His Girl Friday by Diana Palmer Page A

badly he'd wanted her. Thank God Ben had interrupted them, or anything might have happened. As it was, he could pretend that it had been a momentary lapse, but he had to make sure it wasn't repeated, ever. Danet a had gotten the idea, though, and it showed when she left work at quit ing time.
    She finished at five and despite the fact that she was usual y the last one out of the office, she left on time without bothering to say goodbye to Mr. Rit er. She spent an uncomfortable evening in front of the television, the silence broken only by the occasional and rare movements Norman made as he moved from the radiator to his paper in the bathroom and back again.
    She fed him and wondered what Cabe would think of him. She already knew that her boss was afraid of nothing in the world except snakes. She frowned. Technical y Norman was a reptile, even though he had legs. Would Mr. Rit er be afraid of him? Maybe someday she'd find out.
    "I don't suppose iguanas turn into princes, Norman," she sighed, watching him scramble onto the radiator and sprawl as if he were boneles . He glanced at her indifferently and closed his eyes. "Oh, wel ," she confes ed, "even if you were a prince under a spel , I'm not kis ing you. Although," she murmured darkly, "I'd rather kis you than Mr. Rit er. At least I know where you've been."
    That set her off, as she remembered his father's comment about Karol. She laughed al the way to bed, trying her best to put the sight of Karol in Cabe's arms out of her mind. She didn't sleep wel that night, and only the thought of a luxury lunch with Ben Meadows kept her going for the next two days. That, she thought, would show Mr. Rit er that she wasn't dying of unrequited love for him.
    Cabe himself was quietly polite, except to glance at her from time to time in a brooding way, as if he were worried about something. The rest of the time, his blue eyes smoldered as they slid with pointed appreciation over her soft curves. She ignored his scrutiny. Probably he was afraid that after he'd kis ed Karol so ardently, Danet a's heart was broken and she was going to jump off the roof or something and embarras him. Wel , once she went out with Ben, he'd be reas ured and things would get back to normal, she told herself. Meanwhile she'd dres ed to the hilt for Ben's sake, and she looked even bet er than she had the day she and Cabe had gone out to Mr. Deal's oil rig. She'd left her curly permed light brown hair long and wavy around her shoulders and down her back. She'd put on more makeup than usual, emphasizing her long lashes, her big gray eyes and her exquisite complexion. She wore a red lipstick that highlighted her mouth, just the shade to match her sexy red-and-white shirtwaist dres . It was a clingy fabric that lovingly outlined her high, full breasts, smal waist, flaring hips and long, sexy legs. She wore red high heels that gave her even more height than usual. It had both disturbed and unnerved her that Cabe had hardly been able to take his eyes off her al morning. And when Ben came to pick her up for their date, he just stood in the doorway and sighed, smiling at her dreamily.
    That amused her and she laughed, the sound pleasant and musical. Cabe Rit er came out of his office in time to see her face, and something explosive flashed in his blue eyes.
    "Do you need something, Ben?" he asked pointedly, because he didn't like the way Ben was looking at her—not one bit.
    "No, Cabe. I came to pick up Danet a for our lunch date," the younger man said pleasantly, too intent on her to notice Cabe's shocked expres ion turn suddenly to anger. "I'l have her back by one sharp, I promise. Danet a, shal we go?"
    Cabe stood rigidly watching them leave, his mind whirling with new complications. He'd inadvertently shoved her right into Ben's waiting arms, and he knew things about Ben that she wouldn't. He wanted to stand in the middle of the floor and curse. He'd have to nip that situation in the bud, and quick. But how?
    He sighed