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Tina was well aware of that and to anyone else she would have admitted it. But not to Justin. He would only twist it.
She told him, deadpan. ‘I don’t expect it to lead to anything. Maggie will be back at her desk in a couple of weeks.’
‘She’s got some stomach trouble, I hear.’
‘Yes, but nothing serious.’
‘So, you didn’t put arsenic in her tea, after all?’ As Tina scowled at him, Justin added, ‘I wouldn’t put it past you. Remember, I know how ambitious you are. And you’re not one to let loyalty or scruples get in your way. No wonder you’ve made such a rapid rise to the top.’
Tina resented that, though, of course, she knew why he’d said it. It was all part of the lie she’d fed him three years ago.
She straightened a little, tilted her chin and defended herself. ‘I’ve got where I am because I’ve worked hard,’ she informed him.
‘Yes, I’m sure you have. Single-mindedly and unstintingly.’ Then he smiled unexpectedly and surprised her as he added, ‘Besides, you have talent.’ His hard expression softened. ‘And I take pride in having been one of the first to recognise it.’
Tina had to hold back a blush as a rush of remembrance poured through her. For it was true; he’d been one of the first to show faith in her. And she’d have felt grateful to him for that if what had happened later hadn’t happened. But the pain he had caused her later cancelled all gratitude out.
She looked back at him, breathing carefully, hiding her emotions. ‘That,’ she told him quietly, ‘was a long time ago.’
‘Indeed it was. You were young and innocent then.’ He smiled a cynical smile. ‘Or at least I thought you were.’
‘I was innocent until I met you.’
She wished she hadn’t said that. It made her sound like an undone virgin, and that wasn’t the accusation she’d wanted to make. For it was not the taking of her sexual innocence that Tina resented, but the destruction of another kind of innocence. He had totally betrayed her trust.
All the time he’d been with her, seducing her and making her fall for him, he had secretly been involved with another woman. A woman Tina had known well. Her immediate boss at JM Publishing. The flaming redhead she and her friends had dubbed the Red Dragon.
And worse. He had even asked the Red Dragon to be his wife.
Remembering, Tina was aware of a plummeting within her. Just for an instant, all the heartbreak of that betrayal was tearing inside her, vivid and real again. For that had been the worst time of her life.
But it was all in the past now. Past and forgotten. She had long stopped caring about Justin and the Red Dragon, the eternally engaged couple, for they still hadn’t married.
She thinned her lips at him. ‘You showed me the ways of the world. The seamier ways of the world, that is.’
‘Oh, I suspect you already knew them. You probably even invented a few of them. And you’ve probably invented a few more in the meantime. After all, look how well you’ve flourished.’
He was quite without remorse, but then he always had been. He had never once apologised for the terrible thing he’d done to her.
But Tina shrugged that off. Hadn’t he, in truth, done her a favour? For after her break-up with Justin she’d banished love from her heart and dedicated herself body and soul to her career. Her work had kept her sane, and without that dedication she would probably never have risen up the ladder so fast.
She hadn’t risen as fast as Justin, though. His rise had been spectacular. Over the past three years JM Publishing had mushroomed. He’d been taking over publishing houses left, right and centre, until these days his greedy wings spread halfway across the globe.
Narrowing her eyes, she observed disparagingly, ‘Judging by the little empire you’ve built for yourself, I’d say you were the one who knows how to flourish.’
‘Then you should be glad I’m taking you over. If I flourish, Berry’s will flourish too.’
‘We’d prefer to flourish on our own, thanks.’
‘But you’re not flourishing, are you? Left on your own, the company will fold within the year.’
‘That’s absolute rubbish!’ Tina’s blue eyes flashed dismissively. She’d heard Berry’s was in trouble, but things weren’t that bad. ‘I know some of Berry’s magazines are losing money. But not all of them are. I know Scope isn’t, for a fact.’
‘No, it isn’t. It’s doing rather well. The only one that is.’
‘So, you see, we could survive very well without you.’
‘We? You mean Scope. The others would go under.’ The dark eyes narrowed and seemed to hook into her face. ‘But you don’t care about that, do you? You only care about yourself.’
This time Tina retaliated. ‘You couldn’t be further from the truth. What I want is for all of Berry’s magazines to survive—which they won’t, for sure, if you get your hands on them!’
Eyes sparking, she accused him, ‘You talk so high and mighty, but I know what’s really at the back of this take-over. You want to take over Berry’s. just so you can get your hands on Scope. We’re doing too well for your comfort, aren’t we?’
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’
Faker! He knew what she meant! For Tina was suddenly absolutely certain that all the other dreadful rumours she’d been hearing were true too. There was a lot more in the air than just a simple take-over. But if he wanted to play dumb, she’d be only to happy to explain.
‘We’re too much competition for Miranda these days. Miranda’s losing readers to us. Everybody knows it. And you don’t like that. That’s why you want to buy us—so you can merge Scope with Minanda and keep your precious flagship afloat!’
And keep your precious fiancée in a job, she might have added. For his fiancée, the Red Dragon, was the editor of Minanda.
Justin paused for an instant, as though he might deny the accusation. Then a slow, callous smile spread over his face.
‘Well, naturally I would want to keep Miranda afloat. And naturally I’ll take whatever measures are required, no matter how unpalatable they may be to some.’
‘So, you are going to fold Scope?’
‘You’ll find out in good time.’ He paused and fixed her with eyes of granite. ‘So, you’re admitting it at last. All you’re really worried about’s your own job.’
Tina’s cheeks had grown pale. All her worst fears were confirmed. The magazine she loved and had poured her life into was about to be ruthlessly sacrificed.
And it wasn’t fair! All at once, she was trembling with fury.
‘Of course I’m worried about my job. I’d be a liar if I denied it.’ Tina spoke softly—after all, they were in a public place—yet every taut syllable seethed with outrage. ‘But my first concern is Scope. It’s a good magazine. It’s an excellent magazine. A leader in its field. How can you do this?’ Her voice was cracking with emotion as she searched his eyes in vain for some spark of compassion. ‘Can’t you see that Scope is special? It doesn’t deserve to be sacrificed just to please you and your—’
For some reason she faltered, the word sticking in her throat.
She saw Justin smile. ‘Me and my what?’
It was the smile that did it. Something snapped inside her.
‘You and that bitch of a fiancée of yours!’ she spat.
Tina was mortified. All she’d meant to say was fiancée. The bitch bit had somehow come tumbling out on its own.
As she stood there, pale-faced, Justin watched her for a moment as though she were some crawly thing that had just escaped from behind a rock. Then, detaching his eyes, he glanced at his watch.
‘I’m afraid I have to go now. I have an empire to run. But if not a pleasure, at least it’s been most illuminating bumping into you.’
He started to turn away, then he paused and fixed his eyes on her face again.
‘I knew I was going to enjoy working alongside you again, but until this moment I hadn’t realised quite how much.’ He smiled his tiger’s smile again. ‘What was that phrase you used earlier? Having you in my claws, I believe, was how you put it. Yes, I can tell I’m going to enjoy that very much.’
Then, before she could say a word, he was turning on his heel and disappearing swiftly off through the crowd.
Tina watched him go through eyes that could barely focus, feeling seasick with the horror that poured through her in great waves. Though it wasn’t Justin’s warning that filled her with horror. It was her own spiteful outburst against his fiancée.
That had taken her by surprise. It had genuinely shocked her. Usually, she just made jokes about the Red Dragon. But a moment ago she definitely hadn’t been joking. There’d been real anger, real dislike, real resentment in her heart against the woman who, three years ago, had stolen the man she loved. There’d been the kind of pain she’d believed she’d put behind her long ago.
She shivered. To know that pain still lurked inside her, ready to scrape at any moment like a dagger against her heart, filled her with a fear that was far more terrible than the fear of anything that Justin could do to her.
Although as she stared after him she was aware that that scared her too. What terrible, evil revenge was he planning?
CHAPTER TWO
IT WAS only after Justin had gone and Tina had recovered her senses that she realised she was still holding his handkerchief in her hand. She shoved it in her bag, resisting the urge to chuck it in some corner. One thing she definitely wouldn’t do was run after him to return it!
Back home at the end of the day she deposited it in the washing machine, handling it at arm’s length, as though it might bite her. And that was where it still was as she sat at her office desk next morning, struggling to concentrate on the manuscript before her. Though it was hard. Her mind kept skipping back to yesterday’s encounter with Justin.
It had tormented her all night. She’d scarcely slept a wink for the horror she still felt at her shameful outburst against his fiancée.
What on earth had provoked it? Where had these long-dead feelings come from? The pain, the anger, the sense of loss, the resentment? She didn’t care any more that she’d lost Justin to the Red Dragon. Losing Justin, she’d come to realise, had been a lucky escape. So what on earth had caused her to react like that?
Some kind of madness, she’d decided. That mocking smile he’d smiled at her had thrown her back to that moment three years ago when she’d discovered that the man she’d believed was in love with her had just got engaged to another woman.
The Red Dragon, when she’d broken the news to her, had smiled a smile like that.
Tina clenched her teeth now and scowled down at the manuscript before her. But all that was ancient history and she’d long since got over it. As far as she was concerned, the Red Dragon was welcome to him. She and Justin could marry any time they liked.
In fact, the sooner the better. For Tina it would be a relief. It would finally draw a line beneath the entire messy episode.
‘Hi there! How’s my favourite acting editor?’
Tina started and glanced up as a voice broke through her reverie. Then she smiled at the wiry, leather-jacketed figure who was grinning down at her from the other side of her desk.
‘Hi, Mike.’ As always, she was delighted to see him. Mike Laing was one of the top fashion photographers in London and he also happened to be a very good friend.
She leaned back in her seat and pulled a wry face as she gestured at the pile of work on her desk—manuscripts, letters, transparencies, proofs, all urgently waiting to be dealt with.
‘Right now your favourite acting editor’s feeling a bit frazzled,’ she confessed.
‘Well, she doesn’t look it.’ Mike seated himself on the edge of the desk. ‘She’s looking as serenely beautiful as ever.’
Then as Tina smiled and shook her head—her standard response to Mike’s compliments—he enquired sympathetically, ‘Overworking you, are they?’
‘Not really.’
Tina ran a hand through her silky blonde hair. She was doing two jobs these days, but that didn’t bother her. In fact, to tell the truth, she relished the challenge, and she’d been coping perfectly till thoughts of Justin had come to torment her! However, there was one problem, as she explained now to Mike.
‘One of my regular freelances has let me down rather badly. She’s handed in this article that’s a total disaster. I can’t understand it. She’s generally so reliable.’ She cast an irritated glance at the manuscript she’d been working on. ‘It’s going to take me hours to pull this gibberish into shape.’
‘Throw it back at her. Get her to redo it.’
‘I would, only she’s not here. She’s out of the country. She’s gone off to France or somewhere on an assignment for some other magazine. And she was late handing this in. The printers need it by Monday. I’ve got no choice, I’m afraid. I’ve got to do it myself.’
Mike pulled a sympathetic face, then he winked and leaned towards her. ‘I reckon you deserve a treat for working so hard. Let me take you out for a drink after work.’
‘I wish I could, Mike—’
‘I’ve discovered this great new wine bar,’ he cut in quickly before she could say ‘but’. ‘The food’s terrific and they play great jazz.’
But Tina smiled and shook her head. ‘I really can’t, Mike. I’m going to be stuck at my desk till late.’
Mike looked disappointed, but he didn’t push her. He never did. He knew it got him nowhere. Just like all the other men in Tina’s life these days, he knew he would never be more than just a friend.
For Tina had become an expert at keeping men at a distance. Sometimes it surprised her how easily she did it. Maybe I’m turning into a bit of a dragon myself, she’d sometimes thought. For just one cool warning flicker from those china-blue eyes of hers and they got the message loud and clear.
But, dragon or not, that was the way she wanted it. No mess. No entanglements. No more broken hearts. Maybe one day—though only maybe—things would be different, but for now where her heart belonged was in her work.
Mike proceeded to change the subject now, regarding her with interest. ‘Hey, your chief sub-editor’s just been telling me that you collared Justin Marlowe at the reception yesterday. What did he have to say for himself?’
Tina felt a jolt inside her at the mention of Justin’s name. Over the past couple of minutes she’d actually managed not to think of him, but here he was springing out of the shadows to torment her again!
‘So, Vicki told you, did she?’ Tina smiled a small smile. Vicki, Scope’s chief sub, had been with her at the reception yesterday and she’d been telling everyone about Tina’s encounter with Justin Marlowe—even though, Tina reflected, she didn’t know the half of it!
‘Well, she probably also told you that the news isn’t good. If this take-over goes ahead, Scope will go under. He plans to merge us with Miranda.’
Mike looked surprised. ‘Did he actually say that?’
‘More or less.’ Tina pulled a wry face. ‘I’m afraid you were wrong and I was right.’
In the past, Mike had frequently expressed the opinion that it might not be a bad thing if JM Publishing took over Berry’s. He was an enthusiastic admirer of Justin’s thrusting young company—and not just because JM gave him a lot of work! ‘They know how to make money and keep up standards,’ he’d often said.
But his opinion about the take-over was totally misguided, as Tina had constantly argued over the weeks. She told him now, ‘Somehow, Marlowe’s got to be stopped.’
‘If you’re right, yes, he has. That would be a disaster.’ Mike frowned. ‘But I can’t understand why he would do that. It doesn’t make sense. Scope’s a successful magazine.’ Then he shrugged. ‘Maybe business-wise his judgement’s a little impaired these days. I understand he’s got other things on his mind.’
Tina was instantly curious. ‘Like what?’ she demanded.
But at that moment they were interrupted as Sasha, Scope’s fashion editor, stuck her brightly hennaed head round the office door.
‘Excuse me.’ She smiled at Tina. Then she turned to Mike. ‘Ready when you are with those transparencies.’
Mike started to stand up. ‘I’ll be right with you.’ Then he winked down at Tina. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with your work.’
But Tina was no longer thinking of work. She narrowed her blue eyes at him. ‘What did you mean when you said Justin Marlowe had other things on his mind?’
‘Haven’t you heard?’ Mike was heading for the door. ‘He and the Red Dragon are finally about to get spliced. The word is she’s been out scouring Bond Street for a wedding-dress. It looks as though she’s finally bagged him after all these years.’
