Gabriel's Mission

“I don’t think you could handle it, Cavanagh.” He glanced at her briefly. God, she was exquisite.

“You gather conectly.”

“I’m just your normal guy.”

She laughed, a sound of pure rejection. “No, you’re not.”

“I’d still like to get this whole thing cleared up. What exactly about me bothers you so much?”

Everything. Your looks, your force of character. “Gabriel I have no problem with you at all,” she said sweetly.

“Oh, but you do. Don’t smile about it.”

“Well...” She considered. “You really like to stir me up.”

He made a deprecating sound. “I have to admit I do.”

“And you have your own reasons for it.”

“True. But I seek to help you, Chloe, before you run yourself ragged. I might be a bit abrasive at times but I believe my intentions are good. You did what you liked under your old boss.”

Chloe admitted that inwardly. “Clive went a lot earlier than he should have.”

His smile was faintly crooked. “You’re just prejudiced. We’re on the same side, you know, even if our relationship hasn’t been all that smooth.”

“Clive didn’t bark at me.” She smiled.

“And what do you think the answer to that may be? You can’t twist me around your little finger, neither can you march in and out of my office uninvited.”

The colour in Chloe’s cheeks deepened. “That’s not true. I always knock.”

“When you remember to. Anyway that’s all camouflage. I think the problem is physical.”

She was glad of the darkness to cover her shock. This was unchartered country. “Well, you do have a lot of presence,” she managed. In fact it was particularly powerful.

“Really? You make me feel like Conan the Barbarian.” His glance mocked them both. “All those haughty little high-born expressions.”

“I can’t see what I think should bother you at all.”

“Hey! I’m asking the questions,” he drawled.

“All right. Fire away. I’ll have to rack my brains for a soothing answer. If it’s any comfort to you, I know at least a dozen women in the building who find you extremely attractive.”

“Fourteen at the last count,” he said laconically.