Lily knocked softly on the door then stepped inside, preparing herself for the worst. But when she saw Richard sitting behind his desk, he was grinning. Lily returned his smile hesitantly. "Good morning."

"Sit," Richard said. "I just wanted to catch up with you and tell you what an outstanding job you're doing."

Lily stifled a gasp. "Thank you," she murmured, trying to hide her complete astonishment.

"Mrs. Wilburn told me that she saw you with Brian Quinn, Friday night. She was quite bothered, but I've always said 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' I'm glad to see that you're willing to do what's necessary to keep an eye on him."

"Of-of course," Lily replied.

He cleared his throat. "Now, I don't care to know the details, but the fact that you're willing to go… the extra mile is admirable. Keep him distracted. Good plan." He smoothed his hands over the surface of his desk. "So, carry on. Do what you have to do."

"Right," Lily said. She turned and walked out of the office on wobbly legs, then continued past Mrs. Wilburn to the stairwell. When she reached the stairs, she willed herself to calm down. "This is just perfect," she muttered. "I didn't lose my job and he doesn't think I'm a traitor. Instead, he thinks I'm a slut."

Lily groaned and sat down on the first step. Well, she now had official permission to have another night or two of hot sex with Brian Quinn. Lily pushed to her feet. So why did that suddenly seem like the last thing she wanted to do?

Brian walked into the diner and glanced around at the patrons seated for an early lunch. The place was a favorite hangout for media junkies, offering quick lunches and bottomless cups of coffee and 24-hour CNN on the television. There were plenty of empty spots at the counter so he grabbed a stool and sat down, figuring he and Sean could snare a table when his brother arrived.

He ordered a Coke, then pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and punched in Lily's number at work. But, before the phone rang on the other end, he hung up. He needed to let Lily deal with her business problems on her own. Since he'd left her Friday night, he'd been preoccupied with worries about her. She had been so upset when she'd walked away, so certain that being seen in public signaled the end of her career.

Brian grabbed a menu and stared at it. He didn't want to see Lily hurt, but there was no denying that his interest in her was causing a problem-in both their lives. Last week, they'd spent nearly every free moment together. It hadn't taken long for Brian to realize that his feelings for Lily ran deep-much deeper than simple lust.

He'd never meant to fall in love, but he was coming dangerously close to doing just that. He looked forward to seeing her and felt restless when she wasn't near. He loved the sound of her voice and the way her face lit up when she smiled. And when she touched him, every nerve in his body came alive.

Brian closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, then tried to focus on the menu again. He'd call her after work and hopefully, her worries about Mrs. Wilburn would have been eased or maybe forgotten entirely. "Or maybe, she'll be out of a job and looking for someone to blame," he murmured to himself.

"You're Brian Quinn."

The man who spoke sat down next to Brian and Brian sighed inwardly. He'd just wanted to have a quiet lunch. But with his face on the side of every bus in Boston, it was tough to walk around unrecognized. He reached into his pocket for a pen. Hopefully all the man wanted was an autograph. He turned and smiled. "Yes, I am."

The man sat down on the stool beside him. "I saw your report on that building inspector who was taking bribes. That was great work." The man held out his hand. "I'm Jim Trent. I'm the city editor over at the Globe."

Brian tried to contain his surprise. "Hey. It's good to meet you. I read the Globe. I love the Globe. I used to work at the Globe."

"You did?"

"Yep, when I was in high school and college. I used to load the trucks. But that was more than ten years ago. You weren't there then. Marcus Reynolds was city editor. He was great, but I think you're doing a better job. Harder hitting pieces, tighter writing."

"Maybe. But let me tell you, I don't like what I see coming from you. You've scooped us on almost every story you've done this last year. We should have had those stories."

"That's my job," Brian said.

"You're good on camera, but how are you on paper?"

"What are you asking?"

"Are you a writer or just a face?"

"I worked at a couple newspapers, in Hartford, Connecticut, and Burlington, Vermont, before I took the job at WBTN. I thought I was a pretty good reporter. I still write every word of my copy. Why? Are you offering me a job?"

"I've got a spot for a staff writer who can make things happen," Trent said. "Are you interested? You'd have to start at the bottom."

Brian didn't want to appear too interested, but inside he could barely contain his enthusiasm. The Globe was one of the best newspapers in the country, right up there with the New York Times and the Washington Post. He'd be starting at the bottom all over again, but he'd have a chance to prove himself by his work and not his pretty face.

"I am," Brian said. "But this has to stay between us for now."

"When does your contract with the station expire?"

"Six months," Brian said. "But they're already starting to renegotiate. My agent isn't going to like this. A job at a newspaper won't pay his commission."

Jim held out his hand and Brian shook it. "I'll be in touch," he said. "Or you call me." He clapped Brian on the shoulder. "Before I leave, you wouldn't want to tell me what you're working on now, would you?"

"If I tell you all my secrets, you won't want to hire me."

"Hey, I know all your secrets. I read the Herald." He turned and walked out the door, pushing it open just as Sean walked in from the street. Sean saw Brian immediately and strode over. "Buy me lunch," he said, slapping a large manila envelope on the bar.

"Why should I buy you lunch?"

He pointed to the envelope. "Check it out."

"What is this?"

"You wanted something to use against Patterson, to pay him back for that article in the Herald. There it is. Nice and juicy."

Brian opened the envelope and withdrew a stack of eight-by-ten glossy photos. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at-until he recognized Richard Patterson's face… and his chest… and his naked ass! Brian shoved the photos back in the envelope. "Where the hell did you get these?"

Sean rolled his eyes and grabbed the envelope. "You didn't get to the good ones." He pulled out the stack and flipped through the photos until he came to one in particular. He showed Brian a photo of a naked Patterson with an equally naked woman.

"So he and his wife like to walk around the house in the buff," Brian said. "That's not news and I'd be laughed out of town if I reported it."

"That's not his wife," Sean said. "And that's a sleazy little no-tell motel out on Route 28. You can tell by the television. You have to feed it quarters to get porn. Poor man's pay-per-view."

"Who is the woman?"

"I don't know," Sean said. "I was hoping you could tell me. I followed her home the other afternoon. They meet every other evening from about five until seven. He leaves from the back entrance of his office building and takes a company car. She drives a black Mercedes and lives at the same residence as Dick Creighton."

"Creighton?" Brian let out a tightly-held breath. "Louise Creighton is head of the planning commission. She ultimately decides what gets built in Boston and when." He stared at the photo again. "That's her." Brian laughed. "That's Louise Creighton."

"He buys her jewelry," Sean said. "Expensive stuff. He bought her diamond earrings last week."

"Geez, Sean. This is incredible. Do you know what this means? I have the link. I know how Patterson is getting his approvals. Man, this could be the scandal of the year. And I've got photos!"

"Can we order lunch now?" Sean asked. "I'm starved."

Brian reached in his pocket and withdrew his wallet, then motioned to the waitress behind the counter. "Run this through," he said, he said, offering his credit card. "I'm paying for my brother's lunch. Give him anything he wants. In fact, give him five of everything he wants. And add a tip for yourself."

Brian grabbed the envelope, then hurried out to the street and hailed a cab. He gave the driver directions to Patterson's office building. For the second time in ten minutes, Brian punched her number into his cell phone and asked for Lily when the receptionist answered. When he heard her voice, he couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, it's me. How's it going?"

"Surprisingly well," Lily said. "I still have a job."

"I need to see you. Can we have lunch?"

She hesitated. "I can't. Brian, I don't think we should see each other anymore. I have to focus on my job."

"This is important. I need to talk to you now. I promise, this is strictly business."

"All right."

"I'm in a cab about five minutes away. Be out front." He paused, fighting the urge to tell her how he felt. What was he supposed to say? I think I'm falling in love with you? How the hell was he supposed to be sure? "I'll see you in a bit."

Brian flipped off the phone, then tipped his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't worry. The way things were going with the rest of the Quinn boys, he probably didn't have much choice in the matter. If the curse had struck again, he'd realize his true feelings sooner rather than later.

But then, he was only seeing this from one angle. Lily had a life in Chicago and for now, she still had a career. He might fall in love with her, but the curse didn't necessarily force her to feel the same way. "It's too early," Brian murmured. "Or maybe, it's too late."

The cab pulled up to the curb a few minutes later and Brian asked the driver to wait. He stepped out and saw Lily, then waved at her. When she hurried up to him, he pressed his palm into the small of her back. "Come on," he said.

When they were in the cab, Brian leaned forward. "Take us over to Storrow Lagoon on the Esplanade." The cabbie pulled back out into traffic and Brian immediately slipped his arm around Lily's shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss. "I've been thinking about that all morning," he murmured.

She bit her bottom lip. "You promised you wouldn't-"

"So, what happened?" Brian interrupted. "I assume that Mrs. Wilburn kept her mouth shut."

"No. She told Patterson and he called me in. He thought I was using my feminine wiles to… influence your pursuit of the story. You know, trading my body for your silence."

"He said that to you?" Brian asked.

"Not in those words, but it was implied. And encouraged. So I guess we have a green light. We could go get a hotel room right now." She laughed, but it sounded forced. Lily folded her hands on her lap. "So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Not right now," Brian said. "I just want to kiss you, then we'll talk." He reached out and ran his thumb over her lower lip, his gaze fixed there. "Do you want to kiss me, Lily?" He touched her lips to his, gently teasing with his tongue.

She opened beneath his gentle assault, but Brian felt as if she were holding something back. He'd kissed Lily enough to be able to read her feelings, to sense her emotions. And Lily didn't taste happy to him. Hesitantly, he drew back, then grabbed her hand and wove his fingers through hers.

The cab dropped them off near the lagoon and they walked across the grass, his hand still clasping Lily's, the other holding the envelope filled with pictures. The lagoon was one of the prettiest places along the Charles River. Across the lagoon, a slender island was connected to the river bank by little stone bridges. On a warm, sunny day, children usually sailed toy boats in the water, but today's windy and threatening weather had driven most people closer to shelter.

"Every day you show me a place that's prettier than the last," she murmured.

Brian pointed to a bench. "Let's sit."

Lily took a spot on the far end, sitting just far enough away so that they wouldn't touch. Brian took a deep breath. He wasn't sure whether he was doing the right thing, but he'd know in a few seconds. Brian handed her the envelope and watched while she opened it. As Lily flipped through the photos, her eyes grew wider and wider.

"Where did you get these?"

"That doesn't really matter."