Talk of the Town (18 page)

Pauline’s green eyes widened. “You’ve seen him already this morning? Is that why you’re glowing?”

Rebecca tried to come up with a plausible, as-close-to-the-truth-as-possible explanation, like her skin looked dewy because she was wearing a new moisturizer.

Pauline gasped and sat down hard in her chair. “Oh, I can tell from your face that you and Mr. Sumner . . .” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Then I can’t ask you to help me.”

“
Of course
I’ll help you. With anything.” Totally confused now, Rebecca started fanning Pauline’s flushed face with her purse. “But you
must
tell me what’s wrong.”

“Shannon came back early today, and she and Maybella had breakfast together at Starbucks. When they came in an hour ago . . .” Pauline stopped and shut her eyes. “They told me they’d been reliably informed Mr. Sumner is replacing me with an automated phone system.” She opened her eyes and two tears squeezed out.

Heavy, painful dread took root in Rebecca’s chest. “I don’t believe it.”

“If they can . . . fire you,” she dropped her voice, like she always did when discussing Rebecca’s predicament, “then they can sure do the same to me.” Pauline’s tears flowed in earnest now, and Rebecca let her cry it out, handing her pink Kleenex from the box on the desk. “I love this job. Plus the benefits are . . . great. I even have dental insurance for the girls. They’re going . . . to need braces.”

Patting her back, Rebecca made soothing noises. “Please don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“How? I can’t go through my usual channels.” Pauline glanced meaningfully at the switchboard. “It might add fuel to the fire. I thought you could find out for me . . . but . . . it might be too awkward now . . . if . . . you know.”

The truth struck Rebecca like a bone-breaking blow to her already fractured emotions. She heard herself declaring she’d do anything to get her job back and cringed with remorse. It
would
be awkward now. Before last night she would have marched into David’s office and demanded the truth. Now it would appear too calculated, like she expected more than he was willing to give.

Payment for services rendered.

Regardless of how Rebecca felt, Pauline’s hopeful expression could not be denied. “Of course, I’ll talk to him this very minute.” Rebecca blew her a kiss and went directly to the executive hallway before she thought better of it.

As always, Maybella looked up when she heard Rebecca’s heels striking the floor. Since she was practically running, she was noisier than usual.

“Can I help you?” Maybella asked with her usual smirk.

Today Rebecca didn’t bother to smirk back. “I need to see David.” Ignoring Maybella’s indignant yelp, Rebecca walked past her toward David’s office.

Early that morning David had wandered through the
Daily Mail
offices. Surrounded by the trappings of his growing media empire, he felt totally in command. Not like last night.

Christ, he needed to stop thinking about it. He hated weaklings who vacillated, refusing to chart a course. He’d been honest with Rebecca. Laid the truth on the line for her. Too much pain had gone into his decisions about the future to change anything now. It would go against the personal code he lived by.

Even if last night was the first time in five years he’d fallen asleep thinking about another woman.

Guilt ate into his gut. All right, so he wasn’t quite back to normal. None of the casual affairs he’d enjoyed the last few years had fazed him. Yet one night with Rebecca and he was thinking she might be worth the risk of being hurt again.

He pulled himself up, tall and proud. He wouldn’t give in to these feelings. He’d keep it light with Rebecca, like he had with the others in the past. Except this time he’d concede the rule of mixing business and pleasure.

In the sports department, he strolled toward Joe Richards’ desk, and the three reporters who had been huddled there scurried away.

“What kind of betting pool do you have going this time?” David asked, smiling. “Can I get in?”

Grinning, Joe turned his Cubs cap around backward. “Hell, no, David. Conflict of interest. The bet is on how long it takes Becca to get back her gossip column from you. She always gets what she wants.”

It honest to Christ felt as if his heart shifted against his ribs, causing a dull ache to pulse through him. Looking down at Joe, he narrowed his eyes. “What are the odds?”

“Five to one in favor of Becca.” Joe laughed. “But hell, when she finds out about it she’ll lay us all out in lavender. Sweet gal until you make her mad. Then look out.”

Remembering last night, he smiled, the pain in his chest receding. “Thanks for the warning.”

Forcing his mind to run through the possibility that she’d slept with him to get her job back, he headed to his office.

The sun came out from behind a bank of clouds and streamed into the room. The searing light seemed to pierce his brain, helping him to decide that he had known women the last few years who had had agendas where he was concerned, but he didn’t believe Rebecca was one of them.

He heard her voice and looked up, to watch her walk into the room. Her eyes blazed with determination and her chin was tilted up in defiance. Maybella followed quickly behind.

He remembered how soft Rebecca’s skin had felt along her heart-shaped face. Desire rose through every cell in his body.

Now that he knew exactly what he wanted to do he felt warm, eager, and ready to take action. He moved toward her. “Thank you for being so prompt for our meeting, Rebecca. Please close the door on your way out, Maybella.”

Stunned by how David’s face had changed when she walked in, Rebecca glanced around to see a disgusted glaze in Maybella’s eyes. The way she shut the door with a little slam sealed the fact she hadn’t missed a thing.

David reached for her and she met him halfway. He kissed her with all the lustful warmth she thought she’d never allow herself to have again. Relinquishing control yet
again,
she tangled her fingers in his thick, wonderful hair and kissed him back with just as much gusto.

They both came up for air, and he pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning.”

“Said? This morning?” She forced herself to step back from him, hoping it would clear her mind so she could control where this was going. But he still held her hands and gazed down at her with his combination of playful sexiness, which she found dangerously irresistible.

“About last night only being about the twins’ celebration. Not the real world. I’ve decided the twins deserve to be celebrated in the real world for as long as you and I are both enjoying it. I want to continue to see you.”

Her feelings careening between joy, excitement, disbelief, and, most powerful, fear of being hurt, she fell back on her Midwest common sense. “Considering you’re my boss the new owner who ripped my power base out from under me, I’m not sure we have any foundation for a sustainable enjoyable relationship.”

His grip tightened on her hands. “Replacing you with Shannon was a business decision. Not a personal one. We didn’t have any difficulties last night or just now.”

His slow, sensual smile had been her undoing from the beginning. “No, but—”

“Rebecca,” he interrupted in a firmer voice. “We are two mature, intelligent adults who find each other invigorating and challenging. We can be discreet.”

Although she was rapidly turning to the dark side, wanting things not good for her, she took one last stab at reason. “I’m a firm believer in discretion. But believe me, people
will
find out and they
will
talk. I’m sure Maybella thinks we’re doing the dirty deed on your desk.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the broad, heavy mahogany surface and back to her with such a hot gleam in his eyes, Rebecca wondered if the door had a lock.

“I’m game if you are,” he said with a laugh.

“David!”
More excited than shocked, she thought it best for both their reputations to pull her hands free and clasp them demurely in front of her. “Seriously, we should give this a lot of thought before we . . .”
My God, what are we doing?
“. . . continue,” she finished lamely.

“I have given it a great deal of thought, Rebecca.”

She felt compelled to set him straight. “David, a great deal of thought is not the two and one-half hours since you left my condo.”

“I dreamed about it last night, and I haven’t been able to think about anything else for the last . . .” He glanced at his gold Rolex. “Two hours and forty-five minutes. We need to settle this. I have an empire to run.” He said it in jest, but his eyes demanded a response.

She knew women who slept with their bosses to move up the success ladder, but she didn’t plan to become one of them. She fully intended to convince David to give back her job because of her talent as a columnist, her expert people skills, her knowledge of what made good copy in Chicago. Not her eager, dare she admit,
creative
lovemaking. Yet a part of her so very much wanted to follow where David was leading. If she continued to sleep with him, she couldn’t try to get back her job. End of story. She couldn’t have her cake and eat it, too.
Which do I want more?

The answer seared itself into her heart and mind, but she cooled it with fear and icy self-preservation. “Let’s see what happens,” she demurred, needing more time to figure it out.

“Good. That’s settled.” He sighed as if he’d been as tense as she still felt. “I’ll be back and forth between the paper and the TV station for the next week. I’ll stay in touch. Discreetly.”

Completely off balance, she stepped back. “Wait, David, I . . .”

“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “You came in here to talk to me about something else.”

I can’t now. I really can’t.
Pauline’s scared face flashed in front of her eyes. “Are you replacing Pauline with an automated phone system?” Rebecca blurted out and then, for her self-respect, tried to soften it. “I’m not here to try to convince you one way or another. But I need to know the truth.” She braced herself for his steely, narrowed-eyed look, but mercifully it didn’t appear.

He looked slightly perplexed. “When I did my initial blueprint for the restructuring of the paper, I investigated making such a change. But I vetoed it at least a month ago.”

Relief made her feel giddy. Before she threw herself at him, smothering him in grateful kisses that might lead to heaven knew
what
form of delightful debauchery, she backed to the door. When she could lean against the strong wood, she felt slightly more in control. “Well, that’s great. I guess I’ll be . . . seeing you soon.”

“A great deal of me, I hope.”

His grin was the last thing she saw before she shut the door behind her.

Tingling from her toes crammed into her Manolos to the top of her head, which was still warm from David’s kiss, Rebecca turned to meet Maybella’s judgmental glare and tried to appear businesslike. She resisted the urge to tell Maybella what she thought of the cruel lie she’d foisted on Pauline. Instead, she strolled down the hall as normally as possible.

But she couldn’t let Shannon off the hook so easily.

She paused in the open door to her old office. Maybe Maybella had sent out the alert that Rebecca was on the way, because Shannon was waiting, sitting casually in her new chair.

Leaning against the doorframe, Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight into Shannon’s wide, pale blue eyes.

“I’m not one to backstab, so I’m telling you straight out, Shannon. Beat me up as much as you want. But don’t
ever
make my friends pay for whatever this vendetta against me is all about.”

Shannon tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“Think about it, Shannon. Long and hard. Don’t make the mistake of believing I’m weak because I’ve tried to behave well, even after your nasty trick.”

For some reason Shannon looked very young and even the tiniest bit vulnerable, stroking the sides of the small aquarium where five little goldfish swam happily. Maybe there was something here to salvage, after all. Rebecca sighed. “Why don’t you just tell me what your personal problem with me is all about so we can work through it? I know there’s more to this vendetta than just ambition on your part.”

Shannon’s thin lips curled. “How typical of the legendary Rebecca Covington to think it’s all about her. You might find this hard to believe, but most of us have more important items on our agenda than what happens to you.”

So much for helping Shannon into the community of women like Kate suggested.

From Shannon’s set face, Rebecca conceded it was a waste of time trying to get the truth out of her.

“Here you are, Rebecca.” Tim’s cheerful voice broke the heated silence. Shannon’s face shifted into a welcoming smile, and Rebecca glanced up at Tim with little interest.

“I’ve been looking for you with great news. Kate is thrilled, and I know you will be, too.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Since I moved you to the Home and Food section, their ad revenues have increased forty percent.” He winked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if David gives you a bonus.”

I think I already got it.
She blushed at her own racy thoughts.

“We did it, Rebecca. We revolutionized Home and Food.” Tim seemed to have completely forgotten the real reason for the change.

She hadn’t. “You’re a genius, Tim.”

Nodding, he walked into his office.

Before she turned away, Rebecca glanced back at Shannon, who returned the look with pure loathing.

There was no getting around it. While trying to stop her life from spiraling out of control because of David, she also needed to uncover why Shannon hated her before she struck again.

Kate was waiting in the small brown leather chair in Rebecca’s office. “Did Tim find you to tell you the good news?”

“Yes. I told him he’s a genius.” Rebecca didn’t like what she saw on Kate’s face. Lack of sleep showed in new lines around Kate’s eyes and in the slump of her usually square shoulders. “Forget Tim. What’s wrong with you? You look terrible.”