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He chuckled. “I promise I won’t hold it against you.”
I laughed. “It’s not important. I want to forget work while I’m on vacation.”
“I have to agree. Do you want to have dinner with me? I hate eating alone.”
I glanced at my watch sitting on the side table next to me. “It is about that time. I can call. Do you want to check the menu?”
“You should come back to my villa so I can pay. I invited you.”
I smiled, “Does it bother your masculine sensibilities if I pay?”
Austin shook his head. “Not at all, as long as I can return the favor for lunch or dinner another time.”
“Works for me.”
“Let’s see the menu.”
After Austin chose his meal, and I phoned it in, I caught his gaze traveling over my body. Today, I’d worn a bright orange bikini that had a thong for a bottom. My tanned ass was on full display. I scowled at him, and he looked away, but his gaze heated me in a way I had not felt in a long time.
I rose from the lounger, “You should change, I am.”
“Can I use your front door? I prefer not to get wet again.”
“Help yourself. The staff said a half hour, so be back here by then.”
Austin walked to the front door and gently closed it as he left. His footsteps thumped against the deck that connected the villas as he walked away. When he was gone, I went to my bedroom and looked at myself in the full-length mirror. My body looked great; there was nothing to make me feel ashamed.
I took a quick shower to wash off the suntan lotion and put on a pale-yellow sundress. I chose to wear my golden hair down and combed it until it was almost dry. By then, Austin was knocking on the door. He dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a loose-fitting blue tank top that showed off his muscular arms and shoulders. His thick wavy black hair was combed back and still damp.
I wasn’t paying full attention earlier, but now I noticed he had sexy amber eyes with the longest eyelashes I’d ever seen on a man. He smiled as I gestured him in and handed me a bottle of chilled white wine.
“I have wine.”
“This is a gift. I would never come empty handed as a guest.”
I nodded, “Nice to hear you have manners.”
He cleared his throat, “Some men do. I was brought up to treat a woman with respect.”
“This isn’t a date.”
Austin frowned. “I never said it was, but I would like to be friends.”
“Friends I can manage. Thank you for the wine.”
I led him to the small dining table, which overlooked the ocean, placing the bottle on the light wood.
“Should we open the slider?” Austin said. “There’s a nice breeze this evening.”
“Please.”
As I searched for a corkscrew in the kitchen drawer, Austin opened the slider. The scent of the sea wafted inside the villa. I handed the small silver corkscrew to him just as a knock on the door indicated our meal arrived, transported over by Zeena, a petite, dark-haired woman dressed in a white uniform. Our food was under silver domes on a cart covered with a white linen tablecloth. She nodded as she entered, placing the trays on the table.
“Thank you,” I said as she departed, taking the cart with her.
Austin held my chair out for me and pushed it in as I sat down. I waited for him to seat himself before I removed the cover of my meal, broiled tuna steak with sautéed spring vegetables.
Dinner with Austin was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It was relaxed, and I felt comfortable with him almost from the minute we met. He had a way of putting me at ease. We chatted about the work we did and places we frequented in Los Angeles. Before we knew it, hours had passed, and it was after midnight.
