Mr. Loverman

‘This isn’t a decision which I’ve taken lightly,’ he said as he swung his chair back from the window, his hooded lids hiding all expression as he gazed at the flushed cheeks and glitteringly angry emerald-green eyes of the beautiful girl in front of him.

‘I’ve been in this business for some time. So I know what I’m talking about when I say that mixing business and pleasure is a certain recipe for disaster,’ he told her quietly. ‘When two people who happen to work closely together also begin sleeping with one another it always ends in tears and bitter recriminations. Believe me, I’m far too fond of you to let that happen.’

‘Oh, really...?’ she drawled caustically. ‘So how come you waited until I came into the office this morning before giving me the sack? If that’s your idea of fondness I hate to think how you’d behave if you really cared for someone!’

‘I wouldn’t be telling you this now, in the office, if I’d been able to contact you at home,’ he retorted grimly. ‘But for some reason you’d taken the phone off the hook.’

‘I just wanted a good night’s sleep,’ she snapped. ‘After coping with that foul man Craig Jordan I reckoned I deserved it!’

‘You did a very good job under extremely difficult circumstances,’ he agreed smoothly. ‘In fact, I’ll freely admit that it’s going to be difficult to find someone to take your place.’

‘You can cut out that patronising tone, you bastard!’ she ground out through gritted teeth. ‘Because it obviously doesn’t seem to matter how successful I’ve been—you’re still going to sling me out onto the rubbish heap. Right?’

‘Wrong!’ he snapped, only a muscle beating in his clenched jaw, and the high spots of colour on his cheekbones, betraying evidence of the fact that her caustic barbs were beginning to hit home. ‘You know very well that there are any number of agencies who’d give their eye-teeth to have you working for them.’

‘But I’ve built up a career in this firm,’ she pointed out forcibly. ‘There are several clients I spotted when they were fresh out of drama school and who are now doing really well. Not to mention a lot more depending on me because they know I’ll move heaven and earth to get them good parts in films or the theatre,’ she added, struggling to control her temper as she desperately tried to get him to see reason.

A tense, brooding silence seemed to fill the room for a few moments, before he gave a slow shake of his dark head. ‘While I agree that you’ve always been a valued, highly successful member of this agency, I’m not prepared to reconsider my decision. However, I will, of course, give you a handsome settlement in lieu of the proper notice, as well as a glowing reference.’

‘Oh, gee—thanks!’ Laura glowered at the handsome man sitting behind his desk. ‘So, what happens when, halfway through an interview for a new job, someone asks, “And just why did you leave your last firm, Miss Parker?” What am I supposed to say? That my boss fancied a quick fling—and is now covered with remorse for having had his evil way with me?’ She gave a shrill, harsh peal of laughter, roughly pushing back her chair as she leaped to her feet. ‘For God’s sake, Jack, they’d never believe it. Not in a month of Sundays!’

‘Calm down, Laura! I really don’t think that—’

‘No—you’re right. That’s one thing you didn’t think about,’ she retorted, her voice rising in fury as she paced angrily about the room. ‘Any prospective employer is bound to assume that I was either cooking the books or that I was caught with my hand in the till. And why?’ she demanded fiercely, spinning around to face him. ‘Because no one could possibly imagine that handsome Jack Wilder—the “Mr Loverman” of the London theatrical world, who’s had more girls than I’ve had hot dinners—would sack a colleague simply because they spent a weekend together.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ he snapped.

‘I’m not the one who’s going to look ridiculous when the news gets out,’ she stormed, her temper by now well out of control as she hit back at the man who was treating her so cruelly. ‘I’ll bet any money you like that your colleagues and rivals will be falling about and screaming with laughter when they hear that you’ve given up the lecherous, womanising habits of a lifetime. Can’t you just hear them? “Hey, guys, did I tell you the latest gossip about randy Jack Wilder? He’s suddenly had a rush of blood to the head, and joined the Salvation Army!”’

‘I’ve had quite enough of this nonsense,’ he growled angrily. ‘I think you’d better leave both my office and this firm as quickly as possible.’

‘Don’t worry—I’ve no intention of staying one moment longer than I have to!’ Laura yelled, her shoulder-length, bright auburn hair whirling about her head as she spun on her heels and marched swiftly away across the thick carpet.

‘In any case,’ she added, jerking open the door to the outer office, now jam-packed with agency staff who’d been listening goggle-eyed to the row, ‘I wouldn’t be seen dead working for such a...a slimy ratbag!’

‘If you don’t get out of here right now I’ll throw you out on your ear!’ he bellowed, jumping to his feet, his handsome features flushed with rage and fury.

‘Oh, yeah?’ she jeered, almost drunk with exhilaration as she heard some of her colleagues giving way to nervous giggles and muffled, hysterical laughter. ‘Do me a favour! You couldn’t even go two rounds with a revolving door!’

‘Get out!’

‘Relax—I’m going. But if you think you’ve seen or heard the last of me you’re very much mistaken,’ she hissed, quickly whisking herself around the other side of the door as Jack left his desk and began moving menacingly towards her. ‘Because I’m going to get my own back on you...you philandering Casanova—if it’s the last thing I ever do!’

Perched on a kitchen stool, Laura watched glumly as her older sister spread whipped cream over the thin rectangular slabs of dark brown sponge cake.

‘OK, Amy, you may as well say what you’re thinking.’ She sighed heavily. ‘I went completely over the top, didn’t I?’

‘Well...’ the other girl murmured, concentrating on her work as she deftly rolled up the chocolate roulades and dusted them with icing sugar before placing the delicate confections inside a large fridge. ‘I must say it does sound like a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease.’

‘You’re right,’ Laura agreed with another heavy sigh.

‘We both know that you’ve been mad about Jack for ages,’ Amy pointed out calmly as she began whisking some egg whites in a copper bowl. ‘But I can’t help thinking it’s a pity you didn’t get the ground rules sorted out before you gave in to temptation.’

‘I only wish that I had,’ Laura admitted gloomily. ‘But...but can’t you see that it’s all so unfair? Why should I have to be the sacrificial lamb? Why should I be the one to lose my job—while he gets off, scot-free? Everyone knows that it takes two to tango, for heaven’s sake!’

Amy shrugged. ‘Well, you could hardly expect him to leave his own firm.’

‘There was no need for anyone to leave!’ her younger sister retorted grimly. ‘In fact, if Jack wasn’t so totally paranoiac about anyone mixing business with pleasure, there wouldn’t be a problem. As far as I can see, he was only intent on preserving his own, rotten reputation. Is it any wonder that I went completely bananas?’

‘It certainly sounds as if you burned your boats in fine style,’ Amy agreed wryly. ‘After all, I don’t imagine that any guy is going to be exactly thrilled to be called “a slimy ratbag”. And certainly not in front of everyone in the office!’

‘OK, OK... there’s no need to rub it in,’ Laura groaned, burying her face in her hands for a moment, desperately wishing that she could go to sleep and wake up to find that it had all been a hideous nightmare.

After storming out of the agency this morning, she’d walked through the streets of London in a daze, not realising where she was going or what she was doing, until she’d found herself wandering down Piccadilly towards Green Park. Sinking down onto a wooden bench and closing her eyes as she’d raised her face towards the clear blue sky, Laura had still felt as if she was in the midst of a bad dream.

It had only been as her tired mind and body had begun to relax beneath the warmth of the midday sun that she’d forced herself to accept the grim truth: not only had her successful career been suddenly reduced to a pile of rubble—but her name was now mud with the man she’d loved so hopelessly, for so long.

In fact, that was an understatement of the situation, she now told herself gloomily, staring blindly down at the stainless-steel worktop in the large kitchen from where her sister ran a successful catering company. Jack Wilder might well be as attractive as all-get-out, but he was also a hard, tough and ruthless individual, who was almost certainly going to prove to be a very bad enemy.

Not that she’d had any idea of the powerful force and aggression lying beneath his charming, handsome exterior when she’d first joined his agency over three years ago. Completely over the moon at having gained a coveted post at Wilder, Hunt and Martin—commonly known as WHAM and one of the most successful theatrical agencies in London—Laura had beamed happily at the man sitting behind his desk in the large office overlooking Shaftesbury Avenue.

‘There is just one more point I’d like to make, Miss Parker,’ he’d said as she’d risen to go and meet her new colleagues. ‘I do not, under any circumstances, allow anyone working here to mix business with pleasure. That applies first and foremost to our clients, of course—but also, if you will forgive the immodesty, to myself. Quite frankly,’ he’d added, his lips tightening momentarily in irritation and annoyance, ‘I’m sick and tired of having to get rid of foolish, silly girls who—God knows why—manage to persuade themselves that they’ve fallen in love with me. Do I make myself clear?’

‘As a bell!’ she’d laughed, before holding up her left hand to display a small diamond ring on her third finger. ‘I’m engaged to be married. So, if you will also forgive the immodesty, Mr Wilder, I think you’ll find you’re quite safe with me!’

‘I’m glad to hear it...er...Laura,’ he’d grinned, then had told her to call him by his Christian name before asking his personal assistant, Susie Carter, to show her to her new office.

‘He wasn’t joking,’ Susie had warned her a few days later as they’d grabbed a quick lunch in a nearby wine bar. ‘Jack Wilder may have quite a reputation in the business—I don’t imagine that he’s known as Mr Loverman for nothing!—but, as far as the agency is concerned, he doesn’t stand any nonsense. And I can’t say that I blame him,’ she’d added with a shrug. ‘It must be a real drag having someone spending all their time in a daydream—or, like your predecessor, flooding the office with tears every time she reads press cuttings about Jack and his glamorous girlfriends.’

‘Well, I can see he’s a very handsome and charming man, but I’m simply not interested,’ Laura had told her with a bright, confident smile. Having fallen in love with an engineering student, Bryan Turner, during her last year at university, she’d known that she was completely immune to her new employer—however attractive he might be.

Unfortunately, Bryan had proved to be far less sure of his feelings. After joining a large firm of civil engineers, he’d been sent abroad a year later to deal with the construction of a large hotel in the centre of Bangkok. There, he’d quickly succumbed to the pleasures and distractions of an Oriental way of life—only bothering to inform his fiancée that he had met and married a beautiful Thai girl some months after the ceremony had taken place.

Quite convinced that her heart was irretrievably broken, Laura had buried herself in work, grimly concentrating on her career. Looking after and caring for her clients had helped to assuage some of her deep unhappiness—until, some six months later, she’d been both amazed and somewhat ashamed to discover that her heart hadn’t been broken after all.

As a result of her having become totally absorbed and single-minded about her job, Laura’s hard work and increasing success had not gone unnoticed. Rapidly promoted by Jack to a position of responsibility within the firm, she’d found herself increasingly in close contact with her employer. And, although for a long time she’d struggled against acknowledging the fact, Laura had gradually realised that she was in serious trouble.

Almost without realising it, she’d fallen deeply in love with Jack Wilder—a dangerously contagious disease, which also seemed to have infected half the women of his acquaintance. However, since she’d known that the likelihood of Jack returning her love was less than zero, she’d been determined not to succumb to what could only be a hopeless and disastrous state of affairs.

Ever since both her parents had died, when she was only sixteen, Laura had become used to talking over problems with her older sister. However, confiding the truth about her feelings for Jack had merely resulted in Amy’s practical, level-headed advice that she should leave the firm as soon as possible and get a job in another agency. ‘After all, love, what’s the point in giving yourself a whole load of grief?’ she’d said.

Unfortunately, and despite knowing that her sister was right, Laura hadn’t been able to bring herself to follow such a sensible course of action. However, over the past two years she’d always taken the greatest care to conceal the true depth of her feelings, both from her friends and workmates as well as her employer.

It hadn’t been an ideal situation, of course, but she was certain that she’d managed to convince everyone that she had no romantic interest in her boss. And there’d certainly been no problem when she’d accompanied Jack to other film locations, in such diverse places as Arizona, Spain and the Ukraine. So why had everything suddenly gone completely haywire in Tahiti...?

‘In fact, once he’s calmed down, I’m sure that Jack will see that he’s treated you very badly.’

‘Hmm...?’ She raised her head, looking blankly at Amy for a moment. ‘I’m sorry...I was miles away,’ she confessed with a heavy sigh.