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A happy thought? A right cross, straight to Damian Skouras’s jaw

“Good!”

A knee, right where it would do the ood

“Great!” Haskell began e, whatever it is, because it’s working”

A nice, stiff-armed jab into his solar plexus

“Wonderful stuff, Laurel That’s irl!”

Why hadn’t she done it? Because there’d already been too many eyes on them, that hy Because if she’d done what she’d wanted to do, she’d have drawn the attention of everyone in the roo Dawn’s day

“Look up, darling That’s it Tilt your head Good This ti that smolders A smile that says your wonderful computer’s what’s made it possible for you to be out here instead of in your office, that in a couple of lorious sun and sea, traipse down to the cabin and tueous“You do know a gorgeous man, don’t you?”

Damian Skouras

Laurel stiffened Had she said the words aloud? No, thank goodness Haskell was still dancing around her, his eye glued to his camera

Daeous”

But he was That masculine body That incredible face, with the features seeranite The eyes that were a blue she’d never seen before And thatas if it had been chiseled fro war as it took hers

“Now you’ve got it!” Haskell’s camera whirred and clicked until the roll of film was done Then he dumped the careat The look on your face” He sighed dramatically “All I can say is, !”

Laurel put the computer on the floor, took Haskell’s hand, rose to her feet and reached for the terry-cloth robe she’d left over the back of a chair

“Are we finished?”

“We are, thanks to whatever flashed through your head just now” Haskell chuckled “I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me who he was?”

“It wasn’t a ‘he’ at all,” Laurel said, forcing a sht about what I was having for dinner tonight”

“No steak ever rin “Who’s the lucky man, and why isn’t it me?”

“Perhaps Miss Bennett’s telling you the truth”

Laurel spun around The slightly amused male voice had cohtly lit set only deepened the darkness that lurked in the corners

“After all, it’s well past lunchtime”

Laurel’s heart skipped a beat No No, it couldn’t be

Da out of the mist

“Hello, Miss Bennett”

For a ape at this htened, drew the robe more closely around her and narrowed her eyes

“This isn’t funny, Mr Skouras”

“I’lad to hear it, Miss Bennett, since comedy’s not my forte”

“Laurel?” Haskell turned toward her “You know this guy? I mean, you asked him to meet you here?”

“I do not know him,” Laurel said coldly

Dareet me by name just now, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know him, and I certainly didn’t ask him to meet me here”

Haskell moved forward “Okay, pal, you heard the lady This isn’t a public gallery You want to do business with ent a call”

“My business is with Miss Bennett”

“Hey, what is it with you, buddy? You deaf? I just told you—”