Page 37 of Escape To Paradise
We rode in silence for a few minutes. I looked outside the window and could see the ocean view. I asked Julian if I could open the window, and he allowed me to do it. So, I opened it halfway and just allowed the island’s evening breeze to touch my face. It felt good. The breeze felt fresh and cool. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment.
Julian reached over and held my hand, and then he kissed it. “Are you enjoying the ride, Harper?”
“It’s a lovely night.”
“It is, especially with you by my side.”
After driving for about fifteen more minutes, we finally arrived at his property. He drove us into a gated community, passing several villas before finally driving through a long driveway. We stopped in front of a massive door. Julian turned off his engine and got out. He opened the passenger door and helped me get out of his jeep.
“This is my villa. Welcome to my home.”
Holding my hand, he opened the enormous front door. When I stepped inside his villa, it felt luxurious. It boasted a tall ceiling and a crystal chandelier, while the floor was made of marble. Julian took me straight to his living room area, where he had leather couches and a fancy coffee table. I sat on the low couch, which was comfortable and huge.
“What do you like to drink?”
“Make me any cocktail you want,” I told him.
He went to his kitchen and grabbed a bunch of fresh strawberries, a full ice tray, and a blender. Then he walked up to his bar area; the assortment of liquor and syrups he possessed was remarkable.
“You want me to guess what you’re making?” I asked. I was still sitting comfortably on his couch.
“I’m sure you’ll guess right away.” He poured all the ice from the ice cube tray into the blender, and the strawberries followed. After blending them, he added cane sugar. He also added lime juice and lime soda from the mini fridge in his bar. As a final touch, he mixed in some rum. He grabbed two hurricane glasses from under the countertop, filled it up with the blended daiquiri almost up to the brim, and then garnished it with a strawberry. He walked towards me with the drinks in his hand.
I smiled. “Pretty impressive.” I sipped the daiquiri, and it tasted very good. It wasn’t too sweet; it tasted just right.
“I told you. I could make a mean cocktail. I wasn’t boasting or anything.”
“Did you have any training as a bartender?” I realized I didn’t know too much about his life.
“My family used to own a bar in the Northeast. It was my grandfather who owned a bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I helped around when I was a teenager. But we sold it and moved out of LES after my grandfather died.”
“You’re a New Yorker? I don’t hear the accent,” I teased.
“It comes out occasionally. But we moved to Florida.”
“Well, we’re rivals then. I grew up in Chicago.”
“New York pizza all the way.” He winked.
“Deep dish rules!” I laughed.
“We’re never going to get along then. I make a mean Neapolitan pizza.”
“I make an amazing deep-dish pizza.”
“One of these days, let’s have a cook off. In my backyard. Speaking of which, let’s go.”
He helped me get up from the low couch, and we went to the back. Julian had a pool. It was a moderate-sized in-ground swimming pool with a hot tub. His house was amazing. I looked at the view in the distance and I could see the ocean. The moonlight glimmered on the water. It was a calm breezy night. It made me wonder what his views are in the morning.
“You have a great view here.”
“Yes, I have a wonderful view of the sunrise. Maybe you want to see it with me tonight.”
It was a very bold invitation, implying he wanted me to stay over. He turned the hot tub on and invited me to get in.
“I don’t have a swimming suit.”
“You don’t need one.”
