Fire and Ash (Immortal Touch) (18 page)

The sixteenth floor was quiet and she stood in front of his door, her hand resting against the solid firmness as if she could feel him through it. The realization of what she was about to do overwhelmed her and she almost lost her nerve.

Knock, and enter whatever dark world he inhabited.

Or turn back.

You’re so close now. Don’t turn back.

Down the hallway the elevator stopped and the doors opened. She turned to see Asher emerging, golf bag slung over one shoulder and cell phone planted against his ear.

“
Was that the development tract in Mexico Beach? Oh, yeah…I remember now. No, I already have a standing offer of one point seven. That’s it. They can take it or leave it.” He looked up from his conversation to see Sami, and winked at her with a friendly smile. “I don’t care what it appraised for. If they can find another buyer in this market, more power to ’em. I have enough on my plate right now as it is. Yeah…yeah, I know. Okay. No problem. Thanks, Sherrie. Bye.”

Swapping his phone for the keycard in his pocket, he unlocked and opened the door. “Come in, Sami.”

She trailed after him, wondering if this country club businessman was the same winged angel of death who just last night seductively offered to end her life for her. Did he even have any memory of it?

“
Can I get you anything?”

“No, thanks.”

He dropped his clubs on the floor in the dining area. “Shot a ninety-five today. You had me distracted.”

He
remembered, all right. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? “Sorry.”

“Never apologize, Sam
i. Never, ever regret anything you do. Remember that.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Now then. Let’s have it.”

So close now
…
“I’m ready.” Her voice was barely audible. “I concede to the terms of our agreement. You win. For twenty-four hours, I’m yours.”

She heard the
sharp catch in his breath. His hands gripped her shoulders harder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.
Whatever you have to offer, I accept. For twenty-four hours…no questions, no conditions, no refusals.”

“You understand there’s no turning back after this.”

“So be it.” She looked deep into his sapphire eyes. “I’m ready. Take me there.”

The blue of his eyes clouded over with a lustful, hungry appetite for
the boundless prospects that lay before him. “It’s done, then. I need some time to prepare. There are some things I need to pick up. I want you to return to your room and get some rest, but don’t eat anything and make sure you don’t take any medication of any kind. You’re to return here at precisely nine o’clock. And you better not be late or I
will
come looking for you. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good…very good.” He brought his mouth close to hers, almost touching her lips but not quite, holding the kiss frustratingly just out of reach. “I will take you there, Sami. But a word of warning. You may never find your way back.”

~*~*~*~

The journey to perdition began promptly at nine o’clock.

Having no preconception of what
lay ahead, Sami simply donned her standard weekend garb of sundress and sandals, leaving her sun-streaked waves hanging loose and unrestrained. She was wearing her favorite perfume, a Caribbean-inspired blend of mandarin, coconut and amber that he’d already expressed appreciation for. She looked as appealing as she could possibly look. And more importantly, she left her inhibitions behind. There was no need of them where she was going.

Ash was freshly showered, the
clean smell of body wash still lingering on his skin, dressed in a graphic tee and a pair of loose black beachcomber pants that hung low on his hips. During her time here she’d noticed that he tended to maintain a relaxed, casual look for the most part. Business attire was reserved for business meetings.
Life’s a beach
would have been the perfect motto for him.

Wasn’t there more to that saying though?
Life’s a beach and then you die
…no, that wasn’t it.

“Right on time. I love punctuality in a woman.” He grinned, but his carefree attitude did little to put her at ease. She
had no idea what demons lurked behind his easy smile, but it wouldn’t be long before they were revealed.

“You said not to be late,” she pointed out.

“You mean the hardheaded Miss Porter is actually capable of obedience?”

“I think I can handle it for twenty-four hours.”

“We’ll see what you can handle.” He motioned for her to have a seat on the sofa. “I hope you’ve cleared your schedule.”

She sat there clasping her tense hands together, looking around nervously while he disappeared into another room. The curtains were pulled back, balcony door wide open just as it had been the night before. She hoped he didn’t think for one minute that she was going anywhere near it
again.
Why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove?
The anticipation was torture. She’d never felt so close to experiencing a panic attack.

Ash returned with what appeared to be a tiny box, and came to kneel in front of her on the soft carpet. He looked deep into her eyes, and she could swear he was uncovering and exposing every weakness and fear she’d ever possessed.
When he touched her thigh, she involuntarily flinched.

“Relax, Sami. I need you to let go of your doubts. This isn’t going to work unless you trust me. Trust is key. Can you do that?”

“I can do that.” She wished she felt as confident as she sounded.

“I knew you could.” Opening the box, he removed something that looked like a
small slip of paper. “Have you ever dropped acid before?”

Oh, holy
fuck. Run…run now. And don’t stop running…

She shook her head mutely.

“I’m going to give you a fairly strong hit. What I want you to do is hold this strip underneath your tongue. Don’t swallow it, just let it dissolve. Open your mouth a little for me.”

“Ash, I don’t think…”

“No refusals, remember? Trust me. Open up.”

With every
internal part of her protesting loudly, she obeyed, her muscles taut and tense. There was a faint chemical taste and she prayed she wasn’t ingesting poison.

“There we go…that’s a good girl. It’ll take a while to enter your system, so we’re just going to chill
out for a while, okay? The important thing is that you’re completely relaxed. Put all negative thoughts out of your head. Know that you have absolutely nothing to fear. Tonight is all about pleasure of a different kind. All right?”

“Okay.”

“Would you like to go sit out by the pool for a little while?”

That didn’t sound so bad. If he was willing to take her to a public area then surely there was nothing to worry about. “
Sure…okay.”

The outdoor pool was open until
ten, so the area was filled with the noise of rambunctious teens and college students taking full advantage. Asher located an empty lounge chair, stretching out on one side of it to leave room for her. Sami sat beside him, and he put an arm around her and pulled her close so she had no choice but to rest her head on his chest. She couldn’t help but wonder how he expected her to relax when the contact with his body was sending electric currents through her. Didn’t he care that one of the other employees might see them here together, embracing like lovers? How would that look? Well, why would he care - no one would dare say a thing to him. She’d be the one to get all the whispers and knowing looks. The last thing she wanted was to be labeled a gold-digger. Here barely over a month and already way too cozy with the irreproachable Mr. Reid…

“I saw you out here swimming once,” he was saying. “You look
ed right at home in the water.”

“I love to swim.”

“Me too. That’s one reason I’ve always made it a point to live near the ocean.”

“You really know how to live, don’t you?”

“Living is all I
can
do.”

Sprinkles of water rained down on them as someone did a cannonball into the water.
Shrieks and cheers rang out.

“Do you own a lot of property around here?” Sami asked curiously.

“Some apartments, a few houses. I generally buy undeveloped property, build whatever’s suitable to the area, then resell for a profit. This resort was my primary investment. At some point in the distant future I’ll relinquish my share.”

“How’d you get started?”

“I just started at the beginning. Much like we’re doing now.” She felt, rather than saw, his smile.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing here,” she admitted.

“Yes, you do.”

“
No…I don’t!”

“You’ll know before
long,” he assured her.

“I’m not sure I
want to know.”

“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have come. Stop doubting yourself and open your mind. Watch the
guests swimming and enjoying themselves. Take in the positive vibes. Loosen up. Free yourself.”

She wasn’t quite sure exactly how to do that, but she did try to unwind. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his delicious scent. It was distinctly him…sensuous and darkly dangerous. He could have been packaged and sold as a drug himself.

“Why did you give it to me?”

“What? The LSD?”

“Yes.”

“It’ll make you more receptive.”

“To what?”

“
Shh. Quiet. Relax.” He squeezed her gently.

The sounds of laughter and
splashing and shouting filled the silence between them. With a sigh, she nestled into him and gave herself over to tranquility. She watched the tiki torches and the way their light reflected off the swimming pool. Her trepidation melted into a warm, mellow calm.

A little while later
she felt him stir and he said, “Let’s go back up now. I’m ready to get started.”

That one simple command
was enough to wake her pulse and send it racing like a scared rabbit. She took the hand he offered and walked with him past the bar and inside, where they waited for the elevator with a cluster of sandy, bathing suit-clad guests who had apparently just returned from the beach, though it was nearly ten. They got off on the fourth floor, and then she was alone with Ash. He whistled softly while watching the ascending numbers light up.

On the sixteenth floor, the doors slid quietly open and they walked down the hall while he continued to whistle, some slow tune that sounded vaguely familiar.
The hallway seemed somehow longer than before, all out of proportion. She was beginning to feel a little odd.

The door to 1608 clicked open.

“Well, Sami, what do you say we get down to business?” Suddenly he seemed less the carefree playboy and more the efficient executive. Strange reversal.

“
All right.”

“We’re going to start with some basic rules. As you have agreed to put yourself in my hands unconditionally for the night, I expect you to follow them to the letter. Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“You will obey my directions without hesitation. You will not question anything I tell you to do. Under no circumstances will you refuse any request I make, no matter how much it conflicts with your conscience. You will not speak unless spoken to. If even once I hear the word
no
from your lips, you will be gagged for the rest of the night. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“It’s not going to be as easy as it may sound. I know how defiant you are. All of your instincts will tell you to deny me. Trust me when I tell you that it won’t be in your best interest to do so. Have I made myself clear?”

God in heaven, what had she gotten herself into? With instructions like those, he expected her to shed her doubts and relax? And yet, she knew she had to go forward. The pull was too strong to
negate. “I won’t fight you.” No, she wouldn’t fight him…that was a battle she was incapable of winning.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“Good girl. I want you to come
with me into the bedroom now.”

She followed him into the bedroom whose only illumination was a subtle glow from a few lit candles scattered randomly about. They cast a weird dancing pattern on the walls. Had they been burning all this time?
Definite fire hazard. The bedroom was huge, incredibly luxurious with its own private balcony. Those curtains were also pulled back, but the glass door was closed to the night. The furnishings were gorgeous, probably chosen by an interior decorator. Exotic-looking plants were scattered about to blend in with the tropical surroundings.

The pi
èce de résistance was a roomy whirlpool tub in one corner, surrounded on two sides by mirrors that reached the ceiling. The marble tiled sides were adorned with pieces of coral, driftwood and a few spiny seashells. There was one other item there that seemed conspicuously out of place. A pair of handcuffs.