button, and spoke briefly to his secretary.
With a small sense of shock, Elizabeth noticed that his thick, dark hair was a little tousled looking, as if he had combed it with his fingers. Either that or someone else's fingers had recently been running through it. Very firmly she suppressed the twinge of dismay that thought induced.
Still, it was odd to see him looking so casual, she thought. On the handful of occasions they had been in each other's presence during the past few months, Jack had always been dressed in full executive battle dress: expensively cut suit, a crisp shirt, and a conservative tie.
This morning his black pullover and jeans made him look even more dangerous than usual, she thought. Probably because the snug-fitting clothes made it obvious that the power in his shoulders and the lean, graceful strength of his body were for real, not a product of good tailoring.
At some point during the course of those first, heady few weeks together, she had discovered that he worked out regularly, too. But instead of pursuing a standard physical fitness program at his athletic club, he studied one of the more obscure martial arts.
At the time she had taken his interest in the exotic exercise and philosophy as an indication of a deeply buried romantic streak. Which only went to show what lust had done to the analytical side of her brain, she decided. It was perfectly clear now that Jack studied the ancient theories of strategy and defense because he was endowed with a ruthless, not a romantic, streak. The bastard was a born predator.
The door opened. Marion appeared with two cups of coffee. She glanced uneasily at Jack, as though seeking guidance. Then she plastered a smile on her face and handed one of the cups to Elizabeth.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said.
"You're welcome, Miss Cabot." Marion put the second cup on Jack's desk and fled.
Elizabeth pretended not to notice. She was well aware that here at Excalibur she was viewed with great wariness. Everyone knew that she held the reins of the Aurora Fund and that the Fund controlled the fate of Excalibur.
She wouldn't be surprised if all of the employees had heard the tale of the disastrous scene in the Pacific Rim Club dining room, too. Gossip like that had a way of getting around town.
Jack took a deep swallow from his cup, lounged back in his chair, and looked at Elizabeth. "So you heard about our little problems already? I'm surprised the news reached you so quickly."
She raised her brows. "Yes, I'm sure you are. How long did you intend to keep it quiet?"
He shrugged. "Just found out about it, myself, a few hours ago. Haven't even heard from the press yet."
She frowned. "You're going to talk to the media about this?"
"Probably won't be able to avoid it."
"I see. And just what, exactly, do you plan to tell the reporters when they do get here?"
"Not much to tell, is there?" Jack took another swallow of coffee and set down his cup. "We got hit by the same crowd that trashed the university and the Ecto-Design labs. The cleanup will take a few days, but Two B should be functioning at full capacity again by the middle of next week. In the meantime, we're strengthening our security measures."
She stared at him, momentarily thrown off stride. "What in the world are you talking about?"
He gave her a politely inquiring look. "I beg your pardon, Miss Cabot. I assumed we were discussing the incident we had here at Excalibur early this morning."
"What incident?"
"Last night one of our labs was hit by the Vanguard of Tomorrow group. You've heard of them?"
"Yes, of course." His air of excessively civil patience made her want to toss her coffee cup at his head. She reminded herself of what had happened the last time she had given in to the temptation to throw stuff at Jack Fairfax. "A bunch of antitechnology nuts. How much damage was done?"
He shrugged. "The lab is a mess. We lost some expensive electronic equipment. Insurance should take care of most of it. Like I
With a small sense of shock, Elizabeth noticed that his thick, dark hair was a little tousled looking, as if he had combed it with his fingers. Either that or someone else's fingers had recently been running through it. Very firmly she suppressed the twinge of dismay that thought induced.
Still, it was odd to see him looking so casual, she thought. On the handful of occasions they had been in each other's presence during the past few months, Jack had always been dressed in full executive battle dress: expensively cut suit, a crisp shirt, and a conservative tie.
This morning his black pullover and jeans made him look even more dangerous than usual, she thought. Probably because the snug-fitting clothes made it obvious that the power in his shoulders and the lean, graceful strength of his body were for real, not a product of good tailoring.
At some point during the course of those first, heady few weeks together, she had discovered that he worked out regularly, too. But instead of pursuing a standard physical fitness program at his athletic club, he studied one of the more obscure martial arts.
At the time she had taken his interest in the exotic exercise and philosophy as an indication of a deeply buried romantic streak. Which only went to show what lust had done to the analytical side of her brain, she decided. It was perfectly clear now that Jack studied the ancient theories of strategy and defense because he was endowed with a ruthless, not a romantic, streak. The bastard was a born predator.
The door opened. Marion appeared with two cups of coffee. She glanced uneasily at Jack, as though seeking guidance. Then she plastered a smile on her face and handed one of the cups to Elizabeth.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said.
"You're welcome, Miss Cabot." Marion put the second cup on Jack's desk and fled.
Elizabeth pretended not to notice. She was well aware that here at Excalibur she was viewed with great wariness. Everyone knew that she held the reins of the Aurora Fund and that the Fund controlled the fate of Excalibur.
She wouldn't be surprised if all of the employees had heard the tale of the disastrous scene in the Pacific Rim Club dining room, too. Gossip like that had a way of getting around town.
Jack took a deep swallow from his cup, lounged back in his chair, and looked at Elizabeth. "So you heard about our little problems already? I'm surprised the news reached you so quickly."
She raised her brows. "Yes, I'm sure you are. How long did you intend to keep it quiet?"
He shrugged. "Just found out about it, myself, a few hours ago. Haven't even heard from the press yet."
She frowned. "You're going to talk to the media about this?"
"Probably won't be able to avoid it."
"I see. And just what, exactly, do you plan to tell the reporters when they do get here?"
"Not much to tell, is there?" Jack took another swallow of coffee and set down his cup. "We got hit by the same crowd that trashed the university and the Ecto-Design labs. The cleanup will take a few days, but Two B should be functioning at full capacity again by the middle of next week. In the meantime, we're strengthening our security measures."
She stared at him, momentarily thrown off stride. "What in the world are you talking about?"
He gave her a politely inquiring look. "I beg your pardon, Miss Cabot. I assumed we were discussing the incident we had here at Excalibur early this morning."
"What incident?"
"Last night one of our labs was hit by the Vanguard of Tomorrow group. You've heard of them?"
"Yes, of course." His air of excessively civil patience made her want to toss her coffee cup at his head. She reminded herself of what had happened the last time she had given in to the temptation to throw stuff at Jack Fairfax. "A bunch of antitechnology nuts. How much damage was done?"
He shrugged. "The lab is a mess. We lost some expensive electronic equipment. Insurance should take care of most of it. Like I
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