dark with desire. "I can't force you to tell me what's wrong, Kate," he rasped. "I can ask, and hope that you'll tell me because you feel the way I do—that we could have something very, very special if you would let it happen. And I can't change, or help, or do anything any differently, unless you tell me. I'm following your eyes, and your smiles, and all the cues I can follow. And they all tell me that when I take you in my arms, you want that. If I'm wrong, you have to tell me so."
"Oh, you're not wrong," she said breathlessly, still warm and aching inside from his touch. "I wish that you were—but you're not."
"Then, what is it?"
"I don't know what to say except to tell you the truth. I'm uneasy; I don't like this feeling I have when we're together, when I'm in your arms. I feel as if I've lost
control."
A corner of his mouth lifted. "Don't you think I feel the same way?" he asked softly. "Why do you think I'm pursuing you like this? Don't you realize, Kate, you only feel this way when it's right—not when it's wrong?"
"I-I don't know " she murmured. She tried to think:
how nad she felt with Kurt, and with the others? Had she felt exhilaration, this heady whirl of emotions that threw reason to the winds?
"Trust me," he whispered. "And I promise you something, Kate Churchill. Tonight it's all up to you. I want to be with you where we don't have phones ringing every two minutes and people ready to come in at any moment. "If I could"—he smiled—"I'd take you out to the countryside, t o a mountain cabin where you wouldn't be able to think of anything but romance. But even then, Kate, I'd follow your lead. It will be a night just to talk, perhaps— no advertising or retailing or office talk. That's the only rule. And we'll take it from there." He tilted his head. "If you're willing."
S h e looked away from him; she couldn't think straight when she was caught in the silken strands of his gaze.
"And if not," he said—she looked up, and he smiled— "If not, I'll just tote you up as hopelessly indecisive, and forget the whole thing."
"You think you can goad me into it, don't you," she said , smiling.
His eyes sparkled. "Can I?"
She raised her brows and smiled in challenge. "Definitely not. And anyway, I forgot—it's Thursday night. The store is open late, and even though my staff goes home at five, I have to stay on."
"Oh, it's my own doing, actually. I was having an argument one day—when I was assistant director of advertising—with the head cosmetics buyers. And I said I thought the heads of departments should be more in touch with the buying public. It was a good idea, but half made up of
spite. Anyway, it became store policy a few weeks ago. And now we circulate through the store and talk to customers on a one-to-one basis." Kate shrugged. "Now I wish I had never suggested it; I was just trying to aggravate this woman. And there's no good reason the depan- ment heads can't do the same thing during the day."
Ben looked thoughtful. "I don't really know that that's true, Kate—you have an entirely different market at nigh:. And I like the idea of getting out and meeting with the public. I like it a lot. I think we could do more with it."
"Great. I was just thinking of trying to abolish the damn thing."
Ben shook his head. "Uh-uh. Don't do a thing yet. Bu: I'll tell you what. I'll call you later after I talk to Coates about the other auditions. And if it can't be tonight, I'll have to goad you into some other night."
She smiled as she gathered up her things and walked to the door. "Maybe," she said.
He shook his head, his eyes dark and serious. "No maybes, Kate. Not anymore."
And, as she looked at him one last time before she opened the door, she saw that he was dead serious.
CHAPTER FOUR
When Kate got back to her office that afternoon, there was a note on her telephone: call me the second you get in! from Alison.
Alarmed, Kate picked up the phone and dialed Alison's extension before looking at
"Oh, you're not wrong," she said breathlessly, still warm and aching inside from his touch. "I wish that you were—but you're not."
"Then, what is it?"
"I don't know what to say except to tell you the truth. I'm uneasy; I don't like this feeling I have when we're together, when I'm in your arms. I feel as if I've lost
control."
A corner of his mouth lifted. "Don't you think I feel the same way?" he asked softly. "Why do you think I'm pursuing you like this? Don't you realize, Kate, you only feel this way when it's right—not when it's wrong?"
"I-I don't know " she murmured. She tried to think:
how nad she felt with Kurt, and with the others? Had she felt exhilaration, this heady whirl of emotions that threw reason to the winds?
"Trust me," he whispered. "And I promise you something, Kate Churchill. Tonight it's all up to you. I want to be with you where we don't have phones ringing every two minutes and people ready to come in at any moment. "If I could"—he smiled—"I'd take you out to the countryside, t o a mountain cabin where you wouldn't be able to think of anything but romance. But even then, Kate, I'd follow your lead. It will be a night just to talk, perhaps— no advertising or retailing or office talk. That's the only rule. And we'll take it from there." He tilted his head. "If you're willing."
S h e looked away from him; she couldn't think straight when she was caught in the silken strands of his gaze.
"And if not," he said—she looked up, and he smiled— "If not, I'll just tote you up as hopelessly indecisive, and forget the whole thing."
"You think you can goad me into it, don't you," she said , smiling.
His eyes sparkled. "Can I?"
She raised her brows and smiled in challenge. "Definitely not. And anyway, I forgot—it's Thursday night. The store is open late, and even though my staff goes home at five, I have to stay on."
"Oh, it's my own doing, actually. I was having an argument one day—when I was assistant director of advertising—with the head cosmetics buyers. And I said I thought the heads of departments should be more in touch with the buying public. It was a good idea, but half made up of
spite. Anyway, it became store policy a few weeks ago. And now we circulate through the store and talk to customers on a one-to-one basis." Kate shrugged. "Now I wish I had never suggested it; I was just trying to aggravate this woman. And there's no good reason the depan- ment heads can't do the same thing during the day."
Ben looked thoughtful. "I don't really know that that's true, Kate—you have an entirely different market at nigh:. And I like the idea of getting out and meeting with the public. I like it a lot. I think we could do more with it."
"Great. I was just thinking of trying to abolish the damn thing."
Ben shook his head. "Uh-uh. Don't do a thing yet. Bu: I'll tell you what. I'll call you later after I talk to Coates about the other auditions. And if it can't be tonight, I'll have to goad you into some other night."
She smiled as she gathered up her things and walked to the door. "Maybe," she said.
He shook his head, his eyes dark and serious. "No maybes, Kate. Not anymore."
And, as she looked at him one last time before she opened the door, she saw that he was dead serious.
CHAPTER FOUR
When Kate got back to her office that afternoon, there was a note on her telephone: call me the second you get in! from Alison.
Alarmed, Kate picked up the phone and dialed Alison's extension before looking at
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