Free Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) by Rhea Wilde Page A

laughing at him but he didn ’t care. He was lost in his own world. Travis wasn’t as amused but he seemed to be enjoying the beach in his own way.
    “ All right,” Travis interrupted Wesley’s through enjoyment of the sand beneath him. “Let’s see if we can find something to do.”
    “ We’re already doing something,” Wesley said. “We’re taking it in. We’re enjoying ourselves. We’re relaxing. Think about it. We’re on the beach and we’re on company time. This is the best job in the world!”
    “ Okay, okay…”
    Travis walked up to his friend and finally got him to calm do wn. The two of them walked down the beach and I followed just behind them.
    The scene was no different from the previous times I ’d seen it. There were people relaxing on lounge chairs and towels. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them actually spent the entire night out here. Out in the ocean, there were people swimming and splashing in the water. There were even a few surfers still mesmerizing a small but captivated audience. All over the beach, groups of people surrounded various bonfires while they enjoyed one another’s company. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I felt comfortable with everybody around me. The jaded old men and women I was so accustomed to sitting around were replaced with a younger crowd just looking for a relaxing moment.
    Wesley w alked down the beach in nothing but a pair of board shorts. Travis wore the same thing, the only difference being a tank-top to cover himself up. The two of them were nothing to write home about but not that it mattered either way.
    As we walked down the be ach, the smell of food lingered in my nostrils. It reminded me that I hadn’t eaten dinner.
    “ We should get something to eat,” Wesley said as if reading my mind. “What do you think?”
    “ Sure. But I don’t think that food we’re smelling is for us.”
    “ Sure it is.”
    Wesley held his head up to the air like a smell-hound and followed the scent. Even without the smell of the food, it was hard to miss. There was a place where everybody was gathering. The people sat around tables that had been set-up on the beach. Upon cl oser inspection, there was a long table with trays of food resting on it. I didn’t know what the occasion was but it was clear that they were celebrating something.
    “ All right,” Wesley said. “It looks like they’re having a barbecue. I say we join in.”
    “ Wait,” I grabbed his arm. “We don’t know any of these people.”
    “ Relax. This thing is being run by the hotel. See.”
    He pointed at some hotel staff members that were busy catering to everybody lining-up for food. We eventually found out that the hotel held these barbecues on the beach on a regular basis.  As we sat at our own table and enjoyed our dinner on the beach, I realized I was no longer thinking about Rafael or what he might be doing right now. I was just enjoying this moment, however it was I might classify it.
    “ I don’t know why you were so concerned,” Wesley said to me.
    “ What?” I exclaimed.
    “ This barbecue. We’re pampered in our offices. Before, during and after the board meetings. We’re completely catered to. I don’t see why this would be any different. Mr. Barnett is paying for everything. All we have to do is point at him and he’ll take care of it.”
    “ I don’t think that’s what he meant when he said all expenses paid,” Travis pointed-out to him.
    “ Oh, I think it is. If he’s paying for the flight and the room, he can afford us taking food from the hotel.”
    I laughed at Wesley ’s logic. Travis shook his head at his friend like he usually did. The barbecue wasn’t like anything I ate in the city. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get anything like this back home. But having it prepared, cooked and eaten on the beach gave it a kind of authenticity I couldn’t describe. It was the complete opposite of the dinner I had last night. I was enjoying this much