We arrive at the nearby beach resort quite quickly. Well, nearby if you take a helicopter, which is how we traveled.

“I can’t believe you,” Jade says, burying her toes in the warm white sand.

“What? Don’t you like it here?”

She looks up into my eyes, the sea reflects in her eyes, making them appear green-blue. “I love it. It’s just, you made it clear that we weren’t on vacation. I didn’t think I’d be able to explore the city, much less come all the way out here to this island beach.”

I shrug. “I think we’ve had as much fun at the conference today as we could. I thought we could use a change of pace.”

She licks her lips and it sends a jolt through me. “No arguments here.”

“Good. Come on.” I lead her up the beach to our private cabana right near the water. During the ride over, I made a phone call to the friend who owns this private resort.

We walk up to the cabana right near the water. It has been beautifully prepared for our arrival. Everything we could possibly need for a day at the beach is laid out for us beneath the palm frond roof. A waiter from the resort stands there in crisp white linens, holding two frosty drinks in hollowed out melons.

“Ooo thank you,” Jade says as she takes one. She takes a sip, and her eyes nearly roll into the back of her head. “Oh, my God, this is amazing. You have to try this, Luke.”

I grab my own drink.

The waiter nods politely, and moves away. He stays close enough, so we can call him easily, but far enough away to give us our privacy.

I take a sip. “You’re right. This is very good.”

“How much alcohol do you think is in it?”

“I think you don’t want to know.”

She shudders. “I don’t think I could bear another headache like this morning.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it easy.”

With her drink in hand, she sits in one of the padded loungers facing the water.

I sit on the chair next to her.

The sun bathes my skin, but the salty wind coming off the water keeps it from feeling sweaty-hot. The sound of the waves hitting the beach is soothing. Tension drains from me as the peaceful surroundings seep into me.

“When was the last time you did something like this?” Jade asks, turning to look at me.

“What? Sit on the beach with a beautiful woman?”

Jade shoots me a sour grin, like she thinks I’m being cheesy, but the flush of her cheeks tells me she appreciated the compliment. “No, I mean, when was the last time you just sat back and relaxed like this?”

The question catches me off guard. “You know, I honestly can’t remember. I guess it’s been a while.” I take another sip of my drink and think about it. I really can’t think of the last time. “You know how it is, with work and everything. The wheels of business don’t stop turning long enough for me to take a vacation.”

She sighs. “I know. Things are non-stop with you. But doesn’t it feel nice?”

“It does,” I admit.

“Then why don’t you take a break every once in awhile?” she asks, turning to look at me.

It’s such a simple question, but I don’t have a good answer. “I’ve really never thought about it. I’ve always been driven, I guess. I know that if I work hard, I’ll be successful.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re already successful by any standard. You’ve done it. You’ve got more money than God, offices all over the world, and an army of people working for you.”

“True,” I reply.

“So what’s the endgame? When is it all enough? When can you sit back and enjoy your life?”

“Christ, Jade, you make it sound like I’m a miserable workaholic.”

“No, not miserable. But you don’t seem happy, either.”

“Work makes me happy.”

She nods. “Sure, but there are other kinds of happiness.”

“Are there?” I ask, laughing.

“I mean, there could be. What makes you happy? Other than work.”

“I’ve never really stopped to think about it.” I drain the rest of my drink as I think. The answer is not at the bottom of my melon. Finally, I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“See? That’s why it’s good to slow down every once in awhile. It helps put things in perspective. Helps you figure out what you really want.”

“And what do you want?” I ask, wanting to get the damn spotlight off me. These questions make me feel uneasy, like there’s a part of me that’s missing.

“I want lots of things,” Jade replies. “The career, of course. But I also want a family someday. A couple of kiddos running around. A man I love.”

“That’s all so predictable,” I retort.

She sits up straighter, bristling at my comment. “It may be predictable, but at least I have goals. Things to look forward to and to strive for in my life. What are you looking forward to? Adding more zeroes to your bank account?”

I don’t have an answer. It’s rare for me to be speechless like this, but here I am. Nobody has this effect on me, but Jade manages to throw me off-balance with ease, like it’s nothing.

Jade stands up next to me. “I’m going for a swim.” She strips off her flowing beach dress, revealing a jaw-dropping, itsy bitsy white bikini underneath. Her full, ripe breasts threaten to spill out of her top. I sincerely wish they would. Her bottoms are fitted enough that I can just make out the outline of her pussy before she turns around. I don’t know if she sways her hips on purpose just to torture me, or if it just comes naturally to her, but I get rock hard just looking at her walk to the water’s edge. My eyes stay glued to her firm, round ass as it bounces with every step.

Part of the reason I wanted to come to the beach was for this exact moment. Even though I’d already seen her naked, I’d been drunk. I remember everything that happened between us the night before, but now, in the brilliant light of day, Jade looks so much brighter and more vivid than my blurry memories.

The other reason I wanted to come out here was to spend some time alone with her without anyone else around. I’m still conflicted about sleeping with my assistant or whatever is going on between us. So I don’t want all of my business colleagues there to witness it.

I’m not ashamed of Jade. I’m ashamed of myself for succumbing to the tired old cliché of the executive and his secretary on a ‘business’ trip in Thailand. It makes me feel like an asshole. No one would understand how amazing Jade is. They wouldn’t think, “Oh, maybe he really likes her.” They would judge her the way I judged all the women my associates brought along to these types of conferences.

I couldn’t bear to have them think of my Jade like that, not unless I know it’s worth it. But it’s way too early to be sure about any of that yet. All I know about her is that I enjoy her company and she’s so damn gorgeous it hurts to look at her. For now, that is enough.

Jade stands in the water. The waves come up to her knees. She turns around and waves to me, beckoning me like a siren. “Are you coming?” she calls.

I shrug off my worries with my clothes and run out to join her.