THE DEAL by Marsh, Nicola (electronic reader txt) 📕

caught in road works on the way to Bondi, which delayed her appointment by half an hour. Penelope, the snobbish wife of media mogul Jack Normanby, had berated her for the next hour despite the fact she’d apologised for not calling. She still couldn’t believe she’d let herself get so wound up about her meeting with Matt this morning she’d forgotten to charge her mobile.

To make matters worse, Penelope and her delinquent teenage daughter had scoffed at every idea she’d put forward for the redecoration of their palatial home. When Penelope’s mother-in-law arrived and joined in the act, she’d drawn on every reserve of tact she possessed. But the three of them had been like a tag team.

“Penelope, don’t you think chintz is so gauche?”

“Oh no Mother, it’s positively divine. Don’t you think Kara’s ideas are quaint? After all, she is the expert.”

At this, mother dearest had looked down her nose at Kara, like she was something the family corgi had just dragged in.

“Well, only if you’re sure, Penelope. Your father and I have other contacts if this one doesn’t suit.”

Kara had smiled politely, thinking of the whopping commission...and then proceeded to pull childish faces the moment they’d turned their backs.

After leaving the Normanby house, she’d returned to the office, only to find gremlins in her computer and a pile of unfinished quotes. Even Olivia, her trusty P.A. had turned on her in her hour of need. Olivia had picked up the latest issue of the Financial Times, the one with Kara’s ex, Steve Rockwell, the up-and-coming lawyer, plastered across the front and proceeded to sing his praises.

Unfortunately, thinking about lawyers reminded her of Matt and that didn’t improve her mood one bit.

“What’s up? You’ve got that look. The one you get every time you see a picture of Chris Hemsworth in a magazine. All glassy eyed and gooey.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides, I haven’t drooled over Chris for at least a month.”

She’d refuted Olivia’s claims. However, once Matt had insinuated his way into her thoughts, there was no escaping. She’d replayed their kiss a thousand times, reliving every touch, taste and nuance. Finally, after cursing the computer and staring blankly at quotes for an hour, she’d called it a day.

Not that being home relieved her tension. If anything, her whirlwind thoughts sucked her in deeper. Massaging her temples, she inhaled and exhaled deep breaths, willing her mind and body to relax. It was just a kiss...just a kiss... If she repeated the mantra often enough, she might start to believe it.

Her mobile rang and one glance at the screen shattered her momentary peace.

“Hey,” she said, an understated greeting considering her heart pounded at the thought of conversing with the guy she’d just been obsessing over.

“Hey yourself.” Matt’s husky tone did little to soothe her frayed nerves. “How was your day? “

“A disaster, actually. From start to finish.” She sounded churlish yet didn’t care. He was the last person she wanted to speak to right now.

“That bad, huh? Even your morning?”

To her horror, something akin to a snort exploded from her nose. “Particularly the morning. It set the tone for the whole day. Thanks to our meeting I was late to a very important appointment.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, though our meeting didn’t run all that long. As I recall, our business was short and sweet.” His rich voice ran over her like a caress. “You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”

The deal had been a cinch but heat flooded her at the memory of how they’d sealed it.

“Of course not. Is that why you’re calling? Time to get some value for money?”

She regretted her snappish response. The silence on the other end of the line was ominous. Now, rather than feeling hot and bothered, her stomach quivered.

“How perceptive of you.” His cold tone made her regret taking her bad mood out on him. “I’ve got a business dinner tonight so I’ll pick you up at eight. And wear something dressy.”

The steady hum of the dial tone rang in her ears. She stared at the phone, speechless. Muttering a string of unladylike curses, she flung her mobile onto the coffee table and stomped into the bedroom. How dare he speak to her like that? She already felt like a commodity, a possession to be told when they would be going out and where. She sure as hell didn’t like hearing it from him.

Then again, she’d provoked him a tad with that bitchy comment about value for money. If this is what it would be like posing as his girlfriend for the next six months, lord help her.

She stripped and slipped into a robe, her mood not improving when she wrenched a gold hoop from her ear and snagging her robe in the process.

“Crap,” she muttered, fiddling with the delicate clasp on the earring. It gave way, snapping in two.

She sank onto the bed and dropped her head in her hands, on the verge of tears. She never cried and no way would she shed a single tear over Matt Byrne. The earring was replaceable but her sanity wasn’t. Ever since she’d signed on the dotted line, she’d been acting crazy. The kiss had just been the start.

She’d been an idiot on the phone, taking out her frustrations on Matt. Not that he hadn’t deserved some of it. After all, she wouldn’t be a basket case right now if it weren’t for him.

Six months. Right now, it seemed like a life sentence. How could she pretend to be his girlfriend when all she’d ever dreamed of was to be the real thing? Their relationship was strained at best. Would people see through the charade? What