Eclipse of the Heart - By Carly Carson Page 0,55

when Rosie's eyes narrowed.

"No, I haven't. And since the office grapevine knows everything—" Rosie waved the hand that wasn't full of pins. "I guess you're really not sleeping with him."

"Please. Stop saying that."

"No wonder that Phoebe's hangin' around like a cat in heat." Rosie twitched the jacket's hem and began pinning again. "You'll never convince me that she'll be good for him."

Amanda pressed her lips together as a totally unwarranted jealousy jumped up and bit her. How could she keep this job if she had to watch Logan with another woman? She really should start looking elsewhere. But, deep in her heart, she knew she'd never find another job with the pay and benefits she had at Winter Enterprises.

She was trapped.

***

Josh cornered Amanda after the next staff meeting. "Sorry I haven't been around," he said. "I figured you knew Winter sent me off to Singapore for three weeks."

Amanda hadn't heard that. Since Josh only attended staff meetings when his boss was out of town, no one had remarked on his absence.

"I've heard Singapore is a great city," she said. "Did you like it?"

"Yeah." Josh smiled. "Winter hinted that there might be a permanent assignment for me there. I'm sure I'd still be there but he needed me in New York to work on his upcoming public offering."

"I've only heard bits and pieces about the public offering. I'm surprised he's selling part of his company."

"He's just selling a minority stake. Apparently, the need came up quickly. One of his original investors needs to cash out."

"Is the company in trouble? I haven't seen any indications." Amanda's heart thumped a little more quickly. She really wanted to run Daily Eats. But if Logan were having financial difficulties, he might not be able to make the investment to buy the Molloys' company.

"No." Josh reinforced the word with a head shake. "Winter Enterprises is solid. He may have to cut back on a few investments, that's all."

"All?" Amanda's voice squeaked. "Do you know which deals are on the block?"

"I don't think Logan knows yet. Like I said, this came up quickly. He needs a large sum of cash to buy out one of the original investors, and that's not easy to come up with, especially with the stock market as bad as it is right now. So it's all hands on deck to push the public offering quickly. If he can't sell a minority stake, I'm not sure he can pay off the investor."

"Winter Enterprises is a strong company. I'm sure he'll be able to pull it off."

"As long as he doesn't run into any bad luck."

"Now you're making me nervous." Amanda forced a laugh.

Josh raised his brows. "Nothing to do with you. If the offering fails, I might be out of a job, but there's no reason why you would be."

Amanda decided not to tell him about Daily Eats. She really had to start pressuring the Molloys. They'd been silent for too long. She needed to get the deal done.

***

Since Amanda didn't have much going on this weekend, she decided to catch up on her work. Her one bright spot would be shopping in Soho with Rosie. They both enjoyed the smaller scale of the trendy neighborhood, even though the prices could be as eye-popping as uptown.

Rosie knew all the best boutiques, including the resale shops where treasures could be found by someone with an astute eye. But when she steered Amanda into L'Agent Provocateur, Amanda had to object.

"I can't buy this stuff," she murmured when Rosie held up a peek-a-boo corset missing its crotch and part of its bra cups. The expensive lingerie was beautiful, but too risqué for her, with its thin crisscross straps everywhere baring skin in a well, provocative, way. "Where would I wear it?"

Rosie rolled her eyes. "I bet our boss would love it."

"Are you kidding?" Amanda put down a see-through nightgown. "He's way too uptight for this stuff."

"I think he could enjoy a little kink…" Rosie glanced up with a sly smile, "…if someone offered it."

"Don't look at me." Amanda glanced around wildly, praying she wouldn't start to blush. Her goal was to make sure no one at work knew what had already happened. Although she trusted Rosie, she had no intention of confiding in her.

"Okay." Rosie picked up an ivory set consisting of a low-cut bra, panties, and a wide garter belt worn around the waist. "This would be perfect with your coloring."

"I don't need it." Amanda lowered her voice. "This stuff is really expensive. Have you