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CHAPTER SEVEN
MIKELINAWOKETO the smell of fresh ground coffee. She dug her toes into her sheet and stretched. In the moment between dream and being awake, she wondered who was making coffee. Her mother wouldn’t be up until hours yet and her father was...in jail.
She bolted upright as it all came back to her. She squinted at the clock. It was just after nine. Well, at least she wouldn’t have to rush to get to the house to open it up for Bastien.
She climbed out of bed and went to the closet, pulling one of the waffle-weave robes off the hanger and slipping it on.
Bastien was typing on his laptop at the dining room table in one of the bathing suits she had bought yesterday. Both their clothes were still strewn all over the floor. Straightening her shoulders, she decided to brazen it out.
“Can I get you a refill on your coffee?” she asked.
He looked up from the computer as if surprised she was there. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Good morning,” she said, kissing him.
“It is now.” He pulled her on his lap and undid the tie of her robe.
Mikelina should put a stop to it, but it felt too damned good, especially when his fingers started teasing her nipples. They were in the middle of a really deep kiss when she heard her phone ring. Reluctantly, she pulled back. “I’ve got to get that.”
Bastien let her go and she slid off his lap. She managed to get to her purse and answer it before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly.
“What time are you meeting Bastien Ainsworth?”
“Uh, ten. He wanted to check in early.” She avoided Bastien’s curious look while she gathered up her clothes from the floor.
“Whatever he wants. I’ll be there soon.”
“What?” She dropped her purse with a clunk.
“I’m on my way. I’ll meet you at the house. Make me one of those special espressos, will you?”
“Shit,” she screeched. Luckily, Kirk had already hung up.
“What’s going on?” Bastien asked as she fled by him, back into the bedroom.
“My boss is on his way. He wants to greet you personally.” She dumped her clothes into the hamper bin in her bedroom closet. She’d let the maids wash them with the daily loads and have them put them in the box of her things in the laundry room. Flicking on the light in the walk-in closet, she hit the button that lowered the stairs to the attic.
“You didn’t see this,” she said over her shoulder to Bastien as she hurried up the stairs. “Where the hell did I put...” She muttered as she pulled a few bins down. She found underwear and a pair of dress slacks, but she had to borrow a pink shell blouse from her mother’s bin and hoped the buttons would hold. She was bigger than her mother in the chest. It just had to pass Kirk’s glance, and he never looked at her like that.
Hurrying down the ladder, she retracted it into the ceiling. Running into the master bathroom, she took the world’s quickest shower. She wished she had time to do her hair, but that wasn’t in the cards. She whipped it back into a fast ponytail and then twisted it into a bun and clipped it with a spare clip she found under the sink.
Before running back out into the kitchen, she closed the door to the bedroom. Kirk was pulling up in his red Maserati as she was fitting her club shoes from last night back on her feet. Her toes protested but she didn’t care.
“I made you an espresso,” Bastien said, handing her the cup.
“Bless you,” she said. “Okay, the story is you came a little early and I’ve already given you the tour.”
“Got it.” Bastien hid his smile with his own coffee cup.
She hurried to the door and opened it just as Kirk reached it.
“Good morning, Mikelina,” he said, taking the coffee cup from her. “Is that your mother’s blouse?” he asked, walking in the house.
She gaped at him. Damn! “She has a similar one.” She shut the door behind him.
“Where’s your car?” he asked.
