Men. They were all the same. Happy to grab what they wanted, take advantage of her good nature, then trample all over her. Leo had the nerve to look offended when she’d told him as much, but then he knew all about jobs for the boys.
She put her head in her hands. The unfairness of it all set inside her like concrete. The members of the ACS board had caved in to a bunch of backwoods bigots rather than give her time to win the clients around. She imagined her fingers closing around their perma-tanned throats. They’d been so cheerful when they waved her off on this break. Now she knew why. They wanted her out of the way while they cooked all this up. It made her feel sick.
The worst part was, Sara knew that if she wanted to carry on working at ACS she’d have to suck up this disappointment like bitter medicine, and say nothing.
She woke next morning in desperate need of distraction. Putting ACS first hadn’t got her anywhere, so she wouldn’t waste another minute of her holiday worrying about them. After coffee and fruit overlooking the Aegean, she showered and dressed ready for her day out. A white top, cutoffs, and sandals said cute, but no pushover.
Then she went to see if Leo Gregoryan was as good as she remembered.
He was. Dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, his clothes were understated, and his tan was healthy. He looked every inch the rich playboy. Languishing on one of the squashy sofas ranged around the foyer, he was looking at a copy of the latest edition of Forbes. He tossed the magazine aside the second she reached the bottom of the stairs, and stood. Hooking his thumbs into his belt loops, he watched her walk toward him.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she said before he could speak.
“I know.” The slight movement of his head almost persuaded her he did understand. “That’s why we’ll say no more about it. Let’s look on today’s expedition as a fresh start. Shall we go?”
He extended his hand to the great glass doors of the Paradise Hotel. They swung open as a gleaming metallic blue saloon prowled up outside. Leo tipped the valet who’d driven it around from the parking area, then held open the passenger door for her.
Sara was about to get in when a sixth sense made her look back at the hotel. Someone was looking at them from an upstairs window. “That’s the man I saw picking up Krisia’s organizer,” she said.
“Where?” Leo asked, looking up at the hotel.
“There… Oh, he’s gone. He was at that window, I think.” She pointed.
Leo nodded, got out his phone, and spoke a few terse words into it. “No worries,” he said.
“This is what I call a car,” Sara said, after they’d been driving for a few minutes. “Although there doesn’t seem to be much room for supplies.”
“The catering party has gone on ahead. I could see you were apprehensive about eating aboard the Neroli, so I told them to wait on the mainland for my instructions.”
Sara let her breath go in a rush. Not having to worry about eating while she was at sea was a huge relief.
Her experiences of being a passenger driven by high-powered clients with more testosterone than brain cells meant Sara had been tense as she got into Leo’s car. Hiding her hands, she’d clutched the edge of her seat to begin with, but he had nothing to prove. He was a fast driver, but safe. The knots in the muscles of her neck and shoulders soon untangled, and by the time they reached the harbor, she was relaxed enough to take a risk with him.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said last night, Leo. About working with someone being the perfect passion killer.”
He drew back his lips in a tigerish grin. “It works every time, in my experience.”
“The fact is, I don’t need any more complications in my life, but I’ve reached a bit of a crossroads as ACS has turned its back on me.”
“I thought you were expecting a promotion. They’ve sacked you instead?”
“Worse. They’ve given my ex the position I should have had. All because the client they’re brown-nosing doesn’t believe in letting a woman handle their business—the fat-headed, peanut-brained dinosaurs,” she told him. “Men like that want to keep women barefoot, pregnant, and chained to the kitchen sink. Every one of them who thinks like that should be hanged, drawn, and quartered.”
Leo frowned. “When you rant like that, you’re giving them more ammunition.”
Sara had expected a man who solved problems with flowers to be fawning around her, full of sympathy. His hard-faced irritation was a shock.
“Don’t say that means you think women are good for nothing else too?” she snapped.
“No, but I’ve got no time for anyone—male or female—who makes sweeping generalizations.”
“How can you sit there and say that? You might as well take their side!”
“I don’t take anyone’s side until I know all the facts.” His mouth was a grim line as he concentrated on the road ahead.
“Some tin-pot dictator tells them he’ll only deal with men, so they roll over and parachute in a guy who’s all talk and no action?”
“It sounds like your ex will be the perfect man for the job in a place like that. In my country, men are the diplomats while women are the managers. They oil the wheels of society and keep things running, while men do the steering and operate the brakes.” He swung into a parking space on the sea front.
“Then I hope their feet aren’t rusted to the pedals, like the misogynists in Kharova,” she snorted.
Leo wrenched on the handbrake and scowled at her. “That’s who you were going to be working for?”
“I thought it would be a challenge. I suppose I should call it a narrow escape, and be glad I won’t have to pander to them.”
“You? Pander to anyone who doesn’t share your vision of the perfect world? I don’t think so.” He sounded bitter.
“ACS must have ganged up with my PA and my doctor to get me out of the way while Jason wormed into my place,” she went on.
“Now that’s paranoia, Sara. You’re so stressed out, going straight back into that high-pressure environment would be the worst thing you could do. And that’s my private opinion, as well as a professional one.”
Sara fumed as he got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door for her.
“The great and good at Apis Concierge Solutions have made their biggest mistake yet, Sara,” he said as she got out. “They’ve underestimated you.”
“Underestimated, undervalued—you name it, they’ve done it,” she muttered.
“Including awarding that promotion to your greatest rival?” His voice was measured. He could see Sara was furious with herself as well as ACS, for letting the firm take advantage of her. It made her so mad, she didn’t bother to hide her feelings. She bit the side of her nail. “Yes.”
Leo took her hand away from her mouth, and used his hold on her to escort her along the dock. A smart blue-and-silver speedboat was moored there for them, complete with pilot. Handing her down into the craft, Leo waited until they were well away from the jetty before speaking.
“You know that discussion we had last night?” he called, the breeze whipping his words away, “Why not tell ACS where to stick their job? Come and work for me. I’ve already told you I’m restructuring my team. After what ACS has done to you, leaving them would be the perfect revenge.”
Sara held on tight to a grab-handle as the speedboat bucked over the open water between the harbor and the Neroli. She considered her reply until the vessel made a graceful arc to come alongside the beautiful yacht. “Thanks, Leo, but unlike the board of ACS, I know what the word loyalty means. I’ve got regular clients I love to work with.”
“Of course,” he said with grudging respect. “It’s not a good idea to make a snap decision at a time like this. But how about trying a little freelancing for me here, while you’re on holiday?”
“I’m not sure... I’d have to let ACS know what I was doing, or I couldn’t live with myself.”
He smiled, but without humour. “I’m glad to hear it. How much lo
nger do you want to stay at the Paradise?”
“It’ll be a while, given the way I feel right now.”
“Good.”
The speedboat idled to a stop. Once Leo had helped her aboard his yacht, Sara put her hand up to shield her eyes and gazed back at Paradise Island. The glittering white walls and broken red roofline of the hotel and spa complex shimmered like a mirage in the distance. It looked like heaven, and it was a place she would never have experienced for herself if it hadn’t been for ACS. She didn’t want to lose that luxury, but she didn’t want to be forever in the debt of her employer, either. If she made a good job of working for Leo, it would prove she could fly her career solo.
“In which case, name your price, Sara,” he said, breaking into her thoughts as he took the wheel to steer the Neroli out into the bay.
She took in a few deep, refreshing breaths of sea air before she answered him. “I’ll take the going rate, Leo. Job satisfaction means more to me than money.”
“Really?”
The way he lingered over the word made her wonder. “What’s the matter? I can’t be the first person who’s said that to you!”
“Yes, you are. I can’t tell you how good it is to find a woman who’s more interested in me than in my bank account.” His smile was genuine as he let the wheel of the Neroli run through his hands.
Sara sat with her back to the rail. When they met in the foyer she’d been half-afraid he would take up where he’d left off the night before. That would have thrown her into confusion again, wanting him and yet not ready to risk the pain closeness to another person could bring.
Instead, Leo was the perfect host. Sara knew she should be glad. He set a course for the headland and sailed the vessel around it, sending white spray knifing up from its prow. He was so at one with the streamlined beauty of his yacht, it was impossible not to want him. The fierce, primitive desire provoked by a man at the top of his game almost overwhelmed her.
“I’m too busy managing my own finances to care about other people’s,” Sara threw her words into the wind. “You can thank my mother for that. One of her favourite sayings was ‘When you’ve got a pound, you’ve got a friend.’ We had precious few ‘friends’ when I was a child, so the moment I was old enough I got a job. I’ve worked to pay my own way ever since.”
“So you don’t define yourself by the kind of guys you date?” He was surprised.
She blew her fringe out of her eyes in exasperation. “If I did, I’d never be able to get out of bed in the morning.”
That made Leo think. In his opinion, Sara Astley shouldn’t be allowed out of bed without a bodyguard, anyway. “That good, eh?” he chuckled.
“Quite the opposite. Maybe I should have said, I’d never be able to look my reflection in the eye. To use another of my mom’s catchphrases, I can’t half pick them, Leo.”
That was one problem Leo didn’t have. “Bimbos are always hitting on me. I’m immune, but it’s partly why I keep a low profile.”
“Of course. Someone in your position must have standards to maintain.”
Leo sent up a silent prayer of thanks. At last, a woman who could appreciate his problems without mentioning the dreaded crown-shaped elephant in his robing room. He felt safe in returning her smile.
“I’m glad you see it that way, Sara. You’re one of the few people who do. I like a woman with subtlety.”
“And I find there’s nothing like a self-effacing man.” She was smiling.
Leo congratulated himself as he checked his charts. This was the sort of person he wanted to brighten his last days as a free man.
Sara had been scared she would embarrass herself, and Leo, by being seasick. Instead the sea was so calm, she felt a wonderful sense of release. The Neroli swept across the surface like a swallow. She loved it. “You handle this boat like you were born to it, Leo.”
He seemed to find this funny. Seeing him look so happy made her heart do a little dance in her chest. The tousled man who kicked off his shoes and commanded his vessel barefoot and windblown was a world away from the sleek seducer of the night before. “You looked so miserable when you were playing the piano to Krisia in the bar.”
“Did I? That’s what happens when you let your work interfere with your private life.”
Sara had a sudden crisis of conscience. She hadn’t texted her PA since the night before. Digging in her bag for her mobile, she switched it on. “Why do I get the funniest feeling I’m being watched?” she asked without looking up from the keypad.
“Because you are. And there are two good reasons for that.”
She paused before sending the message. “You’re going to moan at me for checking mail when I should be taking a break.”
He grinned at her. “That was one of the reasons.”
She guessed the other before he put it into words. “Blushing suits you, Sara.”
“It’ll look a whole lot better when my skin’s lost this pasty white colour.”
Leo clicked his tongue. “A woman like you should be sophisticated enough to accept compliments with better grace.”
“Sorry, but I don’t take orders from a guy who looks like a pirate.” Switching off her phone, she lolled back against the rail. It felt good to forget work for once, and let the sun pour over her body. “Stop laughing, Leo.”
“If I’m a pirate, then the sea should be my only mistress. Is that what you want?” His voice came from much closer than it should. She jumped. He was leaning against the rail now too, so close she could have reached out and touched him.
“Who’s sailing the boat?” she asked, alarmed.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “The Neroli is perfectly trained, and does as I tell the on-board computer. There’s someone on lookout as well. And for the record, my Neroli is a yacht, not a boat.”
He was too close for comfort, but with a tingle of fear Sara realized he wasn’t close enough for her. She made a derisory noise to cover her confusion. “You’d hand over control to a computer? I work with those things all day, and there’s no way I’d trust my life to one of them.”
“But you trust me,” he said.
“No, I don’t. Not one inch.”
“Why not, as a matter of interest?”
She gave him a frank look. “Here’s a question. How can you tell when a man is lying to a woman?”
He shrugged.
“His mouth is moving.”
Her barb hit home, and she enjoyed seeing it happen. At least they both knew where they stood.
“Ouch. I thought you said you’d never met my brother Athan?” he asked with a grimace.
“I haven’t. And I’ve met all the men I want to meet socially, thanks very much.”
“Yet you agreed to come out with me today on the Neroli.”
“You made it impossible for me to refuse,” she said. “And it’ll be the perfect chance to test my willpower.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. As a gentleman, I wouldn’t dream of offering you any temptation you wouldn’t want.” His lips were slightly parted, giving a glimpse of his even white teeth. They made a perfect contrast with the honeyed gold of his tan, and he knew it. This man didn’t need to move a muscle to offer her mortal sin on a plate. His body told her all she needed to know, and more.
She was nursing the biggest disappointment she’d ever experienced, and needed to stop it hurting. Sara wanted Leo to take it all away. He cupped the side of her face with his hand. The raw sexuality of his touch played over her skin like fire. She wanted to close her eyes and melt under his touch, but not here. Not in a place where he was in control and there was no possibility of escape. She eased away from him.
“I don’t do this any more, Leo.”
“Is that you, or your career talking?” His rich, eastern European tones sent a shiver down her spine.
“Both.”
“When I was at Eton, my masters warned me all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
...and makes Jill a dull lay,
Sara recalled. “So you went to Eton, did you? Name dropper!”
Her reaction amused him. “You’re the first woman I’ve met who didn’t slaver with interest when I slipped that into the conversation. It’s often something to do with money—but not always.”
Sara found herself laughing. He was even sexier when he was beside her than when he’d been silhouetted at the wheel.
“You’re a real breath of fresh air, Sara.”
“And you’re a devious, home-wrecking heartbreaker. I thought I’d save time by filling out your charge sheet now, rather than later.”
“So you think there’s going to be a later, do you?”
“There you go again, Leo, turning my words against me! I can check ‘devious’ off my list of your coming attractions.” Damn! It was the first time she’d let her true feelings show, and she could have kicked herself. She caught her breath in a little cough. “I mean, sins.”
“You sound like a woman who tempts fate, but as you’re not married I don’t qualify as a home wrecker.”
“I called you a heartbreaker too,” Sara said, expecting him to deny it all without thinking. When he pursed his lips and raised one hand to waggle it, she was suspicious. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I can’t help it if I’m irresistible, but as I always choose my women carefully, it doesn’t usually happen.”
“Usually?” She watched him, hoping to make him spill more details.
He had the grace to look solemn. “After what you said at dinner last night, I asked Krisia if she was in love with me. For some peculiar reason, she said no,” he said without a trace of irony.
“It must be your shy, retiring nature!” she laughed.
He nodded. “That may be a part of it.”
Sara exploded in a fit of giggles. “Not to mention your self-effacing charm!”
“I don’t know about that! She’s my second cousin. My HR unit hated it when I took her on, but I overruled them. She’s the perfect person to keep me on the straight and narrow. Although to be fair, her qualifications are so good I gave her the choice of becoming my PA, or going for a position with my brother.” He stopped, realized what he had said, and grinned. “A legitimate, clerical position, that is.”
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