Authors: Jayne Ann Krentz
“Hello, Aaron. Good to see you again.“
“It’s good to see you. We’ve missed you, friend.“ Aaron gave her his most engaging smile. He was a blandly attractive man who had the sleek, corporate look down to an art. His suit had been made to measure, his tie was vaguely reminiscent of an old school that he had never attended and his shirt was definitely not a polyester-cotton blend. Aaron Crown believed in dressing for the role he wanted to play in the organization, and that role was at or near the top.
Diana realized a pause had developed in the conversation. Colby was regarding Aaron with a cold expression, and Aaron was waiting politely for introductions. Flustered, Diana hurried to make them.
“Uh, Aaron, this is Colby Savagar. Colby, this is Aaron Crown, my boss from Carruthers and Yale.“
“Her boss, huh?“ Colby shook hands perfunctorily with Aaron. “I’m her husband.“
Diana went bright pink. She cleared her throat quickly as Aaron turned to her with a look of shock on his face. “Oh, yes, right. Colby’s my husband. I forgot to mention I just got married.“ She knew from the expression in Colby’s eyes that she was going to hear about her lapse later.
“Tour husband!“ Aaron managed a belated smile. “Well, congratulations are in order, then, aren’t they? I had no idea you were even seeing anyone on a regular basis, Diana, let alone that you were contemplating marriage. Where have you been keeping Colby here?“
“In the freezer,“ Colby said.
Diana glared furiously at him. “We’ve only been married a few days,“ she explained to Aaron. “We’re both still busy adjusting to the whole idea, aren’t we, Colby?“
“I’ve already adjusted,“ Colby announced grimly. “You’re the slow one in the crowd.“
Aaron summoned up a polite chuckle, but he looked vaguely dazed. “I can’t believe it. Where did you two meet?“
“We met in Fulbrook Corners,“ Diana explained crisply, hoping to put an end to the awkward conversation.
“You mean you’ve only known each other a few weeks?“ Aaron shook his blond, well-groomed head in astonishment. “And you’re married? I don’t believe it.“
“Believe it,“ Colby advised.
Aaron ignored him, turning to frown at Diana with deep concern. “That’s not like you, Diana. It’s hard to imagine you, of all people, rushing into marriage. You’re just not the type. You always think things through so carefully before you act. Wait until your coworkers hear about this. We’ll have to arrange a little party at the office to celebrate.“
“Don’t plan anything in the near future,“ Colby said. “She’s still thinking about whether she wants to return to a job where there’s no career potential for women.“
Aaron blinked and then his eyes narrowed slightly in consternation. He switched his troubled gaze to Diana. “All of us in business have to go through the experience of being passed over for promotion at one time or another. It’s tough, but it’s part of corporate life. And there’s always a next time. I feel sure that after another year or two with me, management will look more favorably on an upward move for Diana. In the meantime I was hoping you’d had a few thoughts about cutting short your leave of absence, Diana. You were always such a levelheaded type. Being away from your job this long is not good careerwise.“
“As a matter of fact, I wanted to talk to you about that, Aaron.“
Aaron beamed with satisfaction. “Terrific. There’s nothing I’d like more than to talk about getting you back into the fold ASAP. As I said, we’ve missed you in the office. When can you start?“
“Not until the first of September at the earliest,“ Colby said coolly. His stern gaze defied Diana to contradict him.
“That’s another month away.“ Aaron looked gravely disappointed.
“Colby has to finish a book he’s working on,“ Diana explained, annoyed with the way Colby had answered for her.
She brightened. “But I suppose I could return to Portland a little earlier than I’d planned,“ she began, thinking it through.
“No, you will not be returning to Portland earlier than planned.“ Colby’s voice had an edge in it that could have sliced ice.
Diana was furious, but she kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted to do was provoke an argument that would only succeed in embarrassing her in front of Aaron Crown. Image was everything in business. She had to maintain hers as a cool, calm, competent woman who was in charge of her marriage as well as her career. She forced a polite smile.
“I’ll let you know when I have my plans nailed down,“ she said to Aaron. No point letting him think she was too eager, she told herself.
“I’ll hold you to that,“ Aaron said swiftly. He patted Diana on the shoulder again. “I’ll be looking forward to working with you again as soon as possible, Diana. You’re good. Damned good. And I’m sure that with a little more experience under your belt you’ll go right to the top. You take care now and enjoy your honeymoon. Contact me as soon as you know your plans.“ He gave Colby a superior smile and walked off to join his party across the room.
Colby turned a simmering gaze on Diana. “You know what you need?“
She moistened her lower lip, uncertain of his mood. “What?“ she asked warily.
“Practice.“
She looked at him blankly. “Practice at what?“
“Being a wife. It’s a wonder you didn’t forget my name along with the fact that you’re married to me.“
Diana struggled to suppress a flash of humor. “I’m sorry,“ she murmured, using her napkin to hide her smile. “I was caught off guard.“ She shouldn’t have been, though, she thought. This restaurant was one that was popular with the staff of Carruthers and Yale. She had suggested it to Colby out of habit. It really wasn’t such a surprise to run into Aaron here tonight.
Colby glowered at her. “How long did you say you worked for that turkey?“
“About four years.“ She didn’t bother to contradict Colby’s opinion of Aaron Crown.
“How could you stand it? He’s a complete phony.“
“Phonies and turkeys are very common in the corporate world.“ Diana shrugged unconcernedly. “You learn to deal with them. Are you going to tell me either species is unknown in the publishing world?“
Colby sighed. “No. We’ve got our share. But at least I don’t have to take orders from them from nine to five, day in and day out. I only deal with them occasionally. The rest of the time they leave me alone so that I can write.“
“Unfortunately, in my world they’re a little harder to avoid.“
“You can avoid that particular turkey easily enough. Don’t go back to work for him. How did he happen to show up here tonight, anyway?“
Diana shrugged. “This is one of his favorite restaurants.“
“I see.“ Colby’s gray gaze was chillier than ever. “Did you two come here a lot in the old days?“
Diana’s head came up in surprise as she caught the blatant male jealousy in his voice. “We had a few business meals here, but that’s all. I’ve told you that Aaron and I are professional colleagues, not… not anything else.“
“Why aren’t you anything more than professional colleagues?“ Colby was clearly spoiling for another fight. “He looks like the type who’d sleep with one of his women managers if he got the chance.“
Diana grinned slowly. “I don’t date turkeys.“
Colby relaxed. His mouth twitched at the corner. “You just work for them, huh?“
“As I said, sometimes it’s unavoidable.“
SPECTER
WAS WATTING
when Diana turned the key in the lock of her downtown apartment door. The dog’s heavy tail wagged affectionately as he greeted her. He leaned heavily against her leg while he gave Colby a half-hearted glare.
“He’s losing his cutting edge,“ Colby said as he stripped off his jacket. “Doesn’t even show his teeth to me anymore.“
“I told you he’s beginning to like you.“
“Sure he is.“ Colby slung his jacket on a hanger in the closet. “And if you believe that, I’ve got a nice bridge…“
Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by the ringing of the red phone on the black lacquer table near the window.
Diana walked across the gleaming hardwood floor and picked up the receiver. She stood in front of the full-length windows, admiring her precious view of the Willamette River as she spoke into the phone. “Hello?“
“Diana? This is Brandon. I’m at Dad’s apartment. Sorry to bother you two at this time of night, but I’ve been trying to get hold of Dad. Is he there?“
“He’s here. He’s busy insulting my dog, as usual. Ill get him for you. By the way, how are things going at the restaurant where you’re working?“
“Fine. I don’t think I’d want to wait tables the rest of my life, but it’s not bad for a summer job.“ There was a pause.
“I saw Robyn yesterday.“
“Did you?“ Diana’s eyes flicked to Colby’s face, and then she looked away. “Is she all right?“
“Yeah. Guess I didn’t exactly break her heart after all. She’s dating some preppy type she met at her parents’
country club.“
“What about you?“
“Me? I’ve sworn off women for at least another week.“
Diana laughed. “Ill get your father.“ She held out the phone to Colby who took it with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, Brandon?“
Diana listened to the one-sided conversation as she slipped out of her high heels and went into the kitchen to find a snack for Specter.
“Okay, I guess that’ll work. Put one scratch on the Jeep, though, and I’ll nail your hide to an outhouse door. Right.
Well see you in the morning.“ Colby tossed the receiver back into the cradle.
“What was that all about?“ Diana asked from the kitchen.
“Brandon wants to borrow the Jeep for a few days. He and some buddies from the restaurant want to take it over to the coast and do some off-roading. We’re getting the Mazda for the week. Hell drive the Jeep up to Fulbrook Corners on his next day off and switch back.“
“Sounds complicated.“
“Teenagers and cars are always complicated.“ Colby wandered into the kitchen in time to see Specter wolfing down the last of his snack. “What’s he eating?“
“A dog biscuit. Want one?“
“No thanks. I’d rather nibble on you.“ He put his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. “I’m sorry about that argument at the restaurant.“
Diana was startled by the quiet apology. She turned in his arms and hugged him. “This is a time of adjustment for both of us. After all, you may know something about raising kids, but you don’t know much more about marriage than I do. You were only married for less than a year and that was twenty years ago.“
“That’s true. I may not be the world’s, leading authority on the subject. But I’m way ahead of you. You’ve never been married in your life.“
“All you wanted this summer was an affair.“
“I wanted you,“ he corrected harshly. “I didn’t much care how I got you.“
“And I wanted you,“ she admitted. More than she’d wanted anything or anyone in her life.
“Looks like we both got what we wanted.“ His hands tightened around her waist.
“But not quite the way we had planned.“
“So we got a baby thrown in for good measure. We'll manage.“ His hands slid to her buttocks, and he drew her more tightly against his lean, taut body. “You know, when we come back to Portland at the end of the summer, I think I
’ll give up my apartment and move in with you. Your place is nicer than mine. More style. It suits you better than my apartment would. You’re used to being around nice things, aren’t you?“
“Only in recent years when I finally got to the point where I could afford them.“
“I can afford them, too, honey,“ he said meaningfully. Then he smiled. “The doctor said something today about getting plenty of rest. You ready to hop into bed? I’ve got some interesting ideas on how to spend the rest of the night.“
Specter growled.
Diana lifted her head and smiled. “Just as soon as you take Specter out for his evening walk.“
Colby groaned and released her. “Any objections if I accidentally lose him during our little tour around the block?“
“Shame on you. He’s just an innocent dog.“
“The hell he is.“ Colby picked up Specter’s leather lead. “If he returns without me, call the police and tell them to suspect foul play.“
Specter grinned his wolfish grin. Colby grinned back, showing just as many teeth.
Diana watched them go out the door and then she walked over to the windows to gaze out into the night.
She was in love with Colby Savagar. She had known it for some time now. But she wished desperately he had not felt obliged to marry her because of the baby. Now she would never know for certain how long their affair would have lasted, or whether it would ultimately have ended in marriage.
There was no way she would ever know for certain if Colby would have eventually fallen in love with her.
It felt good to be behind the wheel of Brandon’s sexy little two-seater. Colby took pleasure in the firm, sure glide of the gears and the responsive steering. The narrow mountain road was a challenge that both he and the car accepted eagerly.
“If you don’t slow down, my dog’s going to get carsick,“ Diana announced from the other seat. The sunroof was open and the big dog, who was scrunched into the small space behind the bucket seats, had his head stuck out through the opening.
“There’s nothing wrong with my driving,“ Colby said with a grin. “But I’ll tell you one thing, if that dog gets sick in this car, you’re going to have to explain it to Brandon.“
“I wouldn’t dare. Brandon loves this car.“
“Yeah. The kid’s a good driver. I wanted him to have a good, responsive car.“
“I don’t think I approve of fast cars and drag-race-style driving. I’ll stay with my Buick.“
“Like your mother said, sometimes you’re a real stick-in-the-mud, honey. Lucky for you I came along, or you would have spent the rest of your life with your nose to the grindstone and stuck behind the wheel of a dull four-door. By the time you were forty, you would have been so bored with yourself you’d have gone nuts. About time you learned to live a little.“