At the Boss's Beck and Call

Chapter 13

One week later ...

'Ross! What are you doing here?'

He looked away at the gentle waves lapping up on the shore. He was still so good looking. Broad shoulders, she remembered the feel of its strength; the tapered hips. She'd felt those too and those long masculine legs that had wrapped around her thighs. That gorgeous chiselled mouth, that had kissed her senseless. Those thick lashes, a man should not have such sexy eye lashes. Yet ...he looked thinner. The sharp angles on his face that enhanced his attractiveness seemed more prominent now. His eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle. To others he would probably seem cold, unfriendly, unapproachable. She guessed it was the nature of SEALS to project that stance, but she knew him differently. He could be warm; caring; funny and a ....fantastic lover, her cheeks tinged darkly.

'Your mother told me I'd find you here on the beach,' he replied unsmilingly.

So he met my mother!

Savannah did not respond. She watched the waves folding and rushing back into the ocean before they came near her feet but did not touch her toes.

'So you're hiding out here in Miami?'

He was still standing, admiring her long cotton skirt flowing to her ankles. Her feet bare. She had pretty toes. She was dressed in a dark blue vest, shaping her slim waistline. Her knees were raised; her chin had been resting on her knees, before he'd disturbed her. Savannah struggled to keep her heart beat and her breathing under control. When she felt sufficiently calm, she flicked a glance up at him. He looked so out of place on the beach in the expensive cloth of his dark designer, Italian suit, white shirt, minus a tie.

'I am not hiding,' she lied.

Savannah had needed to get away. She could not stay at her apartment. Ross would have returned. He would come pleading again. She did not know for how long she could resist him. She had wanted to throw her arms around him, tell him she could not live without him. That she was prepared to sweep the office floors, just to be near him. It was ridiculous. She needed to escape before she made an even bigger idiot of herself.

Visiting her parents seemed like the perfect getaway. She had not seen them for many months. What with her fatal attraction to Ross and constantly being at his beck and call even on weekends, she hardly found the time to escape, not that she had wanted to. She had loved attending to Ross' every whim. He had been wonderful to work for, always appreciative, courteous and had paid her a damn fine salary.

Savannah had bought the little sea cottage for her parents a year ago here in Miami. Her mother's health had not been faring well with New York's harsh winters. She had an osteoporosis condition and was often frail and tired. Her mother loved the humid Atlantic climate. So her parents had relocated to the much warmer Miami climate and seemed to be loving it here. It was mid spring now. Various foliage were displaying their myriad colours attractively. Beautiful floral scents rung in the air most mornings. The weather was beautiful enough to be outdoors. The forest of swaying palm lent its surroundings that tropical feeling. Savannah's skin even lost some of its paleness.

In the week that Savannah had been here, she would rise early in the morning, make breakfast for her parents, spend as much time as she could walking endlessly on the beach or swim then return to make lunch for her parents and spend the afternoon at leisure. She hated to admit it, but she looked forward to her long walks when she could think about Ross, relive those sensational moments when they had  made love...hear Ross's soft groan when he'd realised he was her first lover. If only he'd said something...an indication that I meant more to him than just his secretary.

'When are you returning to New York?' Ross enquired softly as if he was reluctant to break into her thoughts

Her head swung up. She'd almost forgotten he was there in the flesh. She thought about his question. She had to return soon. She was still paying the mortgage for this cottage her parents lived in. She just wanted some time...far away from Ross. Clearly he did not get the memo she had not typed; if he had indulged in the three hour flight just to come and put in an unwelcome appearance.