by Rosie Praks
Darcy was sitting on a luxurious chair next to the pool, watching little kids and grown-ups having fun. Life at the moment was pure heaven. The stress at work was all behind him.
Wait? How could he forget? The one woman who created that stress was now sitting right beside him, reading a book.
Darcy couldn’t help glancing to the side, seeing his boss in her swimsuit. She had changed into that one-piece after breakfast.
A one-piece suit wasn’t the style he liked his woman to wear, since it would be hard to remove when they wanted to have fun doing bedroom exercises, but that piece his boss wore was simply captivating. The straps were crisscrossed at the back. The material hugged her body like a second skin. Darcy had almost drooled when he first saw her. She sure has a delicious body, he’d even thought when she came down with him to the pool.
Now what is the fastest way to remove that swimsuit? Remove the strap first or—
What the hell am I thinking?
Darcy stopped short, surprised at even thinking along those lines. He sucked more juice from his glass, just to distract himself from his wayward mind. In fact, he was so focused on drinking that when Whitney asked him a question, he choked. And now juice was dribbling from his mouth.
“My God, Darcy, you dork!” Whitney laughed, grabbing some tissue and giving it to him. “You’re like a little kid.”
“I am a kid.” Darcy tried to compose himself after wiping his chin clean. “Compared to you, I’m only a young thing.” He grinned from ear to ear, teasing her again.
Whitney could only smile at that. Yes, she was thirty-one and he was twenty-five. Somehow, through all the time they’d worked together, she’d never really thought about their age. All she knew was she was the superior and he her subordinate.
“So what did you ask me before I made a fool of myself?” Darcy asked, turning her attention back to the question that was brewing in her mind since she first found him in her bedroom last night.
“Are you really that poor?” She repeated the question.
“Dirt poor, Whitney. I have a student loan to pay. Plus, there’s that little outing for my little—”
“You mean that little extravagant outing for little Johnny.” She smiled genuinely, shaking her head.
Darcy chuckled and nodded, his heart somehow light. “Yeah, that, too.”
“So you’re trying to reap as many benefits from this holiday since Hunter’s paying for everything?” She quirked one eyebrow at him.
“Yep.” Darcy nodded his mohawk head.
“You know what I think?” She sat up in her pool chair and looked at him. “As your superior, I’ll give you some good advice. Find a decent girlfriend and stick with her.”
Darcy chuckled. “You’re like my mum. She says the same thing to me every time I go home.”
“Well, I’m not your mum.” She shook her head and got back to her reading.
“I know. We kind of did it already. So that makes you my lover, which you’re not really since you’re my boss. Ah, wait.” Darcy shifted his position, lying on his stomach and hanging his arms out on the long pool chair, eyes watching his boss. “Exactly what kind of relationship do we have here?”
Whitney put down her book again and thought for a moment about their weird relationship. “I don’t know, Darcy.” She shook her head. “And to tell you the truth, I’ve left it all behind me now. We’re two consensual adults, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are.” Darcy agreed.
“Yes, so it was a one-night stand, but there’s no harm done. So let’s just leave it all behind.”
“So you’re okay with this whole ordeal? Me and you pretending to be husband and wife for the time being.”
Whitney got up from sunbathing and looked at Darcy, really looked at him for the first time since he’d started working for her. She scrutinized him and assessed him for his quality. “You do know the reason I agreed to this whole ordeal was because I didn’t want Johnathan pissing me off again, right?”
“Good, then. So definitely no hard feelings?”
“No hard feelings.”
“Ah, that’s good to hear,” Darcy said, relaxing on his pool chair again. “Because I seriously couldn’t imagine myself falling in love with you. I mean, you’re my boss.”
“I know, Darcy. You don’t need to keep emphasizing that point. I’m your superior. I know my position. So shut up and stop insulting me.”
“Sorry, Whitney. Seriously, no harm was meant at all. I just want to get my point across.”
“Point taken.”
There was a moment of silence between the two. Darcy took this quiet opportunity and thought back on his past. He had been working for “the witch” for almost a year now, and today had to be the first day he didn’t feel the need to stutter in front of her.
Now why was he so afraid of her before? Whitney, his boss, was just another human being, possibly one that was hurt by a past relationship. Maybe that was the reason she was acting all witch-like at work. He guessed people had sides they didn’t want exposed to other people until they know them better.
Suddenly, a thought really made him curious. And after a good moment of silence, Darcy couldn’t help but bug his boss again. He turned to her and asked, “Whitney, what kind of guys do you like?”
“None of your concern, Darcy,” she said casually, grabbing his chin between her thumb and forefinger and directing his face to the pool again. “Now please stop bugging me and let me relax with my book.”
“All right.” Darcy reluctantly turned his head back to the scene before him, people going in and out of the pool. But seriously, all that staring was really boring.
Darcy was the type of guy to get into action, not watch things fly by. He needed to get in that pool and work his muscles. But the thought of playing in the pool by himself was not tempting at all. What he wanted was a companion. But he really couldn’t hang out with another woman when the one beside him was supposedly his wife. So having no outlet for that full combustible energy, Darcy got bored again and turned back to Whitney.
“Hey, Whitney!” He poked Whitney in the ribs to get her attention.
“What now?” she snapped, putting her book down, eyes glaring at him.
“Wanna play in the pool?” He got up, all ready to jump in the water.
“No. I don’t like swimming.” Whitney shook her head, turning back to her book.
Darcy’s shoulders sagged at hearing his boss’ answer. But he didn’t give up that easily. He grabbed her book, read the title—When the Sun courts the Moon by Alexia Praks—shrugged his shoulders, and tossed the book aside.
“Come on. It’ll be fun. The sun is never going to catch the moon anyway. They’re polar opposites. So you’re wasting your time reading it. You should be out and about swimming. You need the exercise.”
“Are you implying I’m fat?” Whitney scolded, a frown on her forehead.
“No. Not at all.” Darcy jerked at her hands. “I just thought it’ll be fun to swim in this weather.”
“Darcy, we’re in Queenstown. It’s minus three degrees outside,” Whitney said, hands still held by Darcy’s.
“But we’re in the indoor pool. It’s so hot and stuffy just sitting here. Let’s go play in the pool, okay?”
Darcy was already dragging her to the edge of the pool when Whitney jerked her hand from his grip and went back to the chair.
“No. If you want to go, then go. I’ll watch your stuff.” She went to pick up her book again.
“Oh, come on, Whitney.” Darcy went back to his boss and tossed her book to the side again. He grabbed her hands in both of his and said, “It’ll be fun. You’ll have fun. I know it.”
“I’m having fun reading quietly here, Darcy.”
Is she trying to annoy me on purpose? Darcy was getting rather upset with this whole situation. So when he saw his boss starting to pick up that discarded book again, an idea popped into his head.
“Whitney, look. Johnathan is here, too.
Come quick. Get in the pool so he won’t see you.” Darcy quickly grabbed her hand, waiting for Whitney to fall into his trap.
“What? You’re serious. Let’s go.” Whitney dropped her book and immediately went with Darcy, neglecting to look around her to see, in fact, Johnathan wasn’t even in sight.
Darcy was grinning from ear to ear, eyes gazing at his boss, one hand holding hers when they got to the edge of the pool.
“So. Are you ready to jump in?” he asked mischievously.
Whitney looked at the swirling blue water below and shook her head, feeling a little fear swallowing her. “No. I’m taking the stairs.”
“Oh, come on. Let’s jump in. That’s the best part about pools. You have to jump in to get the full benefit of having fun.”
“No, Darcy.” Whitney dropped his hand and walked to the side, heading to the stairs. “I’m happy taking the stairs.”
Darcy wrapped his arms around Whitney’s waist, stopping her just in time before she reached her destination. “Jump,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m right here with you.”
Whitney tilted her head to look at Darcy’s face. She said with a straight face. “No.”
“Come on,” Darcy pleaded, drumming his feet like a little child. “Trust me. I’m not going to let you drown.”
“I can swim, Darcy. I just don’t like jumping into the pool. I don’t like heights.”
“Well, how about I hold your hand, then?” Darcy suggested, clasping his hand firmly around hers. “Then we’ll jump together. I promise. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
And before Whitney could even say another word, Darcy was already leaping into the air, dragging Whitney along, too. Whitney screamed like a banshee on drugs as soon she flew into the air. And they both landed with a big splash into the blue water.
“Darcy, you dork, that was scary.” She clung to his neck, scared for her life, when they landed in the pool.
“It’s not scary. You got me,” Darcy said, laughing his head off. He was having so much fun. He loved every moment of it. Especially with her wet body molded against his. “You were screaming so loud you scared half the tourists to the other side already.”
Darcy could feel her body trembling before him and a little bit of him got mad, mainly at himself for causing her so much distress. So to redeem himself, he wound his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to his body so he could protect her.
“I hate you, Darcy.” Whitney struggled to get out of his embrace. “I’m getting out of the pool.”
“Oh, Whitney, I’m sorry,” Darcy apologized. “Please play with me a bit more. It’s fun.” He swam in a circle around her to stop her from escaping.
“Fun!” Whitney turned back, face going all red and blue. “I almost got killed a minute ago.”
“You didn’t die, though,” he teased, touching her blushing cheeks.
Whitney brushed his hands off, not liking the effect he had on her. “No, I’m getting out of here.” And she made an attempt to swim to the edge of the pool when Darcy’s shout stopped her.
“Whitney! Whitney!
And just when she got worried and turned back around, he surprised her by flicking water into her face.
“Darcy, you jerk! I’m going to kill you!” Whitney screeched, seeing red. She was so mad she needed to exact revenge herself. So she splashed water back at Darcy. And now, without either of them knowing, they were both playing like kids, flicking water at each other as revenge.
Darcy was having so much fun with her that for one millisecond, he forgot this person was actually his tyrant boss. She was giggling and laughing, and her long hair, once tied in a bun on top of her head, had now escaped, dripping wet down her back.
“Darcy, look what you made me do. My hair is a mess,” Whitney complained, running her fingers through her wet hair.
Darcy suddenly lost his breath. His boss at that moment looked enchanting. He didn’t know why, but the urgent need to touch her lips was so strong he found his whole being moving closer to her, crowding her space until she was trapped at the edge of the pool.
“Darcy, what are you doing?” Whitney blinked, eyes growing large when she saw him moving closer to her.
Darcy didn’t reply. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. But one thing he knew for sure; he was hell bent on tasting those lips again. He could still remember that taste from last night. Sweet like honey. So he bent forward, ever so slowly, until—
“Wow. My eyes,” he howled.
“Darcy, what’s wrong?” Whitney asked in panic, swimming around him to take a closer look at his eyes.
How was she to know what he was doing when he suddenly went all quiet and was staring at her like some stalker? She didn’t like the idea of her belly doing all that flip-flopping. So to distract him, she had flicked water into his eyes, and now this was the consequence.
“My eyes. They’re stinging. Take it off. Take it off.”
“Take what off?” Whitney fluffed around. She couldn’t understand what Darcy was saying.
“My contacts. They’re slipping. Help, Whitney. Help!” Darcy whimpered.
My God, but it was so sore. Damn those contacts. Who to blame but himself? He really needed to change into a new pair.
Both exited the pool then. Whitney got so worried she guided Darcy to their chairs again and took a closer look at his eyes. And Darcy forgot to breathe. All his vision was filled with those emerald irises.
“This looks really hard. Here, lie on my lap. I’ll take a closer look,” Whitney suggested.
Darcy couldn’t do a thing except keep reminding himself to breathe. He lay down on her lap, just as his boss had told him to, whimpering like a little boy. And just when Whitney was about to stick her finger in his eye to get the contact out, Johnathan appeared.
“Whitney, what are you doing?” Johnathan asked, peering down at the writhing man in her lap.
Whitney jerked, looking up to see her ex-boyfriend. “I’m looking into my husband’s eyes. His contacts are stuck.”
While the two previous lovers were busy conversing, Darcy was writhing like a worm. “Whitney. My contacts. Take them out.”
“Johnathan. I really can’t talk to you right now. My husband needs me.”
When he left, Whitney was beaming from ear to ear. She whispered, “Was that good acting?”
At that moment, Darcy forgot all about his sore eyes and stared at Whitney’s beaming face. And his heart thumped ever so strangely. It wasn’t that he disliked this kind of feeling. It just felt… weird. Almost like that time when he saw her talking with her ex-boyfriend and the sudden need to separate them was at the top of his priority list.
Whitney was leaning her face closer, her lips in a pursed line as she focused all her concentration on removing those contacts, and Darcy had to admit he enjoyed seeing his boss at his beck and call, not to mention up close and personal. Those green eyes were really alluring.
Darcy was so caught up with those irises, his heartbeat in sync to the rhythm of the wave pool…
And then Whitney had to go and ruin his moment by poking right into his left eye.
“Oww.” Darcy squirmed in pain again.
“My God! Darcy, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” Whitney tried even harder to peel his eye open and poked her finger in again.
“You poked my eye. You freckin’ poked my eye.”
“You said I should take your contact out.” Whitney got upset and whacked his forehead. “I’ve had enough of you. I was just trying to help. And now you blame me?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll take it out myself.” Darcy brushed Whitney aside, making a quick dash to the security of their room, realizing what he felt at that moment was absolutely unnatural.
That was a close one, he thought, shutting the door behind him. And what the hell is wrong with me? It’s liked I’m falling for that witch or something. Wait! Me falling for the witch? That’s impossible. Even if we’ve slept together once. Or twic
e. Or was it three times last night?
Oh, what the hell? Why was he thinking such thoughts? None of that mattered right now. What was important was to get free products here in the hotel and pretend to be her husband.
Yes, he must remember that. While they were here in Queenstown, his job was to pretend to be her husband until the real couple arrived tomorrow.
Chapter 14
“Wow, I can’t believe we’re getting a divorce tomorrow. It’s so much fun being married to you,” Darcy said cheerfully as he plumped his pillow, getting ready for bed that night. Thankfully, that lingering feeling he had early that morning had now dissipated.
Whitney just stared at him strangely while reading her book, also in bed. Did Darcy even know what he was saying? It was fun being married to her? They weren’t even a real couple. They were—
“Darcy, what are you doing?” Whitney screeched when he began lifting the duvet, getting ready to climb into bed beside her.
“Getting into bed,” Darcy said nonchalantly, making himself comfortable.
Whitney scolded, flicking her eyes across the room, “Your bed is over there!”
Darcy craned his head over the edge of the bed to scan his sleeping quarters. Then when he saw only the floor, he turned back to Whitney and gave her a confused look. “Where? I don’t see any other bed apart from this one.”
Whitney clicked her tongue in irritation. “On the floor, Darcy. Go.”
Darcy’s whole face slumped. “But, Whitney, a hot man like me can’t sleep on the floor. What happens if news leaked out I sleep on the floor? Wouldn’t all my women shun me?”
“What happens if news leaked out you’re married to your boss? What would happen to all your women then?”
Darcy chuckled comically. “He-he, don’t worry about that. We’re getting a divorce tomorrow.”
“So?” Whitney lifted one brow in question.
Darcy grinned again. “That just makes me even hotter. Women dig divorced men.”
Whitney scoffed and shook her head. “Go. Go sleep on that floor. Now. I’m turning off the light. I want to sleep.”
“But, Whitney… the floor is hard to sleep on. Don’t you feel sorry for your PA?” Darcy whined, trying to look as sad and wounded as possible. Simply put, the expression he was trying to achieve was a wounded puppy, but the response he got wasn’t what he desired.