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I looked at him, defiantly. He’d offered me a future. I couldn’t compromise that future now.
“And I’m grateful, Alex. Really. More grateful than you can imagine. But from now on, we have to keep things professional. Otherwise, we’re going to make a mistake. Otherwise …”
Otherwise, Jared’s going to find out. And then all hell will break loose.
A strange expression crossed Alex’s face then, one of suspicion and sadness. He let his strong arms fall to his sides, and I watched his biceps ripple as he adjusted his suit.
“I appreciate your decision,” he said. “And your honesty.”
I got the feeling there was more to it than that, that he was fending off the raging beast inside of him, the one that wanted to push me down onto the sofa now and fuck me with all the intensity he had that night in the penthouse suite.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “After all. I need my PA. There’s plenty to do.”
I grinned, and watched him leave, striding out down those stairs.
I turned back and looked at the sea, thinking about where the tides of fate had landed me today.
Hoping I wouldn’t be swept away tomorrow.
Chapter Eight
Alex
Thesunbeatdownon the terrace, while the shadows of the trees inched closer to their stumps and a songbird nearby kept up his call. And I watched in the sweltering heat as the camera clicked.
“Beautiful stuff, Lena. Can we raise that right leg a little?”
We were coming to the end of a long week of shooting, and I was impressed at how Lena had managed to keep pace. For someone who hadn’t been modeling full-time for a while, she had a strength and stamina that impressed me. I kept a demanding regime of cycling, swimming, and running into my busy work-week—I’d even run a triathlon a few years ago. I was fitter than I’d ever been as a Navy SEAL. And yet, I was still awed by Lena’s dedication to her craft.
She was dressed and styled at seven o’clock every morning, and then we shot until around midday, breaking for lunch. We resumed at three o’clock, and by the evening, when the golden hour came and the sun descended to shower us all with bronze rays in the evening sky, we wrapped around seven or eight at night, depending on if we still had the use of the light.
I’d been present for as much of the shoot as possible, not just out of my dedication to the project. The Kauai Continental was a real beauty now, sashes of red and gold cloth hung from its balconies, and the interiors were finished to perfection with white marble and local rock, expertly carved by the island’s small number of masons.
And the crowning jewel of this achievement was Lena. She was the new face of the hotel, and she played her part admirably. I’d seen her dressed up in ballgowns, sitting at the Diamond Bar in the hotel with a fake martini.
But there was another reason I’d stayed close to Lena throughout the shoot, sometimes neglecting my other duties a little. And it was sheer jealousy.
Everywhere we went, photographers and stylists praised her for her beauty and poise. And my fiery eyes followed them, making sure no one got too comfortable with her.
Even now I was a little riled up, not just by the hot sun shining down at us, but by the photographer’s friendly familiarity with his subject.
“Gorgeous,” he said, in a nasal voice as he photographed her again. The enormous lens of the camera hovered in the air for a moment, and a few more clicks sounded.
“And that’s a wrap, people,” said Jim Callahan, who’d been directing the shoot.
Lena relaxed and threw back her head, laughing. I watched her with not a little frustration, the soft curves of her back and neck, her mouth open as she smiled while people applauded and cheered. We were all in need of rest.
And now we were getting one. The grand opening of the hotel wasn’t going to be until next week. But now we’d planned a company retreat to the hotel, and all the executive teams and management ofHonolulu Hotels Ltd.We’re going to be invited, to take part in this momentous occasion for the company. After that, we were fully booked and a host to weddings and conferences.
And yet, it was hard for me to be happy. At night I was restless, and wandered through the hotel, observing the kitchens at work as lines of chefs worked tirelessly at the stainless metal surfaces. And I stayed up late, talking to the new manager, the concierge, the maître d’. I wanted everything to be perfect. And yet, nothing was.
For one, Lena hadn’t spoken much to me since I’d arrived. She’d greeted me politely enough when I first arrived on set. But gradually I’d begun to feel I was an unwelcome presence at the photoshoot I’d planned, as she avoided my dark glances, turned her head towards the light, and away from my searching gaze.
Since that day in her apartment, I’d stayed true to my word. Lena and I had kept things purely professional. And yet, in the place of the passion which had kept us roped together in the tight confines of my Honolulu office, a simmering resentment had begun to flame between us. I knew I still wanted her—I couldn’t deny what my body told me, even now, as I watched her slip into a bathrobe and vanish upstairs to her room in the hotel, where she’d been staying for the week.
More than once, I’d tried to find a time when she’d be alone.
And more than once I’d caught her deliberately avoiding me.
