Tilly Bagshawe 3-book Bundle: Scandalous, Fame, Friends and Rivals. Tilly Bagshawe

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СКАЧАТЬ at all times that he won’t be able to help but fall madly in love with me? Or careful not to clinch the deal with my awesome marketing insight?’

      Sasha laughed. It was impossible not to. Lottie’s joy was infectious.

      ‘Just be careful. And pack a lot of scarves. It’s colder than a witch’s tit up there.’

      ‘And what will you be doing this weekend, my miserable, workaholic friend?’ Lottie teased. ‘I suppose it’s too much to hope that you have anything actually fun planned?’

      ‘That depends on what you mean by fun,’ said Sasha. ‘This McKinley thing could easily close on Monday. So yes, I will be working. As will you, remember? He asked you on a business trip, Lots, not a date.’

      Lottie raised an eyebrow knowingly. ‘We’ll see. See if you can squeeze some hat shopping into your busy schedule. It’s going to be a very formal wedding.’

      Sasha watched her float out of Bepe’s on a cloud, not sure why she felt so down. Was it because she was worried about Lottie, and the thought of Jackson breaking her heart? Or was it because her own life was so utterly devoid of passion and excitement? She downed another shot of espresso and pulled herself together. Focus. Lottie’s a grownup. She can take care of herself.

      And you have work to do.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      Jackson sat in the first-class lounge, watching Lottie helping herself to orange juice from the buffet counter. Her slim legs and high, tight bottom looked cuter than ever in the tight-fitting, forties-style Alexander McQueen skirt she was wearing, and when she turned around and caught his eye her smile lit up the entire room.

      It’s business, he told himself firmly. She’s here to sell these hotels to the city planning committee. Nothing more. Still, he couldn’t deny he was looking forward to the prospect of three days, and maybe longer, holed up in a hotel with the lovely Lottie Grainger. The recent tensions at work and with Sasha had been getting to him more than usual. Being around Lottie was like getting a massage for the spirit. She’s Valium and ecstasy rolled into one.

      ‘I got one for you too.’ Lottie passed him a flute of orange juice and her fingers brushed the back of his hand. Jackson felt a jolt of desire shoot through him.

      ‘Thanks.’ Get a grip. You’ll only hurt her and you know it. ‘We should probably run over the figures again on the flight.’

      ‘Right. Absolutely,’ said Lottie, wishing that Jackson would run over her figure on the flight. ‘We want to get it pitch perfect.’

      You’re perfect. Too perfect for me. That’s the trouble.

      They stayed at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, in the heart of the Deer Valley resort, a Nordic wood and glass structure with a three-storey atrium and spectacular mountain views. With its roaring fireplaces, intimate log-cabin bedrooms and the scent of pine and juniper infusing everything from the bed linen to the bath towels it was both luxurious and simple. Lottie thought it wildly romantic.

      ‘It would be perfect for a honeymoon, wouldn’t it?’ She gazed up at Jackson dreamily at the check-in desk, but he was all business.

      ‘If this deal comes off, it’ll be one of our main competitors. That’s why we’re here. Hi, yes, we’re checking in.’ Jackson flashed a smile at the receptionist. ‘The name’s Dupree.’

      The girl scrolled down on her computer.

      ‘Here we are. Mr and Mrs Dupree.’

      Lottie started to protest but the girl ignored her. ‘We’ve held the Deluxe Mountain View Suite for the two of you for three nights.’

      ‘You’ve made a mistake,’ said Jackson tersely. ‘We booked two rooms. We’re not a couple; this is a business trip.’

      ‘Oh.’ The girl looked flustered. She clicked on her screen again. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know how that happened, but I definitely only have you down for one deluxe suite.’

      Jackson was starting to get angry. The last thing he wanted was for Lottie to think he’d tried to pull a fast one. Not that he was above such tactics – far from it – but he respected Lottie too much to try such a crass manoeuvre. Besides, he was going out for a late dinner tonight with an old friend from college, Piers Dellal. Piers had promised to bring some hot girls along (‘Ski-bunnies, man, there’s nothing like ’em. All that mountain air makes ’em hornier than bitches in heat.’). Somehow Jackson doubted that wholesome Lottie Grainger was into threesomes.

      ‘Listen. I don’t care what you have down. My office reserved two rooms. Two rooms is what we need. Close to the business centre if possible.’

      The girl frowned. ‘I am sorry, sir. But I’m afraid we’re totally fully booked. The suite does have a foldout sofa bed in the living room if you need it. And the master bath is stunning. It’s actually the nicest accommodation in the entire hotel,’ she added helpfully.

      ‘Which is what, code for the most expensive?’ snapped Jackson. So much for his night of passion with one of Piers’s hotties. He turned to Lottie. ‘Sorry. Is that OK with you? I’ll take the foldout, of course. The alternative is that I try to check in somewhere else, but at this time of night …’ He looked at his watch.

      ‘It’s fine,’ Lottie blurted. ‘Really. It’s totally fine.’

      To Lottie’s disappointment, and Jackson’s relief, the suite was so huge that the makeshift bedrooms had an entire room between them, a sort of dressing-room-cum-study. ‘This is great,’ Jackson brightened, disappearing into the bathroom and emerging five minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist. Lottie blushed to the roots of her chestnut hair, trying not to stare at his six-pack stomach, but Jackson seemed completely un-self-conscious, sauntering around the suite as if she weren’t there.

      I’m invisible to him, Lottie thought miserably. Like his little sister or something. She went into her own room and began to unpack. I mustn’t give up. This is my chance. If he doesn’t see me as a sexual woman, it’s up to me to change his mind. Pulling out a pair of sexy, sheer La Perla panties with a matching lace push-up bra, Lottie slipped them on, admiring herself in the mirror. She’d been so excited when Jackson asked her on the trip earlier, she hadn’t eaten all day so her stomach looked wonderfully flat. The clock by her bed said 9.45 p.m. Late enough to change into the new champagne silk robe that just brushed the tops of her thighs and lounge around in the sitting room ‘working’ before bed. Carefully tying the robe so that the lace from her bra peeked tantalizingly out at the top, Lottie tousled her cropped hair and spritzed herself with Gucci Envy, emerging into the sitting room just in time to hear the front door of the suite slam shut.

      ‘Jackson?’

      He was gone. A note on the coffee table said,

       Dinner with friends. Don’t wait up. See you at breakfast, 7.30 a.m., J.

      After a fractured night, the first half of which was spent lying awake, listening for Jackson’s return, and the second half tossing and turning with sexual frustration so bad she could have wept, Lottie came down to breakfast with huge dark shadows under her eyes.

      ‘Are СКАЧАТЬ