she’d been conservative in selecting her attire since she was a teenager, and had never given fashion a second thought, Alex wondered if maybe she should have purchased more alluring clothing for this vacation. Her one secret indulgence was wearing pretty, lacy lingerie, but her seductive underwear was a moot point if her outerwear didn’t attract a man’s attention.
With a sigh, she ducked her head back to her book, seeing the words but not really reading them as her mind turned over different possibilities. Yes, maybe she needed to change her image and live impetuously for the week, especially at a private resort where no one she knew would see or judge her. She could be anything or anyone she wanted and enjoy the results of being carefree and impulsive with no consequences other than the ones she’d requested. She could be daring, take wild risks, then return home and resume her practical lifestyle, as well as deal with the messy lawsuit awaiting her.
If only her fantasy man would arrive so she could start her journey to self-discovery.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of someone heading across the far deck, down the short concrete steps, and toward the pool…toward her.
Automatically, she raised her gaze to gauge this next potential offering, and her breath caught in her throat as she watched Jackson Witt burn a path closer and closer to where she sat, his stride purposeful and confidently male. Hope and electric currents of excitement mingled, racing through her bloodstream at a rapid pace. Who needed to sit out in the sun when this man had the ability to heat her from the inside out?
He was wearing navy blue swimming trunks and a tank shirt that showcased his broad shoulders and tapered to a lean waist. His strong thighs were toned and muscled, his legs long and well defined. Everything about him was exceptional and sensual and utterly masculine. Everything about him thrilled her.
She jerked her eyes back up to his gorgeous face, wishing he wasn’t wearing sunglasses so she could see his gaze and assess his intentions. Just when she was absolutely certain he would approach her, he stopped abruptly a few yards away. In one fluid motion that set the muscles in his arms and across his back rippling, he pulled off his shirt while toeing off his deck shoes at the same time. He tossed the balled up cotton onto a chaise, added his sunglasses to the top of the pile and, without a glance in her direction, he strode to the edge of the pool. Diving into the water with smooth, graceful precision, he began a series of laps.
She groaned in acute regret, silently chastised her wishful thinking, and returned her attention to her book and off the man that every other woman in the vicinity was ogling. It was fairly obvious that Jackson had forgotten all about her, while he’d starred in her dreams last night and had given her the incentive to venture out early this morning in search of her fantasy man.
He obviously wasn’t the one, she thought, sighing in disappointment.
Ten minutes later, when he climbed out of the pool at the deep end near where she was sitting, Alex forced herself to keep her nose in her book, eyes downcast, and pretend complete absorption in her story. She refused to embarrass herself by gawking at his magnificent body as he sauntered past her chair.
He made it difficult for her to ignore him. Instead of returning to the chaise holding his shirt and sunglasses, she heard the soft, wet, pit-pat of footsteps, then watched his bare feet come into view beside her lounge chair. She swallowed, hard, as water dripped off him and pooled around his legs.
Now what did she do?
Before she could gather the fortitude to glance up and greet him with a polite smile that didn’t give away her strong attraction to him, she was showered with droplets of water as he shook his upper body and damp hair like a wet dog.
She gasped and dipped her head lower as the moisture rained down upon her, surprised at his playfulness when it was the very last thing she would have expected from him. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t contain the spontaneous laughter that escaped her. “Hey, you’re getting me all wet!”
He stopped shaking himself dry and waited until she finally looked up at him. “Am I?” He asked the question innocently, but his eyes, framed by black spiked lashes, blazed with blue fire and impudence.
She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of sexual innuendo, but his double meaning wasn’t lost on her. If he was going to be so brazen, then so was she. She wanted to see just how far he intended to take things between them…a light, friendly flirtation, or something more intimate?
“Yes, you are,” she replied boldly.
“Good.” A smile filled with too much satisfaction graced his lips. “You were deliberately ignoring me.”
She opened her mouth to issue a denial, then promptly shut it to rethink her strategy when she realized she’d been caught. “You ignored me first,” she countered, setting her book on the glass-topped table beside her.
“I was hot and wanted to cool off.” He stepped away for a second and dragged a nearby lounge chair over, keeping it aligned in the sun instead of joining her in the shade. Straddling the chair, he plopped down into the seat and finger combed his damp hair away from his chiseled features. “I would have asked you to join me, but you aren’t exactly dressed for a swim.”
She most definitely needed to do something about her attire, including buying a one-piece bathing suit that would flatter her curvaceous figure and attract the attention of a man like Jackson. “I burn easily, so what’s the point of wearing a swimsuit if I’m not going to sit directly in the sun?”
“So you can get all wet,” he said, his amused tone a bit on the naughty side.
Oh, he was bad. And very good. “Which usually leads to playing in the sun and getting burned.”
“That’s what sunscreen is for. And if you just don’t like being in the sun, I’ve been told that there are a few secluded, shady lagoons here on the island that you can reserve for your own private pool party.”
“Really?” she murmured, intrigued by the notion. Intrigued, too, by the subtle invitation dancing in his velvet eyes.
“Uh-huh,” he replied, the sound rising up from his throat in a sexy, arousing rumble. “With waterfalls and hot springs and all kinds of other decadent luxuries.”
He tempted her with his words. He enticed her with the promise she heard in his voice. He enthralled her…lying there in the sun like an Adonis, letting the warm rays worship his body and dry the moisture on his skin.
Unbidden, her gaze drifted to his flat stomach, and she experienced the inexplicable urge to glide her fingers along the droplets of water clinging to the dark trail of hair that whorled around his navel and disappeared into the waistband of his trunks. She wanted to touch the damp, slick flesh stretching taut across his chest, his arms…
“Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink?”
Startled by the intrusion of a third voice, Alex snapped out of her provocative daydream and found herself staring at a waiter dressed in black shorts and a crisp knit shirt. He smiled at her expectantly, pen poised over the pad of paper on his drink tray.
She cleared her throat, realizing that her mouth was very parched and she was suddenly very thirsty. It seemed lusting over a man’s body tended to dry up the salivary glands. “I’ll take a piña colada.”
He jotted down her order. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll take a Tom Collins, and a bowl of fresh fruit.”
The waiter nodded. “Coming right up.”
Once the other man disappeared in the direction of the outdoor bar, Jackson folded his arms behind his head and turned those intense, velvet blue eyes back on her. “So, are you enjoying your stay here so far?”
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Janelle Denison
HER FANTASYAfter spending years making her computer company a success, Alexis Baylor is finally putting herself first! Through Fantasies Inc., she's arranged to indulge in a passionate, no-strings affair with a gorgeous stranger. Only, she never suspects that stranger of having a hidden agenda of his own….HIS FANTASYJackson Witt is going to make Alexis Baylor pay. Convinced she stole the technology that would have made him a mint, Jackson intends to steal something from Alexis–her heart. His plan is simple–to infiltrate her fantasy, seduce her senseless and then leave. Only, he hadn't
“I want to find out what that dress is hiding,” Jackson whispered
Alexis smoothed her fingers down the front of his shirt, a sassy, impudent light brightening her eyes. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you,” she teased.
Jackson tightened his grip on her hips. With gradual pressure, he drew her closer so their bodies brushed enticingly, just enough to tantalize. “Just so you know right up front, I want to do things with you and to you that might shock you.”
“I want to be shocked,” she said, moving her thighs restlessly against his.
He nearly groaned as a hot jolt of awareness settled low. “You’ll do whatever I want?” he continued. He needed to know how far she’d go with him, if she’d be willing to shed every inhibition on a whim.
Alexis entwined her arms around his neck, crushing her breasts against his chest. Softness to hardness. Heartbeat to heartbeat. Her fingers slid into the hair at the nape of his neck, her thumbs gently massaging the taut muscles there.
“I’ll do anything,” she said in a husky whisper. “And everything…”
Dear Reader,
May 2001 marks the celebration of the Get Caught Reading campaign, a national promotion created by North American publishers to encourage reading for the sheer joy of it. Books can take you into totally different worlds—worlds where the good guys always win, where love conquers all and where even the most unattainable fantasy can be fulfilled. And speaking of fantasies…
Welcome to FANTASIES INC., a place where your deepest desires can be satisfied. Seductive Fantasy is one of four lush island resorts that cater to provocative requests, which suits Jackson Witt’s purpose just fine since he’s got seductive revenge in mind. Alexis Baylor is looking to be seduced, but little does she know the gorgeous stranger who pursues her is more than an innovative lover. Both indulge in erotic pleasures and sensual adventures that leave them wanting more than they’d originally bargained for, but what happens when Jackson’s true identity—and fantasy—is revealed?
Don’t miss the upcoming books in the miniseries—Secret Fantasy, Intimate Fantasy and Wild Fantasy. Each will transport you to a private world full of decadent possibilities. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of Seductive Fantasy. You can write to me at P.O. Box 1102, Rialto, CA 92377-1102, or at janelle@janelledenison.com.
Do you have a secret fantasy?
Janelle Denison
Seductive Fantasy
Janelle Denison
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Don.
You’re living proof that fantasies do come true.
This one is for you alone.
Contents
Prologue (#uf1fc4350-d669-5181-9603-c247245f51e8)
Chapter 1 (#u492d44ae-a8ed-5396-a17b-63d38455fc21)
Chapter 2 (#u2bb08ac3-4320-529c-9c5f-718496ca10ac)
Chapter 3 (#u50fd2b41-30c9-5781-baae-b0cbac094779)
Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
ALEXIS BAYLOR wanted to have an affair and conceive a baby, and Merrilee Schaefer-Weston would do her best to accommodate the other woman’s request. Merrilee’s business was, after all, all about fulfilling her guests’ fantasies.
“Ms. Weston, the seaplane is due to land at Seductive Fantasy in half an hour. The express boat is ready to take you to the island to greet our arriving guests.”
Merrilee glanced up from reviewing Alexis Baylor’s fantasy requisition papers and smiled at her assistant. Fantasies, Inc. encompassed a cluster of four lush paradise resorts off the Florida Keys. While her main office was situated on Wild Fantasy, the first of four island retreats, she traveled daily via boat to the other three themed resorts: Seductive Fantasy, Intimate Fantasy and Secret Fantasy.
“Thank you, Danielle.” She glanced at her wristwatch, noting the time. “I’ll be at the dock in ten minutes.” Before her assistant turned to leave her office, Merrilee asked, “By the way, has personnel hired another pilot to replace Mark?”
“Yes, they have.” Danielle thumbed efficiently through her notes on the clipboard she carried. Her finger came to a stop halfway down the page. “Here he is. C. J. Miller is slated to take over Mark’s position next month, as scheduled.”
Miller. As always when Merrilee encountered the very common last name, a head-to-toe chill swept through her, along with a flood of bittersweet memories of being young and head over heels in love. Those beloved recollections of her soulmate hadn’t faded one iota over the thirty-five years that had passed between her romantic love affair with Charlie Miller, his unexpected and devastating death in Vietnam, and her marriage of convenience to a man twenty-three years older than her.
Merrilee had struggled through the lonely years that ensued, being a dutiful, faithful spouse to a cold, unemotional man who treated her more like a possession than a wife. She hadn’t even had the luxury of having children to fill her life with joy; her husband’s impotence had prevented that.
Upon his death five years ago, she’d inherited millions—more money than she’d ever realized Oliver was worth. She’d never enjoyed the role of pampered wife and couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life languishing in a mansion. And so, Fantasies, Inc. was born.
It might be too late for her to find ultimate happiness, but she’d decided to use her inheritance to fulfill other people’s fantasies. She lived vicariously through the pleasure and satisfaction they discovered while on her island resorts. There was no fantasy—be it romance, adventure, or deeper desires that bared one’s soul—that Fantasies, Inc. couldn’t provide.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have believed her concept and themed island resorts would be so hugely, phenomenally successful.
“Ms. Weston?”
The distant voice of her assistant effectively pulled Merrilee back to the present. She blinked, shook the past from her mind, and focused in on the concern etching Danielle’s features. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
The young woman tipped her head, regarding her curiously. “We were talking about the new pilot, C. J. Miller.”
This time, Merrilee kept her thoughts firmly grounded and on business. “C. J. Miller. Right,” she murmured, jotting down the name—as if she could forget it—and the date the man was scheduled to take over Mark’s position.
“I’ll go tell the boat driver you’ll be at the dock shortly.” With a swish of her perky ponytail, Danielle turned and left the office.
With only a few minutes to spare, Merrilee picked up the fantasy request she’d been pondering before her assistant’s interruption. Alexis Baylor wanted to be desired and pursued by a gorgeous, sexy man, and hoped to conceive a baby with no strings attached; the man’s involvement would stop there. While it would be easy to find a man eager to accommodate Alexis’s request for a hot, erotic, one-week liaison, this particular fantasy had lifetime repercussions Merrilee doubted the woman had considered in her quest to fill that empty void in her life. Happily-ever-afters were Merrilee’s specialty, and she always tried to give her clients two choices at the end of their fantasies—either walk away and continue as they were before, or take a risk that could reshape their whole entire life.
Merrilee drummed her manicured fingernails on her desktop and noted the date of Alexis’s fantasy vacation. Though she couldn’t guarantee conception—only fate could assure that—she had a month to figure out the woman’s perfect match and donor. A man who’d fit both Alexis’s and Merrilee’s criteria. For Alexis, a man in his prime, both physically and sexually, who would seduce her single-mindedly. For Merrilee, a man who’d never shirk his responsibilities should he learn the truth. A man of integrity who’d ultimately fight for what was his. If that’s how this particular fantasy played out.
All Merrilee could do was bring two matched souls together…it was up to the couple to grasp the happily-ever-after within their reach.
1
“DAMN THAT Alexis Baylor,” Jackson Witt muttered beneath his breath.
Four years ago, Jackson vowed he’d never allow another woman to dupe him. That Alexis Baylor, a complete stranger, had managed to accomplish that feat not only made him feel like a fool, but also incensed him beyond reason. He was certain that sensation wouldn’t abate until this whole aggravating mess was over. And it would be…just as soon as he discovered Alexis Baylor’s greatest weakness and used it against her. Just as she’d used him.
The woman’s underhandedness had hit him professionally as well as personally—right at the heart of his company, Extreme Software. He was still reeling from the knowledge that Fred Hobson, a man he’d hired on as part of his design team, had been a plant to steal the secret technology Jackson had spent years perfecting. The man had abruptly quit nine months ago and was conveniently and immediately picked up by Gametek, the company Fred had previously worked for before hiring on with Jackson’s firm. Gametek had obviously wasted no time utilizing Extreme Software’s design.
In Jackson’s opinion, and with the facts he had at his disposal, it was no coincidence that the proprietary code Gametek had used in their new, revolutionary gaming software matched his exactly, or that Alexis Baylor, owner of Gametek, was a ruthless businesswoman who’d stooped to piracy to obtain success.
With a disgusted grunt, Jackson tossed aside the Business Wire he’d printed from the Internet a week ago—his first shocking insight into Gametek’s violation. The company’s press release announced that their innovative action-adventure game, Zantoid, compliments of his technology, was scheduled for market introduction that fall. Seemingly overnight, Gametek, a San Diego-based gaming software company Jackson had never heard of before this fiasco, was suddenly a big competitor. After Gametek’s public statement, their stock shot to an all-time high and was holding steady…and would plummet to an all-time low by the time Jackson was done with Gametek, and Alexis Baylor.
The stakes were personal, an unwelcome reminder of how women always wanted something from him, from his own mother to the ladies he dated. Usually it was his money and what it could buy that women found so attractive, and while Alexis Baylor didn’t have a direct hand in his wallet, she sure as hell had a direct source to his financial gain. He’d worked too damned hard to build his company, struggled through too many lean years to allow this woman to reap the benefits of something that was his.
Glancing at the clock on the wall in his office, he noted the time of 8:50 a.m. He had another ten minutes before Mike Mansel arrived. Mike was his best friend, as well as the private investigator Jackson had hired for an in-depth, confidential report on Alexis Baylor. He wanted specific details on the woman, from what she ate for breakfast, to whom she was seeing, to what she did in her leisure time, and every idiosyncrasy, no matter how mundane, Mike could discover.
Feeling edgy and impatient, Jackson pushed away from his desk and stood. He paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows dominating one entire wall in his Atlanta high-rise office, but the movement did little to burn his restless energy.
He’d already discussed with his attorneys about filing a complaint alleging copyright infringement, unfair competition, trade secret violations, and a bunch of other legal mumbo jumbo, which included seeking an injunction against Gametek to keep their software from hitting the market while they battled specifics in court. While his lawyers explored all legal possibilities against Gametek, Jackson craved personal compensation—a way of evening the score between himself and Alexis Baylor.
He wanted to take something from her, just as she’d stolen from him, something private and emotional that would never allow her to forget who he was, and what she’d done. He refused to let yet another woman use him for her own gain and get away with the deed. The type of information Mike unearthed on Alexis would determine Jackson’s plan.
“Mr. Witt,” his young secretary’s lilting voice drifted through the intercom on his desk, “Mike Mansel is here to see you.”
Anticipation swelled within Jackson, chasing away the more frustrating emotions that had been his constant companions for the past week. “Thank you, Rachel. Send him back to my office and hold my calls until he leaves.”
“Yes, sir.”
The line disconnected, and less than a minute later Mike, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, sauntered into Jackson’s office in his normal, easygoing manner. Despite his carefree attitude, Mike was a highly respected P.I. Jackson had not only trusted him implicitly as a friend since their college days, but regarded him as a discreet businessman as well.
Mike set his scuffed leather briefcase on a clear spot on the corner of the solid oak desk, and Jackson reached across the distance to shake his friend’s hand in greeting before sitting down in his chair.
“Thanks for making this case a priority,” he said, knowing how abrupt his request for Mike’s services had been.
The other man shrugged off his gratitude. “You can express your appreciation by buying me a cold beer sometime. Seems I owe you for all the business you’ve sent my way.”
Mike was one of the few people who didn’t expect anything from him but friendship, so it was extremely easy to promote him and his P.I. agency. “You don’t owe me anything, Mike, and your fee will be in the mail by the end of the day. Now, what’ve you got for me on Alexis Baylor?”
“Not much other than a normal, predictable, everyday schedule and some background facts that don’t add up to anything illegal or disreputable, personally or professionally.” Mike sprawled his long, lean body into one of the beige leather chairs in front of the desk. “Sorry to disappoint you, Jackson. The woman is so damn clean she squeaks.”
Jackson knew better than to believe Alexis was completely guileless and led an exemplary life free of any infractions or misdeeds. Not after he’d discovered she’d used one of her own as a mole to unearth secret information from his company.
A wry smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “Maybe that’s because she depends on someone else to do her dirty work.”
“That may be,” Mike conceded, “but I spent five solid days of surveillance and gathering information on her, trying to find something to lend credence to your claim that this woman is ruthless, and I’m telling you, there’s nothing remotely unscrupulous about her that I could discover.”
“Consider her a good actress, because I have Gametek’s press release that states otherwise. She stole my technology through Fred Hobson, and I want to even the score.” He tapped his pen on his blotter impatiently and rerouted them back to the business at hand before his friend could argue further. “Tell me what you did find on her.”
Mike stared at him for a long moment, then opened his briefcase, pulled out a file folder and withdrew a sheaf of papers stapled neatly together. “It’s all in my report, but I’ll give you a brief rundown.”
He tossed the typed summary in front of Jackson to read while he went on to recite the facts by memory. “Alexis Baylor’s parents died when she was ten, and her uncle, being the only family she had, raised her. Martin Baylor never married and devoted his time to his company, Gametek, which never took off while he was alive. From all accounts, Alexis was a quiet, shy girl and followed in her uncle’s line of work. She attended San Diego State University, majored in Computer Science, and graduated at the top of her class. She went straight to work for her uncle designing basic computer games. When he died three years ago, she inherited the company.”
Jackson dragged a hand over his clean shaven jaw. “How convenient,” he drawled.
Mike shrugged off his comment. “Alexis was Martin’s only family, too, so there really was no one else to take over the business. She didn’t inherit much in the way of wealth, considering the company was near bankruptcy. From what I learned from other sources she’s been working on Zantoid for the past four years, but hadn’t been able to market the software because it was lacking a specific proprietary code to make the game run smoother, faster, and make the graphics more vibrant and real.”
“My proprietary code,” Jackson interjected through gritted teeth.
“Yes,” Mike admitted with a pained half-smile. “There’s no denying that the code is yours, or that she’s reaping the benefits of your technology. She’s received hundreds of thousands of orders for the software since announcing its release.”
Jackson’s gut twisted with aggravation. Exhaling a taut breath, he waved a hand in the air between them, as if the gesture alone could dismiss that disturbing news just as easily. “Go on with your report,” he said, desperately needing to grasp onto something concrete about the woman he could use to his advantage. “What do you know about Alexis’s personal life?”
Reclining in his chair in a deceptively lazy stretch, Mike folded his hands over his stomach and rested one sneakered foot over the opposite knee. “She actually goes by the name of Alex. She just turned twenty-eight and has never been married. She dates occasionally, but hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years. Though Dennis Merrick, the man she promoted to vice president of the company after her uncle’s death, seems very fond of her.”
The woman hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years? Jackson frowned, wondering why, and latched onto the most plausible explanation. “Is there something going on between her and her VP?”
Mike shook his head. “No. From what I could find out, he’s been with the company for over ten years and was her uncle’s right-hand man so it was a logical promotion to VP. She seems to depend on him for support and decision making and while he appears to be a good friend she spends occasional time with outside of the office, the interest is very one-sided.”
Nothing to exploit there, Jackson thought in growing dissatisfaction.
“She’s very plain and unassuming,” Mike continued with his findings. “She spends her days at the office, goes out to a nearby deli for lunch, usually alone and with a book. She reads romantic suspense, in case you’re wondering,” he added with a grin. “She orders the same thing every day, a chicken salad sandwich, a side compote of fresh fruit and an iced tea with two lemons. She works at the office until nine or ten at night, and when she leaves for the evening she heads straight home to her two-bedroom condo in San Diego. Always alone.”
Jackson winced at the woman’s dull and boring social life. Mike’s profile of Alexis didn’t even come close to matching the vixen-like vision he’d conjured in his mind. “Are we talking about the same woman here?”
Mike laughed, but his humor quickly faded away. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jackson. If the woman has an unscrupulous side, immoral habits or condemning fetishes, she hides them well. Her two biggest indulgences in the week that I had her under surveillance were a box of Amaretto truffles, and a few silky, lacy underthings she bought for herself at a lingerie boutique. Other than that, the woman is as straight as an arrow.”
Jackson snorted at that, remembering how he’d totally and completely misjudged his fiancée, too. How easily she’d deceived him with outward appearances and practiced affection. On the surface she’d presented the facade of a devoted and loving woman who catered to his every need and made him believe they were matched physically as well as intellectually. The kind of lifetime mate he could trust and build a life with. And then he’d discovered the deeper, scheming motivations she’d had for wanting to marry him. It had been a very nasty, public breakup four years ago, one that had made him keep women at arm’s length ever since.
Looking back on the relationship, Jackson now realized he’d played right into Lindsay’s ploy. He’d wanted to believe she’d share in the kind of emotional intimacy and trust that had always been missing from his life, things he’d secretly desired for years but had come to accept he’d never have. His own mother had never provided emotional nurturing and unconditional love, then had completely abandoned him when he’d been a teenager. She’d traipsed back into his life years later when he’d become a successful businessman, pretending love and adoration and begging forgiveness. The little boy in him wanted so badly to believe that she’d changed that he’d allowed her back into his life, until it became painfully apparent that she, too, was only interested in his money. He was merely another person in a long line of fools she’d used for her own purposes.
He wasn’t one to hold onto grudges, yet every time he tried to let go of the past and let down his guard enough to trust someone and build a relationship, he was blindsided by ulterior motives and betrayal. It was safer, easier and less painful not to allow another woman that close.
Jackson rubbed his thumb along his chin, trying to ignore the churning in his belly those memories evoked. “What does Alexis look like?” he asked, tossing aside the thoughts of those two self-centered women for the current one wreaking havoc with his life.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask that question.” A slow grin eased up the corners of Mike’s mouth. “She’s certainly nothing spectacular or anything like the sophisticated beauties you’re used to dealing with. Definitely not the kind of woman who’d turn your head twice if you passed her on the street. Her features are pretty, but plain, and while she wears loose, unfitted clothing it’s fairly obvious that she has real womanly curves beneath all that camouflage.”
Leaning forward, Mike rifled through the contents of his briefcase and pulled out a manila envelope. From that, he withdrew an 8x10 glossy photograph and held the snapshot across the desk for Jackson to take. “I used my zoom lens to get a close-up of her for you. There are other shots in the envelope you can look through later.”
Jackson examined the candid picture through critical eyes. The photograph had been taken as she was leaving her office building midday, accompanied by a thirty-something, brown-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses. First, Jackson focused on Alexis. As Mike had divulged, her looks and appearance were plain and unassuming and nothing remotely close to what Jackson had imagined. Minimal makeup enhanced her features and her glossy black hair was pulled back into one of those French braids. She wore an untucked, loose navy blue blouse that hinted at generous breasts but didn’t fully display them, and a flowing patterned skirt that swirled around her legs and ankles.
Despite the unflattering clothing, he couldn’t stop himself from envisioning the satiny, lacy under-things she might be wearing beneath the practical, unflattering outfit. He imagined warm, soft skin against cool silk, and a flush of unexpected heat infused him. Annoyed with his response, he immediately shook those unbidden thoughts right out of his head.
Sophisticated and extraordinarily beautiful, she wasn’t. But he didn’t doubt Alexis’s intelligence. She was laughing at something the other man must have said, and her eyes, a pale but sparkling shade of blue, seemed to say “I’m at the top of the world“.
Of course she was sitting pretty…she was in the position to make millions from all his hard work.
“Who is the guy with her?” Jackson asked curiously.
“That’s Dennis Merrick.”
Jackson looked once more. No, they didn’t seem like lovers in the picture. Alexis appeared more amused by the man than enamored. But there was no denying the wistfulness in the other man’s expression as he gazed at her.
Setting the photo aside, Jackson indicated the report and pinned his friend with an unrelenting stare. “You do realize, don’t you, that you’ve given me nothing substantial to work with here.”
“What can I say, other than sometimes that happens.” Mike’s tone held a silent apology as he stood and closed his briefcase. “I can only give you information that’s available. I dug as deep as I could on Alexis Baylor, and while I have no doubt she stole your design, I couldn’t find anything personally incriminating on her.”
And that put Jackson back on square one and without a way of exacting personal retribution from Alexis as he’d hoped. “I know you did your best,” he acknowledged, still confident in Mike’s abilities, but disappointed nonetheless. “Thanks for your time and work on this case. I’ll catch you later for that cold beer.”
“I’m holding you to it.” Lifting his briefcase from the desk, Mike turned to go, then swung back around, his head tipped to the side. “I forgot to mention something. It’s in my report, but just so you know, Alexis is leaving this Saturday for a weeklong vacation.”
That snagged Jackson’s attention and he shuffled past the photo of Alexis and her VP to the summary Mike had given him. “To where?” he asked as he thumbed anxiously through the pages for the information he was sure Mike would supply.
“A place called Seductive Fantasy.”
Jackson glanced up sharply, certain his expression reflected his incredulity. “What the hell is Seductive Fantasy?”
“Believe it or not, it’s one of four island resorts off the Florida Keys that caters to people’s fantasies—for a price, of course.”
Jackson’s jaw opened, snapped shut, then he shook his head in disbelief. “You’re joking, right?” Mike had to be. He’d never heard of anything so ridiculous. So intriguing.
“I checked it out. Fantasies, Inc. is legit, and so is Alexis Baylor’s reservation.”
Which put a whole different spin on Jackson’s quest for personal revenge. “What’s Alexis’s fantasy?”
“All fantasies are confidential.”
“There has to be some way to find out—”
Mike held up a hand, stopping his tirade. “I called the resort directly. Trust me, Merrilee Schaefer-Weston, the woman who owns the place, is a stickler about confidentiality. And I can’t blame her, considering that she’s dealing with people’s deepest, most private secrets and desires. But it is a fascinating concept, don’t you think?”
“Very fascinating,” Jackson murmured, feeling a rush of excitement as he realized how Alexis’s fantasy vacation could work to his advantage as well. Anonymity. Close proximity. His fantasy. Could getting to Alexis truly be as easy as filling out paperwork, paying a fee and stepping into a role that would enable him to walk away the victor this time?
He managed, just barely, to tamp his exhilaration. “Is she going to this island with anyone?”
Mike shifted on his feet and reluctantly divulged more. “It’s a single seat reservation, so I’m assuming she’s going alone.”
“Perfect.”
Understanding dawned across Mike’s face. “I take it you have a fantasy of your own to request from Ms. Weston?”
Jackson gave him a smug smile. “I believe I do.”
Mike frowned. “I know you’re upset, but doing something like this is so unlike you.”
“What can I say?” Jackson said without a trace of an apology. “Alexis Baylor put my business and livelihood at stake. I’m tired of being used by women with agendas. This time I’m doing something about it.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Jackson,” he said in a low, cautioning tone of voice.
Jackson’s deep laughter filled his office. “Why? Because I might just get what I ask for?”
“Exactly. For as intriguing as I find this fantasy stuff, I can’t help but think that there are things and outcomes a person can’t factor in when they wish and pay for something that doesn’t come naturally.” He shrugged. “It’s like messing with fate.”
Or maybe this whole setup was fate. Jackson rocked back in his chair, refusing to allow his friend’s warning to deter him, no matter how logical Mike’s comment was. “That’s your suspicious P.I. nature talking, Mansel.” After all, what could go wrong?
“Maybe,” he acknowledged, but clearly wasn’t done expressing his concern. “You’ll probably get your revenge against Alexis Baylor in the guise of some other fantasy, but you might want to consider that the cost could be a personal one for you, too.”
Jackson rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the premonition of doom Mike was conjuring up. He’d already paid personally because of Alexis Baylor, and couldn’t imagine walking away from that fantasy resort after a week’s time any worse off than he already was. “That’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.” His tone rang with finality.
“Well, good luck, then.” Mike’s chest expanded as he inhaled a slow, deep breath. Then one of his easygoing smiles graced his mouth. “Call me when you get back, and we’ll have that beer together.”
“And celebrate the success of my fantasy,” Jackson added.
Once Mike was gone and Jackson was alone, he contemplated the situation and what had so unexpectedly fallen into his lap. Before he called Fantasies, Inc., he needed to figure out what kind of revenge he wanted against Alexis—not that he’d give Merrilee Schaeffer-Weston any insight to his real fantasy. The other woman would ban him from her resort if she knew his true intentions, and rightly so. No, it was imperative that Merrilee believed his motivations for requesting a fantasy were sincere.
He only had a few days to put his plans into motion. Once his fantasy was set up, Jackson decided he would give his attorneys permission to go forward with the lawsuit, the day before Alexis was due to leave on her vacation to Seductive Fantasy. Alexis would be aware of the impending lawsuit as well as the name of Extreme Software, but most likely wouldn’t have the time to uncover specifics, such as who Jackson was, until he divulged the truth at the end of his fantasy. In a week’s time, when he returned, he could follow through with court dates and appearances. And every time she’d see him during the trial he’d accumulate another personal victory, because she’d have to face him day after day.
He glanced at the picture Mike had taken and remembered what his friend had said: she hasn’t had a steady boyfriend in the past five years. He didn’t know the reasons, and in the scheme of things it didn’t really matter.
He’d just chosen his private, personal fantasy.
He wanted plain and single Alexis to fall hard and fast and deeply for him. No woman could resist an out-and-out romantic pursuit. And in the end, once he knew he’d ensnared her emotions, he’d walk away with the knowledge that he’d stolen something integral from her.
Her heart.
2
DON’T LOOK OUT the window and you’ll be just fine.
Alexis Baylor chanted that litany over in her mind as the small seaplane started its ascent from Miami for the fifteen minute flight to Seductive Fantasy off the Florida Keys. Keeping her eyes closed since boarding the compact aircraft, Alex now forced herself to take deep, even breaths to ease her anxiety as the plane scaled higher and higher. Her entire body felt the building velocity, and the buzzing sound of the engine seemed to rattle her bones. Despite her best efforts to remain calm, her stomach insisted on gauging even the most subtle dips they encountered during their upward climb.
Relax, relax, relax…
Her muscles remained tense; her heart beat triple-time. Alex never believed she harbored a fear of flying. In fact, her flight from San Diego to Miami had gone smoothly and remarkably well, without any incidences or panic attacks. Sitting in first class and being surrounded by luxurious leather seats while listening to a soft jazz station on the supplied headset, she’d been lulled by the comfort and security of being in a big, sturdy jetliner. But the moment she’d stepped aboard the Fantasies, Inc. commuter plane, an acute case of apprehension and claustrophobia had seized her, along with a flood of painful childhood memories that had a more profound effect on her than she’d realized.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
Thankfully, the plane reached elevation and leveled out. Gradually, so did Alex’s erratic pulse, but she knew better than to open her eyes and look out the window beside her. She had no desire to see the vast blue ocean below, or think about the awful last moments her parents must have spent together before their own private Cessna airplane had plummeted, taking them to their watery grave off the coast of San Diego.
She settled back into her seat as comfortably as her rigid body would allow, determined to keep her mind on other, more delightful matters for the duration of the flight…like the fantasy she’d bought and paid for and would soon experience. Yet even that exciting diversion was encumbered with troubling thoughts when she recalled how she’d nearly cancelled this trip at the very last minute.
Yesterday afternoon, to be exact. Right after her company had been served with an unexpected and disturbing complaint alleging copyright infringement and seeking an injunction against Gametek. The plaintiff, Extreme Software, claimed that it owned the proprietary code she’d used in her game and was filing a lawsuit to keep Gametek from marketing Zantoid. A hearing had been set for the week after she returned from her vacation. Her lawyers assured her it wasn’t necessary for her to attend the proceeding, but she intended to go nonetheless and see for herself the parties who were suing her company—and trying to cash in on her success.
But until that court date, Dennis Merrick, the VP of her company, assured her that nothing would be gained by her calling off the trip she’d booked six months prior. He’d insisted she go, relax, and have a good time, and promised to handle the lawyers, investigations, and any legalities that might arise in her absence. As always, he made it more than clear that she could always count on him.
A wry smile touched the corner of her mouth. If Dennis knew the nature of the vacation she’d been saving toward for the past two years, ever since she’d read a magazine article about Fantasies, Inc., she was certain he wouldn’t have been so supportive of her decision to leave. In fact, he would have been downright appalled. But his opinion made no difference. She knew what she wanted and nothing could change that. She wanted to be swept off her feet and seduced by a sexy man, no strings attached, and return home pregnant with the child she’d desired for years. A baby who would love her unconditionally and give her the sense of family she’d never really had.
Dennis would have gladly volunteered to fulfill her fantasy. Except she didn’t want the complication of mixing their business relationship with something more intimate. There was also the important fact that she didn’t connect with him on a physical and emotional level.
She’d known for years that Dennis harbored feelings toward her, but she’d always been careful not to lead him on or give him the wrong impression. She adored him as a friend, trusted him as an employee and respected him as a man. Dennis, for all his loyalty and obvious affection toward her, didn’t make her feel breathless with excitement. No man ever had. Then again, she wasn’t the type of sensual, sophisticated woman who inspired a man’s intense, sexual interest. And since she’d recently come to the conclusion that she’d probably never experience the kind of passionate, impetuous, devoted relationship her own parents had shared, this fantasy would be her last chance to embrace all those lush, uninhibited, thrilling pleasures she’d been denied before she settled into motherhood. Alone and on her own.
In the meantime, with an attractive, enticing stranger picked out for her sole enjoyment and gratification, she’d wholeheartedly indulge in the feeling of being desired and desirable. She planned to drench every one of her five senses in the luxury of being romantically pursued.
Alex released a calm breath and shifted in her seat. Because of the personal, intimate nature of Alex’s request, Ms. Weston had assured her that she’d do her best to make sure that her fantasy man would possess the same physical characteristics as she—black hair and blue eyes—so that there would be a much greater chance of conceiving a baby with her same traits.
Obviously, there was no promise that she’d leave with a child—only Mother Nature, not a paid fantasy, could guarantee that. But in five more days she’d be at her most fertile, and she planned to make the most of that opportunity.
Without warning, the plane hit an air pocket, and the cabin shook from the unexpected turbulence, jarring Alex out of the tranquility that had settled over her. She sucked in a sharp breath and her hand automatically shot out to grip the armrest between her seat and another passenger’s. Instead of cushioned upholstery she came into contact with the firm, sinewy muscle of a man’s arm. Hair roughened and incredibly warm and inviting, his skin disturbed her more than the aircraft’s brief change in altitude.
Chagrined that she’d latched onto a stranger, a very masculine, athletically built stranger if that strong arm was any indication, she immediately snatched her fingers back and settled her balled up fists in her lap.
“Sorry,” she murmured, keeping her eyes tightly closed, as if that could conceal her acute embarrassment. She might have been able to hide her eyes but there was nothing she could do to disguise the obvious heat spreading up her neck, across her cheeks, and all the way to the tips of her ears. The burning sensation made her feel restless in a way she didn’t fully understand.
Before she could contemplate her startling reaction, long fingers grazed lightly across her clenched knuckles, and her pulse skyrocketed. Someone, the man she assumed was sitting beside her, picked up her hand, drew it across the armrest separating them, and slowly and gently unfurled her fingers. She swallowed, hard, as he flattened her hand between two incredibly large palms, engulfing her in a strange mixture of heat and soothing comfort. She’d been alone for so long, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d experienced such a tender gesture.
He swept his thumb along the veins in her wrist, then pressed it against her rapid, erratic pulse. “Your heartbeat is unsteady. Are you okay?”
His voice was smooth and rich, like the decadent Amaretto truffles she indulged in on occasion. Spirals of awareness curled through her, wreaking havoc with the feminine nerves that had lain dormant for too long. Unable to speak for a variety of reasons, most prominent of which was her response to him, she nodded jerkily.
“Then open your eyes and look at me so I can see for myself that you’re okay,” he coaxed in that deep, delicious tone.
For the first time since boarding the seaplane, she lifted her lashes…and stared into a dark, velvet blue gaze that made her own blue eyes pale in comparison. Her stomach dipped, and this time being thrown off balance had nothing to do with the plane hitting an air pocket, and everything to do with the man sitting next to her.
He was big, solidly male and gorgeous in a way that made her feel extremely self-conscious of her own ordinary features. For the sake of comfort during her long ten-hour trip to Florida, and admittedly, out of routine, she’d twisted her hair into a French braid to keep it neat and tidy, and had worn a comfortable loose skirt and blouse to travel in. Never in her entire life had she been more aware of her appearance…and how frumpy she must look.
“That’s better.” A charming grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “At least now I’m assured that you’re not going to pass out on me.”
No, but she was feeling a bit light-headed from all this attention. She struggled to find her voice. “I’ll be fine…just as soon as we land.”
“Which can’t be soon enough for you, I take it?”
She shook her head and laughed, the sound strained with nerves and the kind of tantalizing awareness she wasn’t used to feeling. “No. The sooner the better.”
His hair, she noticed, was cut into a neat, executive-type style that accentuated his handsome, chiseled features. The thick strands were an inky black, and a perfect complement to her own ebony mane. So far, he had the makings of her own personal fantasy man.
A staggering excitement rushed through her blood at the thought, though she couldn’t be certain that he was the one. He could be just as he presented—a gentleman assisting a woman in distress. And most likely he was exactly that.
He tipped his head, regarding her curiously. “Are you afraid of flying?”
“Sort of,” she admitted. “My parents died in a small plane just like this one.”
“Aah,” he said in understanding, giving her hand a gentle, compassionate squeeze that tugged at something equally elemental within her. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.” She rested her head against the back of her seat, keeping her gaze averted from the window. “I was only ten at the time, but being closed in and flying over the ocean brings back memories of how they passed away.”
“Understandably so,” he murmured.
Realizing he still held her hand between his, and sure he’d rather let her go but was being polite, she attempted to withdraw from his grasp. He held her captive, his hold firm, his fascination with her undeniably genuine. Pressing her splayed fingers against a taut, denim-covered thigh, he lightly trapped her hand beneath the press of his palm.
As if she was going anywhere!
Absently, he stroked the skin between her thumb and forefinger, the caress so intimate and sensual it made her quiver deep inside. “Maybe I can help keep you distracted for the remainder of the flight.”
Oh, she was most definitely distracted…and mesmerized. His sole focus was on her, which was beguiling in itself.
“I suppose we should start with introductions,” he said, another lazy, sexy smile making an appearance. “I’m Jackson Witt. And you are?”
Completely smitten. Alex supposed that’s what happened when a woman was the focal point of a gorgeous man’s attention. She’d dated a handful of men, one long enough in college to constitute a relationship, but none had ever made her feel so entranced and infatuated at first glance.
She noticed the suddenly intense way he was staring at her, as if he was waiting for some kind of reaction. Well, she was definitely affected by him, except there was no way for him to see the internal flurry of rippling heat and sultry desire he evoked.
She called up a reciprocating smile that she found came easily to her lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Jackson,” she said, and was taken aback by the visible relief that passed across his expression. It was gone so quickly, she had to wonder if she’d imagined the odd emotion. “I’m Alexis Baylor, but everyone calls me Alex.”
“Why?” he asked abruptly.
She shook her head in confusion. “Why what?”
“Why does everyone call you Alex when Alexis is such a beautiful name?”
She ducked her head, contemplating his comment. Honestly, she’d never felt much like an Alexis, a name which to her implied elegance and grace.
Slanting him a glance, she shrugged, having long ago grown used to the boyish nickname. “My uncle, who raised me after my parents passed away, always called me Alex, and I suppose it became a habit.”
He grinned with sinful intent, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “One I intend to break…Alexis.”
The way her name rolled off his tongue was like a silky, sensual caress to her senses. Adding to that pleasant mental stimulation was the featherlight stroke of his fingers between hers, where she’d suddenly become ultrasensitive. While his touch was innocent, her entire body hummed with a luxurious warmth, one that was provocative as well as enjoyable.
“So, where are you from?” he asked.
She knew he was trying to make idle conversation, and she appreciated the diversion. “San Diego.”
A dark brow winged upward. “Considering how uncomfortable you seem in a plane, how did you manage to get to Miami? By train?”
She laughed, and this time the sound was light and carefree, lacking the tension that had engulfed her earlier. “I flew, of course. It’s the smaller commuter planes I have a problem with, not big, sturdy jetliners. And where are you from?”
“Atlanta.”
She toyed with the end of her braid, which curled over her shoulder and rested just above her breast. “And I take it you’re going to Seductive Fantasy, too?”
He nodded, his gaze shifting from the play of her fingers to her mouth, then her eyes, his perusal slow and lazy. “Yes.”
So, he either had a fantasy or was someone’s fantasy—or maybe both. “For a fantasy?” she asked, hoping the obvious question would unearth deeper information about the man.
His eyes darkened, turning a smokey shade of blue. “Most definitely for a fantasy,” he murmured.
She shivered at the sudden intensity cloaking him. Unable to help herself, even though she knew she was venturing into private territory, she asked, “What is your fantasy?” Was that her voice that sounded so breathless?
Beneath her trapped hand, his muscles bunched, belying his relaxed expression. He sent her a chastising look, tempered with flirtatious charm. “Why, Ms. Baylor, shame on you. I believe that information is confidential, as is your fantasy. Unless you care to share yours first?” he invited.
Her skin flushed, at being so bold as to ask about something so intimate, as well as at the thought of divulging her own deepest desires. Not only did she not really know this man and his personal intentions on Seductive Fantasy, but she wanted her request to play out on its own accord, without planting any preconceived notions in another man’s head. Though with him admitting that he had his own fantasy to explore at the island resort, she didn’t hold out much optimism that they’d be paired as a couple.
She let out a regretful sigh. “No, I’d rather not share my fantasy, and I apologize for asking about yours.”
“No apology necessary,” he said sincerely. “I suppose the nature of this vacation retreat does stir one’s imagination. I have to confess that I’m equally curious to know what you’re looking for on Seductive Fantasy.”
Unadulterated passion. Uninhibited desire. A father for my baby. She kept those secrets tucked away. “Let’s just say I’m trying to cram a lifetime of missed opportunities into one short week.”
He turned the hand resting on his thigh over and traced a long, tapered finger against her palm, tickling her skin and arousing her to a fever pitch at the same time. “Well, I hope all your fantasies come true, Alexis.”
She stared into his compelling eyes, hopelessly lost in the sea of sensuality she saw shimmering in the depths. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I hope so, too,” she replied huskily.
He continued doing incredible things to her hand, her fingers. Subtle, yet provocative caresses that had her breathing deepening and her body softening against her seat. Despite her best efforts to remain immune to his alluring touch, her belly quivered and her breasts swelled against the lacy webbing of her bra. The man was very close to providing the unadulterated passion part of her fantasy—and she couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of his plan, or merely just a coincidence.
“We’ve arrived at Seductive Fantasy.” The voice of Mark, their pilot, drifted from the cockpit and into the cabin. “Please stay seated a moment longer, until the plane is secured and the door is unlatched.”
Alex’s eyes rounded in shock. “We’re here?” she asked incredulously.
Jackson’s chuckle vibrated with a wealth of amusement. “Yep. I think it’s safe for you to look out your window now.”
Trusting him, she glanced out the small portal, stunned to discover that they had, indeed, landed. Water lapped at the floats attached to the seaplane as they glided smoothly on the ocean. They were slowly drifting toward a wooden walkway extending from the white sand beach of a lush island. Beyond stood a gorgeous hotel designed with Mediterranean appeal, and surrounded by bright tropical plants. Excitement blossomed within her at the sight of such beauty and elegance—the backdrop for her personal fantasy.
“Incredible.” She looked back at her companion, unable to stop her own laughter from bubbling up out of her. “I wasn’t even aware of the plane descending.”
He winked at her. “Then I guess I lived up to my promise to keep you distracted.”
Oh, he’d definitely managed that. Her elation dwindled as reality made an uninvited appearance. So, his attention had been a ruse after all, to keep her mind off the short trek across the Atlantic. Of course. She’d been silly to think otherwise, even briefly.
“It was very nice meeting you, Alexis,” he said, drawing her out of her disappointing thoughts. Lifting her hand, he brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles, then finally released her from his hold.
She immediately missed the warmth he’d generated. “Likewise,” she replied.
Once the cabin door was open and they were free to exit the aircraft, they unbuckled their seat belts, along with two other female guests Alex hadn’t realized were sitting across from them until that moment. The four of them stepped out onto the walkway, and Alex squinted against the late afternoon sun as two men unloaded their luggage. The women’s bags were the first to appear and were tossed onto a brass cart. Jackson’s suitcases were next.
“Right this way, sir,” one of the employees instructed, and started down the walkway toward an older woman waiting at the end of the platform. Without a final backward glance at Alex, Jackson followed the other man.
Alex watched him go, and with each step he took that put distance between them, she grew more desperate to catch his attention again.
Just one more time.
“Jackson…” his name slipped from her lips before she could stop the impulse.
He turned around, inclining his head questioningly. “Yes?”
Now that she had his undivided attention, as well as the interest of the Fantasies, Inc. employees, what did she say?
“Thank you,” she said, expressing the gratitude he deserved. Self-consciously, she smoothed a hand down the front of her skirt and summoned a smile. “You made the flight more bearable, as well as enjoyable.”
“It was my pleasure,” he drawled in a low, sexy voice any woman would find vastly appealing. No doubt, many women had. “Maybe we’ll run into each other on the island.” With a final wave, he turned back around and continued on.
Butterflies hatched in Alex’s stomach, making her feel like a schoolgirl in the throes of a crush. And oh, what a wonderful feeling it was! “Yes, maybe,” she whispered to his retreating back. I certainly hope so.
Once her luggage was secured on a separate cart, Alex followed her guide to the end of the walkway. The woman who’d greeted Jackson moments ago now turned a bright smile her way. They clasped hands, and Alex was instantly immersed in the other woman’s warmth and hospitality.
“I’m Merrilee Schaefer-Weston,” she said, introducing herself. “And please call me Merrilee. Welcome to Seductive Fantasy, Alex.”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here.” Alex had known just by talking to the other woman on the phone that she cared a great deal about her clients and their requests, and she immediately liked Merrilee. The kindness and dedication she witnessed in her gaze gave Alex more proof that the woman was devoted to her business and making her guest’s fantasies come true.
“The island is yours to do as you please, in whatever way it pertains to your personal fantasy,” Merrilee continued, and Alex was certain Jackson had received the same commentary before he’d disappeared down the path leading to the hotel. “If there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, I’m only a phone call away.” She indicated the pager clipped to the waistband of her taupe-colored slacks. “My guests and their comfort are my number one priority, and I’m available 24-7. Do you have any questions before your fantasy begins?”
“I do have one,” Alex admitted, chewing absently on her lower lip. “How will I know who my fantasy man is?”
A knowing smile curved Merrilee’s lips. “He’ll be everything you asked for, maybe more. He’ll pursue you and make his intentions known.”
Relief swept over Alex. “That’s good to hear, because I’m not real good at making the first move when it comes to the opposite sex.”
“You won’t have to.” The assurance in Merrilee’s voice rang strong and true. Then her expression softened perceptively. “And if I might impart a few words of advice before your fantasy begins, I’d tell you to follow your heart, Alex. It might lead you places you’ve never been before.”
Alex couldn’t contain the shiver that coursed through her at Merrilee’s statement.
Two hours after they parted ways, Alex sat on the patio of her opulent suite, watching the sun set over the horizon in brilliant shades of pinks, purples and oranges. She contemplated the other woman’s pearls of wisdom, and found Merrilee’s choice of words odd considering love and emotional commitment weren’t a part of her fantasy. She was entering this fantasy with practical expectations, not unrealistic hopes for the future.
Still puzzled but now hungry, Alex went back inside her room and flipped through the menu for room service. She had decided to eat in her room tonight—even if that meant missing out on her first opportunity to get acquainted with her fantasy man. She was too tired to be engaging, too exhausted to even enjoy a flirtatious advance. And admittedly, she was still too wound up from her encounter with Jackson to give another man a fair chance. She’d be refreshed and ready for romance and adventure after a good night’s sleep.
As she waited for her meal to arrive, she strolled back out to the balcony, wrapped her hands around the cool railing, and scanned the suites across from hers. She wondered which one was Jackson’s, and if he was off enjoying his own fantasy…and with whom.
WITH TIKI TORCHES and moonlight illuminating his way, Jackson strolled from his private cottage on the beach along the curving walkway that wound around the resort’s lavish pool area. Without a doubt, the island was ideal for romance, forbidden temptation and erotic trysts. Unfortunately, disappointment was his only companion after his late-night walk to burn off the restless energy that had consumed him since arriving on Seductive Fantasy that afternoon.
Thanks to Mike’s help, Jackson had managed to discover Alexis’s flight times and book himself a seat on the same shuttle to the island, a way of insuring that they met before they even arrived at the resort. After how exceptionally well his first encounter with her had gone, he’d been hoping to proceed with his romantic pursuit this evening, but she hadn’t cooperated with his personal strategy. Much to his frustration, he hadn’t run into her since they’d parted ways at the dock.
With a harsh sigh of dissatisfaction, he made his way toward the Players’ Lounge, deciding that if he didn’t find Alexis in the singles’ club, he’d call it a night. He entered the establishment, sidled up to the bar, and ordered a Tom Collins. While he waited for his order, he searched the guests mingling in the lounge and the couples dancing to the tunes the band was playing, hoping to find a certain black-haired, blue-eyed woman.
“Looking for someone special?” a female voice asked.
Jackson turned on his stool and wasn’t surprised to find Merrilee standing beside him at the mahogany and brass bar. During the day he’d seen her around the resort tending to her guests’ comfort and needs. And checking up on the progress of her clients’ fantasies, he assumed. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
A knowing smile made its way to her lips. “Alexis Baylor, by chance?”
He stiffened in his seat, wondering how in the world she’d made that connection when he’d been so careful to keep his intentions to himself. “What makes you think I’m looking for her?” The bartender delivered his drink, and Jackson thanked the other man.
“It was just a guess.” She tilted her head, regarding him through kind blue eyes. “My pilot told me that the two of you hit it off on the flight over from Miami, and I saw the interaction between you and Alexis at the dock.”
He laughed, breaking up the tension that banded his chest. Seeing no harm in divulging the truth, he said, “An accurate guess, I admit.” He took a long swallow of his cool, tangy drink and reached for the bowl of shelled peanuts on the counter. “I was looking for Alexis.”
“Well, Ms. Baylor opted to eat dinner in her room,” Merrilee informed him. “At last account she was in bed for the night.”
Jackson met Merrilee’s gaze as he took another drink, trying to gauge why she was supplying him with so much personal information on Alexis. “Looks like my efforts at trying to find her tonight were futile then.”
“But tomorrow is another day.”
“So it is.”
Merrilee hesitated for a moment, then said, “On your fantasy application and when we spoke on the phone before you booked your trip, you said you wanted to find a woman you could open up to and trust.”
“Yes.” He managed, just barely, to refrain from wincing as a twinge of guilt nudged him. The lie he’d fabricated for a believable and acceptable fantasy had been a necessity, one he wasn’t exactly proud of considering how much he liked and respected Merrilee. But he’d been pushed too far by one woman too many, and in order to obtain what he truly wanted from Alexis Baylor, he had no choice but to hold tight to that pretense.
He continued. “My relationships with women have been…lacking. And I’ve been betrayed one time too many.” That much was pure truth. “It’s a novel concept to me to be able to trust a woman.”
She gave a compassionate nod of understanding. “I did tell you that you’d have to see how your request played out once you were at the resort, that I couldn’t guarantee that you’d find a woman who suited your fantasy.”
He tossed a few peanuts into his mouth and chewed. “I remember.”
“However, I did want to ask, how does Alexis fit your perception of the kind of woman you want to open up to and trust?”
Jackson nearly choked on his peanuts. Coughing, he washed down the snack with a huge gulp of his drink. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was singling him out, and offering him exactly what he wanted—a direct link to Alexis, all based on their connection on the seaplane.
He regained his composure and clung to his pretense. “I’ve only met her once, but Alexis could be that woman.” He stared Merrilee straight in the eyes. “I definitely want to get to know her better, but the question is, do I fit into her reason for being here at Seductive Fantasy?”
“I believe you could, very easily. But of course the decision to accept you will ultimately be up to Alexis.”
If all went as he planned, Jackson didn’t see that as a problem, not after the way Alexis had reacted so favorably to him on the seaplane. He’d use that attraction to his advantage. “So, how do I go about doing this?” he asked.
“Well, I can help you out a bit.” She smiled mischievously. “As part of your fantasy, and Alexis’s, I can give you complete access to her whereabouts at all times, day or night. A phone call to Stewart at the concierge desk will provide you with details and information on Alexis so you can keep track of her. However, if I see that she isn’t interested, the privileged information will discontinue.”
“Fair enough.” Jackson realized that Merrilee was attempting to act as matchmaker and trusted him with Alexis. He did his best to ignore the tightening in his gut and the little voice in his head making him question what he was going to do. “For starters, can I have her room number?”
“Room 305, in the main hotel,” she supplied easily, then pressed her soft hand to his arm. “I hope she’s the one who makes up for all those other women in your life.”
Jackson forced a smile and held back the comment, she’s going to be added to the growing list. Merrilee moved on to mingle with other guests, granting Jackson a reprieve. Tossing a tip for the bartender onto the counter, he left the Players’ Lounge and followed the path toward the hotel to seek out Alexis’s room for future reference.
He shook his head as the day’s events filtered through his mind. His first evening on the island certainly hadn’t turned out as he’d expected. Then again, if he was honest with himself, Alexis Baylor wasn’t what he’d anticipated, either. Not at all.
The pictures Mike had taken of her had accurately depicted her physical attributes. What those candid snapshots hadn’t captured was just how soft and lush her mouth looked, how smooth and luminous her skin appeared, or how expressive her blue eyes were. Despite her plain, reserved packaging, she possessed the potential to transform herself into a sensual beauty, but obviously wasn’t aware of her appeal. He found that realization amazing, especially when he was accustomed to women using their looks to their advantage.
In the flesh, Jackson had discovered that this particular woman was a paradox. The fascinating bits of vulnerability and softness she’d displayed on the seaplane had clashed with the image of the ruthless businesswoman he’d conjured in his mind. She’d been far more demure and reserved than he’d visualized, and he was finding it difficult to mesh the two individual, contradictory impressions.
With a disgusted grunt at his own gullibility, he reminded himself that this woman had cheated him and his company. Regardless of her modesty when it came to men, she definitely took an aggressive approach in business.
An approach he fully intended to emulate for the next week. A gradual buildup of flattery and romance to something far more assertive, persuasive and single-minded—a combination most women found difficult to withstand. And Merrilee had offered him the perfect opportunity to make Alexis the center of his attention. He’d initially take the chase slow and easy. Tease her. Tempt her. Then ultimately seduce her.
Judging by the attraction that had sparked between them in the seaplane, he had a strong feeling that Alexis Baylor wouldn’t be able to resist him. Pursuing her, and delving past all that reserve, wouldn’t be difficult for him, either. Not when she intrigued him, aroused him even, with her contradictions.
Jamming his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, Jackson followed the pathway through an elaborate garden of exotic plants and flowers flanking the courtyard designed between two separate wings of the hotel. There were benches situated along the trail and pillars entwined with night-blooming jasmine, scenting the air with a drugging, seductive perfume. His steps slowed and he glanced up at the four stories of suites looming in front of him, counting three up and five across, pinpointing Alexis’s room. The interior was dark, but she’d left the glass slider open to allow fresh air to slip inside. The diaphanous sheers covering the window billowed gently in the fragrant, sultry evening breeze.
He imagined her warm and soft in her bed, her breathing deep and even. Did she wear her hair down and free, or did she keep it neat and orderly even at night? She might dress practically in loose clothing, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what she slept in—something silky and decadent as Mike had suggested during his investigative report, or nothing at all? A slow burn settled in Jackson’s belly at the thought.
Soon, he’d find out.
Tomorrow, the seduction would begin.
3
IF HER FANTASY MAN was on the island he had yet to make an appearance, and half of her second day on Seductive Fantasy was nearly over.
Exhaling a breath of frustration, Alexis lifted her gaze from the romantic suspense novel she couldn’t quite concentrate on. She scanned the guests lounging around the pool area and couples conversing at the swim-up bar who were obviously enjoying their fantasies, whatever they may be.
For the umpteenth time in the past hour since she’d eaten a light lunch at the outdoor café, she searched for a dark-haired man with blue eyes who would set his sights on her and make that all important first advance. A man like Jackson.
There were many men with her requested characteristics, but none showed her any interest other than a brief glance or cordial smile. While she wasn’t sitting directly in the sun and had opted for the shade of a large palm tree because she burned much too easily, she couldn’t be in more plain sight for her soon-to-be lover to find her.
She’d always been an extremely patient person, but suddenly discovered she was very antsy to move on to the next phase of her paid vacation. Her fantasy. Now that she was refreshed and rested, she was eager to taste the heat of passion, and anxious to experience the kind of tantalizing, rapturous sensations she’d only read about.
Shifting restlessly on the lounge chair, she stretched her legs and flicked her flowing skirt over her exposed knees and calves. She frowned, realizing just how clothed she was compared to the rest of the scantily clad women around her—realizing, too, just how much attention they were receiving in comparison.
Though she’d been conservative in selecting her attire since she was a teenager, and had never given fashion a second thought, Alex wondered if maybe she should have purchased more alluring clothing for this vacation. Her one secret indulgence was wearing pretty, lacy lingerie, but her seductive underwear was a moot point if her outerwear didn’t attract a man’s attention.
With a sigh, she ducked her head back to her book, seeing the words but not really reading them as her mind turned over different possibilities. Yes, maybe she needed to change her image and live impetuously for the week, especially at a private resort where no one she knew would see or judge her. She could be anything or anyone she wanted and enjoy the results of being carefree and impulsive with no consequences other than the ones she’d requested. She could be daring, take wild risks, then return home and resume her practical lifestyle, as well as deal with the messy lawsuit awaiting her.
If only her fantasy man would arrive so she could start her journey to self-discovery.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of someone heading across the far deck, down the short concrete steps, and toward the pool…toward her.
Automatically, she raised her gaze to gauge this next potential offering, and her breath caught in her throat as she watched Jackson Witt burn a path closer and closer to where she sat, his stride purposeful and confidently male. Hope and electric currents of excitement mingled, racing through her bloodstream at a rapid pace. Who needed to sit out in the sun when this man had the ability to heat her from the inside out?
He was wearing navy blue swimming trunks and a tank shirt that showcased his broad shoulders and tapered to a lean waist. His strong thighs were toned and muscled, his legs long and well defined. Everything about him was exceptional and sensual and utterly masculine. Everything about him thrilled her.
She jerked her eyes back up to his gorgeous face, wishing he wasn’t wearing sunglasses so she could see his gaze and assess his intentions. Just when she was absolutely certain he would approach her, he stopped abruptly a few yards away. In one fluid motion that set the muscles in his arms and across his back rippling, he pulled off his shirt while toeing off his deck shoes at the same time. He tossed the balled up cotton onto a chaise, added his sunglasses to the top of the pile and, without a glance in her direction, he strode to the edge of the pool. Diving into the water with smooth, graceful precision, he began a series of laps.
She groaned in acute regret, silently chastised her wishful thinking, and returned her attention to her book and off the man that every other woman in the vicinity was ogling. It was fairly obvious that Jackson had forgotten all about her, while he’d starred in her dreams last night and had given her the incentive to venture out early this morning in search of her fantasy man.
He obviously wasn’t the one, she thought, sighing in disappointment.
Ten minutes later, when he climbed out of the pool at the deep end near where she was sitting, Alex forced herself to keep her nose in her book, eyes downcast, and pretend complete absorption in her story. She refused to embarrass herself by gawking at his magnificent body as he sauntered past her chair.
He made it difficult for her to ignore him. Instead of returning to the chaise holding his shirt and sunglasses, she heard the soft, wet, pit-pat of footsteps, then watched his bare feet come into view beside her lounge chair. She swallowed, hard, as water dripped off him and pooled around his legs.
Now what did she do?
Before she could gather the fortitude to glance up and greet him with a polite smile that didn’t give away her strong attraction to him, she was showered with droplets of water as he shook his upper body and damp hair like a wet dog.
She gasped and dipped her head lower as the moisture rained down upon her, surprised at his playfulness when it was the very last thing she would have expected from him. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t contain the spontaneous laughter that escaped her. “Hey, you’re getting me all wet!”
He stopped shaking himself dry and waited until she finally looked up at him. “Am I?” He asked the question innocently, but his eyes, framed by black spiked lashes, blazed with blue fire and impudence.
She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of sexual innuendo, but his double meaning wasn’t lost on her. If he was going to be so brazen, then so was she. She wanted to see just how far he intended to take things between them…a light, friendly flirtation, or something more intimate?
“Yes, you are,” she replied boldly.
“Good.” A smile filled with too much satisfaction graced his lips. “You were deliberately ignoring me.”
She opened her mouth to issue a denial, then promptly shut it to rethink her strategy when she realized she’d been caught. “You ignored me first,” she countered, setting her book on the glass-topped table beside her.
“I was hot and wanted to cool off.” He stepped away for a second and dragged a nearby lounge chair over, keeping it aligned in the sun instead of joining her in the shade. Straddling the chair, he plopped down into the seat and finger combed his damp hair away from his chiseled features. “I would have asked you to join me, but you aren’t exactly dressed for a swim.”
She most definitely needed to do something about her attire, including buying a one-piece bathing suit that would flatter her curvaceous figure and attract the attention of a man like Jackson. “I burn easily, so what’s the point of wearing a swimsuit if I’m not going to sit directly in the sun?”
“So you can get all wet,” he said, his amused tone a bit on the naughty side.
Oh, he was bad. And very good. “Which usually leads to playing in the sun and getting burned.”
“That’s what sunscreen is for. And if you just don’t like being in the sun, I’ve been told that there are a few secluded, shady lagoons here on the island that you can reserve for your own private pool party.”
“Really?” she murmured, intrigued by the notion. Intrigued, too, by the subtle invitation dancing in his velvet eyes.
“Uh-huh,” he replied, the sound rising up from his throat in a sexy, arousing rumble. “With waterfalls and hot springs and all kinds of other decadent luxuries.”
He tempted her with his words. He enticed her with the promise she heard in his voice. He enthralled her…lying there in the sun like an Adonis, letting the warm rays worship his body and dry the moisture on his skin.
Unbidden, her gaze drifted to his flat stomach, and she experienced the inexplicable urge to glide her fingers along the droplets of water clinging to the dark trail of hair that whorled around his navel and disappeared into the waistband of his trunks. She wanted to touch the damp, slick flesh stretching taut across his chest, his arms…
“Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink?”
Startled by the intrusion of a third voice, Alex snapped out of her provocative daydream and found herself staring at a waiter dressed in black shorts and a crisp knit shirt. He smiled at her expectantly, pen poised over the pad of paper on his drink tray.
She cleared her throat, realizing that her mouth was very parched and she was suddenly very thirsty. It seemed lusting over a man’s body tended to dry up the salivary glands. “I’ll take a piña colada.”
He jotted down her order. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll take a Tom Collins, and a bowl of fresh fruit.”
The waiter nodded. “Coming right up.”
Once the other man disappeared in the direction of the outdoor bar, Jackson folded his arms behind his head and turned those intense, velvet blue eyes back on her. “So, are you enjoying your stay here so far?”
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Janelle Denison
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: HER FANTASYAfter spending years making her computer company a success, Alexis Baylor is finally putting herself first! Through Fantasies Inc., she′s arranged to indulge in a passionate, no-strings affair with a gorgeous stranger. Only, she never suspects that stranger of having a hidden agenda of his own….HIS FANTASYJackson Witt is going to make Alexis Baylor pay. Convinced she stole the technology that would have made him a mint, Jackson intends to steal something from Alexis–her heart. His plan is simple–to infiltrate her fantasy, seduce her senseless and then leave. Only, he hadn′t