style="font-size:15px;"> He gave a whoop of laughter and said, “You do that,” and then trotted to the water’s edge to wade out into the water.
She watched him dive into a wave and appear on the other side. Of course she wasn’t going to sleep with him. That would be the dumbest thing possible for her to do. Okay, so he wouldn’t turn her down. So what? To him it would be a casual fling. But becoming intimate with him would change her life. Long after he’d forgotten about this trip, memories would haunt her. It would be impossible to work closely with him without recalling what they had shared.
No. The answer was no.
Jodie stood and walked toward the water.
The water felt good to her, cooling her overheated body. Jodie lowered herself into the water and began a leisurely crawl, feeling her muscles work as she glided through the water.
When Dean spotted her, he angled toward her, cleaving the water in strong strokes.
She smiled at him as he drew near. “I decided to see if the water felt as good as it looks…and it does.”
“How’s your head?”
“Still on my shoulders. From now on, I’ll have one drink and stop, no matter how good it tastes to me.”
They continued to swim parallel to the beach, Dean keeping pace with her. Eventually they waded toward the shore together and continued walking until they reached their towels. He quickly dried off and waited for her to gather her things.
“What would you like to do this evening?”
There was a provocative question if she’d ever heard one. “You don’t have to entertain me while we’re here, you know.”
“True, but we’ve both got to eat and I’d prefer not to eat alone.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” she replied. “Do you have someplace in mind?”
“Actually I do. I ate there the last time I was here and the Polynesian food is well prepared. If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a treat.”
They stepped inside the elevator.
Finally she nodded. “All right. Thank you for suggesting it.”
That evening Jodie looked around the softly lit room, the hurricane lamps on each table making an oasis of light. “You’re right,” she said to Dean, “this is a great place with a distinct atmosphere.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Do you like the food I ordered?”
“It’s different but really good. Thanks for bringing me.” She sipped her iced tea. “How should I behave toward your prospective client tomorrow?”
He studied her for a moment in silence. Finally he said, “No striptease, no hula and no playing the ukulele.”
“Striptease? I’ve never done anything like that in my—” She stopped. “You’re teasing me again.”
“Can’t resist. You’re so much fun to watch when you react.”
“Fine. Just for that, I’ll take my ukulele and sing all through lunch.”
“You can sing?”
“No.”
“A threat then.”
“Very much a threat.”
“You’ll do fine tomorrow. You know our business very well. Speaking of which, once we get back, I’m going to talk to Frank Godfrey about putting you into his department as soon as possible rather than waiting until you graduate. We’re only talking about a few months. So treat tomorrow like a training session as I present what we have to offer and answer Furukawa’s questions.”
“You’re going to promote me now?”
“Not this minute, no. But when we get back to the office I’ll start the ball rolling.”
“That’s wonderful news! Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me. Frank’s a good supervisor and he’ll work you hard learning how we go about providing the necessary equipment to keep our clients secure.”
Over dessert and coffee Jodie asked, “Why are you promoting me now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you don’t have a secretary lined up to replace me, for one thing.”
He groaned. “Don’t remind me. But that shouldn’t take too long.”
“Well, um…”
“Why do you make such a point that I’m difficult to work for?”
“Because you are difficult to work for. Or have you forgotten how many secretaries walked out on you before I was hired?”
He pulled his earlobe and looked uncomfortable. “I’ve mellowed since then.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Haven’t I?”
“You’ve mellowed because I learned how you like to work.”
“That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“That’s true. It doesn’t.” She looked around. “Shall we go?”
“Wait a minute. I’m missing something here, Jodie. Tell me.”
“You want your office to run smoothly. I know your likes and dislikes enough to anticipate how and what you want, that’s all.”
“In other words, you can read my mind.”
“Not at all.”
“That’s good to know considering some of my thoughts while on this trip.”
A burst of heat engulfed her and she knew she’d turned a fiery red. Jodie picked up her water glass and drank. When she had emptied the glass, she studied it without looking up.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Why should he apologize when she certainly wouldn’t want him to learn of any of her thoughts these past few days?
“It’s all right.”
He brushed his fingers across the back of her hand. “No, it isn’t. I’ve made you uncomfortable around me and that’s the last thing I want. You’re right. It’s time to go.”
They drove back to the condo listening to music. Once inside the condo, Jodie said, “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Of course. Sleep well.”
Dean watched her walk out of
