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He now knew how she would feel as she writhed beneath him. Knew how soft her body felt against his. How she brought the temperature up with just that slight connection. How she would feel as he pressed his body into hers, holding her tight for one agonizing thrust after another as he drove them both over the brink.
And that knowledge had tormented him all damned night.
“Did you get the financials I emailed?” came Jack’s reply, whipping Chad back to reality.
“Yes. We looked them over this morning,” he glanced at Jennie. “I think we need a little more guidance here. We don’t know what to look for.”
“I figured you might. It’s a weird situation. The resort is owned by Jonathan Masters, owner of Master Blend Winery. His winery focuses on inexpensive blends of wine marketed as everyday table wine. You’ve probably seen it.”
“Yeah, it’s in just about every grocery store and liquor store in the United States,” Jennie said. “The one with the skinny old guy with a pipe and glasses leaning into a huge barrel of wine on the label.”
Jack laughed. “That’s the one. And, in fact, that’s a caricature of Jonathan Masters. He’s now in his seventies and rarely spends time at the resort. He has no interest in running it. He’s left his two nephews, Matt and Alan Masters, running it for him for the last few years, but he’s looking to get out. My friend Peter is thinking of buying it but he’s a little unclear as to how well those nephews have been running the place. Peter has known the Masters family for a long time and always got the sense that the nephews were pretty lazy.”
“We can try to track them down today and check them out,” Chad said.
“Good. See if you can find out if they’re really running things or if the managers are running it and the nephews are taking a salary just for sitting on their asses. It seems like the place is a little heavy on managers if, in fact, the nephews are working. If they’re token employees, their salaries would disappear and turn into instant profit for Peter” said Jack.
Jennie shrugged and looked at Chad. “Should be easy to find out. I’ll get close to them,” she said with a grin.
Chad rolled his eyes, but on the inside, he seethed at the idea of her getting close to any man other than him.
Jack continued, obviously unaware of Chad’s feelings on the matter. “I’m also confused about how they’re running money through the business out there. The marina is operated by a separate company. It’s an independent contractor that runs fishing boats, kayak rentals, scuba diving trips, and that kind of thing from the two docks at the resort. The setup is odd, though.”
They listened as Jack explained his concerns. “The resort collects all the fees for the services and rentals and then pays the money out to the contractor, taking a percentage. It’s an odd way to set up the system rather than simply leasing the docks and beach area to the company for a monthly fee. It makes a lot of extra work for the front desk people to book things that way. My hunch is the nephews don’t know any better and the marina company is taking advantage of them. If that’s the case, Peter can change the setup if he buys the place, but I want to be sure. Can you snoop around and see what you can find out?”
“You got it,” Chad said.
“Okay. In the meantime, I’ll find out who owns the company that runs the marina,” Jack said.
“Anything else?” Chad asked.
“Yeah, how’s the villa?”
“It’s horrible, Jack. I expect hazard pay for these two weeks,” Jennie said, laughing.
“Wise ass,” came Jack’s unorthodox reply. None of them really had a traditional employer and employee relationship at this point. Jennie was more like a sister to Jack now, than someone who worked for him.
“I’ll tell Kelly you’re having the vacation of a lifetime,” Jack said.
“We’ll call when we have something, Jack,” Chad laughed as he hit the button to end the call.
As Jennie and Chad came off the secluded pathway that connected their villa to the more populated area of the resort, he reached down and took her hand in his.
“Where do you want to eat, hon?” He asked Jennie. There were several choices of restaurants in the resort, all included in the price of the package. Guests didn’t need to bring their wallets anywhere for food or drink.
“Casual for breakfast and lunch, fancy for dinners?” Jennie asked. He recognized her proposal for what it was. She was stepping into their negotiation mode. He and Jennie had a shorthand way of cutting deals and agreeing on things when they were on assignment. Sometimes the negotiations were easy. Other times, they butted heads and their negotiation became real.
He made a face. “We’re on vacation. No fancy dinners.”
In a move she’d never employed in their negotiations before—and which Chad had to attribute to the fact they were posing as newlyweds, since Jennie was always very careful to keep space between them and avoid any unnecessary touching—she turned and pressed her full body against his. He felt her soft thighs, gorgeous hips, and those irresistible breasts of hers press against his hard body. He gritted his teeth to resist her pull, but he couldn’t completely prevent his body’s response.
Hell. Two weeks in hell.
She went up on tiptoes, brushing her body against his with that witchy, captivating smile on her face that she always got when she was being playful. He stood stock-still. She whispered in his ear, her hot, sweet mouth so close to his. He thought for a brief second about turning his head to capture it in a searing kiss, but he knew he’d pay for it if he did.
Not because she’d do anything, but because it would bring him to all new levels of pain. If he kissed her again, his body would be wound so tight and hard, he wouldn’t be able to manage the walk across the resort.
“Please,” was all she whispered but the damage was done and she knew it. She smiled and winked at him, knowing she’d won that round. As Jennie turned and walked toward one of the restaurants, he smacked her in the ass.
