She wouldn’t look at him. ‘I’m not crying,’ she said, hiccupy and defensive, tears running down her cheeks.

Max stuck his head into the room, started to speak.

‘Out,’ Dominic barked.

‘I need a minute, Nick.’ Max’s voice was as abrasive as Dominic’s.

‘Jesus Christ,’ Dominic spat. ‘Can’t you see I’m busy?’

‘It’s important, Nick. Kate, would you mind?’

She kept her head down. ‘Go,’ she hissed.

‘Don’t leave,’ Dominic whispered.

She looked up then, her eyes chips of green ice. ‘Where the hell would I go?’

He felt an instant calm; he had time. ‘I’ll be right back. And turn that damned thing off.’ He started to touch her, jerked his hand back. ‘Don’t go anywhere.’

‘Let’s take this somewhere else,’ Dominic muttered as he entered the adjacent anteroom, glancing at the two wide-eyed secretaries who were new since he was here last. New or not, they’d heard whatever his angry colleagues had said.

A few moments later, the two men were in an office with a view of the harbour, the door shut.

‘Say what you have to say,’ Dominic rapped out, wiping his palms with his handkerchief. ‘Make it brief.’

‘You’re the company, Nick. It doesn’t run without you. You don’t delegate or deputize anything major, there’s no board of directors. Knight Enterprises is your baby. And you just jeopardized a thirty billion dollar deal for a piece of ass … don’t scowl. You would have called it the same thing two weeks ago.’

‘But it’s not two weeks ago, this is different, so fucking different that I don’t care about thirty billion. He wanted to say how dare you question me? But Max was more than an employee, he was a friend. So Dominic got a grip on his temper, unclenched his jaw and kept his voice level. ‘Katherine makes me happy, Max, and I’d given up on the feeling. I know that sounds trite, but maybe you’d understand if I said she has the power to heal. As for taking time off, I’ve done that before. Climbing, skiing, sailing, trekking in the jungle. Almost dying in the jungles of Borneo. I was in the hospital for two weeks that time.’ He glanced at his lacerated palms, crumpled the handkerchief, shoved it in his pocket.

‘But you were still focused, Nick, on the phone right up until they wheeled you into surgery. And right after. Roscoe said you were even running things from your yacht that year you were sailing around the world. Not like now. Call it what you will –’ Max wasn’t buying the hearts and flowers bullshit after having watched Dominic with women the last five years, ‘ – you’re acting like some horny kid, willing to throw away everything for –‘ he lifted his chin in the direction of the conference room ‘– her.’

‘Her name’s Katherine,’ Dominic said in quiet rebuff.

‘I’m just saying. Think about it.’

‘I will, thank you. We lost Ricci, I assume. Anyone else?’

‘I’m not sure. You’re lucky this is such a lucrative deal. Maybe none of them will punt away a chance at billions.’

Dominic smiled. ‘Good. Then it might not be such an expensive piece of ass after all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some apologizing to do. A helluva lot of apologizing. Give me a week at least before you reschedule. Katherine is agitated,’ he grimaced, ‘and with good reason. I’m going to need a few days to calm her down.’

CHAPTER 21

An unmistakable pall lay over the evening, even though Dominic had abjectly apologized, Kate had politely accepted his apology and they’d dined in the turret room on An’s very best efforts. Seven courses, an appropriate wine for each course, two chocolate desserts for Kate and nothing but charming conversation from Dominic.

She’d taken off her jacket and shoes, he his jacket and tie, his shirt was open at the neck, the sleeves rolled up. But a tension hummed beneath the casualness of the scene and the well-mannered conversation.

After dinner, as they shared a priceless Napoleonic brandy, Dominic showed her the model of his rocket, offered her the short course in rocketry if she was interested.

She was. Because she liked to see him so animated and engaged, she liked to watch him, his fine mouth, the electric blue of his eyes, his long, slender hands as he ran through the stages of lift-off, his broad-shouldered body as he leaned forward in his chair translating physics into simple terms.

Without a speck of pride she loved him even if he was the most shameless, amoral person in the world. Even if he’d only bring her grief. And she wanted him to touch her so much, she felt faint with longing.

‘You’re tired,’ he suddenly said, sitting back, smiling at her. ‘I get carried away. You should have stopped me.’

‘I like to hear you talk.’ She didn’t mean for it to come out a whisper. Her face flushed.

He understood. ‘May I touch you?’ He’d never asked that of a woman before, he’d never had to. When she didn’t answer, he said, ‘Forgive me, I shouldn’t have asked.’

‘I want more than just … sex. I want to know your thoughts, your feelings, how you—’

‘I know. You can have whatever you want. Ask me and I’ll tell you.’

‘Can you give up all … that? The women, the—’

‘Yes, of course. I said I would. It’s not a problem.’