ZenithRising (12 page)

He grinned up at her. “I thought that’s what I was doing.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him. “Just for
that I’m taking first turn in the bathroom. Apparently you’re not as
uncomfortable as I thought you—”

Her words condensed into a squeal as he lurched to his feet,
grabbed her waist and effortlessly flung her onto the bed. But before he could
get into the bathroom, she bolted up and managed to give him a hip nudge out of
the way. He grasped her wrist at the last second and yanked her back to him.
Laughing heartily, he kissed her mouth then gave her a gentle nudge to the
finish line. “Hurry up,” he teased with a pat on her ass. “You’re going to make
us late.”

* * * * *

In an attempt to give a businesslike impression, Maggie had
changed into the dowdy outfit and borrowed a tablet and pencil from the
concierge. However, the trip to the Diamond Suite threatened her confident air.
Because of old movies, she had seen elevators with grated doors and visible
gears and pulleys. The one they were currently in required a skilled operator
to work the interior handles and levers. It was interesting from a historical
standpoint but being in one of the antiques was a lot scarier than she would
have imagined. She clutched Noah’s hand the entire, shaky, painfully slow ride
up to the fourth floor.

The elevator operator waited as they exited the metal thrill
ride and pressed the buzzer for the private suite.

The door was opened a few seconds later by a well-groomed
though average-looking, probably middle-aged woman. She definitely could be
Lillian’s grandmother. “Mr. and Mrs. Nash. How nice of you to stop by. I’m
Josephine Davenport. Please come in.” She stood aside and closed the door
behind them.

Maggie barely recognized the suite. Instead of one great
room, the area appeared to be walled off into several small rooms. Mrs.
Davenport led them into the one in front, which was clearly an office. A tall,
striking man with salt-and-pepper hair rose from his chair behind the desk as
they entered.

Offering a broad smile and his hand to Noah, he said,
“Robert Davenport. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nash.”

“Likewise,” Noah said, giving the man’s hand a firm shake.
“Please call me Noah. And this is my wife and publishing assistant, Maggie.”

Remembering the manager’s reaction, she simply smiled and
nodded.

“Thank you, dear,” Davenport said to his wife with a note of
dismissal in his tone. “Give us a knock in about forty-five minutes.” Josephine
nodded with a half-smile then gently closed the office door.

He sat and motioned for them to do the same. “I’m afraid I
don’t have any of your books,” he said apologetically as he nodded toward the
high bookcases. “But I’ve heard wonderful things about you. I understand you’re
working on a book to be set in our hotel. While I see how that could be
advantageous I would hope that your story would not cast an unsavory shadow
over the property.”

Maggie suddenly realized they hadn’t actually talked about
the book Noah was supposed to be writing and she hoped he didn’t stick close to
the truth for this part.

“A portion of the book would take place in the hotel but I
assure you it’s my intention to glamorize it and its guests. It’s a tale of a
young man who lost an arm in the war and is unable to pursue his dream of
becoming a boxer. Then his fiancée breaks their engagement and he’s thinking of
killing himself. But he has a chance meeting with the owner of the hotel and,
well, I hope you don’t mind if I don’t give it all away.”

Davenport was obviously intrigued. “I understand but perhaps
you’ll at least tell me if the owner helps this poor young man find his way to
a good ending.”

Noah nodded. “Absolutely. He’s a bit of a guardian angel in
human form.”

Davenport brightened considerably. “That sounds very
entertaining. How might I be of assistance?”

For the next twenty minutes Noah asked reasonable questions
about owning and running a large hotel for wealthy guests and Maggie scribbled
madly on her pad. Only she could tell Noah’s questions were all phrased to
uncover any possible motive for the owner to be murdered but thus far she
hadn’t heard a single thing that seemed relevant to their investigation.

She let her mind wander away from the actual words being
exchanged between the men and thought about Josephine Davenport. The impression
she gave was of a nice, upper-class woman who was content in her wifely role.
But according to hotel history, Josephine and her young son, Chester, managed
to keep the hotel going after Robert’s tragic death, through the Depression and
the Second World War. That had to have taken an incredibly strong, savvy woman.
Was she the true power in their relationship or did her husband’s death force
her to take on a role she’d never chosen to play?

Maggie had seen something pass between the couple in the
moment he’d dismissed her. Her intuition told her they loved each other but
didn’t always like each other. Interesting, she thought. Rather than being the
grieving widow who did what she had to do to support her child, could Josephine
have been relieved by Robert’s death? Or worse, could she have been involved?
What if Lillian wasn’t as concerned about her grandfather being called suicidal
as she was afraid of someone uncovering a much uglier truth about how he died?
Maggie felt something brush her arm and flinched. The contact felt very real
yet nothing was there.

“Have I forgotten anything?” Noah asked Maggie, though his
look was one of concern for what had happened to her.

She flipped through the papers on her pad as if checking her
notes. “A couple things. You had wanted to ask him about whether he would ever
consider taking on a partner.”

Davenport laughed. “Goodness no. I consider Davenport my
family legacy. Josie and I only have the one son but I’ve built something here
that should stand long after his grandchildren are grown. I would never share
this with an outsider.”

Noah nodded to her to ask her next question so she did. “One
of the subplots Noah is considering involves the owner’s life being in danger
and the young man saves him in the end. What sort of threat might you face in
your position? If not a greedy partner, what about a competitor?” Something
stopped her from suggesting a more intimate motive for murder.

The man furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. “I can’t
imagine such a thing. Florida is wide open to developers. It’s a gold mine for
anyone brave enough to conquer the terrain. It will be a long time before hotel
owners have to fight over guests.”

“That’s very interesting,” Noah replied. “I’ve heard rumors
that the Florida land boom is slowing down.”

“Poppycock. Those rumors were undoubtedly started by someone
trying to drive the values down for their own investment purposes.”

Maggie watched Noah quash the urge to correct Davenport’s
misconception and came to his rescue. “Can you think of any other enemies a
Florida hotel owner might have?”

“Hmmm, you say this is a good man, a guardian angel, so that
would seem to eliminate any sort of unethical activity. And quite frankly,
under the current circumstances, I have had to establish good working
relationships on both sides of the law…not that the law is much of a problem
this far south.” He gave it a bit more thought then shrugged. “Sorry, nothing
comes to me that would be life threatening.”

“One last thing,” Maggie said. “Noah noticed the beautiful
crystals in the Amethyst Cave. How might he acquire something like those for
our home in New York?”

Robert smiled crookedly. “They are incredible, aren’t they?
People think I’m being mysterious but I swear they were here when I bought the
island.”

Noah’s brows raised. “Really? You mean they were just
sitting on the beach and you moved them inside?”

Davenport chuckled. “No. I mean they were exactly where they
are now. It’s the reason I named it Crystal Island. There are a few other rocks
like that in other areas as well. My men tried everything to move them away
from the construction zones but we just ended up building the hotel around
them. The big granddaddy in the Emerald Dome gave us the most trouble until we
figured out how to turn it into a waterfall. They went so deep into the ground
it would have taken a dynamite blast and I didn’t want to take the chance of
destroying such natural beauty.”

“I heard something else very curious about this island,”
Noah said in a casual tone. “Is it true you discovered it by accident?”

“A very
lucky
accident. With all the pirate activity
that went on around here in the past, it’s incredible no one ever recorded its
existence. It’s almost as if it suddenly popped up one day just in time for me
to sail into it.”

Maggie stopped herself from looking at Noah. They now knew
firsthand that totally incredible things were possible. Had the island been
overlooked for centuries or did it only push its way above sea level for Robert
Davenport to find? Was there a crystal deposit beneath the surface as she had
guessed or was the entire island a rock? She quickly put the thoughts out of
her head. The last thing they needed was another mystery to solve.

Maggie and Noah took advantage of the half-hour between the
meeting with Davenport and their dinner reservation to take a walk along the
beach and talk without risk of being overhead. Despite a number of other guests
enjoying the last of the sun, the roiling ocean muffled their discussion.
Following another couple’s example, they took off their shoes, stockings and
socks and Noah rolled up his pant legs so they could enjoy the squish of the
wet sand between their toes and the waves lapping over their bare feet. Every
so often Noah bent down, picked up a seashell and tucked it in his pocket.

“What made you flinch up there?” It was Noah’s first
question about their interview.

“It was strange. Like a feather duster ran along my arm.”

“Maybe it was a ghost.”

She smirked at him. “Thanks a lot. I really needed you to
put that thought in my head.” She told him where her mind had wandered right
before it happened. “I’m not saying Josephine killed her husband but I’d bet
she at least has an idea of who did. I mean will. This time thing is still
messing me up.”

“And it seemed unlikely that he would take a partner. After
money got really tight he might have changed his attitude but he was dead
before things got that bad here. There are just too many ways a man of
importance could get himself killed. It’s not possible for us to analyze all of
them. I still don’t think we can eliminate him as our target though. We’ll just
have to see what we see at tomorrow night’s affair.”

Maggie cocked her head at him. “You sound pretty sure about
our getting invited.”

“I don’t see the invite being a problem. I’m more concerned
about how we’ll get close to the engaged couple and their parents and the
Davenports too if they’re attending.”

“Are you kidding? For
the
Noah Nash? Unless the
Fitzgeralds are really here and got themselves invited, you’ll be the most
famous author at the party. I’d lay odds on there being a mad scramble to
adjust the seating chart tomorrow morning.”

He laughed. “Intuition?”

She shook her head. “Common sense. Different subject—what
did you think of his explanation about the crystals?”

He shrugged. “He seemed sincere. And it would go along with
your feeling about there being a crystal deposit under the trail we were on. He
said the rocks couldn’t be moved. If they originated deep below the surface
that would make sense. A major excavation would have hindered getting his hotel
built.”

“Same goes for revealing some sort of geological wonder on
this island. I can see why the family decided to keep it a secret.” There was
something else important about the crystals but she couldn’t put it into words.

“What?” he asked. “I can almost see the gears turning.”

She shook her head and sighed. “I’m not sure. Something
about the crystals and the energy field and us being transported through time.
Somehow it all has a connection to Robert Davenport’s death and family secrets.
But when I try to put the pieces together they don’t make a picture.”

He gave her a hug. “Sounds like we need a few more pieces.
But since there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about that tonight, I say
we set the puzzle aside and enjoy the evening.”

Dinner at the Emerald Patio was nothing short of romantic
perfection. The outdoor restaurant was laid out so guests could see the ocean
on one side and the glorious pinks and oranges of the sunset over the mainland
on the other. Dinner was a gastronomical treat adapted from the newly
discovered flavors of Havana, Cuba.

By the time the waiter served their dessert of flan with
warm caramel sauce, Maggie’s brain finally succumbed to Noah’s suggestion to
forget about the myriad questions and simply enjoy the sensual delights around
her. But of all those delights, nothing was more sensually arousing than the
man across the table from her. She moved her bare foot until she found Noah’s
leg and tickled him with her toes.

His mouth curved into a sly grin and she watched his eyes
darken with desire. In an instant she felt her body awaken to the promise of
pleasure. Like the sweet sauce on her tongue, his heated look was warm and
tantalizing and made her anxious for another taste. It teased her nipples into
tight little buds then moved downward through her abdomen until it settled in
her pussy. Silently she mouthed the words,
I want you
, and his sharp
intake of breath assured her he was more than willing to give her whatever she
wanted.

Maggie caught the knowing look on the waiter’s face as Noah
hurriedly requested their check but she didn’t care what anyone thought about
their rush to leave. Her mind was already blurred with visions of Noah removing
her clothes, stroking her body, filling her with his thick, hot penis. For so
many years she had believed she lacked the ability to enjoy sex like the
heroines in her romance novels. Lust was an abstract concept that was
completely alien to her outside those books. And yet, since Noah had come back
into her life, lust had become a driving force. An obsession.
An addiction.
She could not get enough of him. It was almost as if she wanted to store up for
the day she would have to go on without him.

Noah helped her out of her chair and nudged her away from
the patio. As soon as their feet touched the boardwalk he pulled her into a
light jog. He had her giggling in seconds and the momentary shadow of
insecurity was blown away.

“Wait,” she said breathlessly at the door of the bungalow.
“We’re going to track in sand.”

He laughed aloud and gave her a quick kiss. “We’re on the
beach. I think the maid expects to clean up sand in the room. But you just gave
me an idea.”

She was fully expecting another ram-it-up-against-the-door
session but instead he led her straight into the bathroom and turned on the hot
water in the tub at a trickle. Her hormones were pumped for a quickie, not a
leisurely soak. But as he turned back to her there was nothing leisurely about
him.

He grabbed the lapels of her jacket, tugged it off her
shoulders and down her arms and tossed it out of the small room. “I have wanted
to do that all day.” Her prim blouse was the next to go. “In fact, I’m thinking
of burning this whole outfit. You are way too sexy to be this covered up.”

She chuckled as he swiftly unhooked her skirt then sent it
and the blouse the way of the jacket. As anxious as she was to be out of the
dowdy outfit, she wanted him out of his clothes as well. Hands and arms tangled
as she went for his shirt buttons and he struggled with her underthings. In
seconds they were both naked, flesh pressed to flesh, hands groping furiously
to touch and feel every inch as quickly as possible.

His mouth closed over hers and he pushed his tongue between
her teeth. She playfully bit the intruder then sucked it deeper. His cock
twitched against her belly and she moaned her need into his mouth. But when she
wrapped her fingers around his sex, he took both her hands and placed them on
his shoulders.

“Hold on tight,” he murmured against her lips then kissed
his way down her throat to her chest and nipped each rosy tip before kneeling
at her feet. “Open for me,” he said, tapping the inside of her knees.

As she spread her legs, her vagina quivered and gushed in
readiness though he hadn’t yet touched her cunt.

“So pretty,” he said then massaged her clit with his thumb
as his index and middle fingers slid smoothly into her slit. “And sooo wet.”
His thumb and fingers found a rhythm together, up and down, in and out. “I know
I haven’t touched you here all day so it must have been something you’ve been
thinking about. Tell me, sugar, what got you so wet?”

He kept working at her nerve center, inside and out at the
same time. If he just picked up the pace a bit… She tilted her hips and
squeezed his shoulders.

“Words,” Noah ordered. “I know you want to come and I want
to do it for you but first you have to pay my price.” He pushed his fingers
deeper then curled them forward as his thumb pressed hard to squeeze the
sensitive spot between.

She whimpered and clutched his shoulders as she shuddered
from head to toe. The sensation was as powerful as an orgasm without any of the
relief.

“Words.” His fingers and thumb went back to the steady stroking.

She took a deep breath as she met his gaze. He was obviously
having fun making her crazy. Later she would get him back but now she just
wanted him to do that thing again. “You don’t have to touch me to get me hot. I
look at you and I think of sex. I hear you talk and I think of sex. I close my
eyes and I see you naked and hard and all I can think about is being fucked by
you. Now, do that again.”

He obeyed, making her moan aloud before upping his game. He
replaced his thumb with his mouth, making love to her whole pussy with his
tongue and teeth and lips. His fingers repeatedly curled and scissored inside
her, driving her a little crazier with every stroke. She didn’t know what he
was doing to her but her whole body felt like a sex organ, swelling and pulsing
and ready to explode. “
Please
,” she managed to whisper and again he
obeyed.

His tongue focused on her clit, running up and down over the
sensitized nub. Suddenly he gave it a nip and a hard suck as his fingers
pressed against the other side of her vaginal wall.

She cried aloud as her climax broke free and racked her body
with wave after wave of pleasure.

A cloud of passion still surrounded her as he helped her
step into the tub and sit on the edge. She was totally sated yet seeing his
beautiful cock stretched to its limits cleared the fog from her mind. “Are we
finally going to get to play in the water?”

He grinned at her. “Not yet. I have something else in mind.”

She watched him quickly wash the sand off his feet and
calves then kneel in front of her. Rather than giving her feet an equally quick
wash, his wet hands moved gracefully over her toes, the arches, heels, ankles
and up her calves. When not a single grain of sand was left, he placed her
right foot on his taut thigh and soaped up his hands. Starting at her knee, he
massaged her calf muscles with his sudsy fingers then rinsed the soap off.

Her first thought was that it didn’t seem fair for him to
have given her such incredible sexual satisfaction plus give her a massage but
it felt too good to stop him. When he added more soap to his hands and started
on her foot she decided being a little selfish wouldn’t be so terrible.

Then she saw his cock twitch and a bead of pre-cum surfaced.
Hadn’t he said something about liking her feet? The expression on his face as
he watched his own hands massaging her foot was definitely more than admiring.
He
really
liked her feet. And as he traced each toe with his finger as
though it was a work of art that he was privileged to touch, she was torn
between bewilderment and fascination. When he gave extra attention to a spot on
the inside of her heel, she decided she also
really
liked what he was
doing.

He rinsed the soap off the well-loved foot and moved his
attention to her other leg. Following a similar pattern, he started on her calf
and massaged his way down over the top of her foot to her toes, played with
each one then worked his magic on the arch and heel. She couldn’t help but
notice that what he was doing for her was keeping
him
in a full state of
arousal.

What was more amazing was how her own body was reacting to
his service. Each time he pressed and rotated his thumb on a certain spot on
her inner foot she felt a response in her womb as though there was a direct,
almost threadlike connection. Besides that she was being slowly aroused by
his
arousal and could finally see why he had wanted to watch her masturbate.

He was making love to her feet. And it was one of the most
erotic things she had ever seen.

When he rinsed the soap off this time, she slid her foot along
his inner thigh, past his sex and stroked the valley between his cheeks with
her big toe. His reactive shiver let her know what she was doing was more than
okay. She eased her foot back, tickling his balls with her toes along the way
then scraped the nails up and down the length of his shaft.

He held her foot still against his cock, closed his eyes and
went rigid for several seconds. She wanted to please him but wasn’t sure what
to do next so she remained unmoving as well. A few heartbeats later he seemed
to have regained control. Releasing her foot, he stood and helped her out of
the tub. Again she waited quietly as he dried her feet with the greatest care.

Before rising he placed a tongue-swirling kiss on her
clitoris that sent her simmering arousal soaring again. She let him lead her
back to the bed and pose her as he wished—on her back, knees bent, feet planted
on his upper chest with him kneeling between her thighs. The head of his penis
nudged her clit then rode down to her opening and back up again and her body
instantly sent more lubrication to assist him with his entry.

As the tip of his erection eased into her, he captured one
of her feet in each of his hands and brought one to his face. His lips closed
over the big toe as his hips thrust forward, burying his cock deep in her
vagina. The look of ecstasy on his face suggested he was about to climax, but a
moment later he plunged into her again, somehow harder and deeper than ever
before.

She was completely at his mercy, impaled in place as he ferociously
fucked her cunt, and there was nowhere else she would rather be. Each time he
sucked one of her toes, he pressed the sensitive spot beneath her ankles and a
hot spear of pleasure shot down her legs to her clit. The sensations were
rocking her so strongly she felt as though she had levitated off the bed. It
was strange and a little scary and she wanted it to go on forever.