Will — Be the gentleman you're not

"And that's ten," I said, approaching the girl by the bar as she laid an empty shot glass down next to nine others, having charmed the bartender into allowing her to do this.

"The drinks or the men?" she slurred with a cheeky smirk.

I returned the light, flirtatious smile with one of my own. She knew that I'd been watching her. So much for subtlety.

"Do you like what you see?" she forged on, turning her body towards me.

I let my gaze take a long, slow look at everything that was presented to me. Her legs went on forever. She had an hourglass figure and a sea of red went down her back. And her iconic face was that of a goddess'. She dismissed nine men already tonight. Were they watching us like I watched them? Or did they find a way to drag their eyes away from her?

"I wouldn't have been watching all night if I didn't," I admitted, smoothly gliding into the stool beside her.

She bit the corner of her lip, little sparks of frustration lighting up her grey eyes.

"Hey gorgeous," she said, clumsily motioning with her index finger for me to lean in.

Wondering how much of her confidence came from the tequila and how much of it was real, I did as she wanted and let her draw me in. My gaze followed her finger as it landed on my lower lip. Her gaze lingered on mine, captivating me.

Manwhore that I was, she shouldn't have had my heartbeat picking up speed and yet she did. She hadn't spent this much time on the last guy. Her finger traced my lips as she debated what to do with her latest plaything. Emboldened by her touch, I took her hand into both of mine and gingerly sucked her finger into my mouth.

Surprise and excitement collided on her face as my tongue swirled round and round her digit.

"Charmed, Ms Britney O'Prey," I returned, dragging her finger out of my mouth.

She was startled at the pop of her finger leaving my lips, but was quick to compose herself and yank her hand away.

"Britney O'Prey. That's me. You know my name," she said, looking down and smoothing out her skirt as though to compose herself before looking back up at me.

"Who doesn't, right? Britney O'Prey, supermodel of the hour. Caught your big break when you debuted at fashion week in Milan two years ago. Beyond that, and your talent of course—" I gave her a quick once over again. "The world seems to know precious little about you."

And the frustrated glint in her eyes was back, this time with a vengeance.

"So much for peace and quiet," she mumbled. "I thought this place was for the elite and famous to take a load off without being harassed." She signaled for the bartender to bring her another drink. The bartender locked eyes with me and I gave him a nod.

"Aah, that is the promise, isn't it? One hundred elite celebrities and rich folk, hand picked and vetted by a billionaire. All for you to share this extraordinary island with for the duration of your vacation."

The bartender set down two drinks; her cocktail and my usual scotch on the rocks. She gave me a look of irritation.

"Surely even such a promise should have its limits though, don't you think?"

"Easy for you to say." She scoffed, pulling the little umbrella out of her glass before picking the glass up and taking the straw into her mouth to take a sip.

My eyes followed her movements of their own accord, lingering on her lips as she licked the alcohol off of them.

"I swear I've had every man in the place hit on me by now. I just got here twenty-four hours ago," she grumbled, yanking the straw out of the glass and knocking back the rest of her cocktail. "What's a girl gotta do to get some peace and quiet around here?"

At this claim, I flashed her my pearly whites and slid off of the stool. "Forgive my boldness, Ms O'Prey." I took her hands into mine. "But beauty like yours simply isn't meant to be ignored. I'm afraid your plight is one that you'll carry with you throughout your stay here."

"Think I can sue Mr. Hunter for false advertising?" A ghost of a smile played on her lips and her cheeks flushed a light pink as I made my way to the back of the bar.

She raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity. I wondered what shocked her more: that I left her side of my own volition or that I was now on the other side of the bar.

Britney O'Prey certainly wasn't what I expected. I watched all night to see who would be the one to take her home. By guy number five, I debated throwing my own hat into the ring. Not one to mix business with pleasure, I resisted the urge.

In the end, it seemed that I ought to have trusted my initial instincts. Alas, no man was getting her between the sheets, not tonight. As much as it pained me, it was best to live to fight another day.

I spoke a few words to the bartender, who then relayed the same to the rest of the staff. I watched as they all sprung into action. Within half an hour, the restaurant was empty. She jumped down from her stool and took a look around the place as I approached her.

"How did you–" she began in an accusatory tone.

"There's little even Will Hunter can do to make you less desirable. I do, however, hope this offers you some consolation. If you'll excuse me, Ms O'Prey," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Wait," she called after me as I turned to walk away.

"Drinks and dessert are on the house," I called back, now some distance from her.

"Where did everyone go? Where are you going?" she persisted.

Unable to help myself, I stopped, turned and took one last look at her.

Live to fight another day, be the gentleman you're not.

I repeated this to myself on a loop, before responding to her.

"Why, to prepare my legal team for a potential lawsuit, of course," I said with a chuckle.

She grimaced. "You're Will Hunter, the billionaire who–"

"Owns Cupid's Cove," I finished for her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to stop her.

"This is a tactical retreat. No promises about the next time we meet."

The waiter came up to her with a menu, waiting to escort her to the table of her choice.

"Until next time then, Mr. Hunter," she said, her face easing back into a smile as she followed after the waiter.