morning was usually filled by her sensible sedan had crossed his mind at the time. And just as quickly exited at the other end. It would do her good to have a bit of variety, he’d thought. She looked as though she was a creature of habit, always in the same sensible boxy suits, always with her dark, curly hair cut sensibly short. So he was practically doing her a favor, forcing her to break her routine. She might even thank him for the new perspective he was offering her.
Or not. He was still smiling as he stepped out onto the seventeenth floor, raising his latte in greeting at his assistant Linda as he passed by.
“Why are you looking particularly naughty this morning? What trouble have you just stirred up?” she demanded as she followed him into his corner office.
He smiled mysteriously and waggled his eyebrows at her, glancing out the window at his fantastic view of the city of Melbourne. The sky was blue, fluffy clouds floated across the sky…and seventeen floors down, if only he had X-ray vision, he could spot his car…in her spot….
“Jack? What on earth have you done?” Linda asked, real worry in her voice now.
“Relax. It’s nothing. Just a stupid…thing that happened. With that Claire girl from Homes and Decorating,” he said.
Linda gave him a look.
“Claire Marsden, you mean?”
“Is she the sensible one? With the skinny little mouth?”
“Are we talking about the same woman ? On the short side? Cute as a button?” Linda queried.
He made a dismissive noise, unprepared to think positive things about Claire Marsden right now.
“Well, I think she’s very attractive,” Linda continued.
“Compared to the Russian women’s weight-lifting team, you mean?”
“Whatever did she do to get you so offside?” Linda asked, her eyes wide at his unaccustomed cruelty.
He shrugged, suddenly aware that he’d actually allowed himself to get quite worked up.
“We just had a little…transport dispute this morning.”
“I see. Well, she’s a nice person. My niece Ronnie spent a week doing work experience with her recently. Claire was very supportive and helpful, and Ronnie is really inspired to have a go at journalism now.”
He paused in the act of flipping open the lid on his notebook computer.
“Why didn’t you ask me about the work experience? I’d have been happy to have Ronnie up here.”
Linda made a noise in the back of her throat. He recognized it as her deeply skeptical grunt and decided he was offended.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, come on, Jack. You’re hardly the most patient of men. I didn’t want you breathing down Ronnie’s neck, making her nervous. Besides, you’re far too good-looking and Ronnie’s far too young and blond for my personal comfort.”
He leaned back in his chair, happy for any opportunity to crank his assistant up a little.
“Blond you say? Just how old is she?”
Linda shook her head and slapped his mail down onto his desk.
“Keep your trousers on and read your mail, Mr. Sexy,” she said.
He took another big slurp of latte while he waited for his computer to boot up. A dialogue box flashed onto the screen and he typed in his password, flicking idly through the few letters Linda had just given him while the computer logged in to the company network.
Nothing exciting there. In his role as managing editor, he oversaw the production of six monthly magazine titles. It meant he got a lot of mail—most of it dull. Today he had a complaint from one of the tour operators they’d profiled in a recent Travel Time issue, which could go straight in the recycling bin, and a couple of letters to the editor from two of the other titles he managed.
He turned his attention to his e-mail, his eyebrows rising with surprise as he saw he had a message from the Big Kahuna himself, Morgan Beck. He scanned the note quickly, then called Linda in.
“Can you cancel my two o’clock and reschedule it for me? I’ve been summoned upstairs by God.”
“Can do. Anything else?”
He flashed his most disarming smile, turning on the charm shamelessly. To her credit, Linda remained steadfastly unaffected, instead shaking her head ruefully.
“Don’t waste your little-boy-lost routine on me. What do you want?”
“Do you think you could also swing past the post office and collect the mail from my personal box? I haven’t had a chance to get over there since I flew back into town yesterday.”
“Jack, we’ve been over this. I’m more than happy to collect your personal mail for you every day during my lunch break. Just give me the key to your box and it will be taken care of.”
Sliding the small key from his key ring, Jack hesitated before handing it over.
“I feel bad asking you to run personal errands for me,” he confessed when Linda made an impatient noise.
“Well, get over it. You’re a good boss, you don’t treat me like a slave, and I’m happy to help you out however I can.”
Overcoming his personal scruples, Jack shrugged and handed the key over. Linda gave him an amused look as she slid it into her hip pocket.
“Don’t worry—I’ll let you know when you’ve crossed the line and turned into a heartless corporate shark.”
“My deepest, darkest fear. How did you know?” Jack joked.
“I’m psychic. Which is why I suspect it’s useless suggesting you tidy yourself up a bit before your appointment with Mr. Beck,” Linda said, her tone indicating she already knew his response.
“You are psychic, you know. It’s uncanny,” he said, loving that he could annoy her.
Linda’s eyes flicked down to his black, three-quarter-length cargo pants, slip-on sandals and unironed Hawaiian shirt.
“You’re lucky Mr. Beck likes you,” she said on her way out of his office.
Jack snorted, his mood shifting abruptly as her words triggered a memory.
Luck.
What a concept. What a stupid, random, insane, cruel concept. He was very quiet for a moment as he stared out unseeingly at his view. And then he remembered that big smear of lipstick across Claire Marsden’s face and he laughed to himself all over again.
CHAPTER TWO
BUSY. THE THOUGHT registered somewhere between Claire’s third impromptu meeting of the day and
