CHAPTER 1

“Has he arrived yet?”

          Gemma approached slowly the reception desk. The girl working there looked at her a little puzzled.

“Come on, Adele! Don’t keep me hanging here! Is he already in the building?”

          She sat down at the reception desk, turning to face Adele who sat behind her. The receptionist gave her another bemused look and replied in the most innocent tone.

“Who? Elvis? Nope, he left the building a long time ago!”

          Adele tried not to laugh when Gemma started to shake her head and mimicked an amused expression.

“Oh, my God, you’re so funny! Your talent as a stand-up comedian is wasted at ‘Starr Computers’… You should save a spot at ‘Gotham Comedy Club’… They will appreciate your humor there.”  

          Sighing, Gemma gave her an impatient glance.

“Come on, Adele! Don't tease me this morning! I’m not in the mood to play around. So, please, answer my question, since you know very well who I’m referring to.”

          Her friend quirked one eyebrow.

“Had one of those nights, did you, Gems?”

“Morning, actually. So, help me because I’m dying here. Has he arrived?”

“Okay, okay! I gather you mean Mr. Starr? Then yes, Declan Starr arrived about ten minutes ago.”

“Damn it!”

          Gemma frowned her displeasure.

“Why do you ask? Why this slight desperation? Did you want to see him?”

“No… Not really.”

          She pursed her lips.

“I'm… He… Oh, shoot! How was he? What did he look like? Did you see him?”

          She watched the other girl closely. Adele gave her a strange look, dealing hurriedly with a call that came through on her switchboard. They weren't due to open until nine o'clock, and yet invariably there were calls coming through before then.

“How do you think he looked?” Adele replied finally. “How does he always look… Yummy, gorgeous, breathtaking… Just as tall, dark, and handsome as usual.”

“He didn't look… well… Erm… different?”

          Adele gave a firm shake of her head.

“Girl, Declan Starr always looks the same. He always acts the same. He walks in here, gives me an arrogant nod like I don’t matter in this world, and then walks straight into his private elevator. He does the same thing in the evenings, only in reverse. The man's as impersonal to his employees as the machines his company produces. Three years I've worked here now, and he still wouldn't recognize me if he saw me out in the street.”

          Their conversation was broken off as the office workers started to crowd into the building in preparation for starting work at nine. As the receptionist, Gemma found the next half an hour very busy, directing people up to the various offices and dealing with incoming calls and other mansions.

          The morning rush over, Gemma relaxed in her chair for a few minutes. Adele was kept busy with her switchboard, which gave Gemma time to think. She was a fool, a huge idiot.

          She was likely to lose her job for what she had done, and it was a good job, paying very high wages. She must have been temporarily insane, must have had a moment of pure madness in order to do what she had done.

          When she had seen the announcement in the newspapers this morning, Gemma had felt sick, physically sick. This wasn’t her real self… She wasn’t like this, petty and revengeful. Besides, he didn’t even know her. Never, not once, had Declan Starr acknowledged her presence. 

          Well, up until that moment, no one else had seen it… at least, no one had commented on it. But someone had to see it soon, it was so noticeable. It had seemed larger than life to her. It had been there in the newspaper for all to see… An intended marriage between Gemma Wakefield and Declan Starr. Her own engagement to the CEO of this prosperous computer company!

          And to make matters worse, he knew nothing about it… about her! She picked up the internal telephone on her desk as it began to ring.

“Gemma Wakefield speaking,” she said automatically.

“My office! NOW!” snapped a deep male voice.

          Gemma almost dropped the telephone in her panic. It was Declan Starr… It had to be! She cleared her throat.

“I… I beg your pardon?”

“Trust me, you'll do more than that once I'm finished with you,” he growled. “Be in my office in exactly five minutes.”

          The receiver was slammed down at the other end. Gemma didn't need to be told that Declan Starr knew about the announcement in the newspapers, the anger in his voice had been enough. Besides, he had hardly ever spoken to her before, and there could be only one reason he wanted to see her.

“Babe, you’re white as a sheet… Are you alright? Everything okay?” asked Adele, slightly touching her hand.

          Gemma realized with a start that she was still holding the receiver in her hand. She put it hurriedly back on its cradle.

“I… Um… I have to go up… to one of the offices. Would you… Uh… Would you look after the desk for me for a while?”

“Of course,” Adele agreed readily.

          She didn't quite know how she got into the private elevator for the tenth floor, but somehow, she seemed to have managed it. Gemma had only ever used this elevator once before in the six months she had worked for ‘Starr Computers’, and that had been two weeks ago when she had been induced to seek this terrible revenge on him.

          It had all started when the model had arrived to take the advertising photographs. No one else had been available to take her up to Declan Starr's office and so she had offered to take her up herself. It had been a good excuse to see him.

          As Adele had so rightly said, he walked in the mornings and out again at night, taking no notice of them in reception at all. As it had turned out Declan Starr's executive assistant had gone to lunch that day and the EA’s secretary was off sick.

          Gemma had hardly been able to believe her luck when she had stepped out into the outer office. The place had been deserted, which meant she would actually get to speak to Declan Starr herself.

          Since the day Gemma had begun work here, and Declan had walked into the building to begin his day's work, she had fallen for him, hard, madly, deeply. He was so gorgeous… like a film star or something.

          He was tall, well over six feet, with a lithe athletic body that suggested he did not spend all of his time in an office, his skin tanned from much time spent in the sun. His dark hair was always perfect, his deep grey eyes narrowed and enigmatic.

          But if she had been instantly attracted to him, he hadn't reacted at all. Those grey eyes looked right through her like she was made of glass or something. She knew she wasn't beautiful or anything, but she wasn't that plain either.

          Her golden hair swung easily down her shoulders in gleaming waves, her deep blue eyes surrounded by long thick lashes, her small uptilted nose, curving mouth that was never far from a smile, and slight slender figure all added up to an attractive young girl.

          And yet to Declan Starr, she might not even have been feminine. But she knew he wasn't always that reticent about noticing a woman's charms. He was reputed to have had many beautiful women in his life at one time or another. And his completely self-assured arrogance pointed to them not all being platonic relationships.

          No, here was a man who had shared his bed with many women, and he had known how to satisfy every one of them. In a way, it had been his confirmation of these conquests that had sparked off her desire to hit out at him.

          Leaving the model in the outer office, Gemma had passed through to the reception room. In here, she could hear the faint murmur of masculine voices and had realized Declan wasn't alone.

          Gemma soon knew the reason she could hear their voices too. The office door was slightly ajar. She was just about to knock on the door when she stilled when she heard the obnoxious words being murmured in her boss's deep throaty voice, his amusement obvious.

“I don’t care, man… I'm afraid I only find women good for one thing,” he scoffed lightly. “And I don't mean… housework. More… house calls... if you catch my drift,” Declan added with a laugh.

          She had stepped back with a gasp. What an arrogant ass! The nerve on this pompous prick! The meaning behind his words had been obvious and Gemma had waited open-mouthed for his companion's answer.

          Gemma knew she should really knock on the door, make them aware of her presence before they said anything else, but she was held mesmerized by the arrogance of the words she had just overheard.