A Stranger's Kiss

before their trip had been so heavy that neither of them had had time to indulge in bouts of verbal fencing. Not that she was complaining about the extra hours. On the contrary, she welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate what she could do.
    It was late on Monday evening when she took the completed sets of proposals into Adam’s office. He swung around from his computer terminal as he heard her and his forehead creased in a frown. He glanced at his watch.
    ‘What are you doing here? I thought you’d left hours ago.’
    ‘You said you wanted these tonight. I’ve just finished binding them.’
    He glanced at the pile. ‘Very pretty. But tomorrow would have done just a well,’ he added, carelessly and apparently enjoyed the slight tightening of her lips which was the only outward sign of her fury. They both knew that their flight left before ten the following morning.
    ‘Have you had anything to eat?’
    ‘Eat?’ She repeated the word as if it was some strange foreign expression that she was unfamiliar with.
    ‘Apparently not,’ he said, a little dryly. ‘Good. You can have dinner with me.’
    She backed off nervously, furious with herself for betraying by one syllable the effect his undiluted attention had on her. ‘It’s all right. Really. I have to get home and pack.’
    He didn’t seem to hear her. Or if he did he ignored the words. He switched off the computer and came round the desk. If he saw her take a further step back he made no sign. ‘I’m glad you’re still here, in fact. I wanted to check over the last minute details of our trip, so you can call it a working dinner. I’m sure your boyfriend will understand. He can cook for himself tonight.’
    ‘If you’re referring to Jim, I can assure you that he cooks for himself every night.’
    Adam having edged her up to the wall took her coat from the stand and wrapped it around her and then, his arm still draped casually across her shoulder, he led her across the hall and summoned the lift. ‘He doesn’t live in, then?’ he asked.
    ‘No, he doesn’t!’
    ‘In that case I’ll make sure our security people keep an eye on your flat while we’re away.’
    ‘There’s no need.’
    ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’
    Tara was too tired to argue. She had been working at full stretch for three days and all she wanted was to fall into bed. ‘Thank you.’
    The lift deposited them on the first floor and they took the escalator to street level and entered the wine bar. The willowy blonde took their order and then left them alone.
    ‘Have you ever been to the Middle East before, Tara?’ She shook her head. ‘It’s interesting. The people are very friendly. Especially the men. It should suit you. You may even manage to pick up some — er — clients.’
    Tara looked across at him. ‘How did you break your nose, Adam?’ she asked, finally.
    He rubbed it thoughtfully. ‘It wasn’t an irate husband if that’s what you’re thinking.’
    ‘No? I was rather hoping it might have been an irate secretary.’ She stood up. ‘There’s still time. I’m afraid you’ll have to eat both steaks yourself tonight, Adam. I’ve quite lost my appetite.’
    She walked quickly from the restaurant and once outside broke into a run, desperate to get home, barely conscious of the tears pricking at her lids. ‘Damn him, damn him, damn him.’ She leaned against her door. Why on earth did he have to treat her like some sort of loose woman? She’d done nothing to deserve it. Only respond to the unexpected warmth of a stranger’s kiss.
    She sniffed and hunted in her pockets for her key. It wasn’t there. Tara groaned. Of course it wasn’t there, it was in her handbag. And her handbag was standing on her desk, exactly where she’d left it when Adam had bundled her into the lift. She ran back down the steps and knocked on her neighbour’s door. There was no light and nobody came. She had already gone out for the evening and wouldn’t be back until late. She never was. So much for leaving her spare key there for emergencies.
    ‘This is an emergency!’ she shouted at the locked door, needing to vent her frustration on something. It was unmoved by her outburst.
    With the utmost reluctance she retraced her steps along the street and lowered herself once more into the seat opposite Adam.
    His confident smile mocked her. ‘Changed your mind?’
    ‘No, I haven’t. I’ve left my bag in the office. I haven’t got a key.’ He laughed. ‘It’s not