A rueful smile touched Lauren's lips as she turned her head toward the window. Everyone always said she was so intelligent, so sensible, yet here she was, already planning to make Nick Sinclair fall in love with her...because she knew she was already falling in love with him.
"Lauren,this trip is getting a little lonely on my side of the car. What are you thinking about?"
Filled with thoughts of their destiny, Lauren turned to him and, smiling, slowly shook her head. "If I told you, it would scare you to death.
At five minutes to five,Jim walked into Mary's office, wearing his gray sweater and balancing four pieces of birthday cake on two plates. He put the plates down on Mary's empty desk and glanced at the doorway to Nick's office. "Where's Mary?" he asked.
"She left almost an hour ago," Lauren said. "She said to tell you that the nearest fire extinguisher is beside the elevators-whatever that means. I'll be right back.I have to take these letters in to Nick."
As she got up and started around the desk, she was looking down at the letters in her hand,and what happened next stunned her into immobility. "I miss you,darling," Jim said, quickly pulling her into his arms.
A moment later he released her so suddenly that Lauren staggered back a step. "Nick!" he said. "Look at the sweater Lauren gave me for my birthday. She made it herself.And I brought you a piece of my birthday cake-she made that too." Seemingly oblivious to Nick's thunderous countenance,he grinned and added, "I have to get back downstairs." To Lauren he said, "I'll see you later, love." And then he walked out.
In a state of shock, Lauren stared at his retreating back.She was still staring after him when Nick spun her around to face him. "You viindictive little bitch,you gave him my sweater! What else has he gotten that belongs to me?"
"What else?" Lauren repeated, her voice rising. "What are you talking about?"
His hands tightened. "Your delectiable body, my sweet.That's what I'm talking about."
Lauren's amazement gave way to comprehension and then to fury. "How dare you call me names, you hypocrite!" she exploded, too incensed to be afraid. "Ever since I've known you, you've been telling me that there's nothing promiscuous about a woman satisfying her sexual desires with any man she pleases.And now-" she literally choked on her wrath "-and now,when you think I've done it,you call me a dirty name. You of all people-you,the United States contender for the bedroom Olympics!
What possessed you?" Lauren demanded of Jim the next morning.
He grinned. "Call it an uncontrollable impulse."
"I call it insanity!" she burst out. "You can't imagine how furious he was.He called me names! I-I think he's insane."
"He is," Jim agreed with complacent satisfaction. "He's insane about you. Mary thinks so too."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "You're all insane. I have to work up there with him. How am I going to do that?"
Jim chuckled. "Very,very cautiously," he advised.
Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" she asked softly.
A slow boyish smile spread across his features. "What would you think if I told you no?"
Lauren laughed. "I'd think you were trying to appear modest."
"Then what am I supposed to do now?" he teased.
"I suppose you should try to look a little flustered and embarrassed by the flattery."
"I don't fluster or embarrass very easily."
"In that case, you could try to fluster me by telling me how I look," she hinted broadly.
I'll give the girl a few minutes of my time and then send her packing. We don't have a position for anyone with a college degree in music. Even if we did, I wouldn't hire Lauren Danner. I've never met a more irritating, outrageous, ill-mannered, homely child in my life.She was about nine years old, chubby, with freckles and a mop of reddish hair that looked as if it was never properly combed. She wore hideous horn-rimmed eyeglasses, and so help me God,that child looked down her nose at us...
Judith McNaughtLauren had hoped to make him notice her as a woman, and he was certainly noticing her. Now she rather hoped he would say something nice. But he didn't.
Without a word he turned on his heel, strode over to the bar and dumped the ocntents of one of the glasses into the stainless steel bar sink. "What are you doing?" Lauren asked.
His voice was filled with amused irony. "Adding some gin to your tonic."
Lauren burst out laughing, and he glanced over his shoulder at her, a wry smile twisting his lips. "Just out of curiosity, how old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"And you were applying for a secretarial position at Sinco-before you threw yourself at our feet tonight?" he prompted, adding a modest amount of gin to her tonic.
Lauren was still studying the mobile line of his lips when they quirked suddenly, as if amusement was lurking tere.Her gaze shot up, and to her utter horror she discovered that his gray eyes had shifted to her.
Lauren was torn between laughing at his dry observation and blushing because she hadn't fooled him in the least. She did neither, and instead carefully kept her eyes on the elevator doors until they opened on the eightieth floor.
It doesn't feel swollen," he commented, bending his head torward her ankle again. "Does it hurt at all?"
"Very little. Not nearly as much as my dignity."
"In that case, by tomorrow your ankle and your dignity will probably be fine."
Still crouching, he cupped her heel in his left hand and reached over to pick up her sandal with his right. Just as he was about to slip the sandal onto her foot, he glanced up at her and his lazy smile sent Lauren's pulse racing as he asked, "Isn't there some fairy tale about a man who searches for the woman whose foot fits into a glass slipper?"
She nodded, her eyes bright. "Cinderella."
"What happens to me if this slipper fits?"
"I turn you into a handsome frog," she guipped.
Good secretaries are always in demand. Sinco's personnel office will probably call you eventually and offer you a job."
"I doubt it," Lauren said with an irrepressible smile. "I'm afraid Mr. Weatherby, the personnel manager, doesn't think I'm very bright," she explained.
Nick's head jerked up, his gaze moving with frank, masculine appreciation over her vivid features. "Lauren, I think you're as bright as a shiny new penny. Weatherby must be blind."
"Of course he is!" she teased. "Or else he'd never wear a houndstooth jacket with a paisley tie."
Nick grinned. "Does he really?
Did you know that you're very relaxing company?" he asked softly.
She was not particularly pleased to hear that while she found him electryfying, he found her relaxing. "Thank you-I'll try not to put you to sleep before we get to Harbor Springs."
"You can put me to sleep after we get there," he said suggestively.
Laruen's heart slammed into her rib cage. "What I meant was, I hope I'm not boring you."
"Believe me, you haven't bored me." His voice deepened with sensuality. "As a matter of fact, there's something I've wanted to do ever since last night, when I turned around with your glass of tonic in my hand and saw you standing there, trying very hard not to laugh at my shock.
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