Read Online A Little Surprise for the Boss (Mills & Boon Desire) by Elizabeth Lane - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Lane
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place was securely locked. Evidently the young man’s thoughts had been elsewhere—one more thing she would have to remind him about tomorrow.
She’d reached Buck’s door and was about to lock it when she realized the room wasn’t empty. Buck was sitting in the shadows, his chair turned toward the window. Terri understood him well enough to know that he was troubled. Was he upset about her quitting, or had something else gone wrong?
“Are you all right?” Terri asked softly.
“Oh, it’s you.” With a bitter chuckle, he swiveled the chair toward her. “How did things go with Quinn today?”
“Fine. We had a good time. But what are you doing here?”
Buck shook his head. “Sit down, Terri. I hope you’re in a patient mood because I need a good listener.”
“What is it?” Terri took the chair on the near side of Buck’s desk. “Did everything go all right with the sheikhs?”
“Like clockwork.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Evie was there to pick them up on time, smooth flight and park tour, first-rate lunch…” His voice trailed off. “Terri, would you ever call me naive?”
She met his troubled gaze. “Why?” she asked. “What happened?”
“This would make a funny story if it wasn’t so frustrating. Everything went swimmingly with the sheikhs. By the time we’d finished the tour and come back to the hotel, I was congratulating myself on money and effort well spent. Then it came time for me to see them to their rooms for a rest before the barbecue…” He gave a bitter chuckle. “I realized they were looking at me, as if expecting more. Finally the tallest one, who did most of the talking, took me aside and asked me—” Buck broke off, shaking his head.
“What?”
“He asked me, ‘Where are the girls?’”
Terri’s jaw dropped as the implication sank home. “Oh, Buck!”
“I should’ve expected this,” he said. “I should have realized what they’d expect and made it clear before they even came that none of that would be happening here. I wear a lot of hats in this business, but the one thing I’m not, and won’t ever be, is a damned pimp.”
“So what did you tell them?”
“What could I tell them? I said that girls weren’t part of the package. They were polite enough, even when I turned down the extra money they offered me, but I could tell they weren’t happy about it. And something tells me they won’t be offering to back my new resort.”
“I’m so sorry.” Terri knew how much planning and effort had gone into this venture. Buck’s disappointment was evident in his tired voice and every line of his face. Terri checked the urge to move behind his chair and rub his shoulders. Two days ago she might have done it. But not now.
“What about the river trip?” she asked. “Is it still on for tomorrow?”
“Yes, they still want to go. Which reminds me, Terri, we’ve got a couple of the staff out sick. The equipment truck’s loaded and ready to go, but I’ll need you to drive it down to Lee’s Ferry and bring it back here once the gear’s unloaded.
Terri stifled a groan. She knew what that meant. She’d be leaving at 4:00 a.m. with the two camp boys, to be at the landing with the big trailer truck, which held the two uninflated rafts, the air pump, the food and cooking supplies, the tents, the portable latrine and the other gear. By the time the clients arrived by helicopter at eight thirty the rafts would be inflated, loaded and ready to go—one for the clients and the other for the gear. After that, she’d make the two-hour solo drive back to the resort.
“Sorry to dump this on you at the last minute,” Buck said, as if reading her thoughts. “I’d drive the truck myself, but I’ll be helicoptering in with the sheikhs. I’ve decided to guide the river trip myself. Maybe I can still salvage the situation.”
Terri counted the hours the round-trip in the truck would take out of her day. Not good timing. She had a lot to do
She’d reached Buck’s door and was about to lock it when she realized the room wasn’t empty. Buck was sitting in the shadows, his chair turned toward the window. Terri understood him well enough to know that he was troubled. Was he upset about her quitting, or had something else gone wrong?
“Are you all right?” Terri asked softly.
“Oh, it’s you.” With a bitter chuckle, he swiveled the chair toward her. “How did things go with Quinn today?”
“Fine. We had a good time. But what are you doing here?”
Buck shook his head. “Sit down, Terri. I hope you’re in a patient mood because I need a good listener.”
“What is it?” Terri took the chair on the near side of Buck’s desk. “Did everything go all right with the sheikhs?”
“Like clockwork.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Evie was there to pick them up on time, smooth flight and park tour, first-rate lunch…” His voice trailed off. “Terri, would you ever call me naive?”
She met his troubled gaze. “Why?” she asked. “What happened?”
“This would make a funny story if it wasn’t so frustrating. Everything went swimmingly with the sheikhs. By the time we’d finished the tour and come back to the hotel, I was congratulating myself on money and effort well spent. Then it came time for me to see them to their rooms for a rest before the barbecue…” He gave a bitter chuckle. “I realized they were looking at me, as if expecting more. Finally the tallest one, who did most of the talking, took me aside and asked me—” Buck broke off, shaking his head.
“What?”
“He asked me, ‘Where are the girls?’”
Terri’s jaw dropped as the implication sank home. “Oh, Buck!”
“I should’ve expected this,” he said. “I should have realized what they’d expect and made it clear before they even came that none of that would be happening here. I wear a lot of hats in this business, but the one thing I’m not, and won’t ever be, is a damned pimp.”
“So what did you tell them?”
“What could I tell them? I said that girls weren’t part of the package. They were polite enough, even when I turned down the extra money they offered me, but I could tell they weren’t happy about it. And something tells me they won’t be offering to back my new resort.”
“I’m so sorry.” Terri knew how much planning and effort had gone into this venture. Buck’s disappointment was evident in his tired voice and every line of his face. Terri checked the urge to move behind his chair and rub his shoulders. Two days ago she might have done it. But not now.
“What about the river trip?” she asked. “Is it still on for tomorrow?”
“Yes, they still want to go. Which reminds me, Terri, we’ve got a couple of the staff out sick. The equipment truck’s loaded and ready to go, but I’ll need you to drive it down to Lee’s Ferry and bring it back here once the gear’s unloaded.
Terri stifled a groan. She knew what that meant. She’d be leaving at 4:00 a.m. with the two camp boys, to be at the landing with the big trailer truck, which held the two uninflated rafts, the air pump, the food and cooking supplies, the tents, the portable latrine and the other gear. By the time the clients arrived by helicopter at eight thirty the rafts would be inflated, loaded and ready to go—one for the clients and the other for the gear. After that, she’d make the two-hour solo drive back to the resort.
“Sorry to dump this on you at the last minute,” Buck said, as if reading her thoughts. “I’d drive the truck myself, but I’ll be helicoptering in with the sheikhs. I’ve decided to guide the river trip myself. Maybe I can still salvage the situation.”
Terri counted the hours the round-trip in the truck would take out of her day. Not good timing. She had a lot to do
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