LITMIR.BIZ

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he was sure their two potential investors barely saw it. Not when they’d hung on to Callie’s every word from the moment she’d introduced herself in the conference room that morning. She had done so confidently, as if they had always expected Mr Vercelli—who had insisted they call him by his first name, Marco—and Mr Jung to arrive at the same time.

      He looked over at the two men who were admiring the view of Cape Town from its signature attraction. Mr Jung caught his eye and nodded, as though silently agreeing that this might be one of the most beautiful places in the world, his grey hair blowing in the wind. He wasn’t a man of many words, but he wielded a lot of power.

      Blake had his finger in pies that didn’t have anything to do with the hotels, and in his previous dealings with Mr Jung he had been fair and open to suggestions. And that meant fertile ground for his expansion plans, he thought, and knew he had to do everything in his power to make sure this proposal was the best it could possibly be.

      ‘At sunset, this experience is even more beautiful.’

      Callie smiled at him, acknowledging that these were words she’d said to him once before. Except then it had just been the two of them, and Blake had felt something inside him longing, which was decidedly not the case now.

      ‘I think that would be a...er...wonderful thing, Callie.’ Marco’s Italian accent was thick, and his words were punctuated by pauses every now and then, but otherwise his English was flawless. ‘I would love that.’

      ‘And I would love to bring you up here.’

      She smiled again, and Blake knew that part of the reason she was handling these businessmen so seamlessly was because of their appreciation of that smile.

      ‘If you invest, our hotel’s connections with the staff here would mean we wouldn’t even have to wait in line.’

      She smiled again, and Marco burst out laughing. She even coaxed a smile out of Mr Jung.

      ‘You have a firecracker here, Blake,’ Marco said. ‘I might even steal her for one of my hotels in Italy!’

      ‘You would have to get through me first,’ Blake said, and saw Callie’s eyes widen. It reminded him of her expression just before they’d almost kissed that night so long ago, when he had pulled her in closer to him...

      She bit her lip and he realised that he’d been staring. And that Marco was looking at him with amusement.

      He turned his attention back to the Italian man and smiled. ‘Unless you invest, Marco, in which case we can negotiate!’

      The boisterous laughter that erupted from Marco made him think that perhaps he hadn’t lost face. But he’d nearly lost his composure, he thought, and forced himself to focus.

      Clearly the businessmen weren’t the only ones captivated by Callie’s smile. Her proximity made him say things, do things that he wouldn’t otherwise. Even as she stood now, prim and proper in a black dress and red heels, a matching jacket lying over her arms, he wanted her with a need that surpassed even that which he had felt for Julia.

      He cleared his throat. ‘Now that you’ve had a chance to see it for yourself, gentlemen, you can understand how the Elegance’s proximity to Table Mountain is an asset for the hotel. We arrange for free shuttles on request, to drop and fetch our guests at the location, with the added benefit of guided tours if the guest desires it. We’ve also negotiated special rates for families with the Table Mountain tourism management, so all our guests will be able to enjoy this experience together.’

      He assumed that the nods from both the men meant they were on board thus far. Now, he thought, to keep going for the next seven hours...

      * * *

      ‘I think we actually pulled that off,’ Callie said as she watched the two businessmen being escorted back to the Elegance from their final stop at the V&A Waterfront, where they’d had dinner.

      As soon as they’d been driven away she turned and grinned at Blake.

      ‘We did,’ he agreed, and shocked her by picking her up and spinning in a circle.

      She laughed, but when he put her down and they stood in each other’s arms she felt herself wanting him. She wanted to slide her hands around his waist and pull him close. To celebrate the success of the day. The stars gleaming down on them seemed to encourage her, seemed to tell her that it was the perfect moment to lean forward and kiss him.

      But a couple of people nearby whistled at them, and broke her from her trance. She stepped back from him and smiled at their spectators. And when she turned back to Blake he was smiling at her.

      ‘What?’ she asked, wondering what the strange look on his face was.

      ‘Nothing,’ he responded, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

      His hand lingered there, and again Callie found herself wishing that he would just kiss her. Then he took his hand away and stuffed it in his pocket, as though it was being punished.

      ‘We should go and have a celebratory drink.’

      ‘What?’ Shock seeped right through to her bones. Based on the last five minutes they’d spent together, the last thing they should be doing was spending time alone with each other.

      ‘I think we should grab a drink to celebrate.’

      He took her hand and led her through the throngs of people who were out and about, despite it being a weekday evening.

      ‘And you can actually eat something instead of answering questions while we’re at it.’

      Before Callie could fully process what was happening they were walking towards the dock. She frowned, knowing that there were very few bars or restaurants on this side of the waterfront. And then she stopped dead when he led her to a boat with two men standing on either side of the steps that led to its entrance.

      ‘What is happening, Blake?’

      ‘We’ve having drinks. Come on.’

      He walked towards the steps, but she didn’t budge.

      ‘Callie?’

      ‘I don’t think you understand.’ Now she did take a step forward. ‘This is a boat. They don’t just serve drinks on private boats for people who decide that they should celebrate.’

      ‘No, they don’t,’ he agreed. ‘But they do serve drinks on boats for people who own them and decide to celebrate.’

      She stared at him. ‘You own this boat?’

      ‘As of two weeks ago—yes. Now, will you come with me?’

      Callie followed him purely on instinct. Her mind was too busy thinking about the fact that she was having drinks on a boat with her boss. And that the boat belonged to him. Two weeks ago? That had been after they’d spent the day together...

      She still hadn’t come to terms with it all when he pulled a seat out for her at a table in the centre of the deck. The edges of the boat were lined with tiny lanterns, which lit the boat with a softer light than the full moon offered from the sky. Champagne chilled in a bucket next to the table, and one of the men who had waited for them to get on the boat now filled their glasses with it. The other still waited at the entrance to the boat, she saw, though he didn’t make any move to cast off.

      ‘How did you do this?’ She finally looked at Blake, who was wearing a very self-assured grin.

      ‘I called a few people.’

      ‘But when?’ she whispered, afraid she would embarrass him. ‘We’ve barely had fifteen minutes since Marco and Mr Jung left.’

      ‘Oh, that.’ He was still smiling as if he had just pulled off the world’s biggest heist. ‘During dinner. I knew today had been successful, and I wanted to do something on a par with what we pulled off. So I made a few calls and here we are.’

      ‘Firstly, I’m pretty sure this surpasses what

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