Shades of Deception

The two had breakfast and talked more about the magazine. Her asking price was two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She did not have to twist his arm. He agreed to her offer, asked her to stay on as managing editor and to set up residence in the United States.

She had a better idea: "Why don't you move the business to the UK? We could work together as a team."

His response was, "What a superb idea."

She explained how wonderful it would be for him to live and work in the UK. They could expand the magazine along with GMMS throughout the UK market. Office space was inexpensive, and he would not have any problems officiating marriages or getting members to join his service. She highlighted that over half of the British population had registered on at least two on-line dating sites, while many of them have been on a dating site at some point.

A third of those who registered found long-term relationships; a quarter of them were still going strong, and six percent had gotten married.

Wow! He was impressed with those statistics and concluded that relocating to the UK was the prudent thing to do. The two made tantalizing love until late afternoon.

For the next several days, they did some sightseeing, took in a play on Broadway, attended a couple of street festivals and shopped along Fifth Avenue. They were having the time of their lives.

Two weeks later, he asked her to marry him. She accepted his proposal.

It was now Monday, and Lisa was on her way to work. She could not wait to see Shaun and wondered how he managed without her. After all, she was the glue that held that company together. Her creativity and advertising capabilities were responsible for the company's continuous growth in sales and profits.

All she dreamed about was being his lover and eventually his wife. She would have slept on a bed of nails to be with him.

When she walked into the loft, he was on the phone and waved at her; she waved back. After he got off the phone, she went into his office. He welcomed her back, and she gave him a big hug, but his reaction was more professional than personal. He asked her how her family reunion and vacation went.

"Great! I saw family members and friends that I had not seen in years, but I missed being here with you."

Before he could respond to her, Divine walked into the office and introduced herself as his business partner and fiancée.

With a look of shock, Lisa stood there as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water in her face; she felt the blood curdling throughout her body. If her fury had any powers, Divine and Shaun would have been burning in hell.