Read Corporate Affair for Free Online Page B

father’s. So bound by traditional ways of doing things that they gently begin to sink beneath the waves of progress. Is that what was happening at the time your father was killed?"
    "I’m afraid so. After I got my degree in business administration I went to work for another company. I knew I wouldn’t fit in at my father’s firm. Then he was killed and the board of directors asked me to consider taking over the day-to-day management. After all, I’d inherited it and them along with all those long-time employees. It was almost feudal!"
    "And you didn’t have the heart to liquidate or sell out?"
    "How could I do that to all those people? But after a few months I realized there was more to it than just a sense of responsibility…."
    "It became a challenge?" he murmured.
    "As I’ve said before, you’re very perceptive," Kalinda smiled.
    "So now, two years later, you’ve got the company back on its feet and David Hutton is trying to slip back into your life. Doesn’t that strike you as something of a coincidence?"
    Kalinda stared at him, shocked at that line of reasoning and then shook her head firmly. "David is thoroughly involved with his own firm; the manufacturing business where he was vice-president at the time of my father’s death has moved him up to president. Why should he be interested in Brady Data Processing now?"
    There was a lengthy silence from Rand’s side of the picnic blanket.
    "Simple greed?" he finally suggested caustically.
    She thought about that, wryly admitting that finding out David’s renewed interest in her was once again based on Brady Data Processing would be a blow to her ego.
    "He married well. Very well. He’s running a successful business."
    "All of which might make him more greedy than ever."
    "Where did you gain all this vast insight into the motivations of other people?" she grumbled. "You must meet quite a wide variety of tourists up here!"
    "I do."
    "Well, what you’ve just suggested only makes me more determined than ever to go through with my plan. If I’m right I’ll have the satisfaction of denying him me. If you’re right, I’ll have the satisfaction of denying him the firm!"
    "Neither of which is an adequate reason for taking the risk of seeing him again, dammit! You could get hurt in more ways than one, can’t you get that through your head? What’s the matter? Hasn’t there been any other man in the past two years who could take your mind off him?"
    Kalinda gave him a startled, too-revealing glance and he nodded in grim satisfaction. "So that’s it. He’s the last man you were serious about. You’ve spent the past two years devoting your energies to your firm and you haven’t had time for a proper, flaming romance which might have dimmed the memory of your ex-fiancé!"
    "That’s a crazy line of logic! And here I was thinking you so perceptive!" she hissed, infuriated with him suddenly.
    "What you need is someone to replace the memories with a much more interesting reality." Rand reached for her as Kalinda, seeing the flicker of intent in his eyes, started to edge away. But she wasn’t quick enough.
    "Rand, don’t…"
    "Give me one night, Kalinda," he grated, his hands on her shoulders. "Just one night…"
    "Why, you egotistical fool! What makes you think one night with a vacation fling would be enough to wipe out the memories of another man? How dare you even suggest…"
    Her words were choked off as she was pressed back onto the blanket. Rand moved swiftly, anchoring her twisting legs with his thigh and catching her wrists in one of his callus-roughened hands. Memories poured through her at his determined touch, but the memories were of the previous evening, not two years ago.
    "You weren’t thinking of Hutton last night, were you?" he challenged, holding her still beneath him, his hazel eyes gleaming with purpose and the beginnings of desire. "And somehow, I get the feeling you’re not thinking of his kisses right now either!"
    "Rand, listen to me,"