Free Bride by Design 3: Manchala Nights by Alicia Roberts Page A

need to tell you about the other people here," he said , brusquely . "And we 'd better get our stories straight. Everyone will want to know how we met and what's going on with our marriage."
     
    I nodded and sat down on the sofa opposite. We looked at each other stiffly, all business, and slightly uncomfortable. I ignored the way sunlight bounced off his hair, and the fact that a part of me wanted to go and press myself against him and feel his warm lips on mine. It was time to do my job, and to ignore my emotions. 
     
    Colin and I discussed what we'd say, how we'd met and how happy we were in our marriage. It felt ironic to be talking about how happily we were married, when we were sitting far away from each other and being careful not to feel the attraction between us. 
     
    Once we got our stories straight, Colin began to reel of f the list of other people who were here. Roger and Celine were on the island - they were Colin's closest competitors. Roger came from one of the oldest and richest families in the US , and I gasped when I heard his last name . His father had been one of Sir Donald's closest friends, and Don was predisposed to give the resort job to Roger .
     
    John and Keith were here to prove that Sir Donald wasn't being biased in his selection. They were highly unlikely to get selected, and Colin wasn't concerned about them.
     
    Jason was an Australian property developer, and he and his wife Carol hadn't been able to make it to the island. Jason had faced some kind of crisis with one of his other developments, and Colin didn't think Sir Donald would consider him seriously for the Manchala project. This week was all about meeting the people Sir Donald would be working with, and while Jason's current crisis was probably serious, his not showing up on the island indicated that he wasn't so keen on the Manchala project.
     
    Finally, Rani and Rahul were here with their six-month old son. After Roger , they were Colin's biggest threat.
     
    "Rahul's dad is an Indian steel magnate, a guy who's on the list of Forbe's fifty richest people in the world. On the other hand, I'm nowhere in the top two hundred ."
     
    "Oh, how tragic." I couldn't help teasing, "How will you ever live with that shame?"
     
    Colin laughed, and I felt the ice between us melt. "I guess I'll just have to hope and work hard ."
     
    I smiled, admiring the way Colin's eyes crinkled when he laughed. He'd changed into Dockers and a polo t-shirt, and had taken out a sweater for himself and a cardigan for me. When he saw me looking at the latter, he said, "It might be chilly outside . Why don't we get going?"
     
    I nodded, and grabbed the cardigan. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late. We'd missed the sunset - I had really wanted to see the ocean turn pink before it got dark. Well, maybe tomorrow.
     
    When we stepped out of our room, a uniformed servant told us that everyone was out on the deck. We followed him to a covered area overlooking the bay. It was too dark to make out the ocean, but the dining area on the deck was lit up cheerfully . Drinks were being served on one side, and on another side, a grill had been set up and the scent of meat being barbequed drifted over to us.
     
    Sir Donald came over to greet us, and the group of happy, laughing people looked at us as we walked towards them.
     
    "Lisa, Colin," Sir Donald said, kissing my cheek, "You're just in time. We're having a few drinks while the meat gets done."
     
    He introduced us to his wife, Diane, a slender woman with grey hair and kind eyes. For a moment, I hated myself for taking part in this charade, for fooling these kind people who extend ed their hospitality towards us. But then Diane led me off while Don introduced Colin to the other guys, and I met Celine.
     
    Celine was slim and looked vaguely familiar , her button nose and pink lips perfect, her blonde hair smooth and cascading, and her blue eyes cold and distant. We air-kissed perfunctorily and I saw her glance