Free Island Affair (Escape Into Romance) by Kathrine Emrick

Chapter One
    Home at last. Lacey shut her front door with a sigh of relief. With only a couple of days to go until Christmas the crowds had been maddening as she had waded through them, trying to get home in one piece.
    She really dreaded this time of the year. What with tripping over department store Santas at every turn. Not to mention the canned Christmas carols emanating from every store. And if that wasn't bad enough the bright and garishly colored Christmas decorations assaulting her from every direction just made her want to scream.
    She dropped her bag on the side table and flopped into the nearest chair. Letting out another sigh of relief she kicked off her shoes and settled back into the chair more fully, to relax. It wasn't really the fault of Christmas that she was in such a bad mood. If she was really honest she could admit that it was more to do with the frustration she felt with her boss.
    Lacey couldn't keep going on like this. For almost two years she had worked closely with Jonathan Tyler of Tyler Technologies as his executive assistant. It was getting so hard to pretend that she felt nothing for the man. The attraction that had begun the day of her interview was growing stronger every day. Every time he came within a couple of feet of her she could feel herself melting and it was getting harder not to let go of her restraint and just throw herself at him.
    Not that it would do any good. He would probably just push her away. He barely noticed her as it was. He had never treated her any other way but professionally. While she had wild fantasies about the two of them together. She wondered how she managed to get any work done at all.
    No, this couldn't continue. It was time to move on. Time to put Jonathan Tyler and Tyler Technologies behind her. She jumped up from her seat, now was as good a time as any to set things in motion. She sat down in front of her computer and opened up Word. It didn't take long for her to draft a resignation letter. When she was completely happy with the wording she printed out a copy and slipped it into an envelope.
    Looking at her watch she saw that it was late enough that Jonathan should be gone for the day. It should be safe enough for her to go back to work and leave the letter in his office without having to confront him. Before she could change her mind she hurried out of her apartment.
    ***
    Jonathan Tyler poured himself a large whisky. He was going to need it to get through Christmas. He absolutely hated the holiday; in fact he absolutely hated any holiday. They were an annoyance that caused business to shut down. He was sure that he was the only person left in the building. Everyone else had left much earlier to get an early start on the holiday season.
    He sat down at his desk and took a big swig of his drink. He swung his chair around so that he was facing the window. Daylight was almost gone from the sky now. All of the surrounding buildings appeared to be in semi darkness. It seemed as though he was the only person left in the business district. Isolated and alone.
    He took another swig of his drink. He could feel the fire of the alcohol sliding down his throat and travelling to his stomach, which rumbled loudly. He tried to remember when he ate last. It must have been breakfast time.
    Jonathan didn't relish the thought of navigating the throng of Christmas revellers just to get something to eat. He could order something in; it would be the easiest solution, but the thought of eating alone again wasn't very inviting.
    He really needed to get out more. It had been too long since he'd had a date. It wasn't that there was a shortage of willing women, quite the opposite, but no one he'd been out with had been able to captivate him for any length of time.
    He found his thoughts drifting towards his executive assistant, Lacey. Now there was a woman that could keep him interested. He'd had to call upon his formidable control to keep from taking her whenever she was within