One Night With The Boss

CHAPTER 8

But it might be her fault, thought Kate grimly. After all, it is undeniable that his company account is less impressive. And Elgort is not a man who makes leeway for naivety and inexperience. He's not a guy who gives leeway for anything.

Kate glanced up, wondering how far the stairs were up. To his right was a window, offering a tempting view of the forest from a different height, to his left was a carved wooden handle. They seemed to be climbing up into the sky.

At least more time will help him defend his case, he thought as he walked up. He will have the opportunity to outline all his business plans. Kate was confident she could show Elgort that whatever she lacked in her experience, she made up for it with determination and hard work.

Kate had already waited ten minutes to present her case and now it seemed like she would have a much longer time.

He should be happy, not nervous.

Wondering why Elgort suddenly changed her mind, Kate suddenly realized that they had reached the top of the stairs. It opened straight into a large room, its two sides opening into the forest.

Realizing that they are parallel to the treetops, Kate walks across to the carved wooden balcony, which prevents the room dwellers from plunging to the forest floor. Completely blown away, Kate turned her head towards Camila with a smile. "Very beautiful. Like in a tree house."

Although it has been designed to blend with nature, it still cannot shy away from luxury.

The room was dominated by a large bed with the shape of a carved bed head. Cream silk sheets and the top there is a velvet throw and softened by a pile of green pillows that blend with the surrounding trees.

Large woven tapestries almost covered the wooden floor and the breeze blew lightly on the thin gauze curtain hanging in the corner of the room, more for decoration than its use as a curtain.

Camila said to Kate, "Your clothes have been taken off. If you need anything, you just have to ask." Soft voice.

And Kate nodded. "Thank you." He looked at himself sadly. "I'll change my clothes." She felt sticky and uncomfortable and was desperate to get her clothes out. He didn't bring much stuff with him. He packed for two nights in Puerto Vallarta.

Long enough for him to fly out of the jungle inn and catch a flight back to London. It did not cross his mind that Elgort would invite him to remain a guest in the forest.

Isn't this what he expected? extra time where to persuade the man to extend the loan? Well, now he has that time.

"Dining is served in two hours, on the terrace. If you want to swim, you can use the pool. Take the road on your right and walk for about five minutes. When branching, to the right again." Camila gave her uncertain smile. "If you need anything else, call me."

Kate thinks that all she really needs is extra courage to go one more round with Elgort Downey, Kate smiled. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Thank you." Thank you."

Kate chose to ignore the offer of swimming, because she preferred her bedroom.

She was relieved to be able to take off her suit, she took a bath and washed her hair.

The formal itchy suit, which she wears is removed with ******a relief, simple pants that she wears for long trips by plane from London to Puerto Vallarta, packed to give her something to wear around the hotel in Puerto Rico. Three clothes and three shoes.

Recalling Elgort's comments about***, he immediately dismissed the idea of wearing his heels. Obviously the light hiking boots he wore on the plane were completely unsuitable. Reminding herself that she was not dressed to impress the billionaire, Kate wore flat shoes.

It felt so comfortable after the heavy suit, Kate walked through the glass atrium of the forest inn and headed to the terrace, her confidence slightly recovering.

He had calmed down and had time to think about the situation. Everything's gonna be fine. He just had to let Elgort see his passion for business.

His confidence persisted for as long as he joined Elgort at the table. The man was wearing a dark shirt and a pair of light pants. In the night light she looked masculine, sexy and debilitating.

"Sit, Drink?"

Kate sees a fresh, exotic-looking cocktail that Elgort is drinking. "It's better not." Kate smiled at Camila, who was standing nearby. "Something that's not alcoholic? Juice must be fun."

"You're so mad at me, right?" Kete decided to solve it directly because he hated tension. "I know I've made a mistake but everyone does it when they start a business."

"Did they do it?" Elgort was relaxed and restrained, his handsome face showing no glimmer of emotion, and Kate looked on with a feeling of helplessness.

How do you communicate with people like him? Someone who lives his life through facts and figures? Did he really feel nothing? And then Kate remembers Elgort's fierce divorce and knows the man should have had a scar.

When life strikes you, it leaves a wound.

Is that what happened to him? Has he learned to bear his scars and kept going? Had the sudden departure of his wife stopped his emotional sense or did it happen long before his marriage ended?

"You've never done anything wrong, Mr Downey?"

Elgort's mouth turned into a cynical smile and everything about his face was suddenly very loud, his aggressive jaw, the glint in his eyes and his pair of shoulders. "Yes." Yeah."

Kate looked at him, wondering.

Elgort said only one word, yet why did he feel that the shortness of the man's response hid the burden of suffering? Why did Kate feel that, when there was no hint of Elgort's weakness or fragility?

Kate feels Elgort grappling with something deep and dark. Something the man refused to give up. Because this man will never give up, Kate knows that. Elgort was an empty-handed fighter.

"Well, I made a mistake, I admit it_" Kate stopped and hesitated, finding it hard to voice the truth, "I was stupid. Naively. Inexperienced. Call it as you like."

Elgort watched Kate for quite a while. "Neaf, stupid and inexperienced. Are the words you use supposed to describe yourself?"

"If I did that then there would be no chance you would continue lending me money," Kate said lightly, her eyes fixed on Elgort's forearm. "But it's a fair description of how I was five years ago when you first gave me a loan."

"How old were you then?"

"Eighteen. Just graduated school." Kate said the word lightly.

"Why don't you go to University?"

All sorts of reasons.

Kate turned her gaze to her plate, looking at the food for the first time. When does the food arrive? It occurred to Kate that when she was with Elgort she didn't really notice anything but the man.

"University is not for me." Kate's heart rate increases as they graze into topics she hates. "I want to start a business."

Elgort's fingers played the stem of his wine glass. "You want to start making money."

The money? Kate frowned. He wanted to tell Elgort that it wasn't about the money. Even now, he barely took a lot of pay, opting instead to put his share back into the business.

For him, it was never about money, but such honest confessions were impossible. "I want something that belongs to me" he said at last.

Elgort was silent for a moment as Camila added more bowls of food onto the table. "But the business belongs to your father."

Kate shook her head. "not cafe. My father imported coffee and sold it, but a cafe was my idea. When I left school I worked in a cafe for a while and I enjoyed it but there were so many things I wanted to do differently. I did some research, found a broken cafe, and I bought it on loan from the bank. I spent days and nights working on it myself because I didn't have enough money to pay someone else to help." Kate reached out to grab some food. "There were cracks in the wall that could not be covered with paint so I decided to cover it with great photos of tropical forests. The effect is incredible. Everyone who entered, asked 'where is that?' I might be able to start a second business as a travel agent."