Page 13 of The Problem with Playboys

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “Good morning, Mr. Sullivan. We’re all clear to depart for Miami. Our flying time will be just over three hours. We have smooth skies ahead, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The flight attendant stopped by. She was tall and blonde and gorgeous, another example of Parker surrounding himself with the best of everything. “Champagne after takeoff?”

“I’ll have coffee,” Chloe answered.

“Mr. Sullivan?” the attendant asked.

“Check back with me once we’re in the air. I’ll focus on getting Ms. Burnett to change her mind about champagne.” He flashed a flirtatious smile at Chloe as they began taxiing down the runway. “How’s your mom?” he asked as he fished his laptop out of his bag.

“I think you know the answer to that. She hates your dad.”

“She wouldn’t be the first. There’s a long string of women before her and I’m sure there’ll be more down the road.”

Chloe didn’t know Parker’s dad, but she wasn’t a fan, and Parker clearly wasn’t trying to sway her. “I’m not going to change my mind about champagne, by the way. It’s still morning. I have work to do.” She pulled out her own computer. Three hours was a lifetime. She could get a lot accomplished.

“I didn’t think you would. I just wanted to give you crap about it.”

He was so frustrating. And somehow adorable, which made him even more irritating. “Remind me to return the favor someday.”

After takeoff, Chloe got her coffee and Parker thankfully did not make a second attempt to coerce her into drinking something more celebratory. They worked in quiet, sitting across from each other, and it was actually quite pleasant to be with someone who took their job just as seriously as she did. A few times, she got stuck on a point in the project she was working on and needed a moment to think. That gave her the opportunity to slyly admire him. He’d taken his jacket off and rolled up his sleeves, a sure way to Chloe’s heart as it gave her the chance to silently drool over his forearms.

But then he looked up and caught her eyeing him. “Change your mind about champagne?”

She shook her head with a bit too much enthusiasm. “No. It’s nothing.” For the next two hours, she kept her eyes on the computer screen. It meant she wasn’t ogling Parker, but it also meant a headache after so much time looking at the harsh blue light. She closed her laptop and set it aside, pinching the bridge of her nose and rolling her head to ease the tension in her neck.

“Stress headache?” Parker asked. “I’ve got a trick for that.”

Before she could answer, he was up out of his seat and stepping behind hers, reaching down and grasping her shoulders. She was about to protest when his thumbs pressed firmly on either side of her spine and his fingertips began kneading away the tightness that had bound up her shoulders. This was not a professional situation for either of them. Chloe did not allow her clients to give her massages, but, damn, it felt good. She closed her eyes and gave in to it. Maybe it was okay to let him touch her like this. Just once.

He began rolling his thumbs up and down the back of her neck, his fingers resting on her collarbone. She dropped her head forward and moaned. “That feels so good.”

“Yeah?” His voice was a low and sexy rumble that Chloe could not ignore. It poked at the fire inside her, the tiny flame that could easily grow into an inferno if she wasn’t careful.

“Yes. It does.”

“Good. I’m glad. Just relax.” He continued with his ministrations and Chloe didn’t want to admit that she would pretty much do anything to thank him for making her feel this good. The stress was melting away. “You need to spend some time in the pool at Marcus’s guesthouse tonight and tomorrow. It’ll really help you unwind. And it’s beautiful. Tucked away in a very private tropical courtyard. It’s nothing short of paradise.”

That sounded like sheer heaven. Unfortunately, she was not prepared. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

“Chloe. We’re going to Miami. Why wouldn’t you plan on swimming?”

Because she was an idiot?He had an excellent point. “Too much work to do while we’re there. I figured we wouldn’t have time. We’re only there for two days and one night.”

“I think you’ll find a way to make time when you see the pool.”

“I saw photos when I did my research on Marcus and pitched the architectural magazine. That still won’t change the fact that I don’t have a swimsuit.”

He dug into the back of her neck a little more firmly. “You can always skinny dip.” This time his voice was right behind her, mere inches from her left ear.

With her eyes closed, his miracle-working hands on her skin and his sexy voice filtering into her brain, it wouldn’t have taken much for her to agree to take a naked swim with Parker. It would have taken virtually no effort on his part to get her to drop her head to one side so he could kiss her neck, work his way up to her jaw, then beneath her ear and finally around to her lips. “I’m sure you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not trying to convince you to take your clothes off, Chloe, if that’s what you think. I say this for your benefit as much as mine. I need you at the top of your game over the next two days. There’s no way you’ll be like that if you’re wound as tight as your neck is right now.”

“I do my best under pressure.” Still, the thought of unraveling in Parker’s presence held immense appeal.

“Mr. Sullivan, we’re beginning our descent,” the pilot said over the intercom, interrupting her lurid train of thought. “It’s a beautiful day in Miami. Sunny and seventy-four degrees. We’ll be on the ground shortly.”

“Time to buckle up,” Parker said, taking his seat.