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‘I’ll be fine, Paul,’ A he would stop acting like soht I remind you, this isn’t the first celebrity I’ve interviewed? I’ve delivered an article every week for the last six months’
‘But not one like this, Ae as a slick silver car pulled up beside the pavement ‘This has shades of Taylor Dean written all over it—and look how much the paper made on that one article! Didn’t he wrap up the interview by asking you to dinner?’
‘This is nothing like Taylor Dean,’ Aive a small wave as she hissed the words out of the side of her mouth
‘No,’ Paul responded ‘Because Vaughan Mason’s got style’
It was Vaughan who stepped out of the car, not his chauffer Vaughan who pulled open the rear door as Paul walked down the concrete stairs with her and delivered his final below-the-belt remark
‘If you two aren’t in bed by eleven, I want you to ring me at twelve’
A as she es and anised her companion, and she was used to the best, ically conjured up, whether or not a reservation had been han she felt like a complete novice, a pit of nervousness in her sto her through the white-clothed tables
The glow on her cheeks was nothing to do with Shelly’s generous rouge and everything to do with her delicious co wasn’t involuntary as the waiter pulled out her chair and she took a grateful seat; every breath was a supreme effort as finally she faced hi of all her life finally arrived
‘Why?’
It was the first real question that had spilled out of her lips, although they’d chatted politely in the back of his sleek car while his chauffer had driven them to this exclusive little French restaurant nestled in The Rocks
Vaughan had declined an entrée, but, deter for every last drop, Amelia had ordered one Even if it killed her she’d have dessert, and then port and cheese as well She had the es to fill!
Cracking the crust of her bread over her French onion soup, avoiding his eyes, Auing her since Paul’s last derogatory rehan’s company, she was utterly deterhan Mason understood that this was a business dinner and nothing else Even if sheherself, Aht for professional rather than personal reasons
‘Why the flowers? Why…?’
‘Because on a last-apore Airport with the intention to give them to Katy as thanks for all her hard work She’s my PA,’ he added, when As became rather complicated, about ten minutes before you arrived in iven the bouquet to Katy my life would have then taken a turn from complicated to extremely messy’
‘I meant why did you ask me for dinner?’ Amelia asked, sure he had deliberately et her answer
‘You asked about the flowers,’ Vaughan pointed out ‘It seemed a shame to waste the s eyes holding hers over the table ‘I don’t knohy I asked you to dinner,’ Vaughan ad sip of his whisky ‘I suppose I wanted to get to know you a bit better’
‘It’s supposed to be the other way around, Mr Mason,’ Amelia answered quickly
His response was the last thing she needed, because it would be easy—so very frighteningly easy—to forget her promise to herself that she would never cross the professional line again! Even though there was no denying the attraction that sizzled between them, Amelia knew that if she weakened even for a en of tihan Mason would crush her in the palm of his manicured, experienced hand—use her and toss her aside, just as he had every woman who had come before her
She had to stay in control
‘You couldn’t get h,’ Ae of heart?’
She watched hi a yawn, but in a sharp contrast to their initialakin to compassion washed over her as she closely studied his face, took in the lines of exhaustion grooved around the edges of his eyes The artist waiting in the wings otten to blend in those dark shan was almost cross-eyed as he squinted across the table at her, and suddenly the hows and whys didn’t h
‘You’re exhausted, aren’t you?’
‘Unfortunately, no’ He took another slug of his whisky ‘I was exhausted at five, and had you not burst intoon the sofa fast asleep However…’ he s cheeks ‘…now I’m wide awake, and no doubt will remain that way until five am tomorrow’