Emma Darcy: His Most Exquisite Conquest

‘Frogs?’ he repeated, needing enlightenment. He’d heard ‘empathy and caring’ loud and clear but ‘frogs’?

Her eyes danced teasingly at him. ‘You suddenly turn up in my life and everything about you shouts that you’re a prince amongst men.’

A prince. That was a surprisingly sweet stroke to his ego.

Her hands lifted in a helpless gesture. ‘But how do I know you won’t turn into a frog tomorrow?’

‘Ah!’ he said, understanding. ‘You’ve been with guys who haven’t lived up to their promise.’

She shrugged prettily, the off-the-shoulder sleeve of her peasant blouse sliding lower on her upper arm. ‘It happens,’ she said in airy dismissal. ‘I’m hoping not to be disappointed with you, Michael.’

The seductive challenge sizzled straight to his groin. He was up for it, all right. He wished he could whizz her straight off to bed. How long would this birthday luncheon go on—main course, sweets, coffee? At least another hour and a half. He’d give Elizabeth the rest of the afternoon off, take Lucy to his penthouse apartment. Although…

‘Do you have to get back to work this afternoon?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I do,’ she answered ruefully. ‘I have to deliver the angels’ heads to the stonemason, take the van back to the office, then visit the people who own the burial plot that’s been mistakenly used, and hopefully persuade them that one burial plot is as good as another.’

‘Tricky job,’ he said with a sympathetic wince.

‘Not really. It’s a matter of getting them to empathise with the bereaved parents who have just laid their daughter to rest—how terrible it would be for them to have her dug up again,’ Lucy explained. The caring in her voice moved something in his heart, reminding him of laying his parents to rest, the final closure.

Caring, empathy…he sensed something quite special in this woman. She wasn’t just fantastically sexy. There was much more to her. So far it was all good.

‘Are you free tonight?’ he asked, not wanting to wait any longer to have her to himself.

‘Yes.’

Her smile promised an eagerness that matched his for a more intimate encounter. Which made his hardon even harder.

Fortunately, the waiter showed good timing in arriving with their main course. Their conversation moved to food as they ate their steaks, which were perfectly cooked, asparagus on the side with a touch of Béarnaise sauce, and crunchy roasted potatoes.

Lucy was into cooking, loved experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. Better and better, Michael thought, looking forward to enjoying many meals with her. She had an infectious enthusiasm for life that made her company an absolute delight. He was wondering if she’d ever cooked frogs legs after bidding a frog goodbye when Harry claimed his attention, leaning an elbow on the table and pointing a finger at him.

‘Mickey, I have the solution to my problem with the resort.’

The problem that had brought him to the office this morning—the discovery that the resort manager was feathering his own nest at their expense. Michael frowned over the interruption. He didn’t want to talk family business with his brother when he had plans to make with Lucy.

‘You have to clear that guy out, Harry,’ he said tersely—the same advice he’d given earlier. ‘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.’

Why was he persisting with this discussion here? ‘Agreed,’ he said impatiently. ‘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.’

That rocked him. Was Harry off his brain, wanting to mix pleasure with business? The way he’d been madly flirting…was he seriously attracted? This didn’t feel right.

‘Elizabeth is my PA,’ Michael stated firmly, giving his brother a steely look.

Harry dug in regardless. ‘I’m more in 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. Harry did have a point. He needed a replacement for Sean Cassidy pronto.

‘On the other hand, once Elizabeth gets her teeth into the job, she might want to stay on,’ Harry said provocatively.

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.’ This on-the-spot decision didn’t sit well with him, particularly with his brother virtually railroading him into it, yet it was a credible solution to the problem.

‘Okay. Ask her.’

Michael heaved an exasperated sigh, disliking the sense of having been pushed into a corner. ‘It’s true,’ he reluctantly conceded. ‘You would be helping us out if you’d agree to step in and do what needs to be done at the resort. I have every confidence in your ability to handle the situation. Every confidence in your integrity, too. I hate losing you for a month… .’

He grimaced at the prospect. She was his right hand in the office, always understanding and delivering whatever was needed. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, ‘I guess someone from the clerical staff can fill in for a while… .’

‘Andrew. Andrew Cook,’ she suggested, which meant she had already decided to go with Harry.

‘Too stodgy. No initiative,’ Michael said, hating the idea of having to do without her.

‘Absolutely reliable in doing whatever task he’s set,’ she argued.

‘I take it that’s a yes to coming to the island with me,’ Harry noted, 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.’

Good! Michael thought. Elizabeth wasn’t about to mix business with pleasure. If that was on Harry’s mind, as well as solving his predicament, she’d spike his guns and serve him right, given that he’d have to put up with Andrew Cook while she was away.

‘That’s it then,’ he said, resigned to a month of having to spell out everything to his pro tem PA.

‘A whole month! I’ll miss you, Ellie,’ Lucy said wistfully.

Ah, yes! A month of Lucy without her sister possibly butting into their relationship, Michael thought, realising and appreciating the one upside of this situation. It could have been tricky having his PA an everpresent watchdog while he bedded her sister. Absolute freedom from that felt good. A month might very well be the limit of this currently hot connection, anyway—everything done and dusted before Elizabeth returned to take up her position with him again.

‘The time will pass quickly enough,’ she assured Lucy.

The waiter arrived with the sweets they’d ordered when he’d cleared away their main course.

‘We need to get moving on this,’ Harry muttered as he dug into his chocolate mud cake.

‘As soon as possible,’ Michael agreed, looking forward to having intimate time with Lucy.