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Then he attended a wedding on the island of Santa Marta and was hooked for life. He loved the richness of the island, the verdant pastures and the vibrant green of the tropical foliage. The brilliant blue of the sea and the sky, the cotton white of the clouds, the rich reds of the flora - everything seemed to practically glow with life. He spent a week there and vowed that he would be back.
Next time he visited the island it was for a site visit and on his third trip he signed the documents for the purchase of Sunsational Resort on the northern coast where the best beaches lay. It was family owned but had been neglected due to lack of funds. The couple’s children were less than enthusiastic about the hotel business so they were all too happy when Dare offered them over one hundred million for the place.
And then the rebuilding began - renovating, refurbishing and advertising to let the public know the resort was under new management. Sunsational Resort burst back onto the scene and outshone its rivals, soon placing among the top ten resorts in the Caribbean. He expanded to other islands until he had resorts in four additional Caribbean locations. He’d found a winning enterprise and he was loving it.
But that brought with it a host of challenges, fighting off gold-diggers being one of the annoying things he had to deal with. Just a year ago he’d almost been fooled by an expert who tried to convince him to invest millions in a venture that turned out to be phony. Good thing his accountants and attorneys had done their job and reviewed the proposal before letting him sign on the dotted line. If he’d signed he’d have had to hand over millions to a woman whose greatest asset had been her prowess in bed.
And now soon after he’d gotten rid of that one, here was another. A more innocent-looking package, to be sure, but a deceiver just the same. That was the worst part about being a billionaire. Would he ever be able to find a woman who loved him and not his money? The likelihood of that seemed very slim.
He shoved his fists into his pockets, brows furrowed in thought, and headed back toward his own villa. That other gold-digger, Chantalle Marsden, had escaped his wrath but he had absolutely no qualms about taking out his revenge on this one.
***
By the time Erin pushed open the door and entered the villa she was shaking and it was not from the light breeze that cooled her shoulders. She was shocked and she was scared. Had she just promised to go out on a date with a man she hardly knew? No, correct that. Didn’t know at all. She’d met him all of two times, once in a pool, and the other time by a bar. And he’d ended up kissing her! Her heart flipped in her chest at the horror of it all. She, staid and boring Erin Samuels, had been kissed by a total stranger.
What was worse, she had kissed him back. And she had loved every second of it.
Goodness, what had she become? Was it the romantic atmosphere? Was it the fact that she was miles and miles away from Vancouver, ensconced on an island? She’d heard about girls who’d gone wild on spring break but she wasn’t like that. She was Erin Samuels, bookworm, student librarian, Miss Boring. How had she gone from that to this?
Still deep in thought she walked into the bathroom, unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Her underwear followed. She stepped into the shower and turned the spray on her body, letting the water wash over her. She grimaced as the realization came to her. As much as this was against her norm, she knew there was no way she would miss her date with Dare.
It wasn’t until late the next day that Erin mentioned her date to the other girls.
“You, Erin?” Tisha squealed. “I can’t believe it. Where’d you find a guy to invite you on a date?”
“Tisha.” Maria frowned at the laughing girl. “What? Don’t you think men notice Erin? She’s a pretty girl.”
“Yeah, but she’s boring. She never wants to do anything fun.” Tisha shrieked and jumped out of reach as Maria tried to pinch her.
Robyn was the only one who wasn’t smiling. She seemed deep in thought. Finally she spoke. “What did you say his name was?”
“Dare.”
“Check out the name,” Tisha said. “Dare. If that’s anything to go by, he’s my kind of guy.”
“But not Erin’s,” Robyn said with a frown. “So you met him at the bar? And you’re going out with him just like that?”
“No…I mean, yes.” Erin took a deep breath and began again. “He wasn’t the one who came on to me. I bumped into him and anyway I’d met him before. At the pool. Remember the guy I almost drowned?”
The three girls gasped as one. “That’s the guy you’re going out with?” Tisha’s voice was high with excitement.
Erin nodded.
“Wow, that’s quite a catch,” Maria said, her voice low with obvious respect. “You can see that guy’s loaded.”
Robyn frowned. “How do you know? All he was wearing were swim trunks and a gold chain. I didn’t see anything that spelled money.”
“No, but it was the way he carried himself.” Maria raised her eyebrows. “Even half-naked the man exuded power. Didn’t you notice how the men sitting around him practically bowed in respect? The man’s big. I just know it.”
“And he asked you out…” Robyn’s voice trailed off as she stared at Erin. Her face had that distant look again as if there was something on her mind.
Erin frowned, almost sorry she’d brought up the subject. Her suite-mates were acting like it was impossible for a man to want to go out with her. Well, not so much Maria, but the others. Tisha had practically laughed at the idea and Robyn looked none too pleased. Was she jealous? Erin sighed. Anything was possible where Robyn was concerned. If she wasn’t the center of attention she was not happy.
“Well, I just wanted you guys to know where I am tonight,” she said with false cheerfulness. “Michelangelo’s, seven o’clock. If I’m not home by eleven send in the marines.”
Tisha chuckled. “Just keep your cell phone on. We’re not going to spoil your fun. Just check in with us if you’re running…late.” She lifted her eyebrows and gave Erin a naughty grin. “You only live once, right?”
Erin felt the heat rise to her face. Abruptly she got up and walked toward the French doors that opened onto the back patio and the pathway to the beach. “I…need some fresh air. I’m going for a walk.”
She could hear the chuckles as she slipped outside. They must think her so pathetic. The ugly duckling, finally asked out on a date when they’d been out every night since they got to the island. While the girls made friends she would return to her room each night and curl up in the sofa with a good book. Not that she’d minded. Now, though, she had her chance to prove to them that she was just as desirable as they were.
The day flew by and before Erin knew it the sun had begun to slide down toward the horizon. Her heart did a bunny hop in her chest. This was it. Her first date while on spring break.
She dressed carefully, picking out a simple yet elegant black dress. She accessorized with a pearl necklace and matching earrings then slipped her feet into high heeled sandals. Now it was time for her hair and face. As she usually did when trying to look sophisticated she took a firm brush to her curls then pinned her hair up into a neat bun. The face was more challenging. She wanted to look good but doing makeup had never been her strong point. She tried some eye shadow and hated it. She had no clue what she was doing and didn’t want to ask any of the girls. She’d been humiliated enough for one day. In the end she gave up and settled for foundation, lip gloss and eyeliner. If her date didn’t like her that way then that was his problem.
Then it was time to go. She’d been finding all sorts of excuses to dawdle - she couldn’t find her purse, she needed another glass of water, she had to redo her lip gloss - until it was ten minutes before the hour. Now she’d have to hurry to make it to Michelangelo’s on time. She could see that Dare was not the sort of man who’d take kindly to being kept waiting.
When Erin stepped into the lobby of Michelangelo’s she took a deep breath and clutched her purse tightly in her hands. She peered down the dimly lit hallway toward the salon then breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t here yet. Her racing pulse began to decelerate toward normal.
“Good evening, Erin.”
She jumped then whipped round to peer into the darkness of the hallway. And there he stood, tall and imposing in an elegant dinner jacket of dark gray. Those piercing gray eyes glittered in the dim light and she felt as if his gaze stripped her bare.
“Dare,” she said, her voice breathless, “I didn’t see you over there.”
“I know you didn’t. Come.” He gave her his arm. “A table is reserved for us.”
She rested her hand on his arm and as she did so a shiver ran through her. Furtively, she glanced up at him through her lashes. Had he felt it, her body’s reaction to his? She hoped he hadn’t. That was just what she would need - her body making its response to him unmistakably clear. She breathed a soft sigh of relief when he gave no indication that he’d felt it. He simply kept on walking, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm.
