Temptation Island (11 page)

A laugh took him off guard.  The woman was so much fun to poke at.  Laughter trailed him down the hall as he headed for his office.

Carm caught up with him as he stood at his desk with the phone to his ear.  Noting her look of extreme irritation Marek held up a hand to silence her and spoke into the receiver, “Yeah mon.  Can you meet us there in about a half hour? 
Oui
?  Yeah we’ll probably get a hotel.  I’ll call and book us at the Sun Tropic Resort and put your room on my tab.  Great, we’ll see you there in a few, mon. 
Au revoir
.” 

Marek placed the phone back in the cradle and turned.  Carm stood with her feet planted wide, her arms crossed over her chest and a look of supreme frustration.  Blocking his path, Carm growled, “I’m not budging until you tell me where you think you’re taking me and you tell me what you’ve decided.”

Reluctant admiration swayed Marek and he sighed in defeat.  Fine, if she wanted to play it this way.  “We’re going to St. Kitts where I have a new project I want to show you.  I think it’ll help your sister and boost her business and keep her out of Mark’s reach.”

Carm frowned at him skeptically, “So, you’ve decided to keep her on?  Wait a minute, why do you have something going on on St. Kitts, why not here?”

Impatient to get going, Marek pointedly looked at his watch and tapped a foot.  “I don’t have time to explain right now Carmen.  We have to meet Landon at the airport in a few minutes.  I promise I’ll explain everything when we’re in the air, but right now you’re just going to have to trust me.  Let’s go.”

Carm scoffed, “Trust you?  I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you.  But if you’re going to help Kate then I’ll come.”

“Wonderful, you honor me,
cheri
.”  Marek drawled with sarcasm.  Grabbing a jacket from a rack, Marek strode for the front door.

Carm scrambled after him.  “What about your housekeeper, shouldn’t you let her know you’re leaving?  And your cat.  If we’re staying overnight shouldn’t you have someone feed it?”

Marek shot Carm a dry look over his shoulder.  “You saw my cat, a missed meal wouldn’t kill her.  And Mrs. Carrins has already gone home for the night.  She’ll be back first thing in the morning, so stop worrying.  We’ll be back before you know it.”

Stepping outside Carm glared at Marek and huffed.  Hiding a grin Marek gestured to his jeep.  “Climb in, sweetheart.  Landon’s not a patient man.”

Frowning as she passed and climbed inside, Carm muttered to Marek when he joined her, “You know, you’re little nicknames are insulting and chauvinistic, so why don’t you knock if off.  You’re not flattering.”

Marek started the engine and grinned evilly.  With a look of pure devilment Marek quipped, “Whatever you say,
cupcake
.”

Carm let out a feral growl and punched him in the arm.  Laughing at her paltry attempt to hurt him, Marek gunned the engine and tore down the hill.  He couldn’t help but rip through the thick mass of foliage when Carm gripped the dash for dear life and braced her feet on the floor.  He knew it was childish, but a man had to have something, didn’t he?

The rest of the drive went quickly and in silence.  Carm spent the time alternating between muttering under her breath and scowling at him.  Since he guessed her muttering wasn’t very flattering Marek was glad he couldn’t make it out.

Even as they pulled into the airport and made their way to the landing pad, Carm kept quiet.  Marek knew he’d ticked her off with his little driving stunt when she asked Landon if he knew how to fly “like a responsible adult”.

Marek couldn’t help but laugh at that.

After they were seated, buckled and had their headphones on, Marek asked, “Have you ever flown in a chopper before?”

Carm shook her head, her face a little pale. “No, I haven’t.  I didn’t know Landon was a pilot. He has a license right? Wasn’t he the keyboard player in your band?  Do all you guys have other jobs?”

Marek flashed a smile and nodded, “Playing reggae don’t pay the bills, Carm.  Don’t you worry about Landon, he’s the best pilot in the Caribbean.  Before he came down here he was a chopper pilot in the U.S. Coast Guard.  I trust him with my life.”

Landon leaned around in his seat and grinned, “Just don’t trust me with the ladies, ain’t that right Bro?”

Marek laughed.  Landon was a smooth talker with the ladies all right.  “Get us in the air, mon and stop embarrassing Carm.”

Marek watched Carm shift uncomfortably as Landon turned his dimples on her and wiggled his eyebrows.  The man was a menace.

Landon turned back in his seat and said into the headphones, “Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen.  It’s time for takeoff.”

Marek watched Carm closely as the helicopter lifted into the air.  Her eyes were wide as saucers and she’d reached over and gripped his hand, hers trembling lightly.  He could tell she was unnerved by the shifts and dips the chopper took as it leveled into the air.  Hoping to turn her attention Marek yelled, “It’s a beautiful flight, Carm.”

She jumped and let go of his hand.  Looking at him Carm frowned and tapped her headpiece. “You don’t have to yell, Marek.  I hear you just fine.”

Marek feigned a look of sheepishness, as if he hadn’t done it one purpose.  “Sorry about that,
cheri
.  I thought you’d like a little tour guide.”

Carm shook her head.  “What I want is for you to tell me what we’re doing and when we’re going to fix our little personal problem as well.”

“We’ll go see Big Bubba when we get back tomorrow.  See what he knows and find out if his ceremony was actually even legal.  He got ordained through the internet a year or so back so that he could make a few more bucks by luring drunken tourists into tying the knot.  At least he said he was ordained.  We’ll find out tomorrow if he’s legit or scamming everyone.”  Landon laughed into the headphones reminding Marek he could hear everything.  He knew Landon was enjoying himself on Marek’s behalf.  He couldn’t really blame him because he knew if the tables were turned he’d be laughing his ass off right now.

He’d get even with him later though, but right now he had Carm’s full attention and he noticed some color had seeped back into her face.  Marek wanted to keep her mind occupied so she wouldn’t freak out.  When he saw her eyes drift out the window and her hand tightly gripped his again, Marek rushed to turn her attention back on him.

“You wanted to know why we’re going to St. Kitts.  It’s simple really.  My father owned acres of unused land high up the mountain down there.  There’s some huge tax breaks given to companies that do business there, so I’ve taken advantage of that and the high elevation to start a new breed of organic shade coffee there.”

Carm looked at him in confusion, “Don’t you grow coffee on Tortola?”

“I do, that’s the coffee your sister buys.  This new coffee, however, will be very unique and exclusive.  The higher the elevation is that the coffee is grown in, the better the quality. High elevation produces a better environment for the coffee and shade grown is better than sun grown, although some will argue that fact.  I’m combining all the best elements with these new plants and will produce one of the most exclusive, high end coffees available on the market.”

Understanding dawned on her and Carm nodded, “So you want to cut Kate in on this deal?  Give her some of this coffee?”

Marek affirmed his intent with a nod.  Carm gave his hand that she was holding a squeeze and remained silent.  He didn’t miss the moisture in her eyes, however. 

Giving her hand a responding squeeze, Marek turned his head and gazed out at the clear aqua water below them.  That odd, aching clutch in his chest began again at the sight of Carmen’s unshed tears. 

It was almost enough to start a man worrying.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Carm set a shaky foot on solid ground and sent up a silent prayer thanks that she’d made it to St. Kitts in one piece.  Never the best flier under the best of circumstances, it had taken all she had to keep from flinging to the floor in terror screaming, “We’re going down, we’re going down!”

Needless the say the flight had experienced a few bumps of turbulence along the way.  Of course it hadn’t fazed Marek.  Oh no, of course not.  He’d become unusually chatty on the trip and had passed the time telling her all about his business.  Most of it she hadn’t heard over the roaring rush of blood in her ears.

And, when Marek had slacked off in the conversation Landon had picked it up, yammering on about all manner of insignificant things.  One thing in particular she recalled him discussing was the abundance of hot women that stayed at the resort on St. Kitts.  If she didn’t know any better she’d think that was the only reason why Landon had agreed to charter them in the first place.  Only in the hopes of picking up women.

Not that Landon really needed much help.  The guy practically oozed charm and charisma.  Even with his slightly wild appearance there was something quite appealing about Landon Harper.  There was more there than met the eye, that’s for sure.  He came off as a carefree beach bum, but Carm knew that wasn’t the whole story.  Not if the guy had been a pilot in Somalia. 

Carm took a step forward and felt her legs buckle.  Before she hit the ground a pair of strong, tan hands gripped her elbows and steadied her.  Like an electric shock, a zing shot up her arms and zipped through her veins.  Without looking behind her she knew it was Marek who touched her.

Jerking away from his unsettling touch, Carm continued on.  She heard Marek chuckle, the sound rumbling low in his chest.  Her heart responded to the provocative noise with a giddy skip. 

“You’re welcome, sugar.  I’d have hated to see you fall on your pretty face.” 

He was incorrigible.  He just couldn’t let an opportunity go by, could he?  He had to needle her every chance that came along.

Choosing to ignore him, Carm stopped and turned to search for Landon.  She found him fiddling with something on the sleek dash of his black helicopter and yelled, “Aren’t you coming, Landon?”

Landon shook his dreadlocks and smiled, “I don’t think so, darlin’.  Not my thing, but you go have some fun.  I’ll meet up with you all later at the resort.  I’ve got a friend round here I have an itch to see.”

I’ll bet you do, you horny toad.  And what is it with the men around here using those annoying pet names on me?  Do I have a sign that begs men to talk to me like some dimwitted playmate pin-up?

Plastering a big fake smile on her face Carm spun around and started walking again.  She couldn’t wait to get back to Tortola and hop on the first available plane out of here back to reality.  She’d had about enough of pigheaded men and their sweet talk. 

Carm wanted to get home to Kate and some peace and quiet.  Speaking of Kate, she’d be chewing her nails down to the quick right now worried about what was going on.  Carm had called her after Marek had left that morning and Kate had been near tears then.  Thinking it might upset her more, Carm had avoided telling Kate about her little screw-up and had spent ten minute trying to reassure her.  Kate blamed her behavior on hormones, but Carm knew it was more than that.  It was her life that hung in the balance.

Marek steered Carm to a waiting jeep and they climbed in.  Lost in her own thoughts, Carm barely paid attention to her surroundings.  Thick, tangling foliage dimly registered in her mind as she daydreamed.  Her thoughts were firmly stuck on Kate and how thrilled she’d be when Carm told her the good news.  At least she had that to thank Marek for.

Carm broke out of her daydream as they climbed high into the mountain.  She’d noticed on their flight in that the mountain was so tall a ring of clouds surrounded it in a dense fog.  As they climbed higher over rough, primitive tracks a mist started to settle around them.

Glancing uneasily at Marek, Carm tightened her seatbelt.  Marek caught her action and laughed.  “Did you have a nice trip there?  You looked like you were pretty far away.  And if you’re worried about my driving, don’t be.  I’ve traveled this road many times.  It leads right to the field where my plants are.  I have a number of other fields, but I haven’t plowed them yet.  This is the only one so far and the most accessible.”

Carm noticed the mist was turning into a soft rain.  “I don’t have a coat Marek and it’s raining.”

Marek didn’t take his eyes off the road when he answered, “They don’t call it the rainy season for nothing, sugar.  Actually, it’s probably more due to the fact we’re so high up the side of the volcano.  We’ll be there soon,
cheri
.  It’s just around the next big curve.  There’s a small shack I built there that should have some rain ponchos so you won’t get wet.”

That’s right.  Carm had forgotten that Marek had said St. Kitts’s mountain was actually an inactive volcano.  He’d also mentioned that the soil conditions were perfect for growing coffee.

The jeep hit a particularly jarring rut that shot Carm out of the seat and almost whacked her head on the roof.  Letting out a small yelp, Carm whipped her arms up just in time and her hands smacked it instead.