The Naked Truth (35 page)

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Authors: Natasha Rostova

BOOK: The Naked Truth
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Callie let that remark pass without comment. ‘I need your help, Gloria, but I don’t want Logan to know about it. If he knows I came to you, he’d be furious. You know how he is about dealing with his own problems. Even getting him to tell me about this was like pulling teeth.’
‘How much money does this woman want?’
‘Two million dollars.’
Gloria’s eyebrows shot up again. ‘Good God. What on earth for?’
‘She’s refurbishing a riverboat to turn it into a hotel and casino. I guess she wants authentic furnishings or something.’
‘Does she have collateral?’
‘I don’t know. She blackmailed Logan, so I don’t think collateral was really an issue.’
‘Why doesn’t he just give her the money?’
‘I asked him the same thing. He said that doing that could ruin him just as easily because the Lawrences are into money laundering. Plus, I think he also has some innate block against giving in to blackmail.’
‘Hmm.’
Callie could almost hear the wheels turning in her sister’s head as a waiter came up to take their orders. Callie ordered a salad, suddenly too nervous to eat anything more substantial. If Gloria was unwilling to help her, then she was at a complete loss over what to do next.
Gloria sipped her tea and placed her napkin over her lap. ‘I don’t know, Callie. That’s a great deal of money.’
‘I know.’
‘Do you know where this woman lives?’
‘Logan said she’s staying temporarily on the riverboat.’
‘I want to speak with her before I make any decisions about this.’
Callie nodded, relieved that Gloria hadn’t immediately said no. ‘I’ll go with you. I want to see this woman for myself.’
‘However, Callie, if I agree to help you and Logan, I must tell you that I have a condition of my own.’
‘A condition?’
Gloria nodded. ‘I want you to return to Logan.’
Callie stared at her sister. ‘You’re kidding.’
‘No. I’ve had enough of your nonsense, and I know Logan has as well.’
‘Great. Now you’re blackmailing me? Jesus, Gloria, what kind of sister are you?’
Gloria frowned. ‘I am not blackmailing you, Callie. I am simply tired of your behaviour, so I’m imposing a condition. And you know very well that I’ve been a good sister to you.’
‘I’ve been one to you, too!’ Callie reminded her. Her thoughts jumbled up in her head like puzzle pieces that she couldn’t fit together. Yes, she wanted to help Logan because she hated seeing him on the verge of defeat, but what would it be like if she went back to him?
‘I know you have,’ Gloria said. ‘And I don’t like seeing you so torn up about what to do with your life. You belong with Logan, sugar. You married him, and it’s about time you worked out your problems. You can’t do that unless you go back to him.’
‘I tried working things out, Gloria.’ Callie glanced around to make certain that none of the other patrons were within earshot and lowered her voice. ‘He responded by kidnapping me,’ she hissed.
Gloria’s blue eyes widened. ‘Kidnapping you?’
‘Yes. He tricked me into going on the boat, and then he handcuffed me to a bed. Can you believe it?’
Gloria stared at her for a moment before she burst into laughter.
‘Gloria!’
‘I’m sorry, sugar but, quite frankly, I think that’s extraordinary. Half the women in Savannah would give their firstborn to be kidnapped, if that’s the definition you’re using.’
‘That’s not saying much for the women of Savannah,’ Callie muttered.
Gloria’s eyes gleamed. ‘And handcuffing you to a bed, no less. That must have been absolutely delicious.’
‘No, it wasn’t.’ But even as she denied it, a quiver of excitement went through Callie’s body. She remembered certain sensations with a strikingly sharp clarity. Forbidden sensations.
‘Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re not the slightest bit flattered that he would do such a thing.’
Callie glowered at her. ‘No. I’m still angry with him about that. Who does he think I am, his property?’
‘Well, if you’re so furious with him, why do you want to help him?’ Gloria asked. ‘You can stand back and watch him sink if you’re so hostile.’
‘Well, I don’t want to do that,’ Callie muttered. ‘He’s still my husband, after all. I never wanted to see him hurt.’
‘Exactly. He’s still your husband. And if I agree to help you, then you’ll go back to him. Do we have an understanding?’
Callie rubbed at a scratch on the table and tried to understand what she was feeling deep down inside. She was surprised to discover that, above anything, she wanted Logan to be free from the shackles of his past. She didn’t want him to be tormented any longer, and she would do whatever she could to prevent that from happening.
Logan enraged and infuriated her almost beyond imagining, but these past few weeks had given her glimpses of his character that she hadn’t known existed. And with those glimpses came a sense of being connected to him in ways that went far beyond a marriage certificate. She could only hope that he wouldn’t retreat back into his shell again.
She nodded. ‘All right, Gloria. We have an understanding.’
Gloria smiled with delight. ‘Great, sugar. We’ll go and see this blackmailing bitch and deal with her together. And stop looking as if you’ve been sentenced to prison. Logan is a good man, and you know it.’
‘I know,’ Callie replied. ‘I’m just confused. I mean, I left him because I couldn’t even relate to him, but I’ve learned more about him in the last month that I have in three years. And I guess I’m just surprised at how much I want to protect him from harm.’
‘I’ll bet everything I own that he feels the same way about you.’
Callie looked at her sister. ‘You think so?’
Gloria nodded. ‘I know so.’
‘Sometimes I still doubt he feels anything for me,’ Callie admitted. ‘Or I think he wants me back only for his ego and not for any other reason.’
Gloria eyed her speculatively. ‘I suspect he wouldn’t have told you about the blackmail if he was trying to salvage his ego.’
‘True.’ Callie sighed and put her head in her hands. She groaned. ‘I don’t know, Gloria. I admit that he seems to understand both himself and me better now. And even on the boat, I felt like I was actually talking
to
him and that he was even listening. I’ve never felt like that before. But it’s all so confusing.’
‘Sure it is, sugar. Love is always confusing.’
Callie gave her startled look. ‘Love? Whoever said anything about love?’
‘Oh, please. If you’re not in love with him, then I’m not a sex goddess.’ Gloria smiled pertly. ‘And we both know that Aphrodite herself envies me.’
Gloria powdered her nose and reapplied some lipstick before grabbing her handbag and hurrying downstairs. ‘Ted?’
‘In here, darlin’.’
Gloria paused in the study, where Ted was busy watching a football game and drinking beer. He glanced up at her and gave a low whistle.
‘Well, look at you.’
Gloria smiled and twirled around so that he could admire her new violet suit with matching high-heeled shoes and handbag. The suit hugged her figure and exposed just enough of her cleavage to be enticing.
‘I declare, you look good enough to eat,’ Ted said. ‘Why don’t you come on over here so I can do just that?’
With a giggle, Gloria approached him. She bent to kiss him, letting her fingers drift down to caress his prick. ‘I’d love you to, sugar, but I have an appointment.’
‘Doing what?’
‘I have to rescue my sister and her husband,’ Gloria replied. ‘Honestly, those two manage to get themselves into the stickiest situations.’
‘So what do you have to do?’ Ted asked.
Gloria kissed him again, drawing his lower lip between her teeth. ‘We’ll talk about that later, OK? I’ll be back later this evening. Perhaps we can watch
Octo-pussy
and I’ll take you up on that offer of yours.’ She smiled as she felt his prick harden. ‘So, you just hold that thought.’
She hurried to the hall when the doorbell rang. Callie stood dressed in a dark suit on the doorstep. She looked slightly nervous.
‘Gloria, maybe this isn’t the best idea,’ she said. ‘I mean, what if –’
‘Now, don’t have second thoughts,’ Gloria replied. She took her sister’s arm and marched her to the car. ‘You can’t let people treat you and your husband like this. Really, if some bitch was doing this to Ted, do you think I’d just sit back and take it?’
‘Ted isn’t exactly Logan,’ Callie reminded her.
‘Don’t I know it,’ Gloria muttered. ‘Now, don’t you worry about a thing, sugar. I’m going to take care of everything. She knows we’re coming, I hope.’
‘Yes, I call her last night. She didn’t sound very pleasant.’
Gloria chuckled. ‘Sugar, she doesn’t even know the meaning of unpleasant. But I reckon she will after we get through with her.’
She drove to Wilmington Island and into a car park near the marina. The docks were lined with smaller boats and luxury yachts, but Elenore Lawrence’s riverboat,
The Over Easy
, was an attraction in itself. Four decks high, the brilliant white vessel must have been at least three hundred feet in length with a huge, red paddle wheel at the rear and two large smokestacks. Gingerbread trim lined the decks, giving it an air of elegance and beauty.
Callie shook her head. ‘Jesus. No wonder she needs all that money.’
They approached the gangplank that connected the riverboat to the shore. A burly man stood guard with his arms crossed. He nodded when they told him their names and ushered them inside.
‘Mrs Lawrence is waiting for you in the officer’s quarters,’ he said.
Callie and Gloria stepped on to the boat and were led inside the forecastle. The renovations were still in progress, but it appeared as if this area had been designated a sitting room and bar with crystal chandeliers and mahogany furnishings.
Before Gloria and Callie could complete their survey of the decor, a pair of carved wooden doors opened at the other end of the room. A woman stepped out, dressed in a long, blue chiffon gown with a strand of pearls around her neck. Her dark hair was swept back from her forehead, and she carried herself with a great deal of poise.
‘Hello.’ She moved towards them and extended her hand. ‘I am Elenore Lawrence.’
‘And I am Gloria Harper,’ Gloria replied sweetly, rather intrigued by the other woman’s aura of self-possession. ‘This is my sister Callie.’
Elenore’s dark gaze turned to Callie. ‘Ah. So you’re Logan’s wife.’
Callie nodded. ‘That’s correct.’
‘Isn’t that nice?’ Elenore murmured, her eyes scanning Callie from head to toe in quick but thorough assessment. ‘Do come inside. Please forgive the mess but, as you know, we’re still working. Luckily, the officer’s quarters have been finished.’
The quarters were decorated in plush green and rust with antique furniture, paintings and models of historical riverboats, velvet curtains and a mahogany bar manned by a handsome barman. Elenore gestured towards two cushioned chairs in front of the marble fireplace.
‘Please, sit. May I offer you a drink or coffee?’
‘I’d love a martini, please,’ Gloria replied, giving the barman a smile. She glanced at Callie, sensing that her sister was more than a little uncomfortable about this entire situation. It was hardly a wonder. Elenore Lawrence and her magnificent riverboat were a bit out of Callie’s league.
‘Nothing for me,’ Callie said.
‘Your boat is beautiful,’ Gloria remarked. She scanned the other woman quickly, noting the curves of her body and the weight of her breasts. Not bad for a woman who had at least twenty years over Gloria herself.
‘Thank you.’ Elenore settled into a leather, wing-backed chair. ‘I’m quite excited about it. We’ve just purchased a steam-powered organ for entertainment, and we’re working out the tour packages. We’re going to have close to a hundred staterooms, and I want to offer the finest in riverboat travel. We also plan to offer one of the largest riverboat casinos on the promenade deck.’
‘How fascinating,’ Gloria drawled. ‘Are you going to live here?’
‘No, I have a home in Hilton Head. I’m going to sell my Savannah penthouse soon.’
‘And is that how do you intend to finance this venture?’
Elenore’s expression hardened slightly. She looked from Gloria to Callie. ‘Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I believe you know that already.’
Callie nodded, her eyes flashing with hatred. ‘I think what you’re doing to my husband is abhorrent.’
Gloria cringed. Elenore laughed.
‘Do you, now?’ Elenore asked. ‘I’m terribly sorry about that.’
‘Would you excuse us for a moment, please?’ Gloria put down her martini and grasped Callie’s elbow. She tugged her sister outside and closed the doors.

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