Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance 1(153)

I slowly smile at him and leap into his arms for a big, tight hug. He smells so divine and his body feels rock hard, smooth and toned underneath me.

“Ricky. Thank you so much for everything. For understanding. For today,” I whisper. “Yes, I’d absolutely love to see you again. I agree, we should make the most of our vacation time.”

“Well, let’s continue where we left off and go out tomorrow then,” he grins at me.

“Oh, I have an orientation and press trip tomorrow. But it’s only during the day. I’ll be back right after dinner. I know you’ve mentioned vacation for you, but some of us are here to actually work, you know,” I say teasingly.

“Oh, no problem. I’ll catch you tomorrow night then, my beautiful Belle,” he says with that incredible smile of his, making me melt instantly.

“I can’t wait,” I purr as I walk him to the door.



Last night and this morning has my mind in a fog. I have to focus on work details but my mind keeps going back to my handsome mystery man. The way he made me feel was unmistakable.

In just a few hours, I went crazy for him. But yet, I didn’t even know what he does for a living. Every time personal matters came up, he seemed to distract and change the topic. So how well did I really know him anyway?

Yet I didn’t want to push it. I figure he has his reasons. I was intensely personal and private, so I understood. And we were on a getaway trip partly to leave those things behind.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. After getting ready for my day on the boat tour, I have a little extra time for coffee and a quick call to my friend. I pull out my iPad and Face Time Julia. She answers quickly.

"Hey, girl! I was starting to wonder where you've been," exclaims Julia. In my iPad, I can tell she was just getting up.

"Yeah, sorry. It's kind of been a crazy couple of days. But nothing's wrong. I only have a few minutes so thought I'd check in before taking the local boating tour."

"Ooh, fancy," Julia teases. "Well, I hope you're having fun at least. You know you deserve this, don't you? It's time that you take out some time for yourself. Any hot guys down there?"

"Oh my God," I giggle at her. "You know I'm just here to work and get this article done." I don't know why I jump to be so defensive.

"Nobody is questioning their work ethic and professionalism. I'm just saying, it's time to move on. And you deserve some fun." Julia's tone softens as she seems genuinely concerned as a friend. I know she’s talking about that cheater, Mike, of course.

"I know, I know. Thanks, Julia. I'll try to loosen up and have a little fun, too," I smile at her in my tablet screen. She has been such a good friend, helping me so much through the disappointments of my last relationship.

"Oh shoot, I can't be late. How about I text or call you later?" I say to Julia, as I notice the time. "No problem, girl. Enjoy your fancy boat trip. We'll talk soon," she smiles and blows me a kiss before we disconnect.

I'm excited to be in this exotic and beautiful foreign country. As I step outside, the warm sun and tropical, natural smells fill my senses. I rush through the day, trying to pay attention to logistics and interesting facts given by the boat tour operator. I manage to take copious notes and snap a few interesting pictures.

But all day long, thoughts of him permeate my mind. Countless times, I find my mind wandering back to thoughts of him. His beautiful face, toned physique, sweet expressions and things he would say to me. I chide myself, reminding myself that I've only known him for a few hours. In fact, there was so much about him that I didn't know.

Although I manage to get enough notes and pictures from the day, it's hard to keep my mind on work. And I wonder, will he reach out to me tonight, as he said he would? The thought of seeing him again distracts me like no other, breaking any attention I have to the droning tour operator. Good thing I have a voice recorder.

My mind screams at me. It's too early, I'm just not ready! But when I think about seeing him again, feeling his strong hands in mine, his warm, toned body against mine, I shudder and can't stop grinning like an idiot. Maybe we could just have a little fun and enjoy our time together, like he suggested last night. I fight to keep my mind on the day's work. Why was he so distracting?

After a day of touring and talking with the other press tour attendees and guides, it’s finally time to go home. It felt like an extra-long day but at least I got the bulk of my work done, enough to write a few feature articles. I really just want to get home and jump into a shower.

You know what you want, my inside voice taunts me. I admit, I want to know if he's going to reach out to me again. Maybe it was a fluke, I shouldn't get my hopes up for a guy like him. After all, I just wasn't ready and the timing was terrible.