Featured Title
Fire Underneath the Ice
R. S. Natanevin
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Downtown
Toronto, September, 2008
Michael
paced his large office back and forth. Karyn--classy, beautiful Karyn--would
soon be in front of him. Perhaps he would have a chance to touch her. He neared
the gilded mirror. The interior decorator had insisted on adding the expensive
item to give the space reserved to his customers a friendly, almost intimate
atmosphere. Michael stared at his reflection and adjusted the collar of his
polo shirt. Tall and skinny, with a mane of unruly red curls, he wasn’t bad
looking but not handsome either. His facial features were rather
irregular--very pronounced nose and cheekbones and wind-catcher ears. He
sighed. His appearance would have to do.
He moved
near the marble coffee table and slumped in one of the easy chairs.
At five
minutes past five o’clock Michael started to doubt Karyn would ever come. After
all, she was the daughter of late millionaire Richard McDonnell and the sole
heir of the family fortune. Four years ago, when her brother had died in a
tragic accident, the tabloids had filled their pages with mourning Karyn, all
dressed in black, tears incessantly raking her face. He remembered well the day
of the funeral when he had approached her briefly to offer his condolences.
Karyn had been devastated by grief.
Then came
the rumor that the man in charge of the McDonnell’s affairs, Jean Berenson, had
left for Europe and made investments over there. At Berenson’s death, two years
ago, Karyn had taken over the estate, assisted by a corporate lawyer to help
her untangle the complex financial situation. While still a very wealthy woman
on paper, at present she was without liquid assets and had found it difficult
to keep up with her standard of living.
He
stopped pacing, walked over to the large window, and watched the traffic down
in the street. It was a quarter past five now, and Karyn hadn’t arrived yet. It
was foolish to think she would meet with a poor boy. An ex-poor boy, actually.
Finally, at five-thirty, footsteps resounded crisply in the hallway. Glancing
through the semi-open door he saw Karyn approaching the secretary’s desk.
His heart
started to pound. Would he be able to carry out what he decided to do? Or would
he give up before he even started?
Rather
zippy and unusual descriptions add a clever touch throughout...
Snapdragon
for Long and Short Reviews
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