a gurgle of laughter. She wondered if any of his employees realised he had a sense of humour. âYouâre not going to fire me?â
âYou should have more confidence in yourself. If you have knowledge of Minoan artefacts then I still have a use for you and I never fire people who are useful.â He reached for the towel and tugged it off, leaving her clad only in her soaking wet underwear.
âWhat are you doing?â She gave a squeak of embarrassment and snatched at the towel but he held it out of reach.
âStop wriggling. I canât be the first man to see you half naked.â
âUsually Iâm in a relationship when a man sees me naked. And being stared at is very unnerving, especially when youâve been called fat by someone who looks like a toast rackââ Lily broke off as he turned and strolled away from her. She didnât know whether to be relieved or affronted. âIf you want to know my size you could ask me!â
He reached for his phone and dialled. While he waited for the person on the other end to answer, he scanned her body and gave her a slow, knowing smile. âI donât need to ask,
theé mou
,â he said softly. âI already know your size.â
CHAPTER TWO
N IK LOUNGED IN his seat while the car negotiated heavy evening traffic. Beside him Lily was wriggling like a fish dropped onto the deck of a boat.
âMr Zervakis? This dress is far more revealing than anything I would normally wear. And Iâve had a horrible thought.â Her voice was breathy and distracting and Nik turned his head to look at her, trying to remind himself that girls with sweet smiles who were self-confessed members of Loveaholics Anonymous were definitely off his list.
âCall me Nik.â
âI canât call you Nik. It would feel wrong while Iâm working in your company. You pay my salary.â
âI pay you? I thought you said you were an intern.â
âI am. You pay your interns far more than most companies, but thatâs a different conversation. Iâm still having that horrible thought by the way.â
Nik dragged his eyes from her mouth and tried to wipe his brain of X-rated thoughts. âWhat horrible thought is that?â
âThe one where your girlfriend finds out you took me as your date tonight.â
âShe will find out.â
âAnd that doesnât bother you?â
âWhy would it?â
âIsnât it obvious? Because she didnât believe I was the cleaner. She thought you and Iâwell...â she turned scarlet â...if she finds out we were together tonight then it will look as if she was right and we were lying, even though if people used their brains they could work out that if sheâs your type then I couldnât possibly be.â
Nik tried to decipher that tumbled speech. âYouâre concerned she will think weâre having sex? Why is that a horrible thought? You find me unattractive?â
âThatâs a ridiculous question.â Lilyâs eyes flew to his and then away again. âSorry, but thatâs like asking a woman if she likes chocolate.â
âThere are women who donât like chocolate.â
âTheyâre lying. They might not eat it, but that doesnât mean they donât like it.â
âSo Iâm chocolate?â Nik tried to remember the last time heâd been this entertained by anyone.
âIf youâre asking if I think youâre very tempting and definitely bad for me, the answer is yes. But apart from the fact weâre totally unsuited, I wouldnât be able to relax enough to have sex with you.â
Nik, who had never had trouble helping a woman relax, rose to the challenge. âIâm happy toââ
âNo.â She gave him a stern look. âI know youâre competitive, but forget it. I saw that photo of you in the swimming pool. No way could I ever be naked in front