Page 18 of The Holiday

Were women any different from men in this regard? Always flaunting…

“Excuse me,” Eve put her hand on the maid’s shoulder. “I’m keeping you from work.”

The housekeeper was not happy to shuffle away and get back to her duties. It may have been night at a winter villa, but seven important guests demanded careful attention. Doubtlessly, the maid was needed downstairs to make sure the wet bar stayed stocked and all messes cleaned up promptly. How kind and thoughtful for Eve to consider this on the maid’s behalf.

Even more thoughtful of her to bridge the gap between her and Natasha with a few lazy strides. With legs that long? Accomplished in as little as seven steps.

“Fancy running into you here.” Eve leaned against the wall, body acting as a barricade – not that Natasha had to move more than a few feet to walk around her. “Roam the halls much?”

Natasha had two options. She could continue to be her standoffish self around Eve… or she could let her guard down a teensy bit.Wouldn’t want to give her the wrong idea.“Sometimes. You flirt with every woman you come across or only the cute ones?”

“Close.” Eve didn’t flinch. “I flirt with every woman who looks open to being flirted with.” Her eyes narrowed at Natasha.

Don’t take the bait. Don’t take the bait!“So, you think I’m open to being flirted with all the time, huh?”

“That would be the interpretation, yes.”

Natasha shifted from one foot to the other. Eyes averted. The only thing she managed tonotdo was bite her lip. That was a habit she punted to the sun when she was in college and determined to have the hardest face in her sociology class.

“But…” Eve did a half-turn. “If you don’t want me to flirt with you, I won’t. If that’s the case, you will also be happy to know that I won’t be coming by your office anymore. Helen decided she should take that chore over from now on. I’m sure you understand.”

Vaguely. All Natasha knew was that Eve’s sister was the fiancé of Ms. Coleman’s ex-girlfriend. In some circles that would make them enemies.

Natasha wasn’t paid to know that kind of information. She was paid to know who was coming by the office that day and field any calls coming in. Anything more than that and she risked getting called nosy and having her Christmas bonus lowered. As it was, she was looking forward to sending her parents on a nice trip for their upcoming thirtieth anniversary.

Now Natasha was presented with two possibilities. She could let things go, and Eve would probably disappear from her life. The flip side to that was… Eve would disappear from her life, rarely to flirt with her again.

They weren’t even at work right now!

When she first started working for Ms. Coleman, Natasha had to sit through half an afternoon’s worth of HR drivel. Most of it was about how bad it was to fraternize with coworkers – especially Ms. Coleman, ahem, not that it stopped her from opening a flirtation with Natasha shortly after she startedworking – and clients. However, as Ms. Coleman had told her in their one-on-one at the end of the day, Natasha would soon find herself in a unique situation.“Forgive me, Ms. Gaige, but you are a conventionally beautiful woman, and you are young. There will be many unscrupulous people who come through that door to make you uncomfortable with their advancements. Please know that you are under no obligation to return such flirtations. If you are made to feel uncomfortable, let me know, and I will deal with it. Your comfort and ability to work in peace are a priority.”

Natasha was able to handle the rich old men – and some of the young ones – without much issue. It was thewomenher little gay heart was never prepared for.

Even if she was pretty sure she wasn’t interested in romance, let alone sex. Earlier relationships had taught her that. Or was she the type who only got the urge around very select people… that she had been exposed tomultipletimes?

“You won’t be coming by anymore?”

Eve shrugged. “Family business, dear. Don’t have much control over it. I’m but a pawn in my family’s games. It’s amazing I have as much freedom as I do.”

“I suppose.” Natasha could shrug too. “Too bad. I was starting to look forward to you coming in and making me feel special.”

Was that spit choking Eve’s throat? Ha!

“Special, huh?”

“What, you think it’s easy being a pretty girl like me?” Natasha tossed her bushy blond locks over her shoulder. “Every day all these rich men come in and act like they are the best thing to ever happen to me. Do you know how many flirt with me? I could have my pick of billionaires. Even when I was dating men,” she didn’t mention that was as little as a year ago, “I turned them all down. You know why? I was waiting for a woman instead. Awoman who could compete with those pretentious fuckers and show me what it’s like toreallybe flirted with.”

She knew she had pushed some powerful buttons. What Natasha didn’t expect, however, was that she would soon find herself against the wall, staring up into Eve’s bright blue eyes.

Eve and her sister were giants of genetics in any world, let alone the one Natasha had started working in two years ago. Not only height, either –anyone could say that the Warners were infamous for being over six feet tall. Monique was the first addition to the family who didn’t come anywhere near that height at a petite five feet. No, what shocked whole rooms into silence was the ridiculous Scandinavian genes that would make the ignorant think that blond hair and blue eyes were dominant. Like the pair of eyes Natasha stared into now. Big. Bright.Icyblue. Natasha knew lots of women who would pay big money to have contacts that made their eyes that color. To actually see real ones? Glowing?Gazing?It was enough to make even the most low-libido lesbian’s knees buckle beneath the pressure.

Cheekbones that could slice the air she breathed. Ears as long as they were dainty. Perfectly groomed hair that looked so effortless Natasha almost bought that Eve didn’t spend an hour a day on it. And that was from the neck up.

Anyone who told Natasha that she was an “exotic” beauty had never met a Warner.

“You still don’t know what it’s like. If I think I have a real chance, I won’t back down. You’d have to slap me.”

An excuse to touch those smooth cheeks? Dare Natasha be tempted?

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