Tempting

Three

"Annabelle! You made it." Beth approached me with a double cheek kiss.

The limo had just pulled up to the stunning palace and a man had come around to open my door. I presumed that I was one of the last members to arrive.

"Here's your welcome gift, we all received one." She handed me a small red gift bag with my name in elegant hand written cursive.
"You came at a perfect time. Hang here for one moment." She walked into the palace with haste as I stood right in front of the limo.

This gave me a moment to admire the Rococo architect that stood before me. The asymmetrical styles were emphasized by the light and graceful colors as well as the slight gold lining. The ground of the entrance paid homage to the artistic roots of the country with hand painted ceramic tiles of deep orange and cerulean. Not to mention, the parallel sequence of trees stretching throughout the land. I could even hear the pattering of a fountain nearby and the trimming of greenery. This was nothing like the cliché structures I'd seen on television or in movies.

Beth came back out a couple minutes later.
"Lloyd, can you bring Annabelle's bags inside." She said and led me inside to an even more gorgeous sight.

The grand ceremonial staircase caught my attention first due to it's extension to the ceiling. And speaking of the ceiling, it looked as if Michelangelo had taken a break from the Sistine Chapel to come work on this because the art was beautiful. I found it hard to believe that this was only the entrance of the palace.

"Annabelle, is that you?" I heard a familiar voice say. I turned to see Noela Da Silva emerge from an extended hallway looking stunning. Her brown hair was tied in a neat bun while her slim body was draped in a royal purple tunic dress and golden sandals held on to her small feet.

I grinned and threw my arms around her for a warm embrace that was long overdo.

"I had a feeling you were playing a crucial role in this." I said, now realizing that I was in the Da Silva residence. My parents would have been familiar with the palace upon first glance but this happened to be both my first time at the palace and in the country.

"I'm so excited! I couldn't wait to get my hands back into fashion."

"I could imagine. You look amazing."

"You do too." She touched one of my brown curls.

"Oh no, what is wrong with me?" She jumped.

"Fátima!" Noela called loudly and within a second a woman appeared. "Can you take Miss Lawrence to the Burgundy Suite please." She pointed to the steps. "You will love the suite. It's named in honor of my great grandmother who loved the color burgundy."

"Thank you so much." I began to follow Fátima until Noela called after me.

"We're having lunch on the back porch in ten minutes. Fatimá will show you where to go."

"Got it!" I called back and followed the woman to my suite.

It was on the second level at the end of the hall. Before we entered, Fátima stuck a small name plate on the door then let me in.

The bed was queen sized and adorned in satin burgundy sheets. A bathroom was right through an arched doorway, complete with a vanity mirror and an oval drop-in style bathtub. I even had my own balcony that overlooked the courtyard. A forty-two inch flat screen television hung over the wood burning fire place and few feet away was a walk in closet. I could possibly live here for the rest of my life. However, right now I was hungry and I was excited to see what the Portuguese lunch cuisine was like because at the Metallic building, our cafe specialized in salads and wraps only. Since I wasn't a model and I embraced my curves, I opted to not indulge in eating only greens.

The back patio overlooked just a portion of the garden that everyone spoke so highly of.
For lunch, we were introduced to caldo verde, oven baked sweet plantains, and paella. For those who weren't feeling adventurous however, there were turkey sandwiches and a salad bowl. I decided to try the caldo verde while Bianca chose the sweet plantains.

"So, I'm just going to go ahead and call dibs on Noela's brother by the salad dressing." She said, licking her lips.

"Seriously, Bianca?"

"What? He's cute and don't even act like you're not trying to get bent over during your time here." She winked, putting a plantain in her mouth. The truth was that I was some what hoping for a fling while at a foreign country. Of course I wanted something serious after my horrible break up with Bryan, but I could have fun during this semi-vacation right? Especially to pass the time. I mean who wanted to only focus on work.

"Olá! I just wanted to greet everyone again and express my excitement for working on this event with you all. It is a true honor. Milo will be arriving in a couple of days but she asked me to go over some things with you. First, remember that not all of our palace staff speak English so please be patient with them. Second, you will all be given designated assignments for the event, starting tomorrow. Third, feel free to use any of our wonderful facilities. My parents," She pointed to the older couple that sat at the circular table to the side, "Will find it very insulting if you go this entire time without admiring everything. So tomorrow we will have a grounds tour. And lastly, do not hesitate to ask me or anyone else questions. Thank you and enjoy your lunch." She smiled humbly then took her seat. Bianca and I made our way over to Noela.

"Hi girls." She greeted.

"Hey, what a beautiful place this is." Bianca gushed.

"Thank you. So how is Metallic? Anything new?"

"No, it's pretty much the same. But the old stylist got fired for stealing clothes after photo shoots." We all laughed at the thought of the old chubby man stealing. He could barely fit his own designer wear.

"Aww I miss working there. It was always so exciting." Noela glanced down at her iPhone and sighed. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse me. My uncle and cousins have just arrived." She stood up grabbing her belongings. "I'll see you both later." We said our good byes as she went back into the palace.