There is a staff person available at every turn, not only to open doors, but also to hand you drinks, hand towels, and offer mini back rubs. Jane has never been to a place like this before, and had no idea such a thing actually existed except for in the movies.
“Madam?” a gentleman wearing an all-white suit says, putting his hand out to her. “Can I help you up the steps?”
Jane looks around and realizes that he is speaking to her. She takes his hand graciously and thanks him. Brad follows behind and feels so happy he can do this for her. He knows now that nobody else has ever noticed her or cared about her like this before.
They make it to the front desk. Jane isn’t sure what to say, so she looks to Brad to take the lead.
Before he can say a word, the front desk clerk says, “Hello, Mr. Halliwell. How are you doing today? It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you! I see we have you booked in for two rooms. Is that right?” he asks, checking to make sure, since Brad doesn’t usually do that, even if he has a lady friend with him.
“Yes, that is correct. One for myself and one for my friend, Jane Bryden,” Brad says without blinking an eye.
“Well, Ms. Bryden, if you could sign right here, I’ll give you the keys to the Coco Cabaña room.”
Jane’s hands are a bit shaky. She doesn’t want anyone to find out about her past or that she doesn’t know who she is or where she has come from. She’s not sure how to refer to Brad. She surely can’t say she’s the woman he’s paying a million dollars to spend the week with and decides ‘friend’ will have to do for now.
The front desk staff seems to know how to avoid asking too many questions.
“Well then, James will help you with your luggage and show you to your rooms,” says the desk clerk, motioning to the bellhop.
Brad walks beside Jane and puts his arm around her waist, clearly showing the world that she is with him, more intimately than as a friend.
He leans over and whispers in her ear, “I don’t want anyone else to get any big ideas about snatching you away from me, I hope you don’t mind.”
His warm breath sends tingles down her neck, and she smiles to show she likes having someone want to claim her as his own, as if there were others who would even want her.
She leans back and whispers in his ear, “I don’t mind one bit.”
Brad embraces her, pulling her even closer to him.
“Here is your room, Madam, the Coco Cabana,” says the bellhop, unlocking the door and opening it for her, then bringing her luggage inside.
Jane looks over to Brad. He reassures her that his room is the one right next door, called The Banana Sundae.
“Cute names,” Jane remarks.
“So, I’ll meet you at six p.m. down at the restaurant. It will probably only be us there, so we should have lots of privacy. Your first instruction is in the room on the bed. Sound good?”
Jane nods, then turns into her room, closing the door behind her.
The room is absolutely stunning—with mirrors along one wall, an open, private view of the sea where no one can look in, automatic fans that turn on and off based on the temperature of the space. A cold bottle of champagne sits chilling in a bucket on a nearby table with a plate of fine cheeses, and on the bed, as Brad promised, is a box with a note on it.
She goes over to it, and opens the note. It says, ‘A delicate piece for a delicate woman. Wear this under your dress tonight. We’ll have a surprise dip later.’
She opens the box, and inside is a beautiful, white bikini that will barely cover her parts.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she says out loud. “I’ve never worn a bikini in my life! I’m going to scare him away!”
She takes off her dress and starts putting on the bottom and then the top. The bottom has strings on the side and just covers her hair, barely. It might as well be a thong with the tiny amount of fabric on the back. The top covers her nipples and the bottom side of her breasts, but clearly shows her cleavage very openly. She could pop out at any minute.
How the heck does a gal swim in this?
She looks in the mirror and is shocked by what she sees.
“Wow! I didn’t even know I had a body that could fit into something like this,” she says as she examines her reflection in the mirror.
She turns around and actually likes what she sees. She always thought of herself as a boring beanpole who didn’t have much to her, but looking at herself now, she sees something different. She sees a woman who might have something a man would want.
“Well, Mr. Brad Halliwell, eat this,” she says to herself in the mirror, raising her eyebrow and pulling on the bikini bottoms to make them snap against her skin.
She puts on a cotton, turquoise dress Brad had waiting in the room on the bed. The dress is loose-fitting, and you can partially see the white bikini through it. Jane has never worn something so revealing before.
“A million dollars, eh?” she says to herself. “This guy must be some kind of pervert.”
She puts on the white sandal heels, checks her makeup and hair, and walks out the door toward the restaurant.
“Just for a week,” she says to herself, taking a deep breath in and out.
Chapter 20
Jane walks through the lobby and immediately heads begin to turn and look at her. She starts feeling self-conscious and unsure, wondering if she is looking inappropriate. She has to trust that Brad knows what he’s doing by making her wear this outfit.
“Good evening, Ms. Bryden. You are looking lovely,” says the front desk manager.
Jane isn’t sure if the man is just flattering her or if he actually means what he says.
“It’s the Helen Millar collection, isn’t it?” he adds.
Jane has no idea what he’s talking about, but he seems to be impressed. It must be some fancy fashion designer. She nods and agrees with him just to make him think she knows what he’s talking about.
“Mr. Halliwell is over there on the patio. Would you like me to escort you, Madam?” the front desk manager asks.
Jane sees Brad sitting at the table by himself. She wonders if he’s been alone most of his life, given how comfortable he looks sitting there. Jane can relate. She prefers to be by herself more than most people. In fact, most people scare her. She wonders if it’s the same for Brad, but probably not. He has to deal with high-powered people every single day.
“No, I think I will be fine on my own, thank you,” she responds gracefully. “Thank you.”
Jane musters up her courage to walk over to Brad. She feels so attracted to him—the way he sits, the dark color of his hair, the way he looks out at the sea.
He has a strength to him she has never seen before in a man. She feels herself getting nervous and turned on at the same time, the closer she gets to him. She feels moist in her bikini already, and can even smell a waft of her juices. The bottom is crawling up into her crotch and rubbing her in all the right places. She can barely stand it.
What she would love to do is walk right over to him, kiss him deeply, then sit on the table, spread her legs open, and lay back across the table so he can pull her bottoms off. She wants him to stroke all over her lady bits and slip his fingers inside of her until she screams with pleasure, not caring who is watching.
She wants him to rub his hands all over her belly while he unzips himself and undoes his belt, driving her wild while she waits for him to push his hard, bulging cock inside of her, fucking her deep and hard, holding her hips and pushing them back and forth while she feels him getting harder and harder, until he comes. Then she wants him to hold himself inside her while she settles down, saying he will never let her go.
She walks up to Brad, snapping herself out of her daze. He stands up and takes a step back.
“Wow, you look breathtaking.”
He stares at her body unapologetically.
Jane can see that Brad is getting a hard on. Her tits are still perky from her daydreaming, too. She can feel her heart racing a b
it faster, and she has no idea what to say other than just fuck me, Brad, right here and right now.
The server walks up behind them and pulls the chair out for Jane to sit down.
“Here you go, Madam,” he says respectfully.
Jane takes her seat and pulls it underneath her.
Brad sits down on his own and tries to get his composure back. He notices Jane’s hard nipples sticking out against the fabric and the cleavage showing through the dress. God, what he wouldn’t do to just reach over and suck on them, bite them, and make them even harder so she would get wetter underneath those bikini bottoms.
“Honestly, you look so sexy. You need to know that,” Brad says, unabashedly.
Jane blushes and looks down.
“Well, I have to say, I’ve never worn anything so revealing before. I am a bit uncomfortable.”
“Do you want to change? I don’t want you feeling awkward,” he says, feeling concerned.
Jane is touched he cares about how she’s feeling. Nobody ever has before.
“Oh no, really, don’t worry. I’m getting used to it, actually. It’s a whole other side of myself I never knew existed,” she says, smiling a bit coyly.
He loves when she does that. So innocent, yet she puts in a hint of sexiness when she talks. He loves how she curls her lips up to the side and then looks down bashfully.
He reaches over for her hand and says, “Please know that if ever you feel uncomfortable, I want to know. It is important to me that you feel good and safe with me always, okay?”
She nods, looking into his eyes as if for the first time. They have these blue rings around them, highlighting the green on the inside so there is a special intensity to them. Her grandmother would call them ‘bedroom eyes.’ They are that captivating.
“I promise,” she replies honestly.
“Good. So, shall we eat?” he says.
Jane looks around the restaurant and notices that no one else has come to sit for dinner.
“Is the kitchen even open?” she asks. “We are the only ones here.”
Brad calmly replies, “Why yes, it is. I made sure we would be the only ones. I wanted to have my first dinner with you alone.”
Jane looks around, surprised and flattered. He must have paid the restaurant for the amount they would have made if they had more guests.
“Oh wow, okay. So this is what it’s like to be out with you,” remarks Jane. “I can handle that,” she jokes.
The server comes to the table with a bottle of cold Chardonnay and starts pouring the wine. Jane asks him for the menu.
“Mr. Halliwell has already ordered for you both. Lobster with asparagus tops and artichoke salad drizzled with a fine wine rosemary dressing. Would that suffice for you, Madam?”
Jane is not sure how she feels about him ordering for her, but she can’t refuse this kind of meal. She’s never had lobster before, but she absolutely loves asparagus and artichokes. She wonders how he knew that or if it was a lucky guess.
“Um, yes, that sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
Jane looks at Brad in amazement and also with some suspicion.
“How did you…?” she begins but doesn’t want to come across as rude. “Asparagus and Artichoke hearts are my favorite. I had them for the first time when I came to New York.”
Brad smiles and says, “Well, my personal assistant did some research. She spoke with your ballet instructor and asked a few questions.”
That made sense to Jane and it set her heart at ease.
“Cheers,” Brad said, lifting his glass. “Here’s to a delightful evening together.”
Chapter 21
The whole beach is dark, the stars are out, and there is a light breeze that reminds Jane of her summer nights in Utah, except for the sound of water in the background and the taste of salt air. The patio lanterns flicker and Brad and Jane laugh about silly things. They finish the bottle of wine and share a crème brulee. Life tastes so good right now.
“What’s your favorite color? What was your most embarrassing moment? Who was your first kiss?” Jane asks Brad.
At the last question, Brad clams up. He remembers Kelly and how it felt when they kissed for the first time. They were at the ice cream store and were sitting outside on a summer night, kind of like this night. She was eating chocolate mint ice cream, and he had pralines and cream.
She’d had a dab of ice cream on her chin and he leaned over to lick it off. Then he moved up to her lips. His heart jumped through his chest and he felt so excited and in love with her in that moment. He wanted to kiss her forever.
“You don’t have to tell me who your first kiss was, if you don’t want to,” says Jane.
“Oh, no, it was a really good memory, that’s all,” replies Brad.
“Aww… that’s so sweet. Not many guys I’ve met describe it that way.”
“Well, honestly, it was a special woman named Kelly. She was my first and only love. We were having ice cream together and she dribbled some on her chin.”
“And let me guess, you moved over and licked her chin and then kissed her,” anticipates Jane.
“Well yes, that’s exactly what happened,” Brad says with a glint in his eye, feeling like someone finally understands what’s in his heart.
“Wow Brad, you’ve never been in love since then?” Jane says, surprised. “I would have thought you’d have had the chance to meet any woman in the world.
Brad doesn’t say anything and Jane realizes how lonely he has been.
“Well, you know, I’ve never been in love before. You know what they say, it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” Jane says, trying to lighten up the conversation. “I can’t imagine how wonderful that must have been for you.”
Brad isn’t sure how to respond. He doesn’t want Jane to think he is still obsessed with Kelly, and wants to make sure she feels special in her own right, and not like a replacement. This had happened with a few of his dates in the past and had turned into a nightmare.
“It’s true, I did love her, and I am lucky I had a chance to love. Nothing else seems to satisfy me, so I know what I’m looking for now. True love,” Brad shares with sincerity.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Jane is impressed, but doesn’t put the pieces together that this is what he’s hoping to have with her. She doesn’t want to pry any further.
“Hey, do you want go for a late-night swim?” Brad asks playfully, reaching out his hand to take hers. “We don’t want to waste that bikini.”
Jane reaches back and they head down to the beach, Brad holding Jane’s sandals as they walk barefoot together, hand-in-hand.
“Tag, you’re it,” Brad says, touching her on the back and running toward the sea. Jane chases after him, stripping off her dress, her white bikini shining in the middle of the night.
Brad splashes into the water first, then dunks his head under before coming back up. He sees Jane running toward him, kind of awkwardly with her spindly legs and straight waistline. She looks so innocent and beautiful. He could play with her body forever. How he’d love to go up to her and kiss that belly button, grab her by the hips, and lick her all over.
“Betcha can’t catch me,” Brad screams out. Jane runs toward him and falls right into the water. He swims over before she can catch a breath and lifts her up into his arms, then spins her around.
Jane waves her arms and legs, laughing, “Let me go! Let me go!”
“Not until you say the magic word,” says Brad.
“Please! Pretty please with a cherry on top!” screams Jane.
“Nope, that’s not the magic word!”
“Magic?”
“Nope.”
“Lobster?”
“Nope, that’s silly.”
“Ugh, I give up,” Jane resigns.
“Well then, I’ll have to hold you forever,” Brad replies.
“Well, that wouldn’t be so bad,” Jane says smiling. “But eventually you’ll get tired.”
“The word is kiss,” Brad says, holding her tighter to him.
“Ah… kiss is it?” she says, smiling.
“Can I?” Brad asks, taking his chance.
“Please,” Jane says, happy he finally asked.
Brad lets her down and pulls Jane toward him, holding her head in his hands and leaning in to kiss her. Jane stands on her tippy toes and melts into him, feeling his warm lips and his tongue playing with hers.
His strong arms make her feel the safest she has ever felt, knowing he won’t let her go. He lifts her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, holding her up while he kisses her more—on her cheeks, her neck, and back to her mouth, deeply thrusting his tongue into her, wanting more and more.
Jane holds on tight around his neck and waist. She loves his smell, the taste of his body and his breath. Brad lowers them down into the water, their legs crisscrossing on the sand, the water lapping over them.
“Wow, you are a great kisser,” says Brad, touching her lightly on the nose.
“Really?” asks Jane, surprised he would think so.
“Oh, yes, can’t you tell?” Brad says, pressing her against his hard cock.
Jane blushes, not sure how to respond but feeling excited herself. She feels his cock pulsing against her. He kisses her neck, getting her more aroused.
“Let’s stop there,” says Jane, nervous about taking it any further.
“You sure?” Brad asks, kissing her once more.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Jane replies, afraid he’s going to think she’s not interested. “I love how you make me feel, perhaps a little too much.”
“Of course,” Brad says, withdrawing and grabbing her hand to bring her onto the sand. They lay on the beach with the waves lapping against their toes, while Brad holds Jane in his arms. She rests on his chest and looks up at the stars, feeling the vastness of the sky all around them.
Chapter 22
They stroll back to the hotel, Brad grabbing her hand to hold it gently.
“Is that okay?” he asks, not sure if she’s feeling obligated to do so.
Bridesmaid for Hire Page 28
