Ocean of Love by Susan D. Taylor Page A

you’re lighting
fast. You arrange that and I’ll up your commission nicely. We’re
all set on the financials thanks to your connections. Wyatt was
emailed the entire proposal included closing. I’ll have a file
prepared and emailed to him. Where are you meeting?”
    “ The Chateau restaurant.
His hotel.”
    “ Some miscommunication.
He’s not at the hotel. He’s staying next door. Victor’s old
place.”
    She’d not asked Wyatt, only assumed. This
news wouldn’t change her plans for this evening. The only thing she
wondered about was how they’d part after dinner? The worse
possibility would be to exit the parking lot and then return
later.
    “ Your designer friend? How
does the place suit Wyatt? Is the place a charming, ocean-front
condo? I never attended any of his parties.” She wondered just what
type of place would suit Wyatt, since he obviously had unlimited
choices in ocean-front apartments—and Victor was known for being an
eclectic man.
    “ Oh sure, matchbox.
Eight-bedrooms-and-twelve-baths small . I don’t know if Wyatt cares.
He’s an unusual hombre . Always has been. He’s had more to tackle than most. He’s
been alone for pretty much his whole adult life since his parents
died. Tragic.”
    Her chest convulsed. Wyatt had mentioned
being alone, and she’d been too consumed by her own loss to ask him
about his. Sinclair had her hook, line, and Wyatt. “He mentioned
being alone.” She paused, waiting for her boss to tell her
more.
    “ Well, then you know. He’s
not as tough as he appears. I’ve known him for years. He’s a hard
nut. Did he tell you about our college days?”
    “ He mentioned something
about you guys gambling and drinking your way through college to
some degree.”
    She struggled to keep focused, instead of
kicking herself. Great instincts. The man tries to tell her
something significant, and she can’t stop talking about real
estate. What must he think of her? Cold. Calculating. Ice. No
wonder he dropped her back at her car. He probably feared
frostbite.
    Sinclair exhaled into the phone. “All true.
Books, studying, exams—not my thing. I didn’t have a superb staff
back then, and needed something to prop me up. But Wyatt, he wasn’t
hardcore into drinking and gambling. No, not him. He had the
ability to sit stone-faced in card games, reading the players as if
they had thought bubbles above their heads.”
    “ Do you mean he stacked the
deck in his favor?”
    “ Not a cheat, but someone
who knew how to interpret human subtleties. I believe that’s why
he’s earned a reputation as being cutthroat. The higher the odds,
the more tenacious Wyatt tends to become. You had better watch
yourself with him.”
    “ It’s not as if he’s
invincible.” She laughed—more from being restless than amused.
Sinclair kept silent forcing her to promptly ask, “Well, didn’t he
ever lose?”
    “ Naturally, but not often.
And not enough to make him cautious.”
    “ Eventually even a myth
must own their truth.” Now, who was the hypocrite, she thought and
rubbed her forehead. “I’m not playing any game he’s interested in,
so I think I’m good.”
    “ You’re a woman, an
exceptionally beautiful one. You’ve got a laser focus and no
nonsense. Therefore, you’re a prime candidate if ever I saw one who
would appeal to Wyatt. Whatever you’ve done, you’ve made an
impression if he’s on the verge of bidding. Wyatt’s not one to do
anything on the spur. I repeat, just be careful.”
    A second
warning . Wyatt was Sinclair’s friend. Her
boss would know the man, and his proclivities. She couldn’t pry.
Not with her boss about a client.
    “ I’ll let you know the
second he’s ready to bid.”
    “ Will do. Uhh,
Marissa?”
    “ Yes? Hello?”
    “ Thank you for taking care
of this deal. I’m hearing good reports from everyone involved. Take
this to closing and I think you’ll solidify your reputation in this
town. You’ll own this city. I mean it.”
    “ I hope