Se connecter"Congratulations," he finally said.Abbey looked up at him sharply. "What for?""The promotion. Tarken must've been surprised."She grinned. "Angry more like it. I had threatening phone calls for a week afterwards."Nick frowned and sat forwards. "He didn't try anything did he?""No. He's all hot air and no action. Anyway, he got another job the following week and I haven't heard from him since.""Good. I'd hate to think he was bothering you. There's nothing worse than having a psycho ex boyfriend on your hands.""Speaking from experience?"Nick grinned. "Not about the boyfriend."Abbey had forgotten how great that smile could be, how infectious.She couldn't help smiling with him."Melinda also found another job," Abbey said. "She suddenly felt uncomfortable with me as her boss."He chuckled. "I don't blame her. I think you'd make a scary boss.""Scary! I'm the nicest boss around. Unlike you, I imagine. I hear they call you The Machine."Nick frowned. "Who told you that?"She shrugge
"Hello, Nick."It was clear he hadn't been expecting her. The wide-eyed stare and pale expression made her heart skip wildly. Was this a good sign or a bad one? Was he happy to see her?Right now he just looked shocked. His mouth hung open like an unhinged door.He also looked incredibly sexy. But despite the neatly combed hair and the carefully shaved chin, Abbey could see signs of stress. A web of spidery lines that hadn't been there before crept across his forehead, and his black eyes—which she could only remember as shining brilliantly—were dull.So, the last month had been hell on him, just like it had been for her.Good. He deserved it.Nick's colleague cleared his throat and approached. He introduced himself as the new VP of Marketing, Mathew Willis, and she introduced herself as the new manager of the JJC Pharmaceuticals Melbourne office.They sat at the long table and for several moments everyone stared awkwardly at each other.Finally, Nick stirred from his stupor. "Where's
A MONTH LATER Nick paced the length of his office trying to work off his excess energy. He was up to his fifth cup of coffee and it wasn't even lunchtime. A month of carefully piecing his self-respect together again and all shattered by a letter of intent to purchase from JJC Pharmaceuticals.He really didn't know why he was so nervous. It was only that fool Tarken after all. It's just that he was his only link to Abbey. Whether Tarken still saw Abbey or knew what she was up to didn't really matter. He knew her and the thought that he might have news about her was enough to shatter Nick's concentration.And more than anything, Nick wanted to hear about her. He wanted to know what she was up to, how she was going. If she had a boyfriend.Okay, maybe he shouldn't ask Tarken—the answer might not be something he wanted to hear.He stopped pacing. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be this nervous over a meeting with a jerk like Tarken. He could run rings around him. By the end of the day,
Nick laughed quietly to himself. He imagined Tarken reading about Vane leaving Software Solutions in the business pages of the newspapers.He'd probably think it was because of what he said. Nick wondered if they'd print a photograph. Maybe he should send one in to the papers, just to confuse Tarken. But that wouldn't help his company's business prospects in Melbourne with hundreds of seminar attendees who'd also wonder at the difference.There was a knock on Nick's door and his personal assistant popped her head around."Can I get you some lunch, sir?" asked the middle-aged blonde.He shook his head. "No thanks, Beverly. I'm not hungry."Beverly's face fell. "But you haven't eaten anything all day. Usually you have breakfast, and at least three cups of coffee by now —" "I appreciate your concern, but I'm really not hungry."She attempted a smile. "Sure. What about those appointments you cancelled this morning? Can I reschedule them yet?""I don't know when I'll be able to fit them in
Nick leaned back in his leather chair, linked his hands behind his head, and stared out the floor-to-ceiling window of his thirty-fourth floor office. The view over the Sydney Harbor usually calmed him, allowing him to think clearly through meetings, negotiations and other sundry issues.But today the view did nothing to relax him. The sharp pain that had continued to stab at his heart since Friday night was still there, hacking away.Friday night. It was a night he'd never forget, that was for sure. But for all the wrong reasons.The way Abbey had looked in that blue dress, the way it hugged her figure and rose and fell in time with her heavy breathing. She'd wanted him, he could tell. Wanted him, yet all the time, hated him.Nick closed his eyes to block out the cheery blue sky and the memory of Abbey on that night. He didn't want to be cheery today, and he didn't want to remember Abbey.Ever.Problem was, it would take a hell of a long time to forget her.How could he have made so
Abbey sat on her couch, head in her hands, trying not to cry. She didn't want Lucy to think she was weak and hopeless when it came to men.After ten minutes, she gave up trying to hold back the burning tears and let them pour out of her. Lucy would understand. She knew what Abbey was like anyway.She heard Lucy sigh, pad across her floor and felt her comforting arm around her shoulders."Why do you do this to yourself?" Lucy asked.Abbey shrugged. She didn't have an answer to that. She just figured she was genetically geared to fail where men were concerned. She had a habit of picking the wrong ones, except this time it was worse. She really felt like her heart had been ripped out of her body, tossed around, then put back upside down and inside out.She felt awful.And she had no one to blame but herself."I let him think I slept with Vane.""What! Why?"Abbey shrugged. "It seemed like a good way to punish him at the time." She sobbed. "And because I'm an idiot."Lucy hugged her. "You
"Like you want to kill me.""I do want to kill you. I've had a bad week."Actually, his week hadn't been all that bad. The parts with Abbey in his bed, on the couch, at the restaurant, the beach, Lucy's desk—those had been rather good. It was the other parts he didn't like so much.Vane held up his
He reached across the desk and picked it up, but paused. Damn it, this was important. He'd been lied to, someone was trying to set him up for something, and he had a right to know what was going on.He flipped open the flap and pulled out three large photographs.Abbey's naked body was clearly reco
Tarken hated these things. Not only were they dull, but software demonstrations were something only computer geeks could get a kick out of. He was an administrator, a manager, not an I.T. specialist. That’s why he’d brought Donaldson along—to talk geek-talk. Tarken was at the Crown Complex software
Nick half expected—hoped—Abbey would be at the hotel when the taxi dropped him off. But she wasn't. She wasn't in the foyer and she wasn't in his suite.It was frustrating. She was frustrating. He didn't understand her. One minute she wanted him, the next she was shrugging him off.He turned on the







