Page 47 of Resisting Mr Black

“Yes, that’s me with my parents when we went on holiday to Rome. I was thirteen.” There’s something about his tone which suggests he hasn’t finished, and I look up to see him raking his fingers through his hair. He considers me for a long moment as if he’s deciding something. “They’re actually my adoptive parents. That was our first proper holiday as a family.”

“Oh.” I quickly place the photo back down on the fireplace because I feel as if I shouldn’t be touching something so important. “How old were you when you went to live with them?”

“Ten.” A definite tension appears in his shoulders as he turns away from me.

Questions pop up in my head, but I hold my tongue. He clearly doesn’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to push him about something so personal. “I really should text Lucy,” I say, changing the subject.

I pick up my phone off the coffee table and walk up to the dining table, sliding onto a chair. “She’ll be going mad.”

Don’t feel well so won’t be in today. X.

I press send, knowing that she won’t buy the lie for a second.

“George will be going mad too.” He spreads butter on two pieces of toast and his brows draw together. “What’s his problem?”

“How do you mean?”

“The guy’s a pain in the arse.” He places two plates of toast down onto the table and settles in the chair beside me. “He’s checking stuff out with me every second. Constantly asking questions and sending me emails. If he spent as much time trying to think of ways to boost income as he does wasting my time, the hotel wouldn’t be in such a mess.”

I slide the plate towards me. “He can be a bit pedantic, but he’s a good man. For the last God knows how long your uncle left the running of the hotel up to him. And he carried on doing just that, even though his wife was ill, and he lost her. The hotel’s all he’s got.”

“Now I feel bad.” He takes a bite of toast and chews it thoughtfully. “I didn’t realise that.”

My mind ticks back to what he’s just said. “Is the hotel really in a mess?”

“We need to do something to increase turnover,” he admits, taking a sip of coffee.

I take a mouthful of toast as my phone beeps. It’s a text from Lucy.

Liar, liar pants on fire. Don’t have too much sex will you. Seriously I’m glad you two have kissed and made up. Xx

“Lucy hasn’t bought my feeble excuse for not showing today. By tomorrow all the staff will have put two and two together,” I say worriedly.

He shrugs dismissively as he finishes his toast and rubs his hands together. “And we’ll confirm it when we walk in together.”

“You won’t try to hide it?”

His brows twitch in confusion. “Why would I want to hide the fact that I’m with you?”

He’s with me. What does that mean? The sensible part of my brain scrambles to take control. “Erm…because you’re my boss and I work for you and it’s inappropriate.”

“You’re over-thinking things. Like I said, HR do as I say. And I don’t give a fuck about what other people think of me.”

I take another bite of toast to occupy my mouth and ignore the flurry of nerves in my stomach.

“How did you find the restraint?”

It takes me a few seconds to catch up with the swift change in conversation. “It was okay,” I admit.

“Would you do it again?”

If it involves getting naked with him again it’s a no-brainer. “Yes.”

“Good.”

I put my half-eaten slice of toast down on the plate and decide to seize the moment. “Actually, I’ve a few other questions about the whole kinky sex thing.”

His lips twitch into a smile at my choice of words. “Go on.”

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