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Bastien grunted. Mikelina stared at his profile. He hadn’t shaved yet today and the slight stubble on his cheeks made him look like a pirate. He had changed out of his board shorts and into khakis and a polo shirt that showed off the curve of his biceps. He caught her looking at him and flexed them.
She grinned. Show-off.
“Busy morning, right?” he said.
“Crazy morning,” she said, wondering why she was blushing.
“I had a great time last night.”
“Me, too.”
He reached over and held her hand. “You’re beautiful and I wanted to thank you again for everything you did to help put this bachelor party together. I’m sorry Jace is ruining it.”
“It’s his party to ruin,” she said. She wanted to lean her cheek against his arm and cuddle up next to him, but it would be awkward—even if the stick shift wasn’t in the way. “Maybe I could arrange something especially tailored to his interests this week. What does he like to do?”
Bastien snorted. “I don’t know. He and my sister go out clubbing all the time.”
Mikelina remembered that on the intake form, Bastien had specifically said that they weren’t interested in hitting any of Miami’s famous clubs. “Do you think they’d like Flow?” she asked.
“Yeah. I certainly did.” He smiled at her and her toes curled a bit in her flip-flops.
“That didn’t really seem like your scene.”
“It’s not. I went because my buddy is part owner and wanted me to check it out. I was about to leave when I saw you.”
“Dancing half-crocked.” She pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“I was enchanted.”
She wished he wasn’t a client and was just a nice guy she met at a bar. It would be a little less awkward and she wouldn’t feel so guilty, like she was doing something wrong. Mikelina knew she wasn’t. They were consenting adults, after all. But she still had to hide it from Kirk this morning and it made her feel that they were doing something dirty. And that wasn’t the case at all. At least it shouldn’t be.
Clearing her throat, she decided to steer the conversation back to business. “Well, you’ve got better connections there than I do. Maybe tomorrow night you can get a VIP spot.”
“I think we’ll be too tired from the fishing boat.”
That’s right. They’d had her charter them a boat. “Hoping for a marlin?” she asked.
“I’d be happy with a sailfish.”
“Is Jace a big fisherman?”
Bastien’s smile faltered. “I’m not sure. I think so.”
Mikelina hoped Jace wasn’t going to ghost Bastien on the fishing trip as well. “If you’re lucky, you’ll pull in a few dolphin fishes to put on the grill for dinner.”
“What does dolphin fish taste like? All my fishing has been off Long Island Sound.”
“It’s also known as mahi-mahi. It’s a light-tasting white fish.”
He nodded in recognition. “Do you fish?”
“I used to, with my dad.” Mikelina cleared her throat. “But that was a long time ago.” A happier time.
“Do you bait your own hook?”
“Do you?” she snorted.
He chuckled.
