Love in Paradise Read Online Free

she had come from, and he even knew her shoe size. Against the cold stone floor, her feet were freezing, but she put the heels back on the table and walked away.
    Over the course of the next forty-five minutes she explored a small section of the house and even managed to find an exterior door. Though she did not manage to circle the entire perimeter, she did establish that this was in fact a completely different island from the one she had originated from. She had in fact lost track of time standing on a rocky beach, staring at the horizon, wondering when or even if she might return home. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the young security guard approaching her from behind.
    “Miss Kitaev,” the guard said. She turned around to meet his gaze. “Mr. Onur is waiting for you. It would be in both of our best interests that we don’t keep him waiting longer than we have to.”
    Nika silently followed the guard for a moment before speaking up. “You’re American, aren’t you?” She said, her eyes lighting up a little.
    “West Seattle, born and raised,” He replied.
    “Can you tell me what happened on Sian Island?”
    “Men came with guns and you woke up here.”
    “Funny.”
    Momentarily, they were standing in a large dining area which was, like the rest of the house, quite modern. The ceiling was once again composed of sky lights, but at this point night had descended, and the room was lit by square lamps lining the walls. In the center of the room stood a long glass table, lined with metal chairs, and at the end of the table stood Onur Aslan.
    “Welcome,” He said. “To my dining room.”
    “We’ll be eating in here?” Nika asked curiously.
    “Of course not, this table,” He gestured to the monstrosity in the center of the room. “Much too large. We need not yell at each other during dinner.”
    Nika briskly walked toward Onur, taking in his new attire. He had changed into a new outfit which simply consisted of a black button up shirt, the top two buttons open, and a pair of gray slacks.
    “Maybe,” Nika said to him as she approached. “It would be better this way, maybe I don’t want to hear what you have to say.”
    “This may be true indeed, but on my island, your choices are limited, Dominika Kaitev.”
    He was right of course, he held the key to her future, here on this little island. While she was here, she decided to ask the one question that had been bugging her since she arrived on the island.
    “What happened on Sian Island?”
    He motioned for her to follow him and as they reached a door, he opened it to reveal a large swimming area with a poolside table. The table was already set for two with the customary candle burning at the center.
    Onur walked to the left side of the small rounded table and slid the chair out. “Sit, please.” Once again his words were more of a command though phrased as a request. She sat down immediately and pulled the chair in. Onur sat at the other side of the table.
    “Despite the peaceful aesthetics, Sian Island has a bit of a hand in the drug trade.” Onur explained. “It seems that some of the nations in East Africa are tired of their citizens being exposed. Naturally if they were simply importing marijuana no one would have said a word, but when the drugs get a bit harder, people tend to get angry. Politics.”
    Nika shifted in her chair and looked straight at Onur. “Why am I here?”
    “I told you, I have arranged for your passage back to the mainland.”
    “Why me?”
    “Can you think of a good reason why not you?”
    “If you think I’m going to sleep with you just because you brought me here--”
    “Is that not what you want?”
    “Excuse me?”
    Onur, contrary to expectation, did not bat an eye. “You are a travel agent, you arrange romantic excursions for others, yet you are not married yourself. Could it be that you are living vicariously through your clients?”
    Nika had known Onur for less than twelve hours, and he already knew