Temptation's Kiss Read Online Free PDF

could tell him we had already reached that decision.”
    “He knew even before I did,” she said in a voice that was deadly quiet.
    Atherton paused before cautiously concurring. “Yes.”
    “Damn!” She pounded the arms of the chair and slumped back into the deep cushions, overcome by dejection. Atherton allowed her a few moments of introspection. Her thoughts were so tumultuous that she wasn't even aware of him until he cleared his throat softly.
    “In light of what I've told you, do you think you'd reconsider Mr. Bennett's request that you handle the Seascape account?”
    Her chin rose defiantly. “What is so all-fired important about that account? He doesn't need it. He's mentioned in the newspaper every day for having given money to this charity or another, attending this benefit or another. Why should he care so much about this one account?”
    “Because he's a professional,” Atherton shot back. “He doesn't let personal feelings stand in the way of sound business conduct.”
    “And I suppose you think I do,” she said heatedly.
    “Yes, I do!” he shouted. “Where he's concerned, yes. For the first time I'm disappointed in you. You're not approaching this in a professional manner.”
    That hurt. Because it was the truth, it hurt all the more. She tried to stare down Atherton and couldn't. When she lowered her eyes, he said briskly, “Can I tell him that you've consented to having dinner with him and Bishop tonight? Ms. Hampson has been asked to go too.”
    Dinner. With him. With Josh Bennett. She had no choice, and she knew it. Without laying it on the line, Atherton, as her superior, was telling her she must put her personal feelings aside for the sake of her career.
    She stood up with straight shoulders and a tense rigidity to her mouth. “Very well.”
    “Good,” Atherton said curtly, rummaging for something on his desk. “Here, he left this for you.” He extended to her a cream-colored business card with the hateful name embossed on it. “I'll expect a report tomorrow morning.”
    “You'll have it.”
    When she reached the door, he stopped her. “Megan, this account wouldn't make or break Bennett. He's already proven himself. Maintaining the reputation of his company as the best is what motivates him. To him it's all a game, and money is only the means with which to keep score. But the Seascape commercials will mean a tremendous amount of money to us. I know you'll do a good job of keeping everyone happy.”
    “That's right. I will,” she said archly, and proudly exited the office.
    The personal, singular J at the end of the terse message galled her the most. Lying in bed, trying to relax after battling Atlanta's afternoon rush-hour traffic, she read the writing on the back of the business card for the hundredth time. “A car will pick you up at seven-thirty. J.”
    “Well, I might not want one of your damn cars to pick me up at seven-thirty, Mr. Bennett,” she said aloud. But the car would arrive on time, and she knew she'd be ready. Like it or not, she had been coerced into cooperating with Josh.
    After her meeting with Doug Atherton, she had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to sort out what he had divulged. She had never entertained a thought that Josh could have manipulated her life. Why had he gone to all that trouble on her behalf? Was he only trying to relieve his conscience over James's untimely death, to absolve himself of blame? That must be it. But to think she owed her success to him …
    No! she decided, jumping from the bed and entering the bathroom for a quick shower. He might have been responsible for getting her the job in the first place, but she'd made a success of it on her own. He'd had nothing to do with that. He hadn't been there to advise her on business decisions.
    Still, how was she going to face him, knowing that she owed him so much? Were it not for him and the clout he wielded, she could be struggling to live on James's inadequate insurance and the