Tycoon for Hire

‘If you hadn’t barged in just then I could have bought Kirkson’s for a knock-down price.’

‘Kirkson Depots? So that was it all the time! You set me up last night.’

‘No way. It was an accident.’

‘Ho-ho-ho!’ Jennifer scoffed.

‘Don’t you “ho-ho” me. You have a lot to answer for.’

‘I—?’

‘You’ve just wrecked a deal that would have made this firm a lot of money.’

‘A deal that you wouldn’t have been in a position to make if you hadn’t deceived me.’

‘I did not deceive you,’ Steven said through gritted teeth. ‘Mike Harker’s a friend of mine. He was half-dead from flu, so I took his place. That’s all.’

Alice looked in again. ‘There’s a call for Ms Norton. I’ve put it through.’

Puzzled, Jennifer picked up the phone on Steven’s desk, and found herself talking to her brother. ‘Trust you to dash off like that without stopping to think!’ he complained. ‘Barney called. He’s over the moon about the rise in our share price.’

‘Oh, no!’ she breathed. Ever since the firm had gone public it had been Barney’s dream to see the price rise, and now it had happened. How could she tell him that it was all an illusion?

‘He wants you to bring Steven Leary to dinner.’

‘Now see what you’ve started,’ Jennifer said to Steven. ‘My grandfather wants you to come to dinner.’

‘Fine! I accept.’

‘And then this crazy story will get another head of steam. Where will it end?’

‘Who knows?’ he said wickedly. ‘But it might be interesting to find out.’ He took the receiver from her. ‘Mr Norton, I’d be delighted to accept your invitation.’

Jennifer lifted the extension in time to hear Trevor say, ‘My grandfather has invited us all to his house the day after tomorrow. He asks me to say that he hopes you won’t mind being outnumbered.’

‘I could bring my sister, to even up the numbers and protect me,’ Steven suggested.

‘Naturally we should be delighted to entertain your sister, Mr Leary, if you think she won’t be bored.’

‘Maud is a very serious person,’ Steven said in a grave voice. ‘She’s dedicated to making money. I’m sure that you and she will get on well.’

‘I’ll leave Jennifer to arrange the details with you.’ Trevor hung up.

Meeting Jennifer’s indignant gaze, Steven said, ‘I’m looking forward to meeting your family properly. I’ll tell my sister.’

‘Barney likes to start the evening at eight,’ Jennifer said formally.

‘We’ll be there at eight. By the way, didn’t you notice that I won our bet? I said you’d contact me in less than a week.’

‘But you knew this was bound to happen. That’s cheating.’

‘You owe me. Pay up.’

‘Certainly not.’

‘I wonder if the press knows how Nortons treats its debts of honour?’ Steven mused to nobody in particular.

The teasing gleam in his eye checked Jennifer’s retort. She took a deep breath. She knew she ought to escape as a matter of sheer self preservation, but after all it was a debt of honour.

‘Very well,’ she said, trying to speak calmly. ‘You may kiss me for precisely five seconds.’

‘Oh, I don’t think we need to drag it out that long,’ he said, dropping a peck on her cheek. ‘There. Now you can slap my face if you like.’

‘What I would like to do is something for which there are no polite words. When I think of your behaviour last night—letting me think you were just an impoverished actor when all the time—and you took those cufflinks under false pretences. I think you should return them.’

‘No can do. I passed them on to the real Mike Harker, with your message about the price he could get for them.’

‘It’s time for me to go,’ Jennifer said, speaking with difficulty. ‘I will see you at dinner.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

It was the merest chance that took Steven past Jennifer’s house the following evening. He’d been calling on a valuable client, or he wouldn’t have been in that direction.

It seemed a good idea to drop in on her. It would be interesting to see her in what he thought of as more ‘normal’ circumstances. It would be even more interesting to catch her off guard. It was a moot point which motive was the stronger, but since he was honest with himself he admitted he would enjoy taking her by surprise.

But fate turned the tables on him, because whatever welcome he’d expected it wasn’t the one he got.

His ring at the doorbell brought the sound of feet scurrying urgently. The next moment the door was yanked open and Jennifer stood there, gabbling with relief.

‘Thank heavens you’re here, I was getting so worried. I don’t think there’s much time—oh, dear, it’s only you!’

Women had greeted Steven in a variety of ways, ranging from ‘Darling, how wonderful!’ to ‘How dare you show your face here again?’ But ‘Oh, dear, it’s only you,’ was new to him.

‘Yes, it’s me,’ he said. ‘I gather I’m not who you were hoping to see?’

Without answering she darted past him, down the garden path and into the street. She looked up and down, then, failing to see what she was looking for, did a little dance of frustration.

Steven barely knew her. She was dressed in old jeans and a shapeless shirt that concealed everything he’d hoped to see again. Except for her legs. She had the longest legs of any woman he’d seen, and the shabby denim that covered them couldn’t entirely disguise their beauty.