Temporary Intrigue Read Online Free PDF

the lounges and stood quickly.
    “I’ll leave this downstairs.” She nodded as discreetly as she could at the psychedelic shopping bag.
    “No rush.” Moving between her and Malcolm, Josh turned to the seated group. “This is Dimity Forbes.” He gestured towards the middle-aged couple. “The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Councillor and Mrs Simpson.”
    How on earth had he remembered her name? He said it as if he’d been saying it for years.
    “I thought you looked familiar.” The Mayor rose and shook hands. “I met Dimity a couple of times when she worked at the city art gallery.”
    “Really?” Josh looked surprised but pleased.
    Befuddled by the fact that the man who had gone galloping around corridors to save her decency seemed to be part of the hotel’s bigwig contingent, Dimity murmured something non-committal.
    “Global Regional Marketing Manager, Gail Addison,” Josh went on.
    The woman had recognised her, of course. Those gimlet eyes would miss nothing. She gave Dimity a cold nod.
    “And you’ve already met the functions manager.” Josh nodded towards Malcolm.
    It was far too much information. This harpy was going to be her boss next week? The unpleasant Malcolm, the man she had virtually threatened to emasculate, was the functions manager she’d hoped would give her brother a job?
    “Can I get you some coffee?” As if to guide her into the seat he had vacated, Josh put a hand lightly on her upper arm. About a million nerve ends she hadn’t known she possessed suddenly sizzled a path from her shoulder to her elbow and all points in between.
    Moving back abruptly, she felt her bag slip from her shoulder. She and Josh bent to retrieve it. He backed off and she picked it up, thankful that for once she had zipped it shut and didn’t have to chase her goods and chattels all over the floor.
    She knew her face was flushed. Hopefully they would think the act of bending over had brought the blood to her head.
    “Thanks,” she said to Josh, “but I have to get back to work.”
    Desperate as she was to leave, she was slightly miffed when he didn’t argue.
    “I’ll see you out and get rid of that.” He nodded at the bag, giving her a quick, conspiratorial smile that did strange things to her heartbeat.
    Malcolm was looking at her with his head titled to one side. As she turned to escape, he clicked his fingers.
    “Dimity! I thought the name rang a bell. Did you leave a folder in my office? A blue folder? I found it when I went up to check my phone messages.”
    As if she would ever forget. She began to nod, then paused.
    “I left my brother’s CV in a blue folder. He’s looking for a chef’s job. But the folder didn’t have my name on it.”
    Malcolm gave a great guffaw.
    “You’ve got your folders mixed up, sweetheart. It was full of beefcake.”
    “Beefcake?”
    “Hunks. Spunks. Whatever you girls call 'em. Showing their muscles and almost anything else you like to name. It had ‘Dimity’s Dreamboats’ on the front page. Most interesting CV I’ve ever seen. Tell your brother I can’t wait to meet him.”
    He laughed uproariously.
    The Mayor and his wife smiled politely and uncomprehendingly. Gail stood, excused herself and walked off to join another group.
    If Dimity’s face had been hot before, it was now on fire. She could have cheerfully throttled Sandra.
    “I must have picked it up by mistake.” Deciding explanations would only make matters worse, she glanced at Josh. His mouth was twitching the way it had when she told him about her skirt. She couldn’t have provided him with more free entertainment if she’d tried.
    Well, at least she could now turn her back on him with impunity. At the thought, her own mouth quivered.
    “Are you sure you can’t stay? You’re not going to work in the rain, are you?”
    He had moved closer, so close his sleeve brushed her arm. His jacked was buttoned but she could see the beginning of the pink lipstick stain on his shirt.
    Her breathing