Chapter 7
chapter seven
Alek stared at the woman he’d been fantasizing about since she’d slipped out of his room two days ago. He was trying to figure out what the hell she was doing standing in the conference room of his family’s hotel.
“No, Julienne,” his grandfather said looking between the two of them.
“What?” Alek said, trying his best to tear his gaze from the vision before him. She was dressed in a gold sleeveless blouse that brought out her green eyes. Her hair had been ruthlessly straightened and it shone under the fluorescent lights. His fingers twitched to take her by her silky mane and drag her closer for a kiss. Just how he had when she had her mouth on his cock.
Fuck.
“You said Jules. Her name is Julienne.”
He could tell that his grandfather wasn’t happy with him. Alek glanced at his grandfather, then back to Jules.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he held out his hand. “Alek Johnson.”
She hesitated as if afraid to touch him. He could understand why. The moment he had touched her when they were in San Francisco, they had both lost control. She slipped her soft hand into his and he felt it again, that electric charge of lust. Her eyes flared but she said nothing about it. Instead, she said, “Julienne Wulf. Do you prefer Alek or Aleka?”
Her husky voice slipped over him, and he could still remember the way it sounded in the dark as he was sliding deeper and deeper inside of her.
“Either. Nice to meet you.” He held her hand just a little longer than would be expected, then released it. “You’re here representing your family?”
She nodded. “Partly, but my main area of expertise is interior design.”
Before he could ask her—no, demand—what the hell was going on, his grandfather called the meeting to order. He introduced her to the family and the rest of the department heads. Alek expected animosity. They took pride in being a family business and they preferred to hire from the islands. They were big on promoting from within. Still, he saw a few smiles as Jules greeted each person. She mentioned the couple of people who apparently had been to her brother’s wedding a few months before.
His grandfather had them at one of the massive conference tables that had been around longer than Alek had been alive. Robert sat at the head and Alek expected Jules to slip into the chair on the opposite end. Instead, she took a middle seat, facing the ocean view. He ignored the implication that he should take that head seat opposite his grandfather. Instead, he sat in the chair next to hers. As they all settled in, a latecomer slipped into the room and took the seat behind Jules. He pulled out a tablet and took notes. He was tall, blond, and definitely a haole to the islands. His pale skin and tie were the first indication.
The meeting continued on and Julienne said very little. Alek’s entire body yearned to touch…to taste her again. God, what the fuck was going on with him, and why this woman? She wasn’t the usual type of woman he went for. The curves…that he liked, and he’d had his fair share of shapely women. But she was skittish…no that’s not the word. She seemed unsure of herself. And the truth was, he liked a confident woman.
He pressed his leg against hers and she stilled. Her breathing hitched but she didn’t look at him. He had the same reaction, along with his cock twitching, the needy bastard. And he should stop. It was stupid to even sit next to her at the table, let alone touch her. But he couldn’t seem to keep himself from doing so. If she was in the vicinity, he would want to touch her. He certainly didn’t understand it. He hadn’t acted like this in over a decade, but she was just…he hadn’t had enough of her. That had to be it.
“Don’t you agree, Aleka?” his grandfather said.
Alek felt his face heat. He was blushing. A former Army Ranger and all-around bastard was blushing at getting caught. He cleared his throat and nodded, not willing to speak. He was afraid he would go all Peter Brady and have his voice crack.
“Good. Well, I think that was a good Monday morning meeting. Julienne, I take it the rooms I gave you and your assistant work well?”
His gaze swung to Jules, who was also blushing. She smiled at his grandfather and he had to fight back a growl. Because she smiled at another man. Albeit, it was his grandfather and there was nothing sexual in it, but for the first time in Alek’s life, he felt the need to possess a woman.
“They are wonderful,” she said.
“They aren’t suites.”
She shook her head. “There’s no reason for us to take suites away from your business, especially while you’re operating at half capacity. Besides, we’re only here for one night.”
Panic hit him in the chest leaving him lightheaded. “You’re heading back to England already?”
No . That was unacceptable.
Her gaze took forever to connect with his, but when it did, he felt it down to his soul.
“No, my brother owns a house on Oahu. I’ll spend most of my time there while I’m on the islands.”
He nodded, acting as if it was no big deal. And it was. Maybe. There was no reason he should be having a mental breakdown because she wasn’t going to stay here on property. While he stood there trying to come up with reasons she needed to stay on Maui, everyone was leaving. Dammit. She gathered her things and he wanted to tell her to stay right where she was, but he knew better. His family could be a meddlesome bunch of idiots.
“Julienne, do you have a sec?” his cousin Sammie asked. She was in charge of the new interior design, so it made sense that she wanted to talk to Jules. As she stepped away, he curled his fingers into his fists.
“Alek, with me,” his grandfather ordered. And as if he hadn’t spent over a decade in the military, Alek hesitated. He needed to talk to Jules, but he wouldn’t be able to do that here.
“Of course, Tutu .”
He followed his grandfather out of the room and down the hall to his office. As soon as the door shut and his grandfather had taken his seat behind the desk, and Alek had taken the seat in front of the massive desk that was older than Alek’s father, his grandfather studied him. He had to fight the urge to fidget. Years ago, he would have, but the time away had matured him.
“You have a problem with Julienne Wulf?”
Other than the fact he wanted to fuck her on the conference table, and he didn’t care who saw them?
“No.”
“You seem…odd today.”
He smiled. “You don’t know me as well as you used to.”
“I know the heart of you.”
That heart softened. When Alek left to join the military, he had been so angry. At life, at circumstances. His heart broken by a woman who wanted him for his family’s wealth…he had wanted to be as far away as possible. And that had worked for well over a decade, but when things started going wrong with the family business, he knew it was time to return.
“I have no problem with Ms. Wulf. I’m just surprised that no one else does.”
“Hmm, it’s the family. They might be considered royalty, but they’re not uppity. Real down to earth. And they made sure to hire the Johnson Aloha Catering for Jensen’s wedding.”
Smart business, and that’s one thing the Wulfs were known for. But, was what they were doing here smart business? Why would they sink money into this business that had been failing when they’d came along? They could easily snap it up for their own.
“I see the questions. I had them too. Why would they come all the way over here just to help us? Right?”
He nodded.
“Well, it has something to do with us being a family business. The Wulf family believes in supporting family businesses. We aren’t the first one they’ve done this with.”
“Okay. But if they’re here to save you, what am I doing here?”
For a long moment, his grandfather said nothing. “I’m going to retire in a few years. I want you to take over.”
He blinked. “I haven’t been around for over ten years, Tutu . Michael should take over.” His brother had been distant. They had never been the best of friends, but more and more his brother either ignored his existence or was outright hostile.
“Your brother would not be bad, but the truth of the matter is he isn’t right to lead. At least not yet. And he’s okay with it.”
“Is he? He isn’t here.”
“No, he isn’t. He spends most of his time on Oahu and I’m okay with that. We work better that way for now. He comes over a couple of days a month. He is also better at closing deals for us, which sometimes requires time off the island. He makes a good second-in-command, but he is a little too involved. He wants to do everything himself. It’s best that someone like that isn’t in charge.”
He didn’t agree, but what did Alek know? He had been gone for so long, and he was pretty sure his grandfather wouldn’t do something like that without getting an agreement from his brother.
“That’s why I wanted you here now. I want you to learn the business again. It’s not like it isn’t in your blood.”
Alek wasn’t sure if that was the case anymore. The things he did for God and country had washed away some of that, the blood he’d spilled had marked him. He knew that most people didn’t see it, those dark stains on his soul. But Jules had. She hadn’t turned away from the scars that littered his body, and she wasn’t turned on by it like some women. She’d acknowledged them. That was more than most people did.
“ Tutu ,” he started out, but saw the determined look on his grandfather’s face and inwardly sighed. “I said I would try, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
He nodded, his gaze steady. It was hard to see him like this. He wasn’t feeble by any definition, but his thick head of hair was now completely white, and there were more lines around his eyes. He still stood tall, but there was a weariness that wasn’t there before. Alek knew it wasn’t easy running a family business, but the economy hadn’t been easy on them. That had resulted in them not having enough money for the upkeep of the resort. One thing about tourists coming to Hawaii, they expected everything to be perfect, luxurious. If you couldn’t provide that, you couldn’t charge enough to keep running.
“That’s all I ask. Just make sure you be nice to any of the Wulfs. They are good people.”
With that, his grandfather came around the desk and clapped his shoulder and then left him with his thoughts. Alek wandered around noting all the changes and many of the issues. The lobby alone wasn’t as grand as he remembered. Not that it was trash, but it definitely needed a facelift.
He needed to talk with Jules. And by talk, he meant talk her back into bed. He wasn’t a virgin and he’d had his share of women, but he wasn’t a manwhore. Nothing could compare to his one night—and morning—with Jules. He knew she would have to come by this way to get to the elevators, so he stole into one of the empty rooms and waited.
And maybe, he would be able to put his mouth on her again. Even as he thought it, his dick twitched, and his entire body heated. It made no sense this need that was clawing at him, driving him to lurk in a dark room.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Keeping his eyes on the corridor outside of the empty office—yeah, it was creepy—he retrieved it and saw a text chain from his Army buddies.
Darling: So, how is life as a man of leisure?
Reynolds: Like his life has changed. We were always picking up his slack.
Smith: Who cares, tell us more about that wahine.
Alek rolled his eyes. Smith was the furthest thing from a local with his light blue eyes and blond hair. He couldn’t tan either. He was possibly the whitest person Alek knew.
Alek: Suck it. All of you.
Alek: And Smith, get your own woman, and don’t use wahine. It makes you an asshole.
He was smiling when he slipped his phone back in his pocket. He was going to miss those jerks, but at the moment, all he could do was wait for Jules.
Like a freaking creeper, but it was impossible not to. It was a compulsion he didn’t really understand, but he couldn’t fight the overwhelming need he had for Jules. So he would wait and find out just what the fuck was going on.