Prologue

 

The most passionate of love affairs grow out of excruciating lust, that feverish throbbing that begins deep in the body and soon rises up to overtake the heart, and finally captures the soul in its furious embrace. Sometimes it's just a single glance across a crowded bar, a smile of tender empathy between friends, the brush of a hand against a thigh or the exhilarating high of fantasy that starts that infernal beating of desire.

This love affair began differently than most, born solely from raw physical need, coupled with a fervent psychological requirement so suppressed that even careful scrutiny would not have unearthed it in Madeleine's psyche. Never in a million years would she have guessed what lay dormant within her-until the moment that the fire exploded in her body. Had their paths never crossed would she have uncovered this well of grave secrets? Or would her life have been less profound, drifting thoughtlessly onward through the usual activities of life, toward typical conclusions? Romance. Marriage. Children. Middle-age. Death, eventually.

So many things hinged on that capricious moment of her indecision aboard the yacht. In that one-act drama decisions were made without her choosing, the course of her life irrevocably altered and something deep and troubling within exposed - if only for a fleeting moment. Awakened briefly, then left to softly slumber until another fortuitous moment years later when, shaking off that uneasy sleep, that strange something once again made its indisputable demands. This next time the passion would refuse to be suppressed.

Chapter One

 

Summer 1995...

He passed by her desk. A wisp of her brunette hair was caught at the edge of her mouth while she intensely scrutinized the computer screen before her eyes, unwavering in her dedication to duty always. She wiped the strand of hair away and went on working. Robbie McKellar saw her for the umpteenth time, but this time with more attention than usual, enough to make him stop suddenly and abruptly turn around.

"Madeleine, the yacht is going out this evening, why don't you come along?"

For several moments he waited for her response, maintaining a winsome air of amusement. He was young, nonchalant, unguarded in his admiration of her. She would always be like this-more serious than he. His was a doting love from afar that until that moment had been left ignored, shunned perhaps; after all, this was a working environment where overtures of a forward nature were discouraged.

In time, Madeleine slowly looked up, a bit befuddled as if it were unclear if she'd even been addressed.

"Robbie?"

Her eyes were a bit glazed over. But she was beautiful: high cheek bones, lustrous waves of brunette hair, perfectly formed lips softly brushed with dark pink. He'd savored her breasts on many occasions. What twenty-two year old man wouldn't have given the sensuous abundance tucked inside her lacy bras a second glance, and then a third? He was quite certain that Madeleine Danes was unaware of her effect on men, or more specifically how her thin pastel blouses were often so transparent that what lay beneath them would be clearly visualized by any red-blooded male. That bevy of breast flesh could stir a man's libido from yards away. Even now as she sat back in her chair, her chest sumptuously heaving as she took a long breath, Robbie could feel a gentle stirring in his pants as he glimpsed that beautiful bounty once again. How much longer could this gone on-his brazen lust-before he was forced to acknowledge his desire? Or act on that desire? So what that she was nearly twenty eight and he six years younger. They were both free of relationships, Madeleine's latest relationship having broken apart three months earlier; she should be ready to date again, Robbie concluded.

"You just asked me to...to join you on the yacht?" She looked surprised. In fact, she was stunned by the invitation-not that she hadn't secretly fantasized about such an invitation on more than one occasion.

"Yes, and why not? It's a glorious day, and who the hell wants to be cooped up here in the office?" His big smile beamed beyond himself.

"But I do have reports to do," she reminded him with a remorseful look.

"Right. I'm sure you do. You're one dedicated lady. But you can play hooky for once. Who's going to fire you?"

"I-I...uh..." Unaccustomed to the attention, Madeleine blushed.

Which only made Robbie's smile more desiring. "Please come." He sat his left hip on the edge of her desk and leaned in. "You're a girl who needs a little time away. You'll have a great time on the cruise, I promise."

At twenty-two, Robbie McKellar was still boyish, a fresh-faced youth with a cocky smile, the sort that wealthy young men who haven't a care in the world can dare exhibit for the world. Not to mention, he was damned good-looking: a scant 5' 10", with a well-built body and unruly dark brown hair that went along with his trouble-free charm. His life would be a breeze from beginning to end, as long as he kept that smile on his face and his feet out of landmines. Fresh out of Yale the year before, he had a choice of occupations within the McKellar Companies, and decided to work for the McKellar Endowment; something his youthful idealism found suitable. It was also a lot less stressful than the cutthroat world of finance, mergers and acquisitions that the other companies in his father's conglomerate were known for. Malcolm McKellar had been disappointed that his son was not working in the adjoining office, where he could take the fledging businessman under his wing, but he had given his son a choice, and he refused to manipulate the decision into one of his liking. Robbie hadn't known at the time that he'd find the working conditions in McKellar Endowment far superior to the rest of his father's companies specifically because Madeleine Danes worked nowhere else.

"Listen, I'm not taking no for an answer," he said when she failed to reply. He abruptly stood up and swooped in beside her behind the desk, did a quick save on her computer screen then pulled her to her feet.

"I guess I have no choice," she laughed.

"Long as I'm the boss."

He was not actually her boss, but his name carried great weight, not to mention the warmth and charm behind his grin that had her too captivated to raise another objection.

"But I do need to change," she said, looking down at her smartly cut navy-blue business suit. This would hardly work for an evening on the water."

"My thoughts exactly, Miss Danes," he winked. "Tonight's a pleasure cruise. No business, just some good old-fashioned fun." He took her by the hand and led her out the door.

For a brief instant, the mention of good old-fashioned fun brought images of charades, card-playing, maybe even a vigorous game of Wii golf, however Madeleine was quite certain that none of those things were what Robbie McKellar had in mind.