The Rules In Paradise (Playing By The Rules) (2 page)

             
"Ladies, here are some drinks. Mr. Cooper has informed me he is to pick up your tab for this evening," the bartender said as he set down two new drinks.

             
"Mr. Cooper?" I looked at the bartender with a confused look. His only reply was to slightly nod his head in the direction of the end of the bar. Both Charlotte and I couldn't  help it and immediately turned our attention to the end of the bar and spotted a tall man glowing in the light of a smartphone. Though we both continued to stare for a few moments he didn't look up.

             
Charlotte and I looked at each other and shrugged as we gave a little giggle. We spent the next little while sipping drinks and talking about anything that came up. We waved and laughed occasionally at Adrian out on the dance floor. Charlotte excused herself to the restroom and I turned toward the bar. I was watching the people sitting around the oval-shaped bar.

             
"I do hope you are enjoying your evening." I was startled by a deep voice that came from the seat next to me.

             
"I am....Mr. Cooper? Thank you for the drinks, but you didn't have to." I quickly tried to hide the fact that he had startled me.

             
"I know," he said matter-of-factly. His abrupt answer left me stumped as to where to go from there. "I've noticed you have not danced all evening yet your friend has been motioning for you to come out. You do not dance?" His voice was smooth and low, yet very staccato. He did not linger on words yet they seemed to come out of his mouth with a grace all their own.

             
"No, not yet anyway. A few more drinks and that would be a big maybe. You've been here all evening then?"

             
He gave a small smile and nodded. This was the first time I saw any expression on his face. His smile revealed a glimpse at beautifully white teeth. His dark hair was messy and windblown. He wore khaki colored linen pants and a white casual T-Shirt. His eyes were almost a startling blue. They were light and were beyond his most defining feature. I had to admit, he was extremely attractive.

             
"It is my job to read people, the only way you read them is by studying them, watching what they do. Although I have not been able to discern much from you and your friends except you all prefer to drink sickeningly sweet drinks. Between the daiquiris and the Jack and Cokes you all might leave here with a tan and diabetes." He again gave the twitch of a smile, clearly proud of his deduction.
             

             
"You were at the pool this afternoon." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

             
"Yes, I also partook in sitting at the pool on a beautiful day in a Mexican resort."

             
I couldn't help but gape at him a little. His tone, his insinuations and his know-it-all attitude was slightly overbearing.

             
"So then you are on vacation as well?"

             
"You could say that."

             
"You certainly seemed to have collected a great deal of information about myself and my friends, yet you are so stingy with your own."

             
A bright smile appeared on his face and I felt my knees lose some muscle tone. "I don't know that stingy is a characteristic that I possess."

             
"I beg to differ, Mr. Cooper. What is your first name?"

             
"Who is asking?" Again, the amused smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

             
"I don't need to know that badly. For all I know you are a crazy serial killer that kills young women when they go on vacation."

             
This time he let out a laugh. "I assure you I am not here to murder you. Cole Cooper."

             
"Olivia Adamson."

             
"Ms. Adamson, it's my pleasure." I blushed slightly as he bent to kiss my hand.

             
"So Cole Cooper, that sounds like a fake name by the way, what are you doing here stalking me and my friends?"

             
"I assure you, it is not fake. I also hardly considering sitting at a public place where most people staying at the resort congregate, to be stalking and third I felt an inexplicable need to know who you were."

             
"Well now you do, and you've supplied my friends and I with unlimited drinks for the evening. You must not have gathered information that the three of us put together might be able to drink you out of house and home."

             
"In that case I will make sure there are some ambulances on hand for your apparent night of debauchery." The sly smile had appeared on his face again. His attractiveness went above a beyond healthy level. I admired the way his eyes creased slightly when he smiled.

             
"Finish your drink," He said standing.

             
"Excuse me?" I was kind of confused.

             
"I believe I spoke fluent English, finish it up, come on." When I saw his face begin to turn from amusement to annoyance I shot the last sip of my drink back and took his hand.

             
With my hand in his incredibly soft and warm hand he led me out towards the dance floor.

             
"I really shouldn't do this, trust me, it's not pretty."

             
"Nonsense, I don't believe anything you do could be considered anything less than attractive. Just follow my lead Olivia." He kept my hand in his as he began to move his hips in time with the music. It wasn't long before his hands were on my waist, keeping me in time with his own and the beat of the music. After one song ended and the next began I felt I was getting ahold of this whole dance thing. At least I tried to put the internal image I had of myself dancing hidden in the back of my brain.

             
I had to admit Cole was a phenomenal dancer. He made it very easy to follow, and he kept his body relatively close to mine which helped the dance moves, not the heat. Not only was I feeling warm from the physical exertion of dancing, but the weather was still warm and balmy. Couple those two things with alcohol and having an extremely handsome man dancing close to me was starting to make me overheat.

             
After a few more songs I had to rehydrate. I motioned toward the bar and Cole followed closely behind me. He ordered us two waters and had me sit at the only opened stool.

             
"You're a great dancer."

             
"As I thought, you greatly underestimated your ability. Drink up, after your sugar and alcohol consumption you'll be begging for mercy if you don't." He finished and looked at me over the top of his glass as he drank. Even though I was sitting on the stool I felt my legs go slightly shaky.

             
"What do you do Olivia?"

             
"Well right now I work as an intern at a local art gallery back home."

             
"And is that your passion in life?

             
"Well it pays the bills. I enjoy it if that's what you're asking."

             
"But you are not passionate about it?" His eyes were intensely concentrated on me and me alone.

             
"I am passionate about art. I am not passionate about being someone's coffee gopher, no." I was suddenly feeling irritated? Why did he need to prod into my personal business?

             
"Why do you stay then?"

             
"Because I need to pay rent on my apartment? Because I need experience in order to get a real job? There's plenty of reasons people do things they don't want to."

             
"I seem to have a struck a nerve."

             
"You're awful nosy."

             
He chuckled and it was low and sexy.

             
"I prefer the word inquisitive." He nodded toward the bartender and in less than a minute a drink was in front of both of us.

             
"So, now I get to be inquisitive. What do you do?"

             
"I work in business."

             
"Like I said, stingy." Cole shook his head.

             
"You do not know of what you speak."

             
"What are you secretly a eighty year old British man?"

             
Cole let out a full blown laugh at this. He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

             
"Last I checked I was American. I've been several times to Britain though."

             
"You're evading the question Cole."

             
"No ma'am. You asked if I was an eighty year old British man and I answered that question."

             
I inwardly groaned. "You're mildly infuriating."

             
"Only mildly? I will have to up my game."

             
I stared at him in shock.

             
"You're absurd."

             
"You're intriguing."

             
"Oh really? Are you inexplicably drawn to me?" I dramatically flicked my hair over my shoulder and put my nose in the air.

             
"Like a moth to the flame." The way his eyes burned into mine as he spoke, I felt a chill run up my spine. He filled a much larger space than a normal person. Not in a physical way but in the intense air he emitted around him. I felt my cheeks blush as I struggled for something to say.

             
"You never said what you did. Or should I assume you're not going to give up that information?"

             
"Though I could choose to just answer your last question and infuriate you further I will go against everything I believe and not push your buttons further. I am in business as I said. I am co-owner of a very successful innovative design company. Essentially it is my job to convince people with lots of money to give us their money and we will come in and spend a small portion of that money on designing their dream building. We do not do construction, we essentially tell hotel moguls what they need to have in their hotel in order to make money."

             
"I'm not sure I understand."

             
"I spend time in places like this and see what people like or do not like about where they stay. I then bring that field research as I call it, back to the powers that be and we make the hotel of their dreams."

             
"So you're a spy of sorts?"

             
Cole laughed loudly again and smiled at me. This time he gave me the full view of brilliant teeth and for the first time I noticed adorable dimples. "Nobody has ever put it that way before. I guess I kind of am a spy. I should add that to my business card."

             
"You co-own this company with who?"

             
"Well, it seems ironic you ask that question now. As my partner currently has his hands all over your friend's ass."

             
My eyes shot towards the dance floor and sure enough Adrian was moving to the music, dancing with a man who had roaming hands.

             
"Yes, indeed he does." Cole looked at me and shrugged his shoulders, taking the last sip from his glass.

             
"I find it hard to believe that any of your men would allow the three of you to go away and leave them behind."

             
"No, they didn't because they are not real. Imaginary boyfriends will let you go anywhere. Char is the only attached one. She just got engaged about a year ago."

             
"You approve it seems."

             
"I do. I like him a lot."

             
We sat in silence for a few moments. Both of us were looking on the dance floor. I watched as Adrian danced with this man, hopefully he wasn't quite as intense as Cole.

             
"Where are you here from?"

             
"I had thought maybe you had lost your inquisitive bone. I live in California. I have a home in LA. I know it's terribly cliche, but what can I say, that's where the money is."

             
"Is that your passion?" Two could play at this game.

             
"LA? No, that is my city of which I reside."

             
"Money."