Perfect Partners

he intended to use her company to destroy an old enemy shock the hell out of sweet, innocent little Ms. Letitia Thornquist? Joel grinned savagely to himself and ran harder.
    By the time he turned and started back toward the house, he could feel the satisfying film of sweat on his shoulders and chest. His breathing was deep and strong and steady. The night air had acted like a sponge, soaking the remnants of the dream out of his mind. His brain began to function in a more disciplined manner.
    All right, so there had been a minor setback in his plans. So Letty was coming to Seattle to take over Thornquist Gear. How long could it last? She would realize within a month that it was a lousy idea.
    Letty knew nothing about business. He could arrange to keep her isolated and removed from the important stuff until she grew bored or confused. If he kept tabs on things, she would not be much more than a minor nuisance. She was bound to realize in short order that the best thing she could do was head back to her nice safe ivory tower job at Vellacott College.
    No doubt about it. Within a month she would understand that she was out of her league. Within a month she would see that the smart thing to do was let Joel continue to run the company for the next year and then cash her out. She would end up with lots of money, and he would end up with Thornquist Gear.
    Which was exactly how it should be.
    In the meantime there was no reason why he could not proceed with his plans to crush Victor Copeland. No reason at all. Hell, Letty would never even have a clue to what was going on, and even if she did guess, Joel would simply tell her it was nothing out of the ordinary. Just a simple business maneuver. Companies like Thornquist took over outfits like Copeland Marine Industries every day and then liquidated them. Right down to the last outboard engine.
    No big deal, Ms. Thornquist. This is known as business as usual. Welcome to the real world. If you don’t like it, go on back to your ivory tower. Maybe if you ask very nicely, that fiancé of yours will take you back.
    Joel frowned at that last thought. He wondered what sort of man Letty would welcome into her bed. The fiancé she had mentioned earlier was no doubt some stodgy, absent minded English lit professor. Joel tried to imagine the guy fumbling around politely under the covers while mentally reviewing his notes for the next day’s lecture on the nineteenth-century novel.
    Maybe Letty enjoyed discussing Austen or Thackeray while reaching orgasm.
    That brought up the very interesting question of whether or not Ms. Thornquist had ever
had
an orgasm—a real climax, not some wimpy little release but the kind that would make her scream right out loud. The kind that would make her clutch at the man who was giving it to her and dig her little nails into his skin. That aura of innocence about her made him doubt it.
    Joel groaned and pounded along the road with every bit of energy left in him.
    The sweat was streaming off him in rivulets when he finally stopped running. He glanced ahead at the house as he slowed to a walk to cool down. Letty was no longer standing at the window. Perhaps she had decided to abandon him to his fate out here in the wilderness.
    When his breathing had returned to normal and his pulse had slowed, Joel climbed the steps to the deck and picked up the towel he had left there. He felt in control again. With any luck he would be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
    Wiping himself off with the towel, Joel opened the sliding glass door and stepped inside.
    Letty was curled up on one of the white sofas. She stirred when Joel loomed over her.
    “Oh, you’re back.” Letty opened her eyes, yawning.
    “Safe and sound, no thanks to you. Some guardian you turned out to be.” Joel found himself smiling. “I could have been violated and murdered out there and you would have slept through the whole thing.”
    Letty considered that and then shook her head swiftly. “I might have slept through the murder part, but I doubt if I would have missed the sound of you being violated. Something tells me you would have made a lot of noise.”
    Joel narrowed his eyes slightly in surprise. “Well, well, well. Are you always this witty in the middle of the night?”
    “I wouldn’t know. I’m rarely up at this hour.” She stared at him, unmoving. “How come you are?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t need a lot of sleep.”
    “Everybody needs a good night’s sleep. I read an