Pamela Yaye - Heat of Passion

“Hi, Robyn, how are you doing this glorious morning?”

Jonah Gray, the jovial bartender with the perpetual twinkle in his eye, greeted her with a smile. Eighty-six years young, he’d worked at the resort for decades but showed no signs of slowing down. He was as skillful at handing out advice as he was at mixing drinks and was loved by all. From the time Robyn had arrived at the Belleza, she’d bonded with Jonah. He was a father figure to her, someone she could depend on, and she enjoyed hearing the colorful stories about his past, along with his tales of buried treasure at the resort. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Nothing, Jonah, thank you. I’m not staying.”

Kim wore a long face. “Come on, Robyn. Don’t be like that. I want to go with you to the comedy showcase, but I can’t be two places at the same time.”

“We’ll hang out tomorrow,” Gabby said. “We’ll do whatever you want, okay?”

Still, Robyn was unable to shake her foul mood. Feeling her cell phone vibrate, she took it out of her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Sean’s picture come up on the screen. Her mind raced, jumped from one thought to the next. What was wrong? Why was he calling?

“I have to take this call. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Who is it?” Gabby asked, her tone filled with concern. “You seem upset.”

Robyn stumbled over her words and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. It was a lame explanation, one she doubted her friends would believe, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “It’s my, uh, mom. She’s been having...car trouble, and... I’m worried about her. I’ll see you guys at the afternoon staff meeting.”

Hustling out of the dining room, Robyn put her cell phone to her ear and spoke in a whisper. “Hello, Sean. Is everything okay? Are you in trouble?”

“No, of course not. What makes you think that something’s wrong?”

Sighing in relief, Robyn marched from the restaurant and ducked out one of the side doors. Bikini-clad women, men with perfect bodies and rambunctious children were soaking up the sun and frolicking in the pool. Conversation and high-pitched laughter sweetened the air, and the scent of fresh pineapple made Robyn’s mouth water.

“When your number appeared on my phone, I got worried,” she explained, feeling embarrassed for jumping to conclusions. “I thought maybe you were in police custody.”

“I am in trouble...”

Oh God, no! Not Sean. He didn’t do what his father is accusing him of.

“I’ve fallen hard for a pretty event planner from New York, but she won’t give me the time of day. Any ideas on how to win her heart?”

Robyn scolded Sean for teasing her. But his soft, sensuous plea and the yearning in his voice made her long to be back in his arms. Her pulse quickened at the thought, and a delicious sensation caused her body to tingle.

Plugging her ear with her finger to block out the noise around her, she listened intently to what Sean had to say. Never before had a man made her feel this way, so special and desirable. He spoke about missing her, about how anxious he was to see her again, and it took everything in her not to confess her true feelings. Robyn pictured him sitting inside his office with his feet propped up on his desk and smiled at the sexy image scrolling through her mind.

“Did you get the roses?”

Robyn nodded her head, though he couldn’t see her. “Yes, I did, and they’re beautiful. I was going to call to thank you, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You could never disturb me. Talking to you is the highlight of my day.”

Excited by his words, she rested a hand on her stomach to calm the butterflies within.

“I’m making you dinner tonight,” he announced, his tone full of confidence and bravado. “Be at my place at seven o’clock.”

Robyn could think of nothing else she’d rather do, but going to Sean’s house for dinner was out of the question. She racked her brain for the perfect excuse. Since yesterday, she’d been telling one lie after another, but what choice did she have? If she told Sean the truth—he’d be upset, and Robyn didn’t want to lose his friendship. “I wish I could, but I, uh, can’t. My car’s in the shop, and it won’t be ready until next week—”

Robyn broke off as her gaze fell across the couple walking on the pathway. Damn. Could this day get any worse? Apparently so, because Sean’s parents, Kurt and Ilene Parker, were headed straight for her. They had lunch at the resort every week, so seeing them shouldn’t have affected her, but it did. She had to remind herself they had no idea she was talking to their estranged son.

The Parkers were an attractive couple who reeked of wealth and class. Ilene had delicate features, reddish-brown hair and a slender physique that belied her age. Her husband had salt-and-pepper hair and mustache. Kim favored her mother, right down to the way they walked, and the resemblance between Sean and his father was striking.

“I have to go,” she said, anxious to get off the phone. She couldn’t risk the Parkers overhearing her conversation with Sean, not when they were still furious at him for quitting his job. “I have to get back to work.”

“I’m not letting you go until you agree to dinner.”

Oh, yes, you are. Robyn thought, trying to squelch her growing sense of fear. She was supposed to be in her office, planning the Dunham Foundation gala, not flirting with Sean—a guy she had no business talking to. She reminded herself that he was a player who collected women like trophies, and Robyn was better off alone than sharing him with someone else.

“I won’t take no for an answer, so you might as well give in now,” Sean insisted.

Before she could respond, Ilene Parker caught her eye.

“Hello, Robyn,” Ilene said with a friendly wave. “If you’re not too busy I’d like to have a word with you about Kim’s bridal shower.”

Robyn’s pulse quickened, and her stomach coiled into knots as the couple approached. Feeling trapped, she did something she knew would make Sean mad. She hung up the phone, greeted the Parkers warmly and followed them back inside the resort.

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