Naughty or Nice

by Rachael Stewart

  It’s so perfect. So Lucas.

  I think of his easy relationship with Maylene, of the mutual respect so evident between them, and the report he’s given me on what his company can achieve. He’s the right choice. I trust his company. I trust him.

  By the time we arrive back at his home that night I am sold. And he knows it. I can see it in his grin as he pulls open the cupboard for wine glasses.

  ‘Red? White? Or am I permitted champagne now?’

  I shake my head with a laugh. ‘I haven’t agreed to anything.’

  ‘Your face tells me all I need to know... Come on—admit it. You were impressed!’

  My smile is fit to burst. ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Champagne it is.’ He takes out two glasses and hunts out a bottle. ‘Let’s take it to the roof—the view is amazing this time of night.’

  The view is amazing right now...

  He’s so handsome in his charcoal-grey suit, with his white shirt now open at the collar, his tie undone. I could hook my fingers through the ends and pull him in...forget the champagne...

  ‘Come on,’ he says.

  Spoilsport.

  I let him lead the way up to the roof and then I get it. The view by night is spectacular and he wants me to see it—he’s still trying to impress me.

  He places the bottle and glasses on a low table beside one of the draped cabanas and strips off his jacket and tie, tossing them on the foot of the double bed beneath before sitting down at its edge.

  ‘You going to stay there all night or are you going to join me?’

  ‘In a bit...’ I say it teasingly, but if I get on that bed there’s no way I’m looking at the view.

  Instead I walk around to the other side of the cabana and hook my arm around the pole at the end, my eyes on the glittering lights of Marina Bay, the Gardens and their futuristic bubbles. It really is a sight to behold.

  And then music starts flooding the bay and lights dance.

  ‘What is that?’

  He gives me a grin as he lifts the bottle and starts to unwrap the foil. ‘You’ll see.’

  I look back out to the bay and see laser strobes hit the sky, coming from the ship-like rooftop of the structure across the water. They dance with the music, and the spectacular pods of what I know to be a shopping plaza below light up in tune, bouncing off the water. It’s incredible, and I’m so transfixed I don’t realise he’s moved until he’s alongside me, holding out a glass.

  I take it blindly, not wanting to miss a second. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘A free light show...’ He bends to my ear as he says it and a heated shiver travels up my spine. ‘What more can you possibly want?’

  ‘Free?’ I laugh softly. ‘You really are spoiling me.’

  His return laugh is husky, low, and I bite into my lip.

  ‘There’ll be another one later,’ he says. ‘They’re on every night. The tourists go crazy for it. I’ve had a place here for a year and I still try to catch it at least once when I visit.’

  I sip at my drink, my eyes devouring the whole spectacle, my body alive with his proximity. I’d love to spend more time here—taking in the sights, being a tourist... There’s a vibe that I just love. I want to ‘do’ Chinatown, explore the famous Botanic Gardens, enjoy a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, relax...with him.

  ‘I’d love to do the tourist thing.’

  I feel his eyes on me. ‘Next time we come we’ll do just that.’

  Next time we come...

  I turn to him. Those words are there again but they catch in my throat. I wet my lips. ‘Is that a promise, Lucas?’

  He curves his hand around the back of my neck, stirring every excited nerve-ending.

  ‘Yes.’

  And then he kisses me and the world falls away.

  Next time... There’s going to be a next time... Oh, yes.

  * * *

  I’ve always loved this pad. The view, the location, the buzz. But lying here with Eva curled into my side, with the view outstretched before us, it truly is heaven on earth. As good as any paradise island or secluded hideaway.

  ‘I wish we didn’t have to leave in the morning.’

  She toys with the buttons on my shirt as she says it, her contented sigh warming me through.

  I trace circles over her bare shoulder and press a kiss to her head. ‘Me too.’

  ‘Thank you for all this.’

  She looks up at me, her eyes dark in the soft white glow that comes from the decorative lighting cubes that line the terrace.

  ‘What? For putting so much work into convincing you to go into business with me?’ I grin. ‘It seems a pretty selfish move, if you ask me.’

  She digs me in the ribs and rolls on top of me. ‘You know full well you didn’t need to do all this.’

  ‘Do I?’

  ‘Yes, you could have documented all of it—in fact, if I dug a bit, I bet I’d find article after article about the fabulous Waring Holdings and its equally fabulous owner.’

  ‘Fabulous, am I?’

  Her smile turns shy and my heart blooms in my chest at her silent answer. She drops a kiss to my lips and folds her arms over my chest, her chin coming to rest upon them as she looks at me.

  ‘Does that mean I have the job?’ I ask.

  I’m half joking, half serious. But she’s all serious now, quiet, her eyes wavering over my face.

  ‘I have people I’ve yet to see... It doesn’t feel right, cancelling on them.’

  ‘But why waste their time if you’ve decided?’

  ‘Because they still deserve to be listened to and considered.’

  ‘Are you saying that because you mean it or because you’re worried about how your family will react?’

  She presses herself off me and rolls onto her back, her eyes looking skyward. ‘I’m not scared of them.’

  She says the words, but there’s an edge that I don’t like.

  I turn on my side and look down into her face. ‘No?’

  ‘I just don’t want to hurt them or provoke them further.’ Her eyes flick to me. ‘I want to get this right—make them see what they did was wrong. But I can’t push them out entirely. It’s not fair on Mum, for starters, and for all they did wrong they’re...they’re still...’

  ‘They’re still your family.’

  ‘Yes.’ It’s a whisper.

  ‘So what will you tell them when the time comes? Because it will, Eva. You know as well as I do that our companies working together is the right move.’

  I don’t say the other thing I’m thinking: We work, her and I...us.

  ‘The truth.’

  ‘Which bit?’ I test the water. ‘The work or the personal—this?’

  ‘All of it.’

  She nods her head emphatically, surprising me with her confidence.

  ‘This deal gets me what I need. It buys them out of my business, and it buys me my total freedom. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long—to be in control of my own destiny, my future, my company.’ She pins me with her brilliant gaze. ‘As for me and you...they have to see they’ve wronged you...’ Her voice trails away, a frown marring her brow as her eyes narrow. ‘Unless...’

  Unease spreads like ice in my veins. ‘Unless...?’

  ‘Is there more to it?’

  She’s looking at me earnestly, searchingly.

  ‘I just don’t get it. They’re good people, Mum and Dad. And Dad knows that Nate has his moments—well enough to suspect that what you told him was the truth—so why side with him?’

  Why? I think about it. I think about what I told her. It’s the truth—all of it.

  Nate hated me for not stepping in, not saving his arse after he’d screwed up—again. I could’ve done, but I didn’t. Her father just protected his son...and to hell with what was right, fair.

/>   I rest my hand over her stomach, feel her warmth seep into my palm. I lower my eyes to the touch and use it to ward off the mounting chill.

  ‘There’s nothing to tell you that changes anything. It happened just as I told you.’

  She’s quiet as she considers me, and then she shakes her head and looks back to the view. ‘I just don’t get it... Nate isn’t a bad person deep down—he isn’t. I wouldn’t look out for him if he wasn’t.’

  ‘You would. He’s your brother.’

  Just as your father protected his son—his real son, his blood.

  ‘No, I wouldn’t—not if he didn’t deserve it. He’s unreliable, sure, and he messes up sometimes. He clearly messed up with you. But he loved you, you were inseparable, and now... Now he—’

  She breaks off, as if she can’t even voice it.

  ‘He hates me?’

  She looks at me, her eyes stabbing me with their pain, eyes that look so similar to Nate’s in that moment, filled with the same blaze of hurt he wore the last time I saw him.

  ‘Yes.’

  I don’t really hear her. I’m transported back five years. To that last argument...to his begging.

  ‘You owe us! You wouldn’t be anything without our money! You can save us. How can you refuse?’

  Their love shouldn’t have been conditional. Mine certainly wasn’t. I thought I was loved. By Nate, by his parents. Eva. And look where it got me.

  Shit. Don’t tar her with the same brush.

  I shut it all down and look at the view.

  ‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘I know it’s hard for you...the past. It’s hard for me too—but we have to face it head-on if we’re to get through this.’

  My eyes fall to hers. ‘And will we? Face this together when the time comes?’

  She hooks her fingers through my hair, drawing me in. ‘Yes. Together.’

  She kisses me and all my doubts dissolve in the heat of her.

  I trust her.

  I love her.

  And when the time is right I will tell her.

  But not before she does what she says she will: confronts her family, Nate, and puts me first. Proves to me that her love has no conditions. Then I’ll know for sure.

  So, do you really trust her?

  I groan with frustration, with need, as I kiss her hard, punishingly. I want to trust her—that’s the point.

  I tear my lips from her mouth and let my mouth travel to her throat. I nip her skin. ‘I want you.’

  It’s as much as I can confess—as much as my heart and body will let me confess.

  ‘I want you too.’

  She forks her fingers through my hair, tugging me down, arching her body, her nipples already like marbles beneath her top.

  I take one into my mouth, tease her through the fabric, drop my fingers to the apex of her thighs...

  For now we have this, and I’m going to take it all.

  Tomorrow we’ll return home and face it together.

  As one.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  TUESDAY MORNING REALITY HITS—as it has to—only it’s softened by the bed I wake up in: his.

  The smell of fresh coffee greets me as I stroll into the kitchen and I know he’s already gone. He warned me he had to be in Edinburgh early, for a meeting, that he would be away for a couple of days, but the fact he’s set the coffee machine going in time for my wake-up call brings the goofiest of smiles to my face.

  I could get used to this.

  I know I have a huge ordeal ahead, breaking the news of us to my family, but it’s the right thing. We are right. And the past has to be dealt with. Sooner rather than later. I want this Christmas to be special, I want Lucas in it.

  I turn on the radio as I potter around the kitchen. Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ fills the air and I’m dancing. Happy. Truly festive.

  I am so convinced everything will be okay that I spend the next few days in a bubble.

  By day I work, ticking off my back-to-back meetings as promised, sticking to my plan and being fair to all concerned.

  By night I enjoy the countdown to Christmas. I hit the shops, I wrap presents, I decorate my mini-tree, bringing a much-needed pop of colour to the otherwise bland apartment, and I look forward to Friday. To seeing Lucas. My future. Our future.

  I don’t forget about Friday night’s meal. I don’t forget that Dad has promised to talk with Nate. I just have faith in my family to get things right this time.

  * * *

  It’s Friday. Three days and three nights since I left her warm body in my bed. It feels like an eternity.

  I’ve wanted to ring her—of course I have—but I also wanted to respect her decision to stick to her review process and the meetings she’d lined up.

  I didn’t want to mess with that.

  I didn’t want to appear desperate either.

  I rake my fingers through my hair and take the stairs to her office, needing to burn off this incessant thrum of energy. I could put it down to excitement at seeing her again, but I know it’s also nerves.

  I hoped she’d call me, or at least email. But nothing.

  And if I’m honest I’m scared she’s changed her mind. About us, the business...all of it.

  But it’s time for our allotted meeting and she hasn’t cancelled to avoid it, to avoid me. That has to count for something.

  I get to her floor and her PA spies me before I’m across the room, her smile welcoming.

  ‘Ah, Mr Waring, it’s lovely to see you again.’ She steps out from behind her desk and offers her hand. ‘Can I get you a coffee?’

  I don’t care what she gets me so long as I see Eva soon. I shake her hand with a nod. ‘Thank you.’

  She turns and leads the way to Eva’s office; a gentle rap and she pokes her head through.

  ‘Mr Waring is here.’

  I can’t make out Eva’s response and I strain for it. Eager to hear her voice.

  ‘You can go on through.’

  She opens the door wider and I lose all sight of her as I seek out Eva.

  ‘Lucas.’

  She smiles and pushes up out of her seat to walk towards me, I meet her halfway and hear the door click shut as her PA leaves us.

  She’s a vision in pink again. This time a sleeveless dress that hugs her frame to the knee. Her hair is in a loose knot at her nape and silver snowflakes dangle from her ears. I itch to reach for one, to reach for her, to embrace her, to kiss her. A thousand wants and I can’t even speak as I try to keep them contained.

  She pinches the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth, hesitant, but her eyes are alive. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m just absorbing my first sight of you in three days.’

  She laughs softly. ‘Well, in that case, absorb away.’

  She gives a little twirl and I’m undone. My hand reaches to cup her waist and pull her into me, my lips find hers.

  She feels so good, sounds so good as her startled little whimper ripples through her throat and her hands grip me hard, needy. Her mouth, her tongue—every bit the same. It’s intense and wild, and I realise with startling clarity that I could make love to her now, so easily, and her PA is returning with coffee.

  Dammit.

  I set her away from me, dragging air into my lungs. ‘Your PA is bringing me coffee.’

  Her fingers tremble as she touches her lips, her confused frown so fucking adorable.

  ‘Coffee?’

  ‘I may have agreed to have some.’

  Her lips curve upwards, her eyes dance. ‘So you’re saving her from a scene?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  Heat streaks my cheeks and I’m not sure whether it’s an alien sheepishness that does it or the lust still raging inside me, but the rap at the door is well-timed.

  She smooth
s her dress out—it already looks perfect—and calls, ‘Come in.’

  ‘Here we go—two coffees and some festive treats.’ Her PA places a tray on the desk and turns to leave. ‘You know where I am if you need anything else.’

  Her smile encompasses us both before she leaves, and I get the sneaking suspicion she knows exactly what was going down seconds before.

  ‘She’s a smart one.’

  ‘If you mean she’s got us pegged, then I’d say you’re right.’

  She returns to her desk and lifts a mug, places it on a mat before the visitor’s chair, a mince pie following suit.

  ‘Why don’t we get business out of the way before we...er...?’

  ‘Get carried away again?’

  I’m grinning at her, high on her response to me, on what it means for us and the future. Everything is within reach. Everything that matters at least. Her suggestive smile across the desk tells me so.

  * * *

  I feel like I’m rushing to the end of our talk just to get back to where we were when Lucas first arrived.

  I’ve told him I want to work with him. I’ve told him I’ve rejected the other offers. I’ve also made sure he understands it wasn’t a simple choice to make—that he did have tough competition despite his claims and his report. Rosalie at Janus Industries, in the main. I liked her, and her offer was almost comparable—almost.

  And there had been a moment’s hesitation when I’d acknowledged to myself that going into business with her would be simpler...that the complication of loving and working with Lucas did go against him. But ultimately I fell in love with the way his business operates too.

  ‘So we’re agreed?’ he says.

  ‘I think so.’

  I rise out of my seat and he follows suit, his eyes fixed on me. My pulse starts to race and I press my palms into the skirt of my dress, moisten my lips.

  ‘So we’re done with work?’

  I nod. I want to race to him, but I force my pace to slow, my fingers trailing along the desk-edge as I approach him.

  He turns to face me, his gaze flitting between my mouth and my eyes, dark, hungry. I reach out and wrap my fingers through the tail end of his tie, wrap and wrap until I’m almost to the knot, and then I pull him down to me.