glasses. “It’s not a normal hotel, is it? Not with scenes like that going on. Does the mighty Shanley know what’s going on in his holdings?”
Red set his glasses back in place and slid the handkerchief into his pocket. “F. W. knows everything that goes on everywhere, Vicki. He has eyes throughout his entire kingdom.”
“In that case, what the hell is his game, sending us here? We won a prize, remember? A sweepstake… What if two born-again Christians on the staff had won? I don’t think there are any at Wickham-Drake, but there could have been.”
“Well, in that eventuality, I’m sure he’d have arranged for them to be accommodated at a very well-appointed but family-friendly hotel instead, with facilities for more wholesome pursuits like walking and antiquing and taking coach tours to local beauty spots.”
“Stop laughing at me!”
He wasn’t actually laughing, except in the depths of his amazing eyes.
“Perhaps F. W. thought that the Ivory Pavilion is a good fit for our particular sexual peccadilloes?”
“And how would he know about those?”
“He knows my preferences.”
“Yes, I don’t doubt that, you and him being such tight buddies and all… But how could he know about mine?” A horrible suspicion formed. “Unless you’ve told him, you unspeakable swine.” Outrage propelled her from her seat, but a far greater force—the dark, intense compulsion in Red’s eyes—made her sit back down again. “Why would you do such a thing? It’s…it’s private. ”
Red paused a long time before speaking, a complex expression on his darkly bearded face. “I swear to you, Vicki. I have not spoken to F. W. Shanley on the subject of your personal life.”
His voice was steady and even, but there was something about the statement that set the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. He was telling her the truth, she didn’t doubt, but there was something decidedly odd about his delivery of it.
“Then how would he know? You’re the prime candidate for being his spy.”
“He’s a powerful man. A man like that has many spies, industrial or otherwise.”
Vicki glared, feeling more powerless than in any sexual situation. Some kind of psychic shutter had come down. It was obvious that Red knew Shanley, and knew him well, but she sensed he would not tell her how Shanley knew so much about her.
She decided to try another tack.
“What’s he like, then? You obviously know the guy. Tell me what kind of a man the new big boss really is.”
Red’s dark head tilted, and for a moment she thought he was about to change the subject. But then, just as quickly, he seemed to loosen up. He reached for his drink, nodded that sheshould sample hers and, when he’d taken a long swallow of the undeniably murky-looking liquid, he began to speak.
“Not much to tell, really. He’s about my age. Early forties. Determined. Driven. Well educated, naturally. And he’s compelled to protect and expand the financial empire he inherited at all costs.”
“That’s by the by, Red. What’s he like as a man? Is he married? Does he have children?” It was Vicki’s turn to look at Red with piercing intensity now. She needed to know. “Is he as kinky as you are? He must be if he owns a place like this and sends people to it for sweepstake prizes.”
“No, he’s not married and he has no children. He’s a widower and his wife died about ten years ago.”
A sharp pang of sympathy swept though Vicki, despite the fact that she still knew next to nothing about F. W. Shanley, other than he was a powerful man and an arch-manipulator. Although a decade had passed since her father had died, she still felt his passing keenly, so she could imagine that Shanley still missed his lost wife. There weren’t enough billions and businesses in the world to console you for the death of a loved one.
“Did he love her? Hasn’t he met anyone else since?”
“Yes, he loved her deeply, even though their relationship was
Red set his glasses back in place and slid the handkerchief into his pocket. “F. W. knows everything that goes on everywhere, Vicki. He has eyes throughout his entire kingdom.”
“In that case, what the hell is his game, sending us here? We won a prize, remember? A sweepstake… What if two born-again Christians on the staff had won? I don’t think there are any at Wickham-Drake, but there could have been.”
“Well, in that eventuality, I’m sure he’d have arranged for them to be accommodated at a very well-appointed but family-friendly hotel instead, with facilities for more wholesome pursuits like walking and antiquing and taking coach tours to local beauty spots.”
“Stop laughing at me!”
He wasn’t actually laughing, except in the depths of his amazing eyes.
“Perhaps F. W. thought that the Ivory Pavilion is a good fit for our particular sexual peccadilloes?”
“And how would he know about those?”
“He knows my preferences.”
“Yes, I don’t doubt that, you and him being such tight buddies and all… But how could he know about mine?” A horrible suspicion formed. “Unless you’ve told him, you unspeakable swine.” Outrage propelled her from her seat, but a far greater force—the dark, intense compulsion in Red’s eyes—made her sit back down again. “Why would you do such a thing? It’s…it’s private. ”
Red paused a long time before speaking, a complex expression on his darkly bearded face. “I swear to you, Vicki. I have not spoken to F. W. Shanley on the subject of your personal life.”
His voice was steady and even, but there was something about the statement that set the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. He was telling her the truth, she didn’t doubt, but there was something decidedly odd about his delivery of it.
“Then how would he know? You’re the prime candidate for being his spy.”
“He’s a powerful man. A man like that has many spies, industrial or otherwise.”
Vicki glared, feeling more powerless than in any sexual situation. Some kind of psychic shutter had come down. It was obvious that Red knew Shanley, and knew him well, but she sensed he would not tell her how Shanley knew so much about her.
She decided to try another tack.
“What’s he like, then? You obviously know the guy. Tell me what kind of a man the new big boss really is.”
Red’s dark head tilted, and for a moment she thought he was about to change the subject. But then, just as quickly, he seemed to loosen up. He reached for his drink, nodded that sheshould sample hers and, when he’d taken a long swallow of the undeniably murky-looking liquid, he began to speak.
“Not much to tell, really. He’s about my age. Early forties. Determined. Driven. Well educated, naturally. And he’s compelled to protect and expand the financial empire he inherited at all costs.”
“That’s by the by, Red. What’s he like as a man? Is he married? Does he have children?” It was Vicki’s turn to look at Red with piercing intensity now. She needed to know. “Is he as kinky as you are? He must be if he owns a place like this and sends people to it for sweepstake prizes.”
“No, he’s not married and he has no children. He’s a widower and his wife died about ten years ago.”
A sharp pang of sympathy swept though Vicki, despite the fact that she still knew next to nothing about F. W. Shanley, other than he was a powerful man and an arch-manipulator. Although a decade had passed since her father had died, she still felt his passing keenly, so she could imagine that Shanley still missed his lost wife. There weren’t enough billions and businesses in the world to console you for the death of a loved one.
“Did he love her? Hasn’t he met anyone else since?”
“Yes, he loved her deeply, even though their relationship was
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