Family Man

balance desire with common sense. “I don't think you're going to like having an affair with me,” she warned gently.
    He threw her a quick, annoyed glance. “Why the hell not?”
    “Because I can't just abandon myself to passion the way a Gilchrist would expect,” she explained.
    “Don't worry about the passion part. You were doing just fine last night.”
    She blushed and concentrated on the car ahead. “That's not what I mean. Luke, I can't just fling myself into a scorching affair. I'm raising a seventeen-year-old boy, remember? I have to set an example.”
    “For all intents and purposes he's a man, Katy. And you're an adult. You don't have to explain your private life to him.”
    “Don't you understand? I'm not used to this kind of private life. I don't want Matt walking in on us some morning. You can't stay the night with me at my place. I won't stay the night with you at your cottage.”
    “In other words, we have to sneak around?”
    “We have to be discreet,” she said. “Very discreet.”
    “Damn it, Katy, I'm too old to play games.”
    She lifted her chin, aware that her lower lip was trembling. She had known this would never work. “I told you that you wouldn't like having an affair with me. I'll understand, of course, if you would prefer to call the whole thing off right now.”
    “Not a chance.”
    “Luke, it might be best if we did. Last night was very special for me. You must know that. But the truth is, you and I are very different. We have nothing in common. Things are bound to end eventually. You said six months was the limit.”
    “Look, Katy—”
    “To be honest, I would rather end it all now than have you turn surly whenever you don't get what you want.”
    To Katy's astonishment, Luke gave her a slow, enigmatic smile that rattled her nerves all the way to her toes. “If that's all you're worrying about, forget it. I'll handle the passionate side of things. I won't turn surly just because you can't spend the night in my bed.”
    She slanted him a wary glance. “What's that supposed to mean?”
    “It means that if you want to sneak around, I'll sneak around. For a while.”

CHAPTER

TEN
    T wo mornings later Liz stuck her head around the door of Katy's office. “Psst. This is it. Justine just sent for him. He's going downstairs in a few minutes to give her a full report.”
    Katy leapt to her feet. “Thanks, Liz.”
    Liz grinned. “Hey, no problem. Now that I'm handling his calls as well as yours I'm a regular gold mine of information. A vital cog in the corporate wheel. An indispensable asset. A valuable and loyal employee who is willing to give her all to her boss.”
    “If you're fishing for a raise,” Katy said as she went through the door, “save the sales pitch for Mr. Gilchrist. He's the one in charge of that kind of thing now.”
    “True, but I've been analyzing him, and I've come to the conclusion he's putty in your hands. So put in a good word for me, will you?”
    Katy halted in astonishment at the outer door. “You've come to the conclusion he's what?”
    “You heard me.” Liz picked up a book that was lying on her desk and opened it. “You know how to handle him, just like you do the rest of the members of the coven.”
    Katy felt herself turning a brilliant shade of red. She peered at the title of Liz's book. Return to the Jungle: The Psychology of Male/Female Sexual Dynamics in the Modern World . “What on earth is that about?”
    “Take a guess. We're studying human sexual response in my psych class this week. You know, it says in here that even though modern psychology has created a lot of new theories about sexual behavior, the truth is that men are still motivated by a bunch of really primitive hormones and instincts.”
    “Oh, for heaven's sake, Liz.”
    Liz flipped to a page in the middle of the book. “Listen to this, and I quote: ‘A male in pursuit of a female is fundamentally an animal.’”
    “Tell me something every woman doesn't already know.”
    “‘Having selected his chosen mate, he will concentrate on her. He will cut her out of the herd, perform courtship rituals to get her attention, and fight off other males who attempt to get close to her.’” Liz snapped the book shut and shivered. “Sends chills down your spine, doesn't it?”
    Katy clutched at the edge of the door. “Yes, it does. I'll be glad when you move on to something that involves rats in mazes.”
    “Actually, I think we're going to cover sociopathic