With his drink in hand, Josh headed for the brunette who was applying sunscreen to her shoulders.
“Do you mind if I join you?” He could feel her neighbors’ eyes on him. “There aren’t many places left to sit.” If there was an extra chair at her neighbors’ table, he knew they’d be offering it up right now.
Her sunglasses made it impossible for him to determine the color of her eyes when she glanced up at him. “Not at all,” she said, moving her cell phone closer to her side of the table. “It is busy up here this afternoon.”
Rarely did he run into a person who didn’t know him, but just in case, he’d introduce himself. So after sitting down, Josh extended his hand across the table. “My name’s Josh. I hope I’m not bothering you.” While professionally he went by J.T. and some of his friends called him that, in situations like this he preferred to use his given name.
She accepted his hand and smiled. “Courtney. And you’re not.”
Now that he was closer, he realized he’d been wrong. Her hair wasn’t brown but auburn with a few blonde highlights. Not only that, she looked familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint from where. Wherever he knew her from, he was confident she wasn’t an actress he’d ever worked with, because if they’d worked together, he would have remembered her. Maybe if she removed her sunglasses, he could figure it out.
“Have we met before?”
A second or two passed before Courtney responded. “No, I don’t think so.”
Maybe it would come to him later, because even though she didn’t think they’d met, something told him he’d seen her somewhere. Perhaps they’d attended the same party or fundraiser. He attended so many, they all blurred together after a while. The same might be true for her. “Are you here for work or a vacation?”
She reached for her drink and took a sip. “A much needed vacation before I start a new job in Providence. You?”
Providence was a place he knew well. He’d grown up in Rhode Island and frequently went back to visit his family and friends. “As in Providence, Rhode Island?” There might be other states with cities named Providence, but if there were, he’d never heard of them.
“Yep.”
While it was possible she was relocating to the area, if she was starting a new job in Providence, there was a good chance she was from New England. That possibility nudged something in his memory, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Great city. My brother Evan lives there. And my dad is in East Greenwich.”
Two hours later, they remained in the same spot, enjoying a second round of cocktails. Fans wanting a photo with him and an autograph had interrupted them several times. If it bothered Courtney, she never let on. Most of the time, it didn’t bother him either. Today though, with each interruption, his annoyance grew. Rarely did he sit down and have an enjoyable conversation with a woman unless she was a relative. Usually when he went up to a woman like he had today, they didn’t want or expect an in-depth conversation from him. Some just wanted to be seen with him. Others wanted him to get them into a place they otherwise wouldn’t get invited. Most of the women he spent time with only wanted sex, which meant they went from saying hello to removing each other’s clothes in a short amount of time.
Nothing Courtney said or did suggested she wanted anything from him but a conversation. They’d discussed their favorite spots in Rhode Island and how she wasn’t looking forward to the cold weather when she returned to New England. They even talked about books. He couldn’t help but bring up the topic when he spotted the novel by one of his favorite authors on the table.
“I’m ready for a change of scenery,” he said before he finished his second mojito. While it was possible she wasn’t on vacation alone, he doubted she would have spent two hours here with him if she had a boyfriend on the island. “Do you want to join me for dinner? Afterward, maybe we can stop in Ka Pua.”
Normally when he asked a woman out, she answered immediately. Not Courtney. A few seconds passed before she nodded. “Sounds good. I’ve gotten enough sun for now, anyway. And I am getting hungry.” She picked up her book and tossed it in the bag near her feet. “Depending on where we go, we’ll want to make reservations. What do you feel like eating?”
When it came to food, he ate anything. Even as a kid, while his siblings refused to eat certain foods, he cleaned his plate regardless of what was on it and often finished what they didn’t want. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“Takumi over on Ala Moana Boulevard has phenomenal sushi. If we go there, we’ll need a reservation. Or...” Courtney tapped her fingernails against her cell phone. “Or we could go to Mistral.”
He wasn’t familiar with the first restaurant she mentioned, but he’d eaten at the second, which was just one of the many in the hotel complex. “Let’s go to Mistral. Do you want me to call them when I get back to my room and make a reservation?” One of the perks of being so well known, he never had to worry about getting a reservation when he called, regardless of how popular or exclusive the establishment.
“I’ll take care of it.” She slipped the straps of her bag over her shoulder and stood.
“If you can’t get us a reservation, call me,” he said before rattling off his number.
“It shouldn’t be a problem.” She saved the information in her cell anyway before giving him her number. “Where would you like to meet?”
It didn’t escape him that she wasn’t giving out the number of her hotel room. He didn’t blame her, because having dinner in a public place with someone you’d just met was one thing. Telling the individual to come to your room was another. In fact, it was something he wouldn’t want his younger sister doing in a similar situation.
“How about in the lobby in forty minutes?” It didn’t get much more public than that.
“Perfect. I’ll see you in a little while,” Courtney replied.
Josh watched her walk away. Actually, he wasn’t the only guy out there who watched her. Before she reached the door, Paris Novak, a former runway model who had recently made the move into acting, called out to her, and Courtney stopped to chat. Was that why she looked familiar? Paris and her husband, Seth Vallencourt, regularly threw parties at their home. He’d attended several, and if Courtney knew Paris, perhaps she’d gone to one and he’d seen her there. If it didn’t come to him before they met downstairs, he’d have to ask her if she attended any of their parties, because he knew he’d seen her somewhere, and at the moment her connection to Paris was the only clue he had.
Two
Courtney’s conversation with Paris, her cousin’s sister-in-law, meant she had less time than she would have liked to get ready. Even with the little setback, she reached the outdoor lobby before Josh, and at the moment she was watching the assortment of fish swim in one of the several koi ponds located in the hotel complex.
“Oh, my God, Molly. J.T. Williamson is here. I can’t believe he’s staying at the same hotel as us,” a female voice blurted.
Courtney glanced at the teenager, whom she estimated to be around sixteen, standing a few feet away. Then her gaze drifted in the direction the girls were looking. On the rooftop in nothing but swim shorts and sunglasses, she’d thought Josh was hot. She’d been wrong. Dressed in khaki-colored pants—the maître d’ at Mistral wouldn’t let you through the door in shorts—and a dress shirt with the top two buttons left open, the man set a new world record in male hotness.
“He’s coming this way. We have to ask him for an autograph,” Molly, who had to be the other teen’s identical twin, replied. Before her sister could agree, Molly grabbed her hand, and the two headed in Josh’s direction. They intercepted him as he approached the gorgeous parrot named Red who was hanging out on his perch and occasionally calling out greetings to guests.
From where she stood, Courtney couldn’t hear their conversation. But Josh signed the sleeve of both girls’ T-shirts before posing for pictures with each of them. Once he’d satisfied their requests, they ran off, both focused on their cell phone
s as they typed away. Courtney imagined they were sending the pictures off to their friends back home. With the young fans gone, Josh turned his eyes on her and smiled as he closed the remaining distance between them.
Thanks to the media and her cousin, she knew all about Josh’s well-earned reputation. Except for one long-term relationship a few years ago, he bounced from one woman to another like a tennis ball going over a net. Sometimes he’d spend a Friday night with a model and then wake up Sunday morning with a well-known actress. Never in her life had she gone out with such a man.
Actually, she didn’t date much in general. When she did, the men were often individuals more interested in using their connection to her to further their careers or social standings. Even if her romantic life wasn’t so pathetic, she knew a man like Josh, who couldn’t commit for more than a night, wasn’t the type she wanted to waste her time on. Or at least usually she wouldn’t want to waste her time on.
Lately, she found herself bored and frustrated. For the past couple of years, she’d been watching her family members find the one. Not only hadn’t she found the one, but she hadn’t even been out with anyone in over eight months. While inviting Josh Williamson back to her suite wouldn’t get her any closer to finding someone she might spend her life with, it would make her vacation a little more exciting. And much like sex, excitement was another thing her life lacked. Unlike her younger sister, Courtney was the queen of predictability and responsibility. This afternoon, though, her sister’s voice insisting there was nothing wrong with having fun as long as you were responsible came through loud and clear. Unfortunately, she’d also heard her cousin Trent telling her to stay as far away from his friend as possible—something she found amusing, considering how similar his behavior had once been to Josh’s.
By the pool, she almost suggested they have dinner in her suite but in the end decided to err on the side of caution. Right now she wished she hadn’t.
“Hey. You look beautiful. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.” He kissed her cheek.
Around them, fans snapped pictures and called out his name. She was used to professional photographers taking her picture if they spotted her with her sister or a cousin. She wasn’t used to random people whipping out their cell phones and snapping photos though.
“No, I just got here.”
Josh placed his hand on her back. The warmth from it seeped into her bare skin, then spread like a wildfire, making her wish he had more than just his hand pressed against her body.
“Did you have any trouble getting us a reservation?” he asked as they started walking.
When your family owned the entire hotel complex, getting a reservation for dinner was never a problem. “Nope, we’re all set.”
Although she was no stranger to the French restaurant, the maître d’ didn’t recognize her when they entered. “Good evening and welcome to Mistral. Do you have a reservation this evening?”
“It should be under Courtney Belmont.” She intentionally hadn’t given Josh her full name up by the pool. For once in her life, she’d wanted to know the man across the table from her wasn’t there only because of who made up her family tree.
“The table you requested, Ms. Belmont, is ready. If you’ll please follow me.”
Another perk of being a part of the Sherbrooke family, not only could she get a reservation at any restaurant she desired, she could get the exact spot she wanted in the place. If she’d been with almost anyone else, she wouldn’t have cared where they sat. Tonight she’d rather not have a repeat of when they’d been near the pool and fans thought nothing of intruding on them and requesting an autograph or picture.
The maître d’ pulled out a chair and waited for Courtney to sit before handing her a large leather-bound menu. “Enjoy your meal. If you require anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Across the table, Josh studied her, and she could see the gears turning in his head. By the pool, he’d asked if they’d met because she looked familiar. When she told him no, she hadn’t been lying since they’d never been introduced. However, he’d attended her cousin Trent’s wedding, so it wasn’t like she only knew him because he appeared in Hollywood blockbusters.
“Are you related to Scott Belmont and Trent Sherbrooke?” he asked once they were alone.
After tonight, they might never see each other again, so if she lied, he would never know the difference. On too many occasions, though, she’d seen how what seemed like a simple lie could backfire on you in the long run.
“Guilty as charged. Trent’s my cousin, and Scott is my brother.”
“Explains why you look so familiar. I must have seen you at Trent and Addie’s wedding. Still cannot believe he’s not only married but a father.”
You’re not the only one. Courtney adored her cousin, but—at least until he met his wife—she’d never thought of him as husband and father material. Despite her previous beliefs, she’d never seen him happier.
“I read your brother married the woman who bought him at the bachelor auction.” Josh picked up his menu and opened it. “Once they went out on their four dates, my brother couldn’t get rid of the woman who bought him at the auction.”
She’d attended the event but didn’t remember who’d claimed his brother Evan on stage.
“Not only did she call him for months, but she’d randomly show up at his condo.”
Now she really wished she remembered who’d won Evan that night. When she returned home, she might need to look up the information. “Is she still bothering him?” Courtney glanced at the entrées listed to see if there were any new additions since her last visit.
“Evan hasn’t heard from her in about four months. I’m hoping it stays that way. The calls and visits were getting to his girlfriend.”
“I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t like it either.”
“Does the foundation plan to hold the event again? It sounded like it was a huge success.”
There was no denying the auction had been a big moneymaker for the foundation. However, she had mixed feelings about the idea of someone buying dates with an individual. “The foundation hasn’t decided yet. If we do, are you interested in taking part?” Smiling, she set aside her menu. “Because if you are, I can put in a good word for you.”
“No, I’m all set, but thanks for thinking of me.”
“If you change your mind, just let me know. Who knows, you might end up like my brother and meet your future wife.”
Before they could continue, their waitress arrived to take their order. Although the woman remained professional and didn’t request an autograph or a photo, it was easy to see she not only knew who Josh was but was also a fan.
Josh waited until they were alone to speak again. “Is the new job you’re starting in Providence at the foundation?”
She nodded. “Mom has wanted me to join her for a few years. When Rose stepped down as chief development officer, Mom asked me to take over the position. I’m looking forward to it when I get home.”
Josh’s ears were still ringing from the loud music inside the club when they entered the nearly deserted lobby holding hands. His ears weren’t the only part of his body suffering. After watching Courtney’s body move for the past few hours, he was well past ready to feel her move underneath him, or over him for that matter. Since he didn’t know in which part of the resort she was staying, he stopped where he’d met her earlier in the evening and said a silent thank-you there were not any fans around. They’d made it through dinner with no interruptions. Thanks to the mass of people inside and the lighting, he’d gone mostly unnoticed in the club as well.
“My body is still on East Coast time, so I should be tired, but I’m not,” Courtney said as she moved so they were facing each other. She placed her hand on his chest and played with a button on his shirt as she raked her teeth across her bottom lip. “Do you want to come upstairs for a drink or dessert?”
There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, suggesting she didn’t a
sk men back to her hotel room on a regular basis. He didn’t know why she was doing it now, but he wasn’t going to turn down her offer. Josh moved in closer and placed his hands on her waist before he lowered his lips toward hers but stopped before he made contact.
“Love to.” Josh brushed his lips across hers and reminded himself they were still in a public place. While the lobby wasn’t busy like it had been earlier, there were still guests strolling through. He didn’t care if he showed up on the cover of Today Magazine making out with a woman. It had happened before, and it would happen again. But the little he’d learned about Courtney so far told him she would. He wasn’t a saint, but he never intentionally did something to make someone else uncomfortable.
When he ended the kiss, she reached for his hand and led him through the lobby, past one of the outdoor pools, and to the Hokulani Tower. Whenever possible, he reserved a room in that part of the resort as well. On this trip, he’d snagged the Kauoaeo Suite on the twelfth floor. Rather than lead him to one of the three elevators situated just inside the building, Courtney turned the corner and stopped at a single elevator. After she entered her access code, the door opened. Unlike the one he rode down in earlier, this elevator only accessed the top two floors of the tower and the rooftop.
He waited until the doors closed before pulling her close and bringing his lips down on hers. Unlike in the lobby, he moved his mouth over hers, urging her to open for him. Courtney didn’t keep him waiting long, and when her lips parted, he thrust his tongue inside. At the same time, her hands inched down his back. They stopped for a moment when they reached his waist as if she was trying to make a decision. Then she moved them lower until they settled on his ass. Immediately other parts of his body took notice. He thought he’d been uncomfortable before. Now the word took on a whole new meaning.
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 2
