Page 41 of Secret Offer
“Hmm?”
I look over at her, slipping my phone back into my bag before she catches me texting and gets suspicious. She’s holding up another swatch of nail polish colors. All of these are bright and cheery, the kind of sea greens and deep turquoises and neon oranges that perfectly complement an island vacation. Quite a stark contrast to the color she picked out for me before.
"I really like this cotton candy pink, but maybe it’s too young for me. What do you think?” She hesitates and then adds, “We could get matching polish?"
My heart squeezes a little in my chest. Sophie loved pink. Even after she turned into a rebel. Mom knows this more than anybody, thanks to the hair dyeing incident. This feels like a truce, maybe.
“That pink would look great on you, Mom,” I tell her. “Let’s definitely get matching polish.”
The line between her brows disappears, and she reaches over to take my hand in hers.
“I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I guess this spa date wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
17
SEBASTIAN
I checkmy watch for what must be the fiftieth time and then nod at Lord Alec Bingham-Cavendish.
“…because the sub-elite just cannot comprehend the demands incumbent upon philanthropists,” he’s saying loftily. “Not that I want to be pitied, mind you. But with millions of pounds in investment and property income pouring into the Bingham-Cavendish trust each year, I see it as my duty to reallocate some of those resources to the lower classes.”
“Of course,” I respond. “Why not help make the world a better place?”
“Precisely. Hence the founding of my grant-giving foundation, ABC, which are my initials…”
The man has been bragging about his charity work for the last twenty minutes straight. My eyes glazed over nineteen minutes ago. When I screened him as a potential match for the Tisdales a few months ago, I thought the philanthropy he engages in spoke well of his character. Not only that, but when we initially spoke on the phone, I got the impression that Lord Alec was a kind, generous person with the means to give his partner a good life, the kind of life where she’d never want foranything. Now that I’ve gotten to know him better, I’m starting to wonder if he could ever love anybody more than himself.
We’re at the marina, loitering beside the slip where my yacht, theNina Simone, is docked. Alec has the use of the vessel while he’s on the island, as he’s a sailing enthusiast, which is why his first date with Blair was supposed to be a yachting excursion. Unfortunately, that date never happened.
“Where is she? It’s almost five now. We’ve got to get under way if we want to catch low tide at the caves,” Alec says as he smooths his palms over the lapels of his linen blazer and checks his breath.
“I’m sure she’ll be here any second,” I reassure him, keeping an eye on the far end of the dock so that I can disappear before she notices I’m here.
As soon as I see Blair, I’m going to hide. Once Alec makes contact with her, I’ll send a quick text to Blair telling her that I can’t see her again. I’ll reject her in no uncertain terms, leaving Alec to comfort her with a yacht trip to the famous James Bond Grotto. There, they’ll snorkel and swim as the sun goes down in a sea cave filled with exotic fish, colorful coral, and a series of underwater tunnels. Afterward, they’ll get back on the yacht and enjoy a candlelit dinner, prepared by one of the resort’s chefs.
If that doesn’t scream “magical first date,” I don’t know what does. I pulled out all the stops.
And yes, putting together meet-ups like this is part of my job here at the resort, but I’ve arranged this very special date between Blair and Alec Bingham-Cavendish for multiple, very pressing reasons.
First, it will serve as a do-over for the disastrous meet-cute I’d organized between Blair and Alec on the beach the other morning, which apparently went to hell when Ted Polansky—the baseball bachelor—showed up and cockblocked Lord Bingham-Cavendish.
From what Alec told me during our debriefing, he was just about to whisk Blair off for a day out on the yacht when Ted stole Blair away. Alec required some calming down after that, but managing high-maintenance clients is under my purview, so I handled it. But he’s been impatient to “properly interview” his potential fiancée ever since, and while I’m put off by his use of the term “interview,” it’s also part of my job to ensure that each match gets a solid introduction to the bachelorette, hence this second attempt to get sparks flying between him and Blair.
Secondly, this date with Alec will help keep Blair away from me, and me away from her. Which has become an increasingly urgent matter given our inability to keep our hands off each other.
Every second I spend with Blair Tisdale is another second I spend playing with fire. It’s time for this thing between us to end. For good.
Obviously I should have broken it off sooner, but I never expected it to last so long. I assumed it would be nothing more than another one-and-done fling. A night (or two) of pleasure. Instead, the woman has somehow infiltrated my thoughts on a daily basis, to the point of distraction.
I can’t even jerk off without images of her O-face appearing in my mind. Her flushed cheeks, her heavy-lidded eyes gazing up at me, those kiss-swollen lips. Not to mention the unbidden flashes of her perfect tits bouncing beneath me, the curve of her hips under my hands, that round ass shaking as I pound into her from behind. A little shudder goes through me here on the dock, even as I try—and fail—to banish the memories. This is exactly the problem with seeing her. I can’t focus.
Regardless, it’s high time to let her go. If I keep sneaking around with her, my business partners are going to find out what I’m doing, and then the only question will be how ugly the consequences are. It’s not just about me losing my job andtainting my name. If word of this affair got out, it would ruin the agency’s reputation as well as my partners’. The Quattuor Group would be destroyed. We’d all be ruined. All because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants. I can’t let that happen.
Becker, Nate, and Theo will be arriving on the island soon, so the clock is ticking. Fortunately, by the time Blair gets back to the resort with Alec tonight, my business partners will already be here, and the threat of their watchful eyes will keep me from sneaking off to see Blair again. At least, that’s the plan.
