“We’ll only be able to see San Jose through the windows on our way out to the coast,” Josh remarked, startling her out of her reverie. “Maybe on our way home we can stop in the city to play for a bit, if the meeting goes as planned.”
“It will go as planned.”
“You’re right, Ella,” Josh said. “We’ve done excellent work together for the past two months.”
Ella beamed inwardly at the compliment.
As the stretch SUV stopped for a traffic light in the crowded business district, Ella looked out through the tinted windows. The women of Costa Rica were stunningly beautiful and dressed to show it off. Ella marveled at how they managed to so casually wear their cheap high-heeled shoes on the sidewalks of San Jose without falling in the numerous gaping holes and cracks in the concrete.
Josh had briefed her on the background of his upcoming meeting as soon as his jet took off from Chicago Midway Airport. They were headed for a luxury resort on the Pacific Ocean in the province of Guanacaste to negotiate a deal for a new medical tourism facility to be built in the small Latin American country.
Ella noted he looked relaxed and happy. He had told her it would be an easy, friendly deal, and he was only bringing her along because he knew she would enjoy it. Back in Chicago it was winter, and he had added that he thought they could both use a break to get away and relax a bit.
This made Ella happy. As the stretch SUV sped through the beautiful Costa Rican countryside, she allowed herself to wonder for a brief moment if Josh simply wanted her with him for her company.
She put the thought out of her mind. That would be too much to hope for. They had a business deal, and when she had worked off the amount she had embezzled from InterPlus by serving him as his personal secretary, their relationship would be over.
Although the province of Guanacaste was far away from the capital, the beach was lined with luxury high-rise hotels. The stretch SUV dropped them off in a circle drive lined with bright red hibiscus flowers, and after checking them in, Josh took her to their room. It was a large suite on the top floor with a stunning view of the blue Pacific Ocean, with the waves lapping on the beach beneath the bright tropical sun. Down on the sand, Ella could see a row of large, blue and white beach umbrellas lined up, with a table and a pair of chaise lounges beneath each one.
“Pick out a spot for us,” Josh said, coming up behind her and encircling her waist with his hands. “I could use a drink and a swim, in that order.” He flicked the locks open on one of the suitcases, took out a gift package, and handed it to Ella.
The box contained a black designer bikini held together with silver rings between the cups and at the hips. Ella thought of the silver ring that joined the cuffs of the leather handcuffs Josh had made her wear in Antigua. She smiled.
“I thought you would like it,” Josh said, noticing her reaction. “But we’d better go down to the beach together if you’re wearing it, or the locals might get ideas about taking my place. Fifteen minutes?”
“Sounds great,” Ella replied as she carried it to her room. She couldn’t wait to put it on.
The package also contained a matching black cover-up dress, fastened with a large gold ring. She put it on over the bikini, picked up her sunglasses, and rode down in the elevator with Josh.
They picked up beach towels from a cabana outside the hotel and settled into a pair of chaise lounges beneath one of the blue and white umbrellas. A waiter brought them glasses of dark rum punch over cracked ice. Ella took a sip of hers, closed her eyes, and let the breeze off the Pacific cleanse her mind of everything except where she was and whom she was with.
After a quick swim, they went to their own rooms to shower. Ella treated herself to a brief nap before getting ready for dinner with Josh.
He had reserved a table for them by the window in the five-star restaurant off the hotel lobby. The waiter brought them a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice, filled their glasses, and took their order. The view of the sunset over the Pacific was spectacular.
“This is a kind of homecoming for me, Ella,” Josh said, raising his glass.
“What do you mean?” Ella asked, clicking glasses with him.
“My mother is of Costa Rican descent,” he said. “She became an American citizen by marrying my father, who is Irish-American.” He grinned. “As you can see, I favor her side of the family.”
Ella nodded. She had wondered about the origins of Josh’s jet black hair, aquiline nose, and dark eyes.
“And what about you?” he asked her.
“I’m afraid my background isn’t nearly as interesting as yours. My father is of British descent. My mother is French. Her maiden name is Rousseau.”