That One Summer: A Collection of Steamy Contemporary Romance

Chapter 11

Sam woke with a smileon his face.

Hours ago, Charlotte had risen with the sun again, kissed his head then zipped out of his casita and headed to the kitchen. And she’d left his room humming.

He loved that.

But then he loved so much about her.

For a year, he’d wondered what if?

Now he knew, and it was perfect.

His cell phone rang, and he reached for it. He glanced at the screen before taking the call. Stephanie.

“Hello, Beautiful,” he greeted her.

“Hello to you too,” she replied with a hearty laugh. “Not that I have control of the weather, but I was calling to apologize. My group has been stuck at your place longer than I expected. You sound in a particularly good mood, though. Made any new friends within my Fantasy group?”

“Not exactly, although your folks have been great, very helpful.” He ran a hand through his hair and laid back on his bed. And, damn, he couldn’t stop smiling. “Actually, Charlotte and I. We’ve been friends for a while and things just clicked for us in a different way.”

“Well, I’m all for starting out as friends.” Stephanie chuckled again. “Ross will be happy to hear. We both like Charlotte.”

Sam nodded to himself. Ross Simmons was the original owner of Fantasy as well as dozens of successful businesses. He’d hired Stephanie to start up and run his sex club business. For years, they’d been all business until one night at Fantasy and everything changed.

“Thanks. I wanted to let you know the mariachi band and cigar roller you sent over were a big success the other night. And the DJ too. You did good, Stephanie.”

“What are you talking about, Sam? I sent over food, not a local band and cigar roller. I wish I’d thought of it, but I didn’t.”

He scratched at his forehead. That was odd. “One of the band members had a note signed by you. Could someone have sent it for you?”

“I doubt it. No one on my staff has the authority to sign my name.”

“Then it’s a mystery,” Sam replied, a little grumble in his voice. He didn’t like mysteries.

“Well, I hope you’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I want to let you know that you and Charlotte are welcome—gratis—at all Fantasy properties whenever you want. I owe you—both of you.”

“I—we—were happy to help,” he replied, meaning it. “I know you’re watching the hurricane’s progress. I’ll be in touch after it’s over, and we can get your guests to the resort.”

Sam disconnected the call and closed his eyes. It would be a trick to convince Charlotte to take a true vacation. A week at a Fantasy resort with Charlotte would be the best getaway ever. He’d show her all the sexy activities, and they’d truly get away from it all.

His cock hardened as he pictured Charlotte in the tiny blue bikini she’d worn yesterday afternoon. She’d been wearing a cute one-piece when they’d arrived at the villa, and he’d enjoyed seeing her in that. It accented her smooth skin and nice, shapely legs. But that bright blue bikini...it had been impossible not to stare. He’d longed to caress each inch of her exposed curves and then peel off that tiny bikini and caress the rest.

He”d never be able to get enough of her.

He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. All that would have to wait for later.

While the sky was clear and cloudless again, the hurricane would be here this afternoon. He picked up his cell again and tapped in George’s number. It rang and rang. No answer.

He tilted his head to the side. What about the new assistant manager George had hired months ago? Chad. The man seemed to work hard and knew what he was doing.

Sam called Chad’s number, and the man answered right away.

“Mr. Jacobson?” A deep voice with a little nervous quake answered the phone. “Hello sir. Can I help you?”

“Hello Chad. I can’t reach George, so I called you. I do need some help. Please meet me in front of my casita in 10 minutes,” Sam said then grabbed some clean clothes and quickly dressed.

Ten minutes later, Chad arrived at Sam’s front door, and 10 minutes after that workmen were working on the roof of Charlotte’s casita.

“We’re using wooden planks and clay tiles.” Chad walked Sam over to a stack of materials the men had piled neatly on the ground. “That’ll keep it secure during the storm. Afterwards, we’ll re-stucco and repaint it.”

“I don’t recall seeing any of these materials yesterday. George said the crew had fixed it.”

“Um...I don’t know, sir.” Chad’s gaze nervously darted away.

“Can you tell if any repairs had been made?”

“I feel lucky to have this job, Mr. Jacobson.” Chad stuck his fingers into the front pocket of his worn jeans and jerked them out again. “George has an excellent reputation. I was thrilled to get the chance to work with him.”

Sam stared at the pile of materials, and his jaw tightened. Chad’s lack of a reply to his question told him what he needed to know. “I’ve worked with George for years, and I know he’s earned that reputation. But if something seems amiss, I need to know.”

Chad jerked his fingers in and out of his pockets once more. Sam gripped his shoulder to stop Chad for fidgeting. “I promise, you won’t lose your job.”

“I don’t know for sure what’s going on, but things have been strange for almost a month now.”

“Strange in what way?”

“Work orders that are checked off, and the project looks worse after the job is done. I’m talking about drainage, retaining walls, even fencing. And then there was the day a host of new kitchen appliances arrived and then they were gone and later replaced. I don’t know what’s going on. I asked George about it, and, well, he blew up at me. He wasn’t like that when he hired me. I don’t want to talk out of school, but something’s changed.” His brows drew together as he pinched the back of his neck. “Even the other night, when your guests first arrived and were starting dinner, all these men in work shirts showed up. I don’t know sir, but something didn’t seem right about them. I asked George, and he told me to mind my own business.”

Sam stared at the worried man. George was a good guy who worked well under pressure. Yes, all this was strange. “Thanks, Chad. I know you’re uncomfortable to share, but I appreciate it.”

Chad nodded then climbed up the ladder to check the repair of Charlotte’s casita, then he climbed back down. When he faced Sam, he moved to put his hands in his pockets again but stopped himself. “Sir, I have to check a few more things on property before the hurricane. If you’ll excuse me.”

Sam gave Chad’s shoulder a pat and let him go, then he pulled out his cell and called George. No surprise, no answer.

Where the hell was the property manager he’d come to trust so much?

As he headed to the pavilion to search for George, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and sighed. His investment partners in Europe. They were meeting in two weeks, and he needed months to prepare. His gaze shot up to the sky as he clicked on the call. Of course, he’d be ready on time.

“Bonjour Freddy,” he greeted his caller.

“Hello Sam. I understand a major hurricane is heading your way,” the man replied.

“Yes, and we’re preparing the Sayulita villa for the hurricane.” The sky was still a cloudless blue, but the weather reports said the storm would arrive in hours. “I imagine you’re calling about the meeting in a few weeks. It would be better if we could talk after the storm. Can we...”

“I’m calling with bad news, and I will be brief,” he said, cutting Sam off. “We’ve received information about significant cost overruns in Sayulita. My partnership will be pulling out of the three projects we planned to develop with you in Europe.”

Pulling out? Sam clenched his phone. How could they be pulling out? “What are you talking about, Freddy?” His throat tightened, but he pushed out the words. “What information?”

“Your property manager has been kind enough to provide us necessary cost information,” Freddy said. “We know you insist on the highest quality, but we don’t endorse high quality at any price.”

“Well, neither do I. There’s been some concerns with George, the property manager,” Sam explained, his tone calm and cool. Inside, he wanted to scream. It had taken a year and thousands of hours to come to an agreement about the new projects. It couldn’t be over before it started. “I’m sure if we all meet together in a conference call, we can sort this out.”

“I’m sorry, Sam. We do wish you the best, but we are no longer partnering with your company. I hope you and the villa fare well through the storm. Au revoir mon ami.”

Sam stared at the blank screen, and his vision blurred. What the hell was going on? The cost overruns he’d seen were odd but certainly not deal crushing. He’d invested everything in these new properties, but he needed Freddy and his partner’s participation in these efforts. Without them, he’d have nothing.

Sam headed to the pavilion. He needed to find George and get answers.