Unconditional (2 page)

Dominic watched the provocative sway of her hips, blatantly encased in a straight-cut ivory skirt that fell just above her knees. Her high heels emphasized—he was confident—the best pair of legs he’d ever seen on a woman. The sight triggered an image of them wrapped around his waist while in the throes of down-and-dirty, sweaty sex, further inflaming his simmering desire.

He kept his gaze on her delectable, rolling butt until she disappeared from view. He couldn’t suppress a wolfish grin.

That ass, though!

He loved when she straddled him backward and rode him with sensual rolls of that shapely ass. With such perfect globes in full view, he came hard and fast every time. He grinned at the erotic memory.

She was too damn fine.

He shook his head determinedly to deflect the direction of his thoughts. Giving his audience more fodder for gossip wasn’t an option. Already, his business colleagues were looking at him with ill-disguised discomfort. He ignored them, not giving a shit what they or anyone else, for that matter, thought.

***

Rinah slammed into her office a few minutes later, her senses reeling from seeing Dominic so unexpectedly. Her limbs were still violently quivering in the aftermath of their recent encounter. She sank gratefully down in her chair behind her desk, and curled her fingers into a fist and crossed her legs at the ankles, trying to quell her trembling. She couldn’t believe what had transpired moments ago at Café Luis.

After all these months, this was how they would meet? She didn’t know what emotion affected her more, her anger from his highhandedness, or the overwhelming awareness she felt upon hearing his husky voice and getting a whiff of his familiar cologne.

The law firm had an account at that prominent eatery. She had managed to evade many of the business lunches or dinners since returning to work a month before. Dominic was the business mogul about town. This was his world, his domain, and she knew it would have been impossible to steer clear of him. As a result, she usually ate lunch at the office.

Having a brief meal at her desk allowed her to complete work as quickly as possible and get home to her children at a decent hour. Rinah smiled as she thought of her son Matt, who was a four-year-old replica of his father, and her three-month-old daughter Nicole. Nicole had her mouth and nose, but the piercing silver eyes of her father. Both children had light brown skin, a complete mixture of their parents. They were now her world, but only eight months ago, Dominic had been the center of that sphere.

Now in the quiet of her office, her mood threatened to descend into despondency. She was consumed with the memory of the end of her marriage. It was the day her husband had chosen to walk away rather than to explain or apologize for his behavior.

He’d let them go, something she never thought he’d ever do.

Long before the end, she remembered her suspicions. Dominic’s endless hours in the office, and numerous days away on business. The hurt and anger were further fueled by the malicious taunting of Flavia Kouris, one of Dominic’s executive team members, who was the sister of his childhood friend Victor.

Flavia had been with him almost from the very beginning, and had known him as a little boy. Because she was Victor’s younger sister, Dominic often said he thought of her as
his
little sister. But Flavia indicated theirs was a more intimate relationship than that of mere siblings. She made sure from the onset Rinah was well aware of her position and intentions, as they related to Dominic.

Wanting to trust her husband, Rinah hadn’t questioned Flavia’s position in his life. Then Flavia became more aggressive, insisting they were lovers. In the early days of their marriage, when asked Dominic patiently explained the close relationship he had with the Kouris. Initially, he’d taken into account her need to understand. However, every few months throughout their five-year marriage, something, or someone, usually Flavia, would trigger another round of suspicion and doubt she couldn’t ignore.

Flavia would maliciously stroke those doubts, telephoning Rinah from whatever hotel the team was staying at, answering Dominic’s phone from within his hotel room, or worse still, answering his mobile whenever he was otherwise occupied.

She would again seek reassurance from her husband, but over time, it became an exercise in patience he was no longer willing to entertain. He was a busy man and her last round of accusation made him erupt in impatience. He simply told her to grow up. He would no longer explain himself.

But the doubts wouldn’t go away. Then she witnessed an act she couldn’t ignore. It shattered her world. She’d been lacerated by his betrayal. Finally, Rinah couldn’t accept the explanations and wasn’t willing to turn a blind eye to what had been made blatantly clear to her. He had been unfaithful to her, something he swore he’d never do.

Eight months later she was still as torn up about it as if it had happened only the day before. She felt as if she had spent those months in a void and only today, after coming face to face with Dominic, did she come alive again. It was like taking the first breath after being under water for a long time.

Not even the birth of their daughter had jarred her out of her numb state. Like acid on an open wound, she couldn’t withstand the pain. She vibrated with it, was consumed by it.

Oh my God, it still
hurts!

The intercom buzzed. “Mrs. Stone, the meeting will be starting shortly.”

Rinah was grateful for the interruption from her turbulent thoughts. She took a few minutes to wash her face and repair her makeup. By the time she took the remaining empty chair in the board room, there was no trace of the volatile emotions that had gripped her for the past hour.

She operated on autopilot until the end of her work day. She was relieved to shut out the rest of the world as she closed the door of her elegant home behind her later that evening.

Chapter Two

I
t was after
seven in the evening and Dominic sat behind his desk, listening as his team discussed the final proposal on the agenda. The meeting had started shortly after lunch and for the next few hours he’d doggedly scrutinized, interrogated, and challenged the detailed information provided in their weekly round-up discussion. His focus was usually sharp, leaving no room for dwelling on his distracting wife. But that was not the case tonight. He knew that the complex operational issues of his international business empire required his full concentration. The risks and challenges that came with such a diverse operation weren’t much different from his time with the SEALs. He just used other, less deadly, methods to achieve his objectives.

His business interests and the covert work he undertook for the United States government had consumed him in recent months. And it was because of his tenacious focus on work that his operation continued to grow to staggering proportions. But that single-minded attention to detail was shot to hell to night.

Unfortunately, he had also been deeply submerged in eradicating the danger that a past enemy posed to his young family. That threat had forced him to let things deteriorate even further in his relationship with Rinah. She knew nothing of his involvement with U.S. intelligence. For the past two months, since his return to the island, he’d buried his anger at Rinah’s continued mistrust and stubbornness by working every hour God gave, and then some. Whether it was in the board room or in his team’s war-room, he worked until exhaustion. He slept very little and kept such a demanding pace, none of the six executives who sat in front of him now had been able to take a holiday since his return.

“How many of our competitors know about SIMS vulnerability to a takeover?” Dominic queried, watching his six-member team closely to gauge how committed were they to the acquisition under discussion.

Jim Webber, his chief operating officer, was the first to answer. “This is early in the game, but it is no secret. My sources say it is in fact SIMS management that is fueling the rumor mill. They need funding badly and have apparently explored the usual avenues without success, and are now desperate for an injection of cash, or risk losing everything.”

Jim outlined the numerous banks and lending institutions that had already declined SIMS Cable and Wireless’ proposal. “They’re now courting private financing before their creditors get wind of the financial cluster fuck their board has created.” Jim finished and passed his summarized report on SIMS finances around the table to everyone.

“They’re obviously enjoying the Bahamas’ lack of a credit bureau and the bank secrecy laws. I’m not prepared to move ahead just yet,” Dominic said after another half hour of discussion. He didn’t like being handed something that appeared so dazzling, on a silver platter, and that was exactly what SIMS management was doing. “When a deal like this looks too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true. With the credit crisis being what it is, I’m not inclined to risk walking into a minefield. These bastards are hiding something bigger than a credit problem. Let’s consider the information discussed tonight, and in the interim, keep your ears to the ground for more information. We’ll review in our next meeting.” Dominic continued to scrutinize the report in front of him. Something about the proposal by the SIMS management was gnawing at him, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. His sharp focus had been shot to hell with the encounter with Rinah still so fresh and strumming his senses, his every thought.

“Okay everyone, get out of here. We’ll reconvene in two days.” Although his mind had already wandered back to his encounter with Rinah, he didn’t miss the surprised looks on the faces of his employees.

Their meetings usually ran well after 9 p.m. Since he’d been back at the helm, the past two months had been completely chaotic for everyone around him. He worked fifteen-hour days to free up his weekends to spend time with his children, and he expected all of his top executives to work on his schedule. So to be given this early dismissal was unexpected. He smiled as his team quickly stood and filed out of his office as if they were afraid he’d change his mind.

Once the room was silent, he got up from his desk and stood facing the double-glass window overlooking the Nassau Harbor, his hands thrust deep into his pockets. Against the scenic backdrop was the island’s largest resort, the Atlantis Hotel, along with the Paradise Island Bridge—recently renamed the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, and numerous boats and yachts anchored about. His apartment was situated among the hotel’s million-dollar villas. He had owned and lived in the penthouse apartment before he was married to Rinah and once again it had been his home since he’d been forced to leave their house eight months ago.

For the first time since seeing her at lunch, Dominic had the time to reevaluate what had happened that day. He was still reeling from the surprise encounter. After months of deprivation, his senses were raw from the volatile reaction that had ripped through him upon being confronted with that flawless face and figure. Even now, his body hummed with simmering desire.

He finally accepted that he needed to see her again, to touch her, to hold her. He sighed in exasperation. Today hadn’t come close to appeasing those foremost desires. He wasn’t supposed to still feel like this about her, to have a relentless need to be with her.

It was ironic that he’d recently congratulated himself on only thinking of her once a day, instead of every waking moment. Despite his efforts to control or limit the impact his love and need for Rinah had on his decision-making, that control proved pointless now, after seeing her. The sight of her had hit him too hard.

After all these months, he still smarted from her lack of trust in him. He was disappointed in her lack of faith in him. No, disappointed was too mild an emotion. He was furious. They had been married long enough for her to know him better and not be swayed by anyone or anything. He was also more than pissed at being cheated out of participating in the everyday lives of their children. While he acknowledged his extracurricular activities made living with him difficult, he totally discounted the part he’d played in her insecurities with his secrecy about it.

No, she should know
better!

It was time he dealt with her as he had intended before the Mendoza debacle occurred. Dominic was ready now to assert
his
ultimatum. Either she trusted him fully or she didn’t. There was no middle ground when shit like this could happen again. He had over five thousand employees, of which more than half were women. Which one of those women would she become obsessed with next? He was a businessman and knew better than to sleep with any of his employees–—never had, never would. She knew this about him!

He certainly didn’t want to let her go under any circumstance. Rinah was his, and had been since he’d met her. However, their continued fighting was not an environment he wanted for their children. He knew first-hand what hell such a volatile atmosphere could create for children, lessons learned from his own childhood. The past didn’t need to be repeated.

When he thought of his children, he became even more infuriated by the situation. His chest ached at the thought of losing them indefinitely. He was momentarily paralyzed by the unwelcome, painful thought. His absence over the past eight months hadn’t been by choice. But now that he was back, he couldn’t let this happen, at least not without a fight. Matthew was growing so fast. Dominic was astonished at the boy’s vocabulary, level of reading skills, and grasp of basic math concepts. This was one area he couldn’t fault Rinah on. She was tenacious about nurturing and enhancing their son’s natural abilities.

Nikki was his beautiful, sweet angel. She was so much like her mother, it made him melt every time he saw her. He smiled, remembering their first meeting. He’d instantly fallen in love and had vowed then and there he would die protecting his little angel, just as he would for both Matt and Rinah. The girl was a perfect little replica of Rinah and definitely had her mother’s temper, a fact brought home during their last visit to his apartment on the weekend. She had wanted her milk and when it was not immediately provided, the famous Rinah temper was front and center.

Gaining visitation rights after his return had been surprisingly easy. At no time had his wife tried to stop him from seeing the children, and this was definitely a point in her favor. Even when he’d insisted they visit him every weekend since he’d come back, she had the nanny bring them at exactly nine on Saturday mornings. Nikki would only stay for a day, as she was still being breastfed. Matt would be taken back home on Sundays at six in the evening. However, Rinah never personally came for or delivered the children to him. He was certain it was to aid her stubborn insistence on not speaking to him, much to his frustration.

Even with their weekly visits he was aware he had missed much in their development: Nikki’s first smile, her first word, her first step. Just thinking about it made his anger toward Rinah boil hotter.

He wasn’t sure which was greater, his anger or his desire to hold her again. He was surprised by the sheer need for her gripping him. The birth of their daughter had added ripeness and extra curves to her willowy slender frame, enhancing and accentuating her sensual appeal. Feeling like a caveman, he’d wanted to drag her off to the nearest secluded spot right then and there.

Rinah had accused him of acting like a Neanderthal. She had no idea how close to that he had been feeling. If she had, she wouldn’t have just threatened him, but would have delivered a swift kick to his nether regions.

No, his desire definitely outweighed his anger, but just by a bit. It would be a challenge to see how he would control either long enough to accomplish his objective.

Dominic hardened his resolve to mend his marriage. Because of the threat of Mendoza, Rinah couldn’t be given a pass. Although that threat had contributed to their separation, she didn’t know about the other man. Now that his mission was complete and he’d healed somewhat from his injuries, he wouldn’t continue indulging her unjustifiable tantrums, as he’d been doing.

He moodily contemplated the contrast between the calm, Bahamian waters in the harbor and his turbulent thoughts. He was so consumed with planning his next move on Rinah, he barely registered the light tap on his door before being assailed with the overpowering scent of Flavia’s perfume as she entered his office.

“Hi, Dom. I’m just stopping by to see how you’re doing. Victor told me about what happened in the restaurant today.” The woman’s voice was the embodiment of concern as she advanced farther into the room and closed the door behind her.

Dominic mentally shook his head.
Fake bitch!

“You know it had to happen sooner or later. Rinah wasn’t going to live like a nun forever, you know.”

He could hear her erratic breathing behind him, as if she’d sprinted to reach his office before he left. “Victor talks too damn much. And what are you talking about, anyway? My wife is not sleeping with that creep.” Dominic stated the words calmly, not bothering to turn from the window and look at her.

Flavia came closer and lightly caressed his lower back.

Dominic clenched his teeth in an effort to not recoil from at her touch. He could hear her heavy breathing become even more so as she stepped closer to him. Everything about her made his skin crawl, and if Victor wasn’t such a good friend of his and Rinah didn’t hate Flavia so much, he would have gotten rid of her ass a long time ago. But like a glutton for punishment, he kept the bitch around.

He smiled grimly at the irony of his thoughts. Flavia took too many liberties. Yes, she was a member of his executive team and was very competent at her job, but lately she had begun hinting about making their relationship more intimate. Just the thought made him gag. How she hadn’t gotten the hint was beyond him.

Flavia Kouris was a highly qualified and brilliant marketing executive. She was also a very beautiful and an incredibly alluring woman, judging from the reaction she elicited from most other men. With long black hair, flawless olive skin, and striking features compliments of her parents’ Greek heritage, she attained many admirers. But she did nothing for him and never had. It was almost laughable his wife thought he was having an affair with the woman.

He respected Flavia immensely as a business associate, but had witnessed her devour too many men in recent years to be caught in her manipulative web. Flavia was even more jaded and cynical than he was. She was too predatory and conniving for his tastes. He suspected she’d come from the cradle like that; she’d certainly been so for as long as he’d known her. And he’d known her since she’d been in pigtails. In fact, the erection he had been sporting since the encounter with Rinah earlier had abetted considerably under the influence of Flavia’s touch and overwhelming scent.

Besides, ever since meeting Rinah, he’d had no interest in any other woman. Even during the eight months they had been apart, other women left him cold.

“No woman would willingly stay celibate for eight months, Dom. Least of all a woman who had enjoyed such an active sex life with you.” Flavia continued to trail a long finger down his back.

Shit! Someone upstairs is having a good laugh at my expense!

Dominic could hear the increased acceleration of her breathing. She was practically panting like a dog in heat. He couldn’t stop the shudder of disgust that ricocheted through his body. He grimaced, realizing that the bitch probably thought his reaction was desire instead.

“You must face reality. If she’s not sleeping with Fielding, then she’s probably having sex with one of those many handsome, young lawyers in her firm.” Her tone lowered into what she must have thought was a sexy purr. She halted the exploration of his back, letting her palms linger right above his ass.

He had no idea what she planned on doing next, and he wasn’t waiting to find out. Dom stepped out of her grasping reach. With all emotion banked, he turned and regarded her coolly. “My wife may have her faults but stupid isn’t one of them. She doesn’t have a deceptive bone in her body.”