that this was all your fault,’ she finished with as much dignity as she could muster.
‘Thank you. That’s very charitable of you,’ he replied with equal aplomb, and she glanced at him sharply.
‘There’s no need to be condescending,’ she retorted. ‘I fully accept part of the responsibility. I simply don’t know quite what possessed me to act-well, the way I did.’
‘I told you it was inevitable, Keira,’ he said evenly and she glared at him, her eyes flashing.
‘Is that all you can say? Well, that’s your opinion. I happen to disagree. I wouldn’t have said it was inevitable and-’ she gulped a breath, trying to ignore the
vivid memories of the two of them on the dance floor at Sir Samuel’s party ‘-and I’d like you to…I think it would be best if we try to forget it ever happened.’
‘In
‘Yes. Yes, I can,’ she said, again with more conviction than she felt. ‘If we both agree not to mention it then I think we should be able to put it behind us and, well, just go on from here.’
‘As though nothing happened?’ he repeated without intonation.
Keira lifted her chin. ‘Yes.’
He was silent for long, oppressive moments and then he gave an abruptly sceptical laugh. ‘I’m afraid I don’t think I can do that.’
‘What…what do you mean?’ Keira got out through suddenly dry lips, and Eden shrugged.
‘I mean I don’t care to forget it ever happened.’
A multitude of outrageously unconscionable thoughts skittered about inside Keira’s mind, not the least being the surge of renewed excitement that perhaps he found her desirable enough to… She pulled herself together with no little effort.
‘A moment longer and we’d have been right there on the floor making love,’ he continued harshly.
‘Making love?’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘You’re being generous. I’d hardly call it that.’
‘Making love. Having sex. No matter what name you give it, we would have been doing it. Can you honestly deny that, Keira?’ he demanded, and she paced over to her desk, shaking her head exasperatedly before swinging back to face him.
‘Perhaps not,’ she agreed with distaste. ‘But we can only be thankful we came to our senses before we did something I can assure you I’d have regretted even more. So-’ Keira made herself hold his stormy gaze ‘-I’m afraid you’ll have to try to forget it. Because I don’t intend to have an affair with my boss and feed the avaricious appetite of the trouble-making gossipmongers.’
His eyes continued to sear into hers for long seconds before his lashes fell to shield his expression. ‘Very forceful words, my dear,’ he remarked wearily, as though the subject suddenly bored him, and he crossed to the door, pulling it open before he turned back to face her.
‘By the way, unbelievable as it may now seem, I did legitimately want to discuss something with you. You’ll be needing new office space for
The corner of his mouth quirked sardonically. ‘My offices are in the same building, so it looks as if there’ll be more food for your gossips, Keira,’ he added as he turned and left her.
For the next six weeks Keira worked harder than she had for years. There was the handing over of her job on
Gail, Keira’s ex-partner, was overjoyed at the chance to contribute to the magazine again. Her twins were now in pre-school so she had some time on her hands and the part-time work suited her down to the ground.
Keira also dug out her late aunt’s recipe books and diaries to recommence the Ask Aunt Aggie column which had been so popular in the old magazine. She hadn’t told Eden that she had been responsible for that by-line. Keira’s Aunt Aggie had been meticulous in recording her favourite recipes and effective old-fashioned remedies.
Of course, the mere thought of working in Cassidy-Ford Towers had filled her with a mixture of apprehensive excitement and abject trepidation. She seemed to be continuously keyed up in the expectation of meeting Eden in the building.
Even though she kept reminding herself that an executive, in this case the top executive, with exclusive offices on the top floor, one floor below his penthouse apartment, would not be likely to use the ordinary bank of lifts. He would have his own express lift.
Yet Keira still entered the building each morning with agitated anticipation, her eyes hastily scanning the foyer for that familiar tall, dark, suit-clad figure.
However, after the first couple of weeks passed uneventfully she began to relax a little. And she even pretended she’d convinced herself that the unbelievably erotic episode in her old office had been just a figment of one very base facet of her imagination.
Yes, she’d almost convinced herself of that. Her body’s responses when she allowed those memories to intrude easily put paid to that assumption, but she refused to dwell on that one small flaw in her reasoning.
Not long after lunch a month before the magazine was due to recommence publication Keira had been down to check on some copy-editing. She stepped into the lift and absently pressed the button for the twelfth floor. As she skimmed through her notes the lift sped silently upwards and when it stopped she looked up, prepared to step into the hallway to her office, but the panel indicated she had halted on the tenth floor.
The lift doors slid silently open and the object of Keira’s recurring tortured thoughts stood before her, framed in the aperture.
In simply a split-second she knew her well-intentioned rationalisation of their indiscreet interlude those short weeks ago exploded into a million meaningless fragments.
She heard once more the sensual sound of the material of his trousers rasping against her nylons as his leg slid between hers. She felt again the solid strength of his broad chest, his arms wrapped possessively around her.
Remembering, her breasts swelled beneath the thin cotton of her tailored shirt, her nipples throbbing sensitively as they responded, and she lifted the sheaf of papers in her hand in an effort to disguise their disconcerting perfidy.
And his mouth. She was almost lost in the recollected sensations of the seductive excitement of his lips moving on hers. Keira felt herself groan inside, part electrifying recall and part painful reminder.
That embrace had been no figment of her fanciful imagination. It was as real as he was, standing before her, over six feet of charismatic male magnetism.
Her heartbeats raced and for one wildly unrestrained moment she wanted only to fall literally into his arms, lose herself in the exhilaration of their physical attraction.
Then reality was thankfully restored and she took a grip on her impetuous impulses. That they’d meet somewhere, some time, in this building, had been unavoidable. At least now the intoxicating ‘any moment now’ could fade into the prosaic ‘been and gone’.
Then, to her consternation, Eden stepped into the cubicle to join her, and its spaciousness suddenly diminished with her misguided justification.
While part of Keira, the blatantly physical sensation section she seemed to have trouble quelling these days, stood on attentive alert, her conscious mind absurdly demanded to know why he wasn’t using his exclusive penthouse lift.
‘You have a very expressive face,’ he remarked softly, and Keira’s eyes rose to meet his.
‘Really?’ she stated, thrown conversationally off balance for a moment before she recovered her poise. ‘No doubt you’ll tell me what you thought I was thinking.’
‘Why isn’t he using the executive lift?’ He repeated her silent speculation almost verbatim and, taken aback by his perception, Keira shrugged off-handedly.
‘It’s your building.’
‘Yes, it is that.’ He gave a soft laugh. ‘And the implication is that as I’m the king of this particular castle I can use any part of my kingdom I choose to.’
