“I’ll let you two get back to work. I just wanted to check and see how things were going. I’m looking forward to seeing what the two of you put together.” He rose from his chair and walked out of the room.
His departure left a sucking hole in the room. It was like the sun being blocked by clouds after basking in the warmth. I heard myself sigh and quickly reminded myself I wasn’t alone. I turned to look at Cassia and found her staring at me with a grin on her face.
“What?” I asked.
She nodded her head at the door. “What was that about?”
“What was what about?” I asked innocently.
She was still smiling, shaking her head. “You two could have started a fire with the sparks flying between the two of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re imagining things. It’s nothing.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “It certainly looked like something. Something hot.”
“Stop,” I chided. “He’s my boss.”
“Whatever you say, but I know what I saw, and I know what you felt,” she said with a knowing look.
I put my eyes back on my computer. I didn’t want to think about Adrian like that. I wasn’t here to get myself into some kind of office romance, especially with the boss. That would only lead to trouble. I didn’t need trouble. I needed experience and a good recommendation so I could get a great job back home.
I didn’t answer her, but while I attempted to work, I couldn’t help but think about what she had said. Was there chemistry? I felt it, but I didn’t think he did. He’d been very casual and friendly.
I felt a little foolish for having a tiny crush on the boss. I wasn’t going to admit it, even if Cassia had guessed it. It would never go anywhere between us. I was from the US. He was from here. He was a billionaire with the entire world at his fingertips ready to do whatever he asked. I was a small-town girl, struggling to get by with no culture and zero worldly experience. I imagined Adrian had been there, done that, on just about everything, everywhere.
“Hungry?” Cassia asked after we’d been working a while.
I nodded. “Starving!”
She giggled. “You could have said something.”
“I didn’t want to stop working. We’re on a roll.”
“You’re seriously too much,” she said. “Come on. There’s a small deli around the corner. I’m buying.”
“No, I can’t let you do that,” I protested.
“You are kicking ass in there and saving me a ton of time and energy,” she said. “I want to buy you lunch to thank you.”
“Thank you,” I said, accepting her compliment and very willing to accept her offer for lunch.
We walked the block to the small restaurant, ordering salads and diet sodas.
“Do you like it so far?” Cassia asked.
“The job?”
“The job, the city, the boss?” she asked with a grin.
“Stop,” I said with a shy smile. “I do like it—all of it.”
“He’s a good guy to work for. Rand is nice too. He’s funny and a little dramatic, but all of us like him.”
I knew I shouldn’t ask, but I was going to do it anyway. “So, what’s Adrian’s story?”
She grinned. “I knew it!”
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I’m only asking out of curiosity. I mean, he’s gorgeous, rich, and successful. Why hasn’t a woman snared him?”
“Oh, many have tried. I think he’s picky. I don’t know. He reveals almost nothing about his personal life. I don’t know where he grew up. I don’t know anything about his family. I don’t know what he likes to do in his free time—nothing. The man is a closed book. I don’t think anyone at the office has ever had a real conversation with him. He’s very friendly, and he asks about all of our lives, but he reveals almost nothing about himself. It isn’t that he’s been rude, but he’s extremely private. Hell, maybe he does have a girlfriend and none of us knows.” She shrugged a shoulder.
“He doesn’t talk to anyone?” I asked with disbelief.
“He and Rand are really good friends, and Rand talks about his weekends and stuff, and sometimes it involves Adrian, but he never gives out too many details about Adrian. I think that’s because Adrian has asked him not to. It’s kind of strange, but I respect his privacy. I’m sure a man in his position has a lot of people that try to get close to him because of his wealth and influence.”
I nodded in agreement. I realized then I probably knew more about Adrian’s personal life than Cassia did. It made me feel special. I wasn’t going to tell her we’d talked a couple of times outside of work. I wasn’t going to tell her I knew about his family or what he liked to do in his off time. I realized I was one of the few people that knew that about him. I wouldn’t betray his confidence and go blabbing to the world.
“That must be difficult for him,” I said, suddenly understanding why he’d been alone the other night. “I imagine it must be very isolating as well.”
My heart went out to him. I had a feeling his mother realized how isolating his wealth was, and that was why she was so determined to get him married off. She wanted him to have someone in his life he could trust and depend on. It was the sweetest thing.
If I got the chance to talk to him again in a private setting, that was exactly what I was going to tell him—in a roundabout way. I didn’t want him to know I had tried to get information out of Cassia about him. That would go over as well as a lead balloon.
“I’m sure he does fine,” she said with a cheeky grin. “If he were lonely, all he would have to do is snap his fingers, and he’d have a line of women ready to warm his bed.”
I rolled my eyes, taking a bite of the salad that had been delivered and making it a point to change the subject. I didn’t want to get caught gossiping about the boss. I felt like I was still on shaky ground, being the new girl and all.
We finished our meals and headed back to the office. Cassia was called away, leaving me alone to walk to my little cubicle. I was about halfway down the hall when I ran into Adrian coming out of the breakroom, a bottle of water in his hand.
“Did you have a nice lunch?” he asked.
“I did. Did you stay in the office to eat?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I usually do. I have phone calls to return, and sometimes with the different time zones, I have to work right through lunch.”
“I see. I mean, I have no business lecturing you about taking time for yourself and all that.” I laughed.
“Speaking of, have you been able to explore more of the city?” he asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “I plan on it—soon.”
“Bella.” When he said my name, I got chills up and down my spine.
“Hmm?” I murmured, the sound of his husky voice had made me feel all warm and tingly, and I didn’t want it to be ruined with the sound of my own voice.
“I want you to meet me tomorrow morning,” he said.
I looked up, his blue eyes gazing at me. “What? Here? At work?”
“No. I want you to meet me at the beach. I’m going to show you around. I want you to have some fun.”
“Okay.” I squeaked out the word.
Really, who was I to argue with my boss, or better yet, why would I want to argue with a man that looked like Adrian? He was kind and hot. Those were two qualities that made spending a day at the beach with him right at the top of my list of things to do on a Saturday morning. I wanted to scream and jump up and down with excitement, but that wouldn’t be cool. I’d make a fool out of myself.
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Are you an early riser by chance?”
I bobbed my head up and down. “I am.”
“Should we shoot for six?” he asked. “We can watch the sunrise.”
“That would be amazing!” I said, not hiding my excitement. “I’ve seen it from my room a couple of times but watching it on the beach would be awesome!”
“Perfect. Can you give me you
r number, and I will text you the pinpoint? I don’t want you to get lost.” He gave a small laugh.
I wanted to tell him I wouldn’t get lost, but that was a lie. I would. Hell, I’d probably get lost even with the directions.
Chapter 15
Adrian
I had been restless all night. By the time four o’clock rolled around, I had given up trying to sleep and gotten up. I rambled around in my large house before deciding to go to the beach early. I could use the serenity and peacefulness of a beach sunrise when most of the world would be sleeping in on their Saturday morning.
I put on a pair of shorts and some boat shoes, tossed a few beach necessities in a bag, and headed out for my little sports car. The morning was perfect. I couldn’t wait to get to the beach, but mostly, I couldn’t wait to see her on the beach.
I kicked off my shoes, leaving them on the blanket I had spread out, and strolled along the sandy beach. It felt good squishing between my toes. A little cool but refreshing. There were a few other early risers enjoying the quiet morning. I kept my head down, not wanting to be recognized or engaged in conversation. I just wanted to be alone.
I was staring at the water when out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. I turned to watch her stroll down the beach toward me. She was wearing a long white dress and carrying a bag over her shoulder. Her feet were bare, and her hair gently blew in the breeze. She looked like an angel. There was an ethereal quality about her, downright heavenly.
I put up my hand, waving to her. She waved back and continued toward me. I had to fight the urge to run across the beach like a damn fool.
“Hi,” I said. “You’re early.”
She giggled. “You’re early too.”
“I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I’d come down and watch the full sunrise.”
“Me too. I’m used to getting up early back home. My dad was always up at four and off to work by five.”
“I have a blanket over here.” I pointed. She fell into step beside me. I steered the conversation back to her home life. “You said you lived with your dad?”
“I did,” she replied. “It just made more sense for me to stay at home while I went to school.”
“How so?” I asked, gesturing at the blanket.
We both sat down, facing the water and the rising sun.
“He worked a lot. I worked as much as I could to help cover the costs the scholarships didn’t. I couldn’t afford a rent payment, and I know he needed me. At least, I liked to think he needed me.” She laughed.
“I’m sure he needed you. I bet he misses you.”
“I think he does, but I think he is also enjoying his freedom a little. He’s been my sole provider for twenty-three years. He hardly had time to go out with his friends or do much of anything. This is his time. I keep telling him to live it up because when I get home, I’m going to put him back on a diet. I tried to make sure he ate right when I was home, but I bet he’s eating hamburgers and pizza every night with me gone.”
I found it sweet that she took care of her dad. She was a natural caregiver. I liked that. “I think that’s very admirable of you.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “He took care of me forever, and now it’s my turn to take care of him. He needs it, and he deserves it.”
“I can’t imagine what it must be like for your father,” I said. “My mom and dad, while they fight a lot, they are also completely dependent on one another.”
“They are lucky to have each other,” she said. “Are you close with them?”
“I am. I know I complain about my mom, but I love her.” I was not the least bit embarrassed to say it.
“And she loves you, which is why she wants you to have someone. I understand it. She doesn’t want you to be alone.”
“No, she doesn’t, but her tactics leave something to be desired,” I said dryly.
She giggled softly, turning to look at me. A thick strand of her blonde hair blew across her face. She pushed it away, tilting her head and looking into my eyes. “I think it’s very sweet that you have a close relationship with your parents.”
“I am happy to have them around. I moved away and then realized I missed them.”
“You said they live fairly close?” she asked.
“Yes. I wanted them close, and I wanted them to be able to retire and live out their golden years in a comfortable home.”
One eyebrow shot up. “You moved them closer to you?”
“Yes. I bought them a house not too far out of the city.”
She grinned. “I think you and I are a lot alike. When I get established in a good job, I’m going to buy my dad a house. I want to pay him back for all those years he busted his ass to keep me clothed and fed.”
I stared out at the water. “Was it difficult when you were a child?”
She let out a sigh, not looking at me as she watched the sunrise in the sky. “It was, but it wasn’t. My dad always made it seem like we were okay. I didn’t have the newest fashions or get a fancy phone or iPad or even a car. We simply couldn’t afford it. He struggled and struggled and struggled every day just to make sure I had the necessities. I grew up with nothing worth having, but I never really noticed.”
“Your dad sounds like a really good man,” I commented.
“He is, which is why I’m going to make sure he gets to live out his golden years in comfort and close to me, kind of like what you’ve done for your parents. I know he would love to live in a place like this with the ocean surrounding him and endless miles of beach. I know I never want to leave here.” She sighed.
“It is a beautiful place to live,” I told her. “A little crowded, but I love it.”
“I’m glad that you can appreciate it. Sometimes, people get so used to seeing or having something every day, they can’t really see how lucky they are to have it. Back home, my friends that had moms who nagged them or made them clean their rooms and pick up all their clothes, I used to be so envious of them. I would have loved to have a mom nag me or enough clothes to be scattered all over my bedroom floor. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not really complaining, but I just hate when people can’t see what they have right in front of them.”
I nodded my head in agreement. For a young woman, she was extremely wise. “You’re very grounded.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “My dad raised me to be humble, and I hope to stay that way. You’re very grounded as well. Your parents raised you right.”
“I liked to think they did. My parents believed in hard work. They gave us nothing. We had to work for everything we wanted. They weren’t well off, but they were comfortable. My mom, she’s the one who hated the idea of spoiling us. When I was a kid, I used to resent it, but now I understand it. I understand why she wanted us to understand what it meant to earn something rather than have it handed to us.” I smiled.
We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in thought as we stared off into the sunrise. I liked the comfortable quiet. I didn’t feel like I had to fill the void.
“Have you given any more thought to what we talked about the other day?” she asked in a soft voice.
“What did we talk about?”
She nudged my shoulder with hers. “Your mom situation. Do you want to take me up on my offer to be a fake girlfriend for a day?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Let’s focus on today.”
She laughed in response. “Way to deal with a problem head-on.”
“I have an idea,” I said, quickly changing the subject.
“About how to deal with your mom?”
“No. I’m not talking about my mom. This morning is about me showing you a good time. My problems with my mom will wait.”
I got up and offered her my hand to pull her up to her feet. “Should I put on my shoes?” she asked.
I grinned. “Nope. Follow me.”
We walked down the beach to a surfboard rental shack. “Uh, what are we doing?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m guessing you’ve neve
r been surfing.”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I don’t know how. I’m not dressed for surfing.”
“You’re wearing a swimsuit under that.” I nodded toward the dress.
“How do you know?”
“I can see the strap,” I said with a wink.
She reached up to her neck. “Oh. I wasn’t sure how long we were going to be hanging out and figured if I was at the beach, I may as well test out the water.”
I nodded. “Good. I’m glad you did. You can wear that, or I can get you a wetsuit.”
“Do you wear a wetsuit?”
I shrugged. “Sometimes, but I don’t plan on being in the water all that much. We’ll just go through the basics for now.”
“Then I’ll stick with my suit.”
“Perfect. I’ll get us a couple of boards.”
“You surf?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you have your own board?” she asked.
“I do, but I didn’t bring it.”
I left her looking at some of the surfing accessories while I quickly handled the rental of two boards. We carried them out, Bella looking absolutely terrified as we walked back to the blanket.
“I’m not sure about this,” she said, looking out toward the water where there were already a couple of guys taking advantage of the waves.
“I’ll be right there with you. The water is nice and calm. We’ll start with just paddling around.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Do you know how to swim?”
I laughed, nodding my head. I used my arm to wave at the ocean. “I grew up next to the water. Yes, I know how to swim. It was something my dad insisted on. All of us boys spent a lot of time at the beach. Do you know how to swim?” I realized she might not.
The grimace on her face was very telling. “Yes, and no. I mean, I took swim lessons, and I’ve gone swimming in public pools and the river, not the ocean.”
“I’ve got you,” I promised. “I’ll keep an eye on you.”
“Okay,” she said with resignation.
I watched with rapt attention as she unbuttoned her dress and pulled it over her head. God have mercy. She was wearing a two-piece that wasn’t anywhere near as revealing as what I saw on the beach usually, but it was far sexier. Her body was incredible. I was going to have a hard time keeping my focus. I wouldn’t mind giving her mouth to mouth if she happened to drown a little.
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