Temptation

“Romance me into helping you,” he said finishing her sentence once again. The beginnings of a smile tilted his full lips. “Like I said, Mrs. Maxwell, I wanted that kiss.”

The light in his eyes ignited. “And I think you wanted it, too.”

He moved his hand down to stroke her arm.

She stared at him for a brief moment. “Good night, Mr. Richards.” Her tone was suddenly formal. “Please let me know if you’ll accept my request.”

Without another word she turned away, hurrying into the safety of the villa.

For several moments Trent leaned against the ornate pillar, silently fuming. He could have kicked himself. He’d obviously misread her. He shook his head at his own macho stupidity. Just because he let his hormones lead the way didn’t mean that she was on the same wave length.

He slammed his fist against the pillar. Damn it! This was going to be even more difficult than he thought. Not only did he have to hide his identity, and keep his feelings for Noelle in check, he also had to get her to realize that he wasn’t some oversexed, oversized teenager on the make.

Noelle lay in her bed staring sightlessly up at the sheer netting that draped her bed. For years she’d kept a lid on her desires. She’d willingly substituted gratitude and loyalty for physical pleasure. And now, in one fell swoop, Cole Richards walks into her life and opens up the trap door to her heart.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t let herself be swept away by a torrid desire for a man she hardly knew. And even if she did, which was highly unlikely, she’d had no experience with casual affairs and wouldn’t know how to conduct one. For all the years of her marriage she’d stuck to the letter of her vows. Forsaking all others. She’d never allowed temptation, unhappiness, or physical incompleteness to lead her into infidelity. Although she wasn’t particularly religious as an adult, her childhood years of churchgoing had left its indelible mark.

In any event, Cole Richards appeared to be the type of man who would never settle down and she knew she could never tolerate that.

Could she even trust a man, any man with her feelings, with them knowing who she was and the millions that she represented? Why would Cole Richards be any different from the others who had been attracted by the wealth and power? This time couldn’t be any different. Could it?

She turned on her left side, trying to still the racing beat of her heart. Even as she did visions of Cole, the scent of him, the feel and taste of him filled her.

She flipped onto her right side, pushing her face into the pillow. She’d just have to find some way of dealing with the irresponsible way he made her feel. She’d disguised her true feelings for years. This time wouldn’t be any different. Because Cole Richards was going to help her prove that Trent Dixon caused Jordan’s death whether he wanted to or not.

Nothing could interfere with that.

Chapter 6

Tempest spotted Noelle across the courtyard and waved to her. Even before Tempest reached where she stood, Noelle saw the lines of strain beneath the striking hazel eyes.

“Are you all right, chère?” Noelle asked when Tempest approached.

“Just a little tired,” Tempest answered lamely.

Noelle looked hard at her friend. “Now how long have we been friends?” Noelle taunted, tossing Tempest’s own question back at her.

Tempest sighed heavily and sat down on the bench beneath a huge transplanted palm tree. Noelle sat beside her and waited.

“Braxton left last night,” she blurted out.

Noelle frowned. “Just like that?” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

“Yes. Just like that.” Tempest repeated the gesture.

“I don’t understand.”

“He claims he has another job in Brazil that needs his immediate attention.”

“But isn’t your daughter, Kai, coming in today?”

Tempest nodded. “I’m on my way to the airport now to meet her and Mrs. Harding.”

“I thought Braxton was going to use this time to spend with you and Kai?”

“That’s what I thought,” Tempest complained. “We spent the entire night arguing about it. He still insisted that he had to go.”

That would explain why she didn’t see them at dinner last night, Noelle guessed. She searched for something comforting to say. “Perhaps it is important. I can’t imagine that he would leave without seeing his daughter if it wasn’t urgent.”

Tempest stood up, smoothing the aqua-colored suit jacket. She looked off toward the horizon.

“Things have been very strained between Braxton and me for a while,” she admitted softly. She turned toward Noelle. “Our schedules are so hectic we hardly see each other. Then when we do—” her voice trembled “—it’ salmost like we’re two strangers. It was never like that between us, even after being separated for those six years after I left Virginia and went to New York. When we found each other again it was like those lost years had never happened.”

Noelle was shocked. She’d always imagined that Tempest and Braxton were the perfect couple. If you had wanted to write a book about a happy marriage, they would be the ones to write about. They had been through so much to be together. It was hard for her to believe that their marriage could be in trouble. But then Noelle examined her own marriage. Everyone believed that it was My Fair Lady come true. But at what cost?

Noelle stood up and put her arm around Tempest’s shoulder. “I didn’t know,” she said gently. “I only wish that I had the answers to make things better. All I can say is that as long as you and Braxton continue to love each other, everything will work out. You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right. And I do know that I love him, more than anything in the world.” She forced a smile, still unable to put into words what was truly troubling her. She pushed aside her troubles. “How about you? Are you feeling better today?”

Noelle wanted to tell her about her evening with Cole, about the way she felt when she was with him. She decided that it wasn’t the best time to discuss her budding feelings for Cole in light of Tempest’s problems.

“Actually, yes. As a matter of fact, I thought about what you said about the attorney. Maybe I will call him.”

“I think that’s the right decision. The worst that could happen is that he won’t tell you anything.”

Tempest checked her watch. “I’ve got to go. The flight is arriving in L.A. Mrs. Harding got my instructions wrong and booked the flight into LAX airport.”

An idea came to Noelle. “Would you mind some company?”

“Of course not. It’s not the shortest drive in the world.”

“Maybe I’ll just pay my attorney Monsieur Malone a surprise visit.”

Tempest brightened. “Perfect. I love surprises. If you catch him off guard he won’t have time to prepare a story.”

“Exactly!” Noelle grinned. She linked her arm through Tempest’s. “Let’s go.”

Trent meticulously reviewed the data that had been faxed to him on Liaisons. He’d set up a small office in his hotel suite in L.A. It was fully equipped with a computer, printer, a copy and a fax machine. He’d already had his computer linked via modem to the main headquarters in Sudan and in Hong Kong.

The financial stability of Liaisons was excellent. He’d verified the credibility of the accountants, attorneys and had conducted a background check on all of Liaisons’s staff.

As he leaned back in his chair he breathed a sigh of relief. Noelle Maxwell was unquestionably an astonishing businesswoman, not merely a woman in business. There were no outstanding debts. All of the structures exceeded building codes and revenue was pouring in.

If he had any doubts about her capabilities they had certainly been laid to rest.

He closed the thick manila folder and stood up, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets as he did. To look at her one would easily assume that she was merely a pampered heiress with delusions of grandeur, he mused. To the contrary, Noelle was a woman of substance, with talents yet untapped. But did she have what it took to manage an empire as complex as Jordan’s? More importantly would she be able to handle the truth once it was revealed to her and possibly give up her one dream to save Jordan’s? Of that he was still unsure.

His own personal feelings about her seemed to be clouding his judgment. He wanted her. He wanted her like he hadn’t wanted any other woman. And the intensity of his emotions made him feel vulnerable. A feeling that was totally foreign to him.