Chapter 5
“There’s no such thing as peace. Not even in a billionaire’s sauna.” ~ Jeremy
Jeremy
I roll over in bed and check the time. Two a.m. and I’m wide awake. I blame the mountain of food I ate. And the pies. Oh, the pies.
Parker is a baking genius. The Rumrunner’s Pecan Pie was dosed with dark spiced rum and brown sugar. I could have eaten the whole pie. Unfortunately, I had to fight off Eli’s brothers to even get a slice. Eli wasn’t kidding when he said his brothers are shit stirrers.
I don’t understand why a woman with Parker’s talents would waste them all on Smuggler’s Hideaway. She could be running a bakery in New York City or a patisserie in Paris. And she seriously chooses this Podunk island?
I’m not getting back to sleep. I might as well get some work done.
I get comfortable in the sitting area in the corner of the room with my computer on my lap. I’d love a coffee, but I’m not disturbing the family by creeping downstairs to the kitchen.
“Wah!”
I nearly drop my laptop on the floor at the sound of Stephanie’s crying. I wait until my pulse goes back to normal before returning my attention to my screen.
“Wah! Wah! Wah!”
I don’t know if Stephanie is pissed or hungry or tired, but she’s not quiet. I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before making my way downstairs. The second floor has all the bedrooms, while the first floor contains the living room, kitchen, and dining room. Surely, it’ll be quiet down here.
I settle at the table in the dining room. It smells of lemon in here. I don’t know how Paisley managed to clean up this room, considering the mess Eli’s family made. I have never seen grown men get into a food fight before and I don’t want to again.
Someone runs down the stairs before flinging open the kitchen door. I listen to drawers bang open and closed for a few minutes before I realize the dining room is not the refuge I was hoping it would be.
There’s only one option left. I sneak down the stairs to the basement.
My penthouse in California is pretty impressive but this basement is in another world. There’s a swimming pool, sauna, spa, and gym with more equipment than I’ve seen in some commercial fitness clubs.
“Wah!”
I groan. How is it possible to still hear the baby’s cries in the basement? Stephanie has some serious lungs on her. Maybe she’ll grow up to be an opera singer.
There’s only one thing to do. I flip the lights on in the sauna before settling myself on the wooden bench. With the door closed, it’s dead quiet. No babies crying. No doors slamming. Nothing.
It’s bliss. I get to work.
Time ceases to exist as I work on the code for the app. The door opens some time later, but I ignore it.
Eli clears his throat.
“Just a minute,” I mutter as I try to figure out this coding problem.
The laptop is snatched from my hands. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“Trust me. I’m saving you.”
I frown. “Saving me?”
He checks his watch. “I expect my brothers and their partners and children to arrive any minute.”
My brow wrinkles. “No one mentioned anything about swimming today at Thanksgiving yesterday.”
“Probably because my brothers think they’re clever and can sneak into my house.”
“Don’t you have security?”
“Anyway.” He motions to the door. “You should get out of here before someone cranks on the heat without realizing you’re in here.”
“But this is the only quiet place in the house.”
“Sorry. Stephanie has colic.”
I blow out a breath. “No, I’m sorry. You kindly allowed me to stay here and I’m complaining about the noise. I’m an ungrateful guest.”
“It’s fine.” He waves away my apology before sitting across from me. “Why are you working anyway? I thought you came to Smuggler’s Hideaway for a break?”
“I did.” I realize I’m scratching my neck and drop my hand.
He raises an eyebrow.
“Fine. I haven’t finished the coding on the Synq app yet.”
He rears back. “What? Synq is launching at the start of the year.”
“Yeah, I’m well aware.”
“Why are you working on the coding? We have a whole team of developers.” He holds up a hand before I can answer. “Never mind. I already know the answer. Mr. Control Freak strikes again.”
“As if you’re any better.”
“At least I’m not hiding in your sauna trying to code when I should be enjoying a long weekend off work.”
“It seemed logical when I came in here.”
“Everything seems logical in the middle of the night.” He stands. “Come on. Let’s get some coffee and figure out a solution.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. I need to finish the coding. End of story.”
He strolls out of the sauna and I chase after him. “Give me my laptop back.”
“After you’ve eaten breakfast.”
“Are you seriously holding my laptop hostage?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He winks at me and I groan.
“Not fair. You can’t bring up stuff that happened in college.”
“Why not? It’s fun.”
“It wasn’t fun when I had to beg Professor Nightly to let me re-take the final.”
“You wouldn’t have had to re-take the final if you hadn’t locked me out of our dorm room.”
“You did your chemistry experiment in the room. Do you know how long it took to get the smell out?”
We enter the kitchen and Eli strolls to the stove. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry. I want to work.”
“Too bad.”
“Good morning,” Paisley greets as she enters. I’m surprised she doesn’t have a baby in her arms. “How did you sleep?”
“Someone,” Eli points at me with the laptop, “was hiding in the sauna working.”
“The sauna?” Paisley giggles. “You’re lucky none of his brothers were around. They have declared the sauna a no clothes zone.”
I shrug. “I can code naked as well as the next developer.”
“But can you code naked when they’re wiggling their naked asses in your face?”
My nose wrinkles. “Are you serious?”
She raises her eyebrows. “You met his brothers yesterday. Do you need to ask?”
No, I really don’t.
“Why were you working in the sauna anyway? Is something wrong with your room? I swear, if the roof is leaking, I’m going to kill Flynn. I don’t care if he’s my best friend’s fiancé. He’s going down.”
“The roof wasn’t leaking. No need to go on a killing spree.”
She blows out a breath. “Good. I don’t want Stephanie to visit me in prison.”
Eli wraps an arm around her shoulders. “As if you wouldn’t manage to get away with murder.”
“Can we maybe stop discussing ways to murder people now?” I ask.
“Okay.” Paisley nods. “Back to why you couldn’t work in your room. The roof doesn’t leak. I know the bed is as comfortable as a cloud in heaven. What was the problem? Were you cold? And sought out the sauna for warmth?”
“I’m not used to having a baby in the house.” A baby who can’t stop screaming for hours on end.
Paisley sighs. “Sorry. She has colic.”
“I wasn’t complaining.” Not out loud at least.
“I have an idea. But you probably won’t like it.” Her nose wrinkles before she sighs. “Forget I said anything.”
“Paisley,” Eli growls.
“What?” She bats her eyelashes at him.
“What are you up to?”
“Me?” She clutches her chest. “I’m trying to help out your friend, but I misspoke. I should have thought before I opened my mouth.”
He narrows his eyes on her. “You always think before you open your mouth.”
I clear my throat. “As much as I’m enjoying your weird nerdy foreplay, I am curious about Paisley’s idea.”
She grins at Eli in triumph. I nearly reconsider, but I can’t hide in the sauna for the entire weekend. I’m okay with nudity but a bunch of men shoving their naked asses in my face? Not exactly a conducive environment to get this Synq app finished in.
“Parker has a loft above Pirate’s Pastries. She rents it out to tourists during the summer but I believe it’s empty at the moment.”
Parker? I wouldn’t mind spending more time with the beautiful woman. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman with her curves. Super models tend to be overly thin. They’re boring to have dinner with, but they’re usually up for just about anything between the sheets.
But I can’t do anything right with Parker. First, she thought I was a reporter. And when she learned the truth – I’m a billionaire who could buy and sell her bakery a million times over – she appeared disgusted by me.
“I don’t think Parker will rent to me.”
“Parker can’t be picky,” Eli mutters.
“What do you mean?” Is Parker in money trouble? I don’t understand how. She must have delivered over a hundred pies yesterday. And based on what Eli and Paisley paid, they weren’t cheap either.
Paisley elbows Eli. “Ignore him. He has a big mouth. What do you say? Shall I contact Parker?”
“Nah. I’ll drive over there. I want a look at the place before I commit.”
Besides, I don’t want to give Parker the chance to say no. If I’m there in person and she truly does need money, she’ll have a harder time denying me in person.
My hands tingle and my pulse quickens as excitement flows through me at the idea of seeing the baker again. My body doesn’t care how she hates me.
I agree. She’ll change her mind about me once she gets to know me.
And then… Well, then, maybe we can have some fun before I leave this island for good.