A Physical Affair

CHAPTER SEVEN

A THICKLY sensual sound broke from his throat and his head descended with a slowness that for Keira was very nearly an agony of waiting. His eyes never wavered from hers, each torturous moment holding a so temptingly seductive promise.

Her mouth was suddenly aflame, awaiting the touch of his, and her throat constricted achingly as her heartbeats reverberated in her breast.

Keira’s chin lifted of its own accord and when their lips finally met she heard a thunderous rushing in her ears and felt as though she were drowning, swirling downwards in a vortex of pleasure and pain.

They kissed for minutes, or hours, both oblivious to the passing of time, tongue-tips touching, plundering, exciting each other in a torrent of delirious intensity.

Somehow Eden had turned them around, his hips now resting against her desk. One taut thigh insinuated itself tantalisingly between hers and his hand slid slowly down her back to hold her firmly against him.

Keira’s bones seemed to melt and the fire in the pit of her stomach exploded into an inferno. She moaned softly, moving sensually against him and he pulled her impossibly closer, his lips sliding feverishly along the line of her jaw, the curve of her throat, to settle in the V where the neckline of her blouse skimmed the swell of her breasts.

He drew her blouse from her skirt, his hand slipping over her smooth midriff to cup her breast through the lace of her bra, and when his fingers found her straining nipple her knees gave way beneath her. Keira let herself collapse against him, and she knew she was just as aroused as he so obviously was. She rained light, passionate kisses over his face, the tip of her tongue teasing his earlobe as his fingers on her breast drove her to the brink of ecstatic desire.

And that she was almost past the point of no return some small far-off part of her realised, tried to warn her, and she groaned at the intrusive thought. She didn’t want to think. Or to rationalise her revealing response.

With eyes closed she threw her head back invitingly and his lips trailed smouldering fire over her throat. Then she opened her eyes, her smoky gaze locking with his, and somehow the earth shifted slightly off its axis before righting itself and bringing them just marginally back into kilter.

For long soul-searching moments they gazed at each other, both hovering on the high of their arousal, and it was Eden who broke the heady, electrified silence.

‘Perhaps we’d better lock that damn door,’ he said huskily, his blue eyes still dark liquid pools of molten desire.

Keira blinked languidly, only slowly beginning to take in the picture they made.

Somehow her fingers had fumblingly undone his waistcoat, slid between the buttons of his shirt to settle in the mat of fine hair on his chest. The skirt of her suit was high on her thighs, displaying her nylon-clad legs, and his hand still rested on her swollen breast beneath her blouse.

If anyone walked in and saw them now…

Keira drew back as though she had been stung. Or attempted to. For at her withdrawal Eden’s arm about her had tightened and she struggled, her hands pushing against the hard wall of his chest.

‘Let me go!’ she demanded, her voice catching in her throat. ‘Eden, please! This is madness-’

‘Divine madness,’ he said softly, and held her fast for long moments before he finally slowly released her.

Keira agitatedly pulled down her skirt and began to straighten her blouse, her fingers shaking as she tucked it into her belt. ‘For God’s sake, fix your shirt. Anyone could come in and…’

‘And they’d be suitably shocked, I’m sure,’ he finished drily as he pushed himself to his feet and buttoned his waistcoat, ‘Very short-sighted of us. It would seem our emotions got the better of us, hmm?’

Keira ran a hand over her eyes. ‘I can’t believe…’ She shook her head, completely mortified by her behaviour. ‘This can’t be happening…’

Realising she was babbling, she took a steadying breath. ‘How could you-?’ She heard what she was saying and stopped.

No. In all fairness she couldn’t totally blame Eden. She was just as culpable as he was for their disgusting display of abandonment.

Keira fought to regain her composure. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that this-’ she swallowed painfully ‘-that this was all your fault,’ she finished with as much dignity as she could muster.

‘Thank you. That’s very charitable of you,’ he replied with equal aplomb, and she glanced at him sharply.

‘There’s no need to be condescending,’ she retorted. ‘I fully accept part of the responsibility. I simply don’t know quite what possessed me to act-well, the way I did.’

‘I told you it was inevitable, Keira,’ he said evenly and she glared at him, her eyes flashing.

‘Is that all you can say? Well, that’s your opinion. I happen to disagree. I wouldn’t have said it was inevitable and-’ she gulped a breath, trying to ignore the

vivid memories of the two of them on the dance floor at Sir Samuel’s party ‘-and I’d like you to…I think it would be best if we try to forget it ever happened.’

‘In your opinion, hmm? But can you forget, Keira?’ His deep voice flowed over her, rekindling embers that still glowed within her.

‘Yes. Yes, I can,’ she said, again with more conviction than she felt. ‘If we both agree not to mention it then I think we should be able to put it behind us and, well, just go on from here.’

‘As though nothing happened?’ he repeated without intonation.

Keira lifted her chin. ‘Yes.’

He was silent for long, oppressive moments and then he gave an abruptly sceptical laugh. ‘I’m afraid I don’t think I can do that.’

‘What…what do you mean?’ Keira got out through suddenly dry lips, and Eden shrugged.

‘I mean I don’t care to forget it ever happened.’

A multitude of outrageously unconscionable thoughts skittered about inside Keira’s mind, not the least being the surge of renewed excitement that perhaps he found her desirable enough to… She pulled herself together with no little effort.

‘A moment longer and we’d have been right there on the floor making love,’ he continued harshly.

‘Making love?’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘You’re being generous. I’d hardly call it that.’

‘Making love. Having sex. No matter what name you give it, we would have been doing it. Can you honestly deny that, Keira?’ he demanded, and she paced over to her desk, shaking her head exasperatedly before swinging back to face him.

‘Perhaps not,’ she agreed with distaste. ‘But we can only be thankful we came to our senses before we did something I can assure you I’d have regretted even more. So-’ Keira made herself hold his stormy gaze ‘-I’m afraid you’ll have to try to forget it. Because I don’t intend to have an affair with my boss and feed the avaricious appetite of the trouble-making gossipmongers.’

His eyes continued to sear into hers for long seconds before his lashes fell to shield his expression. ‘Very forceful words, my dear,’ he remarked wearily, as though the subject suddenly bored him, and he crossed to the door, pulling it open before he turned back to face her.

‘By the way, unbelievable as it may now seem, I did legitimately want to discuss something with you. You’ll be needing new office space for Natural Life and a floor has just become available in one of our buildings three streets south of here. You’ll be moving in there almost immediately and you’ll operate from the twelfth floor. In Cassidy-Ford Towers.’

The corner of his mouth quirked sardonically. ‘My offices are in the same building, so it looks as if there’ll be more food for your gossips, Keira,’ he added as he turned and left her.

For the next six weeks Keira worked harder than she had for years. There was the handing over of her job on Chloe to her successor and the move to their new offices. Although most of the groundwork had been done for the revamped magazine there were new staff to be hired, contributors to be contacted, interviews to be set up and coordinated and a hundred and one details to be seen to that kept them all on the hop.

Gail, Keira’s ex-partner, was overjoyed at the chance to contribute to the magazine again. Her twins were now in pre-school so she had some time on her hands and the part-time work suited her down to the ground.

Keira also dug out her late aunt’s recipe books and diaries to recommence the Ask Aunt Aggie column which had been so popular in the old magazine. She hadn’t told Eden that she had been responsible for that by-line. Keira’s Aunt Aggie had been meticulous in recording her favourite recipes and effective old-fashioned remedies.

Of course, the mere thought of working in Cassidy-Ford Towers had filled her with a mixture of apprehensive excitement and abject trepidation. She seemed to be continuously keyed up in the expectation of meeting Eden in the building.

Even though she kept reminding herself that an executive, in this case the top executive, with exclusive offices on the top floor, one floor below his penthouse apartment, would not be likely to use the ordinary bank of lifts. He would have his own express lift.

Yet Keira still entered the building each morning with agitated anticipation, her eyes hastily scanning the foyer for that familiar tall, dark, suit-clad figure.

However, after the first couple of weeks passed uneventfully she began to relax a little. And she even pretended she’d convinced herself that the unbelievably erotic episode in her old office had been just a figment of one very base facet of her imagination.

Yes, she’d almost convinced herself of that. Her body’s responses when she allowed those memories to intrude easily put paid to that assumption, but she refused to dwell on that one small flaw in her reasoning.

Not long after lunch a month before the magazine was due to recommence publication Keira had been down to check on some copy-editing. She stepped into the lift and absently pressed the button for the twelfth floor. As she skimmed through her notes the lift sped silently upwards and when it stopped she looked up, prepared to step into the hallway to her office, but the panel indicated she had halted on the tenth floor.

The lift doors slid silently open and the object of Keira’s recurring tortured thoughts stood before her, framed in the aperture.

In simply a split-second she knew her well-intentioned rationalisation of their indiscreet interlude those short weeks ago exploded into a million meaningless fragments.

She heard once more the sensual sound of the material of his trousers rasping against her nylons as his leg slid between hers. She felt again the solid strength of his broad chest, his arms wrapped possessively around her.

Remembering, her breasts swelled beneath the thin cotton of her tailored shirt, her nipples throbbing sensitively as they responded, and she lifted the sheaf of papers in her hand in an effort to disguise their disconcerting perfidy.

And his mouth. She was almost lost in the recollected sensations of the seductive excitement of his lips moving on hers. Keira felt herself groan inside, part electrifying recall and part painful reminder.

That embrace had been no figment of her fanciful imagination. It was as real as he was, standing before her, over six feet of charismatic male magnetism.

Her heartbeats raced and for one wildly unrestrained moment she wanted only to fall literally into his arms, lose herself in the exhilaration of their physical attraction.

Then reality was thankfully restored and she took a grip on her impetuous impulses. That they’d meet somewhere, some time, in this building, had been unavoidable. At least now the intoxicating ‘any moment now’ could fade into the prosaic ‘been and gone’.

Then, to her consternation, Eden stepped into the cubicle to join her, and its spaciousness suddenly diminished with her misguided justification.

While part of Keira, the blatantly physical sensation section she seemed to have trouble quelling these days, stood on attentive alert, her conscious mind absurdly demanded to know why he wasn’t using his exclusive penthouse lift.

‘You have a very expressive face,’ he remarked softly, and Keira’s eyes rose to meet his.

‘Really?’ she stated, thrown conversationally off balance for a moment before she recovered her poise. ‘No doubt you’ll tell me what you thought I was thinking.’

‘Why isn’t he using the executive lift?’ He repeated her silent speculation almost verbatim and, taken aback by his perception, Keira shrugged off-handedly.

‘It’s your building.’

‘Yes, it is that.’ He gave a soft laugh. ‘And the implication is that as I’m the king of this particular castle I can use any part of my kingdom I choose to.’

Or anyone, Keira’s fertile mind expanded, setting off a titillating trail of tantalising memories that only served to raise her ire. And that it was directed at herself didn’t dim her ill-humour at all. She couldn’t prevent her stormy grey eyes from raking him. And the king would so enjoy the divine droit de seigneur, she mused testily.

Eden’s dark eyebrows rose. ‘Now that was an interesting thought.’ He raised his firm chin and his lips twitched into an almost-smile. ‘Perhaps I should take you up on that.’

‘On what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Don’t you? I think you do.’

‘If you consider yourself so good at guessing games then perhaps you should put your talent to better use,’ Keira said acidly. ‘On the horses, maybe?’ She arched a scathing brow.

‘Gambling? A mug’s game. Although I’ll admit it has some entertainment value.’

‘Yes. I saw you being entertained at the last Melbourne Cup.’

‘You were there?’ he asked, leaning casually on the chrome handrail that skirted the cubicle.

His immaculate pale grey jacket opened to display a matching waistcoat over a pale blue shirt, and his maroon tie bore a crest Keira couldn’t identify. But there was one thing she did recall. Her mind flashed her a vivid picture from that afternoon in her office, of her trembling fingers fumbling to unbutton his waistcoat.

And, dear lord, she yearned to do it again. Run her fingertips over the hard muscles beneath his silk shirt, slip them inside to…

Keira swallowed and patted agitatedly at some fine tendrils of hair that had escaped her chignon and were teasing her skin. At least, she told herself it was those wayward strands.

More scenes played in her mind’s eye. Eden’s lips on the spot where her fingers now brushed… She moved her position hastily to disguise the shivers of pleasure her memories were evoking.

But he was looking at her, waiting for her reply. What had he said? She swallowed again and angrily chastised herself.

‘At the Melbourne Cup? No, I wasn’t there. I saw you on the television coverage.’ Some of her ire overflowed to centre on him. He was to blame, she told herself irrationally, and her anger loosened her tongue. ‘You were with the current Miss Australia, I believe,’ she added and then wished she could have bitten back the revealing postscript.

‘You have a good memory,’ he said easily.

‘And no doubt you’d forgotten.’

‘No. What red-blooded man could forget such an attractive young woman?’

Fingers of pain seemed to wrap around Keira’s heart and she tore her gaze from his in case he read the anguish she suspected was all too visible in their smoky depths.

‘Another instance of things not being quite what they seemed. It was part of a promotion for charity,’ he continued, and Keira, in command of herself once more, looked up. ‘We stood about and made fascinating small talk while the cameras rolled. Then she went off with her very attentive boyfriend and I went down to place a couple of bets. For entertainment’s sake,’ he added, and Keira could have sworn his blue eyes twinkled.

Whatever happened, it reduced her knees to water and caused a rather different sort of pain to swell in her breast. In fact it was more pleasure than pain, she admitted, as it spread like wildfire, stirring in the pit of her stomach and reminding her again just how physically attracted to this man she was.

‘I lost,’ he said and, totally disconcerted, Keira blinked inanely at him.

‘My bets on the Cup,’ he explained. ‘So my guesses don’t always strike true. But then again, I didn’t get to see the horses’ faces.’

Keira felt her lips tighten. He was so enjoying getting his amusement at her expense, she told herself, while part of her demanded to know why her sense of humour deserted her when she was with him.

As she sought a cutting rejoinder she sensed him move and her startled gaze rose. He’d pushed himself upright and as if in slow motion his hand reached out to follow the path of her own fingers only moments before.

He touched one soft curl of her hair, lifted it, his eyes narrowed now as they centred on the curve of her neck where the errant wisp had rested. Gently he tucked it back into place and his fingers then trailed over her bare skin.

Keira’s senses came alive, and just as her perfidious body began to respond she made herself jerk away from him, her papers falling from her suddenly nerveless fingers in the process.

Pages scattered about them on to the carpeted floor of the lift and they bent down as one to gather them up. Their fingers reached together, touched, and a jolt of electricity seemed to arc between them. They both stilled, their gazes locked, and Keira saw and recognised the same flame of passion in his darkened eyes. The fire of desire was burning furiously within them both.

Keira gulped a breath, knowing she had to douse the blaze before it took hold… But her whole body seemed paralysed. Her lips parted slightly and Eden’s eyes were drawn to her mouth, then fell lower to settle on the pulse that beat wildly at the base of her throat.

Her cream shirt afforded him a tantalising glimpse of the swell of her breasts and she had to put her other hand to the floor to steady herself as she felt herself falter vertiginously.

Then she noticed that the hem of her salmon-coloured straight skirt had risen high on her thighs and, fumbling with her notes, she made to pull it back into some semblance of modesty. Of course this only served to draw Eden’s attention to her nylon-clad legs, and she took a shallow breath as she forced herself shakily to her feet.

Slowly he recovered the rest of her papers and with a wry twist of his lips he handed them back to her.

Neither of them had noticed that the lift had stopped or that the doors had opened with a refined ding. Only when the doors began to close again did Eden move to punch the button to prevent them.

‘Your floor, I think, Keira.’ He motioned gallantly for her to leave and Keira barely suppressed a sigh of relief as she walked out of the lift to safety.

However, her relief was of the short-lived variety because he moved into the hallway behind her.

Keira’s step faltered and she turned to face him. ‘Where are you going?’ she asked, and then mentally winced. She had no right to question the head of the corporation, regardless of what she thought of him. He was her boss, and, as she’d stated before, this was his building.

‘The same place you are, I imagine.’ He raised his arm and flicked back his pale blue cuff to glance at his wristwatch. ‘And we’re five minutes late.’

‘Late?’ Keira repeated. ‘Late for what?’

‘For our meeting. Two p.m. in the conference room.’ Keira frowned.

‘It would appear you didn’t receive my memo.’

She shook her head. ‘No. There’s been no memo. Not that I’ve seen, anyway.’

‘Megan sent it down to Denver’s office yesterday and I could scarcely see him forgetting to pass it on to you and the rest of the staff.’

‘I’m sorry. There’s been a mistake made somewhere,’ Keira said hurriedly. ‘If you’d care to go along to the conference room I’ll tell everyone you’re here. If that’s all right with you,’ she added as evenly as she could, and he nodded.

‘I suppose it will have to be, won’t it? I’ll see you in there.’

With that he left her and Keira spent a few seconds staring after him before she was galvanised into action. Racing through the office she sent everyone after Eden. However, when she stuck her head into Roxie’s office her assistant wasn’t at her desk.

‘Damn!’ Keira said under her breath and continued into her own office next door. She’d have to leave a message for Roxie to tell her to join the meeting as soon as possible.

Keira lifted some papers on her desk but could see no memo. She found a notepad, but before she could put pen to paper Roxie herself appeared in the doorway.

‘Hi, Keira! How did it go with the copy-editing?’ The other girl strolled into Keira’s office.

‘Oh, Roxie. Thank heavens. I thought you might have gone out. Where were you?’

‘Even I need to go to the little girls’ room occasionally,’ Roxie commented wryly. ‘I might have known something drastic would happen if I left the confines of my desk. What’s up? Good grief!’ she exclaimed. ‘That threatened distributors’ strike hasn’t come to fruition, has it?’

‘No. Almost worse than that. Did you see a memo about a meeting today with Eden Cassidy?’ Keira moved quickly around her desk as the other girl shook her head.

‘Are you kidding? If I’d seen a memo from the big white chief himself I’d have claimed it and had it framed as a memento.’

‘Heaven only knows what happened to it. It was supposed to have come down yesterday.’

‘Don’t tell me we’ve missed seeing Eden Cassidy?’ Roxie asked as she went to sit down.

Keira forestalled her by taking her arm and turning her around. ‘No time to sit, Roxie. Let’s go. They’re waiting for us in the conference room.’

‘Who are?’

‘The rest of the crew. And Eden Cassidy.’

‘Eden Cassidy. Here? In the flesh? Why didn’t you say so? My prayers are answered.’ Roxie gazed momentarily skywards. ‘So what are we lingering here for, Keira? Come on, let’s start the stampede.’

Suppressing a giggle that threatened to burst from her at Roxie’s humour, Keira felt some of her tension abate just a little. The shadow of a smile still lit her face as she opened the door but it faded quickly as she led the way into the large room where the rest of the staff and Eden Cassidy awaited them.

She refused to allow herself to look directly at Eden for fear the shadows of those heady moments in the elevator would be clearly visible on her face for all to see. Yet still she couldn’t prevent the telltale colour washing her warm cheeks.

‘Ah, Keira.’ Denver stood up from his position at Eden’s right hand. ‘Some wires seem to have managed to get crossed somewhere along the track.’

‘Yes,’ Keira replied without intonation as she slid quickly into her seat, ‘apparently they have.’

‘No matter. We’re all here now.’ Eden waved recriminations aside. ‘Let’s get down to business. Are we on track for publication date?’

For the next two hours Eden questioned them relentlessly about every facet of the progress of the magazine and, although they could have continued, promptly at five o’clock Eden drew the meeting to a close. There were thankful sighs as chairs scraped and paper rustled as they all began to file out of the conference room.

‘Keira. One minute.’ Eden’s deep voice stopped Keira as she made to follow the rest of the staff.

As Keira’s step faltered, Denver and Roxie turned back, their facial expressions registering surprise. Roxie recovered enough to give Keira an audacious wink before she continued on her way, while Denver’s thin lips tightened in a far less indulgent manner. Keira’s flush was the resulting sum total of both of their so obvious sentiments.

‘Yes, Mr Cassidy?’ Keira projected her voice to reach the ears of the retreating Denver Clarkson. At least she knew she could explain the real situation to Roxie later.

Eden folded his arms casually as he leant back against the conference table.

He didn’t immediately break the silence, making her feel uneasily aware of their isolation, and that same revealing pulse began to beat at the base of her throat.

‘Were you wanting some more information?’ Keira asked quickly, and he grimaced.

‘Yes. In a manner of speaking, I was.’ His dark gaze held hers. ‘Have dinner with me, hmm?’