Exposed (21 page)

While she was on the phone, Brandon idly surveyed his surroundings. The reception area featured bright, contemporary furnishings and lush watercolors that captured various images of St. Croix—white-sand beaches, quaint shops meandering down a cobblestone street, multicolored costumes worn by Carnivale revelers, a sailboat drifting lazily across the shimmering surface of the ocean.

Brandon felt a pang of regret, thinking of the romantic weekend getaway he and Tamia had discussed but never got around to scheduling. Now that he was in the thick of trial preparation, taking a trip was out of the question. At least
Tamia
would enjoy some fun in the sun this weekend, he mused.

Seconds later, he turned at the sound of voices approaching.

Dominic Archer was escorting two suit-clad businessmen down the corridor. When he saw Brandon standing at the reception desk, he did a double take.

After ushering his clients to the elevator, he returned to greet Brandon, smiling affably and shaking his hand. “Coun-selor. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I had a meeting in the building,” Brandon said casually, “so I just thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

“That’s cool, my man. It’s good to see you.” Dominic’s smooth smile broadened. “Did Melody offer you anything to drink? Want some coffee, juice, water?”

“No, thanks. I’m good. This is a really nice setup you have,” Brandon remarked as they gravitated away from the reception desk, where Melody was efficiently manning the phone lines. “I was just admiring the paintings of St. Croix. Gorgeous island.”

“Yes, it most certainly is,” Dominic proudly agreed.“I have a big, beautiful home in Frederiksted, where I spend a few months out of the year.”

“You’re a very lucky man.” Brandon smiled lazily.“Speak-ing of which, how’s your lovely wife doing?”

“She’s doing well. You know, keeping herself busy with her volunteer activities and charity work.”

“Too busy to monitor your comings and goings?”

At the sharp glance Dominic gave him, Brandon flashed a conspiratorial grin and elaborated, “If she keeps herself
too
busy, she won’t complain and nag you about the long hours you work.”

“Right, right.” Dominic laughed, clapping him compan-ionably on the shoulder. “You’re one step ahead of the game,
mehson.
Now you just need to get married.”

“Eventually,” Brandon said blandly.“There’s no rush.”

Dominic raised a brow at him.“Does Tamia feel the same way?”

“Probably not.” Brandon grinned ruefully.“But you know how women are. They always think they’re ready for the next big step, whether it’s moving in together or walking down the aisle. But men are different. We’re more honest with ourselves.”

Dominic looked vaguely amused.“You think so?”

“Absolutely. See, we know our limitations. We know it takes a special kind of man to be a husband. To be committed to one woman. Monogamous. Faithful.”

Their eyes met, stares locking.

Suddenly the air between them crackled with challenge.

After several moments Brandon laughed, breaking the tension. And then he clapped Dominic on the shoulder, reciprocating the gesture.“I’m sure Isabel counts herself very lucky to have found one of those special, commitment-ready men I was talking about.”

Dominic smiled slowly. “Actually, we both realize how lucky we are to have each other.”

Brandon grinned.“Good answer.”

His cell phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked caller ID. It was Tamia. She’d promised to contact him once she was situated with her sister.

He tucked the phone away, letting the call go to voice mail as he returned his attention to Dominic. “Well, let me run. I know you’re a busy man, so I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

“No problem.” Dominic smiled congenially as he began escorting him from the reception area.“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Brandon.”

“You, too. Oh, hey, that reminds me. After you left, your wife and my sister really hit it off at the mayor’s fund-raiser dinner last month. Brooke mentioned something about being invited to a charity luncheon at your house next week.”

“Really? That’s great. Isabel gets homesick a lot, so the more friends she makes here, the better. But tell your sister the luncheon’s tomorrow.”

“Really?” Brandon frowned. “I could have sworn Brooke said
next
week.”

“Nope. Tomorrow.”

Brandon nodded, pressing the elevator call button.“I must have gotten the dates mixed up. My sister has the most active social calendar of anyone I know,” he added with a wry chuckle.

Dominic smiled somewhat distractedly.

“So is the wife forcing you to attend this luncheon?” Brandon asked with a sympathetic grin. “Or are you gonna make yourself scarce for the day?”

Dominic hesitated, meeting his gaze. “I’ll probably disappear for a while.”

“Smart man.” Brandon backed into the elevator and
pushed the button for the lobby. “Catch you later, bruh. And whatever you do … stay out of trouble.”

Dominic stared at him.

Brandon stared back.

This time
he
was the one smirking as the elevator doors closed.

St. Croix was even more beautiful than Tamia had imagined. It was a sun-drenched island paradise complete with swaying palm trees, white-sand beaches, sparkling turquoise waters, and steep green hillsides dotted with old sugar plantations.

The luxury resort where she was staying was romantic and secluded, and featured a lush tropical landscape. Fragrant bougainvillea and hibiscus bloomed everywhere, and towering coconut palms offered shade from the blistering Caribbean sun. The large suite she and Dominic were to share boasted a lavish decor and breathtaking ocean views.

When Tamia arrived that night, she ordered room service and dined outside on the terrace, wishing Brandon were there with her. She missed him terribly and would have given anything to turn back the clock to erase the events of the past six weeks. But she knew there was no point in wallowing in regret. All she could do was make the most of the situation and hope to God that her secrets were never exposed.

The next morning, she pampered herself with a massage at the resort’s luxury day spa. Her stocky, ebony-skinned masseur wasn’t the best-looking brotha on the island, but he had the most amazing hands.

“So tense,” he gently scolded as he kneaded her muscles, working out the stubborn kinks. “Whatsa beautiful woman like you gotta be worried foh?”

Tamia smiled ruefully.“You’d be surprised.”

As Etienne massaged her back and thighs, his strong, skilled fingers sent currents of electric sensation racing to her loins. By the time the session was over, her body was as relaxed and pliant as butter, humming pleasantly with sexual arousal.

Etienne gave her his card.“Come back and see me soon,” he told her with a wink that promised a workout between the sheets next time.

Tamia might have been tempted to take him up on the offer had she not been expecting Dominic later that evening.

After the relaxing massage, she decided to join a group of tourists headed to Buck Island for an afternoon of swimming and snorkeling. She’d never been to the Caribbean, and had traveled outside of Texas only for business trips. So she figured she’d take full advantage of this experience—especially since it was on someone else’s dime.

When the catamaran reached the palm-shaded cays that rimmed St. Croix’s fertile reef, Tamia and her fellow passengers donned their snorkeling gear and disembarked for a guided tour of an underwater world that was vibrantly alive with coral, angelfish, and brightly colored crustaceans. It was a fun, exhilarating adventure, one that Tamia knew she would never forget.

Back at the resort she showered, shampooed her hair, and changed into a slinky Juicy Couture sundress before heading down to the beachfront restaurant. At the waiter’s recommendation, she ordered a delicious meal of saltfish, conch, and fried plantain, along with soursop ice cream for dessert. She ate slowly, enjoying the beautiful scenery while she was serenaded by the rhythmic purr of steel drums.

The island men flirted shamelessly with her, addressing her
as
me darlin’
in their lilting cadences, offering to buy her drinks, and inquiring into the whereabouts of her man—aka
da foolee
—who’d been stupid enough to leave her alone that night. Tamia laughed and bantered easily with them, undeniably flattered by all the male attention. But there was only one Crucian whose cock she wanted to ride, and he couldn’t get there fast enough.

But three hours later, Dominic was a no-show.

He’d assured her that he had an early flight out of Houston, so he would arrive at the resort no later than six o’clock. But as time passed Tamia became worried, then aggravated. She checked her cell phone for missed calls. There were none. She called him three times, but he didn’t answer. She paced up and down the suite, taunted by the festive sounds of laughter and live calypso music emanating from a party on the beach.

She didn’t want to believe that Dominic would fly her all the way out to St. Croix and set her up in a five-star luxury resort—only to stand her up.

Something else must have happened, she told herself.

Something that would justify his lateness.

Something that would justify his failure to pick up the phone and call her.

By midnight, she’d gone through an entire bottle of Cruzan Rum and was sprawled across the bed in her underwear.

Unless Dominic’s plane had crashed and he was lying at the bottom of the fucking ocean, nothing would spare him the wrath of a mistress scorned.

Early the next afternoon she was sunbathing by the pool, the only activity she could handle while she nursed a slight hangover. Suddenly a shadow crossed her path, as though a dark cloud had passed over the sun.

She opened her eyes and glanced up.

Dominic stood over her lounge chair, his lazy gaze traveling the length of her bikini-clad body. He licked his lips and smiled at her.“Hey, sexy.”

She lowered her sunglasses and peered over the rims, skewering him with a look of pure, unadulterated disgust.

His expression turned sheepish.“Tamia—”

She sat up and stood so quickly that her head spun from too much Cruzan Rum.

When Dominic reached out for her, she slapped his hand away and snarled,“Don’t fucking touch me.”

She angrily wrapped her sarong around her thighs, snatched up her beach bag, and stomped off toward the hotel.

Dominic followed silently.

As soon as they reached the suite, she threw down her belongings and lit into his sorry ass.“You got some damn nerve showing up here talking about ‘Hey, sexy’ after the way you stood me up yesterday! You had me waiting up all night for you, not knowing whether you were dead or alive! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?”

He winced.“I know you’re upset—”

“
Upset?
Nigga, I’m
waaay
beyond upset! If I wanted to sit around all night waiting for some Negro to show up and fuck me, I could have kept my ass at Brandon’s place!” She jabbed an accusing finger at Dominic. “Where the hell were you last night?”

He scowled, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his linen slacks.“I was at my house in Frederiksted.”

Tamia frowned.“You spent the night there?”

He hesitated.“Yes.”

“Why? You knew I was over here waiting for you!”

“I know.” He stalked across the living area to the wet bar and poured himself a glass of Cruzan Rum. He gulped down half the contents, as if he needed liquid courage to utter what came out of his mouth next.“I was with my wife.”

Tamia stared at him, convinced that her ears were deceiving her.“Come again?”

“I was with Isabel,” he muttered into his glass. “I brought her to St. Croix with me.”

“You did WHAT?”Tamia exploded.

“I had no other choice! She was coming here anyway!”

That gave Tamia pause. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He drained his glass, then slammed it down on the bar counter. “She was planning to follow me here without my knowledge. She obviously suspected I’d be doing more than conducting business during this trip, so she wanted to catch me red-handed.”

Tamia was flabbergasted. “I don’t understand. I thought you said she was hosting a charity luncheon at your house this weekend.”

“I was mistaken.” His mouth twisted sardonically.“Appar-ently the luncheon is
next
weekend. I must have gotten the dates confused, but she never bothered to correct me because she was secretly planning to ambush me. When I confronted her on Friday night, she admitted everything.”

Tamia frowned, her eyes narrowing on his face.“How did you even
know
to confront her?”

He smirked.“A little birdie tipped me off.”

“Who?”

“Your boyfriend.”

The bottom dropped out of Tamia. Stunned, she stared at Dominic. “What are you saying?” she whispered. “Brandon knows we’re together?”

Dominic looked grim.“If he doesn’t know, he sure as hell
suspects
something. He showed up at my office on Friday afternoon claiming he’d just stopped by to say hello. I was in a meeting when he first got there, so he spoke to my receptionist. She told me afterward that he’d asked whether I was in the
office, and when she told him I’d be available shortly, he wasn’t interested in waiting. He asked her whether I had any appointment openings on Monday.” He paused, holding Tamia’s stricken gaze.“I think you can see where this is going.”

She nodded, feeling lightheaded. “If you were out of the office on Friday, he would have known you were meeting me somewhere. He asked your receptionist about Monday because that’s the same day I’m flying home.”

“Exactly.” Dominic splashed more rum into his glass.“Be-fore he left my office, he made a point of telling me how his sister and Isabel had gotten friendly at the mayor’s fund-raiser dinner, which is how
he
supposedly found out about the charity luncheon. But the thing is, when I mentioned his sister’s name to Isabel, she didn’t even remember meeting her, let alone inviting her to the luncheon.” Dominic frowned. “So how the hell did Brandon find out about it?”