A small hand tugged at his arm, and he looked down to see a young boy gazing up at him."This is Damian," Leo said, with a benevolent smile. ‘I think he wants you to watch the show with him.’"I’m not here for the entertainment," Taylor said, intending to add, "I’m here to take Dianne home." But when he opened his mouth to say the words, he caught Damian’s eye and was rewarded with a smile that could melt the entire Arctic Circle.Somehow, Taylor allowed himself to be guided over to the floor by the child who, it was obvious, had Down syndrome. As he looked at the other faces, one thing was abundantly clear—every single one of these children was severely disabled. One other thing was clear, though, too: every single one of these children was enthralled with the performance Dianne was giving them.For a moment, she spotted him, and for a moment she faltered. When the balls fell out of her hand this time, there was nothing feigned about it.A girl who looked to be no more than eight and

He knew the answer even as her eyes shot back up at him and her cheeks tightened in on themselves. "No! I wanted to help. Solace daycare center has no assets and no back-up capital. I thought I had enough money left to pay for it all. All I could think was, let’s get this done, but I had it in my head that once it was completed I would get some kind of charity established and hand it all over so the center would always be guaranteed a home.’All along he’d made assumptions, but if his assumption that Charley was a gold-digger had been wrong—and today had only confirmed what his senses had been trying to tell him for weeks—what else was he wrong about?He reflected on all the lengths he'd gone to throughout his childhood and adolescence to impress his father, working so hard on his studies, often studying until the early hours, regularly declining invitations that took him away from his books, determined to be the top-ranked student in his private school. He’d succeeded in that aim, le

A lance of pain shot through her chest as she thought of him with another woman on his arm. She sucked in her breath, holding it tightly, waiting for the feeling to pass, as it always did, although it seemed to be taking longer and longer for it to pass as the days went by.She would not make the same mistakes as she had before.Mind-blowing sex did not equate to love. That was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place: mistaking the lust she’d felt for him for love; then, when love truly had come, it had been too late and she’d been trapped. Worse, she’d become a stranger to herself.But this time, she knew better.This time...Unless you want to come here and take me in my office...She’d told herself hell would freeze over before she made the first move. As if she would give herself willingly to the man who’d blackmailed her back into his bed.And yet...There would be no consequences if she walked away. Taylor would never back out of the centre, not now. She’d known that

When they arrived at the plaza, where most of the action would be kicking off from, they were greeted by the manager, who led them straight up to the small roof terrace. From what Taylor could see, their spot was one of the only ones that allowed spectators to actually see what was unfolding.And what a sight it was. Tens of thousands of men, women and children were crammed into the plaza and the surrounding narrow streets. Many of the shop fronts and homes had been protected with huge plastic sheets. Scores of mostly young men were attempting to shimmy their way up a two-story pole with what looked like a hock of ham at the top, but he guessed it must be greased, for the men got no further than a couple of feet before sliding back down on top of each other, only to immediately try again.Chairs had been laid out for them; the terrace was safe enough for the kids to jump up and down with the excitement of it all.Never in his wildest dreams had Taylor imagined he would take a day off

Taylor tried to keep his features composed, not to let Dianne see the anger her words were provoking in him.He had little doubt that if her father walked into the restaurant at that moment, he would connect his fist to his face with all the force in his possession. How that man had the nerve to call himself a father...How Dianne had managed to grow up into the warm, compassionate woman she was today stumped him too.“Can we go home?” She asked. I’ve got a headache.She did look pale.He called for the bill and discreetly told the waitress to cancel the cake waiting in the kitchen that was to have been brought out when their meal had finished. Getting to his feet, he felt in his pocket for the square box. He would give Dianne her present when they got home, after a relaxing massage and a bottle of champagne. He would spoil her rotten and make this a birthday to remember for all the right reasons.But first he had to get them home. The streets surrounding the restaurant were gridlock