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His bronzed chest?
I squeezed my eyes shut and literally shook my head to get the image out of my mind—or at least move it to the far back so I could enjoy it later.
If my interviewer asked me to describe myself in one word that morning, I knew exactly what my answer would have to be. Hypocrite. Only a few minutes before, I’d scolded Kai for being unprofessional for calling the owner of Blue Pacific by his first name. How unprofessional was I for imagining Kai—a colleague in the travel industry—with his shirt off?
I clutched my stomach as it soured.
“You don’t look like you feel very well. You all right?” Kai stepped up beside me and looked as if he were contemplating putting his arm around me. I’ve gotta say, it wouldn’t have been the worst part of my morning if he had.
Electricity arced between us, sending millions of goosebumps racing up and down my arms at lightning speed. It was hard to breathe with him so close. It was even harder to speak.
I nodded, unsure if I were telling the truth.
His gaze locked on to mine. Crud! There wasn’t supposed to be any more gazing into his eyes, but I couldn’t look away. A crease formed between his full brows.
“Are you sure?” he asked. There it was again—that serious side of him. The side that made me feel warm and safe.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I swallowed hard, making sure my next words didn’t betray my recent thoughts. “I was just imagining what it might be like to actually live in Hawaii.”
His eyes twinkled and the corner of his mouth turned up. “Give me your address and I’ll send you a postcard when I get there.” He took half a step closer and lowered his voice. “Better yet, give me your phone number and I’ll text you some pictures.”
Those last two cracks jarred me back to reality. I squared my shoulders and narrowed my eyes. “Nice try, but I won’t be needing any pictures from you, thanks. I’ll be taking plenty of my own after I land this job.”
“If you say so, nani.”
I had no idea why he’d just called me nani, but that wasn’t important right then. It was late in the game, and he was clearly trying to get in my head. I couldn’t let him distract me.
“The name’s Beth.” The words came out pricklier than I’d intended, but that was okay by me. I was here in a professional capacity, not to be charmed out of a job.
“Aren’t you even a little bit curious what nani means?” His eyes still wouldn’t release mine. I had the unsettling feeling he was reading my mind, because I was wondering what it meant.
“Nope. Not even a little bit. I’m here to land this job. That’s all.” Besides, I could always ask the friendly lady who lived in my phone what the word meant when Kai wasn’t around.
His quiet smile deepened. “If you say so.” His left brow twitched, sending an unholy flutter crashing through my stomach.
I jumped when the handles on the oak doors clicked. They swung open without another sound and a tall, athletic man stood in the doorway, watching us like a wildcat sizing up its prey.
“Good morning,” he purred.
“Good morning. I’m Beth.” I was proud of myself for being the first to respond, until I remembered Kai’s brief conversation with him in the kitchen. I offered a tight smile and a firm handshake—one that said, I may be pretty on the outside, but I’m a fighter on the inside.
I squirmed a little bit beneath Mr. Peters’ scrutiny as he held on to my hand for an extra beat. He had more of a cutthroat car salesman air about him than that of CEO, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nobody knew how to close a deal like a car salesman, and if Mr. Peters, a.k.a. Chuck, had a hint of that talent, Blue Pacific Travel Agency would be around for a long time to come.
Still, there was something off-putting about his bleach-white smile. Not that I had anything against white teeth—heck, I could look at Kai’s all day long. But where Kai’s smile seemed designed to draw people closer, Mr. Peters’ seemed better suited to hiding secrets.
I brushed off my misgivings, assuming it was only my nerves causing me to see things that weren’t there. Kai seemed to like Mr. Peters well enough, and he’d known the man for years.
“I know I’m throwing you two a curveball by having you interview together, but that’s part of the test. The person who runs the new branch is going to have to be able to think on their feet, adapt quickly, and be ready to crush the competition. Are you ready for it?”
Kai shot me a quick glance. “May the best man win.” He tucked his smile away and strutted into the conference room, giving Mr. Peters a full view of the brown stain on his backside.
The man I hoped would become my new boss wrinkled his nose and cast a questioning look my way, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Kai’s caboose. I mirrored his expression and shrugged, acting as if I had no idea what had happened to the seat of Kai’s pants.
I bet Mr. Peters wasn’t thinking about me taking a tinkle anymore. Take that, Kai.
With my game face firmly in place, I strutted my own stuff into the room.
Mr. Peters closed the doors. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?”
I took my seat at the table, folded my hands in front of me, and leaned forward. I was as ready as I’d ever be for this party.
This life-changing, nerve-wracking, nausea-inducing party.
