Sleeping With My Boss: A Standalone Novel (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Love Story) (A Dirty Office Romance) (45 page)

Chapter
Forty-Five

Austin

I
thought about Emily on the flight, even though I knew I should be focusing all
of my attention on resolving the conflict with the crew. I couldn't help it,
though. The image of Emily curled up on the couch sipping wine and nibbling on
bread and cheese made me smile, and when I replayed the events of the day in my
mind, I couldn't help but remember the way her hand had felt tucked in mine,
how warm her fingers felt on my skin, and how much I had wanted to bring my
other hand up and caress her face as I leaned in and...no, I needed to focus.

"How long before we arrive?" I
yelled into the mic.

"Just a couple of minutes, Mr.
Marks," yelled the pilot. "We're almost there."

I looked down at my phone again, hoping
that Bax had finished the contract and that when I landed, I could go straight to
Buck and tell him what we were offering. Nothing appeared, so I tucked the
phone in my pocket and watched as we descended down to the construction site.
It looked like the men were gathering around a couple of guys holding picket
signs, but I couldn't be sure from a distance. I wasn't about to let Daniel
have the upper hand in this one.

The helicopter set down with the blades
whirling and the pilot yelled, "Keep your head down as you exit, Mr.
Marks!" I nodded and ducked as I got out of the copter and headed for the
site. The pilot lifted off and took back to the skies to circle until we were
done meeting. I waved once I'd cleared the space and headed into Buck's office.

"Mr. Tucker," I said extending
my hand as I walked through the door of the office. "I'm sorry, good to
see you Buck."

"And it's good to see you, too,
Austin," he grinned, shaking my hand warmly. "I'm sorry that you have
to come out here again for this nonsense."

"It happens," I waved him off as
I looked around. The office had nothing but a computer, a phone, a printer, and
a coffee maker tucked in one corner. "What's going on? Do you have any
idea what happened?"

"I honestly have no idea," he
said, shaking his head as he reached up and pulled off his hard hat and
scratched his head. "We were fine until about three days ago, when he
rumors started running like wildfire through the crew. No one knows where they
started or who said what."

"I have an idea of what
happened," I said as I rubbed my cheek with one hand. "But I don't
know how it happened."

"Austin, I've never worked on a crew
that had so many problems before," he said. "I'm not sure why this is
happening or how to stop it, but if you have any good oil, now would be the
time to speak up, mate. If we can figure it out, she'll be right."

Just then, my phone vibrated, letting me
know that Bax had sent the contract. I looked over at Buck and said,
"Check your messages."

He looked down at the computer screen and
saw one from Bax, clicked on it, and at the same time, we read through the
contract. When Buck looked up, a smile stretched all the way from ear to ear as
he nodded. "I'll be stuffed! The boys are going to be stoked about this!
Let's go tell 'em the good news, mate!"

Buck and I walked out of the office and
headed toward the place where the crew was gathering. When we walked up to
them, I could see that there were several men with picket signs that said,
"Marks Enterprises steals jobs!" I shook my head, wondering how
they'd managed to get signs printed up so quickly and wondering who Daniel was
funneling money through to fund this protest.

"Boys, listen up! Mr. Marks has a
bonzer proposal that is a bloody beaut!" called Buck.

"Rack off!" came the response
from a couple of outliers holding signs. "We've heard your bodgy promises
before!"

"Yeah, rack off, mate!" yelled
another man holding a sign.

"Well, at least, listen to what I
have to say," I raised my voice above the protests. "And if after
you've heard my offer, you still don't like it, then I'll let you do what you
want and not interfere."

The men quieted down and one of them
yelled, "Well, get on with it, then!"

"Men, I understand that someone has
been spreading rumors that we're going to start importing foreign labor to help
with this project. I understand why this is of concern, and while I thought
we'd worked it out last time I was here, it's obvious to me that you still have
doubts as to whether or not you can trust Marks Enterprises."

"Yeah, you dunny rats are all
alike!" yelled a man in the back. "Why should we trust you?"

"Well, I can't make you trust me, but
I can offer you something that will make it a little easier to do so," I
continued calmly. "I've given Mr. Tucker a contract here that guarantees
Marks Enterprises will only employ local labor on this project. It guarantees
that there will be no foreign labor brought in and that all workers on the
project will receive a bonus of two percent of their annual pay if the project
is completed on time." A murmur ran through the crowd as the men discussed
the proposal among themselves.

"And, that's including any overtime
earned on the project, so all bonuses will be calculated using the added
overtime," I added. The leaders of the protest looked to Buck for
affirmation and when he nodded his head a cheer went up. The men pounded each
other on the back, and then came to me and Buck to shake our hands and pound us
on the back. I smiled and assured every one of them that I intended to make
good on my word, and they thanked me for doing the right thing.

When we had finished shaking the last
hand, Buck and I went back to his office and we both signed the contract. I sent
a copy of it back to Bax and Buck filed a copy in the cabinet next to his
computer.

"Well, mate, it looks like you did
the right thing," Buck smiled.

"I want this to go smoothly, but it's
of utmost importance that we do this right," I said very seriously.
"I don't want anyone to feel that they are expendable. If that means
spending a little extra money to ensure that sense of security, I'll do
it."

"You certainly bottle your blood's
worth, Austin Marks," Buck said as he again offered his hand. I shook it
and smiled.

"You know, someday you're going to
have to interpret all of these Aussie words for me, my friend," I laughed.
"I've got an inkling of what you guys are saying, but sometimes, I feel
like I'm listening to a foreign language!"

Buck let out a long loud laugh and said,
"Let's just say that it all points to you being a damn good bloke,
Marks."

"Now, that I get!" I laughed
with him. "Right back at you, Buck."

I picked up my phone and texted the copter
pilot that I was ready for pickup, and as he was setting down on the landing
area, I looked at Buck and said, "If you need anything at all, don't
hesitate to let me know, okay? I don't care how big or small it is. I just want
to ensure that this project runs smoothly and that you have what you need to
make it happen."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Buck said
with a twinkle in his eye and a loose salute. I laughed and made my way back to
the helicopter. Once safely inside and on the way up, I shouted, "Now back
to the house, I've got an important dinner date with a very nice lady!"

"Gotcha, boss," the pilot
shouted into his mic before tilting the copter sideways and heading back to
Palm Beach where Emily was waiting for me.

Chapter
Forty-Six

Austin

As
the helicopter landed on the roof, I could see that it was dusk and the sun had
sunk in the western horizon leaving behind a trace of light that was beginning
to morph into darkness. The waters in the cove were calm and I could hear the
night birds beginning to stir. As the copter took off and headed back to Sydney,
I stood and watched a peregrine falcon come in and swiftly pick off a smaller
bird in mid-flight. It was beautifully brutal and it reminded me that in the
wild, only the strong survive, but in the human world, it took more than just
brute force to win.

I walked down the stairs to the door that
led to the interior of the house and paused before turning the knob and walking
into the entryway. The whole house was bathed in the soft glow of evening, and
as I entered the living room I saw her standing at the window looking out over
the water. I inhaled sharply as she turned and smiled at me.

"You look...wow," I exhaled as I
looked at her. Emily was wearing the dress that was my favorite. Its midnight
blue hemline touched the floor and then bled into lighter shades of blue as it
moved higher, finishing at the neck with a light robin's egg shade that
highlighted her tan skin. But it was her face that mesmerized me. She'd pulled
her hair up and tucked it loosely into a messy pile on her head that made me
want to run my fingers through it and bring it cascading down around her
shoulders like she'd worn it while we were swimming. Around her neck was a long
delicate chain of brightly-colored stones that fell between her breasts and
sparkled when she moved.

"Well, thank you very much," she
said with a warm smile as she turned in place. "You made it all
possible!"

"No, I just asked them to pick out
pretty dresses," I said, still staring at her. She looked like an angel
floating across the carpet, and I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her
close to me.

"Are you okay, Mr. Morning?" she
laughed lightly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No, fine...I'm...wow," I said
again as I swept my eyes from head to toe. "You look so beautiful."

"You're too kind," she smiled.
"But perhaps you'd like to go change and get ready for dinner? I think the
chef is ready to begin serving and you're holding up the works!"

"Oh, right," I laughed.
"I'll go change. Don't leave."

"Where on earth would I go, Mr.
Morning?" she smiled warmly as she flicked her hands shooing me up the
stairs.

I quickly showered and changed into jeans
and a loose linen shirt that complimented the color of Emily's dress, left open
at the neck. Barefoot, I padded back down to the living room, rolling up my
sleeves as I did. When I walked back in, she looked me up and down as a wide
smiled spread across her lips.

"You clean up good," she told me
with a wink. I laughed and accepted the glass of wine she held out to me.

"Not as good as you do," I said
admiring her again.

"Are you saying that I don't look
good when I'm not cleaned up?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow and
sipped from her own glass.

"No! That's not what I meant," I
quickly said, and as I backpedaled trying to explain myself, I watched a
mischievous grin blossom on her lips. I shook my head and said, “You’re an
evil, evil woman."

"I'm not the least bit evil,"
she said with faux wide-eyed innocence. "I'm a very good girl."

"Speaking of which," I said,
steering the conversation away from the dangerous curve we were heading for.
"How did you spend your afternoon?"

"Well, RJ gave me a massage that I
think reduced every muscle in my body to liquid form, then I sat in the sauna
and melted a bit more before he dunked me in the cool tub and brought me back
to life," she laughed. "Then I went up to the blue room and checked
out all the wonderful surprises you'd left for me and took a long hot bubble
bath and then got dressed! It was such a taxing afternoon. How about you? How
was your meeting?"

"Ah, my meeting, yes," I said as
I sipped some more wine. "It was a successful resolution of an ongoing
issue that should never have been an issue."

"This is good, then. Right?" she
asked as she moved closer and looked up at me. I glanced down and then looked
away, knowing that if I got lost in her eyes, I wouldn't be able to hold back
and that I'd break my promise to her, but she wasn't making it easy on me.

"It's definitely good," I nodded
as I stepped back and looked toward the kitchen. "Did the chef say when he
was going to serve dinner?"

"Um, he said as soon as you got back
to let him know, so I did," she said as a small frown flitted across her
lips. "I think he's serving us on outside on the balcony."

"Then, let's head out there, shall
we?" I said as I offered her my arm. She smiled at me as she slipped her
arm through mine and we walked out to find the balcony aglow in thousands of
tiny little lights that looked like fireflies floating above the table. The table
itself was almost a work of art. The plates were stacked artfully and the
silverware sparkled. I looked at Emily and saw her eyes shining in the
candlelight as I pulled out her chair and seated her at the table. We sat
across from each other, staring into each other’s eyes as the candlelight
glowed softly and far off in the distance, the sound of waves crashing into the
shore provided a gentle soundtrack for the meal.

Soon, the chef sent out what would be a
wave of delicious dishes: fresh garden vegetables layered with goat's cheese,
fresh seafood chowder with lots of cracked pepper, and rare filets with a sauce
made of roasted peppers, cream, and something I couldn't quiet identify until
Emily said it was mint. The dishes came out one after another, and we talked
and ate until we were full. We begged off dessert and got up from the table.

"I'm so full, I feel like I can't
move," Emily laughed as she pushed herself away from the table and walked
to the edge of deck. I followed carrying our wine glasses and we stood looking
out over the cove as we talked about the beauty of the water in the twilight.
Darkness had fallen and the stars were incredibly clear in the night sky.

"I don't think I've ever seen the
stars so clear and close," she whispered as though raising her voice would
cause them to disappear into the darkness.

"I don't think I've ever seen
anything so lovely this clear and close," I said as I looked down at her.
I could feel the stirring of something inside me, and I wasn't sure I could
hold back. I knew that this was the moment I should probably walk away and let
her be, but I couldn't make myself do it. I couldn't just walk away from Emily
Warner and not at least kiss her. I whispered her name, "Emily."

"Austin," she whispered back as
she held my gaze for the longest time. Neither of us moved, afraid to break the
spell. And then I felt her fingers slipping down to intertwine with mine. It
was such a small gesture, but so incredibly intimate and I held my breath as I
waited to see where we would go next. I felt her hand squeezing mine as we
stared into each other's eyes. I could feel my heart pounding hard in my chest,
but I held back waiting.

"Austin?" she repeated in
whisper that I would have missed had I not been listening for it.

"Yes?" I whispered back.

"Yes," she nodded.

"Are you sure?" I asked as I
stared at her and when she nodded again, I knew that this was my chance. I
raised a hand and gently caressed her cheek and as I did, I felt her sigh as
she looked up at me and smiled. I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around
her waist as I slid my other hand up into her hair and tipped her face up
toward mine before bending forward and brushing my lips across hers. I felt her
shiver in my arms as I pressed my lips to hers and began kissing her with
greater urgency. I wanted everything all at once. I wanted to kiss her and feel
her and taste her right here on this railing with all the urgency I'd felt
since the first time I'd touched her.

My fingers worked the pins out of her hair
and I soon had it hanging loosely around her shoulders as I kissed her more
urgently and probed her lips with my tongue. I pushed them open and she sighed
as she gave me access to her soft mouth. My tongue danced between her lips as
she pressed her body against mine and I felt her heart beating against my
chest. I dipped my head and ran my tongue down her neck to where the curve of
her breast began and heard her moan softly when I traced the same line back up
to her ear where I nipped at her earlobe before kissing my way up her jaw and
back to her lips.

I could feel her body straining against
mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to her. I held her
tightly against me, kissing her deeply as I ran my fingers through her hair
feeling her lips pressed to mine. I wanted more, so much more, but not here on
the deck.

I opened my eyes and saw her looking up at
me through a dizzy wave of desire. I didn't look away, nor did I let my lips
leave hers as I bent down and scooped her up in my arms. She didn't protest,
instead she kissed me harder as I carried her up the stairs to my room and laid
her gently on the bed.

It was there that I knew for sure that I
had fallen hard.