His Most Exquisite Conquest
His Most Exquisite Conquest
Emma Darcy
A sensual agendaIn the boardroom men quail at Michael Finn’s business prowess and in the bedroom women beg for his touch. Nothing eludes the Australian tycoon’s grasp – except for free-spirit Lucy Flippence, his employee’s sister, who tests his practised charm.Vivacious Lucy is a fish out of water in Michael’s corporate world, but once she gives in to the attraction between them she seems made for his bed. It won’t be long before Michael’s ticked her off his To-Do list, so she’ll pretend it’s the luxury lifestyle she enjoys and not the feelings he’s awakened in her – feelings her crippling secret has forced her to deny…‘Sizzling throughout, Emma definitely knows her alpha males!’ – Alex, 34, Account Executive
Lucy was nervous. Excited, too. Much more excited than she usually was about having a first date with a new man, which was probably what was making her so nervous.
Plus the fact that Michael Finn was a high-flyer and she had never connected with anyone from his level of society. She was definitely out of his league in any social sense, and more than likely he only wanted a sexual fling with her—which she might as well accept right now and not get herself in a twist about it.
Regardless of his intentions she wanted to be with him, wanted to experience him, so no way was she going to back off at this point. Besides, a Cinderella could win a prince. Miracles could happen. Failing that, if the worst came to the worst she could write off her time with him as a case of real lust being satisfied—because while she had certainly fancied other guys in the past it had not been like this, not nearly as strongly as this. Michael Finn had her in an absolute tizzy of lust.
THE LEGENDARY FINN BROTHERS
Australia’s most eligible billionaires!
THE INCORRIGIBLE PLAYBOY
January 2013
Everyone has heard about Harry Finn’s reputation: he’s utterly ruthless in the pursuit of beautiful women, and his devilishly charming smile is virtually irresistible! What he wants, he gets—and top of his list is secretary Elizabeth Flippence…
HIS MOST EXQUISITE CONQUEST
July 2013
Notorious for being merciless in the boardroom, tycoon Michael Finn is all work and no play.
Distractions aren’t on his agenda— especially in the too-tempting shape of bubbly, beautiful Lucy Flippence…
About the Author
Initially a French/English teacher, EMMA DARCY changed careers to computer programming before the happy demands of marriage and motherhood. Very much a people person, and always interested in relationships, she finds the world of romance fiction a thrilling one, and the challenge of creating her own cast of characters very addictive.
Recent titles by the same author:
THE INCORRIGIBLE PLAYBOY
(The Legendary Finn Brothers)
AN OFFER SHE CAN’T REFUSE
THE COSTARELLA CONTRACT
HIDDEN MISTRESS, PUBLIC WIFE
Did you know these are also available as eBooks?Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk
His Most
Exquisite
Conquest
Emma Darcy
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE
A DEARLY BELOVED daughter buried in the wrong plot.
A man digging up a grave.
A dog running amok in the memorial garden, knocking off angels’ heads.
What a Monday morning, Lucy Flippence thought as she drove to Greenlands Cemetery, having been given the job of dealing with these situations. Just when some slack time would have been very handy, too, it being her sister’s birthday. It would be really nice to take Ellie out to lunch, especially since Lucy was dying to see her in the wildly colourful new clothes with the new hairdo.
It would be like a complete makeover and highly due, given it was Ellie’s thirtieth birthday. For the past two years her sister had been drowning in blacks and greys and taupes, and so caught up in being Michael Finn’s personal assistant, she didn’t have any other life—not one man sparking her interest.
Right now Lucy had quite a fresh understanding of this disinterest in men. The nasty incident in the Irish pub at Port Douglas had spoiled her weekend away with friends. The guy had started out a promising prince and turned into a horrid frog. It seemed to her they all did, sooner or later. At twenty-eight she had yet to meet one whose shining armour remained shiny, regardless of circumstances.
Even so, she wasn’t about to give up on men. She enjoyed the exciting high of a new attraction, loved the sense of being loved, if only for a little while. It was worth the hurt of being disillusioned. As long as she lived, she was going to be out there, experiencing everything that looked and felt good. It was what her mother had told her to do—her mother who’d married her horrible frog father because she was pregnant with Ellie.
‘Don’t ever make that mistake, Lucy. Be careful.’
She was.
Always careful.
Especially since she didn’t want to have children, didn’t want to pass on her dyslexia, blighting another life with it. Putting a child through what she’d been through at school was not an act of love, and the problems didn’t stop there, either. The incurable disability blocked a heap of avenues that normal people simply took in their stride.
The thought of an innocent baby being born with a wrongly wired brain like hers triggered a strongly negative recoil inside Lucy. She would not risk that happening. Which meant, of course, she would probably never marry—no real point to it if having a family was out of the question.
There was, however, always the hope of meeting a prince who didn’t care about having children, or perhaps one who had a genetic fault of his own and would be happy to simply settle with having each other to love. She hadn’t ruled out these possibilities. They bolstered her resolve to keep moving on, making the most of her journey through life.
The cemetery on the outskirts of Cairns came into view. It was aptly named Greenlands—everything being so very green as it usually was up here in far north tropical Queensland, especially after the big wet and before the oppressive heat of summer. August was always a pleasant month and Lucy was glad she wasn’t stuck in the office, closed off from the lovely sunshine.
As she drove the van into the parking lot, she spotted a man wielding a shovel beside one of the graves. He looked elderly and Lucy instantly decided he wouldn’t be dangerous to approach, not that she was frightened of doing so anyway. Her appearance invariably disarmed people.
She loved putting herself together in a fun outfit. The Sunday Markets at Port Douglas were always great for crafty stuff. The wooden bead necklaces and bangles she’d bought yesterday, along with the tan leather belt, and sandals that strapped in criss-crosses up her lower legs, looked fabulous with the white broderie anglaise miniskirt and peasant blouse she was wearing today. Her long blond hair was piled up on top of her head to show off the cute dangly wooden earrings, as well. She didn’t look like officialdom and that was half the battle in getting people to confide in her.
The elderly man caught sight of her walking towards him, and stopped digging, leaning on the long handle of his shovel as he watched her approach, looking her up and down as most men did, regardless of age. She could now see two large plastic bags of potting soil lying on the ground beside him, and behind them was the top of a rose bush.
‘Well, you’re a pretty sight for sore eyes, girlie,’ he greeted her, his mouth slowly curving into a wistful little smile. ‘Visiting a loved one?’
‘Yes, I always visit my mother when I come out here,’ Lucy said with her own wistful smile. The man’s face was so lined and dotted with age spots she guessed he was about eighty, but his body had a spry wiriness that undoubtedly came from keeping himself active.
‘Your mother, eh? Must have died young,’ he remarked.
Lucy nodded. ‘She was only thirty-eight.’ Ten years older than Lucy was now—a fact that lay constantly in the back of her mind, urging her to pack as much into her life as she could.
‘What took her?’ the man asked sympathetically.
‘Cancer.’
‘Ah, that’s a hard death.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘Guess I should be grateful my wife went quickly. Heart gave out. Coming up seventy-five she was. Almost made it to our diamond wedding anniversary.’
‘You must have had a happy marriage,’ Lucy commented, wondering if it was really true. She had observed that some couples stayed together because they didn’t want to face the turmoil of breaking up.
‘My Gracie was a wonderful woman.’ There was love and longing in his voice. ‘Wouldn’t have swapped her for anyone. She was the best, the only one for me. I miss her so much… .’ Tears welled into his eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lucy said softly, waiting until he’d recovered his composure before asking, ‘Are you planting that rose for her?’
‘Yes,’ he answered huskily. ‘Gracie loved roses. Especially this one—Pal Joey—because it has such a beautiful scent. Not like those hothouse roses they sell in shops. Here…’ he bent down and picked up the bagged rose bush, pointing out the one yellow rose in full bloom ‘…come and smell it.’
She did. The scent was stunningly strong and beautiful. ‘Oh, that’s lovely!’
‘I brought it from our garden. I couldn’t let my Gracie lie here without some part of our garden, and this was her favourite rose.’
‘Well, Mr…?’ Lucy raised her eyebrows quizzically, needing his name.
‘Robson. Ian Robson.’
‘Lucy Flippence,’ she responded. ‘I have to tell you I’m from cemetery administration, Mr Robson. Someone reported you digging at a grave and I was sent out to investigate, but I can see there’s no harm being done.’
He frowned over any possible interference to his plan. ‘Only want to plant the rose.’
‘I know,’ Lucy soothed. ‘What you’re doing is fine with me. You’ll tidy up afterwards, won’t you? Leave your wife’s grave looking much nicer than it was before, take the empty bags away?’
‘Don’t you worry, Miss Flippence. I’ll not only do that, but you can count on me tending to this rose bush, feeding it and pruning it so it will bloom beautifully for my Gracie.’
Lucy gave him a warm smile. ‘I’m sure you will, Mr Robson. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I’ll go visit my mother now.’
‘God bless,’ he said in parting.
‘You, too.’
As she walked on Lucy had no doubt that Ian Robson had been a prince to his Gracie. That kind of devotion could only come out of a true love which lasted a lifetime. However rare that was, it was comforting to know it did happen—could happen for her if she was super, super lucky.
She stopped at her mother’s grave, sighing heavily at what Ellie had insisted be printed on the headstone:
Veronica Anne Flippence
Beloved Mother of Elizabeth and Lucy
No ‘Beloved Wife of George,’ because that would have been a huge lie. As soon as their mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer their father had deserted them. Not that he would have been any help during those long months of suffering. Every time he’d come home on leave from his mining job in Mount Isa he’d ended up getting drunk and abusive. Better that he had left his daughters to look after their mother, but the desertion certainly demonstrated there was not even common decency in his character—a frog of the worst order.
Ellie had found out he’d had another woman in Mount Isa and was leading a double life—a cheat on top of everything else. Lucy was glad he had dropped out of their lives. She still hated him for not giving her mother the love she had deserved. There’d been no roses in their marriage—none that Lucy could remember.
‘It’s Ellie’s birthday today, Mum,’ she said out loud. ‘I’m sure you know that. I bought her a gorgeous butterfly blouse and a lovely green skirt to go with it. She’s fallen into a dowdy rut and I want to break her out of it. You said for us to always look out for each other, and Ellie does more than her fair share of that, helping me over hurdles I can’t leap like everyone else because of my dyslexia. I’m trying to help her to meet a prince. Guys notice colourful people. She has to give herself a chance, don’t you think?’
Lucy smiled at what Ellie had told her over the phone this morning—that her long brown hair was cut and dyed auburn. That was a step in the right direction. If her sister would just lighten up a bit, have some fun, show she was enjoying herself…Guys liked that. In fact, they gravitated towards women who emitted a joy in life.
‘If you can perform a miracle, Mum, it would be fantastic if two princes showed up for Ellie and me today. Okay? That would be a birthday to remember.’ Lucy heaved another big sigh at the improbability of this happening. ‘In the meantime, I’ve got to go and collect some angels’ heads so they don’t get damaged any more than they are already. Bye now.’
When she reached the memorial garden, she stood aghast at the number of headless angels. The dog must have been a huge German shepherd or Great Dane. It sure had run amok here. She picked up one head, realised how heavy it was, lay it back down and went to bring the van closer to the garden. It took her an hour to load them all up for transport to the stonemason.
Checking the time, she decided that job could wait until after lunch. If she didn’t get to Ellie’s office before twelve o’clock, her sister might go off somewhere by herself. Lucy could call her, but surprising her was better. What was a birthday without a nice surprise?
Finding a parking space close to the Finn Franchises building was impossible. Lucy ended up two blocks away from the Esplanade, where it was located. She half ran the distance and managed to arrive at Ellie’s office just a few minutes after noon. Having paused long enough to catch her breath, she knocked on the door and opened it enough to poke her head around it to check if the room was occupied. Ellie—a brand-new Ellie—sat at a desk.
It put a wide grin on Lucy’s face as she asked, ‘Okay to come in?’
‘Yes.’
Given the affirmative, she literally bounced in, twirling to shut the door behind her, then dancing over to the desk in an ecstasy of delight over the dramatic change in her sister’s appearance. ‘Ooh…I love the hair, Ellie,’ she happily enthused, hitching herself onto the edge of the desk for a close look at the new style. ‘It’s very sexy. Gives you that just-out-of-bed tumbled look and the colour really, really suits you. It complements the clothes I picked out for you brilliantly. I have to say you look absolutely marvellous. Now tell me you feel marvellous, too.’
The slightly uncertain expression on her sister’s face cracked into a smile. ‘I’m glad I made the change.’ Then, typically Ellie, she turned attention away from herself. ‘How was your weekend?’
‘Oh, so-so.’ Lucy waved her hand airily, then pulled a woeful grimace. ‘But I’ve had the most terrible morning.’
She didn’t want to relate the frog in the Irish pub episode. No negatives about men today, with Ellie looking so beautiful. Lucy rattled on about the rose planting at the grave and the dog damage in the memorial garden, describing the scene and what she had to do about it, how heavy the angels’ heads were… .
It was a really good story, yet Ellie was clearly distracted from it, her gaze sliding away, fixing on some point at the other end of the room.
‘Angels’ heads…’ a male voice said in a rich tone of incredulous wonder.
It sent a weird quiver down Lucy’s spine. She didn’t know if sound vibrations could squeeze her heart, but something did. She whipped her head around, feeling an instant urge to check out the owner of that voice.
And there he was—tall, dark and handsome, the perfect image of a storybook prince!
CHAPTER TWO
EVERYTHING IN MICHAEL Finn’s mind was blown away by the vision of stunning femininity perched on the edge of Elizabeth’s desk. The legs hit him first—long, beautiful legs, glowing with a golden tan, their shapely calves accentuated by straps running up from her sandals. A white frilly skirt ended at midthigh. A white peasant blouse hung off one perfectly rounded shoulder. A mass of shiny blond hair was piled loosely on top of her head, some curly strands of it escaping whatever pins she’d used.
Her face was turned towards Elizabeth, but there was certainly nothing jarring about its profile, and a fascinating dimple kept flashing in her cheek as she talked, her voice lilting with animation. Arty earrings swayed against her lovely long neck, bangles jingled on her arms as her hands waved around in graceful gestures, and the story she was telling was as mesmerising as the rest of her.
‘Angels’ heads…?’
The words spilled from his mouth, escaping from the bubble of incredulity bouncing around his brain. He could hardly believe the heart-grabbing impact she was having on him, and her mention of angels added to the sense of an out-of-this-world encounter.
He was used to sizing women up before deciding if he was willing to put the time into having an ongoing relationship with them. He never rushed into a decision because it was so tedious breaking off the connection when he found it didn’t suit him. But the rush he was feeling with this woman in his sights triggered a wildly rampant compulsion to forge a connection with her right now before she could disappear on him.
Her head turned towards him. Surprise lit her lovely face, her eyes widening as she stared at him—big brown eyes with amber sparkles in them. Shiny coral lipstick highlighted her lush, sexy mouth as it dropped open to emit a breathy, ‘Wow!’
It echoed the wow zinging around Michael’s mind, and he felt himself stirring as her gaze flicked over him, uninhibitedly checking out his physique. Her open interest in him was like an electric charge. He had an erection in no time flat—which had never happened to him at a first meeting with any woman, not even when he was a randy teenager. At thirty-five, this was a totally new experience and a slightly discomforting one. He prided himself on always being in control.
‘Are you Ellie’s boss?’ she asked, her head tilting as though her mind was racing through possibilities between them.
Ellie…? It took him several moments to wrench his thoughts away from the rage of desire burning through his bloodstream, and connect the name to Elizabeth. ‘Yes. Yes, I am,’ he finally managed to answer. ‘And you are?’
‘Lucy Flippence. Ellie’s sister. I work in cemetery administration, so I often have to deal with angels,’ she said, as though needing to explain to him that she wasn’t off the planet, but an ordinary human being with a proper job to do.
‘I see,’ he said, thinking she wasn’t the least bit ordinary.
She hopped off her perch on the desk and crossed the floor to him with her hand extended. Curvy hips swayed. Perky breasts poked out at him. She was tall, slim and so exquisitely female that all his male hormones were buzzing.
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Her smile was entrancing. ‘Okay if I call you Michael?’
‘Delighted.’ He took her hand and held on to it, the soft warmth of it making his skin tingle with excitement at this first physical contact.
He suddenly registered movement at his side, reminding him he’d just come out of a serious business meeting with his brother. Harry was stepping up, expecting an introduction. Was he feeling the same impact, wanting Lucy’s attention turned to him, centred on him? Michael fiercely hoped not. He didn’t want to fight his brother over a woman, but he would with this one. A highly primitive sense of possession was swirling through his gut.
His eyes telegraphed hard warning-off signals at Harry as he turned to make the introduction. This was no-go territory. Don’t make a contest of it. They had always respected each other’s interest in their targeted women, but Lucy had to be a magnet for any man. Even as he said, ‘This is my brother, Harry,’ Michael willed him to accept he had first claim.
His heart swelled with satisfaction when Lucy left her hand in his grasp and simply raised her other hand in a blithe greeting, tossing a ‘Hi, Harry!’ at his brother in a kind of bubbly dismissal.
‘Charmed,’ Harry purred at her.
The flirtatious tone didn’t raise so much as a flicker of response. Her gaze instantly connected to Michael’s again, the warm brown eyes appealing for understanding and, to his mind, much more than that to come from him. He felt her reaching out, wondering, wanting… .
‘I don’t know if you know, but it’s Ellie’s birthday today,’ she said, ‘and I thought I’d treat her to a really nice lunch somewhere. You won’t mind if I take her off and she’s a bit late back, will you, Michael?’
Lunch…yes, he thought exultantly. He couldn’t wait to have more of this enchanting woman.
‘Actually, I’d decided to do the same myself,’ he quickly informed her. ‘Lunch at the Mariners Bar.’
‘Oh, wow! The Mariners Bar!’ Her eyes sparkled with golden lights. ‘What a lovely boss you are to take Ellie there!’
‘Why don’t you join us? It will be a better celebration of her birthday if you do.’
‘I’ll come, as well. Make a party of it,’ Harry put in, instantly supporting the idea.
Four was better than three, Michael decided. Harry had to know now that Lucy wasn’t interested in him, and he could entertain Elizabeth, which took the onus of doing that off him.
‘I only booked a table for two,’ his PA inserted, pulling them back to arrangements already made.
‘No problem. I’m sure the maître d’ will make room for us,’ he stated, oozing confidence as he smiled at Lucy. ‘We’d be delighted to have the pleasure of your company.’
Her smile of delight was turned to her sister. ‘Well, a foursome should be more fun, don’t you think, Ellie?’
There was a touch of irony in Elizabeth’s reply. ‘Certainly no awkward silences with you, Lucy.’
She laughed, seeming to sprinkle sunshine at everyone as she happily declared, ‘That’s settled then. Thank you for asking me, Michael. And it’s good of you to join in the party, too, Harry.’
Michael wasn’t interested in having a party.
What Harry called his tunnel vision—usually applied only to his work on the franchises—had kicked in with a vengeance on Lucy Flippence. He saw no one but her. His entire focus, physical and mental, was on her. He wanted her completely to himself.
It didn’t occur to him that it might not be a good idea to bed his PA’s sister.
All he could think of was how to get her there as fast as he could.
CHAPTER THREE
LUCY COULDN’T BELIEVE her luck. The prince liked her, wanted to be with her. And what a prince he was, not only drop-dead gorgeous, but a billionaire to boot! Ellie had said enough about the Finn Franchises for her to know this guy was seriously wealthy, but had never mentioned he was also seriously sexy.
Which gave Lucy pause for thought as they made their way out of the building and across the Esplanade to the boardwalk that ran along the water’s edge of the park leading to the marina. Was there something wrong with Michael Finn, something that had put Ellie off being attracted to him? Was he a terribly demanding boss? Lucy wasn’t keen on demanding men. If he had struck himself off Ellie’s possibility list, Lucy needed to know why before jumping in the deep end with Michael Finn.
Though it was a beautiful day and her heart was singing. There was no reason not to enjoy this exciting attraction while it was still lovely and shiny. As soon as they paired off on the boardwalk, the two of them in front, Ellie and Harry behind, Michael gave Lucy a smile that tingled right down to her toes.
‘Tell me about yourself, Lucy,’ he invited. ‘How did you come to be in cemetery administration? You look as though you should be a model.’
He had silver-grey eyes—very distinctive, like the rest of him—and she was thrilled that he was interested in her, if only for a little while. Words bubbled out in an effervescent stream. She told him about her experience of modelling—its advantages and disadvantages—then tour guide jobs she’d had, and he laughed at the amusing stories about people who’d made guiding both difficult and hilarious at times. Moving on to her stint in the dance studio, she was prompted to ask, ‘Do you dance, Michael? I mean, do you like dancing?’
It was a strike against him if he didn’t.
He grinned at her, half singing, ‘I’ve got rhythm…you’ve got rhythm… .
She laughed in delight.
‘Our mother insisted that Harry and I have dancing lessons when we were kids,’ he went on. ‘Said it was a mandatory social skill and we would enjoy it in the end. We grumbled and groaned at having to miss sport for girlie dancing, but she was right. You could get the same adrenaline rush out of dancing as you can out of sport.’
‘A case of mother knows best,’ Lucy remarked.
He winced ruefully. ‘She always did.’
Seeing the change of expression, Lucy softly asked, ‘Does that mean your mother is not still with you?’
It drew a quizzical look. ‘Don’t you recall the plane crash that took both my parents?’
‘No. I’m sorry, but…’
‘It was all over the newspapers, the media… .’
She wasn’t about to admit that her dyslexia made reading newspapers too difficult. ‘How long ago was this?’
‘Close to ten years.’ His frown lifted. ‘Maybe you were too young to take much notice. How old are you, Lucy?’
‘Twenty-eight. And just over ten years ago my mother died of cancer. I didn’t take much notice of anything for a while, Michael.’
‘Ah…understandable.’
His face relaxed into a smile again and Lucy was highly relieved that a sympathetic bond had been established. She pushed it further, saying, ‘I don’t have a father, either. He deserted us before Mum died. It’s just me and Ellie now.’
‘Do you live together?’
‘Yes. We share an apartment. Ellie is a wonderful sister.’
The voice of her wonderful sister shattered the lovely build-up of understanding. It was raised in extreme vexation, crying out, ‘That’s because you’re so annoying!’
Startled, Lucy instantly swung around, anxious that nothing go wrong today. Michael turned, too. Seeing that she’d drawn their attention, Ellie rolled her eyes at her companion and huffed in obvious exasperation before saying, ‘It’s okay. Harry was just being Harry.’
Guilt swirled around Lucy’s mind. Had she inadvertently lumped Ellie on her birthday with a man she didn’t like, spoiling the nice lunch her sister had been anticipating with Michael? Being completely star-struck by the storybook prince, Lucy might have been blindly selfish in so quickly agreeing to a foursome, not really consulting Ellie about whether it was okay with her.
‘Be nice to Elizabeth, Harry,’ Michael chided, ‘It’s her birthday.’
‘I am being nice,’ he protested.
Ellie didn’t lose her temper over nothing, Lucy thought, taking proper stock of Michael’s brother. He was a very manly man, his white T-shirt and shorts displaying a lot of firm muscle and smoothly tanned skin. The slightly bent nose stopped him from being classically handsome, but the riot of black curls and the bedroom blue eyes gave him a strong, rather raffish attraction. He exuded a confidence that probably meant he was used to being popular with the opposite sex, but he’d be dead in the water with Ellie if she perceived him as a playboy.
‘Try harder,’ Michael advised, dismissing the distraction by lightly grasping Lucy’s elbow and turning her away with him to continue their stroll together.
She couldn’t dismiss it so easily. ‘Does Ellie dislike your brother, Michael?’ she asked, hating the feeling that this foursome had been a very bad idea.
If it was, she had to break it up, regardless of the miracle meeting with this man. A real prince who was truly, deeply attracted to her would pursue a relationship, anyway. It wasn’t fair to Ellie, messing up her birthday with a man she found hard to tolerate. Better for them to dump the men and go off together, though that was tricky with Michael being Ellie’s boss.
‘I don’t think it’s a case of dislike,’ he answered with a slightly wry grimace. ‘I’ve never known anyone to dislike Harry. He’s a natural charmer, but he does tend to ruffle Elizabeth’s feathers with his flirting.’
There was flirting and flirting, Lucy thought, and some of it could get a bit icky.
‘Don’t worry,’ Michael went on. ‘He’ll behave himself now. I’ve warned him.’
That made no difference if, deep down, Ellie couldn’t abide the man. Lucy needed to have a private word with her, suss out the situation to her satisfaction. Impossible right here. They had walked past the park with the children’s playgrounds, and were level with the swimming lagoon. Another ten minutes’ stroll would bring them to the Mariners Bar, Hopefully, she would get the chance to be alone with Ellie in the cocktail lounge before they went into the dining-room.
In the meantime there was no point in not making the most of Michael’s company.
‘We’d got up to dancing,’ he reminded her with a grin, the grey eyes lit with amused curiosity. ‘Modelling, tour guiding, dancing—how did this lead to cemetery administration?’
‘Oh, there’s a lot of stuff in between,’ she said airily. ‘I was doing a beautician course while the dancing was paying off. That led to jobs in a department store and two of the holiday resorts up here.’ She slanted him a twinkling look. ‘I do a great foot massage and pedicure if you ever need one.’
He laughed. ‘A woman of many talents.’
She loved the sound of his laugh. It echoed in her ears and seemed to ripple down to her heart, where it tripped her pulse into racing overtime.
What was she going to do if his brother was a frog? Please don’t let him be, she silently begged. It would ruin this highly promising lunch.
Michael kept asking her questions, seemingly intrigued by her, which was a lovely feeling. Most guys wanted to talk about themselves. He gave her the sense that he’d never met anyone like her before and he couldn’t get enough of her, not right now, anyway. Whether that would last…Well, nothing usually did, not on this kind of high, but Lucy couldn’t help revelling in it.
Of course, he wouldn’t be intrigued by her at all if he knew the truth—that she didn’t just flit from one job to another because she was attracted to something new and different. More times than not she ran into an unavoidable snag because of her dyslexia, and she was either let go or moved on before she had to suffer the humiliation of being found wanting again. Her disability was a curse she had to live with, but she was determined to enjoy the good times in between being stumped by it and having to pick herself up and try something else.
Right now the promise of having a very good time with Michael Finn was thrilling her to bits, though she still had to check with Ellie that what was happening was okay with her. She wanted her sister to have a happy birthday. Men came and went in Lucy’s life. Ellie was the only person she could count on to always be there for her.
They’d passed the yacht club and were on the path to the cocktail bar adjoining the restaurant when Harry called out to them. ‘Hey, Mickey! I’ll buy the girls cocktails while you see the maître d’ about our table.’
Mickey? Mickey Finn. Lucy rolled her eyes. That was such boy stuff! Maybe Harry was simply an overgrown boy, irritating Ellie with his silly immaturity.
‘Okay.’ Michael tossed back the response, apparently accustomed to being called Mickey by his brother, and not minding it.
Whatever…The arrangement between them would give her some time alone with Ellie in the cocktail bar—time enough to check if the current scenario sucked for her sister.
Michael left them at the bar, striding swiftly into the restaurant to speak to the maître d’. Harry led them to a set of two-seater lounges with a low table in between, and saw them settled facing each other.
‘Now let me select cocktails for you both,’ he said, the vivid blue eyes twinkling confidence in his choices. ‘A margarita for you, Elizabeth.’
It surprised her. ‘Why that one?’
He grinned. ‘Because you’re the salt of the earth and I revere you for it.’
She rolled her eyes at his linking her character to the salt-encrusted rim of the glass that was always used for a margarita cocktail.
Though it was clever, Lucy thought, openly conceding, ‘You’re right on both counts. Ellie loves margaritas and she is the salt of the earth. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s always been my anchor.’
‘An anchor,’ Harry repeated musingly. ‘I think that’s what’s been missing from my life.’
‘An anchor would only weigh you down, Harry,’ Ellie put in drily. ‘It would feel like an albatross around your neck.’
‘Some chains I wouldn’t mind wearing.’
‘Try gold.’
He laughed.
This quick banter between them gave Lucy pause for speculation. ‘Do you two always spar like this?’ she asked.
‘Sparks invariably fly,’ Harry claimed.
Ellie gave him an arch look. ‘I would have to admit that being with Harry is somewhat invigorating.’
Lucy laughed and clapped her hands. They were playing a game, scoring points off each other. It wasn’t bad at all. ‘Oh, I love it! What a great lunch we’ll all have together!’ She cocked her head at the man who was certainly ruffling Ellie’s feathers, but quite possibly in a way her sister found exciting under her surface pretence of indifference. ‘What cocktail will you choose for me?’
‘For the sunshine girl…a pina colada.’
She clapped her hands again. ‘Well done, Harry. That’s my favourite.’
‘At your service.’ He twirled his hand in a salute to them both and headed off to the bar.
A charmer, Michael had said, and Lucy could now see how it was. Ellie was attracted to Harry but she didn’t trust his charm, maybe thinking he was a bit too slick with it. She should just ride with it, enjoy it, let her hair down and not care where it led.
Lucy leaned forward to press this advice on her sister. ‘He’s just what you need, Ellie. Loads of fun. You’ve been carrying responsibility for so long, it’s well past time you let loose and had a wild flutter for once. Be a butterfly instead of a worker bee.’
An ironic little smile tilted Ellie’s mouth as she drawled, ‘I might just do that.’
‘Go for it,’ Lucy urged, excited by the possibility that both the brothers could be princes. ‘I’m going for Michael. He’s an absolute dreamboat. I’m so glad I wasn’t held up any longer at the cemetery. I might have missed out on meeting him. Why didn’t you tell me your boss was gorgeous?’
‘I’ve always thought him a bit cold.’
Lucy threw up her hands at her sister’s lack of discernment. ‘Believe me. The guy is hot! He makes me sizzle.’
Ellie shrugged. ‘I guess it’s a matter of chemistry. Harry is the hot one for me.’
Chemistry…yes! That explained everything. There was nothing wrong with Michael. Quite simply, there was no chemistry between him and Ellie, and no one could make that happen. It either did or it didn’t. Lucy had met some really nice guys in her time, but there’d been no point in dating them. They just didn’t do it for her.
She sat back contentedly, the narky questions that had been niggling at her making a complete exit, leaving her free to fall in love again.
She grinned at Ellie. ‘Brothers and sisters…wouldn’t it be great if we ended up together, all happy families?’
It was a lovely fantasy! Totally off the wall, because Lucy knew she wasn’t good enough to hold on to a man of Michael Finn’s calibre. Today was hers. Probably tonight. Maybe she would have him for a week or two if she could manage not to be found wanting by him.
‘I think that’s a huge leap into the future,’ her sister commented, rolling her eyes at Lucy. ‘Let’s just take one day at a time.’
Sensible, as always.
And completely right, as always.
But Lucy was flying high and didn’t want to be brought down to earth.
That could happen tomorrow or the next day or the next… .
Today she was over the moon and wanted to stay there.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHILE LUCY DIDN’T believe in big dreams for herself, she saw no reason for Ellie not to have them. Her sister was brilliant at everything. No one could find fault with her. However, her personal life certainly needed brightening, and Harry Finn looked like the right man to do it if she’d simply fling the door open and let him in.
‘You’re always so sensible, Ellie,’ Lucy chided, wanting her to lighten up and take a few risks for once.
‘Which is something I value very highly in your sister,’ Michael said warmly, picking up on her words as he appeared beside them and seated himself next to her on the lounge.
‘Oh, I do, too,’ she quickly agreed, liking him all the more for appreciating this quality in his PA. She bestowed a brilliant smile of approval on him as she added, ‘But I also want Ellie to have fun.’
‘Which is where I come in,’ Harry said, also catching her words as he came back. His eyes danced with wicked mischief as he gazed at Ellie. ‘Starting with cocktails. The bartender will bring them over. Here are the peanuts and pretzels.’
He placed a bowl of them on the table and settled himself beside her, throwing her a challenging look that mocked any resistance to having fun with him. She flicked him a sizzling glance in return.
Definitely something hot going on between them, Lucy thought, and gave Harry an approving smile as she asked, ‘What cocktail did you order for Michael?’
‘A Manhattan. Mickey is highly civilised. He actually forgets about sunshine until it sparkles over him.’
Lucy laughed at the teasing reference to herself as the sunshine girl. ‘And for yourself?’
‘Ah, the open sea is my business. I’m a salty man, so I share Elizabeth’s taste for margaritas.’
‘The open sea?’ Lucy queried.
‘Harry looks after the tourist side of Finn’s Fisheries,’ Michael answered. ‘I take care of buying in the stock for all our franchises.’
‘Ah!’ She nodded, understanding why Harry was dressed the way he was.
She knew Finn’s Fisheries was a huge franchise with outlets all around Australia. They not only stocked every possible piece of fishing gear, a lot of it imported, but the kind of clothing that went with it: wetsuits, swimming costumes, shorts, T-shirts, hats. The range of merchandise was fantastic and Ellie had told her Michael dealt with all that.
She knew about the tourist side, too, having been a tour guide herself. There were Finn dive boats offering adventures around the Great Barrier Reef, Finn deep sea fishing yachts for hire, and for the really rich, the exclusive getaway resort of Finn Island, where she’d never been but would love to go.
Harry couldn’t be too much of a playboy if he was responsible for keeping these enterprises running successfully. She noticed that his white T-shirt with the tropical fish had the emblem of Finn Island printed below his left shoulder, and wondered if he’d come from there this morning. Maybe if she and Michael hit it off really well, he would take her to the glamorous getaway.
Lucy decided she could not have wished for a more exciting situation—Ellie and Harry, she and Michael. The conversation over cocktails zipped with good humour. Ellie drank a second margarita, definitely loosening up, hopefully throwing caution to the winds. A thirtieth birthday was not a time to be overly sensible.
Lucy wanted her sister to have the best possible day.
Which led to making the mistake!
They were handed menus as soon as they were seated in the dining-room, and instead of waiting for the others to start talking about the dishes listed, as she usually did, the fact that they were at a top-line restaurant gave her the confidence to say, ‘I bet I know what you’re going to order, Ellie.’
Her sister raised her eyebrows. ‘What?’
Lucy grinned at her. ‘The chilli mud crab.’ It was her absolute favourite dish.
‘Actually, I can’t see that on the menu,’ Michael said, glancing quizzically at her.
‘Oh, I didn’t really look. I just assumed,’ she replied quickly, silently cursing herself for being an impulsive idiot.
Revealing her disability to a man she wanted to impress—a man as smart as Michael Finn—would make him lose interest in no time flat, and she would shrivel up inside if he got that look on his face—the look that saw her as defective. Hiding her dyslexia was always the best course. Now she had to cover up the stupid mistake.
Pretending to study the menu properly, she asked, ‘What have you decided on, Michael?’
‘The steak.’
‘How about sharing a seafood platter for two with me, Elizabeth?’ Harry said, leaning closer to point out the platter’s contents on the menu. ‘You get crab on it, as well as all the other goodies, and we can nibble away on everything as we please.’
Lucy instantly warmed to him even more—a sweet man, not only caring about her sister’s pleasure, but also taking the meal selection heat off herself.
‘Harry will eat the lion’s share,’ Michael warned.
Harry instantly raised a hand for solemn vowing. ‘I swear I’ll give you first choice of each titbit.’
‘Okay, that’s a done deal,’ she said, closing the menu and slanting him a smile.
‘Sealed with a kiss,’ he said, bright blue eyes twinkling wickedly as he leaned closer still and pecked her on the cheek.
‘You can keep that mouth of yours for eating, Harry,’ she snapped, probably on the principle of give him an inch and he’d take a mile.
He grinned. ‘Elizabeth, I live for the day when I’ll eat you all up.’
‘That’ll be doomsday.’
‘With the gates of heaven opening for me,’ Harry retorted, his grin widening.
Lucy couldn’t help laughing.
Ellie heaved a long-suffering sigh and shook her head at him. ‘You are incorrigible.’
‘A man has to do what a man has to do,’ he archly declared, sending Lucy off into more peals of laughter.
He was fun. And totally irrepressible. She suspected that Ellie was holding out against him because she got a kick out of the sparring, as well as not wanting him to think she was an easy catch.
However, their selection of a seafood platter for two didn’t help Lucy with choices. She would have to order the same as Michael, which was okay. The steak should be very good here.
Michael was amused by Harry’s determined assault on Elizabeth’s defences, amused by her determined resistance to his charm, too. Most women would be lapping it up. His brother was going to have to work hard to win this one over, but the battle served to keep them occupied with each other, leaving him free to pursue the connection with Lucy.
He’d been quite stunned when Elizabeth had turned up at work this morning wearing the gorgeous butterfly blouse—totally atypical of her usual style in clothes. A birthday gift from her sister, she’d said—a sister who was as different from her as chalk and cheese. She was so right about that. He could see Elizabeth as a schoolma’m. Lucy promised to be a delicious array of exotic cheeses, and tasting all of it had already become a must-do in his life.
And despite her choice of white clothes today—very sexy white clothes—she was definitely the butterfly, flitting from job to job as though they all had some sweet nectar for her, tasting and moving on, clearly enjoying everything that life could offer her, wanting a whole range of experiences.
Including him.
Saw him, liked him, wanted him.
His head was still spinning with the excitement of her uninhibited response to their meeting. No games, no pretence, no guard up—just lovely open Lucy letting him know she found him as sexy as he found her. It was a struggle not to be in a constant state of arousal.
He thought of Fiona Redman, his most recent ex, who’d definitely been into female power games. The convenience of having her as a sexual partner did not stack up against the annoyance of being expected to toe her lines. No woman was ever going to decide for him when he should work and when he shouldn’t. The success of Finn Franchises had been top priority in his life ever since his father’s untimely death, and that was not about to change any time soon.
However, he would certainly make time to satisfy this sizzling lust for Lucy. It probably wouldn’t last long. the sheer novelty of her would wear off and the usual boredom or irritation would set in. He had never come across the magic glue that could make a relationship stick. He always found fault somewhere and that was the end of it. Quite possibly the fault was in him. Whatever…he was going to enjoy this woman as long as she stayed enjoyable.
The waiter returned and took their orders. Lucy chose the steak, too. Wanting to share everything with him? It was absolutely exhilarating being with her, especially when she turned those big brown eyes on him, the golden specks in them glowing with warmth.
‘You said dancing lessons interfered with sport, Michael. What did you like playing?’ Dimples flashed in her cheeks as she spoke.
He smiled reminiscently. ‘Everything in those days—cricket, baseball, tennis, soccer, rugby.’
‘Not now?’
‘They were mostly schoolboy passions. I still play tennis, but only socially. I have a couple of games of squash during the week to loosen up from too much desk work, and usually a round of golf at the weekend.’ She looked sublimely fit, probably from dancing, but out of interest he asked, ‘What about you? Any sporting passions?’
‘I can play tennis, but like you, only socially. At school I mostly concentrated on athletics.’
He grinned. ‘High-jump champion?’
His instant assumption surprised her. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Long legs. Great shape, too.’
And he couldn’t wait to have them wound around him in an intimate lock.
‘You’re obviously in great shape yourself,’ she retorted, her eyes simmering with the same kind of thoughts, driving his excitement metre higher. Then, as though taking a mental back step, she added, ‘I also play netball with a group of friends once a week. I always keep up with my girlfriends. Men can come and go, but real friends stay in your life.’
‘You don’t count any men as real friends?’
‘A few gay guys. They’re lovely people. Lots of empathy and caring.’
‘No straight ones?’
Her dimples deepened as her luscious lips twitched into a provocative little smile. ‘Well, sooner or later most straight men turn into frogs.’
‘Frogs?’ he repeated, needing enlightenment. He’d heard ‘empathy and caring’ loud and clear but ‘frogs’?
Her eyes danced teasingly at him. ‘You suddenly turn up in my life and everything about you shouts that you’re a prince amongst men.’
A prince. That was a surprisingly sweet stroke to his ego.
Her hands lifted in a helpless gesture. ‘But how do I know you won’t turn into a frog tomorrow?’
‘Ah!’ he said, understanding. ‘You’ve been with guys who haven’t lived up to their promise.’
She shrugged prettily, the off-the-shoulder sleeve of her peasant blouse sliding lower on her upper arm. ‘It happens,’ she said in airy dismissal. ‘I’m hoping not to be disappointed with you, Michael.’
The seductive challenge sizzled straight to his groin. He was up for it, all right. He wished he could whizz her straight off to bed. How long would this birthday luncheon go on—main course, sweets, coffee? At least another hour and a half. He’d give Elizabeth the rest of the afternoon off, take Lucy to his penthouse apartment. Although…
‘Do you have to get back to work this afternoon?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I do,’ she answered ruefully. ‘I have to deliver the angels’ heads to the stonemason, take the van back to the office, then visit the people who own the burial plot that’s been mistakenly used, and hopefully persuade them that one burial plot is as good as another.’
‘Tricky job,’ he said with a sympathetic wince.
‘Not really. It’s a matter of getting them to empathise with the bereaved parents who have just laid their daughter to rest—how terrible it would be for them to have her dug up again,’ Lucy explained. The caring in her voice moved something in his heart, reminding him of laying his parents to rest, the final closure.
Caring, empathy…he sensed something quite special in this woman. She wasn’t just fantastically sexy. There was much more to her. So far it was all good.
‘Are you free tonight?’ he asked, not wanting to wait any longer to have her to himself.
‘Yes.’
Her smile promised an eagerness that matched his for a more intimate encounter. Which made his hardon even harder.
Fortunately, the waiter showed good timing in arriving with their main course. Their conversation moved to food as they ate their steaks, which were perfectly cooked, asparagus on the side with a touch of Béarnaise sauce, and crunchy roasted potatoes.
Lucy was into cooking, loved experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. Better and better, Michael thought, looking forward to enjoying many meals with her. She had an infectious enthusiasm for life that made her company an absolute delight. He was wondering if she’d ever cooked frogs legs after bidding a frog goodbye when Harry claimed his attention, leaning an elbow on the table and pointing a finger at him.
‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’
The problem that had brought him to the office this morning—the discovery that the resort manager was feathering his own nest at their expense. Michael frowned over the interruption. He didn’t want to talk family business with his brother when he had plans to make with Lucy.
‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ he said tersely—the same advice he’d given earlier. ‘Once you confront him you can’t leave him there. The potential for damage…’
‘I know, I know. But it’s best to confront him with his replacement. We walk in and turf him out. No argument. A done deal.’
Why was he persisting with this discussion here? ‘Agreed,’ he said impatiently. ‘But you don’t have a ready replacement yet and the longer he stays—’
‘Elizabeth. She’s the perfect person for the management job, completely trustworthy, meticulous at checking everything, capable of handling everything you’ve thrown at her, Mickey.’
That rocked him. Was Harry off his brain, wanting to mix pleasure with business? The way he’d been madly flirting…was he seriously attracted? This didn’t feel right.
‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael stated firmly, giving his brother a steely look.
Harry dug in regardless. ‘I’m more in need of her than you are right now. Lend her to me for a month. That will give me time to interview other people.’
‘A month…’ Michael frowned over the inconvenience to himself. Harry did have a point. He needed a replacement for Sean Cassidy pronto.
‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.
Michael glowered at him. ‘You’re not stealing my PA.’
‘Her choice, Mickey.’ Harry turned to her. ‘What do you say, Elizabeth? Will you help me out for a month…stay on the island and get the resort running as it should be run? My about-to-be ex-manager has been cooking the books, skimming off a lot of stuff to line his own pockets. You’ll need to do a complete inventory and change the suppliers who’ve been doing private deals with him. It would be a whole new challenge for you, one that—’
‘Now hold on a moment,’ Michael growled. ‘It’s up to me to ask Elizabeth if she’ll do it, not you, Harry.’ This on-the-spot decision didn’t sit well with him, particularly with his brother virtually railroading him into it, yet it was a credible solution to the problem.
‘Okay. Ask her.’
Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, disliking the sense of having been pushed into a corner. ‘It’s true,’ he reluctantly conceded. ‘You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort. I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month… .’
He grimaced at the prospect. She was his right hand in the office, always understanding and delivering whatever was needed. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, ‘I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while… .’
‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested, which meant she had already decided to go with Harry.
‘Too stodgy. No initiative,’ Michael said, hating the idea of having to do without her.
‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued.
‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry noted, grinning from ear to ear.
She shot him a quelling look. ‘I’m up for the challenge of fixing the management problems, nothing else, Harry.’
Good! Michael thought. Elizabeth wasn’t about to mix business with pleasure. If that was on Harry’s mind, as well as solving his predicament, she’d spike his guns and serve him right, given that he’d have to put up with Andrew Cook while she was away.
‘That’s it then,’ he said, resigned to a month of having to spell out everything to his pro tem PA.
‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.
Ah, yes! A month of Lucy without her sister possibly butting into their relationship, Michael thought, realising and appreciating the one upside of this situation. It could have been tricky having his PA an everpresent watchdog while he bedded her sister. Absolute freedom from that felt good. A month might very well be the limit of this currently hot connection, anyway—everything done and dusted before Elizabeth returned to take up her position with him again.
‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ she assured Lucy.
The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered when he’d cleared away their main course.
‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.
‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed, looking forward to having intimate time with Lucy.
‘Today,’ Harry decided, checking his watch. ‘It’s only three o’clock now. We could be over on the island by four-thirty. Have him helicoptered out by six. We leave here when we’ve finished our sweets, hop on the boat… .’
‘It is Elizabeth’s birthday, Harry,’ Michael reminded him. ‘She might have other plans for today.’
‘No, I’m good to go,’ she said.
Great! he thought. No delay to what he wanted.
‘What about clothes and toiletries and stuff?’ Lucy put in. ‘You’re going for a month, Ellie.’
‘You can pack for her, Lucy,’ Harry said decisively. ‘Mickey can take you home, wait while you do it, take Elizabeth’s bags and arrange their shipping to the island.’
‘No problem,’ Michael said, smiling at Lucy. ‘I’ll give you my phone number. Give me a call when you’ve finished work and I can come by your apartment this evening.’
She’d be there all by herself. Perfect!
Her eyes danced with pleasure as she agreed to the plan, and her smile was full of sensual promise.
Michael decided he didn’t care what Harry did with Elizabeth.
Let them sail off into the sunset!
He was going to make hay with the sunshine girl!
CHAPTER FIVE
LUCY WAS NERVOUS. Excited, too. Much more excited than she usually was about having a first date with a new man, which was probably what was making her so nervous. Plus the fact that Michael Finn was a high-flyer and she had never connected with anyone from his level of society. She was definitely out of his league in any social sense, and more than likely he only wanted a sexual fling with her, which she might as well accept right now and not get herself in a twist about it.
Regardless of his intentions, she wanted to be with him, wanted to experience him, so no way was she going to back off at this point. Besides, a Cinderella could win a prince. Miracles could happen. Failing that, if the worst came to the worst, she could write off her time with him as a case of real lust being satisfied. Because while she had certainly fancied other guys in the past—not like this, not nearly as strongly as this—Michael Finn had her in an absolute tizzy of lust.
Just thinking of him, she was squeezing her thighs together, and when she’d been in the shower earlier, running her hands over herself, dying to know how it would feel with his hands caressing her naked body. Even now as she prepared the Thai salad to go with the prawns she’d bought on the way home, her stomach muscles kept contracting.
He’d be here soon—another ten minutes or so. The apartment was tidy. The table was set. She’d changed into a yellow wraparound dress with a tie belt that could be easily undone, and underneath it she wore her sexiest white lace bra and panties, wickedly intent on knocking his socks off, though he probably wouldn’t wear socks. Or shoes. Easily slipped off scuffs, she decided, like hers. she’d deliberately left off jewellery, not wanting it to get in the way. Her only adornment was a frangipani flower she’d picked off the tree in the front yard and stuck in her hair.
She imagined him wearing shorts and an opennecked sports shirt that could be pulled off in a second. Would he have a hairy chest? Not too hairy, she hoped, but having such thick black hair, and obviously loaded with testosterone, he was bound to have some. She couldn’t wait to see, to touch. Her fingers were tingling with anticipation.
The doorbell rang.
Her heart started pounding.
Please let him be a prince tonight, she wildly prayed. Please let him not do or say anything to put me off him. I want this night to be perfect.
The rush of desire steaming through her made her legs feel weak as she walked to the door and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat at seeing him again—so stunningly handsome, and the silver-grey eyes shining with pleasure at seeing her. She barely managed a husky ‘Hi!’
His smile was dazzling. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this moment ever since we parted this afternoon,’ he said, the lovely deep tone of his voice sending a thrill through her.
‘Me, too,’ she said, smiling back. ‘Come on in, Michael.’
He was wearing shorts and a sports shirt—navy and red and white, a strong combination that emphasised his alpha maleness. He handed her a bottle of wine as he stepped into the living-room. ‘To go with whatever you’ve planned to feed me.’
She laughed. ‘It’s only a light meal. It was a very substantial lunch.’
‘Perfect!’ He matched the word to the glance encompassing her appearance before adding, ‘It’s a light wine, too.’
A very good one, she thought as she glanced at the label—Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Almost giddy with excitement, she certainly didn’t need alcohol to feel intoxicated, but she asked, ‘Do you want to open it now?’
‘When we eat,’ he said dismissively, taking in her living space. ‘This is a wonderfully welcoming room, Lucy. Did you do the decorating?’
It was a fairly standard two-bedroom apartment, one bathroom and an open kitchen combined with the living area, but she was proud of how they had turned it into their home, and Michael’s approval of it was especially pleasing. She set the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter so she could use her hands to gesture at various items as she answered him.
‘Ellie bought the basic furniture. I added the cushions and the wall posters and the rug in front of the lounge. We wanted it to be a cheerful place to come home to, and with the walls and floor tiles being white, the whole place virtually begged for bright splashes of colour.’
‘You’ve done a brilliant job.’ He gave her another dazzling smile, setting off a fountain of joy inside her. ‘My mother was great at using colour to please the eye, too.’
Being compared to his mother felt like a huge compliment. Lucy beamed at him. ‘I’m glad you like it.’
He shook his head slightly as he moved towards where she stood in front of the kitchen counter, ‘There’s nothing not to like about you, Lucy.’
The lovely low throb in his voice set her stomach aflutter and her heart leapt into a wild gallop when his hands started sliding around her waist. Her own hands automatically lifted to his shoulders as he drew her closer, gently pressing her lower body to his. The silvery-grey eyes darkened with a storm of feeling, searching hers for a reflection of the same storm.
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Emma Darcy
A sensual agendaIn the boardroom men quail at Michael Finn’s business prowess and in the bedroom women beg for his touch. Nothing eludes the Australian tycoon’s grasp – except for free-spirit Lucy Flippence, his employee’s sister, who tests his practised charm.Vivacious Lucy is a fish out of water in Michael’s corporate world, but once she gives in to the attraction between them she seems made for his bed. It won’t be long before Michael’s ticked her off his To-Do list, so she’ll pretend it’s the luxury lifestyle she enjoys and not the feelings he’s awakened in her – feelings her crippling secret has forced her to deny…‘Sizzling throughout, Emma definitely knows her alpha males!’ – Alex, 34, Account Executive
Lucy was nervous. Excited, too. Much more excited than she usually was about having a first date with a new man, which was probably what was making her so nervous.
Plus the fact that Michael Finn was a high-flyer and she had never connected with anyone from his level of society. She was definitely out of his league in any social sense, and more than likely he only wanted a sexual fling with her—which she might as well accept right now and not get herself in a twist about it.
Regardless of his intentions she wanted to be with him, wanted to experience him, so no way was she going to back off at this point. Besides, a Cinderella could win a prince. Miracles could happen. Failing that, if the worst came to the worst she could write off her time with him as a case of real lust being satisfied—because while she had certainly fancied other guys in the past it had not been like this, not nearly as strongly as this. Michael Finn had her in an absolute tizzy of lust.
THE LEGENDARY FINN BROTHERS
Australia’s most eligible billionaires!
THE INCORRIGIBLE PLAYBOY
January 2013
Everyone has heard about Harry Finn’s reputation: he’s utterly ruthless in the pursuit of beautiful women, and his devilishly charming smile is virtually irresistible! What he wants, he gets—and top of his list is secretary Elizabeth Flippence…
HIS MOST EXQUISITE CONQUEST
July 2013
Notorious for being merciless in the boardroom, tycoon Michael Finn is all work and no play.
Distractions aren’t on his agenda— especially in the too-tempting shape of bubbly, beautiful Lucy Flippence…
About the Author
Initially a French/English teacher, EMMA DARCY changed careers to computer programming before the happy demands of marriage and motherhood. Very much a people person, and always interested in relationships, she finds the world of romance fiction a thrilling one, and the challenge of creating her own cast of characters very addictive.
Recent titles by the same author:
THE INCORRIGIBLE PLAYBOY
(The Legendary Finn Brothers)
AN OFFER SHE CAN’T REFUSE
THE COSTARELLA CONTRACT
HIDDEN MISTRESS, PUBLIC WIFE
Did you know these are also available as eBooks?Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk
His Most
Exquisite
Conquest
Emma Darcy
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE
A DEARLY BELOVED daughter buried in the wrong plot.
A man digging up a grave.
A dog running amok in the memorial garden, knocking off angels’ heads.
What a Monday morning, Lucy Flippence thought as she drove to Greenlands Cemetery, having been given the job of dealing with these situations. Just when some slack time would have been very handy, too, it being her sister’s birthday. It would be really nice to take Ellie out to lunch, especially since Lucy was dying to see her in the wildly colourful new clothes with the new hairdo.
It would be like a complete makeover and highly due, given it was Ellie’s thirtieth birthday. For the past two years her sister had been drowning in blacks and greys and taupes, and so caught up in being Michael Finn’s personal assistant, she didn’t have any other life—not one man sparking her interest.
Right now Lucy had quite a fresh understanding of this disinterest in men. The nasty incident in the Irish pub at Port Douglas had spoiled her weekend away with friends. The guy had started out a promising prince and turned into a horrid frog. It seemed to her they all did, sooner or later. At twenty-eight she had yet to meet one whose shining armour remained shiny, regardless of circumstances.
Even so, she wasn’t about to give up on men. She enjoyed the exciting high of a new attraction, loved the sense of being loved, if only for a little while. It was worth the hurt of being disillusioned. As long as she lived, she was going to be out there, experiencing everything that looked and felt good. It was what her mother had told her to do—her mother who’d married her horrible frog father because she was pregnant with Ellie.
‘Don’t ever make that mistake, Lucy. Be careful.’
She was.
Always careful.
Especially since she didn’t want to have children, didn’t want to pass on her dyslexia, blighting another life with it. Putting a child through what she’d been through at school was not an act of love, and the problems didn’t stop there, either. The incurable disability blocked a heap of avenues that normal people simply took in their stride.
The thought of an innocent baby being born with a wrongly wired brain like hers triggered a strongly negative recoil inside Lucy. She would not risk that happening. Which meant, of course, she would probably never marry—no real point to it if having a family was out of the question.
There was, however, always the hope of meeting a prince who didn’t care about having children, or perhaps one who had a genetic fault of his own and would be happy to simply settle with having each other to love. She hadn’t ruled out these possibilities. They bolstered her resolve to keep moving on, making the most of her journey through life.
The cemetery on the outskirts of Cairns came into view. It was aptly named Greenlands—everything being so very green as it usually was up here in far north tropical Queensland, especially after the big wet and before the oppressive heat of summer. August was always a pleasant month and Lucy was glad she wasn’t stuck in the office, closed off from the lovely sunshine.
As she drove the van into the parking lot, she spotted a man wielding a shovel beside one of the graves. He looked elderly and Lucy instantly decided he wouldn’t be dangerous to approach, not that she was frightened of doing so anyway. Her appearance invariably disarmed people.
She loved putting herself together in a fun outfit. The Sunday Markets at Port Douglas were always great for crafty stuff. The wooden bead necklaces and bangles she’d bought yesterday, along with the tan leather belt, and sandals that strapped in criss-crosses up her lower legs, looked fabulous with the white broderie anglaise miniskirt and peasant blouse she was wearing today. Her long blond hair was piled up on top of her head to show off the cute dangly wooden earrings, as well. She didn’t look like officialdom and that was half the battle in getting people to confide in her.
The elderly man caught sight of her walking towards him, and stopped digging, leaning on the long handle of his shovel as he watched her approach, looking her up and down as most men did, regardless of age. She could now see two large plastic bags of potting soil lying on the ground beside him, and behind them was the top of a rose bush.
‘Well, you’re a pretty sight for sore eyes, girlie,’ he greeted her, his mouth slowly curving into a wistful little smile. ‘Visiting a loved one?’
‘Yes, I always visit my mother when I come out here,’ Lucy said with her own wistful smile. The man’s face was so lined and dotted with age spots she guessed he was about eighty, but his body had a spry wiriness that undoubtedly came from keeping himself active.
‘Your mother, eh? Must have died young,’ he remarked.
Lucy nodded. ‘She was only thirty-eight.’ Ten years older than Lucy was now—a fact that lay constantly in the back of her mind, urging her to pack as much into her life as she could.
‘What took her?’ the man asked sympathetically.
‘Cancer.’
‘Ah, that’s a hard death.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘Guess I should be grateful my wife went quickly. Heart gave out. Coming up seventy-five she was. Almost made it to our diamond wedding anniversary.’
‘You must have had a happy marriage,’ Lucy commented, wondering if it was really true. She had observed that some couples stayed together because they didn’t want to face the turmoil of breaking up.
‘My Gracie was a wonderful woman.’ There was love and longing in his voice. ‘Wouldn’t have swapped her for anyone. She was the best, the only one for me. I miss her so much… .’ Tears welled into his eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lucy said softly, waiting until he’d recovered his composure before asking, ‘Are you planting that rose for her?’
‘Yes,’ he answered huskily. ‘Gracie loved roses. Especially this one—Pal Joey—because it has such a beautiful scent. Not like those hothouse roses they sell in shops. Here…’ he bent down and picked up the bagged rose bush, pointing out the one yellow rose in full bloom ‘…come and smell it.’
She did. The scent was stunningly strong and beautiful. ‘Oh, that’s lovely!’
‘I brought it from our garden. I couldn’t let my Gracie lie here without some part of our garden, and this was her favourite rose.’
‘Well, Mr…?’ Lucy raised her eyebrows quizzically, needing his name.
‘Robson. Ian Robson.’
‘Lucy Flippence,’ she responded. ‘I have to tell you I’m from cemetery administration, Mr Robson. Someone reported you digging at a grave and I was sent out to investigate, but I can see there’s no harm being done.’
He frowned over any possible interference to his plan. ‘Only want to plant the rose.’
‘I know,’ Lucy soothed. ‘What you’re doing is fine with me. You’ll tidy up afterwards, won’t you? Leave your wife’s grave looking much nicer than it was before, take the empty bags away?’
‘Don’t you worry, Miss Flippence. I’ll not only do that, but you can count on me tending to this rose bush, feeding it and pruning it so it will bloom beautifully for my Gracie.’
Lucy gave him a warm smile. ‘I’m sure you will, Mr Robson. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I’ll go visit my mother now.’
‘God bless,’ he said in parting.
‘You, too.’
As she walked on Lucy had no doubt that Ian Robson had been a prince to his Gracie. That kind of devotion could only come out of a true love which lasted a lifetime. However rare that was, it was comforting to know it did happen—could happen for her if she was super, super lucky.
She stopped at her mother’s grave, sighing heavily at what Ellie had insisted be printed on the headstone:
Veronica Anne Flippence
Beloved Mother of Elizabeth and Lucy
No ‘Beloved Wife of George,’ because that would have been a huge lie. As soon as their mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer their father had deserted them. Not that he would have been any help during those long months of suffering. Every time he’d come home on leave from his mining job in Mount Isa he’d ended up getting drunk and abusive. Better that he had left his daughters to look after their mother, but the desertion certainly demonstrated there was not even common decency in his character—a frog of the worst order.
Ellie had found out he’d had another woman in Mount Isa and was leading a double life—a cheat on top of everything else. Lucy was glad he had dropped out of their lives. She still hated him for not giving her mother the love she had deserved. There’d been no roses in their marriage—none that Lucy could remember.
‘It’s Ellie’s birthday today, Mum,’ she said out loud. ‘I’m sure you know that. I bought her a gorgeous butterfly blouse and a lovely green skirt to go with it. She’s fallen into a dowdy rut and I want to break her out of it. You said for us to always look out for each other, and Ellie does more than her fair share of that, helping me over hurdles I can’t leap like everyone else because of my dyslexia. I’m trying to help her to meet a prince. Guys notice colourful people. She has to give herself a chance, don’t you think?’
Lucy smiled at what Ellie had told her over the phone this morning—that her long brown hair was cut and dyed auburn. That was a step in the right direction. If her sister would just lighten up a bit, have some fun, show she was enjoying herself…Guys liked that. In fact, they gravitated towards women who emitted a joy in life.
‘If you can perform a miracle, Mum, it would be fantastic if two princes showed up for Ellie and me today. Okay? That would be a birthday to remember.’ Lucy heaved another big sigh at the improbability of this happening. ‘In the meantime, I’ve got to go and collect some angels’ heads so they don’t get damaged any more than they are already. Bye now.’
When she reached the memorial garden, she stood aghast at the number of headless angels. The dog must have been a huge German shepherd or Great Dane. It sure had run amok here. She picked up one head, realised how heavy it was, lay it back down and went to bring the van closer to the garden. It took her an hour to load them all up for transport to the stonemason.
Checking the time, she decided that job could wait until after lunch. If she didn’t get to Ellie’s office before twelve o’clock, her sister might go off somewhere by herself. Lucy could call her, but surprising her was better. What was a birthday without a nice surprise?
Finding a parking space close to the Finn Franchises building was impossible. Lucy ended up two blocks away from the Esplanade, where it was located. She half ran the distance and managed to arrive at Ellie’s office just a few minutes after noon. Having paused long enough to catch her breath, she knocked on the door and opened it enough to poke her head around it to check if the room was occupied. Ellie—a brand-new Ellie—sat at a desk.
It put a wide grin on Lucy’s face as she asked, ‘Okay to come in?’
‘Yes.’
Given the affirmative, she literally bounced in, twirling to shut the door behind her, then dancing over to the desk in an ecstasy of delight over the dramatic change in her sister’s appearance. ‘Ooh…I love the hair, Ellie,’ she happily enthused, hitching herself onto the edge of the desk for a close look at the new style. ‘It’s very sexy. Gives you that just-out-of-bed tumbled look and the colour really, really suits you. It complements the clothes I picked out for you brilliantly. I have to say you look absolutely marvellous. Now tell me you feel marvellous, too.’
The slightly uncertain expression on her sister’s face cracked into a smile. ‘I’m glad I made the change.’ Then, typically Ellie, she turned attention away from herself. ‘How was your weekend?’
‘Oh, so-so.’ Lucy waved her hand airily, then pulled a woeful grimace. ‘But I’ve had the most terrible morning.’
She didn’t want to relate the frog in the Irish pub episode. No negatives about men today, with Ellie looking so beautiful. Lucy rattled on about the rose planting at the grave and the dog damage in the memorial garden, describing the scene and what she had to do about it, how heavy the angels’ heads were… .
It was a really good story, yet Ellie was clearly distracted from it, her gaze sliding away, fixing on some point at the other end of the room.
‘Angels’ heads…’ a male voice said in a rich tone of incredulous wonder.
It sent a weird quiver down Lucy’s spine. She didn’t know if sound vibrations could squeeze her heart, but something did. She whipped her head around, feeling an instant urge to check out the owner of that voice.
And there he was—tall, dark and handsome, the perfect image of a storybook prince!
CHAPTER TWO
EVERYTHING IN MICHAEL Finn’s mind was blown away by the vision of stunning femininity perched on the edge of Elizabeth’s desk. The legs hit him first—long, beautiful legs, glowing with a golden tan, their shapely calves accentuated by straps running up from her sandals. A white frilly skirt ended at midthigh. A white peasant blouse hung off one perfectly rounded shoulder. A mass of shiny blond hair was piled loosely on top of her head, some curly strands of it escaping whatever pins she’d used.
Her face was turned towards Elizabeth, but there was certainly nothing jarring about its profile, and a fascinating dimple kept flashing in her cheek as she talked, her voice lilting with animation. Arty earrings swayed against her lovely long neck, bangles jingled on her arms as her hands waved around in graceful gestures, and the story she was telling was as mesmerising as the rest of her.
‘Angels’ heads…?’
The words spilled from his mouth, escaping from the bubble of incredulity bouncing around his brain. He could hardly believe the heart-grabbing impact she was having on him, and her mention of angels added to the sense of an out-of-this-world encounter.
He was used to sizing women up before deciding if he was willing to put the time into having an ongoing relationship with them. He never rushed into a decision because it was so tedious breaking off the connection when he found it didn’t suit him. But the rush he was feeling with this woman in his sights triggered a wildly rampant compulsion to forge a connection with her right now before she could disappear on him.
Her head turned towards him. Surprise lit her lovely face, her eyes widening as she stared at him—big brown eyes with amber sparkles in them. Shiny coral lipstick highlighted her lush, sexy mouth as it dropped open to emit a breathy, ‘Wow!’
It echoed the wow zinging around Michael’s mind, and he felt himself stirring as her gaze flicked over him, uninhibitedly checking out his physique. Her open interest in him was like an electric charge. He had an erection in no time flat—which had never happened to him at a first meeting with any woman, not even when he was a randy teenager. At thirty-five, this was a totally new experience and a slightly discomforting one. He prided himself on always being in control.
‘Are you Ellie’s boss?’ she asked, her head tilting as though her mind was racing through possibilities between them.
Ellie…? It took him several moments to wrench his thoughts away from the rage of desire burning through his bloodstream, and connect the name to Elizabeth. ‘Yes. Yes, I am,’ he finally managed to answer. ‘And you are?’
‘Lucy Flippence. Ellie’s sister. I work in cemetery administration, so I often have to deal with angels,’ she said, as though needing to explain to him that she wasn’t off the planet, but an ordinary human being with a proper job to do.
‘I see,’ he said, thinking she wasn’t the least bit ordinary.
She hopped off her perch on the desk and crossed the floor to him with her hand extended. Curvy hips swayed. Perky breasts poked out at him. She was tall, slim and so exquisitely female that all his male hormones were buzzing.
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Her smile was entrancing. ‘Okay if I call you Michael?’
‘Delighted.’ He took her hand and held on to it, the soft warmth of it making his skin tingle with excitement at this first physical contact.
He suddenly registered movement at his side, reminding him he’d just come out of a serious business meeting with his brother. Harry was stepping up, expecting an introduction. Was he feeling the same impact, wanting Lucy’s attention turned to him, centred on him? Michael fiercely hoped not. He didn’t want to fight his brother over a woman, but he would with this one. A highly primitive sense of possession was swirling through his gut.
His eyes telegraphed hard warning-off signals at Harry as he turned to make the introduction. This was no-go territory. Don’t make a contest of it. They had always respected each other’s interest in their targeted women, but Lucy had to be a magnet for any man. Even as he said, ‘This is my brother, Harry,’ Michael willed him to accept he had first claim.
His heart swelled with satisfaction when Lucy left her hand in his grasp and simply raised her other hand in a blithe greeting, tossing a ‘Hi, Harry!’ at his brother in a kind of bubbly dismissal.
‘Charmed,’ Harry purred at her.
The flirtatious tone didn’t raise so much as a flicker of response. Her gaze instantly connected to Michael’s again, the warm brown eyes appealing for understanding and, to his mind, much more than that to come from him. He felt her reaching out, wondering, wanting… .
‘I don’t know if you know, but it’s Ellie’s birthday today,’ she said, ‘and I thought I’d treat her to a really nice lunch somewhere. You won’t mind if I take her off and she’s a bit late back, will you, Michael?’
Lunch…yes, he thought exultantly. He couldn’t wait to have more of this enchanting woman.
‘Actually, I’d decided to do the same myself,’ he quickly informed her. ‘Lunch at the Mariners Bar.’
‘Oh, wow! The Mariners Bar!’ Her eyes sparkled with golden lights. ‘What a lovely boss you are to take Ellie there!’
‘Why don’t you join us? It will be a better celebration of her birthday if you do.’
‘I’ll come, as well. Make a party of it,’ Harry put in, instantly supporting the idea.
Four was better than three, Michael decided. Harry had to know now that Lucy wasn’t interested in him, and he could entertain Elizabeth, which took the onus of doing that off him.
‘I only booked a table for two,’ his PA inserted, pulling them back to arrangements already made.
‘No problem. I’m sure the maître d’ will make room for us,’ he stated, oozing confidence as he smiled at Lucy. ‘We’d be delighted to have the pleasure of your company.’
Her smile of delight was turned to her sister. ‘Well, a foursome should be more fun, don’t you think, Ellie?’
There was a touch of irony in Elizabeth’s reply. ‘Certainly no awkward silences with you, Lucy.’
She laughed, seeming to sprinkle sunshine at everyone as she happily declared, ‘That’s settled then. Thank you for asking me, Michael. And it’s good of you to join in the party, too, Harry.’
Michael wasn’t interested in having a party.
What Harry called his tunnel vision—usually applied only to his work on the franchises—had kicked in with a vengeance on Lucy Flippence. He saw no one but her. His entire focus, physical and mental, was on her. He wanted her completely to himself.
It didn’t occur to him that it might not be a good idea to bed his PA’s sister.
All he could think of was how to get her there as fast as he could.
CHAPTER THREE
LUCY COULDN’T BELIEVE her luck. The prince liked her, wanted to be with her. And what a prince he was, not only drop-dead gorgeous, but a billionaire to boot! Ellie had said enough about the Finn Franchises for her to know this guy was seriously wealthy, but had never mentioned he was also seriously sexy.
Which gave Lucy pause for thought as they made their way out of the building and across the Esplanade to the boardwalk that ran along the water’s edge of the park leading to the marina. Was there something wrong with Michael Finn, something that had put Ellie off being attracted to him? Was he a terribly demanding boss? Lucy wasn’t keen on demanding men. If he had struck himself off Ellie’s possibility list, Lucy needed to know why before jumping in the deep end with Michael Finn.
Though it was a beautiful day and her heart was singing. There was no reason not to enjoy this exciting attraction while it was still lovely and shiny. As soon as they paired off on the boardwalk, the two of them in front, Ellie and Harry behind, Michael gave Lucy a smile that tingled right down to her toes.
‘Tell me about yourself, Lucy,’ he invited. ‘How did you come to be in cemetery administration? You look as though you should be a model.’
He had silver-grey eyes—very distinctive, like the rest of him—and she was thrilled that he was interested in her, if only for a little while. Words bubbled out in an effervescent stream. She told him about her experience of modelling—its advantages and disadvantages—then tour guide jobs she’d had, and he laughed at the amusing stories about people who’d made guiding both difficult and hilarious at times. Moving on to her stint in the dance studio, she was prompted to ask, ‘Do you dance, Michael? I mean, do you like dancing?’
It was a strike against him if he didn’t.
He grinned at her, half singing, ‘I’ve got rhythm…you’ve got rhythm… .
She laughed in delight.
‘Our mother insisted that Harry and I have dancing lessons when we were kids,’ he went on. ‘Said it was a mandatory social skill and we would enjoy it in the end. We grumbled and groaned at having to miss sport for girlie dancing, but she was right. You could get the same adrenaline rush out of dancing as you can out of sport.’
‘A case of mother knows best,’ Lucy remarked.
He winced ruefully. ‘She always did.’
Seeing the change of expression, Lucy softly asked, ‘Does that mean your mother is not still with you?’
It drew a quizzical look. ‘Don’t you recall the plane crash that took both my parents?’
‘No. I’m sorry, but…’
‘It was all over the newspapers, the media… .’
She wasn’t about to admit that her dyslexia made reading newspapers too difficult. ‘How long ago was this?’
‘Close to ten years.’ His frown lifted. ‘Maybe you were too young to take much notice. How old are you, Lucy?’
‘Twenty-eight. And just over ten years ago my mother died of cancer. I didn’t take much notice of anything for a while, Michael.’
‘Ah…understandable.’
His face relaxed into a smile again and Lucy was highly relieved that a sympathetic bond had been established. She pushed it further, saying, ‘I don’t have a father, either. He deserted us before Mum died. It’s just me and Ellie now.’
‘Do you live together?’
‘Yes. We share an apartment. Ellie is a wonderful sister.’
The voice of her wonderful sister shattered the lovely build-up of understanding. It was raised in extreme vexation, crying out, ‘That’s because you’re so annoying!’
Startled, Lucy instantly swung around, anxious that nothing go wrong today. Michael turned, too. Seeing that she’d drawn their attention, Ellie rolled her eyes at her companion and huffed in obvious exasperation before saying, ‘It’s okay. Harry was just being Harry.’
Guilt swirled around Lucy’s mind. Had she inadvertently lumped Ellie on her birthday with a man she didn’t like, spoiling the nice lunch her sister had been anticipating with Michael? Being completely star-struck by the storybook prince, Lucy might have been blindly selfish in so quickly agreeing to a foursome, not really consulting Ellie about whether it was okay with her.
‘Be nice to Elizabeth, Harry,’ Michael chided, ‘It’s her birthday.’
‘I am being nice,’ he protested.
Ellie didn’t lose her temper over nothing, Lucy thought, taking proper stock of Michael’s brother. He was a very manly man, his white T-shirt and shorts displaying a lot of firm muscle and smoothly tanned skin. The slightly bent nose stopped him from being classically handsome, but the riot of black curls and the bedroom blue eyes gave him a strong, rather raffish attraction. He exuded a confidence that probably meant he was used to being popular with the opposite sex, but he’d be dead in the water with Ellie if she perceived him as a playboy.
‘Try harder,’ Michael advised, dismissing the distraction by lightly grasping Lucy’s elbow and turning her away with him to continue their stroll together.
She couldn’t dismiss it so easily. ‘Does Ellie dislike your brother, Michael?’ she asked, hating the feeling that this foursome had been a very bad idea.
If it was, she had to break it up, regardless of the miracle meeting with this man. A real prince who was truly, deeply attracted to her would pursue a relationship, anyway. It wasn’t fair to Ellie, messing up her birthday with a man she found hard to tolerate. Better for them to dump the men and go off together, though that was tricky with Michael being Ellie’s boss.
‘I don’t think it’s a case of dislike,’ he answered with a slightly wry grimace. ‘I’ve never known anyone to dislike Harry. He’s a natural charmer, but he does tend to ruffle Elizabeth’s feathers with his flirting.’
There was flirting and flirting, Lucy thought, and some of it could get a bit icky.
‘Don’t worry,’ Michael went on. ‘He’ll behave himself now. I’ve warned him.’
That made no difference if, deep down, Ellie couldn’t abide the man. Lucy needed to have a private word with her, suss out the situation to her satisfaction. Impossible right here. They had walked past the park with the children’s playgrounds, and were level with the swimming lagoon. Another ten minutes’ stroll would bring them to the Mariners Bar, Hopefully, she would get the chance to be alone with Ellie in the cocktail lounge before they went into the dining-room.
In the meantime there was no point in not making the most of Michael’s company.
‘We’d got up to dancing,’ he reminded her with a grin, the grey eyes lit with amused curiosity. ‘Modelling, tour guiding, dancing—how did this lead to cemetery administration?’
‘Oh, there’s a lot of stuff in between,’ she said airily. ‘I was doing a beautician course while the dancing was paying off. That led to jobs in a department store and two of the holiday resorts up here.’ She slanted him a twinkling look. ‘I do a great foot massage and pedicure if you ever need one.’
He laughed. ‘A woman of many talents.’
She loved the sound of his laugh. It echoed in her ears and seemed to ripple down to her heart, where it tripped her pulse into racing overtime.
What was she going to do if his brother was a frog? Please don’t let him be, she silently begged. It would ruin this highly promising lunch.
Michael kept asking her questions, seemingly intrigued by her, which was a lovely feeling. Most guys wanted to talk about themselves. He gave her the sense that he’d never met anyone like her before and he couldn’t get enough of her, not right now, anyway. Whether that would last…Well, nothing usually did, not on this kind of high, but Lucy couldn’t help revelling in it.
Of course, he wouldn’t be intrigued by her at all if he knew the truth—that she didn’t just flit from one job to another because she was attracted to something new and different. More times than not she ran into an unavoidable snag because of her dyslexia, and she was either let go or moved on before she had to suffer the humiliation of being found wanting again. Her disability was a curse she had to live with, but she was determined to enjoy the good times in between being stumped by it and having to pick herself up and try something else.
Right now the promise of having a very good time with Michael Finn was thrilling her to bits, though she still had to check with Ellie that what was happening was okay with her. She wanted her sister to have a happy birthday. Men came and went in Lucy’s life. Ellie was the only person she could count on to always be there for her.
They’d passed the yacht club and were on the path to the cocktail bar adjoining the restaurant when Harry called out to them. ‘Hey, Mickey! I’ll buy the girls cocktails while you see the maître d’ about our table.’
Mickey? Mickey Finn. Lucy rolled her eyes. That was such boy stuff! Maybe Harry was simply an overgrown boy, irritating Ellie with his silly immaturity.
‘Okay.’ Michael tossed back the response, apparently accustomed to being called Mickey by his brother, and not minding it.
Whatever…The arrangement between them would give her some time alone with Ellie in the cocktail bar—time enough to check if the current scenario sucked for her sister.
Michael left them at the bar, striding swiftly into the restaurant to speak to the maître d’. Harry led them to a set of two-seater lounges with a low table in between, and saw them settled facing each other.
‘Now let me select cocktails for you both,’ he said, the vivid blue eyes twinkling confidence in his choices. ‘A margarita for you, Elizabeth.’
It surprised her. ‘Why that one?’
He grinned. ‘Because you’re the salt of the earth and I revere you for it.’
She rolled her eyes at his linking her character to the salt-encrusted rim of the glass that was always used for a margarita cocktail.
Though it was clever, Lucy thought, openly conceding, ‘You’re right on both counts. Ellie loves margaritas and she is the salt of the earth. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s always been my anchor.’
‘An anchor,’ Harry repeated musingly. ‘I think that’s what’s been missing from my life.’
‘An anchor would only weigh you down, Harry,’ Ellie put in drily. ‘It would feel like an albatross around your neck.’
‘Some chains I wouldn’t mind wearing.’
‘Try gold.’
He laughed.
This quick banter between them gave Lucy pause for speculation. ‘Do you two always spar like this?’ she asked.
‘Sparks invariably fly,’ Harry claimed.
Ellie gave him an arch look. ‘I would have to admit that being with Harry is somewhat invigorating.’
Lucy laughed and clapped her hands. They were playing a game, scoring points off each other. It wasn’t bad at all. ‘Oh, I love it! What a great lunch we’ll all have together!’ She cocked her head at the man who was certainly ruffling Ellie’s feathers, but quite possibly in a way her sister found exciting under her surface pretence of indifference. ‘What cocktail will you choose for me?’
‘For the sunshine girl…a pina colada.’
She clapped her hands again. ‘Well done, Harry. That’s my favourite.’
‘At your service.’ He twirled his hand in a salute to them both and headed off to the bar.
A charmer, Michael had said, and Lucy could now see how it was. Ellie was attracted to Harry but she didn’t trust his charm, maybe thinking he was a bit too slick with it. She should just ride with it, enjoy it, let her hair down and not care where it led.
Lucy leaned forward to press this advice on her sister. ‘He’s just what you need, Ellie. Loads of fun. You’ve been carrying responsibility for so long, it’s well past time you let loose and had a wild flutter for once. Be a butterfly instead of a worker bee.’
An ironic little smile tilted Ellie’s mouth as she drawled, ‘I might just do that.’
‘Go for it,’ Lucy urged, excited by the possibility that both the brothers could be princes. ‘I’m going for Michael. He’s an absolute dreamboat. I’m so glad I wasn’t held up any longer at the cemetery. I might have missed out on meeting him. Why didn’t you tell me your boss was gorgeous?’
‘I’ve always thought him a bit cold.’
Lucy threw up her hands at her sister’s lack of discernment. ‘Believe me. The guy is hot! He makes me sizzle.’
Ellie shrugged. ‘I guess it’s a matter of chemistry. Harry is the hot one for me.’
Chemistry…yes! That explained everything. There was nothing wrong with Michael. Quite simply, there was no chemistry between him and Ellie, and no one could make that happen. It either did or it didn’t. Lucy had met some really nice guys in her time, but there’d been no point in dating them. They just didn’t do it for her.
She sat back contentedly, the narky questions that had been niggling at her making a complete exit, leaving her free to fall in love again.
She grinned at Ellie. ‘Brothers and sisters…wouldn’t it be great if we ended up together, all happy families?’
It was a lovely fantasy! Totally off the wall, because Lucy knew she wasn’t good enough to hold on to a man of Michael Finn’s calibre. Today was hers. Probably tonight. Maybe she would have him for a week or two if she could manage not to be found wanting by him.
‘I think that’s a huge leap into the future,’ her sister commented, rolling her eyes at Lucy. ‘Let’s just take one day at a time.’
Sensible, as always.
And completely right, as always.
But Lucy was flying high and didn’t want to be brought down to earth.
That could happen tomorrow or the next day or the next… .
Today she was over the moon and wanted to stay there.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHILE LUCY DIDN’T believe in big dreams for herself, she saw no reason for Ellie not to have them. Her sister was brilliant at everything. No one could find fault with her. However, her personal life certainly needed brightening, and Harry Finn looked like the right man to do it if she’d simply fling the door open and let him in.
‘You’re always so sensible, Ellie,’ Lucy chided, wanting her to lighten up and take a few risks for once.
‘Which is something I value very highly in your sister,’ Michael said warmly, picking up on her words as he appeared beside them and seated himself next to her on the lounge.
‘Oh, I do, too,’ she quickly agreed, liking him all the more for appreciating this quality in his PA. She bestowed a brilliant smile of approval on him as she added, ‘But I also want Ellie to have fun.’
‘Which is where I come in,’ Harry said, also catching her words as he came back. His eyes danced with wicked mischief as he gazed at Ellie. ‘Starting with cocktails. The bartender will bring them over. Here are the peanuts and pretzels.’
He placed a bowl of them on the table and settled himself beside her, throwing her a challenging look that mocked any resistance to having fun with him. She flicked him a sizzling glance in return.
Definitely something hot going on between them, Lucy thought, and gave Harry an approving smile as she asked, ‘What cocktail did you order for Michael?’
‘A Manhattan. Mickey is highly civilised. He actually forgets about sunshine until it sparkles over him.’
Lucy laughed at the teasing reference to herself as the sunshine girl. ‘And for yourself?’
‘Ah, the open sea is my business. I’m a salty man, so I share Elizabeth’s taste for margaritas.’
‘The open sea?’ Lucy queried.
‘Harry looks after the tourist side of Finn’s Fisheries,’ Michael answered. ‘I take care of buying in the stock for all our franchises.’
‘Ah!’ She nodded, understanding why Harry was dressed the way he was.
She knew Finn’s Fisheries was a huge franchise with outlets all around Australia. They not only stocked every possible piece of fishing gear, a lot of it imported, but the kind of clothing that went with it: wetsuits, swimming costumes, shorts, T-shirts, hats. The range of merchandise was fantastic and Ellie had told her Michael dealt with all that.
She knew about the tourist side, too, having been a tour guide herself. There were Finn dive boats offering adventures around the Great Barrier Reef, Finn deep sea fishing yachts for hire, and for the really rich, the exclusive getaway resort of Finn Island, where she’d never been but would love to go.
Harry couldn’t be too much of a playboy if he was responsible for keeping these enterprises running successfully. She noticed that his white T-shirt with the tropical fish had the emblem of Finn Island printed below his left shoulder, and wondered if he’d come from there this morning. Maybe if she and Michael hit it off really well, he would take her to the glamorous getaway.
Lucy decided she could not have wished for a more exciting situation—Ellie and Harry, she and Michael. The conversation over cocktails zipped with good humour. Ellie drank a second margarita, definitely loosening up, hopefully throwing caution to the winds. A thirtieth birthday was not a time to be overly sensible.
Lucy wanted her sister to have the best possible day.
Which led to making the mistake!
They were handed menus as soon as they were seated in the dining-room, and instead of waiting for the others to start talking about the dishes listed, as she usually did, the fact that they were at a top-line restaurant gave her the confidence to say, ‘I bet I know what you’re going to order, Ellie.’
Her sister raised her eyebrows. ‘What?’
Lucy grinned at her. ‘The chilli mud crab.’ It was her absolute favourite dish.
‘Actually, I can’t see that on the menu,’ Michael said, glancing quizzically at her.
‘Oh, I didn’t really look. I just assumed,’ she replied quickly, silently cursing herself for being an impulsive idiot.
Revealing her disability to a man she wanted to impress—a man as smart as Michael Finn—would make him lose interest in no time flat, and she would shrivel up inside if he got that look on his face—the look that saw her as defective. Hiding her dyslexia was always the best course. Now she had to cover up the stupid mistake.
Pretending to study the menu properly, she asked, ‘What have you decided on, Michael?’
‘The steak.’
‘How about sharing a seafood platter for two with me, Elizabeth?’ Harry said, leaning closer to point out the platter’s contents on the menu. ‘You get crab on it, as well as all the other goodies, and we can nibble away on everything as we please.’
Lucy instantly warmed to him even more—a sweet man, not only caring about her sister’s pleasure, but also taking the meal selection heat off herself.
‘Harry will eat the lion’s share,’ Michael warned.
Harry instantly raised a hand for solemn vowing. ‘I swear I’ll give you first choice of each titbit.’
‘Okay, that’s a done deal,’ she said, closing the menu and slanting him a smile.
‘Sealed with a kiss,’ he said, bright blue eyes twinkling wickedly as he leaned closer still and pecked her on the cheek.
‘You can keep that mouth of yours for eating, Harry,’ she snapped, probably on the principle of give him an inch and he’d take a mile.
He grinned. ‘Elizabeth, I live for the day when I’ll eat you all up.’
‘That’ll be doomsday.’
‘With the gates of heaven opening for me,’ Harry retorted, his grin widening.
Lucy couldn’t help laughing.
Ellie heaved a long-suffering sigh and shook her head at him. ‘You are incorrigible.’
‘A man has to do what a man has to do,’ he archly declared, sending Lucy off into more peals of laughter.
He was fun. And totally irrepressible. She suspected that Ellie was holding out against him because she got a kick out of the sparring, as well as not wanting him to think she was an easy catch.
However, their selection of a seafood platter for two didn’t help Lucy with choices. She would have to order the same as Michael, which was okay. The steak should be very good here.
Michael was amused by Harry’s determined assault on Elizabeth’s defences, amused by her determined resistance to his charm, too. Most women would be lapping it up. His brother was going to have to work hard to win this one over, but the battle served to keep them occupied with each other, leaving him free to pursue the connection with Lucy.
He’d been quite stunned when Elizabeth had turned up at work this morning wearing the gorgeous butterfly blouse—totally atypical of her usual style in clothes. A birthday gift from her sister, she’d said—a sister who was as different from her as chalk and cheese. She was so right about that. He could see Elizabeth as a schoolma’m. Lucy promised to be a delicious array of exotic cheeses, and tasting all of it had already become a must-do in his life.
And despite her choice of white clothes today—very sexy white clothes—she was definitely the butterfly, flitting from job to job as though they all had some sweet nectar for her, tasting and moving on, clearly enjoying everything that life could offer her, wanting a whole range of experiences.
Including him.
Saw him, liked him, wanted him.
His head was still spinning with the excitement of her uninhibited response to their meeting. No games, no pretence, no guard up—just lovely open Lucy letting him know she found him as sexy as he found her. It was a struggle not to be in a constant state of arousal.
He thought of Fiona Redman, his most recent ex, who’d definitely been into female power games. The convenience of having her as a sexual partner did not stack up against the annoyance of being expected to toe her lines. No woman was ever going to decide for him when he should work and when he shouldn’t. The success of Finn Franchises had been top priority in his life ever since his father’s untimely death, and that was not about to change any time soon.
However, he would certainly make time to satisfy this sizzling lust for Lucy. It probably wouldn’t last long. the sheer novelty of her would wear off and the usual boredom or irritation would set in. He had never come across the magic glue that could make a relationship stick. He always found fault somewhere and that was the end of it. Quite possibly the fault was in him. Whatever…he was going to enjoy this woman as long as she stayed enjoyable.
The waiter returned and took their orders. Lucy chose the steak, too. Wanting to share everything with him? It was absolutely exhilarating being with her, especially when she turned those big brown eyes on him, the golden specks in them glowing with warmth.
‘You said dancing lessons interfered with sport, Michael. What did you like playing?’ Dimples flashed in her cheeks as she spoke.
He smiled reminiscently. ‘Everything in those days—cricket, baseball, tennis, soccer, rugby.’
‘Not now?’
‘They were mostly schoolboy passions. I still play tennis, but only socially. I have a couple of games of squash during the week to loosen up from too much desk work, and usually a round of golf at the weekend.’ She looked sublimely fit, probably from dancing, but out of interest he asked, ‘What about you? Any sporting passions?’
‘I can play tennis, but like you, only socially. At school I mostly concentrated on athletics.’
He grinned. ‘High-jump champion?’
His instant assumption surprised her. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Long legs. Great shape, too.’
And he couldn’t wait to have them wound around him in an intimate lock.
‘You’re obviously in great shape yourself,’ she retorted, her eyes simmering with the same kind of thoughts, driving his excitement metre higher. Then, as though taking a mental back step, she added, ‘I also play netball with a group of friends once a week. I always keep up with my girlfriends. Men can come and go, but real friends stay in your life.’
‘You don’t count any men as real friends?’
‘A few gay guys. They’re lovely people. Lots of empathy and caring.’
‘No straight ones?’
Her dimples deepened as her luscious lips twitched into a provocative little smile. ‘Well, sooner or later most straight men turn into frogs.’
‘Frogs?’ he repeated, needing enlightenment. He’d heard ‘empathy and caring’ loud and clear but ‘frogs’?
Her eyes danced teasingly at him. ‘You suddenly turn up in my life and everything about you shouts that you’re a prince amongst men.’
A prince. That was a surprisingly sweet stroke to his ego.
Her hands lifted in a helpless gesture. ‘But how do I know you won’t turn into a frog tomorrow?’
‘Ah!’ he said, understanding. ‘You’ve been with guys who haven’t lived up to their promise.’
She shrugged prettily, the off-the-shoulder sleeve of her peasant blouse sliding lower on her upper arm. ‘It happens,’ she said in airy dismissal. ‘I’m hoping not to be disappointed with you, Michael.’
The seductive challenge sizzled straight to his groin. He was up for it, all right. He wished he could whizz her straight off to bed. How long would this birthday luncheon go on—main course, sweets, coffee? At least another hour and a half. He’d give Elizabeth the rest of the afternoon off, take Lucy to his penthouse apartment. Although…
‘Do you have to get back to work this afternoon?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I do,’ she answered ruefully. ‘I have to deliver the angels’ heads to the stonemason, take the van back to the office, then visit the people who own the burial plot that’s been mistakenly used, and hopefully persuade them that one burial plot is as good as another.’
‘Tricky job,’ he said with a sympathetic wince.
‘Not really. It’s a matter of getting them to empathise with the bereaved parents who have just laid their daughter to rest—how terrible it would be for them to have her dug up again,’ Lucy explained. The caring in her voice moved something in his heart, reminding him of laying his parents to rest, the final closure.
Caring, empathy…he sensed something quite special in this woman. She wasn’t just fantastically sexy. There was much more to her. So far it was all good.
‘Are you free tonight?’ he asked, not wanting to wait any longer to have her to himself.
‘Yes.’
Her smile promised an eagerness that matched his for a more intimate encounter. Which made his hardon even harder.
Fortunately, the waiter showed good timing in arriving with their main course. Their conversation moved to food as they ate their steaks, which were perfectly cooked, asparagus on the side with a touch of Béarnaise sauce, and crunchy roasted potatoes.
Lucy was into cooking, loved experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. Better and better, Michael thought, looking forward to enjoying many meals with her. She had an infectious enthusiasm for life that made her company an absolute delight. He was wondering if she’d ever cooked frogs legs after bidding a frog goodbye when Harry claimed his attention, leaning an elbow on the table and pointing a finger at him.
‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’
The problem that had brought him to the office this morning—the discovery that the resort manager was feathering his own nest at their expense. Michael frowned over the interruption. He didn’t want to talk family business with his brother when he had plans to make with Lucy.
‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ he said tersely—the same advice he’d given earlier. ‘Once you confront him you can’t leave him there. The potential for damage…’
‘I know, I know. But it’s best to confront him with his replacement. We walk in and turf him out. No argument. A done deal.’
Why was he persisting with this discussion here? ‘Agreed,’ he said impatiently. ‘But you don’t have a ready replacement yet and the longer he stays—’
‘Elizabeth. She’s the perfect person for the management job, completely trustworthy, meticulous at checking everything, capable of handling everything you’ve thrown at her, Mickey.’
That rocked him. Was Harry off his brain, wanting to mix pleasure with business? The way he’d been madly flirting…was he seriously attracted? This didn’t feel right.
‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael stated firmly, giving his brother a steely look.
Harry dug in regardless. ‘I’m more in need of her than you are right now. Lend her to me for a month. That will give me time to interview other people.’
‘A month…’ Michael frowned over the inconvenience to himself. Harry did have a point. He needed a replacement for Sean Cassidy pronto.
‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.
Michael glowered at him. ‘You’re not stealing my PA.’
‘Her choice, Mickey.’ Harry turned to her. ‘What do you say, Elizabeth? Will you help me out for a month…stay on the island and get the resort running as it should be run? My about-to-be ex-manager has been cooking the books, skimming off a lot of stuff to line his own pockets. You’ll need to do a complete inventory and change the suppliers who’ve been doing private deals with him. It would be a whole new challenge for you, one that—’
‘Now hold on a moment,’ Michael growled. ‘It’s up to me to ask Elizabeth if she’ll do it, not you, Harry.’ This on-the-spot decision didn’t sit well with him, particularly with his brother virtually railroading him into it, yet it was a credible solution to the problem.
‘Okay. Ask her.’
Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, disliking the sense of having been pushed into a corner. ‘It’s true,’ he reluctantly conceded. ‘You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort. I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month… .’
He grimaced at the prospect. She was his right hand in the office, always understanding and delivering whatever was needed. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, ‘I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while… .’
‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested, which meant she had already decided to go with Harry.
‘Too stodgy. No initiative,’ Michael said, hating the idea of having to do without her.
‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued.
‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry noted, grinning from ear to ear.
She shot him a quelling look. ‘I’m up for the challenge of fixing the management problems, nothing else, Harry.’
Good! Michael thought. Elizabeth wasn’t about to mix business with pleasure. If that was on Harry’s mind, as well as solving his predicament, she’d spike his guns and serve him right, given that he’d have to put up with Andrew Cook while she was away.
‘That’s it then,’ he said, resigned to a month of having to spell out everything to his pro tem PA.
‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.
Ah, yes! A month of Lucy without her sister possibly butting into their relationship, Michael thought, realising and appreciating the one upside of this situation. It could have been tricky having his PA an everpresent watchdog while he bedded her sister. Absolute freedom from that felt good. A month might very well be the limit of this currently hot connection, anyway—everything done and dusted before Elizabeth returned to take up her position with him again.
‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ she assured Lucy.
The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered when he’d cleared away their main course.
‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.
‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed, looking forward to having intimate time with Lucy.
‘Today,’ Harry decided, checking his watch. ‘It’s only three o’clock now. We could be over on the island by four-thirty. Have him helicoptered out by six. We leave here when we’ve finished our sweets, hop on the boat… .’
‘It is Elizabeth’s birthday, Harry,’ Michael reminded him. ‘She might have other plans for today.’
‘No, I’m good to go,’ she said.
Great! he thought. No delay to what he wanted.
‘What about clothes and toiletries and stuff?’ Lucy put in. ‘You’re going for a month, Ellie.’
‘You can pack for her, Lucy,’ Harry said decisively. ‘Mickey can take you home, wait while you do it, take Elizabeth’s bags and arrange their shipping to the island.’
‘No problem,’ Michael said, smiling at Lucy. ‘I’ll give you my phone number. Give me a call when you’ve finished work and I can come by your apartment this evening.’
She’d be there all by herself. Perfect!
Her eyes danced with pleasure as she agreed to the plan, and her smile was full of sensual promise.
Michael decided he didn’t care what Harry did with Elizabeth.
Let them sail off into the sunset!
He was going to make hay with the sunshine girl!
CHAPTER FIVE
LUCY WAS NERVOUS. Excited, too. Much more excited than she usually was about having a first date with a new man, which was probably what was making her so nervous. Plus the fact that Michael Finn was a high-flyer and she had never connected with anyone from his level of society. She was definitely out of his league in any social sense, and more than likely he only wanted a sexual fling with her, which she might as well accept right now and not get herself in a twist about it.
Regardless of his intentions, she wanted to be with him, wanted to experience him, so no way was she going to back off at this point. Besides, a Cinderella could win a prince. Miracles could happen. Failing that, if the worst came to the worst, she could write off her time with him as a case of real lust being satisfied. Because while she had certainly fancied other guys in the past—not like this, not nearly as strongly as this—Michael Finn had her in an absolute tizzy of lust.
Just thinking of him, she was squeezing her thighs together, and when she’d been in the shower earlier, running her hands over herself, dying to know how it would feel with his hands caressing her naked body. Even now as she prepared the Thai salad to go with the prawns she’d bought on the way home, her stomach muscles kept contracting.
He’d be here soon—another ten minutes or so. The apartment was tidy. The table was set. She’d changed into a yellow wraparound dress with a tie belt that could be easily undone, and underneath it she wore her sexiest white lace bra and panties, wickedly intent on knocking his socks off, though he probably wouldn’t wear socks. Or shoes. Easily slipped off scuffs, she decided, like hers. she’d deliberately left off jewellery, not wanting it to get in the way. Her only adornment was a frangipani flower she’d picked off the tree in the front yard and stuck in her hair.
She imagined him wearing shorts and an opennecked sports shirt that could be pulled off in a second. Would he have a hairy chest? Not too hairy, she hoped, but having such thick black hair, and obviously loaded with testosterone, he was bound to have some. She couldn’t wait to see, to touch. Her fingers were tingling with anticipation.
The doorbell rang.
Her heart started pounding.
Please let him be a prince tonight, she wildly prayed. Please let him not do or say anything to put me off him. I want this night to be perfect.
The rush of desire steaming through her made her legs feel weak as she walked to the door and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat at seeing him again—so stunningly handsome, and the silver-grey eyes shining with pleasure at seeing her. She barely managed a husky ‘Hi!’
His smile was dazzling. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this moment ever since we parted this afternoon,’ he said, the lovely deep tone of his voice sending a thrill through her.
‘Me, too,’ she said, smiling back. ‘Come on in, Michael.’
He was wearing shorts and a sports shirt—navy and red and white, a strong combination that emphasised his alpha maleness. He handed her a bottle of wine as he stepped into the living-room. ‘To go with whatever you’ve planned to feed me.’
She laughed. ‘It’s only a light meal. It was a very substantial lunch.’
‘Perfect!’ He matched the word to the glance encompassing her appearance before adding, ‘It’s a light wine, too.’
A very good one, she thought as she glanced at the label—Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Almost giddy with excitement, she certainly didn’t need alcohol to feel intoxicated, but she asked, ‘Do you want to open it now?’
‘When we eat,’ he said dismissively, taking in her living space. ‘This is a wonderfully welcoming room, Lucy. Did you do the decorating?’
It was a fairly standard two-bedroom apartment, one bathroom and an open kitchen combined with the living area, but she was proud of how they had turned it into their home, and Michael’s approval of it was especially pleasing. She set the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter so she could use her hands to gesture at various items as she answered him.
‘Ellie bought the basic furniture. I added the cushions and the wall posters and the rug in front of the lounge. We wanted it to be a cheerful place to come home to, and with the walls and floor tiles being white, the whole place virtually begged for bright splashes of colour.’
‘You’ve done a brilliant job.’ He gave her another dazzling smile, setting off a fountain of joy inside her. ‘My mother was great at using colour to please the eye, too.’
Being compared to his mother felt like a huge compliment. Lucy beamed at him. ‘I’m glad you like it.’
He shook his head slightly as he moved towards where she stood in front of the kitchen counter, ‘There’s nothing not to like about you, Lucy.’
The lovely low throb in his voice set her stomach aflutter and her heart leapt into a wild gallop when his hands started sliding around her waist. Her own hands automatically lifted to his shoulders as he drew her closer, gently pressing her lower body to his. The silvery-grey eyes darkened with a storm of feeling, searching hers for a reflection of the same storm.
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Emma Darcy
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: A sensual agendaIn the boardroom men quail at Michael Finn’s business prowess and in the bedroom women beg for his touch. Nothing eludes the Australian tycoon’s grasp – except for free-spirit Lucy Flippence, his employee’s sister, who tests his practised charm.Vivacious Lucy is a fish out of water in Michael’s corporate world, but once she gives in to the attraction between them she seems made for his bed. It won’t be long before Michael’s ticked her off his To-Do list, so she’ll pretend it’s the luxury lifestyle she enjoys and not the feelings he’s awakened in her – feelings her crippling secret has forced her to deny…‘Sizzling throughout, Emma definitely knows her alpha males!’ – Alex, 34, Account Executive