Page 21 of Lawbreaker

“Tony, I hear we’re moving. How kind of you!” she said, smiling at him.

“Yes, into this room.” Tony indicated it.

“Hey, that’s my room,” Donalson said belligerently.

“I’m sure you won’t mind switching with the Mannings, Burt,” Tony said easily. “They’re cramped into a twin bed and he’s eaten up with arthritis, something we overlooked when we made room assignments.”

“It’s so sweet of you to do this, Mr. Donalson,” Mrs. Manning said with a gentle smile. “Old age has its drawbacks.”

Now caught between Tony’s malicious smile and Mrs. Manning’s genuine one, Donalson gave in. “Sure,” he told the woman. “No problem. No problem at all.” He’d think of some way to get to that blonde filly, he told himself, Tony or no Tony. He wanted payback. No woman was going to get away with snubbing him!

“I’ll help you pack, Mr. Donalson,” Mrs. Murdock said with a smile. “Glad to help.”

Both of them went into the room. Tony turned on his heel and went down the staircase. If Odalie saw Rudolf, she might be on the floor passed out, or worse...

4

She was curled up in the jungle swing, in her beautiful silk couture dress. It shimmered like fairy dust in the lights, all pink and purple and silver. Her shoes were off. Her head was pillowed on one hand on the arm of the swing. She was asleep. She looked like any man’s vision of the perfect woman.

Her beauty wasn’t blatant, but it was stunning. Her mouth was like a perfect bow, soft and pretty and palest pink in a complexion that seemed to be aided by nothing more than a light dusting of powder. Her eyes were closed, graced by long blond eyelashes that curled and contained no messy mascara or shadow, and the eyelashes were real. Her cheekbones were high, slightly flushed from sleep, not from any artifice. Her fingers were long, tipped by silver glitter nail polish on a pink background. She had pretty hands. He recalled that she played the piano. So did he, but he’d never shared that skill with her. Nor another that he kept secret even from Stasia. He was very private about some facets of his life.

This was intoxicating. He never had the luxury of just looking at her, because he didn’t want her, or anyone, to see how fascinating he really found her. He was too old for her, too much of a bad influence. Their backgrounds were incompatible. But she was like a fairy, lying there in the quietness of the room. His eyes drifted down to her breasts. They weren’t large. They were small, but firm and perfectly shaped. He ached looking at them. Her hips were wide. He thought about babies and hated himself for it. He was sterile. He could never have a child. Her legs were long and elegant, outlined under the dress that fell almost to her ankles when she walked.

She was a picture that would linger in his mind until he died, and he knew it. If only, he thought sadly. If only.

She stirred and grimaced, as if she was feeling the discomfort of such a position. He wondered how long she’d been in the swing. He looked around. There was Rudolf, curled up by the potted palm.

Had she seen his pet? he wondered.

Her eyes opened. When he turned back around, those beautiful pale blue eyes looked straight into his black ones, but vacantly, as if she wasn’t quite awake.

“Hello,” she said softly.

“Hello,” he replied, his voice as quiet as hers.

“I fell asleep.”

“I noticed.”

She drew in a breath and stretched as much as she could, pulling the dress tight around the luscious curves of her body. Tony felt himself go tense all over, and he fought the sensation.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked as she started to uncurl herself and lower her hose-clad feet to the floor.

“I was escaping,” she blurted out, and flushed, because she hadn’t meant to tell him.

He drew in an angry breath. “Donalson. Well, I moved him downstairs, so you won’t be running into him in the hall anymore.”

“You did?” she asked, and helpless delight flickered in her eyes.

He averted his. “The Mannings needed a double bed. He’s got arthritis. Donalson switched with them.” He didn’t want her to think it was concern for her that had prompted the change.

“Oh. Of course,” she said at once. She felt around for her shoes. They’d scattered.

Tony saw her looking and went to pick them up where they’d been shifted several feet away.

“Does Rudolf like shoes?” she asked whimsically, smiling at the big reptile. “I’m afraid mine won’t fit you, old dear,” she told the snake. “You’d need a snake sock.” She laughed.

It was like hearing wind chimes. He loved the sound and grew somber, fighting his desire.