Chapter 17

"Nicco, call me back. I need for you to make a change to today's itinerary." Gio spoke into the telephone in the office. He was repacking his travel pack when the phone clipped to his belt rang.

"You need to make a change this close to departure?" Nicco asked, his voice high with annoyance.

"It is the guest's prerogative," Gio replied mildly, never mentioning the fact that the change was at his suggestion.

"I don't have time for this!" Nicco snapped. "You handle the change."

"But isn't that your job?" Gio asked mildly while leaning against the desk. He couldn't help the smile on his face.

"You know how to handle it! Stop being an asshole. I've got enough of those to deal with!" And then the phone disconnected before Gio could add anything more. He just chuckled. Thank God Nicco had been rude enough to force them to change guests, or it might be him that was annoyed right now.

Gio contacted his driver and explained the change of destination, and then he contacted the resort of his choice and sweet-talked his way into adding one additional guest to today's itinerary. There was another resort that he worked closely with but although their accommodations were nice, they were also casual, and he wanted to go for stunning. If he was going to spend the day with Sidney, then he preferred to spend it looking at the expressions of delight that she would surely wear…and again, her in a bathing suit was just the icing on the cake.

II

"My God. She's stunning." Gio looked at the server as the two stood in the covered kitchen patio. He wasn't leering, just making a general observation so Gio nodded his agreement.

Sidney was relaxing on the beach in a cushioned beach recliner beneath a large sun umbrella. She was immersed in reading from an e-reading device. One leg was casually bent with the device resting on her thigh and yet she was as perfect as if she was a model posing for a photo shoot. She wore an orange one-piece bathing suit with a large brimmed tan and orange hat. A long, sheer orange and white cover rested on a nearby lounger along with her beach bag. Large dark glasses concealed most of her face, but you did not need to see her face to see a beautiful woman. The contrast between the orange of the bathing suit and the nearly black of her skin was captivating, particularly the way she glistened from her recent massage.

Gio wished that he were sitting beside her on the lounger. He had retreated to the outdoor patio so that he wouldn't be tempted to take her up on the offer to sit with her, as she would most certainly do if he lingered beside her for too long.

She was kind in that way, without understanding how difficult it was for him to maintain a professional distance.

Instead of standing and watching her from a distance, he wanted to be rubbing suntan lotion on her dark skin so that it stayed soft and glistening. He wanted to place fresh berries in her mouth and…

He took the icy drink from the server who gave him a surprised look. "I'm the only one who serves her," Gio said.

Sidney was absolutely in love with the beach! She'd been a teen the last time she'd gone to a beach and that one had been crowded due to Spring break. This was no Spring break vacation. She'd already waded in the ocean and was tempted to take a ride on the water skis, but her swimming skills were not on point and she didn't want to end up being a statistic for what not to do on vacation.

She'd had a massage right on the beach, and then lunch of grilled lamb chops and fresh fruit, and she'd actually met some people. There was a French couple that was honeymooning at the resort. They were happy to practice their English on her. But they soon wanted to go off and have fun. She found several Americans, but they were with their families and she didn't want to infringe on their time.

It didn't matter. She was having a good time and didn't spend a second of it feeling alone or wishing that her life had gone in a different direction.

"Another drink, Sidney?"

She looked up, happy to see Gio. "Yes." she accepted the drink. "I'm so glad you're here today because too many more of these and I won't be able to walk straight."

"I won't let that happen." He took off his sunglasses and stared out at the water. He was now dressed in white beachcomber pants that were rolled neatly up to his knees. He still had on the same blue polo but was wearing aviator sunglasses that made him look like he was a movie star instead of her butler.

"Thank you for suggesting the beach," she said. "What did I miss of that tour to Palma?" Because if she had taken that tour, she certainly would have missed seeing his naked toes covered by sand and him wearing beach comber pants. Now if only he would take off that shirt and get in the water so that she could watch the way it glided down his-

"Spain does have a lot of history. People like the crooked cobblestone streets and the old townhouses. But my favorite is the gothic architecture. Le Seu is a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral that overlooks the seafront. Catedral-Basílica de Santa María de Mallorca is its true name. But there are no shortages of Catholic churches and cathedrals in Spain and Italy. For the most part they are beautiful pieces of art." Her toes practically curled at the way his tongue rolled over the accented words.

"Do you like art?" She asked while peering up at him.

"I love art and history, which makes working in Europe quite satisfying."

She smiled at that. If only she could say the same about her job.