The journey from the airport to Paradise Island took less than half an hour and along the way Dana relaxed and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the island. The car took them along Cable Beach, past Goodman’s Bay Park and through parts of downtown Nassau. Soon they were riding across the bridge leading to Paradise Island, their destination.
Dana sat up and stared wide eyed as they approached a huge, impressive-looking hotel. “Is that where we’re staying?” She twisted her body to get a better view. “I’ve always heard about this hotel. I never thought that one day I’d be staying there.”
Rock chuckled. “We’ll be staying at the Reef Atlantis. I trust you’ll be comfortable there.”
Dana turned back to face him. “I’ll be comfortable anywhere as long as we’re on this island. I’ve never been to a Caribbean island before.”
Rock frowned. “Are you telling me that with all the luxury packages sold by Premier Holdings you’ve never taken advantage of any of them?”
Dana looked at him, slightly taken aback by his question. “No, not at all. I can’t afford that sort of thing.”
“I didn’t mean that you would pay for it.” Rock looked at her as if she were crazy. “This is the business of your company. You’ve never sampled any of the products?”
“No,” Dana answered, her voice hesitant. “Never.” In truth, the thought had never even crossed her mind that she or any of the other employees should be allowed to try any of the packages that the company sold. She was surprised that Rock would even suggest it. Wouldn’t something like that affect the company’s bottom line, letting the staff stay in luxury hotels?
“How can I expect you to sell these packages, really help clients understand what they are like, if you’ve never experienced them yourself? Make a note, Dana,” Rock said, his voice firm, “when we get back to the office we’ll make an announcement to the staff. All staff members are eligible to a free vacation at one of the luxury resorts we do business with. I do not want to have anybody working for me who can’t give a first hand account of what it’s like to stay in one of the resorts we’re selling.”
Dana was quick to give him a nod. “Well noted, sir.”
Rock laughed at that.
But although Dana smiled back, inside she felt like she was glowing. Here was another side to Rock, a very generous side, one that she could only admire. How many bosses would order their staff to vacation at a luxury resort at the company’s expense? Rock St. Stephens was certainly a man of surprises.
At that moment her attention was drawn to the luxury hotel at which Rock had arranged for them to stay. And as she stared in wonder, Rock explained that they would each have their own suite with bedrooms, kitchen, living room and sitting room, fully equipped with all they could ever need. And the sweetest part? They each had a private balcony overlooking the beach.
As soon as they had checked in Rock turned to her. “It’s only four o’clock. Why don’t you get some rest and we meet at around six thirty for dinner?”
“That would be nice. I am feeling a bit tired.”
“And tomorrow we have a long day ahead of us.” He gave her an admiring look, from her pants suit to her stiletto heels. “I hope you’ve brought flat shoes because we’re going to be touring the island tomorrow. I want us to get a feel for the place, to get to know a little bit about Nassau before we have our meeting on Friday.” He gave her a smile. “So as lovely as you look, I would suggest you ditch the high heels.”
“I’m happy to say I came fully prepared. If you’re planning on doing a lot of walking, I’ll be right by your side.”
“Good. See you at six thirty then for dinner?”
“Six thirty,” she said with a nod and with a happy toss of her head she headed for the elevator and the comfort of her luxury suite. She planned to enjoy every minute of it until dinnertime.
CHAPTER NINE
At six twenty-five that evening, Rock relaxed into the ultra-modern sofa in the hotel lobby then gave a soft groan as a wave of tiredness washed over him. Busy preparing for the trip, he’d had only five hours of sleep the night before and now it was catching up on him. He really had to stop this, acting like he was still the grad student who could pull all-nighters when it came to exam times. This was definitely not the kind of thing to do at the ripe old age of thirty-four. He was getting up there in age and he’d best remember that. Eyes half closed, Rock smiled to himself at his own private joke.
“Hello, Rock.”
At the sound of Dana’s voice he opened his eyes and there, in front of him, stood a vision of elegance. Immediately he stood up, his eyes roaming over Dana, transformed into an even greater beauty than before, if that were possible. Her long, dark hair which had fallen in layers over her shoulders and down her back was now swept high on top of her head in an elegant bun, with soft tendrils tickling her temples. Her eyes, always so dark and bold, now looked dazzling with gold highlights that complemented the deep brown of her eyes. And where, in the past, she’d always worn soft pink lipstick, tonight those lips were crimson and audacious…and very inviting.
Tonight Dana wore a simple black dress, but one which showed her off in a way that was tasteful and tempting at the same time. Slim spaghetti straps showed off the creamy smoothness of her shoulders. The silky black sheath of her dress caressed the curves of her br**sts and the roundness of her hips, covering her in all the right places but hugging close, providing much fuel to the imagination. And that little slit, just above her right knee, gave enough of a hint of long, shapely leg to make him think thoughts most inappropriate for a boss.
Realizing he was staring and still hadn’t said a word several seconds after her greeting, Rock cleared his throat. “Dana, you look…” He paused as he searched for the right word. “Stunning is an understatement.”
A soft blush rose to her cheeks. “Uhm, thank you.” She looked like she didn’t know what else to say after that.
Quickly, he put her out of her misery. “May I escort you, mademoiselle?” He gave her his arm and when she took it, it was with a look of gratitude. Poor Dana. He’d embarrassed her with his gushing praise. That was so unlike him. What was it about Dana Daniels that made him forget who he was?