"No. They have purely romantic minds and won"t understand how we can do such a thing without being in love, so the less they know the better."
He sighed knowing in a few moments the elevator would be back down in the lobby. He turned to her. "Are you sure this is what you want, Taylor?"
Now he was giving her the chance to reconsider all they had agreed to this evening.
"Yes, I"m sure. I want a baby."
"In that case," he said slowly, "I"m going to try my best to give you one. To give us us one," he clarified. one," he clarified.
Unable to resist, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It was a lot tamer than the lip-locker, tongue-thrasher of earlier, but he still managed to feel blood sizzle through his veins. Kissing her was definitely increasing his s.e.x drive, arousing everything male within. Considering the number of beautiful women who routinely crossed his path, he found it strange that he would want her so intensely.
The elevator door opened and he saw Ryder across the lobby, standing and talking with one of the hotel workers. The older man caught his gaze and nodded. Dominic returned his eyes to Taylor. "This is where I must bid you good-night," he said, trying to sound normal when he felt anything but. "Have a safe trip to Charlotte and I"ll see you in a couple of weeks."
He tried not focusing on her lips. They were lips he wanted to kiss again and was grateful when Ryder appeared. "Make sure she gets home safely," he said.
"Sure thing."
Not able to fight temptation and not caring that they weren"t alone-besides Ryder there were a number of people mingling around in the lobby-he leaned over and kissed her lips once more. The moment he did so, tingles of awareness shot through him. The thought that suddenly jackknifed through his mind was how was he going to spend a week with her on some exotic island and maintain his control? The answer came to him just as quickly.
He wouldn"t have to.
Elated beyond belief, Taylor bid the driver good-night and walked toward her front door. She glanced over her shoulder. Ryder had not moved and was still stationed by the car. Dominic had instructed the man not to leave until he saw that she was safely inside her home and Ryder was definitely following orders.
After unlocking her door she opened it and went inside. After scanning the room, she quickly moved to the windows and flipped the blinds, letting him know she was okay. It was only then that he got inside the sedan and drove off.
She checked her watch. It was almost ten. To Taylor it was still fairly early, but someone like Vanessa, who was known to retire early, would normally have been in bed by now. But Taylor knew she"d want to hear this-she had news worth sharing. She picked up the phone to begin dialing. After she talked to Vanessa she would call Cheyenne, who was doing a photo shoot somewhere in China. The three of them would be together this coming weekend in Charlotte when they got fitted for their bridesmaids" dresses.
"h.e.l.lo."
Taylor raised a brow. It was a man"s voice. Cameron"s.
"Yes, Cameron, how are you? Is Vanessa asleep?"
She heard his smooth chuckle. "No, she"s awake. Hold on a second."
Taylor really liked Cameron and, unlike Vanessa, she had from the first. It hadn"t bothered her in the least that at one time he"d tried taking over her family company. She hadn"t taken it personally as Vanessa had. Increasing a person"s wealth was Taylor"s business and she couldn"t help but admire anyone who wanted to increase their riches.
"Taylor, what happened?"
Taylor rolled her eyes. "What makes you think something happened?"
"Ha! Cut the act, Taylor. We both know what was supposed to go down tonight. So give up the details!"
"Details? Why did Cameron answer your phone? Isn"t it kind of late for him to be visiting?" Taylor asked, grinning.
"Nope. In fact he"s staying the night. And unless I change the locks he"ll stay the week. He likes keeping me in his sights and I like having him around."
Taylor could hear the smile in Vanessa"s voice. Her sister was happy and she was happy for her. In fact she was happy for herself, as well, which was the reason she had called.
"So don"t change the subject. Tell me everything."
"Can we talk now or am I taking you away from something?"
"I can talk. Cameron just got in the shower," Vanessa said.
"He"s agreed to do it."
"Dominic Saxon agreed to get you pregnant?"
She could hear the excitement in Vanessa"s voice. "Yes."
"So I"m going to be an aunt?"
Taylor smiled. "More than likely. There"s no reason to think we won"t click." Especially after tonight, she thought, remembering how Dominic had to be a.s.sured that they would.
"When you come home this weekend, we"re going to have to celebrate."
Biting down on her lip, Taylor fought to control her happiness and discovered that she couldn"t. Both of her sisters knew how much she wanted a child.
"Can I tell Sienna?"
Taylor smiled. Sienna Bradford was Vanessa"s best friend and had been since grade school. "Yes, tell her but don"t tell the cousins anything. You know how overprotective they can be at times."
"Okay. So there"s a chance you"ll be pregnant at my wedding."
Taylor sighed. She certainly hoped so. If everything worked out as planned, she and Dominic would be going to the Caribbean the beginning of next month and Vanessa was having a June wedding. Taylor wouldn"t be so far along that she needed to worry about an adjustment to her bridesmaid"s dress, but she hoped to be very, merry pregnant.
"I"ll let you get back to Cameron and I prefer that you not tell him. He and Morgan have a friendship," she said, thinking of her cousin, "and he might let something slip."
"I hate to say it, but you"re probably right. You"ve taken a big step, Taylor. Are you sure you"re ready for the next one?"
Taylor felt a nervous flutter in her belly, the same belly that would be her child"s home for nine months. "Yes, I"m ready for the next one."
"Tell me you"re joking about this, Nick."
The look on Matt Caulder"s face indicated that he was expecting Dominic to say the diabolic plan he"d just laid out to him was a joke. But the more Matt studied his best friend"s expression the more he could tell Dominic was dead serious.
Accepting that when Dominic made his mind up about something, then that was it, he looked back down at the brochure he"d been given before meeting Dominic"s eyes again. Although he doubted it would do any good, he said, "The Caribbean is a nice place to be this time of year, but as your attorney I"m advising you not to go for what you have in mind."
Dominic had expected as much. He leaned back in his chair. He had arrived at Matt"s office knowing Matt would try to talk him out of what he saw was disaster waiting to happen. Dominic saw something else waiting to happen when he arrived in the Caribbean.
"Your advice is duly noted although it won"t be accepted," he said smoothly. "As my attorney, what I want is for you to draw up a doc.u.ment that will protect me in the event Taylor has a change of heart and doesn"t want me to be a part of my child"s life once she becomes pregnant."
"That can easily be done but what makes you think you"re going to get her pregnant?"
Dominic smiled and stretched out his legs in front of him. "After looking at that brochure and knowing what you know about me, is there a reason I won"t?"
Matt shook his head, chuckling. "No, but why this way?"
"You, the king of one-night stands, have the nerve to ask me that?"
"Mainly because I feel differently about life and love than you do."
Dominic knew that to be true. His and Matt"s friendship spanned years. They seemed destined to be friends, the way he had been destined to marry Camry. Matt"s mother, Deena, had been Megan"s best friend in high school, and although the two had attended difference colleges, their close friendship remained intact over the years.
When Deena got pregnant from a short-term affair it was Dominic"s mom she called on. Megan who had invited her to move to D.C. to stay with her until she was able to get on her feet to take on her role as a single mother. Matt was just a few months older than Dominic, but the two had been raised so close they considered each other as brothers. When Deena had died a few years ago from breast cancer it was Megan, Marcello and Dominic who had stood beside him as the only other family he had.
Dominic came to his feet. "Well, draw up something that Taylor and I can both live with and make sure it"s airtight," he said, recalling what Matt had gone through with his wife, Rhonda.
"I can"t wait to meet her."
Dominic shot Matt a surprised look. "Why?"
"Evidently Taylor Steele has caught your attention."
"No, her proposal has. There"s nothing going on between me and Taylor other than a business arrangement."
"And you"re certain that"s all there is to it?"
"I want her," Dominic said honestly.
"And beyond that?"
"There"s nothing beyond that."
"And again I"m going to ask if you"re sure."
Dominic met Matt"s unconvinced stare. "Yes, I"m absolutely and positively sure."
Chapter 4.
"Welcome to the island of Latois, Mrs. Jones."
"Thank you," Taylor said as she smiled at the perky receptionist. She and Dominic had made a decision to register under a false name as a way to avoid unwanted publicity. Although the resort"s management prided themselves on providing absolute privacy, the media had a way of finding out anything they wanted.
Another thing they had decided to do was to let the management and staff a.s.sume they were married. She figured most of the couples at the resort were and felt there was no reason for her and Dominic to be the oddb.a.l.l.s.
Taylor checked her watch. She had flown in straight from D.C. and Dominic would be arriving a little later that day from New York. That would give her time to get settled and relaxed in their suite before he got there. The past two weeks had been extremely busy. After visiting with her family in Charlotte, she had attended a financial conference in Texas that had lasted an entire week.
She had spoken to Dominic only once and that was when he had called to ask if she"d found his attorney"s contract satisfactory. She had. In fact her attorney had been surprised at just how fair Dominic was being. She would have full custody of the child and he would be ent.i.tled to a certain number of visits during the year. They were to rotate holidays, which she felt was reasonable. The financial package he would provide for his child was very generous; actually more than she had expected.
"An attendant will escort you to your room, Mrs. Jones."
The woman"s words pulled in Taylor"s thoughts. "Thank you." She took the pa.s.skey and the gift bag she was handed.
She had been given a schedule of activities for the week that included body ma.s.sages for the both of them. Later that day they were to share a romantic candlelight dinner in their room.
The first thing Taylor thought when she entered her room was that the accommodations were absolutely wonderful. The suite was divided into a s.p.a.cious sitting area, a wet bar and a ma.s.sive bedroom. The huge windows in the bedroom provided a panoramic view of the ocean. It was beautiful. Inviting. Breathtaking. She could imagine her and Dominic walking barefoot on the beach later in the near-perfect spring weather.
She then took a look at the larger-than-king-size bed that was swathed in snow-white bedcoverings and huge fluffy pillows. It gave the room a serene and tranquil look, totally out of sync with the hot, pa.s.sionate lovemaking that would take place between the sheets over the next seven days. She then thought of the lingerie she had bought, a different color and style for each and every night. Each piece carefully chosen for its s.e.xiness and the ability to entice, seduce and persuade.
Taylor knew that a lot of the couples she would meet over the next few days were fertility challenged and thought a change of climate, the removal of stress would help the problem. She honestly didn"t think she and Dominic would have a problem conceiving. Her main purpose in wanting to make a baby here on the island versus back in D.C. was wanting to conceive in style. This would be her only child and she wanted the special moment of conception to happen in a way that would be memorable.
Something else memorable, something she couldn"t erase from her mind was the kiss she and Dominic had shared that night in his hotel suite. She had been kissed before, many times, but nothing had sent sensations firing through her the way Dominic"s lips and tongue had. She had liked it. A lot. And even now she couldn"t help but antic.i.p.ate it happening again. Here in this room. Plenty of times over the next week.
A visit to her doctor indicated this was her hot week, the best days to conceive, and she was more than eager to get started in making a baby. She knew it was ridiculous but she felt her body was ready, overanxious to begin. The thought of exotic foods and aphrodisiac-laden drinks were nice but she really didn"t need either to want to tumble all day and night with Dominic between the sheets. She suddenly began to feel hot and on edge. Maybe the nature of this place had something to do with it.
And as she headed for the bedroom to start unpacking, she thought it was more than that. It was the antic.i.p.ated arrival of one particular man.
Dominic"s limo pulled in front of the Capri Resort on the private island of Latois. Just as the brochure had depicted, the place was grand, simply exquisite. Someone who was entrenched in the hotel business, as he was, could appreciate such a place from the beautifully landscaped property to the stunning ocean setting.
He checked his watch. By his calculations Taylor should have arrived on the island hours ago. Was she in the suite waiting for him? He knew a lot of their activities for the next seven days were prearranged, but then a lot of them weren"t. One thing the resort encouraged was couples spending a lot of private time together, preferably in their suite in bed procreating. He definitely didn"t have a problem with that. In fact he was looking forward to it.
A few minutes later upon checking in, he was told his wife had arrived and was in their suite. He was given his own pa.s.skey and a bottle of their house champagne, which, he"d been informed, contained a special potent ingredient intended to boost their s.e.xual drive. The clerk hadn"t batted an eye when she"d said it.
After stepping onto the elevator that would take him up to the tenth floor, in no time at all it seemed, he had reached his floor and was walking down the long hallway toward his room. The bellman would be bringing up his bags later.
When he stood in front of the suite"s door he swallowed hard, knowing what the week entailed. He had tried not to notice the couples he"d pa.s.sed and just how openly amorous they were with each other. Another thing he noticed was that unlike a lot of resorts, there weren"t a lot of people out and about. Most were probably busy behind closed doors trying to accomplish what they had come here to do.
He opened the door and stepped inside the exact moment Taylor was walking out of the bedroom area. Immediately their gazes locked. He was rendered momentarily speechless by how quickly blood shot from his head straight to his groin. His mouth suddenly felt dry and every muscle in his body-some more so than others-felt hard as a rock.
She was wearing a light blue sundress with spaghetti straps that revealed just what beautiful shoulders she had. An ample amount of cleavage was showing, enough to make him appreciate the firm shape of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, as well. Then there was her face and well-defined features. He decided at that moment that Taylor wasn"t just beautiful; she was what fantasies were made of. There was an inborn sensuality about her that had been hidden behind her business suits. The business suits represented her profession. The outfit she had on now showed her perfection, especially her curvy figure.
"Dominic."
His name was spoken in a soft tone and he watched her hands come to rest at her sides. For some reason he"d always enjoyed looking at her hands whenever she met with him and flipped through papers she would have for him to sign. Her nails were always neat with a French manicure displaying a nonflashy look. The same extended to her fingers. Some women liked showing off their diamonds practically on every finger. But Taylor didn"t even wear a ring, Her hands were long and graceful. Elegant. St.u.r.dy. And he could just imagine those hands touching him, caressing the length of his hardened...
He sucked in a deep breath when he saw where his thoughts were headed. He closed the door behind him as he tried to maintain his control, but found himself losing it and quickly recalled how long it had been since he"d had a woman for a bed partner and decided it had been way too long.
"Aren"t we on speaking terms?" she said as a teasing smile touched her lips.