After they had both had a few cocktails each and by the time they were landing in Maui, Shane was beginning to warm up to the idea of working with Margie. He had found himself enjoying her conversation and contemplated not sending her back on Monday after all. Still he couldn’t help thinking that a hot young secretary would be more fun. He was torn about it and concluded it would be best to leave his options open a little while longer.
“Smell those heavenly flowers. Aren’t they wonderful Shane?” gushed Margie as she exited down the plane steps. Shane had to agree her as he sniffed the fragrant island breeze. A limousine was there waiting and promptly took them on a lovely scenic drive from tiny Kapalua Airport down coastal Highway 30 to the Kaanapali Kai Resort.
Five
Danielle’s stomach was so nervous she had barely taken five bites of her lunch, leaving most of her Teriyaki chicken bowl untouched on her desk. She had brushed her teeth and checked her look in the ladies’ room three times in the last hour alone. Her anxiety was definitely getting the best of her. The very day Paolo had informed her that Shane Tanner was coming to the island she had run right out and spent half a week’s salary on a new tailored suit and designer shoes. Why do I even care what that asshole thinks of me anyway? She asked herself that question repeatedly but deep down she knew the answer: She wanted him to see exactly what he had missed out on and she wanted him to regret it.
The website photo of Shane Tanner stared out from Dani’s computer screen. That bastard! She couldn’t believe he had lied to her about his identity. Not only that, now he was even more gorgeous than she remembered. There was a part of her that secretly wished he had gone bald or put on fifty….or a hundred pounds over the years. But the exact opposite was true; he looked sexier and refined, mature and self-confident. His smile was as dashing as ever and those hypnotic steel gray eyes looked like they could still see through to her soul. She thought back to how many times she had raked her fingers through his lush, wavy dark locks and how soft his full lips felt pressed against her own. The conflicting combination of pure hatred and overwhelming desire for him suddenly turned her stomach.
It had taken a few years for her heart to heal but once she had finally accepted that she was never going to see or hear from Scott Turner again, she got rid of every photo she had of him. She couldn’t stand the sight of him and she wanted to make sure she’d never have to look upon his stupid face ever again. But now, sometime within the hour she was going to be face to face with him and she had absolutely no idea what she was going to say to him. To make matters worse her sleep was being interrupted by relentlessly tormenting sexual dreams of him.
The phone ringing on her desk suddenly snapped her out of her disconcerting thoughts. Paolo Santiago’s name popped up on the display.
“Hi Paolo. He’s not here already is he? Please tell me he’s not here yet.”
“Afraid so honey. His limo just drove up and he’s getting out. Are you ready?”
“I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t need to come down there do I?”
“No. You just continue with whatever you’re working on up there and I’ll bring him by your office to supposedly ‘meet you’ when I give him the hotel tour. As far as I’m concerned I don’t know anything about your Honolulu sex fest with him.”
“Paolo! Do you have to call it that?”
“No I guess not. I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. Funny but insensitive. Now get yourself together girl. You can’t let him get to you.”
Dammit! Paolo was right. I’m not going to let that jerk get to me. I just need to get a grip. Who the hell is HE anyway? Just a plain old ordinary man that’s all. Though she tried hard to kid herself, Dani knew HE was anything but ordinary; He was a drop-dead gorgeous man with whom she had had amazing sex at least a hundred times; the same man whose handsome face had burrowed deeply between her splayed thighs on many occasion and whose superb member had been between her lips just as often. Oh my god! And he was also the same man with whom she was going to have to work with on a daily basis during his stay. The same man who would be her boss.
Dani ran to the ladies’ room and splashed cold water on her face while she contemplated the option of quietly killing herself. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and gave herself a reality reminder: He was also the same shit head who ran off in the night without an explanation.
Upon returning to her desk she sat down in her leather chair and took in a few deep breaths. Then she confidently crossed her legs at the knees, straightened her posture and placed her fingertips on her keyboard to give the appearance of being hard at work. To her horror, hitting the enter key instantly woke up her computer which still displayed Shane Tanner’s larger than life face. Shit! I gotta get that off there! She quickly closed the page, imagining the complete embarrassment she would have felt if he had walked up and seen it. As if on cue Paolo strolled into her office with the real thing right behind him.
“Hey Danielle. Sorry to interrupt your work. I know you’re busy as always but I’d like you to meet Mr. Shane Tanner of Tanner International.”
She took a final deep breath to prepare herself and swiveled around in order to face the two men. However, one look at Shane Tanner sent her heart racing up into her throat. Paolo continued the introduction.
“Shane Tanner……. this is our very talented Marketing Director, Danielle Kane. She’s the woman-to-know on these islands. Everybody who’s anybody listens to Danielle.”
“Please don’t get up Ms. Kane,” he said as he leaned forward to shake her hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Mr. Santiago speaks very highly of you. I’m looking forward to working with you in the coming months.”
Their eyes locked and for one brief moment she was transported back to that summer. It was him alright. The man who had given her both the greatest ecstasy and greatest heartache. She searched for a spark of recognition in his face but she found none; not one single thing that said, “You look familiar have we met before?” or “Hey weren’t you the love of my life one summer?” or “Aren’t you that girl who’s heart I trampled on a few years back?” She cleared the emotion from her voice box and offered her hand to him tentatively.
“Nice to meet you as well Mr. Tanner. I trust you’ll let me know if there’s any way that I can assist you during the hotel’s transition.” All she could muster up was a half-hearted smile.
He graciously shook her hand, smiled and nodded, “Thank you Ms. Kane. I definitely will.”
The polite meeting was suddenly interrupted by the cheerful voice of a woman standing in the office doorway.
“Hello? Sorry but I needed to make a little detour to the ladies’ room. I’m Marguarite Grummond, Mr. Tanner’s secretary, but everyone calls me Margie. Pleased to meet you both.”
She strode swiftly toward Dani like a galloping horse with lots of smiling teeth and an outstretched arm for a handshake. The two women shook hands and Dani instantly liked her.
“Hi Margie, I’m Danielle Kane. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Marguarite Grummond squinted her eyes as if trying to bring Dani’s face into focus.