Temptation's Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page B

meager salary she would have earned at a small, insignificant radio station. Instead she was sales manager of a reputable television station in one of the country's major television markets. Few women could boast that. Few
men
could.
    She would face him with pride and cool disdain, she decided as she stepped into the dress she'd selected for the evening. She was going first class, just as she knew Josh would. The dress was starkly simple. Her petite figure would have been smothered by ruffles, big sleeves, or full skirts. She'd chosen all of her clothes with those limitations in mind.
    Now, eyeing herself in the mirror, she knew that this dress was one of her best. The silk was a shade too soft to be pure white. The collar dipped down to a deep V that was connected to the wide self-belt at her waist by a trail of tiny rhinestone buttons. The hem of the trim skirt brushed her legs just below the knee. Her shapely calves were shown off by high-heeled, strappy sandals.
    A curling iron had restored the waves falling freely on either side of her face. She placed small diamond studs in her ears and was ready. Since the dress was sleeveless, she selected a lacy shawl, and a satin evening bag. No sooner had she misted herself with a flowery perfume than her doorbell rang.
    A uniformed chauffeur was standing on the threshold. “Mrs. Lambert?”
    “Yes.”
    She stepped out, closed and locked the door behind her, and let the stately man escort her to the sleek black limousine. As soon as he'd been assured of her comfort in the posh backseat, he concentrated on his driving, leaving Megan to her own thoughts. Her dread of the coming hours so consumed her thoughts that she was surprised when the limousine cruised to a stop under the awning of one of Atlanta's finest restaurants.
    When the chauffeur opened her door, the first person she saw was Jo Hampson, who waved gaily and rushed over to her. “Hi. I was glad to hear you were coming tonight. I was afraid either Mr. Bishop or Mr. Bennett would ask me something I couldn't answer.”
    “You could have handled it,” Megan assured her.
    “Thanks for the compliment, but just the same, I'm glad to have you here, boss.”
    They laughed easily together as the doorman ushered them inside. Dressed in pink taffeta, her blond hair a tumble of curls and her face wreathed in a guileless smile, Jo Hampson looked like a frothy strawberry confection. Next to her, Megan felt elegant and sophisticated.
    Josh Bennett had a penchant for elegance, as was obvious when he came forward to greet them. He spoke a friendly greeting to Jo, but his eyes burned into Megan's as he curled his fingers around her elbow.
    “I'm glad you could join us on such short notice, Megan.”
    She ground her teeth in an effort not to remind him she'd had no choice in the matter. Instead she replied with cool politeness, “Thank you for the invitation.”
    He seemed amused by her slightly sarcastic words. His finely molded lips tilted at one corner. “Mr. Bishop is already here. This way.” He led them to a circular, tufted vinyl booth in a corner of the dimly lit bar.
    A slender, middle-aged man with mussed gray hair and thick eyeglasses stood up. “Hello, Mr. Bishop,” Jo said.
    “Miss Hampson, I've asked you to call me Terry,” he said, taking her hand and shaking it.
    “When you drop the Miss Hampson,” she retorted.
    He turned toward Megan expectantly. Josh took his cue. “Terry Bishop, Megan Lambert, local sales manager of WONE.”
    “Mr. Bishop,” she said, smiling graciously and extending her hand. She liked the man immediately. She had expected a wheeler-dealer in the same league as Josh Bennett. Instead this man looked ill at ease in these extravagant surroundings. He'd probably feel more comfortable bent over his drafting board than at a business dinner.
    “Call me Terry, please,” he said. “I've been anxious to meet you. Josh has told me so much about you. I understand you've been friends for a long