Irresistible Temptation by Sara Craven Read Free Book Online Page B

spirits too.
    She wasn't used to hiding things from the people she loved, or pretending. She'd let them think that coming to London was a career move. She hadn't told them that her future included Jeremy, because she knew they wouldn't approve while he was still nominally a married man.
    She wished she could have confided in Beth. Admitted that nothing was working out as she'd planned. That she felt stranded, and lonelier than she'd ever dreamed.
    And threatened, she realised, as an image of Declan Malone's dark, unsmiling face forced its way into her mind. She'd made an enemy there that she didn't need.
    She switched on the television and tried to interest herself in a detective series she usually enjoyed, but the twists and turns of the plot couldn't hold her attention tonight.
    It was midnight when she finally came to terms with the certainty that Jeremy was not going to telephone after all.
    And it was another hour before she eventually cried herself to sleep.
    She felt tired and jaded the next morning, which wasn't how she needed to present herself at all, she thought, giving herself a mental kick. She was looking for a job, and she wanted to impress.
    She dressed with extra care, choosing a dark grey suit with a faint pinstripe, a white shirt, and black pumps with a medium heel.
    She would settle for temporary work to ease her immediate cash-flow situation, she'd decided, but she also planned to register with a couple of recruitment agencies. Try and capitalise on her computer skills.
    Perhaps, when she and Jeremy were living together and settled, she'd freelance, working from home, she told herself, determined to be positive about their relationship.
    After all, there could be a dozen reasons why he hadn't rung her last night. And she wasn't going to allow herself any more doubts, or fits of the blues.
    But if she'd hoped to walk straight into the perfect job, she was disappointed. The first temp bureau she visited had a full quota already, she was told, and the second could only offer part-time work at rates that wouldn't even pay the rent, let alone feed her.
    She was climbing the stairs to a third place when her phone rang.
    'Livvy?' Jeremy asked. 'Darling, what on earth are you doing here? I could hardly believe my ears when I got your message.'
    Olivia leaned against the wall, aware of a small, painful knot in her chest.
    She said, 'Aren't you pleased?'
    'I'm delighted, naturally,' he said quickly. 'But a bit stunned too. I mean, we didn't actually discuss this—did we?'
    'Maybe I felt it was time for action rather than words.' There was a crack in the plaster beside her. It looked like the shape of a pregnant woman, she thought, tracing it with her finger. She said, 'When am I going to see you?'
    'Well—tonight, obviously.' He paused. 'How about we meet for a drink when I finish work.'
    'A drink?' she echoed, trying to fight down her instinctive dismay. 'But, Jeremy, we need to talk—make some plans.'
    'Of course we do, and we will.' He sounded brisk. 'But I'm a bit pushed at the moment Now, there's a bar near Liverpool Street Station called Dirty Dick's. I'll see you there at five-thirty. Bless you, sweetheart. Must dash.'
    Olivia switched off her phone and replaced it in her bag. It wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting, she thought flatly, but at least he wasn't angry about her gaffe at Declan's. And in a few hours she was going to see him.
    She straightened her shoulders and continued her way up the stairs.
    Just hearing Jeremy's voice on the phone seemed to have changed her luck, because the woman who interviewed her this time seemed friendly and upbeat about Olivia's chances of finding work.
    'However, it won't necessarily be in this area,' she said. 'We have several branches, and clients all over London, and we deal with everything from large multinationals down to one-man bands. Do you drive?'
    'Yes, but I don't have a car. Travelling doesn't worry me, though,' she said, mentally crossing her