Best of Bosses 2008: In Bed With Her Italian Boss\Taken by Her Greek Boss\Blind Date With the Boss (27 page)

‘What?'

‘There's something on your mind. Spit it out.'

Nick snapped shut his laptop computer, sat back and gave her his full, undivided attention.

‘I don't know what you mean.'

‘I mean you've barely spoken since we took off four hours ago, you've been stuck on the same page of your book for the past hour and if you chew your lip any more we'll have to see if there are any paramedics on the plane. Tell me you're not worrying about what the hot weather is going to do to your hair.'

‘Hardly. I stopped worrying about what my hair did years ago.'

‘Relax. Enjoy the flight, as our air steward would say.' He glanced around him and then shot her a lazy, amused smile. ‘Is first class all it's cracked up to be?'

Rose had had to stop herself from fidgeting with gadgets and demonstrating just how impressionable she was when it came to long-haul travel. ‘And the rest,' she confessed. ‘And I am very appreciative…well…for this and for…everything else…'

Nick frowned. This wasn't what he wanted to hear. Gratitude wasn't what this woman was all about. Stubborn, feisty, mutinous and often highly aggravating, yes. But grateful…no. Over the past three days, Nick had found himself looking forward to this trip. The man who had crossed the Atlantic a million times and more, who had platinum frequent-flyer cards from just about every major airline, who could afford to go anywhere in the world on a whim if he so desired, and in the company of pretty much any woman he wanted…and he had been looking forward to a business trip with a woman who made his teeth snap together in sheer frustration quite a bit of the time.

He had never been one to spend hours soul-searching, but his illogical reaction did make him conclude that his life was full of yes-men, people who would jump if he looked in their direction and silently mouthed the order.

‘I don't want your thanks and gratitude,' he grated, and Rose gave him a startled glance.

‘Fine,' Rose snapped back.

‘So tell me what's wrong.'

‘I'm not sure I'm up to what I'm supposed to do when we get to Borneo,' she admitted in a sulky voice. ‘I work with computers. I don't know the first thing about building sites and conveyancing.'

‘You won't have to. My Malaysian counterpart is very competent. You won't be shoved into a position where you have to make technical decisions that are beyond your scope.'

‘So why am I here, in that case?'

Ah. Now, this was back to normal. Rose clambering onto her argumentative bandwagon, although her tone of voice couldn't have been more polite. He was, he had discovered, beginning to know her.

‘There's more to a hotel than foundations and planning permission. Let's just say that you're here to provide the female touch.'

‘Which is what exactly?'

‘You argue too much.'

‘Only with you.' Their eyes tangled and Rose looked away hurriedly.

‘I'll take that as a compliment. It's nice to know that I can fire you up.'

Rose ground her teeth together and Nick let out a loud laugh that drew stares from the passengers sitting closest to them. ‘Think about the things that impressed you most about the hotel in London, think about how they could be incorporated into a small hotel sitting in the equatorial belt. It's going to need an almighty leap of the imagination, but you know what I want…'
I want you.
The thought weaved a path in his
head and he greeted it without surprise. Maybe he had known all along that she was more than just a challenge or a novelty or a refreshing break from the type of women he usually enjoyed. He wanted her. Not just her mind, but her body. Nick lowered his eyes.

Every inch of him gave the impression of a man totally absorbed by what his companion was saying. She certainly seemed to have taken on board everything he had told her in the past about his plans, even things he had mentioned in passing. Now, enthused, she was eagerly discussing them and he made sure to contribute, but the flicker of his eyes was on her mouth, soft and pink, and her breasts, shadowy outlines under her cotton pinstriped shirt as she leant towards him, her hands articulating what she was saying. Something about sunken baths and a rainforest decor that would bring the environment right into the hotel.

‘I did think about buying a guidebook,' she finished, ‘but I wanted to be assaulted by the place without any preconceived ideas.'

‘Yes. Good idea.' Nick smiled, setting her at ease. ‘Right…now let's compare some of those preliminary costings…'

How could she ever have thought that a life devoid of change and adventure was a good one?

Here she was, sitting in the first-class compartment of a plane that would deliver her first to Kuala Lumpur and then onward to Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, places she had never heard of in her life before. And, yes, it was exciting.

She looked at Nick surreptitiously from under her lashes and felt that familiar illicit thrill. He was sleeping, his body half inclined away from her so that all she could glimpse was his profile and the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

The seats in first class could be extended to full body length and, although she was as reclined as he was and the cabin was in darkness, she was finding it difficult to sleep.

For the first time, she could sort of understand how Tony and Flora had been affected by wanderlust. The unknown wasn't scary, as she had imagined. Or rather, she amended to herself, it was scary, but it was also full of possibilities.

The strongest possibility now was that she would remain wide awake for the remainder of the trip and then be fit for nothing when they eventually landed.

But she slept.

And the next few hours so completely removed her from everything that was familiar to her that Rose, delighted and disoriented, put herself firmly in Nick's care. Connections were made, passports were checked and she just looked around her open-mouthed, until finally they were on the last stage of their travel, quickly covering the two-and-a-half hour trip towards Kota Kinabalu.

Daylight was already fading by the time they were being delivered to their hotel, but it was still very, very hot.

‘It's…not what I expected…'

‘You can hardly keep your eyes open, Rose. As soon as we get to the hotel, you can climb into your bed and fall asleep. Don't try and appreciate the scenery now.'

‘But how is it I feel sleepy and you don't?'

‘I'm an experienced traveller.' He gave her an amused, mocking glance.

The taxi swung round a corner and there, following a long drive through manicured lawns, was the hotel. As she stepped out of the taxi she was aware of a thousand tiny night sounds.

‘I'm aiming for something more eco-friendly than this,' Nick murmured into her ear. ‘It's big but, in terms of comfort,
you'll be hard pressed to better it. Now, I shall get us checked in and then you're going to go to your room and get some sleep.'

‘I wish I'd read that guidebook after all.' She yawned ruefully.

‘No need. Lee Peng knows this place like the back of his hand. A living guide is a damn sight better than someone else's interpretation of a place.'

‘I feel awful leaving you to go to bed…don't think that I won't be pulling my weight…perhaps if I just freshen up a bit, I could join you and we could go over plans for tomorrow…'

Nick ignored her valiant protests and checked them in while Rose loitered behind him, savouring the glassy marble flooring and the cool, colonial elegance of the foyer. Were these the perks of working for a rich man? Everything done in style, with no expense spared.

She was shown to her quarters by one of the smiling porters and only when the door closed behind her did she realise how tired she really was.

She closed her eyes on a bedroom that was all ceiling fans and bamboo blinds and soft mosquito nets and rattan furniture, and a bathroom that she would have to devote some time to in the morning as she spied the sunken bath.

And awoke abruptly, it seemed like five minutes later, to the sound of tapping from behind the blinds she had hurriedly pulled down earlier.

When Rose looked at her watch, she saw to her horror that it was already eight-thirty. She had slept for nearly ten hours. And for the first time in weeks her internal alarm system had not woken her up at three in the morning for no better reason than to fill her head with thoughts she didn't want.

The tapping on the door galvanised her into action. It was probably the cleaning service making her feel like a lazy slob instead of the working woman she was supposed to be. She
wasn't sure what room Nick was in, but she would have to get through to him immediately through the operator and assure him in her crispest voice that she would be ready to start work in fifteen minutes.

No need. Rose pulled up the exquisite bamboo blinds and there he was, standing outside what was, in fact, a glass door that she could now see led to a small wooden patio, along one side of which was a hammock, next to a couple of chairs and a small table, all perfect for relaxing outside and gazing at the scenery. In this case, lush lawns liberally interspersed with coconut trees, which led down to a beach. To the left, she could glimpse the pool, just a slash of bright blue surrounded by turquoise umbrellas and yet more coconut trees in between.

But she took all this in in literally a couple of seconds.

As she had discovered, nothing could compete for her attention when Nick was in the vicinity.

‘It's you.' Where was her crisp voice when she needed it? Suddenly conscious of the fact that she was still in just her nightie and the thin bathrobe she had flung on before leaping towards the door in a surge of guilt for having overslept, Rose folded her arms and tried to look composed.

‘Who did you think it was going to be?'

‘The cleaning service. I…I…was actually just about to phone through to you and let you know that I'll be ready to start work shortly.'

‘No need to phone.' Nick gave a slight inclination of his head. ‘I'm in the cabin next to yours. In fact, if you go around that flimsy wooden lattice partition, you'll be at my glass door…' He had seen her in many guises, from angry to embarrassed to primly correct, but he had never seen her like this, flushed from sleep, her skin satin-smooth, hair tousled.

Nick made no apologies to himself for wanting her. He had
recognised that kick of desire and his sole objective now was to sate it. Had she been his full-time employee, he would have done his damnedest to shut the door firmly on all thoughts of seduction, but fortunately she wasn't.

Rose tried not to look horrified at this piece of information. ‘I'm sure that won't be necessary. If you want to give me fifteen minutes, Nick, I'll join you in the foyer.'

‘No need to be so formal.' He leaned against the frame of the sliding patio door. ‘I've ordered breakfast to be brought to my room for both of us. When you're ready, just skip across. Continental all right for you? Oh, and I thought we might as well appreciate the surroundings today. Enjoy the beach, see what the poolside facilities are…we can start in earnest tomorrow when Lee's back from KL.'

Several things he had just said converged to send her into a state of mild panic. Sharing breakfast. In his room. Enjoying the facilities.

Rose cleared her throat, wondering how she could pick her way through her objections and emerge on the other side without appearing to overreact, but he was already turning away, only glancing back to give her a nonchalant wave.

She had brought no clothes to cover breakfast with her sexy boss in his room. He had been wearing a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts and a collared tee shirt. In between the confusion of what he had been saying to her, she had managed to notice the elegant, casual ease with which he pulled off an outfit that most men would have looked frightful in.

Rose rummaged through her bags at the speed of light and tried to block out the image of his legs, bronzed and muscular, sprinkled with dark hair.

Was he hairy all over? she wondered feverishly.

Yet another thought to try and dispel as she flung on a
baggy tee shirt, all the better to hide her figure, and a pair of trousers that would probably reduce her to a puddle of perspiration by the middle of the day but which would have to do. At least until she gained a little colour and her confidence grew.

She arrived, flustered, to find him sitting on his veranda sipping a cup of coffee, legs stretched out on one of the chairs, leaving her to sit closer to him than she had bargained for.

‘Gorgeous, isn't it?' was the first thing he said as she sat down and poured herself some orange juice. She could feel her heart beating madly in her chest.

‘Stunning.'

He slid his eyes over to where she was staring pointedly away from him and across to the pool area. ‘You really shouldn't wear trousers, Rose. Too hot.'

‘I…I haven't unpacked as yet. I just grabbed these from the top of the suitcase.'

‘Well, no matter. I suggest we take to the beach after this so you'll have to change into a swimsuit anyway. We can get whatever beach towels we need from Reception.' Nick relished the thought of seeing her in a swimsuit. It was hard to get any idea of her shape under the loose-fitting clothes she seemed to favour and he fancied she was more curvy than the magazines currently deemed fashionable.