When she got outside by the curb, the same black car rode up next to the curb to greet her. The guy, who she had known as Walter, got out and came around for her. “Ms. Nolan, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
She smiled. “I’m looking for a place that has a lot of stores.”
He nodded, knowingly. “I know the perfect place. Hop in and we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Thank you.” She got into the back of the car and took another whiff of the flower she was holding. She leaned against the door and looked out the window. Her first stop was to a jewelry repair shop and then onto a little splurging.
Chapter 9
Walter said he would be back for her whenever she called him. She didn’t think it’d be more than a couple of hours, but the more she thought about it, the more she was excited to tour Fiji. She thought she might as well give it a whirl, even though it would be more fun to tour it with someone else as your companion.
She entered the jewelry shop and was immediately greeted by an elderly man behind the counter. The sign read that they offered jewelry repairs, she only hoped that would include what she was needing done. “Good morning, Miss, how may I help you?” he asked in greeting.
“I’m in need of a watch repaired. Is that something you do?” she asked as she stepped up to the jewelry counter.
“Depends? What type of repair?” he asked.
She pulled the watch from her purse. “I need a new glass face and the clasp is broken. I was also wondering if you could engrave over the inscription that’s on the inside.”
He frowned. “Engrave over it?”
She nodded and turned it over. “It’s older and has been around the block a few times. As you can see, the inscription is starting to wear off and I guess I want it redone, if that makes sense.”
The man got out a special eye tool, so he could look it over. She showed him where the your loving grandfather was wearing off and pointed out the broken clasp and the broken glass facing. “It seems to me that the battery has died, as well. It’s not keeping time.”
She nodded. “All right, if you could put a new battery in, as well, that’d be great.”
He nodded. “I can handle those repairs, but this watch is an antique and the parts for it won’t be cheap, I’m afraid.”
She had some money of her own saved up and she planned on buying it with her own checking account. She wasn’t going to make Devon pay for the watch himself, that wouldn’t be a fair deal. “That’s all right. Whatever it takes.”
“All right then. I can have it done in two weeks.”
Her face fell. “Two weeks? That’s not going to work. We’ll be gone by then. I can pay to have it done sooner than that.”
He smiled. “I was teasing my dear,” he said. “I kind of figured that you weren’t a local here. I can have it done in three hours. Will that be sufficient?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh yes, that would be amazing.”
“Great.” He took down her contact information and told her he would give her a call as soon as the watch was done and ready to be picked up.
“Thank you so much.” She waved to him as she left the small jewelry store. She now had a credit card burning a hole in her pocket and she was ready to get some spending action going.
The first store she went into was a lingerie store. Coincidence? Probably not. She had already made up her mind that she was going to buy a few lingerie pieces. They were, of course, all in hopes that she would get a chance to use them over the trip. Now you’re thinking about sex with him? Before you were running for the hills and hoping you wouldn’t be stuck in the same bed as him. She was definitely unsure of what she wanted, but she did know that she had to take a chance if she planned on getting anywhere with him.
After scouring the racks and even trying several pieces on, she settled on three different pieces that would certainly leave him hot and bothered. She also went to a swimsuit shop. She had brought two bikinis, but she didn’t think they were all that great. So, she wound up buying another bikini and on a scale of one to ten, with ten being fiery hot, she believed it ranked somewhere around fifteen. Devon wouldn’t know what hit him.
Beyond that, she purchased two sexy dresses, both of which Tyler would be super proud of, and three different short outfits. By the time it was all said and done, she feared that she had maxed out the card, but then questioned if there was really a limit. After all, men like Devon had enough money to buy towns, so credit card companies were probably begging them to take on some credit.
She was leaving the last shop on her list when she got the phone call that the watch was done. It was perfect timing. She was excited to see it. She stepped back into the jewelry store and approached the older man at the counter. “Welcome back,” he said, grinning broadly. “I trust you’ll be satisfied with the work.”
“You certainly made great progress,” she said. “I’m excited to see it.”
He pulled the watch out from under the cabinet and showed it off to her. She smiled as she looked at the changes, especially the engraving. It was exactly how she was hoping. “Are you pleased?” he asked.
She nodded. “More than pleased. This is amazing. Thank you.”
“Of course, Ma’am. Since you are a tourist, I did give you a discount.” That was even better but she was pleased by the work and didn’t even bat an eye when he told her the price. She paid for it with her own card and was about to leave, when he stopped her with his words. “May I interest you in something for yourself? Perhaps a diamond necklace that will sparkle against your eyes.”
She blushed slightly and looked over at the cabinet where the necklaces were. She was so busy buying lingerie, swimwear, and clothes that she didn’t even think of accessories. It would be nice to have a new necklace to go along with one of the new dresses. She had brought along the necklace that Devon had given her, but it would be nice to switch things up a little.
“Well, let me look at what all you have.” She walked over to the cabinets where there were layers of necklaces.
She looked over each one and he offered to take them out, so she could try them on. She did so. She looked in the mirror and he was right—her eyes did shine with each one. After several minutes of deliberation, she settled on buying a diamond necklace that cost more than a month’s rent. She paid for it with his credit card but then guilt slowly set in.
He left it for you to do exactly what you’re doing with it. Don’t let it bother you. It was true. This was what Devon intended for her to do, but deep down she felt a little uneasy about it. Now if they had sex, she would be nothing more than a hooker. Don’t think about it like that. You like him. In fact, you very well might love the guy. You don’t know how he feels about you. He cares enough to want to treat you to the finer things. Enjoy and don’t dwell on it. It was easier said than done, but it was too late to do anything about it now. She was going to try to listen to her head and enjoy the finer things that Devon wanted to offer her.
ARIA HAD IT ALL PLANNED out. She was going to wait until Devon got in and then they might go out for supper. She could then come back to the room and get in her sexy lingerie. She would present him with the watch and they would have a night of making love all night. She was anxious for him to get back.
However, the evening didn’t pan out quite as she expected. At six o’clock, she got a phone call from him. This was it, she was hopeful that he was saying he was on his way back.
“Hey, Aria. So, I have to have a business dinner tonight. Not sure when I’ll be in, but I’ll try not to be too late.”
“Oh,” she said, her disappointment clear from the tone.
“Are you OK?” he asked. “Did you have a nice day out shopping?”
“Oh, yes. I had a wonderful day. Thanks for your generosity and I’m fine. Just thought you’d be back in for supper tonight. That’s all.”
He could still hear the disappointment in her voice. He hated that he was letting her down, but it
couldn’t be helped. “Devon, are you coming?”
Wilma, an associate with whom he was working with to close a deal, spoke up. He smiled and held up his finger. “I’ll be right there. Just give me a moment. I’m sorry, Aria. I know you’re disappointed, but we have other nights. You can order room service. Get anything you want.” There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Aria? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. I’m here. I know. You’re busy and there’s other nights. I should let you go.” She was abruptly going to hang up the phone. He didn’t know why the sudden change.
“I’ll try to be home by eight. Wait up for me and we’ll take a moonlit walk. Does that sound nice?”
“Sure,” she said, but she didn’t sound like she meant it. He looked over to find Wilma impatiently waiting for him.
“I have to go,” he said.
“All right then. See you at eight.”
She disconnected the call. She didn’t want to whine over it and she surely didn’t want to shed any tears, but she was upset. She heard the woman’s voice in the background and it was clear to her that his business meeting was with another woman. She was angry that he had her come on this trip, when he had absolutely no plan of spending time with her and if she had the money to fly back to LA, she would. Instead, she was going to sit back and allow him to walk all over her.
He said he would be back by eight. That was true, but she didn’t know if she could believe it, but she was going to give it a valiant effort to hope that he was being honest with her. She did order in room service for one and then did exactly as she had intended. She got dressed in her sexiest negligee, put the watch on the table, along with a note stating her appreciation for what he’d given her. Then she sat and waited and she waited. Time slowly passed by and before she knew it, it was after nine o’clock. She shook her head feeling deprived of human connection. She wondered if he would be home soon.
DEVON KEPT LOOKING at the clock on his phone. He was already past eight o’clock and he felt awful that he hadn’t been able to keep that timeframe. Wilma noticed something was bothering him. “Do you have a date or something?” she asked, laughing slightly.
He looked up, startled that she was aware he was wanting to get out of there. “Well, the truth is that I do have to be somewhere. I’m a touch late, but it’s all right.” He tried to put Aria out of his mind, but he kept going back to her. He casually looked down at his phone again.
“I think we’ve gathered all the information that we need tonight. You can leave. If you’re supposed to be somewhere else, I don’t want to keep you from it.”
Devon had never been one to break off a work engagement over something personal, but he believed that Aria just might be worth it. He grabbed his phone and put it back in his pocket and grabbed his wallet and put down some money. “I apologize for cutting out like this,” he said.
She shrugged. “Not a big deal. We’ve got everything worked out and still a few days here so we can continue to work out the logistics of everything. You go and don’t even think about it.”
He stood up from his chair. “Thank you, Wilma. It was good to see you again.” He put out his hand and she shook it.
“Likewise, Devon. You’ll be hearing from me.” She took a drink from her wine glass as he walked out. He dialed Walter’s number.
“Hello, this is Walter.”
“I’m ready for you to pick me up out front,” he said.
“Come on out. I’m already here,” Water said.
“Thank you.” Devon hung up and hurried through the restaurant and out the front door. Walter was already at the door, ready to open it for him. “Thanks again.” Devon got into the backseat and waited for Walter to get in the driver’s seat.
“Heading back to the resort?” he asked.
“Yes, thanks.” Devon pulled out his phone and looked at the time again. He was going on two hours later than he had said he would be back. “She’ll understand,” he mumbled.
“What was that?” Walter asked. He glanced at Devon in the rearview mirror.
Devon laughed. “Oh, nothing.”
Walter nodded. “You should have seen Ms. Nolan today. She looked like she was having a holdiay going out there and shopping until she dropped.” He laughed loudly, which brought a smile to Devon’s lips.
“Glad she enjoyed herself,” Devon said. He leaned back against the seat in the back, making himself comfortable.
“She most certainly did,” he said. “We could barely fit the bags in the car.”
Devon snickered. “So, in other words, she bankrupted me?”
That caused Walter to chuckle.
Devon smiled and looked out the window. He wanted to believe that he wouldn’t be greeted with an angry woman when he got back to the room. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
When he pulled up to the front of the resort, he heard Walter’s voice. “We’re here, sir.”
He opened his eyes as Walter got out and opened the door for him. Devon got out of the car and thanked him and went into the resort and headed to the elevator. He was greeted by members of the staff on his way and stepped into the elevator, sighing as the doors closed.
Back at the apartment, he removed his card from his wallet and opened the door. In the room, he was greeted by silence. The lights were on, but Aria wasn’t there.
“Aria?” There was no answer. He moved further into the room and looked around, silence again. “Aria?” he called out again. Is it possible she’s already asleep? He started to move towards her room, when he spotted the watch on the table. He walked over to it and picked it up.
The face of the watch was brand new, the clasp was no longer broken and when he turned it over, he noticed the inscription looked brand new. He couldn’t believe Aria had gone through the trouble of getting it fixed. He had to thank her. He looked down and lying on the floor was a piece of paper. He picked it up and found a note sprawled across it.
Devon –
Thank you for inviting me on this trip and for all of your amazing gifts. Every one of them has been appreciated. I can’t thank you enough.
Love,
Aria
Here she was thanking him, and he was running around, taking care of business, and leaving her by herself. He put the note and watch back down on the table and turned around. He had to find her and thank her for being there.
“Aria?” he called out again.
He walked toward her bedroom and on the way, he spotted two pieces of clothing at her bedroom door. He picked them up. It was a lingerie set and he could smell her fragrance on them. He carried them into her bedroom. She wasn’t in the bed and her bed wasn’t undone.
“Aria?”
Still ... nothing. He peeked his head in her bathroom to see if she was in there, not bothering to worry about the intrusion that would be. He moved to the room that was connected to her bedroom. When he stepped into the room, he found her. She was in the hot tub. Her eyes were closed and he saw the ear buds coming from her ears, with an iPod sitting along the edge of the water.
That wasn’t what truly caught his eyes though. She wasn’t wearing clothes, at least not on the top half. He could see her breasts along the water’s edge. She was sunk down into the water, but she was still visible.
She felt she was being watched and opened her eyes. She stared at him, her mouth dropped slightly. She had been upset when he hadn’t come home and took off her lingerie on the way to the hot tub. She didn’t even bother grabbing swimwear because she was there alone. She yanked the ear buds from her ears and tossed them to the side.
“What are you gawking at?” she asked. He looked speechless. He was just standing there, unmoving, eyes dipping down over her obviously naked body.
“Umm...I...I didn’t mean to barge in, but I was looking for you.” He didn’t look away. In fact, there was a distinct smile on his lips. “I saw the watch. Thank you.”
She nodded. “It was the least I could do,” she said.
He moved closer to the hot tub. The closer he got, the more of a view he got. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling more vulnerable than she had in forever. “I’m sorry that I was late and even sorrier than I haven’t been here.”
She shrugged, pretending it didn’t really matter. “You’re a busy man,” she said. “I’m a big girl and I can take care of things myself.
He stepped to the edge of the hot tub. “I’m still sorry, nonetheless,” he said, “and believe me...I don’t apologize.”
Aria had no doubt that was the truth. She simply nodded. “All right then. Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll excuse me ... I should get dressed for bed.” He held up her lingerie.
“Wearing these?” he asked.
She could feel the redness on her cheeks. “That was simply because I was having a moment. I really don’t know what I was thinking.”
He snickered. “Well, I’m sure they looked lovely on you.”
He tossed them to the side and her eyes followed where they landed. She looked back up at him as he slowly started to undress. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just thought it’d be a shame to waste a perfectly good hot tub moment.”
She gulped back the lump in her throat as his clothes kept falling to the side. She had wanted this, no doubt, but now she wasn’t sure if he was only doing it because he saw her naked or if it was truly what he wanted. “So, you’re going to come in here, even if I don’t want you to?” she asked.
His eyes widened and he hesitated before kicking out of his shoes. “You don’t want me to?” he asked.
She paused. He saw her eyebrows furrow and she looked conflicted. “I’m naked.”
He laughed. “I gathered.”
“What do you think’ll happen if you come in here?” she asked. Her voice was a bit shaky and he found it intriguing that she would suddenly be so nervous. She clearly had a thought in mind. She dressed in lingerie and planned on having him see her attire. Devon didn’t get this one wrong. He was certain of that.
When I Dream of You: A Valentine's Day Romance Page 10