Rico’s office where she would hold her final conference with him, an exit interview of sorts.
She stopped by his assistant's desk and when she was ushered in it was a smiling Rico Megalos that she saw. And he was without a tie. Looking casual and ultra-sexy in jacket and a shirt open at the collar, he seemed more relaxed than Asia had ever seen him before.
As soon as she sat down she gave him the good news. “Congratulations. You’ve passed the test. You’re ready to fly.”
“Well, that was quick. You take one look at me and you give me a passing grade. I thought I’d at least have to do some multiple choice questions.”
“This is your lucky day,” she said. “I got some overwhelmingly positive feedback about you and on the strength of that I’ve decided to let you loose.”
“Perfect,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Now we can make the arrangements for our next date. Wear jeans or shorts.”
“Trousers again? Where to this time? On another of your yachts?”
“No, a sailboat.”
“A sailboat?” Asia’s eyes widened in horror. “I don’t want to go on a sailboat. What if it capsizes?”
“You can swim, can’t you?”
“Yes, but that’s besides the point.”
“Okay, since you're the guest you can have a choice,” Rico said. “Sailboat or motorboat? Which do you prefer?”
“Motorboat. As long as we don’t go too far from shore.”
“Motorboat it is, then,” Rico conceded, “although I can’t fulfill your second request about not going too far from shore.”
“Why not?” Asia asked, a twinge of worry creeping into her mind.
“Because I want to take you to my private island on the outskirts of the Bahamas.”
“I…don’t think I like the sound of that.” What did he think she was? Crazy?
“Don’t worry about it now,” he said gently. “We’ll talk about it when I pick you up Sunday morning at seven, okay? I’d like to get an early start.”
What part of no did this man not understand? Before she could refresh his memory that she was in disagreement he said something which silenced her, at least for the moment.
“Relax, Asia. You’ll be in good hands. Just imagine that your whole body is heavy. Relax and breathe.” Then he gave her a mischievous grin.
Oh, no. The man had turned autogenic expert, giving her a taste of her own medicine. Under the circumstances the only thing she could do was laugh.
CHAPTER SIX
On Sunday morning Asia was up with the rising sun. She was actually looking forward to spending the day with Rico. Now that their professional relationship was over she could let her hair down. Literally. Today she would forget the bun and let her hair fall loose around her shoulders. He’d said she should relax and she planned to.
Now if only she could control those rebellious butterflies that refused to settle down. She wasn’t even sure why they were there. Was it because she was scared of going on a motorboat or because she was scared to be with Rico? Or both? She inhaled a deep breath then let it out slowly. Then she closed her eyes in a brief moment of relaxation. She might as well practice what she preached.
When Rico arrived at seven o’clock she was ready. She’d dressed in jeans and a halter top blouse but she’d thrown a light jacket into her tote bag, just in case. She remembered how chilly the sea air had been that evening on the yacht so this time she wasn’t taking any chances.
Today there was no Hummer limousine to startle the neighbors. Rico was driving a Mercedes Benz convertible sports car which immediately put her in a good mood. She’d hated the pomp and glamour of the limousine but this car was just right.
As soon as she’d hopped into the passenger seat they set off for the sea shore. The wind whipped through her hair, sending it streaming behind like an ebony scarf, making her feel so carefree she could not help
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