Effortless

“I know.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

Eyes darkening, he angled his body closer to me. “What I feel for you is more powerful than love. It’s consuming and relentless.” Our lips brushed together briefly. “You will think of me all day and you will be just as overwhelmed by this feeling as I am.” His kissed me again, long and slow. “Go to work.”

Resigned to the fact that he’d captivated me with his words yet again, I climbed out of the car and walked into the building. Shaking myself out of this seductive haze proved to be challenging. I twisted my engagement ring around my finger as I rode up in the elevator. Since I wasn’t alone, I made it a point not to flash it out in the open. I waited until I was safely at my desk before admiring the way the diamond and halo of emeralds sparkled in the light. A smile tugged at my lips as I thought about what he had planned for me tonight.

“Lia.” Julian burst through the door, scaring the crap out of me. “I have to reschedule our lunch today. My apologies. I’ve been asked to give a quick talk at one of the schools for some…thing that I had no idea I was signed up for.”

His frown matched the dour look in his eyes.

“That’s okay. I’m sure we ca—”

“We’ll meet for cocktails after work tonight. I have a table at Pulse any time I need it. Be there at eight.”

There wasn’t time for me to give a response. He left too fast. Only the echo of his words lingered behind.

“Lunch? Cocktails? You’ve certainly managed to charm him.” Robbie leaned against the doorframe. “Can’t say he ever spent time outside the building with Gemma.”

Gemma? Oh, right. The person I replaced.

“Was she really that bad?”

Robbie walked in and left the door partially open.

“It’s not that she was bad, per se,” he said, sitting across from me. “She just didn’t have the temperament for Julian. As you know, he’s a handful but he’s not a horrible person. However, if you’re unlucky enough to land on his bad side it’s over.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. If he’s offering you alcohol consider yourself bonded to him for life. Listen, while I’ve got your attention, I wanted to talk to you about the interview with Brent Garrison.”

My eyebrows shot straight up. I’d been so wrapped up in my personal utopia I’d forgotten about that. Plus, he owned Pulse, the destination that Julian tossed out for our cocktail meeting.

“You know him, right?”

“Uh, well, sort of,” I stammered, remembering our brief encounters all too well. “We’ve bumped into one another socially a few times.”

“You’re dating Alastair Holden so you will find yourself in the company of the city’s upper echelon.”

Keeping my hands hidden under the desk, I twisted the ring again. My personal life had been a hot topic at my former news station in Orlando thanks to the fact that Alastair’s company purchased our rival. But here? It was always on display no matter the circumstance. People were so curious about me and how I’d managed to tame Britain’s most eligible bachelor.

“Just so you know, Julian is ripe with questions for you. He’s been dying to have Alastair as a guest for ages. Tonight’s cocktail adventure could be his way of loosening you up.”

“He knows enough to back off when it comes to my relationship. Don’t worry about me.”

Once Robbie left my office I set to work. A couple of the correspondents stopped by to review their package scripts with me and discuss placement in the show. I’d managed to stack the first twenty minutes by lunchtime and ran the segments by Sam to get any needed feedback. So far, so good.

At one, I decided to take a break and grab something to eat. Plus, I had to call Stephanie and tell her the news. Even though we’d technically been engaged since July, Alastair and I had kept it between us. The summer had been such a stressful time for both of us that we decided to stay quiet until I was settled here and we were ready to let everybody else in on the secret.

I stopped myself mid-dial. My parents. I had to tell them first. And my sister. Lowering the phone back into the cradle I considered my options. It was early back home, barely past eight in the morning. My mother was probably having her third cup of coffee and debating whether or not to meet her circle of friends for a leisurely lunch. My dad was most certainly working. Even though he’d retired a few years ago he still did consulting work for the bank on the side.

I should do a video call. A small laugh escaped my lips. Trying to explain Skype to them would be nothing short of hilarious if I wanted to tell them face to face.

My dialing was interrupted a second time by a knock on my door.

“Sorry to bother you. These were just delivered.” Meredith walked in carrying a sizable bouquet of red roses.

“They’re lovely,” she said, placing them on the desk. “You’re quite lucky.”

Not saying anything further, she left. I searched for a card and found one nestled in with the baby’s breath.

If my calculations are correct, these will make you smile. Looking forward to tonight.

Yours, ARH xx

Oh no. Tonight. Dammit.

I grabbed the phone and dialed his office.

“Holden World Media.”

“Hi, Simone. It’s Lia. Is he busy?”

“Hold please.”

His assistant sounded miffed at my familiarity on the phone. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. I stroked the pretty petals while listening to some rather dire sounding hold music. They should probably play some of their own artists’ music instead of this, I thought, twisting the phone cord.

“Holden,” he answered, irritated.

“I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Amelia.” The desirous way he said my name gave me an unexpected rush. “Not at all, kitten. Did you get my special delivery?”

“I did. They’re beautiful.” I paused. “Is everything okay? You sound stressed.”

Silence permeated through the phone before he answered. “Everything’s fine. I’m about to go sit with the finance team so you caught me just in time.” He lowered his voice. “Have you been doing as I asked all day?”

The phone nearly slipped out of my hand from the tremor of yearning that shot through my body. I composed myself before lowering the boom about tonight. “Um, so, I’ve been invited out for cocktails tonight with Julian. Well, invited is too kind. He sort of told me it was happening and where and when to meet him.”

“Did he?” he asked, clearly annoyed. “What time?”

“Eight. He said he has a table at Pulse already reserved so—”

“Will Garrison be there?”

I could hear the scowl in his tone.

“Not that I’m aware of. Do you want to come with me?”