Mistletoe Maneuvers by Margaret Allison Read Free Book Online

the palm trees that flanked the path. They made their way to the white sandy beach toward a waving Sabrina. Lessa was surprised to see that Sabrina was wearing a suit even skimpier than hers.
    â€œThis way,” Sabrina called out cheerfully.
    Lessa glanced sideways at Rick. If Sabrina was wearing the bikini to impress him, it didn’t appear to work. He was looking intently at Lessa. “Showtime,” he told her softly.
    â€œWell,” Sabrina said, the smile fading from her face as she saw Lessa, “I see you got the suit. Who knew you had a figure underneath those big, bulky clothes of yours?”
    â€œLessa’s in great shape,” Rick said, smiling at her proudly. Lessa couldn’t help but wince at the discussion of her physical attributes. She tightened the towel around her waist.
    â€œShe’s a competitive tennis player,” Rick said. “She even played at Wimbledon.”
    â€œThe Wimbledon Juniors,” Lessa corrected him, embarrassed by the exaggeration.
    â€œHow impressive,” Sabrina said, obviously unimpressed. “But does she water-ski?”
    Why did Sabrina insist on talking to Rick as if Lessa weren’t there? “No, she doesn’t,” Lessa said, referring to herself in the third person.
    â€œOh, that’s too bad,” Sabrina said, with mock sincerity. “Perhaps you’d like to stay here and settle into a beach chair. We won’t be long, will we, Rick?” Once again, she flashed her pearly whites.
    â€œI’m always up for trying something new,” Lessa said as enthusiastically as she could.
    Rick jumped on the boat and held out his hand. She made herself take his hand and climbed onboard.
    The boat took off and Sabrina fell against Rick. “Whoa,” she said. Rick steadied her as Sabrina smiledat him gratefully. And that was when it hit Lessa. Sabrina was not only an ex-girlfriend, she was vying to be the current one as well. But did she really like him? Or was she, as Rick maintained, just trying to determine his response? After all, what better way to see if his relationship with Lessa was real?
    As if thinking the same thing, Rick moved behind Lessa and slipped his arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and he smiled back.
    â€œDoes the rest of your office know what you’re up to?” Sabrina asked, staring at them intently.
    â€œNo,” Lessa said.
    â€œYes,” Rick said, at exactly the same time.
    He squeezed her shoulders again and said, “They didn’t for a long time, but due to the most recent issue—”
    â€œWhen I fired him,” Lessa added cheerfully.
    â€œIt’s become obvious that something is going on.”
    â€œI see.” Sabrina said, picking up a bottle of sun-screen. She squirted some in her hand and stretched out one of her long legs, swinging it up and over the side of the boat. In a scene worthy of an X-rated film, she began slowly to smooth the lotion over her leg. It was obvious that Sabrina was doing some performing of her own. When she was done, she looked at Rick and said, “Lotion?”
    He turned to Lessa and asked, “Would you mind putting some on my back?”
    His back? “No,” Lessa said, taking the lotion. She squirted some on her hands and forced herself to touch his bare skin. His skin was smooth and his back was outlined with well-formed muscles. She dug in deep, running her fingers against the muscles that seemed to growhard with her touch. It was sensual and intimate, not the type of activity one would normally perform with a business associate. But she could not allow herself to feel embarrassed. Sabrina was watching.
    â€œThanks,” he said huskily, as Sabrina signaled the boat’s driver to stop. “You’ve got quite a touch,” he added, giving her a mischievous grin.
    Sabrina handed Rick a life jacket and said, “Why don’t you go first.” She helped it on him, making a