Kitabı oku: «A Taste Of Desire»

Chapter 1

Nicole Parks burst from the bathroom of her hotel suite and rummaged through her suitcase. Bras, panties, a flat iron and a jam-packed makeup bag landed on the king-size bed. She sat up and aggressively squirted Visine into her eyes then gulped the fresh coffee she’d made from the in-room coffeemaker. Then she dove for her other suitcase.

Her fifteen-hour flight to the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil had come with a pounding post-flight headache. The blazing hot thirty-minute car ride to Porto Alegre, the capital, hadn’t helped. She’d virtually passed out after checking into her hotel that afternoon, but now that nap, although refreshing, was screwing with her inner clock. Good thing her client chose the restaurant in her hotel for their business dinner. She had twenty minutes to be downstairs.

Ten minutes went by, and Nicole turned to check her appearance in the floor-length mirror: black, sleeveless, form-fitting dress, mascara and nude lipstick in place, sleek black shoulder-length hair—frizzing slightly, but so far, so good—and mahogany arms and legs shimmering with lotion.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, gesturing to her reflection. I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Anything wrong with that? It was her favorite quote from the movie Working Girl. And she definitely was a working girl, since she was the only female international real estate broker and attorney at the New York City branch of Kingsley’s.

You got this. Smooth sailing. She whispered positive mantras to herself. She loved this business: selling gorgeous properties, seeing the world, making the money. Not too shabby for a little girl from Brooklyn. Closing a deal fed her soul. It was better than sex, not that she was having any.

Dressed to impress, she reached for her phone and sighed. After locating the passcode on the corner desk, she connected to the Wi-Fi and was instantly bombarded with texts, emails and voice mail messages. She itched to go through them, noting several from her boss, but they had to wait.

Clutch and phone in hand, she rushed toward the elevator in her six-inch heels. Just as she jammed the button, a call came through. Her best friend Liz’s name popped up and Nicole bit her lip, knowing she shouldn’t answer.

“Liz, I can’t talk right now. I’m meeting a client.” Nicole punched the elevator button again.

“Nicole, where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying you for hours.” Uh-oh. Liz was clearly irritated. As a psychologist with a weekly radio show, Dr. Elizabeth Hines had heard it all, and usually nothing got through that calm exterior.

“Brazil. I got here hours ago, and I’m off to meet a client.”

“South America Brazil? I thought you were in Paris?”

“Um, that was yesterday.”

“This is why you don’t have a man.”

Nicole jerked her neck back. “Oh, really, Dr. Love? When was the last time you got roses on Valentine’s Day? And if traveling is a direct correlation to being single, then what’s your excuse? You haven’t left the country—no wait, you haven’t left New York—since you got your PhD which was...let me think... Y2K.” Nicole smiled when Liz let out a loud breath.

“I didn’t call you to throw shade around. Dani needs us.”

Nicole sobered. “Why? What happened?”

“Remember that Tinder date she had the other night?”

“Yeah. The guy with the four cats?” Nicole rolled her eyes. She commended Dani for continuing to put herself out there on those dating apps, but she had to stop meeting up with every guy who threw her a wink.

“He sent her a two-page email saying she’s everything he’s looking for in a woman, except for her weight, and wondered if she was interested in transforming herself. He sent her some basic workout tips and offered to pay for a trainer.”

“Oh, my God,” Nicole sneered. “Who does this cat-hoarding awful man think he is? Dani is beautiful and voluptuous. What is wrong with people?”

“I don’t know, but I am so over men.”

“Ditto.” Nicole exhaled. “No one has ever offered to pay for my trainer.”

There had been a few significant men in Nicole’s life, but none had stuck it out for the long haul. Her last relationship ended when her ex suggested that no man wanted a woman who worked as much as she did. Yet he hadn’t been spouting that nonsense when she had treated him to a couples spa weekend in Indonesia for his birthday. Jerk.

Sure, she used to want the fairy tale—man, dog, kids—but the more she unsuccessfully dated and the older she got, the farther away that dream started to float. It was time for a new plan.

“Liz, please tell me she isn’t devastated.”

“No, just feeling hopeless. I called because I wanted us to take her out, get her mind off of it. What are you doing in Brazil?”

“Getting ready to sell a burnt-down winery to the highest American bidder. The owner is only in his thirties, but we’re talking serious old money.”

“Mmm. Is he single?”

“He’s French, so it probably doesn’t matter. Regardless, I don’t date clients. From his dossier he sounds like a trust-fund baby who is no doubt bristling at the fact that I’m a woman.”

“Wait till he sees you negotiate.”

“Damn right.” Nicole watched her floor number light up. “Okay, I gotta go.”

“Wait! What happened at the adoption agency?”

Nicole groaned. “They denied me.”

“I was afraid of that, Nicole.”

“I know, Liz. You’ve made your position clear. Could you slip out of shrink mode for one second and be the supportive friend that I’ve known for eight years?”

The elevator doors opened, and Nicole was relieved that it was empty. She held it for a brief second as Liz continued.

“Look, you know I think you deserve to have a child, but your lifestyle is not attractive to adoption agencies or parents choosing adoptive parents.”

“Well, that’s what they said.”

“What else did they say?”

“That a nanny was not a full-time parent.”

Liz chuckled. “Did you give them the au pair speech?”

“Don’t laugh. They were not impressed. But, honestly, what better way for a kid to learn a second language?”

“Nicole, if you’ve really decided to go this route, maybe you should think about insemination.”

“Oh, God, I cannot get pregnant.”

“Why? You’re only thirty-five. Women are having babies in their fifties these days.”

“I travel too much.”

“See—you don’t know what you want.”

“Yes, I do!” Afraid they’d get cut off if she stepped in, Nicole slapped her hand against the closing elevator door, pushing it open. “I want a kid and I’m done waiting around for Prince Charming, because he doesn’t exist!”

Liz sucked her teeth. “I might agree with you on that last statement, but I think you’re being hasty.”

“Well, I’m not. When this deal is done, I’ll get my promotion and I won’t be on the road as much. Plus, I’ll be able to afford a nanny and a rent-a-husband. We’ll discuss later. Kiss Dani for me, and tell her I’ll give her a call.”

Nicole hung up and stepped into the elevator, pulling up the email she’d gotten from the Live to Love adoption agency a few days ago.

Dear Miss Parks,

We are thrilled that you are interested in adopting a child, and thank you for taking the steps to ensure your eligibility. The Greens want you to know that they so enjoyed meeting you and feel that you are a strong candidate as an adoptive parent. Unfortunately, the couple had some concerns about your work schedule, and although you can afford excellent childcare, they have decided to wait for a two-parent home.

Please don’t get discouraged. Your child is out there.

As if being single wasn’t stigma enough, now young parents were rejecting her. She had a stable job and a killer résumé. What more could she do to make herself a desirable single parent? The agency had suggested that Nicole look into family homes located close to good schools—apparently parents liked that. The three-bedroom Brooklyn house she had been eyeing was still on the market, but she needed some more time to get the down payment together.

But that was before Brazil landed in her lap. She guessed that she could have that deal closed in a few weeks. Then that home and her mini-me, with their live-in French au pair, would be a reality.

Her fairy tale could come true.

The bell dinged, and Nicole strutted out of the elevator.

“Good evening Miss Parks, we are so glad you’ll be joining us for dinner.”

“Thank you, Anton,” she said, recognizing the tall, slim general manager who’d facilitated her hotel check-in hours earlier. Next to him, a hostess smiled. “So am I.”

“Monsieur Dechamps hasn’t arrived yet, but we’ll be happy to seat you, or would you join us at the bar for a complimentary glass of wine while you wait?”

“Say no more, Anton. The bar it is.”

“Please follow me.”

She heard the dull roar of a packed house and smelled sweet cigars before she even stepped inside the restaurant. The dining room was elegant, with dark wood accents, bistro tables and an oversized bar. Floor-to-ceiling windows allowed patrons to enjoy the busy streets and the boisterous Brazilian nightlife.

Anton helped Nicole onto an empty bar stool near others waiting for their tables, then signaled for the bartender. He half bowed. “I hope your suite is satisfactory?”

“It’s very comfortable. And the champagne basket is lovely. Thank you.”

“Our pleasure.” He gestured toward the barkeep. “Rafe will take care of you. I’ll be back to seat you when Monsieur Dechamps arrives.”

After perusing the wine list she chose a glass of Beaujolais. The dark ruby liquid poured like silk, and after giving it a good swish in her glass to let the oxygen in, she took a deep inhale, then put it to her lips. It tasted like heaven. Rose, wood, mint and truffle—bursts of flavor danced on her tongue and she mentally logged each one, a habit she’d learned at a summer work–study during college in Bordeaux.

Although she was eager to meet her client, she could feel the tension of her day leaving her body, and she took the opportunity to text her boss—she’d call him tomorrow—and sent several work emails from her phone. She was mid-email when a high-pitched giggling came from the other side of the room.

A young blonde woman in a low-cut minidress walked through a side entrance, but she stopped and turned with an annoyed stance, clearly waiting for someone. Nicole hoped it wasn’t more giggling girls.

Just as she was about to turn away, in strolled a tall, dark-haired, starkly handsome man. His square jaw was covered in a trim beard, but it was his eyes that held the most allure. Heavy lidded and thickly lashed, their blue color seemed to resemble translucent cobalt glass. She bet eyes like that glittered when he smiled, but right now he looked bored. And slightly sloshed.

Nicole didn’t usually go for the bearded, mountain-man type, but this one, even in a disheveled white button-down shirt, was fine.

And taken. The young woman grabbed his hand and practically pulled him toward the bar.

Turning back to her phone, Nicole noted that Elliot Dechamps was ten minutes late, but she didn’t stress. Not all cultures took punctuality as seriously as Americans, and sometimes it was nice to let go of those expectations.

She was in a country she’d never explored before, drinking a beautiful red wine. It didn’t get much better—

An elbow jostled Nicole’s forearm. The couple from across the room was right next to her, sipping champagne and speaking loudly in swift Portuguese. The tipsy woman was having trouble getting onto the stool in her spandex dress. After a few tries, with the help of her boyfriend’s outstretched arm, she finally made it.

In celebration, the young woman laughed and shot her elbows out again, knocking over her champagne...and Nicole’s wine.

Instantly Nicole’s Beaujolais became a pool of dark liquid and broken glass. Heads turned and the bartender sprang into action, gathering white cloths and swiping at the mess, which had begun to travel over the lip of the bar onto Nicole’s leg. She jumped from her barstool and stepped away, almost bumping into the blonde, who was no doubt hurrying toward the ladies’ room.

Nicole patted down her dress. Thank God she was wearing black, but some wine had gotten on her bare leg.

Suddenly a towel was being dabbed lightly at her thigh.

New York reflexes always on, she grabbed the wrist then tried to hide her shock as she eyed its owner. He was strong, she thought when she felt his arm stiffen and pull back. Dark brows slashed the blue of his eyes when he looked up.

He was even hotter up close.