handmade shoes but, considering their profession, these attributes were tempered by male-pattern baldness and premature pessimism.
‘We hear you have stolen Alan’s meal ticket,’ one of the guys said.
‘Jealous?’ Gloria asked.
The guy shrugged and said nothing and received a good ribbing from the others.
‘I am sorry, Alan,’ Romy said. ‘He didn’t get any encouragement from me.’
‘Don’t worry, Romy,’ Alan said. ‘I’ve had a day to get over it. And I’m sure I will be able to put food on the table this winter. So is he giving you any trouble?’
She shrugged. ‘Nah.’ But that was the worst part. Since his recipe fax she had jumped every time her intercom had beeped or her phone had rung. She had expected him to come back, or send another fax or at least call. And since he had not, her nerves were shot.
‘He’s a big pussycat,’ Gloria said.
‘It’s the big cats that you have to watch,’ Alan said. ‘They’re smooth, they’re quick and they’re lethal.’
‘Thank you, Alan. I’ll be sure to remember that.’
Beside her, Gloria drew in a sharp breath and Romy saw her eyes widen. Romy followed their direction to find her very own tomcat standing by the table, with a Cheshire grin spread across his face.
‘Evening, Alan,’ Sebastian said. ‘Hi, boys.’
The men all gave him hearty handshakes. Even after having dumped their firm he was still obviously a very popular bloke. A man’s man.
His attention turned to Romy and her stomach flipped. With his hair slicked back, face freshly shaven, wearing an immaculate charcoal-grey suit with a matching overcoat he was a knockout. She could sense Gloria all but batting her mascara-loaded lashes beside her.
Who was she kidding? He was a woman’s man if he was anything. Though decked out in similar garb to those around him, Romy recognised that he was like a lion amongst the surrounding pack of hyenas. Ideas and plans bubbled excitedly to the surface just looking at him. Plans about their plans, of course.
‘Were you looking for me, Sebastian?’ she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.
‘That I was. Thought tonight was as good a night as any to get started on our project.’
Romy flinched. Her gaze swung around the table and she found several pairs of desperately eager eyes turned her way. If they knew that she, Romy Bridgeport, hard-nosed divorce lawyer, thought she could help Sebastian Fox, renowned playboy, land himself a wife for life there would be no living it down. But of course if she kept such a high-profile, lucrative client happy by succeeding in the task, then she would be lauded as the most innovative and hands-on divorce lawyer in town. Even partnership material?
So before any incriminating questions could be asked, she slithered out of the seat. ‘Of course. No time like the present.’
Gloria plonked down her drink and made to follow. Romy all but shoved her back into her place as she shot her a warning glance. ‘Stay, Gloria. Have one for me.’ And keep your mouth shut!
She grabbed a hold of Sebastian by the elbow and all but dragged him from the table. Her friends waved their goodbyes amidst some barely hidden jokes and catcalls.
‘What was that all about?’
‘You just happened to be the topic of conversation before you arrived. They warned me you could be trouble.’
‘What with?’ He paused and then it seemed to dawn on him. ‘With you?’
Romy’s face burned in an instant, one of the pitfalls of having such pale skin. ‘I hardly think that is what they meant.’
He appraised her face as he led her out the front door. ‘They had cause to think as much. But you know what? You must be the first attractive woman for whom I have not had one thought of marrying.’
‘Lucky me.’ She had no idea whether to feel relieved or offended. She shot him a look as she slipped by and searched his face for any sign of the same intense reaction her body suffered in his presence. He smiled blandly back and she decided it was a one-way street.
Well, that was all the better. Physical attraction was a fickle thing. It came and it went and so long as one of them was completely unaffected it would slip away, unspoken. And nobody would be left a blithering, humiliated mess, which was the best one could hope for in a situation like that.
‘But since you are already engaged I guess that lets us both off the hook,’ Sebastian said.
She glared at him. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning you won’t be looking to me as some sort of available suitor to take you away from all your worries.’
‘And what worries would those be?’ she asked between clenched teeth.
‘You tell me.’
‘The only worry that comes directly to mind is the fact that my time has been annexed by one client who I believe will be wasting said time. Anything you could do to sort that out for me would be much appreciated.’
‘Alas, that’s the one thing I cannot do.’
He grinned, her chest tightened and she could have slapped him for it.
‘But at least we can focus on our project knowing we are both safe from each other’s clutches.’
She tried to convince herself that the idea of being in his clutches could not have been less appealing. ‘Well, that’s just excellent. I always feel so much more comfortable with a new client once I am sure they feel safe from my clutches.’
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