Lynsey Stevens - A Physical Affair

‘Mr Cassidy’s plane was delayed,’ the receptionist said with just a trace of matching sarcasm. ‘He’s only just arrived at the office.’

Keira sighed heavily, knowing she was behaving badly. It wasn’t like her to take out her annoyance on a fellow employee. ‘Look, I’m sorry I’ve been giving you a hard time. Could you just tell Mr Cassidy that I’m here, that Keira Strong would like to see him?’

The woman hesitated and Keira wondered if she had imagined the slight change of expression on the receptionist’s face when she mentioned her name.

‘Mrs Strong. Well, if you’ll just wait a moment I’ll see what I can do.’ With that she crossed the room and disappeared down a wide hallway to the left, leaving Keira to fidget by the desk.

No, she hadn’t imagined the woman’s change of manner when she learned who Keira was. It would seem the rumours had even reached the upper echelons of management, Keira reflected in exasperation.

Had Eden mentioned…? No. Why would he? Unless he’d given strict instructions that Keira specifically was not to be granted an audience. If that was the case she’d placed the receptionist in an untenable position and she’d certainly set herself up to be highly embarrassed.

You’re becoming paranoid, she told herself, realising that some of her anger had been channelled away.

This wasn’t a personal visit, she reminded herself. It was strictly business and she had a valid reason to consult Eden Cassidy on a matter that was of serious importance to her, a matter related to the magazine. Although technically her supervisor, Denver Clarkson had no right to cancel her decision without consulting Keira and her editorial panel.

‘Mrs Strong.’ Eden’s receptionist interrupted her train of thought and Keira turned to face her. The woman moved back behind her desk. ‘Mr Cassidy will see you now. If you’d just like to take the second door on the right along the corridor.’

‘Thank you.’ Keira murmured as she walked in the direction the woman had indicated.

Taking a deep, steadying breath Keira knocked and opened the door.

The office was more than spacious and decorated in muted greys. Vertical blinds covered the huge picture windows without concealing the panoramic views of the city and harbour. A large highly polished desk dominated the room and a matching leather couch and easy-chairs added a pleasing touch.

However, as she stepped into the office Keira gave its décor and outlook only a cursory glance. Now that she was to come face to face with Eden again her emotions were undergoing a radical change. Anger was giving way to anticipation and outrage to a far more potent sensation. This had definitely been a mistake…

An unobtrusive door off to the left opened and before Keira could move he was in the room with her. And her nervous system came alive.

HE had obviously just showered, for his dark hair was still damp, the ends curling where they settled on the back of his neck, and he was wiping the remnants of a tangy shaving cream from his face with a thick white towel.

His gaze met hers and he stopped, whatever he read in her face causing a sudden shift in his expression. And Keira sensed his primary emotion was now a watchful wariness. Throwing the towel on to a nearby chair, he began slowly to button his shirt.

Keira’s dry lips parted slightly and her heart twisted in her breast. If she hadn’t been sure of her feelings for him before then she most certainly was now. A surge of diverse sensations rose in her, a heady mixture of erotic desire, pure adoring longing and a burning need to beg for forever.

Her own eyes furtively drank in his tall attractiveness, the simple movements of his strong hands tucking his fresh shirt into the waistband of his trousers. As he rebuckled his belt, part of her noted disconcertedly the faint lines of fatigue on his clean-shaven face.

Keira swallowed convulsively. She knew she was in danger of allowing his indisputable magnetism to mollify her, to depreciate her disappointment at his cavalier behaviour since that morning less than a week ago. She had to remind herself he hadn’t even bothered to telephone her, and with no little effort she forced her personal feelings aside. This was business and she had to concentrate on the reason why she had sought an interview with him.

Keira held up the paper in her hand. ‘Denver Clarkson has pulled an article that was due to appear in the second issue of Natural Living,’ she stated levelly before he could speak.

‘I know. Denver called me a few minutes ago to inform me of his concern,’ he told her as he moved forward to lean with his hips against his desk, and Keira bristled.

Then Denver had lost no time, she reflected. He had ensured he’d put his side of the story to his boss before Keira arrived. She lifted her chin. ‘I don’t feel it’s Denver Clarkson’s place to interfere in the contents of the magazine.’

Eden shrugged. ‘Perhaps we could compromise here. Denver tells me the article could run with a couple of minor changes.’

‘Minor changes?’ Keira reiterated indignantly. ‘Denver’s changes would mean we’d end up with a wishywashy generalisation with no bite to it. The whole thing is ridiculous.’

‘Why are you going to bat for this particular column?’ Eden asked her reasonably, and Keira paced across the floor, needing another outlet for her anger.

‘You must see that it’s not the article per se. I feel my position as editor has been undermined, I was promised complete editorial independence but it seems when it comes down to the wire that doesn’t mean all that much.’

‘I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but would it hurt to tone down the piece?’ he suggested. ‘Then we’ll sort out the rest of it-’

‘Don’t humour me, Eden. If you’ve set Denver up as my watchdog then at least have the decency to tell me he’s just that.’

‘Of course he’s nothing of the kind. I don’t work that way.’

‘Then Denver has exceeded his authority. We wouldn’t try to tell him how to run his section.’

‘Point taken,’ he conceded. ‘However Denver has had years of experience so you in turn must see he’d have some idea of what line our publications take.’

Keira regarded him steadily, her arms folded across her chest, the article clutched to her. ‘Meaning I wouldn’t. And that my years of experience count for nothing.’

‘You’re putting words into my mouth.’

‘I really don’t see that would be worth the trouble,’ she said, raising her chin disdainfully. ‘Whatever you say doesn’t seem to mean all that much. I thought you had faith in my ability when you gave me this job, but it appears I was wrong. Or maybe you handle all the smooth talk and leave the dirty work to your lackeys.’

‘I certainly don’t allow my lackeys to tell me how to run my business,’ he retorted curtly. ‘Make no mistake about it, Keira, I own this magazine.’

‘But you don’t own me,’ she threw angrily back at him, but before he could comment his phone rang.

With a frown of intense exasperation Eden twisted around and snatched up the receiver. ‘I said no calls, Julie,’ he snapped, and then his expression changed. ‘Of course. Put her through.’ He listened for a moment and then his face broke into a delighted smile. ‘Megan, that’s fantastic.’

Keira stiffened, her arms falling to her sides.

‘Couldn’t be better news.’ His charismatic smile widened and a knot of pain formed inside Keira and began to expand.

‘Right. I’ll be back in the States on Monday. Bye till then.’ He replaced the receiver and turned back to Keira, his smile still lingering on his face.

Her pain erupted and added fuel to her already smouldering anger.

‘It seems to me that this all comes down to money,’ she took up where they’d left off, and his smile faded. ‘This article might possibly offend one of our well-known, high-profile national companies and therefore we can’t upset such influence, they hold the assets and that gives them power. Well, money doesn’t make them any less guilty in my book.’

‘What’s this really about, Keira?’ he asked wearily, and she quelled a sliver of remorse that he was most probably suffering from jet-lag.

‘It’s about allowing wealth to censor our subject matter.’

Eden pushed himself to his feet. ‘Cassidy-Ford would never tolerate that kind of blackmail and I’m sure you know that. As I said, I haven’t read the column in question but I can’t see Denver bowing to such extortion no matter how covert. He knows our policies too. There has to be some other basis for his objections against running the story.’

For some reason his championing of Denver Clarkson twisted a knife inside her. Part of her told her she was being unreasonable but another part of her only saw it as a further distancing of himself from her.

‘Denver gave me to believe this article would upset some close friends of yours. Some rich and influential friends,’ she finished emphatically.

‘You must have misunderstood.’ Eden frowned. ‘I find it hard to believe Denver would depart so radically from what he knows to be rigid company policy.’

‘Well, he did. And apart from that, how can you make a ruling on something when you admit you haven’t taken the time to read it?’ she asked, waving the paper in the air, knowing she was behaving even more irrationally but unable to restrain her reckless tongue. ‘And the article has been checked through the legal department, in case you may want to enquire about whether or not I’ve followed the proper procedures.’

‘Keira-’ he interrupted irritably, but she rushed on, anger dissipating her discretion.

‘You’ve apparently made up your mind on a word-of-mouth account and it seems to me that makes you more dangerous than I thought. A media magnate who misconstrues situations, who takes a glance at something and reports it incorrectly.’

In two strides he was mere millimetres from her and she had to lift her chin to hold his now angry gaze.

‘What situations are we talking about?’ he asked portentously, and Keira swallowed, her resolve faltering under his challenging scrutiny.

‘You know what I’m talking about.’ She was playing for time and they both knew it. How she wished she could rewind this scene like a video movie and edit her dialogue. But it was too late.

‘Oh, no, Keira. You can’t expect it to be that easy.’ His cool smile went nowhere near his eyes. ‘You’ve opened this can of worms. Don’t expect me to let you replace the lid without explaining your blatantly provocative accusation.’

Keira knew she’d painted herself into the proverbial corner so she valiantly gathered her composure and prepared to brazen her way out of it. She knew he had no intention of allowing her to back off. And a secret part of her didn’t want him to.

‘I simply meant you seem to make a habit of misinterpreting certain incidents and I feel you’re running true to form with this one.’

‘Which particular incidents are we discussing and just how have I misinterpreted them?’

‘Well, the first time you met me you had me in bed with your nephew. You made that assumption without a shred of evidence,’ Keira threw at him and the cool smile returned.

‘Only the fact that as I drove up to the house I saw you locked in Daniel’s arms on the bedroom balcony. Anyone might have been excused for thinking you and Daniel were more than nodding acquaintances,’ he said mockingly.

‘Daniel had given me a teasing brotherly peck. We were scarcely locked in each other’s arms.’

Eden sighed. ‘Perhaps we should agree that at the time we saw that particular incident from different perspectives.’

‘Let’s wave it aside by all means,’ Keira said indignantly. ‘However, I simply don’t care to be branded as some scarlet matron who devours toy-boys.’

‘Now that scenario you’ve definitely miscast. By no stretch of the imagination would I describe you as a matron, scarlet or otherwise.’ His lips twitched and, with a glimmer of suspicion, Keira thought she saw an amused sparkle in his eyes before his lids fell to shield his expression.

The tone of his voice had changed too, had become evocatively low, and for tantalising seconds Keira felt her conviction teetering on very shaky ground. If she let herself take that so small step forward…

Her heart trembled, parading a dizzyingly vivid picture of the two of them together in her bedroom, while her head reminded her that he was convinced he could use his infamous charm to distract, to appease her.

She tensed, each nerve-ending so aware of the charged atmosphere that surrounded them. Just that one small step, she tortured herself, and she’d be in his arms again. And wasn’t that where she wanted to be?