Twist of Fate by Lamb Charlotte

Author:Lamb, Charlotte [Lamb, Charlotte]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

JOANNE pulled herself together with an effort. 'I might ask the same of you!'

she retorted, and she needed all her courage to answer him at all because she

knew per- fecdy well that she was suffering from all the symptoms of acute

physical shock, her skin cold, her heart thudding, her breathing fast.

He had altered, she saw, as she looked at him through eyes which saw darkly

at first and only began to clear slowly. He had always resembled his father

very closely. The resemblance was now quite striking. Even the black hair

was beginning to show a few fine threads of silver. But Ben's face had a hard

arrogance which lacked Jeb's humour and vein of humanity. The dark eyes

studied her icily, the strong features remained unlit with any warmth or

courtesy. My God! she thought. He isn't human.

'I'm waiting,' he said through his teeth. 'What do you want? How did you

know I was here?'

She flushed and anger made her fluent. 'I didn't. I work here—I'm employed

by the Hotel Secretarial Agency. You asked for a secretary; I'm it.'

His mouth twisted. 'You? A secretary?'

'A good one,' she threw back, her chin lifting in defiance.

'Really?' The tone was sardonic.

'Really,' she snapped, barely able to control a desire to slap his handsome

face.

A floor maid passed along the corridor, eyeing them curiously, and Ben

stepped back, waving Joanne into his suite. Closing the door, he lifted his

towel as though he had forgotten until now that he held it 'and slowly dried

his face. She watched, mouth dry. His bare shoulders and chest had that

physical magnificence she remembered and it infuriated her. He was

bronzed and fit, his skin wearing a smooth uniform tan which could only

have been acquired by long hours of exposure to the sun. The muscles in

arms and shoulders rippled as he tossed the towel over a chair. He thrust

back his dark hair with one hand and picked up a clean shirt, shouldering

into it, his eyes on her face.

'Can you do shorthand and typing?'

'Of course,.' she snapped.

'The last three couldn't,' he said. 'One couldn't spell, another stammered

when she answered the phone and the third dropped everything she touched.'

'They were terrified of you, you mean,' she said shortly. 'Who can blame

them?'

His brow lifted. 'Me?'

'Don't put on that innocent tone with me, Ben. You put the fear of God into

those unfortunate girls and now you're trying it on with me, but this time it

won't work. I'm not scared of you.'

His eyes surveyed her unreadably. 'As I remember it, you are,' he said very

softly, and her face ran with angry colour. She glared at him and didn't

answer. Ben turned away with a shrug.

'How long have you worked here?'

'Five years.'

He swung on his heel, staring at her. 'Five?' Her colour deepened and he said

slowly. 'I see ...' and she wondered exactly what he saw but had no intention

of asking.

Looking down, she tapped her pencil on her pad. 'I'm ready when you are.'

'Oh, put the thing away,' he said irritably. 'You don't imagine I'm going to

have you working for me?'

'Why not?'

'Don't play the innocent with me.

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