A Slippery Slope Read Online Free PDF Page B

She lifted her head from
the pillow and raised a hand in front of her eyes but the sun shone directly on
her face; even though she shifted her position, she couldn’t move out of its
glare. She was wearing nothing but a skimpy T-shirt, which she must have thrown
on for some reason last night, so she didn’t want to get out of bed and expose
her body to anyone’s scrutiny.
    ‘No,’
she said, ‘you’re not disturbing me. ‘But if you’d turned up an hour or so
earlier it would have been a different story.’
    ‘Really?
You do look like death warmed over.’
    ‘Thanks!’
she said, thinking that Etienne’s voice sounded different today. It was still
deep and sexy but a little more gravelly than before and somehow, less
friendly. ‘Er ... could you do something about that sun, please? It’s shining
directly in my face.’
    ‘Certainly.
I’ll use my super powers and shift it to a different hemisphere.’
    She
wondered why he was being so facetious. Perhaps he’d heard about last night.
She re-opened her eyes a fraction and squinted at him, tilting her head to one
side. All she could see was his frame, although even that didn’t seem quite as
muscular as it had the day before. He looked slightly taller and possibly more
agile this morning. She was clearly still hung-over.
    ‘I
meant, could you close the curtains or something? I’d do it myself but I’m
still feeling a bit the worse for wear and I’m not dressed yet.’
    ‘I
can see that,’ he said, making no attempt to move.
    ‘Er.
... Perhaps you would at least pass me my handbag. I’ve got some headache
tablets in there. It’s on the chest of drawers behind you ... I think. They
should have me up and about in no time. When I woke up this morning I thought
my head would explode.’
    ‘By
the look of this room, it did.’
    ‘Er.
You don’t sound very happy today.’
    ‘That’s
probably because I’m not.’
    ‘Is
something wrong?’
    ‘Yes,
and I’m surprised you need to ask.’
    She
shifted position again but she still couldn’t see his face.
    ‘You’ve
heard about last night, is that it? Although why that should make you cross is beyond
me. I thought chalet girls were supposed to have fun. I’ll admit I’m a bit old
to be getting drunk and dancing on tables, but I’ve been going through a shitty
time lately and I really needed to let my hair down. And you were the one who
told me that the après-ski here was second to none. You were right on that
score. Although I wish you’d warned me about the toffee vodka. I was like a
woman possessed after a couple of those! Are you worried that Mr Calder might
find out? Are ... are you planning on telling him?’
    ‘I
think you have me confused with someone else. Last night’s ... antics are news
to me. I was just surprised to arrive and find you still in bed at eleven
o’clock in the morning, to be honest. Now that I know why, I think we can
safely say I’m a little annoyed.’
    How
dare he speak to me like that, Verity thought. He’s not my keeper. She swung
her legs out of bed, completely forgetting that her white T-shirt was virtually
see-through and that it barely covered her bottom.
    ‘You’ve
changed your tune,’ she said, stumbling towards her handbag. ‘Yesterday, you
were the life and soul of the party. Today you sound like a Grinch. I assure
you it won’t happen again, but you can tell Mr Calder if you want. I really
couldn’t care less. I had a good time and I couldn’t give a damn what you, or
he, have to say about it. I know he’s a bit of a miserable git, but frankly I’m
surprised by your attitude and ... Oh! You’re ... you’re not Etienne! Who the hell are you?’
    The
dark-haired man towering over her didn’t answer immediately. He was too busy
staring at her legs. His eyes travelled upwards as his bottom lip travelled
down. ‘I ... I ...’ he stammered.
    ‘You
have two seconds to get out of here before I deck you and call the police,’ she
said, although she