But she needed help from Harry to make all this stick.
His expert playboy help, smashing her mind with so much pleasure it took away the pain.
If he didn’t cooperate with her plan... But he would, wouldn’t he? He wanted her to surrender herself to him and that was what she’d be doing.
She threw a quick glance at him. He was leaning back in the chair, apparently relaxed as he waited for her to respond to the situation. However, his gaze instantly caught hers, sharply searching for what was in her mind. There was no point in taking any evasive action. She had decided on what she wanted from him. Her own eyes watched his very keenly as she put the question which would start a new situation rolling.
‘Do you still want to have sex with me, Harry?’
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. There was no instant yes. Elizabeth’s heart pounded nervously as she waited for his reply, watching his eyes narrow speculatively. He was obviously digesting what this change from her meant.
‘That’s been a constant for me over quite a long time, Elizabeth,’ he said slowly. ‘I think the more pertinent question is do you finally realise that you want to have sex with me?’
‘Yes, I do,’ she answered unequivocally. ‘But only if certain conditions are met.’
It had to be her plan or nothing.
His head tilted to one side. He was not rushing to accommodate her. His eyes watched her with an even higher level of intensity. Elizabeth held his gaze defiantly, determined not to budge from this stance. After a long nerve-racking silence, he casually waved a hand in an invitational gesture.
‘Spell out the conditions.’
Elizabeth took a deep breath, fiercely willing him to fall in with what she wanted. ‘The pavilion villa is empty on Friday night. I want it to be there. And then. The rest of this week we just keep to business.’
* * *
It took every ounce of Harry’s control not to react violently, to absorb this slug to his guts and remain seated, appearing to be considering what all his instincts were savagely railing against. This wasn’t about him and the chemistry between them. It was about Mickey and Lucy. In some dark twisted place in her mind, she probably wanted to pretend he was his brother, having it off in the same romantic setting where Mickey was about to take her sister.
No way would he be used as a freaking substitute!
It was a bitter blow to his ego that she should ask it of him. It showed how little she cared about what he thought, what he felt. He had encouraged her to use him as a blind to hide her angst over Mickey yesterday but to use him this far...it was brutal and he hated her for corrupting what they could have had together.
Hate...
He’d never felt that towards anyone. Why did she get to him so strongly? It was crazy. He should wipe her off his slate right now, find some other woman who thought he was worth having, who’d be sweetly giving, at least for a while.
Except...damn it! He still wanted the ungettable Elizabeth Flippence!
Have her and be done with it, he thought savagely.
He could use her scenario his way, add his own conditions, make her so hyped up with sexual awareness, Mickey would be blotted right out of her mind and he’d be the man—the only man she’d be conscious of all through the night.
She was patiently waiting for his agreement, her eyes boring into his, boldly challenging his desire for her. He sensed that some essential part of her had clicked off. She’d moved beyond caring what he said or did. The equation was simple. He either went with her plan or that was the end of anything personal ever happening between them.
‘Okay,’ he said calmly. ‘I’ll make arrangements for us to occupy the pavilion villa on Friday night.’
She nodded, the expression in her eyes changing to a knowing mockery. She had labelled him a playboy on quite a few occasions so he knew what she was thinking—a night of sex would always be amenable to him, regardless of why it was offered.
He decided to live up to her idea of him.
‘As long as you’ll fit in with some conditions I have in mind,’ he said with a quirky little smile.
That shot some tension through her. ‘Like what?’ she asked sharply.
‘Like not saying no to anything I want to do.’
She frowned. ‘I won’t do kinky stuff, Harry.’
‘I’m not into sado-masochism, domination or bondage,’ he assured her. ‘But I don’t particularly care for clinical intimacy, either. A bit of sexy fun is more to my liking.’
‘What do you consider sexy fun?’ she asked suspiciously.
He grinned. ‘How about you wear that butterfly blouse again, without a bra underneath? Be wicked for me.’
Hot colour raced up her neck and scorched her cheeks. Harry didn’t care if she connected the butterfly blouse to her Mickey fantasy. He’d had a few fantasies about it himself.
‘And team it with a bikini bottom with side strings that I can undo with a flick of the fingers,’ he added. ‘Some bright colour that goes with your butterfly. I’m sure you’ll be able to find one in the boutique.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘I didn’t realise you needed provocative clothes to turn you on, Harry.’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t. I’d simply like you to look and be accessible for once. I’ve been hitting a brick wall with you for two years. Accessible has a lot of appeal to me.’
Her cheeks heated up again, making her eyes look glittery. ‘Do you have anything else in mind?’ she clipped out.
He waved an airy hand. ‘Let me think about it. You have rather sprung this on me. If I’m only to ever get one night with Elizabeth Flippence...’ He cocked an eyebrow at her. ‘That is the plan, isn’t it?’
‘Yes’ hissed out between her teeth.
‘Then I want it to be a night to remember. Something extra special. The most sensual trip of a lifetime. I need to let my imagination work on it for a while.’
‘Fine!’ she snapped, and hopped off the desk, adopting a brisk and businesslike air. ‘You have three and a half days for your imagination to flourish. Since we have the essentials settled, let’s get on with resort management.’
He could almost hear the steel click in her mind. In his experience of women, Elizabeth Flippence was definitely something else. But she would soften for him on Friday night. He’d make damned sure she did!
He rose from the chair. ‘I’ve brought up the file on all our suppliers on the computer. Go through it. Write down any questions you have and I’ll be back later to answer them. Okay?’
‘Okay.’
Her relief that he was leaving her to work alone was palpable.
He
