"You expect me to deal with this hard-on by myself?" His voice shifted up an octave.
Audra thought she heard a note of desperation. Good. Maybe it was time life evened up the score a bit. For all the nights she'd lusted after him and never been properly satisfied.
"You have two hands, Mr Felix. I understand that's all a lonely single man needs." She clamped her lips together and forced herself to remain calm until the door closed behind her. She blinked in the late afternoon sunlight, feeling like she'd been inside a surreal film and the real world was definitely a relief. Sunset tinted the path as she followed the yellow brick road away from the rock star the newspapers called the Wizard of Aus.
Once she'd rounded the corner and Villa Maxima vanished from sight, she broke into a sprint for the main building. She had to get to Dennis before the dickhead called security to get her fired. Or before she turned around and did something she'd really regret.
EIGHT
Audra hurried to Dennis' office and was relieved to find him in.
"Where's the trouble?" Dennis asked, already on his feet. The ex-minesite emergency response supervisor in him would never die.
"In some prick of a VIP's pants. Or lack of." Rapidly, she summarised her exchange with Jay.
"Let's hear it in all the gory detail." He nodded at his scanner. "ID."
Uncertainly, Audra detached her wristband and dropped it on the scanner pad.
Dennis peered at his computer screen and tapped his keyboard.
"In here," Jay's seductive purr came from Dennis' speaker.
Audra gritted her teeth as she listened to the recorded replay of her conversation in Maxima.
Dennis eyebrows would have reached his hairline if it hadn't receded. "The sun will rise in the west, hmm?"
The tension broke as they both laughed. "I might've borrowed that one from Game of Thrones," she admitted. "Do you record all the conversations in the hotel?"
He shook his head. "Only the ones where staff are in the room with guests. It's to protect both parties, and we usually don't listen to any of it unless a complaint is made. It's not common knowledge among staff or guests. Based on what happened today, you don't have anything to worry about, even if he does file a complaint." He sucked in a breath. "Did he touch you at all?"
Audra shook her head.
"Damn. If he does, it's assault, and I'll have grounds to make him leave the island. But if not...he's still allowed to stay here. Let me know if anything worse happens and I'll contact the police. Just don't touch him, or he'll have grounds for an assault charge."
Slowly, Audra nodded. For the first time, she was glad she hadn't slapped him, however much she'd wanted to. Maybe he liked that sort of thing.
"Just remember to swipe your ID every time you enter or exit one of the villas and you'll be fine. Your ID will record every conversation within earshot while you're inside. I'll handle this one from here. If you like, I'll give you the highlights of his complaint at dinner. It should make for a funny story."
Dismissed, Audra relaxed as she left Dennis' office. Whatever else happened, at least her job was safe.
Idly, she wondered if there was a way to circumvent the security system. If she did snap and tell the prick what she thought of him, she definitely didn't want it recorded for posterity. Dennis would laugh himself sick.
Or if she surrendered to her own weakness and gave Jay what he asked for...no. One night with Jay wasn't worth losing her job, no matter how good he was in bed.
Or on the sofa...
Audra ruthlessly shut that thought down before it went any further. Just because her body lusted after him, didn't mean she had to give in. She didn't even like him.
NINE
Audra raised her arms above her head in a stretch that resonated through her shoulders to her spine. "Right. Good to be in my own clothes again. Do you think they could make the uniforms any more uncomfortable?"
Pamela smiled shyly. "It could be worse."
Audra thought of the ties, tight-fitting tops and short skirts she'd had to wear in her various other jobs. "You're right. Let's get these down to the dock in time for the last boat and we can go for dinner." She counted the trolleys. "Isn't Penny supposed to be helping us? Where is she this time?"
"She said something about a sexy new sous-chef."
That meant Penny would be too busy flirting to do laundry duty like she was supposed to.
Audra sighed. "Fine. You grab that one and I'll take these two." She yanked four laundry bags off the full trolley and dumped them on the half-empty one, then added one more. "Now they're balanced."
They trundled down the path in a rattling procession to the jetty where the carrier boat waited. Baz, the captain, offered them a lazy salute. "Ladies."
Both girls laughed.
Audra waved at the bags. "Guest laundry and a week's worth of island uniforms. Please don't let the laundry service get us mixed up with the hospital linen again. The only thing worse than the maids' uniforms out here are surgeons' scrubs."
"Oh, so you liked the nurses' uniforms, did you?" Baz teased.
Pamela blushed bright red. "One day, when I can afford to go to nursing school, I'll wear one all the time."
"You'll get there," Audra said.
"And I bet the guests think all you housekeeping girls are deaf, dumb and stupid. What would they say if they knew you'll one day be saving their lives, predicting the weather or...what's the other girl want to do again?"
"Penny wants to be famous. She wants to be a reality TV star." This week. Next week, she might want to be a lounge singer. Or marry someone rich. Audra lost track sometimes.
Baz rolled his eyes. "Right. Well, see you in the morning. Don't break too many hearts tonight."
They waved as Baz and his mate cast off, before trudging up to the staff block.
"There you are! I've been waiting for you," Penny said.
Audra didn't believe a word of it. Penny's shirt wasn't buttoned right and she had a suspicious mango-coloured stain on her breast pocket. "If you'd remembered we're on laundry duty tonight, you'd have known where to look."
"Oh. That. Sorry." She didn't look it.
As Penny launched into a rambling story about her time training to be a chef at the community college in Port Hedland, Audra stepped into the staff dining room, scanning the tables for Dennis. He met her gaze and slowly shook his head, then shrugged. No, the dickhead hadn't complained and Dennis had no idea why. At least, that's what she thought it meant.
She nodded and resumed listening to Penny's story about the night her crazed housemate in Hedland kicked in a door, convinced that Penny had poisoned her. From what she'd heard about Penny's cooking and her penchant for revenge, anything was possible.
Audra accepted a plate from Pamela and proceeded to load it up with salad. An experimental sniff at the hot food told her the new sous-chef had burned the mango chicken again and the results were deemed not good enough for guests. Mango chicken salad was her favourite, so she hoped the forgetful sous-chef would be around for a while.
More fresh mango for dessert. If it wasn't her favourite...Audra laughed quietly to herself and filled a bowl with fruit.
The personal trainer jostled her aside. "Wow, you must really like mango." Serge grinned. "Pity I didn't need to rescue you today. I did an extra hour on the rowing machine, too, just in case you needed a fast escape off the island." He imitated the sculling movement, flexing even more muscles that Audra didn't know the names of.
She laughed. "Yes, I love mangoes. One of the best things about working up here is that I get to eat my fill." She couldn't afford them at home and on the rare occasions she'd attempted to treat herself, the fruit had disappeared from the fridge before she'd had a chance to taste it. Her brothers' fault, she was sure of it.
"Have you tried that mango beer in town? I'm due two days off next week and I know your roster matches mine. Do you want to come to dinner with me at the brewery restaurant?"
She couldn't justify the expense of dinner or beer, but she couldn't tell him that. "I have a date with my laptop next week. Both days. Maybe another time." If she didn't submit her job application by the due date this year, she'd be vacuuming floors and cleaning bathrooms for another year instead of using her degree. No. Her future was more important than that.
"I'll hold you to that," Serge promised.
Audra managed a smile. Her ID began beeping, drawing the attention of everyone in earshot.
"Damn VIPs. Taking advantage of the twenty-four-hour maid service. Sucks to be on call." Serge patted her arm and headed off.
Audra uttered a few swear words under her breath as she read the digital display:
MAXIMA
Did he need someone to wipe his bum now? She slammed her bowl of mango cheeks and ice cream down on the table and decided he could wait until after dessert.
The persistent beeping continued.
"You're doing Jackie's job at the Pearls?" Penny squealed, seizing Audra's wrist so she could read the display. "Ooh, who needs you urgently in Villa Maxima? Is he rich? Hot? Single?"
Audra swallowed. "Confidential. You know I can't say. Guest privacy and all."
"Can you tell me how big his dick is?" Penny persisted.
Huge. Audra felt her face grow red. "Penny, you know it's against the rules to get with the guests."
Penny shrugged. "Wouldn't stop me. What's a low-paid job like this compared to being swept off your feet by a rich man who's hung like a horse? I'd ride him before he could ask for room service." She winked.