Page 415 of His Virgin Romance Series
SETH
Ben was standing in front of my desk with his clipboard in hand. “We still haven’t gone over the overheads,” he reminded me.
I groaned. “We’ll do that after dinner. I need a break before I can tackle overheads.”
“Fine,” Ben nodded. “What about staff disputes; can you handle that now?”
“I expect you to.”
He sighed. “Save the fun jobs for me, huh?”
“Always,” I nodded. “Perks of being the boss.”
“You don’t pay me well enough.”
I laughed. “Easy, boy; didn’t you receive a raise a few months ago?”
“That was before we opened the resort.”
I laughed. “And, I’m getting my money’s worth,” I told him. “Anything else I need to handle before dinner?”
“I’ve been getting a call from the same reporter for a week now; she’s adamant she wants to talk to you about running a piece in the local paper.”
“She wants to promote the resort?”
“She does.”
“Tell her that this resort runs on a reputation of exclusivity,” I said. “And, doing a splashy newspaper spread is not exclusive. I want people to wonder what’s inside, instead of seeing it laid out for them during breakfast.”
“I’ll let her know.”
“Good,” I nodded. “Are we done then?”
“Are we ever?” he asked wryly. “We’re finished for the moment.”
“Excellent,” I nodded. “Meet back here in an hour?”
He took the elevator down to the staff rooms while I continued on to Pepe Albero. Of all the restaurants at the resort, the Italian fine dining atmosphere was the one I liked best. There was always good classical music in the background, a bar that specialized in edgy new cocktails, and the food was excellent. I had sampled almost every item on the menu, and I was more than ready to repeat the process.
I had a standing table reserved for me every night. It was in one corner of the restaurant, where I was cocooned away in a little alcove but could still see all the comings and goings from my vantage point. I had just stepped into the restaurant, and I was heading to my table when I spotted Brie at the bar.
I stalled a little, momentarily floored by how breathtaking she looked. I hadn’t seen her since she had arrived days ago. In fact, I had taken pains to avoid her—mostly because I realized how weak I was. The fact that she had brought up our kiss six years ago told me that it had been an important moment for her. Which meant, if I showed any interest, there was a strong possibility she wouldn’t resist. I could not afford to go down that road. She was Jason’s sister, and I didn’t have the best track record with women.
Brie was wearing a slinky one-shouldered cocktail dress in a brilliant midnight blue that made the gold tones of her blonde hair pop. She looked like a model of the runway, and I found myself unable to turn away.
“Mr. Dubois?”
I turned to Kani, the waiter who served me each night. “Sorry… What did you say?”
“I asked if you’d like your usual drink, sir.”
“Uh…yes,” I nodded. “Yes, you can send it to my table.”
Kani nodded and walked over to the bar. I turned my attention back to Brie and realized with a pang of shock that she was with someone. The gentleman sitting next to her was well dressed, in a tailored suit and silver cufflinks. He looked to be in his early thirties but was obviously a part of the well-to-do business crowd that came to Hawaii each year on vacation. I was fairly sure the man wasn’t a guest at my resort, however.
“Kani,” I said, as he passed by.
“Yes, sir?”
