The Obsidian Collection Read online

  Determined not to dwell on it any longer, she picked up her purse and checked the contents. Keycard – check, lipstick – check, condoms – check. She hoped to get some major use out of them. She didn’t need cash because she planned to charge everything to her room. With a final click of her purse, she marched to the door.

  Erika suppressed the groan when the elevator doors opened and a cart full of couples greeted her. She wouldn’t let it bother her. She’d accepted the idea of being a single woman amongst a resort full of couples. Surely there’d be more single guys around, Sean and Brandt couldn’t possibly be the only ones.

  By the time she reached Tropicana, the area was pumping, happy hour well and truly under way. She weaved through the crowd towards the bar. She leaned over the counter to try and get the barman’s attention.

  “Let me order that for you, beautiful.”

  A warm hand caressed the bare skin of her back. A slight thrill went down her spine.

  She turned and faced the person who spoke, recognising the voice, his smile open and welcoming. Yes, he’d do. Well, for tonight, anyway. “Hi, Sean.”

  “Hello, Erika. What would you like to drink?”

  It certainly wasn’t going to be a Hot Pink Handgun that was for sure. She wanted to keep a modicum of control over the evening. “I think I’d like Champagne, thanks.”

  He turned towards the bar. “A Champagne and Corona, thanks.” After Sean received the drinks, he handed her the glass of champagne and took her arm, guiding her towards a free table.

  He held the seat out for her. Erika was definitely impressed with his gentlemanly manners. “I didn’t think you’d come. But I have to say, I’m very pleased you did. Are you ready to have some fun tonight?”

  She took a sip of her drink. How did she answer that? She knew if Brandt’s message had been more inviting, she’d have met with him in a flash. But here she was with Sean.

  He cleared his throat and took a hold of the hand she had resting on the table. She waited for a spark like she’d experienced when Brandt touched her. There was nothing. “I didn’t think my question was too difficult to answer.”

  She laughed. “Well, it was a bit vague. I had no idea where you’d be. I just took a chance you might be hanging out here. Although, if you work this area, why would you want to come back in your free time?”

  “I don’t usually but …” He stopped abruptly and let go of her hand. The easy smile wiped from his face in an instant.

  “Sean, what is it? Are you okay?”

  “I thought I might find you here.”

  That voice, smooth as silk, sent ripples of awareness tingling down her spine. Why couldn’t it have Sean’s voice and touch eliciting this sort of response from her body? Any thoughts she’d entertained of spending the night with Sean, burst as quickly as a needle stabbing a balloon.

  She turned and faced Brandt, taking a fortifying sip of her drink; he looked even more handsome dressed in a casual suit. “Brandt, this is a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you at all. I thought you might’ve found someone else to fill your loose end.”

  Let him make of that what he will, she thought. She directed her attention back to Sean and laid her hand on his arm. It was extremely tense beneath his shirt.

  “I’m starving, Sean. Shall we get something to eat?”

  Now it was his turn to take his time in answering her question. She couldn’t help but notice the quick looks he was darting in Brandt’s direction.

  It puzzled her. Why would Sean be so interested what Brandt thought about them having dinner.

  Her cheeks burned in mortification. Why didn’t he just answer?

  She tapped her foot and darted another look at Brandt, wishing she hadn’t when she recognized the satisfied look on his face, as if he knew exactly what Sean’s answer was going to be. “Look, Sean, yes or no? If it’s no, fine. I’ll go find someone else to have dinner with. If it’s yes, then let’s go.”

  She didn’t care if she sounded rude. She was pretty sick and tired of being treated like shit by men.

  With one final look at Brandt, Sean answered. “Ahh I think I’ll have to give it a miss. Maybe I’ll see you at the pool tomorrow.” Picking up his beer, he turned and made his way through the crowd.

  Mortification at being abandoned filled her. She gulped down the rest of her drink. “Well, I guess that’s that.” She placed her glass on the table and stood. “I’ll be seeing you, Brandt.”

  A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. Electricity sparked through her. There was definitely chemistry building between them. Why couldn’t he be a little less arrogant?

  She lowered her gaze to his hand on her wrist and then back to his face. “Do you mind?”

  “No, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t think you mind too much either.”

  “Really, how did you come to that conclusion?”

  She watched, mesmerised, as he slowly turned her hand over and trailed his fingers down her palm. A shiver coursed through her and goose bumps broke out over her skin. Her first thought of him came racing back. He really was the devil personified.

  He quirked his brow. “Your reaction has given you away.” He continued caressing her hand. “You’re interested. You just don’t want to admit it.”

  “Of all the arrogant things to say and do.” Erika pulled her hand away. “You really are unbelievable. I’m going.”

  She left the bar and made her way through the crowd. She’d thought it was crowded before, but now it was packed. It surprised her to see the amount of people surrounding the pool. The resort prided itself on its exclusivity. Being able to get away from everything and concentrate on yourself and your own well-being. Obviously, Friday night’s Happy Hour was the exception to the rule, with all and sundry there.

  She broke free of the crowd and stopped abruptly. Right in front of her stood Brandt.

  “How the hell did you get out of the crowd so quickly? I never took you for a stalker.”

  “How I got through the crowd quickly is neither here nor there, but you and I have unfinished business—like dinner.”

  Erika wanted to be childish and stamp her foot. She wasn’t sure though whether it was out of frustration or desire. Even standing still, he emanated a sexual energy which reached out towards her, encouraging her to accept it.

  “I never agreed to have dinner with you. If you remember, I tore up your most generous invitation.”

  Her throat felt dry after her outburst. She licked her lips in an attempt to get some moisture in her throat. She watched in surprise as Brandt’s emerald eyes widened. Heat smouldered through them, warming her face.

  He reached out and ran his hand lazily down her face, stopping to cup her chin. “You know, I think all this conversation is wasted.”

  He leaned forward and took her mouth with his. She stopped breathing. Her skin sizzled, and after this one little taste, she was addicted and wanted more. More of the touch of his lips on hers, on her body. His touch sure and confident and more sensuous than anything she’d ever experienced before. She took a step forward, to be closer to the heat radiating from his body. He released her lips before she had the chance to deepen the kiss.

  “Don’t try and deny there is nothing between us. Now, shall we have dinner?”

  Dinner.

  All she wanted was to take him to her room and fuck his brains out. Moisture was gathering between her thighs and she wanted a release from a real person and not the toy that had been her companion for the last few months.

  Oblivious to the myriad of thoughts coursing through her mind, Brandt continued talking, “I’ve arranged for our dinner to be served in a place where we will not be disturbed.”

  Not waiting for her response, he took her by the hand and led her away from the crowd. A crowd Erika had forgotten about.

  Brandt kept his hand on Erika’s back, her flesh warm beneath his fingers. The temptation to dip them lower to cup her ass was strong. If they were anywhere but at his resort, he’
d follow through on his urge. He had no hard and fast rule against the staff associating with guests. It had never been an issue for him, until today. Today temptation had presented itself in the form of the lovely Erika and he was going to enjoy getting to know her. His boredom of earlier was well and truly gone. He could go for a short term, no strings attached affair. He hoped he could interest Erika in one too.

  They reached the elevators when Erika pulled out of his embrace, as if she’d woken from a trance.

  “Where are we going?”

  He smiled and reached into his pocket, extracting his resort keycard. “You’ll see.”

  He had something special planned for tonight. He hadn’t been deterred when she’d ripped up his note. He’d seen it as a challenge. A challenge he knew he would win. Winning was second nature to him. Having nearly lost everything once before, he never planned on losing again.

  When the doors opened, he stood back to let Erika enter the elevator. He swiped the card and hit the ‘P’ button. He heard her intake of breath when she worked out the ‘P’ stood for Penthouse.

  “Who are you?” Her words had an accusatory tone to them.

  Her question surprised him? His face was on the resort website. Hadn’t she checked it out when she booked her stay? The fact she didn’t know who he was kind of pleased him.

  After his last experience of being burned by a woman, who only wanted him for his money, he quite liked the idea of Erika getting to know him as a man and not as a big, fat bank account. “I’m just a guy who works hard and enjoys what his success can give him.”

  Before Erika could respond, the doors opened. He was used to the sight that greeted him every time he walked into the penthouse. But for someone who’d never seen it before, he could appreciate the shock they’d experience.

  Glass made up one wall and the view from it was spectacular. He stood back and watched as the view pulled her like a magnet pulls iron filings and she walked toward the window.

  He never usually brought anyone up to his private space. Then again he never usually got involved with a guest. Normally, he’d head to the nearby town if he was looking for some female company. The fact he hadn’t done that for a few months wasn’t lost on him. His boredom in his professional life had leached into his sexual life. However, from the first moment he saw Erika standing in the foyer, he knew she was different. He’d immediately felt drawn to her, as if she’d been sent to him right at that moment when he’d finally acknowledged the boredom that had been slowly eating away at him. He didn’t want to get to know her just to slake his boredom, though. He wanted to get to know her because she hadn’t fall all over herself to spend time with him. Hell, she’d screwed his note up. But he knew she was attracted to him. Her body’s responses to his touch and kisses didn’t lie. So now he wanted to share the magic of his home with her.

  “Look up,” he suggested as he doused the lights which had turned on automatically when they’d entered the penthouse.

  Her gasp told him all he needed to know. He went to stand beside her and looked up at the portion of the roof which he’d had made up of glass. Through it, the stars twinkled like diamond chips aching to be touched.

  “Is this yours, Brandt?”

  “Would it matter if it was?”

  “Do you always answer a question with another question?”

  “Do you?”

  “Oh, God this is so juvenile. No, it doesn’t really matter if it is yours or not. I was just curious.”

  Brandt knew he was being difficult. The questions weren’t intrusive. He could answer them, but he had to admit, he enjoyed ruffling her feathers. Her eyes sparkled when she got annoyed. He wondered what they’d look like in the throes of making love.

  His body reacted immediately to the thought of having Erika beneath him. He willed his body to control itself. It was going to be difficult to resist her. He turned away from her and walked towards the bar set up in the corner of the room.

  He needed a drink.

  Erika’s breath whooshed out when Brandt headed toward the bar. She needed a few moments to get herself back under control. He was infuriating her with his attitude, but her body still tingled from where he’d placed his hand on her back. He moved confidently around the suite, convincing her he was a frequent visitor to this space. He went to the fridge, opened it and pulled out a bottle of Champagne. “Would you like some?”

  He held out the bottle for her to look at. She walked over to where he stood. She looked at the label. He held a very exclusive brand of Champagne. Well, if he was willing to open it, why the hell not.

  “Sure.” She aimed for nonchalance, as if she drank five-hundred-dollar bottles of Champagne every day. She’d had hundred dollar bottles before, her mother enjoyed the finer things in life but she’d never splurged on this top quality Champagne. From the slight smile curving his sexy lips, he wasn’t convinced.

  “Here you go.” He handed her a glass of the straw-coloured wine. She took a sip and let the flavours burst on her tongue. The liquid so smooth on her tongue and there was no bitter after taste like the house Champagne she’d had at the pool.

  Silence descended over them and nervous energy had her moving around the apartment. She ran her fingers along the buttery-soft leather lounge. Pausing in front of a cabinet displaying pictures and sculptures. With every step she took, she was conscious of Brandt watching her.

  Why didn’t he say something? She had no idea what to say to him. The silence was dragging on and starting to get uncomfortable. She never usually had a problem talking to the opposite sex. But for some reason she didn’t know what to say to start a conversation between them.

  Erika made her way back to the window to take in the view again. The lights from around the pool areas glittered and she was able to take in the whole resort from this view. In the distance, she could see the lights of the nearby town. The design of the resort was clever. You had the impression of being in the middle of the rainforest, while in reality; a bustling town was only a few miles away. The anger she felt toward Brandt and his attitude faded away.

  “Pretty spectacular, isn’t it.” She gave a small jump. She hadn’t heard his approach, the rich carpeting muffling his steps.

  “Yes, beautiful.” She sighed and took another sip of her drink. She could stay at this place forever, and that was only after spending half a day at the resort. It was easy to forget about real life when on vacation, especially when all it took was a phone call and food and drinks could be delivered to her. All the troubles of running her own business that managed to weigh her down were gone and nothing remained but hope for something new and exciting happening to her.

  “Are you ready to eat?” Heat emanated from him when he stood behind her. She held herself stiff, not giving into the desire to fall back and lean against him.

  “Sure, where are we eating?”

  “Before we eat there’s something I need to do.” His arms slipped around her waist before she could respond. “You look far too tense. Let’s see if I can do change that.”

  His lips caressed the top of her shoulder and slowly trailed up her neck, nipping and licking as he went. Her breath caught in her throat when Brandt sucked lightly on her earlobe. She never realised how erogenous her ear could be. Her skin prickled and warmth pooled between her thighs.

  Erika wished she had the gumption to move his hand lower and press it against her feminine core. His assault on her ear was mind numbing and she would have collapsed if he hadn’t been holding her up. She pulled her head away and turned into his embrace.

  Her lips sought his out and welcomed her touch eagerly, encouraging her mouth to open beneath his. Her hands roamed around his back, feeling the strength of his muscles beneath his shirt. Her hands lowered to pull the shirt from his pants but his fingers halted her progress. The next instant her lips were freed.

  “Dinner will get cold. Come.”

  Leaving his arm wrapped around her waist, Brandt led her through a set of doors outside t
o a terrace. The night was warm and sultry but still she shivered. Brandt’s arm tightened about her.

  ‘Do you need a jacket?’

  Erika shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Where are you taking me?”

  His reply was ambiguous. “Somewhere special.”

  Brandt’s comment puzzled her. Where else could be more spectacular than the apartment they’d just left? The view was amazing and they were all alone. She hoped wherever he was taking her, it wasn’t back downstairs to a crowded restaurant.

  Instead of taking her back to the elevator, he lead her through a set of French doors and out onto the terrace. They followed the path, and as they turned the corner, she stopped abruptly. Laid out before her eyes was a table set for two. Large white taper candles flickered from wrought-iron holders. A bowl of flowers lay in the middle of the table, and from the fragrance wafting her way, she surmised they were frangipanis. It was romance personified and it was all set in the middle of a beautiful rooftop garden.

  “It’s perfect,” she murmured, afraid that if she spoke to loudly, she’d spoil the perfection in front of her.

  “I hoped you’d like it.” He held out a chair for her and she sat.

  She looked at the array of plants around her, amazed something so luscious could survive up on the roof. The garden was lovingly tended to and each shrub was the exactly the same height and width. What she wouldn’t give to live in place like this, with access to a little piece of heaven just an elevator ride away.

  She sighed. “I’m envious that this is all yours.”

  “How do you know it’s mine?”

  How did she know it was his? Simple really, he was too comfortable in the surroundings to be a mere guest. He knew his way around the penthouse and this rooftop garden was made just for him. She instinctively knew this was his personal oasis. How he could afford such a luxury was still a mystery to her, one she knew would be solved in good time, and to be truthful, it didn’t bother her too much. What she wanted to know was what he expected from her at the end of the evening. She knew what she wanted. She wanted mind-numbing sex with no strings attached. But after what had happened to her she had no plans to be ‘the other woman’. She wouldn’t sleep with another woman’s man. The question needed to be asked, and if she didn’t like the answer, she would walk away and spend the rest of her vacation alone. There was no way she would try and hook up with Sean again. Not after his treatment of her earlier.