Her Holiday Fling

2

“NO, HE CAN’T have the boat,” Hayley said into her cell phone, cradled between her shoulder and ear as she stuffed her bursting-at-the-seams suitcase under the seat in front of her. The early-morning flight to Maui was full and there was never enough room under these seats.

“Why not? He paid for it,” Mark Phillips, the opposing attorney on her latest divorce case, said.

“Because my client is getting the lake house.” She paused. “What’s the point of having the boat when he’s getting the summer home in Phoenix?” Were they seriously fighting over this? Mark had to know how stupid his client’s request sounded. Clearly, it was just another tactic to piss off his soon-to-be ex-wife.

The flight attendant approached, indicating that she end the call.

She nodded.

“He says he wants to sell it,” Mark was saying.

“No, forget it. He’s not getting it.” Even if the early morning and lack of coffee wasn’t making her cranky, the opposing attorney’s request was one she refused to waver on. Her client’s husband had cleaned out their savings to support his gambling hobby. She wasn’t giving him anything else to sell to support his addiction. He was lucky his wife wasn’t planning on airing his other addictions in court, as well.

“What about the fishing gear? Mrs. Leslie admitted she doesn’t fish.”

“Maybe she’ll develop a sudden interest.”

The flight attendant stopped by her row and gave Hayley the evil eye.

“Bye, Mark. See you in court next week.” Her tone was final. “Sorry, done,” she told the flight attendant, turning the phone off and dropping it into her purse. It would be the last time she answered it for days, and the thought nearly brought on an anxiety attack. Marvin’s rules for the company retreat were simple—no work. He’d made them all clear their calendars and move appointments to make sure they could focus on team building throughout the retreat. Thank God she could count on her assistant to take care of important things like filing affidavits and booking court dates for her return.

She sighed, sitting back in the seat. Right now she had enough to worry about, trying to keep her job. Before leaving the office the day before, she’d stopped by Marvin’s with the perfect excuse for why her fiancé would be unable to attend the retreat, but her boss had already left for the day. Now she had the entire flight to stress over his reaction to her arriving solo.

She needed this job. While no one ever said it, everyone knew that her father’s influence had secured her current position at Marshall and Thompson after she’d been fired from the law firm in New York where she’d been working since graduating from Harvard. As a well-respected corporate law attorney, he had a lot of friends and he’d used his connections. She appreciated his help, especially since being let go had made it impossible to secure interviews with some of her top firm choices. Annoyance rose in her chest when she thought about it. She’d only gotten fired because she’d made the mistake of sleeping with a senior partner at the firm. Once she’d ended things, he’d turned her recent lack of success in the courtroom into a reason to let her go.

As the plane filled and the seats next to her remained empty, she entertained the hope that she’d have the row to herself. But of course there was always that one guy, Hayley thought as a man hurried onto the plane. The one who was never early for a flight, the one who thought the plane should just wait for him, the one who was...drop-dead gorgeous.

Hell, if she was a plane, she’d wait for him, too.

He towered over the flight attendant, which would put him at about six feet, and his shirt—open at the top—revealed that it was six feet of tanned, sculpted muscle. His dark hair was gelled in a messy tousle and when he smiled at the young attendant, his cheeks gave way to the deepest dimples she’d ever seen on a man.

Either an actor or a model. The only people on earth that had the right to be that good-looking, serving as eye candy for mere mortals.

“Hi,” he said, stopping next to her row. “This is me.” He pointed to the aisle seat as he stuffed a small carry-on into the overhead compartment. He looked for a place to hang a dark garment bag from Joseph’s Formal Wear.

Of course he was sitting next to her—fate hated her. The hottest guy on the planet was going to Maui for a wedding. She scanned the aisle behind him, expecting to see a dazzling, supermodel-gorgeous woman rushing to take the middle seat between them, but the aisle was empty. “Hi.”

“Here, Officer Hartley, let me hang this in the cockpit for you.” The flight attendant who’d earlier given her a menacing glare showed no signs of the terrifying authority now as she touched his arm.

Officer? This guy was a police officer? She studied him more closely. Okay, she could see that. Looking beyond the obvious physical qualities was a strong, sturdy, cautious air about him... And now at least the gash above his left eyebrow made sense.

“Thank you,” he told her, handing her the garment bag. “Everyone on this airline is so friendly and helpful,” he said to Hayley.

“Yeah, I don’t think it has anything to do with the airline.” The man couldn’t possibly be humble enough to think that the flight attendants treated everyone the same. She was sure he’d stirred the same body-tingling, pulse-racing effect in every woman he’d passed on the way to his seat, including the crew.

He laughed as he sat, and all cop-like attributes disappeared. That easy, confidence-filled sound was anything but good, decent and safe. It was the bad-boy heartbreaker soundtrack. “Chase Hartley,” he said, extending a hand toward her.

Suddenly chitchat with a perfect stranger didn’t seem so inconvenient. Really, only five hours? “Hayley Hanna. On your way to a destination wedding?” She nodded toward the disappearing garment bag.

“My sister’s. And you? Vacation or obligatory attendance at a family event?”

Cute. He was definitely cute. “Work, actually. A corporate retreat.”

“Corporate retreat—that makes you a...doctor?”

“Lawyer.”

His smile faded slightly.

“Divorce and family law,” she added.

The smile was back with a vengeance, bringing out the big guns—those two never-ending dimples in his five o’clock shadow that were even more fantastic up close. “That’s a relief. It would be a shame if we couldn’t be friends.”

A shame indeed. Terri-Lynn’s advice echoed in her mind.

Have lots of vacation sex—the best sex you’ll ever have.

She didn’t doubt for a second that this man could fulfill that fantasy. An image of his incredible body lying on top of her as those tempting-as-hell lips kissed her everywhere flashed in her mind, and a wave of heat crashed over her. It had been far too long since someone had kept her awake all night with mind-blowing sex. Hell, it had been months since anyone had appealed to her as a potential candidate.

What was she thinking? For all she knew, this guy was meeting someone in Maui and she had more important things to think about, like...um...surely, there was something.

“So, Hayley, corporate retreat—as boring as it sounds?”

“Let’s just say I’m looking forward to it about as much as you’re looking forward to the wedding.”

He grinned and oh, my God—the smile was perfection, the laugh was mesmerizing, but the grin was sexy and mischievous. “That obvious, huh?” he asked.

“You’re not flying with the rest of the wedding party,” she said, “and by the look of disappointment on your face when you barely made this flight, you were hoping the plane would leave without you. I’m guessing that duffel bag you somehow found space for in the overhead is the only piece of luggage you’re bringing other than the tuxedo that you’d rather burn than wear.”

He clapped. “You nailed me.”

Wouldn’t that be a dream?

“It actually sounds like you know something about avoiding weddings.”

“My best friend got married twice—last year...making me the maid of honor twice in one year.” Only for Terri-Lynn would she put herself through that. She just prayed her friend wouldn’t rush down the aisle again anytime soon.

“I thought all women loved weddings.”

“Common misconception. Women love their own weddings. Other people’s weddings just remind them how alone they are and create a panic—that their biological clocks are ticking and to hurry up and find someone before they die alone.”

“Harsh assessment,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice.

“I don’t sugarcoat much.” Which was exactly why she’d ended up in hot water over that stupid article. Maybe she needed to adopt a more bullshit-your-way-through-life approach. People who did that seemed to get into trouble a lot less.

“Should I be worried that I’m sitting next to a walking time bomb?” Chase asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Nope, not me... I’m blissfully betrothed to a dentist who unfortunately cannot make this corporate retreat because he’s performing emergency dental surgery on Wednesday afternoon.” She toyed with the fake engagement ring on her finger.

Chase frowned as he cocked his head to the side. “He knows about an emergency surgery in advance?”

Good point. She was glad she’d tested her fabricated excuse on Mr. Heartbreaker Hartley. “Thank you. I didn’t think of that.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a lie I’m trying to perfect,” she said, not really caring if she was making a bad impression. After this plane ride, she’d never see him again anyway. Both a relief and somewhat disappointing. He might be the only person on the tropical island she’d have enjoyed spending time with.

He turned in his seat to face her. “Okay, I think this is a story I need to hear.”

* * *

HAYLEY HANNA WAS by far the most entertaining, sexily compelling woman he’d ever met, Chase decided by the time she’d finished her account of her current dilemma.

“So, there you have it. I’m screwed unless I can convince my boss that I’m in line with the company’s core values.” Hayley kicked her feet free of her strappy sandals and tucked them under her on her seat.

Her perfectly manicured toes and deeply tanned legs didn’t escape his notice. In fact, nothing about her had. From the wavy blond hair, held off her face by her gem-encrusted sunglasses, to the light, crystal-blue eyes framed with long, dark lashes, to her full, bare lips that were just a shade darker than her skin. She was as close to perfect as he’d ever seen. And the way his body was reacting to the smell of her soft, intoxicating perfume surprised the hell out of him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fought the urge to kiss a complete stranger and felt the pull of temptation to run his tongue along her neck to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. Her slight standoffish air helped put a damper on the spark sizzling between them as their flirty banter continued, yet somehow it made her that much more appealing.

“I find it weird that the firm puts so much emphasis on those things,” he said. “It’s your personal life. What should it matter if you’re married with kids?”

“In the board’s eyes, a single woman who seems to take on only female clients with major hate-ons for their husbands is not really presenting the firm the way they would like.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re winning cases. That’s all that should matter.”

“Do you want to tell my boss that?”

He paused as the most absurd idea hit him. Maybe he couldn’t defend her to her boss, but he could offer to help her with this charade. Be a stand-in for the man she’d just broken up with to help her get through this corporate retreat.

“What?” She frowned when he was silent.

“Give me a second—I’m working through something,” he said, rubbing his forehead. She seemed like a nice woman, crazy sexy, and definitely someone he’d rather hang out with that week than the marriage-obsessed bridesmaids. Of course, he had to attend the obligatory rehearsal dinner and the wedding, but the rest of his time was his own... Or at least it would be if his sister thought he was falling in love. And while love was never going to happen, the possibility of a vacation fling was far too tempting. “How about we help each other?” His mind was made up. Now to convince her—though she had admitted to briefly considering an escort service, so this shouldn’t be difficult.

“How?”

Removing his cell phone from his pocket, he opened his mail app.

“Don’t let the flight attendant see you,” Hayley said, scanning the aisle.

“It’s on airplane mode.” He searched for the most recent email from Kate and opened the attachments. He moved closer to Hayley and held out the phone as the first image appeared on the screen.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous...those can’t be her real eyelashes,” she said, leaning closer to inspect the picture of Kate’s former college friend, Trish. “Who is she?”

“Just one of the three single women attending the wedding that my sister would like to set me up with.” He clicked on the remaining two images. Three beautiful, successful, smart women. His sister had good taste—he’d give her that. But the other thing these women had in common was their desire to be Kate’s next wedding-planning client, and marriage was not in his future. He’d made that choice the moment he’d joined the police force. He’d seen what his chosen career could do to families...far too many times. He refused to put a wife and kids through the torment and possible danger. Relationships were not something he could do—he’d tried once and failed. He was done with anything more than casual sex. Unfortunately, his hopelessly romantic sister refused to believe that.

“I still like the first one best,” Hayley said. “What’s with the numbers on the bottom of the photos?”

“It’s Kate’s crazy rating scale.” He had to hand it to his sister, she was thorough.

Hayley laughed. “It’s actually a good idea. How do I help you with all of this?”

He tucked the phone away. “You need a fake fiancé. I need a date for the wedding so my sister doesn’t pimp me out all week to her lonely friends...especially now that you’ve terrified me with the knowledge that they’re ticking biological time bombs.” Not to mention, a part of him didn’t want to show up alone when the one woman he’d truly cared for would be there with his youngest brother—her new husband—sporting a five-month baby bump. He decided to keep the last part to himself. He still hadn’t quite worked through his feelings on that one. He’d only found out two months ago when Adam had been in town and they’d had dinner together. He’d dropped the bomb somewhere between the third and fourth tequila shot that he’d eloped with Chase’s ex-girlfriend and they were expecting a baby. “So, what do you think?”

“I don’t know...it seems kind of crazy,” she said, but he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “What night is the wedding?” she asked finally.

“Friday. Ceremony starts at sunset—around six thirty.”

She reached for her carry-on and pulled it free. Then unzipping it, she retrieved her daytimer. “Friday... Friday...” she muttered, flipping the pages that were full of different-colored highlighted sections and sticky notes and business cards, making the thing burst at the seams.

Organized, insanely busy woman.

Someone who just might be as busy and career-driven as he was and who wouldn’t demand all his time and attention... He shook the thought away. A date for the wedding was all he needed. And if they got tangled up in his sheets at some point during the week, he’d consider it a win.

“We have dinner and a guest speaker that night to wrap up the retreat but as long as I’m there for the opening speech at six and then back later... It could work.” She tucked the book into the seat pocket and bit her lip as she turned to stare at him. “You’d really do this for me?”

“We’d be helping each other.” Chase and his brother hadn’t spoken since Adam had delivered the news and he had no idea how hard it was going to be seeing his brother and ex-girlfriend together. Kendall had been the only woman he’d even considered trying to have a future with. Having a date would help him save face, and this setup was perfect.

No complications of a real relationship.

“During the day I’ll be in conference meetings, so your time would be your own... It would just be the evenings.”

“Where are you staying?” he asked, praying it wasn’t the same resort where the wedding was being held.

“The Westin Resort and Spa.”

“Down the beach from the Sheraton. Perfect.” He’d been to Maui with his family over a dozen times, so he knew the place well. Their hotels were in short walking distance, but far enough that their events wouldn’t collide.

She didn’t look convinced. She was silent for a long moment before finally shaking her head. “I’m sorry—I can’t. I mean, I’d love to. It would make my life so much easier.” She paused. “No, I can’t,” she said more firmly this time. “But thank you, Chase.”

He sighed. “Okay... Well, if you change your mind.” He held back—barely—before suggesting an alternate arrangement for that week.

“I won’t.”

Damn it. She probably wouldn’t. But for a second, this trip hadn’t seemed quite so bad.

* * *

CHASE SCANNED THE terminal at the Maui airport for the shuttle bus to take him to the car rentals. He insisted on driving whenever he was on vacation, liking the freedom to venture farther from the resort. And this trip he might need a car to escape the wedding party.

The open-air terminal looked exactly the same as it had when he’d visited years before. The fresh ocean breeze filled him with nostalgia. Those family vacations were some of his best memories. Days on the beach playing volleyball and learning to scuba dive, the incredible sunsets over the water and the hours spent checking out girls at the pool. Being with his parents—that had been the best part of all.

“Excuse me, I think you left this in the back of the seat in front of you,” a young woman said, coming up behind him just as the white budget car rental shuttle pulled up to the curb outside the airport.

Hayley’s daytimer.

“Oh... Actually, it’s not mine, but I can get it to the owner,” he said, taking it with a smile. “Thank you.” He adjusted his garment bag over his arm before rushing off to catch the shuttle.

He scanned the area one last time for any sight of her but didn’t see her. After deboarding the plane, she’d said a quick goodbye and rushed off before he’d had an opportunity to ask if she’d like a ride to her hotel instead of taking the shuttle that would stop at eight different resorts along the way. The truth was he had been disappointed to end their time together. For a woman he barely knew, he kind of liked her. She was funny, smart and sexy—an irresistible combination...and she’d had enough integrity to refuse his crazy scheme.

Nope. He wouldn’t miss another opportunity to see her. Boarding the shuttle, he took a seat up front, securing his duffel bag at his feet. The warm island breeze coming through the open windows rustled the multicolored sticky notes extending past the pages of the daytimer. He stared at it. This is private property—do not open it. Though, she had left it on the plane... She was lucky that he knew where she was staying so he could return it. One peek wouldn’t hurt, he decided, opening the book to that day’s date. Flight to Maui was written on the top of the page and highlighted in green. Wailele Polynesian Luau was listed toward the bottom and highlighted in pink. The rest of the page was blank. No harm done. Not much here he didn’t already know. He closed the book.

How busy was her week? Maybe he could show up somewhere some evening and buy her a drink? No, that was stupid. If she had wanted to see him again on this trip she wouldn’t have taken off the moment she was free from the confines of the plane. Besides, what good would come of a drink with a beautiful woman like Hayley?

His knees bounced and he looked everywhere but the source of temptation on his lap. He wouldn’t want anyone flipping through his personal belongings. Respect her privacy...

What the hell. Once he gave back the book, he’d never see her again anyway. He flicked it open and started to scan its pages... Ten minutes later, he knew she was a Harvard graduate—based on her alumni event later that summer—that she had regularly scheduled eye and dental appointments and once she’d attended them she gave herself little star stickers, and that her next vehicle maintenance was booked for the following month at Los Angeles BMW. The woman had great taste in vehicles.

Other than that, court cases and appointments with clients filled the remaining pages, all the way to Christmas. No vacations planned, no family dinners, no dates... She was obviously as career focused as she’d claimed and not at all interested in a relationship—exactly the kind of woman whose help he could really use that week.

If only she’d taken him up on his offer.

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