by Rhea Wilde
“Oh, now you don’t have to lie to me, Rafael,” she said to him. “I thought my brother told you that kissing either one of our asses wasn’t necessary.”
“I know. But you still enjoy it.”
“Ah, that I do.”
The two of them giggled with one another. Rafael pulled her seat out for her before taking his place next to her. I looked at the two of them curiously.
Who is she? Why are they being so friendly?
Rafael turned away from me and looked at me from across the table. The smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a look of surprise.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “I want you to meet the other intern I hired. Cheryl, this is Alice Pratt. Alice, this is Cheryl Santana. She’s Harry’s sister.”
“Hi,” she waved at me.
I waved back at her without saying another word. I was still trying to figure-out what was going on, if there was anything at all.
“Wow,” she said. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. You actually hired a woman and put her in a position so she could do some real work.”
“Alice is intelligent and hard-working,” Rafael explained to her. “She’s done a lot for me already but I know that she hasn’t tapped her potential yet. She’s the future of the company.”
“And she’s beautiful, too. It’s nice to know that your taste is improving.”
“My taste isn’t improving. It’s always been good.”
“Let’s just agree that it’s not getting any worse.”
The two of them laughed with one another. The way they interacted was just as friendly as it was with Harold, if not more so. I turned my attention to my dinner to avoid staring at the two of them. I didn’t know what I was feeling but I was doing everything I could to ignore it.
“So, tell me, something,” she said. “All of you. What’s it like working for a man like Rafael, hmm?”
“I can’t complain,” Wesley shrugged. “The guy seems like he knows what he’s doing. Hey, if you bring me out to Hawaii, I’ll work as hard as you need me to.”
Cheryl laughed at his response. Rafael nodded his head while he enjoyed his food.
“And you?” she asked Travis.
“Rafael does have some unorthodox methods,” Travis said. “But nothing that I can disagree with. He seems to be running his company just fine.”
“But how is he as a boss?”
“He gets the job done. He does what’s appropriate for a company that’s worth as much as it is.”
“I see,” she nodded. “And how about you, Alice? How is Rafael treating you?”
I shifted my eyes up from my food and looked back at her. Her eyes were wide with curiosity. There was a smile at the corner of her mouth as she waited for my response. I glanced over at Rafael and he stared at me for just a second before shoving more food through the smile on his face.
“Alice?” she asked me.
“…Um, he’s great,” I said, trying my best not to say the wrong thing. “He’s… a great boss. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“A great boss,” she nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The two of them looked at one another and smiled. I felt just as curious as I did moments ago. I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask the both of them but I knew that now was definitely not the time. Instead, I looked at my dinner and distracted myself with my food.
Even though I was sitting at the table, I suddenly felt alone. Travis and Wesley listened intently to the stories that Harold was telling them but I had trouble paying attention. Rafael and Cheryl spoke to one another like friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages. They laughed and joked while I sat across from the two of them and watched. She would playfully feed him some of the food on her fork then wiped the mess she made on his face with her napkin.
I knew better but I couldn’t help myself. The entire picture in front of me was upsetting me. I was chewing so hard on my food and grinding my teeth that my head was starting to throb.
They’re just friends. So what? What does it matter, anyway? It’s not like he’s your boyfriend. This doesn’t change your relationship with him.
I tried to reason with myself. I was reading too much into every little interaction they were making. Every time I was convinced that there was nothing between them, I had to tell myself that I shouldn’t even care in the first place.
I spent the entire time cleaning my plate with disdain. I could only watch Cheryl feed Rafael his dessert for so long. It felt like an eternity before dinner finally ended. Thankfully, it was over.
“The conference starts in the afternoon tomorrow,” Rafael said to Wesley, Travis and me. “There are a few workshops that I want you guys to attend. That’s the only agenda for tomorrow. After that, I suppose you’ll have the rest of the day to yourselves.”
I nodded along with my fellow interns. The music in the ballroom started to play and people began to empty onto the once barren dance floor. Cheryl leapt out of her chair and held her hand out to Rafael.
“Come on,” she said. “Dance with me.”
Rafael didn’t waste any time in responding. They were quickly out on the floor. She put her arms around his shoulders and just like that, the two of them were dancing to the relaxing rhythm of the song.
“How about you, Alice?” Wesley suddenly said to me.
“What?” I said, unable to take my eyes off of Rafael and Cheryl.
“Do you want to dance, Alice? What do you say?”
I finally turned my attention to him. I would have obliged Wesley in any other situation but I didn’t feel like it at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I searched for an excuse. “I actually think I’m just going to head back to my room now.”
“What? But it’s still early.”
“I know. I… I’ve got a headache. I think it was something I ate. That and the jet lag.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, you should probably get some rest then.”
I excused myself from the table and said good night to everybody. I told Harold it was a pleasure meeting him once again and he joked that I didn’t have to lie to him. I let out a half-hearted chuckle before making my way out of the ballroom. Before I left, I turned around and watched Rafael dance with Cheryl one last time. He was smiling as he looked down into her eyes. His gaze was locked upon hers. I was waiting for him to look up at me before I left but he didn’t. There was no point in waiting any longer, so I turned around and headed to my room.
Chapter 9
I slept better than I thought I would. Even though I had a lot of things running through my head, the comforts of my hotel room were enough to distract me. I had a gorgeous view of the beach and the weather was so nice that I could sleep with my window open. Sleeping wasn’t the problem though.
As I sat in on one of the workshops, it was just like Rafael had promised. I listened to the presentation from a man who owned a large and successful financial business. I didn’t take notes and there wasn’t an exam at the end but it was like being in school all over again. The only difference was that this was mandatory. It was at this time that I finally let my thoughts begin to wander.
I couldn’t get the image of Rafael dancing with Cheryl out of my head. I had seen him dance with other women before but this was different. There was more than just a friendly rapport between them. They had a past. That much was obvious. And no matter what I did, the feelings I wasn’t sure I had for Rafael were enough to make me feel uncomfortable at the thought that something might be happening between the two of them. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know what to think. I was left looking for answers at a time when I had to pay attention.
The workshops couldn’t come to an end soon enough. I was grateful that I didn’t have to endure it alone, as Wesley and Travis were there to learn more about successful business and marketing along with me. The presentations we witnessed lasted so long that we only had time for a few brea
ks to get something to eat. By the time everything was finally over, the sun had gone down and it was another night in Maui.
“I’m glad that’s over,” Wesley sighed. “Now we can finally have some fun.”
“Fun?” I asked.
“Yeah. There’s nothing else on the agenda. At least, not for tonight. I know that there are some other presentations Mr. Barnett wants us to attend but I think we’ve got the whole night to ourselves.”
“I do believe that is all Mr. Barnett asked of us for today,” Travis pointed out.
“That was worse than sitting around in the office,” I muttered.
The three of us laughed. They shared my sentiments. Even though it was over, I still found myself alone with my thoughts and nothing better to do. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what was next.
“All right,” Wesley said as he worked a smile onto his face. “It’s time to do it. Finally.”
“Do it?”
“Yeah. Let’s go hit the beach. I can’t wait to get into the water.”
“But it’s already late.”
“What does that matter? There are people still out there. The water is calling out to us. The weather is still warm. We’re not back home, Alice. The beach doesn’t close like a club or a bar.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. Besides, I hear there are some things going on out there. Non-Business Conference things. It should be fun. We have the agenda for everything. If our boss wants to scold us, he can do it in the morning.”
“Speaking of our boss, have either of you seen him?”
I asked them about Rafael’s whereabouts, curious to know if they had any clue what he was up to at this moment. They both shook their heads and shrugged.
“I haven’t seen him since last night,” Wesley said. “He spent the entire time with Cheryl. He seems to know a lot of people around here.”
“He does,” Travis added. “I’d just assume he was getting his work done.”
They didn’t have the answers I was looking for. I felt more uneasy thinking about what he could be up to or who he was with at this moment.
“Forget about him though,” Wesley interjected my moment to myself. “If he wants to talk to us, he’ll find us out on the beach. What do you say, Alice? Meet us down here in thirty minutes?”
Wesley’s enthusiasm was infectious. His body was almost shaking with anticipation of finally getting to enjoy the surf and sand. He was so eager to get out there that I couldn’t refuse.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll change into something more appropriate and be back.”
“Great! Come on, Travis. You need to go, too. I need someone to stand next to so I look better in comparison.”
Wesley raced toward the elevator and headed toward his room. Travis rolled his eyes then headed back to his own room.
When I got to my room, I sorted through my things. My luggage wasn’t completely unpacked as I was too lazy to take everything out. I stripped out of the pair of slacks and dress shirt I sat around in all day then fingered through all of the swimsuits I just purchased with Danica. One of them was a tiny and revealing black thong bikini. I held it up in the air and examined it for a moment.
“Maybe they won’t notice,” I said to myself. “It is kind of dark out there…”
I shook my head and began to laugh before tossing the skimpy swimsuit to the side. I put on a more comfortable bikini and hopped into a small pair of shorts. A pair of flip-flops replaced the heels I usually wore then headed out to the beach for my first time on Hawaiian sand.
* * *
It only took a single step into the sand to decide that was enough. I pulled my feet free from my flip-flops and held them in my hand. The feeling of my toes digging into the sand was indescribable. I closed my eyes and took everything in. The smell of the salt water cleared all of the smog from the city that had built-up in my lungs. The sound of the waves crashing was a gentle beat better than anything I could hear on the radio. The night breeze was warm and relaxing as it blew against my skin. Seeing the beach was one thing. Feeling it was a completely different experience. From my head to my toes, I truly felt like I was so far away from home. And right now, there was no place I would rather be.
“Man, I’m going to move out here,” Wesley said, the enthusiasm in his voice louder than ever. “I’m going to fucking do it. I can’t leave this place.”
I opened my eyes and saw him holding his arms out to his sides. He spun around in the sand and began to attract the attention of some of the beachgoers. I started laughing at him but he didn’t care. He was lost in his own world. Travis wasn’t as amused but he seemed to be enjoying the beach in his own way.
“All right,” Travis interrupted Wesley’s through enjoyment of the sand beneath him. “Let’s see if we can find something to do.”
“We’re already doing something,” Wesley said. “We’re taking it in. We’re enjoying ourselves. We’re relaxing. Think about it. We’re on the beach and we’re on company time. This is the best job in the world!”
“Okay, okay…”
Travis walked up to his friend and finally got him to calm down. The two of them walked down the beach and I followed just behind them.
The scene was no different from the previous times I’d seen it. There were people relaxing on lounge chairs and towels. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them actually spent the entire night out here. Out in the ocean, there were people swimming and splashing in the water. There were even a few surfers still mesmerizing a small but captivated audience. All over the beach, groups of people surrounded various bonfires while they enjoyed one another’s company. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I felt comfortable with everybody around me. The jaded old men and women I was so accustomed to sitting around were replaced with a younger crowd just looking for a relaxing moment.
Wesley walked down the beach in nothing but a pair of board shorts. Travis wore the same thing, the only difference being a tank-top to cover himself up. The two of them were nothing to write home about but not that it mattered either way.
As we walked down the beach, the smell of food lingered in my nostrils. It reminded me that I hadn’t eaten dinner.
“We should get something to eat,” Wesley said as if reading my mind. “What do you think?”
“Sure. But I don’t think that food we’re smelling is for us.”
“Sure it is.”
Wesley held his head up to the air like a smell-hound and followed the scent. Even without the smell of the food, it was hard to miss. There was a place where everybody was gathering. The people sat around tables that had been set-up on the beach. Upon closer inspection, there was a long table with trays of food resting on it. I didn’t know what the occasion was but it was clear that they were celebrating something.
“All right,” Wesley said. “It looks like they’re having a barbecue. I say we join in.”
“Wait,” I grabbed his arm. “We don’t know any of these people.”
“Relax. This thing is being run by the hotel. See.”
He pointed at some hotel staff members that were busy catering to everybody lining-up for food. We eventually found out that the hotel held these barbecues on the beach on a regular basis. As we sat at our own table and enjoyed our dinner on the beach, I realized I was no longer thinking about Rafael or what he might be doing right now. I was just enjoying this moment, however it was I might classify it.
“I don’t know why you were so concerned,” Wesley said to me.
“What?” I exclaimed.
“This barbecue. We’re pampered in our offices. Before, during and after the board meetings. We’re completely catered to. I don’t see why this would be any different. Mr. Barnett is paying for everything. All we have to do is point at him and he’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t think that’s what he meant when he said all expenses paid,” Travis pointed-out to him.
“Oh, I think it is. If he’
s paying for the flight and the room, he can afford us taking food from the hotel.”
I laughed at Wesley’s logic. Travis shook his head at his friend like he usually did. The barbecue wasn’t like anything I ate in the city. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get anything like this back home. But having it prepared, cooked and eaten on the beach gave it a kind of authenticity I couldn’t describe. It was the complete opposite of the dinner I had last night. I was enjoying this much more and not just because I didn’t have to watch Cheryl feed Rafael the entire time. It felt like I was actually on vacation.
I looked around at the other people sitting next to us. They were just as young as us, if not younger. College coeds who looked like they were on an off-schedule spring break. It wasn’t that long ago when I was in college. It reminded me of what I was like just a few months ago. But I wasn’t in college any more. The classes and that lifestyle was something I had to put behind me. Wesley and Travis weren’t two guys I was on vacation with. Instead, they were colleagues. I almost felt out of place among everybody else.
“Alice.”
I shook my head and looked at Wesley.
“So, what do you think?” he asked me.
“What?”
“You weren’t listening to a word we were saying, were you?”
“No. I… I was just thinking. Sorry.”
“That’s all right. It’s easy to get lost in a place like this. Travis and I were just figuring out what to do for the rest of the night.”
“Oh…”
I turned away from Wesley and looked out toward the ocean. The waves in the water were hypnotizing. It accentuated an already beautiful night.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I’m sure something will come to us.”
“Yeah,” Wesley replied. “You’re probably right. To be honest with you, I’d be just fine doing nothing at all and just sitting in the sand.”
Nothing sounded better than Wesley’s suggestion. The last thing I wanted to do was be alone with my thoughts. But if I did it tonight, I would at least have the beach there to keep me company.
