“Yeah, sure, whatever. Just make sure your ass is back by Tuesday, because we have lunch with Optimum Solutions. Betty will fill you in on the schedule when you’re back in town.”
He referred to their assistant, who split time between the money-infusing half-suits of Liam and Wyatt’s investment firm.If Burton is delaying the meeting…Well, that was great news for Liam, who could not only take his time making his way back to the mainland on Monday with most of the other guests…
Shit, he could spend more time with Brim. Assuming she was around that evening.
“This is great news. There are some things I want to wrap up down here, too.”
“You mean in the freakin’ Caribbean?”
“Yeah. Nothing work-related. It’s personal.”
“Whatever, man. Just make sure you’re back here by Tuesday for lunch.”
“I’ll be returning tomorrow.”
“And will have your actual phone back?”
“Yup.”
“Rad. All right. Talk to you later. Enjoy your vacation or whatever.”
Wyatt hung up. Liam took his time putting the receiver away before letting out a satisfied sigh. Now that he was no longer in a hurry to check out and rush to the dock, he flopped back onto his freshly made bed and thought about everything he wanted to do with his newfound day.
First, a trip to the gym. Then, he would secure whatever he needed for that night’s party.
Brim would be there, certainly. And Liam would only consider this trip to La Mariposa truly a success if he got to see the greatest Butterfly of all time truly blooming in the perfect environment.
She’ll be surprised to see me.Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind if Liam joined in with the happy festivities. But something told him that Brim was the exact kind of woman to flourish with so much attention on her.
Can’t wait to see it.
Chapter 13
Eden
“It really is something else.” Eden leaned against the bartop, chin in hand, and a Shirley Temple chilling before her. “Look at her. Three guys surrounding her like she’s the queen of the island. Almost feels backward when you remember where we are.”
Blair followed Eden’s line of sight. There, at the end of the pool, was Monarch – the older, definitely more experienced Butterfly who commanded the subservient attention of three male guests. She lay back in one of the lounge chairs, black sunglasses on, and a white hat flopped to one side as a guy in swim trunks and not much else massaged her feet. Two strappy sandals were tossed to the side. Nobody cared, because the other men sat on either side of her, laughing at whatever jokes she told. Already, one of them had come to the bar to order Monarch’s favorite soda. As far as Eden could tell, none of them had known each other on Friday.
“There’s a reason she’s the legend,” Blair quipped from the other side of the bar. “Every season I’ve worked here, she’s been here. Obviously, she doesn’t workeverysingle season, but I hear in the outside world she’s done the whole gamut of sex work. Porn star, pricey escort, even married some rich old dude for a while… you name it, she’s done it.”
“If she’s got rich widow money, then why is shehere?”
Blair snorted before gesturing to the scene before them. “She’s having a great time.”
Eden took another look at the woman with fantastic style, sheer confidence, and – probably – a great plastic surgeon. Monarch had to be closer to fifty than forty, but not a single one of the guests hanging on her every wordand footgave a damn. They probably didn’t have MILF or older women fetishes, although La Mariposa certainly catered to those as well. Eden had enough jokes land flat on their faces around men to know when they were laughing and having a good time. Whatever anecdotes Monarch shared, she had command of the pool area.
Amazing.
Since Eden already had a liaison that day, something she made sure went into the books when she was back on the clock, she had the run of the property until that night’s party. She decided to lounge at the pool since it meant she didn’t have to change out of her bikini and robe. When she saw Blair was here again, Eden knew she had made the right choice to hang out. And when Monarch drew these men like moths to a flame?Entertainment!
“It’s just so different from the vibe I was led to embrace here during orientation.”
Blair tossed some dirty glasses into a bin. “You get invited back enough times, you can start doing your own thing as long as it pleases the guests, I guess. Kinda like being on this side of the bar. They order one drink, but I put my own spin on it based ontheir personality and attitude. Gets me more tips, for sure, but you must have the confidence to do it first.”
“Didn’t you say youjustgot your bartender’s license a couple of years ago?”
“Yeah. And I barely had any experience when my boss asked if I could fill in one season. But I made the most of that experience I had. I knew the money here would be ridiculously good if I could get invited back even twice a year. So I took some risks my first time here. Paid off, I guess. They still invite me back.”
