The Island

by Alice Ward

  “An admirer?” I didn’t like that at all. “Maybe you shouldn’t eat it. It might be poisoned.”

  “I’ll take my chances.” He popped yet another candy into his mouth as he smiled slyly.

  I grabbed the box and shoved the lid on it. “You need to eat the breakfast I brought for you. Candy isn’t a thing anyone needs in the morning.” I opened the apple juice. “And drink your juice too.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  That damn dimple. Turning on my heel, because the all too familiar desire was rising inside of me, making me want to kiss that cutest ever dimple, feel those lips pressed against mine. I focused on hating it. Hating the way my body heated up and made my thoughts bounce around like ping pong balls.

  “Kendra.”

  Stopping my hasty retreat, I twisted around to find him looking at me closely. “You asked if anyone else was going with us. Don’t you want to hear my answer?”

  I planted my hands on my hips and waited, but he just looked at me without saying a thing. “Well?”

  The grin was back. “Oh, does that mean you do want to know if anyone else is coming with us?”

  “Yes, please.” I tried not to huff with aggravation but failed.

  He picked up his bagel, putting it to his lips as if he was going to take a bite and make me wait. “You and I will be traveling alone on my private jet. I’ll pick you up at seven on Saturday morning.”

  “Alone?” I shook my head. “Eli, what are you up to? I know this isn’t normal, for a mentor to take their intern out of the country. And I know there’s no business to take care of there. You’re just doing this to get me alone.”

  “No, I am not. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are clients, and they want to talk about some investments. They can’t come to us, so we’re going to them. It does happen.” He put the bagel down and stepped around his desk. “Besides, what makes you think I want to be alone with you? You turned me down flat yesterday, not for the first time. Do you think I’m the kind of man who hangs on when he’s been shot down?”

  “Kind of, yeah.”

  The way his eyes danced over my face made my heart skip a beat. “You’d be wrong.”

  I lifted my chin. “Are you saying you don’t want me anymore?” I wasn’t buying it at all.

  “Oh, I want you, but I’m not about to wait around for you anymore. I’m thinking some sweet Scottish ass is sounding pretty good for this weekend. Feel free to find yourself a man while we’re there. A man no one will see you with. Except for me, but I won’t tell.”

  “You’re a moron.” I turned to walk away as anger welled inside me.

  “Am I?” was all I heard before I closed the door between us.

  He was baiting me. It was as plain as the nose on his way too handsome face. He was trying his best to make me jealous and then get me alone. It was an old trick, and I wasn’t about to fall for it.

  With the client database on my computer, I looked up this Mr. and Mrs. Campbell in Scotland, not expecting to find a thing. But I did find them, and a note confirming a meeting scheduled for Saturday evening.

  Maybe Eli wasn’t making this up, but I still didn’t completely trust him. I got up and went back to his office, opening the door without knocking. He frowned as I walked in. “Who was that Patsy lady here earlier?”

  “Why?” He tossed the empty plate from his bagel into the trash can beside his desk before finishing off the apple juice with a loud slurp. “Can you get me some fresh coffee, Miss Baxter?”

  “Can you tell me who that woman was?” I tapped my foot as I waited for his answer.

  “No. Coffee please.”

  He was being a pain in the ass, and it was pissing me off. I went to get him some fresh coffee and noticed that Lola was still not at her desk. I stared at the empty machine and all its complicated looking dials and buttons. “Shit. Is this a coffeemaker or the space shuttle?” I complained as I tried to figure the monster out.

  I must’ve been making some noise as I flipped switches and tussled with the thing because Eli was suddenly right behind me. “You okay out here?”

  “I’m fine.” I pushed another button and something started to hiss and spit. “And where is Hot Lips this morning?” I pointed at her empty desk.

  “I’m not sure. She’s not usually late.” He looked at me and gestured to the pot on the coffee machine that wasn’t filling up. “Is this your first time using this machine?”

  “No.” I didn’t know why I said that. It was my first time, but for some reason, I didn’t want to agree with Eli about anything.

  “Well, you should know then that you have to add water to the reservoir.” He turned around and went back to his office.

  Shit.

  I rubbed my temples and yanked the coffee pot out to get some water, mumbling that a maker so expensive looking should have been hooked up to a water source of some kind.

  As the coffee finally started to brew, I forced myself to calm down. I practiced a few yoga techniques and did some deep breathing, but nothing helped. I was still pissed and… sexually frustrated.

  The thought made me even madder.

  When I took Eli his fresh coffee fifteen minutes later, he was smiling as he hung up the phone. “Lola is sick and will be out the rest of the week. I can have someone out of the secretarial pool come up, or you can take over. I’ll let you decide.”

  “I’ll do it.” I smoothed out my gray skirt and tucked the pink blouse that buttoned all the way up to my throat in better. The outfit was a little Mary Poppins, covering nearly all my body. The skirt was long, flowing to just above my ankles. Tea-length was what the lady at the department store said when I got it. I had to do something to make myself not so attractive. That’s what my sisters said to do, anyway, to help alleviate Eli’s attention.

  “If you think you can handle it, then the job is yours. You’ll have to fit in time to go shopping for yourself for our long weekend.” He pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and slid it across his desk to me. “Those are the passwords to her computer. Don’t set up any appointments for me for the remainder of this week.”

  The idea of packing sent me into a mild panic. “What kind of clothes should I bring? Don’t you think what I already own is appropriate?”

  His eyes fell to my toes and traveled back up, resting on the high neck of my blouse. “Well, you can’t wear that. It’s the weekend. Informal but stylish attire will be required. And what’s up with this schoolmarm look?” His eyes went up and down me again, causing me to squirm. “You can’t tell if you have two boobs or one and your ass is completely shapeless.”

  “Mr. Reed, I will thank you not to look at those private areas of my body.” I acted offended, but I was secretly pleased that he noticed.

  “Okay, Miss Baxter.” He jotted down a name and number on a notepad and ripped the paper off, handing it to me. “You will call my personal shopper, tell her the purpose and location of the trip. Since this is a business venture and you’re representing the company, she’ll charge my account.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll call her myself and give her our agenda. She already has your measurements and should have a selection of items for you to try on.” He leaned forward. “Feel free to get yourself something sexy to sleep in. You might find yourself a hot Scotsman you’ll want to take to your bed.”

  “You’re a jackass.” I snatched the piece of paper out of his hand and turned to leave his office.

  “I love you too, Miss Baxter.”

  I spun around and glared at him. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  He looked genuinely surprised. “What, taking you to a cool place where you’ll meet people who will be invaluable to you in the world of business? What a beast I am. Lock the door on your way out so you can be sure I can’t ravish you in an instant.” He looked at his computer, waving me away.

  I did as he said, locking the door and wishing I could lock him out of my thoughts as easily as flipping that button. As I went out to Lola’s
desk, I took her chair and opened the top drawer, snooping through her things. There wasn’t anything interesting in it, so I moved on. Opening her computer, I turned it on, used the password to get in, and found something very interesting on the home screen.

  Eli Reed with a smile on his face as he leaned over her desk. She must’ve taken the shot with the camera on the laptop. My stomach twisted as I thought about the crush she had on him.

  He had so many women who wanted him. I knew if he decided to stop waiting for me, I’d soon be seeing him with other women. Could I handle that?

  Ding.

  The elevator opened and the woman from the first day stepped out. Her eyes squinched into little slits as she stepped closer. “Where’s the normal girl?” she asked without so much as a hello.

  “Nadine, right?” I got up and held out my hand for her to shake.

  She barely grasped it before she let it go. “You. You’re the intern.”

  “Yes, Kendra Baxter. And what can I do for you today?”

  She sniffed and turned toward Eli’s door. “I need to see Eli. I have a social engagement this weekend, and I need an escort.”

  “He’s not in,” I lied, “and he’s going out of town this weekend.”

  She scowled at me and headed straight toward Eli’s — thankfully locked — door.

  I fired off a message to Eli: Warning. Slut at door. Stay quiet.

  She jiggled the doorknob, banged on the door and called out his name as his message popped up on my screen. What does she want?

  I replied quickly: Date for weekend.

  Another message popped up. Maybe I should send you to Scotland with Neal and take her up on the invitation?

  Neal was the seventyish director of something who showered people in his spit as he talked. Ugh.

  Maybe you should, I fired off and looked up at the security camera in the corner, knowing he was probably watching me on his screen. I flipped him off.

  “Eli!” the slut continued to yell.

  “He really isn’t in there,” I said, frowning at the screen as another message popped up.

  I’ll save you from Neal’s saliva shower if you promise we’ll hook up at least once before you leave NYC.

  My fingers stabbed the keyboard, knowing I’d hate myself if I let him go with her for the weekend. I typed in a message that put me back on top, or so I hoped. I promise you this, if you send me to Scotland with anyone else and spend the weekend with this witch, you’ll never touch me again.

  Touché, Kendra. Well played, came his response.

  Frustrated to no end, I got up and began the process of herding this woman from the reception area. Good god, woman. Have some dignity.

  Instead of giving her one of my dad’s lectures, I gently steered her to the elevator. “Sorry, Nadine. The boss man is out, like I said, and he won’t be coming back until next week. Bye now. I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by.”

  She seemed a bit flustered as I gently nudged her into the elevator and waved goodbye to her. The pushy bitch wouldn’t be getting her bejeweled hands on my man.

  Shit. Where had that thought come from?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Eli

  The rest of the week rushed by and I was at Kendra’s apartment door, only partially patient. I’d told her to dress sexy, we’d be going to a bar at the hotel when we landed in Inverness, Scotland that night. I was dressed in khaki shorts, a Foo Fighters concert tee from ages ago, and some running shoes. I liked to fly in comfort, but I wanted to see Kendra in something other than the dowdy outfits she’d been wearing to work the last few days.

  When she finally opened the door, I was taken aback by how absolutely adorable she looked. “Hey, you.” I reached out and took the large travel bag she held. “I thought I told you to dress sexy.”

  “I thought I told you I’m not a mannequin you can dress.” She pointedly looked me up and down. “We can both change once we get close to Inverness.”

  The little blue jean shorts she wore fit her like a glove, her long legs ending in a cute pair of white tennis shoes. A pink tee rounded out her outfit, and her hair was in a long braid that hung down her back. Sweet and adorable.

  “I guess that’ll do. Come on, we’ve been waiting on you for some time, slow poke.” I waved over the bodyguard the agency had sent over. Scott was out sick. “A little help if you don’t mind.”

  With a nod, the new guy came and picked up the large suitcase. “Thank you.” Kendra gave him a smile as she eyed his big muscles, making me more than a bit pissed.

  “Let’s go.” I took her hand and pulled her along with me. “Did you call your parents to tell them you’re heading out of the country so they don’t worry about you?”

  “How human of you to ask.” I caught her eye roll as we got onto the elevator.

  The bodyguard got on too, and I wasn’t thrilled with the way Kendra looked at him again. “I’ve always been human with you. So, did you let them know? I’ve overheard you talking to your dad on the phone every day since you’ve been at the reception desk. You two are a lot closer than most.”

  Her head swiveled around to look at me, her eyes squinted nearly shut, and her hands went to her hips in her go-to look of annoyance. “You’ve been listening in on my private phone calls?”

  “That’s what you got out of what I said? Damn.” I rubbed my temples at her sour mood. If I couldn’t get her to relax and be more herself for the trip, it would suck ass.

  Silence enveloped us as we rode to the airport. It was better than bickering the way she seemed set on doing. If everything I said was spun around to mean something else, why keep talking?

  Besides, there was no reason to speak when I could sneak peeks at her as she looked out the window. Her new look was turning me on even more than when she was dressed up. She didn’t seem to have any makeup on, and her skin was flawless. Her eyes were bright, and she didn’t even need any mascara to make them look pretty.

  Kendra was a natural beauty. Was there anything wrong with her? Other than she was frigid as fuck?

  Getting to know her and why she was so closed off sexually was my main agenda with the trip. So far, I’d gotten to know that she was beautiful even when she was as plain as she could make herself. Taking her away from work would be the key to getting her to let her guard down. I hoped, anyway.

  She turned to me, and there was a pleasant smile on her face, which surprised me. “Have you been to Scotland before?”

  “Not to Inverness. I’ve been to Glasgow, though. Have you been?” I was happy she was finally making decent conversation with me. Maybe the trip would get better earlier than I thought.

  “No, I’ve been to Ireland. We took a three-week vacation there when I was a freshman in high school. We toured all around, never spending more than one night anywhere.” She frowned and looked away, but I took her hand, regaining her attention.

  “I hope you want to tour at least one of the Scottish castles with me. I’ve never done that before.”

  She chewed her lower lip, making me want to chew it for her. “I’ve never toured one either. I guess we can go together, if you don’t find some Scottish lass to take instead.”

  Turning more fully toward her, I ran the back of my hand over her smooth cheek and decided to be honest. “Kendra, I don’t plan to find someone else. Here or there. I’ve been trying to make you jealous. Can’t you see that?”

  I held my breath, unsure of her reaction, and was surprised when a beautiful smile lit her face. “Oh, really? Do you think I’m unaware of that?”

  “Did it work?” I slid my hand down to her throat, feeling her pulse pound beneath my palm. Since she wasn’t shying away from me, I wanted to get her very used to me touching her. I wanted to touch her all over. Maybe in the private bedroom of my jet. I’d already had several fantasies about me initiating her into the mile-high club.

  A light pink eased its way across her cheeks. “No.”

  “Liar.” I increased the pressure
of my hand, feeling her swallow beneath my palm. “You and I should talk while we’re on the trip over. We’ll have hours and hours to kill. I’ll tell you my life story, and you can tell me yours. I want to know all there is to know about you, Kendra Celine Baxter.”

  She licked her lips, and it took everything inside me not to crush her mouth against mine. “It’s not a real long tale, Eli, but I would love to hear all about how a billionaire lives. I searched you, as you know, and found out you’ve always been wealthy. Questions have popped into my head from time to time that I’ve wanted to ask you.”

  I removed my hand from her throat, letting it trail down her arm until our fingers laced together. “Shoot one at me now.”

  She turned in the seat, putting one of her feet under her as she looked like an excited little kid. “We ate cereal nearly every morning for breakfast during the week when we were kids. Did you do that too?”

  “Really? That’s the one thing you want to know the most about being a rich kid?” I laughed, and she punched me lightly in the stomach.

  “Are you going to answer my question or make fun of me?”

  I straightened my face. “Alright. No, I never had cereal for breakfast. Our chef always had a variety of foods that were nourishing, not sugar loaded, for our morning meal. Can I ask you one now?”

  She nodded. “You can, but my life was a snooze-fest compared to yours.”

  “Did your parents put you to bed at night when you were little? And if they did, did they tell you bedtime stories?”

  She smiled as she recalled the memories. “My parents took turns with us each night. One night, Mom would read us a story, the next Dad would make one up for us.” Her smile grew wider. “His were always a bit more graphic and would have us on the edge of our seats, not quite as relaxing as Mom’s. But we loved his wild stories, even if some of them made our dreams a bit on the scary side.”

  “Your home life sounds great. If I ever do settle down, I want it to be with someone who’s grounded. Someone who knows how to make something out of nothing. We won’t need that, but it would be fun to know how to do things… simple. Don’t you think?”