“Maybe I forgot to ask my assistant to send a bathing suit. Oh well. Your plan won’t work.”
He shook his head. “I was in the room when you asked her. Unless she’s terrible at her job, you should be all set. Stop making excuses.”
Sarah blew out an exasperated breath, downed half of her champagne and slumped back in her seat. Great. Now I get to risk life and limb right before I put my entire career on the line.
Three hours later, they were on the ground in Miami. Sarah stepped off the plane, thick balmy air hitting her skin as she squinted into the bright Florida sun. At least summery weather made it feel like vacation. A black SUV like the one Aiden had in New York was waiting for them planeside. John had them off to the hotel in no time. As much as Sarah felt out of place, traveling with Aiden did have an upside. No waiting to check your bag or slogging your way through security. It was lovely.
She glanced over at him while the car sped along a causeway, palm trees fluttering in the breeze outside. He was so good-looking it sometimes hurt to set her sights on him for too long, as if her eyes grew weary of handsome. What would it be like to be Aiden Langford’s female companion on a trip like this? Romantic female companion. She already knew the VIP treatment was wonderful, but sleeping in the same bed with six-plus feet of pure man? Kissing him, taking off his clothes...the thought of it made her squirm in her seat. She quickly turned away and stared out her own window. She had to stay focused on business, even if romantic fantasies about Aiden were a nice escape.
They arrived at The Miami Palm hotel, situated on a private key, a small island just off the coast of downtown, connected to land by a gated bridge. Inside, the hotel lobby had classic Miami opulence—art deco chandeliers, towering potted palms and a tropical color scheme of cream, coral and sea green. Aiden was apparently a frequent customer—every employee, especially every female employee, knew his name. They didn’t even have to check in. The bellman brought them straight up to the top floor. And one room.
“One room?” Sarah said under her breath. “Isn’t that a little presumptuous?” It was her duty to feign indignation, at least while her brain attempted to determine what exactly Aiden was up to.
The bellman opened the door and stepped aside. Sarah nearly gasped when she walked into the luxurious space. Heck, if this was where they were staying, Aiden could presume whatever he wanted to. A sprawling living area was before them, with two large sectional couches. A black baby grand piano was beyond that, flanked by linen-upholstered armchairs. A dining table for ten was on the other side of the living area, with a wet bar beyond that. Along the length of the room were a trio of sliding doors leading to the terrace, with palm trees, a cloudless sky and the ocean completing the view.
“The presidential suite, sir.” The bellman wheeled their suitcases inside.
Aiden peered down at her. “See? Nothing presumptuous. Two bedrooms. Two master baths. Separated by this big room. And don’t worry, your door has a lock.”
Now Sarah felt stupid for saying anything. This was a business trip. She needed to start acting as such.
“It’s wonderful. Thank you so much for arranging this. I really appreciate it.”
“Holding up my end of the bargain.”
And nothing more.
“Time to get settled,” he added. “We leave in forty-five minutes.”
Her shoulders dropped. “So you were serious about parasailing? Really?”
“Dead serious. I don’t get to do this sort of thing nearly enough. I’m in Miami, I’m going parasailing. And you’re coming with me.”
“You know, I’m really more of a lounge-on-the-beach-with-a-mojito sort of girl.”
“Although I’m enjoying the vision, that’s not the plan today.”
“But...”
He shook his head. “No buts. If you get scared, the boat can bring us in. But you won’t get scared.”
“Fine.” Dejected, Sarah sucked in a deep breath and ambled to her room.
Once inside, Sarah’s eyes were immediately drawn to her gown, hanging neatly on a dressing rod next to the closet. Her suit coat and skirt were behind the dress. They must have been steamed by the hotel staff. They looked the picture of perfection. The emerald-green silk of the dress was just as exquisite as she’d remembered, the beading on the bodice and trailing down onto the skirt equally sublime. This was a good thing. She would be confident in this dress. It would be her superhero costume, the one in which she set aside her everyday persona and became an invincible woman.
Time to step outside her comfort zone.
She turned, her vision drifted to the bed and her inner peace sizzled away like a bead of water on a hot skillet. Good God. No. There sat her beach cover-up, along with her bathing suit. The aqua-blue caftan was great thinking on Tessa’s part. Sarah hadn’t thought to ask for it. Next to it was indeed her black bathing suit—a plain one at that, precisely what she’d asked Tessa to send. Only that it wasn’t the one she wanted. One-piece, dammit. One-piece. Not the teeny tiny bikini.