The Beautiful Widow
HELEN BROOKS
Nervous as a kitten whenever he comes near… Toni George needs a job to clear the gambling debts her late husband secretly accrued. With tiny twin girls to feed, she has no choice but to accept a position with notorious heartbreaker Steel Landry. Steel is intrigued by and more than a little attracted to the beautiful Toni, though he knows that she is offlimits.But she’s as nervous as a kitten whenever he is near – so maybe she isn’t as immune to his potent brand of masculinity as she’d like to be…?
‘I won’t let you down.’ She raised her chin in a businesslike manner and assumed a look she prayed was professional. ‘When would you like me to start?’
‘We’ll discuss the details over dinner. Including salary,’ he said gently.
The reminder that she hadn’t even asked the basics before accepting the position brought a telltale colour to her cheeks, but this time she didn’t falter. ‘I’ve always adhered to the idea you get what you are prepared to pay for in this world.’
‘Is that so?’ he said silkily, his eyes intent on her flushed face. ‘Then I hope your salary buys everything I need from you, Toni …’
About the Author
HELEN BROOKS lives in Northamptonshire, and is married with three children and three beautiful grandchildren. As she is a committed Christian, busy housewife, mother and grandma, her spare time is at a premium, but her hobbies include reading, swimming and gardening, and walks with her husband and their two Irish terriers. Her long-cherished aspiration to write became a reality when she put pen to paper on reaching the age of forty and sent the result off to Mills & Boon
.
Recent titles by the same author:
SNOWBOUND SEDUCTION
SWEET SURRENDER WITH THE MILLIONAIRE
THE MILLIONAIRE’S CHRISTMAS WIFE
THE BOSS’S INEXPERIENCED SECRETARY
THE BEAUTIFUL
WIDOW
HELEN BROOKS
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE
STEEL LANDRY WAS running out of patience. A man who suffered fools badly, he’d spent most of the morning sorting out what he termed as a ‘pig’s ear’ of a mess. Since his property business had mushroomed into a multimillion-pound operation with tentacles reaching into a dozen major cities in the UK, out of necessity he’d been forced to rely on the personnel he employed in the various offices he had all over the country. He couldn’t be everywhere at once—much as he would have liked to have been. And one of his managers had let him down badly, ignoring contractual obligations and placing the name of Landry Enterprises in disrepute. The morning had been a damage control exercise and although the matter was now resolved it had left a nasty taste in his mouth. Add to that the fact he hadn’t slept well the night before—his brother-in-law had phoned an hour ago to say Steel’s sister was in hospital with a threatened miscarriage, and his very able and reliable secretary had given in her notice due to her husband’s job moving to the States—and it summed up the perfect Monday.
He glared at the smoked salmon sandwiches his secretary had fetched for his lunch and called the hospital for the second time in twenty minutes. The answer was still the same: Mrs Wood was as comfortable as could be expected, which in hospital jargon probably meant she was suffering the torments of the damned.
As soon as Jeff, his brother-in-law, had phoned, Steel had contacted the hospital and arranged for a private room and the top consultant. Now he resolved he’d put all further business for the day on hold and go across London to the hospital himself to make sure Annie was having the best treatment available. Jeff was a great guy and devoted to Annie, but a typical high-brow academic who was so absorbed in his job as an astronomer, researching satellite communication systems and space agency work at a top avionic company, that he barely saw what was in front of him on planet earth.
Decision made, he checked his diary. Nothing that couldn’t wait. And then he frowned. Although there was that woman he was interviewing at the end of the day for the post of interior designer, the one James had personally recommended. What was her name? Oh, yeah, Toni George. He glanced at the gold Rolex on one tanned wrist. Getting on for three o’clock, and Mrs George was due to arrive at five-thirty.
Steel flexed his muscled shoulders, rotating his head to ease the tension in his neck. The hospital was only a stone’s throw from his apartment; he didn’t particularly fancy battling back to the office after he’d left there only to retrace the journey once the interview was over. Flicking the switch on the intercom on his desk, he said, ‘Joy, this interview later with Toni George. See if you can contact her and arrange for her to call at my apartment instead of here. I’m going to be leaving the hospital about that time. Do it now, would you?’
Less than two minutes later his secretary tapped on the door and put her sleek blonde head into the room. ‘All arranged,’ she said briskly, ‘although I did mention you were visiting your sister in hospital close to your apartment when she seemed a little … wary about the change of location. She was fine after that.’
He surveyed Joy through amused eyes. He hadn’t thought this Mrs George might think he had ulterior motives; perhaps he should have. Reaching for his suit jacket on the back of his chair, he stood up. ‘Thanks,’ he said briefly. ‘Oh, and give Stuart my congratulations on the promotion.’
‘Will do.’ Joy regarded him sympathetically. She knew Steel thought the world of his sister and this news had knocked him for six, although as ever the hard, handsome face showed little emotion. She had worked for him for four years and not only was he the most generous boss she’d ever had, but the most attractive too. If she wasn’t so in love with her husband she could have fallen for Steel in a big way, she thought—for possibly the thousandth time. Perhaps she was in love with him a little, but he’d always been so businesslike and correct in his dealings with her it had been easy to conceal it.
Outside, the warm June air carried city dust and fumes in its embrace, but once in his black Aston Martin Steel relaxed a little. He liked driving and the car was a dream, the air conditioning and state-of-the-art luxury making the experience pleasurable even in the worst London snarl-ups. He drove automatically, his mind on Annie. She and Jeff had been trying for this baby for a long time; ever since they’d married, in fact, three years previously. At twenty-six, Annie was twelve years younger than him and he had virtually brought her up when their parents had been killed in a car accident when Annie was six years old. He’d been about to go away to university but he’d got a job instead, and this income, added to his half of the nest egg which his parents had been accumulating in the bank, had meant he could continue to pay the rent on the three-bedroomed house that had been home. Annie had lost their parents, he hadn’t wanted her to lose the familiarity and security of the home she’d lived in all her life. Annie’s half of the estate had been in trust until she was eighteen and had been a nice little inheritance for her.
They had managed. His mind wandered to the years of Annie’s childhood. Their paternal grandparents had already died, but his mother’s mother and father had stepped into the breach and looked after Annie every day after school until he collected her from them. Neighbours and friends had also been kind. And now Annie was a beautiful, well-adjusted young woman, and he was in a good place. Independent, autonomous, answerable to no one and no one relying on him.
Not that he’d resented caring for Annie. His mind immediately dealt with the issue as though someone had put the idea to him. He’d done it because he wanted to. Pure and simple. But the long years until she had met Jeff when she’d been twenty-one had taught him something. He didn’t want to be responsible for another human being again. He wanted a life free of emotional liability and obligation. A life where he could take off at the drop of a hat. No involved arrangements. No explanations. No … accountability. He’d done his time with all that—from the age of eighteen until he was thirty-three. Fifteen years. And now he relished his freedom, fed on it.
He’d had girlfriends from the age of puberty: a few long term, most ships that passed after a couple of months, due—he had to admit—to his determination to continue in the single state once his parents had died. Now he dated sophisticated, career-obsessed women: females who were as wary of commitment and for ever as he was. It worked—mostly. The last lady in his life, an intelligent, fiercely independent—or so he’d thought—lawyer, had suddenly decided she wanted to move in with him.
Barbara flashed on the screen of his mind: sultry, voluptuous—the sort of attorney who could have the opposition admitting anything with one look from her feline eyes. Their parting had been less than harmonious. That had been a couple of weeks ago, and although he missed her enticing and provocative body in his bed he had no doubts he’d done the right thing in ending their relationship.
His hand touched the back of his neck briefly as he recalled the resounding slap she’d delivered. It had all but cracked the bones in his neck as his head had jerked back with the force of it, and this from the woman who had insisted forever was a dirty word when they’d first got together.
Women … His firm, sensual mouth tightened for a moment. They were another species. Not that he’d given up on them; what red-blooded man would? And nine times out of ten it worked out fine. When the end of the relationship came there were no tears, no scenes, no recriminations. He was still friends with the majority of his exes; that had to say something.
It wasn’t as if he was ever less than completely honest. He made it a rule to be clear about his intentions from the first date. No promises, no roses round the door, just two healthy human beings sharing their lives and beds for a while. Straightforward and simple. Just the way he liked it.
The traffic was a nightmare. It took him nearly an hour to reach the hospital. When he pulled into the car park he found his heart was thudding with anxiety and his stomach was turning over with fear of what he might find inside. It was further proof—if he’d needed any—that he didn’t want anyone else other than Annie to have a piece of his heart.
Steel straightened his shoulders, reached for the enormous bouquet of yellow roses and white freesias he’d picked up en route and got out of the car.
Her hands were shaking, not something that was likely to inspire confidence in a prospective employer. And from what she knew of Steel Landry he would expect a cool, composed and completely professional approach.
Toni willed the tremors to cease as she tried breathing slowly and deeply. She’d read somewhere that worked for nerves.
It didn’t. All it did do was to make her feel slightly light-headed and now she was ten times more panic-stricken. What if she fainted at Steel Landry’s feet?
Rising from the edge of the sofa she was perched on, Toni walked across to the large bay window and stared down into the busy London street three stories below. The excellent double glazing meant traffic noise was reduced to a mere whisper, and although the pavements were crowded no sound from the people below penetrated her luxurious surroundings. And they were luxurious …
Turning, she surveyed the fabulous room Steel Landry’s ‘daily'—as the small bustling woman who had answered the door had described herself—had shown her into when she had arrived at the impressive South Kensington flat ten minutes ago. The cream and dove-grey sitting room was all soft leather sofas, glass tables and light maple wood. Several bowls of fresh flowers scented the air and a beautiful cream marble fireplace with floor-to-ceiling glass bookshelves in the alcoves either side provided the focus of the room.
Luxurious, stunning and clearly meant to impress any visitors, but a little … cold for her liking, Toni decided. It was as though the person living here had no intention of giving anything of himself away. Which would fit the little she knew of Steel Landry to a T.
She didn’t have time to reflect further. The door opened and a tall, dark-haired man strode into the room. ‘Sorry to have kept you waiting; an urgent call I had to take which couldn’t wait. Steel Landry, and you must be Toni George? Sit down, won’t you? Maggie’s bringing us coffee in a moment or two,’ he added, shaking her hand.
Toni was glad to sink down on one of the sofas. James had described Steel as a handsome so-and-so, and he hadn’t been wrong. The dark, rugged good looks were certainly attractive but it was his piercing silver-blue eyes that had thrown her. His lashes were thick and black and framed the metallic orbs dramatically, emphasising the silvery hue to his blue eyes perfectly. Many a model would have paid a fortune to have eyes like his, she thought inconsequentially. It didn’t seem fair nature had wasted them on a man.
Before she could voice the polite ‘It’s nice to meet you’ social opening appropriate for such occasions, he further threw her when he said, ‘May I take your coat?’
This necessitated her standing up again and as he helped her off with the coat she caught a faint whiff of his aftershave, a subtle blend that held warm, woody notes and a hint of citrus fruits. She shivered involuntarily, glad he had turned away to lay her coat over the back of one of the sofas so he didn’t notice. Toni was tall at five feet ten, but he had towered over her by another six or seven inches and she had found it disconcerting. She found him disconcerting.
Nevertheless, by the time he had sat down opposite her she was outwardly composed, her voice calm and smooth when she said, ‘Thank you for seeing me today, Mr Landry. I know how busy you are. I hope your sister is feeling better.’
He frowned. It clearly hadn’t been the best thing to say.
‘She’s pregnant and things aren’t going too well,’ he said briefly, the tone of his voice ending further comment.
Toni knew her cheeks had turned pink but there was nothing she could do about it. Gamely, she struggled on. ‘I’ve brought my portfolio for you to look at with a list of past clients who would be only too pleased to give me a reference should you require it. I—’
The cutting motion of his hand stopped her in mid-flow. Leaning forward, he fixed her with his eyes. ‘I’ve already made my own enquiries before I agreed to this interview. James is the best architect I know but he’d be the first to admit he’s no interior designer. When he mentioned you in passing for this job he said very little beyond you were a damn good designer and you’d worked for his practice for six years before leaving to start a family just over four years ago. Is that correct?’
‘I—Yes. Yes, that’s correct.’
‘And now you want to get back into the workplace and take up your career?’
‘Yes.’ Toni felt as though she were a prisoner being interrogated. On the rack.
‘Why?’ Steel Landry asked coolly.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Why do you want to return to work? Was it always part of the plan after a specific amount of time or are you bored or are there financial implications? And are you sure you’ve done having babies?’
She couldn’t believe this. It wasn’t so much what he said as the way he said it, but that last bit about having babies had been downright aggressive. Or it felt like that anyway.
Toni’s deep brown eyes took on the consistency of polished onyx. Her small chin rose sharply. ‘Quite sure, Mr Landry,’ she said crisply. ‘And my reasons for resuming my career are my own business.’
‘Wrong.’ The silver gaze held hers and his voice was lazy and without heat. ‘I’m sure James explained I’m looking to diversify from what has hitherto been a property business encapsulating office blocks, shops, warehouses, that type of thing? This latest venture is a conversion of an old factory into several apartments for the very rich, and I mean very rich. They’ll expect nothing less than the best from the smallest, most functional item in their home to the biggest. Space-age technology but without losing the cosy feel-good factor. I could have employed any number of excellent interior designers but a chance conversation with James raised your name. This first project is merely a stepping stone. I want the right folk on side from the beginning, people who are in it for the long haul.’
Toni nodded. What James had actually said was that Steel Landry got bored easily, and his business, which had begun with the purchase of the odd property or two, had swiftly grown into a vast network of prime real estate that had made him too successful. She’d laughed, asking how anyone could be too successful, and he’d told her Steel was a restless spirit, the sort of man who wasn’t happy unless he was wrestling with a challenge. Consequently, James had said, the Midas touch Steel had was both a blessing and a curse.
‘The person I employ is likely to have their own team in a couple of years with the accompanying responsibility. For that reason I think I have every right to question your motives and satisfy myself this return to the workplace is not on a whim.’
Acknowledging this was perfectly reasonable, Toni nodded again. ‘I can assure you this is no whim, Mr Landry,’ she said, willing her voice not to tremble. ‘My return to work is born out of necessity financially.’
The metallic eyes narrowed. ‘And your husband would not object to your having a demanding career? And what about childcare?’
‘He—I—’ Oh, for goodness’ sake pull yourself together, Toni told herself desperately. She had expected these sort of questions, hadn’t she?
Yes, a separate part of her mind answered. But not someone like Steel Landry asking them. And this was the first time she had laid the searingly painful events of the last months bare to a stranger. Nevertheless, she couldn’t let emotion get in the way.
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. ‘My husband died unexpectedly leaving huge debts,’ she said flatly, ‘and childcare is not an issue. We—my children and I—are staying with my parents for the time being. My mother is available for them.’
A tap at the door preceded the daily appearing with a tray of coffee and cake. Bustling over to them, she laid the tray on a low coffee table as she chirruped, ‘I’ve made you one of my fruit cakes, Mr Landry. Joy said you hadn’t eaten your lunch when she called earlier and dinner won’t be ready till eight.’
Steel sat back in his chair and the smile he gave the little woman made Toni’s heart jolt. Serious, he was drop-dead gorgeous, but when he smiled … Dynamite. It increased the smouldering sex appeal about a thousand per cent.
‘Thanks, Maggie,’ he said lazily, ‘although I doubt I’m in danger of wasting away.’
‘Be that as it may, it doesn’t do to skip meals.’ Maggie’s demeanour was one of motherly reproof; Toni had the feeling the daily and her formidable employer got on very well. This was borne out when the little woman poured them both a cup of coffee and cut Steel a massive slice of cake, clucking her tongue at Toni when she refused a piece. ‘You young girls these days.’ She shook her grey head. ‘Don’t eat enough to keep a sparrow alive. How about just a morsel to have with your coffee, eh?’
Helplessly, Toni agreed. It was simpler.
Satisfied, the daily gave them both a beaming smile and bustled out of the room, her permed curls bobbing.
Toni looked down at the plate on her lap and then raised her eyes to find Steel Landry’s gaze on her face. ‘Are you always persuaded so easily?’ he murmured, before adding, ‘You said children. How many do you have?’
She knew her face was burning with colour when she reached into her briefcase and brought out the CV she hadn’t had time to send before the interview. James had only called her the night before to say he’d mentioned her name to Steel Landry and he’d agreed to see her the next evening after checking out some of her previous work. She’d grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
‘M-my personal details are included,’ she mumbled as she held the plastic folder out to him.
He didn’t take it. ‘I prefer to hear it from you.’
Great. ‘I have twin girls.’
‘How old are they?’
‘Nearly four.’ She placed the folder on the coffee table.
She wasn’t aware how her voice had softened at the thought of Amelia and Daisy, but the silver eyes watching her so intently sharpened. ‘And you’d be happy to work evenings and weekends when necessary?’ he asked quietly. ‘This is no nine-to-five job.’
Another fair question and one that could lose her any chance of getting the job if she answered honestly. ‘Not happy, no,’ she said stiffly. ‘But I know they’d be well cared for and I have to work. It’s as simple as that.’
He considered her over the rim of his coffee cup. ‘Another personal question. You said huge debts. That means what exactly? Ballpark figure if you don’t mind.’
This was worse than she’d imagined. Knowing her hands were shaking, Toni put down the coffee cup and gripped them together in her lap. ‘Eighty thousand pounds,’ she said flatly.
She raised her head and looked at him. His face was impassive. No doubt eighty thousand was pocket change to him, but to her it was a small fortune. She swallowed hard. He might as well know it all. ‘My husband had taken loans out all over the place,’ she said tightly. ‘Most of them were wiped out with his death but he’d borrowed from friends and family too, even work colleagues. He told so many stories …’ She gulped, determined to get through without breaking down. She’d done enough crying lately to last a lifetime and employers didn’t like hysterical women.
‘What did he want the money for?’
‘Gambling.’ One word, but as stark and ugly as any profanity as far as Toni was concerned, and her tone reflected this.
‘And you didn’t know?’
He sounded faintly incredulous. Toni didn’t blame him. She found it unbelievable herself. She’d lived with Richard for over four years and she hadn’t known him at all, apparently.
It had been a textbook whirlwind marriage. They had met at the wedding of one of Toni’s old university friends, and had been wed themselves within three months. He had been charming and carefree and funny and she’d fallen for him like a ton of bricks. By the time doubts had set in she’d found she’d become pregnant with the twins on honeymoon. Fait accompli.
‘No, I didn’t know.’ Her eyes were deep pools of pain. ‘But I intend to pay back every penny he borrowed.’
‘How many people does that involve?’
She felt nauseous remembering. ‘A lot,’ she said bleakly.
‘And none of them would wipe the slate clean considering you knew nothing about your husband’s addiction?’
‘I wouldn’t let them.’ Her chin had a proud tilt to it now. ‘However long it takes, they’ll get their money.’
He surveyed her for a long moment without speaking and then drank the rest of his coffee. It was only when he replaced the cup on the saucer that he said softly, ‘Even at the cost of your children’s welfare.’
For a moment she wondered if she’d heard right.
Then, stung beyond measure, she glared at him as she got to her feet. ‘My children will always come first with me. Always. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do what’s right.’
‘You’re sure this isn’t your pride having a field day?’
Hateful man. ‘Richard stole from our friends and family,’ she bit out angrily. ‘Oh, he might have dressed it up differently, but that’s what he did. He lied and cheated and would probably be doing the same now if he hadn’t had a massive heart attack when out jogging one evening. One old aunt lent him her life savings. She’s barely got enough now to feed herself and her cats.’
‘They can’t all be elderly and destitute,’ Steel commented mildly, seemingly untouched by her anger.
‘No, but they all trusted my husband and were cruelly let down. Betrayed through no fault of their own.’
‘As you were.’
Toni blinked. She had been set to walk out a second ago, now she didn’t know what to do. The way he’d said the last words had brought the traitorous tears close to the surface again.
‘Sit down and finish your coffee and cake,’ he said very softly, and when, after a second’s hesitation, she complied he continued to observe her.
Behind the cool, unruffled exterior Steel’s mind was racing. For once he found himself at something of a loss and he didn’t like that. When he had first walked into the room and seen the young woman in the pistachio-green coat standing by the window his male antenna had responded with appreciation to the womanly shape topped by a mass of dark brown hair.
Toni George was attractive, very attractive. Not beautiful, he qualified, although many a model would have killed for her cheekbones, but she had something, something indefinable. When he had relieved her of her coat he’d caught the scent of her perfume and it had caused his loins to tighten. Ridiculous, but he’d found himself wishing she wasn’t a married woman …
Be careful what you wish for because it might just come true. Who’d said that? Whoever, they were dead right, he thought with dark amusement, because any involvement with a widow with two young children—a definitely damaged and troubled widow at that—spelt nothing but disaster.
Becoming aware where his thoughts had led, he mentally shook his head. What the hell was he playing at? This young woman had come to see him about a job, that was all, and with what she’d been through in the last months she’d no more be looking for anything of a romantic nature than a trip to the moon. And someone in her position—no matter how attractive they were—could never feature on his agenda. She was as different from the kind of woman he dated as chalk from cheese.
Steel reached for the folder on the table between them, opening it and taking out the neat pages it contained. Swiftly he scanned the facts and figures within. Personal details were at a minimum.
Her velvet-brown eyes were waiting for him when he looked up and he was aware she was jumpy. It had no relevance to what he’d just been reading but, because he wanted to know, he said, ‘How long have you been widowed?’
She shifted slightly in the seat. ‘Nearly four months.’
Four months of hell, if the look on her face was anything to go by. To his amazement, he heard himself say, ‘Were you happy with him? Before he died and you discovered the debts?’
She stiffened and he waited for her to tell him to mind his own business. He wouldn’t have blamed her.
Instead, after a long ten seconds had ticked by, she lowered her head so the sleek thick curtain of shoulder-length hair swung to conceal her expression. ‘No, I wasn’t happy.’
There was a red light burning bright and hot in his mind. Obeying it, he turned his concentration to her CV, talking through a couple of points with her. Then he looked at her portfolio. It was impressive, as he’d expected it to be; he wouldn’t have wasted his time granting her an interview otherwise.
She was confident and enthusiastic when discussing her work, metamorphosing into a different person in front of his fascinated gaze. This is what she would have been like when she met that louse she married, Steel thought with a bolt of quite unreasonably vicious hatred for the dead man. Energised, self-assured, dauntless. And he’d been wrong earlier. She was beautiful. Enchantingly so.
It was close to half-past six when he asked her if she’d like to see the plans and photographs of the project thus far. When, nearly an hour later, he noticed her glance surreptitiously at her watch he couldn’t believe how the time had flown. ‘I’m sorry, do you need to be somewhere?’ he said as her colour flared, indicating she was aware he’d caught her checking the time.
‘No, no, of course not.’ Toni knew she should have left it at that in view of the fact she’d previously assured him the twins wouldn’t be an issue regarding her working late. Instead she found herself continuing, ‘It’s just that it’s the girls’ bedtime and I always ring them if I’m not there to tuck them in.’
Steel straightened. He didn’t want to think of her as a mother, which in itself indicated a mental step backwards away from this dark-haired woman with the huge eyes and delicious body was called for. He smiled thinly. ‘Go ahead.’ He gestured at the telephone on a glass table next to an enormous bowl of hothouse blooms. ‘I need to call the hospital again anyway.’
‘I’ve got my mobile …’
She was fumbling in one of the huge handbags women seem to favour these days and he was suddenly intensely irritated without knowing why. ‘No need. I’ll use the other line in my study,’ he said coolly, walking to the door as he spoke and shutting it firmly behind him once he was in the hall. He stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
What was the matter with him, for crying out loud? He breathed deeply, his nostrils flaring. So she was phoning her kids. So what? He knew she wasn’t first and foremost a career-motivated Barbara with her own flat and sports car and intrinsically selfish life that meant she could do what she wanted, when she wanted and how she wanted. And with whom. He hadn’t even known she existed until a day or two ago. She meant nothing to him. Nothing beyond a potential employee, that was. If he should choose to give her the job.
He walked into his study and reached for the telephone on the massive curving desk in front of the window. It was only then he acknowledged there was no if about it. She’d had the job from the minute he’d laid eyes on her.
He shook his head at himself. Steady, boy, steady, he cautioned silently. Big step backwards here. He didn’t do impulsive. Every decision he made was logical and thought out, even ruthless at times. It was how he had created a thriving little empire in just under twenty years. Sentiment and emotion were all very well but they had no place in business.
He was frowning as he rang Jeff’s mobile, but after talking to his brother-in-law for a couple of minutes and finding out Annie was no worse his expression cleared.
Toni George would be just another employee. Anything else was not acceptable. Decision made, he stood up, flexed his broad shoulders and left the room.
CHAPTER TWO
TONI’S MOTHER ANSWERED the telephone. Toni could hear shrieks of laughter and high squeals in the background as she said, ‘Mother? It’s me. I’m not going to be back for a while yet—the interview still hasn’t finished. I was ringing to say goodnight to the girls. Are they ready for bed?’ Their bedtime was seven-thirty but if she wasn’t around to enforce it, it could be any time, which invariably meant two tetchy little girls the next day. Not good for them or anyone around them!
‘Oh, yes, love. They’ve had their bath and they’re in their pyjamas,’ Vivienne Otley said fondly.
Hating to be critical, but knowing how long it took the twins to calm down once they got excited, Toni said carefully, ‘I thought we’d agreed seven was the deadline for reading stories in bed so they can wind down?’
‘Well, you know what your father’s like with them. He’s the big bad wolf and they’re the little pigs. I’m a little pig too.’
Toni stifled a sigh. She adored her parents and would be eternally grateful for the way they’d immediately opened up their home and hearts to her and the twins when the full horror of the mountain of debts came to light, but she was fighting a losing battle against the girls being spoilt rotten.
Having tried unsuccessfully for a child for years, her parents had long since resigned themselves to being childless when she’d made her appearance on her mother’s forty-second birthday thirty years ago. Her mother’s favourite story was that for the first six months of pregnancy Toni had been dismissed as the onset of the menopause. It had only been when she gave a hefty kick one day that her mother had realised the flutters and discomfort she’d put down to her age and flatulence were, in fact, a baby. A nine-pound baby as it turned out.
Toni had always known she was her parents’ sun, moon and stars, but in spite of their joy in their beloved daughter they had never spoiled her. Just the contrary in fact. But with the twins … Suppressing another sigh, she said meaningfully, ‘Put them on the line, would you, and I’ll make it clear they’re straight to bed. They’ve got that nursery trip tomorrow to the safari park and they’re going to be exhausted if they’re up late.’
Amelia came on the phone first, as Toni had expected. The older twin by minutes, Amelia led and Daisy followed. ‘'Lo, Mummy,’ Amelia said brightly. ‘Grandad’s pretending to be the wolf and he’s put those big teeth in we got in a cracker at Christmas. He’s nearly swallowed them once.’ Lowering her voice, she whispered, ‘We’re acting scared but we aren’t really.’
Toni had to smile. ‘Hallo, honeybee,’ she said softly. ‘I’m not going to be able to get home to put you to bed so I’m sending a big kiss and hug down the phone, OK? And I want you to promise you’ll go straight to bed now and Grandma will read you one story. You’ve got your trip tomorrow, haven’t you? And you don’t want to miss anything because you’re too tired.’
It worked. ‘All right, Mummy,’ Amelia said at once, handing the phone to her sister before Toni could say goodbye.
‘'Lo, Mummy,’ Daisy lisped, her voice softer and more babyish than Amelia’s. ‘When are you coming home?’
‘Soon, darling, but Grandma’s going to read your story tonight and tuck you in because Mummy’s trying to get that job I told you and Amelia about. Remember? Be a good girl for Grandma, won’t you? Go straight to sleep, promise me?’
‘Yesp.’ A tiny pause. ‘I lub you, Mummy.’
‘I love you, sweetpea.’ Swallowing the lump in her throat, she added, ‘I’ll come and kiss you when I get home, but I want you to go straight to sleep after your story.’
Her mother came on the line. ‘She’s nodding to whatever you just said, bless her. And I’m sorry, love. I forgot about that nursery trip. It’s gone clean out of my mind.’
Toni felt instantly guilty. Why should her parents have to remember about things like nursery trips at their age? They were in their early seventies; they should be enjoying the grandchildren visiting every so often for a few hours, not being with them full time. Richard hadn’t paid the rent on the flat they’d been living in for a while before he’d died, but even if they’d been up to date there was no way they could have continued to live there on what she could earn. A basic bedsit would be all she could afford and it would mean she wouldn’t be able to save anything towards paying off the mountain of debt Richard had left. Her parents continued to insist they loved having her and the grandchildren and wouldn’t hear of her moving out, but their small two-bedroomed terrace was bursting at the seams with the children’s paraphernalia. She slept on a sofa bed in the sitting room at night and she knew her parents’ calm, orderly life had been turned upside down. But what was the alternative?
Wearily she brushed a strand of dark brown hair laced with copper behind her ear. She was tired. Mentally and emotionally worn out, and she couldn’t think beyond this present moment or she’d lose any faint hope she had of landing this job. James had assured her Steel would pay well, exceptionally well if he thought she was the right person for the job. Steel’s employees rarely left the firm, he’d said drily, in spite of his reputation of being an exacting employer. An excellent salary and a generous package of benefits bought loyalty.
When Steel returned to the room she was sitting primly on the sofa, her manner one of cool composure. This lasted all of one moment due to him saying smoothly, ‘Maggie assures me there is more than enough dinner for two, Mrs George, and, as we haven’t finished the interview yet and I’m hungry, it seems sensible to kill two birds with one stone. Unless you have any objection, of course?’
Plenty, but she couldn’t very well say so. For a second or two she sat there dry-mouthed, his impossibly light eyes seeming to pin her to the spot. It took some effort to pull herself together but her voice was gratifyingly steady when she said, ‘That’s very kind of you, Mr Landry. Thank you.’
‘Maggie will call us when the meal’s ready but in the meantime can I offer you a drink?’ He was walking across to the beautifully made glass cocktail cabinet in a corner or the room as he spoke. ‘I usually have a cocktail about this time of night if I’m not driving, but there’s red, white or rosé wine, along with various spirits and mixers, sherry, martini …’
‘A cocktail would be lovely.’ She was glad now she’d eaten the slice of cake Maggie had pressed on her. The day had been hectic and after she had dropped the twins off at their nursery she’d rushed from pillar to post and skipped lunch. Without the cake any alcohol would have gone straight to her head, but she felt Steel Landry would expect a sophisticated career woman to have a pre-dinner aperitif.
She watched as he prepared the cocktails, and as he carried two glasses back to where she was sitting she took one with a smile of thanks. ‘What is it?’
‘A Moscow Mule.’
He smiled, and her heart did a pancake flip. She took a tiny sip and the zingy concoction exploded on her taste buds and then left a warm glow where it travelled.
‘Despite its name it was invented in a Sunset Strip bar in 1940s Hollywood,’ Steel said lazily, sitting down opposite her once more and loosening his tie as he undid the top two buttons of his shirt.
It made concentrating on what he was saying hard, doubly so as he crossed one leg over the other knee and settled back comfortably. It was crazy, ridiculous, but every nerve in her body was registering his smallest action and she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he was the most aggressively masculine man she’d ever met, and his voice—deep, smoky, compelling—added to the dark sexual appeal.
Summoning her thought process, Toni said weakly, ‘What’s in it? It tastes pretty powerful.’
He nodded his agreement. ‘Russian wheat vodka, lime juice and ginger beer. Apparently a spirits distributor was having trouble getting the Americans to buy his Russian vodka so he thought up a new drink with a barman who made his own, equally poorly selling, ginger beer. Enterprising, especially as it lives up to their marketing of having a kick like a mule.’
And Steel Landry was a man who would appreciate enterprise and initiative, she thought. Did he realise how intimidating he was? Probably. It was a tool that would serve him well in the cut-throat world of business. Wishing her neatly tailored, pencil-slim skirt were a couple of inches longer—although its knee-length had never bothered her before—she covertly tugged at it and readjusted her position before taking another sip of the cocktail.
‘Kids OK?’ he asked softly.
Startled, she met his gaze. ‘Yes, they’re fine.’
‘Then could you try to relax a little?’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Painfully aware she’d turned an unflattering shade of crimson, Toni didn’t know where to put herself. ‘I am perfectly relaxed, thank you.’
‘You, Mrs George, are like a cat on a hot tin roof,’ he drawled slowly, ‘or maybe little Miss Riding Hood in front of the big bad wolf would be a better analogy. Whatever, I’m not going to try to seduce you over drinks and dinner.’
‘I never thought for a moment you were,’ she said hotly, such transparent honesty in her voice he couldn’t fail to believe her.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Then why so tense?’
She shrugged. How could she say she was desperate for the job? That it would make all the difference in the world to her if he paid half as well as James had intimated he might? She had enjoyed her time working for James’s practice; preparing the sketches and ideas for quotation and then, if the practice won the contract, putting together more detailed specifications and working drawings and getting approval for them. Once she’d put out the contract for the actual work—the decorating, furniture, coverings, etc.—to tender, she had been responsible for supervising it and seeing schedules were kept and problems solved. It had been tough sometimes when things went wrong but she’d been good at it and she knew she could handle anything Steel Landry might ask of her. The alternative was trying to pick up some freelance work or another job, both of which were in short supply to someone who’d been out of the running for the last four years.
She didn’t regret her time at home with the twins. Richard had had a very good job as a sales executive for a large pharmaceutical company and they should have been able to manage perfectly well until the twins started school and she went into the workplace again. She had been very careful to shop wisely and make a penny stretch to two, making the most of two-for-one offers and learning how to cook the cheaper cuts of meat until they were as tender as anything offered at the best restaurants. Most of the girls’ clothes she’d made herself, copying the latest designer fashions with such success she’d earnt a little extra for the family finances when friends had asked her to do the same for them. She hadn’t realised at the time that her efforts were pointless and that Richard’s double life was about to blow their family apart. She’d been so gullible and stupid.
‘Mrs George?’
The deep, slightly husky voice brought her out of the darkness. She blinked. He wanted an answer to his question. Following on from her thoughts, she said hesitantly, ‘I—I suppose I’m out of practice regarding interviews and selling myself.’
Even if she hadn’t realised instantly the last words weren’t the best she could have chosen, the way the carved lips twitched slightly would have told her, but his voice was soothing when he murmured, ‘Not at all. You’ve done an excellent job.’
Her soft brown eyes sharpened. She didn’t know how to take that. She didn’t know how to take him. When James had rung her she’d done a little research of her own on the powerhouse that was Steel Landry. She’d wished she hadn’t afterwards; it had made her more nervous. A human dynamo. Hard but fair. Relentless and unmovable when he wanted something. Severely lacking in the milk of human kindness. Admittedly that last had been from a disgruntled ex-employee who hadn’t been up to the position for which he had been employed, but nevertheless it had been unsettling.
‘Drink your cocktail, Mrs George,’ he said smoothly, ‘and stop worrying. You’ve got the job if you want it, OK?’
‘I have?’ Her eyes opened wide with startled pleasure. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr Landry.’
‘You accept?’ he asked, as though there had ever been a chance she might refuse. ‘Good. In that case we can do away with the Mr Landry and Mrs George. The name’s Steel.’
‘But—’ She stopped, not knowing how to continue.
‘What?’
‘You—you’re my boss,’ she stammered stupidly.
The crystal eyes crinkled. ‘Did you call James by his surname?’ he asked mildly, finishing his cocktail.
‘No, but—’ She paused. ‘That—that’s different.’
‘Why? He was your boss, wasn’t he?’
Yes, but James hadn’t been the head of a small empire worth umpteen millions, and neither had he been drop-dead gorgeous. ‘Things were quite informal at James’s practice,’ she said weakly.
He nodded. ‘And my employees who work closely with me enjoy that same privilege; my secretary, for example, and my financial director to name but two. This is a new project and I’ll want to be involved at every stage so you’ll be working particularly hand in glove with me. Steel and Toni will do just fine.’
Toni was kicking herself for objecting. Whatever must he be thinking? He’d just surprised her, that was all. Pulling herself together, she said quickly, ‘Of course. Thank you. Thank you so much. I won’t let you down, I promise.’
‘Believe me, Toni, if I had any doubt about that I wouldn’t be offering you the job.’
She did believe him, and strangely his belief in her was both uplifting and scary at the same time. Uplifting because her self-confidence had taken the mother and father of a knock over the last months, scary because the pressure to show him he’d been right to give her the job had suddenly increased a hundredfold just with hearing him say her name. Silly. Irrational. Emotions a man like Steel Landry would despise.
She raised her chin in a businesslike manner and assumed a look she prayed was professional. ‘When would you like me to start?’
‘We’ll discuss the details over dinner, including salary,’ he said gently.
The reminder that she hadn’t even asked the basics before accepting the position brought telltale colour to her cheeks again, but this time she didn’t falter. She even managed to inject a suggestion of sophisticated amusement into her tone when she said, ‘I’ve always adhered to the idea you get what you are prepared to pay for in this world.’
‘Is that so?’ he said silkily, his eyes intent on her flushed face. ‘Then I hope your salary buys everything I need from you, Toni …’
CHAPTER THREE
TONI WAS ETERNALLY grateful that Maggie chose to knock on the door and announce dinner was ready the moment after Steel had spoken. She wasn’t sure if he’d put a different connotation to her words than that which she’d intended—it could just be her fevered imagination—but as he rose and ushered her out of the sitting room with a cool hand in the small of her back she knew her cheeks were burning afresh.
She had expected to eat in a formal dining room, so when he led the way out onto a spectacular roof terrace she caught her breath in surprise. The terrace was laid out as a dining room and living space with stylish furniture; olive, eucalyptus and silver birch trees in huge white pots surrounding the perimeter all underplanted with a mix of grasses, lavender, iris, allium and other plants creating a vista reminiscent of woodland and Mediterranean scenes. The glass balustrade kept the space serene and light-filled as well as enabling the view to be appreciated, a view that seemed to take in the whole of Kensington. The dining table had been made from a slab of white Carrara marble and was a thing of beauty in itself, and the exterior sofas and easy chairs on the other side of the terrace to the dining suite were grouped round a marble coffee table with a builtin fireplace.
Toni stood, completely stunned, her artistic antenna quivering as her mind and senses struggled to take in what she was seeing. ‘This is beautiful.’ She breathed out the words slowly. ‘Absolutely beautiful. Who designed it?’
His smile had a self-mocking edge. ‘I did.’
‘You?’
Her amazement wasn’t exactly complimentary but fortunately he seemed more amused than offended. ‘I can appreciate beauty as much as the next man,’ he murmured as he pulled out one of the dining chairs for her to sit down, ‘in spite of being that most crass of creatures, a property developer.’
‘But if you can do this why wouldn’t you want to plan and carry out your own ideas on this new venture?’ she asked, stroking the fine marble under her fingers. The table was set for two with silver cutlery and crystal galore, a bowl of white lilies scenting the warm evening air.
He didn’t answer immediately, walking round to the other side of the table and reaching for the wine in the ice bucket. ‘I thought champagne was in order as this is a celebration.’ He passed her a glass full of the sparkling liquid and poured one for himself, raising it as he said, ‘To a long and happy working relationship.’
She could second that. ‘Thank you.’ She didn’t actually like champagne, she’d always found it too much on the dry side for her taste buds, but as she took a sip of the effervescent bubbles she realised there was champagne and champagne, and this one was like nothing she’d tasted before. Honey, strawberries, summer days and lazy nights, they were all there in the delicious and no doubt wildly expensive wine.
‘And in answer to your question regarding why I need you, Toni,’ he went on softly, ‘this terrace is a one-off as far as I’m concerned. I knew what I wanted so it was easy, even though it took me two months of intensive planning and the odd sleepless night when work commenced, but I wouldn’t want to think up ideas for someone else, time after time.’
The boredom factor again, she thought intuitively. He was indeed a restless spirit. What had made him that way? Bringing her thoughts back into line, she glanced round her surroundings again as she said, ‘I can see this must have cost you a great deal of money. You said you want the best for these new apartments; do you mean going this far if necessary?’
‘Absolutely.’
Now they were sitting down the trees and foliage provided a privacy that was curiously intimate; a small green world up in the sky with only the odd London bird to spy on the occupants below. Toni was vitally aware of this as he leant forward slightly, speaking with an intensity she was almost sure he was unaware of when he went on, ‘It’s important this first phase has an impact, and money is no object—my buyers will be able to afford it. Each apartment needs to be different and, as you’ve already seen from the plans, this was borne in mind from the word go. But they all have to be outstanding. I want you to play around with designs and ideas, think laterally, enjoy yourself.’
He seemed to check himself as though exerting some sort of personal rein, the silver-blue eyes hiding their expression. They reminded her of shells found on a windswept beach and washed clean by the constant tides to reveal the cool mother-of-pearl beneath. She had never seen eyes like them in a human face before.
He didn’t like showing emotion, she thought suddenly. Even about his business. Did emotion translate as weakness in that hard, cold male mind? Without considering her words, she asked what she’d been wanting to ask since he’d returned after the phone call. ‘How’s your sister?’
After a brief pause he took a swallow of champagne before saying, ‘Too soon to really be sure, but better, Jeff, her husband, seemed to think. Things are stabilizing, settling down. She has to have complete bedrest for the foreseeable future, though, which won’t suit Annie. She can’t keep still for two minutes.’
There was deep affection in his voice and he seemed more relaxed about talking about his sister than he had earlier. Carefully, she said, ‘How many months pregnant is she?’
He thought for a moment. ‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted ruefully. ‘That doesn’t say much for the prospective uncle, does it? Two months, three months, something like that. Nothing to be seen yet anyway.’
‘I had a friend who was in a similar condition a couple of years ago. With complete rest the pregnancy went on until the thirty-third week and although Jack was premature he’s the brightest toddler I’ve ever come across. Tell your sister to endure what needs to be endured and not take any chances.’
Steel nodded. He liked the fact she hadn’t offered the normal platitudes of ‘I’m sure she’s going to be all right,’ and ‘They can do such marvelous things these days.’ In fact he liked Toni George altogether. He let his eyes wander over her face, lingering for a moment on the soft full curve of her lips. He wondered what it would feel like to have that mouth open beneath his, to penetrate the sweet interior.
The thought was simple but it sent a bolt of desire sizzling through his body and he turned as hard as a rock. Shocked at how such an innocent fantasy could have such an immediate effect, he moved his gaze to the skyline. He was, by virtue of his intelligence and instinct, a very rational man, perhaps even cynical, he admitted silently. He conducted his love life in the same controlled way he ran the rest of his life and boyish, passionate irrationalism had had no place in his dealings with the opposite sex for two decades or more. He had a rigid list of personal codes and values and one rule was inexorable. No mixing business and pleasure.
Over the years he had watched too many people, some of them good friends, become entangled in messy relationships with work colleagues and the fallout when the affair ended was invariably embarrassing at best and painful at worst. It was rare one person wasn’t left feeling bruised and hurt and the tension and difficulties that could arise made work life uncomfortable. Knowing this, why had he asked this woman to have dinner with him tonight? He could easily have wrapped up the interview in five minutes. It was illogical, a trait he prided himself he’d escaped. He’d gone against everything he’d told himself earlier.
Irritated with himself, he became aware she was looking at him with some concern and realised he was frowning again.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said quickly, her words tumbling over themselves. ‘I shouldn’t have presumed to tell your sister what to do. It’s nothing to do with me.’
Far from pacifying him, her words made him more nettled, but he couldn’t have said why. Forcing a smile, he told himself he was being ridiculous. ‘Not at all; it’s kind of you to be concerned,’ he said coolly, his tone negating the words. ‘Now back to business. How soon could you start?’
‘Straight away,’ she said eagerly. ‘Whenever you like.’
‘Monday morning? That will give you the rest of the week to put arrangements in place regarding any domestic arrangements.’
Toni found she resented her precious girls being written off as ‘domestic arrangements'. Purposely, she said, ‘Thank you, that would be welcome, although very little will change at home. As I mentioned before, my parents are on hand to take care of Amelia and Daisy. What—what would be my normal working hours?’
Amelia and Daisy. Were they two little miniatures of her or did they look like their swine of a father? Repressing the notion to ask her if she had a photograph of the children, he said quietly, ‘It’s the sort of position where “normal” working hours won’t apply some of the time, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate having seen jobs for James’s practice through from beginning to end. However, I do expect my staff to put in a good day’s work for a good day’s pay, but as long as you do that the hours can be flexible within reason. I have other employees with children on the payroll and, depending on nursery or school hours and the various panics and situations which occur in family life, they juggle their hours accordingly.’
Steel could tell from the widening of the velvet brown eyes that she hadn’t expected him to be so reasonable. He was glad he’d been able to surprise her, but it rankled she obviously thought him something of a tyrant. Keeping the annoyance he was feeling out of his voice, he went on, ‘There will be times when you will be able to work from home if necessary and other periods when it will be essential you are in the office or visiting the site. At those times I expect my business to take precedence over anything else, barring life-or-death family issues, of course.’
‘Of course.’ She nodded briskly.
‘Pay-wise, you were earning a good salary four years ago. James obviously valued you highly.’ He hesitated, mentally doubling the amount he’d previously considered and not pausing to think about it—another first—as he made the offer. He watched warm colour stain the high cheekbones, which was reward enough for his magnanimity.
‘I—That’s—I mean—’ Toni pulled herself together. ‘That’s extremely generous,’ she said faintly. Understatement of the year. Was he paying her so much because she’d told him about her debts? Well, she didn’t care. She would be able to give her parents board and lodging for herself and the girls and an extra sum for all they would take on now she was working again, and still have a massive amount she could save each month. The debts that had looked to be a millstone round her neck for the next decades would now be able to be dealt with in two or three years if she was frugal. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’
‘Don’t thank me too enthusiastically, Toni. I’m a hard taskmaster and you’ll earn every penny,’ he drawled, only partly tongue in cheek.
She spoke from the heart. ‘I don’t mind what you ask of me, Mr Landry, and I’ll work my socks off. I can promise you that.’
Steel slammed the lid on the reply his suddenly out-of-control libido suggested, keeping his voice bland as he continued, ‘The package will include private health insurance for you and immediate family, namely your children in this instance, and a company car will be available when required. You don’t have a car of your own, I presume?’
Toni shook her head. It had been tubes and buses lately.
‘One last thing. I thought we had progressed to Steel.’
‘Oh, yes, of course.’ Nervously she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. ‘I’m sorry.’
Steel’s eyes followed the motion and again his body reacted in the age-old way. Cursing himself for the ridiculousness of the situation he found himself in, he said quietly, ‘I’d like you to take the plans and anything else you need away with you tonight and familiarise yourself with the project before Monday. My secretary will send you a formal offer and all the relevant paperwork tomorrow.
Toni nodded as Maggie bustled through from the house with their first course. ‘Thank you,’ she said again.
‘Here we are, then.’ Maggie placed a plate in front of her as she said, ‘I hope you like asparagus, young lady.’
‘Yes, I do, and this looks delicious.’ The asparagus and ham parcels were covered in a crispy crumb and suddenly Toni was ravenously hungry. They lived up to expectation when she took her first bite; obviously Maggie was a wonderful cook.
‘Do you live to eat or eat to live?’ Steel asked after a moment or two, his gaze running over her slender shape.
Toni froze for a moment. Naturally slim, she knew she was too thin at the moment and her clothes were hanging on her and immediately took the question as a subtle criticism. She’d had to alter the waistband of the skirt she had on that morning, and although her white silk shirt was supposed to be loose it didn’t fit her as it had when she’d bought it a year ago. Sleepless nights spent worrying over the last four months had taken their toll. She took a sip of champagne and nerved herself to look into the handsome face. ‘I like food so I suppose the former. Yes, definitely the former.’
He grinned. ‘Me too.’
The beat of sexual awareness that vibrated through her veins almost caused her to drop the champagne flute. Horrified at herself, she prayed frantically he hadn’t noticed. It had been that smile, the way it had mellowed the hard planes and angles of his face and crinkled the silver-blue eyes. But he was her boss, well, practically. And she was in his world now. A world where sophisticated, worldly men and women could share a meal and eat and drink and converse as colleagues and nothing more. Besides which, if she ever got involved with another man in the whole of her life it would be too soon. All she wanted was to bring up the girls the best she could after she cleared the mountain of debts Richard had left. They were her life now and there was no room for anyone else, not that a man like Steel Landry would remotely be interested in a widow with two small children in tow.
The conversation was inconsequential while they ate and she found Steel had a wickedly dry wit, his observations on day-to-day life turning fairly mundane happenings into something hysterically funny. He had it all, she thought as she savoured the marinated chilli and ginger steaks Maggie had brought for the next course. Looks, personality, wealth. Women would throw themselves at him till the day he died; he was that sort of man. How would a girlfriend or wife cope with that? They would have to be very sure of their own worth and of him too, but could you ever be sure of someone like Steel Landry?
Dessert was a frothy chocolate concoction with a raspberry sauce that was tangy and complemented the rich chocolate perfectly, and by the end of the meal Toni was very full and more relaxed. But only up to a point. Steel simply wasn’t the sort of man you could relax around—or maybe she should say the sort of man she could relax around, she acknowledged silently. He was too … disturbing.
Maggie had gone home once she had brought out the dessert and coffee, and now Toni said, ‘Maggie’s a wonderful cook. Has she worked for you long?’
He nodded. ‘A good few years. She comes in most afternoons and prepares an evening meal unless I’m going out, and sees to the apartment and laundry and so on. Her husband died shortly before she came to work for me and left her fairly well off, but she likes to keep busy. She looks after one of her grandchildren every morning so the hours here suit her.’
Toni thought back to the motherly way Maggie had with her. ‘She likes to feel needed.’
The observation seemed to surprise him. ‘Needed?’ He considered this for a moment. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right, I hadn’t looked at it like that. She was very happily married, by all accounts, so I suppose it must have been hard when her husband died, especially as it was a long illness and she nursed him herself. She’s a good person.’
And devoted to Steel, by the way she’d fussed round him. Which had to mean he wasn’t quite the hard, remote, slightly sardonic mogul he presented to the world?
Or maybe it didn’t. She didn’t know, Toni thought confusedly, what Steel was, and she didn’t need to. She was an employee, that was all. She finished the last of her coffee, feeling acutely awkward as she said, ‘That was a lovely meal and all the nicer for being so unexpected. Thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ The firm, sensual mouth suddenly quirked with amusement as he added, ‘See the lengths I’ve gone to to make you relax?’
She giggled, she couldn’t help it, the first real natural response she’d made all evening, then felt acutely embarrassed as the silver eyes narrowed on her mouth.
‘That’s better,’ he murmured, ‘but don’t tense up on me again. Let’s go and sort out those plans and the other bits and pieces before I call a taxi.’
‘Oh, you needn’t do that,’ she said quickly. ‘I came by underground and—’
‘And you’re going home with me in a taxi.’
With him? This was getting worse. ‘I’ve got my ticket—’
‘I’m going to call the hospital for an update and then a cab, OK? I have never yet left any young woman I was responsible for to make her own way home, and I don’t intend to start with you, Toni.’
She stared at him. ‘You’re not responsible for me.’
‘You came here early this evening because I asked you to and you stayed for a meal for the same reason. It is now—’ he consulted his watch ‘—getting on for eleven, and soon all the gremlins and goblins come out to play. Indulge me.’
He was light-hearted, casual, but she couldn’t rise to the humour. ‘Really, there’s no need.’
‘Yes, there is.’ The silver eyes fixed her determinedly.
Oh, for goodness’ sake! ‘Thank you,’ she said. Not.
‘I’d drive myself but I’ve had a drink,’ he added, rising to his feet as though the matter was settled. ‘Now come along.’
Toni stood up. She felt she couldn’t do anything else but she found she really didn’t want to ride home with him in a taxi. They’d shared a meal, admittedly, but on opposite sides of the table. A taxi was altogether more … She baulked at the word intimate and substituted cosy.
Fifteen minutes later she was sitting in a cab on her way home to Finsbury clutching her portfolio to her chest. Steel was sprawled beside her taking a good two-thirds of the seat, his long legs stretched in front of him and his whole persona one of lazy relaxation as he went over a few key points of the project.
Toni tried to concentrate, she really did, but she was acutely aware of a hard male thigh against hers, the five-o’clock stubble on his chin, which accentuated his brand of aggressive masculinity tenfold, and, not least, the bigness of him. The hard muscled shoulders were broad in keeping with his height, but it was more the overall virility of the man that was so disturbing. And attractive. And definitely scary.
Oh, she didn’t doubt those worldly, sophisticated women a man like Steel would date would be able to handle his fascination just fine. But she was neither worldly nor sophisticated, she admitted feverishly, wishing the journey would end. Before Richard she had never slept with a man before. Lots of her boyfriends had tried to go all the way, of course, but that wasn’t how she had been brought up. She hadn’t minded kissing and petting, she was as red-blooded as the next woman, but she’d always known she would need to be in love before she committed herself body, soul and spirit. It was just the way she was made and that was that. She’d done apologising for the fact long before Richard had come across the horizon. It hadn’t taken her long to understand that the male sex worked on quite another agenda, however. Most of them didn’t need to do more than like a woman before they indulged in anything and everything, no holds barred. And some of them simply refused to compute the word no.
But Richard had been understanding and prepared to wait. He’d assured her that one-night stands and casual sex weren’t on his agenda either, and he had charmed her down the aisle before she had recognised he was essentially a terribly weak and flawed individual. But even then, when her love had turned to lukewarm affection and she had realised she was always going to have to be the strong one in the relationship, the one who carried the family and made all the important decisions, she still hadn’t known about his addiction. He had been cunning enough to keep that dark side of his life from her completely, so maybe he had been stronger than she’d thought?
To her acute discomfort she came out of the maelstrom of memories to find Steel was watching her with eyes like polished, razor-sharp crystal. ‘I’m sorry?’ Too late she realised he was waiting for an answer to a question she hadn’t heard. Wonderful. Just the way to show a new boss you were on the ball.
‘It doesn’t matter.’ He brushed away whatever he’d said with an inclination of his head, but his gaze didn’t leave her face as he continued, ‘What were you thinking about just now?’
She had only known him a matter of hours but she already knew prevarication wasn’t an option. Deciding a half-truth would carry the weight she needed, she said quietly, ‘I was thinking how someone’s life can be turned around in an hour or two. When I came to see you tonight the future looked like an uphill struggle I might never get control of, but now, now I feel I’ve been given my life back. Richard left us in a terrible mess and it was hard to come to terms with the fact I’d never really known him in spite of being married for four years. But that is the past and I have to look to the future for me and the girls. I can do that now.’
He was still watching her closely but his tone was light when he said, ‘What would you have done if I hadn’t offered you the job?’
She shrugged. ‘Picked myself up and carried on.’
‘The English bulldog we-will-not-be-beaten spirit?’
It was faintly mocking and, as had happened more than once that evening, he’d caught her on the raw. ‘No,’ she answered steadily, ‘just the spirit of a mother who is determined to make a good life for her children, that’s all. Whatever it takes.’
‘A mother.’ His eyes ran over her for a second, and although she had her coat on she felt her breasts tingle as though he had reached out and touched her. ‘I find it difficult to see you as a mother. Not that I doubt you’re a very good one,’ he added hastily, ‘but you look so young and—’ his tone changed, becoming self-derisive ‘—untouched.’
‘Looks are deceptive.’ His brief inspection had left her feeling panicky and afraid of something she couldn’t put a name to. And it was because of this she felt compelled to add, ‘I am totally a mother; Amelia and Daisy are the only people who really matter to me and that’s the way it’s going to be from now on. We don’t need anyone else.’
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