Free Circle of Shadows by Edna Curry Page B

I the only woman manager?”
    He eyed her thoughtfully. “Yes,
I’m afraid so. But plenty of the company reps and warehouse wheels are women,
so my other managers are used to working with women.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Don’t worry that you won’t have
anything in common with the other women. Some of the managers’ wives work with
them on a daily basis, and they come to the parties too. Renee is the only one
you’ll need to contact on a regular basis. I’m usually off on the road
somewhere, but she always knows where I am.”
    Lili felt a stab of resentment
for the secretary, without knowing why. She told herself it was only that Renee
apparently had a comfortable working relationship with this attractive man. On
the other hand, she still felt their relationship was like a large, slippery balloon
that might pop at any moment, leaving her holding nothing but thin air.
    He was sending her a long slow
look that shook her to her toes. She forgot what they had been talking about,
and cast about for something to say to break the tension. Oh, yes, store
parties. She found her tongue and asked, “Does your family attend these parties ? ” Then she groaned inwardly,
wondering if he would think that too personal a question.
    He seemed not to notice, and
answered readily, “No. My parents are dead. I do have a brother in New York and
a sister, Jill, in Florida, but both are much too busy with their own lives to
be interested.”
    She let out the breath she didn’t
realize she’d been holding. “You don’t have a wife or children ? ”
    “No.” He raised a dark eyebrow,
and speared a tomato from his salad. “Do you? Have a husband or children ? ”
    She shook her head, wondering why
the fact that he was single should make her feel so happy.
    Much later, he drove her home and
walked her to her door. A gentle breeze brought them the mingled scents of
springtime — freshly
cut grass, wet from the recent rain, and apple trees in bloom.
    She turned to say goodnight, and
looked up at him, noticing how his hair glistened under the street light. She
resisted the urge to reach up and run her fingers through it just for the
pleasure of touching him. Forcing her voice into a semblance of normalcy, she
said, “Thank you for dinner, and teaching me the computer program. I feel much
better about the whole idea now.”
    “You’re welcome. It was my
pleasure, Lili.”
    Before she could move, he’d taken
her in his arms, bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. She gasped in
surprise, and Ken took advantage of her open mouth to deepen the kiss.
    Desire had been building all day.
Now it exploded into sensations that leaped between them, sending their tongues
into the fray as they heatedly explored and communicated. Lili’s arms somehow
moved around his neck. His hands pressed her against him, surrounding her with
his warmth against the cool night air. His cologne and the lingering scent of
coffee teased her nose. His tongue teased hers and his lips moved to her
eyelids, down to her chin line, then back to her lips once more. His hand came
around to slide inside her coat and hold her tightly to him.
    Somewhere a dog barked loudly,
reminding her where they were. She pulled back, and he immediately released
her.
    They murmured good nights, and
she slipped inside the house. It was a long time before she slept.
    ***
    As Ken had promised, the week
proved to be a busy one. On Monday the computer arrived soon after they opened.
The man not only brought it personally in his store van, but set it up in
record time, checked out every function, and disappeared as quickly as he’d
arrived.
    An hour later, Ken appeared,
carrying his briefcase, as usual. Lili was a little nervous when she saw him,
but he was all business and made no reference to last night’s passionate
interlude.
    “Glad to see it all arrived,” he
said, flipping on the computer and slipping a disk in the drive. “This is the sample
report and spreadsheet I promised