“Singapore, Mom. And it’s really a business trip.”
“No problem. You all do business, and Zane and I will take in the sights.”
His tone harsh, Paco said, “Zane?”
That hangover definitely made someone moody.
Madison kept her voice calm. “He’s a family friend.”
“And Jack’s best friend at West Point. Ring bangers,” Joy said.
A light laugh erupted at Madison’s mother’s mangling of “ring knockers,” the slang term for graduates of a US military academy, but nobody corrected her.
“Look.” Madison grabbed her room key from her purse and slipped it to her mom’s free hand. “My room’s just down the hall. Go on in and relax. Where’s Zane?”
“He’s arriving in Singapore tomorrow. He’s stationed somewhere that way, and said he’d love to join us. He’s a colonel now.”
Whatever snide comment Paco was undoubtedly teeing up, Madison shot down with a glare. Her mother’s voice beamed with pride. Like, that could have been Jack.
Maybe it could have been.
“Wow, that’s terrific.” Leading her mother out, Madison added, “I just need an hour or so, and I’ll be right over.”
“I’ll take her,” Paco said to Madison, then whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll ungrump myself. You’ve got exactly one hour to . . . get ready.”
“That’s all I need,” she assured him in a voice low enough to keep from Joy’s earshot. “I owe you.”
“Use your new credit limit to grab me a pair of Louboutins, and we’ll call it even.”
“A four- or five-inch heel?” she teased.
With a distinctively adorable arch to his eyebrow, Paco glared. “Christian also makes men’s shoes, but . . . whatever.”
“Deal.” Grateful, she kissed him on the cheek, nudging him and her mother with a gentle scoot out the door. Instantly, Madison flung the door wide, realizing she'd forgotten her virtual fiancé. Paco was standing there, holding up the still opened FaceTime call with Alex.
Even a world away, the gleam in her man’s eyes was unmistakable, and deliciously sinister.
With an eager grin, Madison let out a breath. She snatched the phone appreciatively and shut the door. Delighted, she watched the man on the other end of the call peel the clothes from his chiseled physique. Magic Mike had nothing on Alex Drake under a time crunch.
“Why, Mr. Drake. Don’t you look lickable. Should I get a Ziploc for my phone?”
“Do what you’ve got to do, beautiful, but you’ve got exactly sixty seconds to strip, hop in bed, and get on your hands and knees. Your shower will take fifteen minutes, then ten minutes for hair and makeup, since you’ll pull all those luscious locks into a sexy ponytail that I can’t wait to wrap around my fist. So I’d say I’ve got roughly thirty minutes to pleasure you multiple times, then give you a good three minutes to recover with a minute or two to spare.” He displayed his wrist, anxiously tapping the face of his watch.
Without another word, Madison tossed off her clothes, assumed the position, and slipped her fingers in for a wet and wild race.
Eight
The Republic of Singapore
Changi Airport
Even in the dim light of late evening, Alex could make out every detail of his future wife as she stepped off the jet. Madison would be in his arms soon, but not immediately. This plan was moving into motion, and for the first time, he really hated it. Seeing her filled him with equal amounts of thrill and love . . . and fear.
As he’d instructed her, she’d pulled her tantalizing locks into a high ponytail. Her flowing skirt shimmied and danced suggestively around her thighs, as if the winds were commanded for his pleasure.
Patiently, he soaked in every movement before catching the passing sparkle of her engagement ring.
You’re mine, Madison Taylor. All mine.
Singapore’s sweltering heat and evening humidity hadn’t been noticeable until then. His blood rushed with each glimpse of her thighs. But a second later, a rigid coolness overtook his needy cock. Tension traversed every muscle of his body, and his jaw clenched tight at the sight of her mother exiting the plane.
Pulling this off will be ten times harder with Joy here. Bothered, he tightened his crossed arms. And Zane.
Thankfully, Jess and Jaclyn had stayed in Paris, extending the girls’ trip another day before heading home. Both workaholic women had no problem with ditching their men for a few days. But they weren't Madison, and this wasn't their fight.
With the woman of his dreams now before him, Alex pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek, then gave Joy a warm hug. Even though her presence made the situation more difficult, he was glad Madison had her mom nearby. And to Paco now joining them, he said nothing, not even bothering to shake his hand.
Alex was glad to have his own men in Singapore. These trusted agents within DGI performed an assortment of duties, from menial to lethal. Tonight, one of them played two roles: bodyguard and driver. At Alex's request, the lethal agent disguised as a chauffeur remained in the car, refraining from the normal duties of opening the doors. Unorthodox, but they needed to set the stage.
Instead, Alex held the car door open, encouraging Joy to enter the darkly tinted vehicle first. With the dark surroundings, it would be difficult for Joy to make out what was going down outside the car. If she did, they had a Plan B, but he hoped they wouldn’t need it.
Once Joy entered the car, Madison smacked the large manila envelope hard against Alex’s chest. He let the photos spill from her assault, scattering across the pavement.
Exaggerating his reaction, he dropped to one knee and painstakingly picked up one image after the other. Her legs still took his breath away as she stepped into the car, but he hid his admiration. Paco followed the ladies into the back. After returning all the photos to the envelope, Alex took his seat up front.
The ride was quiet, and he let out a sigh of relief when Joy nodded off quickly in the comfort of the luxury ride. Uneasy, he reached around to the back seat, deeply satisfied as Madison held his hand and squeezed. Her soft chuckle matched his as Paco wrapped their hands within both of his.
Though it had been tempting to rent a mansion in Singapore for privacy’s sake during this trip, facing an audience head-on was the stronger tactic. When the world is watching, there’s no better power play than to control the script.
In act one, Madison’s natural reactions to a philandering Alex would disrupt their lives, putting them on public display for ridicule from the masses. They’d play it up. Let their opponent assume the upper hand.
And what the world didn’t know about Paco far outweighed what it knew. He could play any role in this game, faking out any worthy adversary.
Likewise, what the world understood about Madison Taylor worked in their favor. She was young—nearly ten years Alex’s junior. She was also gorgeous, naturally so, but she soared to stratospheric levels of sex appeal and attraction when she added even a light touch of makeup and the right outfit.
Short, flowy skirt . . . definitely the right outfit.
Madison’s reputation for hard work and determination would be skewed under the scrutiny of the public spotlight, twisting her genuine ambition into nefarious social climbing. Which was exactly what Alex was hoping for to further his plan.