Perhaps his original assessment of his financial controller was nearer to the mark. Yes, she’d stolen the money, his money, there was no doubt about that, but had she really stolen it purely for reasons of greed as she’d confessed? Surely a woman like Kendall, whose father was a high-flying lawyer and extremely wealthy in his own right, could have obtained the money by more legitimate means?
Yeah, something just doesn’t feel right.
That was why he’d employed the services of Frank Carrell, a private eye he’d used successfully for the last decade. Frank had the experience to get to the bottom of the money trail and find out exactly where his million bucks had gone. For now, he’d go on assuming that Kendall was the sole perpetrator of the crime, because he had no evidence to the contrary. Deep down though, he hoped there was another reason why she’d stolen his money, and one that wasn’t to do with personal greed and self-gratification.
In the meantime though, by keeping her contained on his private island in the Florida Keys, he could run with his original plan, enjoying her achingly beautiful body, wherever and whenever he desired. For the next ten days she belonged to him, until her debt was finally paid in full.
* * * *
Three hours later
Tired from the seemingly never-ending journey, Kendall held her breath as Mac skillfully piloted the helicopter. They were probably flying at a height of a hundred feet, but to her, it seemed they practically skimmed the softly undulating waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Each expanse of pristine azure sea lasted for mere seconds before lush greenery appeared again, only to be replaced with the mesmerizing ocean once more.
She wasn’t here by choice, but her insistent boss had certainly brought her to a beautiful part of the world. As she looked at the fading orange glow of the slowly setting sun, she took in the hundreds of tiny islands, which lay scattered along the peninsula that dripped from the underbelly of Florida, trailing all the way to Key West. Events had unfolded at a speed that startled her, and less than half a day ago, she’d felt reasonably confident that her dishonest yet necessary course of action would remain undiscovered. How wrong she’d been. She glanced at her watch. Exactly fifty-five minutes ago, after a three-hour flight from New York, they’d arrived at Marathon airport in Mac’s private plane. Following a brief respite and a change from Learjet to helicopter, they were now closing in on his private island.
With this in mind, she dragged her thoughts back to the here and now, and the gorgeous sexy man who sat mere inches from her, his eyes shielded by aviator shades as he scanned the horizon.
After what had happened in his opulent office, she knew he was a natural dominant, and he’d left her in no doubt that he demanded full value from his investment. Well, that may sound callous and uncaring, but all things considered, it was the smarter option.
Dragging her mind back to Mac and still feeling slightly guilty for the sexy thoughts that raced around her brain, Kendall drew in a sharp deep breath in an effort to restore some equilibrium to her frayed nerves. If Mac had been a three-hundred-pound slob who spent his days sitting on the couch, watching television while eating packet after packet of potato chips, then she’d have felt disgusted with the forced arrangement. Any woman would. But the situation she found herself in wasn’t like that all, and although things were far from perfect, they’d already gelled when it came to fucking. She figured there was another nine and a half days of being her boss’s plaything. Presumably, after that, reality would kick in, and she’d find herself joining the ranks of the unemployed. Harsh, but right now, she didn’t give a fuck just so long as Ashley turned up alive and well.
Kendall watched entranced as the tropical green palms of Buck Keys grew ever nearer. The closer they got, the faster her heart beat, until she finally held her breath as the chopper, with Mac in total effortless charge, swooped low over the island. A large imposing house perched precariously on a central core of coral rock suddenly filled her vision, making her gasp in surprise. As he banked the helicopter over for another turn, she saw, with the exception of the helipad, that it was the only significant structure on the large private island. Geography wasn’t her strong point, but she guessed the island ran to some ten acres, maybe more.
As the two-seater chopper touched down on the lush green paradise, Kendall was glad when the incessant drone of the single overhead rotor slowed, then finally stopped. By comparison, the ensuing silence was a joy, allowing the tranquil sound of the gently humming cicadas and the uplifting voice of exotic birdsong to take its place.
After removing his aviator shades, Mac turned to her, his gorgeous silver-gray eyes full of desire and expectation. “We’re here.”
Those two simple words, delivered in such a velvety tone, made her stomach clench and her pussy moisten with wanton anticipation. “Thank, God, for that.” She fanned a hand quickly in front of her face to cool herself. There was no air-conditioning in the helicopter, and the debilitating humidity was getting to her, making her face flush bright red.
Or was that simply due to the presence of her boss and jailer?
“I need some air. It’s stifling in here.” The relentless heat really had fried her brain, because she immediately had trouble operating the handle to the flimsy chopper door.
Mac effortlessly leaned across and released the safety catch. “There, honey. Not so difficult when you know how.”
That was the thing with Mac. He made everything look easy and effortless. Problems that other men, lesser men, would find difficult or even insurmountable were simply dispatched with an unshakeable confidence that bordered on arrogance. Not only was he an accomplished helicopter pilot, but he’d informed her he also flew his own personal Learjet, too. That was when business and time were not too pressing.
The way he looked at her, the way his eyes absorbed her body and soul, she figured that very little in this world was beyond the great Mac Buchanan. His background was sketchy and incomplete at best, and even after delving deep into the font of information that was Google, she’d still failed to find out much about his past. She knew he’d come up the hard way though. A real rags-to-riches story. Mac was a self-made man. A guy who made his own luck and didn’t rely on anyone but himself.
He was clearly intelligent and exceptionally perceptive, and she was aware that his formal education had been limited. Mac certainly hadn’t been born with the advantage of a silver spoon in his mouth as she had. From a very young age, he’d made his own way in life, and there was no doubt in her mind that the ruthless streak running right through him came from his early experiences. Oh, yeah, staring into his eyes, she knew her incredibly sexy and dominating boss wasn’t averse to breaking a few heads should the need arise. So, taking advantage of her mistake was just another uncompromising facet of his addictive personality.
Still, she only had herself to blame. If she hadn’t stolen his money, she wouldn’t be in this position right now.
But deep down, Kendall, although you’ll deny it to the day you die, you’re starting to enjoy it.
I am not!
Liar.
She pushed open the chopper door and clambered inelegantly out, her skirt rising almost to her waist, exposing her panties, before her feet finally connected with the helipad below. Embarrassed, she looked across at him, aware that a mischievous smile graced his masculine features, causing his expressive eyes to twinkle.
“I suppose I should have told you to wear trousers for a journey like this, honey.”
“Too late now,” she retorted.
“Yeah, well, from this angle, I’m not complaining. Besides, you have great legs.”
She watched him exit the chopper far easier than she’d managed, and within seconds he joined her. With his powerful hands resting on her shoulders, he motioned with a deft nod of his head to the large opulent house that stood imposingly on the highest point of the island.
“It’s only a short walk. As soon as we’re inside, we can both take a shower.”
She put her hands together as though in prayer. “Oh, thank God. A shower. I’d kill for a shower. The things we take for granted in this world.”
“Yeah, and it’s all air-conditioned, too.”
“It just gets better.”
He possessively linked his arm through hers and started to guide her toward the ultramodern house that lay some two hundred yards ahead. Standing proud and dominating on a raised rocky precipice, it would give great views over the whole of the island. The single-story building had a footprint she guessed of about six thousand square feet.
“It’s large.”
“I entertain a lot.” At six feet four, he towered over her, making her feel small and vulnerable, especially when he looked directly at her and suggestively murmured, “But I won’t be entertaining for the next nine and half days. For the next nine and a half days, it’s just you and me, Kendall. You’re mine to master and enjoy.”
Dear, God, he was right, too, and although she was technically his prisoner, the thought of spending enforced time with Mac was becoming less and less unappealing by the second.