Purchased For Pleasure. Nicola Marsh

of the sexy butt she’d grabbed on numerous lucky occasions, turning to face her before he left. ‘It’s going to be great catching up. Just like old times.’

      Kate stiffened.

      Just like old times.

      Images of fun-filled days at the beach and long, hot, sultry Californian nights spent making love on top of twisted sheets sprang to mind and she wondered if time had enhanced her memories or if it really had been that good between her and Ty.

      ‘Katie?’

      ‘My answer is no, Ty.’

      She blinked several times, hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts as he used to.

      ‘I still want you too.’

      With that he sauntered out the door, leaving her open-mouthed before she snapped her jaw shut, wishing she’d had the final word.

      The guy was infuriating.

      The guy was cocky.

      The guy was right.

      She did want him, with every cell in her oversensitised body, and the feeling was mutual?

      Oh, boy.

      ‘You’re crazy,’ she muttered, sinking into her chair and picking up the overworked stress ball on her desk and squeezing as if her life depended on it. It didn’t help. The rubber ball looked a bit like her, worn out, frayed around the edges, with all the life crushed out of it.

      She threw the ball into the bin and leaped to her feet. If she rushed after Ty she just might make it. He hadn’t accepted her refusal and she needed to ram home her point that the last thing she wanted to do was spend the next week with him.

      However, as she yanked open the door she ran straight into her boss.

      ‘Whoa. Where’s the fire?’

      Henry Kerr, Femme’s Chief Editor, settled her back on her feet. He always managed to catch her at a bad time. In fact, she was convinced he had radar for trouble and it was tuned in to her frequency.

      ‘Sorry. In a hurry.’

      He quirked an eyebrow. ‘So I see. Got a minute?’

      She knew by the serious look on his face that it wasn’t a question, it was an order. So much for chasing after Ty.

      ‘Sure. What’s up?’

      He smiled and she knew she was in trouble. Her boss never smiled unless she’d done something wrong. ‘Come into my office and I’ll let you in on a secret.’

      She followed him, slouching along in the same way she usually followed the dentist into his rooms, though she hoped her meeting with Henry didn’t involve anything as difficult or painful as pulling teeth. The memory of her first and last tooth removed as a nine-year-old still rankled.

      Henry closed the door and gestured towards a chair. ‘Have a seat and we’ll get down to business.’

      Here it comes, the injection and the drill.

      Henry sat down behind his desk and rested his folded hands on his paunch. ‘Good work last night, Kate. Real good.’

      Huh?

      She smiled and nodded, not having the faintest idea what he was talking about.

      ‘Buying that Navy guy was a stroke of genius on your part. Unbelievable. Pure gold.’

      Okay, now she knew something was up. Her boss was impressed with the stupidest thing she’d done in a long time?

      Thankfully, she didn’t have to reply as Henry continued, ‘The publicity in the papers today is worth a mint on its own, but have you seen the pictures we’ve got? Amazing. Just what the magazine needs. A real-life story about one of its own. Good one, Kate.’

      She didn’t like the sound of this. Clasping her hands in her lap, she counted to ten, slowly. ‘I’m an editor, not a news story.’

      He chuckled, a deep belly laugh that caused his three chins to wobble in succession. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. Our phones haven’t stopped ringing all morning. All the reporters want to talk to our newest star and I’ve told them to back off. They can read all about it in the upcoming issue of Femme. Like I said, pure gold.’