Seduced by Moonlight (6 page)

She was smiling at her daughter, a cute kid in jeans, a red sweater and white athletic shoes. The kid resembled her mom a great deal except her skin tone was a few shades darker.

The daughter looked up and saw his approach. She said something to her mother and Cherisse Washington glanced up and the expression on her lovely face was priceless. He had no doubt she recognized him from last Saturday night. Now here they were a week later.

Harry silently thanked God for his good fortune. He felt like grinning but pushed away the impulse. He didn't want Cherisse to get the idea that he was especially glad to see her. He smiled his “pleased to meet you” business smile as he got closer—all lips, no teeth. “Hello, Mrs. Washington, Danielle,” he greeted them.

Both mother and daughter went to get up but he gestured for them to remain seated. “Please don't get up. I'll join you.” And he sat down between them. He offered Cherisse his hand. As they shook, he said, “Do you remember me from Saturday night? We chatted a while on the balcony.”

Cherisse blushed. Her hand trembled a little in his grasp. She withdrew it and said with a smile, “Yes, I do. And I'm really embarrassed, now, that I didn't recognize you.”

“Don't be,” he said. “It's kind of nice not being recognized.” He turned to Danielle, who was riveted by their conversation. They shook hands also. “Good to meet you, Danielle.”

“Thanks, likewise,” she told him with a huge grin. “You look even better in person than you do in photos.”

“Danielle!” exclaimed her mother.

Harry thought she was probably mortified by her daughter's candid remark. He was not in the least. He saw an opportunity to glean some information about her mother, since it was obvious the daughter was much less willing to be restrained by social etiquette.

He smiled. “At forty-two,” he said, “I'm lucky to get any sort of compliment. Thank you, Danielle.” He regarded Cherisse. “How was your drive up?”

Cherisse relaxed. “Very nice, the conditions were perfect for driving.”

“Good,” said Harry. His eyes raked over her face. She had a mole on the left corner of her full, sensual mouth. Harry thought it made her mouth all the more kissable.

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his chair. He couldn't let himself get turned on by Cherisse Washington while her daughter was sitting two feet away.

So he turned to Danielle. “I'm impressed by your skills on the slopes, young lady. John Santiago gave me a tape of your last race. You're amazing. How did you get interested in skiing?”

“Mr. Santiago came to our school to introduce us to his program. I was on the basketball team then. He invited anyone who was interested to go on a field trip to the Sonnenalp Resort here in Vail.”

“A great resort,” Harry said.

Danielle smiled her agreement. “Yeah, and I've been hooked ever since.”

“Where did you get your drive, your ambition?” Harry asked. With him, he had always been a big kid and the high school coach saw his potential and asked him to try out for the team. Harry's incentive had been to become a success by any means necessary, and his talents had always been physical. Today, he was an avid reader and enjoyed learning new things. But in school he had had little interest in books and had squeaked by with a C average. Luckily, back then that was all you needed to be on the football team. In college, he had learned to apply himself more.

But he was truly fascinated by Danielle's drive at such a young age. At seventeen, he'd been happy to be on the football team and have a girlfriend. Danielle already had her sights on the Olympics.

“Mom always told me I could do anything I wanted to,” Danielle told him, her eyes downcast as if she were too shy or modest to meet his gaze. She looked up at her mother and Harry could see the love she had for Cherisse reflected in her eyes.

“Mom was a fierce basketball player when she was my age,” she said with a smile. “When I was growing up I always saw her doing something physical practically every day. She jogged, played tennis, even ran a few marathons. She inspired me. And my dad used to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Charlie Washington.”

Harry did grin this time. “Your father was a great defensive back. What is he doing nowadays?”

“He was just hired by the University of Colorado at Denver as a recruiter,” Danielle said proudly.

Cherisse could do nothing but smile. Danielle loved her father. Even when she was little she never blamed him for not seeing her more often. She never heaped recriminations on him for not helping to support her financially over the years, either. Whenever she saw him, she was simply happy to be in his presence.

“So he's moving to Denver?” Harry asked. Here, he had to school his expression because he definitely didn't like the sound of that. Was Cherisse's ex-husband returning to reconnect with his daughter perhaps, or with Cherisse?

It wasn't an unreasonable concern, especially since he felt more drawn to Cherisse than ever. Over the years he'd known several divorced couples who reconciled after many years apart.

Harry was happy when Cherisse spoke up. “Yes, now that he's retired, Charlie wants to spend more time with his daughter.”

“That's great,” Harry said. “If I had a daughter I would definitely want to be there for her.”

“You're not married with children at your age?” asked Danielle incredulously.

Once again, her mother looked mortified.

Harry just chuckled. “You sound like my mother. No, I've never met the right woman, I guess.” He looked Cherisse straight in the eyes when he said that.

She blushed again.

“Well, maybe you and your girlfriend will get married and have children,” Danielle said, obviously fishing.

Cherisse gave Harry a look that said “I can't take her anywhere!”

Still laughing softly, Harry said, “I'm afraid we just broke up.”

Danielle gave him a huge grin.

Cherisse's expression was sympathetic. “I'm so sorry, Ha—Mr. Payne.”

Harry placed his hand atop hers. “Please call me Harry.” He quickly withdrew his hand but not before Danielle saw the gesture and started calculating how she was going to get her mother and Harry Payne alone together.

If she let this golden opportunity pass her by she would never forgive herself.

Harry Payne was coming on to her mother!

A few minutes later, Harry was ushering them into the suite they would be spending the night in. It was a loft-style suite with exposed beams. Cherisse immediately fell in love with it.

There was a bedroom with two beds in it and a living room, all fitted with custom-made Bavarian furnishings. A gas-log fireplace was in the living room, and the bathroom had a large sunken tub, a separate walk-in shower and heated tile floors.

Cherisse and Danielle declared that everything was beautiful and thanked Harry profusely. Harry looked faintly embarrassed by their thanks and praise.

“I'm glad you like it. Danielle, this is where you'll stay whenever you come up here to use the facilities. And your mother and grandmother—John told me you and your mother live with your grandmother—are welcome to stay with you. Feel free to order anything from room service and if you need anything else we have a concierge who is very good at satisfying any whim of our guests. Make use of him when you want something that's not on the room service menu, or you awake in the middle of the night with an urge for ice cream.”

“Don't tell her that,” Cherisse joked. “She'll work the poor man to death.”

They all laughed, after which Danielle asked, “May I go for a trial run?”

She knew her mother hated the snow. She hadn't been able to entice her to try skiing in the four years she had been a part of Mr. Santiago's youth organization. She didn't think she would be able to get her mother outside in the snow now.

With her mother left behind, maybe Harry Payne would be enticed to stay and entertain her.

“Sure you can,” Harry said at once. “I'll go change into my ski gear. You and your mother do the same, and I'll meet you in the lobby in twenty minutes.”

Danielle's face fell. “Mom doesn't ski,” she said regretfully, her gaze resting on her mother who, if Harry wasn't mistaken, was giving her daughter a warning with her eyes.

A warning her daughter was conveniently ignoring.

“Then I'll arrange for someone to take you,” Harry suggested, rolling with the punches. “And I'll give your mother a tour of the rest of the resort while you're gone.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Danielle said, and gleefully fled into the bedroom to change.

In her absence, Harry said to Cherisse, “She's really a handful.”

“You don't know the half of it,” Cherisse said with an exaggerated sigh.

Now that they were alone it was as if pretending that last Saturday night had not meant anything to them could be dispensed with.

Cherisse sat on the overstuffed couch and gestured for Harry to sit next to her. “What happened with your girlfriend, Harry? Did you argue over her insensitivity toward your mother?”

Harry remembered that he had told her about Marcia's opinion that he was tied to his mother's apron strings. “No, that wasn't it, although that has something to do with my being able to get over her as well as I am. Do you know LaShaun Gregory? He plays for the Broncos.”

Even though she didn't follow football, Cherisse lived in Denver and LaShaun Gregory was the darling of the Broncos. His name was splashed across newspapers, television and radio on a daily basis, it seemed.

“I've heard of him,” she said, her expression full of concern for Harry.

Harry felt warmed by her sympathy and even more warmed by her nearness. She had the kind of natural beauty that enticed him. Most of the women he knew applied makeup to walk outside to get the morning paper. And she'd come all the way to Vail to meet her daughter's sponsor with nothing on, that he could see, except red lipstick. That was utterly sexy to him. But then, looking closely, he saw that her black lashes were already full and lush, mascara wouldn't do them justice, and her skin was healthy and vibrant. What other artificial beauty enhancer did she need?

The fact that she had applied lipstick told him that she was aware that her mouth was one of her best features, she wanted to bring it out, say “look at my mouth, isn't it something?” And it was.

“Harry?” she said softly.

Harry had been lost in her mouth. He laughed softly. “Oh, yeah, we were talking about Marcia and LaShaun. Apparently they were an item before he strayed and chose the other woman over her. Angered by his infidelity, Marcia vowed to make him pay. So she set her cap for me. She used me to make him jealous and to bring him to his knees.”

Cherisse shook her head. “That's so cruel.”

Harry sighed. “But it worked like a dream. She says they're back together now and I should be happy I'm free to play the field.”

Cherisse took his big hand in hers. “You're a good man, Harry. You'll meet someone more suited to you, someone who'll love the fact that you're so close to your mother. I don't know how Marcia could have a problem with that. I always thought a man who loved his mother had more respect for other women.”

She loved the feel of his hand in hers. It made her feel safe and secure. In fact, her body was entirely too happy to be sitting this close to Harry Payne. She felt her nipples begin to strain against the fabric of her bra and was glad she was wearing a dark color that would help to conceal her arousal.

She inhaled and exhaled and realized that her heartbeat had picked up its pace. As a nurse she was trained to notice changes in a person's vital signs and she was well aware that she had no business sitting on a couch holding Harry Payne's hand.

Harry, for his part, was content to hold her hand all day long if she would let him. She intrigued him and generally threw his libido into overdrive. He wondered how he was going to get around the fact that he was her daughter's sponsor.

He knew instinctively that Cherisse would see that as a problem when he told her he wanted to date her. Date her?
Get serious, Harry,
he thought,
you want this woman in your arms, preferably naked.

H
arry asked Cory Newman, one of the best ski instructors on staff, to take Danielle up the mountain and show her the trails that would challenge her. Cory, twenty-two, didn't like having to babysit some teenaged ski prodigy for the afternoon when he could have been taking paying guests up the mountain and showing off his skills to an appreciative audience.

They took the lift to Vail's world-famous Back Bowls, which was 2,966 acres of wide-open ski terrain. Cory took her to Blue Sky Basin, a spot that provided more rugged terrain and hence an exciting skiing experience.

He expected her to fall on her butt any minute now as he watched her schuss down the nicely packed light snow. Behind her, he began to admire her form and her daring, although he was a little apprehensive about the daring part. He had promised her mother he would bring her back without any broken bones.

Danielle came to a stop a few yards from the lift station and looked back at Cory through her goggles. The sun reflected brightly on the snow, so it was always advisable to shield her eyes. And the altitude was hard on the body, so Danielle made sure she was properly hydrated. She had a water bottle strapped to the back of her waist.

She took a few sips while she waited for Cory to catch up.

When he did arrive, he was laughing. “Okay, I give it to you, you're good. But you also take way too many risks. You can't go to the Olympics with a broken leg and definitely not with a broken neck.”

After satisfying her thirst, Danielle was busy applying more sunscreen to her exposed skin. But she was also listening. She loved skiing and it was true that her style looked reckless because she put so much energy into it, and speed was second nature to her, but deep down she was always contemplating her twists and turns and keeping her eyes peeled for pitfalls in the terrain.

Of all her ski heroes she had never known one who did not go for broke every time they were on the powder.

“Thanks,” she said with sincerity. “I'll watch it next time.”

This was their second run down the mountain.

“It's safe to go one more time, then,” Cory said, looking at the sky. “I think it's getting ready to snow. Visibility isn't going to be good.”

They made their way to the lift, boarded and he locked them in. As the lift rose into the air, Danielle asked, “Why do you work for a resort?”

“The pay's good,” Cory said, “and where else would I get the chance to ski practically every day of the season?”

“I see what you mean,” Danielle said. She smiled at the short, muscular instructor.

He reminded her of a California surfer. Golden hair, blue eyes, tanned skin. “You look more like a snowboarder to me,” she told him. “Or a surfer, but isn't snowboarding derived from surfing?”

Cory looked impressed. “I see you've done your homework. Yeah, I've done some surfing in my day. And I love snowboarding. You ought to try it next time you come.”

“Oh, I've already tried it,” Danielle told him. “It's great, but I like the feeling of being in control I get from Alpine skiing.”

Cory laughed. “You don't look like you're in control out there.”

“But I am,” Danielle assured him.

“Your mother probably freaks every time she watches you compete,” he said astutely.

“She closes her eyes a lot,” Danielle admitted.

She wondered what sort of amusement Harry Payne had found for her mom while she was enjoying the great outdoors.

 

“Karibu Resorts announces the grand opening of our two-to-three-bedroom condominiums. At two thousand square feet, the units boast only the finest amenities, including hardwood floors, Berber carpeting, flagstone and marble tile and granite slab countertops in the kitchens. The kitchen is a cook's dream with the latest appliances including a refrigerator, cooktops, a microwave and convection oven. And for you mermaids, there is a massaging tub in the master bedroom. As always the units will have wireless Internet access and flat-screen televisions with surround sound, plus satellite radio.”

Harry and Cherisse were standing among the small crowd of staff, guests and media people gathered at the site of the new condominiums listening to Harry's general manager, Peter Wisdom, give a statement to the press.

“Shouldn't that be you up there?” Cherisse joked.

Harry smiled. “I try to stay in the background as much as possible. I derive pleasure from watching my plans for the resort come together.”

“Karibu Resort is offering a lucky family of four a week's vacation in one of our new condominiums. To enter, simply go to Karibu-dot-com and sign up, or you may mail in the entry forms found in last week's local papers and trade magazines. The drawing will be held on November thirtieth. Now, the tour of the first furnished condominium is officially underway. Please join us. And thank you for coming out today.” Peter finished with a flourish and people began entering the condo in an orderly fashion.

With his hand at the base of her spine, Harry asked Cherisse, “Would you like to see our new baby?”

“I wouldn't miss it,” Cherisse said enthusiastically.

The condo looked like an elegantly appointed home in an upscale neighborhood.

“How many guests can stay in each unit?” Cherisse asked. It was big enough to accommodate quite a few people.

“Six in the two-bedroom units and eight in the three-bedroom units,” Harry answered. “We have to comply with fire codes. There are always guests who break the rules, though, and they're hard to catch.”

Cherisse laughed softly. “Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem.”

Her cell phone rang. She thought of letting the message function kick in, but when she pulled it from her purse and read the name on the screen, she hurriedly answered. It belonged to Gerald, one of the nurses she worked with. Gerald had never had occasion to phone her in the past and she knew he had to have a very good reason to do so now.

“Gerry?” she answered, her voice rife with concern.

Gerald was laughing. “Oh, Cheri, I know you're somewhere in Vail this weekend but I thought you would want to know—Amy woke up!”

Tears of joy came to Cherisse's eyes and she started laughing, too. “Thank God! Has she said anything yet?”

“Yeah,” Gerald reported, “she said, ‘I'm so thirsty, may I have a Coke?'”

“And when you told her she could have water instead?” Cherisse prompted.

“She said, ‘Aaw, man, I hate water,'” Gerald said, still laughing. He pulled himself together. “I'll let you go now. Have fun in Vail!”

“Thanks for calling, Gerry, I'm so happy for Amy. 'Bye now.”

Cherisse closed the phone and put it back in her shoulder bag. Looking up at Harry, she said, “That was one of the nurses I work with. A patient, a little girl who sustained severe head injuries and was in a coma, woke up today. She wasn't expected to pull through so it feels like a miracle.”

Harry was smiling because he had watched her during the entire conversation and had been highly charmed by her show of compassion. How her expression had gone from worry to sheer joy in a matter of seconds when her nurse friend had given her the good news. She genuinely cared.

“That's wonderful,” Harry said.

The tour was over and they began walking toward the exit. “May I ask how she got hurt?”

Cherisse sighed sadly. “It was her father. From what I read in the paper, the girl's mother left him and didn't bother taking their only child with her. Frustrated at being the lone parent he flew into a rage and beat the child nearly to death. He then fled the scene. A neighbor found Amy and called 911.”

“Did they ever find the father?” Harry asked, absorbed in the story.

“Oh, yeah, he's in jail now awaiting trial for attempted murder.”

“What about Amy's mother?” Harry asked hopefully.

“She never came forward,” Cherisse told him.

“So Amy goes into the system when she recovers?”

“Looks like it,” Cherisse said. “But there's always the possibility of another family member claiming her.”

As they left the condo, walking around others who had attended the debut, Harry suddenly heard his name being called.

He looked up and saw Marcia hurrying toward them, a cameraman in tow. Frowning, he muttered, “What the hell does she want?”

Cherisse had been unable to understand what he said, but her eyes followed his line of sight and once she saw Marcia Shaw, she realized that the Marcia he had told her about was one of Denver's most popular news anchors.

She paused in her steps, waiting for Harry to speak with Marcia in private. From the harried expression on Marcia Shaw's face, she was either late or had been forced into an assignment she did not want to do.

Harry's eyes narrowed as Marcia came up to him and said sotto voce, “The program director thought it would be more interesting to the viewers if I covered your condo opening. I haven't had the chance to tell her that you and I are no longer dating.”

“Sorry,” said Harry. “The general manager has already given the resort's statement to the press. The reporters from the other two TV stations and three newspapers were here on time. At the moment I'm showing an important guest around. Please excuse me. Your cameraman is free to film the condo.” He gestured to the furnished condo with a nod of his head. “It's the one with all the people coming out of it.”

Marcia gave him a pleading look. “Come on, Harry, be nice. It's a slow news day.”

“It must be if
you're
covering a condo grand opening,” Harry said dryly.

Marcia cocked a critical eye in Cherisse's direction. “Is that your important guest?”

Harry didn't reply. He turned away and began walking back to Cherisse.

“She's cute, Harry,” Marcia said. “If she would do something with that wild hair she could be a stunner.”

Cherisse heard that. The comment stung. She didn't know why Marcia Shaw was taking her frustration out on her. She was an innocent bystander.

She met Harry's eyes and saw by the fury in them that he wasn't going to let Marcia get away with her petty cruelty to a stranger.

But Cherisse walked up to him and took him by the hand. “Let it go, Harry. Miss Shaw is obviously having a bad day.

Harry shot Marcia such a blatantly belligerent look that she automatically took a step backward. “There's nothing here for us,” she said to the confused cameraman. “Let's go.”

Stiff, Harry watched Marcia quickly retreat with the cameraman lugging the heavy camera on his shoulder.

After what she'd done he was amazed that she would have the nerve to show up here asking for help with an assignment. But people like Marcia Shaw rarely worried about how they achieved their goals. The only thing that counted with them was winning. She had won LaShaun back. It didn't matter that she had strung
him
along for 90 days in order to do it!

Cherisse felt very indecisive at that moment. She didn't know Harry well at all. Was it appropriate for her to help soothe his hurt feelings? Had he been in love with Marcia?

What he'd said earlier about his being able to get over Marcia so quickly because she had unapologetically used him to make her former boyfriend jealous didn't mean he hadn't fallen for the beautiful anchorwoman. That could have been bravado.

It might not be wise for her to stick her nose in his business.

Harry turned to her. “Cheri, may I ask you a question?”

Cherisse smiled up at him. Of course if he
asked
her to stick her nose in his business it was perfectly fine. “Ask away,” she said.

“Why did you stop me from laying into that woman?”

It was an unexpected question but Cherisse rolled with it. “Because the only reason she said what she did is because she was upset that you would replace her so quickly. And with someone who is obviously unglamorous, to boot! She was livid.”

“Even though she doesn't want me and has gone back to LaShaun?” Harry asked incredulously.

“She has her pride,” Cherisse explained. “She saw me and the claws came out. I doubt if she even thought for a moment about what was going to come out of her mouth. It was instinctive.”

“So, you forgive the comment?” asked Harry, an amused glint in his eyes.

“Of course, but if she ever insults me again I'm going to pull that weave right out of her head,” Cherisse joked. “It is a weave, isn't it? Not that I've got anything against weaves, just women who wear them and then go around insulting women who don't!”

Harry laughed and took Cherisse by the elbow, directing her away from the condo and onto the walkway that led back to the main part of the resort, about a twenty-minute walk. “That's more like it,” he said. “For a minute there I thought I was in the presence of a saint.”