Chapter 5
Jolie had been ordering her meals to her room since she arrived at the resort, but this evening, she decided to walk down to the dining room for it. The problem was that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Brandon Calloway. Her skin tingled with the thought of feeling his beard scratching her lips as they kissed. She knew she wanted him, despite the fact that he was wearing a wedding band on his finger. She couldn’t remember the last time she had wanted a man this badly.
He exuded power and intelligence and something told her that he would be amazingly hot in bed. Her imagination had been running wild all day since she met him, and she just couldn’t stop herself from wanting to see him again.
So, she changed into a black bodycon dress, did her hair up in a messy bun at the back of her head and spent some extra time on her makeup.
By the time she had arrived at the dining room, dinner was already in the process of being served to the guests.
She hadn’t spotted Brandon when she first walked in, and instead walked across the room towards the large bay windows at the back where she sat down at a small table overlooking the private beach.
A server turned up at her side within minutes, and she picked out the special for the night and ordered a glass of the limoncello mojito. She was still carrying the book, but didn’t have the concentration to actually read it. Around her, couples were having romantic dinners or families with noisy kids were trying to get through the meal.
Jolie caught sight of a young mother trying to spoon feed her daughter and for a moment, she allowed her mind to wander to her own mother. Had she ever done that? It was hard to imagine her mother bothering to spoon feed her.
“I was hoping you’d order another one of the mojitos,” Brandon’s distinctive deep voice startled Jolie out of her thoughts and she was a little embarrassed that he’d caught her thinking about her mother.
She looked up to find him standing over her, and it was now that she noticed how tall he actually was. Brandon was smiling, his green eyes glittering in the dim chandelier light of the dining room. He had changed into tailored dark pants and a powder blue shirt with the buttons casually left open at his neck. He had his hands thrust into the pockets of his pants and his Rolex glittered on his wrist.
“I couldn’t help myself,” Jolie said and she stared back at him, catching his gaze roaming all over her. She could feel him undressing her with his eyes, and she realized that she liked being watched by him. It made her feel powerful.
“May I?” Brandon asked, touching the back of the chair across from her, and Jolie nodded her head. She watched him as he sat down, his biceps tightening under his shirt, the strength of his chiseled jaws…he caught her looking.
“I’m sorry about this morning,” he said suddenly, which caught her by surprise. She couldn’t be sure what exactly he was talking about.
“This morning? Are those drinks going to kill me?” she asked and heard Brandon laugh for the first time. He had a deep throaty laugh, loud and encompassing. The more he laughed, the more she felt like he was capturing her in a hug. When his laughter eventually died, he fixed his gaze on her and his lips became firm again.
“No, the drinks are perfectly safe to consume. I’m talking about what I said, Jo. Asking you if you were alone…that was inappropriate. You are a guest at my resort and I shouldn’t have stepped over the boundaries of a professional relationship,” he explained and Jolie stared back at him. She hadn’t expected him to just come out and say it. His directness was refreshing, and she felt like he was an open and honest man.
“You don’t need to apologize. You asked me that question because you knew I wanted to be asked,” she found herself saying. He didn’t shy away from looking at her, even though she was finding it difficult to keep holding his gaze.
Brandon let out a deep sigh and then sat back in his chair. He was now running his fingers up and down the neck of a wine glass that was on the table beside him.
“But then you got up and left,” he said and Jolie felt like her mouth was quickly running dry.
“Yes, but that is because I know that you are a married man,” she replied and nearly choked on her own words. This was an awkward conversation to have, and especially with someone she barely even knew.
Brandon was still staring at her, studying her face and her eyes for a hint of what she might be actually feeling.
“I could have taken off the ring. I wanted to, from the moment I saw you lounging on the deck chair beside the pool,” he said and Jolie could feel her heart racing wildly in her chest.
“Then why didn’t you?” she asked and Brandon leaned towards her a little, over the table.
“Because I’m not a liar, Jo. Whatever happens between us, I need you to know the truth about my situation,” he said and she gulped. She felt like her body was on fire. She pressed her thighs together tightly and hoped that the throbbing between her legs might get less.
“And what is the truth, Brandon?” she asked and his face remained unchanged. He made everything look so easy.
“That I’m married, and I want to fuck you,” he said.