The Man Who Broke Hearts

He started to turn away, then he paused and fixed his eyes on her face again.

‘I knew I was going to enjoy working alongside you again, but until this moment I hadn’t realised quite how much.’ He smiled his tiger’s smile again. ‘What was that phrase you used earlier? Having you in my claws, I believe, was how you put it. Yes, I can tell I’m going to enjoy that very much.’

Then, before she could say a word, he was turning on his heel and disappearing swiftly off through the crowd.

Tina watched him go through eyes that could barely focus, feeling seasick with the horror that poured through her in great waves. Though it wasn’t Justin’s warning that filled her with horror. It was her own spiteful outburst against his fiancée.

That had taken her by surprise. It had genuinely shocked her. Usually, she just made jokes about the Red Dragon. But a moment ago she definitely hadn’t been joking. There’d been real anger, real dislike, real resentment in her heart against the woman who, three years ago, had stolen the man she loved. There’d been the kind of pain she’d believed she’d put behind her long ago.

She shivered. To know that pain still lurked inside her, ready to scrape at any moment like a dagger against her heart, filled her with a fear that was far more terrible than the fear of anything that Justin could do to her.

Although as she stared after him she was aware that that scared her too. What terrible, evil revenge was he planning?

CHAPTER TWO

IT WAS only after Justin had gone and Tina had recovered her senses that she realised she was still holding his handkerchief in her hand. She shoved it in her bag, resisting the urge to chuck it in some corner. One thing she definitely wouldn’t do was run after him to return it!

Back home at the end of the day she deposited it in the washing machine, handling it at arm’s length, as though it might bite her. And that was where it still was as she sat at her office desk next morning, struggling to concentrate on the manuscript before her. Though it was hard. Her mind kept skipping back to yesterday’s encounter with Justin.

It had tormented her all night. She’d scarcely slept a wink for the horror she still felt at her shameful outburst against his fiancée.

What on earth had provoked it? Where had these long-dead feelings come from? The pain, the anger, the sense of loss, the resentment? She didn’t care any more that she’d lost Justin to the Red Dragon. Losing Justin, she’d come to realise, had been a lucky escape. So what on earth had caused her to react like that?

Some kind of madness, she’d decided. That mocking smile he’d smiled at her had thrown her back to that moment three years ago when she’d discovered that the man she’d believed was in love with her had just got engaged to another woman.

The Red Dragon, when she’d broken the news to her, had smiled a smile like that.

Tina clenched her teeth now and scowled down at the manuscript before her. But all that was ancient history and she’d long since got over it. As far as she was concerned, the Red Dragon was welcome to him. She and Justin could marry any time they liked.

In fact, the sooner the better. For Tina it would be a relief. It would finally draw a line beneath the entire messy episode.

‘Hi there! How’s my favourite acting editor?’

Tina started and glanced up as a voice broke through her reverie. Then she smiled at the wiry, leather-jacketed figure who was grinning down at her from the other side of her desk.

‘Hi, Mike.’ As always, she was delighted to see him. Mike Laing was one of the top fashion photographers in London and he also happened to be a very good friend.

She leaned back in her seat and pulled a wry face as she gestured at the pile of work on her desk—manuscripts, letters, transparencies, proofs, all urgently waiting to be dealt with.

‘Right now your favourite acting editor’s feeling a bit frazzled,’ she confessed.

‘Well, she doesn’t look it.’ Mike seated himself on the edge of the desk. ‘She’s looking as serenely beautiful as ever.’

Then as Tina smiled and shook her head—her standard response to Mike’s compliments—he enquired sympathetically, ‘Overworking you, are they?’

‘Not really.’

Tina ran a hand through her silky blonde hair. She was doing two jobs these days, but that didn’t bother her. In fact, to tell the truth, she relished the challenge, and she’d been coping perfectly till thoughts of Justin had come to torment her! However, there was one problem, as she explained now to Mike.

‘One of my regular freelances has let me down rather badly. She’s handed in this article that’s a total disaster. I can’t understand it. She’s generally so reliable.’ She cast an irritated glance at the manuscript she’d been working on. ‘It’s going to take me hours to pull this gibberish into shape.’

‘Throw it back at her. Get her to redo it.’

‘I would, only she’s not here. She’s out of the country. She’s gone off to France or somewhere on an assignment for some other magazine. And she was late handing this in. The printers need it by Monday. I’ve got no choice, I’m afraid. I’ve got to do it myself.’

Mike pulled a sympathetic face, then he winked and leaned towards her. ‘I reckon you deserve a treat for working so hard. Let me take you out for a drink after work.’

‘I wish I could, Mike—’

‘I’ve discovered this great new wine bar,’ he cut in quickly before she could say ‘but’. ‘The food’s terrific and they play great jazz.’

But Tina smiled and shook her head. ‘I really can’t, Mike. I’m going to be stuck at my desk till late.’

Mike looked disappointed, but he didn’t push her. He never did. He knew it got him nowhere. Just like all the other men in Tina’s life these days, he knew he would never be more than just a friend.

For Tina had become an expert at keeping men at a distance. Sometimes it surprised her how easily she did it. Maybe I’m turning into a bit of a dragon myself, she’d sometimes thought. For just one cool warning flicker from those china-blue eyes of hers and they got the message loud and clear.

But, dragon or not, that was the way she wanted it. No mess. No entanglements. No more broken hearts. Maybe one day—though only maybe—things would be different, but for now where her heart belonged was in her work.

Mike proceeded to change the subject now, regarding her with interest. ‘Hey, your chief sub-editor’s just been telling me that you collared Justin Marlowe at the reception yesterday. What did he have to say for himself?’

Tina felt a jolt inside her at the mention of Justin’s name. Over the past couple of minutes she’d actually managed not to think of him, but here he was springing out of the shadows to torment her again!

‘So, Vicki told you, did she?’ Tina smiled a small smile. Vicki, Scope’s chief sub, had been with her at the reception yesterday and she’d been telling everyone about Tina’s encounter with Justin Marlowe—even though, Tina reflected, she didn’t know the half of it!

‘Well, she probably also told you that the news isn’t good. If this take-over goes ahead, Scope will go under. He plans to merge us with Miranda.’

Mike looked surprised. ‘Did he actually say that?’

‘More or less.’ Tina pulled a wry face. ‘I’m afraid you were wrong and I was right.’

In the past, Mike had frequently expressed the opinion that it might not be a bad thing if JM Publishing took over Berry’s. He was an enthusiastic admirer of Justin’s thrusting young company—and not just because JM gave him a lot of work! ‘They know how to make money and keep up standards,’ he’d often said.

But his opinion about the take-over was totally misguided, as Tina had constantly argued over the weeks. She told him now, ‘Somehow, Marlowe’s got to be stopped.’

‘If you’re right, yes, he has. That would be a disaster.’ Mike frowned. ‘But I can’t understand why he would do that. It doesn’t make sense. Scope’s a successful magazine.’ Then he shrugged. ‘Maybe business-wise his judgement’s a little impaired these days. I understand he’s got other things on his mind.’

Tina was instantly curious. ‘Like what?’ she demanded.

But at that moment they were interrupted as Sasha, Scope’s fashion editor, stuck her brightly hennaed head round the office door.

‘Excuse me.’ She smiled at Tina. Then she turned to Mike. ‘Ready when you are with those transparencies.’

Mike started to stand up. ‘I’ll be right with you.’ Then he winked down at Tina. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with your work.’

But Tina was no longer thinking of work. She narrowed her blue eyes at him. ‘What did you mean when you said Justin Marlowe had other things on his mind?’

‘Haven’t you heard?’ Mike was heading for the door. ‘He and the Red Dragon are finally about to get spliced. The word is she’s been out scouring Bond Street for a wedding-dress. It looks as though she’s finally bagged him after all these years.’