by Freda Ann
Leaning forward in the cabana, Faith looked at Mindy, “Hey Min - would you mind if I hang out with Stephen tonight? He wants to hit the sports bar down the street.”
Looking at Brandon before leaning forward to get a good look at Faith. “That’s fine. It seems I have plans too.” She sat back cocking her head to the left and smiling at the handsome man sitting next to her.
* * * * *
Fresh out of the shower and feeling like a school girl getting ready for a first date, Mindy picked up her phone and put her favorite playlist on. She loved music and it usually helped calm her when she was anxious. And damn was she anxious. So many thoughts of this man were going through her head and she was having a difficult time controlling them.
She knew she had to get them under control or she’d never get ready and she really wanted to be ready on time. Looking at the clock on her phone, Mindy realized she only had fifty minutes to do her hair, make-up, and figure out what to wear before he came knocking on her door. She wanted to meet Brandon in the lobby but he said he was a bit old-fashioned and wanted to meet her at her room. She actually thought it was pretty sweet.
“Do you know where he’s taking you?” Faith walked in the bathroom to share the mirror with Mindy.
Taking a quick glance at her friend, “He said a good restaurant down the street but didn’t tell me the name.” She continued fixing her hair. “And Stephen is taking you to a sports bar? Is there a game on tonight?”
“Yeah, there is. We were talking about sports, among other things, and that’s when he asked if I wanted to hang out with him tonight. He said we could grab dinner and watch the game.” Faith looked excited at the thought of hanging out with him.
Mindy turned the water on to wash her hands. “It definitely seems that you two have a lot in common.” Drying her hands, she looked at Faith. “I have no idea what I should wear. I don’t want to dress too fancy but I need to wear something nice. - After all, it’ll be our first dinner together - alone.”
The anxiety started to rear it’s ugly head at the thought of the two of them being alone, especially since she swore she wouldn’t date for several years. But she knew Brandon had a point about the connection they seem to share. She felt it the first time she saw him at the restaurant when he pretended to be the Chef. The thought of his little lie made her smile and shake her head at the same time.
As Mindy walked to the closet, Faith yelled to her. “You can never go wrong with an LBD!”
“I think that’ll be my back-up if I don’t like anything else. I was thinking of wearing something with a little more color, you know?” Looking over at Faith. “I mean - we are in Hawaii. It just seems like I should dress more for the island life.”
“I guess.” Faith looked at her and shrugged a shoulder then turned on the hair dryer to finish her hair.
After trying on three dresses, Mindy grabbed the salmon colored one tucked closer to the side wall. It was a new one she bought for the trip. It had a soft floral design down near the hem that made it pop even more. She tried it on and knew that was the one.
Mindy finished putting her make-up and lipstick on, touched up her hair and grabbed her clutch off the counter to put her lipstick in when she heard a knock on the door.
She opened the door to see a smile on Brandon’s face. After she said hi, she noticed the smile change when his eyes scanned her from head to toe. “Umm - do I look alright?” She said, suddenly worried about her choice in dresses.
“Wow! You - you look amazing!”
She felt completely content as she yelled bye to Faith and shut the door behind her with a pleased smile on her face. “You had me worried for a minute there with that look on your face.” Looking him up and down, “You look pretty good yourself.” She felt a sheepish grin cross her face.
As they walked side by side down the hallway towards the elevator, he looked at Mindy and did another once over. “You took my breath away in that dress.”
Smiling as she looked straight ahead, she couldn’t help but say, “Mission accomplished!” She could still feel his eyes on her - and she enjoyed that feeling.
* * * * *
Brandon opened the front door to the restaurant for Mindy. When she walked in, she noticed people waiting around in the reception area. Lifting her head up to Brandon, “Popular place. Looks like we’re going to have a bit of a wait.”
Brandon grinned as he walked past her, grabbing her hand, and up to the hostess desk with Mindy close behind. “Hi, my name is Brandon Wild. Kimo said you’d have a table waiting for us.”
The hostess looked down at the book in front of her then whispered to the girl next to her. Grabbing two menus she turned to greet him. “Good evening Mr. Wild, please follow me.” Being the gentleman, he let Mindy walk in front as the hostess lead them off to the right passing the bar, then a left, walking to the back corner of the restaurant.
Brandon loved watching Mindy. He noticed the detailing on her dress as she walked in front. The salmon color complimented her skin so well. The top of it hugged her collar bone with a thick band continuing around to the upper back where pearl buttons started at the top and ended at the base of her tailbone. The shoulders were cut out with a slight band below the cut out that went around her very toned biceps.
There was a pale floral design above the knee that ran just below it where it ruffled out to the bottom. As she sauntered, the ruffles bounced side to side with the swing of her hips. It hugged her body perfectly but not too much, teasing the imagination as to what was under it. Mmm, mmm. - He had to look away before the thought of her body filled the space he had left in the crotch of his pants. Luckily, he had his suit coat buttoned which helped cover the swell that was starting to make him uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but think that he’s never met a woman that made him this horny without touching her first.
The hostess continued up a flight of stairs off to the right to a more secluded area with large windows along the back wall overlooking the mountains with a glimpse of the waterfall at the top of one of them.
“Here you go.” She stopped along side the table placing a menu in front of each one of them as Brandon pulled Mindy’s chair out for her then sat down. “Your waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy your meal.” She smiled at both and went back down the steps.
Mindy’s eyes were transfixed on the view as she slowly took it all in feeling almost speechless. It was totally breathtaking! She was so glad she accepted Brandon’s dinner invitation.
“What do you think so far?”
Looking at him with a happy and content look, “I’m speechless. The views are stunning Brandon. Thank you for bringing me here.”
Feeling that cheshire cat smile taking over his face, “Would you like some wine?”
“Yes, Merlot or Pino Noir please.”
The waiter approached the table, greeted them both and and asked if they’d like some wine. Brandon looked up. “We’ll take a bottle of La Ricolma Merlot 2008”.
“Wonderful choice sir.” He nodded at Brandon and went to get the wine.
They looked over their menus, pausing from time to time to enjoy the view. The waiter brought the wine within minutes, pouring a little so Brandon could try it first. After his approval, he put some in Mindy’s glass and more in his before sitting the bottle on the table and telling them he’d be back shortly to take their order.
After ordering, they talked about their kids and things they each like doing for fun. They also talked more in depth about their jobs and the many struggles they’ve been through to finally get to where they want to be.
After their food was brought to the table, they took their time eating, talking and enjoying the bottle of wine. They’d get quiet from time to time taking in the scenery and enjoying their food. Sharing the evening and time together kept a smile on both their faces.
Chapter 7
Brandon and Mindy took their time walking back to the resort. It was a beautiful night with a partial moon lighting the sk
y. Mindy took in the sights of all the hotels, restaurants, clothing and convenience stores along the way. It seemed like a popular time of day with several people walking the sidewalks and lining the edge of the cross-roads waiting to cross when it was safe to do so. They enjoyed talking as they walked with Brandon pointing out something significant from time to time.
When they got on resort property, Brandon couldn’t help asking Mindy, “Would you like to take a walk on the beach? I - I just figured it’s so nice out with the moon and a breeze blowing it might be nice.”
“I’d like that.” Mindy looked down to hide a blush she felt coming across her face.
Looking over at her, “Would you rather change your clothes first? I don’t want you to mess up your nice dress.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll just take my shoes off. Are you OK?”
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll do the same.”
Leaning on the rock wall near the beach, they took off their shoes. When Brandon stood up, he held his hand out to help Mindy up. She smiled and grabbed it as he guided her up and they both walked onto the beach.
They walked for a while enjoying the sound of the waves, occasionally hearing voices in the distance. Mindy looked at the different hotel and restaurant properties they passed, taking in the design of their decor. She loved seeing the difference between island decor compared to the mainland. There was a peacefulness about it.
Pointing out front and up the embankment a little ways ahead of them, Brandon brought Mindy’s attention to a beachy looking restaurant and sports bar. “Just on the other side of those lava rocks is the sports bar where Stephen took Faith. We’ve been there a few times on previous trips. It’s a pretty neat place.”
“It looks nice. I’m sure Faith is enjoying it. She’s more into sports than I am, though I follow some of it. - I had a great time tonight.” Mindy gazed up at him. “You couldn’t have picked a better place. I mean the view, the food - it was fantastic. - Another highlight of my trip.” She gave him a sincere smile.
“I had a great time too. You know I went to that restaurant once before and I had no idea it had the upper level or that it overlooked the mountains with a waterfall.” Brandon looked over at Mindy. “I have to confess though - I asked Jacques to set it up with the manager. They’re friends.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. “Now I really owe him big time!”
Looking at Brandon smiling, “And Jacques is the ‘real’ Chef, right? As opposed to the acting Chef!”
“Yes, that’s correct.” He chuckled at himself.
After walking a little further, Brandon touched Mindy’s arm as he motioned to the rock wall. “Do you want to sit for a bit?”
“Sure.” She followed him and watched as he took his coat off, folded it in half and laid it down on the rocks.
“Here you go.” He motioned with his hand for her to sit on the jacket. “I was afraid you might rip your dress on the rocks.”
“Thank you.” She grinned sitting down while he sat next to her. She immediately felt the heat between them. It was instant and undeniable.
“You’re welcome. A lady like you deserves some chivalry.” Looking sincere he glanced out at the ocean and back again. “So how long are you staying on the island?”
“We’re here until Sunday. We thought about extending it because there’s so many things we want to do plus we’re having so much fun. - But we have to get back to work. I have a big project starting next week and they gave me the job because I assured them I’d oversee it closely.” Hesitating before she continued. “So how long will you be here?”
“I’m supposed to be here until the following Saturday. I’m wondering if I should leave sooner though.” Brandon looked out at the beach. “I definitely needed some time away from everything back home. There were too many things coming at me all at once so Stephen and I decided I had to take a little time off to clear my head and recharge my batteries.”
“Well after this trip, I’m a firm believer in taking regular vacations to do just that! My mind hasn’t felt this clear in a very long time.” Mindy stood up. “You want to start walking back?”
Brandon stood up, grabbed his jacket shook it off and flung it over his shoulder as they walked out on the beach towards their hotel. He saw Mindy cross her arms like she was cold. “Here.” He put his jacket around her shoulders. “Better?”
“Yes, thank you.” She looked up at his face, slightly losing her footing, which caused her to fall into his arm.
He grabbed her hand to steady her as he held her gaze. He stepped in front of her, grabbing her other hand. Neither of them could look away. As the gaze seemed to deepen, he slowly leaned down wondering if she was going to back away. Gently kissing her lips, he opened his eyes briefly to look at her beautiful face before continuing. The want was there as she barely opened hers. He knew she wanted him to continue.
Intensifying the kiss, teasing the tip of her tongue with his, he let go of her hands and placed his palms on her waist pulling her closer to him as his hands slid around behind her waist.
After Brandon let go of her hands, Mindy slid them up his arms feeling his muscles as they passed over them moving to his shoulders and around his neck. As he pulled her into him, her nipples tingled and felt like they were going to pop out of her strapless bra.
He teased her tongue with his pushing it deeper into her mouth then sucking her tongue on the way out. He pulled her as close as he could and pressed his body to hers when his groin started to ache at the pressure starting to build. He wanted this to be a kiss she’d never forget but he also didn’t want to push her too far too soon.
When Brandon deepened the kiss and held her against his body, she could feel the heat building between her legs. He shifted as Mindy felt the firmness of him, which hit her in just the right spot. She knew if she didn’t move a little, he may just push her over the edge. It had been a long time for her and he aroused her too easy.
When Mindy shifted slightly, Brandon realized it may be a little too much so he softened the kiss until it was over. He kissed her lips gently one more time before loosening his grip, still holding her gaze with his. “I guess we should head to the hotel.”
He dropped his arms to her sides, grabbing her hands again looking briefly at her face. He let go of her left hand and stepped to her right side. Repositioning his hand comfortably around hers they started walking again. She had a firm grip on his hand which reassured him about deciding to hold hers. They made small talk the rest of the way back to the hotel and enjoyed each other’s company.
As they walked toward the rear courtyard of the resort, Brandon tightened his grip slightly on Mindy’s hand. “Would you like to have a glass of wine with me on my lanai? - My room’s just to the left.”
Mindy didn’t say anything right away. She wondered how she should handle the offer. She was enjoying time with Brandon and knew it would be fun hanging out with him. There was something about him she couldn’t deny that made feel at ease. Somehow she knew she could trust him.
“Would you mind if I go to my room and change? Leggings and a t-shirt may be more comfortable for hanging out.” They stopped as she looked up at his gorgeous face.
Feeling giddy again as she seemed to look deep in his soul, he leaned down slowly and gave her a light kiss on the lips then stood back up letting go of her hand. “That actually sounds like a good idea. It’ll give me time to get the wine and some glasses ready and also change into some comfortable clothes as well.”
When he started walking to his room and watched her walk towards her building, he felt an exciting rush go through him. Shaking his head, he wondered why this woman made him feel like he was someone else. Someone better and more content than he’s been with any other woman. And it wasn’t just because she’s beautiful. There was so much more to her below the surface and he really hoped he got a chance to find out what.
* * * * *
The walk back to her room was filled with warm fuzzies running through Mi
ndy’s body and a big smile on her face. As she put the card in her door to unlock it, she realized her face was starting to hurt from smiling so much.
The entire evening replayed in her head as she grabbed a change of clothes out of the dresser drawer and reached back to unbutton a few of the pearl buttons she could reach on her dress. She got just enough undone to shimmy it over her body and head.
Mindy took off her strapless bra and put on a white sports bra that held her breasts fairly firm. She decided to wear dark blue yoga pants and a soft pink t-shirt with a thin cutout that showed just the top of her breasts. Slightly enticing but not over the top, she thought to herself.
She freshened up a bit and washed off her lipstick, deciding to put on a slightly iridescent lip gloss to accent her lips. She wrote a quick note to Faith in case she returned first, put her sandals on and grabbed her keycard before heading out.
* * * * *
Brandon luckily had a bottle of Merlot in his mini-fridge that he picked up when him and Stephen ran to the store on their second day at the hotel. He’d asked housekeeping to leave a few wine glasses so he’d have them when he needed them so he was set. Now he just had to change and freshen up before Mindy got there.
He decided to put on a pair of black basketball style pants since they were more comfortable in the crotch. He had a feeling he’d need the extra room since Mindy affected him the way she did without even trying. He didn’t want to show a bulge between his legs every time he was around her. Brandon was afraid she’d get the wrong impression of why he wanted to be around her.
Flipping through his shirts hanging in the closet, he picked out a medium grey pullover then slid on some darker grey deck shoes. He went to the sliding doors to the lanai and opened them completely to allow unobstructed access to the patio. He grabbed a hand towel and wiped off the table and chairs. He wanted to make sure there was no sand or debris on them since it was kind of windy.
After putting the towel on the floor under the sink near the bathroom, he grabbed the bottle of wine, the corkscrew and the glasses putting them on the patio table. There was a lantern type candle on top of the table so he grabbed the matches from his room off the desk and lit it to help with the ambiance. Not bad, he thought to himself, as he assessed the setting right when he heard a knock on the door.