Read Online Trust in Us by Altonya Washington - Free Book Online
Authors: Altonya Washington
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electric candles lining the walls. By day, rich sunlight was powerful enough to filter through the picture windows at either end of the space. Softly evocative tunes from the band on schedule for that evening piped in to enhance their stroll along the otherwise silent hall.
“Having a friend in the business is very nice but Dane, Zeke and Jay benefit more than I do.” He depressed the elevator’s down button and then hid his hand in a front trouser pocket. “My visits down here aren’t usually about vacationing.”
“Hmm...” Alythia tapped her fingers along the powerful cords of his forearm. “Sounds like your friends and my friends both have workaholic friends in common.” She joined in for only a moment when Gage laughed to concede her point.
“Is that all the enjoyment you get from Clive’s brainchild?” She ventured more steadily into the topic she had wanted to open since they left her suite.
“Clive doesn’t complain.” Gage shrugged. “Especially when my trips down here result in free business advice for him.”
The elevator car arrived with a melodic and subtle ring.
“Does Clive only make moves you give the green light on?” Alythia asked once the doors closed and they began their descent.
Gage leaned against the rich oak-paneled car and regarded her with a fresh awareness. “Alythia?” He waited for her eyes to rest on his. “Clive isn’t about to back out on this deal because of anything I say.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.” His words held no accusation, only soft amusement.
Sighing disappointedly, Aly lowered her eyes to the short carpeting beneath their feet. “Orchid’s always warning me about being so anally involved in my business.”
The close confines filled with the hearty rumble of Gage’s laughter. “Do I even want to know what that is?” The question tumbled out on a chuckle.
The doors opened into the exotic music-filled lobby. Gage offered his arm, which Alythia accepted without thought.
“The explanation was forced on me,” she said in a resigned fashion. “No reason why I can’t share it with you.”
Gage’s ready laughter resumed as he led them deeper into the lively lobby.
* * *
“So I guess you finishing off our appetizers means you approve of the restaurant?” Gage drained the last of his beer and signaled the waiter for another.
Shameless, Aly scraped the last of the guacamole from a porcelain bowl. “It takes talent to make great guacamole and these folks have talent to spare.”
“I’ll have to make sure Clive keeps his cook staff, then.”
There was a moment of quiet and then a flood of laughter between the couple as memories of their earlier conversation filtered in.
“So...anally involved in business?” Gage recalled the other path of their conversation before it had veered off into Alythia’s ravings over Anegada Weeks’ West Wing Restaurant Row.
The resort boasted over thirty eating establishments all along various wings inside the resort’s main building. Each eatery carried a different theme and was staffed by Caribbean, Latin and Italian natives.
Alythia helped herself to more of the crisp sangria she’d ordered. Settling back, she studied the colorful liquid through the tall cooler she held.
“I prefer to think of it as being detail oriented. Orchid thinks I make a big deal of things when no big deal is required. It’s a flaw I’m trying to work on.” She shrugged and then drank deeply of the sangria.
Gage frowned. “I wouldn’t say it’s anything you need to stress over.”
Aly held her glass poised in the air. “Excuse me? Are you the same man I just interrogated on the way down here?”
“I wouldn’t have called it an interrogation.”
“No...you’re too polite to do that.”
The assessment made him laugh again. Alythia didn’t begrudge the attention he drew. Women turned in appreciation of the man and the sound of his amusement and Aly couldn’t deny its ability to soothe.
“You
“Having a friend in the business is very nice but Dane, Zeke and Jay benefit more than I do.” He depressed the elevator’s down button and then hid his hand in a front trouser pocket. “My visits down here aren’t usually about vacationing.”
“Hmm...” Alythia tapped her fingers along the powerful cords of his forearm. “Sounds like your friends and my friends both have workaholic friends in common.” She joined in for only a moment when Gage laughed to concede her point.
“Is that all the enjoyment you get from Clive’s brainchild?” She ventured more steadily into the topic she had wanted to open since they left her suite.
“Clive doesn’t complain.” Gage shrugged. “Especially when my trips down here result in free business advice for him.”
The elevator car arrived with a melodic and subtle ring.
“Does Clive only make moves you give the green light on?” Alythia asked once the doors closed and they began their descent.
Gage leaned against the rich oak-paneled car and regarded her with a fresh awareness. “Alythia?” He waited for her eyes to rest on his. “Clive isn’t about to back out on this deal because of anything I say.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.” His words held no accusation, only soft amusement.
Sighing disappointedly, Aly lowered her eyes to the short carpeting beneath their feet. “Orchid’s always warning me about being so anally involved in my business.”
The close confines filled with the hearty rumble of Gage’s laughter. “Do I even want to know what that is?” The question tumbled out on a chuckle.
The doors opened into the exotic music-filled lobby. Gage offered his arm, which Alythia accepted without thought.
“The explanation was forced on me,” she said in a resigned fashion. “No reason why I can’t share it with you.”
Gage’s ready laughter resumed as he led them deeper into the lively lobby.
* * *
“So I guess you finishing off our appetizers means you approve of the restaurant?” Gage drained the last of his beer and signaled the waiter for another.
Shameless, Aly scraped the last of the guacamole from a porcelain bowl. “It takes talent to make great guacamole and these folks have talent to spare.”
“I’ll have to make sure Clive keeps his cook staff, then.”
There was a moment of quiet and then a flood of laughter between the couple as memories of their earlier conversation filtered in.
“So...anally involved in business?” Gage recalled the other path of their conversation before it had veered off into Alythia’s ravings over Anegada Weeks’ West Wing Restaurant Row.
The resort boasted over thirty eating establishments all along various wings inside the resort’s main building. Each eatery carried a different theme and was staffed by Caribbean, Latin and Italian natives.
Alythia helped herself to more of the crisp sangria she’d ordered. Settling back, she studied the colorful liquid through the tall cooler she held.
“I prefer to think of it as being detail oriented. Orchid thinks I make a big deal of things when no big deal is required. It’s a flaw I’m trying to work on.” She shrugged and then drank deeply of the sangria.
Gage frowned. “I wouldn’t say it’s anything you need to stress over.”
Aly held her glass poised in the air. “Excuse me? Are you the same man I just interrogated on the way down here?”
“I wouldn’t have called it an interrogation.”
“No...you’re too polite to do that.”
The assessment made him laugh again. Alythia didn’t begrudge the attention he drew. Women turned in appreciation of the man and the sound of his amusement and Aly couldn’t deny its ability to soothe.
“You
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