The Island

by Alice Ward

  “Okay, first, she and I weren’t making out. She kissed me one time, and that’s how I got her lipstick all over me. And I don’t have main squeezes. But that’s really none of your business, intern.”

  My snappy retort had her cringing. “Yes, sir. Sorry, I’ll watch my mouth. I’m not used to being in this position. I’ll learn my place.”

  I immediately felt bad. “No, don’t apologize. I want you to look at me like a friend. Ask me anything you want to.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I say I have thick skin, then the moment you say anything about my personal life, I get all butt-hurt. I’m the one who’s sorry. On another subject, I’m taking you to lunch at Delmonico’s. You’ve never been there, right?”

  “Never.” She looked enthused, and I was glad to have the awkwardness behind us.

  “Cool. We’ll be leaving soon. Would you like to come up to the office with me to freshen up?” She nodded and stood, heading out of her cubical. I gestured to the laptop she was leaving open. “You need to shut that down when you walk away from it, even for a moment. The information you’re privy to is confidential.”

  “Got it, sir.” She shut her computer down. “I won’t bring up anything that bothers you again. Like your commitment issues.”

  Commitment issues?

  I nodded as if I was okay with what she said, but the fact was, it pissed me off. How had she managed to get under my skin in a way no one had ever done before?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Kendra

  The ride in Mr. Reed’s limo was a quiet one. He was busy on his cell while I looked out the window at all the people and cars. The lunch rush was on and downtown was a mess, something I was quickly learning was a constant in NYC.

  We finally arrived at our destination, and the driver opened the door. I got out, followed by my boss, and he put his phone away, taking the lead. “This is one of my favorite places.”

  “Oh.” That was all I could say as we walked up to large glass doors, where a sharply-dressed man opened them for us. Mr. Reed let me walk a step ahead of him and placed his hand on the small of my back. Currents of heat from his hand shot through my back, zinging like an electrically charged rubber band into my lower regions. I swallowed, took a deep breath, determined to push the sensation away. His hand left me, and entering the lobby, I became lost in the grandeur immediately. “Wow.”

  Preoccupied with the surroundings, I didn’t pay attention to Mr. Reed as he talked to people and steered me after the hostess. We headed toward the back and were seated right next to the… kitchen. I shrugged. It was loud, but who was I to complain about the hustle and kitchen noise?

  “Lola,” he muttered under his breath as his dark brows furrowed.

  From his expression, it was pretty easy for me to figure out that he’d asked her to make the reservation and she’d made sure to get us lousy seating. I tried to act as if I didn’t care. “This is a beautiful place, Mr. Reed. I had no idea when you said lunch you’d be bringing me to a place this…”

  “I’m sorry about this. Lola will get a piece of my mind when we get back to the office.”

  A junior waiter filled our glasses with water as our waiter focused his attention on Mr. Reed, who ordered a bottle of some red wine from some fancy-sounding French chateau, being very specific that he only wanted the 2009. Whatever.

  I was handed a menu and nearly fainted when I saw the prices. “Oh, Lord!” Nine whole dollars for an order of French fries?

  A smile moved over my boss’s handsome face. “I assume you’re looking at the prices. Don’t. Order whatever you want.”

  “The hamburger is even expensive, Mr. Reed.” I shook my head. There was absolutely nothing on this menu I could have afforded.

  A ruckus stopped him from speaking as two waiters got into a little argument over something, hissing their displeasure at one another. But the look on my boss’s face made me laugh. He frowned at the men, prompting them to stop what they were doing and move their disagreement into the kitchen.

  He frowned when I insisted a cup of soup was all I wanted, then pestered me into finally ordering the Delmonico club with the extortionate fries on the side. After he ordered the lobster, we settled into silence, as the noise was too much to talk over. I didn’t know cooks and chefs could be so loud.

  After fifteen minutes, Mr. Reed grabbed a passing waiter and told him to pack our lunch to go and make sure to put a fresh, unopened bottle of wine in there too. We’d be dining in the park.

  I liked the way he handled the situation. I thought most spoiled rich people might make an ass out of themselves about it. It wasn’t the staff’s fault we were seated at a crappy table, after all. It was Lola’s.

  We walked to the park, him holding the basket of food that had been neatly packed up for us. I thought it was sweet, the way he looked as we strolled along the busy sidewalk, not caring about the time. I was with the boss, so no one would be yelling at me because I took too much time at lunch.

  The smells of exhaust and food cooking disappeared as we walked into Central Park. Green grass that had been recently cut grabbed my attention as birds chirped, the whole place seeming surreal in the middle of the busy city. “Wow.”

  “You say that a lot.” He put down the basket on a nearby picnic table and gestured for me to take a seat.

  I sat down and watched him open the bottle of red wine then fill our two plastic wine glasses. He pulled out plastic plates and put our food on them, placing mine in front of me. “Thank you, sir.”

  As he sat down, he looked at me. “When we’re not in the office, I’d like it if you’d call me Eli.”

  “Eli? You sure about that?” I took a sip of the wine and peered at him over the rim of the cup.

  With a nod, he dug into his meal, somehow looking at home spearing a lobster at a picnic table. “I’m sure. You and I should be able to talk openly, at least when we’re not in front of people from work. I’d like you to feel comfortable with me. Do you feel that way?”

  “Comfortable?”

  “Yes, Kendra. Do you feel comfortable with me? You know, if you had a question about anything, do you feel you could ask me?”

  “I barely know you. But I think I could become more relaxed with you rather quickly. You’re a nice person. That’s a relief, to be honest. I did have the preconceived notion that all New Yorkers were kind of snooty. You’re not snooty at all.” I shoved the sandwich in my mouth so I couldn’t go on. I was a cheap date, and the damn wine was already making my lips loose. You’re a nice person?

  “Glad you think so.” His smile told me he liked how much I was talking though. “Your voice is smooth, your slight southern accent melodic. You’re a breath of fresh air.” His blue eyes settled on mine and held them as he took another sip of his wine. “Do you like the outdoors?”

  “I love it. How about you?”

  He finished chewing a bite of lobster. “I love being outside. When I graduated from college and began my career, it took me over. I didn’t have time for excursions any longer. Seeing how you like to be outside too, why don’t we plan a hiking trip upstate?”

  I couldn’t keep my back from stiffening. He was jumping the gun with me. I wasn’t sure if he could be trusted yet, not on a personal level anyway. It had only been a few hours since he’d made me feel as if he was interested in me physically. I wasn’t about to head off to the seclusion of the woods with the man. “We’ll see.”

  “We’ll see?”

  “Yes, we’ll see. I have tons to do. There’s so much to learn. That’s what I’m here for. To learn about business, not take hikes with the boss man.” When he frowned, I hastened to add something nice. I didn’t want him to make that face. Not with me, anyway. “It’s very nice of you to ask.”

  His smile was so cute, I liked to see it appear on his face. Even though I knew I shouldn’t be looking at him so damn much and thinking about what I liked. I pushed the wine away.

  The man was a Greek god. Tall, well-built, handsome, and when we
were outside in the sunlight, he glowed. I was lucky I had my dad’s voice in my head, telling me how all that glitters isn’t gold. If I hadn’t been so thoroughly trained to hold my precious virtue as if it were a pot of diamonds, I’d have been putty in the man’s strong hands.

  “How’s your club?”

  “Great. I’ve never had a sandwich so expensive. I have to say, it’s well worth it. Thanks for taking me to lunch. And to such a perfect place. It was really pretty in there.” I took a big bite to show him how much I liked the food, and he laughed.

  His laugh was full, not half-hearted at all. And the way he looked at me made chills that were somehow cold and hot at the same time run through me. “Glad you liked it. You know, most women I know would’ve still been bitching about what happened. You aren’t like most women. I like that about you.”

  It made me happy to know he liked things about me, aside from the fact that he clearly found me attractive. That he liked my personality was what really mattered.

  I was used to men liking my face and body. I knew how to keep them at arm’s length too. The man who sat on the other side of the picnic table was different from the man I’d met in the office. This guy was cool, calm, fun. If I hadn’t been working for him, he would have had a chance of making me forget about how I was waiting for Mr. Right.

  “Being like most women isn’t my goal.”

  We ate silently for a few more moments, and I watched moms pushing strollers and joggers burning down the path. This oasis inside the busy city was hectic but time seemed to have slowed down all the same.

  “If I’m reading you right, you don’t want to be alone with me. Is that correct?”

  I nearly choked on my bite. “No! I mean…” I had to take a drink to move the food down my throat as he watched me with amusement. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to be alone with you. It’s just that I don’t want to take up more of your time than I already am.”

  “Sure.” He looked at me with intense eyes, then they went bright in an instant. “Have you ever been to the ballet?”

  “No, sir.” I wiped my mouth and gathered up my empty plate and half full wine cup and looked around for a trash can.

  “You need to go to one… tonight.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to go to all that trouble.” I located a receptacle and jumped up, using the need to dump my trash to give me a moment to think. And get rid of the wine. When I came back to the table, he was finished so I grabbed his empty plate and cup and threw them away too, nervous energy taking over.

  When I turned around, he was right there. “I want to take you. You’ll need to be educated about these things in order to entertain your clients properly.” His hand splayed on my back as he moved me back to our table. I sat quickly to escape the sensation of his five digits pressing through the thin material.

  “I don’t have a thing to wear to something like that,” I hedged, coming up with an excuse that wasn’t a lie either, “otherwise, I’d love to attend the ballet with you.”

  “I’ll have clothes delivered to your apartment.” He put the half-empty bottle of wine in the basket, then went and tossed it in the trash too, making me wonder how many hundreds of dollars we’d just wasted.

  We headed out of the park, toward his waiting car. “I couldn’t accept that, sir.”

  He pressed on my shoulder until I stopped, gripped both of my arms with his hands, turning me until I was looking at him directly. “You can and will.”

  My mind and body warred with each other, as I simultaneously wanted to throw myself at him and run away. I thought frantically. “Can my roommate come too? I’d hate to leave him home in the apartment alone.”

  “Him?” His hands fell to his sides, his face growing hard. “They put you in an apartment with a man?”

  “Yes, they did. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and began tapping the screen with flying thumbs. “I’ll have the clothes delivered around seven. You’ll need to be ready to go by eight.”

  “But what about Jeff?”

  “Is that his name? Jeff?” He tapped in a few more words, then stopped and looked at me. “That man is his mentor’s business, not mine, so you’ll be leaving your roomie behind. I want to focus on you, Kendra. I want to talk to you about how you’ll address and attend to your potential clients properly. And we’ll go out for a late dinner afterward.”

  “You’re being too kind.”

  He shook his head as if shaking off what I’d said. Then I found his driver opening the door for us as another man got into the front seat. I thought recognized him from when I first got into the limo, but I hadn’t been paying attention. “Who’s that?”

  Eli barely looked at the man. “My bodyguard. He goes everywhere with me. Are you just now noticing him?”

  I felt myself blushing, glad my father would never learn about this lack of awareness regarding my surroundings. I’d get a never-ending lecture for sure. “Yes, sir. He’s stealthy, I have to give him that.”

  He waited for me to get into the car then slid in beside me. “That’s what he’s trained to do, watch over me without getting in my way. He’s good at his job.”

  The driver closed the door, and we were soon back on the street. Not that it was any kind of quick trip back to the office. Traffic was still barely moving, but Eli seemed to think differently. “We’ve missed the lunchtime traffic by staying out a bit longer than most.”

  “You think this is good traffic?” I watched people walk faster than our car moved.

  “It is. You’ll get used to all this. In no time at all, I’ll have you used to this city and making your way through town like a native.”

  “Thanks.” I wasn’t sure that would actually ever happen the way he said, but he had a great attitude about it. “This is like another world to me. You think you know this city by what television and movies show you. But until you walk through the crowds, feeling all the different vibes buzzing around, you have no idea. It’s magical.”

  He gave me an assessing look, his glorious blue eyes sweeping over every inch of my face. “I’ve never heard anything like that. This town is made up of so many people from all over the place. Not just this country. The entire world. It’s like no other city. I love it. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  I looked out onto the concrete, feeling it close in around me all at once. “I could never live here forever. I know that. It’s too crazy for me. I need my peace and quiet. I live for it, actually. I can take anything for a while, but I need to know I have some quiet time coming, or I’d go insane.”

  The car stopped, and I realized we were in front of our building. Before I could grab the door handle, the driver had gotten out of his seat and was opening it for me, but he waited until the bodyguard was out and scanning the area before letting us out.

  I gave the massive man a little wave and a smile, and he gave them back to me. It was cool, thinking that as long as I was with Eli Reed, I’d be watched over too. Not that I couldn’t take care of myself, but having the added security as I got used to this new area was calming.

  Even as I was taking everything in, Eli was at my side, his hand putting pressure on the small of my back. This time it felt exciting but familiar, and I didn’t want it to ever leave. “Your bodyguard is one big man. All muscles and scary as hell.”

  Eli’s eyes cut to look at the man who walked just a few steps behind us. “He and I work out together many mornings. Our measurements are nearly identical.” It sounded as if my boss was trying to prove he was on the same level as the man hired to protect him.

  I found it funny but didn’t dare laugh. “Yes, you two look about the same, um, everything.”

  He pulled the building door open for me and winked. “I’m better looking. That’s okay to say, you know.”

  Heat filled my cheeks as I couldn’t stop from agreeing with his assessment. “Okay.”

  “I’ll be sending the car for you at e
ight. Be ready. The driver will meet you at your apartment door. I don’t want you waiting outside for him. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll be ready at eight.” It was only the ballet and for business purposes at that, but I felt all kinds of butterflies swarming my insides as he walked me back to my desk. I tried to keep my face relaxed as all eyes flew to us, most notably to the hand still on the small of my back.

  None of the eyes were friendly.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Eli

  After leaving Kendra at her cubicle, I went up to my office, finding my secretary with a grin on her face. “Did you enjoy your lunch, sir?”

  Placing my palm on top of her desk, I leaned on it, towering over her. “I see you think what you did was cute, funny even. Let me assure you there’s a team of women in the secretarial pool who are chomping at the bit to get into the place you are in now. If you value your job, you’ll put your petty jealousy far behind you. I don’t play, do you understand me?”

  I watched her throat bulge as she gulped. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll be blunt with you, Lola. I get it, you want me. I don’t mess with women I work with, as I’ve already told you. I see what’s happening. You’re jealous of my new intern. Get the hell over it. I’m not about to deal with you trying to sabotage everything I do with her. It’s not only none of your business what I do, but it also won’t be tolerated.”

  Her face was pale, her expression nervous. “I understand. I’m sorry.”

  She seemed sincere and more than a bit afraid. I was happy with her reaction. I straightened from the desk to my full height. “Good. Now, I need two seats at the ballet for tonight. Don’t make the same mistake you made with the lunch reservation, or it will mean your job.” I walked away without saying another word. She’d been warned.

  “I am sorry.”

  It occurred to me that I needed a female to pick out something for Kendra to wear. I turned around and leveled my eyes on her. “You need to see my personal shopper and have her dress Miss Baxter appropriately for the ballet. Tell Cecile I want the works. Got it?”