Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire? (13 page)

       “What
nerve,” Nina muttered.

       “What did
you say?”  Daniel took a sip of his drink.  “This is the worst gin and tonic
I’ve ever had.  How can you mess up a gin and tonic?”

       “That flight
attendant—shoving her boobs in your face while I’m over here begging for some
water.”  Nina crossed her arms.

       “Why Nina
Alves.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”  Daniel looked at
her archly. 

       “Remember,
I’m your fiancé?  If we’re going to convince Arturo, we’ve really got to start
acting like a couple—and I don’t mean shoving lobster in each other’s faces. 
You can’t be ogling boobs when I’m sitting right next to you.  In fact, you
can’t be ogling anyone’s boobs but mine.”

       Daniel
started laughing and Nina replayed what she’s just said in her head.  “Wait,
that didn’t come out right.”  Daniel leaned over, grabbed the top of Nina’s
blouse, and pretended to try to peek down her shirt.  “Stop that.”  She smacked
Daniel’s hand. 

       “What, a
man can’t check out his fiancé’s boobs?  What kind of hard-hearted dictator are
you?” 

       “The
prudish kind.”

       “Not any
more.”  Daniel put his drink down, leaned over, and laid a passionate kiss on Nina. 

       Once the
initial shock of Daniel’s ambush wore off, Nina couldn’t help but respond.  It
was an entirely delicious kiss and one that she realized she’d been dreaming
about.  When Daniel broke it off, she felt dizzy and breathless, but then, she
pinched herself.  Acting, he was acting.  She recovered and said blandly, “In
Hollywood, it’s considered bad form to slip your scene partner the tongue.”

       Daniel
turned to face forward, picking up the in-flight shopping magazine from the
seat pocket.  “Is that so?” he remarked, equally matter of fact in his tone.  He
looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but smiled to himself.  “You want
anything from duty-free?”

       “Stop
shopping, there’s no duty-free until we’re in the air after Miami.  You need to
tell me about what to expect in Panama.”

       “This
isn’t a non-stop?”  Daniel looked at Nina as if he’d been tricked.

       “There
aren’t any non-stops between Boston and Panama City and there’s a very nice VIP
Club in Miami.  I think you’ll live.”

       Daniel
sighed and stuffed the magazine back into the seat pocket.  “No, you’re right.
We should talk about Arturo and the resort.”  His face brightened, “Did you
hear what I just said?  We really are starting to act like a real couple!”

       Nina had
to laugh, “See, all successful couples know that the way to wedded bliss is
just doing what the woman wants.”

       The
flight attendant was back, dangling her breasts in front of Daniel’s face. 
Daniel turned away, leaning over to give Nina a little kiss.  The flight
attendant picked up their glasses with a huffy clank.  Without looking at the
flight attendant, Daniel simply said, “I don’t think we’ll be needing anything
else for a while.”

       “Nice. 
That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”  Nina felt much better.

       “It’s be
easier if you’d let me see your boobs.”

       Nina gave
Daniel a playful little shove, “Focus!”  Secretly, though, Nina wondered if
Daniel was just being a silly flirt, or whether there might be something behind
his kisses.

       Clicking
on his iPad, Daniel flipped to a map showing a footprint of the resort.  “So
here’s what’s genius about the resort—Arturo has integrated sustainable
agriculture within the boundaries of the resort in a way that doesn’t detract
from the natural beauty of the location, and which completely reduces its
carbon footprint.  Kitchen and dining room waste becomes compost for the
gardens and grey water from the hotel is filtered and used to water the grounds
along with rainwater that’s trapped on the green rooftops in hidden containers.
Most of their power is solar generated. There are cute little goats that are also
lawnmowers, and they raise their own chickens and animals for dairy.  There’s a
sustainable trout farm too.  They barter with Panamanian farmers and merchants to
get whatever products they don’t grow themselves like fruit coming from the
lowlands, or coffee and sugar coming from Rainforest Alliance certified
plantations. It’s amazingly efficient.”

       Nina was
impressed.  “It sounds like you really know what’s going on with this place.”

       “Yeah,
I’ve really been studying it since we got back from India—looking into the
science and the management techniques behind it, the different kinds of
certifications and which ones are really meaningful in terms of both the
ecology and the economy.  It’s helping a lot of people to live really well.” 
He flipped to some photos of the property, “And it’s beautiful.  You’re going
to like it there.”

       “So why
does Arturo want to sell it?”

       “I think
he’s just ready to retire.  He’s worked really hard his whole life, and now he
wants to enjoy the fruits of his labors—hang out with his grandkids, do a
little fishing, go traveling with his wife.”  Daniel gave Nina a little nudge. 
“It’s weird, but people who live in tropical paradises actually enjoy going
someplace else for a change.” 

       “And the
catch?”

       “He’s
definitely not going to sell it to someone unless they will continue running
the place in a sustainable way.  And…” Daniel’s voice trailed off.

       “And
what?”

       “There’s
his whole perception of me.”

       “So why
not sell it to your dad?  The DeVere Foundation has some great projects in
Panama, Wilson’s reputation is intact.”

       “Dad
doesn’t know it’s on the block to be sold.  He thinks I’m just doing
‘research.’  In other words, I’m goofing off at a beautiful resort in the
rainforest.  I really want to show Dad that I’ve got business acumen, and more
than that, that I have vision.  It’s a seriously good model, Nina.  With DeVere
money backing it, we could take this concept worldwide and really do some good
at the same time.  Do you have any idea how much waste hotels generate?  And
they can suck local water resources dry in the developing world.”

       Nina
looked at Daniel thoughtfully.  “You
have
really been thinking about
this.”

       “Why so
surprised Nina?  I’ve been trying to tell you that I’m a lot more than what the
tabloids make me out to be.  If I can pull this deal off, then I think I can
turn a corner, get my Dad to respect me, and well, I’ll be able to respect
myself.”

       There
was
a brain in that pretty head, Nina thought, and more than that, its
motivations were pretty sound.  The more Daniel revealed about himself, though,
the more difficult it was for Nina to simply regard him as a friend.   She
thought of the kiss, and it made her shiver.   She tried to shake it off.   “So
our main strategic objective is to convince Arturo that you’ve already turned
that corner?”

       Daniel
paused and then nodded seriously, “Yes, I guess that’s putting it in a
nutshell.”  He leaned his head back against the thick, padded headrest of the
leather seat and tilted the seat.  “You know, I’m feeling really tired.”  He
reached over and took Nina’s hand in his as he drifted off to sleep.

       Sometime
later Nina realized that a chime was ringing—and that she and Daniel had both
fallen asleep.  His hand was still wrapped over hers and resting on the wide
armrest separating their seats.  Daniel started to stir.  Opening an eye, he
smiled sleepily at Nina.  “Are we there yet?”

       “Well, we
seem to be landing in Miami.  Are you ready to buck up and face the masses as
we change planes?”

       “As long
as you promise not to abandon me.”  He gave her hand a little squeeze, then let
go as he sat up and rubbed his face.  “Where the heck are the hot towels?”

       Nina
pushed the flight attendant call button.  A male steward appeared and Nina
couldn’t help but feel a little triumphant.

       The
steward looked at them pleasantly. “Yes?  Is there something I can get you
before we land?” 

       Daniel
smiled at Nina, before turning back to the steward, “Would you be so kind as to
bring us a couple of hot towels and some water?”

       “Certainly
Mr. DeVere.  I’ll be right back.”

       Teasing
Nina, Daniel said, “Seems I was successful in warding off the boobs of the other
flight attendant.  Happy now?”

       Somehow,
Daniel’s joking sent Nina into an existential tailspin.  Happy?  Was she happy? 
Was playing dress up with the girls making her happy?  Was taking care of her
siblings’ education and medical enough to make her happy?  Did the prospect of three
million dollars hanging in the air make her
happy
?   

       She
studied Daniel’s face as he smiled at her with genuine warmth, and asked
herself if she could ever be happy just being Daniel’s friend.  Her thoughts
were interrupted, though, by the appearance of a hot towel being waved in front
of her face from the end of a pair of tongs.  That was the problem, Nina
decided.  They were always being interrupted.  There was always something that
had to be done, or someone else had an agenda that had to be met.  What would
it be like if the two of them just had a few days together without a defined itinerary? 
What if they had time to simply be Nina and Daniel?  What might they discover
then?

       Nina took
the towel with a murmured, “Thank You,” pressing its warmth against her eyes. 
Why, she asked herself, had she ever promised Daniel that they she would try
her best to be his friend?

Chapter Twenty Two

       “Do you
like ceviche?” Daniel asked as he perused the possibilities for lunch.

       “I—I
don’t think I’ve ever had it.”  Nina fanned herself with the menu.  Panama was
hot.   And not in the sexy way, just the ‘I’m sweating’ kind of way.  Daniel
kept telling her it was less humid that Florida, but for a girl born and bred
in Massachusetts, being near the equator was proving to be challenging.  “Is it
safe to eat raw seafood in this heat?” Nina questioned. 

       “It’s not
raw—it’s been marinated in lime juice.”

       “How is
that not raw?”  Nina dabbed her brow with a napkin; the little outdoor
restaurant was adorable, but Nina was wondering why Daniel thought this was
paradise.  “Are you sure it’s going to be cooler in the mountains?”

       Daniel
looked up from the menu, “Panama is filled with micro-climates.  We’re probably
in the hottest place in the country right now—relax.  We’ll go for a swim to
cool off when we get a little further up the coast.  The surf is too rough
here, but doesn’t it look nice!”  He gazed out at the water.

       Nina had
to admit it was pretty.  She’d never seen black sand before.  “Yes…it is.  I’m
sorry for complaining, I’m just used to New England weather.”

       “How
about some empanadas?  Those will definitely be cooked. And some rice with
shrimp?”

       “Sure
that sounds great.”  Nina fanned some more, “So a swim later?  That would be
great.”

       After
lunch, Daniel drove their jeep further up the coast, and Nina was definitely
enjoying the sights with the breeziness afforded by the topless jeep.  Finally
they pulled off at a beautiful beach and stripped down to their bathing suits. 
Nina wore a simple one-piece, tank style suit, more practical than sexy.  And
Daniel, well, Daniel had other ideas about bathing attire.

       “Oh good
lord Daniel, what are you wearing?”  Nina immediately started to blush.

       “What?” 
He pulled at the leg of his bright blue, Euro style trunks.  “It’s not like I’m
wearing a thong—or a mankini.”

       Nina
stammered, “It’s just that it, well, it…”

       “Look at
the guys on the beach—I could easily be rocking a banana hammock! This
seems…appropriate.”

       Appropriate
for making her pulse race out of control, Nina thought.  Basically little more
than short-legged boxer briefs, the skimpy fitted suit barely covered his butt,
and she was fixated on the wings of sculpted muscle rising out of the waistband
riding low on his hips. And now she knew for certain, Daniel’s stomach had not
suffered from his lifestyle: he was definitely carrying a full six-pack.  She
tried to not let her eyes stray any lower.            

       For his
part, Daniel was feeling rather disappointed in Nina’s conservative swim wear
choice.   There wasn’t much festive about the plain brown suit; it made him
think of the clothes Nina wore when she came into the offices at the DeVere
Foundation.  Blah.  He couldn’t understand why she was always keeping herself
under wraps unless forced to do otherwise.  Then he had an idea and pulled his
shirt back on.  “Put on your sarong, we’re going to do a little quick shopping
before we hit the water.”

       Nina
sighed.  Shopping.  It was one of the things that Daniel loved best. Between
Miami and Panama City she’d managed to fend off the weird watch he wanted to
buy her, but broke down and accepted the Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume just to
get him to stop.  She could only imagine what it would be now: a surfboard for
two people who couldn’t surf, or some cheesy beach towel he thought was
hilarious.  This was the side of Daniel that if left without proper supervision,
resulted in embarrassing incidents that were featured in the gossip sections of
international newspapers.

       They
marched up to one of the little surf shops, and Daniel made a beeline for
women’s swimwear.  He noisily clacked the plastic hangers as he pushed the
swimsuits around on the rack.  After a few moments, he pulled out one. 

       “Here—I
want you to wear this.”