Page 7 of Suddenly Desired
3. Talk about LifeWrite, because you invented it and it deserves to be discovered. EMPHASISE IT’S YOUR IDEA BECAUSE IT IS YOUR IDEA.
4. Remember Blake Fielding started with nothing, and so did you. You can be as awesome as he is. Just believe in yourself, and don’t forget the most important rule:
5. DON’T MESS IT UP!!!!
There was a cartoonish doodle underneath of a young woman in glasses fighting a monstrous, bug-eyed creature with the wordCURSEwritten on it. She was armed with a pencil,another one tucked in her hair, which all but confirmed that the owner of the notebook was the young woman he’d just been speaking to. He almost laughed at the words, and at the picture, but the mention of his name there was like a punch to the gut.You can be as awesome as he is. People had once admired and respected him. But after today, would anybody want to be like him?
He opened the first page of the notebook, seeing aPlease Return Meform. The field for the name had been left blank, as had the address, but where it saidRewardthere was a scribbled note.
No money to give you, but come down to The Bookworm Café and I’ll make you a coffee!!!
It wasn’t much, but it was something. Blake held on to the notebook, making his way up the river. A bank of acacias meant that he couldn’t see the plaza from here, but he could hear the buzz of the crowd that had formed. He wished he could walk among them unseen, if only to find out what more of them were saying. He hoped that some of his employees were supporting him, but even within the company he’d never really let himself get close to anyone. While he knew that most people liked him, there was nobody — outside of the boardroom, anyway — who could vouch with complete confidence that he wasn’t a sexist, woman-hating monster.
He followed the bend in the river and saw the security booth up ahead. His Mercedes was there, and he wondered whether he should take it straight to the café mentioned in the notebook. The woman might be heading there now, and surely she couldn’t hate him for bringing her book back. That was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? It’s not like he was being spurred on solely by the idea of seeing her again. He’d hand it back, wish her a bright andhappy future, and tell her she was welcome back for an interview any time.
He was so caught up in the plan that he didn’t notice the cluster of people hovering around the security booth until it was too late. He heard somebody call his name, and suddenly a dozen men and women were running down the path towards him, microphones and cameras held out like the weapons of a charging army. His first instinct was to bolt, but he stood his ground, gritting his teeth and trying to smile at the reporters. It was more of a grimace, he knew, made worse by the fact that his fist was balled by his side. He forced himself to relax and to make his smile as genuine as possible.
“Mr Fielding!” said the fastest of the group, a middle-aged guy who was dressed for the sports desk. By his side was another man, a video camera mounted on his shoulder. “You’re accused of being a misogynist. Would you care to tell us why you posted those comments about women?”
He’d only just opened his mouth to deny the accusation when a woman butted in front of the guy, shaking her perm from her eyes and thrusting her phone in his face. “‘Corrupt’, ‘indecent’, ‘selfish’, ‘cruel’, ‘pathetic’, ‘asinine’. Just some of the words you used to describe the women in your life. Just how did somebody end up with such a strong and hateful attitude towards the opposite sex. What happened to you, Blake?”
“Look,” Blake said, but the questions came too fast and too hard for him to answer. He tried to shout over them, waving them away with the little pink notebook. “I’m innocent. I categorically deny that it was me who posted those comments.”
“It was you?” asked another reporter, jamming a padded microphone at him. “Are you admitting it?”
“No, I said itwasn’tme!” he fired back, trying to control his temper. “I’ll make an official statement later today. Please, excuse me.”
He pushed past the woman with the perm, a little more forcefully than he’d intended. She dropped her phone, gasping, but he didn’t dare stop to help her. He put his head down, striding to the gate that led to the car park. The reporters followed like hyenas, still yelling questions at him.
Old Mike, the security guard who was supposed to be manning the gate, was puffing and panting down the path from the booth, his hat in his hands. “I’m sorry, Mr Fielding,” he said, his red face drenched in sweat. “I asked them not to come in, but they didn’t listen.”
“Just make sure they leave,” Blake said, using his keycard to open the gate and running into the shade and safety of the building. He heard Mike barking orders at the crowd, ushering them out of the campus with threats of police action. Blake waited until the world had fallen silent, massaging his head to try to ease the ache in his skull.
“That probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed,” he told himself, replaying the last five minutes. But something told him it waswayworse.
He walked down the ramp to his Mercedes, opening the door and climbing inside. He stared at the notepad for a moment, then tossed it on to the passenger seat. There was no way he could return it now. The press would be everywhere, and they’d be watching his every move like a hawk. The mystery woman would have to wait.
Sighing, and doing his best to shake the image of her smile from his head, he started the engine, and set off for home.
Chapter 6
ELLIE
Ellie pushed through the door into the cool, air-conditioned café, happy to leave the sweltering heat outside. She wasn’t due to start her shift for another two hours, but Lissa always needed the help, and it wasn’t like there was anything waiting for her at home.
There wassomethingwaiting for her there, though, something distinctly unpleasant. Josh. Urgh. There he was at his usual corner table, swirling a sad, lukewarm coffee, his pale grey eyes darting around the room. She froze, debating whether or not she could slip out unnoticed, but it was too late. His round face lit up, and he stood so quickly that his chair almost toppled over.
“Ellie!” he called out, running a hand through his thinning blond hair as he approached. “How did it go? I was waiting for you. I wanted to be the first to find out whether you sank or swam.” His smile was sharp, almost amused. “I’m guessing by the look on your face you didn’t sink so much as drown.”
Ellie dragged her gaze over to Lissa, who was busy frothing milk at the machine. Lissa shrugged helplessly, and Ellie walked to the counter. Josh practically sprinted between the tables to meet her there, opening his arms for a hug.
Every time.Even though she’d asked him not to. They’d been broken up for nearly two months now, but after two years together, he still didn’t seem to understand boundaries.
“Josh, don’t . . .” But it was too late. He had her in a bear hug that reeked of the Deep Heat he rubbed perpetually on his sore back.
She gave him the world’s most unenthusiastic pat, counting the seconds until he let go and she could breathe again.
“So?” he pressed, his watery eyes blinking at her. “Did you get in?”
