Christmas with the Boss (5 page)

His expression and the horrified indignation in his tone convinced
her immediately he was telling the truth.

“Well, who else would put my clothes into a plastic bag and leave
them on the end of my bed? Do you provide a maid service in your holiday
rentals?” Her tone was sarcastic but she wanted an answer. If he hadn’t put
them there, who had?

“Trust me.” Dominic stared at her and his voice was soft. He
balanced on the balls of his feet and looked away from her out to the sea as he
ran his hand through his hair. “I believe you, but I just want you to know that
I did not—and would not—come into your cottage uninvited. It wasn’t me. My
cousin Margaret has a key. Maybe she found them?”

 Jilly pushed herself to her feet and brushed the loose sand from
her legs. He’d been too close for her comfort in the sand beside her. “Okay, if
you say so, I guess I’ll take your word for it.”

He stood and she tipped her head to the side and looked at him curiously.
Even though he had denied it and she had no reason not to believe him, he still
looked ill at ease.

 “Okay, if it wasn’t your cousin, maybe I just had a memory lapse or
something.” She reached out to touch his arm in an attempt to lighten the
tension. “I’ve had a tough few days and I’m pretty tired. I really needed this
break. My boss works me very hard, you know.” She let a tentative smile cross
her face. He looked so concerned she felt bad.

 “Thank you.” Dominic straightened his shoulders and Jilly had to
tip her head back to keep eye contact. “Have you given any more thought about
moving to a motel?”

Jilly put her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out as any
sympathy fled.

“No.”

Dominic looked down at the woman staring at him. He knew very well
how hard Jilly Henderson worked, and he was just sorry that the chances of her
having a restful Christmas in that cottage were slim. He stared down at her
beautiful green eyes as they locked with his. A man could drown in them. He’d
not been immune to her at the office, but he had tried to ignore it. Even
though she was quiet and professional in her dealings with him, he’d often
heard her laughter coming from the morning tea room as she’d chatted to the
other staff. But she’d always kept a barrier up between them and it had
rankled, even though avoiding office romances was a policy he’d stuck to
religiously as he’d climbed the corporate pole. Too many issues in the business
world were generated by office relationships after a fling. Friday night staff
drinks were notorious for beginning relationships between staff that were
committed elsewhere.

 And it always happened at this time of the year; another reason to
avoid the Christmas drinks that seemed to be on every night from the first of
December until the big office party when there was inevitably a tale of woe.
Staff turnover from the Christmas party fallout was a given every year.

But not for him.

“Earth to Dominic.” Jilly’s familiar voice washed over him. He
ignored the little jolt that headed for his groin, but was thankful that he was
wearing board shorts over his budgie smugglers. The budgie had already given a
little chirp when Jilly’s hand had touched his arm a moment ago.

“Sorry. You had me back in the office for a while there. And yes, I
do know how hard you work.” He wasn’t going to mention someone being in in her
cottage—if she was prepared to put it down to a memory lapse, he wasn’t going
to discourage it. But he was going to do his damnedest to make sure it didn’t
happen again.

If I had a fucking clue how to, that is.

“So seeing your boss is such a hard taskmaster, he needs to make
sure you have a great holiday. How would you like to come for a surf with me in
the morning?” Dominic couldn’t take his eyes off Jilly when her face broke into
a wide smile. She was drop dead
gorgeous
. And if he kept his eyes on her
face, his gaze wasn’t tempted to stray to the luscious curves packaged in that
white bikini.

“Oh, yes please! That’d be awesome. Do you have a spare board?”

“I do, but I’m pretty sure we’ll find a smaller one to suit you in
the shed at the back of your cottage. It shouldn’t be locked. I’ll come down
and have a look this afternoon if that’s okay?” He waited for her nod. After
last night’s antics, he wasn’t going to go near the place and give her any
reason to doubt him. As far as he knew all his and Derro’s boards had been
there for years. He was the only one of all the cousins who ever came back to
the coast. Except for his cousin Margaret; she’d never moved away. The rest of
them were scattered far and wide over the world in a variety of careers. One
thing he could say about the Smythe-Phillips; they were high achievers.

Except for Derro, but maybe he’d known what his life was going to
hold for him.

Dominic gazed out over the ocean; Derro had never had a career goal.
Surfing had been his life and it had caused his death before he was twenty. His
ashes had been scattered to the wind on this very beach ten years ago. Guilt
ran through him; he hadn’t caught up with Margaret for years. She’d been the
older, crazy cousin as they’d grown up and run wild at their grandparents’
beach cottages and Derro’s death had tipped her into eccentricity. When he’d
last seen her, he’d been shocked at how she’d aged.

Despite the sadness that came with being here, Dominic had looked
forward to coming home. This was the place he could be himself and not the
corporate suit that he’d become. He had planned to use this week as a time to
reconsider his future. His life was not what he wanted for himself, even if he
was making a success of it. Maybe it was time for a change; a sea change. Even
after two nights away from Sydney peace was stealing through his bones. But he
certainly didn’t need the complication of anyone in that cottage and the
problems it could bring. That person was now staring up at him with a strange
expression on her face.

Jilly reached out again and touched his arm gently. “Dominic?”

“Yes?” He gave his head a gentle shake. She had a terrible effect on
him; his thoughts were all over the place.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Oh. I forgot. And to you too.” A chuckle accompanied his words.
“How about when I come over I’ll bring a couple of beers and we can sit on your
porch and watch the storm after we dig out a board for you?” He’d had no
intention of saying that and his words surprised him. At least if he was there,
he could keep her safe. Not that he thought she could really come to any harm.
After all what could—

“Storm?” Jilly frowned at him and lifted her eyes to the clear blue
sky.

“Guaranteed to be a storm later.” Dominic lifted his head and
sniffed the pure air. “Can’t you smell it?”

Jilly’s pretty laugh trilled around him. “No, I can’t, but I’ll take
your word for it. And yes, it would be nice to have some company.”

Despite her laugh, he was surprised to see a tear drop from the tip
of her long eyelashes. He reached out and used the pad of his thumb to wipe it
from her cheek.

“You okay?”

She let out an unladylike sniff and wiped her hand over her eyes.
“Sorry. First Christmas without my dad. I thought I’d be okay, but I guess I’m
not.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. It’s tough, isn’t it? What about your
mum?”

Jilly shook her head mutely.

He stared over her head to the ocean and let her gather herself
together.

“I lost both my parents in the same year. It’s hard. Times like
Christmas and birthdays really bring it home.”

“Come on over later. When you’re ready.” A small smile tilted her
lips. “I’ll try not to be rude to you this afternoon.’

Dominic picked up his board, and hitched it beneath his arm. He was
reluctant to go back to the cottage; he was enjoying her company. “Okay, sounds
like a plan; I’ll see you later.” As he turned away, Dominic allowed himself
one lingering glance at the lush curves in the white bikini.

Yep, she’s drop dead gorgeous.

Maybe his office rule could take a break too.

Jilly didn’t spend much longer on the beach before the sun got too
hot. With her fair skin, she’d end up looking like a lobster. It took a while
to get immersed in her book; the sight of Dominic walking away from her with
the board beneath his arm, his strong muscles flexing, had set her heart in a
little pitter patter, and it was hard to concentrate. Then she opened her
Kindle and tried to focus on one of the romances she had downloaded. For a
couple of hours she buried herself in an imaginary world, not giving any
thought to Dominic or the sorting out of Dad’s stuff that waited for her back
in Sydney.

Eventually, the heat of the sun—not to mention the steamy scenes in
the romance—got too much and she packed up her bag and towel. The erotic
romance about a holiday fling had her thoughts heading in an inappropriate
direction.

 A holiday fling?
Maybe that’s what I need?

Uh, uh.
She shook her head. Not with her
boss. Although it
was
becoming harder to reconcile the Dominic of the
surf with Mr Smythe-Phillips of the office. Maybe it would help if he put a
shirt on. Too much naked chest for her comfort.

But what a gorgeous naked chest.

Jilly grinned as she headed back to the beach house. She paused as
she opened the gate to the path that led to the front door. Someone had mowed
the grass and cleaned up the garden while she’d been at the beach. The cottage
looked prettier with smooth, green lawn surrounding it; more like the photo in
the email. The edges had been trimmed and the long grass outside the fence was
neatly clipped too. She closed the gate behind her and took two steps before
she stopped dead and looked around slowly, her mouth dropping open.

Her car was gone. Jilly spun on her heel and looked back to the
road; no sign of it. She climbed the steps slowly and walked along the verandah
to the door and her heart lodged in her throat. The door was wide open and the
key she had locked it with was in her beach bag. She put her bag on the table
outside the door and poked her head inside cautiously.

“Hello?” Her voice was husky and she cleared her throat. “Dominic?
Are you inside?” Her eyes settled on the small dining table. Her car keys were
sitting exactly where she had left them last night. But a small vase filled
with pretty summer flowers was in the middle of the table.

Jilly frowned and backed out through the doorway before walking to
the far end of the verandah and peering around the back of the house. She let
out the breath she had been holding. Her little red sedan was parked behind the
shed in the longer grass. Whoever had mowed had moved her car to the back.
Folding her arms, she marched along the verandah and stepped back inside.

Thoughtful, but presumptuous.

“Is there anybody here?” Her temper was growing by the minute. If
Dominic had wanted her to move her car so he could mow, all he’d had to do was
ask. God, he knew she was on the beach; he could have waited till she came
back.

How dare he just walk in, pick up her keys and move her car as
though he owned the place? Well, in a way, he did. The place belonged to his
family, but she was a tenant and she didn’t feel at all comfortable with him
having free access to where she was staying. She was tempted to march up and
front him straight away, but she’d wait until he came down later.

Jilly picked up her Kindle, raided the fridge for a healthy snack
and wandered back outside. She narrowed her eyes. In between the door and the
shower halfway along the verandah, a small hammock chair hung from a hook. She
walked up to it and gave it a gentle push as she looked around. She was sure
that chair hadn’t been there last night when she’d had her shower. She
shrugged; it looked inviting, calico macramé knots held it together and
colourful cushions invited her to sink in and curl her legs up.

Jilly backed into the hammock and sat cross-legged, testing the
weight, before she leaned back against the soft cushions.

Okay, putting up a chair like this for her to chill in, maybe she
could forgive him for coming by while she was at the beach.
It
was
thoughtful to mow the lawn and move her car so it
didn’t get chipped. Maybe he was just trying to make amends for being so
insistent that she move to a motel.

Not a chance. She could see herself spending the rest of the week
rocking in this chair reading. Putting one foot against the wooden rail at the
edge of the verandah, she pushed hard and the hammock rocked gently from side
to side.

Bliss.
Just what she needed.

Jilly flipped open the Kindle and began to read. She took a deep
breath as the sex scenes got hotter and hotter.

Oh, my.

She read until her eyelids began to droop, keen to keep reading as
the story came to a searing climax. Finally she put her Kindle aside and
snuggled into the cushions for an afternoon nap. The only problem with the
hammock was it wouldn’t swing unless you pushed it but Jilly was too comfy and
she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

Creak, creak, creak.
The gentle swinging
of the hammock chair soothed her as she surfaced from the delicious realms of
sleep a while later. She stretched and rubbed her eyes as the chair rocked from
side to side; she’d had the most explicit dream about Dominic. A smile crossed
her face; that’s what she got for reading erotic romance novels. As she came
fully awake, she stiffened. The chair was swinging from side to side as someone
pushed it from behind.

God, I dream about him and he turns up.

“Dominic?”

No reply. The hammock swung away and she had to hang onto the side
to avoid falling out.

“That’s so not funny.” Jilly waited until the swinging slowed and
putting her feet to the ground, she slid out of the chair. She really wasn’t
appreciating her boss’s sense of humour. Putting her hands on her hips, she
opened her mouth and stepped to the back of the chair. Goose bumps pricked her
arms and the hair on the back of her neck rose as a coldness swept along the
verandah.

There was nobody there
. The chair was
rocking by itself. Jilly closed her mouth and put her hand on the chair to stop
it swinging. Deep in thought, she walked to the end of the small porch and
looked up the road. There was no sign of anyone. The sky was clouding over but
the air outside was still with the expectant hush before a storm. There was no
birdsong and only the sound of the gentle whoosh of the waves breaking on the
sand reached her.

It must have been the wind.

But there is none.

Maybe she’d done it herself as she’d been waking up?

Jilly turned as the silence was broken by the purr of a motor and
Dominic’s silver Audi cruised past. He lifted his arm in a wave but kept
driving to his house further up the road.

##

Dominic narrowed his eyes as he waved to Jilly. The garden around
the cottage had been cleaned up and the lawn mowed.

Nice of her to do that.
He’d intended
offering to do it tomorrow but she’d obviously found the old push mower in the
shed while he’d been in town getting some snacks; he had a few beers in the
fridge. Luckily the service station where he’d run into her last night had
opened for a few hours on the public holiday, and it had been deserted today.
He drove into the small covered lean to. The sky to the southwest was black
with tinges of green with the promise of hail. They were in for a pearler of a
storm this afternoon.

After taking a quick shower, he grabbed the six pack of beer he’d
bought and sauntered down the road. Anticipation filled him at the prospect of
spending some time with Jilly.

Maybe getting to know her a bit better. He could hear the shower
running on the verandah and he looked up as he crossed the newly mown grass. A
pink towel was hanging on the hook outside the door.

Good. No funny business this afternoon. Keep it that way.

Dominic put the beer on the table and walked down the stairs toward
the back shed to see if their old boards were still in there. A grin crossed
his face as Jilly’s out of tune voice followed him down the steps as she sang
in the shower.

Shake your booty?
The picture that came
to his mind kept the grin on his face. He’d never be able to look at Miss
Henderson across the boardroom table again without thinking of her in a white
bikini and shaking
her
booty. The hard on was swift and not unexpected.
Maybe he needed another cold shower. He’d turned the water down as cold as he
could after he’d got back from the beach this morning but it hadn’t damped down
the desire that had heated his blood since last night.

Opening the door of the old shed, he pushed aside the cobwebs and
poked around until he came across the old kneeboards in the rafters. Still in
their cloth bags and secured safely for ten years.
Good on you, Derro.

Dominic lifted the dark green board down—that one had been his
favourite when he’d been learning to surf—and carried it up to the verandah; it
was waxed ready to go. Strange that the wax hadn’t dried up; must have been a
good brand.

The singing had been replaced by a muttering and a strange rattling
noise.

“Jilly? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. What the
fu
...what the heck are you playing
at?”

He hurried along the verandah to the shower. The pink towel was
still hanging on the hook. “Are you still in the shower?”

“Of course I am. Now unlock the door and stop playing silly
buggers.”

Dominic stood outside the shower and rolled his eyes. The bolt high
on the outside of the shower door was drawn, effectively locking her in.

How am I going to explain that?

“Heh heh.” The soft chuckle came from behind him and Dominic whirled
around but of course there was nobody there.

“Stop laughing and unlock the bloody door.” Jilly was very
unimpressed if the tone of her voice was any indication. He’d heard that exact
tone when she’d been on the phone to the trading floor each time the share
market fell.

He reached and up and slid the bolt open. “It’s unlocked now, but
Jilly, I swear I didn’t lock it.”

“So who did?”

“It must have jiggled its way along when you were singing?”

Dead silence.

“Go away, until I get out of here.” Her voice was a bit softer.
“Please, just go for a walk or something.”

The door pushed open slowly and Dominic took off back to the shed.
He would do as instructed.

Jilly’s turn to be the boss.