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“No?”
“No. I was simply telling the driver to take us back into Manhattan, now that our plans have changed.”
“Ah,” the driver said. “Yes, Manhattan?”
Matthew looked into the mirror. “Manhattan, no,” he said, as calmly as he could. “When we decide where we want to go, we’ll tell you. Okay?”
“Yes. Okay.”
Susannah’s mouth thinned. The driver sounded about as convinced as she felt. “I’ll just bet your plans have changed, Mr. Romano.”
“Dammit,” Matthew said, “it was just a kiss, that’s all. No big deal.” She didn’t answer, didn’t look at him…didn’t protest his description. For some reason he couldn’t understand, that annoyed the hell out of him.
“You’re right,” she said, after a minute, “it was no big deal at all.”
That annoyed him even more.
“Really,” he said.
Susannah looked at him and hoped he couldn’t read the truth in her eyes, that nothing she’d ever experienced had been remotely like that kiss.
“Really,” she said, with a bored little smile.
Matthew nodded. “So,” he said, very calmly, “the guy who plays cards with your mother kisses you like that?”
Color flamed in her cheeks. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’m talking about Sam. The guy who plays cards with your mother instead of making love to you.”
“You have absolutely no right to ask me such a—”
“What about Peter? The one you sent kisses to when you were away.”
“Peter?” she said, her voice rising. “Peter? What do you know about—”
“Answer the question, Madison. Do you kiss him the way you just kissed me?”
Susannah made a strangled sound. Peter’s a cat, Mr. Romano, she wanted to say, just to see him turn purple. But instinct told her to keep that bit of information to herself.
“How I kiss Sam, or—or Peter, or anybody else, is none of your business.”
He nodded. She was right. He knew that. She could kiss a hundred guys from here to the coast. She could make those same little sounds she’d made with him, part her mouth for a hundred other men the same as she’d done for him, get hot in a hundred other pairs of arms. It didn’t matter.
“You’re right.”
“You’re damn right, I’m right,” she said huffily.
There was a beat of silence, and then Matthew cleared his throat.
“Here’s the deal,” he said brusquely. “Your plan has merit, and it’ll probably do better if you’re in charge.”
“What do you mean, if? It’s my plan. Who else could see it through?”
“Someone I’d hire. Don’t look so shocked, Madison. It’s your plan, but it’s my magazine. On that basis, assuming you can file what just happened under F for Forgotten, we go ahead with it.”
Susannah linked her hands together in her lap. “I think I should tell you that I really dislike you, Mr. Romano.”
“You’re breaking my heart.”
“You’re an arrogant and heartless man.”
Matthew sighed, crossed his legs and swung one foot back and forth. “Yes or no, please. Do you want the job? We don’t have all day.”
“Of course I want it,” she snapped. “But I wish I’d never set eyes on you.”
“You mean, you wish you’d never kissed me.”
Her eyes met his in cold defiance “Kiss?” she said. “What kiss? It never happened, remember?”
“Exactly.” Matthew leaned forward and tapped the partition between the cabby and his passengers. “Driver? Take us into Manhattan, please.”
The driver sat up straight. “Yes?” he said happily.
“Yes. Drop the lady off first, at Fortieth and Third, and then take me to the Manhattan Towers Hotel.” Matthew sat back, sighed and shook his head. “All this fuss for a kiss.”
“We just agreed that there was no kiss.”
“Right. Right. There was no kiss.”
“Exactly.”
Susannah folded her arms. Matthew folded his.
“I don’t get involved with women I do business with,” he said, as the taxi headed for the tunnel linking Manhattan to Queens.
“Good,” Susannah said, staring straight ahead. “That way, you wouldn’t have to be disappointed when I turned you down.”
“I just think we should be honest, that’s all. Admit the attraction. You want to sleep with me, I want to sleep with you, but sex is sex and business is business, and the two don’t mix so we’re not going to do anything about it. End of story.”
Susannah shot him an ugly look. “You cannot imagine how much 1 loathe you!”
“Great word, loathe. It has so much passion to it.” Matthew’s smile was as smug as his voice. “Loathe me all you like. That doesn’t mean you don’t want me.”
“Want you? I’d sooner want a snake.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, considering what was going on here a little while ago, you’re going to make some snake a very happy reptile.”
Susannah swung toward him, her hands knotted into fists. Any second now, she was going to lose her chance at CHIC, probably her chance at anything, because once she slugged the horrible Matthew Romano, what would be her chance of getting another job in publishing?
“You really do think you’re the sexiest man alive, don’t you? Well, let me tell you something, Romano. Just because I was stupid enough to let you kiss me—”
“She let me kiss her,” Matthew said, shaking his head.
“It was Just…a physical thing. And I don’t believe in physical things.” Matthew snorted, and she flashed him an enraged look. “I don’t sleep around.”
His smile turned cool. “I’m sure Peter and Sam would be delighted to hear it.”
“I told you,” Susannah said, choking back a gust of crazed laughter, “Peter and Sam are none of your business.”
“Your personal life is very much my business, Madison.” His tone was crisply professional. “I’m sure there’s a morals clause in your contract.”
“A what?”
“I’ll have my attorneys review it.”
“What do you mean, a morals clause?”
What did he mean? It was one hell of a fine question.
“You represent CHIC.” he said, wondering if he sounded as stupid to her as he did to himself. “That means you’re expected to maintain a certain degree of morality.”
“I’m glad to hear one it’s expected of one of us.”
“I won’t ask you to curtail your current relationships with your—your gentlemen friends, but I will ask you to exercise discretion.”
“Discretion,” Susannah said, and resumed weighing the value of trading her career for one good sock to that handsome jaw.
“Yes. And while we’re on the subject, I think you should know that I’m usually more sophisticated in my attempts to separate a beautiful woman from her clothes.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“I don’t know what you’re supposed to be.” That was certainly the truth. Why was he telling her this? There was not reason he could think of. “I, ah, I just thought you were entitled to know that.”
“Thank you.” Susannah spoke politely, wondering, with a touch of heat, exactly how he usually did get his women out of their clothes. “So long as we’re getting everything out in the open…”
“Yes?”
“I think your presence in the office would undermine my authority.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I won’t be there. I have some loose ends to tie up in the northeast over the next week or two.”
“When it comes to making decisions, I’ll need free rein.”
“Of course. Free rein—within limits.”
“That’s not free rein,” she said, eyes flashing.
“That’s how I work, Madison. I consult with my people, I listen, I’ll change my mind if they convince me I
