He grins.
“You need to eat, Petunia, to keep your energy levels up. After dinner, we’re going for more lessons, so you’ll be getting a work-out. In my bed, not the pool,” he clarifies.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I smile. It’s a dream to be with Nico, and to be honest, I’ve never felt this way before. Of course, I’ve had random crushes here and there, and even thought I was in love with my high school boyfriend, but it was never like this. Even the slightest smile from Nico makes me melt, and I’m more than willing to let him use my curves morning, noon, and night. In fact, I’m probably coming off like an idiot as I stare at his handsome features like a lovestruck teenager seeing their movie idol in the flesh.
The handsome man merely grins, taking a sip of his wine.
“Like what you see?” he growls. “Baby girl, you look like you’re about to dissolve into a puddle.”
That makes me jerk upright in my seat. OMG, I’m embarrassing myself. Quickly, I clear my throat while rearranging my napkin in my lap, hot spots of color on my cheeks.
My date merely laughs again, amused.
“Let’s talk about some G-rated stuff, or we’ll never get to our meal. So sweetheart, what do you do for work? I mean, other than being a hostess of course. Or is this your full-time job?”
I shake my head before taking a sip of wine.
“No, I only work here nights and weekends. Of course, I’ve taken a few days off recently,” I smile, “but for my day job, I work as an admin for Key Largo. It’s a shipping company based in New Jersey.”
Nico throws me a quizzical look.
“Key Largo?” he asks after a few moments. “Really?”
I nod slowly. “Yes, really. I’m just a secretary, so it’s not much more than filing and typing, but why? Have you heard of them before?”
The handsome man lets out an amused chuckle.
“Well, you’re never going to believe it, but I’m the CEO of Key Largo.”
My eyes widen and I gasp.
“Really? Are you being serious? The Key Largo based in Jersey? That does shipping?”
He nods and shrugs his shoulders a little. “The one and the same. It’s a small world, I guess. You know that I’m Greek-American right? Shipping is in my blood. I just had no idea that you worked there.”
I nod.
“Well, it is a pretty big company, so I guess it’s understandable that we’ve never crossed paths, but what a weird coincidence!”
He smiles ruefully.
“Even more weird than a plane landing in the Hudson River?”
I giggle.
“I guess you’re right. Anything can happen in NYC!”
Still, the revelation shocks me because it’s odd that a man I just hooked up with, who also saved me from drowning, also happens to be my boss’s boss’s boss. I mean, how strange is that? But again, the world is bizarre and unpredictable.
“So how did you get to Key Largo?” Nico asks in a deep voice. “Have you been working there long?”
I shake my head.
“No, I’ve only been with the company for a year. You know I’m from Jersey, right? We don’t live too far from the company’s headquarters, and it’s my adoptive father who told me about the opening. I think he had a friend who knew of the position, and so he told Andreas, who told me.”
Nico nods thoughtfully.
“Your adoptive father is Greek?”