Estel joined Michael for breakfast in his study the following day, her demeanor calm and professional despite the barriers she had built the night before to protect herself from him. She was adamant that he would never again be able to breach her walls, and her aloofness toward him was designed to serve as a stipulation for their future interactions. When she realized that Michael's attitude was similar to hers, she felt uneasy about it. There were no warm, lazy, amused stares now, no teasing familiarity, nothing but harsh professionalism and attention on the job that left her feeling strangely empty and a bit despondent. "Here's the first chapter," Michael remarked, setting the pages on a small table he had apparently brought in after she'd left his presence the night before. "And a red pencil," he added in a distant, dry tone, indicating that he fully expected her to use it extensively. "I'll be at the typewriter working on the next one if you have any questions." Did Michael only

Michael Jensen initiated yet another shift in Estel's demeanor at this point. Mandy was a helpful companion for Estel on her quest for entertainment, even if the younger girl looked perplexed by Estel's constant need to occupy her time when she wasn't doing Michael's bidding. She has started to take on a regular rhythm. Skiing in the mornings, Estel slowly improved her skiing abilities. She had lunch and a brief break, was carried by Mandy to whatever activity her companions had invented for the afternoon, returned home for dinner, and so on. Michael had the evenings to himself, and after dinner each day, Estel would join him in the study for what was meant to be a review of his day's writing. Estel had discovered her own way of managing this specific thorn in her side as well, however. Typically, she would take the pages Michael had completed that day to her room before dinner, read them the few times she had to get ready, and then make nice sounds when he discussed his job with he

Michael stepped back just a little, teasing her mouth as he demanded physical obedience. He whispered to her, "Why can't you, Estel?" His golden eyes swept her face sleepily and said, "Why can't you stop me?" Asking her sensually, "Tell me," he then briefly stopped her from answering by resuming his passionate kiss. When the kiss was over, he requested it again with his eyes, and Estel looked up at him with a look of pitiful, abject helplessness. "I don't know, Michael," she said tremblingly. "You take me over when you do this. I don't want it to happen, but I-" Michael's voice was low and indulgently sensual as he said, "You forget everything but what I make you feel?" With barely a nod, Estel closed her eyes to shield them from his triumphant expression. With, "You forget about love-marriage... babies?" Michael pushed her further. Estel's eyes sprung wide at that, and she glanced up at Michael in stunned amazement. "No!" she cried out in shock, bracing herself against the body th

"What do you care?" Estel asked him scornfully. "I've got all the chapters you've done so far here in my room, and I plan to work on them later if that's what's worrying you." Michael, it appeared, was gritting his teeth to prevent an equally angry response. He made an outward show of trying to calm himself by closing his eyes for a while. There was a sad acceptance in his gaze when he gazed at her once again. He drooped weary-eyed onto the sofa's end, prompting Estel to swiftly lift her legs out of his way. However, her look softened when Estel felt a little stab of anxiety at Michael's gesture of exhausted dispiritedness, which was so out of character for him. Maybe he indeed did have a sickness. An instant later, however, as he raised his head and stared at her with deadly purpose, all doubt was removed. He responded, "All right, Estel," with determination. "I guess I have to apologize again." Estel was skeptical of his attempt at reconciliation because his tone didn't seem contr

When Estel landed in New York, she was shocked to see Henrick Larson waiting for her. As she peered at him above the heads of the crowd, she couldn't imagine how he had known of her arrival. Upon emerging from her room at Michael's home, and seeing that he had left the house shortly after leaving her room, she had taken advantage of the circumstance to ask Albert Jones to drive her to the airport in Aspen. She had been vague about why she had to leave, stating only that she had to attend to an "emergency" in New York. Her guilt about Michael was buried under the weight of the other feelings she was experiencing, and she accepted that it was simply another burden she would have to face. When she reached him, Henrick's expression was generally frustrated, but once he saw the stress in her face and the defeat in her eyes, he stifled his natural impulses and gave her a harsh hug. The moment he let go of her, he held her away from him, shook his head in exasperation, and moaned. "Damn it,