Page 49 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

RICK

T he temperature was significantly hotter down on street level. I unbuttoned my jacket and shrugged out of it to drape it over my shoulders as I approached the curb and waved down my limo parked just down the block.

Kim shielded her eyes against the sun and looked both ways down the street to get her bearings.

“Is your hotel nearby?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, I took a cab here. I was considering walking back but I didn’t wear the most practical shoes.” She flashed me a white smile and laughed at her own expense. “You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now.”

“Can I give you a ride?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I don’t want to be an inconvenience, especially if Chessie is waiting on you.”

Her thoughtfulness toward my daughter made me smile. “Nonsense. Let me drop you off. I’m already late anyway and Chessie would understand. You never leave a woman waiting on the side of the road.”

Kim laughed. “You don’t have to convince me you’re chivalrous, Rick. I already know.”

The limo pulled up to the curb and I opened the back door for her. Kim stepped in, one long leg at a time, and found her seat as I followed her in. The cab was cool and still smelled faintly of Verity’s Chanel perfume that cost me just over four thousand dollars.

Per ounce.

It smelled good. But it didn’t smell that good.

Verity insisted it was her signature scent however, and my woman got what she wanted when she wanted it.

With a bank account as full as mine, it was impossible to say no to her.

And I didn’t want to say no, either. She was used to living a life of luxury and I didn’t expect her to have to change her ways.

Her father had doted on her and I planned on doing the same thing.

Just as I did with my daughter.

Kim pulled out her phone when we started moving and began typing away on her touchscreen. “Sorry, Rick. This is rude of me. I’m just putting some notes in my phone about what Verity wants so I don’t forget anything.”

“No need to apologize.”

Kim glanced up and gave me an appreciative smile.

“I’m sorry about how particular Verity is being. I know it makes your job significantly more difficult.” I chuckled. “Actually, I think my fiancée makes a lot of people’s jobs significantly more difficult.”

“It’s all right.”

“She just wants everything to be just right.”

Kim put her phone down on her thigh. “Don’t worry, Rick. I’ve had my fair share of particular brides. It’s my job to make sure she’s happy. That’s what you’re paying me for. But it’s also my job to make sure you’re happy. Is there anything you would like to see changed?”

“Me?”

She giggled. “Yes, you. This is your wedding too, you know?”

I shrugged. “I did the whole wedding thing once and it sort of blew up in my face. The flowers and the linens don’t matter to me. It’s what comes after the wedding that matters to me.”

“That’s actually kind of sweet.”

“I don’t think Verity appreciates my taste anyway.”

Kim nodded knowingly. “Probably not. I recall you suggesting when we first started consultations that you liked the idea of yellow flowers.”

“I still don’t understand what was wrong with that.”

“Nothing is wrong with it,” Kim said innocently. “But it was a bit of a tone-deaf suggestion. Do you really see Verity as a yellow-wedding sort of woman?”

“I suppose not.”

“At least you didn’t suggest green.”

I blinked. “What the hell is wrong with green?”

Kim put her phone away and laughed as she shook her head and gazed out the window. “Never mind. I think you made the right call bowing out of the details. You’ll make a wonderful husband but I don’t think wedding planning is your strong suit.”

“Agreed. And thank you.”

Kim rested her chin in her hand and continued gazing out the window as we rounded a bend in the road, revealing the sandy beach. She let out an almost dreamy sigh and smiled at the surfers and the children frolicking in the sand.

“Do you have time while you’re here to relax and enjoy yourself a little?” I asked.

She turned back to me and nodded. “A bit, yes. I’d be happy to get a few hours on the beach tomorrow. I was even thinking about getting surfing lessons. I’ve never tried before.”

“Surfing?”

Verity would never have considered surfing lessons.

She wouldn’t have even considered getting in the ocean for fear of getting her hair wet or ruining her makeup.

I loved my fiancée but there was no denying she was a high-maintenance woman.

Her definition of fun was slower paced evenings with expensive wine and influential company.

I liked those kinds of evenings too, but a fun day in the sun had its own appeal as well.

“The last time I was in Hawaii, I wanted to get lessons but I ran out of time and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. So this time, I might just go for it.” She crossed one long leg over the other and raked her fingers through her long locks of dark hair.

I’d thought Kim was a beautiful woman since the first day I met her.

She had sharp, cunning, dark brown eyes and a hell of a lot of wit.

She spoke with confidence and control, even when in heated discussions—like with my bride-to-be back when the planning first began.

Kim had a model-like figure and was the definition of a tall glass of water.

Verity had actually suggested in the beginning that we hire a less attractive wedding coordinator so that I wasn’t “distracted.” I’d assured her that was nonsense.

But now, sitting across from Kim in her summer dress, white blazer, and strappy heels, I was beginning to see why Verity might have felt an inkling of insecurity.

I cleared my throat and tore my gaze from her sun-kissed skin. “You had a date last night, didn’t you?”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “You remembered that?”

“Of course I did. How did it go?”

“It was fine,” Kim said. Then she laughed and shook her head.

“Who am I kidding? It was terrible. The guy showed up over half an hour late and proceeded to spend the entire evening telling me all about how shitfaced he likes to get with his frat buddies, while not so subtly inserting comments about what he’d like to do with me later in the evening, if you know what I mean. ”

“Classy.”

“That’s what I said!” She laughed harder and pinched the bridge of her nose. “He was a moron through and through. I should’ve seen the red flags a mile away.”

Amused, I cocked my head to the side. “What were some of the red flags?”

“For starters, his name was Tanner.”

“Oh. Yes. That’s very red.”

Her giggling filled the cab and it sounded like joyful music to my ears. “I know. And he wore loafers.”

“Please tell me he wasn’t wearing shorts.”

“No. Thank God. But had he been, it might have spared me the evening because I might have gotten up and left right when he walked in.”

It was my turn to laugh. “I’m sorry you had such a bad night. It surprises me you have such abad track record with first dates.”

I wasn’t lying. Not only was Kim beautiful and smart, but she was kind too. She was warm, caring, and considerate. If I wasn’t getting married, she was the kind of woman I would ask out for drinks on a Friday evening so I could get to know her better.

“One day, I’ll find a winner,” Kim said. “But I have resigned myself to the fact that this is the universe’s way of saying I’m not supposed to be dating right now. I’m supposed to be focusing on my career, and when the time is right, I’ll meet the right guy. No point obsessing over it, right?”

“Right.”

Kim uncrossed her legs and sighed. “I do have one confession.”

“Oh?”

“I drank way too much last night to endure Tanner’s hot-headed commentary. Could you tell during lunch? I don’t want Verity to think I don’t take our time seriously, but holy hell, do I have a headache for the ages.”

“You should have said something.” I grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler beside me.

Verity couldn’t go anywhere without chilled water and champagne.

There was also a cupboard underneath the cooler with painkillers, antacids, stress relief essential oils, and some vitamins.

I passed the water and painkillers to Kim. “Here.”

Kim leaned forward and accepted graciously. She popped two red pills in her mouth and chased them down with greedy gulps of water. Some of it spilled over her bottom lip, ran down her chin, and dropped onto her cleavage.

I did a valiant job of staring at the limo ceiling instead of her breasts as she wiped it away.

“Thank you. Come on, little magic pills. Do your job.” She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh. Then she cracked one eye open. “So what’s this surprise you have planned for Chessie today?”

“Sorry?”

“The surprise for Chessie. You said you were late for it. What is it?”

“Oh,” I said. It caught me off guard that she would ask—or even that she would remember.

Verity usually didn’t ask follow-up questions like this about Chessie, so I definitely didn’t expect Kim to.

“She’s obsessed with all things marine related, so I thought I would take her to the aquarium.

Don’t judge me for being a rich son of a bitch, but I rented out the entire place for just the two of us. ”

Kim opened her other eye and sat up straighter. “Seriously?”

I nodded.

“That’s amazing! Chessie is one lucky little girl. I heard they have a great aquarium here. Make sure you check out the octopus exhibit. Did you know they can—”

“Do you want to come with us?”

Kim paused. “What?”

“Chessie loves you,” I said simply. “And you seem passionate about aquatic life too.”

“I don’t know if I’d say passionate per se. But I mean, who doesn’t like dolphins and shit?”

I laughed. “Exactly. Come along. We’ll get some food in you before we start to fix that hangover up, and then we’ll spend the afternoon with the aquarium all to ourselves.”

Kim bit her bottom lip. “Well, it does sound fun. You’re sure Chessie won’t mind me crashing your father-daughter day? I wouldn’t want to overstep.”

“Nonsense. Like I said, Chessie loves you. Ever since you sat down with her to talk to her about the wedding one on one, she’s idolized you.”

“Really?”

“Really. Come with us. It’ll be fun.”

Kim grinned. “I have one condition.”

“Name it.”

“The food you mentioned better be greasy as hell.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Burgers and fries, it is.”