Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss?

‘How bad has it been? Let me see.’

His dark blond eyebrows squeezed tight together and he pinched his forehead with a thumb and middle finger.

‘Almost lost a hand to frostbite. A pig of a snow machine to an air base. Cargo plane from Alaska to Iceland, scheduled flight to Rome, where I had to pay first class to get a seat, four hours at a hospital trying to work out what the hell was happening then a flight back to London. And don’t get me started with how long it took me to get from the airport to the hospital and back again.’

He lifted his chin and dropped his hand away.

‘So, overall, I’m not too happy about being here right now. I think that would sum it up.’

Toni blew out fast through narrowed lips. ‘Alaska? In February? Frostbite? Well, that explains a lot.’

Then she slipped off the breakfast bar stool and flicked out both of her hands. ‘Righty. What would you like? Coffee or tea? And I can easily reheat these brownies for you. Oh—you’ve already eaten the last of them. No problem, there are plenty more in the freezer. It will only take twenty minutes tops.’

He replied by easing his weight off the bar stool and rolling back his shoulders, making his chest pop.

‘Thanks for the offer, but it’s late and my body clock is deep-fried. Nice to meet you and thanks for the unexpected entertainment but I’m heading to bed. If you’re here in the morning we might try to have a conversation which isn’t in code. But right now I am way too tired to talk about the why and how.’

Then he looked up at her and asked, ‘The bedroom with the blue door—I usually keep it locked. Anyone sleeping in there?’

‘Oh, no. Still locked. Freya said it was private.’

And, with a quick nod in her direction, Toni watched him sling the huge duffel bag over one shoulder with a grunt and a wince. The weight of it meant that he had to lean forward from the waist but he shifted the load a few times before striding into the hallway and to the staircase which led to the bedrooms.

It took a few seconds for her champagne and wine-fuddled brain to connect with what was going on.

Her commission! Oh, no!

‘Wait a minute. One last question. I’m supposed to stay with Freya for another week and work with her father at the Elstrom office. Do I need to reschedule? I mean...when will your father be back in London?’

His steps slowed and with one movement he lowered the duffel on to the hall carpet. There was something in the way his shoulders were braced tight that made Toni feel the heat of his gaze even before he looked sideways at her.

Her body locked into a half-in-the-hallway-half-in-the-kitchen position. She simply couldn’t move. It was as if her feet were reluctant to leave the relative safety of the kitchen, just in case.

‘News flash. I’m back. Freya’s in Italy. Dad won’t be coming back any time soon. As of today, he has officially retired. Goodbye Elstrom Mapping. Hello Italy.’

Then he gave a twitch. ‘Sorry. But it looks like you’re out of a job.’

His gaze scanned her scantily clad body from the toes sticking out from the feathery mules to the top of her gold paper crown and lingering at all of the right places on the way up.

The start of a lazy lopsided smile warmed his mouth. ‘No rush to get packed tonight. Tomorrow will do. Goodnight.’

* * *

Goodnight? Out of a job? What?

Any lingering after-effects of the party had gone in a flash.

Before Scott could start up the stairs, Toni dashed in front of him and stood on the bottom step so that they were at more or less the same height.

To his credit, Scott Elstrom didn’t even flinch but braced himself, legs apart, and stared at her as she crossed her arms and stared him out.

‘Oh, no, you don’t. I signed a contract with Freya Elstrom to paint a portrait of the CEO of Elstrom Mapping. She was the one who got in contact with me. Begging me to do the work. I’ve dropped everything to be here.’

There was a deep low sigh from the man standing only inches in front of her and he shifted his gaze from her face to the wall for a few seconds.

‘What was your surname again?’

‘Baldoni. Ah, I can see that you recognise it. The Baldoni family have painted the last four generations of Elstrom chairmen. Freya called me just after Christmas to set it up for her father. Apparently he had been thinking about it for a while and finally just decided to go ahead with his portrait. This is the earliest I could do it, which makes me feel sick.’

‘Christmas. Right. So she asked you to paint his portrait after the holidays. No wonder she wanted me there.’

‘Actually, she was more concerned that it was a Baldoni than which member of my family it was. Apparently your father is a stickler for tradition.’

‘You might say that,’ he murmured and ran his hand back through his dirty blond, very scraggy hair. ‘He would want the same artist if he could do it.’

‘Tricky, since my grandfather is long gone. But if Mr Elstrom is ill,’ she murmured to herself, and then realised that Scott was still listening, ‘of course I can reschedule the sitting. That’s not a problem. When your father is better, Freya can let me know. I have some photos that she sent me and I’m sure I can come up with something he will be pleased with... Why are you shaking your head? Is there something else?’

‘My father is retired, Miss Baldoni. As of this afternoon, I am the new head of Elstrom Mapping.’

His eyebrows squeezed closer together but his gaze focused laser-sharp on her face.

‘And the last thing I need is my portrait painted.’

* * *

Scott stood back and watched the fiery brunette with the lovely brown eyes stomp past him up the staircase towards the guest bedroom before picking up his over-heavy duffel.

Toni Baldoni probably had no idea how much he enjoyed following her up the stairs. One slow step at a time.

The last time he had shared this house with girls wearing nothing but lingerie had been on Freya’s university graduation party, when he had dared to turn up an hour early and walked in on way too many over-excited girls high on champagne and life, all fighting for the hair straighteners and his attention. They had even taken over his en suite bathroom to cope with the party preparations.

Strange. He hadn’t thought about that in a long time.

An unexpected quiver of a laugh surprised him as this brunette stomped in her ridiculous shoes down the landing and her light gown wafted up, giving him a delightful flash of creamy thigh.

Eyes flashing, she instantly flung a glance at him over one shoulder and tugged down her gown, shot into the guest room and shut the door very firmly behind her.

Shaking his head and blinking to stay awake, Scott found the key, turned it in the lock and stepped inside the same bedroom that he had claimed the very first day he had arrived with Freya and his mother. This clean and uncluttered modern town house had seemed like another world from the dark, creaky old Victorian stone villa that was the family home they had shared with their father.

Sheer force of habit made him drop his duffel bag next to the bed and unlock and fling open the double windows to let some air into the overheated and stuffy room.

He didn’t need the heat.

He just wanted sleep and quiet to process the events of the day.

Freya had known that he wasn’t planning to come back any time soon and not that much had changed in the two years since he had last slept here.

It looked like the same bed, wardrobe and furnishings that he remembered.