Chapter 8

With those words the gauntlet was tossed, and the battle of wills that ensued promptly wore Phoebe to a frazzle.

She had scarcely put down her coffee cup when Cole buzzed her on the intercom and asked her to come into his office and take a letter to Danner, the French inventor. "And bring your coffee," he invited.

In the middle of his rapid-fire dictation he said softly, without pausing, "When the sun is on your hair, it shows how soft your hair is," and launched back into his letter. Phoebe, who had inadvertently taken half of the compliment down in shorthand, gave him a killing glance, and he chuckled.

At two o'clock he asked her to sit in on a meeting in his office and take notes. In the middle of the meeting, she glanced up to find his heavy-lidded gaze on her crossed legs. Her whole body turned warm, and she uncrossed her legs. Cole looked into her eyes and smiled knowingly.

When the meeting adjourned Phoebe stood up to leave, but Cole stopped her. "Have you finished typing your French translation of that list of questions I dictated, so that Danner will understand what I want to know?". Flicking a charmingly apologetic smile in her direction, he added, "I hate to rush you, honey, but I have to take it with me to Casano."

Why, Phoebe wondered resentfully, did her stupid heart turn over when he called her honey? "It's ready," she answered.

"Good," he replied with a grin. Without warning, he put his arm around her and tipped her chin with his free hand. "I'll bring you a present from Italy. What would you like?"

"For you to go quickly and leave me alone," Phoebe said flatly. With a sharp jerk backward, she freed herself from his arms, then she turned on her heel and marched into her office. Cole's throaty chuckle followed her.

As he watched her walk away, Cole felt a strange, unfamiliar emotion budding deep inside him, a tenderness that made him feel vulnerable. The sight of her pleased him, her smile warmed him and touching her sent desire exploding through his system.

His smile faded. He was pressuring her, and he had never done that to a woman in his life. He was stalking her, backing her into corners, and he was disgusted with himself for it. And yet he couldn't stop...He felt more for her than desire; he genuinely liked her. He admired her courage and her stubbornness, and even her idealism.

***

"Hello girls," Patricia cooed as she walked across the thick, emerald green carpeting toward Cole's office.

"Good morning, Ms. Callahan," six of them chorus. Curtis immediately came towards Patricia and said quietly to her," Could I speak to you for a while?"

"Of course," Patricia said curiously. Curtis knew her job well, to spy on Cole's love life, and if there was anything without Patricia in it, inform Patricia immediately.

Curtis drew her into a secluded corner and went straight to the point. "Mr. Turner has a new secretary"

Patricia looks at her manicure. "I know that. I spoke to her a few days ago"

"Don't you know who is his secretary?"

"It has nothing to do with Cole. She just writes him a report and-"

"Phoebe Haliwell"

Shock registered in Patricia eyes. "What! Isn't she working for-"

"Yes, but she was transferred to this building especially for the Danner's project," Curtis said said with a gusto. Looks like Patricia hasn't heard of this gossip yet. "It's because of her skill in French"

"Why, that little bitch! Sneaking up here to claw herself on Cole..I'll put a stop to this once and for all!," Patricia said with fury then started after Cole's door.

"Ms. Callahan, I advice you not to do anything to jeopardize your position now with Mr. Turner," Curtis warned.

"What the hell are you talking about?," Patricia snarls.

"Apparently, he's always asking for her. Even when she's at the other building, he calls her in just to buy breakfast for him when he could easily ask anyone of us outside his office," Curtis voice lace with jealousy. "Every single time when he needs anything, he personally calls Ms. Haliwell. If you have her fired, Mr. Turner will know it's you and then...". Curtis left the last sentence hanging.

"You're right as always Curtis," Patricia said thoughtfully. "I knew I could count on you. I'll personally ask the personnel manager to give you a raise"

Curtis smile winningly. She was hopping this matter would come up. "Thank you Ms. Callahan"

"But you'll have to help me take care of this Phoebe..."

"No problem," Curtis smile cunningly. "As a matter of fact, I already have a plan brewing in my mind.."

***

At 5.55 a joint conference call that Cole had scheduled came through from New York, California, and Mexico. When Curtis told him it was ready, Cole asked her to send Phoebe in to take notes.

"He's putting it on the speaker phone," Curtis said coldly. "He'll only need you to take down any figures that are discussed."

The call was already under way when Phoebe walked into his office. Cole gestured toward his chair and got up so that she could sit at his desk and take notes. Four minutes after Phoebe sat down, he leaned over from behind, braced his hands on the desk on either side of her and brushed his lips across her hair.

Phoebe's self-control snapped. "Damn you, stop it!," she burst out.

"What?" "What?" "What?" three masculine voices chorused.

Cole leaned toward the speaker and drawled, "My secretary thinks you're talking too fast, and she'd like you to stop so she can catch up."

"Well, all she had to do was ask," one offended male replied.

"I hope you're satisfied!," Phoebe whispered furiously.

"I'm not," Cole chuckled in her ear. "But I'm going to be."

Fully intending to leave him to take his own notes, Phoebe slammed her notebook closed and tried to shove her chair back. Cole's body blocked the chair. She twisted her head around to say something scathing, and his lips captured hers in a kiss that forced her head against the back of the chair, tripled her pulse rate and robbed her of thought. When he took his mouth away, she was too shaken to do anything except stare at him.

"What do you think, Cole?," a voice asked over the speaker.

"I think it gets better every time," he answered huskily.

When the call was finally over, Cole pressed a button on his desk, and Phoebe saw the door leading to her office swing shut electronically. He grasped her arms and drew her out of the chair, turning her toward him. His mouth came closer to hers, and Phoebe felt herself being helplessly drawn into his magnetic spell. "Don't!," she pleased. "Pleased don't do this to me."

His hands tightened on her arms. "Why can't you just admit you want me and enjoy the consequences?"

"All right," she said wretchedly, "You win. I want you...I admit it." She saw the gleam of triumph in his eyes, and her chin lifted. "When I was ten years old, I also wanted a monkey I saw in a pet store."

The triumph faded. "And?," he sighed irritably, letting go of her.

"And unfortunately I got him," Phoebe said. "Daisy bit me, and I had to have twelve stitches in my leg."

Cole looked as if he was torn between laughter and anger. "I imagine he bit you for naming him Daisy. Anyway, what the hell does that have to do us?"

"Everything!". She raised her hands in a gesture of appeal, then dropped them in defeat. "I'm trying to explain that I want you, but that I'm not going to let you hurt me again."

"I won't hurt you. I haven't told you my part-"

"Enough of your part of the story already! Yes you will!," she said, fiercely fighting back tears. "You won't mean to, but you will. You already have. While we were married, you were dating Patricia behind my back! I even have pictures of both of you, hugging and kissing! Do you know what I was doing while you were out dating her?"

"How did you get those pictures?"

"You're not listening to me! Do you know what I was doing while you were out dating her?"

Cole shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression guarded. "No, What were you doing?"

"I," Phoebe said on a note of hysterical, choking laughter, was knitting you a black sweater to match your eyes." She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "If we have an affair, you won't be emotionally involved, but I will. I can't detach my emotions from my body, hop into bed and have a wonderful time, and then forget about it. I'd want you to care, and I'd care. I'd be jealous if I thought you were with another woman. And if I knew you were, I'd be hurt and furious."

If he had mocked her or tried to persuade her, she would have burst into tears. But he did neither and she gained strength from that. She even managed a sad smile. "If we had an affair, when it was over you'd want us to be friends, wouldn't you? You'd expect it."

"Naturally"

"Then since our 'affair' is over, can we be friends now?" Her voice shook as she added, "I-I would really like to think of you as my friend."

Cole nodded, but he didn't speak. he simply stood looking at her, his gray eyes enigmatic.

Before she stepped out of the office, Cole voice rang out, " Phoebe, whatever you hear from the speaker are confidential, do you understand?"

"Perfectly"

Afterward, Phoebe walked to her car, congratulating herself on the maturity with which she'd handled the situation. She had been honest and direct; she'd withstood temptation and upheld her principles. She had done the 'right' thing, and she was a stronger better person for it.

She folded her arms on the steering wheel and burst into tears.