under her breath.
“What did you say?” Charles cast a sideways glance at her.
“I said don’t worry, I’d never break with tradition. Dinner will be on the table exactly at three.”
Charles made no comment, his attention at the moment riveted on steering through the traffic with precise moves. “I don’t know why Claire couldn’t have gone instead.” A note of petulance tinged his words.
“Claire is doing the Thanksgiving Festival starting Friday, as you well know.” Julia was irritated. This wasn’t the first argument they’d had about this. “They have no children. This way I can spend the long weekend with the twins.”
“I’d rather you didn’t work at all and stayed home where you belong.”
“I will not have this discussion with you again at this particular moment.” She fisted her hands to hold her temper in check. “Your choices are no longer a factor in my life. I’m sick of the whole thing.”
“No more than I am. Julia, I’m tired of waiting for you to come to your senses and call off this ridiculous divorce activity.”
Slap, slap, slap. The windshield wipers were a metronome keeping time to the throbbing in her head.
“It’s not ridiculous, and it’s almost final.”
“Almost being the key word.”
“Charles…” Oh, God, why wouldn’t he shut up?
“Never mind.” Charles’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “You were right. This is neither the time nor place to discuss this. But trust me, we will be talking about this when you get back.”
“I can hardly wait,” she muttered and moved as close to the door as her seat belt would allow.
They sat in silence the rest of the way to the airport. Charles let her out at the Departures entrance, and confirmed her return time and flight with her.
“I’ll pick you up.” It was as much an order as an announcement. Would she never have space to breathe with this man?
“Why do you do this?” she asked. “It’s over, Charles. Over. I don’t want you hovering and caging me in. I’ll take the airport limo home. Or arrange for the car service.”
A muscle jumped wildly in his cheek. “Any moment now you will come to your senses and stop this ridiculous charade. I may not be able to sleep in my own bed for the moment, but it is my responsibility to make sure you arrive home safely. We have dinner planned for Thursday.”
Ah, yes. The dinner again. It would be a damned shame if she killed herself before the obligatory holiday meal.
Tired of the argument, she simply nodded and slammed the door.
Charles pulled quickly away from the curb, water spraying out in a rooster tail from beneath the wheels. The only thing more drenched than the pavement was her heart.
Chapter 2
The snow was thick when they landed, and the trip to the hotel in the little town outside the city was long and nerve-wracking. Julia skipped dinner for hot tea, a hot bath, aspirin, and bed.
By morning, she’d recharged her batteries, forcibly pushing thoughts of Charles from her mind. Again she took extra pains with her makeup, smoothing on a bright red lipstick to match her red power suit. She pulled her hair into a heavy gold clip in what she called her professional look, and took her usual final look at herself. Check. Fortified by breakfast and four cups of tea, she was riding an adrenaline rush when her cab pulled up to the hotel entrance.
The corporate headquarters for Hot Ticket Sportswear was a small two-story building with lots of brick and glass. Julia caught a vague impression of landscaping designed to add a luxurious feel to the grounds in summer. Then she was inside.
Howard Manning, Director of Marketing, waited to lead her through security and up to the boardroom on the second floor. “We’re anxious and excited to see your presentation, Ms. Patterson,” he told her.
“Julia, please.”
“Okay, Julia.” He smiled. “We’re definitely ready to see what you propose for our new roll-out.”
“Will everyone who’s necessary be there?” she asked.
“Pretty much. However, as I explained, we’ll do the presentation in two parts. This morning you’ll meet with our department heads and the worker bees who’ll deal with what you create. This afternoon you get the suits—the executive staff—including our CEO.”
The faces greeting her in the boardroom were smiling and expectant, the usual eclectic mix of young and old, fresh and worn, male and female, and a wide mix of cultures. She noted Manning had arranged for the equipment she requested, so she hooked up her computer and brought up the PowerPoint presentation. After Howard introduced her, she drew in a breath and began her pitch.
The morning sped by. She passed out two-page handouts for everyone at the appropriate time and answered their questions. But she knew this was just preparation, a briefing if the company bought her plan. Howard ordered lunch sent in for everyone, giving Julia a chance to chat informally with the group and prepare for the afternoon.
“Our executive vice president is tied up in a meeting right now,” Howard whispered as the executive staff filed in. “He’s the one who says yea or nay. He’ll join us as soon as he can.”
Great. Would he expect her to do it all over again for him?
She sighed and began her presentation again.
It was well into the afternoon and she was pulling out copies of the proposed budget to distribute when the door to the boardroom opened quietly, and Julia’s stomach dropped to the floor. She felt as if an electric surge slammed into her, plucking at every one of her nerve endings.
The man who silently took a seat at the end of the table wasn’t necessarily handsome, but he was one hundred percent male. Liquid brown eyes were framed by the thickest lashes she had ever seen on a man. She noticed the strong jaw and the lines of character etched on an incredibly masculine face. Straight brown hair, a hint of silver reflecting in the lights, worn just a little long, gave him a slight rakehell look.
The classic dark business suit barely concealed the power he radiated. More than that, he exuded an aura of self, of authority, of comfort in his own skin few men were able to attain. She could think of only three words to describe him. Dark. Edgy. Dangerous. In her entire thirty years, no man had ever affected her the way this man did. Certainly not Charles. She clamped down on her reaction, forbidding herself to let her thoughts wander into forbidden territory. As she’d learned, her judgment where men were concerned left a great deal to be desired.
“Let me interrupt a moment.” Manning jumped to his feet. “Julia, meet Lucas Buchanan, our executive vice president. He’s been in another meeting until now.”
“I’m pleased you could join us, Mr. Buchanan.” Julia pasted on her professional smile and hoped her voice sounded firmer to the others than it did to her.
Lucas Buchanan
