ALISSA'S MIRACLE Page 2

  "Yeah, right. When was the last time you heard him laugh?"

  "All right, then … maybe he isn't the most jovial guy around, but it's still possible that he didn't hear a word."

  Propping her elbows on the table, Alissa lowered her head into her hands and moaned. "Oh, Lord, I don't believe this. It just can't be happening. I'll never be able to look that man in the eyes again."

  "C'mon, now. Take it easy, Alissa." Margo patted her on the back. "There's no point in getting upset until you know if he really did hear us. Wait and see how he acts when you go back to the office."

  Alissa's head shot up. She stared at her friend, horrified. "Go back? Are you crazy? I can't go back and face him! Not now. I can't!"

  "Sure you can. Just hold your head up and pretend it never happened," Jolene advised.

  "That's right. I mean, what's he going to do? Have you flogged? Anyway, you have to go back—you work there. You can't walk away from a job you've had for fifteen years just because of a little embarrassment."

  "A little embarrassment? A little embarrassment? Is that what you call it? Margo, for Pete's sake! I've never been so mortified in my life!"

  "Yeah, well, don't sweat it. He's just a man, after all. A dreamy one, true, but just a man. Anyway, it'll all blow over soon. A month from now, no one will remember. C'mon, let's go. The sooner you face him, the sooner it'll all go away."

  Alissa started shaking her head. "No. I can't. I … I just can't."

  "You have to. Now c'mon."

  Margo picked up her bag, shoved Alissa's purse into her hands and stood up. The others three women followed suit, and between them they dragged Alissa out of her chair and hustled her toward the door.

  Throughout the block-and-a-half walk back to the office, Alissa's friends barraged her with encouragement. It didn't help. She felt like a condemned woman walking into the execution chamber.

  "Just remember, all you have to do is hold on to your dignity. If he doesn't bring the matter up, then you're home free," Jolene said as the elevator climbed to the executive floor.

  All her friends should have gotten off on lower levels, but according to them, they were giving her moral support. Alissa suspected they really wanted to make certain she returned to her desk.

  "And if he does mention our conversation, just treat the whole thing as a joke," Margo added as the floor indicator pinged.

  The sound sent panic skittering down Alissa's spine.

  "That's easy for you to say. None of you have to face him every day. You can run and hide whenever he visits your departments."

  "Yeah, well, you have all the perks of working on the executive floor. You gotta take the bad with the good."

  The doors whispered open. Alissa took an automatic step backward, but several hands on her back propelled her out into the hall. She turned to scowl at her friends, but they merely smiled, and as the doors slid shut, Margo gave her a thumbs-up signal and trilled, "See ya."

  To Alissa's immense relief, there was no sign of Dirk when she entered her office. She half expected him to be waiting by her desk, ready to pounce. For the next hour, she jumped every time the telephone rang or someone walked into her office.

  She knew she couldn't avoid Dirk forever, of course, but she hoped she could at least get through the rest of the day without bumping into him. In twenty-four hours, she felt certain, she would have her nerves under control and have regained her composure.

  It was not to be. Mr. Battle had an afternoon appointment with a prospective customer, and when the man arrived, Dirk was with him.

  Alissa's heart skipped a beat, but when her gaze met Dirk's, there was no ridicule or anger there, just the usual hint of impatience and preoccupation. She couldn't detect the slightest iota of difference in his demeanor.

  "This is Mr. Costas from NASA," he said abruptly. "Henry is expecting us."

  "Yes, of course. This way, gentlemen." On shaky legs, Alissa rose and escorted the men into Mr. Battle's office. She was about to make her exit and beat a hasty retreat to her desk when Henry ordered her to stay and take notes.

  Throughout the meeting, Dirk barely glanced her way. She might have been invisible, for all the notice he took of her. Since that was normal, Alissa began to feel relieved.

  The meeting ended just before quitting time, with Dirk promising to draw up a proposal and fax it to Mr. Costas within a few hours. When he and the NASA man had gone, Alissa returned to her desk and sank down into her chair with a gusty sigh. Apparently she had gotten herself all worked up over nothing. Dirk obviously had not heard a word of that outrageous and humiliating conversation.

  The experience had taught her a lesson, though, she decided as she cleared her desk and put the cover on her computer terminal. Never again would she let her friends involve her in one of their X-rated discussions about men—particularly one about Dirk Matheson.

  "Good night, Mrs. Kirkpatrick. You have a good weekend."

  Alissa looked up, and was surprised to see her boss slipping into his overcoat as he emerged from his office.

  "You're leaving so early?" It wasn't like him to quit working before six-thirty or seven. Usually, either he or Dirk was the last one to leave the building.

  "Yes, I promised my wife I'd knock off early. We have family visiting from out of town, and if I don't get home at a reasonable time, she'll have my head."

  Alissa smiled. She doubted that. Francine Battle was a soft spoken little woman with apple cheeks and a twinkling personality. Alissa couldn't imagine her even raising her voice.

  "Well, we wouldn't want that," she replied with a chuckle. "I was just leaving myself. If you don't mind, I'll ride the elevator down with you."

  Retrieving her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk, she stood up and headed for the closet to get her coat. She had barely taken a step when the outer door opened and Dirk stepped back inside.

  "Good. I caught you." He glanced at Alissa, then turned his attention on Henry. "My secretary has already left for the day. I was wondering if I might borrow Mrs. Kirkpatrick to type up the proposal for Mr. Costas?"

  "Certainly. No problem," Henry replied without hesitation. "You don't mind staying, do you, Mrs. Kirkpatrick?"

  Alissa's heart sank. Whether or not Dirk had heard that embarrassing girl talk, she wasn't anxious to be alone with him. Besides, she'd been looking forward to going home and relaxing in a hot bath, then curling up by the fire with a good book. After the day she'd had, she needed a little pampering.

  Still, she gave her boss a wan smile. "No, of course not."

  "Good. That's settled, then. Well, I'd better be on my way. You two don't work too hard."

  "Are you sure this isn't an imposition?" Dirk asked when Mr. Battle had gone. "I just realized it's Friday. Perhaps you have a date tonight?"

  "No. I don't date." Avoiding his gaze, Alissa put her purse down on the corner of her desk and sat down. She uncovered her computer and booted it up, then checked the paper supply in the printer. "Not at all?"

  Confused, she looked up and found him watching her intently. "Pardon?"

  "You don't date at all?"

  "Oh. No. No, I don't."

  "Why not?"

  A tiny frisson tickled down Alissa's spine. Why was he asking about her personal life all of a sudden? He'd never acted as though he even suspected she had a personal life until now. "I … I just don't. I've only been a widow for a little over a year."

  "Hmm … I see. Well, that's good, then. At least I'm not disrupting your plans for the evening.

  "Now, shall we get started?" As quick as a blink, he was all business again. "I'll use Henry's office to finish the draft I started during the meeting. In the meantime, you can prepare a fax transmittal cover letter for my signature. You know the kind—the following X number of pages are the proposal which we discussed this date, et cetera, et cetera."

  "Yes, of course, Mr. Matheson. Right away."

  It didn't take Alissa long to prepare the transmittal letter. While she wa
ited for Dirk to finish the proposal, she busied herself with minor chores. She watered the office plants and straightened the coffee bar, then returned to her desk and started going over Mr. Battle's appointment book for the following week.

  "Hi, gorgeous. Has old Battle got you working late again?"

  Alissa gave a little squeak and jumped. She looked up and saw Jack Hennesey standing in the doorway with his shoulder propped against the frame. One foot was crossed over the other, and his arms were folded loosely over his chest. His indolent posture and the smile that curved his mouth and twinkled in his blue come-hither eyes reeked of seductive charm and were vintage Jack.

  Putting her hand over her heart, Alissa closed her eyes and released her breath in a long sigh. "Jack! You scared me half to death."

  "Sorry, gorgeous. I didn't mean to. I'd called it quits for the day and was heading for the elevators when I spotted your lights still on."

  He pushed away from the door and strolled into the office with his hands in his trouser pockets. Hooking a leg over one corner, he perched on the edge of her desk and grinned down at her. "So what're you doing working late on a Friday night? A beautiful woman like you ought to be home getting ready for a romantic night on the town. Preferably with me."

  "There was a last-minute job that had to be done tonight, and I said I'd stay and help."

  "Ah, the perfect secretary. Mine is out of here like a shot at the stroke of five. I can't even get her to drop something off for me at the post office on her way home if I happen to miss the mailroom's last pickup of the day. She says it's not on her job description," he added with an exaggerated sulk.

  Alissa laughed. "Jack Hennesey, you're terrible. Anita is an excellent secretary, and you know it."

  "Maybe," he said with a shrug. "But I'd trade her for you in a New York second."

  She gave him a chastising look, but refused to comment.

  "So, how long do you think it'll be before you're through here?"

  "I have no idea."

  He leaned forward, a sexy smile curving his lips once again, his eyes warm and slumberous beneath half-closed lids. "I could wait around awhile. When you're finished, we could go someplace nice for dinner. Maybe a little dancing."

  Alissa opened her mouth to decline, but he didn't give her the chance.

  "Or … we could fly to Las Vegas and get hitched. Whadda you think? Personally, I vote for the second." He stroked a caressing finger down her cheek and winked. "I've been dreaming of honeymooning with you for months."

  Alissa chuckled at his nonsense. She knew better than to take him seriously. Jack was an incurable tease. Flirting came as naturally to him as breathing.

  Not that he wouldn't be pleased if she took him up on his offer of dinner, even though she knew he was half kidding. For the past couple of months, he had been trying to get her to go out with him.

  She liked Jack a lot. He was amusing and sweet and good-looking, but she didn't want to encourage him. Casual romances weren't for her. Besides, dating someone with whom you worked had never seemed wise to her.

  "I'm sorry, Jack. I can't."

  "What? Can't marry me, or can't have dinner?"

  "Both," she said with a chuckle.

  His smiled faded, and for an instant she thought she saw something in his eyes that made her uneasy, but he blinked and it was gone, replaced by his teasing smile. "You know, don't you, that I'm not giving up? I'm going to keeping chipping away at you until you say yes."

  "Not tonight you're not. She's already refused your offer of dinner, so get lost, Jack. We have work to do."

  Alissa jumped guiltily and felt her color rise as Dirk strode out of Mr. Battle's office, but Jack merely turned and raised his eyebrows, not in the least discomfited.

  "Well, well. Hello, Dirk. I didn't know you were here."

  "Obviously. And Jack, if you're going to romance the female staff, I suggest you do it after office hours."

  Jack grinned. "It is after office hours."

  "In case you haven't noticed, we're still working."

  "Hey, can I help it if you're a slave driver?"

  Dirk scowled. Almost any other man in the company would have been stumbling over himself to escape, but Jack's grin merely grew wider.

  He had not made vice president, but he was not in the least intimidated by Dirk. Jack had been with the company for almost twenty years and was the director of public relations and advertising, a job at which, with his charm and personality, he excelled.

  "Beat it, Hennesey. Mrs. Kirkpatrick is busy."

  From Dirk's tone, and the hardness of his stare, you would never have guessed that he and Jack were the best of friends, Alissa thought, a bit uneasily, as she watched the two men. That they were was mind-boggling to her. She couldn't imagine two men who were more polar opposites.

  "All right, all right. I'm going," Jack said with a laugh, backing away toward the door. "Don't let him work you too hard, gorgeous. And remember, that Las Vegas offer is open anytime you change your mind."

  Jack disappeared through the door, but an instant later his head popped back inside. "Oh, say, buddy—are we still on for handball in the morning?"

  "Yeah. We're still on."

  "Good. I'll see you at nine."

  When he had gone, Alissa shifted uneasily in her chair, but Dirk did not comment. He handed over the hastily scrawled proposal and got down to business as though the brief interruption had not occurred.

  It took Alissa almost two hours to type up the proposal to Dirk's satisfaction. She would have had it done sooner if he hadn't hovered over her the whole time. He stood with his hand on the back of her chair, and several times he reached across her to point to something on the screen. By the time the proposal was ready to print out, her nerves were jumping like water droplets on a hot griddle.

  After Dirk proofread the hard copy, it took only minutes to fax the proposal. The instant they were done, Alissa took her coat from the closet. "If that's all, I'll be going now. Good night, Mr. Matheson."

  "Hold on. I'll walk you to your car."

  "Oh, no, really. That's not necessary."

  "I think it is. At this hour, the parking garage is deserted. It's not a safe place for a woman alone."

  She couldn't argue with that. Mr. Battle always made a point of escorting her to her car whenever they worked late. In this case, however, she didn't know what made her more nervous—that dimly lit garage at night, or Dirk's nearness and the feel of his hand on her elbow as they rode down in the elevator and crossed the enclosed, elevated walkway over the street to the parking garage on the other side.

  Their two cars were the only ones left on the executive level of the garage. Alissa's modest midsize domestic sedan was fairly new, but it was outclassed sitting four slots down from Dirk's Mercedes. To her, however, the little Dodge looked like a blessed refuge.

  Her hand shook as she unlocked the car under Dirk's watchful eye, but finally she got the door open. She glanced at him with a stiff smile. "Thank you for walking with me."

  He looked at her intently for several seconds, then nodded. "Sure. No problem."

  Alissa fidgeted, but he made no move to leave. "Well … uh … good night."

  "Good night."

  As he turned to walk away, she scrambled into the cold car. She was about to close the driver's door when Dirk stopped and turned to face her again.

  "By the way, I think I should tell you, I have noticed that you're a woman." He shrugged. "If I haven't treated you like one, it's because you're always so cool and distant. But I promise you, I have noticed."

  Speechless, Alissa gaped at him as scalding heat swept over her entire body. Oh, dear Lord. He had heard them at the restaurant!

  The merest hint of a smile tugged at his mouth. "I just wanted you to know. Good night … Alissa."

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  « ^ »

  Behind him, Dirk heard Alissa's car start, and the squeal of tires as she reversed out of the slot and he
aded toward the exit.

  He climbed into his Mercedes and started the engine, but instead of putting the car in gear, he looked over his shoulder in time to see the glowing taillights of the Dodge disappear down the ramp at the other end of the garage.

  Now why on earth had he teased her that way? He hadn't planned to. It had been his intention to ignore the whole thing and pretend that he hadn't heard a word of her conversation with her friends. For the sake of their business relationship, that would have been by far the wiser course of action.

  Shaking his head, he backed out of the reserved space and headed for the exit at a considerably more sedate speed than Alissa. A smile curved his mouth as he guided the car down the spiraling ramp. He had to admit, though, the expression on her face had been priceless.

  At the bottom of the ramp, Dirk merged his car into the traffic streaming down the freeway feeder street and headed for his high-rise apartment.

  He lived just a mile or so away, and was home within minutes.

  It was chilly inside his apartment when he entered. He flipped on the entryway light and turned up the thermostat, then stepped down into the living room and turned on the gas logs in the fireplace. He didn't bother to switch on any other lights.

  After shedding his topcoat and suit coat, he ambled into the kitchen. He took a chilled soft drink from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass with ice, then returned to the living room, taking a long drink as he strolled over to the terrace doors. Below, the lights of Houston sprawled out as far as the eye could see, like diamonds carelessly flung on black velvet.

  Why the devil couldn't he stop thinking about Alissa Kirkpatrick?

  He'd spent—or he should say, wasted—a lot of the afternoon thinking about her. That uncensored girl talk had niggled at him all day, stirring thoughts that had never occurred to him before.

  For one thing, he had to admit, the idea that Henry's always calm and collected secretary was attracted to him intrigued the living hell out of him. Not in his wildest dreams would he have ever guessed. She had certainly never given him the slightest clue. Whenever he was around her, she was the epitome of efficiency and businesslike decorum, going quietly about her work without drawing attention to herself.