wanted her with a fierceness that had scared him. He should have known better, being older, wiser, like a big brother to her. Even now, years later, he couldn’t forget the innocent passion of her kiss as she had flung herself at him on her eighteenth birthday. For one brief moment Matt had lost himself, all his fantasies come true, until he realised who he was kissing. He’d overreacted, pushing her away with an icy, verbal barrage that would have doused the hottest flames.
After all, he hadn’t wanted history repeating itself. One cradle-snatching Byrne in the family was enough and look how that had turned out. He could kill his dad sometimes, he really could.
He’d done the only decent thing possible and avoided Kara like the plague. Until today. Damn, he still had it bad. She was hotter than hot. He thought she’d shown some interest in return, then she’d bolted.
No harm in catching up over drinks, surely?
Yeah, right. She probably remembered the way he’d treated her all those years ago. No wonder she wouldn’t have a drink with him.
And why the hell had she been in a dating agency? A woman like her wouldn’t be single for long. What he wouldn’t give to spend some time alone with her now.
Thrusting away his wayward thoughts, he rang the bell on the front counter.
‘Be with you in a minute,’ a voice shouted from the back office.
Matt glanced around, the ever-observant lawyer in him coming to the fore. The office was perfectly coordinated in black and chrome with the occasional splash of red to brighten it. No tacky hearts plastering the walls of this dating agency, just trendy stencilled prints by some artist he hadn’t heard of. Not that he was an expert on dating agencies. This was the first he had been to and he hoped to God it would be the last.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’
He turned, thinking the woman’s voice sounded strangely familiar.
‘Sally? Damn, this day just gets stranger and stranger. First Kara and now you.’
The older woman hugged him. ‘Great to see you, Matt. You’re as handsome as ever.’
She picked at imaginary loose threads on his suit jacket, bringing back treasured memories of his first ball, when Sally had stood proudly on his parent’s doorstep and waved him off as if he were her child. In fact, she’d been more of a parent to him than his own father.
‘You’re looking great too, Sally.’ He smiled, watching her already ruddy cheeks blush.
‘Get away with you!’ She slapped his arm playfully. ‘So what brings you to Matchmaker? I wouldn’t think you’d need much help in that department.’
‘You run this agency?’
Relief washed over him. If Sally ran the agency, Kara had been visiting her surrogate mum rather than organising a date.
She nodded. ‘Sure do. Opened it a few years ago, once Kara moved out and started her own business. I’d always had a smidgeon of an idea that I’d like to bring joy to lonely people, so after watching too much Oprah and reading too many romance novels, I decided to take the plunge.’
‘That’s great.’ He thought about asking Sally about Kara’s business but knew it was too obvious. Besides, he had plenty of time to do that. ‘I need your help.’
‘Come in, take a seat and tell old Sal all about it.’
He followed her into a small but equally appealing office. The tones were similar to the outer office, but lighter, giving the room an appearance of more space.
‘So, handsome? Spill the beans.’
He leaned back in the comfortable chair and crossed his legs at the ankles.
‘I need a change of image. My father thinks that my reputation is detrimental to the company.’
‘Yeah, I see your antics plastered over the newspapers on a regular basis. You’re quite the ladies’ man.’
He shook his head. ‘Don’t believe everything you read. My life isn’t half as exciting as the journalists make out. Anyway, Dad says I won’t get a look-in at a partnership till my behaviour improves.’
He ran his hand through his hair, a habit he’d tried to conquer but failed, except in the courtroom.
‘You know Dad. Byrne and Associates is his baby. I haven’t a hope in Hades of making partner until I show “a more responsible attitude in my personal life”, end of quote.’
Sally sighed. ‘I was your dad’s neighbour for a long time. He’s very proud of you. Aren’t you putting undue pressure on yourself here? He loves you, regardless of whether you make partner or not.’
Love? His father didn’t know the meaning of the word. He straightened the knife-edge crease on his trousers. ‘I need to prove to everyone at the firm that I’m a damn good lawyer who isn’t just hanging onto Daddy’s coat-tails. I want that partnership, the sooner the better.’
His blood pressure soared whenever he thought about the endless innuendos at the firm about his rising status in the company. He was a first-rate lawyer without the help of his father. Not that his dad had offered any.
‘So, how can I help?’
This was the tricky part. Matt was embarrassed at having to admit that he’d already dated most of the women in his circle and beyond, and had found them lacking.
‘Like I said, I need a change of image. I need to meet a woman, quickly, who is attuned to my way of thinking. I had a business arrangement in mind, where she would appear as my steady girlfriend for corporate events and the like. In return, she could name her price.’
Sally winced. ‘Ouch! You make it sound so cold and calculating. I’m in the romance business, not in dating contracts. Besides, aren’t you deceiving your father into offering you a partnership? Isn’t there another way?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve done my research. Speed dating is the quickest and easiest way to meet a woman who matches my needs. I know the service is confidential so Dad won’t find out. Besides, who is he to judge? Look at his personal life.’
‘I still think it isn’t right, you not telling your dad.’
Sally had always stuck up for his dad, though he couldn’t for the life of him work out why. Jeff Byrne had been a cold-hearted father at times but Sally defended him, saying it was hard being a parent. Problem was, his dad wouldn’t know the first thing about being a parent, full stop.
‘I want to do this, Sally. ASAP.’
There, he’d laid his cards on the table and she hadn’t laughed at him.
A mischievous gleam shone from Sally’s dark eyes. ‘OK, enough of my lectures. Just fill out these forms and I’ll lodge your data into the computer in a jiffy. After that, it’s all systems go. You just turn up at the Blue Lounge tonight at eight and I’ll be there to explain how everything works. Any questions?’
He wondered what the funny look on Sal’s face was about. However, he’d come this far and decided to
