limits to how
much of it I'll tolerate. Don't hit me again, Sophy."
"Or you'll hit me back?" she challenged. "I always said you were a real
gentleman!"
Satisfied with the frustrated anger that leaped into his eyes, Sophy
wrenched herself out of his grasp and stepped into the elevator as it
arrived. Without a word she stared straight ahead as the doors closed.
Only when she was safely out of sight and she realized she was alone in the
elevator did Sophy relax her internal hold on her emotions. The tears
began to trickle slowly down her cheeks.
Oh, God, what was the matter with her? How could she let him affect
her this way? Half-blinded by the gleaming moisture in her eyes, she
found her way through the huge lobby of the hotel and out into the
parking lot. There, in the safety of her car, she gave way completely to the
emotional storm that seemed to be raging inside her.
Eventually she managed to control the bout of tears and make her way
home. It was Friday night. A week ago she would have looked forward to
spending the evening with Nick Savage. Now every time she tried to think
of Nick, the image of Max got in the way. She realized vaguely that she
couldn't even summon up any anger toward Nick Savage now. All her
emotions seemed to be focused on Max Travers.
Why a wizard? Why a man who lived in another world, an unreal world?
A man who could never share her life, only her bed? Why did it have to be
Max Travers who had succeeded in tapping the emotion that had lain
dormant within her?
Sophy asked herself that question over and over again during the long
drive home. She asked it as she morosely poured herself a glass of Chenin
Blanc and settled down in her rainbow-hued chair to consider her life. She
was still asking it an hour later when the telephone rang.
"Sophy? Don't hang up, this is important." Max's voice came across the
wire with clipped command. "I've just been in touch with Graham
Younger about what you told me this evening."
"Max! You didn't! I never meant for you to go to the president of the
company!" Shocked, Sophy pulled herself out of her dismal reverie, her
anxiety taking a sudden new twist. "I told you I'd handle Marcie.
"Sophy, have you told Marcie you aren't interested in her little scheme?"
"Well, no, not yet…" No sense trying to explain that she had been
reluctant to confess to Marcie that she couldn't go through with it. "But I
will!"
"No you won't."
"Says who?" she shot back angrily.
"Says your upper management. They've got plans."
"The hell they have!"
"We're to be in conference room number eighteen-oh-nine at eight
o'clock tomorrow morning. S & J Security will be there to discuss the
situation."
"Max! What have you done? I only warned you to be on the safe side. I
never meant for you to drag management and Security into this!"
"You could hardly expect me to let a thing like this ride on your
assumption that you can talk Marcie out of it! From what you told me and
from what I've seen of her, she seems quite likely to go through with some
sort of corporate espionage on her own, whether or not you get involved.
She has to be stopped. S & J wants her neutralized."
"Neutralized! For God's sake! You don't know her the way I do. There is
no need to take tins kind of action. Max, why didn't you call me before you
contacted Graham Younger? Why are you getting involved? Neutralizing
would-be corporate espionage types is hardly your line of work. As long as
you were warned, you could have taken a few precautions…"
"Just show up in the conference room on time, all right?" he asked
wearily.
"Wait a minute. Tomorrow is Saturday!" Desperately Sophy tried to
think. She could hardly refuse to show up. Not if she wanted to keep her
own job at S & J secure.
"Exactly. Security figures there won't be too many people around."
She needed time to work this out. And she couldn't afford to jeopardize
her job. Sophy chewed on her lip. "All right, Max. It
much of it I'll tolerate. Don't hit me again, Sophy."
"Or you'll hit me back?" she challenged. "I always said you were a real
gentleman!"
Satisfied with the frustrated anger that leaped into his eyes, Sophy
wrenched herself out of his grasp and stepped into the elevator as it
arrived. Without a word she stared straight ahead as the doors closed.
Only when she was safely out of sight and she realized she was alone in the
elevator did Sophy relax her internal hold on her emotions. The tears
began to trickle slowly down her cheeks.
Oh, God, what was the matter with her? How could she let him affect
her this way? Half-blinded by the gleaming moisture in her eyes, she
found her way through the huge lobby of the hotel and out into the
parking lot. There, in the safety of her car, she gave way completely to the
emotional storm that seemed to be raging inside her.
Eventually she managed to control the bout of tears and make her way
home. It was Friday night. A week ago she would have looked forward to
spending the evening with Nick Savage. Now every time she tried to think
of Nick, the image of Max got in the way. She realized vaguely that she
couldn't even summon up any anger toward Nick Savage now. All her
emotions seemed to be focused on Max Travers.
Why a wizard? Why a man who lived in another world, an unreal world?
A man who could never share her life, only her bed? Why did it have to be
Max Travers who had succeeded in tapping the emotion that had lain
dormant within her?
Sophy asked herself that question over and over again during the long
drive home. She asked it as she morosely poured herself a glass of Chenin
Blanc and settled down in her rainbow-hued chair to consider her life. She
was still asking it an hour later when the telephone rang.
"Sophy? Don't hang up, this is important." Max's voice came across the
wire with clipped command. "I've just been in touch with Graham
Younger about what you told me this evening."
"Max! You didn't! I never meant for you to go to the president of the
company!" Shocked, Sophy pulled herself out of her dismal reverie, her
anxiety taking a sudden new twist. "I told you I'd handle Marcie.
"Sophy, have you told Marcie you aren't interested in her little scheme?"
"Well, no, not yet…" No sense trying to explain that she had been
reluctant to confess to Marcie that she couldn't go through with it. "But I
will!"
"No you won't."
"Says who?" she shot back angrily.
"Says your upper management. They've got plans."
"The hell they have!"
"We're to be in conference room number eighteen-oh-nine at eight
o'clock tomorrow morning. S & J Security will be there to discuss the
situation."
"Max! What have you done? I only warned you to be on the safe side. I
never meant for you to drag management and Security into this!"
"You could hardly expect me to let a thing like this ride on your
assumption that you can talk Marcie out of it! From what you told me and
from what I've seen of her, she seems quite likely to go through with some
sort of corporate espionage on her own, whether or not you get involved.
She has to be stopped. S & J wants her neutralized."
"Neutralized! For God's sake! You don't know her the way I do. There is
no need to take tins kind of action. Max, why didn't you call me before you
contacted Graham Younger? Why are you getting involved? Neutralizing
would-be corporate espionage types is hardly your line of work. As long as
you were warned, you could have taken a few precautions…"
"Just show up in the conference room on time, all right?" he asked
wearily.
"Wait a minute. Tomorrow is Saturday!" Desperately Sophy tried to
think. She could hardly refuse to show up. Not if she wanted to keep her
own job at S & J secure.
"Exactly. Security figures there won't be too many people around."
She needed time to work this out. And she couldn't afford to jeopardize
her job. Sophy chewed on her lip. "All right, Max. It
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