Pleasure Rush Page 5

  Deirdre brought the glass to her mouth and took a long drink. Emboldened by the alcohol, she starting writing.

  She was not going to hide from life anymore. It was time to start living.

  “Number five: Seduce Theo Stokes.”

  Chapter 4

  As she waited under the portico in front of the hotel, Deirdre tilted her hat’s wide brim farther down her forehead to block the sun’s blinding glare. She should probably run up to her room to get the sunglasses she’d left on the bathroom counter, but Paige might come while she was gone and have to wait for her. Not that her sister-in-law had a problem leaving her to wait, apparently.

  The tour bus that would take them on a sightseeing excursion around the island was scheduled to leave in ten minutes. If Paige didn’t get her butt down here soon, she would just go on the tour without her, Deirdre decided.

  Anxiety tightened her chest at the thought.

  “Good Lord, Deirdre,” she grunted underneath her breath. And she’d had the audacity to think she could get through that silly bucket list she’d written last night. Deirdre winced, emitting a self-deprecating laugh at her brief brush with insanity. She had blessedly come to her senses in the light of day.

  Just as she reached for her cell phone to call Paige, it rang.

  Speak of the devil.

  “Where are you?” she asked her sister-in-law. “The tour bus will be here any minute.”

  “I can’t make it. Torrian is sick,” Paige answered.

  Stark concern shot up Deirdre’s spine. “What’s wrong? Is it anything serious?”

  “He woke up in the middle of the night with stomach pains and has been vomiting all morning. My poor baby has had a rough few hours.”

  “He needs to see a doctor,” Deirdre said as she started for the hotel entrance. “I can’t believe you didn’t call me earlier.”

  “One of the Sabers’ team physicians is in with him right now,” Paige said.

  Deirdre cut across the hotel lobby to the elevator bank. “Well, what did the doctor say?”

  She heard muffled voices, and then Paige returned to the line. “Dee, I need to go. Have fun on the tour.”

  Have fun on the tour? Was Paige out of her mind? She wasn’t about to go gallivanting around this island while her brother was sick. Deirdre boarded the elevator and moments later got out on Paige and Torrian’s floor. She raced to their room and pounded on the door.

  “Paige, open up. It’s me.”

  Several long seconds passed before the door opened. Paige looked frazzled, holding a wet hand towel. “Deirdre? Why aren’t you on the tour bus? Wasn’t it leaving at ten?”

  “I don’t care about that tour,” Deirdre said, rushing past her sister-in-law, her heart in her throat. “Where is Torrian? How’s he doing?”

  “He’s in the shower,” Paige answered. “The doctor isn’t sure, but he thinks it may be a touch of food poisoning. Apparently several other people who had the scallops at Jade last night are under the weather.”

  “He’ll need to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest,” Deirdre said. She’d seen several cases of food poisoning during her years of culinary school. Thank goodness she had never caused any of them.

  “Yes, I know,” Paige answered, a hint of frustration in her voice. “The doctor said he’d have one of the equipment managers bring up some Gatorade and anti-nausea medication.”

  Deirdre tossed her bag on the suite’s sofa and headed for the separate bedroom. She started to strip the sheets from the bed.

  Paige followed her, stopping just inside the bedroom door. “Dee, what are you doing?”

  “These have to be changed before he gets back in this bed,” she said, balling up the pillowcase and tossing it on the floor.

  “I know that,” Paige stated. “Housekeeping is on its way up to change the bedding. Why don’t you see if you can schedule another tour? I’m sure the concierge can help.”

  Deirdre’s eyes flew to her sister-in-law. “Be real, Paige. I’m not going sightseeing while my brother is lying in bed sick.”

  “I can take care of Torrian. There’s no reason for this to ruin your day.”

  Deirdre took a step back, shock stiffening her neck. “He is my brother,” she reiterated. “I have to make sure he’s okay.”

  “He is my husband,” Paige asserted. “I can take care of him.”

  Deirdre dropped the sheet, stunned at Paige’s austere tone. A forbidding sense of panic climbed up Deirdre’s spine.

  They stared at each other across the room, the test of wills a tangible force pulsing between them. Their impasse was shattered by Torrian’s strained voice coming from the bathroom.

  “Baby, I need you,” he moaned.

  “I’ll be right there,” Paige called, her eyes still on Deirdre. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you should go. I’ll text you and let you know how he’s doing,” Paige said. “Please, Dee, go and enjoy your day.”

  “Paige!” Torrian called.

  “I’ll be right there.” Paige gave Deirdre an uneasy nod as she headed past her for the bathroom.

  Deirdre was too staggered to speak, to think. Several stunned moments passed before reality slammed into her with the force of a category-five hurricane. Torrian didn’t need her. He had a wife now; Paige was there to tend to him.

  No! Deirdre’s mind shouted. Her entire being recoiled, rejecting the truth that was trying to force its way in, a truth she was nowhere near ready to accept.

  She stood at the foot of the bed, her limbs shaking as she teetered on the edge of shock, unsure how to react to the seismic shift her life had just taken. For nearly two decades her entire world had revolved around her baby brother and her son. Caring for them was simply what she did; it was who she was. What had just transpired had cast a thousand-megawatt light on a truth she had not allowed herself to face.

  The men in her life no longer needed her. Torrian was married, and before she knew it, Dante would be on his way to college.

  Where did that leave her?

  The bathroom door opened and she heard Paige say, “Put on a robe—the housekeeper may be out there.”

  Deirdre quickly made her way out of the bedroom, lifting her canvas bag from the sofa as she exited the suite. Once in the hallway, she leaned back against the door and shut her eyes tight, anxiety squeezing her chest. Her heartbeat quickened with a panic so fierce Deirdre questioned whether she was having a heart attack.

  Who was she if she wasn’t the person Dante and Torrian called on? What was she supposed to do with herself if she didn’t have to take care of them?

  Her employees already commented on the amount of time she put in at the restaurant. If she started spending even more hours there, she had might as well don a sign proclaiming she had no life.

  As she brought a shaky hand to her chest, her breath hitched at the dismal picture of long, lonely years stretching ahead of her. She had never contemplated a time when she would no longer be needed by the men in her life. But she could not ignore what was staring her in the face. She just wasn’t sure she could handle it.

  When you can handle what I’m offering, you know where to find me.

  Theo’s words roared to life again, taunting her. The way he’d said it, as if he didn’t believe for a minute that she would ever be able to handle him. And here she was, falling into that same way of thinking, questioning whether she could cope with this curveball life had just pitched her way.

  The image of the ink-stained napkin she’d tossed aside flashed across her mind. She’d thrown away her bucket list, dismissing it as crazy. But maybe a little craziness would do her some good after a lifetime of making sure everyone around her had what they needed.

  What about what she needed?

&n
bsp; She was in one of the most gorgeous, exciting places on Earth, with nothing but free time and every leisurely pursuit she could imagine at her fingertips. And she had been ready to argue for the right to take care of her sick brother?

  What did that say about her life?

  It was time to make a change, Deirdre decided. Starting right now.

  She set out for the elevator, determination hastening her stride. She had no idea what she was going to do today—only that she was going to enjoy the hell out of it.

  * * *

  “That is the dumbest idea I’ve heard all week!” Daniel Bates snorted.

  “Screw you, Dan!” Clyde Barker returned.

  “Gentlemen, please,” Ambria said. “This bickering isn’t getting us anywhere. Now, we can run some file footage, but that will only get us so far. We need to put our heads together and come up with another story idea.”

  Theo put both elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. This afternoon’s production meeting had started out rough, but the situation was rapidly heading into full-blown pandemonium.

  For weeks they had been preparing for a story on three middle linebackers who had made it to the Pro Bowl in this, their rookie season—a story Theo himself was set to report. But when he’d arrived in the lobby this morning to ride with the players and crew over to Aloha Stadium for filming, Theo had learned that all three had come down with food poisoning. Now the entire Sports Talk TV crew was scrambling to come up with something to fill the segment. So far, all they had accomplished was giving Theo a blinding headache.

  “Can we please settle down?” Sara Faulkner urged. As Theo anticipated, the soft-spoken field producer was completely ignored.

  He glanced at Saul Davies, who sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw tightly clenched. Theo knew from experience that Saul was nearing the end of his rope, but his colleagues seemed oblivious to the senior producer’s shriveling patience.

  It occurred to Theo that this would be a prime opportunity to make a good impression on his boss. If he was going to make a push to become Judd Wright’s replacement, he had to take advantage of the rare occasions to stand out from the other analysts.

  “If I can have a moment,” Theo interrupted. “I’d like to propose an idea.”

  All eyes turned to him. Theo tamped down the wave of apprehension that swept through his stomach. He’d commanded respect on the football field for twelve years. He could do this.

  Summoning the authoritative stare he’d perfected as captain of the Sabers defense, Theo surveyed the people around the table. “How many of our stories are about players going at it on the field?” he asked.

  “It’s the Pro Bowl, Theo. That’s what it’s all about,” Clyde jeered.

  “No, it’s not,” he said. “Don’t you think fans are tired of those same old stories they get all season long? How many people really care that Toby Gray has been kicking field goals since the third grade? We need to go deeper, give the audience something different.”

  “Like what?” Saul asked.

  “Extreme sports,” Theo said, the thought popping in his head out of nowhere. He hunched forward, the ideas coming at him at blazing speed. “We’re in Hawaii. Why don’t we interview the guys who are into wakeboarding and Jet Skiing? It’s a good way to bring some local flavor into the piece and not have it be all about football.”

  “It absolutely is,” Ambria added. “This would give us a chance to fit in some great images of the island, as well, without it being forced. I’m tired of those obligatory shots of the beach at sunset. We need to show Hawaii from the player’s perspective. I love this idea, Theo.”

  “I heard the food poisoning was pretty mild,” Dan Bates inserted. “Those guys will probably be recovered by tonight.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Saul waved him off. “I think Theo’s idea will go over better with viewers. One of your former Sabers teammates is big into water sports, isn’t he?” Saul asked.

  “Christian Hill,” Theo answered. “He has an endorsement deal with a surfboard company.”

  “Why don’t you see if he’ll let us tape him surfing and give us a short interview? Can you think of anyone else?”

  “I’m sure there are a few guys here,” Theo said. He pointed his pen at Saul. “Maybe we can convince a few players who are a bit reluctant to give extreme water sports a try.”

  A slight grin cracked Saul’s usually dour countenance. “A bunch of big, surly football players falling off of surfboards? I love it! We’ve got to make this one happen.”

  “I’m sure I’ll run into a lot of them at the luau Hydration Sports Drinks is sponsoring tonight,” Theo said. “I’ll pitch the idea to a few players and see what I can come up with.”

  “Excellent.” Saul measured him with a shrewd stare. “You know, Theo, the perspective you bring to the table is becoming invaluable.”

  Theo gave a nonchalant shrug, but the excitement building inside of him had his chest on the verge of exploding. Validation wasn’t easy to come by in this business. It was another stark contrast from his years on the football field. He had enough MVP plaques and game balls to fill several bookshelves, but being recognized in production meetings was as rare as making it to the Super Bowl five years in a row.

  This is the reason he’d wanted this job, because of the look the senior producer was giving him right now. Saul Davies valued his input, and for the first time since he’d decided to retire, Theo truly felt as if he was good for more than just crushing guys on the football field. The doubt that had nearly paralyzed him from the day he’d first picked up a microphone began to subside.

  He could do this. Damn right, he could do this.

  Not only was he going to make it as an analyst at Sports Talk TV, but he was going to get that open spot on The Sunday Morning Kickoff.

  After the rest of the crew had vacated the room, Ambria sauntered over to him, one finely arched eyebrow pointing upward. “That was very impressive, Mr. Stokes.”

  “Thanks,” Theo answered. He tried to move past her without making it seem as if he were retreating.

  Ambria shifted to block his exit. “I like the way your mind works, Theo. I think we should get together to discuss a few ideas.”

  An unsettling weight took up residence in the pit of his stomach. He had been evading Ambria’s not-so-subtle advances since he’d started at Sports Talk TV over a year ago. He should have nipped this thing in the bud in the very beginning, but when Ambria was transferred to the network’s Los Angeles offices a couple of months after he’d started, Theo figured it wouldn’t be an issue. Just his luck she’d ended up in Hawaii producing the Pro Bowl coverage.

  “This is such a busy week for all of us,” Theo pointed out.

  “We have some free time,” she returned. Ambria crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you always playing hard to get?”

  “Because I don’t want to get got,” he replied before he could mitigate the words so they didn’t sound like a brush off. “Look, Ambria, I’m flattered. Truly. You are a beautiful woman, but we’re co-workers. That’s just asking for trouble.”

  Her mouth tipped up in a sexy smile. “Trouble can be fun.”

  His cock twitched to life as she ran her tongue over her lips. That grin promised all sorts of sinful recreation.

  What in the hell was he thinking, turning her down? Ambria was a confident, self-assured woman who went after what she wanted, and Theo would bet his life she was the same way in bed. He should be all over that.

  But instead of “Yes, let’s go up to your room and get naked,” coming from his mouth, Theo heard himself say, “This isn’t going to happen, Ambria. I’m sorry.”

  A trace of disappointment flashed across her face, but she quickly covered it with more of that imperturbable self-confid
ence.

  “So am I,” she returned with a shrug. “We could have had some fun.”

  With that she turned and strode toward the door. Theo’s eyes tracked her slim, denim-clad legs and butt as she sauntered out of the room.

  Was he stupid or was he stupid?

  He’d just been handed an engraved, hand-delivered invitation to untold hours of hot sex, and he’d let it walk right out of here on a pair of stiletto heels. And why? Because last night Deirdre Smallwood had suggested that she was possibly ready to embark on something with him. The woman couldn’t give him a straight answer; would only commit to a maybe.

  Yet that small promise of maybe had him more excited than a guaranteed night of yes!, yes!, yes! with Ambria. That twitch in his groin threatened to grow into a full-blown erection at just the thought of finally making some kind of headway with Deirdre.

  He shook his head, his mouth twisting in a derisive smile. Had a woman ever had this kind of effect on him before?

  Deirdre didn’t just get under his skin, she penetrated it on a molecular level.

  He hadn’t seen her enter the bar area last night, he’d felt her. He had been listening to Ambria discuss the ins and outs of The Sunday Morning Kickoff show when an indescribable awareness had crept up his spine.

  Theo couldn’t deny the stab of wicked pleasure he experienced when he’d glanced out of the corner of his eye and spotted her. Seeing Deirdre huddled in that corner, desperately trying to go unnoticed as she watched him and Ambria had felt like retribution for the agony he’d been going through this past year. Her jealousy had been palpable last night, and he had enjoyed it way too much.

  Theo had tried playing the jealousy game with her once before, escorting an old girlfriend to the charity event Deirdre had held at The Fire Starter Grille a couple of months ago. The week before Theo had invited her to a concert Torrian had assured him Deirdre would love, but she’d given him another flimsy excuse as to why she wouldn’t go out with him.

  Her turning him down that third time had been the last straw. Theo had gone from hurt to angry, his ego bruised worse than anything his body had ever suffered on the football field. On the night of the charity event he’d purposely flaunted his date in Deirdre’s face with the sole purpose of driving her crazy with jealousy.