Czytaj książkę: «The Business of Pleasure»

CHAPTER ONE

MACKENZIE FOX SAT in the back of a car, en route from the airport to her hotel, and already she was sweltering. It wasn’t just the lack of A/C. The driver had rolled the windows down, letting in a gust of hot air that swept across her cheek each time the car picked up speed as they rolled down Collins Avenue. Plus, she was seriously overdressed. Attired in her go-to travel outfit—comfy black leggings, Ugg boots and a zip-up sweatshirt emblazoned with Honor Yoga, the name of the studio she owned back in Brooklyn—she knew she looked like an out-of-place New Yorker. Just a few short hours ago she was slugging through the slushy February streets, bundled up against the frigid temperatures.

Glancing out the window, she could see the heat rising off the hot bodies that filled the sidewalks. A woman in a pair of jean shorts cut so high that her perfectly rounded bottom was almost completely visible. A group of girls laughing as they crossed the street at an intersection, wearing nothing but neon string bikinis, their bodies bouncing and glistening as they walked. Jogging alongside the cab was a perfectly chiseled man running with his shirt off, with warm brown skin. She noted the beads of sweat glistening on his chest and back and imagined he tasted like salted caramel.

Whew! She had only been in Miami less than an hour and already Kenzie was feeling the heat.

Just as the car pulled up to the entrance of the legendary Fontainebleau Hotel, Kenzie snuck a glance at her appearance in the rearview mirror. She pulled her long, curly brown hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and reapplied a swipe of her signature crimson gloss to her lips. The driver, an older man with tanned, wrinkled skin and hair graying at the temples, gave her a wink.

“Enjoy Miami, chica.”

“Thanks,” Kenzie said, opening the door and slinging her only luggage—a small overnight bag—over her shoulder.

But Kenzie wasn’t here to enjoy herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t need a longer vacation. God knows, she could use a break from the seemingly endless string of blizzards they were experiencing back home. But this trip was all about business, not pleasure. And it was business she was eager to get out of the way.

A week ago, to the day, her great-aunt Lilly had passed away. Having never met the woman, Kenzie didn’t think it necessary to fly down for the funeral. But within a day of hearing the news, a lawyer had contacted her, letting her know that she was named in Aunt Lilly’s will. There were a few pieces of family jewelry, a savings bond, and most interestingly, a stake in a small rum distillery.

When the attorney mentioned there was an interested party willing to buy out her share, Kenzie was relieved. Not only did she have no interest in running a distillery, the money from the sale would likely allow her studio to stay in business, despite the astronomical rent hike her landlord had slapped her with earlier that month. Although her business was profitable, the skyrocketing city rents were in danger of putting her out of business.

Kenzie entered the palatial lobby and was heading toward the front desk when a voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned toward the bar where the laughter was coming from and her eyes landed on an olive-skinned man in dark blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a sports jacket. He was seated next to a scantily-clad, beautiful Latina. Apparently, whatever he had said was extremely amusing because the woman was laughing with her head thrown back, a long mane of hair cascading down her spine. The man, dark-haired with a strong face and piercing brown eyes, looked past his companion and momentarily locked eyes with Kenzie, sending a shiver up her back. He flashed her what was most certainly a devilish smile before turning his gaze back to the woman.

Wow. Kenzie unzipped the front of her sweatshirt, pulled out a magazine from her bag and fanned herself furiously as she waited to check in. It had been a while since she had experienced this kind of instant attraction to someone. There was something animalistic about the way he had looked at her, with those dark eyes peering out between strands of his black hair, which was just long enough to be sexy. In that brief glance, she had taken in the entirety of his perfect form. Her mouth went dry as she imagined the mysterious stranger kissing the sensitive spot on her neck that always sent the blood rushing straight to her nether regions, causing her nipples to harden and her insides to melt like butter.

“Bottle of water, miss?” asked the desk clerk.

“Yes!” Kenzie croaked, stepping up to the desk and taking the bottle, relieved at the opportunity to cool down this fire that a stranger had suddenly ignited.

“How many keys will you be needing?” asked the clerk as she typed quickly on her computer.

“Just one,” Kenzie answered. Just one had been the answer to that question for quite a long time now. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, but with running her own business, the last thing she had time for was dating. Ever since her fiancé Cole’s death a few years ago, she had thrown herself into her work—and it had paid off. Sure, there had been interest from many guys, mostly fellow yogis who showed up at her studio or hung around the vegetarian café she frequented in her neighborhood. She was a bit ashamed to admit it but in recent months she had found herself craving something a little bit...meatier.

With the key to her room in hand, Kenzie took the elevator up to the 28th floor and found her room at the end of the hallway. Opening the doors, she sighed at the sight of the giant, king-size bed at the center of the room. Further exploration revealed a serene bathroom with a claw-foot tub, and out on the balcony, a view of the ocean. Her first idea was to strip off all her clothes, get into the plush bathrobe the hotel provided and plop herself down on the bed in front of the TV and order room service. But then she thought of Missy, one of the yoga instructors at the studio, and how disappointed she’d be if all she did in Miami was binge-watch Queer Eye. “You need to get out there and have some fun!” her friend had told her.

Kenzie had a flash of the handsome stranger from the bar’s devilish grin and, wondering if he was still down there, opened her carry-on and pulled out a silky, magenta slip dress she had tossed in her bag as an afterthought.

Why not? she thought to herself, kicking off her boots, and pulling off her too-heavy clothing until she was standing naked in front of the giant mirror positioned directly in front of the bed. Kenzie caught a glimpse of herself and couldn’t help but smile. It was true—she had a pretty rockin’ body, and it was hard-earned, with many hours spent running, doing yoga, challenging herself both physically and mentally. She swiveled her hips to the side, checking out what her friends referred to as her “yoga butt,” which was ample and firm. Kenzie slipped the flimsy dress over her naked breasts, thought about putting her bra back on for a moment and then decided against it. A tiny pair of black panties and heels completed the look. Letting her curls loose from the bun, they cascaded over her creamy white shoulders. Now that was more like it!

Back down in the lobby, Kenzie made a beeline for the bar but was dismayed to see that the handsome stranger was no longer there. What was she thinking, anyway, seeking out a random businessman in a hotel lobby? Okay, a totally hot businessman, who looked like his sole purpose on the planet was pleasuring women, but still. The obvious conclusion was that Kenzie Fox was desperately in need of a good fuck. All this pent-up sexual energy was bad for her prana. Sitting down on a stool, she flashed a smile at the bartender, ordered her usual—a club soda with lime—and pulled out her phone. Maybe Missy was right, it was time to try online dating.

But before she had time to search for a dating app, she felt a hand graze across her lower back. It was a strong, firm hand—clearly a man’s—and the surprising touch sent a tingle up the length of her spine.

“I was hoping to see you again,” said a sultry male voice with the slightest hint of a Spanish accent.

Kenzie turned to her left and laid eyes on the arresting man she had noticed earlier. Up close, he was even more handsome than she’d previously noticed, with intense, dark eyes that made it impossible for her to look away from him. His longish dark hair was thick and full, and Kenzie imagined raking her hands through it in the heat of passion.

“Do you mind if I sit down?”

Kenzie nodded affirmatively. She wasn’t usually at a loss for words but somehow her ability to form them was suddenly impaired. She felt her cheeks get hot and hoped that he didn’t notice she was blushing.

“My name is Antonio Navedo,” he said, extending his hand to her. “I noticed you earlier, when you were checking in.”

“Yes, I noticed you, too.” Okay, there was no hiding it. She was seriously blushing now. “MacKenzie Fox. My friends call me Kenzie.”

“Where are you traveling from, Kenzie?” he asked, taking the bar stool next to her and turning his body toward her so that their knees were almost touching.

“New York,” Kenzie answered, regaining her composure. “I’m here on business,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“But there has to be a little room for pleasure, no? I find that to be very important.”

“Yes, you seemed to be enjoying yourself when I saw you earlier,” Kenzie ventured with a hint of challenge in her voice. She watched as Antonio’s face changed from amused to slightly serious. There was a flash of danger in his eyes that was incredibly sexy.

“That was my business associate,” he said in a serious tone. “I often take my meetings here.”

Kenzie let out an amused little laugh. Business associate in what? she wondered. But did it really matter? She tried her best to stop her gaze from traveling from Antonio’s sensual lips down to the small V of skin exposed at his shirt collar, but her eyes went there anyway.

Just then the bartender reappeared, placing the club soda in front of Kenzie.

“What can I get for you, Antonio?” he asked. Kenzie raised an eyebrow. Was he a regular at a hotel bar? That was a definite red flag. What kind of business was he involved in anyway?

“The Atlantico Reserva, neat. Thank you, Jose. And for you?” he said, turning to Kenzie. “Something besides the water?”

“I’m good with this,” Kenzie said, pursing her red lips around the straw and taking a long sip. She felt Antonio watching her mouth and suddenly felt downright pornographic. Removing the straw from her mouth, she smiled. “I don’t drink.”

She said it offhandedly, disguising the fact that her choice to abstain was a heavy subject. Three years earlier, Cole had been at the wheel in a drunk driving accident. When Cole didn’t survive, she had stopped drinking alcohol, thinking that it could do no good in her life.

Antonio raised an eyebrow and smiled back at her. “So, what do you do to relax? When you’re not ‘on business’?”

Kenzie thought for a second and realized she couldn’t remember a time in recent years when she wasn’t totally consumed with her business. It was the most important thing in her life now, and ever since she had found out the studio was in danger of closing, she’d had trouble sleeping. Maybe some relaxation would be just the thing to set her mind straight.

Kenzie turned her body toward Antonio’s so that her bare knee grazed the inside of his leg. “I own a yoga studio. So, I guess you could say my work is my relaxation. Do you practice?”

Antonio’s eyes lit up and he laughed loudly. “Uh, no. I prefer other forms of physical activity.”

Who was this guy? On the one hand, his smile was so warm and inviting, she felt like she already knew him. But then there was that glint in his eye, and the way he commanded the room that suggested to her that he was someone very powerful, and quite possibly, dangerous. In any case, he was oh so different from the gentle, overly-intellectual men who tried to court her back home. Antonio was such a...man!

Falling back to the hair-twirling habit that manifested itself whenever she was nervous, Kenzie twisted her hair up to the top of her head and formed a makeshift bun and exhaled deeply. Was the air-conditioning out of whack or was she just not used to all this intense heat?

Unexpectedly, Antonio reached his fingers into her glass and fished out an ice cube. Taking the slippery cube between two of his manly fingers, he reached around Kenzie and began to trace circles with it at the base of her neck.

“Better?” he asked, maintaining direct eye contact with her as droplets of water melted down her back.

“Oh yes,” Kenzie whispered. Emboldened by his move, she leaned closer to him. “Maybe I could show you some yoga poses, I’m sure you could benefit from them.”

Antonio leaned toward her, matching her body language. They were so close that she could breathe in his scent—a mixture of fresh cologne and sweat that nearly made her swoon, making the hairs on her arms stand up on end and sending electric signals straight down to her lady parts.

“I would like that very much,” Antonio said in a low, husky voice. Kenzie glanced down at his crotch and could see that he was feeling the same shock waves, too. Part of her wanted to reach out and put her hand on that sexy bulge, right there in the bar, but propriety, and the nearby table of vacationing senior citizens, stopped her.

“Should we go to my room?” Even though she was usually confident, Kenzie surprised herself with how forward she was being. Maybe being away from home was making her feel especially free.

“Yes,” Antonio responded immediately. There was an urgency to his tone that was both flattering and vulnerable.

Kenzie slid off the bar stool and tossed a bill onto the bar. As she turned and strode confidently toward the elevators, she could feel the tender area between her thighs getting wetter with every step. It had been a long time since it had happened spontaneously, and the sensation surprised her. Without needing to turn around, she could feel that Antonio was following close behind.

Pressing the up button a few more times than was necessary, Kenzie imagined stepping inside the elevator with Antonio, and thought about what he would do to her. Envisioning him pushing her up onto the side of the wall, his mouth devouring her lips and neck, she teetered on her high heels, praying for the moment when the doors would finally open.

As they did, Kenzie was dismayed to see a large family crowding the small elevator car. When they didn’t exit, she stepped inside, disappointed to see that Antonio was separated from her, forced next to the opposite wall by the family’s gargantuan stroller. Antonio made eye contact with her and shrugged. After what seemed like an eternity, the car stopped on Kenzie’s floor, and they politely excused themselves past the vacationers, alone at last in the deserted hallway.

“It’s right over here,” Kenzie whispered, leading the way to her room. Part of her wanted to turn around and let Antonio take her, right there by the ice machine, but the good girl inside her told her to wait. With Antonio so close behind her, she could feel his hot breath on her neck, she keyed into the room and he followed her inside, letting the door click shut behind them.

Turning to face him, Kenzie wrapped her arms around Antonio’s neck, bringing her mouth up close to his in a dizzying haze of anticipation.

“Wait,” he whispered, breaking the spell and pulling back from her. “I thought you were going to show me your yoga.”

Kenzie tilted her head to the side in confusion. “You want me to do yoga? Seriously?”

But Antonio didn’t need to answer. She could tell by the way he was assessing her form that he was totally serious.

“Okay.” She shrugged, moving away from him. If this was what he considered foreplay... “Get down on all fours.”

Antonio laughed, but then he removed his shoes and suit jacket and did what she told him to. Kenzie assessed the muscles of his back, visible through his T-shirt, and his firm ass through those tight-fitting jeans before getting down on the floor next to him.

“Follow me,” she said, leading him through a cat-cow sequence. “Arch your body up—like a cat. Then open your heart forward...”

Kenzie turned to see that Antonio not only had perfect form, but he was syncing his breath with hers. She looked straight ahead, pushing out her chest and could feel Antonio’s gaze wandering toward her ass, which she knew was on display with her dress riding up, exposing it to his view. When pushed back like that, it took on its roundest possible shape.

As she continued the sequence, Antonio moved in front of her. When she tilted her gaze up to meet his, she could see the unbridled desire in his eyes.

“I have to kiss you now,” he said, pulling her up toward him. They were facing one another, both on their knees, and Antonio grazed the side of Kenzie’s neck. His mouth was wet and hot, and the sudden contact sent a shiver running through her body. Hungrily, she moved her mouth to meet his and instantly they were locked onto each other, a swirl of tongues meeting, taking turns playfully biting each other’s lips as they gasped for breath. It was so crazy that she was doing this with someone she’d just met. Kenzie couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such a sense of urgency. She glided her hand down the length of Antonio’s body until she found the hard bulge in the front of his pants and tentatively began to touch it.

Meanwhile, Antonio was doing some exploring of his own, his hands going down the curves of Kenzie’s body, awakening something inside her that she had been ignoring for too long. With a look of confidence that made her head dizzy with desire, Antonio pulled Kenzie’s dress up and over her head, and began kissing her naked breasts. Kenzie threw her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the moment and really letting herself feel every sensation.

With her nerves tingling, she looked at Antonio and pulled up his T-shirt, managing to get it over his head while taking in the view of his chiseled chest and abs. His body was perfect—sexy and fit without being overly muscular—and she allowed herself to enjoy it without restraint, planting hungry kisses on his torso. For a second, she worried that her forwardness showed just how ravenous for sex she really was, but before she could really think too much about it, Antonio had gotten behind her, putting his strong hands on her hips.

Kenzie eased back into an on-all-fours position and waited with anticipation to see what he was going to do next. Her question was answered almost immediately, as Antonio cupped her pushed-out bottom in his hands. He sighed audibly, squeezing her ripe bottom as she stared forward. Kenzie quivered as he ran a finger down the center of her still-clothed rear until it found the wet spot. Moving the soaked fabric to the side, Antonio quickly found her most sensitive spot and began making circles around it, which forced Kenzie to let out a deep sigh, almost like an “Om.” This was more fun—and more intense—than any vinyasa she had ever experienced.

Just when she thought she was about to come, Antonio abruptly stopped his massage of her nub of oh-so-sensitive nerves. Glancing back at him, she could see the look of determination in his eyes as he unzipped his pants, releasing the erect rod that was now so close to her body. Hooking his fingers on the sides of her panties, he quickly yanked them down. Kenzie suddenly felt the nakedness of being totally exposed to him. She wiggled her hips from side to side, her way of inviting him in without saying a word. But Antonio was still admiring her, still holding back on giving her what she really wanted—the full length of him inside her. Kenzie thought that if he didn’t touch her in the way she wanted soon, she was going to explode. It was a delicious form of torture, but she was done waiting.

“Please,” she croaked, hating to admit that she needed anything this badly, but unsure how to stand another moment without it. Kenzie didn’t have to wait any longer. In an instant, Antonio gave her exactly what she needed—the full length of his cock buried inside her, and she sighed in relief. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed that feeling of fullness, and she sank down, reveling in the sensation of the firm drilling she didn’t know she had needed so badly.

But before Kenzie could relax into the feeling, Antonio grabbed her now-unfurled long hair in his hand and pulled her back up to him. Kenzie moaned in pleasure at being wanted—and taken. She knew that both of them were close but didn’t want things to end just yet. Not before she had shown him her most erotic posture.

“Come join me over here,” Kenzie said invitingly, lying down on the bed. Taking an ankle in each hand, like she had done so many times before in her practice, she opened herself up to him. Ananda Balasana—it was one of her favorites. She had never before thought of it in such an erotic sense, but in the moment it seemed like the perfect introduction for Antonio to yoga, and so much more.

Antonio stood at the edge of the bed and looked hungrily at her. Sliding his lean body over hers, he plunged into her and moaned out in pleasure. Seeing her like that had obviously been too much for him to take, too difficult to hold back. Letting go of her ankles, Kenzie reached down to her pleasure center and with him still inside her made quick back-and-forth motions over her erect nub until she came, hard, her face buried in his shoulder.

Antonio rolled over onto his side, his breath ragged from the encounter. Kenzie was also gasping for breath, trying to recover from the heights of pure pleasure and also doing her best to sort out what she had just done. It’s no big deal, she told herself. It wasn’t like she was going to fall for the guy. This was clearly a one-time thing. Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t turn him down for a second spin, but that was the extent of it—an itch that needed to be scratched, nothing more.

* * *

The next morning, Kenzie awakened alone, like she always did. But somehow, this morning she felt especially invigorated. She knew that it had everything to do with the sexy man who had shared her bed, if only for a few hours. But what a few hours it was! She felt simultaneously disappointed and relieved when Antonio had gotten out of bed and walked, stark naked to the bathroom to put his clothes back on. Sure, it would have felt great, sleeping the night in his arms, but that wasn’t what this was. Besides, she’d done the impossible. She had broken her dry spell and there were no strings attached! It was really the perfect situation.

She wanted to text Missy, to tell her about her crazy adventure with the sexy Latino, but she knew that if she didn’t shower and dress quickly she’d miss the meeting at the lawyer’s office—the whole point of this spontaneous trip.

Attired in her most professional yet form-fitting pantsuit, Kenzie took an Uber to an office building downtown and, staring out the window at the rows of palm trees that they passed, replayed the events of the previous night in her head. It was so unlike her to be that spontaneous, that reckless. But she couldn’t suppress the smile that now seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face. Now all she needed to do was get this deal over with and fly home with a big fat check which she’d summarily place in front of the building’s landlord. Better yet, maybe it would be enough to start investigating a bigger space, in her favorite neighborhood of Red Hook.

When she reached the office building, Kenzie took the elevator to the third floor and found the suite for the law offices of Melinda James, whom she had been emailing. Kenzie was buzzed in through a set of double doors and stepping inside a large open space filled with cubicles, she looked around for someone to guide her to the correct office. Just then, Melinda, a tall woman in a floral top and skirt, rushed over to her and shook her hand.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, leading Kenzie into a conference room decorated with a potted palm that seemed to be an attempt at Floridian décor. “Mr. Navedo and his associate have just arrived as well.”

Navedo? That name seemed to ring a bell, but why? Kenzie got her answer as soon as she set foot in Melinda’s office. There, seated at the conference table, was Antonio and Elena, the young woman she had seen him with at the bar yesterday.

“Antonio?” Kenzie blurted, unable to hide her surprise.

“You two know each other?” asked Melinda, a bemused smile playing on her lips.