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‘I guess I fell in love’ Ao without completely’

‘And was it worth the pain?’

Aht of her bruised, raw, shredded feet, but without hesitation nodded ‘Absolutely’

For a beat he hesitated too, and A about asking her in, weighing up in that calculatedday And she only knew that she couldn’t do it—couldn’t enter into that room and hope to retain a distant façade

‘I’d better get on,’ she atte for my word-count’

‘Sha into his roolance

The door closed gently behind hioldfish at the sue, bitterly regretful that she hadn’t said yes to his offer

CHAPTER FOUR

‘WELL?’

Sole word

‘I haven’t actually written anything to send you yet,’ Amelia started, thankful for the hands-free phone so she could pace the roo to Paul always ot lots of material’

‘Such as?’

‘I’ a picture’

‘If I wanted photos I’d have sent a photographer along with you,’ Paul retorted nastily ‘I ords, I want facts, and I want details…’

‘Paul!’ Halting his tirade, even Amelia was shocked at the force behind her own voice ‘This is my piece My piece,’ she added, more so she could affirm it to herself than to Paul—assertiveness not really her forte at the best of tiet your words and I can assure you they’ll be interesting—riveting in fact—but if you’re hoping forto be sorely disappointed If you want facts and details, then give me a permanent job in the business section of the paper instead of a painfully temporary freelance position in the colour supplement’

‘Do this right,’ Paul responded, ‘and you’ll have your permanent job, Amelia You know that as well as I do’

Her lack of response spoke volumes

‘That is what you still want, I assume?’

Amelia didn’t answer; she truly couldn’t She had suddenly realised that she didn’t really knohat she wanted anywas so close now she could al? Why was she closing her eyes and having second thoughts?

‘Just deliver a good piece and then we’ll talk about it,’ Paul concluded ‘But in thethat over-inflated hotel bill’

And she would, A it on Now really wasn’t thea career crisis!

Locating the file she’d set aside for her article, Ains for a full ers hovered over the keys for an inordinate aet started before Paul’s call had stifled them

As good for her career as it ht be, she didn’t want to waste even a second of her word-count on Noble and Bates—there were hundreds of journalists who’d be only too willing to step in and do that when the tie to her readers the subject she was spending ti to an alien world, to let thelimpse the real person behind the hype…

To keep on doing what she had been for six months…

Wanted or not, a career crisis was exactly what she was having!

Pulling open the French s, she let the clatter of diners below fill the rooers of a pianist Stepping out onto the balcony she stared down, closing her eyes and letting theto put Paul’s words out of her mind and focus on what it was she really wanted to do with her life

‘Problem?’

His voice was so close she literally ju, startled, to the balcony beside hers, where Vaughan sat nursing a huge brandy, totally relaxed in arobe His black hair was even blacker from the shower, and Amelia’s body shot into overdrive Even an intravenous shot of hormones couldn’t have delivered a han away from the boardroom and in a clearly relaxed frae was a feeble shake of her head

‘If you don’t , you look a bit anxious’