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‘You mean your family company is in financial trouble?’ she asked cautiously.
It was the wrong question to ask. He swung around, his body stiffening with threat. ‘No, that’s not what I mean. The company is basically sound, and if you print a word to the contrary I’ll have a libel suit slapped on you so fast you’ll wonder what hit you.’
She blinked. ‘If you trust me that little, why on earth are you telling me all this?’
He scowled. It was something his harshly attractive face was very good at.
‘All Blake Investments needs to get back on track is some firm direction from the top,’ he said, ignoring her question. ‘My first task is to get everyone motivated and enthusiastic. I want to draw the employees together and make them feel as if they have a real stake in the future of the company, whatever their job level. I want a staff newsletter, something slick but relatively inexpensive. But it’ll take time to set up an in-house operation and I want this out now. I don’t want to have to muck around with advertising agencies or submissions—this has to be seen to originate with me. I need someone on the spot with a proven expertise in desk-top publishing, someone who I know won’t let me down...’
The light dawned. She got to her feet to confront him with her disbelief. ‘You want me?’
His mouth twisted. ‘In a manner of speaking. Why so incredulous—aren’t you good at your job?’
‘Of course I am. But you can’t expect me to believe that you want someone you think has cheated and betrayed your confidence to work for you—’
‘I thought I had apologised for that.’
‘You apologised for smarming all over me at dinner,’ she corrected him tartly.
‘Smarming?’ The twist turned into a smile. ‘Is there such a word?’
‘There is now.’ She refused to be diverted by that calculated charm. ‘You didn’t apologise for everything else you’ve done.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re a hard woman, Honor Sheldon.’
‘And you’re a hard man.’
‘Not yet, but keep provoking me and you’ll find out just how hard I can get.’
He might not have meant the sexual innuendo but that didn’t stop Honor’s wayward glance downwards. As soon as she realised what she had done her eyes jerked back up his body, flushing as she met his knowing amusement.
‘I didn’t mean that kind of provocativeness, darling,’ he murmured, driving her idiocy home.
‘Don’t call me that!’
‘You called me darling.’
‘Yes, but I was just....’
‘Playing up to me. Yes, I know. Very reckless of you. Who taught you to flirt—your beautiful sister?’
A hot wave of unaccustomed jealousy washed over her. ‘Leave Helen out of this!’
‘Difficult, but I’ll try. If you’ll try and forgive me for not believing your obviously unsullied innocence.’
‘What makes you assume I’m unsullied?’ she snapped furiously, still burning over the implied comparison with Helen. ‘I am twenty-five, you know. Just because I’m not blonde and drop-dead gorgeous doesn’t mean I haven’t had plenty of chances—’
This time his amusement burst into open mirth. His laughter was like warm sunlight in the shrouded room. It seemed his positive emotions were every bit as powerful as his negative ones.
‘I’m sure you have, but I wasn’t referring to your sexual experience, Honor. For a writer you do seem to have a terrible problem with misinterpretation of the language, don’t you? I simply meant that the more time I spend in your company, the less I’m inclined to believe that you’d ever get involved in anything as dishonourable as extortion. You’re rather well-named, I think.’
He tilted his head, regarding her simmering uncertainty thoughtfully. ‘Did you know your eyes narrow when you lie...or, should I say, when you try to lie? As if you’re screwing up your eyes along with your courage to do something that goes deeply against the grain. Actually it looks rather sexy. Innocent, but sexy, if you know what I mean.’
She didn’t. She glared at him. Somehow he even managed to make a flattering assessment of her honourability sound like an insult so she offered him one in return. ‘You have a twisted mind.’
‘Because I said you have a sexy squint?’
‘Yes—I mean, no—look, would you mind returning to the subject?’
