Perfect Partners

breathe. The excitement was rushing through her like a river at high flood. The words came out in a rush, too. She said them before she could give herself a chance to think.
    “I am having an affair with Joel Blackstone.”
Omigod, omigod, omigod
. She’d never actually had an affair before.
    Yes, she’d been engaged to Philip, and before Philip she’d thought herself in love once or twice, but in each instance there had been the understanding that the relationship was headed toward marriage. There had been a real sense of commitment. At least until both parties involved had realized there was something wrong with her.
    An affair was such an open-ended thing, Letty realized. No promises. No guarantees. No commitments.
No future
.
    “Yeah, an affair. I like the sound of that.” Joel brushed his mouth lightly across hers. He looked extremely satisfied. “Come on, boss. Let’s finish packing and get the hell out of Dodge City. We’ve been here too long already.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the bathroom.
    Letty managed to unstick herself from the floor. “Joel. Joel, wait. There’s something we have to talk about.”
    “What’s that?” Joel was in his room, throwing the last of his things into his carryall.
    Letty halted in the doorway, her arms still full of cosmetics and her blow dryer. “Well, the thing is, I don’t think we should flaunt our personal lives back at the office, if you see what I mean.”
    “Flaunt?” He arched a brow as he zipped up the bag.
    “You know what I’m talking about.” She scowled anxiously. “We should maintain a businesslike relationship in front of the staff of Thornquist Gear. We will have to maintain a certain decorum, if you see what I mean.”
    “Are you trying to tell me you don’t want me strolling into your office during coffee break every afternoon and tossing you over your desk?”
    Letty flushed. “There is no need to be crude about it. You know perfectly well what I’m trying to say. I want your promise that you will behave yourself at the office. You said yourself that management must have the respect of the staff. We don’t want everyone speculating about us and making off-color jokes. Very bad for the image.”
    “Ah, yes. The image.” Joel picked up the carryall and walked toward the outside door. “Mustn’t forget the corporate image. Lucky I’ve got you around to remind me of my duty to Thornquist Gear, Letty. Don’t know how I’ve gotten by for the past ten years without you.”
    Letty slumped against the door frame as Joel went out of the room. Her whole world had been turned upside down and sent into a spin lately. Everything felt dangerous, precarious, and just slightly out of control. It was an unsettling sensation.
    It was also very exciting.

    The sense of being in a tightening spiral of potentially disastrous proportions intensified significantly late that afternoon when Letty walked into her office. Arthur Bigley was blinking at an even faster rate than usual.
    “Ms. Thornquist. Thank God you’re back.” Arthur leaped to his feet. “I didn’t know what to do. He just sort of barged in as if he owned the place. I called Mrs. Sedgewick, and she said Mr. Blackstone was going to be furious. She sounded very happy about that.”
    Letty sighed inwardly. “What seems to be the problem, Arthur?”
    “That man is in there. The one who kept trying to call you. I tried to stop him, like I said, but he just took over.”
    “A man? In my office?”
    “He arrived a couple of hours ago.” Arthur’s voice dropped to a soft hiss of warning. “Ms. Thornquist, he says he’s your fiancé.”
    “My fiancé?” Letty felt as if she’d been dropped off a high cliff. “Philip is here? He’s inside my office?”
    Arthur blinked frantically. “He said his name was Professor Philip Dixon and that he was engaged to you. I didn’t know what to do, Ms. Thornquist. I’ve been so worried. And Mrs. Sedgewick has been no help at all. If you ask me, she’s gloating over this whole situation. I think she wants Mr. Blackstone to get annoyed. And if he does, he’ll fire me.”
    “He will not fire you, Arthur. You work for me.”
    “But he’ll blame me for letting Professor Dixon get into your office. I know he will.”
    “Stop worrying, Arthur,” Letty said firmly. “I will handle Mr. Blackstone. Now, then, let’s see what this is all about.” She pushed open the door of her office.
    Philip was sitting behind her desk.