‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m involved…’ Ah, he didn’t want to go there. ‘It’s complicated. I do criminal, not conveyancing.’
‘Did you say involved?’
‘You need to get the best price you can and I need to be out of the negotiations.’
‘What sort of involved?’
‘Peter is taking over for you. He’s the best in the firm and he’ll see you right.’
‘Are we talking romantically involved?’
‘I think you’ll find things move quickly. Anyway, those bright lights got to you, huh? You’re in Hollywood for ever?’
‘Avoid me all you like, Daniel, but you can’t lie to your heart.’
Ick. She was on a love high. ‘Gotta go, Lara. This is eating into billing time.’
Lara’s soft laughter tinkled. ‘I can’t wait to meet her. Let’s do a video conference over the Net.’
‘Sure. Next century some time. BYE.’
He hung up. Stared at the phone. Stared at his timesheet. Stared out the window. Horribly afraid Lara was right.
After work he walked slowly to the bar. He didn’t want to tell her. This was Lucy—‘leave it when the going gets tough’ Lucy. She of the goldfish-sized attention span, who’d never held down a job for more than a few months.
The minute Lucy found out the club was going to be put up for sale she’d pack her bags and move on. But Daniel wasn’t ready for her to. He wanted to be able to finish with her himself before she departed.
Simple solution. He wouldn’t tell her—not yet. An omission, not a lie. He’d buy himself a little more time to slake the crazy lust he had for her.
He was sure it would go. She was like the holiday he hadn’t had in a while. That was why he was tempted to come and hang out at her bar. Play pool, sit on the balcony with her and watch the world go by. Spend half an hour reading the paper. Spend a whole hour in bed together and not even doing anything.
He’d ride it out a while longer. Then he’d be back to normal and embracing his overly full schedule again instead of wishing like crazy he could dump half the load and focus on the aspects he really enjoyed.
He rubbed his hand across his forehead, the ache for her burning into him again. It really would fade, wouldn’t it? This desire to be with her? Because if it didn’t, then he was the one in really big trouble.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
You make your decisions spontaneously
DANIEL arrived at the bar earlier than usual. He had a look in his eye that hit Lucy’s concern switch immediately. Something was up. What?
‘Lara’s been in touch.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Feigning casual interest. Of course this had been going to happen. Only ever a short stint. Just like normal. She’d been chasing dreams. ‘She’s coming back?’
‘No.’
‘No?’ Her heart started the acceleration process—speedway-style.
‘She’s…ah…still deciding on her future.’ He looked down at the bar, his brow pleated.
‘Oh.’ She shuffled a couple of coasters. ‘So you’re needing me for longer than the three weeks, then?’
He nodded sharply. ‘Yeah. I’m not sure how long for—play it by ear, shall we?’
Were they talking about her job as bar manager or something more?
She wasn’t about to ask. Daniel was a cool player. She’d play it even cooler. Poker face. Hope for the ace. ‘Sure.’
Someone to sleep with. That was all he was supposed to be. But he was no longer a good-looking but two-dimensional suit. He was arrogant but understanding. Tough but gentle. Focused but funny. And she was so far in love with him she couldn’t think straight any more. All she knew was that she lived for the nights when, like tonight, he pulled her close and she could pretend to herself that he needed her. That maybe, just maybe, he cared.
As soon as she woke he hugged her to him. ‘What are you doing this morning?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe go into the club and get ahead on the accounts.’
‘No, don’t do that. Why not go for a swim? You haven’t been in ages.’ He swirled a pattern on her stomach with his finger. ‘You could meet me for coffee.’
Um. No. She needed to maintain boundaries. Correction. Reestablish boundaries. Carve them in stone. Bed mates. Just good sex. Between utter opposites. Nothing more—and it would be over in the foreseeable future. She didn’t do vulnerable, remember? But she was more vulnerable now than she’d ever been in her life.
‘I really should get a few things done.’
‘Leave the club for a while, go and swim for a bit, have a sauna. Relax.’ He smoothed over her muscles as he spoke, heading south. They were far from relaxing, they were gearing up for another round of Daniel’s full attention. Excited.
‘OK.’ It was hard not to agree with anything the man said when he was doing that. She’d agree to anything so long as he didn’t stop.
A couple of hours later once she’d snoozed and showered she decided against his advice. She wanted to have the club in top-notch order for when Lara got back. Have the books balanced, the stock management under control and more punters through the door than ever before. She’d got her hopes up that Lara might keep her on. She was comfortable there. It wasn’t too big, it was stylish and it was fun. And, yes, she wanted to stay on. For the first time she wasn’t looking to jump ship to another opportunity as soon as one appeared.
Quite where that was going to leave the question of her and Daniel, she didn’t know. She was cheerily telling herself the two weren’t related—oh, no. Definitely not. She really ought to be moving out of his apartment and into a flat of her own. But she hadn’t had a chance to look at the paper or on the Internet. She’d been too busy. Sleeping.
/>
Lucy was staring hard at the computer screen when she heard the key in the lock downstairs. Smiling, she finished the sentence she was on before closing up the laptop, expecting it to be Daniel, her body softening already. Weak, weak woman.
He must have figured she’d be at the club anyway, come to find her for some ‘coffee’. They hadn’t done middle-of-the-day sex and frankly she was up for it. Anticipation fluttered through her and she couldn’t keep it dampened. Whatever happened once Lara did come back, for now she was lost.
But it wasn’t Daniel who appeared at the door. It was a man in a suit, but not the one she’d discovered she loved to look at. ‘I’m sorry, can I help you?’
‘Oh. I was told there wouldn’t be anyone here at this time.’
‘Really? Well, there is. I’m Lucy, the manager.’ She waited to hear who this guy was and why he had a key to her club.
‘I’m Peter, the lawyer for Lara, the owner.’ He stressed the owner part. ‘I’m showing Julia around. She’s the agent who’ll be handling the sale.’
‘Sale?’
Po-faced Peter looked supercilious. ‘I thought Daniel would have mentioned it?’
Lucy managed a smile, the sharp-edged snaky sort. ‘Yes. I’m sorry, I forgot. I’ll hop out of your way.’
‘No, that’s OK, you might be able to answer a few questions for us. Daniel didn’t want you bothered, but if you don’t mind?’
‘Mind? Of course not.’ Why would she mind?
They’d have to chip the smile off her face with a chisel, it was so fixed. Daniel didn’t want her bothered? Why hadn’t he told her? Lara must have been in touch and told him to sell the club. She thought back to that morning’s conversation in bed. He’d been so keen for her to go for a swim. Not to come to the club until this afternoon. Now she knew why. He didn’t want her to know. Her mind frantically ate at the reasoning. He hadn’t wanted her here when the agent came. Why? Did he think she’d let him down? Not be a good representative for the club?