His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 111: Coconuts

Chapter 111: Coconuts

** Harper **

The four of them made their way toward the Luau village. The walk was as beautiful as everything else around the resort, taking them through the lush garden along breezeways and cobble paths lined with hibiscus and plumeria trees, branches heavy with blooms. After ducking under rampant palms and fronds waving in the sea breeze, they emerged in front of a huge archway that served as the gate to the festival grounds, adorned with torches that waited to be lit by the bonfire.

A seating chart was posted at the gate. It turned out that Wallace was right — the tables were indeed mixed, and ironically, when Harper located her seat, she found herself surrounded completely by unfamiliar names ... except Wallace’s, who was assigned directly to her left.

She managed a not-awkward-at-all smile, looking wistfully in the direction Lindsey and Naomi were leaving.

Wallace, on the other hand, seemed to have only brightened up more in spirit, practically glowing in excitement as they got to their table and took their seats. "I heard the Luau at this resort is the best on the island." He grinned and studied the table setup with a fascinated expression. "It looks to be true! Do we even get to do our own hula dances to kickstart the evening?"

Harper followed his gaze, seeing what he was referring to. The wooden table and chairs they were seated at were far from bare. Tiki mugs were set out next to everyone’s nameplate, each one carved and painted differently, already filled with Mai Tai and decorated with little cocktail umbrellas. Colorful leis draped over the chair backs, strung from bright yellow plumerias and purple orchids. A small pile of ethnic accessories lay on the side: wrist bands made of grass; crowns weaved with more flowers and grass and ferns; and ...

A pair of halved coconuts tied on a string?

Wait. Could that really be what she thought it was? This couldn’t possibly be appropriate for a work dinner, could it?

"Ha, they even customized the knick knacks for each person!" Wallace exclaimed again as his eyes landed on those coconuts in front of Harper. He gestured at the ti-leaf draped grass skirt in front of himself. "No coconuts for me, that’s not fair."

"..."

A bit embarrassed by the NSFW direction that the conversation was going, Harper darted a look around, wondering how everyone else was reacting to the surprise trinkets. Her eyes went wide when she found Lindsey and Naomi’s table, where a cackling Naomi was watching Lindsey wrap the coconuts around her chest over her shirt. The latter offered a thumbs up when the garment fit her perfectly, and Naomi went right for her phone to take a picture of it.

... Alright, Harper supposed that this was the purpose of the Luau after all, to break the ice among team members in a completely casual environment. Maybe it was her sign to relax into it as well and start embracing the Hawaiian hospitality.

She studied the coconuts again, trying to reconsider it in a new light. "I guess these are our personal costumes?" she offered. "I heard at some Luaus, they’ll invite the audience to join them for a quick lesson of the hula dances. Maybe we’re supposed to wear these for that purpose? On the outside of our own clothes, of course ..."

"Oh, that would be so much fun!" Wallace said expectantly. "And it makes sense. You can’t say you’ve been to Hawaii if you haven’t worn a pair of coconuts, right?"

As if genuinely interested, he reached out in front of Harper and tapped a finger on the hard shell of those coconuts. Then, much to her surprise and slight horror, he took the thing and offered it to her. "Do you want to try it? Looks like Lindsey over there is having a grand time posing in hers. You might like it too!"

"..."

Harper wondered how she managed to get herself into such a situation. How was it even comparable, for Lindsey to pose in front of Naomi versus— um, no, she wasn’t even going to entertain that thought. Harper opened her mouth, and was just about to decline politely when a stir of noises from the entrance caught everyone’s attention, making both her and Wallace turn toward the gate instead.

It was Sterling Trust’s executive group entering the area. Eli was the first to stride through the gate, and he happened to be looking right in Harper’s direction, meeting her eyes. He offered her a slight smile. But the next moment, his gaze flickered to her side, catching sight of Wallace still holding out the coconut garment in an obvious gesture of passing it to her, and his features immediately tensed. The smile vanished from his face.

Even at a distance, Harper could feel that lethal air emanating from all over him again, this time much worse than that fleeting moment in the limo.

Eli halted his footsteps. Turning around, he said something to the rest of the group behind him, and the group continued ahead. He spun on his heels in the opposite direction, coming straight toward Harper’s table.

"Care to join us for a moment, Harper?" He didn’t bother with a smoother opening or any acknowledgment of Wallace’s presence. "I just met the Future Vision consultant team, and we were talking about you. They’re quite excited to meet you in person. We still have some time before the Luau starts, if you’re interested."

Oh, hell yes. That sounded like an alternative ten thousand times better than the coconut talk. Harper almost sprang up from her seat, though she caught herself and remembered to give Wallace a sheepish smile. "Mind if I excuse myself? I’ll be back in—"

Eli didn’t give her time to finish the sentence. In a rare show of impatience, he reached directly for her hand. Under the puzzled and stunned and curious stares coming from everyone seated around them, he pulled her straight across the yard to the head table.