Free A Special Man by Billie Green Page B

they left his apartment.
    "Of course people would have talked if you had stayed at my place." Sitting on the edge of her desk, he picked up her hand. "But there's a small room in the basement where no one would have found us."
    Oh, great, she thought wearily. A lecherous boss was all she needed now. Why couldn't everyone leave her alone so that she could go quietly insane?
    As she watched in reluctant fascination, he lifted her hand to his mouth. He didn't so much kiss it as wrap his lips around her knuckles. She had seen the look in his eyes before, and it had always spelled trouble.
    Standing abruptly, she moved away from the desk. "I've never seen the basement. Ginny says your lab is really something."
    "How would you like to see it tonight?" he asked, slowly stalking her.
    "That would be nice, but I'm afraid I've made plans for tonight." Every step backward she took was matched by one forward from Ted.
    This is ridiculous, she told herself as her back met the wall. It was something out of a French farce, and never had she been less in the mood for a farce.
    "Don't you know why I hired you, Amanda?" he said softly, his fingers stroking her hair. "That first day I saw you, I could tell you were just as attracted to me as I was to you. It was unfortunate that I had to leave for England so soon after you arrived."
    He seemed to take it for granted that she was willing, Amanda thought, staring at him curiously. He was probably used to women jumping enthusiastically into his bed. Odds were he didn't even have to ask them.
    But not Amanda, never Amanda, she told herself in determination. It was an awkward position to be in. She couldn't bear to leave Greenleigh now. But as he pressed his lower body against her, she felt that the choice had been taken out of her hands.
    Keep cool, she told herself, fighting the urge to kick him. There had to be a way out of this, a way that would let her keep her job and her virtue.
    Suddenly, amazingly, Ted was jerked away from her. Blinking rapidly, she caught her breath in surprise. Danny was beside her, holding Ted by the scruff of the neck so that only the tips of his handmade Italian shoes touched the floor.
    "You're late," Danny said calmly. "We were going for a walk."
    Her lips twitched. "Yes, you're right," she said, the words choked. "We'll go right now. But first I'd like you to put Dr. Sutherland down—he's beginning to turn purple." She smiled up into Danny's peaceful eyes. "It clashes with his tie."
    Danny slanted a look at Ted, then slowly lowered him to the floor. Taking Amanda's arm, he led the way to the door. Behind them, Amanda could hear Ted gasping for breath.
    When they walked out a side door into the open air, she laughed, softly at first, then louder with exhilaration as they ran toward the woods. They didn't stop until they reached their spot by the stream. Then they threw themselves on the grass, catching their breath.
    Danny glanced at her, smiling. "I like to hear you laugh. Maybe I should pick the doctor up everyday."
    "That's not a bad idea," she said, drawing in a calming breath. "No, I'm just teasing. You remember what I told you about your strength. It wasn't nice to make the doctor look like a fool." A bigger fool, she added silently.
    Danny stared at the horizon. "I don't like him. He's..." He frowned and she knew he was trying to reach for a word, a thought. It hurt to see the frustration in his face.
    It was so wrong, she thought. She simply refused to believe Danny couldn't be helped with therapy. She knew that Ted had told her, but doctors had been known to make mistakes. Danny was a special case. He was different. There was something below the surface that needed exploring, something...
    Suddenly Amanda felt weak as the truth hit her like a tidal wave. She believed he was different because she wanted it to be so. Because she loved him. Not as she would love a child but as she could love a man.
    My God! she thought weakly. It couldn't be happening. She had