Elena regarded her in silence. She leaned in. “I will never see you as a mistake, Madeleine.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Perhaps, but you may have thought it. Has it occurred to you I feel undeserving also? You are young and beautiful and smart, with the world at your feet. I’m a woman with a reputation for being cold and heartless. While it’s gratifying that Bartell Corp is doing well, that’s the only thing that makes me in any way impressive to the world.”

Maddie started. “What? That’s crazy! You’re…” She squeezed Elena’s hand. “Don’t you get how I see you? You’re amazing with or without your business. And this…us…isn’t some passing thing for me. This is it. I’m in it for the rest of my life. I’m all in. Do you get that?”

Smiling tenderly, Elena shifted closer. “Madeleine, I plan to keep you in my life for as long as I am able. And then longer still.” She curled her fingers around Maddie’s cheek.

It was the closest Elena had ever come to telling Maddie she loved her. Still, the uncertainties about Elena’s feelings danced around the edges.

“What about when the public finds out?” she whispered. “I mean the media isn’t blind. They’ll work it out eventually. Like at Natalii’s wedding next month? What will you do if people call you a predator editor or me a gold digger?”

Elena stroked her hand with her thumb. “I have been called worse, and it was by a mentor. A man I trusted with my life. I got through it. So what do I care what strangers think? I will be fine. Will you?”

“Of course.” She tried to breathe more evenly and shot Elena a smile. “Sorry, I think I’m going nuts because of this speech. It’s just nerves.”

“I can see that,” Elena said. Her lips twitched into a smile. “It’s a good thing you’re successful and famous now, or there’d be no upside whatsoever to sharing my life with you.”

Maddie started to laugh. “God, you’re funny. I think I’ll keep you around.”

Elena smiled. “An excellent plan. Because finding someone who likes my dog and vice versa has been quite an ask. Oscar hated both my ex-husbands, which is somewhat amusing given he was a gift from my first husband.”

“Oscar only likes me because you moved to Sydney for me, which comes with the warm weather he adores.”

“Hm. Quite possibly. Yes, you’re right. That’s clearly all it is. But of course, it’s not just Oscar who enjoys having you in their life.”

Maddie grinned. “Ah, yes. Rosetta. Right?”

“Exactly. My cook I lured to Sydney who conspires with you often to keep me well fed.”

“You do forget to eat.”

“Allegedly. So, in sum, Oscar tolerates you. And Rosetta adores you.”

“Yes. My two staunch allies.”

“So, you can see that with your artful networking you would be quite impossible for me to replace. I’m stuck with you now.”

Maddie laughed. “Thanks.” She squeezed her hand. “For taking my mind off it. Making me laugh when I needed it. For being you.”

Elena’s eyes were bright, and her fingers curled tightly around Maddie’s. “Of course.”

Her smile was soft and unguarded.

It made Maddie’s heart catch. Her lover always found a hundred different ways to tell her she loved her, without saying the words. She might not ever hear the words, but it was written all over her face, along with every soft touch and caress. Maddie leaned in and breathed a soft “thanks” into her ear.

Felicity and Perry rounded the corner in the distance, deep in conversation, and Maddie grinned with delight over Elena’s shoulder. She’d missed them. Since both of her ex-colleagues were based in New York, she hadn’t seen them in months. They looked good. Felicity, especially, looked so happy. It seemed that a lot of her uptight attitude had evaporated with her promotion.

Maddie stepped away from Elena to call out a greeting, their hands still clasped. “Hey! How are…?” she began, before fading at Felicity’s startled expression. Maddie followed Felicity’s gaze to where her fingers mingled with Elena’s.

Oh. That. Seriously? Felicity really hadn’t worked it out yet? Denial had to be her middle name.

Perry merely gave a smug snort and a friendly wave.

Elena ignored her employees and tugged Maddie’s hand, pulling her back to her side. She caught Maddie’s gaze. “Before you get engrossed in those two and I get swept up talking to the bland men in suits, I just want you to know something,” she said, her voice pitched low. Elena leaned in, her lips against her ear. “You will be fantastic tonight. Your writing is entertaining, observant, and colourful, just like you. Believe me when I say you’ll own that room. And I love you. With everything I am. Believe that too.”

“Oh.” Maddie exhaled. “Oh, I love hearing that.” She hadn’t expected it to feel this overwhelming. Her fingers tingled, itching to pull Elena into a tight hug. Tears pricked her eyes. “So does this mean you believe it now? You trust what you feel?”

“Very much so,” Elena said, voice soft. “Something this deep, this beautiful? It can only be love. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It has to be the truth.”

“It’s pretty special to hear that.” Maddie’s lips curled into a tiny smile. “And I hope that wasn’t just a one-off. I should warn you, it’s all I’ll want to hear in the future. You’ve spoilt me now.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmm. And I must say I like your idea of truth.”

Devilment danced in Elena’s eyes. “As do I. After all, I may have mentioned once or twice that I prefer the truth in all matters.”

Without warning, Elena pulled Maddie to her, kissed her thoroughly, and held her with a possessiveness that told anyone watching who Maddie belonged to. And whom Elena loved.

Warmth swamped Maddie, and she clung to her.

Out of the periphery, just before Maddie’s eyes fluttered closed, she saw Perry beam and clasp his hands to his chest.

Felicity slumped against a pillar. Over the orchestral music in the distant background came the faintest words in a clipped voice, which at least sounded amused for once.

“Oh! Of bloody course! Longest winning streak ever!”

# # #

FIVE TIMES FELICITY MET ELENA

Twenty-Three

Felicity Simmons is twenty-three, a junior legal associate, professionally ambitious, personally miserable, and entirely straight, thank you very much.

It’s rather odd how vigorously that last fact jumps into her head as she reviews the icy woman opposite her. Elena Bartell. Media mogul. So-called Tiger Shark. Devourer of failing newspapers that get strip-mined for her burgeoning empire.

Today, Bartell is overseeing the takeover of yet another small print masthead. And Felicity’s team, led by her boss, is negotiating—disastrously—on behalf of the minnow of a paper to secure a decent deal. Felicity supposes she should be more concerned by how badly they’re doing.

Instead, she’s staring.

Power exudes from Elena’s compact form, making her beautiful in the way of a predatory panther. Short jet-black hair is slicked around her pale face. Elena’s piercing blue eyes roam restlessly, dismissing her competition with contempt. Yet for all her unnerving presence, the woman says little, leaving the legal white noise to a phalanx of cloned, gray-suited males on either side of her.