Intimate Betrayal Read Free

going to be neighbors as well as coworkers, we’d
better
get along together.”
    The stars had ruled them compatible, and it certainly seemed to be true. Darcy was a top-notch architect—a woman who had succeeded
     in what was still pretty much a man’s world. And Annie, who specialized in interior design, particularly for large corporate
     projects, loved working with her. Their talents meshed nicely.
    “I’m a fire sign—Leo—full of energy and enthusiasm and lots of grand plans,” Darcy had explained. “You’re a Cancer, a water
     sign, and tenacious, sensitive, loyal, and attentive to details.”
    “If we’re fire and water, how come we get along so well?” Annie had asked, amused.
    “Well, we have several harmonious trines and conjunctions in our charts and only two squares, and I have Pisces rising, and
     you have several other fire signs to go with mine.…”
    Whatever
that
meant.
    People often commented that Annie and Darcy had complementary looks as well as jobs. Annie had tawny hair, blue eyes, and
     fair skin; Darcy’s hair was black, her eyes brown, and her skin a deep olive that held a tan year-round. Annie dressed elegantly
     yet conservatively, in business suits with tasteful accessories. Darcy came to work in low-cut dresses that were tight and
     short. She wore thick, dark mascara and heavy eyeliner that made dark rims around her eyes. Her long nails were usually painted
     in deep shades of brown, purple, or red. Although Darcy never dressed in a “serious, businesslike manner,” she had no trouble
     commanding the respect of the people she worked with, as far as Annie could tell.
    “Well, I don’t know about their planets,” Annie said, scanning the crowd, “but I see some eligible types here tonight.” She
     noticed that Francesca Carlyle was now giddily movingfrom one partner to another on the dance floor, while her husband had returned to his table to sip champagne. “How about that
     surfer type over there in the tight pants?”
    Darcy shook her head. “This is San Francisco, remember? The good-looking single guys are all gay.” Then she considered the
     surfer more carefully. “On the other hand,” she grinned, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
    “Go get him, babe.”
    As Darcy switched into her hunting mode and moved away, Annie wondered why she could not bring herself to do the same. Charlie
     had been dead for nearly two years now, and it was time to stop hugging the wall at social gatherings.
    But it was one thing to tell herself that and another to do it. She still missed Charlie. He had been her rock, her teacher,
     her protector. Even though he’d been only five years older than she, he’d come from another world—a world of confidence, security,
     and hope. He’d convinced her that anything was possible if you worked hard and held on to your dreams. And she’d believed
     him because with Charlie, anything
did
seem possible. Until he’d been diagnosed with cancer.
    He had been determined to beat the disease. When it became obvious that he couldn’t, he’d taken comfort in his belief that
     everything his doctors learned from his suffering would help them to cure others. Charlie had always found the silver lining
     in the cloud.
    In tribute to everything he’d taught her, Annie had tried her best to hang on to that optimism after his death. When she lost
     her company as well, the world had seemed very black. But perhaps Charlie had been right after all, because here she was a
     few months later, a professional designer with an excellent job, partying with other professionals andsocialites on Matthew Carlyle’s yacht. It was certainly not a scene she could have imagined a year ago, when Carlyle had shattered
     her dream of keeping Fabrications alive.
    She had arrived late for the party, just as the yacht was about to begin its moonlit cruise in San Francisco Bay. The cruise
     had continued during the dinner served on board and for an hour or two