“You really don’t want to lose her, Alex.” He said in a matter-of-fact manner.
My eyes followed his gaze to where Chloe was holding court with three of the board members. I looked on with admiration at how easily she had placed them in the palm of her hand.
“You find your own. I found her first,” I retorted.
He chuckled good-naturedly.
The afternoon session brought with it some wins and some losses. I suspect it would have brought more losses had it not been for Chloe.
By the time we were en route to our hotel I was spent. I loosened my tie and undid the top button of my shirt and fell back into the seat. Despite the fact the sun was setting, the heat had not abated and I felt it sapping whatever residual energy I had left. Chloe just sat there smiling at me.
“I know,” I said. “I’m going to need to give you a bloody huge raise to keep you.”
Her smile broadened, but she didn’t say a word.
“Seriously, you were incredible in there.” I said genuinely. “It was you who won them over.”
She turned to look at the coastline as we turned towards Coolangatta, but I noticed that the smile never left her.
As our baggage was being roughly extracted from the boot of the taxi, I suggested to Chloe that we meet up for drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant in an hour. We caught the lift together. Her room, it turned out, was on the floor below mine.
In spite of my weariness, I couldn’t help but be impressed by my apartment. It appeared that Carillion had not cut any corners with our accommodation. The living area was spacious and opened up onto a wide balcony which extended around to the bedroom. But I was too tired to explore further. Instead, I dropped the keys on the kitchenette counter and headed for the bathroom. I undressed and stepped into the chique, open shower stall, with its grey matte travertine tiles. I set the water on cool and stepped under the stream, bringing almost instant relief from the sapping heat. I closed my eyes and let it envelop me, washing away all traces of my day. Gradually, my body temperature returned to normal and I felt somewhat restored. I turned off the water, towelled down and dragged my carry-on luggage into the bedroom. This too was impressive, with a king-size, pillow-top bed, in a cavernous room framed by the floor to ceiling glass that looked out over the balcony and ocean. The darkness obscured the view, but I was sure that I would be duly impressed when I woke the next morning.
I retrieved a burgundy dress shirt and black trousers and got dressed. I still had 15 minutes until I was due to meet Chloe in the restaurant, but with nothing better to do, I decided to get an early start at the bar.
The restaurant and bar were in a separate building across the complex from the accommodation tower. To access it, you had to walk by the resort-style pool, flanked by large stands of dense palm trees that shielded it from neighbouring properties and gave a strange sense of isolation that was incongruous with its location in a large resort complex. A short wooden arch bridge led me across a narrow stretch of the pool, a short distance to the outdoor deck of the restaurant.
The restaurant itself was open, making the most of the gorgeous setting with a well-appointed bar set back from a wall of French doors. As it was late, I was able to pick a table on the deck. The lighting from inside the restaurant was subdued and a candle sat flickering on the table added to the intimate ambience. While it was still surprisingly hot and humid outside, I suspected a seat inside would afford little additional comfort given the open design. Besides, I loved the outlook onto the grounds and pool. I rolled the sleeves up on my dress shirt to just below my elbows and placed an order for a gin and tonic.
As my drink arrived at the table a figure approached along the path. My jaw almost hit the table as she came into view. Chloe walked up the steps to the deck in a shimmering black bodycon dress that rode above mid-thigh. The material clung to her spectacular figure as if it were painted on. Thin, spaghetti straps made the dress look more like a slip than an evening dress. Chloe smiled at me and demurely approached the table. I rose to get her seat and felt my cock straining against my dress pants. I shifted as subtly as possible to disguise the outward sign of my admiration.
“You look incredible,” I gushed seeing her smile widen. “I feel seriously under-dressed.”
She let her gaze roam over me, stopping briefly where the slim-fit dress shirt pulled across my chest.
“I think you look perfect,” she volunteered.
At that moment the waitress approached, welcoming us and providing menus. I ordered a bottle of Piper Heidsieck champagne and, after listening to the chef’s specials, I asked for some time to look at the menus.
“Champagne?” Chloe asked.
“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done over the past few months. It’s the least I can do given the award nomination, the long hours of prep work for this workshop and the way you salvaged us today.” I said earnestly.
“So, no raise then,” she pouted.
“Well, there is that too,” I chuckled. “I can’t afford someone else to snap you up.”
I was finding it hard to keep my eyes from wandering down to her chest framed as it was by the exquisitely clingy ensemble. There was no evidence of a strapless bra and her nipples obstinately pushed through the fabric.
Chloe pretended not to notice me admiring her body as she looked at her surroundings.
“It is so beautiful here,” she observed. “I want to try that pool out tomorrow if we get the time in the afternoon.”
“I’m going to try it tonight,” I said tugging at my shirt to circulate some air in the still heat of the evening.
“Not used to the heat, huh?” She smiled turning back to me as our champagne arrived.
We spent a pleasant hour laughing and chatting about nothing and everything and I was reminded how easy I found talking to her and how much I’d missed our time together. She dazzled me with her smile and I was drawn to pull her to me and kiss her passionately. I was torn. She had indicated that she needed space to think about us, yet her body language and choice of attire seemed to signal her interest. For my part I was clear in my intentions. I wanted Chloe in my life. I loved the way I felt when I was around her. I wanted to feel her body pressed against me and her lips on mine. But I didn’t want to rush and scare her away, given that it was the issues in my life that had come between us to begin with. I resolved that as hard as it was, I would let her make the first move.
As the plates were taken away, I sat back comfortably in my chair and sipped at the last of my champagne. Chloe was studying me, as she placed her glass down on the table.
“Are you still planning to take that swim tonight?” She enquired quietly. The restaurant had cleared out half an hour before and the staff were waiting on us to finish so they could close up for the night.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m going to struggle to sleep without cooling off and I like the idea of a late night dip.”