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‘Please don’t insult me by suggesting I’m remotely like that poor excuse for a human being! He’s put Maya in an untenable position and practically forced her to resign. She really does need a job and I want you to hire her. You’re always saying you need extra help around here.’
‘Maya? Is that her name?’
With a mocking little smile, Jane adjusted her glasses and met the piercing azure glance of the answer to every woman’s prayer currently perching his Savile Row-suited, perfectly taut male bottom on the edge of her desk.
‘You know that name means illusion, don’t you? Perhaps you’ve dreamt the lady up out of pure sexual frustration and the fact that it’s been…what? At least six months since your last affair?’
With an impatient sigh Blaise shook his head and pushed to his feet. ‘You know far too much about me, and it’s not healthy.’
‘Look, darling…I really would like to help you out, but I hired a girl only just last week. She starts on Monday.’ With a glance that was perfectly guileless, Jane removed her glasses, laid them down amongst the detritus of paperwork on her desk and with the air of an old-fashioned headmistress folded her arms.
‘What’s her name?’ asked Blaise.
‘I forget. I know I’ve written it down somewhere…’ She waved her hand vaguely towards the pile of paperwork in front of her.
‘Hmm…Well, if you won’t do me this one small favour and employ Maya at the agency then I’ll simply have to suggest that she comes and works for me personally. No doubt there are at least a dozen jobs she can do to help me out. As you know, I’ve started the new play, and so as long as she has an inkling of how to do research, type and make the odd cup of coffee she’ll probably work out just fine.’
‘And that’s really all that you want her to do for you, is it, Blaise?’
Despite the impatience that had been building inside him like a pressure-cooker for the last few days—because it had been that long since he’d last set eyes on Maya and no phone call from her had been forthcoming—he sensed a devilish smile hitch the corners of his lips upwards. ‘Darling,’ he drawled sarcastically, ‘I really don’t think it’s any of your damn business!’
Glasses perched firmly back on her nose again, Jane shot to her feet with a deep frown between her perfectly arched slim brows.
‘You mean you’d really take her to the wilds of Northumberland with you? In the five years I’ve been your agent I’ve never known you to take a woman up there—especially when you’re working!’
For answer, Blaise tunnelled his fingers through the sleek strands of his dark gold hair and strode casually across to the door.
‘They say there’s a first time for everything. I’ll be in touch. Hope your new girl works out okay. I’ll look forward to meeting her when I get back to London.’
With a knowing little smile and a mocking salute, he abruptly turned and went out through the door…
‘Oh…it’s you!’
Staring back into the deep blue eyes of one of the country’s finest playwrights as he stood casually on her doorstep, looking for all the world as if he made a habit of calling on her at odd hours of the day or night, was like being hypnotised. Maya sensed her heart clang loudly in alarm. Clutching the sides of her short towelling robe tightly together, and with her long hair still dripping from her shower, she hardly knew what to say or think. She couldn’t deny that the man had been on her mind pretty much constantly since he’d given her a lift home that disastrous weekend, but quite frankly finding him on her doorstep was as startling as if Prince William or Harry had unexpectedly made her a visit!
‘Yes, it’s me.’ He grinned, unabashed. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m—I’m fine…surprised to see you, that’s all.’
He considered this for a long moment, before flashing Maya another disturbing smile. ‘And you don’t like being taken by surprise, I take it?’
‘I don’t know. I mean—’
‘I’d like a word with you, if I may? Can I come in?’
‘Well, I—’
‘You’re not about to leave for work, are you? I thought as it was after ten you would have left by now if you were going.’
‘I wasn’t planning on going anywhere today other than the supermarket, for some groceries. And as for going to work…Jonathan Faraday decided not to wait for Monday to accept my resignation, but rang me on Sunday night instead, to suggest that I didn’t bother to go back at all.’ Shrugging off the wave of anger that arose inside her at the crude, almost aggressive way Jonathan had spoken to her, as if this whole sorry mess was her fault, Maya stood up a little straighter as she sensed her shoulders start to slump.
