Chapter Five


DAY FOUR: THURSDAY AFTERNOON

An hour later, Susie's tumultuous emotions calmed enough for her to slowly fill with horror at her own behavior.

She had spent 10 minutes silently sobbing in the cloakroom, 20 minutes trying to pull herself back together and the subsequent 30 minutes hugging Ben in the day care.

Ben, whose comfort and security were dependant on her success in the job market. Ben, whose mother had just lost her foolish head and screamed like a shrew at a monstrously insensitive male. Ben, whose mother now had to eat humble pie for his sake.

Back on the top floor, Susie knocked on Leos's office door with a hand she couldn't keep steady. Infuriated with herself, she whirled back flat against the wall and breathed in deeply before going in.

Lounging back in his desk chair, Leos surveyed her, his lean, powerful face unreadable.

"I owe you an apology. I don't know what came over me." Susie attempted to look through him rather than at him.

"I have a very good idea what came over you," Leos drawled softly.

"Naturally, I'm willing to carry out whatever duties the job entails," Susie stated hurriedly, to avoid him passing an opinion on what had provoked her.

"Including shopping for the woman in my life?" Leos inquired even more silkily.

Susie shivered and her hands knotted into fists. She didn't argue but she couldn't force out a word of agreement.

"To think that while we were together I never once saw that temper." Narrowed tawny eyes were pinned to her with laser light intensity. "You were hysterical earlier."

"And offensive. I'm sorry," she told him tightly. "It won't happen again."

"Brigitte is my brother's wife. The dinner party is to celebrate her birthday...." Leos watched the tide of pink mortification sweep up over Susie's complexion.

But her relief was so intense at that news, it outweighed her embarrassment. Involuntarily, she met his eyes. His wide, passionate mouth curved into a slow, burning smile and her willpower went into free fall, allowing disturbingly intimate memories to surface:

Leos kissing her with driving hunger, sending her out of control with excitement. Heat consumed her entire skin surface. She trembled, heartbeat speeding, pulses racing in concert, as she felt her treacherous body respond as it had always done to his potent sexuality.

And then she recalled the angry, half-naked blonde she had found in his apartment 14 months back. It had been her own fault, rushing over there without an invitation, finally making use of the key he had given her — wanting to surprise him — mercifully failing to do so. Fortunately, Leos had already gone, but his blonde bomb********************************l hadn't got around to putting her clothes back on. That humiliating memory doused the wanton heat inside her as efficiently as a bucket of ice water.

"Susie...?" Leos questioned almost roughly.

Susie wrenched her shamed gaze from him. "Am I still working for you?"

"The tape's in your office, along with an address book. There's a pile of correspondence to take care of as well. I'll be out of the office until Monday..."

Chapter Six


DAY FIVE: FRIDAY

Susie went to work, reminding herself that Leos would only be at Devlin Systems for a further three weeks. Almost a week had gone already and he still had no idea that she had a child. Why should he find out? Who, after all, would choose to comment on the fact?

The day before, Susie had kept on endlessly replaying the latest audiotape just to listen to Leos's dark, deep, accented drawl. She had learnt that he had recently bought a house in London and that she was to organize his dinner party. The caterers were already booked but Susie had to see them to organize the finer details. Ruefully wondering why Leos's efficient Greek manservant, Stamatis, was not taking care of such domestic matters for him. Susie's increasingly confused and pained thoughts inevitably took her back nearly 18 months.

She had fallen for Leos Kiriakos like a ton of bricks and had counted no costs when he became her first lover. She had known that Leos had a fast reputation with women. Gorgeous, wealthy, dazzlingly successful and then only 29 years old, Leos had had the world at his feet. However, what hurt Susie most was acknowledging that she could not entirely blame Leos for getting tired of her....

A few weeks into their magical, romantic affair, her mother had died suddenly. In every way possible, Leos had been supportive. However, Susie had changed into a moody misery. What male wanted to deal with such problems after a mere few weeks? Naturally, Leos had got fed up, but her dependency on him had made it difficult for him to ditch her, so he had let their relationship drift, doubtless hoping that she would get the message on her own.

Unfortunately, Susie recalled, drifting back to the present with her eyes swimming with tears as she fed Ben in the day care over her lunch hour, the first and only message she had received had been the half-naked blonde. Dumping Leos on the phone that same day had been a pitiful attempt to save face, for she hadn't mentioned her humiliating encounter with her replacement.

Late that afternoon an elegant, vivacious brunette strolled into Susie's office. "I'm Alisha James. Get hold of Leos for me and inform him that I'm free this weekend after all." A sultry smile curved her ripe mouth. "Tell him I have the most divine ideas for his bedroom!"

Susie reddened, striving to keep her friendly smile in place. "I'm afraid I only have access to a message service. I don't know where Mr. Kiriakos is, but I'll try to find out."

Alisha laughed throatily. "No need. When Leos gets the message — and don't you dare change a word of it — he'll know where to find me waiting."

As the brunette departed, Susie dialed Leos's message service, loathing him and the position he had put her in with bitter, angry pain. She passed on Alisha's provocative invitation, and then tormenting, humiliating jealousy flooded her and she said with artificial brightness to punish herself, "have a great weekend!"

Chapter Seven


DAY EIGHT: MONDAY MORNING

Susie had spent the weekend in torment at the idea of what Leos might be doing with Alisha James.

Ashamed at the emotional turmoil that had destroyed her ability to sleep a single night through and utterly exhausted, Susie arrived at work. She was so angry with herself. Plenty of women had their hearts broken and got on with their lives. Leos was giving her a terrific career opportunity. That was all she should be concentrating on.

Entering her office, she was dismayed to find Leos waiting for her. Sheathed in a superb charcoal grey suit, lean strong face firm, he settled his dark eyes on her.

She stilled. "Is there something wrong?"

"Thee mou...it is well for you that I have had two days to cool down." Hard mouth compressed, jawline squared, Leos surveyed her in angry challenge. "How dare you leave such a message for me? That nonsense from Alisha crowned by your snide comment!"

While now appreciating that Leos did not like provocative messages made through third parties, Susie could not comprehend how wishing him a great weekend could have acquired the label of "snide."

"I don't understand."

"No...?" Derision glittered in his level gaze. "Do you honestly believe that I can't recognise jealousy when I see and hear it?"

Susie reddened fiercely. She was too honest to lie and too mortified to continue meeting his scrutiny. He had to think that either she was neurotically possessive or still madly keen on him.

Perhaps, had he not hurt her so badly, or had she not given birth to his baby, she would have managed to wholly detach herself from their shared past. However, with Ben around, their affair was still very much a major event in her memory, even it is wasn't in his.

Without warning, Leos abandoned his confrontational stance. He reached down for her hand, thoroughly disconcerting her with that sudden switch in mood. "Susie...I didn't intend to say that. I'm sorry."

Susie stared down at the strong brown hand cradling hers, drawn by the warmth and solidarity of him but sent reeling by memories that tormented her. "That's okay."

"Let's have lunch together and clear the air," he suggested.

Lunch? Wildly conscious of the proximity of his lean, powerful physique, Susie trembled, torn by resentment and longing. If only it were that simple, she thought painfully. If only they could act like sane, civilized people. Evidently he was capable of that feat but, sadly, she was not.

"There is no reason for us to be enemies," Leos continued.

Really? For an insane instant, she wanted to scream back at him in denial. He had gone to bed with another woman while she still believed he was hers. She might have understood but she had not forgiven.

"I'm sorry..." Susie eased free and backed away, exhaustion weighing her down. "I'll be more comfortable if we stick to a working relationship."

Shimmering, dark eyes held hers. The silence seethed. Leos inclined his dark head and strode out of her office....

Chapter Eight


DAY EIGHT: MONDAY AFTERNOON

Susie stretched out a sleepy hand and felt something furry and unfamiliar. Extending her fingers she touched cool...leather? Her eyes opened on a startling view of Leos's office.

Leos strolled into the picture, all fluid grace and cool.

Susie sat up on the leather sofa, hampered by the fake fur rug still wrapped round her. "What on earth — ?"

Leos shrugged "I found you asleep at your desk before lunch. I tried to wake you but you were well away —"

"You should have shaken me awake!" Bright hair tumbling loose round her shoulders, Susie fought free of the rug and stood up to look for her shoes. "For goodness sake, why did you bring me in here?"

Leos frowned, "Where else could you sleep in comfort?"

"But you must've carried me in..." Susie protested. "Who knows about this?"

"Nobody. I sneaked you in." His charismatic smile tilted her heart on its axis and left her breathless. "Susie...you looked worn out this morning."

"Nevertheless..." Attempting to disconnect from the magnetic charge of his tawny gaze, Susie combed her hair awkwardly with her fingers. "I feel such a mess —"

"I like your hair down...as you used to wear it." Leos moved closer. "It's pretty, natural. I can see all the colors."

Susie could feel his approach pulse through her every skin-cell. Her mouth was dry, her heart thumping. The atmosphere sizzled with sexual awareness. She quivered but her feet stayed put. Caught unprepared, brain still foggy with sleep, her barriers were down and she could not resist the dark force of his attraction, or her own craving for physical contact.

Leos settled his hands on her taut shoulders. "I'm not into sexually harassing employees. So you choose whether or not to walk away —"

Susie gulped. "I —"

"But if you don't walk away now, there's no going back," Leos warned huskily.

Meeting those brilliant eyes, she told herself it was a dream — a dream from which she did not intend to awaken. He moved one hand to her spine and eased her closer. You're not dreaming, you're wide awake, Susie, her conscience shrieked against her will. But she heard herself mumble, "Just one kiss..."

Leos folded her into his arms and knotted his fingers into her bright hair, satisfaction blazing in his smouldering gaze as he scanned her face. "You are bargaining with me...or yourself?"

He didn't wait for her reply and while she was still trying to fight herself, he brought his expert mouth down on hers. By that stage, weak with anticipation, she felt like a powder keg craving a flame. And whoosh...Leos did not disappoint.

She burned with excitement and joy, wanting, needing to touch him, close her straining fingers into the thick silk of his hair, shape his arrogant dark head, settle her palms to his proud cheekbones, hold him tight. Hold him fast, never, ever let him go again...

Leos lifted his head. "It's almost six. We'll have dinner...talk —"

"Almost six?" Susie exclaimed, tearing herself free and racing for the door. The day care shut at half-past five and she was late picking up Ben

Chapter Nine


DAY EIGHT: MONDAY EVENING

Safely home again, Susie had just settled Ben for the night when the apartment doorbell sounded.

Peering through the peephole, she saw Leos and panic gripped her. Too late she appreciated that running out on Leos without explanation had been even more stupid than kissing him again. Reminding herself that Ben rarely stirred after he went to sleep, she opened the door.

"Why did you rush off like that?" Leos demanded, strong, dark features taut.

Face burning, conflicting emotions tearing at her, Susie went into the sitting room ahead of him. "Regret... embarrassment —"

"No need for either... " A lean hand closed to her shoulder and turned her back to face him. His eyes sought hers. "I want you back, Susie."

Shock held her still.

With a slumberous sigh, Leos lifted a hand and gently ran a forefinger along the line of her full lower lip. "Why so surprised? You should know I don't play games. What you see is what you get —"

"Is it really?" The question erupted from Susie and she whirled away from him, physical senses singing from his touch but her mind a stormy sea of bewilderment. "Does Alisha James know you're here?"

Leos released a rueful groan. "Where I go or what I do has nothing to do with my decorator —"

"Your... what?"

"Alisha's firm is decorating my house."

Though the brunette evidently aspired to a more intimate connection with Leos then she had yet achieved, Susie was embarrassed at having made yet another false assumption.

"Wrong... again." His lustrous eyes now bright with amusement, Leos studied Susie's expression. "But who cares? I don't. Right now, the only woman I want in my life is you —"

A jarring laugh escaped Susie. "You told me that once before —"

"I don't understand your bitterness. You ditched me." Humor set aside, lean powerful face intent, Leos frowned. "Were you crying wolf when you did that? Was I supposed to run after you and try to change your mind?"

"No —"

"It was a bad time for you because you'd lost your mother. But you slammed the door on what we had as if it meant nothing to you. I need you to explain why you did that."

Susie's eyes widened at his demand. Leos sounded so sincere. Possibly he was not aware that she had found that blonde in his apartment. But he was a clever guy; he had to have suspected that she had discovered his infidelity.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Susie lifted up her chin. "Why are you acting innocent? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Find... out... what?" Leos trailed out with exaggerated frustration.

"You were two-timing me... and you know you were!"

His fabulous bone structure clenched hard. "That's a downright lie —"

"Oh, come on... I used that key you gave me for your apartment. A six-foot-tall blonde dressed in only her underwear walked out of your bedroom!"

Susie recognized the exact moment Leos made the connection. He paled with anger beneath his bronzed skin. He breathed something raw in Greek and swinging on his heel, he strode back out of the hall. "If I stay here I'll say much that I will live to regret!"