Part Of The Deal: The Brides Of Sugar Cove

by Lakewood, Anna

  Chapter 2

  This wasn’t the first time Lucas had caused a woman to blush. Ever since he was sixteen he’d been labeled by his family and the tabloids alike as a playboy. Always going to wild parties, dropping out of high school, dragging different women home each night to his billionaire bachelor pad. The media followed him relentlessly.

  Although the majority of his family disparaged him for his actions during his tumultuous youth, in the tough times after the drugs had worn off and the women had left, he liked to remember what his father had always told him. Don’t look at life through situations, son. Look at life through opportunities. And though his father was long gone, that piece of advice lingered with Lucas even after his partying days had come to an end.

  However, even though Lucas took those rough days of his youth and turned them around, his family still had their doubts about him. The tabloids also focused on every blip of wrong he did in his sea of good actions.

  While the rest of his family slowly warmed up to the new Lucas, his grandmother, Marilyn Alexander, the owner and inheritor of the Alexander family real estate fortune, did not accept him into the family for years. It was only at his mother’s persistent urging that Lucas had really changed that his grandmother had begun to speak to him again. After finally being accepted by his grandmother, everything in Lucas's life felt like it was turning around, and for the first time, he felt like he really could have it all.

  That was why, after rebuilding such a strong and loving relationship with his family, Lucas was stunned when his grandmother called him one blustery afternoon last February and told him she had added an important stipulation to her will. The will in which he was to inherit a third of her wealth, riches, and property, along with his mother and sister, Fawn. Now, because Lucas's grandmother thought he might squander the hard-earned Alexander money by gambling and partying, he must be married in order for him to inherit any of her money at all.

  “But Grandmother,” Lucas had cried, tears pricking his blue eyes and his stomach tying bows with his despair, “I’ve never even been in a real relationship—in love even. What if I never find her, what will happen then?”

  “Oh stop this blubbering at once Lucas," Marilyn had replied to her grandson. "You are a grown man and until you act like an adult, I will not have you wasting this money on your bachelor lifestyle.”

  That had been it. She had said her piece and hung up the phone, taking away the one thing Lucas had been sure of since his childhood. The one thing that would have allowed Lucas to rise above his peers and successfully escalate the business he’d worked so hard for over the past few years.

  So when this hired hula girl spilled a Piña Colada on the expensive new shirt Lucas had specifically bought for his grandmother’s Hawaiian themed birthday party, he fuss. Rather, Lucas viewed it, like his father would have done, as an opportunity.

  He looked down at the stumbling, wordless woman in front of him with abject pity. But instead of pity, Lucas felt something much stronger. Something that he hadn’t felt in months—attraction. When the woman's gaze finally met his, Lucas was confronted with the most beautiful sea green eyes that he’d seen on the island. Her fair, olive complexion complemented her long, brown hair. The ridiculous hula girl outfit exquisitely draped across her petite body was just a plus to her already extraordinary beauty.

  She was definitely the most beautiful girl he had seen on his trip so far. Though she was the one blushing, Lucas felt inklings deep within his stomach that this girl was special, but his brain was on quite another path. Sure this girl may be beautiful, but the way she’d already begun trying to clean up her mess and profusely apologized reminded him of something. Something his grandmother would like very much.

  “Oh my gosh sir, I am so, so sorry about that.” Eve finally spoke after the longest minute of her life. Her mind screamed at her to get past Lucas's splendor and to apologize before Mr. Keko saw anything and fired her.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Lucas said nonchalantly. He had already decided when he saw her eyes that he’d rather buy another shirt than lose the opportunity of finding out exactly who this mysterious girl was.

  “No, I am so sorry. Please, let me get you another shirt. I’m sure I can—" Eve instinctively moved her quivering hand up to touch his shirt, but at the sight of his bare chest against the wet, white, fabric, she pulled it back instantly. The fire within her cheeks rose once again.

  “It’s okay. I have other shirts.” Lucas leaned over to help her pick up the drink tray, which Eve in her nervous giddy had completely forgotten about. “Here’s your tray, Miss … Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name?” The old Lucas would have been ashamed that he had not caught her name until name. But this was the new Lucas, and he had a feeling this was the type of girl that wouldn’t go his old pick up lines.

  “No, sir, I insist on getting you another shirt,” Eve said hurriedly. She hadn’t even noticed Lucas’ attempt to get her name.

  “Really, it’s—" Before Lucas could say anything more, trying in vain to convince her that everything was fine, the woman was gone.

  To Eve, the incident had been more than just an unfortunate accident. This was her livelihood and her father's survival at stake. She hoped that one stained satin shirt wouldn't cost her this job. She didn’t want to speculate how much Lucas's shirt had cost, but if he was staying here, then it was likely that his clothes were worth more than she made a month.

  Running through the crowd of tourists in a straw skirt that seemed to get shorter with every leap she took and the lei that jiggled precariously between her chest, Eve had no time to be self-conscious about her uniform. Without even a glance back, she had made it into the maids’ quarters, and she grabbed the only thing she found that might fit. A sky blue V-neck in one of the open lockers.

  Eve ran back to Lucas in record time, but that didn’t stop him from worrying that she had left for good. When Lucas saw her running through the crowd clutching a blue piece of fabric in her hand, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

  “I found this,” Eve said breathlessly as she stopped before him, “if you change in the back I can have your shirt dry cleaned right away.” She was mumbling and tripping over her words, babbling with a nervousness that was almost endearing.

  “It’s fine. There’s no need to have it dry-cleaned.”

  “Please sir, I insist,” Eve responded.

  “Only if you stop calling me sir. My name’s Lucas Alexander, and yours?” Lucas waited anxiously.

  “Okay, Mr. Alexander, but I really do insist.” For a moment Eve had thought about calling him Lucas. He was around her age, but he was a guest.

  “Alright,” Lucas said, still smiling. Playing off of her obvious discomfort, he brushed her hand slightly as he grabbed the clean shirt. He pulled his shirt off in one swift motion and lingered there bare-chested for a minute.

  Eve wasn’t expecting Lucas to remove his shirt right in front of her. His carved, muscled chest, stared back at her. She tried to look away, and to be professional and polite, but she couldn’t. Eve couldn't move until Lucas slowly pulled the other shirt over his tousled locks. When he finally put on his new shirt, Eve took the opportunity to say her goodbyes and leave again.

  Chapter 3

  Before Eve knew it, she was back in the comfort of the hotel basement, hopelessly out of breath. She instinctively sat on the edge of the bench near her locker. Her long and lean legs stretched out in front of her, and her elbows rested gently on her thighs. Eve knew she should be thinking about how to compose herself enough to continue working the luau, or how she could explain to Mr. Keko what had happened without getting herself fired. But she wasn’t thinking of that at all. Every time Eve closed her eyes, she pictured Lucas, his chiseled chest, and deep blue eyes. How would it feel to run her fingers through his light wavy hair?

  “Snap out of it.” Eve scolded herself. She figured the only thing she could do now was pretend nothing had ever happened and try to avoid b
oth Lucas and Mr. Keko.

  Eve cautiously returned to the party and grabbed a new tray from the bar. She swiftly decided to pick up a plate of coconut cream puffs instead of anything that could spill again. The cold glassed in front of her reminded Eve of her mistake. If she could keep her mind focused enough, and stay invisible, she could make it home and forget this had ever happened.

  Rather than sauntering about like the other hula girls, Eve walked around small groups of people offering them the little desserts on her tray. She attempted to blend in as much as she could in her skimpy frock.

  When the night was almost over, Eve noticed a man out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her. Eve didn’t have to look closely to know who it was. She caught the brown sheen of Lucas’ shoes, and that was enough for her stomach to drop in anxious worry.

  Trying to move out of Lucas’ line of sight, Eve continued serving guests as usual. Why was this man going to notify her boss of what had happened? Eve speculated while twirling around with her tray and joining the throng of other hula girls in dance. It was a senseless effort to distract herself from the man staring at her.

  Maybe Lucas was here for a night of drunken debauchery? So many of the male guests had bragged about the bachelor lifestyle to her and Hani while they were cleaning the sundeck or the hot tub. Lucas didn’t seem like that, though. He hadn’t drunk a lot and Eve hadn't noticed him flirting with any women. Maybe he was here on business? Eve imagined Lucas in a tight, fitted suit, and it sent shivers down her back.

  Mr. Keko moved from his usual spot on the dock. He eyed Eve as he approached her with a disappointed look on his face. The rotten smell of fish had reached Eve before the small, round man reached her himself.

  “Eve!” Mr. Keko's slightly accented, booming voice called her. Eve was immediately knocked from her daydream and into the drag of reality.

  “Mr. Keko, aloha,” Eve responded. She was tried to remain calm hoping that Mr. Keko didn’t know about what had happened. But his cheeks were red.

  “I heard you couldn't even carry drinks around without spilling them on our guests.” It was the tone Mr. Keko used that made Eve’s skin crawl. He always talked to the staff as if they were all idiots.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Keko. It was an accident.” Eve wanted to say more, to somehow fight for her job but knew whatever she said Mr. Keko would claim that she was disrespectful.

  “I don’t care how sorry you are. Do you know who you so carelessly spilled drinks on?”

  “Mr. Alexander, I believe.” Eve knew his full name but didn’t want Mr. Keko to know that she’d be thinking about him.

  “His name is Lucas Alexander, and he is a V.I.P. guest," Mr. Keko responded. "Have you ever heard of the Alexander family, Eve?"

  “No, sir, I don’t think I have.” Eve was genuinely curious.

  “He's an heir to the Alexander real estate fortune," Mr. Keko continued.

  Eve was shocked. Her green eyes widened, and she felt like she might pass out. Lucas was part of the Alexander family, the one she always read about in the news. She couldn’t believe it. This was even worse than she'd thought.

  "I'm very sorry, sir," Eve said again.

  “You know I can suspend you for this. I can cut your work hours in half or even fire you. You are in some serious trouble, Eve.”

  “Please don't fire me, Mr. Keko.” Eve felt the prickling of tears rush into her eyes. Her lip quivered with every word she uttered. “I need this job. I swear I will make it up to you."

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I overheard you two talking." Lucas stepped forward, and Mr. Keko graciously bowed. "I just wanted to say that Eve here offered me a new shirt. She handled herself very professionally. Not to mention, the whole ordeal was an accident.” Lucas had heard the entire conversation, and he had been waiting for the right time to cut in.

  “I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Alexander. Nothing of this sort will ever happen again. I can assure you of that.” Mr. Keko sputtered, a look of obvious embarrassment crossing his face.

  “I hope you don't plan on firing Eve. I'd be forced to send a complaint to your superior.” Lucas aimed his words at Mr. Keko, but he couldn’t stop staring at Eve."

  “That won't be an issue, Mr. Alexander. Eve, we will discuss this later." Mr. Keko hobbled away.

  After what felt like hours for Eve, she finally looked up at Lucas. She wiped her eyes with her knuckle, furiously hoping that none of her mascara had run down her cheek. She did her best to hide the fact that she had been crying, but it was difficult. Eve's job at the resort meant so much to her. The money it brought in meant so much to her.

  “Thank you,” Eve said quietly. She started to turn away, but Lucas placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Do you know how long I waited to learn your name?” Lucas's eyes glittered in the red-orange Hawaiian sunset.

  Eve felt herself swooning, but tried to stop herself from falling for his charm. She made direct eye contact with him for the first time all night and was pleased to see that Lucas, too, was blushing.

  Chapter 4

  “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Alexander, but I have to keep working the luau." Eve tried once again to forget the silly school girl attraction she had been harboring all night for Lucas.

  “Please, call me Lucas,” he said as his lips swerved into his signature playboy smirk. He hadn’t hit on someone he liked for quite some time.

  “Okay,” Eve said stiffly. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but also couldn’t risk getting fired.

  “Before you go, Eve, can I ask you a favor?” Lucas maintained eye contact that Eve had to avoid if she didn’t want to melt into his forgiving hands.

  Here it comes, Eve thought. Lucas was just being nice to get some extra towels or to get in a good word with the five-star chef. Maybe he just wanted some exclusive time on the sunroof so he could meet with his female conquests in private? It was always something the male guests wanted from her.

  “I was wondering if you’d be my date to my grandmother's birthday party tomorrow,” Lucas said.

  Eve was stunned. This was not at all what she was expecting. She stood there looking at him. His good looks and his charm seemed to falter quickly under her questioning eye. Was this really happening? Did this billionaire just ask Eve on a date? As much as she wanted to accept, Eve had to think of her job and her sick father.

  “That's probably not a good idea,” Eve replied shyly.

  “Why is that?” Lucas shot back with a grin. He wouldn’t let her go that easy.

  “Well, if Mr. Keko found out, he’d fire me. You saw how he is.”

  “Yeah, what a jerk," Lucas agreed. "I’m sorry you have to put up with that. But I don't think you would lose your job over one little date.”

  Eve was flattered by Lucas's persistence. She watched the subtle breeze from the ocean ruffle his hair and the ill-fitting shirt she had given him earlier. She hadn’t realized until now how tall he was. He towered over her small frame, his toned body lingering in the air before her. Eve was only eye-level with his chest.

  “I really need my job,” Eve replied. “My dad is sick, and I can’t risk losing the money for his medical expenses. The Grand Luana Resort pays much better than all the other hotels around here.” She surprised herself with how much information she’d blurted out. Only Mr. Keko and Hani knew her unfortunate situation.

  “I'm sorry to hear that.” Lucas’s eyes met hers. He knew instinctively that Eve's desperation was the perfect opportunity to entice her into agreeing. He had to fool his grandmother and his family into thinking he was in a real relationship. Lucas needed a date no matter the cost and he needed Eve.

  “I can take care of your father's bills if you agree to one date.” Lucas paused, already regretting using her father against her. He looked at her long, brown hair that framed her face in the breeze. He studied the way her small hand reached up to clear any strays from her eyes.

  “I couldn’t accept that,” Eve said automat
ically. But she couldn’t help but think of how much that would help her and her father. Lucas's offer seemed a bit sketchy to Eve, but she secretly longed to know what Lucas was about, and why inviting her to a family event was so important.

  “Okay, here's the truth." Lucas cleared his throat. "My family, especially my grandmother, doesn't think I’m capable of dating a decent woman with morals. You seem nice and respectable, and I’ll make sure you are paid for your trouble.” Lucas didn’t want to beg, or tell her more than she needed to know about his situation with his grandmother. But the more he looked at her, the more Lucas knew Eve would be perfect.

  “We're talking about one party, right?" Eve stated firmly. “There would be nothing else. Just the party, and that’s it? I don’t want you to think that this is some type of—“

  “Oh, of course not,” Lucas quickly interrupted, knowing exactly what Eve was getting at. Eve blushed a little at her mistake. “Nothing extra. No sex. Just the party and that’s it.”

  Eve pretended to think about it for a moment, but she knew she had to agree. If Lucas was telling the truth and he would give her the money she needed, she would be a fool not to accept. Eve needed the money, not to mention Lucas intrigued her greatly.

  “Alright, I'll do it,” Eve replied, smiling up at him.

  But when he took down her number, Eve felt queasy. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a bad idea. Lucas grabbed her hand and shook it. His rough skin rubbed against her smooth palm. A sharp jolt of electricity rounded her body and excitement bubbled under the surface of her skin. Eve knew that her attraction to Lucas would eventually get her into trouble.