Silver Linings

morning.”
    Hugh looked shocked. “My bug juice? After all that special effort you went to this morning to mix it up for me in the blender? I accidentally left it in the refrigerator? I can't believe I'd do a thing like that. I'm getting forgetful lately, aren't I?”
    “Stress, no doubt.”
    Hugh chuckled. “So what is it this morning?”
    “A combination of lime, papaya, banana, and wheat grass with some bran added for texture. I told you when I was making it this morning that it's great for supplying you with plenty of midday energy. Lots of vitamins and special enzymes.”
    “Gary makes a pretty good cup of coffee,” Hugh said, looking hopeful. “Lots of energy in coffee.”
    “But no real nutrition,” Mattie said with an admonishing frown.
    “Right. No real nutrition. Okay, stick the bug juice in that little refrigerator over there, and I'll drink it later. When are you supposed to meet Charlotte?”
    “I should go on up there now,” Mattie said, opening the section of bookshelving that was humming softly on the other side of the room. “This is impressive, Hugh. Your own refrigerator. All the comforts of home.”
    “Not quite,” he drawled. “I could use a couch.”
    “Why would you want a couch?” she asked as she straightened, and then her eyes met his faintly mocking, very sexy gaze. She blushed. “Oh. You have a one-track mind, Hugh Abbott.”
    “I'd just like to be better prepared for visits from you,” Hugh said as he took his feet down off the desk. He cast a thoughtful glance at the polished wooden surface. “Of course, there is the desk, isn't there?”
    “Forget it,” she said firmly, memories of the night flooding her veins with heat. “I'm due upstairs. Got to run.”
    “Some other time, maybe. Come on, I'll escort you up to Charlotte's palace.”
    “That's not necessary. I know you're busy.”
    “Not that busy.”
    He took hold of her arm and guided her out through the office and into the hall. There was a crowd of people waiting to board the elevator that had just opened.
    “Excuse me, folks,” Hugh said in a cool, commanding tone as he tugged Mattie past the small group and into the empty elevator. “Emergency security check. Next elevator will be along in a minute.”
    The doors closed on a row of startled expressions, leaving Mattie and Hugh alone in the elevator. Hugh punched the button for the presidential floor.
    “What was that all about?” Mattie demanded.
    “Figured you'd had enough of crowded elevators today.” Hugh folded his arms and propped his shoulder against the wall. He smiled.
    “So you kicked everyone off this one just so I wouldn't have to ride in a packed elevator?” Mattie began to giggle. “Honestly, Hugh.”
    “What's so funny?”
    “Watching you throw your weight around. You're very good at it, you know. It must come naturally.”
    “You don't get what you want in this world unless you go after it.” He reached for her, pulling her close and kissing her fiercely just as the elevator doors opened. “I learned that a long time ago, babe.”

    “This feels incredible, Aunt Charlotte. Absolutely incredible.” Mattie was lying facedown on the massage table while a white-jacketed woman with amazingly strong hands worked on her bare back. She was being kneaded, punched and pounded, and it felt wonderful. “You say you do this once a week?”
    “At least,” Charlotte Vailcourt said from the next table. “Sometimes more frequently if I'm under an unusual amount of stress.”
    Another woman in white was working earnestly on Charlotte. Mattie opened her eyes and glanced over at her aunt. Charlotte Vailcourt had always been a beautiful woman. She was nearly sixty now, but she still managed to draw every eye whenever she walked into a room. It was not just a case of physical beauty, although she had plenty of that left thanks to a fine bone structure and a great deal of money; it was also a matter of grace and style.
    Charlotte Vailcourt was loaded with grace and style. Those qualities had been the hallmark of her career as an actress, and they had carried her safely through the deep, dangerous waters of the international business world after she had taken control of Vailcourt Industries upon the death of her husband. It was Charlotte who had expanded the firm into the international realm of operations. The business had thrived under her leadership.
    “I'm going to have to try this on a routine basis myself,” Mattie said languidly as