The Incorrigible Playboy
The Incorrigible Playboy
Emma Darcy
Australia’s most incorrigible playboy…Billionaire Harry Finn’s reputation is legendary: formidable in business, charming to beautiful women. What he wants, he gets – and top of his list is secretary Elizabeth Flippence. Seeks very personal assistant!One month working together on the luxurious Finn Island resort is more than enough time for Harry to sweep this buttonedup office beauty from behind her desk and into his bed, onto the beach, and wherever else he decides! Elizabeth isn’t content to be just another conquest.But there’s an unknown side to her incorrigible playboy boss that’s even more dangerous than his devastating smile…‘Fantastic storyline written in the typical heartwarming and passionate Emma Darcy style.’ – Ven, 40, Hastings
Harry straightened up, tapping her cheek in passing, and his eyes twinkled as he said, ‘That’s my girl!’
Elizabeth barely stopped her hand from clapping her cheek to rid it of his electric touch. She clenched it into a fist and swiftly decided there would have to be some rules made about this short-term job on the island—like no touching from Harry. No kissing on the cheek, either. He was altogether too cavalier about taking liberties with her.
She was his stand-in manager, not his girl!
She was never going to be his girl.
She needed to find herself a serious man to share all that could be shared.
There was no hope of that happening with a playboy like Harry.
In fact he’d been quite masterful in manipulating Michael into complying with what he wanted. She would have to watch that particular skill of his and not fall victim to any manipulation that would end up with her in the playboy’s bed!
THE LEGENDARY FINN BROTHERS
Australia’s most eligible billionaires!
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 …
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 …
Look out for Michael’s story—coming soon from Mills & Boon
Modern™ Romance.
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:
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
The
Incorrigible
Playboy
Emma Darcy
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader
I want to dedicate this book to Marilyn Callaghan, who was my personal assistant, dear friend and travelling companion for eighteen marvellous years. She was involved in the writing of over sixty Emma Darcy books, not only as my muse but also as the person I trusted to keep me on track to deliver the best I could do. It was our friendship that made my writing continue to be a joy in my life.
Last year when she became very ill, and I was too worried about her to be creative, she still kept pushing me to write—coming up with ideas, wanting to be involved with another story. To please her, and to try and distract us both from what was happening in the real world, I started this book. All too soon she was hospitalised, and I sat by her bed reading to her the first few chapters as I finished them. It made her happy to feel she was still part of a world we could make together. I’d just started Chapter Four when she died, leaving me too bereft to go on with it for months afterwards.
But I had to finish it. For Marilyn. The last story that she shared with me. I hope I’ve got it right for her. I hope you enjoy it. She would want you to.
Love always
Emma Darcy
CHAPTER ONE
THIRTY.
The big three zero.
If ever there was a birthday to inspire the determination to make a change in her life, this was it.
Elizabeth Flippence assessed her reflection in the mirror with a mixture of hope and anxiety. She’d had her long brown hair cut to just below her ears and layered so that it fluffed out around her face in wild waves with bangs across her forehead. It was a much more modern look and softer, more feminine, but she wasn’t sure she should have let the hairdresser talk her into the vibrant auburn colour.
It was certainly striking. Which was probably what she needed for Michael Finn to really notice her today—notice her as a woman instead of taking her for granted as his superefficient personal assistant. She desperately wanted their relationship to shift from its consistently platonic level. Two years was long enough to pine for a man who seemed fixated on not mixing business with pleasure.
Which was ridiculous. They were so well suited to each other. Surely Michael knew that in his heart. It couldn’t be more obvious. Her frustration over this stand-off situation had been simmering for months, and Elizabeth had decided that today was the day she was going to try smashing down his guard. This makeover should at least capture his attention.
And the hairdresser was right about the auburn tones making her dark brown eyes look brighter. The new hairstyle also seemed to put her rather long nose in better proportion with the rest of her face. It highlighted her slanted cheekbones in a strangely exotic way and even her slightly wide full-lipped mouth looked more right somehow.
Anyway, it was done now and she fiercely hoped it would promote the desired result. When Michael commented on her changed appearance, she would tell him it was her birthday present to herself and maybe … please, please, please … he would suggest celebrating the occasion by taking her out to lunch, or better still, dinner.
She didn’t want to be his Girl Friday anymore. She wanted to be his every day and every night girl. If that didn’t start happening … Elizabeth took a long deep breath as she faced the unavoidable truth. Thirty really was the deadline for a woman to give serious consideration to finding a life partner if she wanted to have a family of her own. Michael Finn was her choice but if he didn’t respond to her differently today, she’d probably be wasting her time to hope for any change from him in the near future. Which meant she would have to move on, try to meet someone else.
She quickly banished the downer thought. It was imperative to be positive today. Smile and the whole world smiled back at you, she told herself. It was one of Lucy’s principles and it certainly worked for her sister, who invariably carved a blithe path through life, using her smile to get her out of trouble. A lot was forgiven with Lucy’s smile.
Elizabeth practised her own as she left the bathroom. She was just slipping her mobile phone into her handbag, ready to leave for work when it played her signature call tune. Quickly flipping it open she lifted it to her ear, anticipating the caller would be Lucy, who had spent the weekend with friends at Port Douglas. Her sister’s voice instantly bubbled forth.
‘Hi, Ellie! Happy birthday! I hope you’re wearing the clothes I bought for you.’
‘Thanks, Lucy, and yes, I am.’
‘Good! Every woman should look bold and beautiful on their thirtieth birthday.’
Elizabeth laughed. The beautiful butterfly blouse, basically in glorious shades of blue and green but with the wings outlined in brown and enclosing a vivid pattern in red and sea-green and yellow and lime, was definitely eye-catching, especially teamed with the sea-green pencil skirt. The outfit was a far cry from her usual style in clothes, but under Lucy’s vehement persuasion, she had let herself be seduced by the gorgeous colours.
‘I’ve had my hair cut, too. And dyed auburn.’
‘Wow! Can’t wait to see that! I’ll be back in Cairns later this morning. I’ll drop in at your office for a peek. Got to go now.’
The connection clicked off before Elizabeth could say, ‘No, don’t!’
It was probably silly but she felt uncomfortable about Lucy visiting her at work and had always deterred her from doing it. Because of Michael. As much as she loved her ditzy younger sister, there was no escaping the fact that men seemed irresistibly drawn to her. Her relationships never lasted long. Nothing with Lucy lasted long. There was always another man, another job, another place to go.
For several moments Elizabeth dithered over calling her sister back, not wanting this day to be spoiled by a possible distraction from herself. Yet, didn’t she need to test Michael’s feelings for her? He should value her worth above Lucy’s honeybee attraction. Besides, he might not even see her sister drop in. The door between her office and his was usually closed.
She didn’t feel right about putting Lucy off this morning. It was her birthday and her sister was happy and excited about seeing her. They only had each other. Their mother had died of cancer when they were still in their teens, and their father, who had since settled in Mt Isa with another woman, wouldn’t even remember her birthday. He never had.
In any event, Michael would have to meet Lucy sooner or later if the closer involvement Elizabeth was aiming for came to pass. Accepting this inevitability, she picked up her handbag, slid the mobile phone into its compartment and headed off to work.
The month of August was a pleasant one in Far North Queensland, not too hot to walk the five blocks from the apartment she and Lucy shared to The Esplanade, where the head office of Finn’s Fisheries was located. Usually she drove her little car, leaving it in the space allocated for her in the underground car park of her boss’s building, but she didn’t want to be tied to driving it home today. Much better to be free to do anything.
The thought brought another smile to her face as she strolled along. Michael really was the perfect man for her. 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 Michael dealt with all of it. She loved how he never missed a beat, always on top of everything. It was how she liked to be herself. Together they made a great team. He often said so himself.
If he would just see they should take the next step, Elizabeth was sure they could team up for life and make it a very happy one, sharing everything. He was thirty-five. It was time for both of them to start building a far more personal partnership. She couldn’t believe Michael wanted to remain a bachelor forever.
In the two years she’d known him his relationships with other women had never lasted long, but Elizabeth reasoned it was because he was a workaholic. It would be different with her. She understood him.
Despite all this positive thinking, her heart fluttered nervously as she entered her office. The door to Michael’s was open, which meant he was already in, organising the business of the day. It was Monday, the beginning of a new week. The beginning of something new between them, too, Elizabeth fiercely hoped as she took a deep breath to calm herself and walked purposefully to the opened door.
He was seated at his desk, pen in hand, ticking off items on a sheet of paper, his concentration so total he didn’t sense her presence. For a few moments Elizabeth simply gazed at him, loving the clean-cut perfection of the man; the thick black hair kept short so it was never untidy, the straight black eyebrows that gave slashing emphasis to the keen intelligence of his silver-grey eyes. The straight nose, firm mouth and squarish jaw all combined to complete the look of the alpha male he was.
As always he wore a top quality white shirt that showed off his flawless olive skin and undoubtedly he would be wearing classy black trousers—his customary work uniform. His black shoes would be shiny and … he was just perfect.
Elizabeth swallowed hard to clear her throat and willed him to give her the kind of attention she craved.
‘Good morning, Michael.’
‘Good morn—’ His gaze lifted, his eyes widening in shock. His mouth was left slightly agape, his voice momentarily choked by the unexpected sight of an Elizabeth who was not the same as usual.
She held her breath. This was the moment when the only-business attitude towards her had to snap. A host of butterflies invaded her stomach. Smile, her mind wildly dictated. Show him the warmth in your heart, the desire heating up your blood.
She smiled and suddenly he grinned, the silver eyes sparkling with very male appreciation.
‘Wow!’ he breathed, and her skin tingled with pleasure.
‘Great hair! Fabulous outfit, too!’ he enthused. ‘You’ve done wonders with yourself, Elizabeth. Does this mean there’s some new guy in your life?’
The high that had soared from his first words came crashing down. Associating her makeover with another man meant the distance he kept between them was not about to be crossed. Although … maybe he was tempted. Maybe he was just checking if the coast was clear for him to step in.
She rallied, quickly saying, ‘No. I’ve been unattached for a while. I just felt like a change.’
‘Super change!’ he warmly approved.
That was better. Warmth was good. Elizabeth instantly delivered the planned hint for him to make his move.
‘I’m glad you like it. The clothes are a gift from my sister. It’s my birthday. She insisted I had to look bold and beautiful today.’
He laughed. ‘Well, you certainly do. And we should celebrate your birthday, too. How about lunch at The Mariners Bar? We can make time for it if we get through this inventory this morning.’
Hope soared again. A lunch for two at one of the most expensive restaurants in Cairns, overlooking the marina full of million-dollar yachts … her heart sang with joy. ‘That would be lovely. Thank you, Michael.’
‘Book us a table. One o’clock should see us clear.’ He picked up a sheaf of papers, holding it out to her. ‘In the meantime, if you could check this lot …’
‘Of course.’
Business as usual, but there was a rainbow at the end of it today. Elizabeth could barely stop her feet from dancing over to his desk to collect the work that had to be done first.
‘Bold and beautiful,’ Michael repeated, grinning at her as he handed over the papers. ‘Your sister must have a lot of pizzazz.’
It killed the song in her heart. He was supposed to be showing more interest in her, not wondering about Lucy. She shouldn’t have mentioned her sister. But there was no taking it back, so she had to live with it.
‘Yes, she has, but she’s terribly ditzy with it. Nothing seems to stay in her head long enough to put any order into her life.’ It was the truth and she wanted Michael to know it. The thought of Lucy being attractive to him in any way was unbearable.
‘Not like you,’ he said appreciatively.
She shrugged. ‘Chalk and cheese. A bit like you and your brother.’
The words tripped off her tongue before Elizabeth could catch them back. The anxiety about Lucy had caused her control to slip. It wasn’t appropriate for her to make any comment about her boss’s brother. Normally she would keep her mouth firmly shut about him, despite the heartburn Harry Finn invariably gave her with his playboy patter. She hated it when he came into the office. Absolutely hated it.
Michael leaned back in his chair, his mouth tilted in a musing little smile. ‘Working behind a desk is definitely not Harry’s thing, but I think you might have the wrong impression of him, Elizabeth.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She grimaced an apology. ‘I didn’t mean to … to …’
Now she was lost for words!
‘It’s okay.’ Michael waved off her angst. ‘I know he seems very casual about everything but his mind is as sharp as a razor blade and he has his thumb on everything to do with his side of the business.’
Charter boats for deep-sea fishing, dive-boats for tourists wanting to explore the Great Barrier Reef, overseeing the resort they’d built on one of the islands—it was playboy stuff compared to what Michael did. Elizabeth’s opinion of Harry Finn didn’t shift one iota.
‘I’ll try to see him in that light in the future,’ she clipped out.
Michael laughed. Elizabeth’s toes curled. He was so charismatically handsome when he laughed. ‘I guess he’s been ruffling your feathers with his flirting. Don’t let it get to you. He’s like that with every woman. It’s just a bit of fun.’
Oh, sure! Great fun! For Harry Finn.
Elizabeth hated it.
However, she managed to paste a smile on her face. ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ she said. ‘Must get to work now. And I’ll book our table at The Mariners Bar.’
‘Do that.’ Another grin. ‘We can discuss brothers and sisters over lunch.’
No way, Elizabeth thought as she walked briskly to her own office, firmly closing the door behind her to ensure that Michael didn’t see Lucy when she dropped in. She didn’t want her sister sparking any interest in his mind. Nor did she want Harry Finn intruding on any part of this special lunch date. This precious time together had to be about moving closer to each other on a really personal plane. All her hopes for a future with Michael Finn were pinned on it.
CHAPTER TWO
TEN thirty-seven.
Elizabeth frowned at the clock on her desk. The arrangement with the coffee shop on the ground floor was for coffee and muffins to be delivered at ten-thirty—black expresso and a chocolate muffin for Michael, cappuccino and a strawberry and white chocolate muffin for her. She skipped breakfast to have this treat and her empty stomach was rumbling for it. It was unusual for the delivery to be late. Michael hated unpunctuality and the shop tenants were well aware of his requirements.
A knock on her door had her scuttling out of her chair to open it, facilitating entry as fast as possible. ‘You’re late,’ she said chidingly, before realising the tray of coffee and muffins was being carried by Harry Finn.
Vivid blue eyes twinkled at her. ‘Short delay while they made coffee for me, too,’ he said unapologetically.
‘Fine! You can explain that to Michael,’ she bit out, forcing her gritted teeth open to get the words out.
‘Oh, I will, dear Elizabeth. Never would I leave a blemish on your sterling record of getting everything right for him,’ he rolled out in the provocative tone that made her want to hit him. She was not given to violence but Harry Finn invariably stirred something explosive in her.
‘And may I say you look stunning this morning. Absolutely stunning!’ he rattled on as he stepped into her office, eyeing her up and down, his gaze pausing where the butterfly wings on her blouse framed her breasts, making her nipples stiffen into bullets. She wished they could be fired at him. His white T-shirt with tropical fish emblazoned on it wouldn’t look so sexy on him if there were black holes through it to his all-too-manly chest.
‘The hair is spectacular, not to mention—’
‘I’d rather you didn’t mention,’ she cut him off, closing the door and waving him towards Michael’s office. ‘Your brother is waiting.’
He grinned his devil-may-care grin. ‘Won’t kill him to wait a bit longer.’
She crossed her arms in exasperated impatience with him as he strolled over to set the tray down on her desk, then hitched himself onto the edge of it, ignoring any reason for haste. The white shorts he wore emphasised his long, tanned, muscular legs. One of them he dangled at her, teasing her need for proper behaviour.
‘A moth turning into a butterfly doesn’t happen every day,’ he happily remarked. ‘I want to enjoy the glory of it.’
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She was not going to stand for this. A moth! She had never been a moth! She had simply chosen to be on the conservative side with her appearance to exemplify a serious career person, not someone who could ever be considered flighty like her sister.
‘The coffee will be getting cold,’ she stated in her chilliest voice.
‘Love the sea-green skirt,’ he raved on. ‘Matches the colour of the water near the reef. Fits you very neatly, too. Like a second skin. In fact, it’s inspiring a fantasy of you as a mermaid.’ He grinned. Evilly. ‘I bet you’d swish your tail at me.’
‘Only in dismissal,’ she shot at him, pushing her feet to walk to the desk and deal with the coffee herself since Harry was not inclined to oblige. It meant she had to go close to him, which she usually avoided because the man was so overwhelmingly male, in-your-face male, that her female hormones seemed to get in a tizzy around him. It was extremely irritating.
He wasn’t as classically handsome as Michael. He was more raffishly handsome—his longish black curly hair flopping around his face, crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes from being out in the weather, a slightly crooked nose from having it broken at some point in his probably misspent youth, and a mouth that was all-too-frequently quirked with amusement. At her. As it was now.
‘Have you ever wondered why you’re so uptight with me, Elizabeth?’ he tossed out.
‘No. I don’t give you that much space in my mind,’ she answered, deliberately ignoring him as she removed her coffee and muffin from the tray.
‘Ouch!’ he said as though she’d hurt him, then laughed to show she hadn’t. ‘If I ever get too big for my boots, I know where to come to be whipped back into shape.’
She gave him a quelling look. ‘You’ve come to see Michael. Just follow me into his office.’
The devil danced in his eyes. ‘Only if you swish your tail at me.’
She glared back. ‘Stop playing with me. I’m not going there with you. Not ever,’ she added emphatically.
He was totally unabashed. ‘All work, no play—got to say you’re safe with Mickey on that score.’
Safe? The word niggled at Elizabeth’s mind as she carried the tray to Michael’s door. Why was Harry so sure she was safe with his brother? She didn’t want to be safe. She wanted to be desired so much, there would be no distance left between them.
Harry bounded past her, opened the door and commanded his brother’s attention. ‘Hi, Mickey! I held up the coffee train to have one made for myself. Have a few things to discuss with you. Here’s Elizabeth with it now.’
‘No problem,’ Michael answered, smiling at her as she sailed in with the tray.
She hugged the smile to her heart. Michael was the man of true gold. Harry was all glitter. And she hated him calling his brother Mickey. It was rotten, schoolboy stuff—Mickey Finn—linking him to a spiked drink, and totally inappropriate for the position he now held. No dignity in it at all. No respect.
‘Thanks, Elizabeth,’ Michael said warmly as she unloaded the tray, setting out the two coffees and muffin on his desk. ‘Table booked?’
‘Yes.’
‘What table?’ Harry asked, instantly putting her on edge again.
‘It’s Elizabeth’s birthday. I’m taking her out to lunch.’
‘A … ha!’
Her spine crawled at the wealth of significance she heard in Harry’s voice. If he was about to make fun of the situation … She picked up the emptied tray and swung around to shoot him a killing look.
He lifted his hand in a salute, pretending to plead for a truce between them but his eyes glittered with mocking amusement. ‘Happy birthday, dear Elizabeth.’
‘Thank you,’ she grated out, and swiftly left the two men together for their discussions, closing the door to give them absolute privacy and herself protection from that man.
It was difficult to concentrate on work. She tried, but the clock kept ticking on—eleven o’clock, eleven-thirty, twelve. Lucy hadn’t dropped in and Harry was still with Michael. Anything could have happened with Lucy. It frequently did. She might not make it into the office at all, which would be a relief, no chance of a meeting with Michael. Harry was the main problem. She wouldn’t put it past him to invite himself to her birthday lunch. If he did, would Michael put him off?
He had to.
No way could a romantic mood develop between them if Harry was present. He would spoil everything.
A knock on her door cut off her inner angst. Elizabeth looked up to see the door opening and Lucy’s head poking around it.
‘Okay to come in?’
Her stomach cramped with nervous tension at the late visit but it was impossible to say anything but ‘Yes.’
Lucy bounced in, exuding effervescence as she always did. Today she was dressed in a white broderie anglaise outfit: a little frilly skirt that barely reached midthigh, an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, a wide tan belt slung around her hips, lots of wooden beads dangling from her neck, wooden bangles travelling up one forearm and tan sandals that were strapped up to mid-calf. Her long blond hair was piled up on top of her head with loose strands escaping everywhere. She looked like a trendy model who could put anything together and look good.
‘Ooh … I love the hair, Ellie,’ she cooed, hitching herself onto the edge of Elizabeth’s desk, just as Harry had, which instantly provoked the thought they would make a good pair.
‘It’s very sexy,’ Lucy raved on. ‘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.’ Her lovely sherry-brown eyes twinkled with delight. ‘Now tell me you feel marvellous, too.’
Lucy’s smile was so infectious, she had to smile back. ‘I’m glad I made the change. How was your weekend?’
‘Oh, so-so.’ She waved her hand airily then pulled a woeful grimace. ‘But I’ve had the most terrible morning.’
Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth caught the opening of the door to Michael’s office. Tension whipped along her nerves. Was it Harry coming out or both men?
Lucy rattled out her list of woes, her hands making a host of dramatic gestures. ‘A body was buried in the wrong plot and I had to deal with that. Then a call came in that someone was interfering with a grave. I had to go out to the cemetery and investigate, but that wasn’t too bad. It was only a bereaved husband digging a hole on top of the grave to put in potting soil so he could plant his wife’s favourite rose. Nice, really. The worst thing was a dog running amok in the memorial garden and knocking off some of the angels’ heads. I had to collect them, load them into the van, and now I have to find someone who can stick them back on again. You wouldn’t believe how heavy those angels’ heads are.’
‘Angels’ heads …’ It was Michael’s voice, sounding totally stunned.
It jerked Lucy’s attention to him. ‘Oh, wow!’ she said, looking Michael up and down, totally uninhibited about showing how impressed she was with him.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
‘Are you Ellie’s boss?’ The question popped out with barely a pause.
Elizabeth opened her eyes again to see Michael shaking his head as though bringing himself out of a daze, and Harry behind his shoulder, looking straight at her with a sharp intensity in his bedroom blue eyes she had never seen before. It gave her the weird feeling he was tunnelling into her mind. She quickly dropped her gaze.
‘Yes. Yes, I am,’ Michael finally answered. ‘And you are?’
‘Lucy Flippence. Ellie’s sister. I work in cemetery administration so I often have to deal with angels.’
‘I see,’ he said, looking at Lucy as though she was a heavenly apparition.
She hopped off her perch on the desk and crossed the floor to him with her hand extended. ‘Pleased to meet you. Okay if I call you Michael?’
‘Delighted,’ he said, taking her hand and holding on to it as he slowly turned to make the last introduction. ‘This is my brother, Harry.’
Elizabeth fiercely willed Lucy to find Harry more attractive. No such luck! Her hand was left in Michael’s snug grasp. She raised her other in blithe greeting. ‘Hi, Harry!’ It was tossed at him in a kind of bubbly dismissal, which meant in Lucy’s mind he didn’t really count.
‘Charmed,’ Harry purred at her.
It floated right over her head, no impact at all.
Elizabeth’s heart sank like a stone.
Lucy was intent on engaging Michael and he was obviously enthralled with her.
‘I don’t know if you know but it’s Ellie’s birthday today 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?’ she said appealingly.
There was a terrible inevitability about what happened next.
‘Actually, I’d decided to do the same myself. Lunch at The Mariners Bar.’
‘Oh, wow! The Mariners Bar! 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.
‘I only booked a table for two,’ Elizabeth couldn’t help saying, even though knowing it was a futile attempt to change what wouldn’t be changed now. Her secret dream was already down the drain.
‘No problem. I’m sure the maître d’ will make room for us,’ Michael said, oozing confidence as he smiled at Lucy. ‘We’d be delighted to have the pleasure of your company.’
‘Well, a foursome should be more fun, don’t you think, Ellie?’
The appealing glance over her shoulder forced Elizabeth to smile and say, ‘Certainly no awkward silences with you, Lucy.’
She laughed. ‘That’s settled, then. Thank you for asking me, Michael. And it’s good of you to join in the party, too, Harry.’
The death knell to a happy birthday, Elizabeth thought. Not only would she have to watch Michael being fascinated by her sister, she’d also have to put up with Harry getting under her skin all the time. She slid him a vexed look. His mouth quirked at her, seemingly with more irony than amusement, but that probably didn’t mean anything. No doubt he was anticipating having heaps of fun at her expense.
This lunch was going to be the lunch from hell.
Elizabeth didn’t know how she was going to get through it without throwing in the towel, having hysterics and drowning herself in the marina.
CHAPTER THREE
ELIZABETH knew she’d be paired with Harry for the stroll along the boardwalk to the marina, and she was. There was no point in trying to fight for Michael’s company. His preference for Lucy to be at his side had been made so clear, pride dictated that the arrangement be accepted with as much dignified grace as she could muster.
The two of them walked ahead and it was sickening watching the connection between them flourishing. Lucy, of course, was never short of a word, and Michael was lapping up every one of them, enjoying her bubbly personality. It wouldn’t last, Elizabeth told herself, but that was no consolation. The damage was done. Lucy had achieved in one minute flat what she had been unable to draw from Michael in two years. Even if he turned to her later on, she would never be able to forget that.
The boardwalk ran along the water’s edge of the park adjoining The Esplanade, and she tried to distract herself with the people they passed; couples lounging under the shade of trees, children making use of the play areas set up for them, boys scaling the rock-climb. It was a relief that Harry was leaving her to her silence for a while. It was difficult to cope with him at the best of times, and this was the worst.
She could have chosen to tell Lucy about her secret passion for her boss. That would have warned her off although she wouldn’t have understood it. It simply wasn’t in Lucy to pine for a man who didn’t respond to her as she wanted him to respond. She probably would have looked aghast and said, ‘Throw him away, Ellie. He’s not that into you if you’ve waited this long for him to make a move.’
That truth was staring her in the face right now.
And it hurt.
It hurt so badly, she had to keep blinking back the tears that threatened to well into her eyes. Her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe. She’d been a fool to hope, a fool to think today might be the day. It was never going to happen for her.
‘Ellie …’
It was a jolt to her wounded heart, hearing Harry speak her childhood name in a low, caressing tone.
‘I like it,’ he went on. ‘Much better than Elizabeth. It conjures up a more carefree person, softer, more accessible.’
Her spine stiffened. He was doing it again, digging at her. She shot him a hard, mocking look. ‘Don’t get carried away by it. Lucy simply couldn’t say Elizabeth when she was little. She calls me Ellie out of habit.’
‘And affection, I think.’ There was a look of kindness in his eyes that screwed up her stomach as he added, ‘She doesn’t know she’s hurting you, does she?’
Her mind jammed in disbelief over Harry’s insightful comment. ‘What do you mean?’
He grimaced at her prevarication. ‘Give it up, Ellie. You’re not Mickey’s type. I could have told you so but you wouldn’t have believed me.’
Humiliation burned through her. Her cheeks flamed with it. She tore her gaze from the certain knowledge in Harry Finn’s and stared at his brother’s back—the back Michael had turned on her to be with her sister. How had Harry known what she’d yearned for? Had Michael known, too? She couldn’t bear this. She would have to resign from her job, find another.
‘Don’t worry,’ Harry said soothingly. ‘You can keep on working for him if you want to. Mickey doesn’t have a clue. He’s always had tunnel vision—sets his mind on something and nothing else exists.’
Relief reduced some of the heat. Nevertheless, it was still intensely disturbing that Harry was somehow reading her mind. Or was he guessing, picking up clues from her reactions? She hadn’t admitted anything. He couldn’t really know, could he?
‘On the other hand, it would be much better if you did resign,’ he went on. ‘It’s never good to keep being reminded of failure. And no need to go job-hunting. You can come and work for me.’
Work for him? Never in a million years! It spurred her into tackling him head-on, her eyes blazing with the fire of battle. ‘Let me tell you, Harry Finn, I have never failed at any work Michael has given me and working for you has no appeal whatsoever.’
He grinned at her. ‘Think of the pleasure of saying what you think of me at every turn instead of having to keep yourself bottled up around Mickey.’
‘I am not bottled up,’ she declared vehemently.
He sighed. ‘Why not be honest instead of playing the pretend-game? Your fantasy of having Mickey fall at your feet is never going to come true. Face it. Give it up. Look at me as the best tonic for lovesickness you could have. Balls of fire come out of you the moment I’m around.’
‘That’s because you’re so annoying!’
Her voice had risen to a passionate outburst, loud enough to attract Michael’s and Lucy’s attention, breaking their absorption in each other. They paused in their walk, turning around with eyebrows raised.
‘It’s okay,’ Elizabeth quickly assured them. ‘Harry was just being Harry.’
‘Be nice to Elizabeth, Harry,’ Michael chided. ‘It’s her birthday.’
‘I am being nice,’ he protested.
‘Try harder,’ Michael advised, dismissing the distraction to continue his tête-à-tête with Lucy.
‘Right!’ Harry muttered. ‘We need some control here, Ellie, if you want to pretend there’s nothing wrong in your world.’
‘The only thing wrong in my world is you,’ she muttered back fiercely. ‘And don’t call me Ellie.’
‘Elizabeth reigns,’ he said in mock resignation.
She bit her lips, determined not to rise to any more of his baits.
They walked on for a while before he started again.
‘This won’t do,’ he said decisively. ‘We’ll be at the restaurant soon. If you sit there in glum silence, I’ll get the blame for it and that’s not fair. It’s not my fault that Mickey’s attracted to your sister. Your best move is to start flirting with me. Who knows? He might suddenly get jealous.’
This suggestion stirred a flicker of hope. Maybe …
The shared laughter from the couple in front of them dashed the hope before it could take wing. Nevertheless, Harry did have a valid point. If she didn’t pretend to be having a good time, even Michael and Lucy would realise this birthday treat was no treat at all for her. She had to look happy even though she couldn’t be happy.
She sighed and slid him a weighing look. ‘You know it won’t mean anything if I flirt with you.’
‘Not a thing!’ he readily agreed.
‘It’s just for the sake of making a cheerful party.’
‘Of course.’
‘It’s obvious that you’re a dyed-in-the-wool playboy, and normally I wouldn’t have anything to do with you, Harry, but since I’m stuck with you on this occasion, I’ll play along for once.’
‘Good thinking! Though I take exception to the playboy tag. I do know how to play, which I consider an important part of living—something I suspect you do too little of—but that’s not all I am.’
‘Whatever …’ She shrugged off any argument about his personality. Arguing would only get her all heated again and she needed to be calm, in control of herself. Harry was right about that.
They’d walked past the yacht club and were on the path to the cocktail bar adjoining the restaurant when Harry made his next move.
‘Hey, Mickey!’ he called out. ‘I’ll buy the girls cocktails while you see the maître d’ about our table.’
‘Okay’ was tossed back at him, his attention reverting to Lucy with barely a pause.
‘No doubt about it, he’s besotted,’ Harry dryly commented. ‘How old are you today, Elizabeth?’
‘Thirty,’ she answered on a defeated sigh. No point in hiding it.
‘Ah! The big three zero. Time to make a change.’
Precisely what she had thought. And still had to think now that Michael had proved his disinterest in her personally.
‘Go with me on this,’ Harry urged.
‘Go with you on what?’
‘Something I was discussing with Mickey this morning. I’ll bring it up again after lunch. Just don’t dismiss it out of hand. It would be the perfect change for you.’
‘You couldn’t possibly know what’s perfect for me, Harry,’ she said sceptically.
He cocked a teasing eyebrow. ‘I might just be a better judge on that than you think I am.’
She shook her head, her eyes mocking this particular belief in himself.
He grinned. ‘Wait and see.’
She wasn’t about to push him on it. Harry enjoyed being tantalising. Elizabeth had found her best course was simply to show complete disinterest. In this case, she couldn’t care less what he had in mind. All she cared about was getting through lunch without showing how miserable she was.
Michael left them at the cocktail bar, striding swiftly into the restaurant to speak to the maître d’, obviously in a hurry to get back to Lucy. Harry led them to a set of two-seater lounges with a low table in between and saw them settled with her and Lucy 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 that he’d actually picked her favourite. ‘Why that one?’ she asked, curious about his correct guessing.
He grinned. ‘Because you’re the salt of the earth and I revere you for it.’
She rolled her eyes. The day Harry Finn showed any reverence for her was yet to dawn. He was just making a link to the salt-encrusted rim of the glass that was always used for a Margarita cocktail.
‘You’re right on both counts,’ Lucy happily volunteered. ‘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,’ Elizabeth put in dryly. ‘It would feel like an albatross around your neck.’
‘Some chains I wouldn’t mind wearing.’
‘Try gold.’
He laughed.
‘Do you two always spar like this?’ Lucy asked, eyeing them speculatively.
‘Sparks invariably fly,’ Harry claimed.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she invariably hosed them down, remembering just in time that flirting was the order of this afternoon, so she gave him an arch look and said, ‘I would have to admit that being with Harry is somewhat invigorating.’
Lucy laughed and clapped her hands. ‘Oh, I love it! What a great lunch we’ll all have together!’ Her eyes sparkled at Harry. ‘What cocktail will you choose for me?’
‘For the sunshine girl … A Piña 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.
Lucy was beside herself with delight. ‘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.’
At least she didn’t say moth, Elizabeth thought wryly.
‘I might just do that,’ she drawled, encouraging the idea there was a connection between her and Harry.
‘Go for it,’ Lucy urged, bouncing forward on her seat in excitement. ‘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,’ she said carefully.
Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation at her sister’s lack of discernment. ‘Believe me. The guy is hot! He makes me sizzle.’
Elizabeth shrugged. ‘I guess it’s a matter of chemistry. Harry is the hot one for me.’ It wasn’t entirely a lie. He frequently raised her temperature … with anger or annoyance.
Lucy heaved a happy sigh. ‘Brothers and sisters … wouldn’t it be great if we ended up together … all happy families.’
Elizabeth’s mind reeled from even considering such a prospect. ‘I think that’s a huge leap into the future. Let’s just take one day at a time.’
‘Oh, you’re always so sensible, Ellie.’
‘Which is something I value very highly in your sister,’ Michael declared, picking up on Lucy’s words and smiling warmly at Elizabeth as he returned, but he seated himself beside Lucy, who instantly switched on a brilliant smile for him, fulsomely agreeing, ‘Oh, I do, too. But I also want Ellie to have fun.’
‘Which is where I come in,’ Harry said, also catching Lucy’s words as he came back. His eyes danced wicked mischief at Elizabeth. ‘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 Elizabeth, too closely for her comfort. She wanted to shift away and somehow Harry knew it, instantly throwing her a challenging look that made her sit still and suffer his male animal impact. If she was really attracted to him, she would welcome it. Playing this pretend-game was not going to be easy, but she had to now in front of Lucy.
Her sister turned her smile to Harry. ‘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. ‘And 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!’ Lucy nodded, understanding why Harry was dressed the way he was and how very different the brothers were.
Why she was attracted to Michael and not Harry was beyond Elizabeth’s understanding. Sunshine and sea should go together. They both had frivolous natures. It wasn’t fair that sexual chemistry had struck in the wrong place. Why couldn’t it strike sensibly?
The bartender arrived with their cocktails.
Harry handed her the Margarita and clicked his glass against hers. ‘Happy Birthday, Elizabeth,’ he said warmly, making her squirm inside even as she forced a smile and thanked him.
The others followed suit with their glasses and well-wishing.
Elizabeth settled back against the cushions and sipped her cocktail, silently brooding over the totally non-sensible ironies of life. Was there any reward for being sensible? The old saying that good things come to those who wait was not proving true for her.
She wondered how long was the life of a butterfly.
Probably very short.
But it might be sweet if she could bring herself to be a butterfly—just cut loose from all her safety nets and fly wild for a while, thinking of nothing but having a good time. She should take a vacation, get right away from whatever was developing between Michael and Lucy, try drowning her misery with mindless pleasures.
The Margarita was good. And it packed quite a punch. Maybe if she stopped being sensible and had two or three of them, her mind would get fuzzy enough to put this whole situation at an emotional distance, let her float through lunch … like a butterfly.
CHAPTER FOUR
ELIZABETH stared blankly at the luncheon menu. Food. She had to choose something. Her head was swimming from two Margaritas in quick succession. Bad idea, thinking alcohol could fix anything. It didn’t help at all.
‘I bet I know what you’re going to order, Ellie,’ Lucy said with a confident grin.
‘What?’ Any suggestion was welcome.
‘The chilli mud crab.’
Chilli. Not today. Her stomach was in too fragile a state.
‘Actually, I can’t see that on the menu,’ Michael said, glancing quizzically at Lucy.
‘Oh, I didn’t really look. I just assumed,’ she quickly defended. No way would she admit that her dyslexia made reading menus difficult. ‘What have you decided on, Michael?’
Lucy would undoubtedly choose the same. She was so adept at hiding her disability, hardly anyone ever guessed she had a problem.
‘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.’
‘Harry will eat the lion’s share,’ Michael warned.
Yes, Elizabeth thought, relieved to have such ready help, making it easier for her lack of appetite to go unnoticed.
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 her food-rescuer a grateful smile.
‘Sealed with a kiss,’ he said, bright blue eyes twinkling wickedly as he leaned closer still and pecked her on the cheek.
Her teeth grated together as heat bloomed from the intimate skin contact. The flirting agreement flew right out of her mind. His ability to discomfort her on any spot whatsoever had her snapping, ‘You can keep that mouth of yours for eating, Harry.’
He gave her his evil grin as he retorted, ‘Elizabeth, I live for the day when I’ll eat you all up.’
‘That’ll be doomsday,’ she slung back.
‘With the gates of heaven opening for me,’ Harry retaliated, his grin widening.
Lucy’s laughter reminded her just in time that flirting shouldn’t have too sharp an edge, so she swallowed her hell comment, heaved a long-suffering sigh and shook her head at Harry. ‘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.
Elizabeth declined asking what he meant.
Nevertheless, as the birthday luncheon progressed, she schooled herself to respond lightly to Harry’s banter, pretending to be amused by it, making a show of enjoying his company. At least he was very persistent in claiming her attention, forcefully distracting her from Lucy’s and Michael’s stomach-curdling absorption in each other, and he did eat the lion’s share of the seafood platter without trying to push her into trying more than she could manage.
It was weird finding herself grateful to have Harry at her side, but just this once she actually did. Without him she would feel wretchedly alone, facing the worst scenario of lost hopes. How she was going to cope, hiding her feelings from both Lucy and Michael in the days to come, she didn’t know. She hoped they would go off somewhere together after this luncheon, give her some space, release her from the tension of keeping up a happy pretence that everything was fine.
A waiter cleared the table and offered them the sweets menu. Elizabeth decided on the selection of sorbets since they should just slide down her throat without any effort. As soon as the orders were given, Harry leaned an elbow on the table and pointed a finger at his brother, claiming his attention.
‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’
‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ came the quick advice. ‘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.’
‘Agreed, 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.’
Confusion over this brother-to-brother business conversation instantly cleared. This was what Harry had intended to bring up after lunch—the perfect change for her. Except it wasn’t perfect. Working for him would drive her bats.
‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael protested.
‘I’m in more 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.
A month …
That was a tempting time frame—manageable if Harry wasn’t around her all the time. The resort wasn’t his only area of interest and responsibility. A month away from Michael and Lucy was a very attractive proposition.
‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.
No way—not with him getting under her skin at any given moment!
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.’
‘Okay. Ask her.’
Yes was screaming through her mind. It offered an immediate escape from the situation with Michael and Lucy; no need to explain why she wanted to go away; a whole month of freedom from having to see or talk to either of them; a job that demanded her complete attention, keeping miserable thoughts at bay. These critical benefits made the irritation of having to deal with Harry relatively insignificant. Her heart was not engaged with him. Her head could sort out his effect on her, one way or another.
Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, realising he’d been pushed into a corner by his brother. ‘It’s true. You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort,’ he conceded, giving Elizabeth an earnest look. ‘I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month …’
You’ve just lost me forever, Elizabeth thought.
‘… but I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while….’
‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested.
He frowned. ‘Too stodgy. No initiative.’
‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued, rather bitchily, liking the fact that Michael found him stodgy. He’d obviously found her stodgy, too, in the female stakes.
‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry slid in, 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.’
‘Brilliant!’
He purred the word, making her skin prickle. It instantly gave her the unsettling feeling she might have bitten off more than she could chew with Harry Finn. But he wouldn’t be at her side all the time on the island. Going was still better than staying at home.
‘That’s it, then,’ Michael said with a resigned air.
‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.
‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ Elizabeth assured her—particularly with Michael dancing attendance.
The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered.
‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.
‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed.
‘Today,’ Harry decided, checking his Rolex 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, recklessly seizing the chance to be relieved of staying in Michael’s and Lucy’s company any longer.
‘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 like a wolf invited into her home to gobble her up.
Lucy happily agreed with the plan, her eyes sizzling with sexual promises as she smiled back at her new lover-to-be.
Elizabeth shovelled the sorbet down her throat. The faster she got out of here, the better.
‘Ready?’ Harry asked the moment she put her spoon down.
‘Ready,’ she answered emphatically, grabbing her handbag and rising to her feet, wanting to run but knowing she had to discipline herself to suffer goodbyes.
Lucy wrapped her in a big hug, mischievously saying, ‘Have a lovely time with Harry, Ellie.’
‘I will,’ she replied through gritted teeth. Denials of that idea would not only be a total waste of time, but also prolong this whole wretched togetherness.
Michael kissed her cheek, wryly murmuring, ‘I’ll miss you.’
I won’t miss you, Elizabeth thought fiercely, barely managing to force a smile. ‘Thank you for my birthday lunch, Michael.’
‘Pleasure,’ he replied, his gaze sliding to Lucy.
‘We’re off,’ Harry said, seizing Elizabeth’s hand and pulling her with him.
His hand was strong and hot, wrapping firmly around her fingers, shooting warmth up her arm, but she didn’t care if heat travelled to her brain and fried it right now. He was acting fast, taking her to the freedom she needed, and she was grateful for that. Once they were outside, he led her straight to the long wharf where rows of million-dollar yachts were docked on either side.
‘Where’s your boat?’ she asked.
‘Right at the end. No shuffling around. A quick, easy getaway. Full throttle to the island.’
‘Good!’
He slid her one of his devilish grins. ‘I must say I admire your decisiveness.’
She gave him a baleful look. ‘Save your chatting up for some other woman, Harry. I played your game in front of Michael and Lucy because it suited me to do it, and I accepted your job offer because that suited me, too. As far as I’m concerned, there’s work to be done and I’ll do it. I don’t expect to have a lovely time with you.’
His eyes held hers with a blast of discomforting intensity. ‘No, not right now,’ he drawled. ‘Having had your expectations comprehensively dashed, I daresay you’ll be a sourpuss for some time to come. But the island is a lovely place and I hope it will work some magic on you.’
A sourpuss …
The shock of that description halted her feet. She stared back at the blazing blue eyes, hating the knowledge she saw in them, knowledge of her hopes and the humiliation of seeing Michael respond to her sister as he had never—would never—respond to her. She couldn’t wipe away Harry’s perception of the situation, couldn’t deny the truth, but was that any reason to be sour on him? He’d been her saviour today.
‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted out. ‘I haven’t thanked you.’
His sexy mouth moved into an ironic tilt. ‘No thanks necessary, Elizabeth.’
His voice was soft, deep, and somehow it made her heart turn over.
She shook her head. ‘That’s not true, Harry. You were very effective in covering up my … my difficulties with how things went down today. I am grateful to you for rescuing me every time I hit a brick wall.’
‘You’ll bounce back, Elizabeth. Look on tomorrow as the first day of a new life—a butterfly breaking free of its confining cocoon and finding a world of sunshine. Come on—’ he started walking down the wharf again, tugging her along with him ‘—we’re on our way there now.’
The first day of a new life …
Of course, that was how it had to be.
There was no point in looking back, mourning over foolish dreams that were never going to come true. She had to put Michael behind her. Lucy would still be there along the track, her episode with Michael gone and forgotten, flitting along in her usual ditzy way. Her sister would always be her sister. It was she who had to start a different journey and being sour about it was just going to hold her back from getting somewhere good.
Harry helped her onto a large, deep-sea fishing yacht, which undoubtedly had powerful motors to get them to their destination fast. ‘Do you get seasick, Elizabeth?’ he asked as he released the mooring rope. ‘There are pills in the cabin you can take for it.’
‘No, I’ll be fine,’ she assured him.
‘I need you to be in top form when we arrive.’
‘What do you consider top form?’ She needed to know, get it right.
He jumped on board, grinning at her as he stored the rope correctly. ‘Your usual self. Totally in charge of everything around you and projecting that haughty confidence you do so well.’
‘Haughty?’ she queried, not liking that description of herself, either.
‘You’re brilliant at it. Subject me to it every time.’
Only because Harry was Harry. It was her defence against him.
‘I want you to give our target a dose of it when we confront him. No chatter. Just freeze him off.’
‘No problem,’ she stated categorically.
He straightened up and headed for the ladder to the bridge, tapping her cheek in passing, his eyes twinkling as he said, ‘That’s my girl!’
She barely stopped her hand from clapping her cheek to rid it of his electric touch. She clenched it into a fist and swiftly decided there would have to be some rules made about this short-term job on the island—like no touching from Harry. No kissing on the cheek, either. He was altogether too cavalier about taking liberties with her.
She was his stand-in manager, not his girl!
She was never going to be his girl.
One Finn brother had taken a bite out of her life. She was not about to give Harry the chance to take another. A month was a month. That was it with the Finns. She was thirty years old. When she’d completed this escape phase, some serious steps would have to be planned to make the best of the rest of her life.
She needed to find herself a serious man to share all that could be shared.
There was no hope of that happening with a playboy like Harry.
‘Think you can make us both a sobering coffee while I fire up the engines?’ he tossed back at her from the ladder.
‘Sure! Though I’m not the least bit intoxicated, Harry.’ She’d sobered up over lunch.
He grinned at her. ‘I am. A straight black would be good. Join me on the bridge when you’ve made it.’
‘Okay.’
She wanted to be fully briefed on the situation she was walking into, and Harry certainly needed to be fully in command of himself before they reached the island. Not that she’d noticed any lack of command. In fact, he’d been quite masterful in manipulating Michael into complying with what he wanted. She would have to watch that particular skill of his and not fall victim to any manipulation that would end up with her in the playboy’s bed!
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Emma Darcy
Australia’s most incorrigible playboy…Billionaire Harry Finn’s reputation is legendary: formidable in business, charming to beautiful women. What he wants, he gets – and top of his list is secretary Elizabeth Flippence. Seeks very personal assistant!One month working together on the luxurious Finn Island resort is more than enough time for Harry to sweep this buttonedup office beauty from behind her desk and into his bed, onto the beach, and wherever else he decides! Elizabeth isn’t content to be just another conquest.But there’s an unknown side to her incorrigible playboy boss that’s even more dangerous than his devastating smile…‘Fantastic storyline written in the typical heartwarming and passionate Emma Darcy style.’ – Ven, 40, Hastings
Harry straightened up, tapping her cheek in passing, and his eyes twinkled as he said, ‘That’s my girl!’
Elizabeth barely stopped her hand from clapping her cheek to rid it of his electric touch. She clenched it into a fist and swiftly decided there would have to be some rules made about this short-term job on the island—like no touching from Harry. No kissing on the cheek, either. He was altogether too cavalier about taking liberties with her.
She was his stand-in manager, not his girl!
She was never going to be his girl.
She needed to find herself a serious man to share all that could be shared.
There was no hope of that happening with a playboy like Harry.
In fact he’d been quite masterful in manipulating Michael into complying with what he wanted. She would have to watch that particular skill of his and not fall victim to any manipulation that would end up with her in the playboy’s bed!
THE LEGENDARY FINN BROTHERS
Australia’s most eligible billionaires!
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 …
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 …
Look out for Michael’s story—coming soon from Mills & Boon
Modern™ Romance.
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:
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
The
Incorrigible
Playboy
Emma Darcy
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader
I want to dedicate this book to Marilyn Callaghan, who was my personal assistant, dear friend and travelling companion for eighteen marvellous years. She was involved in the writing of over sixty Emma Darcy books, not only as my muse but also as the person I trusted to keep me on track to deliver the best I could do. It was our friendship that made my writing continue to be a joy in my life.
Last year when she became very ill, and I was too worried about her to be creative, she still kept pushing me to write—coming up with ideas, wanting to be involved with another story. To please her, and to try and distract us both from what was happening in the real world, I started this book. All too soon she was hospitalised, and I sat by her bed reading to her the first few chapters as I finished them. It made her happy to feel she was still part of a world we could make together. I’d just started Chapter Four when she died, leaving me too bereft to go on with it for months afterwards.
But I had to finish it. For Marilyn. The last story that she shared with me. I hope I’ve got it right for her. I hope you enjoy it. She would want you to.
Love always
Emma Darcy
CHAPTER ONE
THIRTY.
The big three zero.
If ever there was a birthday to inspire the determination to make a change in her life, this was it.
Elizabeth Flippence assessed her reflection in the mirror with a mixture of hope and anxiety. She’d had her long brown hair cut to just below her ears and layered so that it fluffed out around her face in wild waves with bangs across her forehead. It was a much more modern look and softer, more feminine, but she wasn’t sure she should have let the hairdresser talk her into the vibrant auburn colour.
It was certainly striking. Which was probably what she needed for Michael Finn to really notice her today—notice her as a woman instead of taking her for granted as his superefficient personal assistant. She desperately wanted their relationship to shift from its consistently platonic level. Two years was long enough to pine for a man who seemed fixated on not mixing business with pleasure.
Which was ridiculous. They were so well suited to each other. Surely Michael knew that in his heart. It couldn’t be more obvious. Her frustration over this stand-off situation had been simmering for months, and Elizabeth had decided that today was the day she was going to try smashing down his guard. This makeover should at least capture his attention.
And the hairdresser was right about the auburn tones making her dark brown eyes look brighter. The new hairstyle also seemed to put her rather long nose in better proportion with the rest of her face. It highlighted her slanted cheekbones in a strangely exotic way and even her slightly wide full-lipped mouth looked more right somehow.
Anyway, it was done now and she fiercely hoped it would promote the desired result. When Michael commented on her changed appearance, she would tell him it was her birthday present to herself and maybe … please, please, please … he would suggest celebrating the occasion by taking her out to lunch, or better still, dinner.
She didn’t want to be his Girl Friday anymore. She wanted to be his every day and every night girl. If that didn’t start happening … Elizabeth took a long deep breath as she faced the unavoidable truth. Thirty really was the deadline for a woman to give serious consideration to finding a life partner if she wanted to have a family of her own. Michael Finn was her choice but if he didn’t respond to her differently today, she’d probably be wasting her time to hope for any change from him in the near future. Which meant she would have to move on, try to meet someone else.
She quickly banished the downer thought. It was imperative to be positive today. Smile and the whole world smiled back at you, she told herself. It was one of Lucy’s principles and it certainly worked for her sister, who invariably carved a blithe path through life, using her smile to get her out of trouble. A lot was forgiven with Lucy’s smile.
Elizabeth practised her own as she left the bathroom. She was just slipping her mobile phone into her handbag, ready to leave for work when it played her signature call tune. Quickly flipping it open she lifted it to her ear, anticipating the caller would be Lucy, who had spent the weekend with friends at Port Douglas. Her sister’s voice instantly bubbled forth.
‘Hi, Ellie! Happy birthday! I hope you’re wearing the clothes I bought for you.’
‘Thanks, Lucy, and yes, I am.’
‘Good! Every woman should look bold and beautiful on their thirtieth birthday.’
Elizabeth laughed. The beautiful butterfly blouse, basically in glorious shades of blue and green but with the wings outlined in brown and enclosing a vivid pattern in red and sea-green and yellow and lime, was definitely eye-catching, especially teamed with the sea-green pencil skirt. The outfit was a far cry from her usual style in clothes, but under Lucy’s vehement persuasion, she had let herself be seduced by the gorgeous colours.
‘I’ve had my hair cut, too. And dyed auburn.’
‘Wow! Can’t wait to see that! I’ll be back in Cairns later this morning. I’ll drop in at your office for a peek. Got to go now.’
The connection clicked off before Elizabeth could say, ‘No, don’t!’
It was probably silly but she felt uncomfortable about Lucy visiting her at work and had always deterred her from doing it. Because of Michael. As much as she loved her ditzy younger sister, there was no escaping the fact that men seemed irresistibly drawn to her. Her relationships never lasted long. Nothing with Lucy lasted long. There was always another man, another job, another place to go.
For several moments Elizabeth dithered over calling her sister back, not wanting this day to be spoiled by a possible distraction from herself. Yet, didn’t she need to test Michael’s feelings for her? He should value her worth above Lucy’s honeybee attraction. Besides, he might not even see her sister drop in. The door between her office and his was usually closed.
She didn’t feel right about putting Lucy off this morning. It was her birthday and her sister was happy and excited about seeing her. They only had each other. Their mother had died of cancer when they were still in their teens, and their father, who had since settled in Mt Isa with another woman, wouldn’t even remember her birthday. He never had.
In any event, Michael would have to meet Lucy sooner or later if the closer involvement Elizabeth was aiming for came to pass. Accepting this inevitability, she picked up her handbag, slid the mobile phone into its compartment and headed off to work.
The month of August was a pleasant one in Far North Queensland, not too hot to walk the five blocks from the apartment she and Lucy shared to The Esplanade, where the head office of Finn’s Fisheries was located. Usually she drove her little car, leaving it in the space allocated for her in the underground car park of her boss’s building, but she didn’t want to be tied to driving it home today. Much better to be free to do anything.
The thought brought another smile to her face as she strolled along. Michael really was the perfect man for her. 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 Michael dealt with all of it. She loved how he never missed a beat, always on top of everything. It was how she liked to be herself. Together they made a great team. He often said so himself.
If he would just see they should take the next step, Elizabeth was sure they could team up for life and make it a very happy one, sharing everything. He was thirty-five. It was time for both of them to start building a far more personal partnership. She couldn’t believe Michael wanted to remain a bachelor forever.
In the two years she’d known him his relationships with other women had never lasted long, but Elizabeth reasoned it was because he was a workaholic. It would be different with her. She understood him.
Despite all this positive thinking, her heart fluttered nervously as she entered her office. The door to Michael’s was open, which meant he was already in, organising the business of the day. It was Monday, the beginning of a new week. The beginning of something new between them, too, Elizabeth fiercely hoped as she took a deep breath to calm herself and walked purposefully to the opened door.
He was seated at his desk, pen in hand, ticking off items on a sheet of paper, his concentration so total he didn’t sense her presence. For a few moments Elizabeth simply gazed at him, loving the clean-cut perfection of the man; the thick black hair kept short so it was never untidy, the straight black eyebrows that gave slashing emphasis to the keen intelligence of his silver-grey eyes. The straight nose, firm mouth and squarish jaw all combined to complete the look of the alpha male he was.
As always he wore a top quality white shirt that showed off his flawless olive skin and undoubtedly he would be wearing classy black trousers—his customary work uniform. His black shoes would be shiny and … he was just perfect.
Elizabeth swallowed hard to clear her throat and willed him to give her the kind of attention she craved.
‘Good morning, Michael.’
‘Good morn—’ His gaze lifted, his eyes widening in shock. His mouth was left slightly agape, his voice momentarily choked by the unexpected sight of an Elizabeth who was not the same as usual.
She held her breath. This was the moment when the only-business attitude towards her had to snap. A host of butterflies invaded her stomach. Smile, her mind wildly dictated. Show him the warmth in your heart, the desire heating up your blood.
She smiled and suddenly he grinned, the silver eyes sparkling with very male appreciation.
‘Wow!’ he breathed, and her skin tingled with pleasure.
‘Great hair! Fabulous outfit, too!’ he enthused. ‘You’ve done wonders with yourself, Elizabeth. Does this mean there’s some new guy in your life?’
The high that had soared from his first words came crashing down. Associating her makeover with another man meant the distance he kept between them was not about to be crossed. Although … maybe he was tempted. Maybe he was just checking if the coast was clear for him to step in.
She rallied, quickly saying, ‘No. I’ve been unattached for a while. I just felt like a change.’
‘Super change!’ he warmly approved.
That was better. Warmth was good. Elizabeth instantly delivered the planned hint for him to make his move.
‘I’m glad you like it. The clothes are a gift from my sister. It’s my birthday. She insisted I had to look bold and beautiful today.’
He laughed. ‘Well, you certainly do. And we should celebrate your birthday, too. How about lunch at The Mariners Bar? We can make time for it if we get through this inventory this morning.’
Hope soared again. A lunch for two at one of the most expensive restaurants in Cairns, overlooking the marina full of million-dollar yachts … her heart sang with joy. ‘That would be lovely. Thank you, Michael.’
‘Book us a table. One o’clock should see us clear.’ He picked up a sheaf of papers, holding it out to her. ‘In the meantime, if you could check this lot …’
‘Of course.’
Business as usual, but there was a rainbow at the end of it today. Elizabeth could barely stop her feet from dancing over to his desk to collect the work that had to be done first.
‘Bold and beautiful,’ Michael repeated, grinning at her as he handed over the papers. ‘Your sister must have a lot of pizzazz.’
It killed the song in her heart. He was supposed to be showing more interest in her, not wondering about Lucy. She shouldn’t have mentioned her sister. But there was no taking it back, so she had to live with it.
‘Yes, she has, but she’s terribly ditzy with it. Nothing seems to stay in her head long enough to put any order into her life.’ It was the truth and she wanted Michael to know it. The thought of Lucy being attractive to him in any way was unbearable.
‘Not like you,’ he said appreciatively.
She shrugged. ‘Chalk and cheese. A bit like you and your brother.’
The words tripped off her tongue before Elizabeth could catch them back. The anxiety about Lucy had caused her control to slip. It wasn’t appropriate for her to make any comment about her boss’s brother. Normally she would keep her mouth firmly shut about him, despite the heartburn Harry Finn invariably gave her with his playboy patter. She hated it when he came into the office. Absolutely hated it.
Michael leaned back in his chair, his mouth tilted in a musing little smile. ‘Working behind a desk is definitely not Harry’s thing, but I think you might have the wrong impression of him, Elizabeth.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She grimaced an apology. ‘I didn’t mean to … to …’
Now she was lost for words!
‘It’s okay.’ Michael waved off her angst. ‘I know he seems very casual about everything but his mind is as sharp as a razor blade and he has his thumb on everything to do with his side of the business.’
Charter boats for deep-sea fishing, dive-boats for tourists wanting to explore the Great Barrier Reef, overseeing the resort they’d built on one of the islands—it was playboy stuff compared to what Michael did. Elizabeth’s opinion of Harry Finn didn’t shift one iota.
‘I’ll try to see him in that light in the future,’ she clipped out.
Michael laughed. Elizabeth’s toes curled. He was so charismatically handsome when he laughed. ‘I guess he’s been ruffling your feathers with his flirting. Don’t let it get to you. He’s like that with every woman. It’s just a bit of fun.’
Oh, sure! Great fun! For Harry Finn.
Elizabeth hated it.
However, she managed to paste a smile on her face. ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ she said. ‘Must get to work now. And I’ll book our table at The Mariners Bar.’
‘Do that.’ Another grin. ‘We can discuss brothers and sisters over lunch.’
No way, Elizabeth thought as she walked briskly to her own office, firmly closing the door behind her to ensure that Michael didn’t see Lucy when she dropped in. She didn’t want her sister sparking any interest in his mind. Nor did she want Harry Finn intruding on any part of this special lunch date. This precious time together had to be about moving closer to each other on a really personal plane. All her hopes for a future with Michael Finn were pinned on it.
CHAPTER TWO
TEN thirty-seven.
Elizabeth frowned at the clock on her desk. The arrangement with the coffee shop on the ground floor was for coffee and muffins to be delivered at ten-thirty—black expresso and a chocolate muffin for Michael, cappuccino and a strawberry and white chocolate muffin for her. She skipped breakfast to have this treat and her empty stomach was rumbling for it. It was unusual for the delivery to be late. Michael hated unpunctuality and the shop tenants were well aware of his requirements.
A knock on her door had her scuttling out of her chair to open it, facilitating entry as fast as possible. ‘You’re late,’ she said chidingly, before realising the tray of coffee and muffins was being carried by Harry Finn.
Vivid blue eyes twinkled at her. ‘Short delay while they made coffee for me, too,’ he said unapologetically.
‘Fine! You can explain that to Michael,’ she bit out, forcing her gritted teeth open to get the words out.
‘Oh, I will, dear Elizabeth. Never would I leave a blemish on your sterling record of getting everything right for him,’ he rolled out in the provocative tone that made her want to hit him. She was not given to violence but Harry Finn invariably stirred something explosive in her.
‘And may I say you look stunning this morning. Absolutely stunning!’ he rattled on as he stepped into her office, eyeing her up and down, his gaze pausing where the butterfly wings on her blouse framed her breasts, making her nipples stiffen into bullets. She wished they could be fired at him. His white T-shirt with tropical fish emblazoned on it wouldn’t look so sexy on him if there were black holes through it to his all-too-manly chest.
‘The hair is spectacular, not to mention—’
‘I’d rather you didn’t mention,’ she cut him off, closing the door and waving him towards Michael’s office. ‘Your brother is waiting.’
He grinned his devil-may-care grin. ‘Won’t kill him to wait a bit longer.’
She crossed her arms in exasperated impatience with him as he strolled over to set the tray down on her desk, then hitched himself onto the edge of it, ignoring any reason for haste. The white shorts he wore emphasised his long, tanned, muscular legs. One of them he dangled at her, teasing her need for proper behaviour.
‘A moth turning into a butterfly doesn’t happen every day,’ he happily remarked. ‘I want to enjoy the glory of it.’
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She was not going to stand for this. A moth! She had never been a moth! She had simply chosen to be on the conservative side with her appearance to exemplify a serious career person, not someone who could ever be considered flighty like her sister.
‘The coffee will be getting cold,’ she stated in her chilliest voice.
‘Love the sea-green skirt,’ he raved on. ‘Matches the colour of the water near the reef. Fits you very neatly, too. Like a second skin. In fact, it’s inspiring a fantasy of you as a mermaid.’ He grinned. Evilly. ‘I bet you’d swish your tail at me.’
‘Only in dismissal,’ she shot at him, pushing her feet to walk to the desk and deal with the coffee herself since Harry was not inclined to oblige. It meant she had to go close to him, which she usually avoided because the man was so overwhelmingly male, in-your-face male, that her female hormones seemed to get in a tizzy around him. It was extremely irritating.
He wasn’t as classically handsome as Michael. He was more raffishly handsome—his longish black curly hair flopping around his face, crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes from being out in the weather, a slightly crooked nose from having it broken at some point in his probably misspent youth, and a mouth that was all-too-frequently quirked with amusement. At her. As it was now.
‘Have you ever wondered why you’re so uptight with me, Elizabeth?’ he tossed out.
‘No. I don’t give you that much space in my mind,’ she answered, deliberately ignoring him as she removed her coffee and muffin from the tray.
‘Ouch!’ he said as though she’d hurt him, then laughed to show she hadn’t. ‘If I ever get too big for my boots, I know where to come to be whipped back into shape.’
She gave him a quelling look. ‘You’ve come to see Michael. Just follow me into his office.’
The devil danced in his eyes. ‘Only if you swish your tail at me.’
She glared back. ‘Stop playing with me. I’m not going there with you. Not ever,’ she added emphatically.
He was totally unabashed. ‘All work, no play—got to say you’re safe with Mickey on that score.’
Safe? The word niggled at Elizabeth’s mind as she carried the tray to Michael’s door. Why was Harry so sure she was safe with his brother? She didn’t want to be safe. She wanted to be desired so much, there would be no distance left between them.
Harry bounded past her, opened the door and commanded his brother’s attention. ‘Hi, Mickey! I held up the coffee train to have one made for myself. Have a few things to discuss with you. Here’s Elizabeth with it now.’
‘No problem,’ Michael answered, smiling at her as she sailed in with the tray.
She hugged the smile to her heart. Michael was the man of true gold. Harry was all glitter. And she hated him calling his brother Mickey. It was rotten, schoolboy stuff—Mickey Finn—linking him to a spiked drink, and totally inappropriate for the position he now held. No dignity in it at all. No respect.
‘Thanks, Elizabeth,’ Michael said warmly as she unloaded the tray, setting out the two coffees and muffin on his desk. ‘Table booked?’
‘Yes.’
‘What table?’ Harry asked, instantly putting her on edge again.
‘It’s Elizabeth’s birthday. I’m taking her out to lunch.’
‘A … ha!’
Her spine crawled at the wealth of significance she heard in Harry’s voice. If he was about to make fun of the situation … She picked up the emptied tray and swung around to shoot him a killing look.
He lifted his hand in a salute, pretending to plead for a truce between them but his eyes glittered with mocking amusement. ‘Happy birthday, dear Elizabeth.’
‘Thank you,’ she grated out, and swiftly left the two men together for their discussions, closing the door to give them absolute privacy and herself protection from that man.
It was difficult to concentrate on work. She tried, but the clock kept ticking on—eleven o’clock, eleven-thirty, twelve. Lucy hadn’t dropped in and Harry was still with Michael. Anything could have happened with Lucy. It frequently did. She might not make it into the office at all, which would be a relief, no chance of a meeting with Michael. Harry was the main problem. She wouldn’t put it past him to invite himself to her birthday lunch. If he did, would Michael put him off?
He had to.
No way could a romantic mood develop between them if Harry was present. He would spoil everything.
A knock on her door cut off her inner angst. Elizabeth looked up to see the door opening and Lucy’s head poking around it.
‘Okay to come in?’
Her stomach cramped with nervous tension at the late visit but it was impossible to say anything but ‘Yes.’
Lucy bounced in, exuding effervescence as she always did. Today she was dressed in a white broderie anglaise outfit: a little frilly skirt that barely reached midthigh, an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, a wide tan belt slung around her hips, lots of wooden beads dangling from her neck, wooden bangles travelling up one forearm and tan sandals that were strapped up to mid-calf. Her long blond hair was piled up on top of her head with loose strands escaping everywhere. She looked like a trendy model who could put anything together and look good.
‘Ooh … I love the hair, Ellie,’ she cooed, hitching herself onto the edge of Elizabeth’s desk, just as Harry had, which instantly provoked the thought they would make a good pair.
‘It’s very sexy,’ Lucy raved on. ‘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.’ Her lovely sherry-brown eyes twinkled with delight. ‘Now tell me you feel marvellous, too.’
Lucy’s smile was so infectious, she had to smile back. ‘I’m glad I made the change. How was your weekend?’
‘Oh, so-so.’ She waved her hand airily then pulled a woeful grimace. ‘But I’ve had the most terrible morning.’
Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth caught the opening of the door to Michael’s office. Tension whipped along her nerves. Was it Harry coming out or both men?
Lucy rattled out her list of woes, her hands making a host of dramatic gestures. ‘A body was buried in the wrong plot and I had to deal with that. Then a call came in that someone was interfering with a grave. I had to go out to the cemetery and investigate, but that wasn’t too bad. It was only a bereaved husband digging a hole on top of the grave to put in potting soil so he could plant his wife’s favourite rose. Nice, really. The worst thing was a dog running amok in the memorial garden and knocking off some of the angels’ heads. I had to collect them, load them into the van, and now I have to find someone who can stick them back on again. You wouldn’t believe how heavy those angels’ heads are.’
‘Angels’ heads …’ It was Michael’s voice, sounding totally stunned.
It jerked Lucy’s attention to him. ‘Oh, wow!’ she said, looking Michael up and down, totally uninhibited about showing how impressed she was with him.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
‘Are you Ellie’s boss?’ The question popped out with barely a pause.
Elizabeth opened her eyes again to see Michael shaking his head as though bringing himself out of a daze, and Harry behind his shoulder, looking straight at her with a sharp intensity in his bedroom blue eyes she had never seen before. It gave her the weird feeling he was tunnelling into her mind. She quickly dropped her gaze.
‘Yes. Yes, I am,’ Michael finally answered. ‘And you are?’
‘Lucy Flippence. Ellie’s sister. I work in cemetery administration so I often have to deal with angels.’
‘I see,’ he said, looking at Lucy as though she was a heavenly apparition.
She hopped off her perch on the desk and crossed the floor to him with her hand extended. ‘Pleased to meet you. Okay if I call you Michael?’
‘Delighted,’ he said, taking her hand and holding on to it as he slowly turned to make the last introduction. ‘This is my brother, Harry.’
Elizabeth fiercely willed Lucy to find Harry more attractive. No such luck! Her hand was left in Michael’s snug grasp. She raised her other in blithe greeting. ‘Hi, Harry!’ It was tossed at him in a kind of bubbly dismissal, which meant in Lucy’s mind he didn’t really count.
‘Charmed,’ Harry purred at her.
It floated right over her head, no impact at all.
Elizabeth’s heart sank like a stone.
Lucy was intent on engaging Michael and he was obviously enthralled with her.
‘I don’t know if you know but it’s Ellie’s birthday today 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?’ she said appealingly.
There was a terrible inevitability about what happened next.
‘Actually, I’d decided to do the same myself. Lunch at The Mariners Bar.’
‘Oh, wow! The Mariners Bar! 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.
‘I only booked a table for two,’ Elizabeth couldn’t help saying, even though knowing it was a futile attempt to change what wouldn’t be changed now. Her secret dream was already down the drain.
‘No problem. I’m sure the maître d’ will make room for us,’ Michael said, oozing confidence as he smiled at Lucy. ‘We’d be delighted to have the pleasure of your company.’
‘Well, a foursome should be more fun, don’t you think, Ellie?’
The appealing glance over her shoulder forced Elizabeth to smile and say, ‘Certainly no awkward silences with you, Lucy.’
She laughed. ‘That’s settled, then. Thank you for asking me, Michael. And it’s good of you to join in the party, too, Harry.’
The death knell to a happy birthday, Elizabeth thought. Not only would she have to watch Michael being fascinated by her sister, she’d also have to put up with Harry getting under her skin all the time. She slid him a vexed look. His mouth quirked at her, seemingly with more irony than amusement, but that probably didn’t mean anything. No doubt he was anticipating having heaps of fun at her expense.
This lunch was going to be the lunch from hell.
Elizabeth didn’t know how she was going to get through it without throwing in the towel, having hysterics and drowning herself in the marina.
CHAPTER THREE
ELIZABETH knew she’d be paired with Harry for the stroll along the boardwalk to the marina, and she was. There was no point in trying to fight for Michael’s company. His preference for Lucy to be at his side had been made so clear, pride dictated that the arrangement be accepted with as much dignified grace as she could muster.
The two of them walked ahead and it was sickening watching the connection between them flourishing. Lucy, of course, was never short of a word, and Michael was lapping up every one of them, enjoying her bubbly personality. It wouldn’t last, Elizabeth told herself, but that was no consolation. The damage was done. Lucy had achieved in one minute flat what she had been unable to draw from Michael in two years. Even if he turned to her later on, she would never be able to forget that.
The boardwalk ran along the water’s edge of the park adjoining The Esplanade, and she tried to distract herself with the people they passed; couples lounging under the shade of trees, children making use of the play areas set up for them, boys scaling the rock-climb. It was a relief that Harry was leaving her to her silence for a while. It was difficult to cope with him at the best of times, and this was the worst.
She could have chosen to tell Lucy about her secret passion for her boss. That would have warned her off although she wouldn’t have understood it. It simply wasn’t in Lucy to pine for a man who didn’t respond to her as she wanted him to respond. She probably would have looked aghast and said, ‘Throw him away, Ellie. He’s not that into you if you’ve waited this long for him to make a move.’
That truth was staring her in the face right now.
And it hurt.
It hurt so badly, she had to keep blinking back the tears that threatened to well into her eyes. Her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe. She’d been a fool to hope, a fool to think today might be the day. It was never going to happen for her.
‘Ellie …’
It was a jolt to her wounded heart, hearing Harry speak her childhood name in a low, caressing tone.
‘I like it,’ he went on. ‘Much better than Elizabeth. It conjures up a more carefree person, softer, more accessible.’
Her spine stiffened. He was doing it again, digging at her. She shot him a hard, mocking look. ‘Don’t get carried away by it. Lucy simply couldn’t say Elizabeth when she was little. She calls me Ellie out of habit.’
‘And affection, I think.’ There was a look of kindness in his eyes that screwed up her stomach as he added, ‘She doesn’t know she’s hurting you, does she?’
Her mind jammed in disbelief over Harry’s insightful comment. ‘What do you mean?’
He grimaced at her prevarication. ‘Give it up, Ellie. You’re not Mickey’s type. I could have told you so but you wouldn’t have believed me.’
Humiliation burned through her. Her cheeks flamed with it. She tore her gaze from the certain knowledge in Harry Finn’s and stared at his brother’s back—the back Michael had turned on her to be with her sister. How had Harry known what she’d yearned for? Had Michael known, too? She couldn’t bear this. She would have to resign from her job, find another.
‘Don’t worry,’ Harry said soothingly. ‘You can keep on working for him if you want to. Mickey doesn’t have a clue. He’s always had tunnel vision—sets his mind on something and nothing else exists.’
Relief reduced some of the heat. Nevertheless, it was still intensely disturbing that Harry was somehow reading her mind. Or was he guessing, picking up clues from her reactions? She hadn’t admitted anything. He couldn’t really know, could he?
‘On the other hand, it would be much better if you did resign,’ he went on. ‘It’s never good to keep being reminded of failure. And no need to go job-hunting. You can come and work for me.’
Work for him? Never in a million years! It spurred her into tackling him head-on, her eyes blazing with the fire of battle. ‘Let me tell you, Harry Finn, I have never failed at any work Michael has given me and working for you has no appeal whatsoever.’
He grinned at her. ‘Think of the pleasure of saying what you think of me at every turn instead of having to keep yourself bottled up around Mickey.’
‘I am not bottled up,’ she declared vehemently.
He sighed. ‘Why not be honest instead of playing the pretend-game? Your fantasy of having Mickey fall at your feet is never going to come true. Face it. Give it up. Look at me as the best tonic for lovesickness you could have. Balls of fire come out of you the moment I’m around.’
‘That’s because you’re so annoying!’
Her voice had risen to a passionate outburst, loud enough to attract Michael’s and Lucy’s attention, breaking their absorption in each other. They paused in their walk, turning around with eyebrows raised.
‘It’s okay,’ Elizabeth quickly assured them. ‘Harry was just being Harry.’
‘Be nice to Elizabeth, Harry,’ Michael chided. ‘It’s her birthday.’
‘I am being nice,’ he protested.
‘Try harder,’ Michael advised, dismissing the distraction to continue his tête-à-tête with Lucy.
‘Right!’ Harry muttered. ‘We need some control here, Ellie, if you want to pretend there’s nothing wrong in your world.’
‘The only thing wrong in my world is you,’ she muttered back fiercely. ‘And don’t call me Ellie.’
‘Elizabeth reigns,’ he said in mock resignation.
She bit her lips, determined not to rise to any more of his baits.
They walked on for a while before he started again.
‘This won’t do,’ he said decisively. ‘We’ll be at the restaurant soon. If you sit there in glum silence, I’ll get the blame for it and that’s not fair. It’s not my fault that Mickey’s attracted to your sister. Your best move is to start flirting with me. Who knows? He might suddenly get jealous.’
This suggestion stirred a flicker of hope. Maybe …
The shared laughter from the couple in front of them dashed the hope before it could take wing. Nevertheless, Harry did have a valid point. If she didn’t pretend to be having a good time, even Michael and Lucy would realise this birthday treat was no treat at all for her. She had to look happy even though she couldn’t be happy.
She sighed and slid him a weighing look. ‘You know it won’t mean anything if I flirt with you.’
‘Not a thing!’ he readily agreed.
‘It’s just for the sake of making a cheerful party.’
‘Of course.’
‘It’s obvious that you’re a dyed-in-the-wool playboy, and normally I wouldn’t have anything to do with you, Harry, but since I’m stuck with you on this occasion, I’ll play along for once.’
‘Good thinking! Though I take exception to the playboy tag. I do know how to play, which I consider an important part of living—something I suspect you do too little of—but that’s not all I am.’
‘Whatever …’ She shrugged off any argument about his personality. Arguing would only get her all heated again and she needed to be calm, in control of herself. Harry was right about that.
They’d walked past the yacht club and were on the path to the cocktail bar adjoining the restaurant when Harry made his next move.
‘Hey, Mickey!’ he called out. ‘I’ll buy the girls cocktails while you see the maître d’ about our table.’
‘Okay’ was tossed back at him, his attention reverting to Lucy with barely a pause.
‘No doubt about it, he’s besotted,’ Harry dryly commented. ‘How old are you today, Elizabeth?’
‘Thirty,’ she answered on a defeated sigh. No point in hiding it.
‘Ah! The big three zero. Time to make a change.’
Precisely what she had thought. And still had to think now that Michael had proved his disinterest in her personally.
‘Go with me on this,’ Harry urged.
‘Go with you on what?’
‘Something I was discussing with Mickey this morning. I’ll bring it up again after lunch. Just don’t dismiss it out of hand. It would be the perfect change for you.’
‘You couldn’t possibly know what’s perfect for me, Harry,’ she said sceptically.
He cocked a teasing eyebrow. ‘I might just be a better judge on that than you think I am.’
She shook her head, her eyes mocking this particular belief in himself.
He grinned. ‘Wait and see.’
She wasn’t about to push him on it. Harry enjoyed being tantalising. Elizabeth had found her best course was simply to show complete disinterest. In this case, she couldn’t care less what he had in mind. All she cared about was getting through lunch without showing how miserable she was.
Michael left them at the cocktail bar, striding swiftly into the restaurant to speak to the maître d’, obviously in a hurry to get back to Lucy. Harry led them to a set of two-seater lounges with a low table in between and saw them settled with her and Lucy 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 that he’d actually picked her favourite. ‘Why that one?’ she asked, curious about his correct guessing.
He grinned. ‘Because you’re the salt of the earth and I revere you for it.’
She rolled her eyes. The day Harry Finn showed any reverence for her was yet to dawn. He was just making a link to the salt-encrusted rim of the glass that was always used for a Margarita cocktail.
‘You’re right on both counts,’ Lucy happily volunteered. ‘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,’ Elizabeth put in dryly. ‘It would feel like an albatross around your neck.’
‘Some chains I wouldn’t mind wearing.’
‘Try gold.’
He laughed.
‘Do you two always spar like this?’ Lucy asked, eyeing them speculatively.
‘Sparks invariably fly,’ Harry claimed.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she invariably hosed them down, remembering just in time that flirting was the order of this afternoon, so she gave him an arch look and said, ‘I would have to admit that being with Harry is somewhat invigorating.’
Lucy laughed and clapped her hands. ‘Oh, I love it! What a great lunch we’ll all have together!’ Her eyes sparkled at Harry. ‘What cocktail will you choose for me?’
‘For the sunshine girl … A Piña 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.
Lucy was beside herself with delight. ‘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.’
At least she didn’t say moth, Elizabeth thought wryly.
‘I might just do that,’ she drawled, encouraging the idea there was a connection between her and Harry.
‘Go for it,’ Lucy urged, bouncing forward on her seat in excitement. ‘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,’ she said carefully.
Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation at her sister’s lack of discernment. ‘Believe me. The guy is hot! He makes me sizzle.’
Elizabeth shrugged. ‘I guess it’s a matter of chemistry. Harry is the hot one for me.’ It wasn’t entirely a lie. He frequently raised her temperature … with anger or annoyance.
Lucy heaved a happy sigh. ‘Brothers and sisters … wouldn’t it be great if we ended up together … all happy families.’
Elizabeth’s mind reeled from even considering such a prospect. ‘I think that’s a huge leap into the future. Let’s just take one day at a time.’
‘Oh, you’re always so sensible, Ellie.’
‘Which is something I value very highly in your sister,’ Michael declared, picking up on Lucy’s words and smiling warmly at Elizabeth as he returned, but he seated himself beside Lucy, who instantly switched on a brilliant smile for him, fulsomely agreeing, ‘Oh, I do, too. But I also want Ellie to have fun.’
‘Which is where I come in,’ Harry said, also catching Lucy’s words as he came back. His eyes danced wicked mischief at Elizabeth. ‘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 Elizabeth, too closely for her comfort. She wanted to shift away and somehow Harry knew it, instantly throwing her a challenging look that made her sit still and suffer his male animal impact. If she was really attracted to him, she would welcome it. Playing this pretend-game was not going to be easy, but she had to now in front of Lucy.
Her sister turned her smile to Harry. ‘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. ‘And 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!’ Lucy nodded, understanding why Harry was dressed the way he was and how very different the brothers were.
Why she was attracted to Michael and not Harry was beyond Elizabeth’s understanding. Sunshine and sea should go together. They both had frivolous natures. It wasn’t fair that sexual chemistry had struck in the wrong place. Why couldn’t it strike sensibly?
The bartender arrived with their cocktails.
Harry handed her the Margarita and clicked his glass against hers. ‘Happy Birthday, Elizabeth,’ he said warmly, making her squirm inside even as she forced a smile and thanked him.
The others followed suit with their glasses and well-wishing.
Elizabeth settled back against the cushions and sipped her cocktail, silently brooding over the totally non-sensible ironies of life. Was there any reward for being sensible? The old saying that good things come to those who wait was not proving true for her.
She wondered how long was the life of a butterfly.
Probably very short.
But it might be sweet if she could bring herself to be a butterfly—just cut loose from all her safety nets and fly wild for a while, thinking of nothing but having a good time. She should take a vacation, get right away from whatever was developing between Michael and Lucy, try drowning her misery with mindless pleasures.
The Margarita was good. And it packed quite a punch. Maybe if she stopped being sensible and had two or three of them, her mind would get fuzzy enough to put this whole situation at an emotional distance, let her float through lunch … like a butterfly.
CHAPTER FOUR
ELIZABETH stared blankly at the luncheon menu. Food. She had to choose something. Her head was swimming from two Margaritas in quick succession. Bad idea, thinking alcohol could fix anything. It didn’t help at all.
‘I bet I know what you’re going to order, Ellie,’ Lucy said with a confident grin.
‘What?’ Any suggestion was welcome.
‘The chilli mud crab.’
Chilli. Not today. Her stomach was in too fragile a state.
‘Actually, I can’t see that on the menu,’ Michael said, glancing quizzically at Lucy.
‘Oh, I didn’t really look. I just assumed,’ she quickly defended. No way would she admit that her dyslexia made reading menus difficult. ‘What have you decided on, Michael?’
Lucy would undoubtedly choose the same. She was so adept at hiding her disability, hardly anyone ever guessed she had a problem.
‘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.’
‘Harry will eat the lion’s share,’ Michael warned.
Yes, Elizabeth thought, relieved to have such ready help, making it easier for her lack of appetite to go unnoticed.
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 her food-rescuer a grateful smile.
‘Sealed with a kiss,’ he said, bright blue eyes twinkling wickedly as he leaned closer still and pecked her on the cheek.
Her teeth grated together as heat bloomed from the intimate skin contact. The flirting agreement flew right out of her mind. His ability to discomfort her on any spot whatsoever had her snapping, ‘You can keep that mouth of yours for eating, Harry.’
He gave her his evil grin as he retorted, ‘Elizabeth, I live for the day when I’ll eat you all up.’
‘That’ll be doomsday,’ she slung back.
‘With the gates of heaven opening for me,’ Harry retaliated, his grin widening.
Lucy’s laughter reminded her just in time that flirting shouldn’t have too sharp an edge, so she swallowed her hell comment, heaved a long-suffering sigh and shook her head at Harry. ‘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.
Elizabeth declined asking what he meant.
Nevertheless, as the birthday luncheon progressed, she schooled herself to respond lightly to Harry’s banter, pretending to be amused by it, making a show of enjoying his company. At least he was very persistent in claiming her attention, forcefully distracting her from Lucy’s and Michael’s stomach-curdling absorption in each other, and he did eat the lion’s share of the seafood platter without trying to push her into trying more than she could manage.
It was weird finding herself grateful to have Harry at her side, but just this once she actually did. Without him she would feel wretchedly alone, facing the worst scenario of lost hopes. How she was going to cope, hiding her feelings from both Lucy and Michael in the days to come, she didn’t know. She hoped they would go off somewhere together after this luncheon, give her some space, release her from the tension of keeping up a happy pretence that everything was fine.
A waiter cleared the table and offered them the sweets menu. Elizabeth decided on the selection of sorbets since they should just slide down her throat without any effort. As soon as the orders were given, Harry leaned an elbow on the table and pointed a finger at his brother, claiming his attention.
‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’
‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ came the quick advice. ‘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.’
‘Agreed, 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.’
Confusion over this brother-to-brother business conversation instantly cleared. This was what Harry had intended to bring up after lunch—the perfect change for her. Except it wasn’t perfect. Working for him would drive her bats.
‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael protested.
‘I’m in more 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.
A month …
That was a tempting time frame—manageable if Harry wasn’t around her all the time. The resort wasn’t his only area of interest and responsibility. A month away from Michael and Lucy was a very attractive proposition.
‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.
No way—not with him getting under her skin at any given moment!
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.’
‘Okay. Ask her.’
Yes was screaming through her mind. It offered an immediate escape from the situation with Michael and Lucy; no need to explain why she wanted to go away; a whole month of freedom from having to see or talk to either of them; a job that demanded her complete attention, keeping miserable thoughts at bay. These critical benefits made the irritation of having to deal with Harry relatively insignificant. Her heart was not engaged with him. Her head could sort out his effect on her, one way or another.
Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, realising he’d been pushed into a corner by his brother. ‘It’s true. You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort,’ he conceded, giving Elizabeth an earnest look. ‘I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month …’
You’ve just lost me forever, Elizabeth thought.
‘… but I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while….’
‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested.
He frowned. ‘Too stodgy. No initiative.’
‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued, rather bitchily, liking the fact that Michael found him stodgy. He’d obviously found her stodgy, too, in the female stakes.
‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry slid in, 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.’
‘Brilliant!’
He purred the word, making her skin prickle. It instantly gave her the unsettling feeling she might have bitten off more than she could chew with Harry Finn. But he wouldn’t be at her side all the time on the island. Going was still better than staying at home.
‘That’s it, then,’ Michael said with a resigned air.
‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.
‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ Elizabeth assured her—particularly with Michael dancing attendance.
The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered.
‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.
‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed.
‘Today,’ Harry decided, checking his Rolex 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, recklessly seizing the chance to be relieved of staying in Michael’s and Lucy’s company any longer.
‘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 like a wolf invited into her home to gobble her up.
Lucy happily agreed with the plan, her eyes sizzling with sexual promises as she smiled back at her new lover-to-be.
Elizabeth shovelled the sorbet down her throat. The faster she got out of here, the better.
‘Ready?’ Harry asked the moment she put her spoon down.
‘Ready,’ she answered emphatically, grabbing her handbag and rising to her feet, wanting to run but knowing she had to discipline herself to suffer goodbyes.
Lucy wrapped her in a big hug, mischievously saying, ‘Have a lovely time with Harry, Ellie.’
‘I will,’ she replied through gritted teeth. Denials of that idea would not only be a total waste of time, but also prolong this whole wretched togetherness.
Michael kissed her cheek, wryly murmuring, ‘I’ll miss you.’
I won’t miss you, Elizabeth thought fiercely, barely managing to force a smile. ‘Thank you for my birthday lunch, Michael.’
‘Pleasure,’ he replied, his gaze sliding to Lucy.
‘We’re off,’ Harry said, seizing Elizabeth’s hand and pulling her with him.
His hand was strong and hot, wrapping firmly around her fingers, shooting warmth up her arm, but she didn’t care if heat travelled to her brain and fried it right now. He was acting fast, taking her to the freedom she needed, and she was grateful for that. Once they were outside, he led her straight to the long wharf where rows of million-dollar yachts were docked on either side.
‘Where’s your boat?’ she asked.
‘Right at the end. No shuffling around. A quick, easy getaway. Full throttle to the island.’
‘Good!’
He slid her one of his devilish grins. ‘I must say I admire your decisiveness.’
She gave him a baleful look. ‘Save your chatting up for some other woman, Harry. I played your game in front of Michael and Lucy because it suited me to do it, and I accepted your job offer because that suited me, too. As far as I’m concerned, there’s work to be done and I’ll do it. I don’t expect to have a lovely time with you.’
His eyes held hers with a blast of discomforting intensity. ‘No, not right now,’ he drawled. ‘Having had your expectations comprehensively dashed, I daresay you’ll be a sourpuss for some time to come. But the island is a lovely place and I hope it will work some magic on you.’
A sourpuss …
The shock of that description halted her feet. She stared back at the blazing blue eyes, hating the knowledge she saw in them, knowledge of her hopes and the humiliation of seeing Michael respond to her sister as he had never—would never—respond to her. She couldn’t wipe away Harry’s perception of the situation, couldn’t deny the truth, but was that any reason to be sour on him? He’d been her saviour today.
‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted out. ‘I haven’t thanked you.’
His sexy mouth moved into an ironic tilt. ‘No thanks necessary, Elizabeth.’
His voice was soft, deep, and somehow it made her heart turn over.
She shook her head. ‘That’s not true, Harry. You were very effective in covering up my … my difficulties with how things went down today. I am grateful to you for rescuing me every time I hit a brick wall.’
‘You’ll bounce back, Elizabeth. Look on tomorrow as the first day of a new life—a butterfly breaking free of its confining cocoon and finding a world of sunshine. Come on—’ he started walking down the wharf again, tugging her along with him ‘—we’re on our way there now.’
The first day of a new life …
Of course, that was how it had to be.
There was no point in looking back, mourning over foolish dreams that were never going to come true. She had to put Michael behind her. Lucy would still be there along the track, her episode with Michael gone and forgotten, flitting along in her usual ditzy way. Her sister would always be her sister. It was she who had to start a different journey and being sour about it was just going to hold her back from getting somewhere good.
Harry helped her onto a large, deep-sea fishing yacht, which undoubtedly had powerful motors to get them to their destination fast. ‘Do you get seasick, Elizabeth?’ he asked as he released the mooring rope. ‘There are pills in the cabin you can take for it.’
‘No, I’ll be fine,’ she assured him.
‘I need you to be in top form when we arrive.’
‘What do you consider top form?’ She needed to know, get it right.
He jumped on board, grinning at her as he stored the rope correctly. ‘Your usual self. Totally in charge of everything around you and projecting that haughty confidence you do so well.’
‘Haughty?’ she queried, not liking that description of herself, either.
‘You’re brilliant at it. Subject me to it every time.’
Only because Harry was Harry. It was her defence against him.
‘I want you to give our target a dose of it when we confront him. No chatter. Just freeze him off.’
‘No problem,’ she stated categorically.
He straightened up and headed for the ladder to the bridge, tapping her cheek in passing, his eyes twinkling as he said, ‘That’s my girl!’
She barely stopped her hand from clapping her cheek to rid it of his electric touch. She clenched it into a fist and swiftly decided there would have to be some rules made about this short-term job on the island—like no touching from Harry. No kissing on the cheek, either. He was altogether too cavalier about taking liberties with her.
She was his stand-in manager, not his girl!
She was never going to be his girl.
One Finn brother had taken a bite out of her life. She was not about to give Harry the chance to take another. A month was a month. That was it with the Finns. She was thirty years old. When she’d completed this escape phase, some serious steps would have to be planned to make the best of the rest of her life.
She needed to find herself a serious man to share all that could be shared.
There was no hope of that happening with a playboy like Harry.
‘Think you can make us both a sobering coffee while I fire up the engines?’ he tossed back at her from the ladder.
‘Sure! Though I’m not the least bit intoxicated, Harry.’ She’d sobered up over lunch.
He grinned at her. ‘I am. A straight black would be good. Join me on the bridge when you’ve made it.’
‘Okay.’
She wanted to be fully briefed on the situation she was walking into, and Harry certainly needed to be fully in command of himself before they reached the island. Not that she’d noticed any lack of command. In fact, he’d been quite masterful in manipulating Michael into complying with what he wanted. She would have to watch that particular skill of his and not fall victim to any manipulation that would end up with her in the playboy’s bed!
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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: Australia’s most incorrigible playboy…Billionaire Harry Finn’s reputation is legendary: formidable in business, charming to beautiful women. What he wants, he gets – and top of his list is secretary Elizabeth Flippence. Seeks very personal assistant!One month working together on the luxurious Finn Island resort is more than enough time for Harry to sweep this buttonedup office beauty from behind her desk and into his bed, onto the beach, and wherever else he decides! Elizabeth isn’t content to be just another conquest.But there’s an unknown side to her incorrigible playboy boss that’s even more dangerous than his devastating smile…‘Fantastic storyline written in the typical heartwarming and passionate Emma Darcy style.’ – Ven, 40, Hastings