Perfect Partners

room.
    Letty glanced at her watch. “I told Victor we’d be there at one-thirty. I hope that fits in with your busy schedule.” She stepped back into her own room and started to close the connecting door.
    Joel leaped forward and shoved the door open again. “Damn it to hell, Letty, that was not what you think it was.”
    “Your private life is no concern of mine, Joel.”
    “Bull. After last night we both have a hell of a lot of interest in each other’s private lives.”
    “I’d rather not discuss last night,” she said primly.
    “Yeah, I’ll just bet you don’t want to talk about it.” Joel strode forward, driving her back until she was trapped by the bed. He loomed over her, not touching her.
    “Now, Joel…”
    “You don’t want to admit how good it was, do you? What’s the matter, Letty? Can’t you deal with the fact that it was me who made it good for you?
Me
, not that damned professor back at Vellacott? What’s the matter? Did you think a man had to have a Ph.D. after his name in order to know how to make a woman like you have a climax?”
    “Stop it, Joel. What are you yelling at me for? It’s not my fault I walked into your room a minute ago and found Diana kneeling in front of you like some sort of acolyte.”
    “Acolyte?” He stared at her.
    “Yes, acolyte. A very admiring, very devoted acolyte. And it was quite obvious just what portion of your anatomy she found worthy of devotion and admiration.”
    “Maybe you’d be interested in that portion of my anatomy, too, if you gave me a chance to get my jeans off,” Joel shot back before he could stop himself. He groaned and closed his eyes while he got a grip on his raging temper. “Damn. I can’t believe this.”
    “Neither can I. Would you please get out of my way, Joel?” Letty pushed at him.
    Joel took a step back, freeing her. She sprang away from the bed and stood glowering at him, arms folded tightly beneath her breasts. He forced himself to take a deep, steadying breath. “Okay, okay, let’s call a truce here and take it from the top. I’ll go first and explain what you saw.”
    “It doesn’t need any explanations.”
    “Yes,” Joel said grimly, “It does. Diana was staging a scene.”
    “That much was obvious.”
    “She came here for a little drama, and she got it. She always did like to be the center of attention. She’s convinced herself that I set up Copeland Marine because of something that happened between us fifteen years ago.”
    Letty studied a small painting on the wall just past Joel’s shoulder. She rubbed her palms up and down her forearms. “Victor told me that you and Diana were lovers,” she murmured. “He told me everything.”
    Joel watched her closely, eyes cold. “Everything?”
    She nodded brusquely, her expressive face turning an embarrassed shade of scarlet. “Yes. Everything. How he found you and Diana together and how he ordered you never to see her again. He admitted he virtually ran you out of town.”
    “Is that all he told you?” Joel asked.
    “Not quite.” Her eyes, serious and questioning now, met his. “He said he realizes he may have made a mistake all those years ago. He wonders if you would have made him a better son-in-law than Keith Escott has. That should give you some satisfaction.”
    “I don’t give a damn how I compare with Escott.”
    “Joel, I don’t see any point in pursuing this conversation. We both know you’re using my company to get your revenge against the Copelands.”
    “
Your
company?” Hearing her say the words aloud was more than enough to trigger Joel’s anger all over again.
    “Yes. Whether you like it or not, Joel, Thornquist Gear belongs to me. One of these days you’re going to have to accept that.”
    “The hell with trying to explain things to you. You’re right. There’s no point in rehashing the past. Tell me what Copeland said at breakfast.”
    “I just told you what he said.”
    Joel waved that aside with an impatient gesture. “Not about what happened fifteen years ago. Tell me what he said to convince you that we shouldn’t shut down Copeland Marine. I want to hear the sob story.”
    Letty slanted him a repressive glance. “It is a sob story. A true sob story. And I’m sure you’re well aware of just what’s at stake here. It’s clear that if we close Copeland Marine, we’ll be shutting down a major portion of the town’s economy, just as I suspected.”
    “Business is business. What’s this crap about