Free Just the Man She Needs by Gwynne Forster Page B

to purchase Dream.” Cade Underwood’s ethics were much the same as his brother’s, but he was not above playing by his adversary’s rules.
    Cade telephoned Kate. “Hi. This is Cade Underwood. Did I see you at Plaza Athenée last night?”
    “Why, no,” she said. “Gee, Cade, it’s been ages.”
    “You’re right,” he said, “which is why I’ve been wondering about the tales going around about us. Can’t you put a stop to this gossip?” He knew there hadn’t been any gossip about them, but he also knew she would hope that there had been.
    “Really. Oh, come on, Cade. It does a girl’s reputation good to be linked to a man who looks like you.”
    Never mind what he had accomplished. To Kate, what mattered was a man’s looks and the way he moved in bed. He hadn’t been foolish enough to let her get her talons in him. “Knock it off, baby. I’m serious. It won’t do you any good with your old man, either.”
    “Oh, he doesn’t read the gossip sheets. The only thing he ever reads is the Wall Street Journal, and that, only on Tuesdays. He hires people to do his reading.”
    “You can’t be too careful, babe. One little seed of doubt can finish it.”
    “You may be right, Cade. I don’t know how to thank you.”
    Cade hung up, satisfied that the threat of losing Dream would soon be history, at least for a while. He bought half a dozen daily papers and leafed through them until he saw a columnist who might complete the job. He chose Felicia Parker and Reese Hall, and called Felicia first.
    “Ms. Parker, this is Cade Underwood. I don’t know whether you use such information, but I’d appreciate it if you would let your readers know that there’s nothing between Kate Smallens and me, and you can verify it by calling her.” He gave Felicia the woman’s phone number.
    Felicia’s antenna shot up. “Are you associated with Underwood Enterprises?”
    “I am, indeed, but this is strictly personal.”
    He wondered at her hesitation, but finally she said, “All right. I’ll call Ms. Smallens and confirm this. Thank you, Mr. Underwood.”

    Several days later Ashton opened the newspaper and, as usual turned to the second section and Felicia’s column. “‘Beautiful and sexy Kate Smallens wants everybody to know that she isn’t having an affair with Cade Underwood, and she handed me another little tidbit. She thinks Cade’s to die for, but she’s tied up with a certain bottling company mogul whose wife doesn’t understand him.’”
    “What the hell!” he exclaimed. Since when had Cade been involved with Kate Smallens? He read the remainder of the paragraph and wondered if he was about to faint. The woman hadn’t missed the opportunity for a bit of coquettishness by adding, “‘Not that any woman in her right mind wouldn’t love to hang out with a guy like Cade Underwood. People are always linking me with somebody.’”
    He put the paper down and telephoned Felicia. “This is Ashton,” he said without the pretense of friendliness. “I just read your column. I didn’t know you’d been in contact with my brother.”
    Here it comes, she thought. “I wasn’t certain until now that he’s your brother. He called me, introduced himself and suggested that I’d be interested in that information. He’s a very impressive man. I related precisely what he said. He told me she would confirm it and gave me her number. I figured you knew all about it, and that you would eventually give me the background.”
    “I haven’t mentioned you to Cade, and I doubt Damon has because he doesn’t gossip about my personal life.”
    “All right, but what’s it all about?”
    “I haven’t seen you in four days. Can we meet for dinner?”
    “I’d rather go to a movie,” she said.
    “So would I, but we can’t talk in the movies.”
    “I’d rather we didn’t talk at my place, Ashton, because…well, we need to cool off.”
    “You need to cool off, perhaps, but I’m not in the habit of leaving