Vera~

VERA

I spent the rest of the morning sleeping. It felt as though my body decided to shut down on its own. Honestly, it was worth it. I hadn’t slept that good in days and somehow, this felt like a vacation. A vacation that I needed. But unfortunately, by tomorrow, I’ll be back in the office, running here and there, carrying out Neil’s endless orders.

“I really need to stop calling him Neil,” I mumbled as I wrapped a towel around my body and made my way to the closet to look for a swim suit. I didn’t remember packing any because I knew I wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to the beach. But you know, life can be full of surprises.

Raising a brow, I stopped short when I spotted a blue two-piece set lying neatly on top of my clothes. How had I missed that earlier? Picking it up, my eyes widened as I instantly realized who had packed it.

Yvonne.

“She will be the reason I lose my job. How am I supposed to wear this without looking like…” I groaned as I threw the fabric on my bed and pulled my hand across my face. My frustration was already bubbling up.

Before I could finish my thoughts, my phone buzzed loudly, startling me. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation, but when I glanced at the screen, I saw Austin’s name flashing. Sighing, I picked up.

“Good afternoon, Austin,” I greeted, trying to sound calm.

“Vera, I hope you’re ready,” Austin said, his usual cheer evident in his voice. “Mr. Grumpy pants us already getting impatient, so you’ve got give minutes to get downstairs.”

My stomach dropped. How long had I been in the bathroom?

“O-okay. I’ll be down soon,” I stammered, hanging up quickly. There was no time to hesitate. Without thinking twice, I slipped into the bikini set, grabbed a long yellow sundress with green leaf patterns, and threw it on. The dress was flowy, floor-length, and thankfully modest enough to balance out the bikini underneath.

I slid on a pair of white sandals, grabbed my tote bag, and made a dash for the elevator. My heart was racing as I mentally prepared myself to face the group—and Neil.

The elevator ride down felt like an eternity. I tapped my fingers against the railings, trying to steady my nerves. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. Beneath the sundress, the blue bikini felt like a glaring secret, and I couldn’t shake the thought that Yvonne could have done this on purpose. She probably wanted to see how far she could push me.

When the elevator doors opened, I was greeted by the warm scent of the ocean and the murmur of voices from the lobby. I spotted Austin leaning against a pillar, his easy smile lighting up his face as he waved me over.

“There you are,” he said, pushing off the pillar. “You’re lucky Neil didn’t come up himself. He’s been in a mood all morning.”

I swallowed hard, my cheeks warming up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the time,” I mumbled apologetically.

“No worries,” he said, his tone light. “You look great by the way,” he said, gesturing to my sundress, and I offered a faint smile in return.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, adjusting the strap of my tote bag as we stepped outside. Neil was outside, standing in front of a black Mercedes as he spoke with someone on the phone. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, just like Austin. Only that unlike Austin, Neil’s shirt was still tucked in.

As if sensing our arrival, he turned around to see us. His gaze fell on me and for a brief second, I saw a flash in his eyes. Before I could react, he opened the door and got in.

What a perfect gentleman.

“He’s a bit cranky from our meeting this afternoon,” Austin said to me with an apologetic smile as he opened the other door for me. I nodded and got into the back seat. He closed the door and sat on the front.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Neil’s jaw clenching and unclenching like he was trying his best not to get angry and say something uncalled for to the person on the phone.

“I’ll get back to you, Mr. Garcia,” he said and without skipping a beat, he hung up and clenched his phone in his hand.

I raised a brow when I noticed the model of his iPhone. “What a wealthy man he is,” I said in my head and chuckled.

The ride to the beach was quiet and I tension was so thick that I felt bad for the driver. When we got to our destination, I didn’t waste time before opening the door and getting out of the car.

“Let’s change our clothes and meet at the pavilion,” Austin suggested as we walked towards a small but fancy looking building. I nodded, my eyes catching Neil as he walked past us.

This man was seriously bitter. I rolled my eyes and walked into the building. An attendant approached us with a warm smile even though I could see the flash of desire in her eyes when she saw Austin. I couldn’t blame her, he was an attractive man.

“The female changing room is that way,” she said to me when I asked and I thanked her before walking away. With the little time I’ve spent with Austin, I knew he’d jump at every opportunity to flirt. And I didn’t want my ears to suffer hearing the lady’s giggles.

I found the changing room and stepped in. My eyes widened at his spacious the room was. There were just two women by the end, who were chatting animatedly. It stopped when they realized someone was here.

I cleared my throat and smiled a little, “Carry on. Don’t mind me.” They were both utterly beautiful with their slim bodies adorned in nude colored bikinis.

“Your dress is beautiful,” the one with black hair said. Her French accent was thick and her blue eyes were very pretty. She looked exotic.

“Thank you,” I said as I went to place my tote bag on an empty bench and began to undress.

“My name is Rosa. This is my friend, Jacqueline,” the blonde one Introduced herself and pointed at the dark haired one. They’re names fitted then so well.

“My name is Veronica. But people call me Vera. It’s nice to meet you,” I said to them with a smile as I put on my bikini and they returned it.

“Are you here on a date?” Rosa asked and yelled when Jacqueline punched her arm making me laugh. I shook my head as heat filled my cheeks when I realized my bikini was giving them a wrong hint.

“It’s a trip, but I’ll be going back to work tomorrow,” I told them. I watched them pout like it made them feel sad. I chuckled and rubbed sunscreen on my body before putting my extra belongings in one of the lockers.

“You look irresistible,” Jacqueline said with admiration as I tied a veil around my hips. There was no way I was going to let my ass be on full display to the world.

I smiled at her, grateful for the compliment. “Thank you,” I said and she waved me off lightly.

“I wish I could pull it off like that,” Rosa said with an exaggerated sigh that made me giggle. But I needed to leave before Neil got mad at me.

“It was nice talking with you,” I said to them. They smiled wholeheartedly and waved.

“Enjoy the afternoon,” Jacqueline said and I nodded before walking out. Knowing, Neil and Austin would already be outside, I made my way to the exit and walked out of the building.

Maybe I didn’t notice earlier, but the sun was hotter than I expected, making the sand a little bit too uncomfortable to walk on. I looked around to find an empty sun lounger.

Then, I spotted Austin. His eyes were scanning everywhere like he was looking for someone until our eyes locked and his familiar grin settled into his face as he nodded for me to come.

Oh boy.