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“Well, well, well. You two must have made *quite* an impression
on Rowena this morning.” Martin entered the hotel room and leaned
against the door frame, regarding all five of the boys.
“Apparently Kev did ...” Brian swore. “You still haven’t
told me
how the heck you know her, anyway!”
Kevin shrugged. “Well ... we met at the club last night.
We
danced.”
“The Indigo, I assume?” Martin asked. When Kevin nodded,
he
explained. “Rowena owns the Indigo. Actually, it’s part
of Montenegro
Enterprises, but it’s her baby.”
“Damn,” Howie exclaimed. “She’s hot, and she owns
a great club.
Go Kevin!”
“Anyway,” Kevin said, ignoring Howie, “why do you say we made
a
good impression, Martin?”
“Because I just got a call from Carlos Montengro himself.
You guys
have been invited to spend a weekend out at Allegra Island.”
“Huh? What’s Allegra Island?” AJ asked.
“Allegra Island is Carlos’s personal island, just off the coast
east of
here. He lives there with his children -- I’ve only been there
a couple of
times, but let me tell you, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve
ever
seen. Gorgeous grounds, private beach, the works. Invitations
to stay there
are very rare ...”
Nick whistled. “Whoa ... sounds like a blast! Let’s go!”
“Wait a second,” Kevin cautioned. “What about rehearsing?”
“It’s Friday -- the concert’s not until next Thursday,” AJ reminded
him. “Come on, it’s not like we have any other plans, for once
in our lives.
Let’s go hang out on a beach for a couple of days ...”
***
“You did *what*, Carlos?”
Rowena looked at her mentor, surprise all over her face.
She’d
decided to drive out to Allegra Island for a night for some peace,
and a
chance to think. Apparently, though, Carlos had other ideas.
“I invited the Backstreet Boys to stay here for the weekend.
I
thought it’d be nice.”
“Nice for who?”
“Honestly? Catie and Lorri.” Carlos grinned.
“Anything to make
my girls happy.”
Rowena groaned. “Poor guys. You should have seen Lorri’s
face
when she saw them in my office.”
Derek, Carlos’s 20 year old son, laughed from his seat at the
kitchen
table. “Dad, Ro’s right. Do you really want to give your
daughters all that
temptation to do things you don’t want to think about?”
Carlos gave him a mock glare, while Rowena just grinned at him.
“Derek, you’re just jealous that he didn’t invite the Spice Girls when
they
came through town.”
“Damn straight I am.” Derek stood up. “Have you told
Catie and
Lorri yet that they’re coming?”
“No, not yet.”
“Can I do it?”
“Sure.” Carlos broke into a smile as Derek bounded up the
stairs.
“Oh, this is going to be a fun weekend.”
“Your idea of fun and mine are competely different, Carlos.
I’m
glad I’m leaving first thing in the morning.” Rowena sank into
Derek’s
empty chair and sipped her iced tea. “You’re going to have eight
young
people on your grounds all weekend. Oh, yeah ... I assume you’re
going to
give them the guest house?”
“Yes, Loretta’s over there fixing it up as we speak.” Carlos
sat
down beside her and leaned on the table. “Rowena, sweetheart,
I did invite
them without even talking to you. I suppose I should have asked
what they
were like first -- are they nice guys? Or did I invite five decadent
drug
addicts to my home?”
She laughed. “Well, I only met two of them, but they seem
like nice
enough guys ... they’re probably safe enough.” Safe enough for
you, she
finished silently. One of them isn’t safe at all for me.
“Good.” He patted her hand. “I’ll let you go put your
bags in your
room. We’ll talk business after you’re settled.”
As she left the kitchen, Rowena looked out the window to see the
large guest house, where the Backstreet Boys would soon be staying.
At
least they’d be in a different building than her -- less chance for
her to
embarrass herself. She’d just talk business with Carlos and stay
out of the
way of the inevitable party.
