Summary: Charlie and Bryce arrive at the resort and make preparations for the first wedding event.
The hotel shuttle pulls up in front of the luxurious Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay. The landscaping is well appointed with large palm trees, brilliant tropical florals, and lush foliage surrounding the pristine white building.
Bryce steps out of the vehicle and lets out a low whistle. “It’s no Motel 6, but it will do.”
Charlie chuckles. “I can see if there’s one nearby if you want to crash there instead.”
As they approach the desk, Charlie has a sudden realization. She had booked the room when she and Andrew were were still together and only needed one bed. “Excuse, me,” she addresses the woman at the front desk. “I wanted to see if I could switch my room type. I had a single king, but could I get a two queens instead?”
“Let me see.” She checks the computer. “I’m sorry miss, but the block of rooms for the wedding is fully booked, and it looks like we are almost booked solid throughout the resort. This is a very busy week for us. We do have a Prestige Ocean Suite available for $1500 per night. It’s very private and spacious and has an pull-out sofa in addition to the king-size bed.”
“$1500 per night?” It’s almost five times what she’s paying for the standard room, but what’s an extra $8000 when this trip is already costing her close to $20,000 altogether already? She shakes her head in disbelief at the thought she would consider spending that much more so they could have their own beds, but at the same time, him sleeping in bed with her is not part of the deal. “That’s quite a bit more than I was expecting to spend. Are you sure there’s nothing else?”
Just then, Bryce crooks his finger at the clerk to urge her closer, and he leans over the counter to whisper in her ear. A huge grin appears on her face and then she clicks her mouse of few times and clacks on the keyboard. “Well then, it looks like I’ll be able to give you a free upgrade. Here are your keys and some information on the resort. I’ve circled the location of your suite right here. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I can assist you further.”
“Thanks, Marica.” Bryce winks at her. “My wife and I really appreciate it. Don’t we, babe?”
Charlie is too stunned by the whole ordeal to to anything but say “thank you” and accept the keys. “What just happened there?” she asks once they are out of earshot. “Your wife?”
“Hey, I was thinking on my feet. I told her you were pregnant and this was our last big trip before the baby comes… I also told her you sometimes wet the bed due to your pregnancy hormones, so we can’t sleep together.
Charlie halts in her tracks. “Oh my god Bryce, you did not!”
Bryce smirks. “Nah, I didn’t have to go that far. I mean, who could say no to this face?”
Charlie rolls her eyes, but if there are people who out there who can resist Bryce’s charms, she’s definitely not one of them. “You are something else.”
“Hey, I’m just taking full advantage of what God gave me.” He puts his free arm around her shoulder. “Stick with me and you could learn a thing or two.”
They reach their room and Charlie takes a good look around. As promised there is a bedroom with a king bed, and a main living room area with the pullout couch, in addition to a dining area with a full dining room table. It’s much bigger than she expected, and has to be bigger square footage-wise than the apartment she and Sienna share. Charlie quietly takes it all in, while Bryce zips around, checking everything out.
“Holy shit!” Bryce exclaims from inside the bathroom. I think I could fit my entire apartment in here. And look!“ He appears in the doorway holding two white robes. “His and hers bathrobes! We can sit on the balcony in the mornings sipping coffee in our matching robes.”
Charlie chuckles. “I don’t think we have to take the fake couple thing that far.”
There’s a knock on the door, and Charlie answers it to see the hotel porter with the rest of her and Bryce’s luggage. She thanks him and slips him a tip, while Bryce helps her bring the bags and suitcases inside.
“Why don’t you show me what you brought, so we can make sure we don’t need to get you anything else,” Charlie suggests.
“Don’t worry, Charlie. I have an appropriate stripper outfit for every occasion,” he jokes and Charlie just stands with her hands on her hips and an unenthused look on her face. “Okay, fine.” Bryce starts to unzip the garment bags. “Does anyone ever say you can stand to lighten up a bit?”
All the time. “I just want to make sure, for both your sake and mine. After today we aren’t going to have much free time.” She inspects the outfits as Bryce brings lays them out, and is, much to her surprise, very impressed with his choices.
“Just because I spend a lot of time taking off my clothes, doesn’t mean I can’t figure out what to put on. I’m told I clean up very well.”
“I’m sorry to have doubted you,” Charlie replies sincerely. She’d foolishly assumed from outward appearances she had Bryce all figured out, but he keeps proving her wrong, in a good way, at every turn. “We have a couple hours now before we need to go for dinner if you want some time to yourself”
“I think I’m going to hit up the gym. I didn’t get a chance to get my workout in this morning. Care to join me?” he asks, and she can’t tell if he actually wants her to come or if he’s just being polite.
“No, that’s okay. I think I’m just going to take a nap. I didn’t get much sleep last night, and it’s been a long day.”
Charlie waits until Bryce leaves, but when she gets in bed, she’s restless, and as much as she doesn’t want to, all she can think about is him. She closes her eyes and sees his handsome, smiling face and an unwelcome fuzzy feeling washes over her. She can still feel his little touches on her her hand, her arm, her shoulder, like they are burned into her skin. “Ugh, get a hold of yourself.” She groans out loud. She feels like a twelve year old with a crush on a boy. She throws off the sheet and jumps out of bed. “Might as well shower and get ready if I’m not going to sleep.”
Bryce hadn’t been kidding when he’d said the bathroom was huge. There’s a separate water closet for the toilet, a walk in shower stall, and a large open area with double sinks and a spacious whirlpool tub, all tiled from floor. On the countertop Charlie spots a towel sculpture in the shape of a swan with rose petals sprinkled on and around it. Charlie has stayed in a lot of nice places, but this is almost over the top.
She closes her eyes as the hot water from the shower envelops her, and she washes the stench of travel away. Despite her best intentions, her thoughts drift to Bryce again, wondering what he’s doing in the gym. She imagines his muscles flexed and glistening with sweat – him coming back to the room and sneaking into the shower with her. She runs her hands down her body, lower and lower, pretending they aren’t her own. “God, Charlie. What the hell are you doing?” She abruptly turns the water to cold to cool herself down. What if he had come back and heard her moaning his name? She would have never lived that down.
Charlie gets out and dries herself off. She foregoes the robe because it’s a short trip to her bedroom, and the late afternoon tropical breeze is hot. She wraps one towel around her body and another around her hair. Just as she walks through the door frame, she screams as she crashes hard into Bryce’s shirtless, firm body. In the commotion she forgets the that her hands are the only thing holding her towel up, her arms flailing to try and keep her balance and her towel dropping to the floor. Bryce grabs her bare waist just before she topples to the ground. They both stare at each other, momentarily in shock, until Charlie notices Bryce’s gaze sliding over her body, and she whips the town off the ground and wraps it around herself again. “Oh my god. Oh my god,” she repeats over again as all other words fail her, and she flushes hot with mortification.
“Charlie, it’s not a big deal,” Bryce tries to reassure her. “You’ve seen me without my clothes on before. Now we’re even.”
“Even?!” she practically screeches. “I don’t think me seeing you in skimpy underwear really compares.”
Bryce smirks. “I’m going to get in the shower now myself. You are welcome to sneak a peek.”
“Ew, no!…I mean, I’ll just see you at six when it’s time to leave. Fully clothed.” She puts her head down and scurries into her room without waiting for a response from Bryce.
Charlie flops down on the bed and pulls a pillow over her face. She may have just experienced the single most embarrassing moment in her entire life. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Bryce saw her in all her glory, she actually said ‘ew’ to the prospect of seeing him naked too. Of all the responses she could have made, what would possess her brain to find that most appropriate?
The truth is she would very much like to see him naked, and when she hears the shower running through the door from her room to the bathroom, the desire grows even stronger. She turns on her blowdryer to dry her hair, hoping the noise will drown out her thoughts, but it doesn’t work. All she can thinking about is the water streaming down over the hard planes of his chest, his hands running over his slick, soapy body. She wonders if he’s touching himself while he’s thinking about her, but she quickly shakes of that thought because he can’t be as perverted as she is.
Charlie puts in her wireless earbuds and blasts her favorite playlist so she can focus on the task at hand. She takes extra time to do her hair and makeup, not because she’s really into that sort of thing, but because it’s better than the prospect of having to make small talk with Bryce right now. She puts on her deep green cocktail dress and it fits like a glove. She’s not even self conscious about the extra pounds she’s put on since starting medical school because it accentuates her curves in all the right ways, and she decides there really is something to buying expensive clothing. The v-neck keyhole cutout detail shows just enough skin, and the color brightens the green in her eyes. Although the thought had crossed her mind to completely blow off all of her cousin Katelyn’s outfit suggestions in protest, Charlie decided to go in the opposite direction go all in. If she was going to go to great lengths to make it look like she had the life together, she wasn’t going to do it halfway. She takes a spin in front of the full length mirror, pleased with her efforts, and steels herself to face Bryce again.
Bryce stands up from the couch and lets out a whistle as Charlie walk out into the living area. “Damn, Charlie. You look stunning!”
Normally that type of compliment from him would get her all flustered, but she’s already too distracted by his appearance to form coherent thoughts. His hair is expertly mussed like always, and the blazer of his fitted navy suit hangs open revealing his pale blue dress shirt, the top couple buttons undone. The suit fits so perfectly it had to be tailored to him. The hemline of the pants just above the ankles, and she wonders if she belongs in Regency England because that small flash of skin is obscenely sexy. “….And you look….”
“I look fucking amazing. It’s okay, you can say it.”
Charlie laughs under her breath, thankful for the break in the tension. “Just when I think you can’t get any more arrogant…”
“Not arrogant, confident. Remember? You hired me to be your arm candy, and I’m taking my job very seriously. So come on, he urges as he offers her his elbow. Let’s go show me off to your family and friends.