Читать книгу The Platinum Collection: An Australian Conquest: The Incorrigible Playboy / His Most Exquisite Conquest / His Bought Mistress - Emma Darcy, Emma Darcy - Страница 11

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!