She stared at the invitation, amazed that the man had had the audacity to send her such an invitation. What kind of woman did he think she was? But when she tore open the envelope, she realized the invitation was handwritten, not printed. At least he’d done that much.
Then she read the words…
Amelia,
I enjoyed your company this past weekend and I hope you enjoyed mine. I think it’s wonderful that you’ve taken some time off, and as it turns out, I have some free time ahead of me as well. My plan is to fly to one of my favorite countries for much needed R&R. I’d love to help you relax and unwind by inviting you to join me for a week. If you accept my invitation, please let me know by calling me at my personal phone number below. I need your response within 48 hours so I can make the necessary arrangements. I will be leaving Saturday morning.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Dak
Mellie couldn’t help but chuckle. Dak was slick, she’d give him that. At least he hadn’t sent an impersonal invitation with the flowers, the way he was used to doing with other women. She also noted the invite didn’t say anything about a non-committed type of affair. Still, his intent was clear. He was inviting her to engage in a no-strings-attached fling.
The question was, what was she going to do about it? She was definitely tempted to accept his invitation. Though, if she did accept, whether they shared a bed would be her decision and not his. Tapping her chin with the envelope, she considered her own actions, inviting him to her hotel room for a nightcap, knowing full well what the outcome would have been. She had wanted him and had had no reservations about sharing a bed with him then. He had been the one to pull back, though she figured his friendship with Stonewall had a lot to do with his actions. So, what had changed? And did it matter?
Regardless of who issued the ultimate invitation, the result would be the same. But no one could force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Still, the thought of spending time with him in some exotic place was definitely something worth considering. She did need to relax and unwind, and if she shared his bed while doing it, what would it hurt? She wanted him. She had, for two long years. So, she had no problem sharing his bed. But she’d be the one calling the shots. After that fiasco with Dr. Ivan McIntosh, she’d never again follow any man blindly.
She and Ivan had met when she’d been doing her internship in St. Louis. She’d soon learned that the relationship had meant more to her than to him because he’d had an agenda. He had her believing they would become medical partners, even convincing her to put money down on a building that would be their private practice.
Mellie had trusted him to do the right thing and when it was time to finalize everything, he’d decided he wanted to go in alone. The only problem with that was that he didn’t feel he owed her the twenty-five-thousand dollars she’d given him as a down payment for the building.
She’d considered taking him to court, but knew that if Stonewall ever found out about it, he would have beaten the money out of Ivan, or made his life a living hell. And the last thing she wanted was for him to get into trouble because of her. The only people she’d confided in were Granny Kay and Whitney. Her grandmother was sure her prayers, that Ivan would one day realize his error and pay her the money back, would work. Mellie was not holding out for that to happen.
That had been close to eight years ago. Now she was a woman who wasn’t easily swayed. Those days of looking for love were over.
Dak was a man, and she was a woman, and they were attracted to each other. That’s how human anatomy worked. It was simply the law of nature.
Besides, Granny Kay would be the first to tell her that life was too short not to try different things and embrace new experiences. And Granny Kay lived that way herself. She was nothing less than an inspiration. Years ago, while she’d been in her sixties, Katherine Courson had persuaded her granddaughter to join her in taking up martial arts, not to mention accompanying her to the gun range for target practice, taking line dancing and even trying out bird watching. Skydiving was still on their bucket list. Her grandmother was not one to let grass grow under her feet, and she would be the first to encourage Mellie to follow her lead.
But still…
Although Dak’s invitation was tempting, she had to think carefully about what her final decision would be.
She tossed the invitation on the table next to the flowers, deciding she usually thought best while shopping. So, she grabbed her purse and went out to do just that.
• • •
“And you’re sure the delivery was made at the right address, Jefferson?” Dak asked, placing his cell phone on speaker while he played pool. His entertainment room was one of his favorite places in the house, with one of the largest pool tables made, a wet bar that wrapped around one section of the room, a mini-bowling alley, a movie-size television screen and an indoor rock-climbing wall.
“I’m positive, sir. The courier company we used indicated their representative placed both the flowers and the card in Ms. Courson’s hand on Tuesday, at eleven-fifteen a.m., Eastern Daylight Savings Time.”
Dak nodded as he stretched over the table, more focused on what Jefferson was saying than getting his ball in the corner pocket. His note had been delivered nearly two days ago, which meant Amelia was deliberately not responding to his invitation—his handwritten invitation! He’d even included his personal number. If she was playing games with him, he didn’t like it.
“Will you still be flying out on Friday, sir?”
For a minute, he’d forgotten Jefferson was on the phone. “Yes. Give Sylvester instructions to have my jet ready to go. Destination is Bali, Indonesia.”
“Yes, sir.”
No longer in the mood to play pool, he hung his cue stick in the holder on the wall and went over to the bar to pour his favorite drink—bourbon. There were a number of other women he could invite, and it wasn’t too late to do just that. He went to look up a few numbers on his phone, then stopped. He didn’t want any other woman on this trip. He wanted Amelia. But he wouldn’t ask her again. No woman was worth that.
He had just taken his glass of bourbon and was moving to sit down in one of the chairs when the security beeper went off.
He had just reached for the remote when the attendant at the gate buzzed him. “What is it, Dusty?”
“You have a visitor.”
Dak rolled his eyes. Jennifer Rowe, the model who’d been his last ‘guest’ three years ago, didn’t seem to understand that their time together was long over. It was nothing personal. He just wasn’t willing to give himself to any woman for more than seven days. It was enough time for him to have some fun, but still easily walk away. No woman got issued a second invitation.
Jennifer had called yesterday, telling him she would be in the area, then asking if she could stop by. He had told her no. Evidently, she hadn’t been listening. His estate was off limits, and he’d told her that more than once. So why was she pushing him?
“A woman, right?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Please tell Ms. Rowe that she’s not allowed on the grounds.”
“It’s not Ms. Rowe, Mr. Navarro.”
Dak cocked a brow. “Then who the hell is it?”