Rhino You Love Me (2 page)

“There’s your bag!” Lily sprinted over to the carousel and grabbed Addison’s bag. “Only two more to go.”

Addison kept her eyes peeled for Addison’s bright lilac luggage. She brushed the back of her neck with her fingers self-consciously while she waited. Now that her neck was exposed, she felt strange in public. She’d always heard that heavy girls shouldn’t have short hair. The beauty “rule” had taken a long time to break. She loved her new haircut, but she couldn’t help feeling like people were staring at her and judging her. She thought the curly bob looked great and she loved how quickly she could do her hair in the mornings. It shouldn’t have mattered what other people thought, but it would take some getting used to.

When she spotted the rest of Lily’s bags, she ran forward to retrieve them. In total, they had brought five bags for a five-day trip. It had cost a fortune in fees to bring so many bags, but Lily had insisted. There was no chance they wouldn’t have clothes for every occasion.

“You think we can get someone to carry these to the bus?” Lily looked around for an attendant. “Watch the bags. I’m going to ask the guy over there.”

Addison watched their luggage and the people strolling past them. Safari Island attracted a diverse clientele. There were as many families as rowdy single people. No surprise, most of the single people were women.

The rumor was that SI employed mostly men. Addison had been reading online reviews for the new resort and the very attractive employees were mentioned frequently. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought she was reading reviews for an escort service. It didn’t matter what a tight butt the bellhop at the hotel had. She wanted to know about the amenities.

“Found someone.” Lily happily pointed to the man driving a bag shuttle.

He stopped his shuttle in front of Addison and tipped his hat. He was tall and had a deep tan that set off his deep green eyes. “Welcome to Safari Island, ma’am. Let me get those bags for you.”

Lily waggled her eyebrows and elbowed Addison when she sat down on the shuttle. “Look at those dimples. This trip is going to be freaking sweet.”

The man put their bags on the back, then hopped back into the driver’s seat. “I’ll take you ladies to the Wild Resort shuttle and get your bags on board. Hang on.”

“Have you been to the resort?” Addison asked as they made their way across the crowded airport.

“Have not.” The man kept his eyes on the floor. He was driving around tourists with ease. “I hear it’s very nice, though. Only been open a few months, but I’ve seen the crowds get bigger here each week.”

“We won our trip,” Lily said proudly. “All expenses paid and everything. I’m going to drink the whole mini bar in our room.”

The man laughed and turned to look at them. “Of course you ladies won your trip. They’re pushing hard to get beautiful human women out here.”

Addison blushed and touched her bare neck. “The contest wasn’t for women only. A man could have won too.”

He shook his head. “They advertise those things on sites ladies frequent and in women’s magazines. Odds are not a lot of men even saw the contest. It’s pretty smart, if you ask me. When pretty ladies see that their kind are partying here, they’ll feel safe and want to come party too. If you have pretty women, you’re going to get single men coming here too.”

“I hope there are lots of single men around the pool.” Lily laughed.

The passed through the doors to the outside and Addison gasped. “Whoa.”

“I know,” the man said, slowing to a stop next to a bus. “This place is paradise. And this is just the airport. Wait until you see the beach.”

He put their bags under the bus. Lily gave him a tip discretely. “Thank you for your help. We’re Lily and Addison by the way.”

He winked and tipped his hat to them again. “Anytime. My name’s Max. I’m sure I’ll see you lovely ladies at Club Safari.”

Addison was enjoying the trip already. No one had shoved her in the airport and the baggage guy was a dream. There were baobab trees with colorful birds flocking around them and tall grass just behind the giant bus. The air was warm but not terribly humid and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She couldn’t wait to get out of her travel clothes and into a swimsuit.

They boarded the bus and she promptly fell asleep. Lily shook her awake an hour later. “You missed the whole ride. This place is better than any dream you were having.”

Addison looked around. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Lily shrugged. “You’re jetlagged and it’s warm outside. You didn’t stand a chance. At least that means we can head right to the beach.”

Lily never got jetlagged, a fact she frequently bragged about. Acclimating to the local time quickly meant she could hit the ground running on all her vacations.

This was the first time Addison had been able to see her best friend on vacation and she wasn’t surprised Lily was ready to party right away. During the school year, Lily was always very studious. Now that she was at her job, it was no different. Her motto was, “Work hard, play hard.” Now was the time to play.

Addison wanted to take a page from Lily’s book on this trip. She was going to let loose and have fun. Consequences be damned. She was going to throw caution to the wind and get into as many hijinks as possible. This was a once in a lifetime trip. There was no way she’d be able to afford to come back anytime soon, so she was going to take advantage of everything the island had to offer.

They got checked in and to their room pretty quickly. The resort was more beautiful than the pictures could show. Lily had won an ocean view bungalow and it was twice as big as their entire apartment at home. Decorated in oranges and teal with plush carpet, giant beds, a very modern bathroom with marble floors, and a terrace, it was the nicest place Addison had ever stayed in.

“I don’t think I’ll ever live in a place this luxurious.” Addison sank into one of the couch cushions as Lily tipped the bellhop.

Lily came over and sat next to her on the couch. “Ahh, this is great.”

They stared out the giant floor-to-ceiling window. The water stretched on for miles. Then Addison picked up the menu on the table next to her. “Are you hungry?”

Lily nodded. “Can they bring it to the pool?”

Addison checked. “Yup. It sounds like we have a dedicated butler kind of deal too. What do you want?”

“The fanciest salad on the menu and a giant margarita.”

“Okay.” Addison ordered two goat cheese and arugula salads, a margarita, and a strawberry daiquiri.

While she was ordering, Lily was going through their luggage. She tossed Addison her swimsuit. “I’ll take the bedroom on the left.”

“There are two bedrooms?” Addison was shocked.

“Uh, duh. This is their best cabana, girl. Did you think we were gonna share a room?”

Addison had thought the second door led to a bathroom but it was indeed a second bedroom. This one was decorated in deep greens and white. It was the mirror image of Lily’s room and had its own en suite bathroom. She would have been happy sharing a room, but this was so much better. This was like having their very own island home. Her room even had a door out to the pool. She changed into her monokini, put on sunglasses, and stepped out onto the deck.

There were four lounge chairs set up around the pool, a conversation area with outdoor furniture, and a fire pit. The kidney-shaped pool was pristine and they could still see the ocean from their room.

Lily came out of her room wearing a yellow bikini. She handed Addison a tube of sunscreen. “Get my back?”

Addison rubbed in the cream. “Do we have a private beach?”

“I think so. I don’t see anyone close to us, either. These trees are a great privacy screen.”

“I’ve been to a hotel that was this quiet before. This is seriously like having a beach house.”

“It really is. I’m warning you now, when I bring a hunky shifter back, you have to keep your curtain closed.”

“Shut up!”

“What? We have to bring guys home. This is a single ladies’ vacation. Live a little.”

A man in blue shorts and a white tank top walked around the side of the house. “Hey, ladies. I knocked a few times and figured I should just come back to the pool. I hope that’s okay?”

Addison nodded. “Whoops. I forgot to tell them that we were going to be at the pool.”

“No problem.” He flashed a brilliant smile as he put their salads down on the table. “I’m Brent, and I’ll be your personal concierge for your stay. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call the front desk.”

“Thanks.” Lily waited until he was out of earshot to whistle. “Wow. I haven’t seen one ugly guy since we’ve been here. They should just call this place Beefcake Island.”

Addison laughed and unrolled her silverware. “Reservations would skyrocket.”

“Want to head down to the beach after we eat?”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

“And after a quick walk we can start getting ready.”

“Getting ready?”

“For tonight. I figure we can go scope out the place tonight. See what kind of talent we’re dealing with.”

“This salad is great.” Addison took a big bite of goat cheese. “What are you talking about now? Talent?”

Lily pushed her sunglasses up so Addison could see her roll her eyes. “How hot the guys are at Club Safari. We have to go there at least twice. And I want to check out the bar in Safari Town.”

“We have an itinerary. I spent a lot of time making that so we could have the most fun.”

“Seriously? You only had us going out one night.”

Addison bristled. “I thought you wanted to do everything the island had to offer.”

“I do, and thank you for putting that plan together. But we need to get out a bit more. We’d never be able to go out five nights a week back home. We’re adults now with real jobs. This is the kind of fun we can only have on vacation.”

Addison didn’t remind Lily that she had never been a party five-nights-a-week kind of girl. Thirsty Thursdays and Schwasted Saturdays were enough for her. “Fine. I think we can fit a few more club days in. We’re still going to Safari Park, though. I want to ride the Anaconda.”

“Don’t we all?” Lily laughed and slid her sunglass back over her eyes. “You have to wear that backless red dress tonight. And let me do your makeup.”

“I can do my own makeup.”

“No. You need to look like major sex tonight. No pink lip gloss and nude eye shadow. You have that sexy little haircut and you are going to rock it.”

“I can do my makeup.”

“Fine, but if I want to approve your choices first. And you have to use bronzer too.”

“I don’t think I even own bronzer.”

Lily snorted. “And you think you can do your own makeup. You can borrow mine. We can both get ready in my bathroom. It’s flipping huge.”

“Sure.” Lily was right. She was already failing at her carefree and fun resolution. It wouldn’t hurt to wear sexier makeup and go out a few more nights. This was Safari Island, after all. And who knew, maybe she’d be the one taking a hunky shifter home for the night.

There was a knock at Chet’s door. He opened it with his towel around his hips. He was running late. Someone had left a purse on his last tour of the day. The woman was staying in a different part of the island and he had just missed the bus to catch her. He had to take the bag over to the Sunrise Resort. He liked making the trip to that side of the island and didn’t mind too much.

By the time he started his trip back, he knew he wasn’t going to be ready in time. He’d grabbed a quick meal at a convenience store and ate while he was bus ride home. As soon as he got in the door at home, he jumped right in the shower. It still wasn’t enough to be ready by the time Finn and Branch came to pick him up.

“Late again,” Finn Nunez said. “My brother is going to get all the hot ladies if you don’t hurry up.”

“I didn’t know Max was meeting us there.” Chet went back to the bathroom to dry off and run some product through his hair. He needed a haircut but that would have to wait for next week.

“He isn’t,” Finn said. “He’s going with Shane. I’m sure we’ll see them there.”

Chet hoped not. Max was Finn’s twin brother, but they couldn’t be more different. Finn was a nice guy and was one of the best animal handlers on the island. Max worked at the airport and did the bare minimum needed to stay on Safari Island. The brothers were good friends and lived together, but they didn’t have the same friends. Max hung out with Shane, a hyena shifter who worked security at the amusement park and in Safari Town. They were both nice guys but total douchebags around women, in Chet’s opinion.

He could never tell Finn that, but Branch didn’t care for Max either. Chet didn’t feel bad that he preferred spending time away from Finn’s brother, but Max and Shane didn’t push the issue. Even when they went to the same events or clubs, they didn’t hang out together longer than five minutes.

“Wear something nice. No khaki!” Branch yelled to Chet in the bathroom.

“I’m not wearing khaki,” Chet said.

He was going to have to find a pair of jeans quickly. Most of his wardrobe was khakis. It was part of the uniform and they were comfortable even when it was extremely hot and humid out. Chet wasn’t a jeans man. He did have a few pairs, but he had no idea where they were. He went to his walk-in closet and started searching. It took a full ten minutes for him to find an old pair of Levi’s.

He was starting to doubt his choice to go out that night. If it was this hard to get ready on time, it didn’t give him high hopes for the night.

“Hurry up, man.” Branch was standing in the door. He looked Chet up and down. “You look fine. Let’s go.”

“I’m not even wearing a shirt,” Chet protested. He was still deciding between a button-down or a white t-shirt.

“You don’t need a shirt. It’s Club Safari.”

“I’m drinking one of your beers,” Finn informed him. “Anyone else want one?”

“No, thanks,” Branch told him before turning back to Chet. “Wear the t-shirt, okay? You’re taking forever. I’m starting to think you’re going to flake on us.”

“Well…”

Branch sighed. “Just put on the stupid shirt and let’s go. If you hate it, you can leave right away.”

“He’s not going to leave.” Finn came in with his beer. “Max told me there are tons of hot girls out this weekend. He said he’s never seen so many single ladies. I think the contest winners are starting to show up.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot all about that.” Branch rubbed his hands together. “It’s going to be prime pickings for us tonight.”

“What contest?”

“
The
contest, bro.” Finn shook his head and looked at Branch. “This guy.”

Chet pulled on his t-shirt. “The resort contest? I don’t know what that has to do with hot girls being here.”

Finn laughed. “You’re oblivious, man. That contest is just to get hot girls in here. Max told me all about it. If they get in the hot girls, they’ll get us guys out there spending money.”

“They can’t know if women will win the contest.” Chet turned off the light in his room and ushered his friends outside.

“No, but they can put the contest in ladies’ magazines and on ladies’ websites.” Finn took the back seat of the golf cart and stretched out. “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that eighty percent of those packages were won by women. I know that the three grand prize winners were all women.”

Chet got in the passenger seat and Branch took off. They were headed for the bus pickup that would take them to Club Safari. When they got there, Chet wasn’t surprised to see the place packed. They were lucky to get seats.

“They need to make these seats bigger.” He was pressed up against Branch’s side.

“You need to get smaller.” Branch patted his stomach. “Come running with Finn and me and you’ll fit fine.”

Chet laughed and lifted his shirt to show off his six-pack. “Not all of us need to work out. I’m wide, and no amount of working out is going to fix that.”

Branch shrugged. “I like running. It’s a nice way to see the island. And you’re right, we can’t all be lucky like you.”

Chet’s animal was the fourth biggest shifter on the island after Branch and the three other elephant shifters. Safari Island attracted shifters from warmer climates, which meant Chet wasn’t always the biggest shifter in the room. It had been strange growing up since he was always the biggest shifter in his class. Like many of the island workers, he’d grown up in a cold climate. Being on Safari Island was great. His rhino was a lot happier in the warmer air, that was for sure, and he was glad to have friends to shift with who were his size. Even if he did go home, he wouldn’t stay in his Minnesota hometown. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to endure another winter.

The drive over was uneventful. They had a few drinks and caught up with some of the animal handlers. Chet started getting excited when the lights of the club became visible. He could hear the music thumping the closer they got. The bus stopped a few hundred feet away and let the party-goers off. There was a whole line of buses that would be leaving for Safari Town every half hour from midnight to close. Chet had a feeling he would be on the last bus out.

Finn watched a group of women walk past and whistled. “Damn. Max wasn’t lying. These ladies are beautiful.”

“Let’s head to the beach bar first.” Branch led the way to the back of the club. He nodded at the bouncer as they walked past the long line outside. Employees never waited.

Chet liked the outdoor part of the club best. He wasn’t much of a dancer and the outside was more relaxed.

“Shots?” Finn suggested.

“Sounds great,” Branch said. “I’ll buy the first round.”

They went to the bar and Finn pulled out his phone. “Max is heading this way. He says Shane is out here with some ladies.”

Chet looked around and spotted Shane at a table with two beautiful women. They were the same height and had similar bodies, but the blonde caught his attention. She was wearing very high heels and a very short, sparkly red dress. The dress was backless and her short hair was curled around the base of her neck. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her face yet, but his rhino was already very interested.

He wanted to trace her spine all the way from top to bottom. He’d love it even more if he could get his hands on that ass of hers. Her legs were shapely and went on for days. She looked more like a drawing than a real person. He couldn’t believe someone that perfect not only existed but shee was right there for the touching.

While he was enjoying the view and fantasizing, Max popped up in front of them. “Hey, boys.”

Finn and Max exchanged a half-hug and Branch ordered more shots. “I’ll have them sent over to the table.”

Max nodded. “Good idea. We don’t want to let these girls out of our sight. Shane sure as hell won’t be leaving that blonde anytime soon.”

Chet clinched his fist. “Is she interested in him?”

Max shrugged. “Probably not. She and her friend aren’t being as friendly as they were earlier. I met them when they first got here and I was sure we had a chance with the brunette.”

Finn looked at the table again. “That’s the girl you were talking about? Damn, don’t tell me you screwed it up already. She’s much hotter than you described.”

Max looked wistful. “Words don’t do this one justice. She is gorgeous, bro. And she’s smart too. She’s an accountant and she has a college degree and everything.”

“Shoot. Introduce me,” Finn said.

Branch put in their order and told the bartender to send their drinks to Shane’s table. Then the group made their way over to the table.

The blonde turned when they got closer. Her face was absolutely perfect. She caught Chet’s eye and smiled. It felt like he had been punched in the gut and his breath hitched in his chest. His normally calm rhino was in an uproar.

She put her hand out. “You must be one of Shane’s and Max’s friends. I’m Addison.”

Chet wiped his suddenly sweaty palm on his jeans before shaking her hand. “I’m Chet Gallow and this is my friend Branch. The guy who looks just like Max is Finn.”

Addison nodded at Branch and Finn. “Nice to meet you, guys. This is my friend Lily.”

Lily smiled at the men and Finn sidled up next to her. “We’ve got shots coming for the table.”

Chet didn’t hear what she said next because he was transfixed by Addison close up. Her eyes were so dark blue they almost looked black. She had cute little dimples and rosy cheeks. Her skin was bronzy and glowing. He inhaled deeply to smell her coconut perfume.

He must have been staring a little too hard, because Shane stepped between them.

“How’ve you been, man?” Shane had his back to Addison and his face was a warning.

Chet puffed out his chest. “Been real good. Break up any good fights on security?”

Shane’s jaw twitched and he wasn’t even trying to fake a smile anymore. “Sure. You know how it is. Men love fighting.”

The air was tense. Shane was a big man and wily. Chet knew that Shane wouldn’t mind throwing a punch or two over a pretty girl. While he was the head of security at the Safari Park, he was still a hothead. But Chet wasn’t afraid. He knew in human form or shifted, he could take Shane any day of the week. He was interested in Addison. Really interested. He wasn’t going to be run off by some stupid hyena. Shane could find another girl.

They stood staring each other down until Branch got between them. “I think our shots are about to get here. Maybe you two should back up and let the pretty waitress put down our drinks.”

Chet looked away from Shane and saw that one of the waitresses was staring at them with wide eyes. He backed up and let her put down the tray muttering an apology.

As soon as the drinks were on the table, Addison slammed hers back and jumped off her barstool. She walked around the table quickly and took Lily by the hand. “Thanks for the drinks, guys, but we have to be off. I’m feeling pretty tired.”

“Are you?” Lily looked at Max and Finn pouting. “I’m feeling pretty awake now. Just an hour more?”

Addison shook her head and yawned. “Nope. Too sleepy. Maybe we’ll see them again.”

Lily reached into her purse to pull out her phone but Addison was already pulling her through the crowd. She gave the twins an apologetic look and shrugged. They were lost in the sea of people before Chet could say anything.

“Nice work, asshole,” Shane spat. He bumped Chet with his chest. “You scared them off. What’s your problem?”

Branch pushed him back. “Calm down, Shane. I don’t think it’ll look too good for the head of security to start a fight with Safari Island’s most decorated employee. Use your head, man.”

“Whatever. I’m going to go dance. I’ll see you guys later.” Shane grabbed the two shots closest to him. “Maybe try not stealing my girl next time, Chet.”

Chet let him walk away. He wasn’t interested in the club anymore anyway. He had to find Addison. He had a good feeling about her. With her fast exit, she probably wouldn’t want to see him that night anymore, but he would find her. He’d use his connections to find out where she was staying and talk to her. His rhino told him this wasn’t a girl to let slip away.