Seducing Megan: Prossers Bay Series Novella (10 page)

“Perhaps it’s because my suggestions are right?”

“I’m not implying that they’re not, but the way he follows you with his eyes and has to be in or near your office twenty times a day says as much as the way he’s been trying to date you for weeks, and actually has, if my friend at Louis’s is correct?”

Megan blushed. Damn small towns. “If you’re right, and I’m not for a minute saying you are, then what the heck is she doing here?”

Chelsea scowled. “I’m willing to bet her money’s drying up without Jordan around. She hasn’t worked a day since they hooked up and she needs a rich man to maintain her status. She’s all about the look and what she can get out of him, nothing to do with loving him.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I know how she treated him, and you don’t do that to someone you love. Besides, he’s just asked me to find her a room. He wouldn’t be doing that if he was going to take her back, would he?”

Megan wasn’t convinced. She’d seen the way Amanda had been all over Jordan, and she felt flustered again. “I really have a lot to do today. Can you give him these files for me?” She hurried outside, not acknowledging the look of frustration in Chelsea’s eyes.

It didn’t matter what Chelsea said; Jordan had a long-time partner who apparently wanted to be back in his life, and Megan wasn’t about to fight over him with Amanda. For goodness’ sake, she wasn’t his girlfriend – there was nothing to do battle for.

Fortunately, she hadn’t lied; she was kept busy all day, even eating her packed lunch at her desk instead of down at the beach, which always reminded her of lunch with the girls, and where Jordan might find her.

There had been no sign of Jordan, and she climbed into her car that afternoon feeling more and more like an idiot. A man who looked like Jordan, and had the money he did, was going to be a catch. Why would he want to hang around with a single mom who had no idea of the lifestyle he was used to, and challenged him at every turn, whether he deserved it or not?

There was only one answer, and it wasn’t flattering. Some women liked the idea of a bit of fun – no strings and certainly no love, but that wasn’t Megan. She’d had enough fun to last her a lifetime and she wasn’t about to go through that humiliation again.

When she got home, Abby called to say that the girls wanted a sleepover and was that okay? Oh hell yes, she thought. As much as she missed her munchkins when she was at work, to have time by herself occasionally was a luxury. She ran a rare bath, and took the book that she’d been wanting to read for a year and a large glass of wine into the bathroom. For tonight she wasn’t going to worry about anything or anyone. Tonight it was all about her and a certain fictional heroine who was going to get exactly what she deserved – Megan fervently hoped.

***

The next day Jordan found Megan in the storeroom surrounded by a pile of linen. She was very flushed from the heat and was giving a backhanded swipe at a stray lock of hair that dared to cover her eyes. Even disheveled she made his blood run hot. He would have loved to pick her up and take her up the hill to his place to cool her down so that he could heat her up again. He already knew that she was a passionate woman; he knew about her independence, her kids and her friends, but he’d be willing to bet that her passion took other forms, and damned if that thought didn’t make him groan out loud.

Megan turned. “Are you all right? I know it’s hot in here, but you don’t look well.”

If this was unwell, he’d welcome more of it any day. “No, I’m fine. What are you doing?”

“I noticed that some of the linen coming out of here is a substandard quality, so I was checking to see if it’s an anomaly or the norm.”

“And?”

“And, as I suspected, most of what we have isn’t good enough for the resort. Your last manager brought cheap stuff that isn’t wearing well, and some of it already looks bad enough that I don’t want it used. At this rate we could run short any time.”

“Damn that woman. Will her inadequacies never end? I saw and approved her budget and let me tell you, there was nothing cheap on her lists. No doubt she was pocketing the difference on that and a lot more besides.”

“No wonder you were fit to be tied when you saw me taking cleaning stuff home.”

Jordan felt embarrassed once more by his hasty conclusion. “Please. You explained that and I have no trust issues with you. In fact, I’d still like to make that up to you.”

“Let’s not go there again. Getting back to the linen. I thought I’d look at some old invoices to see who she’s used in the past and then find a more reputable source.”

“Great. It needs to be figured out if my client list is about to expand the way I intend. Actually, I wanted to ask you to help me with that. I’m organizing an event and I’d like your help hosting it if you’re free on Friday night.”

“It sounds interesting, but you know evenings are difficult for me, with the girls to organize.”

“I know and I wouldn’t ask normally, but it is work-related and you’d have all week to get a babysitter.”

She looked like she was going to refuse, but she surprised him yet again.

“What sort of an event?”

“I’m entertaining a CEO from a renowned company, Global Plastics. He’s looking at using the resort for seminars and training. If we get the booking it could turn into something ongoing, and if that happens, it would be very lucrative.”

“Why don’t you ask Amanda? She looks more the part of a hostess than I ever could.”

He hid his surprise, but the thought that Megan was actually jealous did give him a buzz. “Amanda will never host anything for me. She’s not the sort of woman who can talk about anything remotely interesting to businessmen, if you get my point. Mr. Sainsbury is bringing his wife and a few top executives. Not too many people, but it’ll be upmarket. I know you’ve had the experience, and I’d appreciate it if you can help me out. Naturally, I would reimburse you for your time.”

Megan hesitated. He couldn’t gauge exactly what she was going on in that prickly mind, and was relieved by her answer.

“You pay me well enough. I’ll see what I can do.”

He had to be satisfied with that. At least it wasn’t a ‘no’.

“Could we sit down and work out a few ideas?’

“Sure. I have a few salespeople coming in to discuss linen later this morning, but after that would work for me.”

Jordan smiled. “Perfect. Come over to the restaurant for a light lunch. There’ll be more room, and it’ll be cooler than your office.”

Megan nodded and went to walk away, then turned back to surprise him with a random comment.

“You know, you have some great staff here. They think a lot of you.”

“I hope they know I feel the same about them.”

“I imagine they do. Certainly, the turnover of staff is virtually non-existent. That’s a good achievement.”

She left him to wonder where that whole topic had come from. And unfortunately, to reignite the feelings he had when he was around her. In spite of his best intentions of not thinking about her, she was always on his mind, and even though her attitude had initially grated, he’d come to enjoy it. Look forward to it, he realized.

***

When Megan found Jordan in the restaurant, he was seated in his private alcove where he could see the room but was partly obscured. His head was bent over a laptop, but he noticed her as soon as she came near. He quickly jumped up and pulled out her seat. His manners were impeccable, something else she liked about him.

Penny, the waitress, was there in a flash, ready to take their orders.

“Order what you like and then we’ll get started while we wait.”

Megan ordered a salad and then produced a notepad and pen from her bag. “What’s the main brief?”

“I don’t want it to be too formal, but it should be elegant. There’ll be about twenty in the party, including the CEO and his wife. If you could pay close attention to her, that would be nice. She’ll be used to having things organized for her, so she might be kind of needy, but I’m sure she’ll be a picnic next to her husband. Sainsbury’s a ‘party hard’ kind of guy who’s used to a life of excess, and people jumping at his every command.”

“Sounds like a nice guy.”

Jordan snorted. “He’s a piece of work, and I wish I didn’t have to deal with him, but that’s the price of getting his business. Chelsea’s going to look after the food and drinks with the help of the chef and Penny. If you can deal with the flow of it all, look after the wife and mingle with the other guests, I think we can do this.”

Megan felt a tingle at the use of the word ‘we’. She felt like she was part of the team at the resort already, but thinking about the two of them as an item, which he surely hadn’t intended, made her face heat.

“There you are.”

A very annoyed Amanda appeared in the alcove, wearing a bikini top and a sarong. Her unnaturally large breasts seemed about to burst from the skimpy fabric and the other diners were watching her, the men in particular, most assiduously.

“I’ve been searching for you everywhere. I want to talk to you about the house.”

There was no acknowledgement that Megan was there as Amanda slid into the chair next to Jordan.

“This is a working lunch, so I’ll catch up with you later,” Jordan said firmly.

“I could have lunch too.”

Megan tried not to flinch at her wheedling tone, which Jordan also wasn’t buying.

“Not here and not now. The policy at Haven is no swimwear in the dining room. Please put a top on before you come back. Now, where were we?”

Jordan began to make notes on his page and Amanda finally looked at Megan with narrowed eyes.

“I see. Actually, I’m not all that hungry, so I might visit the spa instead.”

This got no reaction from Jordan, so she stalked off.

Jordan sighed. “I’m so sorry about that. What the hell am I going to do with her?”

Megan felt sorry for him on one level, but he was the owner of a huge resort. He really needed to man up. “You have to tell her how you feel.”

“Feelings don’t come into it with Amanda – unless they’re hers.”

“Then you have to be brutally honest, otherwise she’s going to assume that you’ll change your mind.”

“You mean she’ll wear me down? Don’t even suggest it. If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that I couldn’t bear to live with her again. I’ve loved every minute of being on my own. No smothering or attention seeking. It’s been bliss.”

Megan felt her whole body stiffen. “I get the message. You don’t need a woman in your life. No need to spell it out.”

“That’s not what I mean at all. Don’t put words in my mouth. It’s taken me longer than it should, but I’ve begun to realize that Amanda isn’t as typical as I once thought.”

His eyes creased in that sexy way he had when he smiled and his voice became a soft caress on her senses.

“I wish I’d known that earlier – maybe I’m a slow learner. You aren’t like that. You’re independent, infuriatingly so, and you listen to everyone’s opinion regardless of whether you like what they have to say. I’m so glad you came to work for me. You’ve made the resort a better place, and I can’t imagine what I would have done without you.”

Megan gulped. She felt like she was under some sort of spell, and it was one she didn’t want to escape from. Fortunately, their salads arrived at that moment, piercing the mood and allowing it to slip away without embarrassment.

Every day that she fought the attraction that was Jordan Lambert, she lost a little more ground. Should she fight harder? Should she give in to the desire and just accept it for what it was? Two people, hot for each other, who needed to get it out of their system. And then what? They’d carry on working together like nothing had happened? Or would she have to move on?

Chapter Ten

It isn’t a date. It’s work. No need to get all flustered.
Megan berated herself as she trawled the internet for an idea of something to wear. It had been a long time since she’d gone to anything more than a dinner or movie with her friends and she was worried that her fashion sense, something she’d been proud of in her executive days, had left her completely.

As a cleaner and a mom, her clothes had naturally leaned to the more practical jeans, t-shirts and shorts. Not out of place in Prossers Bay as a rule, but at a swanky affair at the resort they might not go down as well. She snorted at the idea and glanced quickly to her open bedroom door.

The girls had gone to bed some time ago and had been sound asleep when she’d checked on them before propping herself up in her bed with the book she’d yet to finish, and her laptop which she’d promised herself not to open.

Still, the event was work-related, and it couldn’t hurt to do a bit of research before she paid Mary Anne’s a visit. This was the only woman’s dress shop in Prossers Bay that had a bit of flair, and since the resort had opened she’d noticed that Mary Anne had a much trendier window display. Maybe there was a chance she’d find something suitable there. Maybe.

Boy, she was really worked up about this. Of course, part of it was that this was the first glamorous event she’d been invited to since she’d worked in Auckland. Then there was the fact that Jordan would be there. The last few days of spending so much time together finalizing details had made her want him more than she’d ever thought possible. An evening with him, even in a room full of people, was something to look forward to.