Daddy Warlock by Jacqueline Diamond Page B

wizard. Tara smiled to herself. She lacked his talent but was learning quickly, and there were moments when she could almost read Chance’s mind. They worked well together.
    â€œIncoming message!” A few keystrokes, and the first of the client responses popped into view: “Go for it!”
    â€œAll right!” Tara cheered.
    â€œLet’s hope I’m right about this one,” Chance cautioned, but he didn’t appear worried as he began executing the buy order.
    When he was finished, he leaned back in the chair and stretched, his polo shirt taut across his wide shoulders. Tara could feel his muscles beneath her hands as she held him last night….
    Last night? Confused, she tried to make sense of the random thought. The only thing that had happened yesterday was that they’d returned home late from Cynda’s apartment and Tara had fallen into bed, exhausted.
    She must have dreamed about Chance. Some of her dreams were quite vivid. She even remembered how it had felt to hold him. He had been solid and powerful, and she could smell the muskiness that bespoke awakening passion.
    Tara gave herself a mental slap. A person couldn’t control her dreams, but she must not fantasize about her boss. For a lot of reasons, she needed to keep Chance at arm’s length.
    Certainly he’d been all business when he returned from his main office this morning after leaving Tara to sleep late. His plan had been to take the afternoon off, but then he’d skimmed some medical abstracts from a just-ended seminar and here he was, helping his clients earn money.
    â€œThink you can keep tabs on the messages and place the orders?” he asked. Tara nodded eagerly, pleased when he let her handle the next one.
    â€œYou’re a quick study,” he said. “I’ll put in a call to Cousin Lois. I did promise Aunt Cynda to make sure she’s all right.”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t she be?”
    â€œMy dad has an old-fashioned sense of business ethics.” Chance’s mischievous grin turned his gray eyes to silver. “‘Old-fashioned’ as in pillaging and looting. We wouldn’t want him corrupting my innocent young cousin.”
    The screen flashed an alert of another incoming message, and for the next few minutes Tara was too busy to do more than register the fact that her boss was on the phone. Then Chance signaled her and put his call on hold.
    â€œLois wants us to come for dinner tonight” he said. “You and me. What do you think?”
    â€œWhy on earth would she invite me?” Tara was surprised that such a young woman would even think about giving a dinner party, let alone welcome a stranger.
    â€œApparently Aunt Cynda told her about our supposed past lives”, Chance said. “She thinks it’s cute.”
    He’d sketched the bizarre story for Tara at lunch, about illicit lovers in some bygone century who’d tried to murder a count and had died in a blaze instead. It was true that she’d always had a particular fear of fire, but that wasn’t unusual. “I’d love to meet Lois, but I’m afraid we’d be imposing.”
    â€œShe insists,” he said, and, receiving a nod, conveyed her acceptance to his cousin.
    After hanging up, he checked Tara’s work and was complimenting her when the door from the courtyard banged open and Harry barreled through. Behind him, Rajeev, who had picked the boy up at school, shrugged apologetically.
    â€œHoney, Mr. Powers is working,” Tara began, but Chase waved down the admonition.
    â€œIt’s all right,” he said. “He looks upset. What’s the matter?”
    â€œOh, it’s—at school—these kids were playing softball,” the little boy blurted. “I tried to help my friend, but then I stopped, and it messed things up worse.”
    The words didn’t make sense to Tara, but Chase seemed to understand “I guess it’s time