help. If I can ever
do you a favor, you know you have only to ask," she added with genuine appreciation.
Nina smiled. "I know that, Shelley."
If only, Shelley thought ruefully, she had learned this piece of information before she had allowed herself to be
seduced by Joel Cassidy. The uneasy regret made her fingers tremble slightly as she picked up her fork and went back
to work on the salad in front of her.
What was going through Joel's head today? Self-congratulation? Was he whistling contentedly to himself as he
worked on a pinball machine, thinking how he had Ackerly's accountant neatly in the palm of his hand?
Shelley winced. But why should he agree to extend the loan? Or had he done so because he was afraid that, if
pushed, Ackerly might somehow find the hundred thousand dollars and not be forced to turn over the land? Had he
decided it would be better to give Ackerly Manufacturing a little more rope to make certain it would indeed hang itself
before demanding the asset that had been used to secure the loan?
What a mess! And now she'd been stupid enough to involve herself emotionally in the elaborate game being played
with Ackerly Manufacturing. Shelley castigated herself mentally for the grievous error all the way back to her office.
"There you are, Shelley." Carol Robinson-greeted her brightly as she walked into the reception area of Mason Wells
& Associates. "You've had a couple of phone calls from Joel Cassidy." She handed Shelley the messages. "He wants
you to call him back at that number when you get the chance."
Shelley stared down at Carol's scrawled messages and nodded, lifting her eyes obliquely to the younger woman,
who smiled back at her.
"He sounded much nicer on the phone today than he did yesterday when he barged in here and demanded to see
you immediately." Her attractive brown eyes lit up with amusement as she tossed her dark curls. "He seemed more
polite today."
"Perhaps you succeeded in terrorizing him yesterday," Shelley offered in a vague attempt at humor.
"Who knows? More likely his lady friend was extra nice to him last night," the receptionist shot back unconcernedly
as she returned to her typewriter.
Renewed interest in the letter she was typing kept her from seeing the wave of red that washed into Shelley's face.
The day was deteriorating rapidly, she thought grimly as she hurried toward the privacy of her own office. When she
passed another of the Mason Wells accountants in the hall, she didn't even bother with more than a brisk nod. The
last thing she wanted was a casual chat She felt like a small, cornered animal that wants only to hide from approaching
predators.
When she reached her office, she slammed the door quickly and tossed the messages from Joel into the trash can.
She needed desperately to think before she had any more dealings with Joel Cassidy.
The phone calls began to come with regular frequency after two o'clock. Carol put the first one through to Shelley
with automatic assurance.
"It's Joel Cassidy again, Shelley. I've got him on line three."
"Tell him I'll call back when I'm free," Shelley said grimly into the intercom.
"I'm sorry, Shelley. I thought you were available!" Carol sounded so instantly contrite, Shelley wanted to relent But
discretion played a larger role in her life at the moment. She had been far too indiscreet last night!
"That's okay, Carol. I'm just a little tied up at the moment"
"Okay, I'll tell him."
The calls started coming every twenty minutes after that, and with each succeeding call Carol's mood went from
cheerful to confused to plain curious. By the time she had completed the unpleasant task of trying to explain that
Shelley Banning was unavoidably tied up in her office for the eighth time, Carol was ready to demand an explanation.
"Start telling him I'm out of the office if it's getting too difficult to tell him I'm busy," Shelley advised when Carol
finally confronted her.
"Lie to him?" she gasped. "I don't
do you a favor, you know you have only to ask," she added with genuine appreciation.
Nina smiled. "I know that, Shelley."
If only, Shelley thought ruefully, she had learned this piece of information before she had allowed herself to be
seduced by Joel Cassidy. The uneasy regret made her fingers tremble slightly as she picked up her fork and went back
to work on the salad in front of her.
What was going through Joel's head today? Self-congratulation? Was he whistling contentedly to himself as he
worked on a pinball machine, thinking how he had Ackerly's accountant neatly in the palm of his hand?
Shelley winced. But why should he agree to extend the loan? Or had he done so because he was afraid that, if
pushed, Ackerly might somehow find the hundred thousand dollars and not be forced to turn over the land? Had he
decided it would be better to give Ackerly Manufacturing a little more rope to make certain it would indeed hang itself
before demanding the asset that had been used to secure the loan?
What a mess! And now she'd been stupid enough to involve herself emotionally in the elaborate game being played
with Ackerly Manufacturing. Shelley castigated herself mentally for the grievous error all the way back to her office.
"There you are, Shelley." Carol Robinson-greeted her brightly as she walked into the reception area of Mason Wells
& Associates. "You've had a couple of phone calls from Joel Cassidy." She handed Shelley the messages. "He wants
you to call him back at that number when you get the chance."
Shelley stared down at Carol's scrawled messages and nodded, lifting her eyes obliquely to the younger woman,
who smiled back at her.
"He sounded much nicer on the phone today than he did yesterday when he barged in here and demanded to see
you immediately." Her attractive brown eyes lit up with amusement as she tossed her dark curls. "He seemed more
polite today."
"Perhaps you succeeded in terrorizing him yesterday," Shelley offered in a vague attempt at humor.
"Who knows? More likely his lady friend was extra nice to him last night," the receptionist shot back unconcernedly
as she returned to her typewriter.
Renewed interest in the letter she was typing kept her from seeing the wave of red that washed into Shelley's face.
The day was deteriorating rapidly, she thought grimly as she hurried toward the privacy of her own office. When she
passed another of the Mason Wells accountants in the hall, she didn't even bother with more than a brisk nod. The
last thing she wanted was a casual chat She felt like a small, cornered animal that wants only to hide from approaching
predators.
When she reached her office, she slammed the door quickly and tossed the messages from Joel into the trash can.
She needed desperately to think before she had any more dealings with Joel Cassidy.
The phone calls began to come with regular frequency after two o'clock. Carol put the first one through to Shelley
with automatic assurance.
"It's Joel Cassidy again, Shelley. I've got him on line three."
"Tell him I'll call back when I'm free," Shelley said grimly into the intercom.
"I'm sorry, Shelley. I thought you were available!" Carol sounded so instantly contrite, Shelley wanted to relent But
discretion played a larger role in her life at the moment. She had been far too indiscreet last night!
"That's okay, Carol. I'm just a little tied up at the moment"
"Okay, I'll tell him."
The calls started coming every twenty minutes after that, and with each succeeding call Carol's mood went from
cheerful to confused to plain curious. By the time she had completed the unpleasant task of trying to explain that
Shelley Banning was unavoidably tied up in her office for the eighth time, Carol was ready to demand an explanation.
"Start telling him I'm out of the office if it's getting too difficult to tell him I'm busy," Shelley advised when Carol
finally confronted her.
"Lie to him?" she gasped. "I don't
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