A Proposal Worth Millions

by Sophie Pembroke

‘The spa is one of the Azure’s biggest attractions,’ she reminded him, as they reached the heavy wooden door that led to her own personal sanctuary. ‘It makes sense for you to spend some time here, see what all the fuss is about.’ She pushed the door open, the heady scent of oils and steam filling her lungs as she stepped through. ‘Besides, you’ll need to lock your phone up in the lockers here. It’ll do you good to switch off from your other business and concentrate on the Azure for a few hours.’

  ‘I need to stay in touch with the office—’ Dylan started, but she cut him off, more determined than ever.

  ‘Not today. You want proof that the Azure is a safe investment? I’m about to give it to you. So I want you paying attention.’

  ‘If you insist.’ Dylan sighed, and followed her through the door to the spa reception desk. ‘Okay, I’m game. So, what? You’re going to give me a massage?’

  Sadie wished she could blame the heat in her cheeks on the higher temperature of the spa rooms. Sadly, she knew herself better than that.

  ‘Not me. We have an excellent trained staff here to see to your every need. But I’ll show you around first, explain the different rooms to you.’ Smiling at the spa receptionist, Andreas, she added, ‘Andreas here will take you through to the male changing rooms and lockers, show you where everything is. I’ll meet you on the other side.’

  Slipping through to the women’s changing rooms, Sadie didn’t waste time, stripping off to her swimming costume quickly and locking everything up in her personal locker. Wrapping a robe around herself, she headed straight through to the spa, pleased to beat Dylan there by even a few moments. He looked faintly uncomfortable in the fluffy white robe, the towelling material making his shoulders look broader than ever. Still, she decided, it was good for him to go outside his comfort zone now and then.

  He looked around him and Sadie watched his face for reactions as he took in the creamy marble, with hints of brown and rust red, which covered the walls. Above them, a domed and mural-painted roof belied their location underneath the hotel, making them appear to be in some ancient Turkish bath instead. The soothing splash of water from the pools toned nicely with the gentle music playing over the hidden speakers.

  ‘So, where do we start?’ Dylan asked.

  ‘With the Turkish bath, of course,’ Sadie said.

  If that didn’t relax him into handing over the cash, nothing would.

  * * *

  ‘This is the warm room,’ Sadie explained, as she paused by a steamed-up glass door and slipped off her robe, hanging it up. ‘Traditionally, this is where you would start a proper Turkish bath.’

  She pushed the door open and Dylan shucked his own robe and followed her through, silently cursing the steam that rose up and obscured the beautiful curve of her behind in her swimsuit.

  It had taken every grain of restraint in his body not to kiss her back the night before—and now she was tormenting him with this. A whole day in her barely clad company, trying to relax. And she’d made it perfectly clear it was all business. Just the way he’d wanted it.

  The woman was a demon.

  Inside, the warm room was empty of other people—which Dylan appreciated. Sadie took a seat on the tiled bench seat that ran around the outer edge of the room, and he followed suit, choosing to sit opposite her instead of beside her—something he regretted when he realised the steam hid her almost completely now.

  He shuffled round a little closer, until he could make out the outline of her face at least.

  ‘So, what do we do here?’ he asked, settling back as the heat rolled over him, the steam already dripping off his skin as well as the wall behind him.

  ‘We sit. We relax.’ Sadie sounded different here already, like her words could take their time coming out. Like there was no rush for anything any more.

  Dylan fidgeted, switching position to try to get a little more comfortable against the tile. ‘That’s it?’

  ‘That’s it,’ Sadie said, apparently very satisfied with that state of affairs.

  She’d tilted her head back against the wall, and as far as he could tell her eyes were closed. He watched the beads of water roll down the long line of her neck for a moment. No sign that she found this in any way frustrating. Clearly, she was enjoying the peace and quiet.

  He gave it a minute before he decided that was too bad. He had questions.

  ‘So, is this a traditional Turkish spa?’

  ‘Yes and no,’ Sadie answered, without moving or opening her eyes. ‘I wanted to incorporate some of the aspects of a traditional Turkish bath, but I knew I couldn’t compete with the authentic Turkish baths in the town. So, instead, I decided to go with a spa that would feel familiar to the visiting tourists—especially the Western ones—but would still feel a little exotic, too.’

  ‘The best of both worlds.’

  ‘That’s the idea.’

  Listening to her talk, even absently, about the plans she’d had for this place, it was easy to see exactly what was missing in her plans for the Azure. Here, she’d known instinctively what she wanted to do, what was important to the guests, what would work well. This was her comfort zone. The hotel wasn’t.

  Tilting his head back to copy Sadie, he stared up at the mosaic-domed roof, picking out patterns through the steam. Then, when that grew boring, he went back to watching Sadie instead.

  She looked so much more relaxed here. Like she had swimming in the sea the day before. She truly was a water nymph.

  ‘When was the last time you came down here?’ he asked. ‘Not just in a suit to check on the business either.’

  ‘Too long,’ Sadie admitted, turning her head to smile at him. ‘I think everyone needs a day in the spa now and then.’

  Her eyes fluttered shut again, and he followed suit, trying to find the same boneless relaxation she seemed to here. Letting the heat seep into his bones and the steam soak his skin, he let his shoulders drop and his mind zone out.

  Maybe there was something to this relaxation malarkey after all.

  Almost too soon, Sadie stirred beside him. ‘Okay, time for the hot room.’ She stood, gracefully.

  Dylan peeled himself away from the tile with rather less finesse. ‘This wasn’t hot?’

  ‘This was nothing,’ Sadie told him, opening the door.

  The hot room felt even hotter after the brief blast of normal spa temperature between the two rooms, but they didn’t stay in the second room as long, which he appreciated. As they emerged back into the main spa, Sadie plunged herself into the circular pool in the centre of the room, letting the water sluice over her.

  With a shrug, Dylan followed suit.

  The ice-cold water hit his overheated skin like a thousand pins, and he rose gasping out of the water to find Sadie already out and perched on a wooden recliner beside it. She, somehow, managed to look refreshed and a little smug. Clearly this was revenge for the night before.

  ‘You could have warned me.’ He levered himself back out of the pool and reached for the towel she held out to him,

  ‘Where would be the fun in that?’ The impish gleam in her eyes made it hard to even pretend to be mad at her.

  ‘Where indeed?’ He sat down on the recliner next to her. ‘Well, this has been lovely, but—’

  ‘Oh, we’re not done yet,’ Sadie interrupted him.

  ‘We’re not?’ Dylan shook his head, cold water droplets falling from his hair. ‘What’s next?’

  ‘Traditionally, you’d be scrubbed clean by a bath assistant,’ Sadie said. ‘But today I think we’ll let you off with just the massage. You can meet me in the pool afterwards.’

  As a member of the spa staff, neatly dressed in white shorts and polo shirt, appeared to lead him to the massage room, Dylan saw another approach Sadie with a clipboard in hand. In a moment, all the relaxation he’d seen in her
disappeared as she frowned at the paper in front of her, shoulders stiff.

  ‘This way, sir,’ the staff member said again, and Dylan hurried to catch up.

  Left alone to settle face down onto the massage table, with just a small towel covering what was left of his modesty, Dylan tuned out the tasteful music and thought instead about Sadie.

  She seemed so in control there in the spa—utterly unlike the uncertainty he saw in her when she talked about the hotel itself. Obviously, that was why she’d brought him there—to demonstrate that there was one place she felt totally at home here in Turkey. Here, she had passion and certainty.

  The only problem with that was it just made it all the clearer that she didn’t want to be running a hotel. She should be taking charge of a chain of spas, perhaps even in other hotels.

  Maybe even in his new and burgeoning hotel chain.

  Already the idea was taking hold, making him want to jump at the chance to make it happen. Sadie would have a career she truly dreamed of, and they could work together, seeing each other as often as possible...

  But she’d have to leave the Azure. Break her commitment to Adem’s dream. And there was the sticking point.

  The door opened behind him, and Dylan stirred from his plotting as a familiar scent approached. He listened hard, recognising the pattern of her breath, the touch of her footfall.

  Sadie.

  Whatever she’d said about not giving him his massage, he had absolutely no doubt about who was standing behind him right now.

  ‘Are you ready, sir?’ she whispered, obviously trying to disguise her voice. ‘I’m going to start with a simple massage. Let me know if the pressure is okay.’

  She didn’t want him to know it was her. But how could he not, when the first touch of her oiled fingers against his back made his whole body spark with excitement? Every movement she made was utterly professional—he’d never expect anything less from Sadie. But the feelings it left him with...

  He was pretty sure that no massage in history had ever been less relaxing than this one.

  * * *

  This was torture. Actual cruel and unusual punishment for a crime she didn’t fully remember committing.

  Keeping her hands as smooth and steady as she could as they moved across the planes of Dylan’s back, Sadie kept a running stream of mental curses going in her head. Mostly cursing the poor staff member who’d been sent home sick, leaving them short-handed. But partly cursing herself, too, for saying she’d take care of Dylan’s massage.

  She was the boss. She could have ordered anyone else to swap with her or take care of it. Instead, she’d decided to put herself through this.

  She really was a glutton for punishment.

  Staying professional, that was the key. It wasn’t like she hadn’t massaged beautiful people before, even a few famous ones. The trick was to treat them exactly the same way you’d treat anyone else. A body was just a body, when all was said and done, and they all needed the same care, love and attention to work away their worries and their aches.

  It was just that this body was one she’d been thinking about for far longer than she cared to admit.

  Focussing on the muscle groups helped, remembering every lesson she’d ever been taught about effective massage. She knew just where to press and where to hold back. She was good at this. She was a professional.

  She was absolutely not thinking about what was underneath that very small towel.

  Eventually, her time was up, and hopefully Dylan would never ask why he’d only had a back massage instead of a full-body one.

  Stepping away, her heart still pumping too fast, Sadie murmured, ‘I’ll leave you to dress.’

  ‘Thanks, Sadie.’ His words were almost slurred, like he was too relaxed to articulate properly, but still they caused every muscle in her body to stiffen.

  ‘How did you know?’ she asked.

  ‘I always know when you’re near me.’ Adjusting his towel to cover him, Dylan levered himself up and swung round to sit on the edge of the table. ‘I always have.’

  It was too much. The softness in his voice against the heat in his eyes. The implications of his words and the knowledge that just moments before she’d had her hands all over his body. Knowing that they were so close now he could touch her almost without moving. Her blood seemed too much and too hot for her body—hotter than it had ever been in any of the steam rooms.

  All too, too much.

  Business. That’s all this was.

  Sadie stepped back, away, and cleared her throat. ‘Um, we have someone off sick, so I’ve been called in to cover. So I’ll let you get on with enjoying the pool and so on. It’ll be good for you to, uh, keep relaxing.’

  Dylan nodded, slowly. ‘Or maybe I’ll just try the cold plunge pool again.’

  ‘Whatever works.’ She refused to think about why he might need the ice water, even for a moment.

  ‘Will I see you for dinner?’ he asked.

  She wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t. The wanting in his eyes...she knew exactly where that could lead, if they let it. And even if she’d thought last night that was what she wanted, seeing it now terrified her. This wasn’t what she’d brought him to her spa for, not at all.

  Dylan didn’t do commitment, and she’d already committed too much. Wasn’t that why she’d brought him there in the first place? To show him exactly how much she belonged at the Azure? So what good could come from giving in to those feelings now?

  ‘Not tonight, I’m afraid,’ she said, trying to sound apologetic. ‘I need to type up my proposal for you, remember? But there’s a Turkish night in the restaurant. I’ve booked you a table.’

  ‘Fantastic.’ Sadie ignored the total lack of enthusiasm in his voice. ‘What about tomorrow?’

  Tomorrow. His next-to-last day. She couldn’t leave him alone again, but whatever they did needed to involve a lot more clothes than the last couple of days had. And preferably no easy access to a bed.

  ‘Ephesus.’ The word blurted out of her. ‘I thought I’d take you to see the ruins at Ephesus.’

  ‘Another big tourist attraction, I suppose.’ How was his tone still so even, so steady when her own voice seemed to be getting squeakier by the second?

  ‘The biggest. So, I’ll see you in the lobby in the morning. Usual time.’

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  It wasn’t. What she really wanted was to jump him, right here in the massage room. But what she needed to do was get back to work and put this whole afternoon behind her.

  ‘It is.’

  She’d do a shift in the spa, remind herself why she loved it so much. Then she’d spend the evening on Skype with Finn and her parents and dealing with the hotel admin.

  She needed to remember all the things that really mattered in her world. And forget the feeling of Dylan’s cool skin under her hands.

  Or else she might go insane.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  DYLAN PACED THE lobby the next morning, waiting for Sadie. Who was late. Very late. For the first time since he’d arrived in Turkey.

  Turning as he reached the automatic doors, too late to stop them opening for him, he headed back towards the large windows showcasing that brilliant view of the Aegean Sea. He tried to appreciate the view, but his mind was too preoccupied with wondering how the day was going to play out.

  The rules had changed yesterday, that much had been obvious the moment he’d sat up on that massage table and looked into her eyes. The heat and want he’d seen reflected there had echoed his own so perfectly he couldn’t help but think it was only a matter of time before they had to do something about it or explode. This wasn’t a drunken attempt at a kiss in a lift, or a moment of madness brought on by a romantic hotel room. Sadie Sullivan wanted him, maybe as much as he want
ed her. And despite every complication, every reason he knew he shouldn’t, Dylan wasn’t sure he’d make it out of Kuşadasi without doing something about that.

  Except she was late, and he didn’t know which Sadie was going to turn up today—buttoned-up business Sadie, old friend Sadie, or the Sadie who’d tried to kiss him the other night.

  Yes, the rules had changed, to the point that Dylan wasn’t even sure what game they were playing any more. If they were playing at all.

  Ephesus. That was the plan for today. Ancient ruins, stones and sand and history. A big tourist draw, sure, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that wasn’t why Sadie was taking him there. More likely she was trying to get him somewhere safe—away from temptation and lost in someone else’s history instead of their own.

  Pity it would never work.

  Besides, he wasn’t interested in history today. He wanted to talk to her about the future.

  Dylan had spent his solitary evening making plans, researching and brainstorming. He’d been looking for a way to set the hotel chain he’d recently taken over apart from the norm, and a spa range of the calibre of Sadie’s could be just what he needed. Sure, it wasn’t unique, but it was good and profitable, according to his preliminary research. He’d know more when his assistant got back to him with the stats and figures he’d requested.

  Then he’d just need to talk to Sadie about it. He liked to hope she’d be excited about the new opportunity, but knowing Sadie he suspected that pulling her away from the old one would be the real challenge.

  Turning to head back towards the doors, he caught sight of the Azure logo on the reception desk, and almost smiled. Just a few days ago seeing the name would have been enough to make him scowl. But now... Sadie had changed the way he thought about the Azure. About many things.

  The lift dinged and the doors opened, revealing Sadie in a light and breezy sundress, a straw hat perched on her head. ‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said, without much apology in her voice. ‘Let’s get going.’

  Dylan followed, trying not to read too much into the fact she’d barely looked at him.