Page 21 of A Billionaire for Christmas
‘I’m Molly, from England. This place is blowing my mind.’
‘Yeah, it’s pretty impressive. Wait until you check out the rest of it. This family sure know a thing or two about living in style. Can you believe they flew in the same Christmas planners who decorate The Plaza in New York to do the same with this lodge? Apparently, they’ve strung over fourteen thousand lights around the property. It’s like Santa’s Grotto on steroids.’
‘It’s magnificent.’
‘And the French president stayed here last week. He’s a friend of theirs!’ Toby twittered on excitedly. ‘You never know who will pop by. Anyway, I’ll let you unpack, and then I’ll give you the grand tour. In terms of staff, it’s you in charge of the kitchen and me for everything else. Although, I’ll shout if I need help with anything. We’ll be kept busy, I can guarantee that much.’
So much for getting time to complete the bucket list.
As soon as he left, Molly stepped back out onto the wide wooden veranda to discover that it circled the entire lodge and was faced with a flurry of snowflakes and an icy blast of wind. Pulling her hat low, she ventured further out. Even through the falling flakes she could appreciate the breathtaking view. It was jaw-droppingly spectacular. The snow-covered mountains were incredibly imposing and loomed high above the lodge. The dense forest lying at the base of the mountain had a magical quality. It was like a postcard. She made for the other side of the veranda and took in a cold, sharp breath at the view before her. She saw the distant lights of Val D’Amore, the cable cars running up and down the slopes, the ski lifts and people mere dots of colour moving around. A huge church spire with a clock on it rose from a small town near the resort. And there, in the corner of the main square, the quirky, round, stone chimney of Le Petit Ange peeked above the snow-covered rooftops and the distant smoke billowing from chimneypots. Her home. Within minutes the cold began seeping into her bones. She scuttled back inside, grateful for the instant hit of warmth.
Molly sat on the edge of the sumptuous king-size bed marvelling at the opulence of her surroundings. She flopped backwards into the softest bedding she’d ever encountered. The whole room oozed Christmas, warmth, holiday spirit. Rich reds, golds and greens adorned the covers, the wall art, the thick luxurious carpet. After the bizarre few days she’d had, she would welcome some time to reflect, gather her thoughts and focus on work. A familiar melancholy swept over her as she imagined what Ava would have made of it all, as the adventurous one of the two. She was always the centre of attention while Molly happily faded into the background. Two halves of a perfect whole. It was almost as though Ava was here, pulling the strings to make sure Molly was plunged into a new and daring reality. It was all so bittersweet. With a small sigh, she pulled herself up and wandered into the bathroom to freshen up. She would unpack all the food produce, organise the cupboards and make sure all of the cooking utensils were where she needed them to be. She loved nothing more than to be meticulous in the kitchen. Toby had explained that the family wouldn’t be arriving for a while, so she would have plenty of time to settle in, prepare a schedule and tick a few challenges off her bucket list.
* * *
Later that afternoon, exhausted from unpacking and painstakingly reorganising the kitchen, Molly bumped into Toby as she was crossing the main lounge towards the laundry room.
‘By the way, I’m off to pick up the family from the airport in the people carrier. We’ll stay overnight at the resort because there’s heavy snow forecast for tonight so we won’t be able to get up to the lodge. We’ll be back tomorrow evening. I’ve left an itinerary on the bench. We should be back for dinner, but I’ll call you first thing if that changes, okay? There’ll be around five or six plus you and me. Unless they invite friends. You never really know with this family. Just be prepared for anything. I’ve highlighted all the food preferences and allergies.’
‘How bad do you think the snowfall will be?’
‘Only bad enough for you to stay in and use all of the spa facilities before we get back here.’ Toby grinned. ‘They are amazing. You should try them all out tonight while you can. They have a massage chair that is simply incredible. It does your head down to your toes. Oh, and the pool is heated, and the steam room and sauna rooms are permanently on, so knock yourself out. There’ll be no peace once the family arrives.’
Thinking of everything she still had to achieve, Molly grinned. ‘Excellent idea. Do you want me to make you something to eat before you go?’
Toby declined politely. ‘Thanks but I’m heading straight off now before it gets dark. See you tomorrow.’
Molly almost ran back to her room to grab her swimming costume, ignoring a flashback to the modest one that Levi had lent her. She picked up the bucket list and flicked her eyes down the catalogue of instructions.
For the love of all that is holy…
‘Oh my God, Ava, why were you so obsessed with doing things naked?’ she whispered to herself, only half laughing. ‘Sauna, ten full minutes, Vitruvian Man, naked,’ she read aloud. Molly shook her head, remembering how mischievous her friend had been. They were opposites in every way. At least she hadn’t written ‘in a sauna full of giant Dutch football players’. In the mood to get it over with and having made sure every door and window in the chalet was firmly locked, Molly made her way down to the spa area in the basement. She stood at the glass door and drank in the sight before her. It was better than any spa she had ever seen. It was an oasis of sparkles. Lights in the floor made everything shimmer and glitter. The floor was polished marble, the walls a creamy stone colour. The hot tub was sunk into the ground and had flickering candles round the outside. An unopened magnum of champagne stood in an ice bucket next to it along with a tray of crystal flutes. These billionaires never seemed to miss a trick when it came to occasions for champagne. She looked wistfully at the water bubbling away wondering if she’d ever get another chance to fulfil the first task on the list. Her gaze wandered around the barely lit room. The air was fragrant and soothing. There were massage tables with towels and rose petals on. Shelves stocked with essential oils and lotions lined the walls while discreet uplighting made the most of the artwork. The full-length pool, surrounded with ornately patterned tiles and edged with gold, twinkled invitingly. This place heightened every sense as she reached out to feel a butter-soft drape hanging over one of the loungers. She wandered around breathing in the flowery scent blooming from the many stone bowls of pot pourri dotted about and sighed with contentment. She had found her happy place.
She hurriedly undressed, leaving her clothes in a neat pile on the chaise longue outside the sauna door, and wrapped herself in one of the white fluffy towels that were piled up all over the place. Spotting the massage chair, she went over. The luxurious white leather padded seat with wide flat armrests looked inviting. It would certainly calm her nerves before the sauna challenge. She reclined backwards and pressed the button. It felt as though she was floating on a cloud and when the vibrations rumbled through her body, causing tingles from her head to her toes, she was thrown into a state of deep relaxation. A few minutes in, her traitorous mind wandered to Levi. Flashbacks of him gazing at her in the hot tub, with his dark mischievous eyes and his lazy smile. She allowed herself to imagine his hot mouth on hers and the feel of his touch. A moan escaped her lips as the chair worked its magic.
Once she’d had three goes on the chair and a variety of steamy daydreams all about Levi, she was suitably relaxed and horny enough to try the naked sauna. She took out her phone. How to evidence this? Molly stepped inside the sauna and regarded the glass door as she closed it behind her. Even though the lighting was very low, she was casting a rather defined shadow against the door. She hesitantly threw her towel onto the wooden bench and stood in the pose of the Vitruvian Man, arms and legs akimbo, as she took a photo of her silhouette. That would have to do. She set the timer to ten minutes and placed the phone on the towel. She would write a strongly worded entry into Ava’s journal about this.
‘Why spreadeagled? Why? Why do I have to be naked fortenwhole minutes, Ava?’ she asked the hissing clouds billowing from the hot coal bed as she poured a wooden ladleful of water over them. ‘Why not seven minutes? Or four and a half?’
She assumed the pose.
Even alone, this felt too risqué.
Five minutes crawled by as she took deep calming breaths in, exhaling as slowly as possible, reassuring herself that all the doors and windows to the lodge were bolted shut. It’s funny how quickly something bizarre can become quite normal. She kept her arms and legs stretched wide and let the heat relax her bones.
It wasn’t as terrible as she had first imagined.
In fact, it was positively freeing.
Not that she’d ever become a naturist. She was too prudish for that. Too British. Although Molly was beginning to appreciate the Scandinavians and their lack of inhibitions where saunas were concerned. Maybe thiscouldbecome a thing for her. She’d certainly never felt this relaxed in her life. It was sheer bliss. She would happily do this every day for the rest of her?—
Suddenly the door to the sauna swung open.
She gasped in shock.
A man stood in the doorway.
Time stood still as realisation dawned.
