Man of Passion Read Online Free Page B

the censure in his eyes.
    "This man is to be trusted," Ben said with an effort. He didn't want Ari to know he was a mercenary in the employ of Perseus . Otherwise she would become suspicious. He had carefully extracted the info from the paperwork he was about to give her. "I'm leaving his résumé and curriculum vitae with you. You can read it on the flight down to Manaus . He's got a degree in biology. Where he works, there's plenty of orchids to keep you happy."
    "Wonderful!" she gushed. "Oh, I'm so happy, Father. Thank you!"
    "I don't approve of you going down there, Ari. Don't mistake what I'm doing. I'm very disappointed you aren't taking that job on Wall Street which I worked hard to get for you. You think life is easy. You think you can just traipse off on this airy-fairy dream of yours. You never took journalism in university. You need to do that if you want to write a book. And you don't have a degree in art. I don't know why you think you can create a book of orchid sketches with text and actually sell it." Raking his fingers through his hair, he pinned his daughter with a dark gaze. She hung her head and avoided his eyes, as always.
    "I'm doing this for you because I know you'll do it anyway and I'd prefer you had my help. And dammit , I don't want to see you floundering around in a foreign country, in a strange city, trying to find someone who can help you hunt for orchids. Chances are you'd be robbed, killed or worse, kidnapped, and I'd get a call for a million-dollar ransom to get you back. No, Rafe Antonio is in place because I want you as safe as you can be on this jaunt of yours."
    Pain filled Ari. "I—I understand, Father."
    "How long do you think you'll be gone?" he demanded, barely keeping the anger out of his voice.
    Looking from side to side, still afraid to meet his eyes, which Ari knew snapped with frustration, she said, "I don't really know. Mom said it would take at least three to six months to find enough orchids to fill a book. And then I'd need to go to New York to talk to publishers, get them to buy it."
    Ben sat there helplessly. "Six months? You're going to be in Brazil for six months?"
    "I don't really know, Father. It could be more or less. Mom figured it would take about thirty orchids per book. If I can find them sooner, I'll be back sooner."
    "The sooner the better," Ben growled. He flung his hand toward the packet of information he'd tossed on the coffee table in front of them. "Read through the stuff. Antonio has a recent photo of you. He'll know you on sight. He's going to meet you after you get out of Customs at the Manaus airport."
    Nodding contritely, Ari felt like crying. She was going on the adventure she and her mother had plotted and planned for months. During the last year of her mother's life, when she had been sick with leukemia, Ari had spent hours sitting on her bed, writing notes on the dream trip her mother yearned to take—but never would. That didn't stop her mother from imagining every day of it, however. And now Ari wanted to live that diary she'd filled with her mother's dreams. She wanted to fulfill them even if she couldn't draw or write very well. Ari was sure she'd never get the book sold, but she was going to try because it had meant so much to her mother, who had never had her dreams fulfilled. Ari was only sorry her father didn't understand why she had to go to the Amazon.
    "I've got to leave," Ben said abruptly, and stood up. He rebuttoned his suit coat, smoothed his tie into place and gazed down at her. Ari seemed so fragile. Her skin looked so delicate that he could see the fine veins beneath her large, expressive blue eyes. In a robotlike motion, he reached out and briefly touched her sagging shoulder. "Have a good flight tomorrow, Ari. Call me when you get to Manaus ?"
    "Sure," she murmured. His touch was so brief, like a butterfly landing and leaving. Ari ached to have him pull her into his arms and embrace her in farewell. She quelled her own desire to