‘How did the meeting with Miss Delaney go?’ Dianne asked airily, thrilled that Luke had found her up to her eyes in work, despite the fact that the rest of the staff had left at five.
‘It didn’t go,’ Luke gritted. ‘Get me the City Girl file please, Dianne – contracts, everything.’
‘Certainly,’ she said, the very picture of calm efficiency. Privately she was agog. What was going on here? All was certainly not well with DD.
She got him the files he required and closed the door quietly behind her. Three-quarters of an hour later she had phoned the nearby deli and ordered thick-cut beef on rye, his favourite sandwich, and some salads and coleslaw. Setting a tray with a crisp linen tray-cloth and gleaming silver, she had made a pot of coffee and carried the meal in to her boss.
He lifted his head from his work and smiled at her, that gorgeous sexy smile that made his brown eyes crinkle up. She immediately wanted to plant a hot passionate kiss on that so sensual mouth. She wanted to tell him to forget Devlin Delaney, that she was here to fulfil his every need. But all she said was: ‘I thought you might be hungry; you look as if you need some sustenance.’
‘I’d be lost without you, Dianne,’ he replied and she felt a surge of triumph. Had he ever said that to the blonde bombshell? She was sure he hadn’t.
Beaming at the memory of the compliment, Dianne slid between her satin sheets and switched out the light. She could conjure up his image much more easily in darkness. Which fantasy would she have tonight? The wedding one, where she glided down the aisle in a fairytale dress far superior to anything worn by a royal bride, to be greeted by Luke, her husband-to-be, at the altar, and then to imagine him placing the gold wedding band on her finger, his eyes caressing her warmly? No. Tonight she wanted passion. She remembered the smile on his mouth and in his eyes. Tonight she wanted the seduction scene where his eyes smouldered into hers and he muttered thickly as he tore the silk camisole from her body, ‘I want you, Dianne! God, how I want you!’
‘Oh yes . . . yes, Luke . . . yesss . . .’ Dianne breathed quickly in the dark. This was her favourite fantasy of all.
Three
‘Oh shut up!’ Devlin thumped the insistently chirping alarm clock that was guaranteed to set teeth on edge, and buried her head under the pillows. This was most unDevlin-like behaviour but she had not slept well and she knew she had a gruelling day ahead of her. She had three meetings to attend, two with personnel managers of firms that were negotiating membership terms for their employees and one with a PR firm that was anxious to persuade her to endorse a client’s product. She was guest of honour at a chamber-of-commerce luncheon and she dreaded making a speech. Then she had to go out to RTE to record an interview for a current affairs and business programme.
For one moment she was sorely tempted to call her secretary, pretend she was stricken with flu and get her to cancel all her engagements. A day in bed with no-one to harass her seemed like such a good idea. Today she didn’t feel like being Devlin Delaney, successful and ambitious businesswoman. She felt like keeping her head firmly under the pillow. It was just as she used to feel when she woke up on Monday mornings knowing she had a full week of school ahead of her.
People often said to her: ‘It must be great being your own boss.’ Well, that was the greatest misconception possible. She might be the boss, but she still had commitments that she couldn’t ignore. It was easier by far for one of her employees at City Girl to duck out for the day than it was for her, she thought grumpily, as she slid unenthusiastically out of bed. Bleary-eyed, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and thought – if only they could see me now. So much for the get-ahead businesswoman. It was tough going sometimes to live up to the image that the media had created for her. A shower and coffee refreshed her somewhat and as she placed the text of her speech in her briefcase, she was already mentally gearing up for her first meeting.
City Girl, even at eight-fifteen a.m., was a hive of activity. Lots of women came for early-morning workout sessions or swimming, before going in to work. Informal business meetings were often held over breakfast and as Devlin traversed the Coffee Dock to order some breakfast to be sent up to her office, she noted the presence of a prominent female politician, a high-profile business-woman and a board member of a government-sponsored agency, deep in conversation over coffee and croissants. A lot of networking went on at City Girl, especially over breakfast, and this pleased her enormously.
As she sat by her window overlooking St Stephen’s Green, eating yoghurt and honey, Devlin toyed with the idea of phoning Luke. The longer the interval, the more her courage failed. She had never seen him so angry in all the time they had worked together. The least he could have done was to phone her and apologize for walking away at the airport. That had been the height of rudeness, she argued silently with herself. After all, they had had a meeting scheduled. It wasn’t very professional of him, she decided, to let his personal feelings interfere with their business relationship.
Yes, but maybe you were sending out conflicting signals she chided herself, kissing him back that way. ‘Oh this is ridiculous!’ she muttered, as she rose and marched over to her desk. She dialled Luke’s private number. They were adults after all; the sooner they cleared up this misunderstanding the better.
The PA answered. This did not surprise Devlin: she had met Dianne once and knew that this efficient young woman was not one to let the grass grow under her feet. ‘Is Luke there, please?’ she asked pleasantly.
‘I’m afraid not,’ came the crisp Sloaney voice. Dianne wasn’t giving away any information.
‘Well, this is Devlin Delaney. Could you tell him I called and ask him to call me back. I’ll be in the office until noon; otherwise he’ll get me at home tonight.’
‘I’m not expecting him back at the office until this afternoon. He has a business meeting with his solicitors this morning and he’ll be on site until lunchtime, but I’ll certainly give him your message.’
‘Thank you,’ said Devlin, hanging up.
Dianne’s news had disturbed her more than she cared to admit. Surely Luke wasn’t meeting his solicitors about City Girl! He couldn’t have been serious yesterday. Or could he? Suddenly, Devlin wasn’t too sure.
‘Any calls I should know about?’ Luke appeared at her door, and Dianne devoured the sight of him in his jeans and T-shirt. He always wore jeans and a T-shirt when he was going on site and she loved the way the white material clung to his hard muscular body. She loved the way the dark hair curled at his throat and the idea of being held in his tanned muscled arms was her greatest dream.
‘No calls,’ she lied to her boss. She wasn’t going to tell him Devlin rang. Something was going on between those two: they’d had a row of some sort or other. What other reason could Luke have for haring back to London when he was supposed to be staying over in Dublin. And wanting to meet his solicitors too.
No she wasn’t going to tell him Ms Devlin Delaney called. If it ever came to light she could always say she forgot. Because she was so efficient as a rule, she was sure Luke would overlook it this once.
‘I’ve prepared that report on the Shepherd’s Bush project and it’s being typed up. I have your itinerary for your trip to Holland. Your flight leaves from Heathrow at eight tomorrow morning. Would you like me to drive you to the airport?’ Dianne asked, hoping against hope that he’d say yes.
‘The Shepherd’s Bush project already? That’s good work, Dianne. Thank you. I appreciate the late hours you’ve worked on it.’ Luke smiled and Dianne glowed. ‘I’ll get a taxi to the airport and save you the trek out; but thanks for the offer. Just hold the fort here for me until I get back.’
It’s no trouble, she was tempted to say, but that would not be the way of a sophisticate and Dianne was nothing if not sophisticated. Let him take a taxi to the airport, but she’d be waiting for him when he got back. She was going to make herself indispensable to Luke Reilly, and DD was going to fade into insignificance – that’s if she had an
ything to do with it.
‘I’ll organize some coffee for you, Luke – oh, and I got Sally to collect your suits from the cleaners. They’re hanging up in your office.’
‘Dianne, you’re a brick,’ Luke declared.
I know, she smiled to herself as she went to get the coffee.
Luke flicked casually through the itinerary Dianne had organized for his Dutch trip. Usually once he knew his itinerary, the adrenalin would start to flow for the business ahead. Right this minute the thought of going to Holland on a business trip was an irritation.
He had really hoped that Devlin would ring. Even as he sat listening to his solicitor tell him what dissolving their partnership entailed, he decided that if she phoned he would ask her if she wanted to discuss things. Obviously she didn’t.
Flicking through his Rolodex, Luke found the number of his solicitor’s office and picked up his phone to call him.
‘When will he be back?’ Devlin tried to keep her tone steady.
‘I’m picking him up late on Friday night,’ Dianne said crisply.
‘Thank you,’ Devlin replied.
‘You’re welcome, Miss Delaney.’
Was she imagining it, Devlin wondered as she hung up, or did Dianne sound almost insolent? She couldn’t believe that Luke had gone to Holland without returning her call. He must really have meant it when he’d said he’d had enough. The thought left her feeling faintly sick.
Her secretary popped her head through the door. ‘Are you ready to start interviewing? The first candidate has arrived.’
Devlin took a deep breath and nodded. ‘Sure; ask Aoibhinn to come down, will you?’ Aoibhinn was City Girl’s chief beautician and the interviews were to fill two positions in the beauty salon.
The rest of the day passed at its usual hectic pace, and the following day, sick of the place, Devlin called on Maggie, who had her own problems just then. Seeing how preoccupied she was, Devlin kept her woes about Luke to herself.
She was going through the report Arthur had prepared for her the following morning when her secretary buzzed her to tell her that her solicitor was on the line. As if in a dream she heard Monica Finlay say that a letter from Luke’s solicitors had arrived on her desk advising her that they had begun proceedings to dissolve their partnership.
Four
‘We are making our final approach to London Heathrow. Please fasten your seat belts for landing and put your seats in an upright position.’ At the stewardess’s announcement Devlin felt knots of apprehension grip her stomach. It had been a real spur-of-the-moment decision to fly to London and, now that she was here, she wondered if she had made a big mistake. Maybe Luke would just tell her to get lost. He hadn’t bothered to return her calls and their respective solicitors were currently working on the dissolution of their partnership.
She couldn’t let it end like this. Not in bitterness and anger. Luke meant too much to her for that. But what would she do if he refused to see her? He had become so much a part of her life: always there, as a sounding board and supporter. She couldn’t envisage running City Girl Ltd without him. She had taken him for granted for so long that it was something of a shock to realize just how much she depended on him. She had been so busy she had never really given too much thought to their relationship. But one thing she knew very well – she did not want to lose Luke’s friendship.
She phoned his apartment immediately after disembarking but there was no answer. She glanced at her watch and calculated that he was probably on his way to the office. It was just gone eight-thirty.
After she had cleared customs, she took a taxi and gave the address of Luke’s office. It felt strange to be sitting in one of the big black London cabs again. Not that she’d been able to travel around in them that much when she’d lived in London. Money had been very tight: it had been the bus and tube for her then. To think that she had worked here, lived here and given birth to Lynn here. It all seemed so long ago. She had taken her baby home to Dublin to give her a better life. Perhaps if she had stayed in London, her daughter would still be alive. Tears smarted at the back of her eyes and her heart ached with an unbearable longing. Whoever said time healed was a liar. Subdued and getting more tense by the minute, Devlin was sorely tempted to tell the taxi-driver to turn around and bring her back to Heathrow.
By the time she got to the impressive block that housed Luke’s offices she was feeling really nervous. A quick glance in her mirror told her that outwardly she looked fine and showed no hint of the turmoil that churned her up inside. She retouched her lipstick, paid the taxi-driver, took a deep breath and walked up the marble steps of the building. Now that she was here, she wondered where Luke was. He could be at a meeting or on site. But surely if he’d been away on a business trip until Friday night he would stop by the office first thing on a Monday morning. Well, she’d find out in just a few moments, she thought wryly as the lift rose silently to the top floor where Luke’s offices were.
‘Can I help you?’ a pleasant young receptionist asked her.
‘Sally, could you type this up immediately; Mr Reilly needs it.’ A tall thin model-like blonde had come out from an inner office. Devlin recognized Luke’s PA, Dianne.
The blonde woman’s thinly plucked eyebrows arched questioningly. And then she too recognized Devlin.
‘Oh Miss Delaney,’ she said coolly. ‘Can I help you?’
‘I’d like to see Luke for a few minutes if you could tell him I’m here,’ Devlin said, marvelling at how normal her voice sounded.
‘He has meetings scheduled for the whole morning. I could try and fit you in later in the week – perhaps Wednesday?’ Dianne said crisply.
‘If you would kindly tell him I’m here, I’d be much obliged,’ Devlin said firmly, holding the other woman’s stare. She was damned if she was going to be intimidated by this creature.
‘Dianne, I need Van der Voek’s – Devlin! What are you doing here?’ Luke was standing at the door staring at her.
Devlin’s heart skipped a beat. ‘I just need to see you for a few minutes – if you could fit me in.’ Her eyes met his.
‘Certainly. Come on in.’ Luke held the door open for her.
‘What about your nine-thirty appointment?’ Dianne interjected coldly.
‘Tell him I’ve been slightly delayed. Offer him coffee. Do what you usually do when this happens.’ He led the way towards his office and closed the door firmly behind himself and Devlin.
Just what the hell was she doing here, Dianne wondered furiously, as she sat at her computer and clattered the keys with much more force than was necessary. God, she’d nearly died when she had walked out to reception and seen the blonde bombshell in all her glory. And she had been looking glorious too, blast her, in her exquisitely tailored taupe suit and whiter than white camisole that showed off her tan. And the hair. The bob really suited her: it made her look sophisticated and vulnerable at the same time, if that were possible.
‘Oh shit!’ A thought struck her. Devlin would no doubt mention that she had called and left a message. Now she’d really be up the creek. Luke would be raging. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere with him, too. He had been really pleased that she had collected him at the airport. He had taken her for a meal at Scott’s in Mayfair and the lobster bisque had been superb. She had asked him all about his trip and shown great enthusiasm when he’d told her all about the deal he’d made. He’d even bought her a present, a beautiful, carved jewellery box, and told her he really appreciated how hard she worked for him. Dianne had gone to bed that night on such a high. Even her discovery on coming into work that morning that he had also brought Sally back a present hadn’t affected her great good humour. Everything had been going swimmingly until that Devlin had appeared, batting her big blue-green eyes and making Dianne look a fool.
What was going on in that office? She would give anything to know.
‘Thank you for seeing me,’ Devlin said, feeling more than a little awkward.
‘
Don’t be daft, Devlin. Of course I’d always see you!’ Luke expostulated.
‘Well, I wasn’t too sure,’ Devlin retorted, ‘especially when you didn’t return my calls.’
‘What calls? I didn’t know you’d called.’ Luke’s brows drew down in a frown.
‘Well I did; and I called you at home too. When I didn’t hear from you and then when my solicitor told me about the letter from your solicitors, I figured that was the end of us . . .’ Her voice trailed off.
‘If I remember correctly, that didn’t seem to worry you too much the last time we met,’ he said dryly.
‘Ah, Luke, don’t be a pig! You told me you never wanted to see me again. Remember? Maybe you really meant it.’ She turned to walk away, but Luke caught her by the arm and turned her back to face him.
‘I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. You’re right: I am being a pig. And I’m sorry about the other day at the airport. I don’t want to be the one to end our partnership.’ His amber eyes stared down into hers.
‘I don’t either,’ she whispered. ‘I need you as my friend.’
‘Ah, Devlin, I’ll always be your friend,’ Luke sighed, putting his arms around her. It was as if a huge burden had evaporated and she rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him back tightly.
‘I’d better call the solicitors and tell them we’ve changed our minds,’ he said ruefully. ‘We’re like two kids. You’d better tell me all about this Belfast deal we’re getting into.’
‘Luke, you’ll love it.’ Devlin’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. ‘I think we could be on to a winner.’ A buzz on the intercom interrupted them. It was Dianne.
‘Kenneth Major is on the line for you.’
‘Tell him I’ll call him back – and hold all my calls please,’ Luke said briskly.
‘Certainly,’ came the frosty response.
Devlin smiled ruefully. ‘We’re upsetting your PA’s carefully planned schedule. I know Liz, my secretary, goes mad when I upset her plans.’
City Woman Page 4
