Best of Bosses 2008(101)

‘You argue too much.’

‘Only with you.’ Their eyes tangled and Rose looked away hurriedly.

‘I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s nice to know that I can fire you up.’

Rose ground her teeth together and Nick let out a loud laugh that drew stares from the passengers sitting closest to them. ‘Think about the things that impressed you most about the hotel in London, think about how they could be incorporated into a small hotel sitting in the equatorial belt. It’s going to need an almighty leap of the imagination, but you know what I want…’ I want you. The thought weaved a path in his head and he greeted it without surprise. Maybe he had known all along that she was more than just a challenge or a novelty or a refreshing break from the type of women he usually enjoyed. He wanted her. Not just her mind, but her body. Nick lowered his eyes.

Every inch of him gave the impression of a man totally absorbed by what his companion was saying. She certainly seemed to have taken on board everything he had told her in the past about his plans, even things he had mentioned in passing. Now, enthused, she was eagerly discussing them and he made sure to contribute, but the flicker of his eyes was on her mouth, soft and pink, and her breasts, shadowy outlines under her cotton pinstriped shirt as she leant towards him, her hands articulating what she was saying. Something about sunken baths and a rainforest decor that would bring the environment right into the hotel.

‘I did think about buying a guidebook,’ she finished, ‘but I wanted to be assaulted by the place without any preconceived ideas.’

‘Yes. Good idea.’ Nick smiled, setting her at ease. ‘Right…now let’s compare some of those preliminary costings…’

How could she ever have thought that a life devoid of change and adventure was a good one?

Here she was, sitting in the first-class compartment of a plane that would deliver her first to Kuala Lumpur and then onward to Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, places she had never heard of in her life before. And, yes, it was exciting.

She looked at Nick surreptitiously from under her lashes and felt that familiar illicit thrill. He was sleeping, his body half inclined away from her so that all she could glimpse was his profile and the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

The seats in first class could be extended to full body length and, although she was as reclined as he was and the cabin was in darkness, she was finding it difficult to sleep.

For the first time, she could sort of understand how Tony and Flora had been affected by wanderlust. The unknown wasn’t scary, as she had imagined. Or rather, she amended to herself, it was scary, but it was also full of possibilities.

The strongest possibility now was that she would remain wide awake for the remainder of the trip and then be fit for nothing when they eventually landed.

But she slept.

And the next few hours so completely removed her from everything that was familiar to her that Rose, delighted and disoriented, put herself firmly in Nick’s care. Connections were made, passports were checked and she just looked around her open-mouthed, until finally they were on the last stage of their travel, quickly covering the two-and-a-half hour trip towards Kota Kinabalu.

Daylight was already fading by the time they were being delivered to their hotel, but it was still very, very hot.

‘It’s…not what I expected…’

‘You can hardly keep your eyes open, Rose. As soon as we get to the hotel, you can climb into your bed and fall asleep. Don’t try and appreciate the scenery now.’

‘But how is it I feel sleepy and you don’t?’

‘I’m an experienced traveller.’ He gave her an amused, mocking glance.

The taxi swung round a corner and there, following a long drive through manicured lawns, was the hotel. As she stepped out of the taxi she was aware of a thousand tiny night sounds.

‘I’m aiming for something more eco-friendly than this,’ Nick murmured into her ear. ‘It’s big but, in terms of comfort, you’ll be hard pressed to better it. Now, I shall get us checked in and then you’re going to go to your room and get some sleep.’

‘I wish I’d read that guidebook after all.’ She yawned ruefully.

‘No need. Lee Peng knows this place like the back of his hand. A living guide is a damn sight better than someone else’s interpretation of a place.’

‘I feel awful leaving you to go to bed…don’t think that I won’t be pulling my weight…perhaps if I just freshen up a bit, I could join you and we could go over plans for tomorrow…’

Nick ignored her valiant protests and checked them in while Rose loitered behind him, savouring the glassy marble flooring and the cool, colonial elegance of the foyer. Were these the perks of working for a rich man? Everything done in style, with no expense spared.