Escape to Paradise Read online

  “So, tell me, how are things going with that handsome young resort manager?”

  “The game’s up, Ana. I know you’re Santiago’s mom.”

  Her eyes widened, got so big and bright, they could outshine the sun. “Don’t be angry with me, honey. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I love spending time with you, Claudia, but I knew if I told you I was Santiago’s mom, you’d distance yourself from me and I didn’t want that.”

  “I understand, but I still wish you would have told me he was your son.”

  “We’re friends, and I would never repeat anything you told me in confidence to anyone.” A smirk rippled across her plump, red lips. “Besides, I wasn’t born yesterday. When it comes to the bedroom, I’ve done it all and then some!”

  A giggle burst out of Claudia’s mouth, and the faster Ana wiggled her hips to the music playing, the harder she laughed.

  Santiago jogged over, his face dripping with sweat and dropped a sloppy, wet kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Mom, I hope you’re telling Claudia only good things about me.”

  “What else is there to say?”

  The trio walked over to the bar and refreshed their drinks.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this moment all day.”

  Claudia smiled at the silver-haired gentleman with the broad smile on his lips, and the oversize glass tumbler in his hand. His eyes were the lightest shade of brown she had ever seen, his tanned skin was flawless and he carried himself like royalty. It was obvious that Santiago had not only been blessed with his father’s looks but also his distinguished mannerisms.

  Santiago placed an arm on her waist. “Dad, there’s someone special I’d like you to meet,” he said, raising his voice above the noise around the backyard. “This gorgeous young woman is my new girlfriend, Claudia Jeffries—”

  “—Prescott,” he added, a spine-chilling sneer on his mouth. “Cute haircut.”

  Claudia’s body went numb. Panic-stricken, she felt a ball of terror knotting inside her stomach, and her lungs burned as if she’d inhaled a mouthful of volcanic ash. The lump in the back of her throat threatened to choke her, and she prayed for a quick, painless death. Dying would be better than having her secrets exposed in front of the man she loved, but when Claudia saw the rage in Mr. Medina’s eyes, she knew he had something much worse in store for her.

  “When your mother told me you were dating a lovely young American woman named Claudia Jeffries and that you were bringing her to your uncle’s party, I almost fell off my chair.”

  Saliva filled her mouth. Her palms were cold, clammy, and for a second Claudia feared that she was going to get sick. She felt dozens of eyes on her and knew that they’d attracted the attention of everyone in the backyard. Touching a hand to her chest, as if that would somehow slow her erratic heartbeat, she waited for the humming in her ears to stop so she could gather her thoughts. Claudia swallowed the painful lump in her throat. She was sweating like a runaway bride, and if her knees weren’t knocking together so violently she would have hopped the fence.

  “I was so anxious to meet you I canceled my appointments for the rest of the day and caught the first flight out of Acapulco.” The disgusted expression on his face matched his harsh, acerbic tone. “I mean, it’s not every day that a fraud victim gets to confront the monster who bilked him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for anything in the world.”

  “Are you drunk?” Santiago tightened his hold around her waist. “Claudia’s an event planner, not a financial investor. You have her mixed up with someone else, but I’m not surprised. This is how you act whenever you’ve had too much to drink.”

  “If you paid more attention to international news instead of screwing around with this gold digger—” he spat, aiming a finger at her “—you’d know that her husband, William Prescott the Third, was indicted on ten counts of corporate fraud last month.”

  “You’re lying,” Santiago said, “and don’t you ever disrespect Claudia like that again.”

  “You don’t believe me? Ask her. I’d love to hear what this little crook has to say.”

  “Jorge!” Ana hissed, grabbing his arm. “Lower your voice. You’re making a scene.”

  “So what!” He threw his hands up in the air, and the liquid in his glass splashed onto the mosaic-tile floor. “She’s a con artist and everyone deserves to know!”

  Claudia glanced around at the sea of faces, saw the wide eyes, gaping mouths and sunken cheeks. “I’m legally divorced,” she managed, finding her voice, and her courage. “I haven’t seen or heard from William since I kicked him out of our house last year.”

  “You filed for divorce, then skipped town when the authorities were closing in.” His smile was anything but friendly, and his skin was a violent shade of red. “How’s that for loyalty!”

  Claudia willed herself not to cry. His insults stung, but it was the venom in his voice and the heat of his gaze that chilled Claudia to the bone. She’d seen the same, crazed expression on William’s face the night he snapped. Only this time, Claudia wasn’t going to cower into a corner and absorb the physical and verbal blows. She was fighting back. “I had absolutely nothing to do with what my ex-husband did, and I feel horrible about the pain he’s caused.”

  “No, you don’t. You’re just as despicable as he is.” Anger blazed in Mr. Medina’s dark eyes. “My wife might be blind to what you’re doing, but my vision is crystal clear. You weaseled your way into my family and sunk your claws into my son because you needed another rich, older man to take care of you.”

  What is he talking about? Claudia opened her mouth to speak, to defend her name, but her thoughts were so scrambled she couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

  “You’ve got it all wrong, Dad. I never told Claudia who I was or—”

  “Ever heard of something called the World Wide Web?” he snarled, glaring at his son with contempt. “You don’t think she knows that our family is the second-wealthiest in the country? If you believe that then you’re even dumber than I thought.”

  Santiago stole a glance at Claudia. Unshed tears pooled her eyes, and she was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering. Later, when they were in the privacy of his suite, they’d discuss everything—the fraud case, his family background, her quickie divorce—but right now he had to get Claudia far away from his loud, belligerent father. “We’re leaving,” he announced, turning to his aunt and uncle, who were wearing matching frowns. “Can I use one of your cars to take Claudia back to the resort?”

  Estevez nodded. He shoved a hand into his pocket and dropped a set of silver keys into Santiago’s outstretched palm. “The Benz is parked along the side of the house.”

  “You better take her to the Motel 6, because she’s no longer welcome at my resort!”

  Mr. Medina’s shout startled her, made her legs shake so hard she couldn’t move. His resort? Claudia frowned. What an odd thing for him to say.

  Mr. Medina must have read the confusion in her eyes, because he barked a laugh and said, “You didn’t think I’d let you continue staying at my hotel, did you? Ha! I expect you and your things out of that suite within the hour. Got that, Mrs. Prescott?”

  “You can’t kick Claudia out of her suite,” Ana said, shaking her head furiously. “She’s planning the celebration bash, and doing an amazing job of it, too! We’re lucky to have someone with her expertise in charge of the event, Jorge.”

  “Find someone else. I don’t want her anywhere near me or my hotel.”

  Claudia dropped Santiago’s hand. Her inner turmoil was masked by her outer calm, but she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. “Your family owns the Sea of Cortez Resort?”

  “And a dozen other properties in and around Mexico,” Mr. Medina added. “But I’m sure you already knew that. I bet you kn
ow exactly how much our family’s net worth is…”

  Claudia’s heart collapsed in her chest. She felt like an unsuspecting employee on the hit show Secret Millionaire, only everyone was in on the joke except her. Choking back an anguished cry, she spun around and shouldered her way through the crowd. Her vision was blinded by scalding hot tears, but she stumbled through the gate and flagged down a taxi.

  “Claudia, wait! I can explain!”

  Ana rested a hand on her son’s shoulder and steered him toward the botanical garden. “Tiago, let her go.” She spoke softly, just loud enough for him to hear. “She’s hurt and upset and she needs some time to process what happened.”

  Santiago’s hands were curled into tight fists, and he was breathing like the last man standing after a battle royale. He felt physically drained and emotionally battered, but he knew Claudia was feeling ten times worse. And his father was to blame. “I can’t stay here. There’s no telling what will happen if I see Dad again—”

  “You leave your father to me.” Ana’s eyes darkened, narrowed, then shrunk into a menacing glare. “I have something extra special planned for him when we get home.”

  Santiago actually felt sorry for his dad. His mom had a violent temper and was known to throw dishes, chairs and anything else in the house that wasn’t nailed down when she was angry. But when Santiago remembered the cruel things his father had said to Claudia his sympathy faded. He deserved whatever his mom had planned for him. Santiago only hoped she wouldn’t trash his childhood home in the process.

  “I have to get back to the resort. I need to make sure that Claudia’s okay.”

  Ana shook her head. “If you go after her now, she’ll only push you away. Give it a day or two and then try talking to her. The shock will have worn off, and she’ll be more receptive to what you have to say.”

  Santiago knew his mother was right, but he couldn’t shake the sound of Claudia’s bitter sobs. The thought of her being mad at him, or leaving the resort to stay at another hotel caused Santiago to break out into a jog. Then a sprint. Running at full speed, he tore out of the backyard, hopped into his uncle’s sleek red sports car and sped out of the estate. He was going to see Claudia, and nothing was going to stop him.

  Chapter 18

  Five seconds.

  That’s how long Santiago knocked on Claudia’s door before using the master key card he’d swiped from the front desk. He hated breaking the rules and didn’t believe in invading other people’s privacy, but Claudia wasn’t answering her phone or his text messages, and he had to make sure she was okay. At least physically.

  Santiago pushed open the door. The scent of tropical fruit inundated the air and made him feel like he was strolling through a mango orchard rather than a five-star hotel suite. The boxes of clothes from the Ooh La La Boutique sat on the couch, untouched, and aside from a few dishes in the sink, the suite was spick-and-span. And empty.

  Prepared to wait, he sank down onto one of the bar stools at the breakfast counter and pulled out his phone. Still no word from Claudia. He raked his hands through his hair and expelled a deep breath of frustration. He’d checked everywhere. The office, the oceanfront cabanas, the beach. Claudia loved to stroll along the shore, collecting seashells and splashing her legs in the icy-cold water. She could do that for hours—

  Santiago lifted his head and glanced around the room in search of the low, fluting sound. It was coming from the balcony, and as he surged to his feet and shot across the living room, he hoped and prayed that he’d find Claudia outside.

  He did.

  She was curled up on the chaise lounge, swathed in a knitted pink shawl, staring out at the horizon. The sunset painted the heavens a kaleidoscope of pastel colors, but the warm, tranquil image didn’t relax him. His mouth was dry, he couldn’t think straight and his heart was drumming in his ears. He wasn’t going to feel better until he worked things out with Claudia, wasn’t going to be able to move forward until they cleared the air.

  I found her, but now what? Santiago stood there, listening to her soft cries, unsure of what to do. He wanted to go to her, to take her in his arms, and wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks, but he didn’t. His mother’s warning came back to him, whirled in his ear like a police siren. He had to go slow, had to ease into the truth about her past, or he’d risk scaring her off.

  Santiago opened his mouth to ask Claudia how she was doing, but she spoke over him, and the sound of her thin, pained voice wrung at his heart.

  “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

  So much for taking things slow. Santiago coughed, cleared the knot from his throat. “I could ask you the same question, Claudia.” He kept his tone warm and his mood light. “Neither of us have been upfront about who we are, but it’s never too late to start over.”

  “I never lied about who I was. You did.”

  “I knew if I told you I had money you wouldn’t give me a fair chance.”

  “You made that determination after a ten-minute conversation in the airport lounge?”

  “Your disdain for the rich was apparent the second we met,” he countered. “I didn’t want you to lump me in with all the other wealthy, arrogant men who’d mistreated you in the past, so I decided to keep my family background a secret.”

  “Do you actually live and work at the resort? Or was that a lie too?”

  Hating the physical and emotional distance between them, he stepped out onto the balcony and sat down at the end of her chaise lounge chair. Santiago stole a glance at Claudia and felt his heart split in two at the sight of her sad eyes. “After Marisol died, I moved to Washington,” he began, folding his hands in his lap. “I’ve been working there as a business consultant for the last two years. I only returned to Cabo because my mom was having surgery and wanted me to oversee the renovations at the resort.”

  “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t have been honest with me.”

  “My whole life I’ve questioned whether people like me for who I am or because of who my parents are, and you were the first person I’ve met in a long time who didn’t care about any of that stuff.” Santiago thought about his friends and past loves and how every single one of them had disappointed him. “I thought living abroad would give me the anonymity I craved, but it didn’t. Strangers are constantly asking me for jobs or loans, and women throw themselves at me because of the dollar signs attached to my last name. You couldn’t care less about my family, or what I did for a living, and that made you stand out from the crowd.”

  “So, everyone in the world knows about the Medina family dynasty except me?” Claudia shook her head and absentmindedly fingered the silver chain around her neck. “If the media ever finds out about this they’ll drag my name through the mud—again.”

  Santiago struggled for the right words. He was absolutely ready to settle down with her, ready to make the ultimate commitment, and he prayed that she was, too. “I don’t care what anyone says about us being together. I want to be with you, and I hope what happened tonight isn’t going to change anything between us.”

  A fierce wind swept across the balcony, ruffling the leaves of the potted plants.

  “Santiago, you’ll always have a special place in my heart…” She cast her eyes away, drew the shawl tightly around her shoulders. “You were there for me when I really needed a friend, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me these last few weeks.”

  “We became more than friends the first time we kissed.”

  Claudia didn’t know what to say, couldn’t force her lips to make an objection.

  “And for the record, friends don’t do what we did in bed last night…or this morning…”

  Pressing her eyes shut didn’t block out the image of his face buried deep between her legs, or the picture of his naked body moving fluidly over hers
, bringing her to the brink again and again. “We had a couple of passionate nights,” she said, ignoring the tingling sensation between her legs and her hard, erect nipples. “That’s all it was.”

  Santiago took her hand and ran his thumb across the delicate flesh between her thumb and index finger. “You said you loved me.”

  “I was caught up in the moment.”

  “Do you normally tell lovers that you want to spend the rest of your life with them?”

  She winced as if in physical pain. “I’ve never had casual sex before.”

  “You were intimate with me because it felt right, because we fit.” He whispered the words and moved closer to her on the lounge chair so he could touch the cheeks and lips and mouth he loved so much. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and I am not going to let you discount my feelings for you because you’re scared.”

  “Santiago, I’m leaving tonight.”

  His hands dropped to his lap. “Why, because of what happened at the pool party? Don’t let what my father said get to you. He’s a bully, and I know firsthand how cruel he can be.”

  “This has nothing to do with your dad, Santiago. It’s about me finally doing what’s right, what I should have done three weeks ago. I’m meeting with investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission next Friday, and I have to go home to prepare.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No.” Her voice was firm, as loud as a steel door slammed shut in his face. “This is something I have to do alone. I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out.”

  “But I’ve dealt with the SEC before. I know how they operate.”

  “I don’t need you or anyone else to save me,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “If I had stood up for myself, instead of letting William dictate what I could and couldn’t do, I wouldn’t be on the verge of losing my business or everything I’ve worked so hard for.”