What immediately caught my eye, however, was the ensuite bathroom. Marble everywhere, a huge walk in shower with a rain head and to top it all off, a Jacuzzi tub. I’m a frequent reader of celebrity gossip websites, and I’ve seen more than a few real estate listings for some famous people’s multi-million dollar homes they’ve put on the market. This was exactly like the bathrooms I’d see in their homes, the sort of thing I could dream of but never thought I would imagine.
“What about the beach?” I asked Leilani when she was finished telling me about the million things the bathroom could do.
“Oh, well that’s easy. You just go out the doors at the other side of your living room, and they’ll lead out to a path. You just have to follow that and you’ll reach the beach.”
A few minutes later Leilani left me to the room. Completely overwhelmed, I sunk into the king sized mattress. Memory foam. Obviously. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, then opened them again. Yup, I was still there. This was definitely actually happening.
I spent the next ten minutes exploring every single inch of my new amazing home for the next week, trying to figure out how fast I could get my bathing suit on, when my stomach started to rumble. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day, in fact the last thing I’d had to sustain me was a hazelnut latte from the Starbucks at the airport.
Realizing I hadn’t really listened to a lot of what Leilani had told me, I moved over to the mahogany desk sitting against the wall near the entrance to my villa. Finding a number of menus, I also found a huge guide to the resort, which kindly informed me that I could order any item from any of the restaurants to be delivered straight to my room.
Browsing the dozen or so restaurant menus, I finally settled on a café style place, and ordered waffles with fresh berries, white and milk chocolate shavings and maple syrup imported from Canada. After all, it was my first meal here on the island, why not treat myself to something incredibly unhealthy and delicious?
When the meal arrived, it was just as delicious as the menu made it sounds. Realizing after I’d eaten that I was completely exhausted from my travels, I made myself a hot bath just because I could (and found some Lush bath bombs to use, which made the experience that much more relaxing!) with a good book, then curled up and went to bed early. I had already decided I was going to spend the entirety of the next day on the beach, and as I lay my head down on the pillow I could hear the waves softly lapping the shore only a few yards away. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
* * *
Waking up to another day of brilliant sunshine, it took me a minute to remember where I was. The previous day came flooding back to me and I sat up in bed as rays of sunlight poured through the blinds I’d forgotten to close the night before.
Feeling refreshed and invigorated, I ordered a smoothie and scrambled eggs from one of the on-site restaurants, and ate breakfast in bed for the first time in my life. Sure, it would have been nice to share it with someone, but as far as I was concerned, this was still absolutely paradise.
I took my time eating, and when I finished I had a long shower, then slipped on my bathing suit, looked at myself in the mirror and admired the view, trying not to think that perhaps my figure would have been happier if I hadn’t had those waffles the day before. Whatever, a few curves never hurt anyone, I decided as I slipped on some sandals, grabbed a towel and made my way down the path Leilani pointed out, and towards the water.
It was still early in the morning, but already as soon as I stepped outside I could feel the heat, and the sensation of warmth on my skin was so invigorating, having come from the cold winters of the Midwest, this was amazing.
Sure enough, the path to the beach wound past a few more villas then led straight to the most beautiful white sand. It was hot to the touch, and I was glad I’d taken my sandals. Finding the beach completely deserted except for myself, I spread my towel on a nice patch of sand, took my sandals off and ran towards the water, the perfect turquoise color still the same as the other day.
As I splashed in, laughing like a little kid, I realized the water wasn’t cold as I expected it to be, but more of a lukewarm temperature. It was so comfortable, I did what I was never able to bring myself to do as a kid when we’d go to the lake, and dove in, immersing my entire body all at once.
I came up laughing once more, then floated on my back for a while, looking up at the cloudless blue sky above me. Yup, this vacation was already awesome.
Eventually I decided to make my way back to shore, and I lay down on my blanket and let the sun heat my weary bones. With my eyes closed and my sunglasses on, I almost felt myself falling asleep, then realized if I did that without re-applying sunscreen I was going to end up looking like a cooked lobster for the rest of the trip.
Instead, I decided to go for a walk along the beach to wake myself up. I walked along right where the waves met the sand, letting the warm water rush over my ankles every few seconds, the salt air blowing my hair around.
This was heaven, absolutely. I figured maybe the next day I would go snorkelling, or maybe do a glass bottom boat tour. Something like that. Maybe I would even wander over to the hotel bar and get a few pina coladas into me. I could definitely use a few stiff drinks to help me relax even more.
With a smile on my face, the thought of drinks won out, and I slowly turned around and made my way back to my things. I hadn’t really bothered about leaving them alone on the beach, I was the only person who seemed to want to enjoy the untouched splendour nature had to offer, rather than the man-made amenities of the resort.
As I walked back, thinking about the cold drink I was going to enjoy at the bar, or maybe lounging by the pool, I closed my eyes and let the sun’s rays warm my face. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my foot.
“Shit, that better not be a jelly fish,” I muttered to myself as I started hopping on one foot, grabbing the other one as I willed it to feel better.
A second later, and a safe few yards away, I looked over at the spot where my foot had suddenly hurt. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a jellyfish. In fact, it looked like the corner of a phone, square and black, almost completely submerged in the sand.
“That’s weird,” I thought as I grabbed it and tried to press the home button. Nothing happened.
“Yup, that’s probably dead,” I thought to myself. Still, I thought about my phone and how it was the lifeline to my entire world. I had the phone number to all my friends on it, hundreds of photos, memories I wouldn’t want lost. Maybe the owner of this phone felt the same way. Hell, this was such an expensive resort, I wouldn’t be surprised if it belonged to some important rich guy who needed it for business.
Taking the phone over to my towel, I carefully towelled off all the sand I could, then headed back towards my room.
I found a menu for a Japanese restaurant on site, and called them.
“Hi, um, this is a bit of a weird request, but could you maybe send me over a small bag of uncooked rice?”
“Seriously? Uncooked rice? I mean, yeah, I guess so,” the confused guy on the other end of the line answered.
“Yeah, I found a phone that was in the water, I figure I’m going to try and save it,” I explained. Sure enough, five minutes later I had a man drop off a small bag of rice, perfect to drop the phone into.
Ten minutes later, that phone was the last thing on my mind as I swam up to a bar in the middle of the biggest, most amazing pool I’d ever been in, and ordered my pina colada. I spent the afternoon lounging about, slowly moving about the pool, enjoying the amazing view of the ocean as I drank my drinks.
After around four drinks or so, however, I decided I looked enough like a prune, and still wanted to be able to find my own villa, so I tipsily said goodbye to Don, the bartender, and made my way back to my place, stopping at the front desk to organize a snorkelling cruise the next day first. Leilani was only too happy to help, and I was really excited for my cruise the following afternoon. Snorkelling! Who would have believed it?
I went back to the beach and walked along the edge, enjoying the view as the sun began to set, the sky getting darker with each passing minute.
When night had well and truly fallen I made my way back to my room, dreaming of the animals I was going to see the next day on my cruise.
* * *
I woke up the next day to the sound of sea birds chirping away outside my window in the palms that lined the paths leading to the various parts of the resort.
Deciding to stay in bed for a few minutes, enjoying the warm comfort of the amazing king size mattress, I eventually forced myself to get up and order breakfast at the second rumble of my stomach.
It felt like a day for a big breakfast, especially since I was going to be having a big day and wasn’t sure if I’d be eating lunch at all, so I ordered an egg white omelette, waffles and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from one of the café restaurants around.
It wasn’t until I hung up the phone that I noticed the little bag of rice sitting on the table. I’d completely forgotten about the cell phone I’d found on the beach the day before, and I figured it had been long enough. If the rice had absorbed all the water, it would have done it by now.
Removing the phone from the bag and gingerly wiping off the starch residue from the rice, I held down the power button for ten seconds, looking hopefully at the blank screen.
Sure enough, a minute later a logo popped up. Success! I had saved someone’s phone!
I collapsed into one of the oversized chairs as I scrolled through the phone’s contacts, trying to find the name of someone personal and close to its owner. An entry known as “sweetie” or “mom” or something.
Unfortunately, I quickly came to realize this phone’s owner was one of those people. You know the type – the super organized type, where every entry in the contact list has a first and last name, nothing personal at all. Basically the complete opposite of my phone.
Thankfully, as I scrolled through, I found a listing for “office”. Surely someone there would know how to contact the phone’s owner.
Tapping the button, I listened to the ring tone, hoping the call to America wouldn’t be that expensive.
“Mr. Kagan’s office,” I heard a curt female voice on the other line announce.
“Hi, um, I found a phone that belongs to someone, they had this number listed as “office” under their contacts.”
“You found Mr. Kagan’s phone? Excellent, thank you for calling. I already ordered him a replacement when he contacted me about it yesterday, but there were files on that phone that I know he was wont to part with.”
Wont to part with? Who even speaks like that? I asked myself as the woman kept talking.
“He is staying at the Grand Isis, in villa number 207 if you would be so kind as to drop the phone off at the front desk.”
“Ok, I will,” I replied.
“Thank you very much. If you’d leave your name and number I can make sure we contact you about repayment for your time.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s fine, I’m staying at the resort too so it’s really no bother at all.”
After a curt goodbye, I found myself staring at the phone. Villa 207. I was pretty sure that one was back towards the reception office, I thought I passed by it the other day on my way to book my snorkelling cruise.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and twenty minutes later I’d eaten breakfast. I had a quick shower to freshen up, then took the phone and made my way towards reception. Sure enough, halfway there I saw the sign for villa 207, on my left.
I hesitated for a minute, then decided hey, why the hell not? Might as well save everyone a bit of time, and made my way towards the door.
Knocking solidly, I waited to see if someone was home. If they weren’t, oh well, I’d just drop the phone off at reception. No one came for a good thirty seconds, and I was just about to leave when I heard footsteps coming towards the door.
As the large door opened, my breath caught in my throat. Standing in front of me was hands down the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life.
Definitely over six feet tall, with wavy black hair that even though it was damp I already wanted to run my hands through, brown eyes so dark that looking into them was like looking into the abyss, and a hard mouth that still looked like it could smile easily, this man could have been a model.
My eyes drifted down to his body, sculpted like a statue, and holy shit, he had abs! I had literally never seen a six pack in real life until that moment. A white towel was wrapped around his waist, covering the bits that I suddenly realized I wanted to see more than anything at that moment.
“Yes?” the man asked politely, and I realized I was staring. Ogling, even.
I felt my face turn crimson as I forced my eyes back to his face. Oh my God, you’re such an embarrassment I thought to myself as I started to stammer out a reply.
“Um, hi, sorry, I found this phone, and um, I called the number listed office, and the lady said you were staying here, is this yours?” I asked, feeling incredibly stupid and self-aware as I held the phone out to him. Was it bad that I was hoping it was his just so I could feel his skin brush against mine for half a second?
“Is that my phone? Wow, you’re a lifesaver, thank you,” the man replied, flashing me a smile that literally made my legs start to shake. How was it possible for one human to be so sexy?
I handed over the phone, and as soon as his hand grazed mine I felt my stomach start to tighten, and an involuntary moan slipped from my lips.
“What was that?” he asked. Shit. He heard that. Get it together, woman.
“Oh, nothing, sorry,” I replied, trying to cover it up. “I’m just glad you were here so I could give you back the phone.”
“Of course. You have no idea how important the documents on this phone are to me, I don’t trust cloud services, but of course that has its downsides. What can I offer you as thanks for bringing this back to me?”
“Nothing, it’s just something any normal human would do,” I replied, trying with all my might not to look down at his beautifully sculpted body.
“Well, at least let me take you out to dinner tonight, as thanks,” he answered.
Oh my God, is this really happening? Is the Greek god standing in front of me really asking me out to lunch? Even if it is just a thank you date?
“Thanks, I’d love to,” I replied, almost instinctively. How long had it been since I’d gone on a date? Way too long. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but this wasn’t a real date. It was just a hot guy saying thanks for finding his phone.
“Perfect. How does Caribbean Fusion sound?”
“Amazing!”
“Then why don’t we meet at Cay West restaurant at 7?”
“Sounds good!” I replied, and two minutes later I was running back towards my villa, wondering what on earth had just happened. Had I seriously met the hottest guy on the planet? You don’t even know his name, I scolded myself. How could I be so stupid as to forget to ask his name? Well, at least we had something to talk about at dinner tonight.
I spent the next hour or so replaying every single second of our interaction in my head. I wondered if I came off as too ditzy, if I should have played it cool, if I looked like an idiot. I felt like I was thirteen again, with my first crush.
Stop it, I scolded myself, he’s not interested in you, he’s just buying you dinner to thank you for finding his phone.
Eventually I broke from my reverie and looked at the clock, and gasped. I was already fifteen minutes late for my snorkelling trip. Leilani had made sure I knew that I had to be on time. I slipped on my bathing suit as fast as I could, and made my way towards the marina, but unfortunately when I got there no boats were visible. I asked one of the workers who was hanging around.
“Excuse me sir, could you please tell me if the 12:15 snorkelling boat has left?”
“Ah, yes, unfortunately you’ve missed it, miss,” the man replied.
&nbs
p; “Ok, thanks.”
“Don’t worry though, there’s another one later this afternoon, and one tomorrow. You can always go to the front desk and sign up.”
“Thank you, I’ll go do that now,” I replied with a wave to the man as I turned and left.
I made my way back to the lobby, and on my way to Leilani’s desk I passed by a table with a display about Cay West, the Caribbean fusion restaurant I was going to that night. I instinctively paused, and had a look at the display. After all, maybe I should know what I was getting into.
When I saw the pictures of the interior, and the way people were dressed, I suddenly went pale. This was one of those super fancy restaurants, the type that I definitely didn’t bring anything appropriate to wear for.
“Uh oh,” I muttered to myself. “I can’t go on a date with the hottest guy ever looking like a hobo compared to everyone else.”
Quickly rebooking my snorkelling trip with Leilani, I asked for her to send a car over to drive me into Georgetown.
This is the perfect holiday for a little bit of a splurge, I convinced myself. After all, I needed a nice new dress for the holidays this year, why not just buy it a little bit early?
As I sat silently in the back seat of the car, being driven to the biggest city on Grand Cayman, where I asked to be taken to the shopping strip, I realized that missing the snorkelling trip was a blessing in disguise; if I hadn’t missed the trip, I wouldn’t have seen the display about Cay West, and I would have shown up to the restaurant dressed in a maxi dress or something equally inappropriate. I already didn’t fit in with the super-rich and famous at the resort (I had never seen so many Louis Vuitton bags in my life, and I was sure they weren’t fake), the least I could do was try to fake it for one night with the Mr. Sexy.
* * *
For two hours I tried on everything I could find that looked good and seemed reasonably within my price range. I ended up finding a gorgeous cocktail dress and some gold sandals that were cheap, but looked expensive. Plus in the beach setting, sandals were perfectly acceptable, even at a high class place like Cay West.
Shades of Submission: Fifty by Fifty #1: Billionaire Romance Boxed Set Page 59
