Page 51 of Last Resort

“And you think it’s appropriate for your manager to see you in that?”

“It’s covering where it needs to cover. Besides, I assure you that Brady and his husband don’t care one bit about staring at my ass or my tits, but that’s not your concern,” she says as she walks past me toward the door.

“Brady’s husband?”

“Yes. Husband.” She turns around and looks at me over her shoulder. “Maybe if you stopped being an aloof asshole when you walk into the office and actually talked to your staff, you’d get a better feel for who you’re working with.”

“I don’t fraternize with employees. It makes them think of you differently and lose respect for you. Number one rule in business.”

“What a pity. You’re missing out on a lot of great people.” She purses her lips for a beat. “I guess that means you shouldn’t fraternize with me either, then.”

And with that, she sashays out of the villa, her hips swinging. I swear to God I can picture the smile on those pretty lips of hers. She knows she won this round.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Sutton

I let the shower’s warm water sluice over my body and wake me up.

We had fun last night at the beach. It was nothing spectacular if I’m looking at it from a business perspective. But bonfires, locals playing classic favorites on guitars, and different food and cocktail stations gave it a kicked-back, fun atmosphere. Definitely low-key but with a high-class feel.

And then there were questions from Brady. His way of feeling out the situation between Callahan and me without asking point-blank. I think I evaded well enough, but will definitely have to make a point of being out of the villa as much as possible so I can avoid any further speculation. It was stupid of me not to think about it. Here I am worrying about the consequences of us sleeping together while not considering that people might assume it anyway since we’re sharing the same villa.

That just goes to show how much Callahan clouds my thoughts and judgment. What if Roz hears we’re sharing the same villa and assumes I’m sleeping with Callahan though? I have a feeling she’ll be a lot harder to convince otherwise.

Why does this feel like déjà vu? A man controlling the narrative—my narrative—again, when I told myself, never again.

Hence, the question. What’s in it for me? Those five words have given me back as much control as I can have in this situation without jeopardizing this opportunity. It’s also made Callahan realize the uninhibited woman I was that first night is just a small part of the woman he has to work side by side with now.

And since I can’t move villas, as I was told there is no other staff villa available for the moment, the only solution I’ve come up with is that I be here as little as possible when Callahan is. Maybe that will cut down on the possibility of rumors.

With a groan, I turn the shower off and force myself to think about options for Ocean’s Edge and not Callahan. Do I suggest a rotating schedule of events that repeat every other week? That’s typically long enough in between for the guests to turnover so they don’t see a repeat night.

It’s definitely an option.

More structure for the staff so they know what to expect. More options for the guests to enhance their stay.

Callahan will say that’s what resorts that cater to the middle class do. I’ll have to have facts and figures ready to suggest otherwise.

Callahan.

I grab the towel as thoughts of him fill my head. His drunken cuteness last night. How appalled he was at my bikini. The sputtering. The commands. The wide eyes.

Before he walked in, I wasn’t one hundred percent certain I was going to keep the bikini on. I am here for work after all and was going out with Brady and his husband, so I figured it might not be appropriate. But the minute Callahan saw me and had objections to me wearing it, it cemented that I would most definitely be keeping it on.

He doesn’t know that the moment I walked out the door, I pulled a sundress out of my bag and slipped it over the bikini. It was fun to bait him, though. To watch him lose control when he’s a control freak.

But the man sure knows how to make his kiss leave a lasting impression on a woman.

It’s hard to stick to your guns when you want him just as badly. It’s even harder to not give in when he presses you against countertops and kisses you until your knees give out.

I check the clock to see how much time I have before my first meeting and then start pulling my clothes out to get dressed. It’s when I get to my underwear drawer that I find it completely empty.

“What the hell?” I mutter and turn to look around my room as if my pairs of panties miraculously grew legs and walked out of the drawer. I immediately start going through the rest of my dresser only to find my bathing suit bottoms are gone too.

My first thought is that some creep robbed us. I know it sounds weird, but I’ve been in a lot of hotels with my job and have heard a lot of stories.

With my towel wrapped around me, I throw open my door and stumble over a large box wrapped with a huge red bow at my feet.