Pure Attraction Read online

  CHAPTER TWO

  “THE NEW YORK office called three times,” said Marcos as Byron entered the Kalani offices. Marcos followed him, reading the details off his tablet as he navigated the hallway. “They want a yes or no about the buyout of the Tokyo resort.”

  Byron frowned. “I’ll be in New York in two days. The decision can wait.”

  “That’s what I told her you’d say,” his assistant continued, “but Minli is hearing rumors about preemptive bids, so she wants to get the offer in place.”

  Byron ran his hand through his hair. Damn. What was the point of handling billions of dollars’ worth of properties if he couldn’t take a little time off to enjoy one of them? Marcos knew not to bother him at home, and Byron tried to stay away from the office during the few days a month he had here at the Kalani. But the lure of the mystery woman was too strong to resist, so he had come in to figure out who she was.

  He put that thought aside for a moment and focused on Marcos’s message. On the visit to the Tokyo resort last month, he and Minli Chen, the COO of Hayden Properties, could immediately see that the buyout would make the company a good profit. The location was perfect; the reports came back saying it just needed an infusion of capital for upgrades and a hell of a lot of work, which included better marketing and new staff, more oriented toward high-end guests.

  It was this last factor that was making Byron hesitate. After overseeing every detail of the building and running of the Kalani—along with his own house on the property—changing over the staff when the company purchased a new property felt much more personal. And it made him think more carefully about these larger plans—they involved real people’s lives. Was there a way to keep all the staff at this Tokyo resort, to retrain them? And could he get his stepfather to agree to it? If Robert Hayden made good on his hints to recommend Byron as the next CEO to the board, he wouldn’t have to ask that last question anymore. The entire Hayden Properties empire would be Byron’s. For better or for worse.

  “Tell Minli that I’m not making any decisions until I’m back in New York. And if it means we lose the deal, so be it.” Byron glanced over at Marcos. “I’m going to be busy for the next two days until I leave. Is there anything else pressing that I need to attend to?”

  Marcos scanned the tablet, then shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I can take care of most of this.” He hesitated. “But there’s a meeting on your schedule I wanted you to be aware of. A one-on-one with Mr. Hayden.”

  Byron’s steps slowed. “Notes?”

  “Just one. ‘Long overdue.’”

  Byron came to a stop. That note could only mean one thing: his stepfather was ready to recommend him to the board as the next CEO. He wasn’t sure he wanted the position, considering the hours and the travel it would take to do the job well. But he’d take it, even though it almost certainly meant fewer visits here to the Big Island, because to Byron, the CEO role meant getting the one thing he’d been chasing for years: control over the Kalani Resort.

  Marcos glanced over at him. “Should I accept the meeting?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I’ll let Minli know that you’ll read through her proposal on the plane back to New York. I think that’s everything that needs your attention at this point.”

  “Perfect.”

  His assistant deserved a raise, just for his ability to filter the incoming information from the New York office alone. He worked full days when they traveled to Hawaii, just to make sure that Byron didn’t have to answer his phone. And Byron had attended Marcos’s wedding not long ago, so he knew that Marcos’s time away from his husband had to be hard. Yes, he definitely deserved a raise.

  “I’ll be in Sheila’s office if you need me for anything.”

  Byron headed for the end of the hallway, reminding himself that this wouldn’t be the first time his stepfather had dangled the CEO role in front of him. It was what had kept Byron at Hayden Properties all these years. If his father was still alive, he would have wanted Byron to stay on, to use his position to invest in the local community on Hawaii. That meant everything to his father. But Byron wasn’t going to think about all the ways he could fulfill his Big Island promise to his father until the Hayden Properties board voted him into the role. Instead, he could focus on the reason he had come to the Kalani offices.

  He knocked on the door to Sheila Allende’s corner office, and at the sound of his friend’s voice, he let himself in. The reputation of the ultra-exclusive Kalani was built around granting each visitor a wish, and Sheila was at the center of making these wishes come true.

  She typed a little more on her laptop and then looked up at him.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Byron said, settling into the armchair across from Sheila’s desk.

  “I’m the ‘wishmaker’”—she put air quotes around that last word—“not HR. Not Reception.”

  He shook his head. “This is a...private inquiry.”

  To her credit, Sheila just raised her eyebrows. “I’m assuming this someone is a she. And you think she’s staying here?”

  “I saw her out on the waves this morning. Long white hair, wet suit, attitude...”

  One of her windows was open, and a warm breeze blew through the office. He could hear in his voice that he was waxing dreamy as he said this, so Sheila definitely wouldn’t have missed it. He laced his hands behind his head and let out a breath. Just a few minutes in the tropical air was the best antidote when New York invaded his island refuge.

  “You sure you didn’t dream this fantasy up?” she asked.

  “I’m sure.” He might have been offended if the same thought hadn’t occurred to him. He had built this resort on the idea of indulging the fantasies of people with enough money to get what they wanted, so the requests could be quite specific. Sheila had arranged everything from swimming with sharks to a week of silence, from full-service amenities to a “personal healing coach”—whatever that meant. But the idea that Byron’s own fantasy woman had shown up here? It was too good to be true. Still...

  Sheila tilted her head, letting her braids fall over one shoulder. “Do I sense a love connection? You want me to set you up on a date, honey?”

  Byron groaned. “Don’t give me shit about it. I have two more days before I go back to New York.”

  Sheila chuckled. “Someone’s got to watch out for you these two days.”

  She was joking...mostly. Byron had met her at their Upper East Side prep school so many years ago, two brown kids in a sea of white, and she and her family had been there for him when his mother and stepfather weren’t. When the pull between the privileges his new life promised and the ache to live with his father back in Hawaii had been the hardest. And she had been the one who’d convinced him he should listen to his father and stay in New York—that he could return to the island after he got his education. Byron had also been there for Sheila all through her path to the world championships, through her high-profile marriage to another sprinter and her equally high-profile divorce soon after. When Byron had first considered leaving Hayden Properties and starting his own venture with his father, it became clear that she was one of the few people who would stand by him, whatever he decided. His mother and stepfather definitely wouldn’t, not would anyone in his stepfather’s business realm.

  If his and Sheila’s early years hadn’t been enough to permanently seal them as siblings-by-choice, this more recent collection of shit storms in their lives did it. He wasn’t sure whether she had agreed to his job offer at the Kalani to support him or because she was looking for her own fresh start. Either way, she’d taken it.

  He crossed his arms. “You know the woman I’m talking about?”

  “Maybe. But are you sure you want to go down this path?” The humor in her voice had faded, and her eyes were serious.

  “Yes,” he said flatly, returning her look.

  “You know how
you get...” She left those words hanging between them.

  Yeah, they both knew. His Achilles’ heel. He could get a little...overly focused on a woman. On pleasing her. The harder to please her, the more he tried. It wasn’t difficult for anyone to see where that could go wrong, and yet, the lure was so very tempting. Byron flashed to the image of his surf mermaid glaring at him with a mix of irritation and lust, and a hot lick of desire ran through him.

  He cleared his throat. “Nothing to worry about. I leave in two days, and then she leaves in a week or two. Problem solved.”

  Sheila gave him a dry laugh. “You’re not going to follow her back to California when she calls you for just one more night?”

  She didn’t have to add just like you did with Anna to the sentence for Byron to hear the warning behind it. Chasing Anna had come at a steep price. If he hadn’t gotten so carried away with pleasing her, he would have kept his priorities straight. Which would have meant trading his life in New York and all the money he had earned from it for a chance to build the Kalani on his own terms, without ties to his stepfather. Instead, he had tried to both keep Anna happy and build the Kalani. The former was an inevitable failure, and the compromises he made in doing the latter had followed him. And now it was too late to build something with his father.

  But none of that was relevant. His surfing mermaid was out there, and he needed to find her. He had chased a woman without getting attached before, and this shouldn’t be any different.

  Byron ran his hand through his hair. “I know I get carried away when I’m really into a woman, but this isn’t a relationship.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Wait—California? You know exactly who this is.”

  Sheila didn’t look the least bit repentant. “When I read the surfing part of her profile, I had a feeling she might catch your interest if you two crossed paths.”

  “So you were hoping we wouldn’t meet?”

  “Someone has to look out for you.” This time, her voice was softer when she spoke.

  Byron shook his head slowly. “We’re not on the Upper East Side anymore.”

  “I know. You’ve got the whole hot millionaire thing going on,” she said, gesturing up and down his length. “But you bend over backward for women. Some of them take advantage of it, others leave you hurt, and a few do both. And when your father passed away...”

  They were both quiet, just the sound of the waves crashing on the beach echoing through the room. Byron had been a mess for so many reasons when his father was hit by a drunk driver six years ago. When his mother had run off with a wealthy mainlander when Byron was in first grade, his father had given up custody. All the way into his teens, it had hurt enough that Byron had refused to visit the island. Finally, Walter Keahi had shown up in New York, despite his aversion to cities, to explain all the reasons he had chosen his community over his wife’s drive for money—and the stability that came with it. By sending Byron away with his mother, he had given his son opportunities for successes that the boy couldn’t have had on the island, and he hoped Byron could bring the elite education and business experience back to Hawaii. Back to his father’s community. During that visit, Byron had promised to do that.

  Byron blew out a breath. “This woman might not even give me the time of day if I see her. Again, problem solved.”

  Sheila smirked. “All women give you the time of day. You just choose the ones who give you a hard time about it.”

  “Message received,” he said. “Now tell me about her.”

  “Your blonde mermaid, let’s see...” Sheila scrolled on the tablet in front of her. “Jessie Van Buren, twenty-eight years old, co-owns a business with her sister, Jillian. It’s called MomJobs, an app designed to help women with children get back in the workforce.”

  Shit. “She’s not married, is she?”

  Sheila laughed. “Nope. And not a parent, either.”

  Byron let out a sigh of relief. But an employment app for mothers? Interesting. A great idea, actually, but why that particular niche? Personal reasons? And how the hell could she afford the Kalani?

  “Does the app make money?”

  “Her sister paid for the trip, if that’s what you’re wondering,” said Sheila. “Engaged to Scott Patel, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist.”

  “Who funds Jessie and her sister’s business?”

  “Nope. And I’m sure there’s a story behind that.”

  Byron whirled his hand, gesturing for her to continue. “And what’s Jessie’s wish?”

  Sheila chuckled. “A one-week private tour of the island’s best-kept surfing secrets.”

  Oh, yes. This was perfect. “Who’s assigned to give her this tour?”

  “Tomoko.” Sheila raised an eyebrow at him. “Jessie specifically requested a female guide.”

  Byron waved off the comment. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “Do I need to remind you that you built this resort on the reputation that you cater to whatever a guest desires?”

  He chuckled. “She’ll be more than satisfied.”

  “Too much information. And aren’t you leaving for New York tomorrow night?”

  “Exactly. Just today and tomorrow, no more than that.”

  The next day was already stretching out in front of him—the beach, the drive. Even if he never touched her, Byron was pretty sure it would be one of the hottest days of his life.

  “Pay Tomoko for tomorrow from my private account and give her the day off. I’ll take Jessie out for the day.”

  Sheila shook her head slowly. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, right?”

  It was more of a statement than a question, but Byron answered anyway. “Not a chance in hell.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Sheila muttered, focusing on her tablet again. “I’m sending you her itinerary.”

  Byron’s body hummed with excitement. This was happening. He was spending the next day or two with his surfing mermaid...who might not be nearly as happy to see him. His dick jolted to life again at the image of Jessie bent over, squeezing out her hair, the bare skin of her breasts showing above her swimsuit. The way she had looked up at him, checking to see if he was watching, and then sauntered away.

  Jessie Van Buren. Fantasy woman had a name now. And he would arrange for an early-morning surf session at The Falls. But that was tomorrow, which felt waaay too far away.

  “Byron?” Sheila’s voice brought him out of his hazy musings. He looked up to find worry lines across her forehead. “Be careful, ’kay?”

  He flashed her a smile. “It’s under control.”

  * * *

  Jessie hooked her feet behind the legs of the stool and looked around the open-air bar at the center of the Kalani Resort. This place was a trip. She could order any food she could think of, and someone delivered it to the table next to her cabin’s private pool. Jessie had done this, of course: pineapple guava smoothie, a Caesar salad and fresh-baked bread. This was after contemplating ordering something wackier, like sea urchin or quail eggs, just to see what would happen, but she had been too hungry to play around. One could also walk to a deserted beach with perfect surfing waves, and apparently a hot, tanned, ripped surfer dude came with that package. Yes, he did try to steal her wave, but you couldn’t have everything you wanted—she knew that quite well.

  Like most men she had met, Surfer Dude was better from a distance, where she could drool over his ripped abs and watch as he shredded the most beautiful waves. But inevitably, any closer encounter brought out the smugness in a man...as well as her own temper when that presumptuousness was aimed in her direction. At least that guy wouldn’t steal her wave again. Though Jessie had gotten the sense that he hadn’t exactly been deterred when she had given him attitude. In fact, he had looked just the opposite.

  Her sister’s words came back to her: Promise me you’ll actually enjoy this trip. I
t did cost a shitload of money, you know.

  Jessie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. Of course, her sister would guilt trip her into taking a real vacation. They both knew the money didn’t matter to Jillian’s boyfriend, but it mattered a hell of a lot to Jessie. And, yeah, she hadn’t taken a real, work-free vacation in, um...long enough not to remember how long it had been. Now it was officially real vacation time, which was what she was doing here in the bar, with a seat that faced the entrance so she could see everyone who walked in. Giving her sister her money’s worth. Not just looking for some guy who tried to steal her wave. Though more time with him held a lot of appeal.

  Taking another sip of her drink, which was overloaded with pineapple slices and other less identifiable fruits, she looked over the bar, out into the lounge. It was mostly couples with matching tans, dressed in whites and complementary pastels, sipping undoubtedly expensive wines in various leisure poses. One older woman in a flowery sundress with a plunging neckline was leaning over the bar, speaking softly to the young, cute bartender, giving him a little show.

  And then Surfer Dude walked in. Jessie’s heart jumped in her chest, though she was trying like hell to pretend she didn’t notice him. The air was suddenly heavier, and a warm, soft breeze snuck by her. Or maybe it was just her common sense drifting away, because damn, he looked good with a shirt on, too. His hair was combed, and he had shaved since she’d seen him on the waves, but he still had that easygoing air to him, like nothing anyone could say would disturb his mellow vibe. Which was definitely a plus, since she burned through men like kindling.

  He caught sight of her, and, Lord, that smile lit the room. She tried not to meet his eyes, to play it like she didn’t care whether or not she saw him, but she couldn’t resist. Jessie drew in a breath as the warmth from his smile filled her, softening even her own, rigid self.

  And then he turned and walked, not toward her, but toward the back of the bar. All of that saccharine-sweet excitement bubbling inside died, and her face heated up. He had smiled and walked away. Jessie straightened up, irritated. So much for her newly forming plans for a week’s worth of sex with this guy.