Lotus Blossom by Hayton Monteith Read Free Book Online Page A

had to wait for Petras to call and tell her what time her flight was tomorrow, but she caught herself in time. “Well, you know . . .” she finished weakly, wishing she could go with him and stay with him all day. How could she think such a thing! Petras would be calling soon! She couldn’t stay with Dash.
    “Your job is all taken care of,” Dash informed her, his eyes roving over her. “That costume is too brief. I don’t like all the men who come through this casino seeing you that way.”
    “Most of them don’t see me.” Lotus smiled. “They’re thinking about gambling.” It surprised her that he would say that! Many of the show girls wore even skimpier costumes than hers. Then she remembered what she had to tell him. “Dash, I can’t come . . . anywhere with you. After my shift, I’m going to a . . . that is, I was just going to have something simple and go home.”
    “I’m taking you home with me.” Dash was adamant.
    “Ah . . . but . . .
    “And don’t try to figure me out, Lotus. I can’t work out why I feel the way I do about you.” His rueful smile lifted a corner of his mouth, giving his lips a mysterious satanic style that made her catch her breath.
    “Where are we going?” Lotus wondered if she should try to get a message to Petras, then she decided that it might be too risky. But he and Martha were expecting her for a meal! She groaned inwardly. There were so many reasons not to go with Dash. How was she to get a message to Petras? And more important, how was she to prevent herself from falling more in love with Dash?
    “My home. It’s on the edge of the desert and very private. We’ll have a swim and some canapes, then we’ll have a dinner.” He grinned at her. “That I will cook for you.”
    “Oh. Will I survive it?” Lotus couldn’t chase away the lightheartedness she felt. Her voice of reason was buried as she thought of being with him. She would be spending hours with Dash! She would be leaving tomorrow, but for now she would savor the moment. From the time she’d been a child, she had always projected into the future, her goals and aims always in front of her, but now she was going to put it all aside. Today, this minute, was all she would consider.
    Dash bent over her, kissing her nose. “You will not only survive. You will enjoy it.”
    Lotus laughed out loud.
    Dash’s smile disappeared. He cupped her face with his hands. “That is also a very beautiful thing about you, China Doll.” His mouth nuzzled her lips, parting them, letting his tongue quest gently over her teeth to the roof of her mouth
    Lotus’s heart dropped to her feet, then soared up and out of her body. Even as her eyes closed and she sagged against him, she knew that he was the One who had walked her dreams when she was a child. He was the Knight, the Warrior, the Hero who would sweep her away and keep her safe all her life. As her rational mind told her she was a fool, that he was gambler, a womanizer, a high-road freewheeler, her heart told her that she loved him. Even if she never saw Dash again, she knew that there would never be anyone who would come close to taking his place.
    “Open your eyes, darling.” Dash’s voice was hoarse. “We have to get out of here.” He grasped her hand in his and pulled her along behind him, his long strides making her run. “Now hurry and change.” He left her in the locker room.
    She changed in record time, curses escaping her lips when she fumbled with a snap or zipper. She had to get to Dash! She thought this as she rushed from the locker room and he was there, waiting to grasp her hand again. They ran from the building like children.
    When they reached his Ferrari parked behind Cicero’s, she was out of breath. “Whew! I’m glad you weren’t parked blocks away . . .” Lotus wheezed, bringing Dash’s gaze around to her.
    He frowned, then his brow cleared and he looked contrite. “Sorry, love. I forgot for a moment how tiny you are.”
    “Five feet