Ankow stared at him hatefully. Everyone else got up to leave and Yves even chuckled at the comment, shaking a finger at the CEO playfully. After a moment of relishing his victory, Alastair got up as well and walked past Ankow towards the door.
“You won this time.” Ankow stood up, circled him, and held the door shut as the rest left. “But not next time.”
The CEO paused and regarded him. “Y’know, David, I’d be careful if I were you.”
The younger man snorted. “Not to overstep my bounds going after her?” he asked, tauntingly.
“No.” Alastair smiled. “Be careful she doesn’t turn and come after you.” He removed the hand holding the door shut, opened it, and walked past Ankow and into the outer hallway without a further backward glance.
KERRY’S EYES DRIFTED open, taking in the clear, blue sky she could see beyond the edge of the porch roof. It was a beautifully warm, sunny day, with a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean, brushing over the two somnolent figures cuddled together in the rope hammock.
She was perfectly content to remain right where she was, curled up with Dar in the late afternoon light, with a belly full of lobster salad and garlic rolls and a banana milkshake comfortably digesting. It was Wednesday and they were halfway through their vacation. Chino had been having a blast as well and was now sprawled near the hammock, her nose covered in sand.
Kerry sighed happily, as she snuggled a little more closely to the soundly sleeping Dar. The taller woman’s arms were wrapped around her and she could smell the nutty scent of sun tan lotion with its hint of coconut still clinging to Dar’s skin. They were both wearing soft, loose fitting cotton shorts and T-shirts, having gotten back just before lunch from a long morning’s dive off a catamaran diving boat. They had a bike ride planned for just before dinner, then Dar had suggested they merely meander down the main street in Key West and pick out some place to eat that they hadn’t tried yet.
Sounded good to her. Kerry wiggled her toes. She had never, ever, in her life felt this relaxed and she mentally thanked Dar yet again for suggesting the time off. They’d spent their days so far sunning, diving, tak-Eye of the Storm 437
ing long lazy naps like this one, and getting their heads into a completely different space that had nothing to do with work or the bustle of their usual lives.
She’d gotten some killer pictures, including one of Dar sitting on the bottom of the clear, green tinted ocean, nose to nose with a curious dol-phin. That one she was going to have enlarged and framed. It would look fantastic on the wall next to the dining room table and she had two smaller ones of colorful fish she could put on either side. Dar was dubious about the one of her, but Kerry knew it was going to turn out great, especially since she was wearing just a light tank kit and you could see most of her body, including those real, long legs stretched out on the white sand, with her flippers crossed at the ankles.
Mmm. Kerry could picture it, the sleek form in its black swimsuit, with the sheer fabric that just barely let her see the skin underneath.
Gorgeous. She only hoped Dar let her get the thing framed and hung before she realized just how sexy she looked in it. Kerry chortled softly to herself.
The place they were staying in was a small, sort of exclusive resort with little cottages and she found she liked that better than the tiered hotels a little further down the shore. They had privacy, for one thing.
The cottage was surrounded by sea grapes and palms and had two doors, one opening to a path leading towards the resort’s tiny restaurant and shop, the other leading directly out onto a smooth white beach and the sea.
Inside, the cottage was comfortable, more weathered than fancy, with wooden walls and furniture, and colorful, roughly textured fabrics.
There was a small refrigerator, and a two burner gas stove, and best of all, a gorgeous back porch with a two person swing, a chair, and the huge rope hammock they were both currently nestled in.
Heaven. Kerry stretched, feeling the tingle of a faint bit of sunburn on her skin.
Of course, the office was in chaos. She and Dar had decided on a compromise and every night after dinner they sat down and picked up mail, trading the more frantic bits with each other as their respective staffs scrambled to try and handle things while they were gone. And to be fair, they carried their pagers, carefully reviewing the various text messages and deciding which ones were really urgent and which would be good to let junior people handle.
Everyone was learning, and that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Kerry briefly wondered if they couldn’t just make this arrangement permanent, what with teleconferencing and all, then admitted to herself that their positions really did need a little more hands on than this, at least to be done right.
On the other hand... Kerry eyed a bit of color moving past. She hadn’t been able to try parasailing yet, in deference to her healing shoulder, and she really, really wanted to. Maybe she could ask Dar to continue their exile just a little while longer.
“No.” A low, sexy rumble tickled her ear.
438 Melissa Good Kerry peeked upward and grinned. “If we stay here long enough, I’ll be able to.” She waggled her fingers. “It feels a lot better. Honest.”
Dar’s half open eyes regarded her. “Hmm…maybe,” she replied thoughtfully. “If we went double I could sorta hang onto you.”
“Ooo.” Kerry’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!” She squirmed around and ended up half sprawled over Dar’s body. “I like that idea.”
“Really?” Dar tickled her sides and watched her squirm some more.
“Okay. Let’s give it a try tomorrow. Worst they can say is no.” She yawned and closed her eyes again, taking a breath of the salty air with a sense of decadent pleasure. “Mmm. I could so get used to this.”
Kerry stifled her own yawn. “Me too.” She gave Dar’s shirt an idle nibble. “How about we chuck ILS and open up an E-commerce consulting firm down here? Something we can run from a pair of cell phones and a laptop.”
“Okay.”
Kerry paused, then lifted her head and peered at her half dozing partner. “You’re not serious.”
Dar nodded.
“Really?”
A blue eye appeared. “In a frigging heartbeat.” It closed again.
“Hmm.” Kerry put her head back down. Dar had visibly unwound in the past couple of days, erasing, to Kerry’s eyes, years off her age. Even her speech had slowed down a little, taking on just a touch of her father’s distinctive drawl, and Kerry suspected her lover was going to have a tougher time than she was getting back into work mode come next Monday morning. “You like being a beach bum, don’t you?”
Dar opened her eyes and studied the wood ceiling as it swayed over head. “I guess,” she replied. “Yeah. Maybe I do, I mean…” She shifted a little. “I don’t mind working hard, but yeah, I’d like to do it in cutoffs and sneakers sometimes.”
“Well, you are the CIO and top honcho in Miami. Change the dress code,” Kerry replied practically. Then she paused and winced. “Oh. Wait.
No. José in shorts.” She buried her face in Dar’s shirt. “Never mind.”
Dar laughed. “I know, I know.” Her lips pursed slightly. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you don’t feel the same way. I think you like the snazzy office and it fits your style.”
Kerry glanced up, startled.
“That was a compliment,” Dar assured her.
“Mmm. You make me seem so preppy.” Kerry’s nose wrinkled. “But yeah, you’re right. I like dressing up. It makes dressing down on the weekends so much nicer.”