What Happens in Paradise (The Love Hotel #2)

Chapter 8

8

JASMINE

We’d just turned into the hotel’s driveway and although it was dark, thanks to the pretty lamps illuminating the grounds, I could already see that it was spectacular.

Lush, tall palm trees lined the wide paths and swayed in the gentle breeze. In the distance, I could see a striking entrance with large, tall, stone pillars and a grand fountain in front of it.

Wow . I shouldn’t really be surprised that the hotel was impressive. The Love Hotel management were excellent at creating a five-star experience.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to find ingenious ways to avoid speaking to Alejandro during the journey. Within minutes of getting into the chauffeur-driven Mercedes, he’d fallen asleep. I wasn’t surprised seeing as I think he’d stayed up for most of the flight to Ocho Rios.

‘Alejandro,’ I said softly. He didn’t stir. I called his name again, but this time gave his arm a squeeze.

My cheeks heated. His muscles were even firmer than they looked.

He started to move and his eyes opened slowly.

‘ Perdón ,’ he apologised. His voice was even deeper than usual. ‘I did not mean to fall asleep.’

‘No worries! We’re here.’

Alejandro squinted as he began to take in the surroundings.

When we pulled up at reception, a woman was waiting for us. She had deep brown skin and a welcoming smile. Her hair was immaculately braided and hung just past her shoulders and she was wearing a tanned-coloured, branded Love Hotel dress.

‘Hi! Welcome! I’m Nadine. Jasmine and Alejandro, right?’ I noticed that she had a slight American twang to her Jamaican accent.

‘Spot on! Lovely to meet you, Nadine.’ I shook her hand.

‘ Encantado .’ Alejandro leant forward and gave Nadine two cheek kisses.

An unexpected twinge of envy hit me straight in the stomach as I wished it was my cheeks his lips had brushed against rather than hers.

‘How was your flight?’ she asked.

‘Great,’ Alejandro replied quickly.

‘Wonderful,’ I added.

‘You must be tired, so let me show you to your rooms.’ Nadine walked ahead, leading us into the hotel. ‘So this is the main reception area, which has just been finished.’

‘It’s lovely!’ I said, taking in the sight of the plush cream and mahogany sofas, tall, stone pillars, and high ceilings complete with mahogany beams going across them.

A selection of tropical flowers had been expertly arranged in a large, colourful vase which rested on top of a grand, mahogany table.

Next, Nadine led us from reception and through to the main grounds which were beautifully lit. The lush gardens were so impeccably landscaped that they didn’t look real.

I spotted multiple swimming pools including an extra-large one with a swim-up bar. Very cool.

Although I could smell the salty sea air, the lights didn’t quite stretch far enough for me to see it. When they opened the hotel and had guests here, I was sure that would be lit up fully. In the meantime, it made sense to keep those lights off to save energy.

‘You can’t see them now, but the hotel will have floating villas that are built on the water.’

‘That’s going to look amazing!’ I said.

‘It will. Most of the rooms in the main building are finished.’ We stepped into a long, tiled corridor. ‘This is where you’ll be staying. Alejandro, you’ll be in this suite and Jasmine, this is your new home, right next door.’ She handed us our keycards.

‘Thank you,’ I said.

‘Are you hungry? The kitchen is obviously closed, but I could send for some takeout if you need something?’

‘I am good, gracias ,’ Alejandro replied.

‘We ate on the plane, so I’m okay too, thanks.’

‘Okay. Well, I’ll be back tomorrow morning. In the meantime, here’s my number. Call if you need anything.’

We both thanked Nadine then waved her off.

‘I’m going to head inside.’ I pointed to my room.

‘ Vale .’ he nodded. ‘I will see you in the morning.’

We stood in front of each other, eyes locked, not saying a word. Seconds passed with neither of us making a move.

‘Well, I… goodnight.’ I tapped my keycard on the reader.

‘ Duerme bien ,’ he said.

‘Hope you have a good sleep too,’ I replied, quickly pushing the door open and slipping inside before I melted into a pile of goo.

The man was sexy when he spoke English with a Spanish accent. But when he spoke Spanish, I could literally feel my knickers disintegrating.

Clearly I hadn’t slept enough on the plane and was feeling delirious.

My suite was just as stunning as I’d expected. Pristine, ivory stone flooring, large, solid mahogany, king-size four-poster bed with freshly pressed, bright-white cotton sheets and plush-looking pillows.

The bathroom had a huge, standalone tub, ginormous, walk-in rainfall shower, expensive marble sink, backlit mirrors, thick, fluffy branded Love Hotel bathrobes and oversized towels.

In the living room, there was a large flat-screen TV, comfy-looking sofa and armchairs complete with pretty, gold-embroidered cushions.

Colourful, tropical artwork lined the walls in every room.

I couldn’t resist stepping out onto the spacious balcony. I switched on the light.

Wow . I had direct sea views, plus there was a bathtub out here (along with privacy curtains) and a cute, white bistro dining table and chairs.

That bathtub looked like it was the perfect size for two…

When my mind started to drift and think about a certain co-worker laying back in it naked, I knew it was time for me to wash away those thoughts with a shower. Then I’d go straight to bed where I would definitely not be thinking about Alejandro.

* * *

When my alarm went off, I was tempted to cancel it and go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. Today was a big day. I was expecting to be briefed on exactly what they needed me to do whilst I was here.

I wondered if Alejandro was already awake. I also wondered what the meal set-up would be. I was starving and could really do with a big breakfast to start the day.

After stepping out onto the balcony, I inhaled the fresh sea air. This place was beautiful. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, the sea was multiple beautiful shades of blue and the white sand was stunning.

I definitely wanted to have breakfast out here to take in the incredible views.

Just as I was about to pick up my phone and call Nadine, there was a knock at the door.

‘Coming!’ I called out. I thought it was Nadine, but when I opened the door, my jaw dropped.

‘ Hola, buenos días! ’ Alejandro smiled. ‘I brought you breakfast.’

He was clutching a tray with a plate topped with a silver cloche and what looked like three glasses of juice.

‘Good morning to you too and wow, thank you!’ I looked at my watch. ‘It’s seven thirty! What time did you wake up to do all of this?’

‘I could not sleep, so I thought it would be better to do something productive. I walked around the resort and was able to get access to the kitchen. There was not much there, but there was enough. Would you like to sit with me and eat outside? It is a beautiful day.’

‘Oh, okay! Yes.’

Alejandro led me down the perfectly landscaped pathway which looked even more impressive in the daylight, with the lush, green grass, tropical plants and bright flowers.

When we arrived at the beach, I gasped. The views from my balcony were striking, but nothing compared to seeing it up close.

The sand was pure white and oh my goodness, the sea!

At our hotel in Spain, the sea was beautiful, but here, the crystal-clear, turquoise waters were unreal. It was so clean and transparent, you could see everything. It was like staring into glass.

And Nadine was right: the floating villas I spotted in the distance looked incredible. One day I’d love to have the chance to stay in a place that was built on the sea.

This was paradise.

And it wasn’t just the scenery that made me gasp.

On the beach was a single table with two chairs, a crisp, white tablecloth and some cutlery laid out neatly.

‘This is for us?’ I asked.

‘ Sí .’ He placed the tray on the table, then transferred everything on top before putting the tray on the sand and pulling out a chair for me.

‘Oh!’ I was a little taken aback by the gesture. It seemed so… romantic. ‘Thanks.’

‘ De nada .’ He sat down, then lifted off the cloche to reveal slices of fresh mango, banana, guava and pineapple, all neatly arranged on a branded Love Hotel white china plate.

‘This looks delicious!’ I stabbed my fork in a juicy piece of mango.

‘I wanted to make something like pancakes or even churros, but I could not find all of the ingredients I needed.’

‘I love churros.’

‘Me too. But of course, I want to learn how to make the Jamaican breakfast. I was reading about the fritters and the ackee fruit?’

‘Yes! Saltfish fritters are my favourite! They’re like mini savoury pancakes with salted cod, peppers and onion. I think ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica. I remember my grandma used to make it with saltfish too.’

‘I am looking forward to trying it.’

I was so hungry I literally inhaled my breakfast at lightning speed. Just as I was about to ask Alejandro whether he wanted the last few slices of fresh pineapple, I spotted Nadine walking towards us.

‘Good morning!’ She smiled. ‘How did you guys sleep?’

‘ Bien ,’ Alejandro said.

‘Like a baby!’ I replied. The mattress was like sleeping on a cloud and the shower was heavenly.

‘When you’ve finished your breakfast, give me a call and I’ll show you your office.’

‘Perfect!’ I said. ‘I was going to ask where it was because I have a Zoom call at nine.’

‘That’s right.’ Nadine nodded. ‘I think Hortense has some things to update you on…’ Her eyes dropped to the ground. That didn’t sound good.

I looked at my watch and realised it was already after eight.

‘I’d better come with you now so I have time to get everything set up. I don’t want to be late.’ I glanced down at the table. ‘Do you want me to help carry stuff back to the kitchen?’ I asked Alejandro.

‘It is fine. My meeting is at ten, so I have time. You go. I will take care of this.’

‘Okay.’ I got up from the table. ‘And thanks again for breakfast.’

Alejandro smiled and my stomach flipped. It was like his mouth had a Bluetooth connection to my stomach and every time he smiled or spoke, it made it flutter.

‘It’s this way.’ Nadine gestured, leading me down the pathway. ‘Girl!’ She turned to face me, her eyes wide. ‘That Alejandro is criss . Or handsome as you English say!’ She laughed.

‘He’s an attractive man, yes,’ I said as casually as I could, despite being a bit taken aback by her comment. Talking about Alejandro’s appearance wasn’t very professional.

‘You’d have to be blind not to notice that he is fine !’ She grinned. ‘Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to get some good, good lovin’ from him!’ She raised an eyebrow.

‘We work together, so that would be completely inappropriate,’ I said firmly. Maybe because it was just the two of us she felt she could speak more freely, but it still felt wrong. It was already bad that we were discussing the fact that he was hot.

‘That’s not what I asked…’ She gave a knowing smile. ‘Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.’

‘What secret? I don’t have any secrets!’ I protested.

‘Here’s the office.’ Nadine ignored my comment and opened the door to a room with one desk, two computers and two chairs. ‘I’ll get you both keys so you can come and go as you need.’

‘ Both? ’

‘You and Alejandro will share this office. The others are being renovated. I’ve put the log in and Wi-Fi details there.’ She pointed to a piece of paper on the desk. ‘Have a great meeting!’ She slipped out the door before I had a chance to reply.

I couldn’t share this office with Alejandro. There was no time to go after her, though. I needed to shake off my jet lag and get my brain in gear for the meeting. I was looking forward to receiving more information about what my specific tasks and objectives would be for this trip.

Shortly before nine, I logged onto Zoom and started the call.

‘Afternoon, Jasmine!’ Hazel beamed.

‘Hi,’ I said, deciding it was best not to mention that it was morning over here. Spain was seven hours ahead of Jamaica, so it must be four in the afternoon over there.

A woman with dark-brown skin and black-rimmed glasses appeared on the screen. She was wearing a headscarf and it looked like she was at home because I saw an unmade bed in the background.

‘This is Hortense. She will be heading up the team of Love Alchemists there.’

‘Nice to meet you.’ I smiled. Hortense just nodded in acknowledgement. I thought I’d be meeting her at the hotel today, but maybe she was on a later shift.

‘How was your flight?’ Hazel asked. ‘And what do you think of the hotel?’

‘The flight was good and the hotel is stunning!’

‘Excellent! So, I wanted to share a little more about our expectations whilst you’re there. As you know, we’re keen to emulate the success of the Love Hotel in Spain, but in a more tropical setting. The matchmakers will of course do their essential work behind the scenes, but what we need to ensure is that when the guests arrive, they will have ample opportunities to bond and fall in love. Jamaica is known as one of the most romantic destinations in the world, so we need to capitalise on this.’

‘I understand.’

‘So we need you to work closely with Hortense to put together a programme of romantic activities for the couples to enjoy during the first week of their stay, plus have a list of options they can consider for the second week.’

‘No, problem. I assume I’ll have a Jamaican who knows the country inside out to help me, like Hortense or one of the Love Alchemist’s she’s hired?’ I turned my gaze to Hortense, waiting for confirmation.

‘Um… about that.’ Hazel paused. ‘That was the plan, but unfortunately, the key team members, including Hortense, have tested positive for Covid. Thankfully, their symptoms aren’t serious, but we’ve agreed it’s best they stay at home until they’re fully recovered.’

‘Oh no! Sorry to hear that. I hope they’ll feel better soon.’

‘I’m sure they’ll be fine. Nadine tested negative, so she will be around to help along with a couple of other staff, but I’m afraid you’ll need to manage on your own for the first week.’

I tried not to show my shock.

‘I understand, but my knowledge of the country isn’t strong enough to know which activities would be best to add to the guest itinerary.’

‘That’s not a problem. Hortense has provided us with a list of suggestions to get you started. And I’m sure Nadine has some ideas too.’

‘Right, okay.’ I nodded, feeling a little better.

‘We need to make sure that each location or activity delivers a first-class experience that our guests will love, but most importantly, you’ll need to consider how well it rates on the romance scale. Is it something that will bring our couples closer? Will there be opportunities for them to bond and connect with each other? That’s what we’re looking for. Activities with that spark .’

‘Got it.’ I scribbled notes down on my pad.

Actually, now that I thought about it, it shouldn’t be too challenging. Many of the activities on the Spanish Love Hotel couples’ activity list were places I’d researched then tried out, so I’d just be doing the same kind of thing but over here. And if Hortense provided a list of suggestions, at least that would reduce a lot of the initial groundwork.

Spending my days exploring lots of cool locations sounded like a dream. I was basically getting paid to be a tourist in a tropical paradise.

Yes, the days would be long and I’d still have to work hard, but right now, I felt like I had the best job in the world.

‘We thought today you two could visit Dunn’s River Falls first because it’s so close,’ Hortense said.

‘That’s the famous waterfall, right?’ Hazel asked.

‘Yes.’ Hortense coughed, then nodded. Poor woman probably wanted to be tucked up in bed rather than on this call.

I was familiar with Dunn’s River Falls but had never been so that should be fun.

Hold on.

My mind drifted back to what Hortense had just said.

I could’ve sworn she’d said you two .

‘Is Nadine coming with me?’ My face crumpled. ‘It’s just that you said you two .’

‘I did.’ Hortense clarified. ‘My understanding is that there are two of you from the hotel, right? You and…’ Her gaze dropped and she started shuffling through some papers. ‘Yes, you and your co-worker, Alejandro Garcia.’

My stomach dropped.

‘I think there’s been some confusion. Alejandro is a Cuisine Prince, not a Love Alchemist like me.’

‘Hortense is aware of that,’ Hazel interjected. ‘But given the circumstances, we thought it would be a good idea for him to accompany you on the trips.’

‘What?’ I said loudly, before realising I should’ve toned down my shock.

‘Do you have a problem with Alejandro?’ Hazel frowned.

‘No, no, he’s… fine,’ I said thinking that was one of the words Nadine had used to describe him. I hoped they realised that I meant fine as in okay , not fine as in hot . ‘It’s just that, he’s here to work with the Jamaican Cuisine King, so I wouldn’t want to take him away from his restaurant responsibilities to go gallivanting with me. Not that I’d be gallivanting. I’d obviously be working and researching very, very hard.’

Oh God. What was it about just hearing his name that made me so flustered?

‘Dudley, the Jamaican Cuisine King will also be isolating for at least a week. And we feel it’d be beneficial for Alejandro to go on these excursions with you. Although he’ll still be expected to work closely with Dudley to create a menu and firm up the restaurant’s protocol and Cuisine Champions’ training programme, he also needs to experience the culture and life outside the hotel to get inspiration. The days and nights will be long. There will be plenty of time for him to fulfil both his restaurant duties and help you with yours.’

‘That’s very generous of you, but I’ll be fine on my own,’ I said, desperate to get her to change her mind. ‘Just like I was in Spain when I added several excursions to the couples’ activity list.’

‘We want to find events that appeal to both men and women. Alejandro can give us a male perspective, which will be useful.’

I swallowed hard.

I understood why they might want to get a male point of view. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was the particular male they’d chosen.

First management sent me to Jamaica. With Alejandro.

Then they put me in a suite next to him.

When I discovered that we’d be sharing an office, I thought that was bad. But that was the least of my problems.

Now we’d have to go on romantic excursions. Like an actual couple.

How the hell was I supposed to go on trips designed to foster romance, with a co-worker who was also the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on, without doing or saying anything inappropriate or worse, developing feelings for him?

This was like putting a barrel of apples in front of Eve and telling her not to take a single bite.

How was I not going to be tempted?

This wasn’t good.

At all.