When he and Storm had finished discussing the details Storm stretched and glanced at her watch.
‘Nearly lunch-time. Where does the day go? Did Jago say anything to you about why he was going to London?’
She hadn’t intended to ask him. In fact she had been determined not to betray any interest at all. If he was going to leave them in the lurch and return to his own business interests, well, so much the better; that was what she had told herself, but she held her breath while she waited for Pete’s reply.
‘I didn’t know he was going,’ he said. ‘Perhaps it’s something to do with the new finance he’s promised us. Things are certainly moving now.’
Storm bit her lip, unable to deny it. Jago’s dynamic approach achieved far better results than David’s milder one had done.
’Are you sure he’s gone to London?’ Pete added. ‘Sue was in here half an hour ago and she said something about him being in rather a bad mood. I know he did go out, but I got the impression it would only be for an hour or so.’
Storm shrugged. What did it matter where he was? She had intended to make do with a sandwich at her desk for lunch, but the small enclosed roof was stuffy and on impulse she took her sandwiches to the local park, enjoying the late autumn sunshine.
When she got back Sue pounced on her, round-eyed and ruffled. ‘Where have you been? Mr Marsh has been looking everywhere for you. He’s furious!’
In spite of herself Storm felt her stomach lurch.
‘Really?’ she said coolly to Sue, trying to pretend she wasn’t worried. ‘I am entitled to my lunch.’
‘He said to tell you to go straight to his office the moment you got back,’ Sue added.
What on earth had she done? Storm thought, discarding her coat and checking her hair. Every step of the new campaigns they were planning had been submitted to Jago for his approval and she could think of nothing she had done to merit being sent for in this arbitrary fashion. The thought cheered her, helping her to smile calmly as she knocked and walked into Jago’s office five minutes later.
He was seated at his desk, bent over some papers. Without looking at her he said coldly, ‘I thought I said you were to come straight here.’
‘I had to take my coat off,’ Storm replied, willing herself to appear calm. The sight of his dark hair reminded her of the feel of it beneath her fingers. Banishing the memory, she waited for him to speak. He kept on reading, the tense atmosphere in the small room becoming more tangible by the minute.
On the desk Storm could see a letter from Harmers, and tried idly to read it upside down. No doubt it was Mr Harmer’s agreement to their advertising terms. She had been working hard on his campaign and hoped to have it ready to show to him before the end of the month.
‘I’ve nearly finished the Harmer campaign,’ she said chattily when Jago folded his papers. Although she was loathe to admit it, the silence he was maintaining was making her feel acutely nervous. Another of his ploys? she wondered a little acidly. It was certainly having its effect; she felt as nervous as a junior summoned before the Chairman of the Board.
‘You didn’t go to London, then?’ she ventured when he continued to say nothing.
The file of papers was thrown into a drawer which he closed with a decisive slam, his eyes as cold and merciless as a winter sky as he motioned to the chair in front of him.
‘No, I didn’t. I suppose you thought you had it all neatly planned, didn’t you? But fortunately young Harmer had the sense to phone me and tell me what was going on. For your information I’ve wasted an entire morning trying to retrieve the situation you and Winters so carefully set up. My God!’ he said suddenly, ‘I know how you feel about me—you’ve made that perfectly obvious, but I never thought you’d go to the lengths of sabotaging the station just to get one up on me!’
‘Sabotaging?’ Storm stared at him. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jago,’ she told him blankly. ‘What am I supposed to have done?’
‘Don’t act the innocent with me!’ he snapped harshly, getting up and pacing the narrow strip of floor between his desk and the window. With his back to her Storm was at liberty to let her eyes dwell hungrily on the muscular breadth of his shoulders tapering to the lean waist and powerful legs.
‘You deliberately fed Winters information about the campaign we were planning for Harmers so that he could ruin it. Harmer told me himself, so don’t try denying it,’ he added acidly. ‘Was that what the pair of you planned to celebrate on Saturday? Well, it hasn’t worked. I’ve managed to convince Mr Harmer that not only can we produce the campaign on time but also that it will be properly run. I also assured him that he need have no fear that we were in any danger of going bankrupt without our major backer. I’ve already arranged fresh finance… What did you have to give Sam Townley to get him to withdraw his support, or can I guess?’ he sneered. ‘No wonder you didn’t baulk at the thought of David as a lover when…’
‘Stop it! Stop it!’ Storm was trembling with rage. She got up and stood in front of him, her eyes smoky purple as she stared up into his face.
‘I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t know Sam Townley was withdrawing his support. I did tell David about the Harmer campaign, but only because I knew he was interested in how we were doing. It was no secret; but to suggest that either he or I would deliberately try to dissuade Mr Harmer from giving us the go-ahead…’ Her voice mirrored her disbelief.
Cold grey eyes searched her face.
‘You must believe me, Jago. I love my job here, and besides,’ she added proudly, ‘if I did want to get at you, as you put it, I wouldn’t do it in such an underhand manner.’
He watched her broodingly for several minutes, then turned back to the window.
‘I admit that it isn’t quite your style,’ he agreed at last. ‘But nothing you can say will convince me of Winters’ innocence. Harmer himself told me that Winters went to see him. To talk about the campaign, he told him, but what it turned out to be was
a warning that Radio Wyechester was about to come to a sticky end and that he’d be a fool to tie himself to any advertising agreement with us.’
‘No!’ Storm cried disbelievingly. ‘You’re just saying that because you despise David. He would never do anything like that. You don’t know him like I do…’