Page 1 of The Naughty List

PROLOGUE

“It’s not me, it’s you.”

Holly just stood and stared, her brain barely comprehending what was going on. Had Kyle always been such an arrogant asshole?

Yes. Yes, he has. One of the little voices in the back of her mind piped up, the one she didn’t like to listen to because it supplied her with too many home truths that Holly didn’t always want to hear.

In retrospect, maybe she should have listened to that one earlier, though.

“I’m sorry, but this relationship simply isn’t going where I expected it to,” Kyle continued, not looking in the least bit sorry at all.

If anything, he looked bored. Bored and faintly irritated that he had to take the time to make their breakup official. Holly had a vague thought drift through her mind that she should be thankful he didn’t do it by text.

In fact, he may well have done that if it wasn’t for the fact that they worked together.

Oh God! They worked together.

“The truth is, Holly, being with you is boring. There’s never any time to go out and do anything fun. I want to live my life, and that’s not happening while I’m with you. You’re always too busy with other things.”

Holly blinked. She was always too busy doing his job for him. She wanted to point that out, but the words wouldn’t come.

Who knew speechless was an actual thing?

“I’ll cancel your Christmas vacation time since obviously we won’t be going away together after all…”

“What? No!”

Funny how it was that which pulled Holly out of her daze. But fuck Kyle - or not, as the case may be - she’d been looking forward to that break. It was her dream holiday, the one she’d been planning all her life. The one she always thought she’d spend with someone she loved. She’d worked through every other holiday, and missed out on all the other annual festivities so she could justify taking time off during one of the busiest times of the year in the hotel industry, the one during which no one wanted to work. She’d be damned if she threw that all away. It was the reason Kyle thought she was boring, after all.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Holly.” Kyle’s tone, both annoyed and condescending, set the hackles rising on the back of her neck as anger replaced the shock she had previously been paralyzed by. “You won’t be needing it now we’ve split up. Besides, how many times have I told you, no one wants to spend Christmas visiting a damn prison?”

“And how many times have I told you, it’s not a prison, it’s a Christmas village?!” Had he ever listened to a word she’d said?

A trickle of unease slid down her spine, as the rest of his words settled in. Was that why he’d dumped her? So he could have her do his job over Christmas and the New Year?

No, surely not. That would have been covered already. This vacation had been arranged for over six months, after all.

But the thought wouldn’t leave her, and Kyle’s next words raised her suspicions even further.

“Look, Holly; we’re short staffed. I need you to be here over the holiday period.”

“No,” Holly stood her ground. “You’ve had plenty of time to organize cover, and you still have another three months to do that. I’ve damn well earned this break, and I’m taking it.”

“I signed off on your leave, Holly, and I can rescind it too.”

The threat hung between them, coloring the air with hostility and resentment.

“I don’t think so, Kyle,” Holly replied icily. “I haven’t taken a single day of vacation time this year, which you told me was a necessity if you were to swing time off for both of us. So I have every single day of my holiday entitlement still owing. I’m pretty sure head office won’t back a rescindment.”

Kyle puffed out his chest, looking all indignant. “Is that a threat?”

“Oh no. The only person making threats here is you,” she countered, refusing to be intimidated.

And true to form, Kyle followed with another. “You work, Holly, or I’ll fire you.”

How had she ever thought she liked this guy?

“You do that, Kyle.” She called his bluff, even though she was shaking inside. “Since most of what I do is your job, you can have fun doing it yourself for a change.”

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