Enchanted Read Free Page A

over?”
    “Because you haven’t got what it takes.”
    She leaned forward in her chair, giving Mac a better view of her haughty expression. “My balls are just as big as yours, Mr. O’Brien. I just wear them in a different place.”
    That did it. God, the woman was driving him mad. Why not give her McKenna Publishing right now? That would be more desirable than listening to her boastful remarks.
    “I’ll make you a deal,” he said, keeping his voice calm in spite of the anger building inside. “We’ll talk about a promotion if this magazine lives up to all your projections.”
    “Why don’t we talk about it now? I’ve been here a long time. You know my work, and this magazine will succeed. I deserve a promotion. A sizable one.”
    He took a moment to ponder her words. He left his comfortable chair and stood where Kathleen had been moments before, the hot sunlight beaming down upon him through the window. Everything she said rang true. He had grown tired of the publishing world, but that had happened a long time ago. About the same time he realized Kathleen Flannigan had gotten under his skin. The same time he realized she was too young. The same time he went to Europe to clear his mind.
    A year away had done the trick. He saw everything in a different light when he returned—especially Kathleen. Gone were the faded blue jeans and bouncing ponytail, replaced by those awful blue suits and that horrible bun. But the biggest change of all was the presence of a newborn baby, and no husband in sight. And those rumors. Those horrible rumors.
    He remembered those days in Europe, and how he had wanted to come home and see her again. He had missed her—oh, how he had missed her. But all those feelings diminished the moment he saw the baby, the moment his father died. He refused to confront her, refused to find out the truth. It was easier to form his own opinions and avoid her. So he kept his distance, forcing Kathleen from his mind, but not completely from his heart. And now she was creeping back into his brain. Why, after so many years, did all those earlier desires have to reappear? He didn’t want her in his thoughts. He didn’t want her anywhere near. And the closer she got to the top at McKenna Publishing, the closer she got to him. But she was good. Damn good. Just as she had said. McKenna Publishing needed her, even if he didn’t.
    His thoughts disturbed him. The quiet disturbed him. He felt her eyes boring into his back. He left the window and went to the marble-topped wet bar, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of Molson. Turning to Kathleen, he twisted off the top, took a sip of his favorite beer , and stared into her frowning eyes.
    “I might need someone to head up New Ventures.”
    She didn’t waste a minute in responding. “That’s a start.”
    “And what if you don’t succeed?”
    “I will.”
    She smiled.
    He scowled.
     
     

Chapter 2
    Mac adjusted the thermostat one more time, trying without success to bring a hint of cool air into his exercise room. The oppressive heat and humidity didn’t keep him from his daily routine—no matter what, he never failed to put in an hour each day.
    He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, climbed on his old and long-used stationary bike, increased the tension, and immediately had the speed up to twenty-five miles an hour, where he would keep it for at least fifteen minutes. Sweat glistened on his naked chest and back while he pumped the pedals at a furious pace. He shoved all thoughts of work completely out of his head. Work had its own time and place—the exercise room was off limits. Here he relieved his stress, regained his sanity, and kept his body in perfect condition, kept himself looking as he had twenty years before.
    For the past half hour he’d been attempting to meditate, to clear his mind of everything but his straining muscles and the flow of tension out of his body. That’s how it usually worked when he entered the