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Hudson Taylor's heart stopped in his chest, trapping his breath in his throat. What was she doing here? His grip on the briefcase tightening, he tried to gulp in drafts of air into suddenly constricted lungs.
To his chagrin, his wife--his soon-to-be-ex-wife--stood in the middle of the swanky Board Room of Langeworth Bookstores, Toronto's largest chain of bookstores, looking like she had every right to be there. In her fuchsia-colored skirt and blazer, she was cool, calm, and collected, tipping his composure right off the Richter scale. Her brown eyes, as they glanced at him, twinkled with a hint of mirth, but mostly caution.
He swallowed.
Two years later, and Catharine still proved to be a difficult person to forget. But, he had no choice. He had to forget her. Even if his insides were mangled to pieces. Life went on, didn't it?
He tried to get on with his life. Except that, she wouldn't let him. After numerous failed attempts to convince him they should reconcile, here she was, in his face again, threatening to dismantle the protective barrier he'd erected between them.
Clearing his dry throat, he dragged his gaze from his wife--his ex-wife--to the Board of Directors, and got on with his life. What was left of it. "I ... I'm..." One look at Catharine and he'd forgotten his own name. He closed his eyes and groaned. This was not going well. Not at all. Panic pranced along his skin. He was making a complete fool of himself. He blinked his eyes open, his gaze shooting unerringly to his wife. Naturally. Where else would they land?
She had the cheek to wink. "Gentlemen, this is Hudson Taylor."
His name rolled off her lips with such anintimate tone that he almost went weak at the knees. It amazed him how good his name sounded coming from her lips. Her lips. Oh, how he wanted to taste those lips. Just once. For old times sake.
What was he thinking? He felt his ears go red. Had he gone totally insane? You're separated, Taylor. Try to remember that, will ya?
Tearing his eyes from her once more, Hudson scanned the room of executives. "The assistant outside said it was all right to come in, that you were expecting me..." His eyes cut back to his wife before returning to the five men seated around the conference table.
"Come in. Come in." Gordon Langeworth, the spokesman and Chairman of the Board, a short, stout man in his mid-fifties, stood and beckoned Hudson into the room. "Catharine Bradini is familiar with your work and has highly recommended your firm to us." He smiled a promising flash of masculine interest, on the woman, the only woman in the room, his wife, as he gestured to her to come forward.
Bradini? The name sunk in with a painful punch to his stomach. It didn't take her long to revert back to the use of her maiden name, did it? The quiet ache of disappointment surprised him, but he quelled it. He wanted it this way, he told himself. For the umpteenth time.
Guarded compassion filled her gaze.
His heart pounded against his chest while he watched her examine his face. "Miss Bradini. It is a surprise to see you here," he said in a slow methodical way, like a chess player contemplating his next move. But, the gentle scent of her signature perfume swirled around him, filling him like breath, making his ability to think rationally next to impossible. Dry-mouthed, he took her proffered hand, her fingers, soft and warm. At her touch, his heart seized and he held onto his breath. Closing his eyes a moment, he struggled not to faint. He felt light-headed and had to make an effort to concentrate on her next words.
"Please call me ... Catharine. After all, our relationship does go back a long time."
His eyes blazed open and fierce vitality returned to his limbs. Was he imagining it or was her voice edged with laughter? No, he wasn't imagining anything at all, he thought, pinching his lips together. She was enjoying this. His skin burning, he released her fingers and took a step backwards.
What was she doing here, anyway?
As if reading his mind, she offered, "Gordon and I met a year ago when the investment arm of Langeworth Bookstores became a significant shareholder of Family in Literacy."
Amused, Catharine stepped forward, closing the gap. "As you may recall, Hudson, Family in Literacy is a joint initiative, here in Toronto, of business, labor, education, and local government, committed to raising awareness about literacy issues in the general public and getting the private sector actively involved in supporting literacy. As is my bookstore," she added, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips.
"When the Board of Family in Literacy, of which I am one of six Directors..." She let her voice trail. There seemed to be another quick flash of humor in her eyes before she continued. "...met and discussed procuring a construction firm to build the Head Office for Family in Literacy"--she touched a hand to Hudson's arm--"I told them about Taylor-Con."
She circled around him from behind, brushing a hand across his back in a soft caress. "Of course, I told the Board you would be delighted to offer us your ... presentation." Her brown eyes glimmered with amusement. Deliberately, he was sure; she dropped her voice to a husky murmur. "And it would give you and I a chance to reminisce about ... old times."
There was that wink again.
Anxiety rippled down his spine, leaving his whole body chilled despite the triple-digit temperatures outside. He would have to deliver his pitch for the contract with Catharine present, mere feet away, obvious pleasure lurking in her eyes and her perfume creating havoc with his senses. He couldn't go through with this. He just couldn't. Flicking his gaze to the door, he assessed his chances of a getaway.
Once again, as if reading his mind, Catharine intervened. And shut the door. Trapping him.
