I blushed even harder and she laughed.
“You do think he's cute!”
I rolled my eyes at her and pulled my hair back and out of my face, trying to relieve some of the heat. “What about you and whats-his-name? The one who doesn't know you exist?”
“Oh, no,” she replied, holding out her hand as if that would stop my words. “We are not talking about me and Leo.”
“Oh, Leo is it?” I teased, holding out the name for emphasis. “Bastian's business partner?”
“Damn it,” she cursed quietly, narrowing her eyes and glaring at me. From up front, Elijah laughed. “Shut up, Elijah,” Charlotte growled, kicking the front seat. It just made Elijah laugh harder and me worry about the leather with her shoes.
“We're here,” Elijah said, pulling into the parking lot and stopping. It was a small dirt lot with an open air bar on one end with a restaurant and some small shops adjoining it. A dolphin statue stood in front of the restaurant, squirting water up into the sky and looking playful. It had all the charm of a small town bar and I already liked it.
Charlotte grabbed my arm and dragged me into the bar. It was nice and comfortable, but definitely full of more locals than tourists. Luckily, Charlotte headed to the back where it was open to the ocean, choosing a seat that was obviously her favorite.
The sun had set and twilight was twinkling across the warm waters of the Caribbean as the lights in the bar flickered to life. A server came up and grinned at Charlotte.
“We'll take two of the dinner specials and two drink specials,” Charlotte told him. He didn't even write it down before heading off to the back. I looked over at her uncertain. I wasn't a picky eater, but Charlotte didn't know that about me yet.
“Trust me,” Charlotte said, full of self confidence. “You'll love it. The restaurant next door is run by Lucia's sister who, if you can believe it, is actually an even better cook than Lucia.”
“I'm not sure that's possible,” I replied, which just made Charlotte grin wider.
“Plus, the drink special is this rum thing that they only make here. It's amazing and they have a two drink maximum, but you'll want more,” Charlotte continued.
I decided to just go with it. I would have a lot more fun if I just let things happen instead of trying to control everything. I was just beginning to learn that I didn't even have as much control over the things I thought I did, anyway. This wasn't an appraisal. I could be spontaneous and have fun.
I relaxed back into my chair, looking out at the night falling across the water. It was beautiful. Looking in the other direction, I could see Elijah sitting at the bar drinking a soda and flirting with the bartender. He nodded when he saw me. I smiled back. He took his job seriously, but even he was going to have a good time.
“So, Leo, huh?” I asked, tucking my hand under my chin and watching Charlotte struggle not to turn bright red.
“I was really hoping you'd forget,” she mumbled. “I need a drink.”
“Tell me about him.” I smiled, doing my best to charm her. She stared at me for a moment and then gave up her inner struggle.
“He's tall, dark, and handsome,” she started, a cautious grin creeping on to her face as she thought about him. Her mouth twisted slightly. “And Bastian's business partner, so strictly off limits. Besides that, he thinks I'm just Bastian's minion. I'm not even sure he knows I'm female.”
“Ouch,” I replied. “At least you would look cute in those blue overalls.”
Charlotte giggled as she shrugged. “Such is the life of a personal assistant. Now, you on the other hand...”
“No, no, no.” I shook my head vehemently from side to side. “No.”
“What?” She asked, her eyes going wide and innocent. “You're telling me you don't want to know that his favorite color is yellow or that he likes his eggs scrambled and orange juice without pulp?”
“No!” But I couldn't help it. I filed that information away and hoped I could use it at a later date. I couldn't let Charlotte know that, though, so I shook my head more fiercely, feeling my hair whip around my shoulders. Besides, he was a billionaire. He could date super models. He probably did date super models. Super models probably asked him out. Me? I got dumped for a big-chested blonde. He wouldn't want me. I wasn't anywhere near billionaire material.
“Charlotte, right now he's my employer. Even if I did think he was hot, and I'm not saying I do, I can't. Do you know what my dad would do if he ever found out I even thought of flirting with a client?”
“So you want to do more than just flirt, huh? What if he wasn't your client?” she pressed. I could see where her thoughts were going, and I couldn't stop the blush that seeped out from my spine and crawled up to my ears. The things I would do to him... The way those gray eyes would light up, and how he would smile at me...
I did my best to glare at Charlotte. I didn't trust myself to actually say anything. He was a billionaire and I wasn't even sure I was good enough to even think of dating.
“Fine, fine.” She waved her hand through the air like she was giving up, but then leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “He also likes two sugars and no cream in his coffee.”
“Charlotte!”
“Just saying,” she said with a all-too-knowing shrug. “It could be useful information.”