Seducing His Opposition

Katherine Garbera

Secret Nights At Nine Oaks

Amy J Fetzer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

Family is essential to me, and I love writing books that involve a large family. My very first book for Desire™, The Bachelor Next Door, was the first time I used alienation from a family as a conflict. In that book my hero’s family was all dead and he was the last of his clan. In this book, Selena Gonzalez removed herself from her family because she felt guilty for falling in love with a con man and costing her family everything they owned.

Justin Stern and his brothers are close and have spent most of their lives together, but Justin is a bit of a loner. My sister Donna would say that’s because he’s the middle child. But I think it’s also because of his personality. Justin likes to do things his own way. So falling in lust with his rival doesn’t look like anything more than a minor setback to him.

Happy reading!

Katherine

Seducing His Opposition

Katherine Garbera

“I want a chance to talk to you alone. No business. Just personal stuff.”

“No business? Justin, all we have between us is business.” She didn’t want to admit to herself or Justin that there was a spark of anything other than business fire between them.

“But we could have so much more. What harm could one drink do?”

“One drink,” she repeated. Hell, who was she kidding, she was going to meet him. She wanted to get the measure of the man he was.

“Just one,” he said. “I’ll do my best to be charming and try to convince you to stay for more.”

“I’m a tough cookie,” she said.

“I think that’s what you want the world to believe, but I bet there’s a softer woman underneath all that.”

But would she give him a chance to find out?

About the Author

KATHERINE GARBERA is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty books. She’s always believed in happy endings and lives in Southern California with her husband, children and their pampered pet, Godiva. Visit Katherine on the web at www.katherinegarbera. com, or catch up with her on Facebook and Twitter.

One

Justin Stern pulled his Porsche 911 to a stop in the parking lot of the Miami-Dade County Zoning Offices. As the corporate attorney and co-owner of Luna Azul he was always busy and he liked that. Unlike his younger brother Nate, who was out partying every night and keeping the nightclub in the public eye, Justin preferred the quiet comfort of his office. He had worked hard to make sure that Luna Azul was where it was today from a financial perspective and he was determined to see it continue to grow.

That’s what he was doing here today—ensuring that the future of the club didn’t just rely on the nightclub crowd. He had negotiated the purchase of a strip mall that was run-down and in desperate need of repair. He’d researched the deed and found that it had changed hands about ten years ago and that had been the start of the disrepair of the buildings.

He envisioned an outdoor plaza with restaurants and shops that would help revitalize the area and bring a new revenue stream into the Luna Azul Company.

All he needed to do was file the final paperwork here today, and they could proceed with the expansion plans.

It was a beautiful spring morning, but he took no notice of it as he walked to the building. He took the stairs to the eleventh floor instead of the elevator because elevators really weren’t an efficient use of time. He was happy to see there were only two other people in the waiting room. He took a number from the reception desk and then took a seat next to a very pretty Latina woman.

She had thick hair that curled around her face and shoulders in soft waves. Her skin was flawless, her olive complexion making her brown eyes seem even bigger. Her lips were full and pouty; he found he couldn’t tear his eyes from her face until she raised one eyebrow at him.

“I’m not a creep,” he said with a self-effacing grin. “You’re just breathtaking.”

She flushed and rolled her eyes. “As if I’d believe that line.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” he asked, turning to face her.

“I’m used to smooth-talking men,” she said. “I can spot one a mile away.”

“Just because I’m complimenting you doesn’t mean that I’m BSing you,” he said. She was really lovely and he liked the soft sound of her voice. She was well put together. He had no idea of designers or fashion but her clothes looked nice—feminine. For the first time in a very long time he didn’t mind having to wait.

“I suspect you can be very charming when you put your mind to it,” she said.

“Perhaps,” he said. “Not really. I’m usually straight to the point.”

“You don’t strike me as blunt,” she said.

“I am,” he said. He wasn’t giving her a line—she really was gorgeous. She had caught his eye and distracted him. And he didn’t mind at all. That was the surprising part for him. “Your eyes … are so big, I could get lost in them.”

“Your eyes are so blue that they look like the waters in Fiji.”

He laughed out loud. “Is that what I sound like to you?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “Honestly, I’m not all that.”

She was all that and a lot more, but he wasn’t the best when it came to talking to women. In a corporate boardroom or at a negotiating table he was the best but one-on-one when he was interested in a girl … well that was when he got caught up.

“What brings you here?” he asked, then shook his head. “Zoning.”

“Zoning,” she said at the same time. “I’m here to file an injunction.

“Is it for your own company or a client?” he asked, wanting to know more.

“My grandparents think that an outside company is trying to buy their property and turn it into some big commercial club. So I’m checking it out for them.”

“Do you live here in Miami then? Or just your grandparents? “

“My entire family lives here,” she said. “But I live in New York.”

“Oh. So ours will have to be a long-distance relationship,” he said.

She raised her eyebrow at him. “This relationship might not make it out of the waiting room.”

“I’m not giving up on us so easily,” he said.

“Good. One of us should fight for this,” she said, deadpan.

“I guess it will be me,” he said with a grin. He couldn’t help it. Something about this woman just made him smile.

A nattily dressed man came to the counter. “Number fifteen.”

She glanced at the paper in her hand. “That’s me.” “Just my luck. Any chance you’ll give me your number?”

She tucked a thick strand of her hair behind her ear and reached into her handbag. “Here’s my card. My cell number is on the bottom.”

“I will call you,” he said.

“I hope so … what’s your name?”

“Justin,” he said standing up and taking the card from her, but he didn’t look at it. “Justin Stern. And what should I call you other than beautiful?”

She was quiet a moment as she looked him over, a light going on in her eyes. “Selena,” she said. “Selena Gonzalez.”

She walked away and he watched every sway of her hips. Then her name registered. Gonzalez was the last name of Tomas’s big-gun lawyer and granddaughter. Selena Gonzalez … wait a minute; he was lusting after the corporate lawyer Tomas Gonzalez had called in from New York to stop his plans for the strip mall.

That wasn’t cool.

Dammit, he wanted to call her. It wasn’t very often he met a woman who got his rather odd sense of humor and could banter with him. But now.

Then again, she didn’t live here. She was in town for a few weeks at most, he thought. That made her the perfect woman for him.

Was he out of his mind? She was gumming up the plans he’d worked hard for. And if she was anything like her grandfather, she’d be stubborn and unwilling to realize that change was necessary if they were going to keep their section of Calle Ocho alive and kicking.

Selena Gonzalez left the zoning board with the information she needed and an injunction in hand. The emergency call from her grandfather three days ago made it sound like there was going to be a big bad company trying to take away her grandparents’ market. From the information she just received … well, she still wasn’t sure.

Justin Stern had intrigued her and made her wish that he was a stranger. But she’d heard enough about the smooth-talking rich boy who was trying to muscle out her grandparents to know that Justin wasn’t the Mr. Congenial he had portrayed in the waiting room.

If the Luna Azul Company did succeed in developing the old strip mall that housed her grandparents’ business now she had a feeling their neighborhood would change. She’d seen the plans that had been submitted by the company—they showed an upscale shopping area designed to bring tourists into the neighborhood. That wasn’t what her grandparents’ Latin American grocery store was about, but it wasn’t the nightclub they feared would be built, either.

As she drove home, she took in the lush, tropical sights of Miami. Her family had wanted her home for a long time. She acknowledged to herself that if it hadn’t been for this legal emergency she’d still be ignoring their pleas.

This area made her … it made her all the things that she didn’t like about herself. When she was home she was impulsive and passionate. And made stupid decisions—like giving her number to a handsome stranger in a waiting room.

And after all that had happened with Raul ten years ago, she’d been afraid to come back home. She hadn’t wanted to face her past or the memories that lingered everywhere she went in her old home and her old neighborhood. As she parked in front of her grandparents’ house, she drew a deep breath.

“Did you get the injunction?” her grandfather asked, the minute she stepped through the door.

He wasn’t an overly tall man—probably no more than five-eleven. Life had been good to Tomas Gonzalez and he wore his success with a gently rounded stomach. He could be tough as nails in business but he always had a smile for his family and a hug and kiss for her. One of fifteen grandchildren that lived in a three-block radius of his house, Selena had always felt well loved in this home. Especially after her parents’ death eleven years ago. A drunk driver had taken both of her parents from her in one accident, leaving her little brother and her alone to face the world. Her grandparents had stepped in but it hadn’t been the same.

“I did, abuelito,” she said. “And tomorrow I will go down to the Luna Azul Company offices and talk to them about our terms if they still want to go ahead with their plans.”

She sat down at the large butcher-block table in the kitchen. The kitchen was the one room where they spent most of their time at her grandparents’ house. Her grandmother was in the other room watching her shows.

“Very good, tata. I told you we needed you,” he said. Tata was his nickname for her—just a sweet little endearment that made her feel loved every time he used it. “Those Stern brothers think they can come in and buy up all our property but they aren’t part of our community.”

“Abuelito, the Luna Azul Company has been a part of the community for ten years. From what they told me in the zoning office, they’ve done a lot for our community.”

Her grandfather threw his hands up in the air. “Nothing, tata, that’s what they have done for our community.”

She laughed at him. She was used to his being passionate, even melodramatic about Little Havana. Her grandfather was part of the pre-communist Cuba—an energetic and creative environment—and he’d brought that with him to Miami when he’d become an exile. He still talked about Cuba with fond memories. It was a Cuba that no longer existed, but his stories were always enjoyable.

“What are you two laughing at?” her grandmother asked, coming in to refill her espresso cup with sugar and coffee.

“Those Stern brothers,” her grandfather said. “I think Selena is just what we need to keep them in their place.”

Her grandmother sat down beside her. She smelled of coffee and the gardenia perfume she’d always worn. She wrapped her arm around Selena’s shoulder. “You promised to stay until summer, tata. Will you be able to take care of all this by then?”

She hugged her grandmother back. “Definitely. I want to make sure that you get the most out of this new development.”

“Good. We want to own our market … the way we used to,” Grandfather said.

Selena felt a pang around her heart as she realized that the reason they didn’t own their own market was because of her. They were mere renters in the market the Sterns planned to develop, but once they had owned the place. Until Selena messed everything up. She had to make this right for them. “I met Justin Stern at the zoning office. So I will set up a meeting with him,” Selena assured her grandparents.

“Good,” her grandmother said. “I am going back to my shows. Are you staying at your house?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said. She still owned a house here. She didn’t know if she wanted to go back and stay in it all alone. But staying here wasn’t a solution; after living alone for so long, she needed her space.

She shrugged. “What’s the use of owning a house if you never use it.”

“I will send Maria over to make sure it’s clean and ready for you,” her grandmother said.

“That’s not necessary,” Selena said. Her grandparents were the caretakers of the old Florida house while she was in New York. It was the house she’d lived in with Raul while they’d both been in school at the University of Miami. There were a lot of memories in that place.

“I can clean it out if I need to,” Selena said.

“No. We will make it ready for you. You concentrate on Luna Azul and Justin Stern,” Grandfather said.

She shook her head. “He’s a very charming man, abuelita. Have you met him?”

“No, but abuelito has, several times. You find him shrewd, right?” her grandmother said, turning to her husband.

“Si. Very shrewd and very … he watches people and then he makes an offer that is exactly right for you. He’s like the devil.”

Selena laughed, thinking that her grandfather’s observation was spot on. “He is silver-tongued.”

“Si. Watch yourself, tata. You don’t want to fall for another man like that,” her grandfather said.

She wrapped an arm around her own waist as her grandmother got to her feet and yelled at her grandfather in Spanish, telling him to let sleeping dogs lie. Selena quietly left the kitchen, going into the backyard and finding a seat on the bench nestled between blooming hibiscus plants underneath a large tree covered with orchids.

She’d stayed away for so long because of Raul and everything that had happened between them. But now that she was back she was going to have to face her past and really move on from it. Not run away as she’d done before. And she liked the thought of focusing on Justin Stern. He was just the man she needed to forget the past and start to live again here.

Justin signed a few papers that were waiting for his signature and then sent his administrative assistant out for lunch. An injunction. Selena Gonzalez with her sexy body and big eyes had filed an injunction against the company to keep them from beginning with their construction work until they proved that they were using local vendors. Now their plans for a ground-breaking in conjunction with the tenth anniversary gala was going to be slowed down if not halted. “Got a minute?”

Justin glanced up to see his older brother Cameron standing in the doorway. Cam was dressed in business casual, as was his way. He was the one who ran the club and made sure the business there was on track. Unlike Justin, who always wore a suit and spent the majority of his time at his office here in the downtown high-rise complex.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“How’d things go at the zoning office?” Cam asked, coming inside and sitting down in one of the leather armchairs in front of his desk.

“Not so good. The Gonzalez family filed an injunction against the building. I’m going to spend the afternoon working on the paperwork we need to file in response. I’m hoping to speak with their lawyer later and see if we can negotiate some kind of deal.”

“Damn. I wanted to have the ground-breaking at the tenth anniversary celebration. I was also hoping we could maybe sign up some new, high-profile tenants, but this could put a damper on things.”

“I will do what I can to make it happen. Don’t get your hopes up, the neighbors and existing tenants in that market don’t like us.”

“Use your charm to convince them otherwise,” Cam said.

“I’m not charming.”

“Hell, I know that. You should send Myra.” “My assistant?”

“Yes, she’s friendly and everyone likes her.”

She was nice, but she didn’t have the right kind of experience to talk to the current occupants of the strip mall and make them understand what was needed.

“I’ll head over there after I talk to Selena.”

“Who is Selena?”

“Tomas Gonzalez’s lawyer.”

“Sounds like all the opening you need to get them on our team.”

“Stop trying to manipulate me into doing what you want,” he warned his brother.

“Why? I’m good at it.”

Justin threw a mock punch at Cam who pretended to take the hit.

“Go. I have real work to do,” Justin said. “I will.”

Cam left and Justin leaned back in his chair. He had plenty of business to keep him occupied but instead he was thinking of Selena Gonzalez—the lawyer and the woman.

His intercom buzzed. “There’s a Ms. Gonzalez on line one.”

Speak of the devil. He clicked over to the correct line. “This is Justin,” he said. “Hello, there.”

“Hi. I must be remembering our conversation wrong,” he said.

“I know I said I’d let you call but I’ve never been one of those women who waits for a man.” Her voice was just as lovely over the phone as it had been in person. He closed his eyes and let the sound of it wash over him. She was distracting. And he needed to keep her from shaking him from his target.

“I’m glad to hear that. I thought you might be difficult given that you filed an injunction against me.”

“That wasn’t personal, Justin,” she said. And he liked the way his name sounded on her lips.

“Yes, it was, Selena. What can I do for you?”

“I didn’t realize we had mutual interests,” she said. “When we met, I mean.”

“I know what you meant … by mutual interests do you mean we both want to ensure that the Latin market is a vibrant part of the community?

“I want to make sure that some big-deal club owner doesn’t take the community heritage and bastardize it for his own good.”

“I guess you’re not coming in here with any preconceived notions,” he said wryly.

“No, I’m not, I know exactly what kind of man I’m up against. My abuelito said you are a silver-tongued devil and I should watch myself around you.”

“Selena, you have nothing to fear from me,” he said. “I’m a very fair businessman. In fact, I think your abuelito will be very happy with my latest offer.”

“Send it to me and I will let you know.”

“Come down to my office so we can talk in person. I prefer that to emails and faxes.”

He leaned back in his chair. He knew how to negotiate, and having Selena here on his own turf was the way for him to get what he wanted. No one could turn him down once he started talking. To be honest, he’d never had a deal go south once he got the other party in the same room with him.

“Okay, when?”

“Today if you have time.”

“Can you hold on?”

“Sure,” he said. The line went silent and he turned to look out his plate-glass windows. The skyline of downtown Miami was gorgeous and he appreciated how lucky he was to live in paradise.

“Okay, we can do it today.”

“We?”

“My abuelito and I.”

“Great. I look forward to seeing Tomas again.” “And what about me?” she asked. “I’ve thought of little else but seeing you again.” She laughed. “I’m tempted to believe you, but I know you are a businessman and business must always come

first.”

She was right. He wanted her to be different but the truth of the matter was that he was almost thirty-five and set in his ways. There was little doubt that someday he might want to settle down but it wasn’t today.

And it wouldn’t be with Selena.

“Good girl,” he said.

“Girl?”

“I didn’t mean that in a condescending way.”

“How did you mean it?” she asked.

He had no idea if he’d offended her or not. “Just teasingly. Maybe I should stick to business. I’m much better at knowing what not to say.”

She laughed again and he realized how much he liked the sound of that. He thought it prudent to get off the phone with her before he said something else that could put the entire outdoor plaza project at risk.

“I’ll see you then. How does two o’clock sound?” he said.

“We’ll be there,” she agreed and hung up.

Two

As Selena and her grandfather left for their meeting, her other relatives were arriving to start cooking the dinner. Since she hadn’t been home in almost ten years, the entire Gonzalez clan was getting together for a big feast.

To some people coming home might mean revisiting the place they had grown up, for her coming home meant a barbeque in the backyard of her grandparents’ house and enough relatives to maybe require an occupancy permit.

Being a Gonzalez was overwhelming. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed the quiet of her life in Manhattan until this moment. This was part of what she’d run from. In Miami everyone knew her, in Manhattan she was just another person on the street.

She had the top down on her rental Audi convertible and the Florida sunshine warmed her head and the breeze stirred her hair as they drove to Justin Stern’s office.

Having the top down did something else. It made conversation with her abuelito nearly impossible and right now she needed some quiet time to think. Though Justin Stern had flirted with her, she knew he was one sharp attorney and she’d need to have her wits about her when they talked.

“Selena?”

“Si?”

“You missed the turnoff,” her grandfather said. “I … dang it, I wasn’t paying attention.” “What’s on your mind?”

“This meeting. I want to make sure you and abuelita are treated fairly.” “You will, tata.”

She made a U-turn at the next intersection and soon they were in the parking lot of Luna Azul Company’s corporate headquarters. The building was large and modern but fit the neighborhood, and as she walked closer, Selena noticed that it wasn’t new construction but had been a remodel. She made a mental note to check on this building and to investigate if having the Stern brothers here had enhanced this area.

“You ready, abuelito?”

“For what?”

“To take on Justin.”

“Hell, yes. I’ve been doing it the best I can, but … we needed you,” her grandfather said.

They entered the air-conditioned building. The receptionist greeted them and directed them to the fifth floor executive offices.

“Hello, Mr. Gonzalez.”

“Hello, Myra. How are you today?” her grandfather asked the pretty young woman who greeted them there.

“Not bad. Hear you’ve brought a big-gun lawyer to town,” she said.

“I brought our attorney. Figured it was about time I had someone who could argue on Mr. Stern’s level.”

Myra laughed and even Selena smiled. She could tell that her grandfather had been doing okay negotiating for himself. Why had he called her?

“I’m Selena Gonzalez,” Selena said stepping forward and holding out her hand.

“Myra Temple,” the other woman said. “It’s nice to meet you. You will be meeting in the conference room at the end of the hall. Can I get either of you something

to drink?”

“I’ll have a sparkling water,” her grandfather said.

“Me, too,” Selena said and followed her grandfather down the hall to the conference room.

The walls were richly paneled and there was a portrait of Justin and two other men who had to be his brothers. There was a strong resemblance in the stubborn jawline of all the men. She recognized Nate Stern, Justin’s younger brother and a former New York Yankees baseball player.

Her abuelito sat down but she walked around the room, and checked out the view from the fifth floor and then the model for the Calle Ocho market center.

“Have you seen this, abuelito?”

He shook his head and came over to stand next to her. The Cuban American market that her grandparents owned was now replaced with a chain grocery store. She was outraged and angry.

“I can’t believe this,” Selena said.

“You can’t believe what?” Justin asked as he entered the conference room. Myra was right behind him with a tray of Perrier and glasses filled with ice cubes.

“That you think replacing the Cuban American market with a chain grocery store would be acceptable.”

“To be honest we haven’t got an agreement with them yet,” Justin said. “This is just an artist’s concept of how the Market will look.”

“Well the injunction I filed today is going to hamper your agreement with them.”

“It will indeed. That’s why I invited you here to

talk.”

She was disgusted that she had fallen for his sexy smile and self-deprecating charm at the zoning office because she saw now that he was a smooth operator. And she’d had her fill of them when she was younger. It made her angry to think that in ten years she hadn’t learned not to fall for that kind of guy.

“Then let’s get to work,” she said. “I’ve drawn up a list of concerns.”

“I look forward to seeing them,” Justin said. “And Tomas, it’s nice to see you again,” he said, shaking the older man’s hand.

“I’d prefer it if we could stop meeting,” Tomas said.

“To be fair I’d like that, too. I want to move this project forward,” Justin said.

She bet he did, he was probably losing money with each day that they waited to break ground on their new market. But she was here to make sure that he realized that he couldn’t come in and replace traditional markets with a shiny upscale shopping area with no ties to the community.

“What is your largest concern?” he asked. “This was a Publix supermarket strip mall before you first came to it, Tomas. So you have had chain grocers in the neighborhood before. We can invite another retailer if you’d prefer that.”

Selena realized that Justin didn’t necessarily understand what their objection to his building in the community truly was.

“Justin, this strip mall is part of the Cuban American community. Our family’s store isn’t just a place for people to pick up groceries, it’s where the old men come in the morning for their coffee and then sit around and discuss the business of the day. It’s a place where young mothers bring their kids to play in the back and have great Cuban food.

“This is the heart of the neighborhood. You can’t just rip it out.”

Justin knew this meeting wasn’t going to be easy. He’d figured that out the moment he met Selena. She was the kind of woman that made a man work for it. And he knew that she was looking out for the interests of her community and to be fair he needed that community to want to shop there. Even though they’d do a good crossover business from the club and he had an arrangement with some local tour companies to add the new Luna Azul Market to their tourist stops once it opened, it would be the neighborhood residents that would make or break this endeavor.

“I’m open to your suggestions. So far Tomas has only demanded that we leave the strip mall the way it is and I think that we both know that isn’t a solution.”

“We both don’t know that,” she said.

“Have you been down to the property lately?” he asked her. “The mall is old and run-down. The families that you speak of are dwindling, isn’t that right, Tomas?”

Tomas shrugged but then glanced over at Selena. “The buildings need repairs and the landlord … you, Justin, should be making them.”

“I want to make more than repairs. I’m not even sure if they meet the new hurricane wind resistance standards.”

Selena pulled out a notebook and started writing on it. “We will check into it. Have you considered forming a committee with the community leaders and your company? “

“We’ve had a few informal discussions.”

“You need to do a lot more than that. Because if you want the neighborhood support you are going to have to open a dialogue with them.”

“Okay,” Justin said. “But only if you serve on the committee.”

She blinked up and then tipped her head to the side. “I don’t think that I need to be on there.”

“I do,” Justin said. “You grew up there, and are also familiar with the legal and zoning issues. You will be able to see the bigger picture.”

“I don’t think—”

“I agree with him, tata, you should be on there,” Tomas said.

“Tata?” Justin asked, smiling.

She glared at her grandfather. “It’s a nickname.”

She blushed, and it was the first crack he’d seen in her all-business, tough-as-nails shell.

The business deal was going to go through whether Tomas and his allies wanted it to or not. Justin had already scheduled a round of golf with the zoning commissioner, Maxwell Strong, at the exclusive club he belonged to to get him to change his mind. And over the next week he’d work on finding a way out of the legal hole that Selena had dug for him. But he wanted to see more of her.

And this committee thing would be perfect. Plus, he did actually want the community behind the project. “Myra, will you set up a meeting time for us … I think we should use Luna Azul. Tomas and Selena will send you a list of people to invite.”

“I’d like to take a closer look at the plans for the market,” Selena said.

“I’ll leave you two to discuss that,” Tomas said. “I need to call around and see when everyone will be available to meet.”

“Myra will show you to an office you can use,” Justin said.

After Tomas and Myra left the room, Justin studied Selena for a minute. Her head was bent and she was making notes on her legal pad. He noticed that her handwriting was very neat and very feminine.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I thought I already told you that I like the way you

look.”

“That wasn’t just you trying to … I don’t know what you were up to. Did you know who I was in that lobby of the zoning office? “

He shook his head. “No. I wish I had known.”

“Why?”

“Maybe I could have talked you out of filing that injunction,” he said with a laugh.

She chuckled at that. “Wow, that’s putting a lot of pressure on your supposed charm.”

He grabbed his side pretending she’d wounded him. “Good thing I’m tough-skinned.”

“You’d have to be in order to work in the neighborhood you do. How did you and your brothers manage to make Luna Azul a success without getting the community behind you?” she asked him.

“Some locals do frequent the club but we rely on the celebs for business. They bring in their own crowd of followers. We book first-rate bands and we have salsa lessons in the rooftop club … so we do okay. Have you ever been there?”

She shook her head. “I left Miami before you opened your doors.”

“Why did you leave?” he asked.

“None of your business,” she replied with a tight look that told him he’d somehow gone too far.

“My apologies. I expected you to say you needed some freedom … would you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Why?”

“I believe in keeping my enemies close.” “Me, too,” she said. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“It is a yes. But I’ll pick the place.” She wrote an address at the bottom of her legal pad and then tore the paper off and handed it to him. “Be there at seven. Dress casual.”

“Do I need to bring anything?” “Just your appetite.”

She gathered her things and then stood up and walked out of the conference room. He watched her leave.

Inviting Justin to her family get-together was inspired. He wanted to do business in this community but he didn’t understand it. This would be his lesson.

On her way home, she’d driven down to the strip mall to see her grandfather’s store, and it had been run-down more than she expected.

Something was needed, but an outlet mall or a highend shopping plaza wasn’t it. The Calle Ocho neighborhood leaders wouldn’t stand for. Plus, she wanted to ensure that her grandparents got the best deal possible.

They had always been at the center of things in Little Havana and she wasn’t about to let Justin Stern take that away from them.

She also stopped by her house. When she entered, she was swamped with memories but managed to brush them aside as she freshened up and got ready to walk back over to her grandparents’. The last thing she wanted was to be here, she realized. She packed a bag with some clothes she found in the closet, locked the house and pointed her rented convertible toward the beach.

Her New York law practice had made her a wealthy woman. And considering this was the first real break she’d taken from work in the last eight years she thought she deserved a treat. All she did was work and save her money. Well that wasn’t completely true—she did have an addiction to La Perla lingerie that wouldn’t stop. But for the most part all she did was work.

So as she pulled up at the Ritz and asked for a suite for the next month, Selena knew she was doing the right thing. She was in luck and was soon ensconced in memory-free luxury. Just what she needed.

As she was settling in, her cell phone rang and she glanced at the number. It was a local number but not one she recognized. She answered it anyway. “This is

Selena.”

“This is Justin. How about if we have drinks at Luna Azul first so you can see the club?” “No.”

“Just a flat-out no, you aren’t going to even pretend to think it over,” he said.

“That’s right. I am not staying near there, anyway. I’m at the Ritz,” she said. She was kicked back on the love seat in her living room reading up on Justin on her laptop.

“How about a drink in the lobby bar?” he suggested. His voice was deep over the phone—very sexy.

“Why?” she asked. She wasn’t sure spending any time alone with him was the right thing. She wanted to keep it all business between them. That was the only way she was going to keep herself from acting on the attraction she felt for him.

“I want a chance to talk to you alone. No business—just personal stuff.”

“No business? Justin, all we have between us is business.” She hoped that making that statement out loud would somehow make it true. She didn’t want to admit to herself or Justin that there was a spark.

“But we could have so much more.”

“Ha! You don’t even know me,” she said.

“That’s exactly what I’m hoping to change. What harm could one drink do? “

“One drink,” she repeated. Hell, who was she kidding? She was going to meet him. She’d invited him to her welcome-home party so he could get to know her family and not only because of business. She wanted to see how he was with them to get the measure of the man he was.

“Just one,” he said. “I’ll do my best to be charming and try to convince you to stay for more.”

“I’m a tough cookie,” she said.

“I think that’s what you want the world to believe but I bet there’s a softer woman underneath all that.”

She hoped he never found out. She had tried so hard to bury the woman—girl—she’d been when she’d graduated from the University of Miami and left her hometown behind. Were there still any vestiges of that passionate side of her left after Raul had broken her heart?

Sure she dated, but she was careful that it was just casual, never letting her emotions get involved. Raul had taught her that the price to be paid for loving foolishly wasn’t one that only she paid. Her grandparents had almost lost their business because of her poor judgment in men, and Selena had vowed to never be that weak again.

“Pretty much what you see is what you get with me,” she said, uncomfortable talking about herself. “What about you? Are you all awkward charm and sleek business acumen?”

He laughed. “I guess so. It’s hard when you grow up with a charismatic brother—everyone just expects you to be the same.”

“How many brothers do you have?” she asked. Though she’d spent the afternoon reading about them on the internet she wanted to hear how he described his family. She had no idea what it had been like to grow up the son of a wealthy, semi-famous pro golfer or to have a brother who played for the Yankees. “I know your dad played pro golf.”

“Yes, he did. I have two brothers …”

“That’s right. And you’re the middle one?”

“Yes, ma’am. The quiet one.”

“I haven’t seen you quiet yet.”

He laughed again and she liked the sound of it—a little too much. No matter how charming he was she wasn’t going to let him past her guard. She had to take control and remind him that they were doing things on her terms. “Okay, so one drink. Why don’t you come by around—”

“Five. We can have hors d’oeuvres, too.”

“Five? That’s two hours before our date. How are you going to make one drink last that long?” she asked, but she was already getting up and starting to ready herself to meet him. It was only forty minutes until five.

“If things go well I don’t want to cheat you out of spending time alone with me.”

“You are so thoughtful,” she said.

“I am. It’s one of my many gifts.”

“I’ll remember that when we are doing our negotiations for the marketplace,” she said with a laugh. “Five o’clock in the Ritz lobby bar.”

“See you there,” he said and hung up.

She went into the bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like she’d just come from work. She opened her closet and realized she had a closet full of casual and work clothes. Not exactly the sexiest clothing in the world.

Did she want to look sexy for her date with Justin?

“Yes,” she said, looking at herself in the mirror. If she was going to get the upper hand on Justin she was going to need to pull out all the stops.

It sure was going to be fun to go head-to-head with Mr. Know-Your-Enemies.

Three

Justin valet-parked his car and walked into the lobby of the Ritz on South Beach. The view from the restaurant here was breathtaking and easily one of the best in this area. He glanced at his watch. He was a few minutes early and as he scanned the lobby he didn’t see Selena.

He walked to the lobby bar and found seating for two in a relatively quiet area. He knew that he had to get to know Selena better for business reasons. He had to know how she thought so he could make sure he made the right offer—one she’d accept so that he could get the market back on track. He hadn’t gotten the Luna Azul Company to where it was today by not knowing how to read people.

But he wasn’t going to deny that he wanted Selena. There had been a moment in the conference room this afternoon when he’d wished they were alone so he could pull her into his arms and see if he could crack her reserve with passion. “Justin?”

He glanced over his shoulder and felt like he’d been sucker punched. The prim, reserved woman he’d flirted with was gone and in her place was a bombshell. Maybe it was just her thick ebony hair hanging in waves around her shoulders, or the red lipstick that drew his eyes to her full mouth. But his gut insisted that it was the curve-hugging black dress she wore that ended midthigh. He skimmed his gaze down to her dainty-looking ankles and those high-heeled strappy sandals that made him almost groan out loud.

“Selena,” he said, but his voice sounded husky and almost choked to him.

She arched one eyebrow and smiled. “Happy to see

me?”

“That is an understatement. Let me get us a drink. What’s your poison?”

“Mojito, I think. I need something to cool me down.”

He signaled the cocktail waitress and placed their drink order before diving right in. “Tell me about yourself, Selena. Why are you living in New York when your family is still here?”

“No small talk?” she asked, turning her attention away from him and skimming the room.

“Why bother with that?” he asked. “We both want to know as much about each other as we can, right?”

“Definitely. I just didn’t plan on going first,” she said with a smile as she turned back to face him again.

Every time she talked he tried to concentrate on her words but he couldn’t take his eyes from her lips. He wanted to know how they would feel under his own. What kind of kisser would she be? Would she taste as good as he imagined?

“I’m a gentleman,” he said. And he didn’t want to show her any weakness.

“So it’s ladies first?” she asked.

“In all things, especially pleasure,” he said.

She blushed as their waitress arrived with the drinks. She started to take a sip but he stopped her.

“A toast to new relationships.”

“And a quick resolution to our business problems,” she said.

He clinked his glass to hers and watched as she took a swallow of her cocktail. When she took the glass from her mouth she licked her lips and he felt his blood begin to flow a little heavier in his veins as his groin stirred.

He wanted her.

That wasn’t news. But sitting here with her in the bar was starting to seem like a really dumb idea. He needed all his wits about him because it was apparent that Selena was playing with her A-game and he needed to as well.

“You were going to tell me all your secrets,” he said.

She laughed. “I was going to tell you the official version of my life.”

“I’ll take whatever you offer,” he said.

“I bet you will. Okay, where to start?”

“The beginning,” he suggested, shifting his legs to make room in his pants for his growing erection.

“Birth?”

“Nah, skip to college. I did a little internet research on you and saw that you graduated from the University of Miami. What made you choose to go to Fordham Law School instead of choosing something closer to home?” he asked.

“I needed a change of scene. I was pretty sure that I wanted to practice corporate law and I had done an internship for one summer with the firm that I work for now. So it made sense to go there.”

“That’s about the same time your grandparents sold the marketplace and switched over to being renters in the space. Did they do that to pay for your education?” he asked.

Her face got very tight and she shook her head. “I had a scholarship.”

“I did a deed search to see who had owned the property before the previous owner and it was your grandfather. I can’t understand why he sold,” Justin continued. He really wanted to know why ten years ago, Tomas had made the decision to sell the marketplace property and become a rental tenant instead. That made no sense to Justin as a businessman. But it also made no sense based on what he knew of Tomas. Tomas liked being his own boss.

“What about you? Harvard law graduates can usually write their own ticket to any law firm but you came back home and worked with your brothers instead, why?”

Justin stretched back and looked at her for a minute. That was complicated. He couldn’t tell her that coming back was the hardest decision he’d ever made because even his brothers didn’t know that.

“They needed me,” he said. It was close to the truth. He didn’t hold with outright lies.

He took another sip of his drink and then leaned forward. “Why are you here now?”

“My grandfather said you were too slick and he couldn’t trust you.”

“That’s hardly true. Tomas is very shrewd. And don’t change the subject. Why did he sell the marketplace if not for your education?”

She flushed and her hand trembled for a minute and then she took a sip of her drink.

He waited for her to answer but she didn’t say anything.

“Selena?”

“That is a private matter and I won’t discuss it with you.”

Selena was surprised that he’d dug back on the deed. But she shouldn’t have been. She may have momentarily distracted Justin with her clothing and changed appearance but he’d adjusted quickly by pulling the rug out from under her with that question.

“Okay. I can respect that. I was just thinking that if they hadn’t sold the property perhaps it wouldn’t be so derelict now,” Justin said.

He was right. Selling that property had been a mistake and that was why she was here. To right the wrong she’d caused when she’d allowed herself to get suckered by a smooth-talking con man ten years ago.

She’d never seen him coming, Raul had swept her off her feet, and then once she’d fallen for his sweet talk, he’d used that love she had for him against her. The con he’d run on her had been simple enough. He was starting his own company, a luxury yacht business, and needed some initial investors. She’d put all of the inheritance she’d gotten from her parents into it, and in a calculated move on Raul’s part she’d convinced her grandparents to mortgage the market and invest, as well. Raul took all the money and disappeared overnight.

The ensuing investigation into Raul’s disappearance had been an upheaval in their lives. It had taken almost two years to get it sorted out and at the end with lawyers’ fees and private investigator charges her grandparents had no money left. They were forced to sell the marketplace and become renters. Raul was eventually caught and brought to justice, but their money was never repaid.

It had been one of the most humiliating times of her life and she’d been very glad to escape Miami to Fordham where she knew no one. She’d started over and been very careful since then not to let her emotions get the better of her.

“You are very right,” she said. She took another sip of her mojito. The smooth rum and mint drink was soothing. Justin watched her each time she swallowed and she knew she’d been distracting him all evening.

She liked the feeling of power it gave her to know that she could manipulate him. She wondered if that was what Raul had felt as he’d slowly drawn her into his web. Had it been the power? She hadn’t thought of that in years, but her experiences with men had taught her that in all relationships—personal and business—it all came down to who had something the other wanted. And right now, she had something that Justin wanted a lot.

“I know,” he said. He was cocky and she had to admit that it was a trait she was beginning to enjoy in him.

He seemed so in control. She’d been told she gave that impression, as well, but she knew underneath her professional persona she was usually a mess. Was it the same for him? But she couldn’t detect any chinks in his armor. She was starting to realize that even distracted he was going to be a tough opponent.

She leaned forward to place her drink on the table and noticed his eyes tracked down toward her breasts. She shifted her shoulders so the fabric of her dress drew the material taut over her curves and then sat back.

“Have you thought of selling the property back to my grandparents? I think that would be the easiest solution.” Then she could conclude this business in Miami and take the first flight back to New York and her nice, safe, regular life. A place where the businessmen she encountered looked dull and gray like a Manhattan winter instead of like Justin, who was tan, vibrant and hot … just like Miami.

“I don’t think so,” he said, looking back up at her eyes. “Your grandparents don’t …”

“What?”

“They don’t have the resources to make the property profitable the way that the Luna Azul Company does. I mean, they would probably fix up their market but it is going to take a lot of capital to revamp the entire area. And that is the only way you are going to keep your current clientele and get new customers.”

He had a point but she didn’t like the thought of an outsider owning the market. It also irked her that this situation was entirely her fault. If she hadn’t fallen for Raul so many years ago, her beloved abuelito wouldn’t have to deal with the Stern brothers on their terms.

“Granted but if you take away the local feel of the marketplace, you will lose money.”

“That’s where you come in. I liked your idea of forming a committee. I wish I’d thought of it sooner,” Justin said. “But enough business. I want to know the woman behind the suit. I like your dress by the way.”

She tossed her hair and made herself let go of the work part of being with Justin. There was nothing to be accomplished tonight. He’d either come around to her way of thinking or he’d find out how many complications she could put in the way of his business deals.

“I noticed you liking it.”

“Good. Are you finished with your drink?”

“Why?”

“I want to take you for a walk along the beach.” “I’d like that,” she said, getting to her feet. “I miss the beach.”

“I live right on it. That was one thing that motivated me to come back home after Harvard. I like living somewhere so temperate.”

“What else?” she asked. She suspected that family must be important to him. That was at odds with what she usually encountered in type-A, driven business executives, but then Justin didn’t exactly fit the mold of what she expected from guys to begin with.

“Why are you really here?” she asked as they stepped out into the warm early-evening.

“I told you I like to know my opponents,” he said.

“I can see that,” she said. She did as well. Normally when she was negotiating something for her company she spent a lot of time researching the players involved in the deal. Winning almost always came down to who had the most information. “You were trying to throw me off my game a little, right?”

“In part,” he admitted. “But honestly, you aren’t what I was expecting from the Gonzalezes’ lawyer.”

“Because I’m a girl?” she asked using his term. “You know that calling me a girl wasn’t exactly flattering?”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said. “It’s because you’re so sexy. I can handle going up against a girl but when she is making me think of long, hot nights instead of business—well I figured turnabout was fair play and I should do something unexpected like ask you out.”

She bit her lower lip. He was a very frank man, which shouldn’t surprise her. From the moment they’d met he’d been that way. He was the kind of man who shot from the hip and didn’t worry about the consequences.

And she was a woman who’d been damned by the consequences of her reckless heart before. She had to remember that her grandparents were in this situation with the Luna Azul Company specifically because she’d followed her heart and they had paid the price.

“I’m not looking for a relationship,” she said. “I am focused on my career.”

“I can see that,” he said. “But unless you’re into lying to yourself, you’ll admit that there is something between

us.”

She could admit that. There was a powerful attraction between them. Something that was more intense than anything she’d ever experienced before. She wanted to blame it on Miami and her old self, but she knew that it was Justin. If she’d been here with any other man she wouldn’t have felt like this.

That was enough to make her pause. Justin was different and that very difference was enough to make him dangerous.

“Lust,” she said. “And that is nothing more than a chimera.”

“An illusion? I don’t think so. Lust is our primal instincts telling us to pay attention. You could be a potential mate for me,” he said.

She stopped walking on the wooden boardwalk and turned to face him. He’d put on a pair of aviator-style sunglasses and with his jacket slung over his shoulder he looked like he’d stepped off a yacht. He seemed like a man who was used to getting everything he wanted.

“What?” she asked. “There is no way you and I could ever be mates. I just don’t know if I should believe you or not. You’re not really looking for a mate for more than one night, right? “

“Usually, I’d say so, but the way I am reacting to you throws my normal playbook out the window.”

She shook her head. “Your playbook? Any guy who has one of those isn’t someone I’m interested in.”

“That sounded worse than I meant it to. I was trying to say that this attraction I feel for you is making me forget every rule I have about mixing business and pleasure.”

“I can’t afford to take a chance like that with you, Justin.”

“Because of Tomas?”

She wished it were that simple. “If it didn’t involve my grandparents …”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She had no idea. She wished she had some answers. “Say I met you on vacation, I’d jump into a fling with you. But this is my home and my family and I can’t afford to compromise anything.”

“There is no need to compromise anything,” Justin said, putting his hand in the center of her back and urging her to start walking again.

She shook her head and the scent of gardenias surrounded him. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Why was it that everything about Selena was a turn-on for him? “I’m not going to take no for an answer. We are both good at negotiating.”

“This isn’t easy for me. My grandparents deserve my undivided attention, I owe them,” she said.

“Why do you owe them?” he asked. He wanted to know more about what had happened ten years ago and he was determined to get some answers, but not right now. “I just do.”

He nodded. “Well, I owe my brothers, and my company deserves my undivided attention, but I can’t think of business when I’m with you. Right now all I can think of is your mouth and how it will feel under mine.”

“Saying things like that is not helping me,” she said, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around her own waist.

If he pushed a little bit harder he could have her. He knew that. But he didn’t want to crumble her defenses. He pulled her closer to him and moved them off the path out of the way of other walkers. “Have you thought about it?”

She nibbled on her full lower lip as she looked up at him. “I have, but I’m not about to play into your hands so easily.”

He lowered his head, wanting to kiss her but at the same time wanting—no needing—her to want it too. He wanted her to be so attracted to him that she forgot her rules and her fears and everything else just faded away.

“Justin, stop manipulating me.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I want to see what it will take for you to forget about business and just see me as a man.”

“Stop trying to play me,” she said. “Just be yourself.”

“I don’t think you’d trust me,” he said.

“I don’t trust you now,” she said. “And that feeling that you are toying with me is never going to help your case. I do want you but I don’t want to be your pawn.”

Her honesty cut straight through him. He really didn’t want her to be his pawn. He wanted her to be his woman. That was it.

He needed Selena no matter what the circumstances. And he was going to do whatever he had to to make that happen. He couldn’t just walk away.

“I’m sorry. I was trying—”

“I know what you were trying to do,” she said, lifting one hand and tracing the line of his lips. “I can understand it because I don’t want to end up the weak one either.”

He could hardly think when she touched him. He slid his hands together at her waist and pulled her more closely into his body.

He rubbed his lips against hers briefly and then stepped back before he gave in to temptation and ravished her mouth.

“We need … to walk,” he said.

He took her hand with his and led her down the path. She laughed softly and he knew she was very aware of his desire. That didn’t bother him at all. He wanted her to be very aware of him as a man and he knew that he’d accomplished that.

“We can’t walk away from this,” he said.

“I know,” she admitted. “But I won’t let this kind of attraction take control of my life.”

He understood that. As a man, part of him was glad to hear that she wanted him that powerfully. The other part, the businessman who never took a day off, was glad to hear it, too, because it meant that he had the potential to use that attraction to get what he wanted.

Walking took the edge off her and allowed him to start thinking of something other than lifting her skirt and finding the sweetness between her legs. “What if we pretend you are on vacation?”

“Why?”

“Then it’s like you said, we’re just two people who are attracted to each other.”

“Like a vacation fling?” she asked.

“Exactly like that. No talking about our families and their business interests. Just two people who’ve met and started an affair,” he said.

“So it ends when I go back home?” she asked.

His gut said no. He didn’t want to think about Selena leaving but he put that down to the fact that she was new to him. “If that is what we both decide, then yes.”

She pulled her hand from his, stopped walking and turned to look out at the ocean. She wrapped one arm around her waist and he wondered if he’d ever know her well enough to know what she was thinking.

“I wish it could be that simple,” she said, “But we both know there is no way we’re going to be able—”

“I’m not someone who takes no for an answer,” he said.

She glanced over her shoulder at him and he saw that fiery spark was back in her eyes. This couldn’t be more than a fling and he wanted to keep it light. But the only way he was going to be able to deal with her in the boardroom was if he had her in his bedroom.

“I’m not going to let you bully me into making a decision like this.”

“Is that what I’m doing or is that what you are telling yourself?”

She turned to face him full-on and walked over to him, hips swaying with each step. His mind went blank and suddenly he didn’t care why she agreed but only that she did. He needed her to be one hundred percent his. And nothing was going to stand in the way of that. Not business and not even the lady herself. He knew that Selena Gonzalez wanted him and now he just had to find the right button to push, to convince her that she was willing to take a chance on him.

“I know my own mind, Justin Stern,” she said as she closed the gap between them. She put her hands on his shoulders and tipped her head back to look up at him. “And I know exactly what I want.”

She went up on her tiptoes, tunneled her fingers into his hair and planted a kiss on him that made him forget everything else. All he did was feel.

Her breasts cushioned against his chest. Her supple hips under his hands as he rested them there. Her soft hair brushing his cheek as she turned her head to angle her mouth better over his.

And then the thrust of her warm tongue into his mouth. How she slowly rubbed hers over his and then lifted her hands to his face to hold him right above the jaw. She kept his head steady as she tasted him and he let her.

Hell, there was no stopping this woman. She had turned his own game back on him and left him standing still. He drew his own hands up to her tiny waist and pulled her off balance into his body.

He sucked on her tongue when she would have pulled it back. Her hands slid down his neck to his shoulders and she moved her head again and a tiny moan escaped her.

His erection nudged the top of her thighs and he shifted his hips against hers and heard her moan again. This was more like it, he thought. This was the kind of negotiation he wanted. Both of them alone together.

Just man versus woman and let the winner take all.

Four

Selena had forgotten what it was like to turn the tables on a man sexually. She did it all the time at work but this was personal and she liked it. A heady mix of passion and power consumed her and she knew that it was well past time she got back in touch with this side of herself.

She’d given in to Justin not just because of the lust that was flowing between them but also because she needed to reclaim her femininity.

She took Justin’s hand and led him back to the hotel. “Why are we wasting our time out here when we could be up in my room?”

“Your room? I thought you weren’t sure about my proposition.”

“I guess you think too much.” Turning the tables on Justin had knocked him off balance and she knew he would be easier to deal with now. “I like the idea of a vacation fling. It’s been too long for me and being with you … well let’s just say you are the perfect distraction.”

He frowned at her, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that even though Justin wanted her—she knew he wasn’t faking his attraction to her—a part of him was focused on how to use the lust they both felt to his own advantage.

And she wasn’t going to let him do that. She wanted him. She needed a distraction from being back here in Miami. She was thinking too much about the girl she had been and Justin was the distraction she needed.

“Come back to my room,” she said, leaning closer and kissing his neck right under his ear. “That’s what we’d do if we were on vacation.”

Justin nodded. “But we aren’t on vacation.”

“Have you changed your mind?” she asked.

“No. But I don’t like the way you changed yours. What’s going on behind those beautiful brown eyes?” he asked.

She pulled back. She couldn’t do this. It wasn’t like her to just impulsively invite a man back to her room. He was right, what was she thinking?

“Nothing. Nothing is going on,” she said. “I think I had a momentary fever but it is passing now.”

She felt small and a bit rejected. She’d actually never been that bold with a man before. The dress and the way that Justin treated her had made her feel like she was sexy, an enchantress, and now she was realizing she was still just Selena.

“I think we should head back to the hotel. I need to freshen up before heading to dinner. I will meet you there.”

She turned to walk away needing to get back to her room. She needed to find someplace private to sit down and regroup. “No.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him.

“No?”

“That’s what I said. I am not letting you run away,” he said, taking her hand in his. “What’s going on with

you?”

She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. You are making me a little … crazy.”

“That’s good. That’s what I was going for … trying to distract you,” he admitted.

“Well, you did a good job tonight. But that won’t affect me in the boardroom when we are meeting with your group and the community leaders.”

“I didn’t think it would. To be honest I’m trying to even the scales. You have me thinking about your curvy body and kissing you instead of business and I wanted you to think of me.”

“Does that mean you don’t really want a vacation fling with me?”

“Hell, no. I want you more than I want my next breath. But I want you to want it for the right reasons—not because you think it will help you in the boardroom. I do believe we can keep this attraction between us private and explore it.”

She thought about what he was saying. She wanted him and she wasn’t going to deny it. “I’m not—Miami is more than just my home. It’s the place that shaped me into the woman I am today and coming back here is stirring up all kinds of things in me I didn’t expect.”

“Like what?” he asked.

Justin was dangerous, she thought. He made her feel so comfortable and safe that she would tell him almost anything. “This dress for one thing. I bought this for

you.”

“I like it.”

“That was my intention, but at home … in Manhattan I’d never wear this.”

“Good,” he said, leading them back toward the hotel. “Be yourself with me, Selena. I want to see that woman you keep tucked away from the rest of the world. I don’t want to be like every other guy to you.”

“There is no way you could be. My family told me you’re the devil.”

He laughed. It was a strong masculine sound and it made her smile. “I haven’t been called the devil before.”

“To your face,” she said.

“Touché,” he said as they reached the hotel and stepped into the air-conditioned lobby.

Chills spread down her arms and she shivered just a bit. “Are we okay now?” he asked.

“I think so,” she said. “I will meet you—”

“Get whatever you need. I want to take you to Luna

Azul.”

“Why?”

“I want to show you my family,” he said.

“After,” she said. “I need some time to myself before we go to dinner at my grandparents.”

“Really? I was hoping you’d go with me. I don’t want to walk in there by myself.”

“Since when does the devil show fear?” she asked.

“I have no idea, since I’m not the devil,” he said.

“What are you?” she asked.

“Just a man who likes a pretty girl and doesn’t want to screw up again.”

Selena watched him walk away, wondering if she’d underestimated him and if that would be at her own peril.

Justin sat quietly in his car parked on the street in front of the Gonzalez home. Selena had withdrawn into herself and there had been no drawing her out. He had a feeling that Selena’s attitude was the least of his problems as he got out and walked up the driveway to the house.

There was music coming from the backyard and the delicious smells of charcoal and roasting meat wafted around him. This was a cozy neighborhood, the kind of place where he could buy two or three houses and not feel the sting in his checkbook, but a place where he’d never fit in.

Was this what Selena had been talking about when she said Luna Azul didn’t belong in Little Havana? “Amigo, you coming?”

The guy who walked by him was in his early twenties with close-cut dark hair and warm olive-colored skin. He wasn’t as tall as Justin and his face was friendly.

“I am indeed,” Justin said. He had a six-pack of Land-shark beer in one hand and some flowers for Selena’s grandmother.

“How do you know Tomas?” the young man asked.

“We’re in business together.” Justin wasn’t about to pretend he had any other reason to be here. In fact, in light of his drinks with Selena he thought wooing her was going about as smoothly as the entire buying-the-marketplace deal. What was it with the Gonzalez family? Was it impossible to find a common path with them?

“Truly? My abuelito usually doesn’t do business with … wait a minute, are you Justin Stern?”

“That’s me,” he said. Great, nice to know that he already had a reputation here and he hadn’t even arrived yet.

“Oh, ho, you have some guts showing up here,” the kid said.

“I was invited, and I’m not a bad guy,” Justin told him. “I am trying to find a way to make that market viable, not to run your grandparents out.”

The kid tipped his head to the side, studying him. “I’m watching you.”

“I’m glad. Family should look out for one another. And I’m not going to take advantage of your grandparents or your family. My main concern is making money from the property we bought.”

“Is money all you care about?”

Justin shook his head. He saw Selena walking up toward the house from where they stood in the shade of a large palm tree. She’d changed from the sexy dress she had worn earlier into a pair of khaki walking shorts and a sleeveless wraparound top. She was enchanting, he thought.

He forgot about how unwelcome this guy was making him feel and focused on Selena.

“Leave him alone, Enrique. He’s not a bad guy,” Selena said as she came up to them.

“He told me the same thing,” Enrique said. “Are you sure about him?”

Selena shrugged. “Not one hundred percent but I’m getting there.”

“If we do business with your family,” Enrique said, turning to Justin, “I want to talk to you about deejaying at Luna Azul. Why do you only hire New York and LA deejays?”

Justin had very little to do with the everyday running of the nightclub he owned with his brothers. “I don’t have an answer for that but I can find out. If you send me a demo tape—”

“I don’t think Enrique wants to work for you,” Selena said.

“I’ll make my own decisions, tata,” Enrique said. He reached around Justin and hugged her. She hugged him back.

“Enrique is my little brother,” she said.

“I’m taller than you now, sis. I think that makes me your ‘big’ little brother,” Enrique said with a grin that was familiar to Justin. He’d seen it on Selena’s face a few times.

“You’ll always be my baby brother,” she said, looping her arm through Enrique’s and Justin was relegated to following the two siblings up the walk to the house.

Justin had the feeling he’d always be an outsider. Too bad his little brother wasn’t here tonight. This was exactly the type of party that Nate was better at than he was.

But he was here to achieve two things: first, to have Tomas lift the injunction against Luna Azul and second, to get Selena to be that warm, seductive woman she’d been on the beach again.

He’d pulled back for her sake, had instinctively known that she wasn’t the kind of woman who could start an affair, even a short-term one, with a man she barely knew.

But tonight he’d change all of that. He slipped his arm through Selena’s free one and she hesitated and lost her footing, glancing up at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Just making sure everyone knows who invited me to the party.”

Enrique laughed. “No one’s going to doubt that, bro. This is Selena’s welcome-home party. Did you know she hasn’t been back here since my tenth birthday?”

Why not? “No, I didn’t know that. I’m honored to have been invited to this party then.”

“Don’t forget that,” Enrique said. He dropped Selena’s arm to open the front door of the house. The air-conditioned coolness rushed out and the sounds of the party filled the lanai.

“Enrique’s in the house,” Enrique yelled and there was a round of applause.

Selena took a deep breath. “I am not sure this was my best idea.”

“I am. I want to get to know your family.”

She paused there on the step so that they were almost eye level. “Why? So you can use it to your advantage?”

“No, so I can start to understand you.”

He put his hand on the small of her back and directed her into the living room. Everyone surrounded her and welcomed her home. But standing to the side, Justin realized that Selena hesitated to be a part of them. She held a part of herself back and he wanted to know why.

Selena was amazed to see Justin actually fitting in with her family. He was standing by the grill talking to the men about baseball of all things. But then she guessed he would know a little bit about the sport thanks to his brother, the former ball player.

“What’s the matter, tata? Aren’t you enjoying your party?”

Her grandmother sat down beside her and put her arm around Selena’s shoulders. For just a minute she felt like she was twelve again and a hug from this woman could solve all of her problems. She put her head on her grandmother’s shoulder and just sat there enjoying the scent of gardenia perfume and how safe she felt at this moment.

“No, I’m not. I feel like everyone is watching me,” Selena said.

“They are. We have missed you so much since you

left.”

“I don’t want everyone to remember what happened. I’m sorry, abuelita. Did I ever tell you how sorry I

was?”

Her grandmother tucked a strand of Selena’s hair behind her ear and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “You did. Stop living in the past, that’s all done and we are better for it.”

“Better? If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be in this position with Justin Stern.”

“And you wouldn’t have met him. I’ve noticed you watching Mr. Stern.”

Selena blushed. “Given my track record with men, that should alarm you, abuelita, not make you smile.”

Her grandmother laughed. “The heart doesn’t care about the same things as the brain. My own sister Dona was in love with a gringo and our papa forbid her from seeing him and do you know what she did?”

“She ran away and married him and they lived happily ever after. Even reconciling with the family eventually,” Selena said. She’d heard this story many times but for the first time she understood what her grandmother had been trying to say to her. “Why would Aunt Dona do that? I mean living away from the family is hard.”

“She wasn’t on her own, tata, not like you in New York. That’s why I think everything has happened for a reason. A man drove you away from your family and this man,” she said, gesturing to Justin, “has brought you back to us regardless of his intention.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to see Justin as a white knight.”

“He is cute, though.”

“Abuelita, I’m not sure you should be noticing

that.”

“Why not? It’s not like I said he has a nice butt,” she added with a wink.

“But he does have one, doesn’t he?” Selena agreed and then blushed, remembering the way the rest of his body had felt pressed to hers.

“He sure does.”

“Abuelita, what would abuelito say if he heard you talking like that?”

“He knows where my heart lies,” she said. “Can I say something to you, tata?”

“Of course.”

“You have never known where your heart lies,” she said. “You were always fixated on getting out of here and doing bigger and better things, but I don’t think you understood the true cost.”

There was truth there. Truth that Selena had never wanted to acknowledge before and she knew that it was time to. Maybe it was because she was thirty now and had made enough mistakes in her life to have really experienced the ups and downs in life. “I think you are right.”

“I know I am,” her grandmother said with a laugh. “Are you thirsty? I need another mojito.”

“Did I hear my lady ask for a mojito?” Tomas asked coming over to them.

Her grandmother stood up and kissed her grandfather. “Yes, you did.”

Selena watched them together and felt a pang in her heart. Her own parents had married young and filled their house with love and laughter and a few tears when it took so long for her mother to have a second child. She wanted what those couples had. That was her destiny. Though she loved her job and her apartment in Manhattan.

“Come and dance with your grandfather,” Tomas said, drawing her to her feet.

“Wouldn’t you rather dance with abuelita?”

“I will dance with her later. Right now I want to dance with my beautiful granddaughter. I’m so happy you’ve come home, tata.”

Enrique was playing music with a strong Latin beat, mixing the contemporary artists with the old ones her grandfather and his brothers liked. The song playing was a samba and she danced with her grandfather, forgetting all of her troubles and her worries. Laughing with her cousins and aunts and uncles over missteps and bumping hips.

She closed her eyes and for a second allowed herself some self-forgiveness and enjoyed being back in the best home she’d ever found. She enjoyed the smile on her grandfather’s face and the way her little brother looked as he spun the music and watched their family.

Her family.

Her eyes met Justin’s and she felt a pulsing start in the very core of her body and move up and over her. She wanted that man. But she could never have Justin and have her family, too. Because no matter what he might say, his objective was always going to be money and hers had to be the heart of this family and the community they lived in.

She turned away from him. She wished she were the big-city woman she’d thought she was. Someone who could have a short-term affair that was about nothing but sex. But a big part of her wasn’t sure that she could. She was still the sheltered Latina she’d always been. And being back here she felt more that woman than ever before.

She wanted more from Justin Stern than just sex. And he could never give her that.

Five

Justin liked Selena’s cousins, Paulo and Jorge. They made him laugh and he understood them because they were both successful businessmen who were used to doing what they had to to get the job done. If only Tomas were a little more like his grandsons, then Justin had the feeling he wouldn’t be facing an injunction.

“I’d love to have you on a committee I’m putting together to make sure that the renovation of the Cuban American marketplace is both profitable and a benefit to Little Havana.”

“I’ll think about it. But my plate is pretty full,” Jorge said.

“I’ll do it,” Paulo said. “We need new investors to come here and I really like what you’ve done with Luna Azul. That’s the kind of club we need down here. And it drives business to my restaurant.”

“That’s the kind of synergy I think we can have at the marketplace.”

“You should call it a Mercado instead of marketplace,” Selena said coming over to join them.

“She’s right,” Jorge said. “I think you should have a Latin music store there. My boys have to drive across town to find the music and instruments they need. And you could tie it to the bands that play at Luna Azul … have them stop in there for a release party or a little concert.”

“I like that idea,” Justin said. But discussing business while Selena was standing so close that she was pressed against his arm wasn’t conducive. He could barely think since all of the blood in his body was racing to his groin and not his brain.

“Did you invite them to be on the community committee?”

“I did,” he said.

“Good, so you are done talking business?” “No,” Justin said.

“He’s like us, tata, he’ll be dead and buried before he stops trying to make a deal,” Paulo said.

Justin laughed and Selena smiled but he could tell that her cousin’s words disturbed her. A few minutes later the food was ready and the other men moved to prepare the platters for everyone to eat. He took Selena’s arm and drew her away from the crowd.

“Why does what Paulo said bother you?” he asked her.

“It just reaffirmed my fears that you are attracted to me because it might make dealing with my family easier,” she said.

That was blunt and honest and he shouldn’t have been surprised, since Selena wasn’t the kind of woman who was tentative about anything.

“I want you,” he said. “That’s it, end of story. If you said to me right now that you were going to keep that injunction in place against my company until we both died, it wouldn’t change a thing. I still want you naked and writhing against me.”

“Lust.”

“We discussed that.”

“I know. And I thought I’d found a solution.” “Vacation fling,” he said.

“It’s the only way to keep this in perspective,” she said.

He understood where she was coming from. He’d watched his own father love a woman who didn’t want him. Not the way he wanted her. It had always been Justin’s fear in relationships. He knew that if he ever fell in love it would dull his razor-sharp edge when it came to business. And he’d been careful to make lust his criterion for a relationship. Never really getting to know the family or friends of the women he slept with.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Selena. I will use whatever means necessary to make that marketplace successful, but that will not change how I feel about you. And I always go after what I want.”

“I bet you get it, too,” she said.

“Yes, I do. Today has been eye-opening for me.”

“Because of that dress I wore earlier?” she asked.

“Partly. I don’t think I’ve recovered full brain function since then.”

She laughed. “It’s nice to know I have a little power over you.”

“You have more than you know. Inviting me here was a very well-played move on your part. Talking to your cousins made me realize that we should be reaching out here more than we do. Luna Azul is successful in this location without community support. Imagine what we could do with support.”

“I have imagined it. That’s why it is important that my grandparents are in on the ground level.”

“I see that. I can’t wait to have the first committee meeting.”

“Me, too,” she said.

“Now about us,” he said after a few minutes of silence had fallen between them. “There isn’t any us.”

“Not yet,” he said. “But we both want it, so it’s silly to pretend that we don’t.” “Vacation fling, right?”

“I’m open to suggestions,” he said. “I don’t want to forget that you have a life in another part of the country and that you will be going back there.”

“That was a surprisingly honest thing for you to admit,” she said.

“There is no reason for me to pretend that you don’t have the potential to be a heartbreaker. I’ve never met another woman like you, Selena.”

He was a shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy and he wasn’t going to change at this late date. Especially where Selena was concerned. She needed to know that even though he was suggesting a vacation fling, he wanted it as badly as she did. He couldn’t get her out of his mind and until he did he had the feeling he was going to be operating on backup power instead of at full strength.

Everyone filled their plates and sat down to eat, and though he knew these people thought he was their enemy, he felt like he could be part of this family. He wanted to be here not as a business rival, but as Selena’s date.

After dinner was over, Selena mingled for the rest of the evening trying to stay as far from Justin as she could.

He’d waved at her earlier and said goodbye, but that was it. She tried not to be disappointed. After all that had been her one desire, right? She’d been tired of trying to avoid him and the attraction she felt for him. Now she could just be a granddaughter and a niece and a cousin and not have to answer uncomfortable questions about a man who was too good-looking and a point of conflict with her family.

“Why are you hiding out over here?” Enrique asked as he sat down next to her on the wrought-iron bench nestled between the hibiscus trees.

“I’m not hiding out,” she said. “I’m just taking a

break.”

“From the family?” he asked. “I guess when you aren’t used to it our kin can be a little overwhelming.”

She had to agree. It had been so long since she’d been to a family gathering that she found it tiring and loud. And she wasn’t sure she fit in here anymore.

“Are you used to it?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “It’s all I know.”

“Have you thought any more about coming to New York and living with me for a while? “

She wanted her baby brother to see more of the world than just this slice of it but so far he’d resisted her efforts to bring him up north to the city.

“I have, tata, but I don’t think I will do it. I like Miami and the family and everything. And I don’t want to move away from here.”

She nodded. She understood where Enrique was coming from. When she’d left home, she’d felt she had to and those first few years had been terrifying. She’d hated being away from everything familiar. That first October had felt so cold and she’d almost come back home; only shame had kept her in New York. Only slowly had she shed the girl she’d once been and become the woman she was today.

“It’s an open invitation.”

“I know it is, sis. How’d you like my music?”

“I loved it. You are a talented deejay.”

“I know,” he said with an arrogant grin. “I’m going to use Justin Stern to get a gig at Luna Azul.”

“How is that going to work? He’s not an easy man to use,” she said. She didn’t want her brother and Justin spending too much time together.

“He wants something from us and I will offer to help him get it if he helps me.”

Her brother was always working an angle. “Be careful. Justin isn’t the kind of guy who gives up things easily.”

“I can tell that. But I think with the right manipulation it could work.”

“Let me know if I can help. He’s putting together a committee to discuss his marketplace. Perhaps you can get a gig at the ground-breaking if we reach an arrangement with his company.”

“Great! I like that idea, tata.”

She hugged him close. “I knew you would.”

She missed Enrique probably the most of all the people she’d left behind. He’d only been ten when she’d left. It had been just a year after their parents had died and she knew she should have stayed to help in raising him but she’d been too young to do that. And after Raul and the con he’d run on her family, she’d had to get away and prove herself.

“I wish you’d move back here, tata.”

“I can’t.”

He nodded. “A group of us are going clubbing, you want to join?” “Who?”

“The cousins. Some of them are older than you.” “Geez, thanks.”

“You know what I mean,” Enrique said. “It will be fun. And it’s not like you have to be at work tomorrow.”

“That’s true. I’m on vacation—sort of,” she said, thinking back to earlier when Justin had offered to be her vacation fling. Was she overthinking this?

“You are on vacation. Come on, live a little.”

She nodded. “I’d like that. Am I dressed okay?”

“You’re perfect,” Enrique said. “Hey, guys, Selena is coming with us.”

“Great, let’s go.”

She followed Enrique over to Jorge and Paulo and a group of her other cousins. The tiki torches that had been placed around the edge of the yard still burned and there were plates and cups littering every surface.

“I have to help clean up first,” she said. Her grandparents didn’t need to be doing all this work by themselves.

“No, you don’t,” her grandmother said as she came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Go and have some fun with your cousins. Remember what it’s like to have family around you.”

“Abuelita, I always remember that.”

“Then I hope you also know that we love you. I will call you in the morning,” her grandmother said. “I’m not staying at my house, abuelita.” “Where are you staying then?” “At the Ritz. Call me on my cell phone, okay?” “Tata …”

“I just couldn’t stay there. I hope you aren’t upset.” “I’m not upset, but I worry about you.” “The hotel is nice and I can relax there,” Selena said.

Her grandmother hugged her. “Then that is all that matters.”

“Whatever you do, don’t call too early, abuelita,” Jorge said. “We are going to be partying all night. It’s not too often the prodigal daughter returns home.”

Selena shook her head. “I’m not the prodigal anything.”

Jorge put his arm around her as they walked through the house. He and she had been so close growing up. Their mothers were twins and the two of them had been born only eight days apart. Jorge was more than a cousin to her. He was her big brother and her childhood twin.

“That’s the sad part, tata, you don’t even realize how important you are to us all and how much we’ve all missed you.”

“But I am responsible for ruining—”

“You aren’t responsible for anything but the actions you took to make things right. And you did make up for everything that happened long ago. Stop punishing yourself for it,” Jorge said.

“I’m not punishing myself.”

“Yes, you are. And it’s time you stopped.”

* * *

Nate and Cam weren’t pleased with the news that they’d have to wait on the ground-breaking. Actually, Nate didn’t seem to care too much but Cam was ready to use every contact he had to make the Gonzalez family suffer.

“We can’t do that,” Justin said as he sipped his Land-shark beer and relaxed in the VIP area of the rooftop club at Luna Azul.

“I know but it would make me feel good. Tell me what you have planned.”

“I’m taking the zoning commissioner out for some golf, which should help to speed up the review process. We haven’t broken any laws and I’ve reviewed the injunction they filed against us.”

“Are we in the right?”

“We haven’t done anything yet so technically we’re fine. There is a zoning provision to keep the marketplace as part of the community. I think this committee will satisfy that.”

“Good. Then there’s no problem?”

“Cam, bureaucracy runs slowly. And you want everything finished yesterday. We are going to be lucky to have a ground-breaking at the tenth anniversary party.”

Nate shook his head. “Cam, are you going to stand for that defeatist attitude?”

“Shut up, little bro,” Justin said. “We have to be realistic.”

“I don’t have to be,” Cam said. “I have you to do that. I think I will be on the committee with you and we will get as many local business owners involved with the anniversary celebration as we can. Once they have a vested interest in the celebration they will help make things happen.”

“I agree,” Justin said. “I have a young deejay who I can get to play at the marketplace ground-breaking—he is Tomas Gonzalez’s grandson.”

Cam nodded over at him. “You’re already taking steps to make this happen. Keep us updated on your progress.”

“I will. How’s everything else going at the club? Do you need anything from me?” Justin asked.

“Just get the approvals for that ground-breaking taken care of, we can handle the rest,” Nate said.

“I will. I’m going to take a few days for a staycation,” Justin said.

“What? You can’t take any time off,” Cam said. “Not now.”

“I guess I’m explaining this wrong. I’ll be working every day but at night I’m going to be staying at the Ritz,” Justin said.

“Why?” Nate asked. “I mean the Ritz is nice but why not stay at your home?”

There was no way he was going to tell his brothers that this move involved a woman. “I just haven’t had a break lately and staying at the Ritz will give me one.”

“As long as you are still working, it doesn’t matter to me,” Cam said.

“I might have you check in on some friends who are staying down there,” Nate said.

“I don’t want to have to check in on your celebs.”

Nate ran with the celebrity crowd—all friends he’d made back when he’d been a major league baseball player. And Nate still used these connections for the club, even though he was recently engaged to Jen Miller, a dance instructor at Luna Azul. They were a cute couple and very happy together. Justin was surprised that his playboy brother had fallen for the pretty dancer and her quiet lifestyle.

While Justin was glad his younger brother had kept in contact with the glitter set, the last thing he wanted was to have to socialize with them.

For the most part he had nothing in common with people who traded on their looks or talent to get by in the world. He’d always used hard work and determination.

“Fine. We can have drinks tomorrow night when I’m down there.”

“Why do we have to?” Justin asked just to needle his brother.

“Because you are making me drive down there. And you’re buying!” Nate said as his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and then excused himself.

Warm breezes blew across the rooftop patio. “I like this place,” Justin said.

Cam arched one eyebrow at him. “I’m glad to hear it, considering you helped me build it.”

Justin nodded. “I know. I wonder how different it could have been if we had real community support?”

Cam took a sip of his whiskey and then rubbed the back of his neck. “In the early days it would have made a big difference. I hate to think of what it was like before Nate got injured and came home … do you remember that first summer when he just sat in the back of the club and his baseball playing friends visited?”

“Yes. You wanted to turn the club that we’d invested every last penny in, into a sports bar.”

“Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Cam said.

“It was a good idea, I’m just glad we didn’t have to do it. By the way, Selena suggested calling the marketplace the Mercado. I like it.”

“Yes, I like it, too. Who is Selena?”

Justin took a deep breath. It didn’t matter that he and Cam held equal positions of authority in the company; Cam was always going to be Justin’s big brother. “She’s the lawyer the Gonzalezes hired. She’s also their granddaughter.”

“Pretty?”

“Breathtakingly beautiful,” Justin admitted. “Can you still be objective? If not, we can use one of your junior managers to take the lead on this.” “No,” Justin said. “I’ve got this under control.” “Is she staying at the Ritz?” Justin just nodded.

“I’m not sure how under control you have this,” Cam said.

“I’m not going to let you down or do anything to hurt the Luna Azul.”

“I know that,” Cam said. “What about yourself? Are you going to do anything to harm you?”

Justin finished his drink with a long, hard swallow and then got to his feet. “I’m the Tin Man, Cam. No heart. So nothing to be hurt by Selena.”

Justin walked away from his brother and wished that it wasn’t true. But he had learned a long time ago that women and love never really touched him on a deep level. True, this attraction to Selena was intense but it would burn out like all things did.

Six

Justin walked through his house, pausing beneath the portrait of his family that had been done when Cam graduated high school. They looked like the perfect family. Picture-perfect, he thought. On the outside they’d always made sure to present a front that others would envy.

And what a front it was. His father, the pro golfer, who traveled to tournaments in his private jet, and their socialite mother, who moved in all the right circles and made sure that her sons were successful and dated the right kind of girls.

He glanced up at his mother, really staring at the blonde woman with her perfectly coiffed hair, and wondered why she’d never been happy with their family. No matter how well he did in school or how well Nate had played baseball, she’d never been pleased with them. She’d never smiled or shown them any real signs of love or affection.

He’d often thought that all women were that way but he’d seen his brother fall in love with Jen and therefore got to see a different side to women. Jen had cracked through Nate’s doubts. Justin was still a bit cynical but seeing how Jen and Nate had worked together to make their relationship successful … well, it made him wonder why his mom hadn’t tried just a little bit harder to make it work with his dad.

“Mr. Stern?”

He glanced over his shoulder and saw his butler standing there. “Yes, Frank?”

“I have your bags ready. Do you want me to drive you to the Ritz?”

“No. I’m going to take the Porsche.”

“I will park it in the circle drive. Do you need anything from me? “

“No. You can take the next two weeks off.”

“Thank you, sir, but I don’t have anywhere to go,” Frank said.

Justin knew that Frank was always at work and he appreciated it. “Don’t you have any family?”

“Not really. I left them behind a long time ago. I could go to Vegas but I really don’t like to go more than once a year.”

Justin smiled at his butler. Frank was a very carefully measured man. He didn’t want to give in to his enjoyment of gambling and let it become an addiction. Frank would only go to Vegas and only once a year.

“I get that.”

“Can I ask you a question, sir?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you going to the Ritz? You have a better place here.”

Frank was making perfect sense, logically speaking. “I am … let’s just say there is a woman at the Ritz.”

“And you want to be closer to her? I think you should invite her here,” Frank said.

“That would make things a lot more complicated.”

“I guess it would,” Frank said.

It probably still didn’t make sense, but Frank was his employee and was never going to tell him he was barking mad, even if that was what he thought. Frank was good at holding his tongue. “Frank, sometimes I think I don’t pay you enough!”

“I agree, sir,” Frank said. “I’ll bring the car and get your bags in it.”

“Thank you, Frank.”

“Just doing my job, sir.”

“I appreciate it,” Justin said. Frank left and Justin moved away from the portrait.

Was he making the right decision or was he just going to come off as a stalker? If he and Selena were going to have a vacation fling it would make sense for them to both be at the hotel. That’s how vacation flings happened.

He knew from experience. He liked the anonymity that being at the hotel would afford them. If he brought her to his home, she’d see his family and his neighbors and it would make their fling seem more real.

And when she left to go back to New York he’d have memories of her in his space. He didn’t want that. He wanted their relationship to be uncomplicated. To be a true fling. One where neither of them got hurt.

He wasn’t going to pretend that she didn’t have the potential to hurt him. He had no idea what the outcome would be of an affair with her but he couldn’t resist the thought of having her in his arms. He wanted her.

That was the bottom line and he was going to do whatever he had to in order to get her. He didn’t care if he had to pay the cost later.

All around him were the trappings of success and that made him even more determined to ensure that this thing with Selena worked out. He wasn’t used to failing and he wouldn’t this time. Selena was the first thing he wanted just for himself.

Selena was buzzed and hot and had forgotten the last time she’d had this much fun. Clubbing wasn’t her thing. To be honest it never had been. She’d always been a very studious girl and when she’d met Raul he’d kept her isolated from others. Part of the reason his con had worked so well.

But tonight she didn’t want to think about any of that. Jorge came out of the club and sat down next to her on the bench. “Are you hiding out? “

“No. Cooling down. I haven’t danced that much in years,” she admitted.

“What do you do for fun in New York?” he asked.

“Nothing. I don’t have fun. I just work and go home.”

“All work and no play makes for one big boring life, tata.”

“It didn’t seem so bad until tonight,” she admitted. “It’s a quiet life but also an uncomplicated one.”

Jorge put his arm along the back of the bench and hugged her to his side. “You need to relax.”

“I think you are right. Tonight was a lot of fun. I never guessed that just dancing would be so liberating. I forgot about everything when I was out there.”

Jorge smiled at her. His grin reminded her of her father’s and she felt a pang in her heart. She missed her parents so much.

“That’s the point of clubbing. I think we will have to take you out again.”

“I might let you,” she said. “But I’m worn out now. I am going to call a cab to take me back to my hotel.”

“Hotel? Why aren’t you staying at your old house?” Jorge asked.

“Too many memories,” she said.

He nodded. “Why haven’t you sold that place?”

She shrugged. “I sometimes get income from renting it and I give that money to abuelito. It’s the least I can

do.”

“Tata, you have to let go of the past or you are always going to be stuck in it,” Jorge said.

“I did let go, remember? I live in New York,” she said.

“That wasn’t letting go, that was running away,” Jorge said. “You are punishing yourself by staying away. No one in the family blames you for what happened. You need to forgive yourself.”

“That is easier said than done,” she said.

“Don’t I know it,” he said.

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“I had an affair last year. Carina took me back and she says she’s forgiven me, but I don’t think I will ever feel worthy of her again.”

“Carina is a nicer person than I am,” Selena said. “I would never …”

“I thought so, too. But what I have with her is worth fighting for. I had no idea how much I loved that woman until I thought I’d lost her forever.”

“Love is so complicated,” Selena said. Raul had been able to manipulate her because she’d been totally in love with him. Other people had told her he wasn’t the perfect angel she’d believed him to be but that hadn’t mattered. In her mind and in her heart she’d made excuses for him. She didn’t want to do the same with Justin.

“Yes it is,” Jorge said. “But there is nothing else like it on earth. I wouldn’t trade my feelings for Carina for anything.”

“Did I hear my name?” Carina asked, coming out to join them. “I wondered where you got to.”

“Just visiting with Selena. I don’t think she knows how much we all miss her.”

“We do all miss you,” Carina said. She looked over at Jorge, and Selena had the impression that Carina still wasn’t sure of her man. She might have forgiven her husband, but it was clear that she hadn’t relearned how to trust him.

“I’m calling a cab,” Selena said.

“No, don’t,” Jorge said. “We will take you home. I’m ready to be alone with my woman.”

Carina closed her eyes as Jorge hugged her close and it was almost painful to watch them together now that Selena knew their secret. She wondered if all couples had a secret. Something that bound them together and made them stronger. And she did believe her cousin and his wife would be stronger once Carina knew that Jorge was sincere. But that would take some time.

Jorge went in to tell the rest of her cousins that they were leaving.

“Tonight was fun,” Selena said.

“Yes, it was. It’s not really my scene—I like to stay at home, but Jorge likes to hit the clubs and we have worked out a compromise where we will do it once a month,” Carina said.

“Does that work?” Selena asked.

“It does. I actually like going out with him. It’s not the way I thought it would be. And Jorge has agreed to take ballroom dancing classes with me.”

Selena couldn’t see her cousin doing ballroom dancing, but if it made Carina happy, she guessed that he would do it. “Where do you take lessons?”

“At Luna Azul. Jen Miller, who teaches their Latin dance classes, also knows ballroom and she is showing us a few moves.”

“Do you think Luna Azul has been good for the neighborhood?” Selena asked her, her head clearing from the mojitos she’d been drinking all night.

“I do. They have captured the feel of old Havana in the club. My papa won’t admit it to his friends but he likes going there because it reminds him of the stories his abuelito used to tell of pre-Castro Havana.”

“I need to check it out and learn a bit about the enemy.”

“I think you will be surprised by how much it fits given that they are outsiders.”

Jorge came out of the club and they left. During the ride, Selena sat quietly in the backseat of the Dodge Charger. She thought about Justin Stern and dancing with him. She had a feeling that he’d claim to be an awkward dancer, but prove to be very efficient at it.

She closed her eyes and thought about the night and what she’d learned. She’d almost made a costly emotional mistake when she’d asked Justin up to her room. But living at the hotel was giving her the distance she needed from her family and tomorrow she’d figure out how to start a fling with Justin. Flirting with him earlier and dancing tonight had stirred her blood. She wanted Justin Stern and she wasn’t going to deny herself.

Justin checked in and got settled in his hotel room. He’d left a voice mail for Selena. He was surprised she was out so late. It was almost midnight. Where was she?

He didn’t like the tight feeling in his chest or the anger he felt at not knowing where she was. They were nothing but business rivals to each other. Nothing more than that. He’d have to remember that fact.

He paced around his room like a caged tiger. She was probably with another man. Why shouldn’t she be? There wasn’t another man in this city who was bringing as many complications to the table as he was. Not one. And he knew it.

She was the last woman he should be this obsessed with but the truth was he did want her. And he should never have let her go when he’d had her in his arms earlier.

The only time they were going to be this unaware of the complications of hooking up was right now. Before they got to know each other better. That was how things like this worked.

He didn’t think about it anymore but just walked out of his room. He needed a walk to clear his head.

The elevator opened as he was standing there and Selena got off the car.

“What are you doing here?” they said at the same time.

“I’m staying here,” she said.

“So am I.”

“Why?” she asked. “And how did you get on my floor. That is almost stalkerish.”

“I’m not stalking you. I had no idea this was the floor you were on. I asked for a suite.”

“Okay, fine. But why are you here?”

“If we are going to have a vacation affair, we both should be on vacation.”

She tipped her head to the side. “I guess that makes a little sense. But … I liked staying here where no one knew me.”

“We just met,” he pointed out.

“That’s true but you are already trying to worm your way under my defenses.”

“Worm? That isn’t exactly flattering.”

She smiled. “Good, it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Where have you been tonight?” he asked.

“Clubbing with my cousins. I’ve never been clubbing before,” she said. “Have you ever gone?”

“Yes. I’m co-owner of a nightclub, remember?”

“That’s right. You probably write it off on your taxes as research.”

He did, but he didn’t say so. “Did you dance with a lot of men?” “Jealous?”

“Incredibly,” he said, moving closer to her. She was leaning against the wall next to the elevator and he put his hands on either side of her head.

He leaned in closer until his lips brushed against hers. “Who did you dance with?”

“My cousins, my brother, but I dreamed it was you,” she said with her eyes half-closed. “I don’t think I should have told you that.”

He felt that tight ball in his stomach relax. “You definitely should have told me.”

He kissed her softly on the lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Are you a good dancer?” she asked as he broke the kiss.

“I don’t know. No one has ever complained,” he said.

“I knew you’d say something like that. Do you like holding me?” she asked.

He realized she was a little tipsy and saying things that she probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

“I do. Do you like being in my arms?”

“Definitely. But you are just my vacation stud, remember that,” she said to him.

“I won’t forget it. Which room is yours?”

“Number 3106,” she said. “Why?”

“I think we should get you to your room and out of the hallway.”

“Good idea. I’m tired, Justin.”

“I know, sweetie.”

“Sweetie? Did you call me sweetie?” “I did. Any objections?”

“No. I think I like it, but we’re really not close enough for you to call me that.” “I wish we were,” he said. “Do you?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t true.”

“Are you a straight talker?” she asked.

“Sometimes. With you I am more than I want to be. You seem to bring out the awkward truth in me.”

She giggled, and the sound enchanted him. She was such a sweet girl when her defenses were down. He helped her open her door and saw that her suite was laid out the reverse of his.

“I wanted you in my room earlier,” she said.

“Not really,” he said. “I think you were trying to throw me.”

“I was,” she admitted. “But a part of me did want you here. It’s so much easier to start an affair before you have time to think of the risks involved.”

“Yes, it is. But we aren’t going to start one tonight,” he said.

“We aren’t? Why not?” she asked.

He leaned down and kissed her because he was human and a man who wanted her very much. The kiss was passionate and intense, all the things he’d known it would be, but at the same time the taste of those minty mojitos she’d been drinking all night lingered on her tongue. She wasn’t herself tonight. And he wanted her to be fully aware of what she was doing when they did become lovers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tipped her head back to look up at him. “I like the way you feel in my arms.”

“I do, too. I’ve never had a woman fit so well in my arms before. Your head nestles just right on my shoulder, your breasts are cushioned perfectly on my chest,” he said, and he slid his hands down her back to her hips, “and your hips feel just right against mine.”

She swiveled her hips against his. “Yes, they do. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me tonight?”

“No, I’m not sure,” he said, but he wasn’t going to. He wanted Selena but he wanted her on his terms. And that meant having her respect. She was going to be a vacation fling, not a one-night stand. So he slowly drew her arms down from his shoulders and gave her a kiss that almost killed him when he pulled away.

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