Chapter 11

We were being driven somewhere in a limousine, and Casper sat beside me in the backseat. His legs touched mine as we both looked out of the windows. I had never been to Hawaii before. The sky was the color of the clearest blue sea, and everywhere I looked palm trees danced in a gentle sea breeze. The promise of the sea could be heard all around us with soft waves crashing against a beach somewhere. My heart was beating faster than the car was traveling. The place was exotic, I was sitting next to a man I couldn’t keep my eyes off, and I’d just had the best sex of my life. I was strangely happy and satisfied.

When I looked over at Casper, he had a smile on his face as he looked out. His rugged profile was highlighted by the golden ray of sun that filtered in through the tinted window of the car. His nose was sharp, his lips were thin and dark, and his skin was bronze now in the sun. For a billionaire, Casper Argent didn’t look as soft and under-worked as one would expect. He caught me staring, and I blushed before looking away.

“Feel free to look at me whenever you want,” he said softly.

I forced myself to look at him again. “I was just wondering what you want from me,” I blurted out. I was being truthful. It was all too good to be true. What could Casper Argent possibly want from me?

He laughed at me again, and the back of my neck grew hotter.

“Can’t you just relax for a bit and have fun?” he said without accusing me.

I licked my lips from nervousness and looked away from him. How could I explain to him that I couldn’t possibly relax? That I didn’t feel like I deserved any of this?

The car was slowing down, and Casper adjusted the bowtie at his neck. He had changed into a handsome black tuxedo that looked like it had never been worn before. I hadn’t seen him spend any time in front of a mirror since we got on that plane, but his hair still looked perfectly brushed back and styled, and as always, he smelled great.

The car stopped, and Casper was quick to get out. I could feel myself growing nervous again as he walked around the car and opened my door. He extended a hand and I took it. When I stepped out, he kept my hand in his, clutching it tightly as he led the way.

The luxurious beach-side hotel had uniformed people who greeted us with trays of tropical cocktails and a welcome flower garland. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I accepted the garland around my neck. Even the air smelled of coconuts and pineapples.

We were being led toward the back of the hotel where a blast of native folk songs was playing. An entourage formed around us while I kept my hand in Casper’s. I was afraid of my palms being sweaty, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Casper was surprising me again. He was unexpectedly forthcoming and gracious for a billionaire. He smiled at everyone, sometimes drew his hand away to shake people’s hands and quickly grabbed mine again. Everyone here seemed to recognize him as we walked. I had never been in the spotlight before, but having Casper by my side somehow made it more comfortable. He was charming and easy going at the same time and didn’t seem to notice how awkwardly I was behaving every time someone new came to shake his hand. I was starting to believe that he was proud to have me by his side.

But why?

I should have been expecting it – we were in Hawaii, after all – but the sight of the beautifully decorated luau took me by surprise. With an infinity pool in the center, overlooking a magnificent beach, the party space was decorated with flowers, straw stands, bars, and barbecues.

Male servers were dressed in bright Hawaiian shirts. The women wore traditional skirts and garlands around their necks. We both stood out in the crowd. I felt like neither of us were really dressed for the occasion, but again, Casper didn’t seem to notice.

A big wave of applause and high-pitched shouts rang out the moment we stepped into the scene. Flushed faces, cocktail glasses in hand, people came charging toward us.

Casper took the time to shake everyone’s hand, pat people on the back, give a few of them hugs, and accept drinks from whoever came to offer them to him.

I ended up getting hugs and having to shake hands as well. It was all a little too overwhelming. The music, the people, the colors, the pleasantries, the food… I didn’t know anyone here apart from Casper, and he seemed to be the center of everyone’s attention.

While he was talking to a group of people who all seemed to be his employees, I silently took a step back. I needed some space to breathe, to think, to absorb everything that was happening. Casper talked animatedly, his blue-gray eyes glimmering from the excitement. He was easily the most charismatic and handsome man in the whole place, and everyone knew it. It seemed like everyone else were moths attracted to the brightness of Casper’s flame. They not only respected him, but they also believed that he was their friend. I expected a posh, well-mannered office party, where Casper was the boss and everyone else was afraid to talk to him, or talk too loudly around him. What I found here was a fun Hawaiian party with all of Casper’s friends and colleagues.

I gulped as I watched him in his natural surroundings, and even though I should have been feeling glad and excited, I still couldn’t get that nagging feeling out of my system that he wanted something. Casper Argent definitely had an ulterior motive in all of this.

****

I had found a plate of small cubes of cheese and pineapple held together with toothpicks. I was hovering around the table, picking them up by the toothpicks and popping them into my mouth.

I had already had two cocktails by now, brightly colored and tropical tasting, and I was swaying unconsciously to the deliriously happy music playing in the background. I hadn’t seen Casper in some time – it could have been half an hour. I figured he needed his space to mingle, and I knew I needed the space, too. But by now I was beginning to get a little bored. I knew that if I was alone for any longer, I would end up drinking too much and filling myself with entrees.

When I felt a hand on the back of my waist, I turned with a jerk and the cocktail glass in my hand – filled with a bright blue drink – spilled and sprayed on Casper’s white shirt.

“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,” I cried, and then laughed when I saw him laughing. Casper kept his hand on my waist and drew me close to him. I could see the splash of blue spreading over the front of his shirt from the corner of my eye. But it didn’t seem to bother him.

“I saw that butt swaying to the music, and I just had to come over and grab it,” he said, and I blushed immediately.

“This is a fun party,” I said, recognizing his scent and the feel of his hands on my skin. There were goose bumps on my flesh; Casper Argent had an immediate effect on my senses.

“I hope you’re not bored. I’m sorry. I had a lot of hellos to exchange. I’m all yours now,” he said, and I placed a free hand on his shoulder. I was aware of eyes on us, and my cheeks flushed.

“Aren’t you worried about what people might think?” I asked, leaning in close to his ear.

“They can see that I’ve brought a date. What else can they possibly think?” he asked, and he swung me around in his arms to the tune of the music playing in the background.

The cocktail splashed some more out of my glass, and we both laughed again.

“No, I meant, like, who I am,” I said softly, and he turned his face so that our noses were nearly touching. His lips looked delicious. I could hardly stop myself from kissing him. But I also knew that I’d asked him a dangerous question, one that I should have bitten my tongue on. We barely knew each other. And he didn’t owe me anything.

The smile on his face disappeared as he stared into my eyes.

“You’re Lily Fitz, of course – environmental activist by day, in my bed by night,” he said, and swung me around again. This time, he swung me so far that the glass fell, crashing to the floor. I yelped in surprise, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing either. Casper grabbed me by the waist when he pulled me back into his arms.

“Just don’t make me hula, whatever you do,” I said when I was close to him again. A couple of people in the party had started to do it in the corner, and I rolled my eyes at them.

“Why not? I can teach you if you’re embarrassed about not knowing how to do it,” he said, clutching my hand and sticking it up in the air. We were dancing, our feet moving in a quick rhythmic pace around each other. He hadn’t stepped on my shoes once.

“It’s not that. It’s cultural appropriation. A couple of white folks from the mainland trying to drunkenly butcher a traditional dance form,” I said, turning my nose up at him. I saw him raise his eyebrows and then slowly shake his head.

“Don’t be a bore, Lily. Just shut up and dance, will you?” He twirled me around again, and I screamed with delight over the music. I was having fun. I could feel my limbs loosening the longer he kept me in his arms.

He pulled me close and then swung me around again. A few people had started clapping at us, too. It was like we were putting on a show for them. I didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed or nervous from the attention. I felt welcomed and like these people I didn’t know were all my friends. It was a happy high.

“Stop telling me what to do,” I said light heartedly the next time our faces were close together again.

Casper laughed. He threw his head back, and his shoulders shook from the laughter.

“Do you know your nose wrinkles up when you say something that you think will offend me?” he said, bringing his lips close to me. His mouth touched my earlobe, and I was reminded of how he had sucked on it. I felt a shiver down my spine and goose bumps on my flesh again.

“So, you pay less attention to what I’m saying, and more to the way my nose looks?” I asked him with an eyebrow raised. One of my arms clutched his back while my other hand was in his. He held me tightly to him as he laughed at me again.

“You have no idea how well I can multitask,” he said, throwing me away from him in another twirl.

“Is that right?” I asked when he pulled me back to him. His lips were curling in a smile again.

“I’ll show you tonight when I make you come with my fingers and suck your nipples at the same time,” he said into my ear, setting my body on fire.

****

I was hot and flushed from all the dancing when Casper was finally willing to stop. It was more than just the dancing; it was all the things he said to me. Casper whispered everything he wanted to do to me that night, in my ear, right in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching. I tried to hide my face in his shoulders. I bit down on my lips. I clutched his arms with both my hands, trying to stop my body from visibly quivering.

“You don’t seem like the kind of person who could ever get tired of dancing,” Casper said to me as we were walking back hand in hand toward a row of deck chairs.

“I don’t even know what that means,” I said, panting and trying to catch my breath.

I flung myself on one of the chairs while he stood over me, adjusting his bow tie. Not one hair was out of place on Casper’s head, despite all the dancing we had just done.

He didn’t look tired or flushed, just cool and calm as ever.

“It’s just that I had you pegged as someone who could dance all night,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

I narrowed my eyes at him as I slipped my feet out of my sandals, which were a grave mismatch to the dress I was wearing. I didn’t care anymore.

“It wasn’t just the dancing,” I said to him, and looked away from his face. He laughed, enjoying watching me squirm and grow red with embarrassment.

“For someone so vicious at the protest, you sure get embarrassed easily,” he said and thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants. I looked up at him, craning my neck to fully take in his tall figure. He loomed over me, and my mind immediately started working on overdrive, imagining what it would be like to have him over me as he banged me. It was madness. I couldn’t stop thinking about sex with Casper Argent. It was like something had taken over my mind.

I shook my head and looked away. “And for someone who pretends to not judge people, you sure have made a lot of judgements about me.” I slipped my feet back into my sandals.

Casper leaned his body back on the heels of his shoes and nodded. “Point duly noted,” he said, pulling his cheeks in, which instantly made him look like a little boy. I knew I was blushing again. I couldn’t even pretend to be mad at this guy.

“Anyway, thanks for the dance. I had fun,” I said, trying to change the subject. I didn’t want to be thinking about sex or my feelings for him all the time. But I couldn’t stop.

He shook his head again. “Stop thanking me all the time, Lily. I’m doing this for myself as much as I’m doing this for you,” he said, and stepped in closer to me. His knees knocked against mine gently, and I looked up at him again. His face softened and his neck bent forward toward me. I wanted to get up and just kiss him in front of everyone there, but I stopped myself.

“What are you doing this for? I know you didn’t want to answer the question earlier in the car, but I can’t help but ask you again,” I said, playing with the hem of my dress.

He was looking at me earnestly, keenly, like he was preparing an answer in his head. “The reason why I didn’t want to answer that question in the car was because I didn’t want to spoil all the fun we are having. If we talk about it now, it ruins it again,” he said, clenching his jaw.

I could feel my backbone straightening, my shoulders squaring. Alarm bells were ringing in my head. What was he even talking about?

“Why would that ruin the evening? What is the answer to the question? How can it possibly be that bad, Casper? And don’t you think that I have the right to know why I’m actually here?” I asked him, and now I stood up. Our bodies were inches apart, but I still had to crane my neck to look up at him. My muscles tensed, and my heart was beating fast again. As much as I didn’t want to hear him say something harsh, I knew I needed to hear it. This fairytale was all just a dream. I was so afraid that I was being duped.

The grimace on Casper’s face fell suddenly, and he broke into a smile. “God, Lily! You are always so serious,” he said, and grabbed my hand.

I tugged at it, trying to wriggle my hand free from his grasp.

“Just tell me what’s going on, Casper. Is this just about the sex? If it is, I’m okay with that,” I snapped at him, trying to keep my voice low. I was aware that I was probably coming across as crazy, but I didn’t care anymore. I had been so happy just a few minutes ago, and now I couldn’t forgive myself for my own happiness.

“Nothing is going on, Lily. There is no need to react this way,” he said in that smooth, deep voice of his. It had an immediate calming effect on me. I suddenly felt foolish and childish, like I wanted to be on my best behavior for him. I could still feel the rage bubbling up inside me, but I was forcing myself to remain polite. At least in front of all these people.

I said nothing to him and just looked away until I felt the pressure of his hand on mine again. He was pulling me away in a different direction.

“Come meet my best friends,” I heard him say, and I could feel myself panicking again. What was going on? Why was Casper Argent introducing me to his friends?