Jackie pulled the arms of her chair forward and sat down, and began kneading her forehead with her fingertips.

“What’s the matter?” Stephen asked.

She dropped her hands to the desk. “I don’t think you quite realize how difficult all this is for me.”

Stephen moved behind Jackie, leaning one hand on the back of her chair, the other on her desk. To anyone who might have witnessed this action from the corridor, it would appear as if he had just made the move to read something over her shoulder. But Stephen was close enough to see the goosebumps rise when he blew softly on the back of her neck and he could smell the heady muskiness of her perfume.

“I do understand, Jackie, believe me, I do, but I want you to be with me all the time. I need you to be with me all the time. And I know that you feel the same way about me. I don’t want anything ever to come between us, Jackie, because if that happened, I just couldn’t cope with working here anymore. We’re a great partnership, my girl, not only in business, so why should we do anything to break that up?” He reached for the telephone receiver, picked it up, and held it out for her. “Go on, give Dan a call”—he leaned over and pressed his mouth to her ear—“and think about Milan!” he whispered.

Jackie took the receiver from him but made no attempt to dial. “Do you really mean that, about wanting me, Stephen?” she asked without turning her head to look at him.

“I think you know me well enough by now, don’t you? When I want something badly enough, I’ll go all out to get it. And once I’ve got it, I’ll never let it out of my grasp again.”

Jackie closed her eyes as she felt his breath tickle the back of her ear. “Would you mind leaving the office, then, while I make the phone call?”

Stephen glanced out at the corridor, then over to the other offices, and finally across to the reception desk. When he was sure that everyone was occupied at work, he planted a light kiss on the nape of Jackie’s neck. “Of course. Good luck.”

Jackie waited until he was back at his desk before punching in the quick-dial number of Dan’s mobile. As it rang, she pulled in a long, settling breath, feeling herself shudder nervously as she let it out.

“Hu-llo?”

Hearing his voice again after so long sent an involuntary shockwave of guilt through her body, but it was countered by the resentment that she felt at the cheeriness of his reply.

“Dan?”

“Jackie, is that you?”

“Yes.”