Keira shifted uncomfortably again. Who had been his informant? Daniel? His time-and-motion spy? ‘I’m sure that’s an exaggeration. It takes a lot of dedicated people working as a team to produce a magazine.’
‘Granted. But every team needs a guiding hand at the helm.’
Which was the job of the editor. ‘Dianna—’ Keira began, only to falter as he lifted one strong tanned hand in a gesture of negation.
‘But I don’t want to discuss Chloe magazine, its editor or its staff at this point,’ he stated abruptly. ‘I want to take advantage of Daniel’s absence to talk about something quite different.’
Some small part of Keira’s stomach lurched apprehensively. What could he possibly… ? She drew herself together, tried to quell her anxiety, raising her fine eyebrows in what she hoped was an expression of composed moderate interest.
‘Yes. Something quite different,’ he repeated, and folded his arms across his broad chest.
Keira’s eye caught the flash of a gold wristwatch as the cuff of his immaculate white shirt slipped back. His long fingers rested on the biceps of his arm and she knew instinctively that the material of his expensive suit covered hard muscle. The tingle of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach changed focus imperceptibly as a sudden spear of a quite diverse tension began to grow. Suddenly her nerve-endings went on an even more critical and complex alert, her blood beginning to quicken in her veins.
‘I want to talk about Daniel,’ Eden Cassidy said levelly.
‘Daniel?’ Keira’s grey eyes met his in a surge of surprised relief.
What had she been thinking? That he had some personal interest in her work? She was just a little self-absorbed, she chastised herself.
He’d said himself they’d never met. And neither could he be expected to recall a business transaction that had been handled by his lawyers over five years ago. He wouldn’t even have known she existed had Daniel not commenced work with Chloe magazine. He was simply curious about his nephew’s progress at what was his first job within the family company.
Relaxing a little, Keira smiled softly, unaware of the slight shift of Eden Cassidy’s gaze. It dropped for splitseconds to her full mouth before his own lips tightened and his cold state returned to meet her eyes.
‘Oh. Of course.’ Keira let out the small breath she’d been holding. ‘You’ll be pleased to hear Daniel’s working well. He fits in marvellously with the other staff members and his work is really excellent. You should be so proud of him. He’s quite a remarkable young man for his age.’
‘I see.’ His dark brows rose somewhat imperiously. ‘You sound impressed.’
‘I am. Daniel has great talent,’ Keira assured him.
Eden Cassidy’s compelling blue eyes narrowed. ‘I’m sure he has,’ he agreed drily. ‘Which leads me to the
obvious question. Tell me, Mrs Strong—’ he paused, his emphasis on the Mrs ‘—just what are your intentions towards my nephew?’
CHAPTER TWO
KEIRA felt her jaw slacken as she gazed at the man standing a couple of feet from her. Her intentions? Did he mean… ? Surely not.
Her grey eyes took in the studied arrogance of his stance, the coldly cynical expression evident in his eyes, eyes as incredibly blue as the deepest reaches of the Pacific Ocean.
If she was unsure of his meaning then those chilling eyes confirmed her suspicions. He meant exactly what she’d suspected his words implied.
Keira’s back straightened instinctively and her chin rose. ‘My intentions? I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by that,’ she said succinctly, and they both knew she was stretching the truth.
‘Oh, I think you do, Mrs Strong. What are your intentions towards my nephew? I would have thought that was fairly self-explanatory.’ He made a slightly irritated movement of one well-shaped hand. ‘However, I’ll try to be a little more explicit.’
‘Please do,’ Keira put in levelly and his eyes narrowed.
‘What would a married woman, one not in her first bloom of youth, want with a teenage boy scarcely out of the classroom, hmm?’ He folded his arms across his chest again and held her gaze.
Keira seethed inside. How dared he? How dared he stand there all holier than thou and make such vulgar insinuations? And what precisely did he expect her to say, allowing for the fact that he was, in all essence, her boss? What she’d like to say to him…
‘Apart from the obvious, that is?’ he added disparagingly, and hot colour flooded Keira’s cheeks.
‘Daniel and I,’ she got out between clenched teeth, and then made herself pause, swallow to regain her control. She had to keep her cool, not allow him the satisfaction of nettling her. ‘Daniel and I are working acquaintances. No more, no less. Daniel kindly—’
Eden Cassidy bit off a derogatory expletive and Keira vehemently wished Daniel were here at this particular moment so that she could give him the sharp edge of her tongue.
‘Daniel asked me to accompany him to his grandfather’s party as a favour, in a purely friendly capacity.’
‘So you’re just good friends?’ Eden mocked sceptically and Keira’s lips thinned.
‘We are. Daniel is a very nice, intelligent young man. This is the first time I’ve seen him outside working hours but I must admit I enjoy his company.’
‘And you expect me to believe that?’ Eden Cassidy’s hands went to his hips as he glared his so obvious doubt.
‘I’m not a liar, Mr Cassidy,’ Keira informed him directly. ‘However, you don’t need to take my word for it. Check with your nephew if you want to.’
‘Oh, I do intend to speak to Daniel, make no mistake about that.’
Keira felt a momentary pang for Daniel, having to face his uncle’s icy wrath, but then she quelled her sympathy. Daniel Cassidy was, after all, to blame for this embarrassing scene.
‘But I also felt the need to discuss the situation with you,’ Eden Cassidy continued smoothly. ‘You being older than my nephew, and supposedly more mature.’
‘For heaven’s sake,’ Keira got out. ‘I’m not that much older than Daniel.’
‘Oh, come on now, Mrs Strong. You are a number of
years older—’ Eden Cassidy put in, but Keira held up her hand negatingly.
‘You make it sound as though I’m old enough to be his mother, which is a physical impossibility, apart from the ludicrousness of the idea.’ Her eyes flashed contemptuously over him. ‘And I resent your implications.’
‘Implications?’ Eden Cassidy’s dark brows rose. ‘I thought I was being reasonably specific, Mrs Strong. Let’s call it a table card, shall we? So what is it exactly that you resent?’ A cold smile touched his lips and Keira knew an uncharacteristic and almost overwhelming desire to slap his handsome face.
‘I have no designs on your nephew’s inheritance or his family associations,’ she bit out through clenched teeth. ‘And whether or not you choose to believe that is irrelevant to me. As for your other ridiculous insinuation, well, it would be laughable if I didn’t find it so insulting.’
‘I’ve offended you. My humble apologies.’ He gave a slight bow, his mocking tone contradicting his placating words. ‘But surely even you, Mrs Strong, must see how your liaison looks.’
Keira marvelled silently that she remained in the same room as this insufferable man. If this was typical of Eden Cassidy she was beginning to understand Daniel’s less than favourable view of his uncle. ‘Daniel and I do not have a liaison, Mr Cassidy. As I told you before, we are simply friends.’
‘Friends?’ he repeated with that same heavy disbelief.
‘Yes, friends, Mr Cassidy,’ she reiterated. ‘And although it’s hardly any of your business, but allowing for the sordid state of your mind, I don’t make a habit of sleeping around with men younger than I am.’ Keira realised he would most probably misinterpret her words and added, ‘Or older than I am, for that matter. You have a nerve to surmise such a thing when you’d never even met me.’
‘Such a passionat
e speech, Mrs Strong. But we’re talking about the real world here. The next thing you’ll be telling me is that you’re just an old-fashioned girl who is happily faithful to her husband.’ He raised one dark eyebrow with exaggerated scepticism. ‘A husband who, by the way, happens to be conveniently conspicuous by his absence.’
Keira drew herself together. So her company personnel records weren’t complete. The great Eden Cassidy didn’t know everything. And he thought she had left her husband at home while she enjoyed a weekend of illicit sex with a teenager. Charming!
‘There appears to be a hitch in the Cassidy-Ford Publishing archives. Or perhaps your minions have misreported. It must be so difficult to get good snoops these days.’ Keira unconsciously tapped her leg with her tennis racket
‘Meaning?’ He watched her through narrowed eyes.
‘Meaning I’m sorry to have to ruin your little fantasy, Mr Cassidy, but I’m not a bored old bag having a fling. However, you are right about one thing. I did, and still do, believe in the sanctity of marriage, so I suppose in the let-it-all-hang-out circles you move in that does make me prosaically old-fashioned.
‘Now, I’m more than a little tired of this pointless and humiliating conversation. When Daniel returns I’d appreciate it if you’d inform him that I’ve gone on to the tennis court.’
Keira took two steps towards the door and stopped, turning slightly to look back at Daniel’s uncle. ‘And just a word of advice which you can take or leave. If I were you I wouldn’t try to warn Daniel away from me. He’s more than a little-—’ she paused ‘—disenchanted, shall we say, with some of your ultimatums already. This may be the one to tip the scales completely against you. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do any more damage to your already shaky relationship with your nephew.’
‘My relationship with my nephew is scarcely any of your business,’ Eden Cassidy bit out acidly, and Keira knew she’d struck a raw nerve.
‘Ordinarily I’d have agreed with you,” she told him evenly. ‘But when the results of this—‘ she paused ‘—this preposterous misconception of yours may rebound on me I feel I should protect myself. So I’d appreciate it if you chose your words carefully if you do decide to discuss this with Daniel, because I have no desire whatsoever to have my life complicated by having your nephew thrust into my arms.’
Keira took some pleasure in the silent stillness of Eden Cassidy as her flashing eyes held his cold ones for several eloquent seconds. Then, confident that she had had the last word, Keira walked assuredly out of the library and into the hallway that she surmised led to the back of the house and the tennis courts.
Burton materialised almost immediately and at her query gave her the directions she needed. And as she strode along the path the butler had indicated Keira’s small surge of success gave way to returning anger.
What right had that man to put her through such a demeaning interrogation? No wonder Daniel always seemed to be at loggerheads with his uncle.
Pacing up and down, she decided she needed to expend some energy on the court to dispel her pent-up anger and she hoped Daniel wouldn’t keep her waiting too long.
The arrogance of that man! How dared he jump to such tacky conclusions? Even to suggest she might be interested in Daniel in a physical way… Apart from the slight on her character, the man obviously didn’t know his own nephew very well.
In the few short weeks he had been working on the magazine Keira was sure Daniel had revealed more about himself, about his aspirations, than Eden Cassidy knew after living with his nephew for nine years. Although Daniel had a great deal of charm, hence Keira’s presence here this weekend, he was definitely not a womaniser. He did flirt a little but it was always good-natured and not in the least offensive. Any conscientious guardian would know that, wouldn’t he?
Keira fumed anew, absently bouncing her tennis racket on the open palm of her hand. Intentions, indeed! It would serve Eden Cassidy right if she played up to Daniel and gave his arrogant uncle something to think about.
She should… Keira sighed and pulled a face. She knew what she should do. Pack her bag and leave, leave this palatial mansion, and leave Daniel to his uncle and his family gathering.
But that would be precisely what the omnipotent Eden Cassidy wanted her to do. And, Eden Cassidy aside, it would surely have a young man in Daniel’s frame of mind running heroically after her.
No. She’d just have to stay and brazen out the weekend. Who knew? Perhaps she could show Eden Cassidy how badly he had misjudged her character. And his nephew’s.
‘Hi! Sorry I took so long,’ Daniel said, his eyes not quite meeting hers as he joined her. “Old school friend. You know how it is?’
Keira shrugged. ‘Which end do you want?’ she asked him, trying to keep her ill humour out of her voice. She had to put Eden Cassidy’s impertinence out of her mind and not brood about it, and now was as good a time as any to begin.
‘This end will do. Oh—‘ Daniel paused and turned back to Keira ‘—what did you think of my uncle?’ he asked with studied casualness, his fingers playing with the strings on his racket.
Keira glanced at him sharply but he was regarding her blandly. ‘What do you want me to say to that, Daniel?’ She was equally off-hand and he shrugged.
‘Nothing. I just thought—I mean, you said you’d never met him before, didn’t you? And I just wondered—well, what you thought of him.’
What had she thought of him? Initially, that up close he definitely was as attractive as he’d looked on television, as the magazine and newspaper photos depicted. This reflection suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, caused a warm flush to heat her face, and Keira chastised herself. The good looks had certainly been only skindeep.
‘We only spoke for a few minutes. I can’t really say I formed an opinion.’ Keira could scarcely believe she had lied so glibly. But what else could she have said to the man’s nephew? she asked herself as she tried to justify her prevarication.
‘Did you and Eden… ? What did you talk about after I left?’ Daniel finished in a rush.
‘As I said, we only spoke for a few minutes.’
‘I just thought you might have, you know, talked about something.’
‘Let me guess.’ Keira had to smile. ‘You thought we might have talked about you.’ If you but knew, Daniel, Keira thought to herself.
Daniel moved his shoulders. ‘I just had a feeling he might have attempted to get you on his side, sort of twisted your arm to try to convince me I should go to uni instead of deferring for this year.’
‘Rest easy, Daniel. We didn’t even mention university.’ Keira could almost wish they had.
‘That’s strange.’ Daniel eyed her speculatively. “That he’d miss such an opportunity. He doesn’t with me.’
‘Why would he discuss it with me? And more to the point, why would he imagine I’d have any influence over you?’ Keira’s eyes narrowed on Eden Cassidy’s nephew. ‘Unless you’ve misled him in some way.’
‘About what?’ he asked innocently.
‘About us. You and me. Have you, Daniel?’ Perhaps that would account for his uncle’s absurd misunderstanding of the circumstances.
‘No. I swear, Keira. Scouts’ honour. All I said was you were partnering me to Sam’s birthday bash.’ Daniel frowned, clearly about to question her further, so she turned and moved towards her end of the court.
‘OK, how about we play this game of tennis?’ she suggested nonchalantly.
‘I’m ready when you are.’ Daniel laughed and spun his racket. ‘But I think I should be fair and warn you I’m not going to give you any quarter.’ He paused before adding, ‘Just because you’re an old broad.’
‘Old…!’ Keira gazed at his teasing grin in amazement before bursting out laughing.
‘A spectacularly attractive old broad,’ he added, his grin broadening, ‘but an old broad for all that.’
‘I’ll give you old broad, Daniel Cassidy. Just let me give you notification that I won’t expe
ct any more consideration than I’ll be giving someone who’s still wet behind the ears.’
Two hours later Daniel knocked on the door of Keira’s room.
‘Your escort for lunch, my dear.’ He held out his arm very formally, his laughing eyes running over her recently showered figure now dressed in tailored denims and a pale chambray shirt, its cuffs folded neatly back from her wrists. ‘All refreshed?’
‘I think so.’ She walked beside him to the lift. ‘But, much as I hate to admit it, my old broad’s bones may ache tomorrow.’
They laughed together as they stepped into the elevator.
‘Burton has lunch set out on the back patio.’ Daniel glanced at his wristwatch. ‘And luckily we’re not late. He gets his knickers in a knot when I am.’
The lift doors slid open and Daniel led the way along the hallway to the right.
‘Where did you learn to play tennis like that anyway?’ he asked and Keira grinned.
‘I had my first lesson when I was eight and I played competitively until I was, oh, about your age.’ Her smile faltered. Until she had married Dennis and he’d decided the game wasn’t something he could better her at so it was phased out. “I used to do pretty well,’ she added flatly.
‘Pretty well?’ Daniel rolled his eyes. ‘I’m no slouch and you sent me to the cleaners. We’ll have to have a rematch.’
They had reached the double doors that opened out on to a covered patio which overlooked a beautifully landscaped pool a couple of steps below the level of the house. Green fernery hung from the beams of the transparent fibreglass patio roof and the scent of newly mown lawns drifted on the clear air.
A pristine white cloth covered a table that would comfortably seat half a dozen people, and just outside the open double doors was a side table which held bowls of salads, cold meats and fruit.
Daniel handed Keira a plate and helped her to servings of tender carved chicken breast and thinly sliced ham. She relaxed slightly, knowing she had been dreading having to face Eden Cassidy over the meal, and she was more than a little relieved to find Daniel’s uncle conspicuous by his absence. So far.
A Physical Affair Page 3