‘Of course you did, if you felt them. You’re going cold on me again,’ he realised angrily. ‘I really felt as if I was getting through to you yesterday and this morning, but now the cold Shanna is back,’ he said grimly. ‘Is it because I mentioned your husband and his affairs?’
‘Not at all,’ she dismissed distantly. ‘I don’t think it was any secret then or now that Perry had—other women.’
Rick’s eyes were narrowed to black slits. ‘But it still hurts you, nonetheless.’
‘Did you think it wouldn’t?’
‘I hoped not! It means you still love him,’ he bit out harshly.
‘I’ve told you I do,’ she nodded.
‘But he’s dead, Shanna. I’m alive, and I—’
‘Want me,’ she finished dully. ‘Yes, I know. But want and love aren’t the same thing. Even if I didn’t still love Perry, I could never involve myself in so selfish a relationship as wanting someone.’ She shook her head. ‘I can never involve myself with you.’
‘We’ll see,’ he told her fiercely. ‘I have three months of sharing this office with you, Shanna. And I’ll break you down, you’ll see.’
He wouldn’t break her down, she knew that. But nevertheless, three months was a long time. It could be a lifetime for her.
CHAPTER FOUR
SHANNA had prepared herself for another confrontation with Rick on Monday morning, but it wasn’t he who entered her office at five to eight, it was another man, a man she didn’t know, and yet one who was startlingly familiar.
Her gaze flew to the photograph of Perry that stood on her desk, the over-long blond hair and laughing blue eyes, the firm chin and lean capable body. The man standing in the doorway could have been his double!
‘I haven’t disturbed you, have I?’ The man frowned his puzzlement at her suddenly pale face. ‘I thought you told me to come in when I knocked.’
The first thing she realised was that his voice differed drastically from Perry’s; his accent was distinctly American, the Bronx by the sound of it. And his nature looked as if it might be a little more intense than Perry’s too, the laughter lines beside his eyes were not as plentiful. But the physical similarity was undeniable, and she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him.
‘Miss Logan?’ he prompted concernedly.
‘Mrs Logan,’ Rick Dalmont corrected as he walked past the other man and into the room with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. He looked at Shanna with narrowed eyes, his formal appearance in a brown three-piece suit and cream shirt doing nothing to detract from the physical awareness of her in his eyes. ‘What’s the matter, Shanna?’ he taunted. ‘Seen a ghost?’
She gasped at the cruelty in his face, and tears welled up in her eyes, her throat moving convulsively.
‘Come back later, Lance,’ Rick turned to growl at the other man.
‘But—’
‘Later!’ he rasped, moving purposefully around the desk towards Shanna.
She wasn’t aware of the man called Lance moving, but she knew seconds later by the soft click of the door closing that he had indeed gone. She couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer, and she buried her face in her hands as the tears flowed freely.
‘Shanna—’
‘You knew!’ she flinched as Rick’s hands touched her shoulders, glaring up at him. ‘You knew that man—Lance looks like Perry!’
‘Almost mirror image,’ he nodded, and moved away, his hands thrust into his trousers pockets, his expression brooding. ‘He’s one of my assistants, his name is Lance Edwards. But I didn’t know seeing him would affect you this badly.’
‘Didn’t you?’ she choked her disbelief. ‘I think you knew exactly how it would affect me—and that you’re cruel enough to enjoy my reaction.’
He shook his head. ‘When we first met I had no idea… Lance has worked for me for over ten years, Shanna, and until I saw that photograph of your husband on your desk last Monday I had no idea of the likeness between the two of them—’
‘Perry’s photograph was always in the newspapers when he was racing.’ There was still accusation in her voice.
‘And after,’ Rick nodded. ‘But I was usually too busy looking at the beautiful Shanna Logan to notice what her husband looked like.’
She blinked. ‘You knew what I looked like before three weeks ago?’
He nodded again. ‘And wanted you. But you were married, were the socially popular Shanna Logan.’
‘And I didn’t have affairs.’
‘No,’ he acknowledged ruefully. ‘So the grapevine informed me. Shanna, about Lance—’
‘That was unforgivable,’ she said bitterly. ‘You could at least have warned me.’
‘We didn’t exactly part the best of friends last week, otherwise I might have done. It really did slip my mind, sweetheart—’
‘Don’t!’ she shuddered at the endearment. ‘Please don’t.’
Anger blazed from his coal-black eyes. ‘I’ll call you what I damn well please,’ he rasped.
‘I hope that gives me the same privilege,’ she snapped. ‘Because I think you’re a—’
‘I think we both know your opinion of me,’ he cut in harshly. ‘It doesn’t need any repeating, especially from such pretty lips.’ His mouth twisted ruefully. ‘I was going to ask if you’d missed me the last few days, but I think I already know the answer to that.’
‘Yes!’ she hissed, her mind still trying to assimilate the fact that there was a man in this building who could be Perry’s double. The shock of seeing Lance still made her tremble.
Rick sat on the side of her desk. ‘Aren’t you even interested in where I’ve been?’
‘Not particularly.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll tell you anyway. I’ve been home to see my parents.’
‘Your mother—’
‘Is fine. Thanks,’ he added warmly at her show of concern. ‘I just hadn’t been home for a couple of months, and as I’m an only child my mother tends to worry about me. At thirty-seven it’s a little ridiculous, but I like to humour her.’
Yes, she could imagine that whatever else this man was he was a good son. He would have been brought up with all the Spanish sense of family unity and closeness, wouldn’t shirk his duties as a son no matter what.
But she didn’t want to like anything about this man, not even his respect and love for his family. He was cruel and barbaric, and she hated everything about him.
‘What do you think of the office?’ she prompted tautly.
He looked at the pale green and cream painted walls, even the carpet changed from deep blue to a pastel green. ‘It looks fine,’ he nodded.
‘Is that all you can say?’ she gasped. ‘The men were here until ten o’clock last night finishing off, and all you can say is that it looks fine!’
He shrugged. ‘There isn’t a lot else that can be said about green and cream walls,’ he derided.
‘You were vocal enough about the blue and white!’
‘Because I didn’t like it.’
‘I take it that means you do like the new colour scheme?’
‘Oh, I get it,’ he smiled. ‘Yes, I like it very much, Shanna. You did a good job.’
She stiffened at his patronising tone. ‘And I wasn’t seeking praise from the master like all the other simpering women who adorn your life!’ she snapped.
‘What a nasty little tongue you have at times, my darling.’ He bent forward, his face only inches away from hers. ‘Careful I don’t bite it off one of these days—or nights.’
She blushed at his implied intimacy. ‘I had a desk moved in for you over there, Mr Dalmont,’ she pointed to the large wooden desk that had been placed in front of the other large window in the room. ‘Please use it.’
‘Oh, I will.’ But he made no effort to move.
‘Then do so now!’ Shanna snapped her agitation.
‘In a minute,’ he dismissed. ‘Lance isn’t Perry, Shanna, just remember that,’ he warned softly. ‘If you have to imagine anyon
e as your husband I’d rather it was me—with all the privileges that go with the role.’
‘You’re disgusting!’
‘I’m staking a claim,’ he corrected grimly. ‘One you would be well advised to heed.’
‘No one could ever take Perry’s place!’
‘Not even Lance?’ he taunted softly.
She stood up noisily. ‘No one! Now if you’ll excuse me I—’ she didn’t get any further, for the door was flung open noisily, and a beautiful blonde woman of about thirty stood in the doorway, the light blue dress she wore clinging lovingly to her tall voluptuous curves, her shoulder-length fair hair softly waving and very feminine, her make-up heavy without being too much. She was a very attractive woman, if a very angry one at the moment. And Shanna had never seen her before, she was sure of that.
‘Rick, I refuse to work in the same office as that moron Jack!’ she burst out furiously, her beautiful face twisted in anger, her body moving in natural seduction as she came further into the room.
Rick sighed and stood up. ‘Jack isn’t a moron, and you know it. And I wish the two of you would settle your differences away from work!’
‘We don’t have any differences,’ the woman snapped. ‘At least, none that couldn’t be solved if he left.’
‘Or you did,’ Rick pointed out softly.
‘Oh, Rick, you don’t mean that!’ She moved up close to him, touching his cheeks with caressing fingers. ‘What would you do without little old me?’
‘I’d have harmony among my personal staff,’ he said derisively, removing her hand to hold her at arm’s length. ‘I don’t believe you’ve met Shanna Logan,’ he drawled, knowing very well that the two women had never met before. ‘Shanna, this is my other personal assistant, Cindy Matthews. Cindy, this is the editor of Fashion Lady, Shanna Logan,’ he introduced smoothly.
For some reason it had never occurred to her that Rick’s second assistant would be a woman. She didn’t know why it hadn’t, women could definitely go as far in business nowadays as men, and Rick Dalmont would like women about him at all times. The intimacy with which Cindy Matthews treated him seemed to imply that their relationship didn’t always exist just on a business level. That definitely didn’t surprise her!
The other woman was looking at her with equally speculative blue eyes. ‘You aren’t what I was expecting,’ she said bluntly. Another American! Shanna had a feeling that all Rick’s personal staff would be.
She gave a smile; the other woman’s directness appealed to her. ‘I could say the same about you,’ she drawled derisively.
Cindy returned the smile. ‘You were expecting a man, huh?’
‘Yes,’ she admitted.
‘So was I when she came for her interview,’ Rick revealed dryly. ‘She signed all her correspondence with my New York office C. Matthews. I was a little surprised when a woman turned up.’
‘Admit it was more than a little,’ Cindy taunted.
‘All right,’ he laughed. ‘I was more than a little surprised, I was astounded.’
‘He doesn’t like women working for him,’ Cindy confided to Shanna.
‘Really?’ she taunted. ‘Now that does surprise me.’
‘I think he finds them a distraction.’
‘Then how did you get the job?’ Shanna joined in the teasing, liking the fact that Rick was on the receiving end of the mockery for a change; she doubted it happened very often!
‘Her qualifications were too good to pass up,’ Rick drawled. ‘Thirty-eight, twenty-four, thirty-four.’ He laughed at Cindy’s look of outrage. ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’
‘You’re the expert,’ Cindy nodded. ‘Now what are you going to do about my working conditions?’
‘You know the rules, Cindy,’ his own humour faded. ‘You share with the boys as usual.’
‘But you know how strained things are between Jack and me,’ she pouted.’
‘I also know why,’ he said grimly. ‘I warned you about involvements like that in the beginning. It doesn’t work in a close working relationship like the one we have.’
Shanna instantly revised her opinion of Rick being emotionally involved with the other woman, he wouldn’t make one rule for his employees and another one for himself. If he disapproved of relationships between his employees then he wouldn’t indulge in them himself either. Then why make her the exception? Because he had known from the first that she would never stay on and work for him!
‘Perhaps Miss Matthews—’
‘Cindy,’ the other woman invited.
‘Shanna,’ she returned. ‘Perhaps you would like to share an office with Jane Meakins, the assistant editor? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, and—’
‘But I would,’ Rick rasped. ‘Cindy made her bed, and now she’ll have to lie on it.’
‘But not with Jack,’ Cindy snapped.
He shrugged. ‘I seem to recall you weren’t saying that a week or so ago.’
‘You’re an unfeeling swine!’ Cindy turned on her heel and slammed out of the room.
Shanna felt dismayed to have witnessed such a scene, knowing that Rick wasn’t going to thank her for her interference either. She had only been trying to help, and—She gave him a sharp look as he began to chuckle.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ he mocked lightly.
‘But Cindy—’
‘Knows damn well that she’ll be sharing with Jane by tomorrow,’ he mused.
‘But you told her—’
‘It’s a little game Cindy and I play; I win the first round, but she always wins the battle. It’s been that way ever since she came to work for me three years ago.’ He shook his head. ‘I think she lets me think I’ve won to save my pride.’ He sighed. ‘I guess I’d better go and talk to Jane. Unless you would prefer to do it?’ he arched dark brows.
‘No, thanks,’ Shanna refused dryly. ‘I wouldn’t want to spoil your—game.’
‘Shanna—’
‘Besides,’ she added mockingly, ‘I have a feeling Jane would just love you to go into her office and see her. It will start her week off perfectly.’
His eyes were narrowed. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You must know that all the female staff on the magazine are half in love with you already,’ she scorned, having heard nothing but speculation and admiration for Rick Dalmont for the remainder of the previous week.
‘All except its editor!’
She nodded coolly. ‘Don’t feel too bad about that, Rick. You can’t win them all.’
‘I don’t want them all,’ he paused at the door, ‘I want you. And I’m going to have you,’ he told her confidently.
She glared at the closed door after he had left. He wasn’t going to ‘get’ her at all—no one was. She took two tablets out of her handbag, swallowing them down, wondering if her nervous system was going to be able to take working with Rick.
She almost choked on the tablets as Gloria came into her office, her hand shaking as she put the glass of water down. ‘Doesn’t anyone knock any more?’ she snapped irritably. ‘People have been walking in and out of this office today as if it was a railway station!’
‘Sorry,’ Gloria said without remorse. ‘I just arrived, and—Did I hear Rick Dalmont say he wants you?’ Her eyes were wide with speculation.
Shanna drew in an angry breath, thinking fast. It was one thing for her to know Rick’s intent, quite another for the whole of the staff of Fashion Lady to know it too. ‘You only heard part of the conversation, Gloria,’ she told her secretary calmly. ‘You may as well know that I’ve handed in my resignation at Fashion Lady. Mr Dalmont was merely—merely trying to talk me out of it.’
‘And did he?’ Gloria gasped.
‘No.’
‘You’re really leaving?’ the other girl frowned.
‘Yes.’
‘But that’s terrible! What is it, don’t you like Mr Dalmont?’ she asked avidly.
Much as she liked Gloria and valued her services as her secretary, she a
lso knew the other girl was an incurable gossip. The fact that she was leaving Fashion Lady would be broadcast over the whole building by lunchtime, but she wanted no speculation as to the reason she was leaving. It was no one’s business but her own.
‘I like him very much,’ she lied. ‘I just have the offer of another, more interesting job.’
‘Where?’ Gloria asked interestedly.
‘It’s all a little delicate at the moment, Gloria,’ she invented. ‘I’d rather not talk about it yet.’
‘Oh,’ the other girl looked crestfallen. ‘Well, we’ll be sorry to see you go.’
‘Yes.’ Shanna held back her smile, sure that every female member of staff would prefer to see Rick Dalmont walking about the building than her. A month after she had gone these people would have trouble remembering her face. She couldn’t blame them for that, the new owner was more important than old management.
She was hard at work when Rick came back to the office fifteen minutes later. She didn’t look up, she didn’t need to, she just knew it was him as if by instinct.
‘Do you mind?’
She looked up slowly. ‘Mind?’ she frowned, her concentration on a fashion layout broken.
‘If I smoke.’ He held up a cheroot. He was seated behind his own desk, a huge file opened in front of him.
‘No, go ahead,’ she nodded, bending back to her work.
‘Some people don’t like the aroma.’
‘Really?’ He was surrounded by smoke when she glanced up at him this time.
‘Mm, I suppose if you don’t smoke yourself it can be unpleasant.’
‘Yes,’ she answered vaguely.
‘Personally, I’ve always found the—’
‘Rick, if we’re to share this office you’ll have to get on with your work and I’ll have to do mine,’ she told him in a carefully controlled voice. ‘I don’t mind if you smoke, I don’t mind what you do, I just want to get on with checking this layout—Amy is waiting for it.’
His eyes narrowed through the smoke. ‘I meant what I said earlier, Shanna,’ he said softly. ‘Lance may look like Perry, but he isn’t him. And I’ll never stand for you going out with him.’
‘I have no desire to go out with him. As I told you earlier, no man could ever take Perry’s place.’
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