Gentlemen Prefer Nerds (13 page)

“I’m sure you’ll have no trouble being alluring.”

His gaze met hers and she flashed back to the dark closet and their incendiary kiss. Heat shimmered in the air. Could he really be in lust with her? True, he’d quickly turned from molten to icy once the danger had passed, but he’d been aroused. She’d felt him. And that look just now—steaming hot.

Fabian broke apart a warm buttery croissant and spread it thickly with jam. He bit into the flaky pastry clearly without a thought for calories. It was so unfair that men got to eat whatever they wanted. She added a pastry to her plate. This was the only temptation she was giving in to.

Unless he kissed her again.

Fabian’s phone rang. He clicked it on and listened. “Excellent, Sam. Thank you so much.” He hung up and relayed the message to Maddie. “Your spa appointment is in twenty minutes. I’m going to get ready. I suggest you do the same.” Setting his napkin aside he brushed the crumbs off his hands and went inside, leaving his phone on the table.

Maddie stared at it.
Al should have the results of his cardiac tests by now.
Fabian was concerned about Al’s phone being tapped but she knew Connor had blocked them so the cops couldn’t listen in. She had to know, had to make sure her dad was taking care of his health. Quickly she slipped the phone into her pocket. Fabian wasn’t the only one who could steal from under a person’s nose.

He poked his head out of his bedroom door. “Can you bring my cell in with you when you come?”

Maddie pretended to look around, moving napkins and lifting plates. “I, uh, it’s not out here. You must have taken it in yourself.”

Fabian patted down his pockets. Frowning, he muttered, “I’ll check the bathroom.”

Maddie breathed out as he closed the door again. She would give it back—after she talked to Al.

* * *

Lush ferns and palms shaded the path to the spa. Water trickled over rounded stones, and soft music wafted through hidden speakers. Etched on a plaque in black Hindi-style script was the legend Nirvana Spa and Wellness Center.

Fabian opened the wide door to a luxuriously appointed reception area. “After you.”

Maddie balked on the threshold. “Did I mention that I don’t like spas?”

“Nonsense. All women love to be pampered.”

“Not me, pal.” Maddie hung on to the edge of the doorframe. “I know what happens in there. You go in, a little grungy and rough around the edges but with your individuality intact. Once they’ve got you, they take away your clothes and you’re at their mercy. They sand you down and smooth you out and you emerge a Stepford wife.”

“May I help you?” The receptionist glided toward them. With her glossy black ponytail and slim-fitting white uniform, she was simultaneously clinical and elegant.

“Hello,” Fabian greeted her. “My wife, Brittany, has an appointment.”

“Hello, Brittany. I’m Amanda. I’ll be taking care of you today.” Amanda took in Maddie’s appearance in one sweeping glance. “You have lovely skin and hair.”

“Thanks,” Maddie said cautiously, certain she’d heard an unspoken
but.

Sure enough, Amanda wagged a playful finger. “But you haven’t taken care of yourself as well as you could have.”

“No, I don’t suppose I have,” Maddie mimicked, feeling mulish and uncooperative. She could hold her own with university professors and diamond merchants but a beauty expert was guaranteed to make her feel totally inadequate. “I, uh…we’ve been traveling a lot lately.”

“Never mind. We’ll fix you up.” Amanda turned to Fabian and her smile surged to full wattage. “You won’t know her when she’s done.”

“Exactly what I wanted to hear.” Fabian stepped forward and removed Maddie’s glasses. “You won’t be needing these.”

“But—” Panicky, she groped but her outstretched hands encountering nothing but air. She should have known he was part of the plot to render her helpless. “Where are you going with them?”

Fabian’s blurred figure moved toward the door. “Getting you contact lenses. I’ll pick you up later and we’ll go shopping for your dress.”

Maddie blinked, suddenly feeling alone and vulnerable.

“Your husband is very attentive, not to mention generous.” Amanda led Maddie by the elbow through an arched portal to the treatment rooms. “Is it your birthday or anniversary?”

“He’s…it’s…” Maddie tried to come up with a response that wouldn’t involve too many lies and explanations. Oh, who cared? This whole adventure was unbelievable from start to finish. And she didn’t appreciate being patronized by women like Amanda. “It’s our honeymoon. He’s an English lord, a multimillionaire. He hasn’t stopped lavishing presents on me since we met four days ago.”

Amanda stopped dead in the hallway. “You only met four days ago and you’re married already?”

“It was love at first sight,” Maddie confided. “We met on a Tuesday. On Friday he came to the shop where I work and said, ‘I’m taking you away from all this.’”

“Incredible.” Amanda looked as if she didn’t know whether to believe her or not. She gestured Maddie into a private room that held a massage table and a trolley filled with bottles and tubs of unguents and lotions. “It’s like a fairy tale.”

“He whisked me off in his private helicopter then we caught a charter plane to this island.”

“Lovely. Did he buy you a fabulous engagement ring?” Amanda glanced at Maddie’s bare left hand.

Whoops. “He’s having one made. There wasn’t time before we left to come here.” Recklessly, she added, “It’s going to be a pink heart-shaped diamond.”

“Just like the one that was stolen in Melbourne!” Amanda handed Maddie a towel and a thick white robe. “Strip right down. You’ll be going in the Swedish steam room first, followed by a deep tissue massage and the ultratherapy skin renewal package. Then facial, mani, pedi, hair…”

Maddie barely listened. “What about a stolen diamond?”

“You newlyweds,” Amanda chided with a smile. She paused in the doorway, unable to resist a good gossip. “It was all over the news this morning. Apparently the gemologist at the jewelry store switched the real pink diamond with a synthetic stone. Then she escaped with both the synthetic and the real diamond.”

“Now that you mention it, I did hear the tail end of the news report but I missed most of it.” Maddie tried to sound casual. “Was the owner of the store implicated?”

“They let her go after questioning due to a lack of evidence. But I gather the store’s been closed.” Amanda shook her head. “The gemologist was the owner’s niece. Can you believe it? The father has been in trouble with the law in the past. Bad blood, I guess.”

Bad blood, how dare she? It was all Maddie could do to stop herself from speaking up in Al’s defense. Sure she didn’t condone his way of life, but he was her father. “I heard someone else was involved, a man masquerading as a South African diamond expert.”

“Oh, they found him,” Amanda said. “He turned out to be a real professor who was giving a guest lecture at the university. It was all a story the gemologist made up to throw the detective off the right track.”

Grudgingly, she gave Roland credit for coming up with a perfect cover. She could only imagine the real Dr. Hauzenegger’s bewilderment and indignation at being questioned over the theft. What stung was that Willa might think Maddie really had stolen the Rose. Not to mention the people at Ogilvie Diamonds. “No one else?”

“There was a mysterious Englishman who helped the gemologist escape,” Amanda said. “No one seems to know who he is. A woman living in the gemologist’s apartment building reported that he terrorized her dog.”

“Maybe the dog deserved it,” Maddie snapped, finally at the end of her tether.

Amanda took a step back. “O-kay. The steam room is through that door on the far wall. I’ll be back for you in twenty minutes.”

Maddie was still fuming as she took off her clothes and put on the robe. Roland had a lot to answer for. She was going to make him pay even if every hair had to be tweezed from her body in the process.

Steam billowed out of the cedar-lined cubicle when Maddie opened the door. She left the robe on a hook outside and took Fabian’s cell phone in with her. Seated naked on the towel in a cloud of scorching vapor, she punched in Al’s number.

He picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hi,” she whispered. “It’s me, M—”

“Shh! You shouldn’t have called here. It’s not safe.”

“I thought you had blocks on your phones.”

“The coppers came and took them off, didn’t they?”

“I’ll keep it short but I’ve been worried. What did the cardiologist tell you?”

“He said I’m fine. Fit as the proverbial fiddle.”

Maddie sighed. “You’ve been having severe chest pains. Come on, Dad, what were the results of the tests?”

“You know doctors, darlin’. They just want to get you into surgery so they can make a lot of money.”

“Surgery?” Maddie said, alarmed. “What was the diagnosis?”

“Oh, a lot of mumbo jumbo. The specialist muttered something about a valve replacement.”

“Have you scheduled the operation? Go private if there’s a waiting list at the public hospital.”

“No money for private hospitals. The cops confiscated my artworks and antiques and froze my bank accounts. A travesty of justice, in my opinion. You pay your taxes and then the government takes the fruits of your labors—”

“Grace is giving me half the commission on the sale of the Rose. I’ll pay for the operation. Is Connor there? Or Liam? I want to talk to one of them.”

“They’re both out. Look, we’d better cut this short—”

“You’re in denial, Dad. Don’t try to deny it.”

“Goodbye—”

“Wait!” Maddie said. “I heard Grace had to close the shop.”

“The insurance company seized her assets,” Al told her quickly. “If the Rose doesn’t turn up soon, she’ll lose the business.”

“Oh, no,” Maddie moaned.

“I hope you’ve got a plan.”

“Fa—” Maddie caught herself. “My friend has a plan.”

“You listen to your friend,” Al said. “He knows what he’s doing. Goodbye, darlin’. See you when you get back.”

Maddie hung up, her worry over her father and Grace superseded by her physical discomfort. The sauna was like a humid hell. Water dripped continuously onto scalding hot rocks in a brazier. Steam billowed, searing her throat and nasal passages. Sweat trickled between her breasts, and the wooden bench burned the soles of her feet. Did people really do this for fun?

Fabian’s phone rang.

Maddie checked the screen. The caller was identified only by the initial
C.
Should she pick up? Well, of course she shouldn’t. But a ringing phone was impossible to ignore. “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” a woman’s voice asked sharply. “Why are you answering Fabian’s phone?”

Uh-oh.

Amanda opened the door, sending in a draft of cool air. “All done!”

Reprieve couldn’t come soon enough but Maddie waved her away. “Just a minute.” She turned back to the phone. “Are you his girlfriend?”

“Just put him on,” the woman said, cool and hard.

Maddie clicked the phone off. Oh, boy, picking up had definitely been a mistake.

She lurched out of the sauna and tied on her robe. Catching sight of her frizzed hair in the mirror, she recoiled in horror. “I look like the Bride of Frankenstein.”

Amanda only laughed and opened a door onto a plunge pool. “Hop in.”

Maybe it would be nice to cool off. Then she got closer. The pool appeared to be bottomless. “I don’t swim very well. I’ll have a shower instead.”

“This is all part of the Nirvana experience.” Amanda’s pleasant voice was laced with steel. “Quickly.” She clapped her hands. “Before your pores absorb toxins from the atmosphere.”

Where were these toxins coming from and why wasn’t Amanda worried? Although judging from the impenetrable matte finish on her skin, nothing would get through her foundation. Taking a big breath, Maddie dropped her robe and lowered herself into the pool. The icy water constricted her veins and nearly stopped her heart.

“Duck your head under.” Amanda gave her a push.

Maddie’s shriek was muffled as the water closed over her head. First her hand slipped, then her foot. Frigid liquid filled her mouth, and she panicked as she began to sink. Miraculously her toes touched bottom. She pushed off, flailing to the surface, coughing and spluttering. Hair plastered over her eyes, she groped blindly for the ladder.

Smiling, Amanda held a towel as Maddie hauled herself out. “Wasn’t that refreshing?”

Maddie glared at her myopically through wet hanks of hair and wrapped herself in the meager warmth of the damp towel. “I almost drowned.”

“Don’t be silly. Come along. It’s time for your Rolfing treatment.”

“Rolfing?” Shivering, Maddie followed Amanda down a hallway lined with curtained cubicles.

“Deep tissue massage. It’s wonderful.”

“It sounds painful.”

“You’ll feel ten inches taller when it’s all over,” Amanda assured her.

“Let’s see, that would make me six-eight. No thanks.” Maddie did an about-face, took a right and found herself in a cubicle with a naked woman bound like a mummy from head to toe in plastic wrap. Maddie shoved a fist in her mouth to stifle her scream.

Amanda steered her back in the direction they’d been traveling with a soothing “Everything’s going to be just fine. You’ll see. Just fine.” She was still reassuring her as she ushered Maddie into the Rolfing room.

The masseuse, a six-foot brick shithouse named Sigrid, was waiting with her sleeves rolled up over muscular forearms. “Lie on the table,” she ordered in a low Scandinavian singsong as she slapped medicinal-smelling oil on her man-hands.

“Is this going to hurt?” Maddie hated to be a wimp but so far the whole Nirvana experience was right up there with having the wires tightened on orthodontic braces.

Sigrid grunted something unintelligible. Gingerly, Maddie climbed onto the table and lay with her face poking through a hole in the bed. Sigrid smoothed both palms firmly down Maddie’s back from her shoulders to her hips. Hmm, maybe this wasn’t so bad—

“Yeow!” Maddie yelped as Sigrid’s knuckles gouged either side of her spine in an apparent attempt to reach through her skin and elongate the muscles with her bare hands.

“Relax!” Sigrid barked. “You are very tense.”

Tense? Her father was going to have a heart attack, her aunt was being driven out of business, Maddie was suspected of a crime she hadn’t committed, and she was being groomed to seduce a man she despised. Now she was being tortured by a Swedish masseuse. Who wouldn’t be tense?

Sigrid ground the heel of her hand into Maddie’s shoulder hard enough to dislocate the shoulder blade. “Do not worry. You will not leave here until you are perfectly aligned and in balance.”

There was that allusion to a car again. Someone ought to tell Sigrid she was working on a luxury sedan not a Mack truck. Maddie gripped the end of the table and tried not to whimper. Finally Sigrid announced she was finished. Maddie rolled off the massage table like a rag doll with the stuffing knocked out. She picked up her robe and limped to the door.

Amanda was waiting for her. “Wasn’t that amazing? Now it’s time for your deep sea mud pack.”

Maddie was given flimsy paper panties to wear and laid out on another massage table draped ominously in heavy plastic. A nameless female attendant dressed in hazmat overalls brought in a bucket of strange-smelling brown goo and liberally plastered it over Maddie’s body from her neck to her toes. The attendant then rolled Maddie up in plastic wrap like a giant sausage. “Enjoy.”

Maddie was left alone. Heat built beneath the plastic. A hair fell across her forehead and tickled her eyelid. She tried blowing it off but her efforts merely dislodged more strands of hair. With her arms strapped to her side, all she could do was lay there and suffer. Somewhere, Fabian was roaming free, enjoying the tropical scenery and the lovely weather. She made a mental note to thank him appropriately for this. The bastard.

Unable to move, all she could do was think. Her mind turned to the call received on Fabian’s phone. Who was C? Cathy, Cynthia, Cecilia, Carrie… Was she sister, friend, mother, aunt? Why had she sounded so angry? Probably she was a girlfriend. The hell of it was, having stolen his phone, Maddie couldn’t exactly ask him.

After about ten hours the attendant unwrapped her and sluiced her off in a shower stall with a high-pressure hose. Then the attendant took a loofah sponge to her in a ‘gentle exfoliation’ that rubbed her skin raw. Maddie was led, quietly weeping, to another room where extremely sensitive areas of her body were slathered with molten beeswax and all the hair pulled out.

Her body and spirit utterly broken, Maddie abandoned herself to whatever came next. Would they replace her brain with a computer chip? Remove a few organs for sale on the black market? In her weakened state they could do anything to her and she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

“Lunchtime.” Amanda helped her off the table and showed her into a small sitting room.

Food. Comfort. Respite.

Maddie sank into the cushioned love seat and lifted the domed lid on the lunch tray. On a rectangular black plate were five bite-size pieces of raw tuna. How artful. How disgusting. Didn’t they know parasites infested the flesh of raw fish? Only the empty grumble of her stomach induced her to put them in her mouth and swallow, washing each down with a swig of mineral water. She pressed a hand to her stomach, certain she could already feel the parasites bursting out of their cysts.

“How was that?” Amanda said in her smooth Stepford voice when she poked her head in the door.

“Delicious. And so filling.”

Then to her surprise and delight, instead of more torture, she was given a facial. Face mask, toner, moisturizer…sweet-smelling unguents were applied with the softest of touches as gentle fingers massaged her temples, forehead, cheeks. After bending over a microscope for hours every day, Maddie had knots of built-up tension in her neck and shoulder muscles. All that was magically massaged away while harp music played in the background.

With her face and neck still tingling, she was taken to another room where she was given a pedicure and manicure simultaneously by a pair of young nymphs. Cuticles were pushed back, rough skin gently softened and sloughed away, her hands and feet massaged tenderly with special creams. Finally, row upon row of colored nail polishes were wheeled out for her to choose from. Maddie pointed to a bright turquoise.