

Out of Date

By

Emma Daniels

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012

Chapter One

"I feel so out of date," Lydia Elliston lamented as she paced the floor of her living room.

"What do you mean? The clothes you're wearing are hardly old. I helped you buy that skirt and top only three weeks ago at Myer, remember?" replied her friend, Olivia. She motioned to her with both hands from where she was sitting on Lydia's lounge.

Lydia huffed as she continued to wear a circle into the carpeted floor. "Yes, clothes suitable for a forty-four year old."

"That's because you are a forty-four year old," Olivia reminded her. She was also wearing what Lydia considered safe clothes; designer yes, but nothing like the colourful, rather revealing outfits they would have worn twenty, fifteen, or even ten years earlier. Being a lawyer, Olivia was extra conservative in her clothing choices.

"Sometimes I feel like life is passing me by. Shop-keepers call me madam. I'm Emily's mother, or Mrs Elliston, English teacher. I don't feel like a person in my own right." Lydia drew in a breath as she steeled herself to reveal her news. At last she sank into a convenient lounge chair. "I didn't tell you about this before because it's kind of embarrassing... but I joined one of those over-forties singles groups. I went to my first dinner last night."

"Just because a couple of dates end up without a follow up doesn't mean it will always be like this. You've only just started going out again."

"Actually, I was asked out... by two men. But that wasn't the problem."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. "Two men asked you out? Let me guess - they were both obscenely overweight with more hair sticking out of their noses than on their heads, and they talked with their mouths full?"

"No." Lydia had to laugh at Olivia's description. "They were both quite average, perfectly ordinary fifty-something year old men."

"Then what the heck's brought on this bout of self-pity?" Olivia asked in bewilderment.

"I told you! They didn't see me. As soon as we started talking and they discovered I was a widow with a grown up daughter, their eyes lit up. The first man ranted on about how he hates desperate divorcees who think no man is good enough for them. He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want a date. He wanted a cook and housekeeper."

Olivia nodded. "Well, we all know there are still plenty of chauvinists out there. What about the other one?"

"He seemed nice enough at first, until I discovered just how needy was. He kept talking about how lonely he was, and how he wanted a companion to travel around the country with him in his camper van. When I said I wasn't interested, he spun around so fast I swear I saw sparks fly, and practically pounced on the woman on his other side with exactly the same story."

"Okay, so it didn't work out. There are plenty of other ways to meet someone. There are heaps of dating agencies for older singles on the net."

Lydia shook her head. "I don't think I want to go through all that."

"Why not?"

"After nursing Paul through his illness, I don't want to take on someone else's baggage. Neither do I want to be someone's domestic servant, not that I minded caring for Paul. I mean we did marry for better or worse. Pity there was so much of the worse part during the last few months of his life." Lydia sighed. "You of all people should understand after all I went through with him."

"Of course I do. I was with you for most of it, but I don't understand what you want now."

Lydia threw her hands in the air. "I don't want to change the way I live. In a way I've grown used to being on my own, but there are still things I miss, like the companionship... and if you must know... the sex. I want an uncomplicated relationship with someone who recognizes that even though I'm no longer twenty, or even thirty, I'm still a woman. For once in my life, I want it to be about me."

"Interesting idea, but it's never going to happen."

"You don't know that. And don't use that lawyer voice of yours on me. I'm just pointing out that if two consenting adults want physical pleasure, why can't they be selfish as well as happy? Sex is the only activity I can think of where your partner can get exactly what he wants as well."

"Don't you think you're a bit old for a relationship based mostly on sex? I mean that's the sort of attitude you expect from teenagers. Older men want more than that."

Suddenly it dawned on her. Lydia snapped her fingers and scooped up from the coffee table the newspaper that she'd been reading earlier. "That's it! That's what I've been doing wrong. I need a younger man."

"Lydia, you can't start chasing teenagers!"

Lydia stopped flicking through the newspaper and looked up, glaring at her friend in disdain. "I don't want a teenager. Yuck! I have a much better idea... Here it is," She waved the paper triumphantly in the air, "in the personal column. 'Man, late twenties, would like to meet woman, forty to fifty, for a good time.'"

"Oh no you don't." Olivia grabbed at the paper but Lydia held it out of her reach. "Lydia, you are not going to contact that man. He's probably a pervert. Why would someone in his twenties be looking for a woman aged forty to fifty if there wasn't something wrong with him? You can't be serious."

"Why not? I'm not stupid. I'll arrange to meet him somewhere public."

"What if you're not safe in public? Or worse still, what if he turns out to be someone you know? Like an ex-student?"

"How likely is that? Nowra is a big enough town. What if he's exactly what I'm looking for? If I don't make an effort nothing will change. I'll be stuck in this rut until I am too old to go out and enjoy myself. Where's the phone?"

With a sigh of resignation, Olivia stood up. "If you're hell bent on doing this, then I'm at least going to make sure you minimize the risks. Don't give him your phone number."

"Liv, I think that's what these voice mail boxes are for. Besides, if I don't give him my number, how are we going to arrange a meeting?"

"It's too risky."

Lydia's patience came to an end and she snapped; "It's about time I took some risks. I've always played it safe and where has it got me? The only excitement I get is from reading raunchy romance novels." She found the cordless phone under a magazine and began dialling.

Olivia snatched it from her fingers. "Wait. Before you do anything, think. What are you going to say?"

Lydia's mind went blank. "Oh." Her mouth twisted wryly. "What do you think I should say?"

Olivia shook her head in frustration. "Absolutely nothing. But if you must, just your first name and mobile number, nothing he can use to track you down. It's a recorded message anyway, and if you do arrange to meet this guy, you let me know exactly where you'll be and when you're going to be there."

Lydia pulled a face. "I'm nervous enough already. I'm a grown-up. I think I can trust myself not to get into trouble."

Olivia shook her head again. "I have to make sure you'll be safe."

"All right," Lydia relented. She could see the merit in that, and she had to admit she was glad Olivia cared enough to want to ensure her safety. She had been there for her when Paul had died from cancer. Most of her other acquaintances had melted into the woodwork when she needed them most. So she shouldn't begrudge her this small boon - if Lydia could actually dredge up the courage to make the call.

Daniel Logan glanced up at his boss, Greg Adams, who stood lounging against the frame of Daniel's office doorway as he waited for Daniel to read through the document he had tossed on his desk. "I can't see any legal impediment to stop you," Daniels said, finally glancing up from the sheaf of papers.

"Good. Because I'll bet my bottom dollar she's going to make a fuss. Everything must be watertight before we talk to her."

"Like I said, there's no legal impediment, but she'll still have every reason to think its discrimination," Daniel explained, dropping the document back down onto the desk in front of him.

"I don't care what she thinks. It's what she can prove in court that matters." Greg thrust his hands into his pockets, and adopted a casual stance; a pose Daniel had learnt meant Greg was anything but relaxed. "There's no place on television news, even in regional New South Wales, for a woman over forty. If we renew her contract, we're stuck with her for another three years. Once she starts showing her age, the public won't want her in their living rooms anymore."

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "The polls say she's still very popular."

Greg shrugged. "So? Viewers are fickle. They have no loyalty. They'll go for any pretty young face we shove in front of them. They don't want some hatchet-faced battle-axe growling out the news at them."

'Hatchet-faced battle-axe?' Amanda Henderson was only five years older than Daniel, and he thought she looked pretty damn good whenever he saw her on the screen. "Thirty-eight hardly qualifies as old," he remarked.

"It does in the world of television. Viewers want youth, so we give them what they want."

"Rod's got to be at least fifty." Daniel motioned to the papers in front of him. "Are you going to refuse to renew his contract when it comes up as well?"

"It's different for male newsreaders. Older men are seen as authority figures. Maturity gives them credibility."

Daniel didn't bother to argue. What could he say anyway? The industry discriminated against older women. One relatively junior lawyer in a regional television network wasn't going to change that. He'd been asked to review Amanda Henderson's contract to see if the station faced any legal consequences if they didn't give her another three years in front of the camera. He hadn't found any loopholes or possible threats to the network.

Greg turned to leave. "The main thing is you've checked over the contract, and regardless of what Amanda thinks, there's nothing in it she can use against us."

"The lawyer before me knew his stuff. He drew up the first contract to keep her tied to the network. In the last contract she signed the relevant clause was made quite clear. If the network chooses not to renew the contract, there's no obligation to offer any reasons or compensation. I'm surprised Amanda and her legal representative agreed to the changes."

The chubby, middle-aged manager leaned against the doorframe again. "Amanda would have agreed to anything. Television is a competitive business. There are hundreds of would-be journalists out there. They don't care what the terms of the contract are, as long as they have one."

He turned and left Daniel's office, smiling and nodding at people on the floor as he went, lord of his small domain.

Daniel sank back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Like all lawyers he had to adhere to the letter of the law. His job didn't require him to judge the morality of any issue. But he was pretty certain Amanda Henderson was going to give them a damn good run for their money.

Chapter Two

Lydia sat in her car, about to switch the ignition back on and drive away. All she had to do was get out and walk a block and a half to a café. But her heart raced, her knees felt weak, and her hands grew sweaty.

The man, who'd rang in response to her voice mail message, had sounded calm and articulate. The conversation had been short and to the point. He had not asked for, nor offered, any personal details. And neither had she. Then he'd suggested meeting in a café in the centre of town on Thursday afternoon.

The directions had been simple. Lydia just had to walk in and look for a young, slender, brown-haired man reading a book.

So why couldn't she do it?

Because what had seemed like a decent plan a week ago when she'd first come up with it, now seemed totally absurd. Why would a twenty-something man want to become involved with an older woman anyway? What if he was a scammer, a weirdo, a potential stalker? Yes, Olivia, dear friend that she was, had come up with all those possible scenarios to put her off the idea.

Lydia turned the key and started the motor back up. Then she thought about having to tell Olivia she'd chickened out. Olivia would applaud Lydia's decision, happy for her to stay in her safe, conservative little rut. And Lydia would turn off the lights at the end of the day and get into her cold, empty bed as bored and unsatisfied as she was now. She was over her marriage, over the grief – ready to move on. She had to start taking risks or nothing was going to chance.

Once again she turned off the engine and climbed out of the car before she could talk herself out of it again. She started walking briskly and kept up the momentum until she stepped inside the Hot Roast café - where she came to an abrupt halt.

The place was full, most of the tables occupied by single people. Several were men with volumes open in front of them, something she might have expected if she'd realized the cafe had a book shop attached to it.

How could she pick out the right man now?

Panic set in again. Lydia tensed, preparing to flee, when a young man sitting virtually at her elbow looked up. He gave her a small, slightly vague smile. She drew a deep breath and asked tentatively; "Daniel?"

His dark eyes instantly became more alert as his gaze focused on her. "Yes." His voice sounded deeper than it had on the phone, but then she'd been in such a state she couldn't really remember what he'd sounded like.

With trembling fingers Lydia pulled out the seat opposite him. Her shaky knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the hard wooden surface. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to pick you out."

His brows drew together in a small frown. Oh God, he doesn't like me already, Lydia though. She had tried so hard with her appearance, putting on a professional-looking knee length beige skirt and a soft floral button through blouse. But perhaps, like most of her clothes, it dated her, showed her age. Maybe she looked like his mother. She half stood. "Look. I can leave now if this is no good."

He gestured her back down again, and let the book in front of him on the table drop closed. "No. At least catch your breath." A waiter appeared alongside the table. "Order a cup of coffee. Then you can tell me what you want."

Lydia nodded. He had been pretty brief on the phone too. Perhaps he'd done this often enough to have a routine. She could only follow his lead. At least she could tell Olivia whatever problem he had wasn't in the looks department.

He was pretty damn hot. His white shirt stretched over broad shoulders, and from what she could see across the table he didn't appear to be carrying any extra weight around the middle. His dark brown hair wasn't sprinkled with grey, and his skin was smooth, stretching over even, handsome features. His mouth and his eyes were the nicest of all; full lips and soulful chocolate-brown eyes. He looked older than twenty-eight though. He had a rugged attractiveness that should have had women flocking to him. She found it hard to believe he had to resort to putting ads in papers.

The waiter, obviously quick on the uptake, placed hot coffee in front of her, and Lydia took a calming sip. She put it back on the saucer with only a small clatter, and the handsome man opposite raised a brow. "Feeling better?"

"A bit. I've never done this before. I don't know the correct procedures."

He smiled, making him look more approachable. He had seemed so stand-offish a moment ago. "At the moment I'm not sure what they are either. Perhaps you could explain what you want with me."

Lydia took a shaky breath. This wasn't at all how she'd thought it would go. Surly he could be a bit more forthcoming with his side of the deal? Once again she wondered if he'd changed his mind because he wasn't attracted to her. "It might be easier if I explained what I don't want."

"If that helps. Go on."

"Well." She paused, and then poured the words out in a rush. "I don't want any ties or obligations. I'm not looking for marriage or anything."

His indrawn breath interrupted her. His neutral expression told her nothing, nor did his tone. "Well, I'm glad we got that out of the way. I repeat, what, exactly, do you want?"

Tension, lack of self-confidence, and outright fear scrambled her mind and stopped any attempt at urbane, sophisticated conversation. Her utterly muddled brain reverted to what it knew. Before she could censor herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth, "Well, just the sex, I suppose."

He choked on his coffee and grabbed a napkin to stop it from spraying everywhere. At the same time, Lydia realized what she'd said. She felt her face burn up as it turned a bright red.

The man caught his breath and stared at her in astonishment. "What on earth is this about?"

Lydia started to tremble. "The... the ad. The one I answered... 'Would like to meet older woman.'"

His face remained totally blank. "What ad?"

Even through her shivering, Lydia's voice sounded accusatory. "You said your name was Daniel. I asked you, and you said yes."

"My name is Daniel, but I haven't placed an ad anywhere."

Lydia's head dropped to her hands. "Oh crap. I'm so sorry. I've... there must be another Daniel. You're not the one I was supposed to meet." She swallowed a rush of nausea. She knew she had to get her feet under her, stand up, and get the hell out of there. The humiliation was devastating. The other Daniel was probably sitting somewhere nearby. He might even have heard her conversation with this man, but she didn't care. She just wanted to run away and find somewhere to hide where she wouldn't have to face what an utter fool she'd made of herself. If only she could get her legs to work.

Lydia put her hands to push herself up into a standing position. She was about to make a run for it when he said; "No. Wait. Please don't go."

Daniel fought against the urge to laugh. He couldn't help finding the situation outrageously funny, but he knew the woman wouldn't appreciate that. "Stay and finish your coffee. You might feel better if you talk it out. If you leave now, I'm sure you're only going to feel even worse."

She shook her head, but her knees obviously betrayed her, because she sagged back into the seat.

After the day he'd just had, Daniel couldn't think of a better way to spend the time. This situation was a gift he simply couldn't pass up. "So, I gather you were supposed to meet someone here called Daniel."

She gave a tight little nod.

"And this Daniel is someone you have never met before?"

She nodded again.

"Do you want to see if you can pick him out now?" he suggested.

This time, she gave a minute shake of her head.

"Why not?"

For a moment, he thought she wouldn't answer, then in a small voice she said; "It was a dumb idea. My friend told me not to do it, but I wouldn't listen. I - I just want to go home now."

Daniel didn't want her to go yet. He was intrigued, not only by what she had gotten herself into, but also by her. "What I want to know is why such an attractive woman answered a personal ad in the first place."

She groaned. "I wish you hadn't heard that. In fact, I wish you hadn't heard any of it."

"Well, I have. And I'd really like to hear more about it. I'd like you to answer the question."

"What are you, a lawyer?" she accused.

It was Daniel's turn to groan. "And I'd hoped it wasn't so obvious. Go on. Hit me with a few lawyer jokes, and I'll tell you if I've heard them before."

This time, when she shook her head, it was a more confident movement. "No, my best friend's a lawyer, so I don't make lawyer jokes, and she doesn't hassle me about school holidays because I'm a teacher."

Daniel suppressed a smile. At least now he had her talking. "So, to get back to the question, why did you answer a personal ad?"

Her eyes dropped. "I wanted to meet someone for, you know..." Her voice trailed off, and the fiery red that had been fading from her cheeks returned.

This time Daniel couldn't help his smile. "Ah, yes. You told me that. There's nothing to be ashamed of in wanting..." Discretion made him skirt around the word. He wasn't sure how much more she could blush without fainting. He knew all about the wanting. It had been some time since he'd gone out on a date, even longer since he'd actually slept with a woman. "I'm just surprised at the method you've used to go about it."

His comment sent her jerking back in her seat. "You try being an older woman. There's not a lot of choice out there. It's not so much a matter as being judged by your looks, as of being completely ignored once you reach a certain age. Whenever I go into a shop with my daughter, assistants will invariably approach her, even though I'm the one with the credit card."

The words reminded him of Amanda Henderson, about to be dismissed because she, too, had reached 'a certain age.' Daniel looked more intently at her. He thought she might be a little older than Amanda, but couldn't be certain since the make-up most women wore could disguise a multitude of sins. Had she not spoken to him, not mistaken him for someone else, Daniel would probably never have given her a second glance. In fact he wouldn't even have looked up from his book. Coming here was one of those rare times he spent reading something simply for the sheer pleasure of it. But she really was attractive, now that he'd taken the opportunity to study her. She had a trimmer body than a lot of younger women, and her face was pretty, with large blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair that looked thick and soft. "Yes. You're right. Society values youth and beauty in women, but doesn't apply the same standards to men. Is that what this is all about? Your attempt to restore the balance?"

She looked at him sharply. Whatever she saw seemed to reassure her, because she relaxed slightly. "Nothing quite so philosophical. I just wanted to meet someone who, oh, I don't know, had a more flexible attitude than most men my own age. I thought maybe a younger man would be less likely to stereotype me, or view me as their potential new house-keeper."

Daniel leaned back and smiled. He was really starting to like her attitude. "So, how did this particular man take your fancy?"

He watched her get flustered all over again. Her hands fluttered over her coffee cup before she decided not to pick it up again. "I only read the ad. I don't really know anything about him."

Daniel frowned deeply. "You arranged to meet someone on the basis of a few words in an ad without talking, without asking any questions? You didn't think about the danger?"

"My friend knows where I am, and she's going to ring me soon to make sure I'm okay."

"I still think it's a bad idea. You shouldn't do it again."

She looked at him, an outraged expression crossing her face. "I'll have to do it again. Haven't you listened to anything I've said? I'm trying to meet someone to ..." She stopped.

The situation intrigued him. She intrigued him. She was a strange blend of confidence and nervousness, maturity and innocence. Daniel didn't want to just walk away and let her search for some other stranger. Throwing aside all caution and forcing the demons of the past down, Daniel took the plunge. "You have met someone. You've met me."

She gasped. "Yes, but not someone who ... I meant someone I could..." she trailed off in confusion.

Daniel smiled with the confidence of someone about to have the final word in an argument. "You're here. I'm here. We've been talking quite happily now for oh," he glanced down at his watch, "twenty minutes. You expected to meet a total stranger. You want someone younger, flexible, and interested. I'm all of the above."

"I don't know. It doesn't seem-"

"Let's go right back to the beginning. Right from when you said, 'Are you Daniel?' Now, this time I should say, 'Yes, I am. Sit down...' I'm sorry. I don't know your name."

"It's Lydia. Lydia..." She stopped and put her hand to her mouth. "No. I don't think we should bother with last names."

He gave her credit for some attempt at taking precautions. He smiled to himself as he imagined the look on her face if he simply asked her to come home with him. She might think she was looking for a fun, no strings attached relationship, but Daniel would bet a year's income she hadn't thought it through. "I'd say fate has thrown a chance into our laps, and we'd be foolish not to take advantage of it. I'd certainly like to see you again."

Her wide eyes told him far more than her words. "That would be... nice."

Daniel considered stretching this first meeting out until dinner, but wisdom prompted him to let matters proceed at a slower pace. After getting her mobile phone number, he got up and left the cafe.

Lydia would need some time think about what had happened. God, so did he, but it was perfect. She was perfect. She didn't want to know his last name, so she didn't need to know anything else about him either.

Chapter Three

Lydia still couldn't believe what had happened on Thursday afternoon. She'd gone to meet one man, but ended up having coffee with another, and given him her phone number.

Daniel wouldn't ring of course, but she had to admit he'd been good for her ego. An absolutely gorgeous younger man had asked for her phone number. If she could have a sexual encounter with anyone, she'd definitely pick him. Ever since then she'd lost all interest in reading personal ads or attending singles dinner parties. She knew Daniel's request for her phone number had been nothing more than a charming gesture.

So when the phone rang on Monday and a deep voice said, "Lydia, It's Daniel," there was no reason for her heart to start beating erratically, and her voice to emerge in an embarrassing squeak; "Daniel?"

"You can't have forgotten me that easily. At the very least, you'll always remember how we met."

As a conversation stopper it was hard to beat. Always. What on earth did that mean? Before she had time to do more than wonder, Daniel rocked her foundations even more. "I'd like to have dinner with you."

Lydia swallowed. "What? Now?"

He chuckled. "Well, I thought maybe in a few hours. Around dinner time. But, hey, if dinner at eleven in the morning is your thing, who am I to argue?"

Lydia took a deep breath and took the plunge. "No... later... I mean, yes, I'd like to have dinner with you."

"I'll make reservations for eight o'clock. Is that all right?"

"Yes, and I'll meet you at the restaurant. It's easier that way."

"Sure, that would be perfect." She was relieved that he hadn't offered to pick her up.

He named the restaurant, and ended the conversation with; "I'll see you there."

Daniel had chosen a restaurant she didn't know, probably a place for trendy young things. Deciding what to wear posed a bit of a problem. For once in her life she didn't want to look her age. Even though Oliva insisted she didn't even look forty, Lydia felt it, probably because she was already a widow with a grown daughter.

Those months of caring for Paul had been utterly exhausting, both emotionally and physically. Lydia thought the entire ordeal would have aged her, because she had felt shattered for months after his death. The cancer had come on fast and furious, leaving her with little time to get used to the fact that he wasn't going to be around to see his daughter graduate from school, let alone university.

But Lydia was over the grief. Yes, she still thought of him often, but the pain associated with losing him had eased enough for her to want to get on with her life, to experience new things, and to finally be happy again.

Olivia loved shopping and would know just what to do and what to buy. Of course, it meant admitting Lydia hadn't met the Daniel who placed the ad, but a different man entirely.

"You sneaky, secretive tart! You had an amazing adventure, and kept it to yourself? What does he look like? Tell me, tell me, tell me," Olivia insisted over the phone when Lydia rang her a few minutes later to explain.

The corners of Lydia's lips curved upwards. "Well, he's tall, dark, and handsome. He has a really sexy smile and yummy chocolate eyes and..."

Lib laughed. "Okay. He's the epitome of male beauty. What does he do for a living?"

Olivia was a lawyer. Daniel was a lawyer. Their paths could have crossed at some stage. Lydia didn't want Olivia looking him up, to find out anything about him. Not even if he was married. Lydia didn't think he was, but this was her private fantasy. So she lied. "I don't know. I don't want to know. This is purely short term, purely physical. Details aren't important."

Olivia snorted sceptically. "Sure they're not. I know you, Lyd. You're far too curious by nature to let that last for long. If you're determined to go ahead with this, you'll want to know more. Actually, I want to know more."

"I'm sure you do, but I really don't need to."

"Yes you do. People find out things about each other. That's what dates are for. That and to try to impress the hell out of one another."

Lydia's eyebrows kinked upwards. "Then we definitely need to shop."

"The only problem is it will have to be during my lunch hour. I've got an important new client coming this afternoon about a contract dispute, so I'll be working until late."

With a shrug, Lydia agreed. "If we get started at lunch time I can probably manage to finish off the accessorizing myself."

"Not the shoes. You simply must let me pick your shoes."

Lydia prepared to step off into the void, feeling a little more secure now that she knew she had a genuine power shopper as her support team.

Daniel placed himself where he could see Lydia as soon as she walked in the door, in the alcove adjacent to it with the bay window behind him. It was a bit more private too. He didn't trust her not to panic and run. He would have preferred to pick her up at her home so she couldn't have the option of fleeing, or worse yet, stand him up, but he had been forced to give up his driver's licence three years ago, the final nail in the coffin that had slammed the lid shut on his relationship with Sandra. That was how it had felt, like climbing into a dark black box to mourn in darkness.

Darkness. How he feared it. Dreaded it, because one day it could be all that he saw. Already he had lost some of his peripheral vision, hence his doctor's recommendation that he stop driving. His older brother had lost most of his sight in his early twenties, and their mother in her thirties. But they had dealt with it in completely different ways. Eric had refused to stop driving, even when he'd lost his licence. It had literally been the death of him. One night he'd gotten drunk and run a red light, killing not only himself but also the poor people in the other car.

Eric's death had hit the family hard, particularly Daniel's mother, because the boys had inherited the condition from her. She had blamed herself, but Daniel and his father wouldn't allow her to nurture this belief. Even though she had little useful sight left, she still had some light perception. His brother's death had prompted Daniel to choose a career he could continue to pursue when and if he lost the rest of his sight.

He knew from all his research on the condition that he might not end up in total darkness. It might grow no worse than the sight he had now. But this hadn't been good enough for Sandra. She had told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't going to marry a man she had to drive around.

Of all the dreadful things she'd said to him that day, this had hurt the most. Daniel had felt the loss of his independence like a mortal wound gouging his insides. Yes, it had been hard to adjust to life without her, and once again making his way around by public transport like an adolescent, but he refused to let it interfere with his career.

Neither had he asked another woman out since them, knowing he couldn't pick her up or drive her safely home again. That was why he had so appreciated Lydia's suggestion she meet him here. Up until now, he thought as he looked down at his watch, and saw she was almost ten minutes late.

Had she stood him up? Perhaps he'd he come on a bit too strong.

He looked up again just as Lydia walked in the door. She looked cool and elegant in a fitted silky black dress that highlighted her curves and made it clear that the true delights beneath would only be revealed to the lucky chosen.

As she reached the table Daniel stood and leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek. Like her dress, her perfume was subtle and restrained, meant only for those she allowed to get close to her. It stirred a sense of possessiveness in him. He clamped down on that unwanted feeling, because she had made it clear she didn't want anything long-term, and after what he had been through with Sandra this was the perfect arrangement for him. Besides, it was far too early to start thinking of Lydia as anything more than a date. He had to get through this one first before he could ask her for a second one.

Lydia slid into the seat Daniel held out for her. She felt better once she was sitting down. The argument she'd had with Olivia over the clothes to buy for tonight had unsettled her.

Lydia had wanted to go for a younger, more revealing look. She'd pulled short floaty skirts off racks, teaming them with tight, strappy tops. But Olivia had talked her out of it before she could even try them on. In the end she resigned herself to the dress she now had on. At least she knew it suited her and she could wear it again. What Olivia didn't know about was the sexy black underwear she bought after her friend had rushed off to meet her new client. But now she saw most of the women in the restaurant were wearing clothes more in keeping with those she'd tried to pick out for herself. More suitable for the kind of young women Daniel would be attracted to.

Nervousness fluttered so strongly in Lydia's stomach that she doubted she would be able to eat a thing, not while she was constantly worrying about Daniel's motives. She seesawed between believing he was just being polite and hoping he was actually interested in her. She would know no peace until she knew the truth.

The woman who wanted to meet a younger man, and sought adventure was not a woman who sat quaking at a table because she didn't know what to expect. So she looked straight at Daniel and laid all her cards on the table. "Why did you ask me out to dinner?"

He blinked once, and then said; "Because I wanted to."

"I need to know more than that. I imagine you're in no doubt about what I'm looking for. I'd like to know more about your reasons."

He narrowed his eyes. "I admit I was intrigued by the whole situation, so there's a healthy dose of curiosity here."

Lydia felt her lips tighten as disappointment set in.

Daniel held up his hand. "But that's not all. I... Look. How blunt do you want me to be?"

"I don't care how blunt, as long as you're honest. I don't want to play games. I'm not good at that, and quite frankly, I'm wearing myself out trying to second-guess you."

"Okay, the first thing I want to say... Are you sure you're not going to be offended?"

"I'd rather be offended now than humiliated later. Please, lay everything out or it isn't going to work."

He leaned back in his chair. "Alright - you came waltzing into the café, and straight out you said you wanted sex."

Lydia groaned and felt her face heat up.

Daniel reached out and touched her hand resting against the white tablecloth. She allowed him to clasp her fingers in his. His touch sent a shiver scurrying up her spine, both pleasant and nerve-racking at the same time. "You're the one who said to lay it all out. When you said it, you certainly got my attention. You interest me. You're intelligent and attractive. I'd like to see more of you. If sex is what you want, then I guess I'm more than happy to oblige. There, is that honest enough for you?"

Daniel looked up. A waiter loomed beside him. "We'll order and then talk some more." Daniel smiled at the young man to indicate he was ready.

The waiter muttered something and Lydia looked up. "What?"

Daniel grinned. "He just went through the daily specials."

"Oh - and what were they?"

The waiter rolled his eyes. Lydia grabbed the menu.

Daniel reached over and turned it right way up. She winced and blurted out, "Fish. I'll have fish of the day."

The waiter opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, Daniel spoke quietly to him. The man nodded and walked away.

Lydia clutched a lock of her hair and twirled it between finger and thumb. Daniel reached out, gently untangled her fingers and smoothed the hair back into place. Once again she experiences a tingle of pleasure. She certainly was attracted to him. And why wouldn't she be? He looked even better than he had on Thursday afternoon, if that was possible. Perhaps it was the subdued lighting in the restaurant. She could only hope it made her look a bit younger too.

"Lydia, there's no need to let this rattle you so much. We don't have to rush anything. Nothing needs to happen until you're ready. Until then, just relax. I enjoy your company. That's enough for now."

"But... but why do you want to get involved with an older woman?"

"I want to get involved with you. Your age, whatever it is, doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?"

"Not for me. It comes down to this. I like you. I want you. And that includes sex."

Lydia's head swam. So, this was how the world had changed in the twenty-two years since she'd last tried the singles scene. Not that she'd ever really tried it. She and Paul had met in high school. This manoeuvring was all new and completely alien to her. "Okay," she said at last. She paused while the waiter put a plate of food she had no memory of ordering in front of her. "You've been really open and that's good. But I have some... conditions. I want us both to understand, right from the beginning, what to expect."

Daniel sighed and put down the forkful of food he'd been about to eat. "Yes?"

"I think I said this when I first met you, when I didn't know you weren't you, I mean, when I thought you were Daniel, which you are of course, only not that Daniel." She stopped, plonked her elbows on the table and clapped both hands over her mouth to stop from blathering. She took a deep breath and started again. "I don't want a one night stand, but I don't want any emotional entanglements either. A physical relationship with you would be, well, a better deal than I think I'd ever get from answering an ad in the paper. You're interesting and attractive. But this, whatever it is, has to exist in isolation."

Daniel tilted his head. "In isolation from what?"

"I don't want to introduce you to my family or friends. I'm not going to refer to you as my significant other, or my man or boyfriend, or any of those other appalling terms I've heard. I have an independent life. I have responsibilities. I want whatever we end up having to be separate from all of those, free and uncomplicated with no obligations on either side. When one of us decides it's over, it's over with no regrets or recriminations."

"And if I don't agree to all that?"

"Then it doesn't even start."

"What if we agree, and once it starts, one of us wants more ... wants some kind of commitment?" Daniel looked steadily at her.

Lydia knew he was worried about how she'd take it when he decided he'd had enough, when he wanted a woman his own age. "What kind of commitment can there be, other than exclusivity for the term of the relationship? If you decide that you want to be with other women, that's fine, but I won't be one of them."

"Honesty is a basic courtesy. I think we both have the right to expect that. But I'm talking about one of us deciding a relationship in isolation isn't enough. What if one of us decides he or she wants to widen it?"

Oh, yes, he was apprehensive. Did she look like she might have stalker tendencies? "You don't have worry. I'll stick to our bargain. And even if I didn't, you'd still be free to walk away."

"It works both ways."

"As I hope everything we do together will. This has to benefit us both. Just because I don't want it to lead to entanglements doesn't mean I don't have expectations. I want this to be good, to be great. If it's not, there's no point doing it."

"It will be, because we will make it good." He leaned back in his chair again. "Now we've got all that out of the way, how about we concentrate on the meal and the company?"

His shrewd comment made Lydia look carefully at him. He surprised her with his perspicacity and sensitivity. In spite of Lydia's refusal to discuss any personal topics that might end up revealing details she wanted to avoid, they had no difficulty in maintaining a conversation. It was liberating to simply be herself, to leave the baggage of her life behind for a while and talk about general topics likes movies, books and sport.

By the end of the meal, she felt happy, almost euphoric. This wonderful feeling continued as they walked down the street, Daniel's arm resting casually across her shoulders. But it smashed into a thousand fragments when they reached her car and Daniel gently turned her into his arms.

Daniel's eyelids drooped, his long lashes shading his thoughts from her. She breathed heavily and drew in his unfamiliar but intoxicating scent. He moved closer, and she felt the waft of his breath over her face, caressing and warming her even as the subtle flow of air cooled the heat in her cheeks. Daniel's eyes focused on her lips.

His hands slid up her arms to cup the back of her head, his long fingers holding her still for the first, soft press of his mouth on hers.

For one numbing moment, Lydia couldn't remember what to do. It had been so long, and Daniel was so different from the only other man she had known this way.

His warm lips moulded and shaped to accommodate hers. Her world shrank to the places where his hands and mouth touched her. Her body wrested control from her mind and her lips softened and grew hot to match.

Daniel drew back just a little and gazed into her eyes. He lowered his hands to her hips, gathered her in close so that she could feel his strong body pressed firmly against hers.

Twenty years of marriage and she hadn't known, had never realized what power could be contained within a simple kiss. She hadn't known that taste was as much a part of a kiss as touch and heat. In all the many contented sexual encounters with her husband, Lydia had never been forced to confront the fact that there was another level of sexuality to which she had never been introduced.

When Daniel lifted his head, she needed his hand at her back for support. To her dazed eyes the street looked alien. Nothing seemed quite as it used to be. Her perceptions were sharper, colours brighter as they glowed under the streetlights. The perfumes of the night were stronger and more sensual.

How could this be? She hadn't even drunk much during the meal, and couldn't even remember what she'd eaten. But suddenly she felt like she was breaking out of a cocoon and into a whole new level of existence.

Before she recovered enough to speak, Daniel leaned down to open the car door for her. "Be careful driving home."

Like a child she let him guide her into the seat.

"I'll ring you in a day or two," he said, and shoved his hands into his pockets to stroll away into the night.

Chapter Four

Daniel glanced up at the figure standing in front of him and winced. He supposed he ought to be thankful Greg Adams usually came to him rather than summoning him to his office. Daniel suspected Greg's habit of appearing unannounced was to keep his employees on their toes, so when the station manager did pop in unexpectedly, it didn't look good getting caught daydreaming, and Daniel had spent way too much time daydreaming about Lydia since their meeting in the coffee shop. He should have known that after three years of celibacy, embarking on a love-affair, even a casual one, would hit him hard. Their kiss had filled him with lust and desire for more. He was anticipating their next meeting with such anticipation it was almost painful.

Daniel cast a quick eye over the papers spread out over his desk. He hoped the layer of documents made it appear as though he had been deeply engrossed in a serious legal matter.

The papers must have given the right impression, because Greg cleared his throat and said; "You're busy. Unfortunately, you'll have to put whatever you're doing aside because I have an urgent job for you."

Daniel swept up the loose papers and piled them out of the way. "What can I do for you?"

Greg dropped heavily into the seat opposite. "It's that Henderson bitch. She's sent a legal letter of demand. To me. personally! She wants the network to commence contract negotiations immediately."

Daniel frowned. "I haven't made contact with her yet. Isn't it a bit heavy-handed of her to come in with all guns blazing as a first move?"

Greg fingered his tie and looked toward the window. "It's not exactly her first move. She came to see me about it a couple of months ago. I waffled around a bit, told her it was too early."

There was more - Daniel could sense it. "And?"

"I wanted her off my back. I didn't want to tell her then and have to put up with her bitching and moaning for six months. I told my secretary not to make another appointment for her. And to tell her I was out if she ever rang or came up to my suite."

Daniel realized Greg had just handed him a ticking bomb. "What do you want me to do? Reply to the letter outlining our intentions?"

Greg shook his head. "I want you to enter into negotiations with her."

Maybe his brain was more scrambled than he realised. Daniel really felt like he had missed something vital. "The network won't renew her contract. The decision's been made. What is there to negotiate?"

"You and I both know the answer is nothing, but I don't want her to know that. String her along. Take up time until her current contract has run out and security can escort her from the building."

It seemed odd to be feeling sympathy for someone with as high a profile as Amanda Henderson, but Daniel had to ask; "Are you sure you want to do this, Greg? At least, if she knows what's going to happen, she could be out tracking down a job at another network. She's wasting time if she thinks her contract will be renewed."

"She's wasting her time anyway. She's thirty-eight. No other network will take her on, not unless she wants to go to some community cable channel. But she won't. She thinks she's too high and mighty."

"With good reason," Daniel said guardedly. It wouldn't help his career prospects by attacking the manager, particularly since he was keeping his deteriorating eye-condition a secret from him. "She's our leading newsreader. She's been one of the station stars for a long time."

"Too bloody long. It's time she went, and your job is to make sure she goes with as little fuss as possible. You don't have to concern yourself with what she thinks or feels. All you have to do is make sure the negotiations drag out, that nothing is signed and it's all done legally."

"But..."

"But nothing Daniel. If she wants a damn lawyer to argue her case, she can pay for one. You work for me. You do what's good for the station, and you can start doing it as soon as possible. Got that?" Greg slapped the letter down on the desk.

Daniel was the company lawyer, employed to do the network's bidding. He recognized an order when he heard one. Greg was right. Television was a cutthroat business and Amanda Henderson had been around long enough to know it.

Excitement fizzled and popped along Lydia's nerve endings. She felt young all over again. All that wondering and hoping and wishing he'd call was combined with a more mature wisdom. She knew Daniel would make her senses zing.

She practically bounced down the street, feeling alive in a way she hadn't for a long time. All it took to make her feel attractive and sexually desirable was to remember how Daniel had looked at her and said; "I want you."

An aura of happiness surrounded her. Olivia, waiting for her at the café, looked up and smiled at the sight. "You look wonderful."

"Oh, Olivia, I feel... better than wonderful," she replied as she slipped into the seat opposite.

Olivia snickered and said, "So Mr Tall-Dark-Young and-Handsome came through last night, did he?"

Lydia pursed her lips and tried to look serious, but her lips refused to obey. They kept forming back into that soft smile.

Olivia's jaw dropped. "He's that good is he? Wow, you'll have got to tell me all about it."

"Tell you all about what? I didn't... we didn't... not yet. I mean we will, we sorted that out but... no. He only kissed me."

"Only kissed you? You come in here looking like you've just had confirmation of the second coming, and you say he only kissed you? What happens when you get to the main event?"

"Liv, you have to prepare yourself for the terrible truth. I'm not going to tell you. At least, not in any detail."

"You're joking." Lib looked at her closely. "You're not joking. After all the years we've been friends, after I helped you set this up, well sort of, you're not going to tell me?"

"Nope."

"I'll just have to ask him the things I want to know. When do I get to meet him?"

"You don't."

"What? Why? I'm your best friend. Of course I get to meet him." A frown wrinkled her forehead. "Is there something wrong with him? You're not ashamed of him, are you?"

"No! There's absolutely nothing wrong with him, and I'm not ashamed of him. He's so gorgeous and so young. I have no idea why he's interested in me, but I know the novelty won't last. He'll be gone by the end of summer."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but Lydia held up her hand. "No. That's just a fact and I'm fine with it. When I answered the first ad, I didn't expect anything more than an experiment. The fact that Daniel is so much more than I expected doesn't change anything. I know better than to look for long-term involvement with someone like him."

Olivia shrugged. "Why does that mean I can't meet him?"

"He's my fantasy, Liv. And fantasy and reality don't mix. I don't want you to be out somewhere, months down the track, see him and think 'That's the guy Lydia was involved with.' I don't want him to have to look up at you and be reminded of his moment of madness."

Olivia's frown deepened. "I get the fantasy thing. If that means a wild fling with a younger man, fine, but don't cringe away from the consequences. If you don't want anyone to know, then you must be ashamed."

"I just value my privacy. I may not think there's anything wrong with what I'm doing, but others will, and I don't won't to be the target of gossip and innuendo. I certainly don't want any of this reflecting badly on Daniel."

"He's an adult. He can take care of himself."

"Of course he can. But that's not what this is about. I know the limits of this relationship because I set them. They'll protect me. I want Daniel to have the same level of protection. How would it be fair to let him suffer for something he's done, essentially as an act of kindness?"

"Oh, for God's sake, listen to you. This is not an act of kindness. He hopes to get his rocks off too."

Lydia laughed. "Well, I hope so."

Olivia grinned. "So, are you free for lunch?"

Daniel leaped up from his seat and hurried to the door. "Ms Henderson - I see you got my message. Your coming here is a surprise. I would have been happy to come to you, had you made an appointment."

The woman at the door turned her hard, journalist's gaze on him. "If that's an attempt to get me to apologize for arriving without warning, it's not going to work. My time is valuable. I want to get this over and done with. Have you drawn up the renewal of my contract? My lawyer needs time to check it thoroughly."

"That is why I wanted to talk to you. I'd like to have a series of preliminary talks, run a few ideas past you, before we get to anything legally binding. So we both know where we're coming from and that we're communicating on the same page, so to speak." He winced at the series of clichés he uttered. Something about being dishonest, about deliberately setting out to deceive Amanda Henderson, interfered with his normal communication processes. He found it easier to lie using someone else's words.

Amanda sneered at him. "I'll tell you what page I'm on so you can get yourself there. My contract has less than six months to run. I want to see the new one, and I want to see it now. I've been the news anchor at this station for long enough to expect better treatment than this." She leaned over his desk, astonishingly intimidating for such a small woman. "Greg has been avoiding me, but that isn't going to work. I want to see him. I want to see the contract, and I want my lawyer to have enough time to find out just what kind of tricks you're trying to pull."

Daniel hoped his smile looked a lot more sincere than it felt. "Ms Henderson, everyone at the station is aware of your status. No one wants you to sign a contract you're not happy with. There are no hidden clauses. How can there be when a new contract hasn't even been drawn up yet?" He cleared his throat. "It's not intended as a slight on you that I have been asked to conduct these negotiations. Greg has been busy, and since I'm the legal representative for the network, he's asked me to handle it."

He sat back and watched to see the effect his words would have on her. It was all legal double talk. Every word was true, but together, they all added up to a lie. A lie he hoped would defuse some of Amanda Henderson's anger.

Her voice was quieter when she said; "This process should have been started months ago. Greg refused to do it. I am not naïve. We wouldn't be having this conversation now if I hadn't engaged my own lawyer to send a letter of demand."

Daniel nodded. He needed to make sure he worded his next words in exactly the right way. "That certainly served its purpose. It jolted Greg's memory and prompted him to deal with the issue. I'd like to meet with your lawyer. We can discuss the changes you'd like to see made in the contract."

Amanda's thin lips tightened. Yes, she did have the makings of becoming hard-faced, Daniel couldn't help thinking. "I don't want to discuss changes. I want my contract renewed with the same conditions I've always had. When we meet, both my lawyer and I will be present, and I expect to see results. I will tell you when my lawyer is available, and you will see us at that time. Is that understood?"

She stormed out, all outraged diva. Daniel leaned back in his seat. As a lawyer he knew he had every right to feel satisfied. By playing to Amanda Henderson's sense of self-importance, he'd diverted her from the main issue. He'd instituted the desired delay and managed to hide the station's agenda.

As it had so often in the past few days, Lydia's image intruded. This time though, instead of making him feel a warm inner glow, it made his stomach churn. He didn't think she'd be the slightest bit impressed with the way he had just dealt with Amanda Henderson.

Lydia and Daniel had returned to the café where they had first met. The same attraction flared between them. Daniel radiated a sense of purpose, a predatory focus that stalked across Lydia's consciousness and marked her out for conquest. The chase, if there had ever been one, had ended. There would be no more evasions. Nor did Lydia want to evade. She had hunted too. She had sought this and she was ready. Sexual tension threaded through every word, accompanied every bite, winding her higher and tighter, creating a coiling need waiting for release.

Daniel watched her eat, his pupils flaring outwards until they blended with the deep chocolate of his eyes. He leaned forward to talk to her, and she felt the heat rising from his body, bringing with it the faint scent of his cologne and the musky essence unique to him. She squirmed a little in her seat. She licked her suddenly dry lips. Daniel spun around and signalled the waiter. Within minutes he had dealt with the bill and led her out into the street.

He turned the corner into the street where her car was parked. Still holding her hand, he pulled her straight past it.

"Daniel, wait - my car's back there." Lydia tried to dig her heels in. Under Olivia's guidance, she'd equipped herself with a pair of shoes inches higher than her normal sensible flats, so the attempt was not particularly successful.

"Where are we going?"

Daniel voice emerged slightly strained. "My apartment is on this block - it's why I go to that café in the first place."

"Your apartment?" Lydia exclaimed. "Why are we going to your place?"

"To go to bed, if we make it far enough through the front door, that is."

"Oh - right. Good. I mean okay." Her head jerked up. "No. Wait a minute. We can't go to your place. I thought we would go to a hotel." She tried to pull him to a stop again.

But it was her words that gave Daniel pause. He dropped her fingers and placed both his hands on his hips. "Lydia, I understand how important anonymity is to you, but even so, I'm still not going to some hotel for a few hours as though this is some sleazy paid encounter. I don't care if you know where I live. I want to get you into bed. I'm not trying to hide that or anything else."

He grabbed her hand once more and continued his surge down the street. This time Lydia matched him stride for stride, glad she had worn a pair of comfortable shoes.

When they arrived at Daniel's apartment, they were both panting. Nothing that followed allowed Lydia to regain her breath.

The door closed more by good luck than design. Daniel spun her around, pushing her up against it, and kissed her full on the lips. He didn't stop to turn on the lights; he didn't offer her a drink; he just opened his lips on hers and consumed her.

Only the press of Daniel's chest and the solid presence of the door behind prevented her from sliding to the floor. As his hands swept over her they seemed to carry some strange force that melted her bones and made every nerve ending sing.

His tongue explored her mouth, familiarizing itself with every contour within, driving her further into frenzy. The more desire whipped through her, the less her mind stayed in control. Her body took over.

The move from door to bed didn't register, nor did the removal of all outer layers of clothing. When she felt the warm press of Daniel's lips on her breast her heart faltered for a moment, but the darkness surrounding her reassured her, and she allowed herself to plunge backwards into a wonderful sea of sensation.

She heard the soft rustle of something tearing, and in Daniel's brief absence, her mind began to throw up doubts and insecurities. What if he expected something she had no idea how to give? What if he took for granted something she didn't even know she had provided?

But his return drove all such thoughts from her head. His fingers stroked down, touching and fondling, awakening sensations long forgotten and suppressed. She writhed, tried to be still and remain in control, but eventually abandoned the attempt. This was all about giving herself utterly to the moment and submitting to the pull of desire.

She gasped as he slid inside her, the thick fullness strange, new, as if this were her first time all over again. She hurtled so quickly toward a peak so high that the only choice was to plummet off the edge and surrender to the thrill of freefall.

Much, much later, Lydia opened her eyes. Daniel lay stretched out on the bed beside her, his face beautiful, and oh, so young as he slept soundly.

With a stealth honed by years of motherhood, Lydia climbed out of the bed and got dressed. She knew would be far away, at home in her own bed, long before Daniel even stirred from his deep, contented sleep.

Chapter Five

The next day, Lydia turned off her phone and drove south, away from Nowra, to a relatively secluded beach she knew of. She needed time to herself, to reflect, absorb and enjoy the extraordinary way her body felt. She loved how she had felt with Daniel, but she wasn't ready to face him just yet, nor did she want to see Olivia, who would know how Lydia's life had changed just by looking into her face. Olivia, being the lawyer she was, would pester her until she managed to weasel all the details out of her.

Lydia wasn't ready for any of it. She wanted to savour the memory of every moment, store each one away to treasure as the milestone in her life it had become. She'd had great, mind-blowing sex with a younger man. Her great risk, her one shot at adventure had paid off, and if this were all she ever got from it, it would be enough. She could continue with the rest of her life in contentment.

But all those feel-good factors were only part of what had sent her running. The other part was unsure, still insecure in her mind. She marvelled at the lack of inhibition she'd shown, but couldn't stop wondering if it had been too much.

Too strong, too scary.

Lydia knew she certainly hadn't expected the strength of her response. Had the unleashing of her sexual nature surprised Daniel as much as it had shocked her?

He hadn't seemed disgusted. A man, any man, didn't have hot, sweaty, untamed sex with a woman three times in one night if he didn't enjoy it. Daniel's stamina definitely had to enter into the credit column of having a younger lover. As did his inventiveness and flexibility. And his beautiful body. She could be reasonably sure that Daniel would never ask her to tour the country with him in a campervan. Or to move in with him and become his housekeeper. In fact, it appeared there were more entries in the credit column than she had ever imagined.

By the time the debit side became a problem the account would no longer be active.

Lydia sat on the sand and let the rhythmic surge of the surf as it foamed into the shore soothe her. The cool water felt wonderful as it splashed across her toes. There was no point worrying about what Daniel might or might not think, might or might not do. No one could predict the future. Like the waves on the shore, it would roll over her no matter what she tried to do.

Her association with Daniel could remain separate from all other aspects of her life. It didn't come with any responsibilities or emotional commitments. She didn't have to control or direct it. She could just sit back and let it be.

She stood up and headed back to her car.

Daniel picked up the phone for the fourth time that morning and just as he had all the previous times, he put it back down without calling. He didn't have a clue what to say. Oh, he knew what he wanted to say all right. He wanted to ask—no, demand \- that she tell him why she'd had crept out without saying goodbye, without saying anything at all.

She had disappeared from his room like a ghost.

He knew what was stopping him from calling her. From the moment he'd shut the door to his apartment last night and slammed her up against it, lust, need, and desire had filled him, tearing away his control, making him behave like a caveman. And like a caveman, he hadn't spoken a word, just moaned and grunted as he strove to feed his raging hunger. When he was lying spent and sated beside her, he'd been afraid to speak, afraid of what she might think of him.

They'd drifted off to sleep in silence. Sometime later, he'd half woken, lying on his side, his hand brushing up against her breast. She'd sighed and moved closer and they were already past the point of speech before either of them was fully awake.

The third time, Daniel was tongue-tied. The silence had become tangible, and he couldn't think of how to break it. He was a lawyer. Words were his profession. The complete absence of them bothered him deeply. Made him afraid to ask what had driven Lydia from his bed so silently. He knew Lydia wanted to put limits on their relationship. He did too, didn't he? Hell, she'd come right out and said it, but this was different. The limits, if she had to have them, could apply to how often they saw each other, where they saw each other, and anything else she pleased, but they should not apply to what they gave each other in bed. There, silence was a threat. The sex had been amazing, but it wouldn't continue to be that way if they couldn't talk about it.

Daniel took a deep breath and held it while he dialled her number. Before he could finish pressing the numbers, his secretary walked in, dropped mail on his desk and sat down. She obviously wanted to discuss it, so he put the phone back down. Turning to his work, he ignored the taunting voice inside his head, whispering directly to his brain. Waiting for a better time was prudent, not a sign of cowardice. His office wasn't the right place for this particular call.

Later in the afternoon, his mobile rang. For a wild, tension-filled moment, he stared at it, half-hoping; half afraid it would be Lydia. In spite of the trembling in his hand he reached for the phone. Before he even heard the male voice on the other end, he realized it couldn't be her, could never be her. She didn't know his last name or his number and didn't even know where he worked. That should have given him a sense of power. He controlled whether there was any further contact. Why then did he feel like he was hurtling down a path without direction?

Olivia leaned back in her chair. "So far it sounds like it's working out better than I expected. I don't know - you seem more confident and more relaxed."

"I am. I've done it and-"

"Oh, have you now? That would explain the relaxed part." Olivia laughed.

Lydia could feel her face heating up. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I meant that I'd..."

There was no point going on. Olivia buried her face in a cushion, and the muffled sounds of her snorts and giggles drowned out anything Lydia said.

Lydia grabbed another cushion and swatted Olivia over the head with it. "Will you shut up? I meant that I've taken the first step..."

Olivia rolled to the floor, hands clasped over her head. "No. I give up, I give up. I'm too old to be mistreated like this. If I promise to behave will you stop?"

Lydia folded her arms across the cushion. "I might. But I reserve the right to resume the attack at any time."

Olivia hauled herself back into the armchair, still struggling to keep her mirth under control. "So, you've been out with him again and you're feeling good about it?"

"Yeah. It's going to work. It'll be good while it lasts."

Olivia's jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. "You have done it, haven't you?"

Lydia shrugged. "I told you before; I'm not going to give you details. I won't talk about him, not even to you."

A frown formed between Olivia's brows. "What about Emily? What will you tell her?"

"Hmmn." Lydia's lips pursed. "I don't think I'll tell her anything. Every kid ever born is certain he or she was the result of an immaculate conception. They don't want to admit that their mother ever did it with their father, let alone, is now doing it with someone else. It's not as if she'll ever to meet him, anyway. By the time she comes home from Sydney for the next uni holidays, it'll all be over. And you, my big-mouthed friend, can treat it as strictly confidential."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Well, if that's the way you want it. Speaking of confidential, guess who I've got as a new client?"

"The Prime Minister?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous. If you'd guessed right, I could have nodded wildly to let you know you got it."

"Then why did you even bring it up? You can be so annoying sometimes!"

"Because I want to tell you. I wish I could tell you. It's a very interesting case. Age discrimination of the worst kind."

Lydia leaned forward. "I can see it in your face. You're dying to tell me."

"You know I can't break client confidentiality."

"And you know I would never ask you to."

"I know, but... I do want to..." Olivia's face grew thoughtful. "You are coming to lunch tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Only if you want me to."

"I do, and I have a plan. Leave it to me. Just make sure you're there."

"Is this some sort of mysterious payback thing? You're not just trying to make me curious because I won't tell you anything about Daniel?"

"No. It's not, honestly. It's just I think you'd be really interested in my client and her case, and I've thought of a way you might actually be able to help."

Lydia stood to go. "Ring me if anything changes. Oh." She reached into her bag. "My phone's been off all day. I turned it off last night and forgot to turn it back on." There were no messages, no missed calls. No number that could have been Daniel's. She felt a tiny thud as her heart fell a little. She took a deep breath and shook the disappointment off. This was the way she wanted it. A discrete part of her life kept separate from the rest. She didn't want flowers and romance. She didn't want to be missed, to have long phone conversations when they couldn't be together. She didn't want love or anything that resembled it. She didn't want to try to explain why she had sneaked out on him either. Anything she said might reveal too much information about her emotional state, information she preferred to keep to herself.

Daniel paced the floor of his apartment. His patience had worn out, his hesitancy evaporated. He had to find out why she'd sneaked out. He had to know what she felt. If he needed to apologize, he would. Lydia was skittish and nervous, but he still he'd attacked her like a wild man. Not once, but three times. At best, he'd probably frightened her away. At worst, he'd traumatized her. Why else would she have disappeared so completely, so silently?

He needed to talk to her, sort out what had happened. But her phone rang and rang.

Maybe she was out somewhere, with someone who knew her last name, who knew where she lived and who was welcome there. The thought made him tighten his lips and clench his hand around the phone. Then he heard her voice, hesitant but subtly welcoming; "Hello?"

The tension melted instantly, and he slumped into a seat. "Lydia? Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course I am. Why shouldn't I be?"

"I just... I couldn't help wondering. Last night... I don't usually lose control like that, and I was afraid that I... that you... I wanted to apologize if I—"

Lydia interrupted his uncharacteristic incoherent ramble. "Last night was wonderful, Daniel. There's nothing for you to apologize for. If you feel you lost control, then I have to say that's extremely flattering, especially for someone like me."

Relief flooded through him. It soothed his fears so thoroughly it took a few seconds before her meaning sank in. Uneasiness skittered across his nerve-endings. "Someone like you? What's that supposed to mean?"

She gave a diffident laugh. "Do I have to spell it out?"

Anger laced with concern roughened his voice. "I thought I'd made it quite clear that I'm attracted to you, very attracted if you really must know. Don't belittle yourself." He paused. "Why did you leave?"

Lydia's voice sounded low, hesitant, and unconvincing. "I had to go home. I couldn't stay there."

"You didn't have to sneak out without saying a word. I was worried. Afraid I'd hurt you or offended you in some way. And your car was parked half way down the street. You might have been accosted on your way there."

"No, oh, no." This time, her voice firmed. "I told you it was wonderful. I've never felt like that. But then I wasn't sure." The doubt crept back into her voice. "I was afraid I'd... Well, never mind. I just didn't want you to wake up and be embarrassed and uncomfortable. And besides, there was no-one out on the street."

"Lydia, I was not embarrassed or uncomfortable about having you in my bed. And someone could have pounced out at you from anywhere. At least I could have walked you safely to your car."

"Thanks for the chivalrous attitude, but as you can tell I got home safe and sound."

His worry grew sharper, cut a little deeper. With no clue to her expression, he found her voice toneless, the subtext unreadable. He shuddered at the premonition she intended to tell him her experiment was over.

He needed to see her face-to-face, to see what she had left unsaid, to use his physical presence to counter her reluctance, to prove that he still wanted her. "I want to talk to you. See you now, tonight."

A moment's total silence passed before she spoke again. Daniel had no trouble recognizing her hesitance, but the reason for it remained open to interpretation.

"It's past ten o'clock. I know it's customary for lots of..." She broke off, as if censoring what she had been about to say. "... people, to begin their night at this time, but not me. It's too late. I don't want to go out again tonight."

The word she'd stumbled over, the word she hadn't said was young. He couldn't let her use age as an excuse to push him away. He had to break down her reserve. "Let me come to you. Not for long. Just so we can talk face to face for a few minutes. Just to make sure that everything is—"

She cut him off before he could finish. There was no hesitation now. "No, you can't come here."

"Oh." He recoiled, the air emptying from his lungs. A distant, contemptuous part of his brain reminded him that he was a lawyer, a man of words. He should be able to come up with something better than a single syllable. She doesn't want to see me. He couldn't think of anything to say. Perhaps she's just had a busy day, but his instincts told him there was more, something that turned the claws of worry into sharp teeth, biting into his self-confidence. Maybe she still didn't trust him, even after sleeping with him. Maybe someone else lived with her. Maybe ... she was still married.

His stomach tightened. He tried to push the horrible thought away. Lydia wasn't married. She wouldn't be that dishonest. He wanted to believe that, but Daniel also knew he had no evidence to prove it. He knew some of what motivated her. Indeed, in his arrogance, he'd thought he had her completely summed up. However there were layers he hadn't detected at first; deeper and more complex. Layers Lydia wanted to keep hidden from him. He was confused, even angry, but at the same time the challenge of discovery taunted and lured him.

He wanted to find out more.

He moved the phone to his left hand. He flexed the fingers of his right. It was cramped and stiff, red and white ridges clearly visible.

When he lifted the phone to his ear again, Lydia was halfway through a comment, "... night either. But Saturday would be fine."

A moment passed while he worked out what she said.

Before he could interject, she went on. "Of course on Saturday nights you probably have things to do, people to see, but any evening after that would be okay for me." She spoke with the rising inflection of insecurity. The need to reassure her tangled his tongue.

"Yes. I mean, no, I'm not busy on Saturday night. We could have dinner. I could make you dinner." He was powerless to disguise the eagerness in his voice. His feelings for her were raw and strong, making him feel more like a bumbling teenager than a thirty-three year old adult.

Reaching for his flagging control, he took a deep breath. The last thing he needed to do was remind her even more about the gap in their ages. She might have come looking for a younger lover, but that didn't mean she wanted a gawky boy. "I like to cook. It's a form of relaxation for me. So, Saturday night, yes?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Daniel felt the smile spread over his face. "I expect you to bring a toothbrush. The invitation extends to breakfast on Sunday."

"Oh, well, as to that, perhaps we shouldn't—"

"Yes, we should. And we will." By an effort of will, he forced himself to relax, to soothe rather than demand. "I hope you aren't planning to get up and sneak out again. I'll forgive it once, but twice would be just plain rude."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Well, I wouldn't want to be rude. I'll see you then." She said, and hung up.

Daniel stared at the phone in shock. He'd had absolutely no intention of ending the conversation then. He hadn't finished with any of the issues he'd wanted to discuss. He thought about ringing her back, but after a moment he rejected the idea. She was still nervous, and he didn't want to pressure her. He could wait until Saturday when he would have her face to face, where she had far less chance of hiding her thoughts from him, or of avoiding his questions.

Chapter Six

Lydia sat at their usual table and waited. Olivia hadn't been able to specify a time but until the school holidays ended, Lydia was free of schedules and restrictions.

She noticed a sudden, brief absence of sound, followed by the volume of a dozen conversations resumed and looked up. Olivia had walked in, but she wasn't causing the reaction. Amanda Henderson, news anchor and face of Channel Twelve, was walking along beside her, apparently oblivious to her fame and the reaction it caused, as she chatted with Olivia.

Amanda was a beautiful woman. She had smooth skin, pale and perfect, the kind of beauty that only grew refined with age. She would be arresting even at seventy.

If this woman was Olivia's client, the focus of an age discrimination case, that could be a problem. Of all the public figures likely to be singled out for such treatment, Amanda would never have made it onto Lydia's list of possibilities. The woman didn't look even forty. Age shouldn't be an issue for years.

Olivia introduced the two women to each other. Amanda held out her hand. A studied, professional smile moved her lips a fraction but didn't mar the smoothness of her skin. "I hope you don't mind my intruding on your lunch with your friend. Our meeting took longer than we'd anticipated and when Olivia suggested lunch it seemed like a good idea."

Lydia caught Olivia's wink but kept her face straight, as she replied; "Of course, I don't mind." She could hardly add that she'd known all along of Olivia's intention!

Further conversation waited while they ordered. Lydia fought to keep control of her eyebrows when Amanda ordered a green salad, no dressing, no avocado, no cheese, and a mineral water. If Lydia had no more than that for lunch, she would probably finish her meal even hungrier than when she started.

Some of Lydia's surprise must have shown, because Amanda gave a little shrug and said; "Television puts on pounds. I'm not always behind a desk. I have to keep the image up. It's all about appearances."

"But it isn't fair," Lydia said, noting how almost unnaturally slender Amanda was. It did bring her cheekbones into higher prominence, which was always appreciated by the cameras, but it also accentuated her bony collar-bones and the ribs across her chest. "Your co-presenter isn't obese, but he's not thin either."

Amanda's lips tightened. "There is a double standard in the industry, one for men and another for women. He can read the news at fifty, eat what he likes, and wear his conservative suit day in, day out. I starve myself, always need to have a new outfit, spend hours at the gym, and do everything I can to keep from showing my age, but the writing's on the wall. The network doesn't want to renew my contract."

Lydia shifted uncomfortably. "If this is privileged information and you two still need to discuss it, I can skip lunch and leave you alone. I don't mind."

She'd met the celebrity now. Olivia had achieved her purpose.

"I don't mind if you stay," Amanda said. "Olivia said you were a close friend, said she trusted you. Anyway it doesn't matter. If the network plans to let me go, the situation will become public knowledge, because I'll fight them with everything I have at my disposal. Then it won't matter who knows."

Olivia butted in; "This issue is much wider than just Amanda's contract. This is about prejudice against women, older women. It's political and it's big."

Lydia asked doubtfully, "Couldn't Amanda just go to another station?"

Amanda's lips twisted. "Honestly? I'll never get a job at another network. When the manager wouldn't meet with me, wouldn't return my calls, I had my agent put out some feelers. There are no jobs out there with my name on them. The prejudice against women over forty runs across all the networks. I work for Channel Twelve, so it's Twelve I'm going to take on."

"Are you positive they won't renew?" Lydia's tone was hesitant. Should she question a network star?

Before Amanda could answer, the waiter interrupted. "Your salad, ma'am." The waiter spoke to Amanda with quiet respect.

Her answering smile faded as she stared grimly at his departing back. Her voice was tight. "When gorgeous young waiters start calling me ma'am, and don't even think of flirting with me, you can bet the managers of the network have noticed I'm ageing. They're playing games with me. Their cunning bastard of a lawyer is doing some amazing tap dance, hoping to divert me from the real issue. They don't realise how forceful I can be when I'm pissed." She glared at Olivia. "How forceful I expect you to be on my behalf."

Olivia leaned forward and fixed Amanda with her unblinking gaze. "Any action we take should be well considered. Before we decide to make this fight public, we really must meet with the network's legal representative." Her stare grew even sterner. "That meeting will probably proceed more smoothly without the colourful descriptions. We have a little time yet. We can still assume there's a chance this can be settled amicably, and you will retain your position." Olivia in lawyer mode was impressive.

Then, Olivia's eyes twinkled. "Of course, if he is trying to shaft us, then we'll show that dirty, underhanded snake-in-the-grass just what we can do."

Amanda nodded. "You will. That is, after all, why I engaged you, but I don't intend to let it ruin my lunch today." She flexed her shoulders as if physically shaking the problem off. For the remainder of their lunch, she dominated the conversation with gossip and insights into the world of television. All of it revolved around her, highlighted her importance and popularity, and attacked those she didn't like - but at least her stories were entertaining.

When Amanda stood to leave, Lydia felt obliged to offer. "If there's any way I can help, please let me know."

Amanda raised her immaculately shaped brows. "I really can't see how you could help someone in my position. But your offer is very kind. Thank you."

Olivia held up a hand. "Actually, I think Lydia could help."

For someone so short, Amanda still managed to pull off a scathing look that made Lydia feel about six inches shorter. "I really don't see how."

Olivia ignored the look. "Money is going to be an issue. Amanda, you don't have the finances needed to fight the network on this. We need to go about it a different way."

Lydia eyes narrowed. "I can see that, but what exactly what do you think I can do?"

"Ah!" Hands flung wide in a triumphant gesture, Olivia said; "Lydia has ex-students who work in newspapers and television, and I know she keeps in contact with some of them. If we can use Lydia's contacts to highlight the issue, get it into the public arena, we could embarrass the network into offering you a renewal."

"So you just want a list of my contacts?" Lydia asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No. I want you to use your organizational skills, combined with your list of contacts, to co-ordinate the campaign."

Amanda's lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "Interesting, but I doubt if it's workable."

Lydia was equally as doubtful. "Even if it were, I don't think I'd be of much use. I've never done anything like that before. I'm hardly qualified. If Amanda needs publicity, surely she has her own publicist."

Amanda shrugged. "Not really. My publicist has always been the network's publicist. I'm pretty sure Greg Adams and his henchman will ensure the publicity department will no longer support me." She turned to Olivia. "You do have a point. I don't have any real savings or investments. By the time I pay you to negotiate this dispute, I don't imagine I'll have much money to spare. You have, however, yet to convince me that a public campaign is going to benefit me. Until then, I prefer we stick to the legal route." Amanda stood. The meeting was clearly over as far as she was concerned. Without so much as a farewell, she strode away.

When she was out of sight, Lydia turned to Olivia. "Phew! That ego of hers was starting to suck the air from the room!"

Olivia smiled. "I'm inclined to agree, but that doesn't lessen the injustice of her treatment. Even if she doesn't think a publicity campaign will work, I still think it's worth trying, and you could co-ordinate it. It would be right on target for you, given your own personal foray into fighting age discrimination."

Lydia felt an uncomfortable prickle of apprehension. "My personal life has nothing to do with this. Don't you dare say a word to Amanda or anybody about Daniel. It's private. I don't want to talk about it with anyone."

Olivia held her hands up, palms out. "Okay, I just thought it might reassure Amanda that you were on her side. Sort of been there, doing that. You don't have to get so worked up about it." Seeing Lydia's lips tighten and her eyes narrow, she sobered. "All right, If that's the way you want it, I will not, from this time forth, mention Daniel's name unless you mention him first. Is that fair enough?"

"Thanks Liv. I... it's just better that way."

"It's all right. Although it really hurts to have to pass up the best teasing material I've had on you for years. You finally do something that shows me you're not a Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, and then immediately take it off limits. I had better get back to work. Are you seeing... oops, let me rephrase that —will you be available should I choose to ring you at home tonight?"

Lydia gave her a quick farewell kiss on the cheek. "I will be at home, all night, by myself. Please feel free to call me at any time. Now go back to work and worry about your own life. Leave me to worry about mine."

Olivia didn't have a man in her life at the moment, so Lydia had nothing to tease her about. But it wasn't from lack of trying. Olivia had had a string of relationships, all ending as soon as the M-word had cropped up. Olivia didn't want to get married and risk losing her independence. Because Lydia had married so young, she was only now beginning to understand Olivia's reasoning. Keeping a relationship casual was definitely the way to go at this point in her life.

Daniel picked at the label on his beer bottle. It was bright, modern and colourful, a designer product at its very trendiest. Just like the group that surrounded him. Young, loud, and beautiful.

For the first time in ages, Daniel took a good look at them. They all appeared to be younger than he was. When had that happened? There had never been a single, dramatic change in the make-up of the group. People got married, had kids, spent weekends with their family, and dropped out of circulation. New younger, unattached people slid in to take their place. The average age remained the same. Daniel was the one who'd grown older, the last of his original group. He stayed because he had no reason to leave. No wife. No kids. He kept in touch with his friends. He knew they were happy with their choices. But he'd never had that choice. Sandra had seen to that. She had made it painfully clear that she didn't want to marry a man who was losing his sight \- someone she had thought would become a burden on her.

That was why Lydia's proposal had so inspired him. Their association was clearly intended to be short, and both knew the rules before they went in.

So why was he sitting here, thinking about marriage? Lydia wasn't interested in that sort of long-term commitment. She had probably been there, done that. And he didn't want to tell her about his failing eyesight. It was supposed to be the perfect situation for both of them.

Or was it?

Suddenly his boutique beer tasted sour. The laughter was too loud, the music grated on his nerves and he wasn't the slightest bit interested in what those around him were talking about. Daniel got too his feet, bade goodnight, and headed home alone.

When he woke the next morning, he was in a much better mood. Lydia was coming tonight, and he needed to shop - to decide what she'd like to eat and drink.

Instead of the usual shudder of male dread the prospect of shopping gave him a warm, expectant buzz. Daniel grimaced and wondered for a moment just how much trouble he was in.

He wanted to please her, wanted her to relax, to loosen the restrictions she'd placed on them both. For however long this thing between them lasted, he wanted to saturate his senses, lose himself in the hot glow of passion. And to do that, he needed to be part of Lydia's life.

She had to stop clinging to the ridiculous notion that their relationship could be contained in a tightly sealed box, untouched by the outside world, and invisible to anyone but themselves.

Daniel ambled up and down the supermarket aisles, pleasantly lost in thoughts about the upcoming evening, when he realised there was a female form planted squarely in front of him.

He looked up into the amused face of his sister, the only sibling who had been blessed with full, normal sight.

"What planet were you on, brother dear?" she asked, as her quick dark-brown eyes took stock of his shopping basket. Everyone said she was a female version of him, including her features and height. "And why have you got so much Atlantic salmon? Are you cooking for two?"

"Good morning to you too, Angie. Several government agencies had no idea what they were missing when they failed to recruit you for espionage work. How on earth can you tell there are two portions of fish there? It's wrapped in white paper."

"I'm a wife and mother. The parcel has Atlantic salmon written on it. I know what size you'd have if you were buying for yourself. And as much as you like cooking, you've never done it for just one other person. You cook for yourself, for crowds, or not at all. I also know you're straight, so there must be a woman involved. I want details."

"Okay, Master Spy. Yes, there is a woman. To forestall your next question, yes, she is coming to dinner, and to continue to forestall you, I haven't known her very long so there isn't really much to tell. Her name is Lydia, and for now, that's all you're going to get."

"Rubbish. You've never been able to keep a secret from me and you know it. When you've finished shopping, drop in for lunch. You haven't seen the kids for ages."

Daniel nodded, because he did love his sister and her family, but he felt it only fair to warn her. "If you're planning to put me under the spotlight, don't waste your energy. Even if I wanted to give all the details, I really don't know much more about her yet. She's sort of reticent. I think it's because she's a bit older than I am."

He watched for Angie's reaction, and her reply was guarded. "I assume when you say a bit, you mean a noticeable amount, or you wouldn't have bothered to mention it. It's your business and if she interests you, age shouldn't really matter."

"My point exactly." He gave his sister a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll drop this stuff off at home, then I'll come round about one. I won't stay too long because Lydia's coming and I want everything to be right."

Angie looked at him closely. "Just how old is she? That sounds like the sort of thing someone says when their mother is coming over."

Daniel ran his free hand through his hair. "She is not old enough to be my mother, okay? So back off."

Angie held up a hand defensively. "All right, I promise not to give you the third degree over lunch."

"Nice offer. But will you back it up with a promise not to ring Mum about it?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I promise. It would be better to leave her out of it for now. No point in getting her all worked up."

That comment bothered Daniel for the rest of his shopping trip. By the time he got home from lunch with Angie, the worry had morphed into a lingering sense of unease. True to her word, Angie hadn't asked him a single question about Lydia. In fact, she had steered the conversation as far away from Daniel's personal life as possible.

Angie had made it her life's work to tease him about his relationships. She never backed off.

Except now.

A hollow feeling grew in Daniel's belly as he realized it meant Angie was uncomfortable with the idea of him seeing an older woman. If she was uncomfortable, others might be as well. His mother for instance. She'd get that disappointed mother look on her face, and the questions would fly thick and fast. Angie had inherited her bulldog tendencies.

Lydia's reluctance to go public with their relationship suddenly seemed like a good idea, at least for now. He wasn't ashamed of Lydia, but taking it gradually, being discreet, meant avoiding unnecessary trouble.

Daniel closed his mind to the future and concentrated on what he needed to do right now. Cook dinner.

By the time the doorbell rang the table was set, candles lit, and appetizing smells of herbs and wine radiated from the kitchen.

Lydia stood framed in the doorway. Even though her attire was casual compared to their night out, she still managed to look elegant in her slim blue jeans and flowing floral blouse. She wore her hair loose, and very little makeup; just some powder and lipstick.

Daniel struggled to fight down the urge to drag her over the threshold and into his arms. He restrained the impulse to crush his lips on hers, sweep her off into the bedroom, to prove how desirable he found her, how insane she drove him. Instead, he settled his hands lightly on her shoulders, smiled a polite welcome, and allowed himself only one chaste kiss. Tonight he would prove he could be reasonable, mature, and completely controlled.

Lydia let herself melt into Daniel's enticing heat. When he broke off the kiss and stepped back, the abrupt movement unbalanced her and she stumbled. As he reached out to steady her, his hands brushed against her breasts.

Hurriedly he thrust his hands deep into his pockets and muttered, "Food first." Then he pried loose the small overnight bag she had clutched to her chest like a shield and gestured towards a lounge chair. "If you'd like to sit down, I'll get you a glass of wine."

Glad she no longer had to rely on the support of her trembling legs, Lydia perched on the edge of a sleek, modern sofa, hands clasped together on her thighs, feet placed neatly side by side. She had never felt so awkward and out of place before in her life.

The first time she'd come here, they had stumbled to bed in a fog of frantic passion. When she had left, she had tiptoed out like a thief in the night. The bright chrome and leather of his apartment, seen clearly now for the first time, looked stark and alien. The hard-surfaced minimalism, such a contrast to her sedate, slightly out-dated home seemed to highlight the gulf of years between them.

Daniel took her bag into his bedroom and then disappeared into the kitchen. He tossed a quick comment over his shoulder, but due to the angle of the door, and the sudden beeping of a timer, Lydia missed what he said.

Unsure of what he wanted her to do, she clutched her hands tighter together and waited. She wished he'd left a TV on so she could at least have something to distract her tumbling thoughts.

She was still sitting in exactly the same position when he returned with a glass of wine in each hand. "I can't leave what's on the stove. Are you sure you don't want to come into the kitchen with me?"

Lydia looked at him in puzzlement. "What?"

Daniel spoke just a little slower, just a little clearer. She wondered if this was his lawyer-speaking-to-the uninitiated voice. "I asked you if you would like to come into the kitchen and talk to me while I finish making dinner. I asked before, but you stayed here. I thought I'd check to see if you'd changed your mind."

Heat flashed into Lydia's cheeks. Why did every step she took around Daniel seem to be the wrong one? "You asked me before?"

Daniel held out his hand. "You didn't even hear me, did you? Come on."

Lydia fought the urge to clutch her head and groan. Old and deaf. She was a hopeless case. No wonder he'd broken off that kiss in the doorway. She leapt to her feet in a way she hoped was the epitome of sprightliness.

Once she was in the kitchen things improved. She might fight against stereotyping, but still felt comfortable in a kitchen. However she was wise enough not to try to help. Besides, he seemed to have everything under control. She relaxed as Daniel competently and cheerfully finished cooking. She ventured questions as to what he was doing, and he was happy to explain how he was preparing the fish and its accompanying white-wine sauce.

When the meal was ready, Daniel led her to the table.

What followed was another step into an unknown world. Lydia never realized that eating could be turned into foreplay. There, in the intimacy of his Spartan apartment, each mouthful of the pink, succulent salmon, offered on his fork, slid gently between her lips, became a step into seduction. The creamy white sauce only enhanced the process.

And it helped that the meal tasted like it had been prepared by God Himself. Never had she eaten such juicy, tasty salmon and such rich, smooth sauce - each mouthful that slid down her throat seemed better than the last. He had truly excelled himself.

As the meal progressed and they eased into the dark temptation of a rich, dark chocolate dessert, the easy chat that had snapped back and forth between them in the kitchen faltered and faded.

Words no longer had any importance. Daniel's total concentration fixed itself on the slow slide of the spoon into Lydia's mouth. Her blood shimmered with the heat of his gaze. The languid twirl and suck of her tongue as she licked up the Colombian chocolate deliberately stoked the fire.

Daniel's eyes grew dark, his pupils expanding. Reaching out a hand, he tugged her from her seat. He lowered his lips to hers. The world began to whirl away. Lydia was happy to let it leave. Eating had created its own hunger, an appetite only Daniel could appease.

The insistent ring of the telephone intruded on her consciousness and kept her from surrendering completely. Lydia wanted to ignore the harsh sound. Yet she couldn't stop herself from stiffening and pulling back. She had never been able to ignore a ringing phone. Habits of a lifetime were too strong to change, no matter how much she wished otherwise.

Daniel didn't have the same response. When Lydia pulled out of the kiss, he briefly turned his head to see what had captured her attention, shrugged, and muttered, "The answering machine will get it."

His head lowered again. It snapped back upright with a jerk when a woman's voice cut clearly through the room.

"Daniel? Are you there? I was speaking to Angie—" The rest of the comment cut off as Daniel dived for the phone. He crossed the small room with a single leap and slammed his finger onto the button. He straightened up, the phone clenched tightly to his ear, his back to Lydia. His voice emerged low, barely audible. Lydia backed away to give him the privacy he so obviously wanted. She stopped when she realized she had headed towards his bedroom. She sidled along the wall and slipped back into the kitchen.

Even there, she still caught the occasional word, getting louder because Daniel was speaking with exasperated emphasis. "No. There's nothing... I don't care what Angie said. Yes. Alone. Look, you can come over and see for yourself." A moment's silence. "I didn't think so."

Lydia stood in the kitchen, confusion warring with embarrassment. Had he really told someone he was at home alone, and invited that person over? Did he want her to leave?

She heard him call her name before he appeared in the doorway. He seemed unsettled, not quite sure what to do next. The passionate haze engulfing them earlier had evaporated.

He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Umm. That was my mother. I... she, she can be a bit difficult."

"If she's coming here, I'll go. It's not a problem."

His head snapped up. "You're not going anywhere. And my mother is certainly not coming over here tonight. God no. That would be a total disaster."

Lydia's face reflected her confusion. "But I heard you ask her..."

The scowl lifted from Daniel's face. "Oh, that. You have to know my mother. If she thought I was keeping something from her, she'd be over here like a shot. But convince her she's welcome to come, and she'll figure there's no reason to. Besides, she has to ring for a taxi because she's... she doesn't drive."

Knowing Daniel felt the importance of keeping their liaison a secret as much as Lydia did should have been a relief. There was no logical reason at all for the sudden and unexpected twinge of pain Lydia felt. She forced herself to sound cheerful. "I understand. I'm sure it would be the same if my daughter..."

Daniel pounced on the information. "You have a daughter?"

Lydia looked at him a moment, then uttered a wary, "Yes."

"Do you know that's almost the first personal detail you've given me? How old is she?"

Lydia kept her face carefully blank. Telling Daniel she had a twenty year old daughter really wasn't something she wanted to do.

As her silence registered, Daniel's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to speak then shut it again. He gave his head a small shake. "We'll talk about it later. It's not important now. My mother's at home and she's staying there. You, on the other hand, are here. Now, where were we? I think we'd left the kitchen and were on the way to the bedroom."

He touched her, ran his hand up the side of her body to cup her face, and just like that, the mists of passion swirled back in and surrounded her once again.

Through that haze she heard him whisper, "This time we'll take it slowly. This time you tell me what you want. This time I'll get it right."His hot breath fanned her ear. It sent delicious tingles up and down her spine, and her skin quivered with tiny pinpoints of sensation. She ran her hands behind his hips, drew him closer, initiating a rhythmic surge that brought her into contact with the hard swell of his erection.

Her blood grew thick and heavy, pooling low in her body and she pushed harder against him, seeking to ease the rising pressure within her. Without breaking contact, keeping his arms wrapped around her, Daniel slowly guided her into the bedroom.

She reached for his belt buckle. He grabbed her hand and held it before she could tug it free. "Oh no, not this time. Slow. There's no hurry. We have all night." His voice was a low rumble. "And the morning. We have plenty of time."

He undressed her slowly, kissing and stroking the clothes away. When at last they were both naked, and her muscles were shaking and weak from aching desire, he lowered her to the bed.

The dim light from the candles, sputtering in the kitchen, barely penetrated the darkness, but there was just enough illumination to make out his shadowy form. Just the powerful, looming presence of his body as it rose up over her.

Chapter Seven

Sunlight streaming through the window woke Lydia. Its brightness stopped her from feeling any disorientation. She knew exactly where she was. She winced as she glanced down. During the night the bedcovers had become twisted, and eventually kicked to the bottom of the bed. With a desperate combination of speed and stealth, she eased the sheet up over her body. Only then did she feel comfortable enough to lie back and take stock of the situation.

Daniel slept on beside her. He lay on his side, his unlined face relaxed, so clearly, beautifully and terrifyingly young. His hair flopped straight and smooth over his brow. Hair! Lydia slid out of bed, grabbed her bag from near the door, and scurried to the bathroom. She didn't need to look into the mirror to know that her hair was a mess.

She grabbed a comb. Once she'd dealt with that problem, Lydia cleaned her teeth. Then she splashed her face with cold water until the worst of the sleep-forged ridges and creases had smoothed out. She pulled out her moisturizer and applied it liberally.

A critical examination of her reflection told her that without a thorough application of make-up, this was about as good as she would get.

The sight of her breasts, clearly those of a woman who'd given birth a long time ago sent a little shudder down her spine. She reached for the robe she'd bought with her and belted it tightly.

Feeling slightly more presentable and in control, Lydia stepped back into the bedroom, and stood completely and utterly still.

Daniel was still asleep, but he'd kicked the sheets back to the bottom of the bed. He lay on his back, clearly a necessity in order to accommodate the size and strength of his morning erection. Lydia told herself that she shouldn't be standing there staring at him. Good manners suggested she ought to look away. Yeah right. Like any sane, straight woman was going to look away from that.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath. Daniel shifted slightly in his sleep, little more than a shrug of the shoulders. It was enough to draw Lydia's eyes upwards.

Unclothed and seen in the light of day for the first time, his shoulders were an impressive sight; broad and powerful. The squared-off curves and bulges suggested Daniel didn't spend all his time at a desk or in court, or wherever his particular aspect of the law demanded his attention.

Her eyes tracked a path across his chest. He had the lightest sprinkling of hair, not enough to merit the term hairy. His stomach was flat, almost concave in the relaxation of sleep.

Lydia's gaze slid her gaze back down again. She stared at his erection until an arm snaked its way around her back and pulled her down onto the bed.

Lydia found herself staring into a pair of dark chocolate eyes.

His voice, still husky with sleep, rumbled out of his chest. "Get into bed and say good morning properly. Then you can get back to doing whatever it was that you were about to do."

Lydia felt the heat burning in her cheeks. Good grief! Her gaze had practically been glued to his groin. She sank into the intensity of his kiss, quite happy to lose herself in the experience. She was distantly aware of his hands undoing her robe and smoothing it off her shoulders.

The heat of the sunshine on her back offset the slight chill of the morning air. Sunshine. On her back, her naked back. Which meant Daniel could see her naked front.

She jerked away from the kiss, and reached for the robe. He captured her hands and held them. Daniel pulled away from her. His voice was quiet, but firm, "Lydia. Don't."

She tried to tug free from his grasp. Afraid of his reaction but compelled to see it, she flashed a panicked look at his face.

She hadn't expected smug male satisfaction or a heavy lidded smile. "I finally get to see you the way I want to see you. Naked. Flushed. And in my bed."

Lydia hunched her shoulders, tried again to free her hands, to wriggle down where the bedcovers offered a safe haven. Her voice muffled with embarrassment. "Daniel. Please, let me go. Let me cover up."

"Cover up? Hell no. Why would I let you do that?" He broke off. His eyebrows snapped together. His lips flattened. "It's the age thing again, isn't it? I know you're older than me. I know you've had a child. So what? Age doesn't interfere with sexiness. I know what women say about Sean Connery."

"He's a man. It's different for them. You know the saying - 'Men grow distinguished - women just grow old'."

Daniel shook his head. Lydia couldn't tell if the despairing gesture was mocking or sincere. His mouth lost its tightness and took on a wicked grin. "Doesn't matter anyway. I've seen you now. Nothinng left to hide. I'm still here." He looked down at his rigidly erect penis. "And I still want you. I tender Exhibit A as evidence."

Lydia followed the direction of his gaze. As evidence went, it was irrefutable. She didn't really understand it, but clearly the sight of her forty-four year-old flesh had not withered him in the slightest.

There was no way she'd feel fully comfortable with her nakedness any time soon, but as Daniel once again settled into the kiss, she reflected that with their bodies pressed so close together, he was unlikely to subject hers to a detailed examination. Afterwards, she could make sure that she avoided any opportunities for unwelcome scrutiny.

Daniel swung his legs out of bed and smiled. He felt remarkably good for a Monday. The Saturday night and Sunday morning with Lydia had been as good as he hoped they would be. He knew he'd broken down some barriers between them, and weakened the foundations of others. The sex had been great as well. He had every reason to be happy.

He tried to remember what a good mood he was in when he walked into his office to find himself confronted with a terse message, delivered apologetically by his secretary.

Ms Henderson, accompanied by her lawyer, would be in his office at ten. He was tempted to have his secretary ring and cancel, but he had a suspicion it wouldn't make any difference. Amanda Henderson, while not having any physical resemblance to a steamroller, was still capable of flattening any resistance. Besides, as much as he didn't want to feel sympathy for her, he knew she had not been treated fair. His part, while legal, didn't sit at all well with him.

If Amanda wanted to make herself feel more powerful by throwing her weight around, and making him dance to her tune, he supposed he could take it. She wouldn't be able to do it for very long.

When she launched herself into his office at ten minutes past ten, Daniel wondered why she'd even bothered to let the attractive middle-aged woman he assumed was Amanda's lawyer tag along. She certainly didn't need her to act as a mouthpiece.

For the first five minutes, Amanda barely paused for breath. She fired off demands and accusations, listed actions she wanted to see happen. After the first minute, Daniel didn't even bother attempting to interject.

At last she wound down. When she'd obviously said all she had to say, the lawyer introduced herself. "Mr Logan, I'm Olivia Hamilton. As you will have realized, I'm representing Ms Henderson in the matter of her contract."

Warily Daniel went through the professional courtesies. Dealing with Amanda Henderson's angry rant was one thing. Keeping an experienced legal professional from finding out too much, too soon, was another thing altogether. Olivia Hamilton looked coolly professional in her neatly tailored suit, her tightly-bound black hair a metaphor for complete personal control. Her face showed no flush of embarrassment or anger. Her breathing remained even and quiet. Amanda's diatribe might never have happened. If Ms Hamilton's skill and talent matched the image she projected, he would have to step very carefully indeed.

For once he was grateful for the legal niceties, the professional two-step that usually tried his patience and made him long to slice though it all and simply act.

By the end of the brief introductory meeting, little had changed, other than a promise to supply Ms Hamilton with copies of the original contract.

Even Ms Hamilton's professional demeanour hadn't been quite good enough to hide her exasperation. There had been a slight, but detectable rolling of the eyes when she admitted Amanda hadn't kept a copy of her past contracts. She apparently thought lodging one with her previous lawyer had been sufficient. Which it might have been if Amanda's last legal representative hadn't closed his offices and left town six years ago under somewhat dubious circumstances.

Just for a moment, Daniel felt a kinship with Olivia Hamilton, a brief moment shared between two professionals. He was stunned at the naivety of a person in Amanda's position who just shrugged and said, "It didn't matter anyway. The studio had always drawn the renewal and given it to me. I haven't had to bother with it. I just signed it."

Daniel couldn't resist the urge to ask. "So, in the last six years you haven't had your own lawyer check the terms of your contract?"

Amanda opened eyes that made thousands of viewers trust her implicitly. "No. Why should I? Each time the network renewed they offered me more money. The network lawyer always handled any legal work I needed done. Until now." The glare she turned on Daniel made it obvious where she thought the problem lay. "Why would I bother to pay for another lawyer when I already had one working for free?"

Both Daniel and Olivia knew the answer, but neither said it. The company could have put in any conditions they wanted, and Amanda still would have signed. Without the protection of a legal adviser, she'd left herself wide open to exploitation.

The meeting ended. Daniel knew there would be another one as soon, after Ms Hamilton had had time to go over the contracts carefully. He suspected this meeting would be far less civil.

Lydia arrived for lunch feeling like a new person. Energy emanated from her. She felt light and buoyant, as if she could rise up into the air and float away at any moment. She beamed at Olivia. "You were right, I was wrong."

Olivia lifted an eyebrow. "Whatever it was you were wrong about hasn't caused you too much distress."

Lydia's smile brightened further. "I was wrong about Daniel."

"Okay, I'll bite - what did you get wrong about Daniel that I got right, and is now causing you to look like the cat that got all the cream?"

Lydia sat down, and her chest puffed out. "He's seen me naked, in daylight, from several different angles."

"And what was his reaction?"

"Enthusiastic. Without going into any more detail than that, I think I can safely say that he wasn't put off by the sight of me in the harsh light of day."

Olivia grinned. "You do not have to go into any more detail than that. The details are forming a glowing aura all around you. I've never seen you look so happy."

"I've never been so happy. It just feels wonderful. It's like an infusion of some wonder drug. I feel alive, wanted, and desirable."

Olivia's smile widened. "I'm glad. You deserve to be happy."

"I feel confident enough to take on the world."

Olivia pounced. "Confident. Yes! That's exactly how I want you to feel. You may not need to take on the world, but it's good to be prepared."

"Olivia? What's going on? What have you got planned?" A growing wariness managed to dampen her mood just a little.

"Nothing bad. Nothing you wouldn't want to do. I just thought, well, you did ask Amanda Henderson if you could help."

A furrow formed between Lydia's brows. "It's a contract issue, Olivia. How could I possibly contribute anything to that?"

"There is a legal aspect to the problem but there's also a moral issue too. Amanda is popular, good at what she does, and has no scandal attached to her name. There are no reasons other than gender and age not to keep her on as news reader. It's sex discrimination and age-discrimination. You are in a good position to lead a fight against it. Your relationship with Daniel proves women can be attractive, vibrant, and sexy regardless of age."

Lydia yelped. "What's going on between Daniel and me is private. I told you that before!"

"I know that, but you're the one who broke the ban on talking about him when you walked in here."

"Some things are just too good not to share," Lydia huffed.

"I only meant you'd have the energy, the enthusiasm, and of course the confidence to give us some help. You're living proof getting older doesn't mean lying down and waiting to die. I didn't mean you'd have to parade the details of your relationship with Daniel."

"Good, because I would never do that." She paused a moment, her lips pursed. "I could do something. I mean, I do feel strongly about it."

Olivia released a relieved sigh. "How do you feel about acting as a PR person? Call in those contacts you have, expand them, and get people talking about the issue."

"What about the legal measures? Won't they do the job?"

Olivia slowly shook her head from side to side. "I don't think we're going to get any joy from pursuing the legal aspect. That's the thing about a contract. When the term is up, you can't force a resigning. Amanda thinks the original contract she signed had provision for a substantial payout at termination, but even if the current contract had that, it's not what she wants now. She wants to continue to work on-air in the job she enjoys."

"If she were a man she wouldn't even have this problem. The network would re-sign her without question. There wouldn't be a dispute. Amanda's more popular than her co-anchor, younger and much better preserved." Her lips tightened. "It stinks that we should even have to contemplate manipulating public opinion to protect her from dismissal. Keeping Amanda as news reader ought to be a matter of principle and good sense."

"Come on Lydia - you're not that naïve. There are a lot of right things done for the wrong reasons. If we get what we want, I don't care what the network's motives are."

"I care." Lydia slapped her hands on the table. "Embarrassing the network this time won't change anything for the next woman who comes along. This is a matter of principle."

Olivia spoke in a cool, calm voice. "Very little in this world is a matter of principle. Pragmatism drives almost everything. You're an idealist. You believe everyone wants to do the right thing. You look at life through rose-coloured glasses, but reality never works that way. By all means hope for the best, but be prepared to accept compromise."

"I'm done with compromising."

Olivia's hand settled over Lydia's. "No you're not, Lydia. No-one is ever done compromising, not if they're still above ground. But sometimes, if you're lucky, you get to choose which compromises you're prepared to make."

"You can believe what you want." Lydia shrugged off Olivia's hand and reached for the menu. "I believe in the principle. Because of that, I'll do what I can to help."

Chapter Eight

Lydia looked around Olivia's office. They'd been best friends for a long time, but she never had any reason to come to Olivia's office before. No great surprise really, she supposed. When had Olivia ever visited her staffroom at school? Still, it jolted her to realize that even someone as close to her as Olivia had a large part of her life she kept separate.

Now she'd taken a step into the other part of Olivia's life. Olivia needed her help. More surprisingly, Amanda Henderson needed her help. Lydia looked at the two other women and wondered exactly what it was they thought she could do.

Olivia passed a pad and pen across the desk to Lydia. "While we talk, use this to jot down any ideas that occur to you."

Amanda said nothing, her gaze fixed on the clouds visible through the window. She seemed detached and distant, nothing like the vibrant celebrity Lydia had met previously.

"I've had time to study Amanda's contract and I'm afraid there is no termination allowance, no superannuation or any financial settlement at all," Olivia said.

Lydia's eyes flashed to Amanda, who continued to stare out of the window. Olivia shook her head slowly. "It's all spelled out in the contract. If Amanda had had her own lawyer check it over when she last renewed, he or she would have noticed that all provision for financial compensation in consideration for the years Amanda had given the network were no longer in the contract. Negotiations could have taken place to have it reinstated."

The words jolted Amanda into action. She spun around. "I don't care what the old contract said. I don't want financial compensation. I want my contract renewed. That little upstart who reads the news over summer has told everyone she now has my job permanently. I've been dumped and management doesn't even have the guts to tell me. That bastard Logan knew this was going to happen, and he said nothing. All the time we were meeting with him, he knew."

"As lawyer for the network, I imagine he did, but—"

Amanda jumped in on top of her. "Our news program has always been a ratings winner. No other network has been able to challenge us in the last ten rating periods. I haven't made any blunders. There's been no negative publicity. I get regular featured spots in women's magazines. There is absolutely no reason for the network to let me go. No reason at all... except that I'm about to turn forty."

"It's one thing knowing that. It's quite a different matter to prove it in a court of law. Your contract quite clearly states that neither party needs to give any reason for refusal to renew." Olivia held up her hand to still Amanda's protest. "I know it's not fair, Amanda. And I intend to challenge it on the grounds of age discrimination but it will be almost impossible to prove."

"Why will it be impossible to prove?" Amanda pointed an aggressive finger at Olivia. "If you're not up to this, I'll get a lawyer who is."

With control Lydia admired, Olivia replied; "I know I can handle the case, Amanda, but discrimination is always difficult to prove. The case could go on for quite a while. Channel twelve is part of a bigger network."

"I know that," Amanda snapped. "I do work for them."

Olivia's chest heaved as she took a deep breath and held it for a long moment. "Then you should also know the network has all sorts of resources they can utilize and almost limitless funds, especially when compared to what you have. How much of your savings are you willing to risk on this? If we have to retain a barrister, court costs could skyrocket."

The anger faded from Amanda's face and a look of dismay replacing it. "Savings? I don't have any savings. All of my salary goes into maintaining my lifestyle."

"Your choices are limited then. You won't find another lawyer in this town who has any more chance of getting you the result you want." Olivia was firm. "And you won't find anyone else prepared to represent you for the fixed fee we negotiated."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Amanda's voice emerged sulky.

"We have to start a publicity campaign. We have to get the public - your fans - on our side, so the station will have to seriously rethink their plan to let you go."

"Do we know for sure they won't renew?" Lydia asked tentatively.

Olivia turned to her. "Nothing is certain, but all the signs point that way. Besides, whatever their intentions we can use all the leverage we can get."

"How do I come into it?" Lydia could see the point of this exercise but not the role she could hope to play.

Olivia folded her hands on the desk and leaned forward. "I need you to lobby. Get a campaign going. If there's one thing the network might bow down to, it's pressure from the public."

"But, Olivia, I've never done anything like this before. I'm just a—"

"Labeling yourself, Lydia? You won't let anyone else categorize you. Don't do it to yourself. This is a chance to do something different. To reinvent yourself..." Olivia paused significantly. "Again."

Lydia glared at her, but when Olivia showed no sign of mentioning Daniel, she relaxed. "Ok, but help me. Tell me what to do."

"We need to make people aware of what's happening. Amanda has appeared in quite a few women's magazines at various times in her career. See if they'd be interested in an interview. Contact newspapers. Send emails to current affairs programs on rival networks. There are women's groups we can get on-side and even grey power groups." At Amanda's horrified gasp, Olivia backtracked quickly. "Not that you are getting into the grey-power age range, Amanda. But if the network dumps you because you turn forty during the term of the contract, then it is an age related issue, and we need all the firepower we can get."

Amanda pouted. "I don't care. It's not good for my image to be associated with pensioners."

"They're not just pensioners. They're baby-boomers. They form a very large part of the news-watching audience. They have the numbers, they have the time, they have money, and they do not like anyone marginalizing them because of their age. Don't dismiss them, Amanda. This issue matters to them." Olivia grinned. "They're a generation brought up on protest. If we get them mobilized, who knows what they could achieve?"

Lydia interrupted. "It can't hurt to try as many different avenues as we can to get our message across and put pressure on the network."

Olivia nodded. "Maybe we read Greg wrong but I'm not optimistic. He's street smart. He wouldn't break a contract but..."

"I won't let him get away with it." Fans of Amanda's smooth-voiced presentation would never have recognized the shrill squeak issuing from her mouth.

Olivia shook her head. "No one is exempt from the processes of law, but the law doesn't play favourites. Greg's lawyer will come up with reasons other than your age for not re-signing. I can, and will, take care of all the research to see if a legal challenge is practicable, but our best chance for success is to embarrass the network into either renewing the contract or offering a reasonable severance package."

Amanda frowned. "I don't want to be associated with anything embarrassing. I'm a news reader. Viewers expect to see me every weekday at six. They rely on me. I have an image, credibility. I won't undermine my position by participating in some stunt."

Olivia stood up. "I don't intend this to be 'some stunt.' I hope you'll be the public face of a campaign to highlight the unfairness, the stupidity of letting talent go to waste because of some numbers on a birth certificate."

Amanda eyes flashed. "I don't think so. I will not have my future made a topic of public conjecture." Once again, Amanda flounced out, leaving Lydia and Olivia alone.

Shaking her head bemusedly, Lydia looked at Olivia. "Does she actually know what she wants?"

Olivia snorted. "Yeah. She wants everything to be exactly as it was before. And since it doesn't look like that's a possibility, she wants us to take care of it all so she doesn't have to do anything."

"You know, Liv, your best bet might be to just drop the whole thing. Let her find another lawyer."

"I thought of that, but in spite of what I said before, I am interested in the case. It's the challenge. I would really like to see if we could pull it off. If I can get a satisfactory settlement, it would be good for business too. There are a lot of young, hungry lawyers out there, and I'd like to be able to show the world I have what it takes to run a cutting edge case."

Lydia sighed heavily. "You, me, Amanda. We're all fighting the same thing. There must be thousands of women who feel the same. Maybe we can all go into battle for each other." She gathered her notes together. Only a few weeks ago she bemoaned the lack of excitement in her life. Now she was involved in a fully-fledged affair with a younger man and was likely to become the campaign manager for a celebrity discrimination case. Maybe she should have paid a little more attention to the old saying about being careful what you wish for. Her life was suddenly full to overflowing.

Luckily, she had her relationship with Daniel safely defined and confined. At least it would remain within the boundaries she'd set for it.

Chapter Nine

Lydia looked up at the waiter and gave him a smile. The mind-numbing nervousness she'd felt the first time she'd been out with Daniel was gone. She listened calmly to the recitation of the daily specials.

Daniel's entirely unsubtle attempts to wheedle more personal information from her throughout the meal became a flirtatious game. A game, she was delighted to discover, in which she had all the power.

Daniel relied on speed and subtlety. Occasionally, one of his gambits snuck in beneath her guard. "Does it bother you that the school you work in has such a bad reputation?"

"What? We..." She pulled herself up short and smiled to acknowledge the skill of the ploy. "Nice work, Daniel, I nearly fell for it. My school, which you do not know the name of, has a very good reputation." Her forehead wrinkled. "How did you know I was a teacher anyway?"

"You told me the first time we met, when you told me your friend is a lawyer."

Lydia's frown deepened. "I told you that?"

"You don't remember? Good. Maybe there are other things I can get you to let slip."

"Not now you've just warned me about it. You're going to have to do better than that. You won't trap me that way again."

"When I trap you, it won't be in a public place like this." The smokiness in Daniel's voice heated Lydia's blood. "When I have you at my mercy, it will be just you and me."

Her mouth parted slightly. She drew in a shaky breath. Daniel leaned across the table. He ran one finger along Lydia's lower lip. "Let's get out of here." The words were innocuous. The raw huskiness with which he delivered them rubbed along all of Lydia's nerve endings. Her skin tingled with a flurry of tiny shivers.

The sound of someone calling Daniel's name bounced her out of the fog of desire. A group of people had just sat down at a nearby table.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at them. He stood up. "They're friends of mine. Come on."

Lydia grabbed her bag. She understood completely. He would be horribly embarrassed if this young, lively group of friends realized she was his date. Even if she was not quite old enough to be his mother, she was old enough to make being with him cause for speculation.

She pushed her chair in and turned to leave. She didn't touch him, just said goodbye, as any casual acquaintance would do, and walked away. Before she reached the door, a heavy arm dropped onto her shoulders. Daniel's voice sounded far closer to her ear than it should have if they were to convince anyone that they were just casual acquaintances. "Where are you going? I want to introduce you."

Her words escaped on a rasping exhalation of breath. "No. What will they think? Just let me go. I'll wait at the apartment for you."

Daniel's only answer was to apply enough pressure to turn her around. She found herself faced with having to go with him or cause a scene that would embarrass them both.

Daniel's introductions passed in a blur of noise. Lydia couldn't have repeated any of the names if she'd wanted to. Her eyes flicked from face to face, looking for a raised eyebrow, a sneer, a smothered snort of laughter. Just because she couldn't detect them didn't mean they weren't there under the surface.

For a few agonizing minutes she stood there like a block of wood. If anyone spoke to her, the words never made it past the drumming of blood in her ears. She couldn't focus on any one face, couldn't think of a single appropriate social response, which wasn't like her at all. All she could do was smile inanely and mumble greetings.

When at last the sounds of Daniel saying goodbye penetrated her consciousness, Lydia locked her knees against the wobbles, and, with his arm still around her shoulders, she made a stiff-legged, inelegant escape.

The air outside the café felt cool on her hot cheeks. Lydia let the silence soothe and calm her. It was inevitable that sooner or later one of them would meet someone they knew. How silly of her to let it threaten her confidence so much. No one had made a scene or publicly ridiculed her relationship with Daniel.

Daniel gritted his teeth to stop himself from speaking. All his efforts, all his attempts to gain Lydia's trust, to make her see that their relationship was good and healthy were a waste. When she was with him, she felt embarrassed and ashamed. Ashamed of him. Ashamed of what they had together. And she didn't even know about his eye-condition, something he had been able to keep from her so far. She could not have reminded him more forcefully that she still saw this as just some fleeting, sordid, sexual escapade.

Anger and pain fought for dominance. He closed the door behind them with a thud and leaned against it, hands thrust in his pockets to conceal their shaking.

Lydia looked at him for a long moment. The soft lines of her face hardened, her eyes narrowing with worry. When at last she spoke, her voice was low and hesitant. "Do you want me to go home?"

He made no attempt to disguise his anger. "Why bother? No one can see us here. There's no need to worry about what anyone would say."

Her head snapped up. "Did you think I wouldn't worry about that? Of course I care what people might say. I care even more what they might think. I wasn't prepared to meet your friends."

He pushed off the door and stalked over to her. "You weren't prepared to or you didn't want to? You just stood there and said hardly a word to any of them. They are a part of my life, and you didn't even want to acknowledge their existence. Am I just your toy boy whose life is so unimportant to you that you don't want to know a thing about it? So unimportant you can't even manage to show an interest in my friends?"

Lydia gasped. "No. It's not like that. I didn't know what to say. And I certainly didn't want to say something to embarrass you."

"So you didn't say anything at all. Surely, you must have realized how embarrassing that was. But not as embarrassing, as frustrating, as bloody infuriating, as the fact I couldn't introduce you properly because I don't even know your full name." His voice was too loud, too tight, and full of anger and disappointment. "I don't know where you live. Aside from teaching, I don't know what you do when you're not with me. I don't know anything about you and I can't stand it."

"You agreed to that. You knew what it meant."

Had he been a different man in a different age he'd have shaken her. "I didn't agree to never get to know you at all. I didn't agree to ignore all the social conventions. Even if I had, don't you think we've moved beyond that? We can't go on like this. You can't keep shutting me out."

She stiffened and for a moment he thought she might leave. Then her head dropped, her pugnacious stance softened. Her voice was low, disguising the emotions behind it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I care too much about you to want to do that."

The wave of relief that surged through him was quickly cut short when her head lifted again, her shoulders squared. "But I can't just give in and let you change all the rules we agreed to. They're meant to protect us."

Daniel reached out and stroked his hands up her arms and over her shoulders. "But you know me now. You know I'd never hurt you. You don't need protection from me."

Her sigh was heavy, and the eyes she turned to him were filled with foreshadowed sorrow. "I need protection from you more than ever. You can hurt me more than you could know. I need to keep my life separate from you, because when this is over, how can I live my life if everything I do, everything I see, reminds me of you?"

Daniel clung to the thin threads of his control. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "Why do you have to keep thinking about when this is over? Think about now. I'm not asking for a declaration or a commitment. I just want you to stop trying to control something that should progress naturally."

His attempt to hide his irritation didn't work. Lydia threw up her arms in a defensive gesture, palms spread outwards and pushing forward.

"I have to control it." She dropped her arms to her sides. "I have too much to lose if I don't. I'm not in a position of strength here. Whether we like to admit it or not, my being older than you does create problems."

Daniel shook his head. "I don't care what anyone else thinks."

"Don't you? Is that why you were tap-dancing on the phone with your mother the other night?"

He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again as her words sank in. He waited silently for her to finish.

"Neither of us is comfortable about letting those closest to us know about our relationship, Daniel."

He gestured towards his chest. "I'm not ashamed of what we have." He shrugged. "I just don't want to tangle with my mother. Her whole world revolves around being a wife and mother. She sees everything from that perspective. For her, that's the way the world should be. She wouldn't understand this thing we have going. It's easier not to involve her. But I'm not ashamed of you. When the time comes that she needs to know about us, I'll be happy to tell her."

"If the time comes. The same thing applies to our relationship. If the time comes when you need to know details about my life, then I'll tell you. But I don't know whether that time will come, so until then I reserve my right to privacy."

"It's got nothing to do with privacy. You'll sleep with me but you don't trust me." He took a step away from her. "That's what it all boils down to, doesn't it? Trust."

"No. It's about maintaining a safety net. I can't jeopardize myself that way. How do I know, how do you know you won't walk into a room tomorrow and see a beautiful young woman who'll change everything? I believe you want me now, you've convinced me of that, but can you guarantee you won't wake up one morning, look at me asleep beside you and shudder?"

He spun around and grabbed her. "For God's sake, Lydia! How many times do I have to say it? What more can I do to prove it? I don't care if you are a few years older than I am. You're the one who doesn't seem to be able to get over it. How do I know you won't find someone who appeals to you more? How do I know you won't wake up one morning and shudder? Not one of us ever goes into a relationship with that kind of guarantee. It is absolutely normal for any relationship. It is normal for this relationship. We're normal. This is normal! Why do you keep fighting that?"

Lydia watched his control break. He reached for her, dragged her close. His lips drove down on hers with bruising force, hard and savage, forcing her lips open. His tongue swept in, demanding, penetrating. Like the first time they had made love, he was wild, carnal, and intense. But this time, he wasn't spurred by the force of sexual arousal. Something stronger, more elemental blazed from his eyes in such a fire of need and hurt that Lydia had to close her eyes to shut it out. She shut out the pain, the guilt, and simply gave him what she could.

He led her to the bed and stripped off their clothes. When she was naked, he pulled back, looking at her in the clear light shining in from the other room. Lydia made a fleeting grab at the covers. He took her hand and stilled it.

"No. If I can't make you trust me any other way, I will make you trust me on this." He leaned over her. His hand ran over her body, lingering on her breasts, stroking, firmly down to her centre, but the fine tremor in his fingers gave away the depth of his emotion. "This is not just sex. This is not some empty urge that just any woman can satisfy. It's you. You." His eyes locked on hers as he settled between her thighs and drove himself home. A shudder wracked his body, and his face took on a grimace that seemed as much pain as pleasure.

"Let me be part of your life, Lydia." He thrust powerfully. "Please, let me in." As his pace grew frantic, his hips surged and pumped inside her. Lydia knew a purely physical joining could never make her feel this way. Safe or not, she cared. She couldn't pretend otherwise. With a cry that was part ecstasy, part surrender, her body convulsed about him.

The powerful pulse answered by Daniel's shout as he arched above her, his muscles rigid as his own orgasm slammed into him.

When it was over, his head slumped onto her shoulders. She wrapped both arms around him and held him close, feeling his presence fill every cell, every space in her body.

He rolled to the side and pulled her in to him, held her so close to keep the connection they'd established. "It isn't just sex, Lydia."

"No. It's not just sex." She reached up and brushed the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead. "I get scared, Daniel. You're so beautiful. So young. It just overwhelms me. I keep expecting the dream will end, and I'll find myself exposed in all my foolishness."

"Not foolishness. Never that." He took her hand, turned it reverently, and planted a kiss on the palm. "You are a wonderful, sexy, gorgeous woman. You are beautiful, and I don't want you to hide from me, ever."

She looked down at the way their naked bodies tangled together, clearly visible in the light spilling through the doorway. Looked and remained relaxed. "No more hiding."

However, Daniel's sober expression didn't lighten. "I want to be a part of the life you've kept hidden from me. I've been on the periphery, apart. There's a difference."

In the warm glow surrounding her, held safely in his arms, still smelling the aphrodisiac smell of man and sex, it was churlish to continue to deny him at least a little of what he wanted. Her insistence on total anonymity was revealed as the absurdity it was.

She nodded. "I'll try."

His chocolate eyes were hard and demanding. His voice rasped with emotion. "Tell me the rest of your name."

Chapter Ten

Her name was Lydia Elliston. How absurd, how desperate did a man have to be when the simple satisfaction of knowing her name made him feel so happy? Daniel could easily find out which school she worked at and where she lived. But he wouldn't do it if he didn't have to, because it was important to him that she reveal the information herself. However knowing he could filled him with a strange confidence.

The feeling of victory still buoyed him the next day when Olivia Hamilton and Amanda Henderson entered his office. By now they must have had time to absorb the full significance of the terms of the last contract Amanda had signed.

Yet neither woman seemed cowed or defeated. After they fired the first round of courtesies, Daniel took the initiative and poked his head into firing range. "Ms. Hamilton. I presume you have had time to thoroughly examine the terms of Ms Henderson's contract, and the one that preceded it."

"I have."

Daniel wondered how, without moving her lips or making a sound, Olivia Hamilton could so clearly tack the words you bastard onto the end of that sentence.

He wasn't concerned. She could think what she liked about him. The outcome would be the same. "Do you have any questions? Anything you'd like clarified?"

The other lawyer's lips tightened. "It's perfectly clear. I don't think anyone in this room is in much doubt about what's going on here."

Daniel raised his eyebrows interrogatively. "Perhaps you had better explain exactly what you think is happening."

Her tight lips stretched into a derisive sneer. "We both know the station has no intention of renewing Ms Henderson's contract, and you've used delaying tactics until the contract runs out."

"Do you have any evidence to prove that?"

"If I had evidence I'd have you in court as fast as I could get you there. Don't let the absence of proof make you underestimate Ms Henderson's determination to achieve her goal. You run the risk of generating bad publicity."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. Her last statement had been a threat, a suggestion there was information he didn't have. He probed the statement tentatively. "Bad publicity?"

Ms Hamilton gave him a cat-like smile. Daniel had the uncomfortable feeling he looked small and tasty and covered in yellow feathers. She licked her lips. "Oh, yes, Mr Logan. I think there could be some very bad publicity indeed were it to become known that the network refused to renew the contract of one of its most admired stars simply because she will turn forty during the term of the new contract. A lawyer with the best interests of the company at heart might be well advised to seek the counsel of his employers - find out if they are really prepared for the kind of attention such an action might precipitate."

She stood, smoothed down her skirt, and held out her hand. "I'll be in touch again in a day or two to arrange another meeting. I think you might like Greg Adams to be present. I'm sure once he meets with us in person, he'll see the wisdom in keeping Ms Henderson on staff." She nodded to Daniel and walked to the door.

Amanda fell in silently behind her. Daniel was so astonished it took him a minute or two to realize that throughout the whole exchange, Amanda hadn't said a word. Olivia Hamilton must be made of pretty strong stuff if she could get Amanda to keep quiet.

Lydia, Olivia and Amanda sat at a table in the crowded café. The cups of coffee, the sandwiches, and Amanda's usual green salad disguised the reality. This was a serious, strategic planning meeting. It had started in Olivia's office and moved out when the need for food temporarily overcame the craving for vengeance. Olivia and Lydia also needed to give Amanda something else to do with her mouth, other than repeat over and over again; "They can't do this to me. They won't get away with it."

Amanda's contribution to the campaign appeared to be restricted to constant complaining. So far, she had not made a single positive suggestion or volunteered to perform any task other than to agree to be interviewed by any magazine or current affairs program with enough clout to suit her own notion of self-importance.

Lydia doubted her ability to carry the age-discrimination campaign largely on her own, but she was determined to try. Such injustice could not go unchallenged. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and said; "They will get away with it unless we fight them. We must have plans, and we need to be prepared to use their own weapons against them."

Amanda frowned. "Their weapon is the contract. Olivia says there is no flaw or loophole we can exploit. Really, Lydia - I know you're just a teacher and don't have experience in the world of media and the law, but do try to keep up."

Lydia clenched her fists, aware of the sharp indentations her nails made. She bit back her immediate response. Amanda was a celebrity. Her self-image had come under the gravest of threats. Blasting her for insensitivity and arrogance wouldn't help. Instead, Lydia forced herself to speak calmly. "The weapon I meant was public opinion. That translates into ratings, and ratings mean advertising revenue."

Amanda might not have been impressed, but Lydia clearly caught Olivia's attention. "Go on, Lydia. Do you have a plan?"

Lydia nodded, making the gesture more positive than she felt. "The start of one I think. Women control a huge portion of household spending. They have purchasing power. Advertisers pitch their products more and more to women like us, and the moneymen won't like it if the station's behaviour offends the very audience they target. Advertisers threatening to switch to another network will get a reaction. The network will be hit where it counts... in its pocket."

Olivia nodded but a frown creased her forehead. "It sounds good, but will multi-national companies care about a regional network's actions?"

Lydia rested her chin on her clenched fists. "They will if we make it about something more important than just Amanda." She ignored Amanda's outraged gasp. "We make it about the treatment of all women. We make our point clear, that there's prejudice against all older women in the media."

This time she could not ignore Amanda's angry "Hey!"

Lydia fixed her with a severe look. "I know you don't want to admit it, but you are an older, female, on-air personality. We know Greg Adams doesn't want to renew your contract. This is the only weapon we have. We need to manipulate the situation. When speculation comes to light, with the possibility of you being one of those affected arises, the station will be forced to deny it, and once they've denied it, you get your contract renewed."

Olivia looked at Lydia in awe. "You know, I really think this might work!"

Amanda's focus clearly was still on what concerned her directly. "This time I want termination payments written into the contract, or better yet, make it so they must agree to let me have an option on another renewal. Olivia, you take care of that."

Olivia sighed. "Amanda, if this works it will get you an extension of time at best. The network won't agree to conditions like those. I'll try to make them enter into negotiations, but I'm pretty sure the best we can hope for is another year - take it or leave it. And to forestall what you're going to say... if you refuse it, the network can legitimately say it offered you a contract, and you turned it down. We'd lose a lot of the moral high ground. That said, I still think Lydia's idea is a good one. If it gets you that extra year, you have time to look for new work, maybe even in radio. No one need know your contract is so short. You're a lot more attractive to an employer as an on-air personality than as a former news anchor-woman."

Amanda shuddered visibly. Being labelled a former anything is the kiss of death.

Lydia grimaced. As difficult as Amanda could be, she had to sympathize. "Actually, it might be better if we keep Amanda's name out of it for now." She tapped the side of her nose. "We use stealth tactics." She relaxed as a calculating look replaced the annoyance on Amanda's face. "It would be much better if no one, including other networks, knew your job being on the line started this."

Amanda tilted her nose in the air. "And no one will link aging female on-air personalities with me."

Olivia raised her eyebrows at Lydia. Lydia grinned back. "Olivia, I know you said the network delayed negotiations. We can make that work for us. Can you string this lawyer along a bit? Make it look like you're still considering your options? Don't admit that there is nothing to negotiate. I'll get my contacts to start looking for women who have already lost their positions. There have been a few, and I know some of them will be more than willing to talk to us."

Olivia winced. "I told the lawyer we were looking at options. I might have hinted at a publicity campaign."

It took only a second or two for Lydia to think it through. "I think that will be okay. The general public will respond to the big picture. The network will see the details. They plan to dump Amanda, so forewarning them might work for us. They'll be on their toes, trying to work out exactly what we've got up our sleeves. Got any ideas about what their lawyer might try?"

Olivia's face twisted in concentration. "It's hard to tell. The guy doesn't give much away. He's doing his job, just like any of us are. But really all he can do is advise. The final decisions will be made by the manager."

"You need to set up some more meetings with him anyway. We need to keep the dialogue open."

"I don't care what you do, so long as it gets me what I want," Amanda said peevishly.

Olivia winked at Lydia and they settled down to some serious planning.

Chapter Eleven

Lydia lay on her back in Daniel's bed and stared at the play of sunlight on the ceiling. Daniel slept on, face-down on the bed. His hand splayed out across her stomach. The sheets tangled at the foot of the bed, giving her an uninterrupted view of his body. It was firm and muscled, and yes, Lydia was honest with herself, he had an absolutely biteable ass. The best thing, the most amazing thing, was that if she wanted to, she could just go ahead and bite it. With Daniel, she was free to follow any desire, explore her sexuality as much as she wanted, and Daniel would grin delightedly and lead her on, or follow if that was her wish.

The hand on her stomach flexed gently. Daniel's eyes blinked open, focused. A smile curved his mouth. "Good morning." His voice was rumbly and raspy with sleep and the husky burr of sexual anticipation. Lydia rolled towards him eagerly. Since she'd started spending nights with him, she'd developed an addiction to morning sex.

He propped himself on one elbow. His eyes traced a path from Lydia's face, down to where his hand played at the apex of her thighs. His eyes were still heavy-lidded but a light burned in them, focusing on her with absolute intensity.

The desire in them heated Lydia's blood. She turned towards him, opened her arms and pulled him in. His lips nuzzled her breasts and she groaned in pleasure.

Daniel looked up and smiled. Lydia's breath caught at the promise, determination and wickedness in that smile. He slid down her body, leaving delicious little bites and kisses on the way. Lydia felt the fire building, the hot tide of arousal washed over her, leaving her damp and ready. He heart pounded, her hips lifted, and her thighs fell open in abandon.

As the heat built, she smelled the muskiness of her own arousal. She tensed. Her legs tightened, drew in. Her hands reached down to his shoulders and shoved.

Daniel raised his head, a puzzled look on his face. Lydia raised herself on her elbows. "I have to go to the bathroom."

His bottom lip poked out. He looked absurdly youthful and irresistibly sexy. Lydia kissed him and rolled out of bed before he could gather her in to his arms again.

"Don't worry - I'll be right back."

Daniel rolled to his side and ran his fingers along her thigh. "Hurry back."

In the bathroom, using the sound of the flushing toilet for cover, Lydia found a washcloth, lathered it, and set to work. When she was satisfied that the only scent left was of soap, she returned to the bedroom.

Daniel pounced on her as soon as she slid in beside him. "Now, I believe we were somewhere about here." He nuzzled his way through the cloud of hair. His tongue curled out and he took a long, lingering lick.

His head shot up. His lips pulled back in a grimace of distaste; his brows crashed together in fierce disapproval. "What have you done? One minute you were all wet, warm, and delicious and the next, you're dry, cold, and taste of soap. I hate the taste of soap."

Her thighs squeezed tight, shutting him out. She sat up, arms folded across her body defensively. "I'm sorry, but I had no choice. We made love last night."

"You don't have to remind me. I know we made love. So?"

"So, I fell asleep before I had a wash. We were going to... you were going to... you know, and I couldn't let you do that without washing."

Daniel ran his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. "Come on Lyida - you remember that I used a condom, Lydia. You are not unclean or offensive. You are a woman, and when you are aroused you have a distinctive and wonderful scent. It's natural and I love it. It's part of you. It's a great part of you. It turns me on. Soap doesn't."

Lydia bit her lip. "But it isn't right. You shouldn't have to... I just..." In the past it was something she had always done after sex, not that Paul had spent much time down there anyway. He had always used his hands, never his mouth.

Daniel drew himself up, away from her. His mouth had been soft with passion, now it was hard, his lips set in a thin, tight line. Fire, no longer fuelled by lust, burned in his eyes. "You just won't accept that I enjoy you as you are... regardless of age or scent or appearance. You have to move on from this. You have to break down the barriers and let me in. All the way in, because I can't stand the way you still try to shut me out."

Her head shook frantically. She had to make him understand. "I'm not shutting you out, I..."

He leaned forward. His grip on her shoulders was hard, punishing, leaving white indentations where his fingers dug in. "Yes, you are. You're willing to have sex with me, but you still don't trust me."

"I do. I do trust you." Her voice was weak, desperate, frightened. Not of him. She knew he would never hurt her. Not physically. Not deliberately. But she was still afraid.

His eyes widened and he stopped for a moment. "No, it's not me you don't trust. You don't believe in yourself. You don't believe you're attractive enough, sexy enough to just be yourself and be confident that I'll still want you. That anyone would want you."

His perceptiveness wasn't welcome. She didn't want him to know how vulnerable she felt. "I just wanted to be clean."

"No, it's more than that. Water would have made you clean, but you used soap." His lips pursed again. "Lots and lots of soap. To hide what you are, to replace it with what you think someone else would prefer."

Lydia looked down at her breasts lying soft and slightly flattened against her chest. He was right. She didn't think she was good enough or young enough for him to accept her as she was. The air seeped out of her lungs and took the fight along with it. She flopped back onto the bed.

Daniel wriggled up until his face was even with hers. He held her gently. "Believe in yourself, Lydia."

She slid down and buried her face against his shoulder her voice muffled. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to be strong, trying to believe, but sometimes, I get nervous. All those years of conforming sneak up and attack me."

Daniel lifted her chin with his finger until she was looking into her eyes. After a moment, he seemed satisfied with what he saw there and stroked her cheek. "Well, you just keep fighting the good fight." His fingers left her chin, sliding downwards. He slid them across the curve of her breasts until he could twirl them round her nipples in slow, caressing circles.

A little shudder passed over Lydia, and she felt her muscles loosen as the familiar laxity of desire replaced tension and awkwardness. She tried to keep her mind on the conversation for just a moment longer. "I'm getting better at it." She gasped as his fingers slid down and stroked her entrance, dipping inside and drawing out the hot moisture from within. Suddenly, the smell of soap no longer seemed as intense as the more natural odour of desire emerged from her.

"You get any better at it and you'll kill me." Daniel mumbled as he licked and swirled his tongue around the hard red points her nipples had become. "I didn't mean this, I meant..."

The power of coherent speech seared away as Daniel entered her, driving thought from her mind. She gave herself up to the pleasure of the velvet friction between them. She came on a pulsing wave of pleasure.

The feel of Daniel withdrawing, still rigid, with the taut pull of desire still clear on his face, dragged her back to awareness. He slid down her stomach and paused, gazing up at her. "I want it all, Lydia. I want you to hold nothing back. To disguise nothing. I want you the way you are." He buried his head between her legs, licking, sucking, biting, and bringing her back to a peak she thought she would not reach again so soon.

When she came again, he once more fastened his mouth on hers and plunged deep with his tongue, mirroring the action of their bodies. His scent and hers mixed together, drove them both wild, and he bucked and plunged with a frantic lack of control that pushed Lydia higher once more. When Daniel went rigid and gave himself up to his climax with a shout, Lydia felt the pulse through her entire body.

Lydia looked at Olivia over the stack of papers on her desk. "This campaign is really taking off. The local paper will have a report about it in the weekend supplement, and there are two magazine articles coming out next month. Yesterday, the producer of the Today program rang. They want to put a segment to air. I've managed to contact a couple of female presenters replaced by younger women in the past few years. They all expressed interest and support. They're willing to be interviewed."

Olivia gave a soft, low whistle of appreciation. "I'm so impressed with what you've achieved already, Lydia. You seem to have tapped into something people really want to hear about."

Lydia grinned. "What I've tapped into is the fear of most women working in the industry. They've seen what's going on and they don't want it to happen to them; or it has happened to them and they're hopping mad about it. It's now spread over several different facets of the media, so Amanda's case is lost in the mix... just as she wanted it to be. In fact, most people, if they think it's about anyone at all, think it's about Tania Ramos. Since the issue has started getting attention, she has come out publically and said her network dumped her for a younger, male newsreader."

Lydia suddenly stopped flipping through the pile of mail she held in her hand. She looked at Olivia, looked back at the letter then looked at Olivia again. "News Tonight wants to do an interview with me. They've written a formal request - on paper. It seems they think the way I've co-ordinated this campaign is newsworthy in itself." Lydia's voice squeaked. "Why would they think that? I'm not anyone famous. I'm no celebrity."

Olivia grabbed the letter and glanced over it. "They think you are. They want to do a piece on what motivated you, how you coordinated it all. Essentially, a piece on how an ordinary, suburban schoolteacher and mother managed to pull together a publicity campaign that has captured the public's interest."

"Anyone could have done it. There's nothing all that unusual about me."

"You know what, Lydia? I think you are special. You've started a protest movement. I think that's newsworthy and so will a lot of people."

Lydia's brow furrowed. "I don't think so." She drew a deep breath. "But if it draws more attention to what we're trying to do, then I guess I can do it. I seem to be doing a lot of things I never thought I'd do lately. One more isn't going to hurt."

"Ring them. Now. See what they say."

A few moments later, Lydia set down the phone, a stunned look on her face. "They want to do the interview this weekend. They want me to come to Sydney to record it and take part in an on-air discussion with Tania Ramos herself. They're going to pay for my hotel accommodation and record the segment over two days."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Maybe you ought to take the boy toy along and make a dirty weekend of it."

For a moment, Lydia resembled a frightened rabbit. "No, no. I don't want to do that. I'm not... I couldn't possibly concentrate on the interview or on Daniel. I'd just be too stressed. And he's not a boy toy."

Olivia laughed. "You just don't want to share. You won't even let me see this particular toy. Are you still determined to keep everything about Daniel to yourself?"

"It's not so much keeping him to myself. It's just..."

Olivia cocked her head to one side, her expression becoming serious. "Just what? Come on, Lydia. I've been good and not plagued you about it, but I want to know what's happening. You're my best friend. Talk to me about this."

Lydia ran her hands through her hair. "It's not turning out the way I thought it would. The plan I had seems to have gone awry."

"I warned you. I told you if you started something like this it could all blow up in your face."

Lydia's sigh came from deep inside her. "Planning to keep that part of my life separate made perfect sense, but I forgot something important."

Olivia raised her eyebrows inquiringly, and after a moment, Lydia went on. "There was nothing wrong with the plan, but right from the beginning it was completely bypassed. My Daniel is not the man who put the ad in the paper, and that was what changed everything. He doesn't want to stay hidden in the background. And it's so hard to explain to him why he should."

"I'm not sure I understand it myself," Olivia said.

Lydia gave a tiny, helpless shrug. "I don't know how he'll fit into my life. I certainly don't fit into his. How do I explain it to Emily? What would the kids at the school say if they knew I was going out with a younger man? I wouldn't want to be always wondering what everyone was saying about me. Aren't those things reason enough?"

With Lydia's hands clasped in hers, Olivia looked into the eyes. "You know the answer to that without me telling you."

Lydia looked into space, her brows pulling together.

"I have to bring this relationship out into the open, don't I?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes. It's the logical, the right and the necessary thing to do."

Lydia took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm going to do it, and the best person to start with is you. After I get back from doing this interview, I'll arrange for you two to meet." She smiled, a little shakily, but a definite smile. "Daniel will be pleased. This is exactly what he wants."

Daniel clenched the phone as he paced. At least now, Lydia's phone was on. For two days, he had listened with increasing frustration to the mechanical voice telling him the number he wanted was not currently in service. Her phone rang and rang and only the sheer need to hear her voice kept him hanging on. He wouldn't hang up until it switched to voicemail. And maybe when it did, this time, he would swallow his pride and leave a message begging her to ring.

His grip relaxed when Lydia's breathless voice panted out. "Daniel? Hi. I'm sorry I took so long to answer. I was working upstairs, and my phone was at the bottom of my bag under a whole pile of junk."

"I wondered where you were. I... missed you over the weekend."

"I missed you too. I hope you didn't try to ring me. I had to turn my phone off, and I forgot to turn it back on. I have so much to tell you ... and something to show you. Are you busy tonight?"

Daniel felt the tightness in his chest easing. "No, nothing that I can't put off. Do you want to come over?"

There was a silence at the other end of the phone, and Daniel felt the tension begin to build again. Before he could run too many disaster scenarios through his mind; she was going to tell him she didn't want to see him again, there was another man - Lydia spoke. "Actually, I wondered if you'd like to come to my place."

He heard the words, but for a moment they didn't sink in. When they did, his knees sagged a little. "To your house? Or wherever it is you live?"

"Yes. I'll give you directions."

"Lydia, you know what that means? You are okay with me knowing your address?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Yes. I was wrong to try to hide it from you. I can't continue to enforce a set of rules that were never appropriate for our situation. How can there be a problem with you coming to my house? I want you to come. It's not such a big step after all."

Daniel felt like a teenager; excited, impatient and far too eager, but he couldn't control his jubilation. He'd won, got what he wanted. He scribbled down the directions and rang the one of the local taxi drivers he knew. He wanted to get there before she had a chance to change her mind.

Daniel inside her home felt right. It didn't feel scary, threatening, or any of the other things Lydia had feared when she had tried to keep her two lives separate. His presence just felt good, comfortable, peaceful. Daniel relaxed on her lounge, the smile on his face reflecting his contentment. As she walked past, he reached out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her down onto his lap. His kiss, warm and enticing, lured her to give in to the desire he aroused so easily in her. She fell into him for a moment, then withdrew her arms from around his neck, stood up, and stepped away. "This is nice, very, very nice, but we have to keep in our pants for a while. I have something I want you to see."

Daniel grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back to him. She ducked out of his reach. "No. We have to wait. Not for long, just until after News Tonight has been on."

Daniel groaned. "Lydia, when it comes to a choice of making love to you or watching TV, there is no choice! Besides, I never watch News Tonight. It's tabloid, sensationalist trash."

Lydia assumed an air of conscious self-righteousness then ruined it by laughing. "It isn't always like that, you snob. Tonight, it's definitely not. Tonight, I'm on the program. They did an interview with me! That was why I turned my phone off. It couldn't be on while we taped the interview."

She grinned at the stunned look on Daniel's face. He pointed an accusing finger. "What exactly have you been up to? What can you possibly have done to get interviewed on a show like this?"

Her cheeky grin continued. "You'll see."

Daniel's expression was such a mixture of puzzlement and nervousness that Lydia laughed again. "Relax. It's nothing bad, I promise."

Daniel tugged on her arm again as she reached for the remote control on the coffee table. She tumbled back onto the sofa and pressed the on button. He grabbed the remote from her hand and after muting the volume, set it down beside him. "I am perfectly prepared to watch you on TV or anywhere else, but I don't see any reason why I have to watch everything that comes before. I can think of better things to do with our time while we wait. Don't you have a TV in your bedroom?"

Lydia shook her head. "No, I couldn't stand it."

"Now that's downright uncivilized." He nipped the side of her neck, sending a flurry of shivers down her spine. "We'll have to stay here then, doing this. It will be good for you to have something else to concentrate on while you're waiting. Calm the nerves."

The play of his fingers and his little bites her were anything but calming. Lydia spun around and gave herself up to the pleasure of his kisses. She was rapidly approaching a state where an earthquake wouldn't have attracted her attention when Daniel's head jerked up.

"Hey, it is you." He reached for the remote and snapped the sound back on.

On the screen the camera focused on Lydia, looking serious and determined. The presenter, well into her introduction, gave personal information about Lydia's job, her life and background. Lydia had presumed they'd only asked those questions at the beginning of the interview to help settle her. She'd expected them to be edited out. "...Lydia Elliston has now taken up the fight on behalf of older women in the media."

Daniel leaned forward, his concentration on the screen. He absently wrapped one arm around Lydia's shoulders and snuggled her into him.

Lydia hastened to explain. "She's asking me why..."

"Shh." Daniel made a hushing gesture with his hand. "We don't want to miss anything." Daniel concentrated on the televised Lydia, who gave a slightly nervous smile and explained; "I think we're all aware that there are certain beliefs about women in our society, especially their role in the media once they reach a certain age. In a recent spate of cases, female television personalities have been replaced by younger women or by men."

Daniel suddenly leaned back, his arm dropping from around her shoulders. Obviously, the subject matter of the interview wasn't quite as interesting as he'd thought. Lydia shot him a grin. "Did you think I'd appear on a current affairs program advising mature women to go out and get themselves a younger lover?" She nudged him in the ribs. "I had a serious issue to raise."

Daniel didn't smile in response. He pressed back against the lounge and stared at the TV as if he expected a snake to slither out of it at any minute.

The interview continued. Lydia thought she'd done a good job, highlighting the issue and mentioning specific cases without naming Amanda at all. The second segment introduced Tania Ramos. Together, Lydia thought they'd made effective television.

When the segment wound up, Lydia switched the TV off and turned to face Daniel. Instead of the approval or even teasing mockery she'd expected, his face was tight, his lips narrow. For a moment, she couldn't understand what could have caused such an angry reaction, but then she began to suspect. "I know I just gave everyone watching that program more information about me and my personal life than I had given you. I didn't do it to insult you. I knew you would watch the segment. I'd already decided my plan to hide everything, to try to keep you separate from the rest of my life was stupid. You'd already convinced me."

The rigid set of his lips didn't loosen. "You never really answered the reporter's question, Lydia. Why this particular issue? Why now?"

She puzzled over his reaction, trying to find a reason for his tension. "It doesn't have anything to do with my relationship with you. I didn't go looking for a younger man as part of a protest or as research or anything." She stroked the back of his hand. "None of this even happened until after I'd met you. My friend Olivia is a lawyer. I think I might have mentioned that when we first met. This is strictly just between us, but she has a client who works for a television company and they are going to let her go because she's getting older. Her contract won't protect her, and the network is being simply awful about it. Olivia asked me to help. We hope if this campaign works, public opinion will put pressure on the network to offer Amanda an extension so they don't look bad."

Daniel seemed to be having trouble processing it all. His voice curiously bland, he asked, "Amanda?"

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't have told you." Lydia thought for a second. "No. I'm not going to have any more secrets from you or about you. Just don't tell anyone, okay? It's Amanda Henderson. She's Olivia's client, and it's really her we're working to help. Apparently, the network's lawyer is a really hard-nosed creep, and Olivia sort of ran out of other options, but this is working really well. Wait 'til I tell you all the other things we've got planned."

Daniel stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "No. Don't tell me any more. I don't want to know."

Lydia jerked her head back in surprise.

Daniel looked down at her. "I'm sorry. Look, I can tell this is important to you, but..." He leaned down and pulled her up against him, squeezing her tightly, suddenly intense. "Let's just go to bed. I don't want to talk about other people. I just want it to be us."

Lydia drew in a deep breath. She clasped his hand in hers and led him to the bedroom. Daniel's mood had changed. His face grew set and fierce, his chocolate eyes cloudy and hard. Some darker need drove him. He stripped them both of their clothing, not caring or slowing as his roughness tore the delicate lace and nylon apart. He threw her onto the bed, drove himself down onto her, and kissed her with a ferocity that left her gasping. He was raw and primitive, wild and a little dangerous.

It was fortunate their earlier kisses and play had left her moist and ready. Ignoring foreplay, Daniel thrust hard inside her. His lips crushed hers, his teeth bruising them.

The barriers of civilization shattered, stripping away all of Lydia's inhibitions, leaving nothing but a woman responding to her mate. She didn't understand the reason for his desperation. She abandoned intellect and simply reacted.

Driven on with no control or will, she reached her peak, screaming as her climax rushed over her. Still, Daniel pounded and ground his hips against hers, his thrusts deeper and harder. His breath escaped with each exhalation from his straining lungs. When his release slammed into him, he shook and shuddered within her, tipping her over the edge to fall from the heights with him.

His head dropped onto her shoulder. His weight, pressing on her heaving chest, crushed her and made breathing difficult, but she wrapped her arms around him and clung.

The aftershocks of orgasm faded but still he trembled.

When he pulled out of her, she held him close, allowing him to move his weight only enough to make breathing easier. She stroked her arms along his back, whispering in his ear, not understanding, but instinctively knowing he needed comfort. She soothed and gentled him as she would a child. "Shh, it's all right, everything is all right."

When the shudders had stilled, he buried his head in her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry, Lydia. I'm so sorry."

Lydia ran her hand soothingly over his back. "It's all right. You didn't hurt me."

Daniel didn't meet her eyes. "I never want to hurt you. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to be your enemy."

Puzzled, Lydia whispered gently into his ear. "You didn't hurt me." She ignored his odd comment about being her enemy.

He raised his head at last. "There are things you don't know about me, Lydia. Things that could hurt you."

Lydia brushed the hair out of his eyes. "There are always things I won't know about you. And any time you care about someone, they have the power to hurt you." She smiled a little. "I know I hurt you by keeping you out of my life. Don't apologize for the strength of your feelings."

When Daniel tried to speak, she shushed him. "Let's pretend my silly decision about secrecy never existed. We'll get to know each other the way everyone does. Bit by bit."

Daniel didn't reply, but he rolled to his side, slid out of bed, and walked into the bathroom. When he returned, he pulled Lydia against him and rested his chin on her head. He held her that way for a long time. Lydia felt the tension in his muscles, knew whatever bothered him still had not been resolved.

Chapter Twelve

Over a late, lazy breakfast the next morning, Lydia announced; "I think it's time you met my best friend."

Daniel's eyes lit up and his whole face glowed. "I'd love to."

"Okay, I'll ring Olivia and see when she's free. At least you'll have something to talk about. She's a lawyer too. Maybe you've heard of her? Olivia Hamilton?"

Daniel swallowed as Lydia carried on chatting, apparently oblivious to his silence. The feisty, difficult Olivia Hamilton was Lydia's best friend. Great, just great. How many seconds would pass between Olivia Hamilton setting eyes on him, and then her informing Lydia that he was the enemy? And how soon after that would Lydia realize that even though they'd talked about Amanda Henderson, he had not told her anything about his part in Amanda's contract negotiations?

He'd known from the minute that Greg dumped Amanda's contract on his desk that it would lead to trouble. What Greg had asked him to do was technically legal, just not particularly honourable. Of course, as a lawyer, he should not have concerned himself with this - just the bare technicalities. One of the first things he'd learned at university was that a lawyer doesn't look for justice, he just applies the law.

He wondered if the universe itself didn't actually agree with that viewpoint, and had manipulated the stars so he became involved with the one woman who would not forgive him for his role in Amanda's downfall. He paused for a moment. A lot of women wouldn't forgive him for his part in Amanda's problems, but he only cared about Lydia's opinion. He had to tell her now and hope she cared enough to forgive him.

He squared his shoulders and prepared to speak. Possible opening lines flashed through his mind. He rejected them all. Too formal, too strange, or too aggressive. He gritted his teeth and decided to just blurt it out; "Lydia, I work-"

She cut him off with a laugh, "As do I and I have too much to do this weekend to laze around here with you. I have to go." She stood up, leaned over, and kissed him. "I'll let you know what Olivia says." She disappeared into the bedroom to get her things.

Daniel knew he should follow, should stand in front of her and refuse to let her leave until he'd made his confession. But he let her go. By the time that he met her friend Olivia, he'd think of some way to make Lydia see he hadn't lied to her or betrayed her. Or maybe he'd have thought of a way to avoid Olivia Hamilton altogether.

Anger twisted Amanda Henderson's attractive but determined face. Her eyes glittered with sparks of rage, her lips a narrow white slash. No sign remained of the cool, calm, unflustered newsreader. "This was supposed to be about getting my contract renewed. To be about me, what I want." She waved a newspaper in Lydia's face. "But this is all about you. Intrepid campaigner, Lydia Elliston." Amanda slammed that paper down and picked up another. "Champion of the rights of older women...Lydia Bloody Elliston."

Amanda paced wildly back and forth in front of Olivia's desk. "She's on the TV more than I am!"

Olivia stood from where she'd perched on the edge of the desk. "If you recall, Amanda, you decided this wasn't going to be about you!"

Fury burned in Amanda's slitted eyes. "But I didn't decide that it was all going to be about her! How is this helping?"

As if she were explaining it to a slow learner, Olivia spoke slowly and distinctly, her words clear and well spaced. "We stirred public interest. Age discrimination in the media is currently a hot topic. If this continues it will be more pragmatic for the network to renew your contract than be accused of discrimination on the basis of age and gender."

Far from calming Amanda, Olivia's words caused the red in her face to deepen. "And that's another thing you've managed to do - focus this whole thing on age. It was embarrassing when they dragged up those old fossils from years ago. I told you at the beginning. I don't want to be associated with old people. I am not an older woman!"

Lydia saw Olivia's lips move slightly and knew she was slowly counting to ten. "Amanda, this is about age. If you were not reaching a, shall we say, certain age, we wouldn't be involved with any of this! Furthermore, as you pointed out only a moment ago; your name has not been associated with this campaign!"

After having been shocked into silence by Amanda's attack, Lydia finally found her voice. "Amanda, I didn't ask the media to focus on me. This is the last thing I wanted. But it's happened and if it makes the campaign more effective, if it puts more pressure on the network not to let you go at this time, then it benefits you. If I can stand all this attention, then you ought to be able to stand the lack of it."

Amanda's lips pursed then relaxed. The red subsided in her cheeks. She shrugged her shoulders. "When you put it like that, I can see your point. If the contract is renewed, it might be in some way due to your attempts." She looked at Lydia. "You are doing the best you can. I suppose it's not your fault that the media is going crazy over you. You've worked hard, according to your capabilities so, uh, thanks."

Lydia's eyes met Olivia's in complete understanding. She knew that this was as close to an apology as she was ever going to get.

Olivia steered Amanda's thoughts in a more positive direction. "I want to set up a meeting with Greg and his lawyer next week. I think we might see a change of attitude from them."

Amanda picked up her designer leather bag and turned to go. "They'd better have changed their mind. This has gone on long enough. I won't stand for much more of it." She swept out of the office.

Olivia shook her head. "I can't get through to her. She continues to believe she has the power here. I don't think she understands the best we can hope for is a stay of execution."

Lydia grinned. "She may not be as appreciative as we'd like, but it doesn't diminish the rightness of her cause. It shouldn't just be a stay of execution. Ideally, the station should offer a renewal for the full three years with a full termination payment written into it."

"Hmmph," Olivia snorted. "When was anything about this ideal? We have to be realistic. Hope for the best by all means, but we'll settle for what we can get."

"I may be idealistic, but you've become cynical."

Leaning back in her chair, feeling complacent, Lydia said; "You need to remember that good things do happen. How about having lunch with me and my particular good thing next Saturday?"

"Nice way to refer to the significant other in your life," Olivia joked. Her face scrunched up, and she stared for a moment at the ceiling. "No, that won't work. I have a conference in Melbourne and I'm leaving at lunchtime on Friday. I won't be back until late Sunday night."

"How about dinner one night?"

"Not until after I get back from Melbourne. We'll do it then. This week. Next week. It won't matter." Olivia looked at her solemnly. "He's going to be around for a while, isn't he?"

Lydia beamed a brilliant smile. "Yeah. I think he is. This isn't going to end with the summer at all. And you know what, I am really, really happy about that."

"I am not happy, Lydia." The school principal folded her hands and leaned forward. "In the past two days I have had," she glanced at the notepad in front of her, "ten phone calls from concerned parents of students who fear your role in this publicity campaign is bringing the school into disrepute."

Lydia's eyes widened but she managed to keep her jaw from dropping. The school year had only started two weeks earlier, and being back at work was more exhausting than usual, probably because of all the other things she currently had on her plate. "How can my involvement possibly reflect badly on the school? I'm trying to counter age-related prejudice against women." She fixed the middle-aged principal with her gaze. "Surely you support that."

The principal unclasped and clasped her fingers again. She even let her grey show, not investing in a rinse or any kind of make-up that Lydia could see. "In theory, and in private. But we have a very conservative parent base here. They do not want the school's name bandied about on tabloid current affairs programs."

"The school was only mentioned in the context of background information about me. I really don't think there will be any consequences."

The imposing office chair squeaked as the principal leaned forward again. "There have already been negative consequences. Yesterday afternoon reporters approached some of our students to obtain, and I am quoting one of the parents here, a student's view of Mrs Elliston. The parent was rightly very irate that her child's privacy and security had been put at risk."

Lydia frowned. "I'm sorry. I never thought a reporter would approach any of my students. From now on I'll make it clear that's not to happen. But as for the rest, I really don't think I have done anything wrong. This is an important issue, and I don't think it is the school's or the parents' business what I do about it."

"As long as you are a teacher at this school it is the school's business. Parents are unhappy, and they want something done to prevent any further such occurrences. I am directing you to cease all activity on this campaign and to refuse to have any more dealings with the media. In time I hope it will die down, and I won't be forced to take any further action."

Lydia felt her temper rise. Her fists clenched. She told herself that yelling at her boss wouldn't help the situation, so she forced herself to speak calmly. "I don't see why you have to take any action at all. Nor do I see why I should step down from my involvement in this campaign."

The principal tilted her head and looked over her glasses. "You don't seem to have understood me, Lydia. Your involvement in this campaign has brought unwanted attention to the school. The parents pay high fees to send their children here, and they're concerned. I have assured them that I will rectify this matter. If you wish to remain here as a teacher, you will ensure your activities support the ethos of the school. If you do not, you are free to seek employment elsewhere. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly. It is not, however, as simple as you seem to think. Nothing I've done, or planned to do, in this media campaign constitutes grounds for dismissal. I'm sorry ten parents have complained, but there are considerably more parents than that with students at this school. I'm prepared to call a meeting to explain my involvement and to allow discussion of my actions. I've learned a lot in the last few weeks and I know how to present my case. I won't be intimidated."

"Lydia, this is a very unhelpful attitude. I had hoped for more compliance from you."

"I will, as always, comply with all rules and regulations. I repeat, nothing I have done in any way reflects badly on the school's ethos or reputation. In any future dealings with the media, I will make it plain that the school and its students are not involved and not to be involved. That is the only concession I am prepared to make. I am doing something I believe in. I am not going to be stopped just because it doesn't suit somebody's view of how I should behave."

The principal stood and opened the door. "I hope that is not your final stance on this. You should ask yourself if you are prepared to face the consequences of your actions."

"I won't be cowed by empty threats. I will do what I believe is right." Lydia walked out, spine straight, head held high. She didn't even flinch when she heard the office door slam behind her.

For the first time since he'd met Lydia, Daniel didn't want to see her. Every time his phone rang, he looked at the caller identification nervously and despised himself as a coward for the relief he felt when he saw it wasn't her. He needed Lydia, missed her, but no explanation he thought of convinced him that she wouldn't storm out when she heard it.

He hadn't set out to deceive Lydia. Her desire for anonymity had inadvertently led them to this. She would understand how it had happened. But would she be willing to forgive him for being the lawyer employed by the network trying to rid themselves of Amanda Henderson? That question hung ominously over him.

Sheer bad luck made the feisty Olivia Hamilton Lydia's best friend. Daniel had a horrible feeling that once Olivia knew who he was she would chew him up and spit him out in soggy pieces on the floor. He didn't know whether Lydia would defend him or stomp on the pieces when Olivia had finished, and he certainly didn't want find out.

And then there was his other secret, one he was surprised hadn't hadn't reared its ugly head yet. She hadn't even asked him why he never seemed to drive anywhere, or whether he even owned a car. Daniel had had three years to get used to his new level of vision, but should it start to deteriorate more in the foreseeable future, he knew he couldn't keep it to from her or his employer.

Foreseeable. He had to laugh inwardly at the word he'd chosen.

When Lydia's name did appear in caller ID, Daniel picked up the phone cautiously, holding the handset between thumb and forefinger as if he expected it to turn on him and strike him. There was a brief pause, before he managed a stilted "Hello."

Lydia's words tumbled out, propelled by emotion too strong to allow any recognition of his hesitation. She didn't give him a chance to say anything. "You won't believe what happened! I'm so angry I could scream. The school principal just called me into her office. She told me that I have to give up my involvement in the publicity campaign. Apparently the parents don't approve. As if that should be enough to make me stop. She threatened to sack me if I continue!"

The breath eased out of his lungs. She hadn't found out about him! She was directing her anger at someone else. He focused on what she'd said, replaying it in his mind. The surge of outrage he felt at Lydia's treatment almost immediately gave way to guilty relief as the implication sank in.

"You're giving up the campaign? I think that's a wise decision." The words came easily, soothingly. If she severed her connection with Amanda's negotiations, his role in them would no longer matter as much. It would be much easier to convince her to overlook it. Much easier for them both to move on. "Your job is more important than any campaign. You have to admit, it does take up a lot of your time. It might be time to let it go. I'm sure the problem with the parents will be resolved once you're out of the media's eye."

"What?" Lydia sounded far from soothed. "I'm not giving up the campaign, and they aren't sacking me either. They don't know whom they're dealing with. I have become a powerful woman... I have lawyers for friends. I can take on legal challenges they haven't even thought of yet. Why would you think I'd give up?"

"I..." He was entering dangerous territory. He did a quick mental sidestep. "I know it means a lot to you, but if you don't want to stop you have to consider the consequences. You have to put your future first."

"I'm too involved to stop just because someone tells me to! I can't let fear of what might happen in the future stop me from doing what's right for me now."

"But are you sure you know what that is?"

The sound of her sigh carried across the phone line.

"Who is ever sure? But if there's one thing being with you has taught me, it is that it's okay to take risks."

Daniel swallowed. "I've taught you that?" He was glad she'd taken the risk on him, but he hadn't foreseen her taking the lesson and applying it to all other aspects of her life.

"Oh yeah," Lydia said with conviction. "I never contemplated caving in to pressure and quitting. I just wanted to vent, and you were the one I wanted to vent to."

He supposed he should feel gratitude instead of surprise. "Not Ms St... er, Olivia?"

Lydia's voice sounded speculative. "No, I called you. That's strange, isn't it? For years, if something like this happened, I would have called Olivia first."

"It's not strange. It's nice." As he said it, he realized he meant it. He liked the fact that she had turned to him first.

"I guess so." She laughed. "But don't get too conceited. I probably couldn't catch Olivia anyway. She's too busy getting ready to go to a conference this weekend. Unfortunately, it means the three of us getting together will have to be postponed."

Daniel sent a prayer of thanks to the gods of technology for their failure to provide all humanity with video phones. Because of this oversight, Lydia would never see the way he felt the tension melt off him. As it was, it took all his acting power to make his "Oh, that's a shame," sound convincing. He must have been a better actor than he thought.

Lydia continued blithely; "There's always next week. In a way, it is a relief. We can spend the weekend just lazing about at my place if you like. I'd rather cook than go out. It's been a stressful week."

"Tell me about it," Daniel muttered.

"Oh!" Lydia sounded concerned. "I guess you're at work. Of course, you're busy too. I'll hang up."

"No. I have a few minutes. Please don't go."

"I don't want to cause you any problems. One of us in trouble with the boss is enough." She paused. "That is if you have a boss. I don't know whether you do or not. Are you in private practice?"

Daniel ran his finger around his collar then scrubbed at the back of his neck. "Er, no, not in private practice."

"Oh, a corporate type then. Do you-?"

Daniel reached over and tapped on his desk. "Lydia, there's someone here to see me. I have to go. I'll see you on Friday night."

By then he hoped he would have thought of what to say to make sure Lydia didn't hate him.

The effort was futile. No matter how hard he tried, nothing appropriate came to mind. By the time Friday night arrived, his mind remained a complete and utter blank.

Lydia's house welcomed him with delicious smells wafting from the kitchen, making the decision to delay his confession all too easy. He kept the conversation on Lydia's activities while they ate, shamelessly exploiting his talent for asking the right questions to keep her expounding on her adventures of the week. He did everything in his power to stop her from renewing her questions about his job, and he did it so well Lydia never even realised.

They drifted seamlessly from the dining room to the bedroom. Once they were in bed together, questions were the last thing on either of their minds. The last time they had been together the sex had been hard, fast and frantic. This time it was languid, indulgent, and almost sweet. Afterwards, they drifted silently off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms and a rosy glow of post-coital contentment.

Chapter Thirteen

"Mum! Oh my God!"

The voice was high pitched, piercing, but still hideously, embarrassingly familiar.

Lydia snapped upright in bed, the sheets bunched around her waist.

"Mum, for God's sake! Cover yourself." Her daughter stood at the door, white-faced and rigid with rage.

Beside her, Lydia felt Daniel stir. She heard a groan followed by the low rumble of his voice; "Let me guess, your daughter's home?"

Emily, the splitting image of her mother, gaped at him in horror. Her face slowly turned from white to red. Daniel sat up and put an arm around Lydia's shaking shoulders. Like a banshee, Emily's screech rent the air; "Get your hands off my mother!"

Lydia slid the sheets up over her chest and said quietly, "Emily, please calm down."

Emily's furious glare snapped back to Lydia. "You're disgusting! How can you lie there, in the bed you shared with my father, naked, with another man? You make me sick!"

Daniel swung his legs to the floor. Lydia's frantic whisper reminded him of his nakedness, and he stopped short of standing up. Barely controlled anger reverberated in his voice. "You are obviously upset, but you have no right to speak to your mother that way."

Emily turned on him, finger outstretched and pointing like a witchdoctor cursing him. "Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to tell me how I can speak. I'll speak to her any way I want!"

Anger and disappointment gave Lydia's voice the strength of authority. "No, Emily. You will not speak to me anyway you want to. Nor will you speak to anyone else in my house so rudely. Leave the room while I get dressed."

"But Mum..."

"Emily, I'll be out in a moment. You can use that time to calm down."

Emily's mouth opened and closed. She spun on her heel and stalked out, slamming the door behind her with a force that shook the walls.

Daniel reached a hand out and cupped Lydia's cheek. "I'm sorry. I'll get up and leave straight away. You must feel terrible."

Lydia pulled his hand down and held it. "There's nothing for you to feel sorry for. I don't want you to go."

Daniel's eyes widened with surprise. "You don't? That encounter with your daughter was nasty. I thought you would want some time alone with her to-"

"I'll have to speak to her, but I don't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking that she has driven you out. I'm not ashamed of anything we did here."

"Walking in on her mother in bed with her lover was obviously a huge shock for her."

A sigh shuddered its way up from Lydia's chest. "I know, but it was the worst way for her to find out I'm seeing someone. She has to accept some responsibility. She chose not to tell me she was coming home from Uni."

Hurt flashed in Daniel's eyes. "She didn't know about me at all?"

"While I regret how she found out, I'm glad she knows now. I meant it when I said I'm not hiding our relationship anymore."

Daniel's handsome face relaxed. He pulled Lydia into his arms and nuzzled her ear. "Would it be considered hiding if I stayed out of the way for a while? Gave you some time to sort it out?"

Lydia soaked up the comfort of his embrace and let herself relax as well. "She'll have to get used to you being in my bed, in my house, but we need to talk, Emily and I. You don't have to leave, but you might find it a bit uncomfortable if you stay in earshot of outraged screaming."

Daniel smiled at her. "Just don't forget to try to see it from her side too."

Lydia snorted. "If we'd actually been doing something, she might be entitled to some surprise. As it is, the worst thing she can accuse of me is not telling her every detail about my life. It's about time she learned people have perfectly valid reasons for not telling someone, even someone they love, everything they do."

"But you understand that, don't you?" Daniel sounded inordinately pleased.

"Of course. So do you. Part of being an adult is learning you don't have the right to know everything inside someone else's head."

Daniel squeezed her hand. "I am so glad to hear you say that. I'm sure Emily will be fine with it too. Yep, it's definitely a sign of maturity."

A little puzzled by his enthusiasm, but lacking the time to think about it, Lydia gave him a brief shove. "Come on, out of bed and into the shower. I have an irate daughter to confront."

Daniel held up his hands in surrender. "You certainly do. This is why you are going to have the first shower then go out there and confront her alone. There's no way I'm adding fuel to the fire by sharing the shower."

Lydia grinned. "Chicken."

"Hell, yeah. No denying that. In fact, it may be some time before I make an appearance. Give you plenty of time to let the dust settle."

He snuggled back down in the bed, a false look of innocence on his face.

When Lydia walked into the kitchen, Emily was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in her hand, her mouth pursed, and her young face grim. Lydia looked at the conspicuously empty coffee machine and decided it wasn't the time to make an issue of Emily's petty act of selfishness.

She busied herself making enough coffee for her and Daniel then decided to be more generous than her daughter had been and added enough for an extra cup. She waited for the inevitable outburst. It wasn't long in coming.

"What was that man doing in your bed?"

Lydia looked up mildly. "I should have thought you could figure that out for yourself. You're not a child."

"Don't be facetious. You know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean. I just don't know why you're saying it. I am in a sexual relationship with Daniel. Obviously you have some problem with that."

Emily's lip curled. "Of course I have a problem. You're my mother. Do you think I enjoy walking in to your room and seeing what I saw?"

Lydia struggled to stay calm. She took a sip of coffee and waited until she could control her voice. "You saw two people asleep. You didn't catch us in the middle of anything, although if you had, it isn't something you have the right to condemn me for. You arrived unannounced. You walked into my bedroom without knocking."

"I didn't expect to find my mother in bed with a strange man. And even if I had, I wouldn't have expected him to be-"

Lydia crossed her arms and waited, "To be what, Emily?"

"So much younger than you. It's disgusting. You ought to be ashamed."

"I'm not, and Daniel is probably not as young as you think he is." A small smile crossed her lips. "I have to admit he looks particularly young and vulnerable when he's asleep and when he first wakes up." She ignored Emily's snort of disgust. "But he is younger than I am. It doesn't bother him, and it doesn't bother me." She tried to fight her smile. Emily was unlikely to respond well to it. "You shouldn't let it bother you either."

"Of course it bothers me. What will people think?"

Lydia shrugged. "I don't really care what people think. I just care that he makes me happy."

Emily's nose wrinkled and her lip curled. "I don't know what's got into to you. First your involvement in some publicity stunt, now this."

"I am not involved in a publicity stunt."

Emily's hands thumped the table. "What would you call it then? I never thought I'd see clips of my own mother on You Tube. Of course, after what I saw this morning I shouldn't be surprised at anything you do."

"I think you've said enough, Emily. You should stop right there."

"I won't stop until you see reason. I want you to promise me that you will get that man out of the house and have nothing more to do with him."

Lydia felt calmer than she would have expected, certain of what she was about to say. "What you want has nothing to do with this, Emily. I want to be with Daniel. I won't ask him to leave. I have been alone a long time since your father died, and I deserve to have a new relationship with whomever I please. And Daniel pleases me very much."

"Eeew, that is just wrong! I can't believe my own mother would say something like that."

The calm Lydia was clinging tenuously to slipped a little. "I wasn't only referring to the sexual side of our relationship, but since you seem to have put the worst interpretation on what I said, yes, he pleases me that way too. And I am not about to give up sex just because you don't like to think about it. I may be your mother, but I am also a woman, and I intend to continue seeing Daniel for as long as I, or as long as we, want our relationship to continue."

Emily slammed the coffee cup down. "How long do you think it will be before he has had enough of someone your age? He'll move on to fresher pastures."

Her tenuous hold snapped, and Lydia pointed a shaking finger at the door. "If you're going to be insulting, you can leave."

"Oh, I'll leave all right. If he's staying, I'm certainly not. I'm heading straight back to Sydney. When he's gone you can ring me and I might come back to talk to you." Emily picked up her battered backpack and stormed out of the house.

Lydia took a step, intending to call her back, but stopped herself and sat back down. Both of them needed time to calm down. Better to let her go. Lydia had made her stand. She knew she was right. Emily was wrong and would have to learn that the young didn't have dibs on sex or starting over again.

Lydia supposed some of Emily's anger was because she thought Lydia wasn't respecting her father's memory. It he'd died when they had been in their sixties or seventies, starting a new relationship might never even have entered Lydia's mind. But she was only forty-four. She could pass for late thirties when she made the effort. She wasn't past it or out of date at all.

Daniel's head peeked around the doorframe. Seeing the kitchen empty, he stepped inside but looked around warily.

Lydia lifted her eyebrows. "You don't have to be so cautious. She's gone."

Daniel crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you okay?"

Lydia leaned back against him and sighed. "I'm all right. I think her heading straight back to Sydney might be for the best. I don't know why she came home during term time anyway, considering she stayed in the city during the last semester break to work."

Daniel rubbed her back. "She was still angry?"

Lydia sighed. "If anything she got worse. I haven't seen a temper tantrum like that since she was two. Then it was her asserting her independence. Now it's because I'm asserting mine."

Daniel grinned. "I think it might have been the way you chose to assert yourself. It wasn't the best way to meet a new acquaintance. I don't think there's a book of etiquette that quite covers the situation."

Lydia giggled. "It wasn't one of those situations where you could perform a nice formal introduction. Emily Elliston, meet Daniel..." She stopped, hand clapped to her mouth, eyes wide. "Daniel! I still don't know your last name!"

He rumpled her hair. "I wondered if you were ever going to get round to asking me that. It's Logan. Daniel Logan."

He watched her closely as he said it. Lydia had no idea why. His name was nice enough, certainly not unusual, or uncommon. If there was some in-joke or some strangeness connected with his name, she had no idea what it could be, and she wasn't in the mood to puzzle it out at the moment. Instead she held up a cup of coffee for him, and after a slight hesitation, he took it from her. When she said nothing, but simply sipped her coffee, he seemed to relax.

"Do you think she'll come back soon?" Daniel asked between mouthfuls.

"No. I hate to have to say it, but she'll sulk for a while. She might be grown up, but in some ways she's very much a spoiled kid."

Daniel nodded. "You know her best. I don't think you should hang around here worrying about it though. I may be chucked of the boy's club forever for saying this, but how about we go and do a bit of shopping? I've got stuff I need to get, and we can have lunch while we're out."

Lydia patted his very delectable behind. "That would be nice. I promise never to tell anyone the suggestion came from you, and if we meet any one you know, feel free to look much put upon, and to moan and groan about women dragging you along shopping."

But when they got to the busy shopping centre, it seemed half the people Lydia knew were there. She introduced Daniel to those who stopped to speak, and if they looked askance at the age difference, Lydia chose not to worry. But she couldn't help but notice the number of complete strangers who looked at her, had a quick flash of recognition, then nudged the person they were with and whispered. Lydia suspected that the conversations were along the lines of "Look, it's that woman off the TV."

She thought she did a pretty good job of ignoring that too. Daniel was oblivious to it all. He seemed to see very little beyond Lydia, and if he looked at anything else at all, it was into shop windows containing trinkets or jewellery he kept offering to buy for her. He was so busy urging her to tell him if she liked a particularly attractive bracelet, he didn't notice the two women who stopped and stared in their direction. Lydia grew uncomfortable under their gaze, which didn't waver as the women's steps drew them nearer. Lydia didn't think she'd seen them before, but they clearly intended to speak to her. She braced herself for whatever they wanted.

The younger one opened her mouth, and only then did Lydia realize her target was Daniel. "Dan. We've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. Are you ignoring us?"

Daniel snapped up from his examination of the bracelet. His face paled a little when he saw the two women. He looked at Lydia, looked down, looked at the two women again. "Angie. Mum. What... what are you doing here?"

Lydia stiffened and took one small step away from Daniel. He fixed his gaze so intently on his mother that he didn't even notice the movement.

The younger woman rolled her eyes. "We're at the shopping mall planning alien abductions. What do you think we're doing? We're shopping, you idiot, which is probably the same thing you are."

The older woman spoke abruptly; "Angie, don't be rude. And Daniel, be polite and introduce us to your friend. I know she's female because Angie just described her to me."

Daniel turned his head to look at Lydia. He seemed startled, as if he'd forgotten her. "Mum, Angie, this is Lydia Elliston. Lydia, this is my mother and my sister Angie."

Lydia held out her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs Logan, Angie."

"Call me Elaine, please." Daniel's mother smiled, but didn't take her outstretched hand. Lydia dropped it to her side. Perhaps she wasn't into hand-shaking. Some women weren't. "I'm pleased to meet you. Angie recognized you from TV. I think you're doing a wonderful thing. It's about time that someone stood up and said women have more to offer the media than just youth and good looks." Her voice was warm and enthusiastic. "Do you work at the same-?"

"So, Mum, what have you been buying?"

Daniel's interruption stopped his mother midsentence. Her brows furrowed as Daniel grabbed her shopping bags and started to open them. Puzzled at his rudeness, Lydia cast a quick glance in Daniel's direction and intercepted him looking at Angie. He jerked his head in Lydia's direction and mouthed something at his sister. Her eyes grew wide, her lips formed a perfect O, and she nodded.

Angie grabbed her mother's arm. "Come on, Mum. We still have lots to get, and I don't want to stay out too long."

Elaine Logan shook off Angie's hand. "We're not in that much of a hurry. I haven't seen Daniel in a while. You've missed the last few Sunday family dinners. Your father would like to see you."

Daniel shuffled his feet. "Okay. I'll be there tomorrow."

Angie tugged on her mother's arm again, and this time she began to move off. She'd only taken a step or two when she turned. "Ms Elliston, Lydia. Perhaps you'd like to come to dinner too. It would be interesting to discuss the campaign you're running."

Lydia had no idea what she would have said. Daniel rushed in, a little too loud, a little too sharp, and a little too quick. "I'm sure Lydia is far too busy to spend time having dinner with a bunch of strangers. It is just a family dinner after all."

Lydia felt uncomfortable and awkward. Elaine looked embarrassed. Angie, standing beside her, glared at Daniel. Lydia's cheeks heated. She rushed to fill the silence. "I would normally be happy to accept your very kind invitation. However, it is an awkward time for me."

Elaine nodded. "Perhaps another time then. Daniel, I will see you tomorrow. We might find time to talk."

The silence stretched for a moment. Daniel stood completely still, arms stiff by his sides until his mother and sister were out of sight. He took hold of Lydia's hand and strode towards the exit. With her hand grasped in his, she had little choice but to follow him. The tight set of Daniel's lips suggested he wasn't about to give her an explanation any time soon, and Lydia wasn't sure she could speak with any degree of calmness. They headed for the exit. Fine. This discussion would be better in private.

Until he confessed his role in the Amanda Henderson contract negotiations and had time to make Lydia understand he was just doing his job, the last thing he could afford to do was be seen with her somewhere any one of his friends or family might come up to them and bring the whole thing out into the open. His mother had almost done it. One wrong word about his job or a quick question about one of the network stars he worked with would force him to make the explanation he'd been so desperately avoiding.

He had to do it eventually, but he wanted to pick the time and place. And that wouldn't be while Lydia was under so much stress. She had enough to cope with already.

He'd been so shocked at his mother almost asking if he and Lydia were acquaintances from the network that he'd overreacted and managed to offend everyone. Ten minutes with his mother, and all the things he wasn't ready to tell her about Lydia would come out.

There was at least one thing he could explain, Daniel thought as they walked out of the shopping centre, and headed down the street to his apartment, with him carrying most of the shopping. These were the days he was glad he lived within walking distance to most of the amenities. Lydia had driven him back and they had walked the two blocks to the shops.

"In case you didn't notice, my mother is nearly blind," he said softly.

"Oh," Lydia gasped. "No, actually I didn't." But then she remembered her odd comment about only realising that Lydia was female because Angie had described her. At the time it hadn't sunk in. "That's why she didn't take my hand. Has she always been blind?"

"No, it came on gradually over a number of years. It was something she was born with."

"That doesn't explain your reaction though. Do you want to tell me what that was all about? I've come up with several possible explanations, some I don't like at all, but I'd rather you tell me the truth."

Daniel huffed out a breath - a relieved breath. This was one of the many benefits of Lydia being a mature woman. Instead of launching into a hysterical round of accusations, she'd given him an opening to deliver the pathetic explanation he had come up with.

"She might be blind but she wants what most mothers want for their only sons. She wants me to get married, to have kids."

"But we have no intention of getting married, let alone have children. If she asked, why couldn't I just say that?"

"Because she wouldn't understand. She wouldn't approve." The truth of this statement gave Daniel's voice an extra ring of conviction. He convinced himself he wasn't really lying. He shrugged off the spark of guilt. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. "She won't be happy until I've brought home the right woman."

"And I'm not her."

"Hell, no. To be the right woman, you'd have to be under thirty, never married, a domestic goddess with the right kind of job, eager to have children, and prepared to be a good and obedient daughter-in-law. Of course that's not you." He had been attracted that that kind of woman once, and it had all ended in tears. But his mother would never understand that Daniel would never fall for that kind of woman again. She'd never be able to see the ideal woman for him was the one sitting right in front of him.

The only woman he wanted was Lydia.

Lydia swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew this thing with Daniel wouldn't last forever. She knew he'd eventually move on to someone like the woman he'd just described. She hadn't known it would hurt so much, had no idea when she listened to him describe the right woman that every word would be a shard of broken glass cutting into her chest, clear, sharp, and cruel.

Her failure to live up to his expectations shouldn't matter. She'd known right from the beginning she wasn't the right woman for him. Even Emily could see it. Her own ridiculous bout of optimism had let her forget who he was, who she was.

Daniel was still talking, inconsequential comments about lunch and plans for the afternoon, but Lydia barely listened. Her internal monologue had drowned out his words.

Occasionally she picked up an enquiring silence and made a non-committal sound of agreement, but mostly she remained silent, trying desperately to subdue all visible signs of pain.

She roused a little when Daniel sat down beside her after he had put away the food he'd bought at the shops.

"You know, one of the nicest things about you is, in spite of all your energy and enthusiasm, you can also be so calm and restful. I love the way you can just sit here and get lost in your thoughts. You don't need to be always on the move, always talking, always doing something."

Lydia looked at him. He sat close to her, body pressed up against hers from hip to thigh. He had a glass of wine in his hand, which he held up to her lips for her to sip from. The gesture was intimate, made more so when his mouth covered hers in a gentle kiss. He clasped both her hands around the wine glass and pulled her into his arms.

"I'd rather be with you tomorrow, but you really should try to sort things out with Emily, and I should go and see my parents. Maybe another time I'll take you there."

Lydia sighed and snuggled in. So she wasn't his ideal woman, but until he made it clear he no longer wanted her, or until she got over this growing addiction to him, she would enjoy what they had together. Even now, it was more than she'd ever thought to have. It was a cause for happiness, not a reason to mourn.

After the frantic pace of the preceding week, Lydia's Sunday felt empty and slow. She had refused Daniel's offer to come over before or after the dinner with his parents. Lydia remembered their affair had an end-date written into it. She needed to take a step back, to prepare for that date to arrive. Step one meant not spending all her spare time with him. But she just couldn't think of something else to occupy herself with. Olivia was still out of town, so there was no prospect of a long session of girl talk where Lydia could pour out all her worries and concerns.

Lydia had prepared her work for the school week and there was no marking to do. Her fifteen minutes of fame appeared to be over. There had been no more requests for interviews. The school's parent body wouldn't have any more reason to complain, and maybe the principal would be content to let the whole matter drop now that the media lunacy had ended.

Lydia refused to give in and ring Emily. Emily had been in the wrong, and she had to be the one to make the first move.

Someone knocked at the door and she looked up. Had Daniel decided to come over anyway? She got to her feet, suppressing a sudden spurt of pleasure, but when she opened the door, Emily stood there, stiff and awkward, clearly reluctant to step across the threshold.

When Lydia stepped back and gestured her inside, Emily peered around first. Lydia's lips twisted. "He isn't here."

Emily's shoulders dropped and she walked in and settled on the lounge. "I suppose it's best if we talked about this."

Lydia folded her arms. "Why did you come home all of a sudden, anyway? What was so important you couldn't email me?"

"I guess I felt a bit homesick. And I wanted to surprise you." Emily grimaced. "I guess I did that."

"You certainly did. And obviously I surprised you too."

Emily sat back. "I don't think surprised is the right word. I realise I no longer have the right to just walk into the house, as though it's my home." She held out a set of keys. "Here - you might as well take these back."

"No." Lydia ignored the bitterness in Emily's voice. She closed her daughter's fist around the keys. "You'll always have the right to hold onto those keys. I just don't suggest walking into my bedroom unannounced anymore."

Emily tossed her head. "I don't intend to."

Lydia gave an embarrassed half-smile. "It was bad timing anyway. The first time Daniel actually stays at my place and my daughter walks in on us. Just plain unlucky I guess."

Emily shrugged.

Lydia looked at her closely. "You came home to talk. It obviously wasn't about Daniel, so what was it about?"

A little flush of pink stained Emily's cheeks. "I wanted to come home and find out why my very conventional, very conservative mum appeared on TV and national magazines."

"You know about that?"

"I told you I saw it on You Tube. How on earth did you get involved in all that in the first place?"

"Well, your Aunt Olivia—"

Emily's huff of annoyance interrupted Lydia. "I should have known Aunt Olivia would be involved in this somehow!"

"Well, yes, she is, we both are." Lydia settled in to explain as much as she could. When she finished, Emily looked at her. "I think it's wrong that women are treated that way in the media, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be involved. What will people think? You have a respectable job. The school might not like your notoriety. Someone might complain."

"Someone already has, and the principal has asked me to stop. But I'm not going to."

"How can you say that? I have to wonder if you really know what you're doing. I don't understand you. This is why I didn't want to do this by email. I wanted to see you face to face. I'm glad I did. This is worse than I thought, and I certainly didn't expect the other complication I found."

"If by the other complication you mean Daniel, that's not a problem you need to concern yourself with."

"I think it is. Have you even thought about how Dad would feel about this?"

Lydia took a deep breath. "Emily, your father is dead. I can't live my life as though he's not and disapproving of my every move. I'm sure, if he could see me now, he would be happy that I'm happy."

Emily stared, then found her voice. "No, but you can live your life the way he'd want you to, the way he'd expect you to. I'm sure he'd hate your involvement with this man! He wouldn't like seeing you humiliate yourself with someone obviously so much younger than you."

"Is this really about your father, or is it about you? Daniel is younger. So what?"

"You look ridiculous, that's what. People must snigger every time they see you together."

"I imagine some do. Again, I say, so what?" Lydia relented a little. She held out her hand. "Emily, do you honestly think that all this hasn't occurred to me too? I was terrified when I first started seeing Daniel. I wondered what other people thought; I even wondered what Daniel thought. But I changed. If it's good for me, and it's good for Daniel, then I'm not interested in other people's opinions. And to tell you the truth, I don't think many people are interested is what we do. There are stranger pairings than mine and Daniel's around."

"But Mum..."

"Whatever I have with Daniel is between the two of us, and no one's opinion, not even yours, will make me stop seeing him."

Emily stood with her hands clenched on her hips. "I came here to try to help you understand that you were acting in a way bound to cause trouble for you. What I've found is far worse than I expected, and you won't even see the problem!"

"I wish you wouldn't take that attitude, Emily. This will always be your home but you have to accept the choices I've made."

"I can't accept this one. I won't stay here and watch you ruin your life and your reputation. I'll be back to try to talk some sense into you, but I'll make sure I arrange a time when he won't be here. In the meantime, think about what you're doing. At least consider the position you're putting me in."

Lydia swallowed the hurt Emily's words caused. "I haven't put you in any position. I'm sorry you feel you can't stay here, but it's your decision. I respect that, as I hope, you'll come to respect my decisions. On your way back to Sydney, you might consider whether you have some more growing up to do."

"It's not me who's immature. I'm not the one hanging around some kid, making a complete fool of myself." Emily stormed out of the room, letting the front door slam shut loudly behind her.

Chapter Fourteen

Daniel sat behind his desk and watched as Greg fumed. The station manager's suit was unbuttoned and his hair stood on end as though he'd run his fingers through it over and over again. A frown etched deep grooves in his forehead, making him look far older than his fifty-five years. He definitely wasn't here to say anything pleasant.

Daniel didn't have to speculate for long. Greg came straight to the point. "I thought I told you to make sure Amanda Henderson's situation didn't become an issue."

"An issue for whom? Well, for Amanda of course, but I don't think..."

"Don't try to bullshit me, Daniel. Have you had your head up your bum or something? The media are all over the numerous women newsreaders who've been sacked because they've 'reached an age where television has no place for them'." He placed bitter emphasis on the last words, a direct quote from one of Lydia's interviews. "The timing is just too damn coincidental. If Amanda Henderson isn't connected to this somehow, I'll sprout wings and fly out the window."

Daniel swallowed, trying to moisten his dry mouth. "I've seen some of the TV coverage, but I haven't heard Amanda's name mentioned once."

"As soon as news gets out that we're letting her go, it will be. You can bet on it."

"My advice, in the light of popular opinion at the moment-"

Greg curled his lip in derision. "I don't care about opinion, popular or otherwise. All I care about are ratings. I told you from the start I wanted you to find a way to get rid of Henderson without any fuss. Get this nonsense stopped. I don't care what you have to do. If you want to keep your job, you find a way to fix this, and you find it soon."

Daniel sprawled wearily on Lydia's sofa, legs stretched out in front of him. "I'm sorry things didn't work out better between you and your daughter. I thought if I kept out of the way the two of you could sort it all out."

Lydia smiled. "Maybe if she gets to know you she'll become more used to the idea. At the moment, I think she's just horrified at the realization that her mother can still remember what sex is."

"If it's been so long that you have to remember, maybe you better come here. I'll refresh your memory." He cast a wary glance at the door. "Or do you expect Emily to come back?"

"No, I'm not expecting her, and even if I were, she'd knock. I don't think there's any chance of her walking in unannounced anymore." She shrugged. "She'll get over it."

"Will you?" Now that he looked closely, Lydia seemed tense, a bit distant, wary in a way she had not been since the first days of their relationship. She needed to unwind. "How about a glass of wine and something to eat?"

She smiled and stood up. "Maybe we could go out. There's a new café opened recently. It's apparently already a big hit. I'd love to go there."

Daniel's stomach dropped. The café she named was a big hit all right. He'd been with some people from work. Half of the television station staff were already regulars. He couldn't take the risk, not until he'd resolved the situation with Amanda Henderson. Besides, he didn't want to go out. He had other, more immediate, plans in mind. He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the sofa. "I know there's a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I brought a whole pile of chips and nuts and doughnuts with me because I noticed you didn't have any good munchies last time I was here." He rolled her onto her back, holding her hands above her head onto the arm of the sofa. He nibbled the soft skin under her ear then kissed his way around to her neck. "But we can get to that later. I think there's enough here to satisfy my appetite for a while."

For a moment Lydia stayed stiff and unresponsive, then he felt her tension let go, and she wriggled farther underneath him, bringing their bodies into better contact.

He released her hands to free his own, to let them stroke, feel, and ease all the clothing away from her body. He suspected that if he gave her enough time to think she would begin to worry, to be embarrassed, to insist on going to the bedroom, to be proper. He didn't want that. He wanted to keep her here, to strengthen the bond between them until it was strong enough to withstand what was to come.

He kissed his way down her body, dropping off the sofa onto his knees. He swung her around to face him, sliding in between her thighs, and drawing her to the edge of the sofa. Her eyes, heavy with the weight of desire, blinked open, and she gasped. She tried to sit up, her legs tightened, but Daniel's wide shoulders held them apart. His hands slid up, parting her farther. His gaze fastened on hers. He watched nervousness and confusion flare up. He stroked his hands higher, caressed the warm, wet heart of her, watched the nervousness fade as desire grew and dominated. He felt his own need soaring higher. It was more than physical, more than the drive for his satisfaction. He wanted to take her to places she had never been, to make her see that she could not do without him. As he bent his head to draw her into his mouth, the truth flared into his brain, burning there with the same fire that heated his blood. She had to believe she could not do without him, because he could not do without her.

He gave himself up to her pleasure. Every sigh, every movement urged him to push harder, to drive his tongue deep inside her, to slide out and lick and suck on the pulsing nub of flesh that swelled and hardened under his ministrations. When she screamed out, unable to contain her pleasure, he didn't stop, didn't hesitate until she squirmed and arched into him again. He rose, pushed her back onto the sofa, her arms splaying behind her, her breasts arching up against his chest. He plunged into her and came home to a place he had always needed to be. He abandoned himself to the power and thrust into her, over and over again, until they both reached a surging climax that left them shaking, clinging to each other, collapsed onto the sofa in a sweaty tangle of limbs. Daniel lifted his head when he felt Lydia's feeble attempt at movement.

Her voice sounded small and croaky. "I can't breathe and my back's all twisted up. You'll have to move."

Daniel groaned. "I don't think I can. Not for a while."

She gave him a little shove, and he rolled off the sofa onto the floor. The extra space was more comfortable, so he stretched out. "You've killed me, woman."

Lydia flexed her shoulders, rolled over, and rearranged herself on the sofa. She dropped a lazy hand onto Daniel's chest. "You'll survive." She pulled a cushion under her head. "Now, how about that glass of wine?"

Daniel grabbed the fingers tracing idle patterns on his chest. "You're a lifesaver, thank you."

"That was a hint for you to get it." She smiled when Daniel groaned. "But since I appear to have worn you out, whereas you have made me feel fabulous, I'll take pity on you."

She pushed herself off the sofa and strode to the kitchen. Daniel wondered if she'd be quite so unselfconscious if she stopped to think about the view he had from his position on the floor. Probably not, so he decided to keep his mouth shut and simply enjoy.

Lydia stood stark naked in her kitchen, pouring wine for her lover. What was the old joke Olivia had mentioned? Get naked, bring beer. Close enough. She certainly couldn't fault Daniel's enthusiasm. If he was tiring of her, it hadn't been obvious tonight.

A cool breeze rippled across her skin. She had to face the truth. Once the heat of passion faded, she felt uncomfortable without some sort of cover. She'd come a long way in accepting Daniel's approval of her body, but miracles didn't happen overnight. She headed for the bedroom.

Securely wrapped in a new robe that she had bought especially for this sort of situation, she picked up the two glasses of wine and headed back to the sofa.

Daniel looked up, and his face fell. "You got dressed." The way his bottom lip poked out in disappointment was rather cute and very flattering. He remained on the floor, but he sat up, his back propped up against the sofa, knees bent, and arms dangling over them. He reached up to take the wine and growled. "Come here, you."

Lydia plopped herself down on the sofa, her knees resting alongside his head. "You can sit on the floor if you want to but there's no way I'm doing that when there's a nice comfy couch right here."

He rested his head on her knee and stretched out his legs. Lydia felt a little aftershock of desire as she ran her eyes over the firm stomach muscles. He didn't seem the least bit self-conscious about his nudity, but then why should he? His body was a work of art.

She smoothed her hands through his hair. "You seem tired. Had a hard week lawyering? Judges or hostile witnesses been mean to you?"

"I don't do criminal law or court cases or anything like that. I'm strictly corporate law."

"Like Olivia. It can still get stressful. Especially when things don't go how you want them to. This Amanda Henderson thing had Lib really worked up until we got the publicity campaign up and running. Now she's relaxed about it because it looks like it will achieve its purpose."

Daniel's head, heavy and relaxed against her knee, jerked up. He twisted around to look at her, his chocolate eyes intense.

"What purpose was it meant to achieve, Lydia? And how do you know that it has been achieved?"

Lydia leaned back against the lounge, revelling in the little glow of achievement. "We've brought it to the public's attention. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I don't think it can hurt. The network didn't want to renew Amanda's contract because she's getting older." She felt Daniel stiffen. "It happens, Daniel. They didn't come right out and say it. Their lawyer is way too cunning for that. Olivia really doesn't like him. She says he looks good but she would never trust him to tell the truth." Daniel started choking, and she sat forward. "Are you okay?"

He mopped at his chest where he had sprayed a few drops of wine. "Yeah, fine. I just, ah, swallowed the wrong way."

"Oh, so long as you're all right. Anyway, there is absolutely no provision for any termination payment in Amanda's contract, no superannuation, nothing. Apparently, Amanda is a bit clueless when it comes to that sort of thing and the network took advantage of it. Olivia hopes to make enough fuss so that the network will be unable to let Amanda go at this point. It's all a matter of timing."

Daniel's interest seemed riveted. "Timing? What do you mean exactly?"

"This media fuss is beginning to die down. It will soon be yesterday's news, and we'll have no bargaining power again, just like we were before. Amanda thinks the network will come round and offer her another four year contract, and this time, she'll get Olivia to put some sort of termination payment in as well."

Daniel shook his head. "That's a lot to hope for."

"Oh, I know." Lydia smiled. "Olivia's ambitions are a lot more realistic. She's prepared to accept a year's renewal, and she'll ask for a payment on termination, but she's not hopeful. The best we can hope for, I think, is that Amanda will use that year to negotiate her way into some other job and have the sense to try to save some money while she's at it."

"So there is room to negotiate. It's not all or nothing." There was something quite unsettling about just how intently he looked at her.

"Is this personal or professional interest? Does your work involve something like this? Or are you just like the elephant's child and perpetually curious?"

"The elephant's child?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Rudyard Kipling. He was a writer. But the Amanda thing, do you...?"

"I've heard of Rudyard Kipling. I just can't remember what he wrote."

"The Jungle Book among other things. But I wondered where you work. I don't think I-"

"I remember that." Daniel cut her off again. His enthusiasm surprised her. "It has Mowgli and that tiger, Shere Khan."

Lydia grew a little impatient. "Yes. Disney made a version of it. But that's not what I was talking about. I don't know where you work, Daniel," she added, a little more firmly.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, nothing you'd be interested in. I love Disney movies. Tell me your favourite."

Lydia sighed. Not only was Daniel more youthful than her but sometimes he acted decades younger or he made her feel decades older. He clearly wasn't in the mood to have a sensible conversation. She gave in and settled back, letting the conversation go where Daniel wanted it to go.

Chapter Fifteen

"She's so angry at me, Olivia. She won't even stay here."

Olivia took a sip of her wine. "You can't really blame her for that. No kid wants to know about her mother's sex life, no matter how much she might understand, intellectually, that you have a right to one. Emily has a lot to adjust to. Give her time. She won't stay away forever. You two have always been close. Nothing will ever permanently damage that closeness."

"I don't know, Liv. She was pretty shocked and quite nasty."

"She'll get over it."

"If she hadn't come home so unexpectedly, I could have prepared her for it. For Daniel. But you know, at first, I didn't think I'd have to because I didn't think it would last, and then, well, it was difficult to raise the subject, and I thought I'd have time before Emily came home."

"And you knew she wouldn't really approve so you chickened out, right?" Olivia looked at her shrewdly.

Lydia nodded. "I took the easy way out."

"We all do it at some time, Lydia. It's natural to want to avoid unpleasantness for as long as we can. You have to forgive yourself. And you have to decide. Would you give Daniel up to make Emily happy?"

"Not a chance. If it makes me a bad mother then I guess I have to accept that, but just this once, my happiness comes before hers."

"You are not a bad mother. And this is not about Emily's happiness. It's about selfishness. She doesn't want you to change. Right at the beginning of this thing with Daniel you told me you were sick of being who other people wanted you to be. That goes for Emily too. You love her for what she is, whatever she does. She has to love you the same way."

Lydia gave Olivia a hug. "That's why you're my friend. You always see things clearly and point me in the right direction. I just wish you could find yourself someone decent."

Olivia huffed. "So do I, but we're talking about you at the moment. You have more energy and confidence than I've seen you with for years. You smile every time you think of him, you look younger, you have bought all sorts of lovely new clothes, you can't wait to see him, and no one, not even your daughter, is going to interfere with that. Gee, Lydia, I'd say it fits all the classic symptoms. You're in love."

"Don't be ridicu-" Lydia stopped in the middle of her sentence. Everything Olivia said was true. Denying it didn't make it less so. She loved Daniel. How else could she explain the way she had changed the rules she'd laid down at the beginning, her defiant stand in the face of her daughter's disapproval, her happiness when she was with him, the strength of the desire he aroused so easily in her?

She slumped forward. "I am in love with him. I never meant for this to happen but it has. What will I do?"

"Exactly what you are doing now. Enjoy it."

"But when it's over? What then? How will I stand it?"

"You survived worse when Paul died. Anyway it's too late now to worry about it. For all you know, you might wake up one day, look around you, realize that the infatuation is over, that Daniel isn't what you want anymore, and you're the one who calls it off."

Lydia shook her head. "I can't see that happening."

"That's my point exactly. You can't see what's going to happen, so live for the moment."

"I might as well. All my planning so far has been a waste of time. Nothing has gone the way I thought it would. There seem to be surprises everywhere." She shook her head. "Even Emily coming home. You're right though. She'll get over it, eventually."

"Take her mind off it. Next time you see her, tell her about the stuff you've done for Amanda. She might be all excited about her mother the television celebrity."

"She already knows and she doesn't approve of that either. It's what brought her home in the first place, so she was already annoyed at me."

"Oh, for Pete's sake! What could have gotten her steamed about that? If you ask me, the girl needs a good smack on the backside!"

"See, I am a bad mother. I've brought up a spoiled child who can't see past the end of her own nose!"

"Nah. She's just a little late emerging from that selfish teenage tunnel where it's all me, me, me. Besides, at some point, you have to take responsibility for letting them be themselves."

"Speaks the woman who never had a child. Tell me about something you are an expert at. Has there been any development in Amanda's situation?"

Olivia tucked a leg under her and leaned forward. "Funny you should ask that. There has actually."

"Good, because I think the campaign is losing momentum. If something doesn't happen soon, it might not happen at all."

Olivia nodded. "I know, and I was afraid that was exactly what the network aimed for. But I got a call this morning."

Lydia snorted. "Who from?"

"The lawyer's secretary. He apparently has a proposition he wants to discuss with me, before he presents it to Amanda."

Lydia's brow wrinkled. "I don't know about this stuff. Is that normal?"

"It's not abnormal, it's just... I don't know. I did get the impression there was something odd about it, but I doubt the network is actually going to cave in."

"Well, to quote you back at yourself, 'you can't see what's going to happen.' You'll have to wait and see what he offers."

"I don't feel good about it. The summer non-ratings period is over, and Amanda is back reading the news, but she isn't getting as much camera time and her stories are mainly lightweight fluff pieces."

"Has she said anything to you?"

"I haven't told her yet. She's not returning my calls. Maybe she likes to keep the help waiting."

Thinking back to her last meeting with Amanda, Lydia scrunched up her nose. "She's being treated badly. Maybe she's entitled to a bit of prima-donna attitude."

Lydia walked into the café she had begun to think of as hers and Daniel's and did a double take. Amanda Henderson sat alone in a corner, a magazine open in front of her as she flipped listlessly through the pages. Something about her sagging shoulders and downcast eyes made her look defeated. Lydia wondered if she should just leave her to her privacy. Deciding it would be more embarrassing to ignore her; Lydia cleared her throat and said, "Hello."

Amanda looked up and smiled, a celebrity smile, all teeth, leaving the eyes untouched. She gestured to a chair. "Come and join me and all my friends."

With the decision made for her, Lydia sat down. "I want to thank you for all you've done for me, Lydia. I know it hasn't seemed like I'm grateful, but I am."

Resisting the urge to pinch herself to see if this was real, Lydia just nodded. Amanda continued; "You know, when I started I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to be out there, finding the real stories, reporting them, and telling the public the truth about what was going on. I had ambition and I believed that if I just worked hard enough, I had the talent to get there. When they offered me the job as a television newsreader, I jumped at it."

Lydia wasn't sure where this was going, but Amanda seemed to wait for her to make some sort of comment. "It's a prestigious job. And it must have been a coup for someone so young."

Amanda laughed derisively. "The job would only appeal to someone so young. I loved the fame, the feeling of having people recognize me. I ignored what I knew to be the truth. I have no input into the news at all. I was a figurehead, a pretty face who can read an auto cue. I'm not a journalist. And all these years I've known it. Now those years are about to betray me. If I don't have the look the station wants any more, there is no place for me."

Lydia tried to think of something to say, something to lift the pall of despair that had settled on Amanda's face. "If you wanted to be a journalist, maybe you could use this as an opportunity. Find a job that will give you what you need."

"Self respect? Credibility?" Amanda's lips twisted. "I might have got those from being a journalist if I'd started ten years ago, but who will employ me now? I can't start a cadetship, and I'd never get a senior position without real experience."

"There are lots of newspapers, regional television stations." Lydia tried to think of viable options. "There has to be someone who wants you. Look at all the magazines that have taken an interest in our campaign."

"The big ones have their own journalists, and it's a very competitive field. I am not going out in the wilds to some tiny little television station to do the daily weather, gossip, and farm reports that pass for regional news bulletins. I deserve better than that."

Obviously, Amanda's introspective mood didn't lead to a lessening of her ego.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and sat up straighter. "Anyway, I'm meeting Olivia tomorrow. Apparently she has something she wants to report. At this stage, I'm willing to listen to anything that lets me stay..." Amanda's eyes suddenly narrowed. "What is he doing here? If that man comes in here, I am going to..."

Words apparently failed her.

Lydia began to turn to see who had caught her attention, but Amanda put a hand on her arm and stopped her. "Don't turn round. The lawyer from the station just walked in." She groaned quietly. "Why would he still come here? The rest of the staff goes to the new cafe. I'm only here because I can't stand to be civil to any of them, especially him." She looked down, then up again. "I guess he doesn't want to talk to me any more than I want to talk to him. That's a very fast retreat."

When Amanda released her arm, Lydia spun around, but the man had gone.

Amanda stood. "Come on, let's get out of here. This café is still too close to the studio for my comfort."

They made their way to the door. Below the scent of food and coffee, just a hint wafting across her senses, Lydia caught the faintest breath of a clean, spicy aroma that made her think of Daniel.

Amanda's phone rang. Lydia took a step away but her ears pricked up when she heard Amanda say her name. She looked over at her, but Amanda had already rung off. "That was Olivia. She wants to see me in her office. I told her you were with me and she said you could come too. After all your hard work I think you deserve to hear the outcome first hand."

Since Lydia thought she deserved it too, she signalled for a taxi.

Olivia sat at her desk looking uncharacteristically sober. Lydia shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure I should be here, Liv? Maybe you should speak to Amanda first."

"No. you could be of help." The desperate look she gave Lydia suggested the help she needed might be to restrain Amanda. "The network has made an offer. The lawyer asked me to present it to you."

"They've offered a contract?" Amanda's head snapped up. "I knew they'd realize they needed me. Give it to me. I'll sign it now."

Lydia looked closely at her friend. She had no victorious smile on her face, no glow of achievement. "What is it, Olivia?"

"They haven't offered to renew Amanda's contract to read the news."

Amanda's finger punctuated the air. "Well what have they done?"

"They have made you an offer but not as a newsreader." Olivia folded her arms defensively. The next words came out of her mouth in a rush, as if the speed might lessen their impact. "They want you to host the late-night shopping program. The contract is for four years with an automatic option for you to renew at the end of that time."

An unnerving silence followed. Not only could Lydia think of nothing to say, she couldn't predict Amanda's response either. Amanda just sat with her mouth open.

Olivia spoke into the void, her tone resolutely positive. "The money they offered is surprisingly good. It's less than you earn now, but still very generous for that position. And it virtually guarantees you eight years work."

A whisper of sound came from Amanda. "But late night television. Infomercials."

Her voice was too quiet for Lydia to be able to read any emotion into it but shock.

Olivia carried the burden of conversation a little longer. "You don't have to make up your mind straight away. They've given you two months to think about it. Which I must say is generous of them. If they're prepared to wait it out that long, I think they'd have won in the end anyway. The media's attention span is short."

Lydia thought for a moment. "Maybe they want Amanda to reject it. If they can get her to wait two months before she does, the media fuss will have died down. They can say they've offered her a contract. She made the decision not to renew. This is a sneak attack, a way to nullify the effect of our campaign. Their lawyer's cunning and devious, and he thinks he has us. He offers Amanda something he knows she won't accept that'll makes it look like Amanda has chosen to leave the network."

Olivia shook her head. "I don't think so. Greg attended the meeting. Sorry, Amanda, he was quite prepared to let you go. I think that at the moment he'd like to drop you down a hole somewhere and never see you again. The lawyer pushed the alternative contract. They'd obviously had an extensive meeting about this because the lawyer kept reminding Greg about the effectiveness of Lydia's campaign, about the importance of public opinion. I gather he used all his powers of persuasion to get Greg to agree to it."

"Why?" Lydia cupped her chin in her hands. "It doesn't make sense."

"It does in one way." Olivia leaned forward. "One of Amanda's major concerns has been her financial circumstances."

Before Amanda could say anything, Olivia looked at her. "I know what you want is to read the news, but you made it clear that you needed the contract renewed because you need the money. The lawyer seemed to be very aware of that fact. He focused on the money, talked about provisions for the future."

Lydia looked up. "Why should we trust the lawyer?"

"I don't know whether to trust him or not. He knew that the money would tempt Amanda. It still doesn't explain why he got Greg to agree to make the offer in the first place. I couldn't get a read on him at all. He really must think this is the best option. He was vehement in his presentation and persuasion... to Greg and to me. One thing was definite. You won't read the news any more this season, Amanda."

Amanda stood. "Maybe not this ratings period. Wait until the polls come in. They'll change their minds. Greg's having a temper tantrum. He hates anyone to challenge him. He's a megalomaniac with a conveniently short memory. He'll forget he even had this meeting. He'll want me back. You've got two months to make him come up with a better offer."

She turned and stalked out of the office.

Lydia and Olivia stood facing each other for a moment. Lydia raised her eyebrows. "You can't really blame her. Late night infomercials? It's an insult."

"I never watch them. I don't know anyone who does. It's a long way from co-anchoring the news." Olivia leaned back in her seat. "At least if she does the late night job, she'll still work at the station. Maybe she's right, once Greg calms down...who knows?"

"But we have to keep fighting. We can't just give in."

"Keep fighting how, Lydia? I don't know what else we can do. We've just about exhausted our fifteen minutes of fame. We played our cards and this is the result."

"You mean we lost."

"No, not exactly. When we started Amanda was looking at no job, no money, and no prospects. Now she has a guaranteed income and a pretty good one at that."

Lydia shook her head. "But it's a meaningless job. She was telling me, just before you rang, that she wanted to be a journalist, she wanted to cover stories that count. She can't just settle for a Z-grade job like this."

"Oh, come on, Lydia." Tension made Olivia's tone snappish. "Everybody settles. Being grown up means knowing when you've gotten as good as you're going to get and accepting it. Fairy tales are lovely but they're never real."

Chapter Sixteen

Lydia stared at her boss in open-mouthed disbelief. The principal's office was quiet, far removed from noise of the crowded quad. In the silence, Lydia heard the hideous accusation echo in her head. Forcing herself to breathe, clenching her hands together to still the shaking, she swallowed, moistened her dry mouth, and managed to speak. "I have never, in any way, been sexually involved with any student, past or present. I can't understand how anyone..." She broke off on a sob she couldn't suppress. "Why would anyone accuse me of something like that?"

The principal looked grim. "You deny it then?"

"Of course, I deny it." Lydia welcomed the surge of anger that flowed through her and strengthened her voice. "It's a complete and utter lie. Try to find any student, anywhere, who says I have acted in any way inappropriately. You won't find one. You can't."

"The accusation did not come from a student and no student was mentioned by name."

Lydia broke in, fury leaving no room for courtesy. "Because there isn't any student to mention. I have no idea where this ridiculous idea started. Someone is delusional. Just forget anything was ever said."

"Mrs. Elliston, you know I can't do that. This is a case for mandatory reporting, and I have already rung the head of the school board. Until we can investigate, you are suspended without pay."

The blood receded from Lydia's face, leaving her cold and light-headed. "No. This isn't possible. I don't believe this is happening. You must at least tell me where this accusation came from."

The principal spoke through tight lips. "A parent contacted me based on something she'd been told."

"Hearsay? You accused me based on hearsay? Anyone with a grudge against me, anyone who thinks I was a little harsh on them, on their child, could make up this outrageous lie. One of the parents who complained about my involvement in the age discrimination issue might be trying another way to get rid of me. You can't give credence to just anyone."

"I don't think anyone in the school would be vindictive enough to make an accusation like this over your involvement with the press, as distasteful as that may have been. I can also assure you, I do not take this kind of action without due consideration. But in this case, the original source was not one we felt we could ignore." The sneer on the principal's face left no doubt of her contempt for Lydia.

With dread making her voice shaky and weak, Lydia asked, "Who was it? Who hates me so much they would say something like this?"

The principal opened the door and escorted Lydia out. "Who told the parent who complained about your liaison? An impeccable source, Mrs. Elliston. One we had no choice but to act on. Your daughter."

Lydia rested her forehead against the cold tiles of her bathroom wall. She scooped a handful of water into her mouth and tried to wash away the acid taste of sickness. She had no memory of how she got home, could not believe how she had navigated the roads without accident. Nothing of the everyday world penetrated the solid weight of despair, bitterness, and betrayal that made every movement seem impossible, made thought unbearable.

She sank to the floor, drew her knees up, and clutched her head in her hands. She paid no attention to the changing quality of the light as the day faded away, didn't hear the knock on the door, and didn't respond to Olivia's voice calling her, not until Olivia knelt down in front of her and stared into her face, calling frantically until she finally looked up.

"Lydia? What's wrong? Tell me what's happened. Is it Daniel? Has something happened to Emily?"

Lydia's lips twisted. "Emily."

Olivia wrapped her arms around her in an instant. "Whatever it is, I'm here. Is she hurt? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

"Hurt. No. Not Emily. Oh Liv, she told someone... She said... and they accused me of..."

Olivia rocked her back and forth. "Shh. Take it easy. Tell me a little bit when you can."

A rush of nausea pulled Lydia out of Olivia's comforting embrace. When it was over, Olivia used a damp washcloth to wipe her face, then gently pulled her to her feet and ushered her to the bed. "Will you be all right if I leave to make a cup of tea?"

Lydia nodded weakly.

Olivia smoothed her hand over Lydia's tangled hair. "Don't try to tell me anymore. Wait until you feel better."

When Lydia sat up in bed, her hand still shaking but no longer in danger of sending hot tea everywhere, Olivia tried again. "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

In barely coherent bursts, Lydia forced out the words she still couldn't believe. When she came to the part about Emily's involvement, she felt the nausea begin to churn again. She took another sip of tea and forced her protesting stomach to obey.

Olivia listened calmly, occasionally making encouraging noises , but when Lydia told her what Emily had done, she pulled herself up off the bed. The tension in her body made her quiver. "I am going to kill that damn girl. Selfish little temper tantrums are one thing but this is inexcusable. I am going to find her and make her explain what on earth she thought she was doing, ruining your life, and then I will make her fix this. When she has done that, and only when she has done it so that no stigma remains, I will make her beg your forgiveness, on her knees."

Lydia started to say something but Olivia cut her off.

"I might slap her spoilt little bitch face while I'm at it. I'll also speak to the school on your behalf. Mandatory reporting is one thing, but it must be a specific allegation. An unsubstantiated allegation means nothing. They have to produce a specific instance and they won't, because they can't. If I have ever known anything about the law, I know that."

Olivia stomped off. She came back a few minutes later, her face set and determined. "I have an appointment with your principal at nine o'clock in the morning. It's probably a good thing you don't work at a government school. If you did, this whole thing would be on your file permanently already. Anyway, as soon as I said I was a lawyer, the principal backed off fairly quickly. She doesn't have any proof and she knows it."

"I just don't understand why Emily would do such a horrible thing to me... I have to ring her."

Olivia held out a hand and urged Lydia back on the bed. "I already tried. Her phone's turned off. I couldn't bring myself to leave a message. I didn't think I could fit that many swear words onto a voicemail."

Lydia swallowed. "I could ring her friends. I know who she hangs out with. Only I don't know what to say to her. I don't know how to deal with this." Her voice broke on a sob and her shoulders shook.

"You don't have to do anything," Olivia soothed. "Give me her friends' names. I'll track her down, and when I do, she is going to be so sorry. If she after all the strips I've torn off her, she'll be lucky."

Olivia's determination was fierce but ultimately fruitless, as she rang number after number in Lydia's living room. None of Emily's friends seemed to know where she was, or if they were, they weren't saying. She hadn't returned to her flat in Sydney. No one had heard from her. She had apparently gone into hiding.

To distract Lydia, Olivia sat with her, giving a detailed account of the action she planned to take with the principal in the morning. The ringing of the phone interrupted Olivia's emotional account of all the ways she could use legislation to make the principal regret she had ever listened to unsubstantiated gossip.

Lydia paled. Emily had called at last. She swallowed the nausea that rose in her throat again and tried to prepare herself for one of the worst conversations of her life.

With stricken, pain-filled eyes, Lydia watched helplessly as Olivia snatched up the phone, her face white with anger, clearly prepared to tell Emily exactly what Olivia thought of her abhorrent behaviour.

Instead of the blast Lydia could see no way to avert Olivia's face relaxed, her tight mouth loosened into the weak beginnings of a smile. She was uncharacteristically hesitant as she spoke to the person on the other end. "This is not a very good time right now. I... er... I'll just speak to Lydia and see." She covered the speaker with her hand. "It's Daniel. Do you want to speak to him?"

A dozen thoughts fluttered through Lydia's head. The need to be comforted or distracted warred with the horror of trying to explain what had happened, trying to excuse the inexcusable from someone she should have been able to trust. After one drawn out moment, she shook her head. "Tell him I have a migraine, and I'll phone him later."

Olivia passed the message on and hung up. A frown still pulled at her forehead. "I swear I know his voice from somewhere, but I can't place it at the moment." She turned her attention back to Lydia. "He seemed sweet, very concerned but anxious not to disturb you. He said he'll ring tomorrow."

Daniel waited for his rapid heartbeat to slow. The voice on the other end of the phone had been Olivia Hamilton's. Lydia's best friend Olivia. He exhaled and put the phone down. He ran through the conversation, hoping desperately he hadn't said anything to reveal his identity to her. He rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. When a simple phone call brought him so close to the brink of discovery, he had to do something. Every day brought him closer and closer to the time when he'd have to tell Lydia the truth or be caught out in a lie.

For a man who made his living setting things out in legal language so there could be no misinterpretation, he still had enormous difficulty working out a way to explain exactly what he had done. He didn't know how to keep her from thinking he'd deliberately hidden who he was. Didn't want her to believe he'd betrayed her confidence. That was where the impossibility of his task lay, because, whichever way he looked at it... he had. He'd done it with the best of intentions, but he had still used information Lydia had unknowingly given him... the enemy. He was afraid she would never forgive him. Unless he could spell his reasons out very clearly, show Lydia what the consequences were, explain exactly why he had done it, he was lost. He knew it, and instead of making him more determined, it had turned him into a cowardly prevaricator.

Now Lydia wasn't well. He wanted to see her, make sure she was not seriously ill, but Olivia was there, so he couldn't. He forced himself to remain calm. He had no reason to assume her illness was serious. If Lydia were so ill that she needed someone to look after her, Olivia Hamilton would have said so.

He would be circumspect. He would not leap to conclusions. This was not another way Lydia was shutting him out of her life. She just had a headache. He could wait and call her tomorrow, make sure she felt better.

As for the other problem, once Amanda signed her new contract and things settled down, he'd take Lydia away for the weekend and explain the whole thing. With Amanda's future taken care of, Lydia would have to see that his decision to hide his role, while not entirely admirable, was at least well meaning.

Lydia took her finger off the redial button. No matter how many times she pushed it, the response was always the same... number not available.

The dialogue box on her computer showed a blank grey face next to Emily's name. She was not on-line. Lydia sent messages anyway, praying Emily was there but invisible, begging Emily to ring, message, email, or visit her. She didn't receive a response. Wherever Emily was, she had chosen to stay out of contact. Emily was a committed member of the digital generation. To cut herself off from communication had to be deliberate. She had done the unthinkable as an act of revenge then taken herself away to somewhere where she didn't have to face recriminations.

After a night of very little sleep, Lydia's eyes were dry and gritty, her stomach clenched into a tight wad of stress, and she couldn't settle to anything. If she sat down, she twisted and turned until she rose to her feet once more to pace the room.

Olivia had gone to her meeting with the principal alone. She'd been adamant in her refusal to let Lydia accompany her. "You couldn't cope with it. You're barely holding yourself together as it is."

Although she wanted to argue, wanted to be strong, Lydia eventually agreed. The strain of waiting was hard, but facing the principal, remaining calm when she still hadn't been able to speak to Emily and find out exactly what she had said, was impossible.

So, Lydia paced and watched the clock, waiting for the meeting to be over, waiting for Olivia to ring. When the call finally came, Lydia grabbed the phone, forcing enough air from her lungs to try to speak. Before she could get a sound out, Daniel's voice greeted her. Without conscious volition, she moaned.

"Lydia?" His voice grew instantly sharp with worry. "What's wrong? Are you still sick? Have you seen the doctor?"

She wanted to talk to him, to have the comfort of his voice, but she needed the line clear for Olivia. She gathered her strength and cleared her throat to rid it of the catch still lingering there. "No, I'm fine. Truly. Just tired."

Daniel's voice roughened with concern. "I can hear you, Lydia. You're not fine. Are you on your own? I'll come over and take you to the doctor."

"No, I'm not sick. I have a problem at work. Olivia has gone to sort it out. She's probably trying to ring me."

"What's happened? Why do you need Olivia to sort it out?" Determination to know rang clear in his tone.

"Emily accused... They said..." She choked and strangled on a sob, unable to speak coherently. She heard Daniel's voice, demanding, worried, urgent, and loud. She managed to utter, "I'll talk to you later." If he made a response, she didn't hear it. Her control had gone, the pain and fear and anger became too much. She couldn't hold back the torrents of tears. She lowered her head to the sofa and wept. She was still there, head heavy, eyes wet and swollen, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a comforting embrace. Daniel held her and crooned softly to her, words of little significance, just sounds to make her aware he was with her, trying his best to offer her whatever she needed. "Lydia. Tell me what's wrong. Let me help you."

He rubbed her back gently, talking quietly, saying anything that came into his head, providing background noise. "Your door wasn't locked, you know. I was able to just walk in."

Lydia swallowed hard. She had more control, could speak, when the topic did not send her into emotional overload. She nodded, grateful for the chance to pull herself together, to say something neutral. "I never lock it when I'm home in the day-time. Olivia always tells me it's dangerous."

"Olivia's right. It's absurd to take the risk. Please, for my sake, lock up and keep yourself safe."

Lydia leaned her forehead against Daniel's chest. She grabbed a tissue and scrubbed at her eyes. Daniel pulled a few more from the box, tilted her face up, and took over the job. "Locks can't keep me safe from what's hurting me now."

Daniel planted a kiss on her head and rested his chin on her hair. "Tell me what happened. Who caused you so much pain?" He squeezed her tight. "Once you tell me who, I can go out and kill them for you."

Lydia sniffed. "Oh, Daniel, you won't believe it. I don't even believe it." In hesitant bursts, urged on by his gentle questioning and supportive embrace, she told him the whole story. When she'd finished, he didn't say anything, just rocked her back and forwards, until she was calm again.

"It will be all right. This has to work out because you haven't done anything wrong."

She clung to him, letting the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms sooth her wounded spirit.

The sound of a key scraping in the lock made them both sit up straight. Lydia held her breath. Her heart pounded. If it was Emily at last, what could she say? How could this ever be right again?

Her apprehension was wasted. Olivia's voice drifted down the hall. "You locked the door. About time you started listening to-" She walked into the room and her voice stopped abruptly. Beside Lydia, Daniel stiffened. His arms tightened convulsively. "What in God's name are you doing here? Get your hands off my friend!"

Lydia looked from one to the other in complete confusion. "Olivia, what's wrong? This is Daniel." She gestured vaguely. "I forgot you two hadn't met."

"Oh, we've met all right." Olivia's voice was tight, quivering with an intense emotion foreign to her normally calm, rational nature. "This." Olivia's pointing finger shook. "This is the lawyer for the network, Daniel Bloody Logan, the man who has been orchestrating the network's attempt to snuff out Amanda."

"No." Lydia's voice was weak, unconvincing. "His name is Daniel Logan, but this is my Daniel, a different Daniel. It's one of those confusing name things again." She gave a desperate little laugh. "The same kind of confusion that happened when Daniel and I first met."

"There's no confusion. This man is Daniel Logan, lawyer for Channel Twelve. I have been in far too many meetings with him to be making that kind of error."

Lydia turned wide, stricken eyes to Daniel. His face was pale, his lips white, but he did not deny it. Lydia pulled back. She put her hand to her chest but it didn't lessen the ache growing there. "I don't understand. You're the lawyer who... But you knew I was trying to help Amanda. I told you. You watched the interview. Why didn't you say anything?"

Daniel shook his head but Olivia answered, contempt in every word; "I'll tell you why he didn't say anything. He used you, Lydia. No wonder he seemed to know exactly what offer to make and the best time to make it. Pillow talk is a time-honoured way to get information. Spies..." She spat the word out. "Spies have always made use of sexual weakness."

Daniel surged to his feet. "No. It wasn't like that. I didn't..." His head turned from one woman to the other. His voice petered out and the ashen colour of his face turned red. "I tried to work out the best solution. I knew Amanda hadn't been treated fairly. Lydia showed me a way I could do something. I used the information she let slip to..."

Lydia clutched her chest. Pain built in intensity. "Was that all I meant to you? A way to get information? And a way to get some easy sex at the same time?"

"No. You know it wasn't. How could you ever think that? In the beginning I had no idea you even knew Amanda. Or Olivia."

"How long was it before you found out? How long before you decided to stick around to see what you could learn?" Lydia shook her head despairingly. "I never expected our relationship to last this long. When it did, I thought we had a future. I thought you cared. I couldn't work out what else would make you stay. Well, now I guess I know."

Daniel reached for her, but she backed away. She trembled, the roaring in her ears a rending, destructive scream.

She didn't hear Daniel's attempts to speak to her. She sank to her knees, hunched over, hands covering her head, unaware of Olivia pushing Daniel out the door, unaware of his frantic shouts, begging her to let him explain. She didn't hear Olivia's outraged shout. "Leave her alone. Just go away. Leave her alone. She's been through enough."

Lydia heard nothing but the splintering sound of her heart breaking, felt only the searing pain of the icy shards as they pierced her soul.

Chapter Seventeen

"Come on, Lydia. You're stronger than this. You will not collapse on me now. You're a fighter. So fight." Olivia thrust yet another cup of tea into Lydia's hands.

"Liv, tea doesn't cure everything."

"No, but it will give you something to do while I start telling you something to make you feel better."

"You made a mistake? Did Daniel...?" Hope buoyed

Lydia looked up just enough to allow a tiny ray of optimism to gleam out.

Olivia doused it. "Not Daniel. I don't even want to talk about that piece of scum yet. There has been a mistake, but your principal made it."

She waited expectantly, but Lydia felt too battered to ask the questions Olivia invited. After a moment, Olivia shrugged and went on. "They have no evidence of any misconduct. I never thought they would. The principal shouldn't have acted on such vague information. The accusation made to the principal was hearsay. The parent making the complaint overheard a conversation between two other people."

Lydia turned stricken eyes to Olivia. "Was one of them Emily?"

Olivia's hand rested briefly on Lydia's shoulder. "It appears so, but by the time I'd finished explaining to the principal the complete unreliability of her source and the chance that the entire conversation had been misrepresented, the principal wisely decided to stop speculating entirely. I think I can guarantee that woman will check her facts in future."

Lydia mumbled a comment. Olivia paused. "No, Lydia. Her position does not mean she is obliged to act on any wild piece of unsubstantiated gossip she hears. Otherwise every spiteful, bad-tempered bitch on the planet could go around destroying people's careers. Yes, I do mean your daughter. If she made this accusation, she acted out of spite, or worse."

Lydia scrubbed her hand across her eyes. "What did the principal say?"

Olivia allowed herself a quick, feral grin. "By the time I finished explaining to her exactly what the parameters of mandatory reporting were, what she should do and what she should most definitely not do, and then threw in a few references to laws about defamation of character, compensation and such, she was barely capable of saying anything. She stuttered out some things about child protection, but she knew she'd overstepped the mark."

With a little more conviction, Lydia said, "Child protection is important. We have to make sure kids don't suffer in silence."

Olivia threw up her hands. "Of course it's important, but it is also important that it doesn't turn into an opportunity to accuse anyone you dislike or have a grudge against. I think your principal understands that now." Olivia's voice took on a decidedly grim tone. "She'd better, because I wasn't kidding when I threatened to sue her and the school for everything they had."

"I don't want to do that, Liv. I work there. I love the kids and I love the job."

"If I were you, I'd rethink it. Even though she backed down in a hurry, I'd take the time you have and think about changing schools. This is the second problem you've had with that odious woman just as many weeks."

Lydia's brow furrowed. "I know, but nothing like this has ever happened before." She sat up as the first part of Olivia's speech sank in. "I have time? I'm still suspended then?"

The grin that spread across Olivia's face was just short of evil. "That's the good part. You are no longer suspended. You are on leave for a week on full pay so that you can recover from the trauma of this accusation. I negotiated that rather nicely if I must say so myself."

Lydia thought for a moment then shook her head. "I appreciate the leave. I'm not going to use it to find another job or another school. I have done nothing wrong, and no one is going to force me to leave when I don't want to. If I go, people will assume I left because I was guilty of something. I will not let them do that to me."

Olivia slipped her arm around Lydia's shoulders. "In my job as a lawyer, I sometimes have to advise people to let it go." Olivia spoke quietly and authoritatively. "There are some battles not worth fighting. This is one of them. You will leave the school with your name and reputation intact. We've achieved that. Any other school would be happy to have you. You don't want to work with these people after this."

Lydia's shoulders straightened. "No, Olivia, I'm sure that advice works for legal cases. There must be plenty of times when you don't want people to stick to a losing cause, but this is different. This is a case of making a stand. I will go back, and I will face these people down. I will even try to forgive them. I want to forgive Emily, too, if only I could talk to her and find out why she did it."

Olivia snorted. "If she can come up with a decent excuse, I'd certainly like to hear it. I can't imagine how she's going to get out of this one. Don't be too quick to forgive. That applies to Daniel Logan, too. He lied to you."

"I ought to at least give him a chance to explain." Lydia rubbed her eyes. "I was so upset I didn't even see him leave."

Olivia stood and walked to the window. With her back to Lydia, she said, "Let him go. He's no good for you. For a while I believed he might be, but he's not. None of this has made you happy. He lied to you, made a fool of you. He got what he wanted and he won't be back. I really believe that, Lydia, and I don't want to see you grieve over, or chase after what you can't have." She turned around and looked at her friend. "The best thing for you to do right now is go to bed. You're exhausted. I'll stay here until you're asleep. I'll close the blinds and turn off the phones so you won't be disturbed."

Although Lydia would not have thought it possible, the emotion of the day and the sleepless night before overwhelmed her. Like a small child she curled up in the darkened room and slept. Her dreams were fragmented, nothing more than brief flashes, gone before she could fully focus on them. But in each brief scenario, in every little burst of images, there was someone, a small figure, chasing after something that appeared in the distance. Someone who looked exactly like her, running on leaden feet, never moving forward, trying to grasp a goal that could never be reached.

In the morning when she awoke, the sound of someone banging on the door echoed through the house.

Lydia wrapped her gown around her and stumbled out of her room. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she passed. Her eyes were puffy, her lips swollen, and her hair wild. She shrugged and kept going. Whoever waited at the door was too impatient for her to take the time to achieve any real improvement. She simply ran her hands through the worst of the tangles on her head and hoped her visitor had a strong constitution.

When she pulled the door open, Emily stood there, just about to use the keys clutched in her fist. "I didn't want to catch you unawares again," she said, "But I have to talk to you. I have about fifty messages on my phone to call you, and the voice mails you left sounded absolutely frantic. I've been trying to ring ever since I got back, but your phone is off the hook or something."

Lydia blinked. Very few of Emily's rushed comments sank in. "Got back? From where?"

"I've been bush-walking with friends. In the Blue Mountains. I told you that didn't I? My phone battery went flat." She paused and looked closely at her mother. Her voice softened and she reached out to cup her mother's face. "Mum, you look terrible. What's happened?"

Lydia wasted no time in letting Emily know exactly what was on her mind. "Why would you tell someone that I was sexually involved with one of my students? How could you do something like that to me?"

Emily's face whitened. "What? I didn't. I wouldn't. Who said I did? Mum, you can't believe I would say anything like that!"

Lydia reached out and pulled her into the house. "Sit down." When Emily opened her mouth, Lydia ignored her, and stomped into the living room. "No. You listen to me. My principal suspended me and almost had me charged with sexual misconduct because one of the parents said you told her I was having an affair with one of my students."

Emily's eyes widened, and she swallowed convulsively. "I didn't. I have never said anything like..." She stopped midsentence and clutched her head in her hands. "Oh my god, Mum, I am so sorry." She stopped again.

Lydia glared at her until Emily raised her eyes. "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean... You know I wouldn't do something like that to you. It's just..."

"Just what, Emily?" Lydia folded her arms.

"I was talking to my friend Carol. Her sister was there and she has kids at the school. She must have overheard us talking."

Lydia folded her arms. "Tell me the rest."

Emily's shoulders hunched. She squirmed on her seat. "Oh, Mum. I'm so sorry. I was still angry and I, and I... I told them I'd caught you in bed with a damn schoolboy. I didn't mean it literally. I just-"

"Oh Emily! Why didn't you think before you said that? I'm a teacher. You know what something like that means."

"I do know, Mum. I'm sorry. But Carol could never have thought you were involved with an actual school kid. I told her what happened. She knows Daniel is an adult."

"It appears Carol's sister was not aware of those details. She must have been the one who went straight to the principal."

"I'll go and see her and I'll explain. I'll fix this, I promise. I'll make sure everyone understands," Emily gushed frantically, still stricken with horror. "I'll tell them that it was all a mistake. I'll apologize to everyone."

"Fortunately for me and for you Olivia has already taken care of the problem at school and got my suspension lifted. However I still want you to explain to everyone who heard it, especially to Carol's sister. You make it very clear you gave her completely the wrong idea. I'd also appreciate it if this time you could manage to keep the details of my sex life out of it."

"I wouldn't tell anyone the details of your sex life," Emily said in a small voice.

Lydia's mouth flattened. "Isn't that what you did when you talked to Carol, even though the whole idea disgusts you so much you couldn't even think of it without being sick?"

Emily looked down at her hands in shame. "I'm ... I'm sorry Mum. My attitude towards you and Daniel was completely out of line. I've been thinking about it while I was away. I should be happy for you. You deserve to have someone who makes you feel the way Daniel obviously does. I'd like to apologize to him too. I hope that once he gets to know me, he'll discover I'm not always so awful."

Lydia felt the spasm of pain deep in her stomach. "That won't be necessary. The relationship between Daniel and me is over."

Emily winced. "Because of me? Because of what I did? I've wrecked everything, haven't I? I can fix it. I have to do that for you. Let me talk to him. I'll tell him it was all my fault."

Lydia placed her hand on Emily's shoulder. "No, that had nothing to do with you. It was because of... something else."

"But Mum..."

"Let it go, Emily. I've been let down too much lately by people I thought I could trust. You I will forgive because you're my daughter. Daniel is a different matter entirely." Her laugh was bitter. "There is nothing there for you to fix. I never meant anything to him anyway."

"Oh, Mum, no. Are you sure? You were so certain he was right for you, even when I was being awful. What happened to change that?"

"I was never right for him. He didn't want me. He wanted what I could tell him, information about someone he worked with. I should have known better than to get involved. Well, it's finished now. I don't suppose I'll ever hear from him again."

Emily looked stunned and slightly ill. Then her brow furrowed in a puzzled frown. "If you really don't think you'll hear from him, why is your phone turned off? How do you know there hasn't been a mistake? Look what happened between us. Do you have proof he did something wrong?"

Lydia remained stubbornly silent.

"You don't, do you?" Emily took her mother's hands and gripped them gently. "Mum, have you spoken to him at all? Are you afraid to let him explain himself?"

Lydia pulled out of their hold. "I'm not afraid of anything. The only people likely to ring will be reporters or the principal. Apart from you and Olivia, there is no one I want to talk to. No one at all."

Emily started to protest, but Lydia frowned at her and she said nothing else.

Chapter Eighteen

"What's the matter with you, Logan? You look like you've been partying way too hard." Greg nudged Daniel's ribs with his elbow. "Got some hot little honey giving you a workout between the sheets? A young bloke like you ought to be able to handle that."

Daniel swallowed a wave of nausea. He muttered something unintelligible he hoped would deflect any further questions or comments on his personal life. Since Greg had no interest in anyone's life but his own, it worked.

He sat down on the edge of Daniel's desk. "I've been thinking. I let you talk me into offering Amanda way too much money. We don't want the public thinking we stiffed her, but we don't have to bend over backwards for her either."

Tone carefully neutral, Daniel replied, "You agreed to the terms before I presented the offer to Amanda."

Greg leaned back. "You came up with a good plan, burying her in the late night slot. After all someone has to present the infomercials, and as you said, the public likes her. The ratings might even go up with people checking her out to see how she's handling it. It's the money we offered her that bothers me. If it hadn't been for that damn Elliston woman and her campaign catching the public's attention so much, we could have offered Amanda a pittance and let her walk if she didn't like it." He glared at Daniel. "It's time Elliston got a bit of her own medicine."

Nausea turned to anger and threatened to swamp Daniel. He gulped in some air. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Greg drew himself up. There was no sign of his previous camaraderie. "That bitch can't manipulate this network and get away with it. I don't want anyone else thinking they can get what they want by threatening us. Get a private investigator to dig up some dirt on Lydia Elliston. Let's see how she stands up to having her private life laid open on prime time TV."

He walked out of the door, leaving Daniel sagging in his seat. He dropped his head onto his hands. He thought he had felt bad after his break up with Sandra, but this was a hundred times worse, thousand times worse.

Daniel stared up in disbelief at the woman standing at his office door. "Ms Henderson. I didn't expect to see you here."

Amanda peered at him through narrowed eyes. "I've come here on my own, without my legal representative. I want you to have the decency to tell me, honestly, what the network's offer really means, employee to employee, just the truth."

Daniel held his hands palm out in front of him. "You won't like it, but you do deserve to know it. I've thought that all along."

Amanda sneered. "You may have thought it, but you didn't do anything about it, did you?"

Daniel looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "No. My behaviour in this matter hasn't been particularly admirable. I did my job at the expense of my honour."

Amanda humphed. He had clearly not impressed her so far. Daniel stifled a sigh. He could hardly expect anything else. He folded his hands together and began. "I'm sure you are aware the monetary terms offered in the most recent contract are quite generous, especially for an infomercial presenter."

Amanda stepped forward. "I don't want to be an infomercial presenter." The words uttered with scorn. "I want to read the news."

"I know that, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that Greg won't allow you to. He will make you sit out your time, off-air completely, rather than let you continue as a news reader."

All of Amanda's bravado and feistiness escaped on a rush of air from her lungs. "I can't believe he's prepared to do that. It's vindictive."

Daniel nodded. "I think he can be very vindictive. Apart from the fact that he thinks there is no place for women over forty on TV, he made a decision, and he can't stand anyone challenging him. The best you can hope for now is to delude him into thinking he's won." Daniel leaned forward, eager to make her understand and accept what he was saying. "The truth is no-one is going to come out of this with total victory."

"Yes, you and Greg made sure of that."

Daniel struggled for patience. "You were never going to get all you wanted. This plan gives you the best deal possible. You'll be on-air, working, and if something does change, if some opportunity does come up, you'll be there to take advantage of it."

Amanda considered for a moment. "True. Olivia Hamilton said much the same thing."

Daniel grimaced. "About that, she's right."

"Isn't there anything else I can do?"

"Sign the contract as soon as you can. Don't give Greg time to change his mind and withdraw it."

Amanda grabbed a pen. "Okay. You must have a copy here. Give it to me. I want to sign it now."

Daniel placed his hand over hers. "Don't you want to get Olivia Hamilton's okay first?"

Amanda looked straight into his eyes. "I don't have time. I know Greg too. If he thinks the contract is too generous, it won't be long before he asks you to rescind it. I don't want to do the infomercial thing, but you're right. It's the best offer I'll get. And I will be on hand if anything else comes up. For all my bluster, Mr Logan, I know what the reality is. Ideals are all well and good, but there comes a time when you settle for what you can get. I don't need Olivia Hamilton to tell me that. It will only get worse if I hold out. "

Daniel looked at her. Then he nodded and lifted his hand. "If it helps, I can promise you there are no tricks, no hidden clauses."

Amanda's lips twisted. "If there are, it's too late anyway. The contract must be signed and it must be done now."

She waited for him to buzz his secretary to come in then scrawled her initials on each page of the contract Daniel proffered. She signed the last page with a flourish.

"There." She stood up. "I don't imagine you watch much late night TV, so I don't expect you'll see too much of me from now on. Goodbye, Mr Logan. While I appreciate some of your efforts on my behalf, I can't say it's been a pleasure."

"You did what?"

"I signed the new contract."

Olivia ran clenched fingers through her hair. She tugged so hard her eyebrows lifted. Seated at the desk beside her, Lydia could only stare.

Amanda spoke quite calmly. "There was no other choice. You'd already seen the contract. We'd both agreed it was open and honest. I changed my mind and signed the contract. End of story."

"End of story?" Lydia had to battle to keep outrage from turning her voice into a laughable screech. "What about all the work we've done? Everything I've done to fight to get the public to see the unfairness of the way the networks treat women? You just walk in, sign all that away, and say end of story?"

Amanda looked down. "I know what you've done, Lydia. Without your efforts I wouldn't be accepting this offer. It is as good as I'm going to get. I know that too."

"You don't know that." Lydia wanted to shake Amanda. Make her see what she was doing, what she'd done. "You didn't have to give in straightaway."

Amanda stood up. Her cool façade gave way to temper. "You really don't understand, do you? You know what your campaign did? It showed me how many well-known female newsreaders had the same thing happen to them. Women from much bigger networks than this one. Women with big, national profiles. Women who thought their popularity would protect them from networks dropping them. And you know what I realized? Nothing you did got them back on air. You showed me I couldn't win."

Lydia's head snapped back as if she'd been slapped. "We could have won somehow. Overseas there are older women newsreaders. We just need to fight longer, harder."

The red flare of temper faded from Amanda's cheeks. Her shoulders slumped. She shook her head slowly. "Someone might think it's worth carrying on the fight, but I don't. Maybe one day the situation will change. Maybe it is changing and people like you will help that happen. But it will be too late to help me."

"You don't deserve to be treated this way."

"What has what I deserve got to do with anything? There's the ideal world and there's reality, Lydia. And the reality is that I'd rather be on the spot, getting paid, even in an undignified position, than out of the public eye, out of a job, and out of money."

"But infomercials!" Lydia's voice squeaked with disbelief.

"Yes, infomercials," Amanda snapped. "Do I have to repeat myself? This is the real world we're dealing with. I need a job. I want to be on-air, and I'm prepared to take what I can get. As much as I hate to admit it, Daniel Logan has done the right thing by me. He got me the contract. I'll make more than most people get paid for standing in front of the camera selling over-priced gym equipment and weight-loss pills."

Olivia's lip curled. "I still don't see why you had to sign in such a hurry. I don't trust Daniel Logan. He's a liar. You shouldn't have met him without my being there."

Amanda raised one eyebrow. "Your being there wouldn't have made any difference." She stood up and held her hand out to Lydia. "I suppose at this point I should thank you for what you tried to do. It may have had some influence on the outcome." She looked at Olivia. "I will of course settle your account promptly." She nodded briefly and walked out.

When the door shut behind her, Lydia and Olivia simply stared at each other.

Lydia made a helpless, open-palmed gesture. Olivia shook her head. "Self-centered to the very end. I thought for a while there she'd changed, but obviously not."

"Maybe it's the nature of the profession. I guess you'd have to have a pretty big ego to be so comfortable on-air." Lydia snorted. "I can't believe she just went off and signed the contract without consulting you. It wasn't what I expected to hear when she asked me to meet her here."

"At least she'll have the money to pay my bill. I suppose I should be grateful for that. Of course, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if she decides not to, because I didn't really do anything for her."

Lost in her thoughts, Lydia barely heard. After a moment, she said, "She said Daniel had done the right thing by her. I never thought I'd hear her say that."

"Amanda is only concerned with Amanda. She's not concerned with Daniel's character or actions. She wouldn't know or care what he did to you."

"But if he really did arrange things to get the best possible outcome for Amanda, maybe what he did wasn't quite so bad." Lydia rubbed her hands across her eyes. "I just wish I knew why. I wish I understood."

Olivia met Lydia's gaze and swallowed visibly. "Maybe you should ask Daniel. He's the only one who knows."

"But Olivia..."

"I have to tell you something. Something I should have told you before. I kicked Daniel out of your house that night."

A spark flashed in the depths of Lydia's eyes. A little flare of hope fluttered in her heart. She waited with her breath held.

Olivia looked down at the ground. "I should have told you, Lydia. Daniel was distraught. He didn't want to leave. I should have let him stay and explain. Instead, I let you think the worst of him. I did what I thought was best at the time. I am sorry. I made you hurt more than you already did."

Lydia's let her breath go in a long sigh. "The thought that he just walked out hurt so much. Just knowing he wanted to explain eases that just a bit. I wish you had let him talk, Olivia. I know you thought I couldn't have coped with anything else, but it wasn't your decision to make. Maybe if you had let him explain, we could have saved something."

"You still can if you want to."

"I don't think it's up to me anymore. I haven't heard from him at all."

Someone knocked tentatively on Daniel's door and he glanced up from the box he'd filled with papers. His vision had been blurring lately, and things he knew he had been able to see had started to shift out of focus. He realised with a sinking feeling that his sight was starting to fail him again.

For a moment he didn't recognize the young woman standing in the doorway. When he did, his heartbeat thumped heavily in his chest. He couldn't think of anything to say.

She strode in, hand outstretched. "Daniel, I'm Emily, Lydia's daughter."

He stiffened. The girl who'd betrayed Lydia in such an awful way. Who'd accused her own mother of something inexcusable.

The girl stopped and dropped her hand. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't do what you think I did. I know I made a mistake and I said something awful, but I didn't want Mum to be hurt. Someone misinterpreted what I said, but I swear I never meant to be malicious. I've apologized. I've told people the truth. I even went to the principal and explained. I know that doesn't make everything right, but I want you to know I would never lie like that about my mother. I love her. That's why I'm here. I have to make it up to her."

Daniel nodded slowly. Emily seemed sincere, concerned, not the outraged, screeching virago he'd first seen. "Is your mother all right? I tried to ring her, but the phone was off. No answering machine."

Emily reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. "She's had a lot to cope with; some of it because of me. I felt hurt. I struck out at Mum and did something unbelievably stupid. Maybe that's genetic. When you hurt Mum, her way of striking back was to shut you out."

He wanted to believe it. "It doesn't seem like it to me. It seems like she's finished with me and has decided to move on."

Emily drew a deep breath. "No. That can't be true. I think she's scared. Scared you won't call, scared you won't be able to explain, scared you won't want to. So she turned the phone off and tried to pretend the whole mess didn't exist. But she's stronger now. If you really do want to explain, if you do want to make it right, I think she's ready to listen."

"I want to see her. Yes, I will see her." He looked down at the papers spread across the desk. "But there's something I have to do first."

Chapter Nineteen

Lydia stared silently at Daniel. The urge to simply close the door and shut him out warred with the desire to throw herself into his arms and seek comfort. At the same time she wanted to pound on his chest until she made him understand how much he'd hurt her. Her heart thudded; her pulse raced. The edge of the door, clutched under her whitened knuckles, was all that held her up when her shaky legs failed.

She tried to read his expression but his image blurred. She blinked, and a teardrop rolled silently down her cheek.

In a whirl of movement Daniel swept her into his arms. His mouth pressed warm kisses along the damp trail of her tears, down to her lips. He punctuated each kiss with the muttered words, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

For a wild, careless moment, Lydia let herself be submerged, let herself drift away in the familiar heat and excitement of his embrace. Physical sensation overwhelmed her and she clung to him and took the comfort he offered. But, tomorrow, when she awoke, she would face the same set of problems, the same decisions, the same old fears.

She untangled herself from his arms and moved back, straightened her spine, squared her shoulders. "Come in."

Her tone was cold. She knew it but she made no attempt to soften it. Daniel stepped warily over the threshold. He looked around, his eyes flicking nervously from Lydia to her surroundings and back again.

"What do you want, Daniel?"

"To explain. To apologize. To talk."

"Is there any point?"

"Hell yes, there's a point. The first point is that I kept something important from you. At the time, I thought my reasons were good. I intended to tell you the truth. I was just afraid."

Lydia had never expected to hear Daniel say he was afraid. All along, she had thought the fear was hers alone, that only she had enough invested in this relationship for it to affect her that way. "You? What were you afraid of?"

A sigh escaped Daniel's lips. "Isn't it obvious? All along, you've held me at a distance. You wouldn't let me get close. Then, just when it seemed to be changing, I found out about you and Amanda. I didn't know what to do."

"A simple 'Oh, I work at the same TV station would have done it."

Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets. "There was nothing simple about it. I was actively involved in the negotiations; you were already involved in the campaign. By the time I had it all clear, we were so far in, every explanation I came up with seemed wrong."

"You could have at least tried."

"I meant to. But whether you want to admit it or not, it wasn't easy. Right from the beginning you insisted we shouldn't know anything about each other. You kept information from me. If I'd known earlier who you really were, known the things I'd normally expect to know about someone I was in a relationship with, then I could have just mentioned it casually. But we were in too deep before I knew. It took me so much to get you to trust me that I couldn't see an easy way to tell you."

"You could have explained later."

"After you found out? How was I supposed to do that? You wouldn't let me speak to you. You wouldn't even pick up the phone."

The words of denial died on Lydia's lips. "I was afraid too," she whispered. "I'm sorry. Of all people, I ought to know that you shouldn't judge someone without hearing their side of it."

His hand came out to stroke her cheek, to gather up the tear that trickled down. "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm begging you to forgive me. I need you, Lydia. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either."

Daniel hugged her tight, spoke into her hair. "I knew all along what the network did to Amanda Henderson wasn't right. I sacrificed my principles for a pay check."

"It's all right," she whispered and knew that it was. Amanda had shown her what people were prepared to do to secure their future.

"No. It's not. I should have refused to adopt Greg's underhand tactics right from the beginning."

"Do you think that would have changed anything? He'd probably have found someone else to do what he wanted."

Daniel straightened his arms and stepped back until he could look into Lydia's eyes. "He'll have to find someone else now, because I quit."

"Oh, Daniel, no. Did you give up your job because of me?"

He dropped a kiss on her nose. "No. I quit because I needed to. I did deceitful things and I told myself I was just doing my job. That's something you would never do. I watched you stand up for what you believe in. You made me look at myself a completely different way, and I didn't like what I saw."

Worry threaded through Lydia's voice. "But what will you do? Do you have another job to go to?"

"I'll find one, don't worry. Being with you, having you forgive me is more important than where I work."

Relief surged through her. He was here with her for just one reason, because he wanted to be. She buried her head on his chest.

He stroked her back. "There's one more thing I have told you before," he began. "It's about my... my mother's sight... It's hereditary."

Lydia lifted her head to regard him. "Don't tell me you have it too?" she asked in a shaky whisper. The thought of him losing his sight filled her with sadness, fear and doubt.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth turning down. "I'm afraid so."

"Do- does that mean you're going to go blind too?"

He shrugged, but his expression remained grim. "I don't know. Maybe eventually. I have lost some of my vision, enough to give up my driver's licence."

"Yes, I was wondering why you didn't drive or own a car. And you just quit your job! What if your failing vision gets in the way of finding another one?"

"I'll face that bridge when I come to it. Maybe I'll even set up my own business. It's not going to turn you against me though, is it?" He suddenly looked very worried.

"Hell no! Why would it? Of course not. No. Never." She hugged him tight for emphasis.

"Well, my former fiancée did."

"You were engaged?" Lydia gasped. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

"Do I know anything about your late husband?" he countered.

"Well, no. What do you want to know about him?"

"Was he good to you? Did you love one another a lot? That kind of thing."

"Before we go there, tell me something... was your fiancée younger than you?"

Daniel smiled grimly. "Young and immature if you must know. I'm much better off without her. I'd much rather be with you."

"And I want to be with you, no matter what happens to your sight. Are there any other big secrets you've been keeping from me?"

"None that I can think of. And I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long, but –"

"I would never leave you for going blind," Lydia reassured him. "I mean it's not like growing sick and dying," she added thoughtfully.

"It that what happened to your husband?" Daniel asked gravely.

Lydia nodded against his shoulder. "He was diagnosed with a particularly virulent form of leukaemia. He fought it for two years with chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but in the end it got the better of him. It was hard on both Emily and me, because she was still in high school. He died three years ago, but I think I'd accepted the fact he was dying much earlier than that... earlier than he or Emily did... Someone had to be the strong one."

"If I do lose my sight, I promise not to be a burden on you."

Lydia glanced back up into his face, wondering what had made him say that.

"I mean, after looking after him all that time," he tried to explain.

"It was only in the last few weeks of his life that he needed nursing care, and we had a really good medical team on our side... Oh, I think I know where you're going with this... You think I chose a younger man because he would hopefully outlive me." She smiled wryly.

"Well, the thought did cross my mind."

Lydia's brow furrowed. "Maybe not consciously, but now that you mention it, it could have been there lurking in the back of my mind. At the time I didn't think we'd come anywhere near this far."

"Yes, you thought we'd have a quick fling and that would be it. I'm glad we got that one wrong," he grinned.

No one could predict the future. If their relationship failed, it failed, but continually anticipating the end was pointless, hurting them both. Yes, because of what had happened to her marriage, she realized. Losing Paul had made her reluctant to become too close, too involved. But now she was there would be no turning back.

Lydia stood up and led him to her bed.

Daniel, usually so dominant, so eager to lead her in new directions, held back, and let her explore as she wished. She stripped the clothes from his body, tossing them away to fall where they would. When she had him naked, spread out before her, she smiled.

Daniel's answering grin lit up his face. Anticipation sparked in his eyes, burning off the last of her doubts. Her smile grew predatory, dominant. She felt powerful and primitive. She ran her hands down his body, stopping when she came to his tattoo. She leaned down and circled it with her tongue. "I love this." Daniel's groan was the most erotic sound she had ever heard. She clenched her loins against the hot surge of moisture and bent again to her task. Her tongue licked downwards, spiralling and circling.

Every secret place, every desire she roused in him was marked by the twitching of his hips and the hard thrust and jerk of his erection as he struggled to control his reaction to her hot mouth, the cooler lick of her tongue.

When she finally wrapped her lips around him, he shuddered and stilled, his breath coming in shallow bursts driven by the desperate need she roused in him.

"Don't you come now." She sat back on her heels, ignoring his anguished moan as her mouth left him. "You have to fight it, take as much as you can."

The tense control on Daniel's face lifted for just a moment. "You have secret dominatrix tendencies. You're torturing me. And you're enjoying it."

Lydia lightly squeezed the sac resting on the juncture of his thighs. The moan that escaped him this time was pure ecstasy. She grinned. "I am. I really am." When he groaned again, she leaned down and whispered, "Don't worry. I'll make sure you enjoy it too."

"If I survive."

"Oh, you'll survive all right. It's one of the main benefits of having a younger lover. Lots of stamina."

She circled his silken strength with her fist. Daniel's head slumped back on the pillows. A look of concentration fierce enough to be mistaken for pain tightened his lips.

"Well, if I die, I'll die happy."

The last word ended on an indrawn breath as Lydia lifted onto her knees and settled, taking him slowly into her.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on her own pleasure, knowing it could never be one-sided with them, knowing she took him with her.

Lost in her own sensations, she worked herself higher and higher, letting the tight spiral coil upon itself until it sprung free. A paroxysm of sensation exploded outwards to every part of her body, washing through her and taking all strength and control with it. She slumped forward onto Daniel's chest.

She had barely settled when he surged up and rolled her onto her back. "Who mentioned stamina? Now it's my turn."

As her hips lifted to meet his thrusts and her blood began to beat once more with the pulse of arousal, she whispered, "I want you so much."

Her voice, husky with desire, shattered his last vestiges of control. He stopped talking, air whistling out through his lungs as he pounded into her, taking her in a frenzy he had not allowed to overtake him since that wild, wonderful coupling long ago. His frantic pace carried Lydia with him, and her second climax hit just as Daniel shouted and stiffened, his whole body in thrall to the power of his orgasm.

He lay next to her, sated, exhausted, wet with their mingled sweat. Lydia turned her head and looked at his flushed cheeks, his heaving chest and the smile that curved across his lips. He drifted off to sleep but he looked deeply, irrevocably happy.

The sense of power that had earlier driven her to take control of their lovemaking mutated and became something more meaningful. She had done this. She had driven him past the point of control, roused a raging desire in him and satisfied it, leaving him content.

This ability to take each other beyond the bounds of civilization into some wild realm of pleasure was special. Daniel was right. It didn't matter that their ages were different, what they had was worth fighting for. If there had to be adjustments, changes, and forgiveness, then there would be.

Lydia became drowsy, lost in slumberous pleasure, but his attentions were too delicious for her to give in entirely to sleep. His words, whispered on a warm breath into her ear, almost drifted away before their meaning made her stiffen and turn in his arms.

"What did you say?"

Daniel's deep voice rumbled once more in her ear. "I love you."

In the dim light filtering in through the window, she saw his eyes, dark, intense, totally focused on her. The heat warmed her through, brightening all the dark places, driving out the last of her fears. She looked at Daniel's strong face, read the truth in his eyes, and knew she was safe. "I love you too."

The words had power. She felt strong. Confident. She didn't need to explain, make excuses, or try to conform to anyone's views of what she should be. Daniel loved her as she was and that was enough.

Daniel's hold on her tightened, a long moment ticked by. When he spoke again, the words rang in the silence. "Do you love me enough to marry me?"

Lydia was instantly awake, and stared at him dumbfounded. She couldn't think of a single thing to say.

He spoke quietly. "I want to marry you. I want to commit to you, heart and soul. I never want you to think I'm keeping an escape clause, a way of getting out easily if I change my mind." His eyes locked onto hers. "I want our commitment to be official. That doesn't mean we have to move in together full time if we don't choose to. We could both keep our separate homes. It's not conventional but then, nothing about this arrangement of ours ever has been. What do you think?"

It only took a moment for Lydia to consider all the possible objections and complications and dismiss them. Daniel's gaze never wavered from her face until she drew a deep breath, smiled joyfully and said, "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

His answering grin warmed her through. "We'll be happy, Lydia. It will be in our own way, and we won't be like everybody else, but we will be happy together."

Lydia didn't doubt it for a moment.

The End

Coming soon; LAW AND DISORDER; Olivia's story, book two in the Cougar Series.

Here is an excerpt from Book Two

Chapter One

Leaning against the lamp post, Archer Pierce surveyed his surroundings, but his mind was directed inwards. Archer knew he was only putting off the inevitable, but he wasn't ready yet to face his family, a family he hadn't seen in almost ten years.

He was back in his home town of Nowra to attend his younger brother's funeral. Robin Pierce had finally gone and done it, gotten himself killed with his dangerous lifestyle, something Archer had been trying to protect him against until the wrong brother ended up taking the blame.

Archer sucked in a breath, forcing the memories down, and focused his attention back onto the activity around him. It might look like the same main street he remembered, but a lot of the businesses had changed. Neither did Archer recognize anyone he knew. No one paid the tall, leather clad man any attention, other than to avoid him, due to his surly expression. He smiled slyly to himself. It was a look that had served him well over the years.

It was a sunny autumn day in the southern New South Wales beachside town, too hot to stand around in black leather, but Archer didn't want to leave the jacket with his bike, even though it could be tied down. It might look like a casual, relaxed place, but teenage crime was rife in every town with an unemployment rate above the national average. And Nowra was no different to anywhere else along this stretch of the coast. The beach culture kept those who grew up here from wanting to leave, and attracted those who wanted to drop out, or couldn't handle big city living.

Archer had tried both ways of life, but now he lived abroad his yacht, currently moored in a nearby harbour, something else his family knew nothing about, hence his preference for traveling on two wheels whilst on shore. The bike came with him wherever he stopped to secure employment up and down the coast as a shipwright.

The call had come from his father's solicitor, since Archer was responsible enough to leave contact details in case of an emergency, which he supposed the death of the prodigal son was, Archer thought grimly. It hadn't escaped his attention that neither of his parents bothered to make the call. It also meant that they probably didn't expect him to attend the funeral either. Were they really that disinterested in his welfare? It was a question that had tormented him in the past. But not any more. He had learnt how to rely on no one but himself.

Well, Archer had every intention of being there, of facing them and forcing them to see him for who he was. He also wanted to pay his respects, because Robin wasn't entirely to blame for his behaviour. Archer was the only member of the family who had been able to communicate with his tormented and confused younger brother, the only one to keep him on the straight and narrow. Until...

Once again Archer forced the memories back. Not now. Not yet. It was all going to come out as soon as he arrived on the Pierce's front doorstep. But he was older and stronger. He could handle it now... he hoped.

Archer focused his attention of some pedestrians crossing the road nearby. A van began to back up across the white lines, and a slender woman wearing her dark hair up in a professional bun marched after the others, her shiny black stilettos clicking loudly against the asphalt. It was obvious to Archer that she worked in one of the new office blocks further up the street, because she was wearing a knee length black pencil skirt and matching blazer over a pristine white blouse. He had observed men in suits and women wearing similar attire to this one march in and out of the revolving doors as he'd ambled down the street in search of somewhere to eat.

She was rifling through a thick folder clasped against her chest, her attention on whatever it contained rather than the van backing towards her.

Archer didn't want to see her come to grief, so he sprang into action.

Olivia Henderson was in a hurry as usual. As she strode across the street, she was trying to find the notes for the upcoming meeting with her new client. Of course it wasn't on the top of the pile, and she huffed under her breath at the inconvenience.

There had been a time when she had no problem whatsoever laying her hands on the appropriate documents. But it was becoming more and more difficult to juggle her business. She refused to blame it on the fact that she was over forty. Men her age didn't seem to have a problem getting their jobs done, and Olivia didn't have the added responsibilities of children or significant others, a lot of women her age did.

Why then did she feel so utterly shattered at the end of the week, spending most of her weekend sleeping instead of rushing around cleaning up her house the way she used to?

Once upon a time she went out on Friday and Saturday nights. She hardly ever did that now, particularly since most of her group had paired off and reproduced ages ago. Her only remaining friend, Lydia, now spent most of her spare time with the new man in her life, a lawyer eleven years her junior. Olivia didn't begrudge Lydia her new found love and happiness. After losing her husband to cancer over three years ago, her friend deserved some joy in her life. But their women to women talks were now few and far between. In fact Olivia couldn't think of a single thing she now did that was fun. There was simply too much work to do.

It won't be forever, she reminded herself, as she finally laid her hand on the schedule she was looking for, jammed between the notes she had taken this morning from two new clients. Soon I will take a holiday.

"A holiday," she muttered out loud. When did I have one of those last? She tried to recall. And where did I go? Oh yes, a cruise to New Zealand with a bunch of senior citizens.

Olivia cringed at the memory. It certainly hadn't been her intention to join a floating retirement village, after the travel agent booked her into what she led Olivia to believe was a tour for mature over forty year olds. They had been mature all right, all grey hair and wrinkles.

A classy yacht around the Caribbean with my own personal escort would be perfect, she decided, knowing it to be no more than a pipe dream. Not only couldn't she afford it, she doubted such a holiday arrangement even existed. But she could still dream, couldn't she? It made her realize that she hadn't even had a decent sexual fantasy in like forever, even longer since she'd been on a date.

Most men found her intimidating, not a bad thing in a courtroom, but hardly conducive to meeting a potential partner. She refused to go down Lydia's route of answering personal ads or joining an internet dating agency. She didn't have the time to troll through pages and pages of data to find the elusive Mr Acceptable, let along Mr Right.

Olivia had been prepared to date men she considered second best during her thirties, but had come to the conclusion that she would grow old alone, that few men were prepared to accept her the way she was. She had learnt during her twenties that the men who were interested in long term relationships didn't want a career woman. They wanted wives and mothers. Olivia had never been ready to be either, and now it was too late for the latter. She was staring forty-four in the face, and found herself hoping Lydia had forgotten about that upcoming milestone, because Olivia didn't feel like celebrating another wrinkle.

Getting ready each day required more attention to her hair and make-up than it used to. She had to constantly watch what she ate, whereas she'd been able to eat to her heart's content during her twenties and early thirties.

Yes, things were rapidly going south, and it required more effort to get through each day, which she was certain was the reason she almost found herself walking under a van.

If it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of a massive black weight shoving her backwards against a parked car, Olivia was certain she would have been quite badly injured as the white vehicle swung around and sped away.

Olivia found herself unable to breathe as her folder was forced hard against her midriff. Watching the van disappear down the road, it didn't take her long to realize what had happened.

She peered up at her rescuer, and was confronted with the most mesmerizing deep blue eyes she had ever seen. They were fringed with thick black lashes, and topped with dark winged brows that frowned disapprovingly down at her. Of course he would think her a fool for not watching where she was going.

The rest of his face appeared to be equally as hard and rugged. He looked like the kind of man you didn't want to get on the wrong side of. The fact that he was wearing a black leather jacket over shoulders that seemed to block out half the light probably also had something to do with her sudden lurch of apprehension.

He eased his big body away from hers, and Olivia took a deep shuddering breath, realizing suddenly how light-headed she felt. It was probably shock setting in, she decided, wondering why he wasn't moving all the way away. Instead he leant both leather clad arms on either side of her against the car, continuing to regard her silently through narrowed eyes. They were surrounded by tiny lines, meaning he was probably in his thirties, or spent many hours outdoors, as his skin was dark and tan, and the hair swept back from his high forehead was jet black. Either that or he was part Mediterranean, perhaps even Middle-Eastern. Had his eyes been brown she would have said no to European, but the fact that they were so deeply blue, made him look exotic somehow, exotic but also menacing, with his starkly defined features and hard wide mouth.

"Th –thank you," Olivia managed at last, straightening the folder against her chest, surprised she hadn't dropped any of its contents. But she didn't like the sound of her voice. It had come out like a frightened squeak, not its usual assertive bark.

"Are you all right?" the dark man rumbled.

Olivia nodded. The sudden movement made her head spin, making her wonder what on earth was wrong with her. Yes, she had almost been run over. But she was safe now. Wasn't she?

Not unless all that leather surrounding her decided to drag her off down some deserted alleyway to beat her up and steal her handbag.

Olivia shook that crazy notion from her head. It was broad daylight. There were other people within hollering distance. But it made her aware that the lunch crowd had drifted off back to work, and the tourists down to the beach.

"Doesn't look like it," the man remarked in that same gravely rumble. He didn't have an accent, so she could only assume he was Australian like her. "How about going inside to that café to sit down and calm down." He motioned with one arm, which he then dropped to his side, meaning she was free at last, if she could get her legs to move, that was.

It made her realize she'd been able to smell the leather from his jacket, now that it was no longer there to waft up her nostrils. It had been a rather pleasant smell, but her sudden disorientation at finding herself virtually in his arms had muddled her senses, filling her with unease and doubt. They were emotions Olivia hadn't experienced in a long time, not since she had presented her first case as a fresh new graduate.

Olivia knew the café he was referring to. She sometimes went there with colleagues, and it made her realize she hadn't eaten anything substantial since her bowl of muesli on arriving at work just after eight. No wonder she felt light-headed and addled brained. "I need to get back to the office and read up on these notes before my meeting," she said, glancing at the take-away several doors down.

To her amazement, her saviour turned her around and began steering her towards the café with the weight of two strong hands against her shoulders. Olivia had taken several steps before she realized he was in control of her movements. "I just said I was going back to work," she began, and promptly stumbled up the curb. If the tall stranger hadn't taken hold of her arm, she would have fallen flat on her face.

"Oh, I am not having a good day," she grumbled, as she righted herself with his help, still clasping her folder with one arm.

"Doesn't look like it, does it?" the man remarked from behind her. "Some time out should cure that."

Olivia's stomach suddenly grumbled, letting her know he was right and she was wrong. Yes food was what she needed to face the rest of the afternoon. So what if she was late for the meeting. She would let her secretary know she was having lunch and to start the meeting without her. Martina was a capable legal secretary. Olivia could rely on her to hold the fort for a bit longer.

The café was virtually deserted when Archer opened the door and let the woman precede him inside. He had no idea why he was now seeing her seated at a table under the window, and settling himself in the wooden chair across from her. He should have just accepted her stammered thanks and moved on. But something about her intrigued him, and he did have some time to kill. Besides he wasn't entirely certain she would make it back to work without keeling over from delayed shock. She had looked about ready to pass out on him, despite her protests to the contrary.

She was older than him, of that he was certain. But she was still supremely attractive, with her almost regal bearing, and patrician features. Yes, there were a few lines of age around her eyes and mouth, but it was a beautiful mouth, full and lush, just asking to be kissed. And her eyes were an unusual shade of hazel. She also had the body of a much younger woman. Long shapely legs, a slim waist, and more than a handful, he noticed, now that she set down the folder she had been clinging to for dear life.

A waitress appeared and held out two menus to them. As Archer thanked her, he saw his lunch companion's hands tremble as she accepted hers. They were as nice to look at as the rest of her. Long slender fingers tipped with perfectly manicured nails. Nothing like his big rough labourer's paws.

As the waitress moved away, he introduced himself. "I'm Archer by the way, Archer Pierce." He didn't offer her his hand. Even though he had washed them, he could still smell the diesel on them from cleaning out the fuel pump on the boat.

She reacted as expected; a blink and then a small tilt of her head. "I'm Olivia," she said after a moment. No last name, not that he had expected one. At least she didn't comment about his parents' unorthodox choice of name combination, but Archer didn't hesitate to say something about hers.

"It suits you. I haven't met any Olivias before, but if I had, I'm sure they would look like you, smart and polished and perfectly polite."

"Oh," she gasped. "I can be perfectly impolite when the situation warrants."

Archer smiled. "I simply couldn't imagine a single swear word coming out of those fine lips of yours."

Olivia couldn't believe it; she felt heat rise in her cheeks. Since when had she last blushed in the company of a man? It unnerved her more than finding herself sitting opposite a complete stranger and having him flirt with her.

Yes, he was flirting with her; this handsome, leather clad man called Archer, of all things. Archer Pierce. She thought of bows and arrows, and danger. But it was no longer the kind of danger that spurred her into wanting to run. It was the kind that sent a scurry of sexual awareness down her spine.

Olivia hadn't noticed until he smiled at her just how handsome he really was. All she had seen was the hard ruggedness of him. Now she saw the sensuality in the tilt of his lips, the glitter in his eyes, and the wideness of his shoulders.

When he shrugged out of his jacket, she couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her. His black t-shirt clung to a perfectly sculpted torso. Muscles bulged from beneath the sleeves, and so did the tail end of some kind of tattoo.

His hair was badly in need of a trim, now dropping across his brow, as he turned to secure the jacket on the back of his chair. And his t-shirt had pictures of sculls and demons on it, surrounded by bright orange flames.

Here she was sitting opposite the most deadly man she had ever seen, and he was flirting with her... No, she realized, he was teasing her. He had to be. Olivia had only ever seen people like him from a safe distance. She never had cause to even defend such characters, attracting mostly female clients in need of legal representation with employment related issues, since this was what she specialized in. They were usually professionals like her.

Then she should damn well not be attracted to him, she told herself. But when he leant forward to study his menu, she was conscious of his nearness, of how shiny and full his hair over-long looked, not a single strand of grey amongst the black. Another very good reason to ignore the sudden flare of physical awareness that surged through her. He was younger than her, and only teasing her, she reminded herself. There was no way the attraction was mutual. No man had paid Olivia that kind of attention in months... no, it was probably closer to a year. And he had been a thin, weedy, bespectacled divorcee in his fifties who was looking for his third wife. Suffice to say she had only gone out with him once.

What on earth would Lydia say when Olivia told her she'd had lunch with a tattooed, leather clad biker with bulging muscles? Olivia wasn't even sure she wanted to tell her, considering she had no idea how to converse with such a man.

So she turned her attention to her own menu, but found it virtually impossible to read the print. The letters seemed to jumble in front of her.

When Archer glanced back up at her, Olivia raised the laminated page higher, hiding behind it. Concentrate, she ordered herself. Did they have salads? A salad sandwich? Yes, all cafes had salad sandwiches, so that was what she decided to eat.

The young waitress appeared alongside their table again. "Are you ready to order?"

Archer nodded. "And you?" he asked Olivia.

"Yes, I'll have a salad sandwich thank you," she said. "And a coffee."

Archer ordered something much more substantial, something with chips and plenty of meat. Then he glanced back at Olivia. "Is that all? How about some chicken or ham with it?" he suggested.

Now that he'd put the idea into her head, Olivia's mouth watered at the thought of some meat. "Yes, with ham," she said.

The waitress added this to her pad, and retrieved the menus.

"So, what do you do that you're in such a hurry to get back to?" Archer asked Olivia, once the young woman was gone.

"I'm a lawyer."

Archer should have known she would hold a position with some kind of power, judging by her attire. Not a good idea to mess with the law, Arch, he told himself, sitting back further in his chair.

"And you?" she asked politely.

"I'm a shipwright."

It was obvious from her expression that she had no idea what that meant.

"Have you ever been sailing?" he asked her.

"I've been on a few cruises."

"Not even close. I repair yachts. I guess you could call me a carpenter of the seas. Only it's a lot more complicated these days with all the new nautical equipment and global positioning technology. I've been getting more into the computer aided side of sailing of late, upgrading my technical knowledge. My boat's got all the latest gear on board."

Did she look impressed? Archer wondered. He wouldn't have thought a desk jockey like her would be the slightest bit interested in nautical engineering.

"Wh – what kind of boat do you own?"

"An eighty foot cruiser. She's not new. But she cost me almost as much as a two story mansion in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney would have. Not as big as a mansion, but she does me."

She was impressed. Her pretty mouth formed a little o, and her eyes widened. He could have sworn they had just turned green.

Olivia she saw herself lying on a sun-drenched deck in her skimpiest swimsuit, with this man leaning over her bare chested. He was massaging sunscreen into her shoulders with his large capable carpenter's hands.

The waitress bearing two plates of food drew her out of her reverie. She couldn't believe she was having such thoughts after all this time. Olivia didn't even have time to read a romance novel, let alone day-dream about inappropriate men. But now that the thought had entered her mind, she couldn't help imagining Archer Pierce shirtless abroad his yacht. He might look and dress like a biker, but he sounded educated, particularly if he'd studied something in the IT field. What did she know about modern sailing practices anyway?

"So are you looking for work down here?" she asked after taking a few bites from her sandwich in silence. The ham did add flavour to it, and she was glad she'd ordered it.

Archer shook his head, as he too chewed his food. "No, I'm here for a funeral."

"Oh, that's not good," Olivia acknowledged. "Anyone close?"

Archer nodded, lowering his eyes. She noticed how long his lashes were. Yes, he did have great bone structure. A man worth dreaming about in her quiet moments, she couldn't help thinking.

"My brother actually," he said at last, still with his head bent over his plate.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Olivia murmured. Both her parents were deceased, but she supposed losing someone older than you was somewhat different to the death of a young person. She wasn't at all sure what to say next, since he offered no further information, merely continuing to work his way through the food piled on his plate. Olivia lowered her eyes, and resumed eating her sandwich, beginning to feel better with the food lining her stomach.

The waitress was back with their coffees. Olivia smiled to herself as Archer dropped three spoons full of sugar into his cup. He was about to scoop up a fourth when his gaze locked with hers.

"All right," he relented, placing the spoon back down on the saucer beside his cup. "I know a frown of disapproval when I see one."

"I wasn't frowning, was I?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"No, but I could tell from your look that you weren't impressed."

"I'm not the one who's going to get tooth decay or diabetes."

He groaned out loud. "You sound as bad as my mother. She was forever trying to fill us up on lentils and beans. As you can see it didn't work."

Now he was comparing her to his mother. Olivia sighed. The older woman younger man deal might be working for Lydia, but it sure wasn't on the cards for Olivia. Realizing suddenly where her thoughts had taken her, she picked up her own cup and took a sip. The coffee tasted bitter and thick, making her wonder if she should take a leaf out of Archer's book and sweeten it. She normally didn't, but right now a sugar hit just might get her through the long afternoon ahead. The thought of him sailing off on his yacht suddenly made her yearn for sunshine and water. Olivia dipped her spoon into the sugar and sprinkled some into her cup. "If I ever dine here again I must remember to ask for weaker coffee," she said as his lips formed into a smile while he watched her.

His grin spread further, making him look almost friendly. Perhaps he wasn't quite as menacing and mean as she'd first thought. Perhaps he was even a decent human being, despite the tough guy image.

Well, you're never going to find out, she told herself, glancing down at her watch. "Oh, I really must be heading back to work." She drained the last of her coffee and stood. "I'll pay my share on the way out," she said, motioning him back down when he also made to stand.

"No. It's my shout."

"But -" she began to protest.

"And I'll walk you back to your office. That way I can be sure there are no after effects from your near call."

"That isn't really necessary. I feel fine now." Olivia couldn't believe he was being such a gentleman, until she remembered that someone she knew might see her with him. What would they think on seeing her with someone like him? Did it really matter what other people thought? Olivia realized she was not only being prudish, but also a snob.

Archer merely scooped up his jacket from the back of his chair and headed for the register at the front of the café, where he paid for their meals. Olivia grabbed her folder and followed him. Then he placed his hand against the small of her back to guide her through the door he held open for her. It sent a shiver down her spine, making her acutely aware of his tall presence behind her. Why was he touching her again? Was he this physical with everyone he met?

She began walking and he dropped his hand to his side, where he fell into step beside her. To her luck Olivia saw no one she knew anywhere in the vicinity of her office block. In fact there was no one about at all, not even the smokers who congregated near the entrance to the underground parking are.

Olivia turned to Archer, feeling a small emotional tug inside at the prospect of saying goodbye. It was a strange sensation, considering she hardly knew the man. "Thank you for lunch and for saving me from having an accident. I really appreciate it." Suddenly she felt the urge to convey her gratitude in some more meaningful way, but her words trailed off.

"No worries," he said calmly. "It was a pleasure."

A pleasure? Olivia hardly thought so, but she really appreciated his good manners. For a man she had initially thought might be rude and uncouth, he was extremely well spoken and polite. More so than a few lawyers she could name.

Olivia turned to leave, but before she had a chance to take a single step, he dipped his head and placed a light kiss against her cheek. She stood there gaping after him as he spun on his heel and strode away.

