Carolyn studied his kissable lips, his rainbow-colored eyes, and his diamond-studded ear, all glimmering in the sunlight, with his low-cut hair, stylish clothes, shoes, and sports jacket. She took in the pleasantness of his cologne rushing into her nose, and all of it together made her heart race with excitement.

She laughed and placed both of her hands over the cleavage of her chest.

“Oh, my God, you mean that?”

Ivan was surprised. He had expected for her to smile and laugh, not for her to take him seriously. Or maybe he did expect it and was impressed by the instant results.

He shook it off and said, “Naw, you might tell Lucina on me. I’m sorry I even said that.”

Carolyn’s face reflected horror as she denied it. “I would never do that,” she told him. “I wouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t tell me to do.”

Ivan was stunned. He had no idea what to say next. She had obviously considered him for a while. There was no other way to explain her exhilaration.

However, Spanish women had a knack for being overdramatic in romance. So he blew it off with a chuckle. He said, “You’re gonna get yourself into trouble with your jealous boyfriend if you keep talking to me like that.”

Carolyn dropped all of her giddiness and asked him, “How jealous are you?” She stood poised like a grown woman who knew what she wanted.

Ivan saw that and told himself, Okay, I’ve gone way too far with this shit, and I have things to do. But the next time I see this girl, it’s definitely on.

In the background, he noticed two of her girlfriends or family members, who were waiting patiently for her with wide grins of their own.

He said, “Well, I don’t want to hold us up, I got property to see, and you got people waiting for you. But I’ll tell you what…” He looked into her dark, steady eyes and said, “The next time we see each other, if you respect my business and privacy, then we can have that breakfast. But if not, then we’ll just keep doing business the way we do it. Is that okay?”

Carolyn nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“You sure?” Ivan asked her. He wanted to make certain.

“It would be just between me and you,” she answered.

He said, “You got a problem with that?”

She shook it off. “No, I know how Lucina is. She wants all of us to be…I don’t know, unapproachable. But you know, a girl is a girl.”

Ivan teased her again. “What does that mean, any guy can have you?”

Carolyn frowned hard at him. She said, “No. I am very unapproachable when I want to be. But, you know, I still choose who I want to choose.”