"Right now, Lily and I can't be in the same room without finding something to disagree about. I don't know how the hell that's supposed to lead to eternal love and marriage."
"There must have been something that you liked about her."
"We had very hot sex in the back of a limo. That's a nice little fantasy fulfilled for any guy. And then she told me she never wanted to see me again. Most guys would love that. But I wanted to see her again. I still do."
"Eat some pizza and drink some beer," Sean said. "You'll feel much better. Maybe after we're done we'll head down to the pub and see if we can find you a woman."
Brian nodded. But he didn't want just any woman. The only woman he really wanted was Lily. And though he'd had her once, it just wasn't enough.
Lily slammed the newspaper down on the conference room table and glared at the four people gathered around it. "Who leaked this?"
The four suspects-Derrick, Margaret, John and Allison-all looked at her as if she'd just asked who among them had been born on Pluto.
"One of you must have leaked it." Lily picked up the Boston Herald and waved it in the air. "Page twelve. There are two columns on Brian Quinn in here. Everything in the P.I.'s report is in the article. It's like they had a copy of it. I thought I told you I would decide when to use that information."
"I didn't leak it," Derrick said. He looked at Margaret, his gaze accusatory.
Margaret shook her head. "Me, neither. You took our copy of the report."
"You didn't make any other copies?" Lily asked.
"It just came in day before yesterday," John said. "We barely had time to read it."
"Mr. Patterson had a copy," Allison offered with a weak smile. "He sometimes likes to take things into his own hands."
Lily drew a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She hated to let her temper get the best of her at work. But this was a major mistake. "All right. I'll take care of this. Get back to work. And no contact with the press unless you clear it with me, understand?" She tucked the newspaper under her arm and walked out of the conference room, heading directly for Richard Patterson's office, one story above. When she got to Mrs. Wilburn's desk, she didn't bother stopping. "Is he in?"
"Miss Gallagher, you can't just-"
"Is he in?" Lily asked. "If he is, tell him I need to see him. Immediately."
Mrs. Wilburn snatched up the phone arid whispered something into it, then nodded to Lily. "He can see you now."
Lily knew she should have taken some time to cool down, to figure out why she was really angry. Was she upset because her orders had been ignored? Or was it because she knew that the article would hurt Brian Quinn? She'd made it perfectly clear to Richard Patterson that she was the one who would handle media relations. And trashing Brian Quinn in the press was her call, not his.
"Lily!" Richard cried as she stepped inside the office. "Did you see the Herald?"
"I did," Lily said.
"I would have loved to see it closer to the front page, but page twelve is pretty good. This has got to hurt him."
Lily calmed herself before she spoke. It wouldn't do to shout at him or throw a tantrum. "When I spoke to you last, we made an agreement. I asked you not to interfere, to let me handle things for you and in return I would help you with your little… problem."
Patterson held up in hands in mock innocence. "Hey, I just mentioned what I knew to a friend of mine and he must have gone to the Herald."
"Don't give me excuses," Lily said. "I know what you did. You made a copy of that report and you gave it to a friend who turned it over to someone at the Herald."
Patterson seemed surprised by her insight-and by her apparent lack of respect for his position. But Lily didn't care. Hell, maybe he'd fire her and solve all her problems. Though the job meant big money to DeLay Scoville, if Patterson fired her, she could go back to Chicago without having to admit failure. She could blame everything on a difficult client. "And don't threaten to fire me," Lily added, "because I'll quit before you get a chance."
"Why are you angry? This gives us an advantage."
"If we were going to use this, and I'm not saying we would have, it could have been made public to counteract any report he made. Now, if he airs something damaging to us, I have nothing to use. This is the whole story and in a few days, it's going to be forgotten. They'll have moved on to something new and we'll have nothing."
"I don't think this is nearly as serious as you're making it out to be," Richard said, clearly aware of his mistake now. "So I call the investigator and he digs up more dirt."
"And what if they trace this story back to you?"
"They won't."
"They could. And then, we're going to have to explain why you orchestrated this little personal vendetta against a popular news reporter. It's going to look like retribution and that makes us look petty and vindictive."
Richard sat back down, his jaw tense. "Then do something about it," he muttered angrily. "Just fix it. That's what I hired you for, isn't it?"
Lily nodded, then walked out of the office. She went directly to her own office, grabbed her purse and strode to Marie's desk. "Cancel my appointments for this afternoon," she said. "I'll call in for messages."
"Where are you going?" Marie asked.
"I have to do some damage control."
Lily knew what she had to do and dreaded the prospect. Every time she thought she'd seen the last of Brian Quinn, they got thrown together once again. Maybe, deep inside, she was glad Patterson had leaked the story. Maybe, subconsciously, she wanted to see Brian one last time.
As she rode the elevator down to the lobby, Lily wondered how he had reacted to the article. Had he been angry… or upset? There was no doubt that he was blaming her. She could deal with his anger, but Lily hadn't wanted to hurt him. He was a good man who'd done nothing more than his job. He didn't deserve to have his reputation tainted by his past.
When she got out on the street, she hailed a cab and hopped inside. "WBTN, the television station. It's on Congress. I'm not sure-"
"I know where it is," the driver said. He pulled into traffic and floored the accelerator. Lily held on, trying to focus on what she was going to say once she faced him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she mused. After all, she didn't owe Brian any apologies. Wasn't he the one who said there weren't any rules?
Maybe this was all just an excuse to see him again. Lily couldn't deny that she'd been thinking about him. And not just random thoughts. Instead, she'd indulged in very vivid fantasies that involved a general lack of both clothing and inhibitions.
It was almost as if she'd fallen victim to an addiction, unable to deny herself, yet aware that indulging would become more dangerous over time. She needed his touch, needed to taste his mouth and to run her hands over his body. Being with Brian made her feel wicked and sensual and more alive than she'd ever felt with a man before. And though every instinct warned her off, she was like a moth to the flame.
She tried to brush the fantasies from her mind, but they kept returning, making her heart pound a little faster and her blood warm. When the cab finally screeched to a stop in front of the station, Lily was ready to tell the cabbie to turn around and take her back to her office. But instead, she paid him, then slowly strolled to the front doors of the television studio.
The spacious lobby was full of glass and chrome. A receptionist sat at a circular desk in the middle, a bank of television monitors above her head. Lily pasted a smile on her face. "I need to see Brian Quinn. Is he in?"
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. But if he's in, just tell him that Lily Gallagher is here to see him. He's probably expecting me."
She punched a few buttons on her console, then spoke into her headset. "Lily Gallagher to see you, Brian," she said. She waited for a few seconds. "All right." She glanced up at Lily. "He'll be right out."
A minute later, a door swung open and Brian walked through. Lily felt a tiny thrill rush through her. God, every time she s
aw him he managed to look even sexier than before. Today, he wore a blue Oxford shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, the sleeves rolled up, and tailored trousers that accented his narrow waist and flat belly.
He slowed as he approached her, then stopped about ten feet away. His hair, usually tidy, looked as if he'd been running his hands through it and Lily felt her own fingers clench as she remembered how the strands felt between her fingers. He watched her warily as she searched for something to say. "Hi," she finally said, certain that was all she could manage for the moment.
His eyebrow arched. "What are you doing here, Lily?"
She glanced around. "Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately?"
"I don't think we have anything to say to each other."
She could tell he was angry. "You saw the article in the Herald?"
"So has everyone else at the station."
"Can we please talk? I need to explain."
Brian nodded curtly, then turned and walked through the door. Lily had no choice but to follow. They walked down a long hallway, Lily a few steps behind him. He reached another door and pushed it open, holding it for Lily. She walked into a small room, empty of furniture, the walls padded with carpet. A single window overlooked a control room.
"What is this?"
"It's a sound studio." He reached over and closed the blinds on the window, then turned back to face her. "Say what you came to say," he murmured.
"I'm sorry." Lily clutched her hands in front of her and shifted back and forth. "I know you think it was me, but it wasn't. I had the information, but I don't think I would have used it. I do follow a certain set of principles, no matter what you might believe right now."
"Who leaked the story?" Brian demanded.
"I can't say."
"So your principles don't include telling the truth?" Brian asked.
"Who do you think did it?" Lily said.
"I think one of Patterson's cronies probably leaked the information, carefully, so it couldn't be traced back to him."
"I can neither confirm nor deny," Lily said with a weak smile. "All I can say is that I hope it doesn't cause you too many problems. I've handled situations like these. There may be some talk but it will die down. It's not like you committed murder or had sex with a prostitute. You just possessed a little youthful enthusiasm, that's all."
"They're putting together a damn focus group," he muttered, pacing back and forth across the room. "The station manager pulled me in the minute I got to work this morning. He's worried about my image and the news director is thinking about taking me off the air for a while."
"I'm sorry," Lily murmured, reaching out to touch his arm, her hand trembling slightly.
He stepped back, avoiding her touch. "Do you really care?"
His gaze met hers, and suddenly she knew they weren't just talking about the report. "Of-of course I do. I don't want to see you hurt."
They stared at each other for a long moment and then, as if a bomb had exploded in the studio, they threw themselves into each other's arms. Brian took her face between his hands and brought his mouth down on hers, his kiss hot and demanding. Lily's hands smoothed over his chest, aching to touch his skin.
Nothing seemed to matter but the taste of him, yet even that wasn't enough. He pushed her back against the carpeted wall and pressed his hips into hers, the heat of his arousal evident between him. Lily reached down to touch him there, needing to prove to herself that he still wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Slowly, she stroked him through the fabric of his trousers, his breath coming in hot gasps, his mouth ravaging hers. With a low growl, he brushed her touch away and pinned her wrists above her head, then fumbled with the buttons of her blouse.
Lily moaned as he tore at her bra, pushing it aside to reveal the soft swell of her breast. And then his mouth left hers and drifted down to her nipple. How could she possibly resist these incredible sensations racing through her body? He made her tremble all over, made her ache for his touch. When she was with him, he made her breathless and weak with longing.
But as quickly as it started, it was over. Brian released her hands and straightened, then carefully began to rearrange her clothes. He drew a ragged breath as he turned his attention to the buttons on her blouse. "We can't do this. I'm in enough hot water here."
"Kiss me again," Lily whispered, caressing his cheek.
He did as he was asked, but this time, some of the desperation was gone. This time, he was gentle and sweet. "We can't keep doing this, Lily," he murmured, his forehead pressed to hers. "I want something more."
"What do you want? Tell me and I'll give it to you."
He stared down at her for a long moment. "I want… a date. Something normal. I pick you up, we go out. We get to know each other better, maybe find out if there's something more going on here than just…"
"Lust?" she asked.
"Maybe."
"I thought we agreed that night in the limo that-"
"I didn't agree to anything," Brian interrupted, his jaw tight. He finished buttoning her blouse, then tucked it into the front of her skirt. "You asked me what I wanted and I told you. I'll call you, we'll go out for dinner."
Lily hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan. She knew the dangers she faced in trying to make a relationship work with Brian. When it was just lust, what they shared was simple. But when it was more, then she risked getting hurt. And Brian Quinn was exactly the kind of man who could shatter her heart into a million pieces.
He changed women almost as often as he changed his socks. She'd read it all in the report. He pursued women for as long as they resisted and then cut another notch in his bedpost and moved on. She'd known his type before. But that didn't mean she wasn't tempted.
"All right," she said, reaching for the door. An instant later, she felt Brian's hands on her waist. He slowly turned her around. His gaze met hers and then he bent close and kissed her again, his hands smoothing over her face as if he couldn't get enough of touching her. And when he was through, he sighed softly. "You go ahead."
"Are you coming?"
Brian chuckled, then glanced down at the front of his trousers. "I think I might need a few minutes-to compose myself."
Lily felt a blush warm her cheeks. "All right. I guess I'll see you then. It's a date."
"I guess you will. I'll call."
Brian pulled up in front of the Eliot Hotel and scanned the sidewalk for Lily. He saw her standing near the door, chatting with a bellman and he watched silently.
She wore a pretty cotton dress with a loose, flowing skirt that moved in the warm summer breeze. Her hair, a riot of curls, was pulled up into a haphazard ponytail and tied with a colorful scarf.
When the sun hit her, he could see the outline of her legs through the fabric of her dress. "God, she's beautiful," Brian muttered.
He'd been thinking about her all week but had deliberately held off calling her until yesterday. He'd hoped that, given time, he'd be able to understand his attraction to her, and thereby control it. But all he'd learned was that his desire for Lily was completely irrational.
He ought to hate her, or at least mistrust her motives. But the furor over the Herald article had died down. He was back on the schedule and according to a station focus group, the article had served to improve his image as a regular guy and a native Bostonian.
So, for now, he and Lily were at a standoff professionally and at a crossroads personally. Maybe after their first date, he'd finally have a clue. Brian beeped his horn and Lily turned to look his way. He stepped out of the car and waved and she came running up. Considering their last encounter in the sound studio, he wasn't sure how it would be between them. But as she came closer, a smile curved her lips.
"Hi," Lily said.
"Hi. Are you ready?"
"I am. But I'm not sure for what."
He circled the car and opened her door for her, grabbing her bag. Before she got inside, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him f
or a quick kiss. She didn't resist, instead tipped her face up and kissed him back. This was how it was supposed to be, he mused. Easy and familiar. By the time he drew away, Brian felt as if they'd smoothed out the difficulties between them, at least for the day. He tossed her bag in the back seat and jogged around to his side of the car.
"Where are we going?" Lily asked, once they'd pulled into traffic.
"It's a surprise," Brian said. "But we're going to have fun, I promise."
"I'm glad you called," Lily murmured. "I wasn't sure you would. I wanted to tell you again how sorry I was for what happened."
Brian shrugged, then reached over and wove his fingers through the tendrils of hair at her nape. "No talk about work today."
"All right," Lily agreed. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"Let's not worry about that," Brian said. "I'm sure we'll think of something."
The drive passed quickly and as Brian suspected, they didn't have any problem finding something to talk about, though he was much more preoccupied with studying her beautiful face than making conversation. Lily chatted about trying to find something to occupy her free time in Boston and Brian suggested things she might try. He didn't suggest his first choice, that she spend every free minute in bed with him. Although he thought it was probably the most valuable use of her time-and her body-Lily probably wouldn't appreciate such brazen talk on their first date. By the time they crossed the Congress Street bridge, he'd nearly convinced her to try sculling lessons on the Charles.
"Sculling lessons," she murmured. "I could do that. I'm really good on the rowing machine at my health club."
Brian pointed out the window at the Children's Museum and the Boston Tea Party ship. "We're heading into Southie now," he murmured. "This is my neighborhood."
"You live here?"
"Not anymore. I have an apartment close to the station. But I grew up here."
"Can we go see the house where you lived? Is it still there?"
"Did I tell you about Southie?" Brian asked.
"I-I just read the report."
"Maybe I should read the report," he teased. "I wouldn't want to repeat something you already know."
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