‘Please make it easy for me to leave,’ she whispered even as she spread her legs to let him touch her. ‘You’ve made everything else so perfect.’
‘I’ll make it easy for you,’ he promised. ‘Soon.’
She released a husky laugh. ‘I can’t stay, anyway. Tomorrow’s my last day. I have a new job as a tour guide.’
‘You’re going to work Christmas?’
‘Of course.’
‘Good for you.’
Her eyes turned smoky. ‘I’m not going to regret this. Not ever. And I’m never going to forget it either.’
His heart shattered. ‘So let me show you one last thing before you leave.’
That sceptical look entered her eyes again. ‘Onething?’
Sensual amusement whistled through him. ‘Maybe a couple of things.’
As she gazed up at him, her eyes widened and glazed. As his fingers stroked, her lips parted and she sighed. ‘Okay.’
It was the hottest, sweetest surrender.
‘Yes.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Five days before Christmas
‘VIOLET?VIOLET!’
‘Yes?’ Violet looked up from where she’d been stowing ornate silver salt cellars into a specially built container. ‘Frankie?’
The chief steward appeared in the compartment, looking utterly frazzled—a highly unusual state, given the guy was the master of efficient service.
‘Can you dash to the Presidential Suite?’ he asked. ‘We have a VIP boarding and we have to get rid of the Christmas decorations in there immediately.’
‘Get rid of the Christmas decorations?’ Bemused, Violet stared at Frankie. Each private compartment had been decorated with the most stylish decorations she’d ever seen. ‘Are we going to have a Grinch on board for Christmas Day?’
‘Apparently.’ Frankie chuckled. ‘No tinsel allowed. Can you gather all the bits quickly? Colson’s gone into overdrive.’
‘Of course.’ Violet bit her lip to stop her smile.
Colson managed the train service and was the most officious man Violet had met. As for tinsel, there was none of that. The offending decorations were vintage hand-made ornaments—blown glass, carved wood, moulded silver. Each of the private compartments had a set, suiting its unique geographically themed decor.
Servicing the Presidential Suite was way above her pay grade, so she was excited to get a chance to check it out for longer than the sneak peek she’d got during her training.
She was stationed in the dining and lounge car, plus she serviced a couple of the smaller compartments. All were unbelievably luxurious with gleaming brass, polished wood and lush furnishings. It was as if the train had time-travelled from the nineteen-twenties, but with modern conveniences added in. Slickly concealed panels hid touch screens which closed curtains, adjusted thermostats and placed orders direct to the prize-winning chefs working in the galley. One of only a few private trains in the States, this Christmas week it would be taking a slow, scenic route from east to west coasts through the beautiful central states, past the lakes and mountains of Illinois, Iowa and Colorado and eventually finishing in San Francisco.
Violet couldn’t wait. She mightn’t have all the qualifications her brothers had, but she worked hard, she liked people and she liked seeing people having a nice time. She wanted tohelpthem have a nice time, and she was good at it. Plus, she got to see the sights herself, and no way would she ever have got on board this train otherwise. A one-way journey cost thousands and this Christmas run cost even more. It was like a polar express for adults with endless champagne fountains, high quality linen and fine dining, and only the financial elite had the bank balance even to consider such a thing. This transported people for whom time was a limitless luxury and where the destination didn’t really matter—the slow serenity of the trip was the whole point. Passengers on this train had no need to get to the next place as quickly as possible. This was about stepping back to a gilded age of splendour and sumptuousness.
But behind the serene scenes it was busy. While the wealthy sat sampling deliciouspetits foursat leisure, the trio of chefs in the galley worked in sync. The stewards had to achieve everything immediately in a tiny space and with a genuine smile. Since her training, Violet had done a two-day run with guests on board as part of a charity deal and she’d loved every second. She was living in the moment and refusing to remember the night to end all nights again andagain.
Except she did. All the time.
As she walked the length of the train, she reminded herself once more it was good she’d left Manhattan so quickly, otherwise she’d have been tempted to return to that hotel and ask for the guest named Roman who resided in the penthouse suite. That would’ve been a bad idea. They were from different worlds and wanted different things. So it wasreallygood she was about to help others enjoy their trip of a lifetime. Even for those used to luxury, this would still be an amazing adventure. She’d memorised the list of passengers and knew there were celebratory events aside from Christmas—a birthday and an anniversary. But, while some wanted to celebrate, others demanded discretion, and of course not everyone celebrated Christmas, hence the required removal of the ornaments.
She smoothly slid open the wooden carriage door. She drew a breath as she stepped into the antechamber and picked up the first carved ornament hanging from a gleaming hook. This was next-level luxury, created for sultans, princes and, yes, presidents. The textured wallpaper was gold but not ostentatious. The space was sleek and sumptuous and there were cleverly hidden recesses to maximise what was limited space. But when she walked in to the main compartment it was already occupied. A tall man stood at the desk with his back to her.