Undying Love. Carole Mortimer

shrewdness in the dark eyes, the determination on the sensuous mouth. She should have noticed all those things about him, but she didn’t, was blind to it all. Perhaps if she had noticed…

      She opened her office door for him to enter, standing back as silence fell over the seven people waiting inside the room, all of them looking at Rick Dalmont with open curiosity. Rick’s reaction to this unexpected meeting with Fashion Lady’s heads of department was harder to discern, and a hard mask fell over his face as he raised dark brows at her in acknowledgment of the first round going to her.

      ‘We’ll discuss this over lunch,’ he told her softly, a smile to his lips, only the flare of anger in his dark eyes telling her it would be far from a pleasant conversation.

      She moved forward hastily, and silence fell over the room where conversation had begun to buzz as Rick’s identity was realised. Her body moved gracefully beneath the black dress, the heels on her sandals adding to her height. ‘I’m sure you all know Mr Ricardo Dalmont,’ she introduced unnecessarily, knowing that they all realised who he was. ‘What you aren’t yet aware of is that he is now our new boss.’ She turned to him with a challenging smile, the conversation behind her increasing to a roar as the information was absorbed and disbelieved. Like her, her heads of staff had had no idea a takeover was in the offing. Henry had certainly played this close to the ground, and she didn’t need two guesses at whose instigation that had been.

      Rick met her challenge with an arrogant inclination of his head. ‘Mrs Logan has been—premature in her announcement,’ he drawled reproachfully. ‘I had meant to talk to you all when Mr Blythe was present. But as I was here to take Mrs Logan out to lunch she thought I should have a few words with you before we leave.’ It was his turn to give Shanna a challenging look, triumphantly so.

      Shanna was so angry that she didn’t hear a word he said over the next few minutes, but she could see by the pleased expressions on her colleagues’ faces that they liked what he was saying. He might think he had just trapped her into having lunch with him, but he was wrong, no one forced her to do anything she didn’t want to do. And she didn’t want to have lunch with Rick Dalmont.

      ‘So I can assure you all that I will make as little change in the format of Fashion Lady as I can,’ he concluded. ‘I look forward to working with you, ladies—and gentleman,’ he acknowledged the single male head of department in the room with the six ladies. ‘A little discrimination in reverse?’ he mocked.

      Joe Deane gave an appreciative laugh. ‘I have no complaints.’

      ‘I don’t think I would either.’ Rick looked at the women with open appreciation.

      ‘If you’ve quite finished?’ Shanna said icily. ‘We still have a magazine to run,’ she reminded him curtly.

      Rick’s eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned to smile at the others. ‘I’m sorry I kept you so long,’ he told them smoothly. ‘I’m sure I’ll meet you all later, individually, in the week.’

      Shanna could have cringed at some of the open smiles of encouragement on some of the faces of the women she could have sworn were hardbitten career women. Was no woman immune to this man’s rakish charm!

      ‘That was not only unethical,’ a cold voice of gravel and honey told her softly. ‘It was also unprofessional,’ Rick bit out tautly; the two of them were completely alone now, and the tension between them was almost unbearable.

      ‘Unprofessional?’ she echoed quietly. ‘You don’t call buying this magazine without even informing the editor unprofessional or unethical?’ she demanded angrily.

      He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘It isn’t required of me to tell you anything.’

      ‘Not even when I’m included in the deal?’ she snapped.

      ‘As editor of the magazine, of course,’ he drawled.

      ‘Of course!’

      Again he shrugged. ‘It’s normal practice——’

      ‘For senior members of staff to stay on after such a negotiation,’ she finished dryly. ‘You coached Henry very well, Mr Dalmont, he used exactly the same argument.’

      ‘Did it work?’ He leant casually back against her desk.

      ‘No!’ she told him curtly, holding out an envelope to him. ‘I’m giving you three months’ notice.’

      He took the envelope, putting it away in the breast pocket of his jacket. ‘Can you train your replacement in that time?’ he enquired coolly.

      Shanna bit back her chagrin with effort; he hadn’t even tried to talk her out of leaving, damn him. ‘I’m sure I can,’ she confirmed waspishly.

      He nodded. ‘I think so too.’

      ‘You don’t seem—surprised,’ she couldn’t prevent the words spilling out of her mouth.

      ‘I’m not,’ he shrugged. ‘You’re an independent lady, you don’t like being manoeuvred.’

      ‘You’ve learnt that much about me at least!’ she snapped.

      Rick moved closer, his aftershave tangy and pleasant to the senses, as was the good tobacco in the cheroots he smoked, their aroma clinging to his clothing. ‘I’d like to learn a lot more about you—if you would let me.’

      Her eyes flashed deeply green. ‘No!’ she took a step away from him. ‘I’ve already told you, I’m not interested. Just leave me alone, Rick.’

      ‘Rick,’ he repeated softly. ‘I think that’s the first time you’ve ever called me that.’ He touched her cheek with gentle fingers. ‘It makes a pleasant change after the cold “Mr Dalmont” I’ve been used to from you.’

      She had realised her slip as soon as she said his name. But she was beginning to tire of this man’s constant pressure on her; she hadn’t slept well the night before, and she felt as jumpy as a kitten about this man as a result of that. ‘It won’t happen again,’ she told him stiffly.

      ‘Won’t it?’ he derided confidently. ‘I have a feeling it will happen a lot in future. You see, I am the new boss around here, and I like my senior employees to call me Rick. Let’s go to lunch, hmm?’ he taunted. ‘I have a lot of things to discuss with you.’

      ‘No, I——’

      ‘Concerning the magazine,’ he gave her a sideways glance.

      Shanna eyed him warily. ‘Is that all?’

      Dark brows rose mockingly. ‘I can’t promise not to throw in a few personal remarks of my own, but for the most part—yes, that’s all,’ he mocked.

      ‘A business lunch?’

      ‘Exactly,’ he agreed with satisfaction.

      She still didn’t trust this man, knew that he was capable of lying to get his own way. But for now she had to fall in with his plans, she owed him a certain amount of loyalty as the new owner of Fashion Lady. ‘I’ll just go and tell Jane I’m leaving,’ she nodded coolly.

      ‘Your assistant editor?’

      He certainly didn’t forget much, she had only briefly introduced him to Jane Meakins, her assistant editor, and yet he had remembered her. She didn’t know why that should surprise her, she doubted many things escaped Rick Dalmont’s notice. ‘I shouldn’t be long,’ she told him abruptly. ‘If you need anything I’m sure my secretary, Gloria, would be pleased to help you,’ she added with veiled sarcasm.

      ‘I won’t need anything,’ he drawled, making himself comfortable in the chair behind her desk.

      ‘Trying it out for size?’ she taunted.

      He gave her a pitying glance. ‘Editor of a women’s magazine is not something I had in mind for my future!’

      Shanna shot him an impatient