Bachelor Undone

“First of all, are you taking those vitamin supplements I told you about?” Wesley asked.

York shook his head. One of the pitfalls of hiring the men was that they liked to run his life by making sure he got the proper rest, ate healthy and didn’t overdo it when it came to women. They claimed all three things would eventually take a toll on a man.

“Yes, I’m taking them, so what do you have?”

“I think Damien Felder might be your man,” Wesley said with certainty.

“Why?”

“He has a ton of gambling debts.”

York rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “He’s a gambler?”

“Of the worse kind. Although he’s tried covering his tracks, I was able to trace his ties to the Medina family.”

“Damn.” The Medina family had their hands into anything illegal they could touch. York hadn’t gotten wind of them involved in movie piracy before now, though. Mainly it’d been drugs, prostitution and the transportation of illegal immigrants.

And Roswell Medina’s name had been linked to the homicide investigation involving Rhona, the only woman York had ever considered marrying. Like him she had been a police officer and had gotten struck down by a bullet when she had investigated a robbery. The authorities believed the rash of burglaries in Harlem had been organized by Medina but could never prove it.

“I can see them getting interested, if they had the right person on the inside to help them. It’s evidently a profitable business,” York added.

“Apparently.”

He inhaled a deep sigh. He knew Damien Felder would be the one to watch for a while. “I want all the information you can get me on Felder’s association with any of the Medinas.” He would just love to nail any member of that crime family for something, even if it was for jaywalking.

As he headed back toward his side of the hotel he thought about Darcy and doubted the two of them would be running into each other again any time soon.

Hell, he hoped not.

A twenty-piece orchestra on the beach.

The hotel had thought of everything, Darcy concluded as she stepped outside. Everyone had been told that tonight’s affair was all glitz and glamour, and everyone had dressed to the nines. Men were in tuxes and women were in beautiful gowns. She had decided to wear the short white lace dress and silver sandals she had purchased a few months ago when she had joined Ellie on a shopping spree when she’d visited her best friend in Charlotte.

With a glass of champagne in her hand, Darcy made her way down the white stone steps with towering balustrades on both sides. She could see the beach and see how the water was shimmering beneath the glow of the moon. To her right, tables of food had been set up, and shrimp, lobsters and oysters were being steamed on an open fire.

For those not wanting to get sand in their shoes, a huge wooden deck had been placed on the ground, and several light fixtures provided just the right amount of light to the affair.

She was about to grab another flute of champagne from a passing waiter when she happened to glance across the way and saw a man looking at her. He looked American and she placed his age in his late thirties. And she had to give it to him—he looked like a million bucks in his black tux.

But compared to York there was something lacking. He was handsome, although he wasn’t of the jaw-dropping kind like York Ellis. And she would have to be the first to concede that even with all the stranger’s handsomeness, she couldn’t even conjure up what hero he could represent from those tons of romance novels she had read. She’d had no such problem with York.

She bit down on her lip wondering why she’d just made the comparison. Why had York even crossed her mind? The stranger smiled over at her, and she smiled back before another partier walked up to him and claimed his attention. At least it hadn’t been a woman. As she sipped her champagne, she saw him glance over her way, as if assuring himself she was still there—still unattached, possibly still interested.

Deciding not to appear too interested, she began mingling, enjoying the sights and sounds. Moments later, she was leaning against a balustrade watching a group of the island dancers perform. Their movements were so romantic and breathtaking beneath the stars.

“I can tell you are enjoying yourself,” a deep, husky male voice said.

The first thought that flashed through her mind was that it wasn’t as deep as York’s, and it wasn’t making her skin feel like it was being caressed. Pushing that observation to the back of her mind, she looked up at the stranger she’d seen earlier and asked, “And just how can you tell?”

“You have that look. And whatever the cause of it, do you mind sharing it because I’m simply bored.”

She fought from shaking her head. She had heard that pickup line so many other times, surely the man could have thought of something else. But she could go along with it for now. “Then I guess I need to make sure you enjoy yourself as much as I do.”

He smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. “I would definitely appreciate it.” He then held his hand out to her. “I’m Damien Felder, by the way.”

She returned his smile. “And I’m Darcy Owens.”

“Please to meet you, Darcy. And is that a Midwestern accent I hear?”

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “And yours is part southern and part western.”

Instead of saying whether her assumption was correct, he took a step closer to her. “Are you staying at this hotel?”

She didn’t have to wonder why he was asking. The man was a fast mover, and she had no problem with that if her vibes had been in sync with his. They weren’t for some reason. “Yes, I’m at this hotel. What about you?”

“No, my hotel is a few miles from here. I was invited tonight by a friend. But an emergency came up, and he had to leave the island. He encouraged me to come anyway. He thought I would enjoy myself. I hadn’t been until I saw you.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And why would a beautiful woman travel to this island alone?”

She took a sip of her champagne and smiled as she looked up at him. “What makes you think I’m alone?”

A gleam appeared in the depths of his brown eyes. “Because no man with a lick of sense would let you out of his sight for long.”

Darcy smiled. The man was full of compliments, although she’d heard most of them before. “I needed a little vacation.” And before he could ask her anything else, she decided to ask him a question. “So what brings you to the island?”

“I’m associated with a movie that will be filmed on the island starting tomorrow.”

She lifted a brow. “A movie?”

He chuckled. “Yes, one from Spirit Head Productions.”

She nodded. She had heard of them. In fact, their main headquarters were in New York. “Let me guess,” she said smiling. “You’re the leading man.”

From his expression, she could tell he enjoyed getting compliments as much as he enjoyed giving them. “No, I hold an administrative position. I’m a line producer.”

“Sounds exciting.”

He met her gaze. “It is. How would you like me to give you a tour of the set tomorrow?”

She thought his offer was certainly generous, and she could tell from the way he was looking at her he thought so too and expected her to jump at it. So she did, all but clapping her hands in fake excitement. “Oh, that would be wonderful. I’d love to.”

“Well then, it’s settled. Now how about if I come up to your room tonight so I’ll know where to come get you tomorrow.”

“I prefer that we meet in the lobby.”

She could see the disappointment flash in his eyes. She all but shrugged at the thought. He might eventually share her bed before she left the island, but he would work hard for the privilege. So far she didn’t feel a connection to him but was hoping it was just her and not him. For some reason when she looked at him, visions of York entered her mind. And that wasn’t good.