Conflict of Interest

Chapter 11

Jackie woke up disorientated. As she stared at the wood inlay pattern on the ceiling of the master bedroom, she was struggling to remember where she was. When the last remnants of sleep faded she remembered that she was still on the yacht with Dom. She sat up abruptly. They were moored back at the marina and the sun was streaming in through the windows, bathing the room in a golden sheet of goodness. Looking over at the clock she noticed it was 7.30am. Oh my god! I'm not going to make it to work!

"Hi Luke. It's Jackie. I'm just ringing to let you know I won't be able to make it in to work today. I have been up all night vomiting and have awful stomach cramps. I don't feel very good at all. I think I'll be spending the day in bed. Thanks and I'll see you on Monday." This was the first time Jackie had called in sick when she wasn't. Dom was starting to be a bad influence on her. She couldn't believe she had let herself get wrapped up in his charm and allow herself to be in this situation. She would have to scold herself later, as the sight of Dom walking into the room in just his tight boxer briefs made her completely forget what it was that she was mad about.

"Morning sleepyhead." Dom had already been up and made breakfast for her in the galley. He was carrying a tray with eggs benedict, coffee, and muesli with a fresh fruit salad. "I wasn't sure what you eat in the mornings so I prepared a range of options for you."

"I love eggs benedict and I definitely need coffee right now. Why didn't you wake me earlier? I'm not going to make it in to work now!" Jackie scolded.

"You looked so peaceful and angelic. I couldn't bring myself to disturb you. Sorry, I figured we could spend today together too. Could you ring and let them know that you're sick or something?"

"I already have. Dom I never do this sort of thing. I feel bad." Jackie exclaimed.

"What, you have never slept over at your boyfriends before?"

"Never unplanned. I haven't even got a fresh set of clothes, let alone my uniform so that I can go to work."

"You like to have everything in control don't you."

"Yes I do!" Jackie was frustrated at the thought that she was turning into one of the people who put themselves before anyone else. Then she looked at Dom's face and she melted. She could still feel where his hands had caressed her body during the night, and the way he felt as they slept in each others' arms. "This does look delicious." While she was looking at the food that had been placed in front of her, that wasn't the only thing she was referring to.

"I try my best." Dom was watching her as she ate.

"So what were you thinking of doing today?" Jackie asked between mouthfuls. She didn't realize how ravenous she was this morning.

"I thought we could hang out here. We have the yacht to ourselves."

"Sounds good to me." Jackie replied. She wanted to spend more time with Dom and being on the yacht she felt that the chances of them being seen were slim to none. "But there is something I need to talk to you about." Jackie didn't look at Dom as she said it.

"Really? What?" Dom said with anticipation.

"I have been asked to take over the manager role while Luke is looking after another branch for a while. I didn't want to mention it last night and ruin the evening."

"And why would it ruin the evening." Dom's eyebrow was raised in question.

"Well, it places me in a precarious position. You know that it is inappropriate from me to date my clients. I can lose my job if anyone found out about what just happened."