Free The Princess Bride by Diana Palmer Page B

of dress.
    â€œWell, well, what brings you here?” she drawled, without any particular shyness.
    King paused at the last step, scowling as he got a good look at her. The change was phenomenal. She wasn’t the young girl he’d left behind months before. She was poised, elegant, somehow cynical. Her eyes were older and there was no welcome or hero-worship in them now. Her smile, if anything, was mocking.
    â€œI came to see Harrison,” he said curtly.
    She waved a hand toward the front door. “Help yourself. I was just seeing Mark off.”
    He seemed suddenly very still. “Mark?”
    â€œMark Allenby. We work together. He came home with me for our holidays.” She gave him a cool glance. “You’ve probably seen him in commercials. He’s incredibly handsome.”
    He didn’t say another word. He walked past her without speaking and went right into the house.
    Tiffany followed a few minutes later, and found him with her father in the study.
    Harrison glanced out the door as she passed it on herway to the staircase. “Tiffany! Come in here a minute, would you, sweetheart?”
    He never called her pet names unless he wanted something. She wandered into the room as if King’s presence made no difference at all to her. “What do you want, Dad?” she asked with a smile.
    â€œKing needs some papers from the safe at my office, and I promised I’d drive Lettie down to Floresville to visit her sister. Would you…?”
    She knew the combination by heart, something her father had entrusted her with only two years before. But she sensed a plot here and she hesitated. King noticed, and his face froze over.
    â€œYou don’t have anything pressing, do you?” Harrison persisted. “Not with Mark away?”
    â€œI suppose not.” She gave in. “I’ll just get my jacket.”
    â€œThanks, sweetheart!”
    She only shrugged. She didn’t even glance at King.
    Â 
    It was a short drive to the downtown office her father shared with King. It seemed a little strange to her that King didn’t have the combination to Harrison’s safe, since they were partners. She’d never really wondered why until now.
    â€œDoesn’t he trust you?” she chided as they went into the dark office together.
    â€œAs much as he trusts anyone,” he replied. “But in case you wondered, he doesn’t have the combination tomy safe, either. Our respective lawyers have both. It’s a safeguard, of a sort.”
    He turned on the lights and closed the door. The sprawling offices were vacant on this holiday and she was more aware than ever of being totally alone with him. It shouldn’t have bothered her, knowing what she did about his relationship with Carla, but it did. It hadn’t been long enough for her to forget the pleasure of his kisses, being in his arms.
    She ignored her tingling nerves and went straight to the concealed safe, opening it deftly. “What do you want out of here?” she asked.
    â€œA brown envelope marked Internet Proposals. ”
    She searched through the documents and found what he wanted. She closed the safe, replaced the painting that covered it, and handed the envelope to King.
    â€œIs that all you needed me for?” she asked, turning toward the door.
    â€œNot quite.”
    She hesitated a few feet away from him. Her eyes asked the question for her.
    He wasn’t smiling. The friendly man of years past was missing. His eyes were wary and piercing. He didn’t move at all. He just stared at her until she felt her heartbeat accelerate.
    She lifted her chin. “Well?”
    â€œWas it deliberate?”
    She blinked. “Was what deliberate?”
    â€œLeaving us off the guest list for the New Year’s Eve party.”
    She felt an uncomfortable tension in the air. She frowned. “You and Carla were invited,” she said. “I faxed the list of invitations