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Kevin approached the main house with some trepidation. The
lady
that had shown them to the guest house had told them they were welcome
there for dinner, but somehow, the large plantation house was intimidating.
As a matter of fact, all of Allegra Island was intimidating, just because
of
the fact that only one man owned the whole thing. Kevin knew
that he
didn’t have anything to complain about, personally, when it came to
his
financial situation, but he doubted that the whole band put together
could
afford to buy an entire island like this.
The back porch was huge, with white railing surrounding it, and
he
smiled as he thought how his mother would kill for a house like this.
Maybe he’d have to start looking for something similar to buy for her
...
Suddenly, he noticed someone else on the porch. He looked
over to
the other end and, to his surprise, identified the person as Rowena
Albright,
dressed in khaki shorts and an Old Navy T-shirt. She was peering
through
wire framed glasses at a folder full of paperwork, oblivious to his
presence.
Kevin felt a kind of heat bubble up in him again as he realized that
she
looked even better in these carelessly casual clothes than she did
in the
business suits he’d seen her in before. But what was she doing
here?
He started to walk towards her, and the creaking of a floor board
gave his presence away. Rowena looked up, startled. “Hi
...”
“Hi ... I didn’t really expect to see you here.”
She shrugged. “I gave Carlos’s children a ride home for
the
weekend. I’d heard you guys were invited out here. How
do you like it?”
“So far? It’s beautiful ... may I?” he asked, gesturing
to the chair
next to her.
She shrugged once again, still shuffling papers. Kevin took
a seat
and regarded her, confused. It was hard to believe that the same
woman
that had been so flirtatious at the club the other night was the same
one
sitting next to him now. He tried again. “So, you own the
Indigo?”
Finally, she looked up. “Montenegro owns the club.
I just run it.”
But there was a sparkle in her eyes that told Kevin he’d hit on a weakness.
“It’s a terrific club ... great atmosphere. If we hadn’t
been invited
out here, I would have gone back tonight.”
Rowena smiled. “I never get tired of hanging out there.
I think the
employees get tired of me being there, though-- they think I’m looking
over
their shoulders.”
“It seems like you have a good time when you’re there ...”
Finally,
she looked directly at Kevin, and he imagined he could see in her eyes
the
same thing he was thinking -- memories of their bodies pressed against
each
other.
The moment was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.
“Rowena? Are you out here?”
Rowena immediately stood up, leaving Kevin to shake his head and
gather himself again. “Right here, Carlos. Are you ready?”
Kevin turned to see a handsome man, around fifty years old,
walking towards them. So this was Carlos Montenegro ... he stood
up as
the man approached him, extending his hand. “So, you must be
one of the
Backstreet Boys. Nice to meet you.”
“Kevin Richardson. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Montenegro.”
“Carlos, please. Feel free to make yourself at home -- Maggie
should have dinner ready shortly. Are you ready to talk, sweetheart?”
he
asked, turning back to Rowena.
“Absolutely. You still need to sign these papers for their
concert,
first of all ...”
Carlos offered his arm to Rowena, and she took it, walking back
into the house with him. The gallant gesture made something knot
in the
pit of Kevin’s stomach. Had he become infatuated with a woman
who was
not only Carlos Montenegro’s business associate, but also his lover?
