Bound to Happen

Poe finally and effectively killed the locker-room atmosphere by drumming her hands on the table. “Yoo-hoo, Jess. I think we all understand your rules. Now are we going to play or what?”

Jess turned his attention to Poe. “Yes, we’re going to play. And since you started this mess and put me in charge, I’ve decided you get to go first.”

Shaking her head, Kinsey clucked her tongue in disappointment. “Put a man in charge and he still needs a woman to get things started.”

“I hate to break it to you, Kinsey,” Doug said, sitting between Lauren and Poe and ignoring the threatening glares from both women. “But not only can we get things started without a woman, we can finish things off the same way.”

Poe waved off his comeback. “Tell that to the centerfold sharing your special moment.”

Every man in the room squirmed.

“Imagination and touch are more important than visual stimulation to a woman,” Lauren added, directing a pointed glance at Doug. “Which is why we can start and finish with or without the help of a battery-operated boyfriend.”

“Good ol’ B.O.B.” Kinsey sighed. “A fresh supply of batteries and he never lets a girl down.”

Anton snorted and rolled his eyes before downing half his bourbon. Doug, on the other hand, stared at Kinsey in disbelief. “Are you telling me that you get off every time you, uh…take B.O.B. to bed?”

Kinsey only smiled sweetly, tossing back her long blond hair. “Why don’t you ask me that when it’s your turn to play?”

Doug shook his head and under his breath muttered, “Women. More trouble than they’re worth.”

Poe dug an elbow into his ribs to shut him up. “You can get back at Kinsey and all of womankind later, after I get through getting back at Jess.”

Jess groaned and thumped his forehead on the edge of the table before looking up and grimacing at Poe.

Poe crossed her arms on the edge of the table and leaned forward, sparing a glance for Ray at her left, Doug at her right, then Anton across the table, before she settled her sights on Jess. “Now, Jess. Since we’re discussing sexy toys, my question is this. Have you ever done it with an inanimate object and, if so, with what?”

Jess’s expression remained deadpan. “Such as?”

“Oh, I don’t know. A blowup doll. An apple pie. That sort of thing.”

“I think Poe has been watching a few too many movies,” Kinsey said, and Ray snickered. Then Doug snickered. Sydney couldn’t help herself and she snickered, too. Jess remained totally cool. She had to give him credit.

“Are you talking all the way back to puberty?” he asked, leaning over the table toward her. “Or during my recent sex sabbatical?”

Poe leaned even farther over the table, until her breasts threatened to spill out of her top. “I’m talking any time during your life, sweetie, though I’d really like to hear more about this sex sabbatical.”

Jess leaned forward, too. “Well, then, sweetie. I take the dare.”

Jess’s refusal to answer brought him everything from howls to sympathetic groans to hysterical laughter, the latter from Lauren, who Sydney was beginning to think had had too much to drink.

Sitting back with a smugly satisfied smile, Poe laced her hands behind her head. “Since you dug yourself in deep with that one, I’ll make it easy on you. You have to kiss one of your dinner companions. Girl or guy, it doesn’t matter. The only caveat is that you have to look like you mean it.”

“That’s it? That’s his dare?” Kinsey registered the complaint and Sydney followed with “That sounds more like a reward.”

“And a punishment for whoever he chooses,” Lauren added.

Jess scooted back his chair and got to his feet. “Tsk-tsk, ladies. I realize this is going to be hard on those of you who don’t get to experience my incredible expertise.”

Anton brought his fist to his mouth and coughed to cover up his exclamation of “Bullshit.”

“Yeah. What Anton said. You can just keep your tongue to yourself, mister,” Kinsey said.

Jess ignored the outburst and circled the table, passing each woman once before stopping behind Kinsey on his second trip around. With both hands on the back of her chair, he leaned down and ran the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear, blowing softly until she shuddered.

Sydney’s own heart fluttered wildly, and one look at Lauren and Poe confirmed that neither of the other women remained unaffected. Even knowing Jess was all bark and no bite didn’t stop any of them from wanting to feel the nip of his teeth. Though, mused Sydney, not half as much as she wanted to be nipped by Ray.

“Now,” Jess said to Kinsey, breathing the words into her ear. “Don’t be giving me grief about my tongue when you obviously don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” And with that, he continued his second trip around the table.

Sydney held her breath as he passed behind her, and she caught Ray staring as she slowly let it go. She wanted to know what he was thinking, what it meant when his pulse ticked at his temple, when his jaw seemed to grind. She wanted to know if he possibly wanted her, and how she was going to sit through the rest of the evening until she could find out for sure.

No one at the table said a word when Jess came to a stop behind Poe’s chair. She still had her arms raised, her hands laced behind her head, and Jess settled his palms on her elbows. Her mouth quirked slightly, as if she’d never had a doubt she’d end up as his choice.

He ran his hands from her elbows down her triceps and back up to her forearms before pulling her to her feet, pushing her chair out of the way with his hip as he did. Then he turned her, wrapped her arms around his neck, settled his hands on her hipbones above the low-riding waistband of her pants and backed her into the table.

When he lowered his head, Sydney found herself once again holding her breath. Jess nuzzled his lips over Poe’s jaw and chin before moving his mouth to her mouth. He was tender and gentle and soft with his approach.

He wasn’t grinding his hips into hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth as Sydney was certain everyone was expecting him to do. No, he was taking things slow, the way a lover would take things slow, letting go of Poe’s hips and moving his hands up her body to hold her face, finally opening his mouth enough to coax Poe to do the same.

It was unbelievable, the way Sydney’s pulse raced, the way she found herself unable to pull in anything more than shallow breaths. She glanced at Lauren, then at Kinsey. Both women were equally transfixed. But this time Sydney could not bring herself to look at Ray, even though she hadn’t a doubt he was looking at her. The sensation of being caught in his gaze like a fly in a spider’s web was enough to keep her from glancing over. Or from looking again toward Jess and Poe.

The suggestion of intimacy stirred Sydney’s hunger unbearably, and she breathed a huge sigh of relief when the couple broke the embrace. She even joined in the applause that followed and finally felt able to come up for air once Jess had taken his bow and made his way back to his seat.

“Well, now,” Poe said, slightly out of breath as she settled back into her chair. “You almost convinced me that you meant it.”

“Then I guess I won that round,” Jess said, not entirely undisturbed himself.

“I don’t know.” Kinsey shook her head. “For some reason I feel like I won.”

Her comment brought the laughter the room seemed to need. That, and the whiskey that was obviously beginning to take effect. Sydney had purposefully sipped slowly and made sure to water down what booze she was drinking.

And a good thing, too, since Jess turned to her and said, “Sydney?”

She looked up, feeling a rush of nervous trepidation. “Yes?”

“Truth or dare. Since you have had a bit of an icy reputation in the past—” Jess paused, letting the implication sink in “—I’m curious to know if you had an orgasm the first time you had sex.”

Sydney didn’t even blink. Could Jess have possibly asked anything she would’ve wanted to answer less, considering the present company, who could call her on any lie she might try to get away with? The present company who had brought her off repeatedly through the hours of that long, hot, summer night all those years ago?

And so she sat back, crossed her arms, looked Jess straight in the eye and told him and the rest of the room the truth. “Actually, Jess, yes. I did.”

Anton snorted, obviously in disbelief. Doug sat slack-jawed. Jess stared from beneath two raised brows. The women were more vocal. Their responses ranged from “No way!” to “Go Sydney!” to “You lucky dog!”

And then the circle of reactions came back around to Anton and his skeptical suspicion. “Give her a dare, Jess. She’s lying through her teeth.”

Sydney turned a steely gaze on Anton. “What makes you think I’m lying?”

“It’s hard to believe any woman would come her first time. Half the time even women who know what they’re doing fake their orgasms.” Anton flinched as a half-melted ice cube pelted him in the center of his chest. He glared across the length of the table just as Lauren threw another.

“If she’s with the right man, a woman can have an orgasm every time. But since it’s hard to find a man willing to take the time to learn what a woman needs, it’s no wonder women end up faking.” Lauren popped a third ice cube into her mouth, sucked it free of whiskey.

Anton upended his glass and drained the remainder of his drink. “Let’s not forget that some women seem to be able to come at the drop of a hat. Sorta makes a man wonder why she keeps him around when she can obviously do her own thing as long as she’s got the batteries.”

“Hey, dude. I don’t know what you’re complaining about.” Jess glanced from one-half of the quarreling couple to the other and back. “Finding a woman uninhibited enough to come sure takes the pressure off.”

“Exactly!” Lauren exclaimed, then turned to Jess. “Thank you, Jess. It’s nice to know that a man can appreciate a woman’s sexuality without feeling threatened by it.”

Anton got to his feet and Sydney held her breath, waiting for what she knew would be an explosion. But Anton surprised her by calmly grabbing the decanter of bourbon from the center of the table and not saying another word. And then he left the room.

For several moments no one made a comment, as if talking behind Anton’s back was as bad as talking in front of Lauren. Finally Poe split the difference with a mumbled, “Well, since I managed to so beautifully blow that, I think I’ll console myself with a quick and painless death by drowning. Or at least a long walk along the beach.”

“Oh, Poe. You didn’t blow anything.” Kinsey reached across the table and took hold of the other woman’s hands. “If you’re in the mood for company, I’d love to come along. My head could use the fresh air.”

Poe got to her feet, her gaze lingering on Jess as she asked, “Anyone else care to join us in walking off dinner and drinks and the rest of the evening’s disaster?”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Lauren stood, stared at the table’s surface as if getting her balance or her bearings, then headed for the circular staircase separating the dining area from the villa’s main room.

Once Lauren was gone, Doug slapped his hands on the table, jarring the room from its pensive mood. “I’m all for a walk.”

“Me, too,” Jess said, taking Kinsey by the hand and dragging her off toward the villa’s front entrance. He stopped halfway there, looked back and held out his other hand for Poe. “Doug, Ray? Sydney? Let’s go.”

Doug rose and headed for the group.

Sydney stayed seated and shook her head, running a finger around the rim of her near-empty glass. “You all go on. I’m going to finish cleaning the kitchen, then head for the shower once Lauren is through.”

“Ray? You coming?” Kinsey asked as she followed the others across the room and out the front door.

Ray glanced from Sydney to the departing group and back again. His brows drew down over clearly indecisive eyes. His lips pressed together uncertainly. He stepped closer to Sydney’s chair and stared down, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “You want some help?”

Sydney rubbed her cheek against his lingering hand, then looked from her glass up to Ray and, smiling, said, “Help with the kitchen or with the shower?”

Ray’s breath hitched and he stared down at her, his expression having darkened, the tic in his jaw a hard echo of the pulse throbbing in the hollow of his throat. “Don’t give me a choice you don’t want me to make.”

For a moment, just for a moment, Sydney closed her eyes. It would be so easy to say yes, to drag him into the shower off the first-floor bedroom suite that no one but her father ever used. But as much as she wanted him, she wanted to wait, to let the tension build, to keep their liaison a private affair.

And right now there were too many people waiting for him to join them on the beach. So what she did was get to her feet, reach across the table and gather up as many of the highball glasses as she could manage with two hands. Then she turned to face him.

“Truth or dare?” she asked, and as she did, Ray’s mouth quirked upward. “Would you rather I accept your help when we’re liable to be interrupted any minute, or would you rather wait until we have time alone?”

“The truth? I’d rather wait.” He looked off toward the door as if even now he expected to be interrupted. Then he looked back at Sydney, his eyes flashing, his smile a silent promise of seduction he intended to keep. “The dare? You find us the time.”

“I DON’T KNOW why I ever agreed to this trip.” Lauren pummeled the pink, satin-cased pillow, then crossed her arms and hugged it close. “I knew this was a mistake the minute I found out Anton was going to be here.”

“So why’d you come?” Sitting on the corner of Lauren’s bed and wearing nothing but a lemon-yellow silk chemise, Sydney rubbed lotion into her freshly shaved legs, intending to ferret out Lauren’s feelings for Anton in a private one-on-one, since Poe’s more dramatic efforts had sent the two lovers off in opposite directions.

Kinsey was actually the one bunking with Lauren, as Sydney had chosen to share a double room with Poe down the hall. The other two women hadn’t yet returned from the moonlit stroll they’d taken along the beach with three of the four men.

Anton hadn’t left the room he was sharing with Doug since taking the decanter of bourbon and calling it a night. Sydney doubted he was in any condition to put one foot in front of the other, moonlight or not.

Lauren’s condition wasn’t much better. Unable to sit still, she bounced this way and that, crossed her legs, then stretched them out and flexed her toes. Finally she tucked two pillows behind her, kept the one in front, leaned back against the headboard and collapsed.

Unfazed and possessing the patience of a saint, Sydney snapped the squirt cap of the lotion bottle and repeated her question. “Why did you come if you thought it was a mistake?”

Lauren finally accepted that Sydney wasn’t going away and heaved a huge sigh. “I know he’s been seeing Poe. And I knew she’d be here.”

“And you couldn’t stand a week at the office without her so you decided to come along?” Sydney asked wryly.

“Very funny.” Lauren glared, then sulked. “The truth is, I couldn’t stand thinking of the two of them here together.”

“So do you plan to stalk any woman Anton goes out with? Or tag along on all his dates?” Sydney asked, having a hard time keeping a straight face.

Lauren massaged both temples, then rubbed the heels of her palms over her eyes. “I know, I know. I regretted moving in with him. Now I regret moving out. I don’t want him dating anyone else, but I’m not sure how I feel about him. Or how he feels about me.”

“Don’t you think it’s time to find out?” Sydney wrapped her fingers around one of Lauren’s feet and playfully, teasingly squeezed. “Don’t you think being here together gives the two of you the perfect opportunity to see where exactly you stand with each other?”

“It might.” Lauren’s expression conveyed her irritation as sarcastically as did her tone of voice. “Of course we’d have a better chance if certain other people weren’t here stirring up trouble. I mean, c’mon. What was that business with the way Poe cleared off the table, anyway? Rubbing all over Anton and Doug. And truth or dare? Give me a break.”

Sydney shrugged, walking a fine neutral line between her friendships with the two women. “I think she was trying to break the ice. You have to admit it worked. Too bad Macy wasn’t here to take notes for gIRL gAMES.”

Lauren blew out an inelegant snort. “What I want to know is where Poe gets off thinking it’s her place to break the ice?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” Poe said, walking uninvited and unexpected into Lauren’s room and plopping on the end of the bed opposite Sydney. “I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping. I came back for my suit—” she dangled the black bottoms to the top she’d been wearing all day “—and to ask if either of you wanted to join us in the hot tub on the sundeck. But now that I’m here, I’m more than happy to clear any air that needs clearing.”

“All right.” Lauren cocked her head to one side and considered the other woman and her offer. “This isn’t exactly a tropical reality show, Poe. We don’t need a cruise director. We’re all adults. We know how to get along and how to entertain ourselves, thank you very much.”

Poe shrugged carelessly. “Maybe so. But it’s obvious that certain tensions exist between some of us that will ruin this vacation for others if not dealt with.”

Lauren pulled up her knees and pressed them into the pillow she held tightly to her chest. “You’re talking about me and Anton.”

“That, yes.” Poe inclined her head, lifting both brows in a visual challenge. “And your feelings toward me.”

“What about my feelings toward you?”

“Obviously they are hardly charitable. And obviously they are rooted in the fact that Anton has taken me out a couple of times since the two of you broke up.”

“Well, then, what else is there to say?” Lauren asked, clearly believing she held the upper hand.

Sydney glanced from Lauren to Poe, who easily yanked away Lauren’s hold by replying, “You mean, besides the fact that you can’t have it both ways?”

Frowning, Lauren asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Either you want to be with Anton or you don’t.” Poe got to her feet, begin untying the knots holding her sarong pants in place. “You can’t dangle your feelings like bait, hoping he’ll bite. That’s hardly fair to him. It’s certainly not fair to me. But most of all, it’s unfair to yourself.”

“And how do you figure that?” Lauren asked, watching along with Sydney as Poe’s pants and barely there bikini panties hit the floor.

Poe slipped one foot, then the other into the swimsuit bottoms and pulled them on. “Are you dating anyone else?”

“I’ve been seeing someone, yes,” Lauren answered, then, avoiding Sydney’s gaze, hurried to add, “It’s not serious, though. We’re just very close friends.”

“Are you happy just being very close friends? Or do you miss being in a committed relationship?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Poe snagged her pants from the floor, tossed them over one shoulder and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Sydney suddenly knew that Poe was about to breathe the fire by which she’d earned her dragonlady reputation.

“C’mon, Lauren. If you want Anton, go for it. If you love him, fight for him. Fight with him, if you have to. Because I can tell you right now that he won’t be unattached for long. He’s intelligent and successful. He’s kind and he’s funny and he’s sexy as hell.

“If you’re sitting around waiting for him to come crawling back on his knees, it’s not going to happen.” And then Poe’s voice softened. “But you know that, don’t you? You know exactly what he’s worth. And exactly what you’re missing, now that you don’t have him in your life.”

As Sydney watched, tears filled Lauren’s eyes. She reached for Lauren’s foot, wrapped a comforting hand around her ankle. But before Sydney could soothe her friend with heartfelt words, Poe said, “Don’t cry, Lauren. Get tough. Get mean. Stand up to him. Stand up for what you want from him. There are so few men worth fighting for. And you’ve found one.

“Don’t let him go, because if you do, I guarantee he’ll be snatched up before you can blink. And I can’t say that I won’t be the first woman in line.”

3

WRAPPING AN ARM around a beam supporting the second-floor balcony, Sydney stared out across the stretch of white beach and over the rippling water.

The moon was high and full, and the light thrown across the sea and the sand was easily bright enough to see by. The view was almost no different at midnight than it had been at sunset, except the sky was now a velvet cape of star-studded indigo and the Caribbean a darkly mysterious surface of sinuous, white-capped waves.

She couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t sure if it was being in a strange bed or being in strange company. This group would try the patience of the pope. At least Lauren and Poe seemed to be headed toward an understanding, if not a complete truce. And though Sydney had never before considered enlisting outside help in her initiative to get Lauren out of her funk, Poe’s direct approach had certainly given Lauren food for thought. And given Sydney a lot to consider, as well.

She supposed it wasn’t easy for Lauren to see Anton in the company of any woman with their relationship so newly ended. But there was something about Poe as the other woman that might even have given Sydney pause. Poe made no effort to suppress her sexuality. She made no apologies for her candor. And she had the potential to make for tough competition as a business adversary or as a rival for the attention of a man.

Lauren certainly had Sydney’s sympathy. She wasn’t sure how she’d react if Poe was to take a sudden interest in pursuing Ray while here on Coconut Caye. Sydney supposed that after she’d worked him out of her system and out of her fantasies, after they were all back in Houston, he’d be fair game. Poe would be welcome to go after him, if she had a mind to, and Sydney would have no reason to object.

So why did the picture of Poe, or any other woman, in the arms of Ray Coffey suddenly have Sydney’s claws flexing?

It had to be the bourbon, she decided, frowning, even while recognizing the explanation of “too much alcohol” as not making a whole lot of sense. She’d barely sipped enough of her father’s stock to get a buzz. Too much of a lightweight to overindulge, she’d wanted to stay sober. The alcohol she had consumed had only served to loosen her inhibitions, allowing her to seize the moment and boldly make a move on Ray.

The come-on she’d made once the room had cleared had been more than effective, judging by Ray’s effort to steady his ragged inhalation of breath. Standing there beside the dining table and looking up into his eyes, Sydney had been struck by the suppressed passion she saw simmering there. Her own breathing had been rattled, her chest constricted, her throat so tight she’d found it impossible to speak in a level tone.

And that was totally unlike her, responding in an overtly physical fashion when attracted to a man. She’d always prided herself on being cool, being in control, which had, unfortunately, served to further her Ice Queen image, no matter that she was anything but cold.

For most of the evening, she’d watched Ray covertly, not wanting him to catch her staring or to sense any of what she had on her mind. While the others had been caught up in the flirtatious rules of the game, Ray had, for the most part, sat silently. He’d thrown in two or three smart remarks as guys, being guys, were prone to do.

But he’d been distracted, which Sydney could tell by the way he’d studied his plate, smiling at random comments, toying with his glass but never really doing much damage to his drink. He’d remained as sober as she had and then he’d left the villa with the others. She wondered if he’d had much to say while in the hot tub, or if his thoughts had been as consumed as hers by their parting conversation. He’d dared her to find time for them to be together. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do more. This vacation was taking a promising turn.