"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 011 - Sunset Paradise" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

Sam whipped her hair out of her face and stared hard at Emma. "That is a really bitchy thing to say."
"I just know his type," Emma explained, standing her ground.
Sam looked at Carrie. "Don't you think that's bull?"
"I honestly don't know," Carrie admitted. "But I dont think Emma would tell you that unless she thought you could get hurt."
"God, Fm sick of you two acting like my mother!" Sam screamed. She pulled her comb out of her bag and tugged it through her curls viciously, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "For your information," she finally said, "I can take care of myself. And it's just possible that Jean-Claude actually likes meЧor is that too difficult for you to grasp?"
"I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings, Sam, honestlyЧ" Emma began.
"Good, then. Don't," Sam snapped, dropping her comb back in her purse. "I'm going
back out tnere to gamble with Jean-Claude. You two can do whatever you want."
And with that, Sam marched out the door of the ladies' room, leaving Emma and Carrie behind.
By the time Sam had walked halfway back to where Jean-Claude was waiting, she already regretted yelling at Emma and Carrie. Why do I do it? she asked herself. I've got to learn to control my stupid temper! But still, she couldn't make herself turn around and go apologize. While one part of her knew that Emma was truly trying to protect her, another part of her felt as if Emma was telling her she wasn't good enough for Jean-Claude. It didn't make senseЧEmma was her friendЧbut that was how she felt.
"Samantha," Jean-Claude said, his face lighting up with pleasure when he saw her. "But where are your little friends?"
"They're not my little friends," Sam snapped. "They're grown women." Oh great, she sighed to herself. Now I'm taking it out on Jean-Claude.
"Ah, you have the temper!" Jean-Claude said, raising his eyebrows at Sam contemplatively. "This is a good sign in a woman." He took a step closer to her. "You have the fire here," he said softly, touching her red hair, "and here," he said, putting his hand over his heart.
"You betcha," Sam agreed, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
Jean-Claude smiled. "Well, then, we are an excellent match, no?"
"I wouldn't know," Sam said coolly, taking a step backwards. Suddenly she wasn't enjoying his flirting anymore. It just didn't feel right. On the other hand, maybe this was how European jet-set types always acted. How would she know? She wished she were back in the ladies' room with Emma and Carrie.
"You can take my word for it," Jean-Claude replied, not at all deterred by Sam's response, "or I can prove it to you later this evening." He moved closer to Sam again, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek. "I can be very, very persuasive."
"Aren't you coming on a little strong?" Sam asked, self-consciously pushing some curls off her face.
"Au contraire," Jean-Claude said. "I am simply a man who knows what he wants."
do you always get what you want?" Sam asked, standing her ground.
"Always," Jean-Claude said simply. "Now, shall we adjourn to the blackjack table?"
"Gee, thanks, but I've got plans," Sam said, anxious now to get away from him.
"Hi there!" came Carrie's voice from behind her.
Sam turned around quickly to see Emma and Carrie walking over to them.
"Hi!" Sam said, her voice high-pitched with relief. "I'm so glad to see you!"
Emma and Carrie looked confused. Hadn't they been fighting just five minutes earlier?"
"Come on, we're late for that appointment," Sam said, turning Emma and Carrie around by the elbow.
"What appointment?" Carrie asked, totally confused.
"You know, that pressing appointment with, uh, Pres!" Sam said, saying the first name that came to her mind.
"I will see you soon, cherie," Jean-Claude called to Sam as she walked away with her friends.
Sam shivered. Something about the way he said it made it seem more like a threat than a promise.
The next morning, it was only the Caribbean sun streaming through the windows of the hotel room that woke Sam. She stretched deliciously in bed, taking in the gorgeous surroundings, and looked at her bedside clock radio. Nearly nine-thirty. Then she saw the note scrawled on a sheet of Hotel Paradise stationery propped up against her bedside lamp.
SamЧ
Good morning, sleepyhead. Emma and I have been up for an hour. We've gone jogging on the beach and tried to tempt your dolphin away from you. No luck. But if you're not downstairs by 10:00 to meet us for breakfast in the lobby, we're going to try again. We've got a secret weapon to lure him this time. Dead fishЧmmm!
Love, Carrie
Sam laughed when she read this. So they were trying to steal her dolphin away from her, eh? She'd soon put a stop to that! She jumped out of bed, dashed into the bathroom to take a quick shower, and hurriedly put on her new pink swimsuit, a pair of cutoff shorts, and a man's white T-shirt. She
scooted out to the elevator, rode it to the lobby, and walked up to Emma and Carrie at their table in the lobby restaurant at the stroke of ten.
"Just testing"you," Sam said, sidling up to them. "Stealing my Pres from me? Sure you are!" She sat down and grabbed a fresh-baked croissant from a breadbasket that was filled with all sorts of goodies.
"Well, he was asking for you," Emma said, "but then he started talking about Carrie hereЧhe called her the curvy brunette with the great smile." She took a sip from a teacup.
She looks great, Sam thought, more relaxed than I've ever seen her. Carrie, too.
"Listen, I was thinking," Carrie said, downing the last of her coffee. "After last night's adventures with the European contingent, how about if the three of us just hang out together today?"
"What do you have in mind?" Sam asked between bites of her croissant.
Carrie pointed to a brochure on the table. Sam saw that there was a photo of a big boat on it. "I picked this up at the concierge's desk. The hotel has a glass-bottomed boat that guests can go out on. It's called Heart of Glass."
"Nice name." Sam grinned. "If it were
Diana De Witt's boat, it'd be called Heartless."
"She's so clever," Emma told Carrie with a wry look.
"What's a glass-bottomed boat, anyway?"
Emma looked up from her tea. "It's a boat that actually has a glass bottom, so you can look down into the water."
"Well, I figured that," Sam said. "What I mean is, what's so interesting about water? Unless, of course, it's filling a bathtub, and Pres is sitting in the tub," she qualified. "Human Pres, I mean."
"The boat anchors above a coral reef," Emma explained. "The glass bottom lets you see all the fish that live around the reef. It's really beautiful."