Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“In the interest of transparency, I’m looking for weed,” I said with a shrug. “I was here to meet my plug.” I gestured to the gator.
Matthew grimaced and sucked in a breath. “This is awkward.” His slight pause worried me, until he added, “I called the alligator police on him.”
“I thought you were going to tell me it was against resort policy.”
“It is, but I know the owner.”
“And he makes you babysit alligators?” I raised an eyebrow.
“He has a vested interest in guests not being eaten by alligators.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “But if you stick around until this situation is resolved, I know where you can get what you’re looking for.”
My earlier conversation with Sarrah flashed through my mind. From the way his gaze kept slipping down, I had zero doubt I could get exactly what I was looking for from Matthew Ashe. But he was my brother’s best friend. Maybe there was some kind of code of honor between dudes that makes little sisters off-limits.
Whatever. I could still get high, since he’d invited me.
“Sure. I think I have some free time this evening.” I peered over the bridge. “Are we actually waiting for someone to deal with the alligator, though?”
“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” he responded, all seriousness. “There’s a nuisance alligator team on premises to deal with them, but it’ll take them a minute. And that big party over there is about to get out—”
“And you don’t need drunk people and wild animals raising your liability insurance.” I understood. And I was kind of impressed. “Somehow, I don’t see other CEOs taking on this type of job.”
“It’s good to have a hands-on interest,” he quipped. The dimple in his cheek when he smiled made me want to take a hands-on interest in him.
I hoped he’d take a hands-on interest in me too.
One of those electric golf carts pulled up, bearing four guys, some orange safety cones, and what could only be described as gator-wrangling equipment. Matthew grabbed the stack of cones, thanking the men piling out of the cart before he asked, “Over there?”
While I didn’t have any experience with billionaire CEOs in person, I’d had plenty of bosses at fast-food places who wouldn’t have dashed into action during a lunch rush, let alone a gatormergency. And he’d asked his workers what to do, rather than assuming he knew best by default. My expectations for rich people were astonishingly low, but I was impressed.
He jogged back in my direction. “Okay. Let’s get the fuck out of here before it gets dangerous.” He waved and thanked the men again, then motioned in the direction I’d come from. As we started off, his arm slipped around my waist to guide me off the bridge. Then he pulled quickly back with an embarrassed “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Just don’t push me into an alligator-infested pond.”
“Ever?” he asked, as if baffled by the request.
I could understand why Scott liked him. Matthew had an easy sense of humor.
“You’re one of those people who feels like they know someone like two seconds after meeting them, aren’t you?”
“Oh, not at all,” he said with a laugh. “I feel like I know you. Your brother talks about you all the time.”
“That’s unsettling.” I couldn’t imagine that there were any good things to say about me. Hey, this is my sister, she’s never held a job for more than six months.
“He… kind of warned me not to…”
I smirked. “That’s a shame.”
“Well, I never explicitly agreed to honor his wishes.”
Jackpot.
He winced. “That’s gross, isn’t it? I promise, I’m not planning some weird, ‘ha ha, I banged your sister’ prank or something like that.”
“I don’t think my brother would be friends with someone like that.”
“I don’t either,” Matthew agreed. “We don’t let assholes into our group.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to murder me either,” I added.
“You’d be missed. Everybody knows you’re here.” He motioned down a path that thankfully wouldn’t lead us past my parents’ villa. “This way.”
It wasn’t a surprise that we headed toward the large main building. “Let me guess. You’ve got a connection in the kitchen?”
He shook his head.
“Then you know a bellhop who knows somebody?” I guessed again.
“No, we’re going to my room,” he said. “If that’s okay with you?”
That was a surprise. “You’re not staying in some luxury owner’s quarters? I’m in a private residence.”
With my parents, my brain added to rub it in.
“Then I guess you’re a little bit better than me.” His smile hit me like three margaritas and I almost swooned. He went on, “All the private accommodations were reserved for the wedding party and family guests.”
“Hmm.” I pretended to doubt him.
“Hey, I’m staying in the largest luxury suite on the property,” he played along. “You should still be impressed.”
I squinched up my face. “We’ll see.”
“Oh, you’ll see,” he teased me back. “You’ll be eating those words.”