Notorious in Nice Read Free

best.” Uncle James waved a chubby hand at a white-clad waiter about four feet away. “And nothing but the best for my girls, hey?” He beamed at his wife and winked at his niece. “Bleeding service in this hotel’s slow. Hey, garçon, over here.”
    Su-Lin cringed and sank into the chair. She winced when the waiter rolled his eyes and loped their way, his pace a deliberate, slow stroll. Over the last few weeks, she’d come to realize her aunt and uncle disdained anyone not of their class or wealth and treated people in menial positions with a derisive condescension.
    While Uncle James ordered their drinks, Su-Lin concentrated on the panoramic view of the azure Mediterranean fronting the restaurant. She inhaled the mixture of aromas -- tangy sea brine, fish, and smoke -- and allowed the scents to soothe away the surge of irritation Aunt Emma never failed to raise.
    “Make sure you wear one of your new outfits tonight, Jennifer. Your uncle’s classmates and business colleagues will all be there. We haven’t seen them in years. Don’t wear that oriental thing you insisted on packing. You’re going to be mingling with British aristocracy. Dressed appropriately, with those green eyes, maybe no one will realize you’re of mixed blood.”
    It took all of Su-Lin’s self-control and discipline not to bound to her feet and shout at her aunt. Instead, she geared her fury into a rushed, gritted pronouncement.
    “Uncle James, Aunt Emma, I prefer to be called Su-Lin. That’s the name I’ve used all my life. No one’s ever called me Jenny or Jennifer, and I really don’t like it. My name is Su-Lin.”
    Aunt Emma’s dark eyebrows slashed together; then she pursed her lips and opened her mouth.
    Uncle James elbowed his wife and shot her a shut-the-dickens-up frown.
    He faced Su-Lin and nodded, sending a ripple down his multiple chins.
    “Of course, love, if that’s what you’re used to.” His large, moist hand patted her small one, and she tamped down the wave of revulsion his touch provoked. “If I slip tonight, correct me. I want everyone addressing you the way you prefer. And if you do decide to move to Hong Kong and live with us, the oriental name will come in handy.”
    Live in Hong Kong? With them? Had he mentioned that before? Su-Lin searched her nonchronological memories of the past few weeks. Even if he had mentioned her living in Hong Kong, she hadn’t agreed, thank the Fates.
    “Have you three ordered?”
    Su-Lin jumped, and her head swung in the direction of Terrence O’Connor’s deep, husky voice. One moccasin-clad foot edged the chair adjacent to hers away from the table, and he sank into it, his long legs stretching out and disappearing under the pristine white tablecloth.
    “Just our drinks,” Uncle James replied. He snapped his fingers and said, his voice clear and ringing over the low murmur of conversation and laughter swelling on a cool gust, “Garçon, garçon.”
    She swept a glance at Terrence and caught his stifled wince, the brief shuttering of his eyes, and the slight pursing of his mouth. As if he’d felt her gaze, his gray eyes held hers, and the warmth and intensity blazing there made her lungs stutter.
    He straightened in the chair, shifted, rested his elbow on the table, and propped his stubbled chin in a cupped hand. “My first mate’s working on an itinerary, James. You did say earlier that you wanted to include the Greek isles in the cruise?”
    “Definitely. Haven’t done this excursion in over a decade. The wife and I are looking forward to it.”
    “And what about you, Jenny? Are you looking forward to it?”
    Distracted by the way the sun’s rays tinted the auburn in his hair to a fiery red, she startled at his words.
    He turned so his back faced her relatives, blocking her view of them. Su-Lin’s hands flexed; she slanted a gaze at the tablecloth fluttering over the tight black jeans he wore, the snow-white linen caressing his bunched thigh muscles. She wondered if