Blindsided By The Boss

24 - Eloise

When Callum and I entered the resort lobby to meet our friends, I couldn't help but smile big and giggle because Tallulah and Isabelle looked disappointed after seeing I accepted Callum's generous gifts. His more than thoughtful gifts that I didn't understand why he had bought them for me or deserved in the first place.

I don't know much about jewelry, but I know a little about Harry Winston's exquisite gems from some of the romance novels I've read. Supposedly, his beautiful precious stones can be worth millions, and now a comment Callum said after I told him I wasn't sure how to feel wearing something expensive as these make sense. Wearing those, you'll feel like a million bucks... there was a double meaning—he truly meant it.

I'm literally a million-dollar woman right now. And it's really freaking me out knowing this—fearing I'd be mugged and stripped to nothing.

And now it has me wondering, is this his way of officially taking claim of me? Bragging rights?

He never said, but when a man spends this much money on a woman, it usually means you're an item. I'm smart enough to know a man just doesn't spend a million dollars on a woman for nothing. And if that's the case, I don't even know what to think.

It confuses me more than anything.

But if this is Callum's way of making things official between us, knowing him, he'll fill me in before we leave Maui, if that's what he meant with these. Because the one thing I know he won't want me doing when we return to Chicago is dating other men. He's already made that part clear. Something I still have a hard time comprehending since he refuses to do relationships.

Today our couples dancing instructors are Kalani and Makoa—the young instructor the guys had the other day. He was attractive, and every time he looked at or said something to me, I felt the inferno of Callum's eyes sear deep into my skin.

I don't know why he was working himself up over it. I hardly said two words to the guy and mainly nodded to acknowledge I understood what Callum and I were supposed to do.

On the other hand, if anyone should be questioning anything. It should be me. Callum's eyes were constantly on Kalani. And if I knew any better, it seemed as if he was flirting with her through his eyes. But whatever. I'm not going to make a scene here.

Callum practically owns me right now with the gorgeous goods he has me wearing today. So it wouldn't be right of me to pick a fight and call him a manwhore. I'll wait until tonight to call him that.

The other night, when I planned on shocking him in his sleep with the handcuffs and nipple clamps, I decided to hold off after he apologized and pampered me. I know it's not something Callum would do, that he'd still go through disciplining me, but my conscience told me I shouldn't. And I'm glad I didn't after the things he gave me today.

And because of what he did, I felt he should be rewarded with something I knew would be special to him. So, knowing what was hidden underneath my dress and how Callum had no idea what I'd done, I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth, fighting the smile threatening to appear as I looked into my dancing partner's warm, chocolaty brown eyes. At the same time, we moved along the dance floor.

Callum's pretty intuitive when it comes to me because as I gazed into his eyes and fought the smile that wanted to show, he said, "Tell me what's going through your mind."

I bit my lip harder when the smile that wanted to come out tried out-powering my teeth.

"You feel like a million dollars right now, don't you? That's why you're trying to hide that beautiful smile, isn't it?"

Yes and no.

Because of the Harry Winston cathedral emerald and diamond necklace—five pearl-shaped emeralds, all the glorious diamonds, and matching pearl-shaped emeralds, diamond earrings, and bracelet, that trio alone, I'm sure, must have cost him a million or more. And the emerald sequin V-neck dress? I don't even want to know how much he paid for this.