Soliman, Wendy - The Name of the Game (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read Online Free PDF

corner of the settee, sobbing her heart out.

Chapter Three

    “Oh, Freckles, will you look at the state of me?”
    Ashley’s dog cocked his head to one side, regarding his mistress from beneath his shaggy fringe as he licked her hand and wagged. It was the morning of her thirty-fifth birthday. Hungover and broken-hearted, she examined her face in the mirror, groaning aloud at the sight that greeted her. She ruffled Freckles’s head, continuing her one-sided conversation with him.
    “You’re biased,” she said affectionately, glad of his uncomplicated, unconditional devotion. “So I guess I can’t expect an honest opinion from you.”
    She returned her attention to the disaster that was her face. Unnaturally pale, her features were drawn, and there were heavy circles under her eyes. She wasn’t sure what else she could have expected. A largely sleepless night had played host to regular bouts of tears, frustrated pillow thumping, and futile railings against men in general, Matt Templeton in particular.
    With a heavy sigh, she repaired the damage as best she could with concealing makeup. In no mood to even acknowledge her birthday, much less celebrate it, she ignored the pile of birthday cards on her doormat and prepared to leave for work. The phone rang for the sixth time since she’d got up, but she ignored that, too.
    Unfortunately, the colleagues who’d worked with her since before the influx of staff from Southampton all knew it was her birthday, and her cubbyhole had been decked out with garish decorations. A large “Happy Birthday” banner draped over the door made it necessary for her to duck her head to reach her desk. She smiled and thanked everyone for the cards and presents, made a passable attempt at looking both surprised and pleased, and agreed to buy them all a drink at lunchtime.
    In the middle of dolling out the obligatory cream cakes, Ashley was interrupted by a commissionaire clutching two-dozen red roses, wrapped in cellophane and adorned with a huge ribbon. Ribald comments and lively speculation greeted this delivery, the overall opinion being that it was high time Ashley got herself a life. Her heart lurched at the sight of the flowers, even as she pretended ignorance as to the identity of her admirer.
    “Open the card, then,” one of her colleagues urged. “Don’t you want to know?”
    “I certainly don’t want you lot to,” she said, trying for a casual tone.
    “No surer way to kill off a romance than to share the gory details with your colleagues,” Martine said, holding Ashley’s gaze like he knew more about her turmoil than he was letting on.
    The crowd lingered, making a poor pretence at concealing their collective curiosity. Their presence prevented Ashley from letting rip with the choice words that sprang to mind regarding this flamboyant and very public gesture on Matt’s part. Calmly, she asked the commissionaire if he could rustle up a vase large enough to contain the flowers, but still refused to open the card in front of anyone else. Eventually they got the message and let the subject drop.
    Still gathered round her desk, literally making a meal of the cream cakes and squabbling over the leftovers, the conversation drifted toward the unexpected appearance of Matt’s pretty wife in the office the previous day. As Eve had doubtless intended, her arrival caused quite a stir, especially since Matt hadn’t told anyone that he was to be a father again. Those that had transferred from Southampton, and who knew Eve reasonably well, found that situation particularly tantalizing.
    Ashley heard it all in a state of detached misery, assuring her colleagues it was news to her, too, trying to appear as interested as they were. She caught Martin’s concerned gaze. She worked as closely with him as she did with Matt and, from his actions today, was now convinced that he’d guessed the truth about her relationship with their boss.
    “Are you all right?” he asked softly.
    She