Five Golden Rings (Facets of Passion) Read Online Free Page B

Tilda found another bottle of the same excellent chardonnay waiting in an ice bucket and a note beside it.

    My Deepest Apologies , Roo ,
    I have been called away overnight by this case. Have a lovely relaxing evening. I’ll be back tomorrow and you’ll need your strength. Remember the rules.
    Miguel
    P.S. I’m keeping the remote.

December 26
Boxing Day
Two Turtle Doves
    She did have a lovely evening.
    It didn’t hurt to have some alone time. Not that she hadn’t been more or less alone all day, but now she could relax and think. She removed the little bullet, put it away, then took a long bath in the sunken tub, with candles and a glass of wine.
    Then she put on her not-cute jammies, glad she’d brought them even though Greg thought they were ugly—who doesn’t like purple unicorns and rainbows?—and ordered room service. Lunch had been quite light for all that it was fancy, so she ordered a rare cheeseburger with the works, plus French fries. And a chocolate malt milkshake. She stuffed herself while watching a romantic comedy on pay-per-view.
    In the morning, room service’s discreet knock awakened her. The same young man set up her breakfast on the balcony with so much finesse he seemed to never even see her purple unicorns. The morning sun felt too warm already for the heavy cotton, so she put on her silk robe instead, ready to be Caribbean glam again.
    Two Dove chocolate candies sat on her tray—a nice little homage to the two turtle doves of the day. Still full from the fat-fest of the night before, she stuck to fruit and opened her card right away. Right after coffee, that was.

    Happy Boxing Day , Roo ,
    This is not a gift from the neighbors , but rather for the neighbors. I want you to wear it all day , at the pool , not hiding in a beach cabana. Wear only what’s in the box—nothing more. I’ll know if you disobey and I’ll likely be itching to punish somebody by the end of the day.
    Recall that the second day of Christmas calls for gifts from day one and day two , so be sure to wear the partridge in your pear tree , too.
    I’ll be back in time for High Tea. Looking forward to inventive uses for clotted cream and jam.
    Miguel

    Right on cue, someone knocked on the door. Her present-deliverer handed her a large dress box, this time wrapped in paper like a British flag. Very funny. She set it on the bed to unwrap it, keeping a piece of the flag paper to tuck in with her souvenir kit.
    Inside lay the tiniest bikini she’d ever seen. The beaded gold pattern did seem reminiscent of feathers, but wow—it wouldn’t cover much. Nor would the matching open-weave beaded “cover-up.” The only other apparel in the box were a pair of very high heels—also in gold—strappy, studded with matching beads.
    A little sorry she’d pigged out so egregiously the night before, she went to try the damn thing on. Her tummy bulged some, but if she sucked it in, it wasn’t too bad. All those hours at the gym paid off. The suit fit nicely and complimented her skin and hair, but...well, it was nothing she’d ever have picked out for herself. It seemed so blatantly sexy. Especially since her breasts were fairly large for her frame—the little top barely covered the essentials.
    Which was what she’d signed up for right?
    The previous day on the beach had given a bit of color to her winter white, but if Miguel wanted her to hang by the pool, she’d better score another cabana or she’d be a crispy critter by tea time.
    Since the suit seemed to call for it, she did her hair and makeup, adding matching jewelry. The silver bullet went in last, her body instantly warming at the feel of it.
    When she reached the pool deck, a cabana boy who’d clearly been on the lookout for her escorted her to a lovely cabana with an amazing view. Nice to know the owner, apparently. The cabana boy also promised to bring her anything she needed.
    She couldn’t imagine what that would be, since the cabana was like an open-sided cottage,