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'Taking…?' He had called her bluff. She hadn't expected him to offer them the job in a thousand years; it was right outside their league and he knew it. She knew he knew it.
The dark face was inscrutable, his manner relaxed, but she knew instinctively that he had responded to the challenge that she had been mesmerised into throwing down because he was a man who couldn't resist such a situation. He hadn't liked her response to him. She bit on her lower lip hard. And now he wanted his pound of flesh; he wanted her to admit that she had spoken foolishly. And she had.
'Come and have a look at the kitchens.' He was already walking out of the room and she found herself trotting after him with Mitch at her side, her brother's face stunned with the sort of blank vacancy that she was sure must be written all over hers.
How could she have been so impulsive, so foolish? How could she? She barely noticed the magnificent surroundings that they were passing through as her thoughts raced frantically.
When she and Mitch had taken over their father's tottering catering business on his sudden and totally unexpected death five years before, they had been met with a host of problems—not least their possible immediate bankruptcy. Their father had been no businessman; how the firm had survived as long as it had in his hands no one knew, and for two greenhorns fresh out of college, aged twenty and twenty-one respectively, to attempt to resuscitate the failing concern had seemed ludicrous to everyone but themselves.
But they had seen the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into their father's dream of a family business and both of them had felt that they couldn't just sit back and see the vultures move in. And so they had worked. And worked. And worked. And it had only been in the last year that they had begun to see the reward.
Their name was getting established and their reputation assured; they were, at long last, out of the red, and for the first time in several long years the nightmares that accompanied each pay-day for their five faithful employees were a thing of the past. And now she had possibly thrown it all away. She felt her heart thud painfully. She would have to eat humble pie, tell him they couldn't possibly—
'This is the big hall I spoke of.' She came out of her panic to find that they had just entered what appeared to be a massive ballroom, its ceiling lofty and the high, curved walls gracious. 'It's an extension to the original house. My mother loved to entertain when she was alive and so my father had this place built on.'
'It has its own kitchens, which are separate from the original one which serves the rest of the house; they are situated at the back of the hall down a corridor where there is also a small flat. You would be welcome to use that if you felt it necessary to stay on the premises to oversee everything.'
Oversee it? She glanced up, and up, at the dark man by her side—the tall, powerfully built body seemed to dwarf her slim, five-foot-eight-inch frame—and noticed that the hard, tanned face was really very attractive. The thought didn't help and she dragged her mind back to the task at hand. Oversee it? She and Mitch would be working every hour of the night and day if they took this thing on, and then some.
'Come along.' like a pair of obedient puppies they followed at his heels again as he crossed the beautiful wide expanse of exquisite parquet flooring which seemed endless before opening a carved oak door at the far end and waving them through. 'Here are the kitchens.' A few yards down the wide, white-walled corridor was another door which he opened with a flourish. 'I think you will find everything you need.'
As Miriam preceded him into the room, followed by Mitch, she felt a dart of excitement pierce the panic for the first time since her disastrous impulsiveness. The kitchens went on and on, gleaming bright and beautifu
lly furnished with every available modern appliance known to man amid space and more space. To work in such surroundings would be heaven.
She glanced at Mitch and could read the same thoughts on her brother's face. Everything could be done on site— everything—and that alone would make the whole job so much easier.
She wandered down the length of the vast room, turning to find that it went on still more in an L shape, the far end having a magnificent view over immaculately tended gardens that stretched into the distance before disappearing into what appeared to be a large wood.
'It's just… just—'
'Functional?' He'd interrupted her dazed voice drily but as she glanced at him again she saw that the dark face was smiling, and the effect was riveting. Whether or not it was the shaft of white sunlight glancing in from the massive windows, she didn't know, but she hadn't noticed before that his hair was so thick and black, or that the lashes which curtained the silver-grey eyes were so profuse. He was undeniably male, and the strong features and aquiline nose were too aggressive to be classically handsome, but he'd got something. He'd certainly got something, she thought weakly. 'Come and see the flat.'
They retraced their footsteps out into the corridor, and directly opposite another door opened into a beautifully sunny little flat complete with small lounge, bedroom, shower room and a tiny but expertly fitted kitchen.
'There's only one bedroom, I'm afraid.' He glanced at them with eyes narrowed against the bright winter sunlight. 'But the sofa extends into a double bed, should it prove necessary.'
'I—' She took a deep breath and swallowed before trying again. 'What exactly are the financial—?'
'I would expect you to buy whatever you need; there will be a blank cheque with regard to that side of things,' he said coolly, gesturing for them to be seated on the sofa as he perched on the side of a small writing desk. 'I won't be looking over your shoulder every two minutes, but I would expect a receipt for everything purchased, of course, and I want both food and drink to be of the best quality. The champagne for the evening supper is already taken care of, but the wines and spirits along with everything else will be down to you. Your own fee will be the same as I was offering the other firm.'
When he said the figure she almost asked him to repeat it. It was a small fortune—a small fortune.
'And, of course, your employees' salaries and travelling expenses will be met by me separately through you.'
She was glad that she was sitting down.
'You can forget references or anything of that nature,' he continued quietly. 'Frank is an old friend of mine—as I understand he was of your father—and his word is better than any written confirmation as far as I am concerned. So…' He stood up suddenly, his masculinity seeming to fill the small room. 'Is it a deal or are you having second thoughts?'
'Mitch?' She wanted to take the job; against all rhyme and reason she wanted to take it, even knowing that they were going to be stretched to breaking point and beyond, but, as Mitch had pointed out a few minutes earlier, they were partners and she had had no right to accept it without consulting him first. 'What do you think?'
Mitch stood up slowly and walked across to Reece Vance with his hand outstretched. 'You have a deal, Mr Vance. If you are prepared to take a chance—'
'Oh, I'm not taking any chances.' The cold voice was derisive. 'There will be schedules to meet and it's of no concern to me whether you have any sleep in the next two weeks or not. What is of vital importance is that everything goes smoothly on the day, and to that end you will work every hour it takes to make my sister's day a happy one. And it will be happy.' As Miriam joined them she saw that the silver eyes were as hard as stone. 'Won't it, Miss Bennett?'
'Yes.' She raised her small chin as she spoke, her red hair flaming in the sunlight that filled the pretty room. 'It will.'
'Good.' His smile was totally without warmth. 'Then we understand each other. If you would care to accompany me back to the main house I'll iron out some of the formalities with you and we can sign whatever needs to be signed.' He ushered them out of the flat as he spoke and they were halfway across the vast hall before he spoke again. 'Unfortunately my housekeeper fell downstairs this morning and broke her ankle; she and the maid are at present at the hospital. However, I can offer you a cup of coffee—or perhaps something stronger—'
