The Accidental Mistress (18 page)

Trapped, she couldn't catch her breath. She
changed her mind. There was no way she'd fall into bed with him
that easy. There was far too much at stake. If she slept with him,
he’d toss her out again, and then where would she be. Things were
moving too fast. She tried to smile. Her mind scrambled for round
two. It would have to be good; because God help her she was
weakening.

"I have an idea."

He was focused on her breasts again. It was
all lust. Part of her felt disappointed that their passion was
reduced to lust. But what did she expect? "Christophe? Did you hear
me? I have an idea."

His gaze lifted. He moistened his lips.
"Stay with me, tonight."

"I
—
I can't. But tomorrow I have a
surprise.” He traced the side of her jaw with his finger. Zuri
stiffened. "I want to take you hiking, show you more of the
island."

"Stay," he said, his voice low and hungry.
She tingled with the way he spoke the words into her ear.

"I can't, okay... Christophe stop." She put
a hand to his chest. "The answer is no."

He stepped back. Finally! "Be ready at six,"
she mumbled and hurried out before he touched her again. The door
closed. Zuri dropped her head back on the wood frame and smiled.
Okay, she could secretly enjoy his torment. How could she not? Zuri
quickly walked to her suite, hoping to reach it before being
spotted. Jean-Paul cut her off as she turned the corner.

"
Mon Dieu
! You scared me,
JP."

"What are you doing?" he seethed.

"Huh?"

Jean-Paul grabbed her by the elbow and
yanked her forward. She shoved him off but his grip was painfully
tight. "What are you doing? Lowering your self for those men.
That's not you, Zuri."

"Stop it! What's wrong with you?" She
snatched away. Her arm burned where his fingers had pressed in
crushingly tight. She felt her pride bruise as well. "Don't you
dare touch me like that, JP."

"Answer me! I saw you with him. And then you
went to his room."

"You followed me?"

Jean-Paul shook his head in disgust. "Is
this your plan, Zuri? Be his whore and then save the resort."

She slapped him.

She regretted it that very instant. The look
of hurt and disappointment in his eyes felt as bad as if her father
himself had discovered her actions. Jean-Paul was family and the
only man she truly trusted outside of her father. She couldn't bear
for him to think of her so horribly. "I'm no one's whore, JP. And
you said you would never throw that in my face."

"Throw what in your face?" Jean-Paul looked
at her confused. "I'm talking about what you did tonight. You can't
possibly think that sleeping with him is the way to save your
father. What would Claude think?"

Zuri shook her head repeatedly.

"I saw you leave his room, Zuri!"

"You don't know what you
saw! I'm going to do whatever it takes to save this place
for
père
, and you
need to stay out of my way.
Au
revoir
,
" she said,
before walking off. The word
whore
rang in her ears. She felt dirty for kissing the
man who made her feel cheap. Shame burned in her cheeks as she
admitted to herself that she did want to sleep with Christophe
again despite it all. Confused and scared, she went to her suite
and locked herself behind the door.

***

A cold shower did little to
wash away his burn for her. He could still feel the sweet softness
of her lips and tongue. How delicate and feminine she felt in his
arms. Christophe wasn't sure he'd get to sleep at all. Walking
through his suite in nothing but his robe, he heard a knock at the
door.
Maybe Zuri had changed her
mind?

Christophe opened the door without thought.
Elliot appeared with glassy eyes and his face twisted in an angry
scowl. He nearly bowled him over he was in such a hurry to get
inside. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You saw the way that bitch humiliated me
tonight!" Elliot snapped.

"Go back to your room and sleep it off.
You’re drunk."

"Who the hell do they think they are?
Laughing at me? At me? They made a big mistake. I want you to sign
the deal with the bank tomorrow. I'll take it from there."

Christophe walked over to the bed and sat
down. "You don't make any demands of me."

"I want this fucking hotel. I don't ask for
much. You run Montague uncontested by me. You aren't the only heir.
I have rights."

"You have nothing." Christophe waved him
off. He was ready to stretch back. Elliot’s tantrums were
exhausting. Tonight he was irritating.

"I'll call
tante
!"

Christophe's sat up. "What did you say to
me? Did you just threaten me with my mother?"

"No. I just, I want this resort."

Christophe approached him. Elliot took a
step back. "Get the fuck out."

"It's not fair. You don't give a shit about
this place. I want this hotel. I have a right to run part of the
business."

"I decide on all business matters for
Montague. That was your choice. You wanted to play, while I work.
You wanted to fuck while I kept money in your pocket, and again
that was your choice." Christophe poked Elliot in the chest. Elliot
glared back. "Don't you ever make demands on me or threaten me with
mother. You got that?"

"The Oasis is a crap shot place. It means
nothing and we can get it cheap. I have an inside deal. Just give
it to me. Damn it, I want Martinique."

Christophe smirked. "People in hell want ice
water. What the fuck do I care." He turned and went back to the
bed. "Get out."

"So are you backing out of the deal?"

"Did I say that?"

"Will you buy it or not?"

"I haven't decided. If I buy it, it won't be
for you. That's my final word on the matter."

Elliot's eyes bulged in the sockets and his
face burned a deep shade of red. Christophe knew his temper and
Elliot’s were rooted in self-loathing issues that were inherent to
Montague men. In their youth, he'd actually gotten into a few
fistfights with his cousin when things couldn't be settled. But he
had no desire or cause to fight the spoiled drunk his cousin had
become. He owned Montague, and he answered to know one, least of
all Elliot.

"Anything else?" Christophe mumbled.

Elliot stormed out. Christophe fell back on
the bed and closed his eyes. It had indeed been one strange
night.

Chapter
Twelve

"
Mère?
Ça va?
" Zuri asked with the phone pressed firmly between her ear and
shoulder. She tied the strings on her hiking boots.

"
Ça va bien.
We're okay."

"Are you sure? I'm so worried."

"
Ma chérie
, please don't worry. Your
father's gaining strength."

"Well enough to talk?"

"I don't want you discussing business with
him now. He needs to be stronger. I told him we have time. He
thinks that you worked a deal with the bank. I don't like to lie to
him, Zuri, but he can have no stress."

"
Oui
, I know you don't,
mère
. And it's true. I
have bought us some time. He shouldn't worry." Zuri stood before a
mirror. She checked herself from front to back. For the hike she
chose to wear khaki shorts and a yellow cotton short sleeve shirt
with the logo of the hotel on the left sleeve. She wondered if she
should put on a sports bra to keep her breasts from flopping as she
tried to hike up the trails.

"Can you tell me what you're planning?" her
mother asked, her voice strained and tight. "Detrick wants to meet
with me, He says he has concerns."

"No,
mère
! He isn't to be trusted. I can't
prove it but I think he's at the bottom of our problems somehow. He
hasn't counseled
père
correctly."

"Zuri, he's your father's closest
friend."

Zuri bit back what she
really wanted to say. Was her mother playing at naive? Didn't she
not see how Detrick Chevalier was around her, how he leered behind
her father’s back. Why her parents trusted him so blindly was
beyond her. “Things are improving. I will call you tonight to give
you more of an update. Reach me on my cell phone if you need me.”
Zuri’s head turned when the knocks came to her door.
“
À bientôt
. I have
to go,
mere
. I
love you.
Au revoir
.”

Zuri opened the door and let a very angry
Joi in. Her sister was dressed in the traditional red and gold
madras she asked everyone to wear. Joi rolled her eyes at Zuri’s
casual attire. “Where are you going so early?”

“
I um, I plan to take
Christophe, um
Monsieur
Montague for a drive down south to hike
near
Montagne du
Vauclin
.”

“
That’s it! We need to
talk.”

Zuri watched her sister march to her outside
deck. Her stiff tone clued Zuri in that this wasn’t going to be an
easy conversation. “I’m running late. Can this wait until I get
back?”

“
I spoke to JP last night.
He was very upset,” Joi said. She turned and faced Zuri. “He said
he saw you go into Christophe Montague’s suite. He said that you
were in there for a while. What are you doing, Zuri?”

She swallowed hard and tried to give a
plausible answer that didn’t make her into the very thing Jean-Paul
accused her of being. “It’s not what you think.”

“
I pray to God it’s not!
Because I have eyes too. I saw you with him. And this plan of
yours, to be his partner, what kind of deals are you two
making?”

“
Not that!”

“
Then what? The way you two
kept staring at each other. You looked
—
“

“
Intimate? That’s because
we were, once,” Zuri blurted.

“
You were?”

“
Once.”

“
When?”

“
Not last night.” Zuri
threw her hands up. She turned away from Joi’s glare. There were
others out strolling through the outside walkways headed toward the
beach. Many rose early to see the rose colored skies during
sunrise. “Do you remember what happened In Chicago? My twenty-first
birthday, when I met that guy in the hotel and went to his
room?”

“
Christophe Montague? Are
you telling me that Christophe Montague is that creep that you
slept with in Chicago?”

“
Yes,” Zuri said sadly,
avoiding her sister’s eyes.

“
Why didn’t you tell me?
The moment you knew who he was Zuri you should have told me. That
explains all of this. Do you think you have some kind of connection
with him now? Is that what changing your name and playing Queen
Mother last night was about? Holy mother of God, Zuri! This is
going to blow up in your face. Is this your plan? Your only
plan?”

Zuri sighed. “I’m trying to save this place.
Last night we connected. We talked. We’re both different people
than we were in Chicago.”

“
Do you hear yourself?” Joi
paced with her hands to her head.

“
It’s true. We didn’t do
anything last night, Joi. He and I are trying to understand each
other. He’s softening up to me.” To Zuri’s dismay, her voice broke
slightly and her words sounded hollow as they left her
mouth.

“
Because he thinks you want
to sleep with him, Zuri! He isn’t softening up to you; he’s trying
to get laid.”

Zuri faced her sister. Her
composure was the fragile shell that she hid behind. If Joi knew
how scared Zuri was it would all fall a part. How could she make
her understand when she didn’t? On the one hand she was drawn to
Christophe, as any woman would be. On the other she loathed herself
for even considering letting him touch her again. But even greater,
what did it matter if she slept with him again if it saved her
father in the end? “I know this doesn’t make sense. I need you to
trust me. He didn’t plan to come here and take
père’s
hotel, our resort. He can and
will help us. I just need a little more time.”

“
To do what? Please him
until he tosses us a bone. Where the hell is your
pride!”

She watched Joi warily as she paced back and
forth.

“
I can’t let you play these
games with this man. He hurt you really bad. I was there, remember?
You don’t know him anymore today than you did then.”

Not so, her heart whispered back.

But even Zuri had to admit
her mind was congested with doubts and fears. What if she risked it
all and they ended up with nothing? “I don’t know what else to do.
This is our only hope. And
père
needs this place. So we’ll just have to let this
play out. Joi, I need your support here. Okay?”

“
I’ll keep your secret.
Let’s hope you know what you’re doing.” Joi stormed off the terrace
and out of the suite.

“
Yeah, I hope so,” Zuri
mumbled.

Before she turned away, she caught a glimpse
of a shadow from her peripheral view. Zuri strained and saw it was
a man. A blonde man, who from behind looked like Elliot Montague,
disappeared from sight.

Christophe inhaled the sunshine and tropical
breeze washing over him. The 4X4 was open on all sides. He gripped
the top bar of the jeep and settled back in his seat with his eyes
trained on the passing scenery. It was best that he focus on the
sights and make a considerable effort to keep from staring at
Zuri’s thighs. He failed often. She wore her hair smoothed back
into a chignon and she wore large oval shaped sunglasses. He
noticed she’d give him a sidelong look every now and then as well.
An undeniable magnetism and intense physical awareness was
developing between them. He decided not to act on it just yet.