The Intern (BWWM)

Chapter 8

Leilani woke up at 5:30am to get ready for breakfast with Mr. Vanderbilt. She took her time showering; making sure she went over ever creek and crevice twice. She air dried, then began lathering herself in cherry almond lotion. Leilani straightened out her hair and put on a lite face of make up.

She decided to wear a coral skirt with a matching blazer, a cream colored sleeveless blouse with a ribbon tied on the collar, and cream patent leather pumps. She grabbed her purse and briefcase.

Mr. Vanderbilt arrived exactly at 7am. This time, he stood outside the company car with a single white rose in his hand. Is that for me? Leilani's thoughts were answered when handed her the rose before opening the car door for her.

"I'm taking you this roof top breakfast at one of the hotels downtown. It's really great." Mr. Vanderbilt told her once they had drove away from her home. 

"Sounds good." Leilani replied, smiling foolishly at Mr. Vanderbilt, who eyed her up and down. 

"You look beautiful." He commented. Leilani smiled. She had put a lot of work in to look like this.

When they got to the restaurant, Mr. Vanderbilt had the host seat them outside, in a secluded section. Leilani was extremely nervous. She'd never been anywhere like this before, especially with a man like Mr. Vanderbilt.

"Hello, my name is Jenna. I will be your server this morning. Can I get you started on drinks?" The waitress was a blonde haired, big breast, super tan stick figure. However, she was beautiful and knew how to play up her assets, Leilani noticed. 

Jenna's chest was on full display as her white blouse missed a few button holes from the top.

Leilani watched Mr. Vanderbilt take a quick glance over the menu before setting it down on the table. 

"Yes, we will have two mimosas and two glasses of water." Jenna nodded and winked at Mr. Vanderbilt. 

"As you wish." She smiled at him, sashaying away, being sure to swing her hips a little harder as she exited.

Leilani twisted her face up in disgust. She wasn't mad at Jenna's effort. But she was upset that she didn't have as much sex appeal as Jenna.

"Everything alright?" Mr. Vanderbilt wondered, noticing Leilani's changing facial expressions.

Leilani cleared her throat, "Yes. It's a little early for mimosas don't you think?" She playfully asked. She wasn't a drinker but she soon realized that Vanderbilt Publications was. Mr. Vanderbilt let out a hearty laugh before answering. 

"It's never too early for a drink. And besides, it's just one." He tells Leilani.

They both laughed and went back to looking over the menu.

Jenna arrived shortly with the drinks ready to take their ordered. Leilani chose blueberry waffles with a side of bacon while Mr. Vanderbilt chose steak and eggs.

"So, tell me. A beautiful, super intelligent young lady like you..." Mr. Vanderbilt began speaking as he sipped his mimosa, "no boyfriend?" He questioned Leilani, who was caught off guard by his inquiry.

"Well, I've found that most guys want someone dumber." She answered him truthfully. Mr. Vanderbilts eyebrows raised, wanting Leilani to go more in depth with her answer. 

"And why's that?"

"I'm always overlooked for females with less ambition, less intelligence, and no home training. Any man I've ever crushed on chose the brain-less hottie rather than me." She confessed. "But, I didn't always look the best. In high school, I was seventy pounds heavier and had a pizza face." 

That minor snippet caused Mr. Vanderbilt to erupt into laughter.

Leilani finished off her mimosa while her boss continued snickering. 

"I would love to see a photo of your past self." Mr. Vanderbilt told her. 

"I'm glad that made you laugh." She muttered under her breath, somehow still managing to smile at the ability to make Mr. Vanderbilt laugh, something he never does during work at the office.

His laughter came to a slow stop as Mr. Vanderbilt began staring at Leilani for what seemed like forever.  His eyes worked on Leilani. Starting with her smile and then moving on to her eyes. Something about her hazel colored eyes sparked a campfire within his icy blues. Mr. Vanderbilt had heard about Leilani's past so he thought he would share his. 

"You know, I've never been with an African American woman before." He told her, truthfully. And truthfully, Leilani wasn't surprised. 

"And how do you feel about that, Mr. Vanderbilt?" Leilani inquired, her eyebrows raised as she was very intrigued waiting for his response.

Mr. Vanderbilt smirked. "We're not in the office, my dear. You can call me Carter whenever we're out." He stated first. Leilani blushed. 

My dear. She liked the way that rolled off his tongue. Old fashioned, however still very sweet.

"But, um. I'm not sure. My friends say it's more of a challenge but I haven't had the chance to experience any other ethnicities for myself." Carter answered her. 

Leilani nodded in understanding. Leilani did something she usually didn't unless pushed to the edge. "Do you think I'm challenging?" She thought out loud.

Carter cleared his throat, taken aback by her question. "Absolutely..." He began. "Your age, your beauty, your mind... It's all so interesting. There's an innocence and purity about you that I can't get myself to stop thinking about." Carter let out, breathlessly.

Was he confessing his feelings for Leilani? Was he finally admitting his feelings for Leilani?

"Mr. Vanderbilt," Leilani tried to say but he just had to correct her. 

"It's okay to call me Carter." He reminded her, placing his hand gently on top of hers. 

"What exactly are we doing?" Leilani was curious to know. Carter looked down, focusing his attention on his watch before making his way back up to Leilani.

"I would like to see you again. Out of the office." Was all Carter said. It wasn't the answer Leilani expected but it was enough.

"Okay." Leilani replied. Carter squeezed her hand softly, smiling weakly as they came to an agreement.

They would see each other again.

Out of the office.