“Phantom help,” Erika said with a soft smile.
“Yeah, but she doesn’t get a phantom check,” he said drily. He watched her expression turn serious, pensive. “What’s on your mind?”
“Just wondering.”
“Wondering what?” he prodded, joining her on the sofa.
“You said that you keep the people who are important to you out of the press. I’m wondering how many women you’ve kept out of the press.”
He studied her. “Not many.”
“Not many is not a number.”
“Three,” he told her.
She glanced at him in surprise. “I would have expected more.”
“You would have been wrong.”
“Hmm,” she said. “Are any of them still speaking to you?”
“Yes,” he said, shooting her a hard look. “My breakups have always been civil. One of the women has gotten married. The other one lives in France.”
“And the third?”
“Is sitting beside me right now,” he said, meeting her gaze and feeling a snap of the electricity that sizzled between them.
“Neither of the other women threw a tantrum?”
“No.”
“I could have,” she confessed. “I was so hurt I wanted to scream and beat my hands against the wall. Throw dishes, expensive crystal with champagne at you, a pie in your face.”
He looked at her in surprise. “You’re joking. You’re one of the most civilized, rational women I know.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you could say you don’t always bring out my civilized, rational side.”
He stared at her, trying to visualize her throwing a temper tantrum, and he shook his head. “You’re too mature for that.”
Erika sighed. “Maybe. Maybe it’s the Godiva Liqueur talking. But you know what they say—there’s yin and yang, light and dark.”
“If you’re passionate in one way, you could be passionate in another,” he added.
“Could be,” she said and smiled slyly. “Bet I’ve scared you.”
“Not quite,” he said, feeling his temperature edge up a degree. He’d always gravitated toward relationships with women he knew he could ultimately control. Last year he’d been able to control his relationship with Erika. He wasn’t sure it would be so easy now, and damn if that didn’t make him want her more. He swallowed an oath. Where was this self-destructive streak coming from?
He cleared his throat. “I’ll hit the sack and let you get some sleep.”
“Thanks again,” she said. “G’night.”
He strolled down the hall, thinking about how much he’d like to strip off her clothes and sink inside her on his sofa. The visual would keep him awake for hours.
Erika awakened early and left a thank-you note along with a packet of hot chocolate for Gannon before she grabbed a cab downstairs. Her feelings for him jerked her from one extreme to the other. She wanted to be with him, craved his attention and knew she was insane to go down that road again. Hadn’t she learned her lesson the first time? Playing with Gannon Elliott was like dancing barefoot on hot coals. There was no way she wouldn’t get burned.
But oh, it felt so good before the burn singed her. She loved the way he looked at her, teased her and even played Scrabble with her. She knew he wanted her, and that knowledge made her nuts. Gannon was the most desirable man she’d ever met in her life. His desirability coupled with his obviously superior genetics was the reason she wanted him to father her child. Even if the fertilization took place in a tube instead of au naturel.
The problem was that Erika knew from intimate, personal experience that fertilizing au naturel would be so much more enjoyable.
Groaning, she entered her brownstone and told herself to get a grip. Luck finally smiled on her and the power came on within fifteen minutes of her return. She jumped in the shower and got ready for a full workday during which she would be focused on her work and not Gannon.
Her phone rang as she was putting on her mascara. She checked the caller ID before answering. Gerald. Answer it, she told herself. For the sake of your sanity, answer it. She snatched up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, Erika, how’d you survive the storm? I was worried about you when I heard about the power outages in your area.”
How nice, she thought and felt a sliver of guilt at the same time since she’d ended up spending the whole night with Gannon at his great, warm apartment. “I made it okay. We got our power back. How about you?”
“Didn’t ever lose it, thank goodness. I was wondering if I could call in my rain check tonight. I’d like to take you to dinner. It’ll have to be a little late, though.”
Erika held her breath, swallowing her instinct to refuse. Why did she want to refuse? Gerald was a perfectly eligible TDH. Plus he had great genes to contribute to her baby. “What time were you thinking?”
“Eight o’clock. I know it’s late, but I’ll try to take you somewhere worth the wait.”
Nice again, she thought. “Okay, I’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll call you later today after I get reservations so you’ll know where to meet me.”
“Sounds good. Have a good day.”
“You, too. I’m looking forward to tonight.”
Erika frowned as she hung up. She needed to be looking forward to tonight, too. Maybe if she kept telling herself she was looking forward to seeing Gerald, she would start actually feeling that way. “I’m looking forward to seeing Gerald tonight,” she chanted under her breath all the way to work.
She strode from the elevator at the office determined to focus on her work away from Gannon today. That was her best course of action.
No sooner had she taken off her coat and sat at her desk than her phone rang. Erika picked up the receiver.
“Mr. Elliott on line one,” her new assistant said.
“Which Mr. Elliott?” Erika asked.
“Oh. Mr. Michael Elliott.”
“Put him through please.” Erika waited a half second. “Erika Layven. How can I help you, Mr. Elliott?”
“You can call me Michael. You may be calling me something else by the end of the day.”
Erika heard exasperation in his voice. “What’s the problem?”
“We have two feature articles that have
