Costa Rican Heat Read online

  Costa Rican Heat

  By

  Bobbi Brattz

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all the women and men who would love to have dreams and fantasies become reality. Love can be shared by three or more!

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Costa Rican Heat by Bobbi Brattz

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! ™

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red Rose™ Publishing

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Copyright© 2011 Bobbi Brattz

  ISBN: 978-1-4543-0097-7

  Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett

  Editor: Belle

  Line Editor: Pam

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  Forestport, NY 13338

  Thank you for purchasing a book from Red Rose™ Publishing where publishing

  comes with a touch of Class!

  Costa Rican Heat

  By

  Bobbi Brattz

  Chapter One

  Ah, The Smell Of Diesel Fuel Exhaust!

  Side stepping a pile of slush on the sidewalk, Jada McKenzie grinned at a passerby, nearly letting out a laugh when the woman shot her a strange look and rushed off down the street. People in downtown Toronto didn’t make eye contact, let alone smile at one another unless they were acquainted. Jada didn’t care, she was living on cloud nine as she walked to work. She finally had a date!

  It had been six long months since Jack Adams had dumped her in front of a room full of people. Her humiliation hadn’t stopped there. He had emailed every one of her friends and relatives to tell them he no longer wanted her; that she was useless to him. All that just because of—

  Her smile slipped for a moment as the memory came back full throttle. She’d never been so humiliated in her life! Her cheeks reddened just thinking about it. No, there was no way she was going to ruin such a wondrous day thinking about a jerk like him! Pushing the thoughts away, she found her sense of peace again and continued her walk.

  The sun shining down hot and bright on her freckled face, she paused to soak up a few rays before the street lights changed. Tall, mirrored buildings lined the streets, reflecting the miles of concrete and glass surrounding them.

  Jada didn’t mind the loud horns and voices that blocked out any chance of nature’s melody intruding on the swing of life in the city. This was where she had been born and raised, and it was what she knew. Seldom did she get the chance to see a forest or hear frogs sing in a pond. Her weeks consisted of nine–to–five work days with Saturday and Sunday off, while her evenings were spent in front of the TV watching sitcoms or movies from the adult video store below her apartment.

  The light changed and Jada sucked in a deep breath of polluted air as though it were ambrosia, and walked on. The office was only a few blocks from her tiny home and she enjoyed the walk each day, even in the rain, though the rain made her hair curl outrageously into tiny ringlets of rusty–gold.

  Opening the large, inch–thick glass door, Jada entered the lobby and moved with the morning crowd toward the elevators. Wrinkling her nose, she sniffed at the mixed odors of coffee and fragrances. It was overwhelming first thing in the morning, especially when jammed into a small elevator with people just heading to work. Give her diesel fumes any day!

  Finally, the elevator stopped at the thirtieth floor and she squeezed through the human wedge until she’d passed the doors and could take a deep breath. Free at last, she moved toward her desk, hanging her coat up and storing her purse in a drawer.

  “Good morning, Miss McKenzie.” With a bright smile, a tall man in a pristine gray suit stopped at her desk.

  “Good morning, Mr. Gendrick. Have a great day!” she said cheerfully. She returned the smile as she put on her telephone headset.

  Chuckling, he said, “You say that every day!”

  With a snicker, Jada adjusted her outfit and moved her chair closer to the desk.

  “So you should have a great day every day then, right?”

  He nodded. “All right, I’ll do my best, just for you. See you later. And, uh…”

  Her smile disappeared as his face took on a serious expression.

  “What is it?”

  The grin came back. “Try and cheer up, will you?”

  Their laughter filled the hallway as he walked away from her.

  The second she plugged in her phone cord the race was on to keep up with the hundreds of calls that came into the law firm each day.

  “Webb, Mason, Hernandez, and Shultz, how may I help you?” she answered.

  Moments later a young woman left the elevator and nodded a greeting, handing Jada a coffee cup filled with the steaming brew. Jada nodded gratefully at her friend Lea and continued to connect the client. Lea gave her the thumbs up and moved off, going to her own office.

  Being good with people, Jada was always at her best, bringing many positive comments from clients to the upper management. Seldom taking a sick day or holiday, her dependability had become so well known in the office that more and more responsibility was loaded onto her plate. Jada thought nothing of it. She was happy to do whatever jobs her bosses asked of her.

  When lunchtime finally arrived, Jada met Lea in the small cafeteria, her expression filled with excitement.

  “Lea, guess what? Remember that guy I was telling you about; the one I keep talking to in the chat room?”

  Her friend gave her a dubious look.

  “Jada, you know it’s dangerous to deal with people on the net. You have to be so careful these days.”

  “I know, I know, but he wants to meet me in a restaurant tonight, he’s taking me out on a date! We’re going to A la Cart and you know how expensive that is. He must have a lot of money, don’t you think?”

  “Honey, having money doesn’t make it safe. You don’t even have a cell phone in case things go wrong.”

  “Oh, I don’t need a cell phone. They just cost money I’d rather not spend. I live two blocks from work and never go anywhere. What do I need one for?”

  “Hello? To dial 911 if the dream date goes bad?”

  With some of the excitement leaving her, Jada sat back in her chair and gnawed on a carrot stick. Seconds later, she leaned forward with a grin.

  “The restaurant has phones and payphones, right?”

  “You’re impossible! You always see the positive side, never the negative. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you!” Chuckling Lea shook her head and picked up her sandwich.

  Jada shrugged.

  “I don’t think anyone knows what to do with me.”

  Suddenly pain flashed through her heart as thoughts of Jack returned, but she pushed them away quickly.

  “Well, I guess I’d better go finish this day so that I can—Oh, my gosh, Lea, what am I going to wear?” Jada cried.

  Chapter Two

  Off To Paradise

  Ja
da stared at herself in the mirror while she dressed and applied makeup. When it came to doing her hair she gave up, the wild mass of unruly red hair impossible to tame. She finally decided to leave it down and shrugged in defeat.

  “This is a wysiwyg kind of moment,” she said to her reflection. “What You See Is What You Get!”

  The only dress in her closet that seemed appropriate was one she’d had since she was eighteen. Her brother gave it to her for Christmas that year, surprising her at its suggestive, slinky look when he was so protective of her. Thin spaghetti straps held up a v–neck that did little to hide her ample cleavage. Though she kept pulling the stretchy material upward, it seemed to have a mind of its own and molded to her breasts once again. She’d grown much curvier since her teen years.

  At twenty–four she had little personal experience with men, keeping them at a distance by dressing conservatively to hide her figure. Turning to look behind her in the mirror, she smiled, pleased with the results. She loved the way the dress dropped low in the back, even though it meant she couldn’t wear a bra with it. With one last look, she blew out a deep breath and prepared to leave. Picking up her small purse, she nodded at herself and left the room.

  Butterflies fluttered around in her belly already. Whether they were from fear or excitement, she wasn’t quite sure though she thought they were from both.

  Having never gone out to such an elaborate restaurant, Jada was beside herself with nerves when she arrived, wondering if her date would find her attractive or run screaming for the front door when he got a glimpse of the real Jada. Her biggest concern was that he’d hate her freckles as much as she did. She wrinkled her nose at the lobby mirror while she waited to be seated until the maitre d’ approached with his nose high in the air, frowning down at her as she stood alone, trembling with nerves.

  “Yes, mademoiselle, how may I help you?” His accent was obviously put on. She knew since she was fluent in French, yet it didn’t relieve her tension much to know it.

  “I’m here to meet…um…‘I’m For Paradise’,” she whispered to him. Heat suffused her face as she thought of how the name must sound.

  With a slight grin, the man nodded.

  “Follow me, please.”

  Turning he left her to chase after him, surprised that he let her into the pretentious establishment so easily. He seated her at a booth that was curtained and private.

  “Would you like a drink to start with until the gentleman arrives?”

  “Um, no, thanks. Water is fine. May I look at the menu?”

  “Certainly, but Monsieur has already decided what you will have. I will return shortly.”

  Closing the curtain behind him the man left her. It took her all of two seconds to begin to fidget. Being closed in behind the thick drapes, while romantic and secretive, seemed suffocating as she sat alone. Jada climbed up, kneeling on the bench and grabbed hold of the edge of the cloth, pulling it aside slightly. She peeked out at the restaurant clients then slowly studied the well dressed people in the large room.

  “Holy crap! What a ritzy place! I bet even the lobsters wear tuxes,” she whispered.

  “Ahem.”

  Startled by the man’s voice just beyond the curtain, Jada squealed and pulled back, yanking at the material for balance. Seconds later, she found herself on the floor, entangled in the rich red velvet as she struggled to get free. Strong hands lifted her straight up as she fought to keep her dress in place. She could have sworn she heard the man chuckle, but as she righted herself, pushing her wild hair out of her eyes, she looked up, way up, to meet a serious cobalt blue gaze. Silky black hair glistened in the soft lights. His clean shaven face was angular and chiseled, giving him a Superman look. Unable to stop herself, Jada took quick note of his broad shoulders and narrow waist, encased in a form fitting tuxedo. He was still holding her by her arms just above the elbows. She could feel the power in his grip even though he held her gently.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. His voice was husky as though he’d just had a warm brandy, sending chills of awareness up her spine.

  “Damn, all the good ones are taken,” she muttered.

  “I’m sorry?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “I didn’t hear you.”

  Realizing she’d spoken aloud, her cheeks heated again so she improvised. “I said, damn, all the good booths are taken. I got the one with the faulty curtains.”

  Jada pulled away from him reluctantly and fussed with her hair a moment, gnawing on her lower lip. She was afraid the maitre d’ was going to kick her out for the mess she’d made. She saw him coming toward her and winced.

  “Are you hurt?” the gorgeous man asked.

  “No, but I think I’m going to be.”

  With her gaze on the forthcoming disaster, she waited like a lamb to the slaughter until the maitre d’ reached them.

  “Oh, my word! What happened?” he cried.

  “Alfredo…”

  Before the man could utter another word, Jada put up her hand and stopped them both from speaking.

  “There is definitely something faulty with your curtain rod. Now, I’m going to need to retire to the ladies room to freshen up, then I’ll need another booth, toot–sweet; and I don’t want any arguments. Now, where is the ladies room before my date gets here?” she asked Alfredo, ignoring the other man because she felt so humiliated.

  Alfredo looked up at the silent stranger who just shrugged, grinning. The speechless, maitre d’ pointed in the direction of the bathrooms.

  “Thank you. Now, where’s my purse?” Turning, Jada bent over the bench to search for her handbag.

  Not realizing that her dress was up around her waist, revealing her sexy bottom, Jada continued to look for the purse. He quickly righted it while Alfredo produced a sudden cough.

  “I know it’s here somewhere,” she said, ducking her head under the table which left her back exposed and plenty of long, shapely legs.

  “No, it’s not here!”

  Struggling to control his laughter, he also began coughing.

  “Ah, let me get it.” Bending over, he retrieved it from the catastrophe of material, handing it to her.

  Without meeting his eyes she nodded, accepting the offering. “Thank you, and thank you for your assistance. It was…nice…meeting you. Bye.”

  Tripping on the curtain rod, she quickly righted herself and made her way to the bathroom, ignoring all the stares and grins from the other guests.

  “Alfredo, find another private booth. I have to speak to someone for a moment then I’ll be right with you.”

  “Yes sir,” the maitre d’ said, swiping tears from his eyes, for once unable to maintain a stoic expression.

  Making sure there was no one else in the ladies room, Jada tried to right her riotous hair and smooth out the lipstick that had migrated to her cheek during her battle with the curtains. The red curls were scattered in complete disorder, making her look as though she’d just had a date in a hayloft!

  “Great dinner partner I’ll be. I should just go home now and forget I ever had a chance at dating again. He’s probably bald, five–foot nothing, and has a keg instead of a six–pack anyway, not that it would matter based on how sweet he is online. Oh, what am I doing here anyway? No matter what he looks like, he’s still too nice for me.”

  “Are you all right, dear?” a woman asked gently, placing her hand on Jada’s shoulder.

  Startled, Jada jumped. “Oh! I didn’t hear you come in. Um, I was just trying to figure out how to crawl to the front door without being seen.”

  Chuckling, the woman sat down on the fancy bench beside Jada.

  “I can help you with something even better if you’ll allow me to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Smiling, she continued. “I saw how you stood up and took charge of the situation out there. You should be proud of yourself, most people would have raced out the front door immediately, but you kept your chin up high and showed pride instead of crying. Why don’t y
ou let me help you with your hair and makeup and put you back together, then you can go out there and dazzle your date?”

  “Lady, you saw what I did with mere curtains. Imagine what the poor man will suffer if I stay.”

  Rolling her eyes, Jada turned back to the mirror and felt tears rise though she fought valiantly to keep them back.

  “Now I really need a cell phone; 911 could really come in handy.” A lone tear escaped, trailing down her cheek.

  Brushing the hair out of Jada’s eyes, the kind woman said, “Come, dear, let’s get started.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Jada took a deep breath and forced herself to leave the bathroom, chin held high. She walked with a slow, sexy stride until she reached a point where she could catch Alfredo’s eye. His eyes widened in surprise at her transformation. Quickly he raced to her side.

  “Mademoiselle, you look beautiful. I will take you to your new booth.”

  Trying desperately not to let him know how relieved she was that he wasn’t going to throw her out, Jada simply nodded and gave him a gentle smile. Her eyes met those of her new friend who sat back at her table across the room. The woman winked at her and smiled encouragingly.

  With the curtain rod already repaired, new customers sat in the booth. Alfredo led her to a far corner.

  “Guess he’s figured me out,” she muttered to herself. “With me out of sight, the rest of the guests should be safe.”

  Relieved that she was going to be seated out of view of the other patrons in a private corner of the restaurant, she stood beside the curtain as he opened it for her and carefully stepped in, seating herself with her eyes on her dress. Settling in she sighed, closing her eyes and dropping her head back on her shoulders in relief that she’d made it across the room without incident.