many men does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Three: one creep to screw in the bulb and two to listen to him brag about the screwing part. That sums up Aidan—Yeuk!
Luce (reformed dater)
Aidan a sleaze? Keely shook her head, hoping her lousy judgement in men didn’t extend to all facets of life. She could’ve sworn Aidan seemed like a nice guy, though appearances weren’t everything.
Feeling more than a tad responsible for urging Lucy to ask Aidan out, she typed a quick reply.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Forgetaboutit!
Luce,
Sorry Aidan the Ass turned out to be just that.
The solution? Get back out there. Your PM could be just around the corner.
Drinks, this Friday after work. Be there.
Let the search recommence …
K
Hoping that Lucy wasn’t too devastated about the Aidan fiasco, Keely headed out of her office, ready to face the music with her friends.
Several hours later, Keely sat in front of her PC and brought up the newest account that had just landed in her lap. Bountiful Babes promised to be a one-stop website for parents who needed the low-down on the joys of having children. Initially, she’d been reluctant to take it on—the fact that she loved kids and couldn’t have any rubbed in her face wasn’t good—but with the Rottie breathing down her neck she’d had no choice.
Besides, she’d sensed something else behind the Rottie’s urgency, almost as if they needed these new accounts to survive. Which was silly really, considering WWW Designs was one of the largest firms of its kind in the country.
However, she’d never juggled three prestigious accounts at once before, and this, plus the Brant assignment, added to her suspicions that something wasn’t quite right. The Rottie had been snapping at everyone’s heels for the last few weeks, raving on about deadlines and efficiency, and though she’d held her tongue because of the promotion she coveted, Keely had almost told her to shove it several times.
She’d managed to placate the Rottie with a pat on the head—figuratively speaking—and news that her assignment with Lachlan was proceeding extremely well. She’d just left out the part where her shadowing him had turned from business to pleasure.
As the preliminary work she’d done for the site flashed across the screen, she swallowed the lump of emotion that inevitably rose when she saw anything to do with babies. The motif she’d designed as a border for the web page—a chubby, chuckling baby in various poses—brought a smile to her face. From his ten perfect fingers and toes to his rosy cheeks and dimpled skin, he was adorable, and a stark reminder of what she could never have.
Sighing, she made an angry swipe at a tear escaping from the corner of her eye and turned away as someone knocked on her door.
She sat up straighter and fixed a smile on her face. Just her luck for the Rottie to come bounding in here and catch her sniffling. ‘Come in.’
‘How’s my favourite graphic designer?’ Lachlan strolled into the room and handed her a bag. ‘I come bearing gifts. Thought you could use something to boost your energy levels.’
She opened the bag and inhaled deeply, the seductive aroma of fresh cinnamon doughnuts making her salivate, before casting him a coy look from beneath her lashes. ‘I’m fine and there’s nothing wrong with my energy levels. In fact, I haven’t been this energised in ages.’
He laughed and chose one of the doughnuts from the bag she proffered. ‘Glad to hear it.’ He rolled his neck around as if trying to work out a kink. ‘I’m in dire need of another massage.’
Heat crept into her cheeks at his emphasis on the word ‘massage’. She’d done all that and more to him on the weekend away, displaying a brazen side she hadn’t known existed.
As Tahlia had laughingly pointed out after she’d given the girls a very brief version of events, she was working in the right place: WWW Designs could stand for Wickedly Wanton Woman or Wonderful Wowsing Witch. Both labels seemed appropriate at this stage!
She interlocked fingers and stretched forward, as if limbering up. ‘For you, any time.’
As desire arced between them and he crouched down beside her chair, she placed both hands on his chest and held him back. ‘However, right now I need to do some work.’
He captured her hands and held them against his chest till she itched to slide her fingers between the buttons of his ivory business shirt and caress the firm skin underneath.
‘I thought my website was nearly finished?’
She nodded, trying to think ‘work’ while this close to the man who had rocked her world repeatedly over the weekend. ‘It is.’
‘So what’s this you’re working on?’
He peered over her shoulder, ignoring her muttered, ‘A client’s work is confidential’, his face breaking into a huge smile.
‘That’s one cute baby,’ he said, his eyes glowing with a tenderness she’d never seen before.
She pulled away and swivelled her chair towards the screen, rattled by his reaction.
‘You like kids?’ she asked, trying to instil the right amount of casualness into her voice while hanging on his answer.
‘What’s not to like? They’re amazing, taking over your life and wreaking more devastation than a cyclone. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I helped raise my younger brothers and sisters and, though challenging, it was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.’
His words drove tiny daggers of pain into her heart, opening up wounds she’d thought healed. She had to ask the next question, knowing his answer would seal the fate of their relationship, one way or the other.
‘Do you want kids of your own?’
‘Absolutely. If the right woman came along, I reckon I’d like at least half a dozen of the little tykes.’
And, just like that, reality crashed in, leaving Keely struggling for air.
She’d known that dating Lachlan could prove disastrous but she’d gone ahead and done it anyway. Despite her feeble protestations, he was business; she’d fallen for him, and labelling their relationship ‘dating’ had been a lie on her part.
She loved him, had probably loved him before she knew what had hit her, and therefore had ignored every warning that she shouldn’t get in too deep. When relationships went too far, certain expectations came into play, and now she’d heard it for herself.
He wanted the one thing she could never give him.
And it would ruin them in the end.
Struggling to keep her voice steady,
