Around the World in 80 Men Series Boxed Set 1-10

by Brandi Ratliff

  “I'll see you tomorrow!” Morgan shut the car door and spoke through the open window. On the elevator ride to her room, she sent a quick text to Julianne letting her know she arrived safely. Then did the same for Finlay and Tanner, telling them both she was in Hawaii.

  “First thing tomorrow, I'm saying goodbye to you!” she spoke to her old phone and set it on the table. Morgan got a quick shower, and minutes after laying her head down, she was fast asleep.

  The next morning, she was almost sad to find she was alone in the bed. It was the first day in weeks she hadn't woken up next to a gorgeous man. The sadness didn't last too long because she could stretch, yawn in wide mouthed, unladylike ways, and had the luxury of peeing with the door open. Morgan got herself ready in her new black shorts, bikini top, and white halter tank and did just what she had planned.

  She got a taxi and took it to the electronic store she had seen the day before and not only picked up a new phone, but also a laptop. “It would be nice to see my clients on a bigger screen,” she tapped her old phone before setting it in her purse.

  She carried her new items to a nearby restaurant and chose outdoor seating so she could have some privacy and room. “Let's have a look at ya, Kole.” Morgan pulled her new computer from its pink case and tapped into the restaurants WiFi with their code: Palm5. The first search was Julianne's website. Before typing in the password, it looked like a very generic web page. Morgan wasn't even sure if she was at the right page. White screen, black lettering, no advertisements; only a simple “Log In” button in the middle of the page.

  Morgan typed in the magic words Julianne had given her, clicked the enter button and the website transformed into a carousel of beautiful men. In the center of the screen was a map of the world and little blue dots were scattered all about. It looked a little different than Morgan remembered, but it was easy to find where she was going. She clicked on Hawaii and the list of available men appeared in front of her. Adam, Andrew, Cain, Eugene...Morgan navigated to the K listings and found what she was looking for.

  Kole, the most handsome one on the whole page. He was standing in front of the ocean, a surfboard in his hand. It wasn't the same picture Morgan had seen two days prior, but it was definitely still him. He had a serious look on his face, but his dark eyes were warm and inviting. She thought she saw a hint of a tattoo escaping from the sleeve of his tee and the thought of running her fingers along it later in the week excited her. His other arm wasn't in the picture, and she wondered if that one had tattoos as well. Around his neck was a large tooth, Morgan couldn't tell what kind, but it was easily the size of her pinky.

  A waitress approached Morgan's table, asking if she wanted anything and Morgan decided on a margarita. Strawberry margarita, to be exact. When the server returned, Morgan nearly dropped her drink across her lap when she noticed a familiar face walking toward the restaurant.

  Why does this always happen to me? Kole and two other men were walking right toward her. He doesn't know who I am, it's all good. He doesn't even know I'm here. Morgan thanked the waitress with a smile and calmed her nerves. She decided to take the opportunity to figure out what kind of man she'd be spending the week with.

  She held her menu up so she wouldn't be so obvious, and stalked him with her eyes. The other two men were just as handsome as he was and very similar. She wondered if they were his brothers, but it didn't take long to find out.

  As they passed her table like the Three Musketeers, Morgan remained behind her menu so she wouldn't be seen and listened to their conversation. The tallest one punched Kole in the arm, “yo, you're taking your break now, I get it during Christmas.”

  Kole punched him back, harder. “Naw bro, dad's taking the whole week off so we're all off,” he looked to both men as he spoke.

  She strained to hear the rest of the conversation after they passed, but there was no luck in hearing. Morgan turned in her seat to watch him walk away. Yes, he had tattoos on his other arm as well. A whole tribal sleeve. “Oh, Kole, you fine man. You just wait.”

  She watched the three of them until they vanished in the sea of tourists that flowed along the boardwalk. Out of the three brothers, Kole was definitely the best looking. His hair was short except for a little extra length on top. She thought it gave him a look of just getting out of bed, and she couldn't wait to run her fingers through it. His smile was wide like Finlay's, and his eyes were very dark brown with thick black lashes that any women would kill for. He was a few inches taller than Morgan in heels, and he was muscular all over. Not the type of muscular body that took hours a day at the gym to achieve, the kind of body that genetics had gifted him with. He was thick, and tan, and Morgan smiled to herself at the knowledge that the beautiful Hawaiian would be hers very soon.

  *****

  Her third day there was even more beautiful than the first two. Morgan discovered her favorite thing about Hawaii was the sun. It felt amazing to be in a warm place again, and she knew exactly how she'd spend her day.

  Morgan spent all morning, and into the afternoon, laying out on her balcony lounge chair. Angela had come up to her room twice to sneak her leftover desserts and delivered a bottle of Morgan's favorite Moscato. The night before, the two ladies had spent a few hours on the balcony, continuing their gossip, then watched The Exorcist on Morgan's new laptop. It gave her a chill as she thought about it. Creepy ass movie.

  She got up from her chair to grab another glass of wine and decided, instead of that, she'd take a walk down to the beach. Toes in the sand, toes in the sand. Can't go to Hawaii without my toes in the sand, she sang to herself as she slid a thin pink sarong over her bikini.

  She probably walked nearly a mile down the beach before she saw him again. This time, he saw her too. Oh-no! The look in his eye was obvious that he was going to approach her. Morgan stopped in her tracks. She knew she couldn't just run with him watching her, that would be silly. As soon as he turned to excuse himself from his friends, Morgan made her move. She ran, kicking up sand behind her, until she was hidden from view behind a short decorative brick wall. The last thing she wanted was to explain to her client why she was in Hawaii and wasn't with him yet.

  Morgan sighed and duck-walked to the edge of the wall, then when the wall ended, she took a glimpse at Kole, and saw he wasn't looking for her anymore. She continued her crouched walk and disappeared into a hotel's parking garage. “Well, this is great. I have to see him again soon, and he's going to wonder why I ran away!” Morgan put her hands to her face, hoping to ward off the embarrassment that was sure to come when that time came. I won't think about it now.

  After walking all the way through the garage and out the front, Morgan saw the perfect spot to spend her evening. An authentic Tiki-bar.

  Morgan wondered if a sarong would be appropriate in the bar, but noticed almost everyone entering and leaving were wearing bikinis and the men were only wearing shorts. I guess 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' doesn't apply here. She found a place at the bar, and on her third drink, she heard a voice that made a lump so big in her throat, it hurt.

  “Hey, I saw you earlier didn't I? Can I buy you a drink?”

  Chapter Two

  Shit! Oh shit! Do I tell him? No...I can't..but I have to...but I can't. Morgan laughed nervously, “hi, uh..no thank you.” When Kole didn't leave, she continued, “I mean, I just ordered a drink so I'm all set. But thanks.” She looked down at the small napkin on the table in front of her, and waited for him to leave.

  Kole smiled, and had no intentions of letting the beautiful girl off the hook that easily. He sat down across from her. “I did see you earlier, right?” He was staring dead in her eyes when she looked up. Oh God he's cute! Up close, Morgan tried not to stare at the light golden flecks that made his chocolate colored eyes even more appealing.

  There was no escape, and no words that would excuse herself from his gaze. She closed her eyes and took a quick deep breath, then slowly opened them again to see him still staring
at her.

  “I...well, you requested a companion, one that is scheduled to arrive in two days.” His eyes widened, and he nodded slowly. “Well, I'm her...yours..I mean, I'm Morgan.” She had brought her hands to the top of the table, and didn't realize that she was squeezing the life from her fingers until she looked down again.

  Kole's face lit completely with amusement, and his loud laughter removed a bit of the tension between them. She laughed as well, but didn't look forward to telling him why she was already there.

  The man thought he had just been gifted a woman straight from the Gods. He didn't care how fate worked, and he didn't take the time to question the irony in trying to pick a woman who was already destined to be his, at least for a week.

  “Well, I guess we can start early then, right?” She looked down again, and he added, “I mean, spending time together..not...that exactly.” When she looked back up with relief, he wasn't sure how he felt about her reluctance. Not that he expected her to jump into his arms right there, but he wondered if she was trying to put off that for a reason.

  Morgan knew that she had more to explain, and there was no turning back from there. So, she took her time in telling him that she had arrived early to 'get a little sightseeing in' before meeting him, and that she would have gone somewhere else if she had known that he lived close by. She also made it clear that she was looking forward to meeting him, but that she didn't want to make him feel obligated to spend time with her before their scheduled week. That's pretty close to the truth.

  Kole was more than happy with running into her sooner, and even more so about how beautiful he thought she was. He had never done anything like that before, paying for companionship, so his nerves about the whole thing had been settled somewhat with finally meeting her. “Well, I won't take you away from your sightseeing, but would you mind if we had a drink together?” His smile was genuine, and Morgan actually appreciated the offer of the date.

  “I would like that.” He laughed nervously, then motioned for a server and ordered a beer.

  They didn't speak as they waited for his drink, and when it arrived, Morgan watched him as he drank nearly half the mug in one go. She couldn't figure out why a young, handsome, outgoing guy like Kole would ever need a woman for any length of time. At least, one that he had to pay for. She understood the situation of the previous men, but Kole was different. He obviously had no problem dating since he had tried to buy her a drink before knowing who she was. This was one time that she planned to pry, but she would wait until they knew one another a little better.

  They spent the next hour talking mostly about the island, and a little about Morgan's new friend, Angela. Kole thought it was great that she had already made a friend, and he even suggested that she bring Angela along sometime during the week so that he could meet her. He had also mentioned that he and his brothers owned several tourist shops, and 'a few other things.'

  She enjoyed hearing the basics of her new clients, and enjoyed it even more when she could discover new things about them each day. Kole was twenty-six years old and had worked for his dad since he was twelve. At the age of twenty-three, his dad's health began to decline and Kole, along with his two brothers, took over the family business. Kole joked about how his dad would still work there when he felt like it, but never wanted to be paid for the day. Of course, Kole and his brothers would always give their dad's share to their mom, and she would quietly slip it into their bank account. Morgan appreciated that Kole actually worked in the shops, and she could see that most women would probably think that he was just an employee.

  Morgan found Kole to be funny, a little quiet but he warmed up quickly, and the money that he and his family had didn't show at all. He was down to earth, and a stranger would never know that he was worth millions.

  When Morgan stretched in her chair, and declined another drink, Kole asked her to take a walk with him on the beach. “Before our time officially begins, I want to tell you why you're here. I mean, why I...paid...you know, for this.” She wanted to wrap her arms around him right then, her womanly instincts fought to make everything alright in his world. He looked worried, and almost sad, and Morgan couldn't walk away from him right then.

  “Of course, let's go.” She stood up, and put her hand out for him to take.

  They had walked all the way to the surf before he stopped, and he gently pulled her hand as he sat on the warm sand. He watched the water flirt with their feet as he began, “I'm sure you're going to think I'm crazy, and I would understand if you didn't want to stay with me after I tell you why you're here.” He gave her a quick look, and she nodded in encouragement. “It was my brother who actually contacted your boss, he was the one that thought I should have...a woman.” She knew he was struggling, and she put her hand on his bare leg and gave him a gentle squeeze.

  “Kole, I'm not here to judge you. I promise, whatever it is, we can work it out.” She nudged him with her elbow and he smiled.

  “I..uh...I've only been with two women in my whole life. One was with a girl in high school and it was only the one time. The other, well, I met her right after I graduated and we were together until a few months ago. She was all I knew for eight years.” He put his head down, and tried to keep his emotions under control. “The truth is, I have no idea what I'm doing. I've dated a few women since then, and all I do is screw it up. We go out a few times and they think that I'm ready to propose or something, so...,” he peeked at her face quickly, then back down to the water, “my brother talked me into having a woman that I can spend time with, and not have to hurt in the end.”

  Morgan understood perfectly, it was the exact situation that the other men had gone through. She moved her hand from her leg to wrap around his waist, “Kole, I'm sure you're not doing anything wrong. You seem like the perfect catch so don't blame the women for wanting you.” She laughed, but he didn't.

  “Morgan, I am doing something wrong. My brothers don't go through this, and neither do my friends. They meet lots of girls, some they stay with, some they don't, but it's never like this.” He put his arms up in defeat, then looked at her. “The point is, my brother was hoping...no...I'm hoping, that you can figure out what I'm doing wrong.” At that moment, he looked completely vulnerable and so very sad. Morgan's heart broke for him, but she knew that she could turn it all around for him by taking the time to explain what other wealthy men sometimes go through.

  “Look, we'll have all week to sort this out, so let's just look forward to the time that we'll spend together, and not focus so much on the problems, okay?” She squeezed his side a few times and forced a smile out of him.

  Morgan took a deep breath and continued speaking, “uhm...well, since you've been honest with me, I should be honest with you.” She had tried to hide the simple truth, only because she knew that it wasn't exactly sexy for a client to hear about those things, but he didn't seem the type that would care too much about it. In her other world, she wouldn't have cared who she told or who knew.

  He looked directly at her with his head cocked to the side. His serious look almost made her laugh. “It's nothing that bad,” she assured him with a nervous laugh. “I'm here early because of uhm...nature called. You know, I got..I mean, I'm on my...”

  “Oh! That's it?” A look of relief washed over his face. His first thought had been she was going to ditch him. When he laughed, Morgan was surprised. She hadn't planned on telling him, but she wasn't sure how she was going to avoid it over the next day or two if he expected to see her again. “I have four sisters, Morgan. It's no big deal.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, taking in the warmth of her body against him. The scent of her vanilla shampoo filled his senses and he smiled into the darkness.

  Morgan let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't so bad.

  “Why didn't you want to tell me?” he pushed it further. Morgan put her hand to the side of her face to hide her blushing cheeks, even though he wouldn't have been able to notice
either way.

  “I...uh...I just thought maybe you...”

  “Never mind,” he caught that it made her uncomfortable and figured he'd drop it. A soft kiss to the side of her head made her forget the question.

  They spent a while longer on the sand, talking about each other until Kole caught the time on his watch. “Oh, damn. It's two AM,” they both laughed and shook their heads at the realization. “I hate to do this, but tomorrow is my last day of work before my break...”

  Morgan understood. She hadn't realized the time either, and being that she was early, it made sense he still had a job to do. “Don't worry, we have all week,” Morgan gave him a sweet smile and he stood and offered his hand to help her off the ground.

  “Can I walk you back to your hotel?” Kole asked, more curious to find out where she was staying than anything.

  “Well, it's quite a way down, but if you don't mind, I'd love that.” He told her he didn't mind at all and held her hand all the way back to the Royal Hawaiian.

  “Can I pick you up when I'm done with work tomorrow? I'll understand if you would rather go out and sight see, but on Sundays I always join my family for dinner and I'd love for them to meet you,” Kole explained to her.

  Morgan jotted her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. She told him that would be great. If his family was half as sweet as him, then she knew she'd love them.

  They said their goodnight exchange and Morgan flashed him a final smile before entering the lobby of the hotel. He's a sweetheart. What kind of problem could he possibly have with any woman? She was sure it the same reason as Tanner, or Finlay, or even Sean. They were all very nice guys, but they couldn't find a girl to get past their wallet. Maybe there was something she hadn't noticed yet. There did seem to be a level of hurt in his eyes, and Morgan wondered if his problem was more like Dante's instead. Guess I'll find out.