Page 19 of Tell Me Something

My joke clearly missed its mark. Josh gave me a dark look. “If he touches you inappropriately, I’ll break his hand.”

A shiver moved through me because I didn’t doubt it. “Uh, okay, tiger. Look, I’m pretty sure if he’s handsy, I can take care of it myself without any broken bones. But I appreciate the offer of assistance.”

Roberto arrived right on time, and when the door opened, I immediately smelled his cologne. Gold chains, chest hair, a bad comb-over, and a very large midsection made up the rest of Roberto.

“Oh, my, Josh, she’s lovely. How do you keep your hands off her?” He kissed my hand and then both cheeks.

I felt myself blush, and Josh quirked a brow as if to say I told you so.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Velas.”

“Oh, no, the pleasure is all mine, and you must call me Roberto. And you are?”

Josh answered for me, clearly done with the fawning. “This is Haylee, and she has a boyfriend.”

Meeting his eyes, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. He was using my sexual harassment lie.

“Undoubtedly, you would, a woman as lovely as you. Now then, you must join us for dinner tonight. Josh is an amazing man, but I can only talk so much business.”

I was a little stunned that he took such a familiar tone with my boss and looked to Josh for guidance.

“Maybe you could add one to the reservation. I believe we’re going to the Argentinian steakhouse that you love so much, Roberto.”

AFTER THE MEETINGS FINISHED, I joined the two gentlemen at the steakhouse. Dinner soon shaped up to be very entertaining. Roberto was the complete polar opposite of Josh, and I became the buffer between them. Roberto was very animated in his storytelling and recalled how his housekeeper had become his latest love.

“Sometimes I think a woman has to put it out there for a man. I mean, men, we don’t do subtlety. So I come home from work, and there she is vacuuming my house, completely naked. I mean, that sends a message, don’t you think, Haylee?”

I about choked on my drink. “Uh, yeah, I’d say so.” I stole a quick look at Josh, who didn’t seem as amused as I was.

Roberto went on, changing the subject with talk of his daughter who was now in the States attending college.

I was happy to call it a night directly after dinner, but not as much as Josh appeared to be. He looked like he’d gone four rounds.

“The man is exhausting but also happens to be the best general contractor in Cancun,” he commented.

We got into the car, which was better than a cab at this hour, and drove in silence back to the hotel. Where our legs touched slightly, I could feel the heat between us. Once we arrived and made our way up to our floor wordlessly, I waited for an invitation to his suite.

“You should get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll tour the construction site for the new resort and then be off for Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon.”

I tried to hide my hurt feelings at the rejection and decided to go for it. “I’m not tired.”

As I moved closer, he stood his ground, looking at me apprehensively. His breath caught when I put my hand on his chest. He closed his eyes, and I could almost feel his inner turmoil. “There are some things you don’t understand.”

“Tell me, then.”

He was on the verge, I could feel it. But then he backtracked, putting his hands in his pockets as if to keep himself from touching me and turning away. “Good night.”

Watching him go to his door, I felt tears threaten. Rather than take a chance that he would see them, I turned on my heel and walked back to the elevator instead of my room.

Hearing him call after me, I purposefully ignored it. I wasn’t stupid enough to go traipsing around Mexico by myself, but I needed to clear my head.

Once I got to the lobby bar, I ordered a margarita and took it onto the nearby balcony. There I sat down, thankful that I was alone with the night. The sound of the ocean was peaceful, and I kept thinking about what Roberto had said. There was no way I was being too subtle as I’d practically thrown myself at Josh. Which only meant one thing: he wasn’t interested.

“Haylee, what are you doing?” Josh’s voice came from behind me. I heard the distinct sound of a lighter and saw the puff of smoke as he walked toward the railing.

“Please don’t smoke around me.” My voice was flat, and I didn’t bother to meet his eyes.

“You don’t need anything more to drink.”