LITMIR.BIZ

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even than being late.

      That was nothing new—she’d never been early for anything. Yet India’s crisp little voice mail message this morning had been very clear on one point. Punctuality was essential. Niall Macaulay wanted to discuss shadowing arrangements with her at twelve o’clock sharp and she was to drop everything and be on time. Nothing—not even the opening event in Claibourne & Farraday’s annual charity week—was more important. This was a crisis.

      And this was the good part of her day.

      ‘Sorry…’ She threw an apologetic glance at the cab driver. ‘I know it’s in here somewhere. I had it when I picked up—’

      ‘In your own time, miss,’ the man replied, cutting her short. ‘I’ve got all day.’

      She glanced up. ‘Have you?’ Then, realising he was being sarcastic, she pulled a face and redoubled her efforts to find the elusive wallet. She knew she’d had it when she picked up her dress because she’d used her charge card. Then, after she’d got India’s message, coffee had seemed essential and she’d needed change to pay for it.

      She re-ran the scene in her head. She’d ordered, paid and stuffed the wallet into her pocket…

      Her relief was short-lived.

      Reaching into the depths of her coat was just one stretch too far and the coffee-carton made an escape bid.

      Hitting the pavement, it bounced, spun and then the lid flew off, releasing a hot tide of latte. Romana watched as in what seemed like slow-motion it washed over the gleaming, handmade shoes of a passing male before splashing spectacularly up the legs of his trousers.

      The shoes, and the legs, came to a halt. The carton was picked up on the point of a furled silk black umbrella and she followed its progress until it came to a stop six inches from the second button of her coat.

      ‘Yours, I believe,’ the owner of the trousers said.

      She took the carton. A mistake. It was now wet and sticky and the apology which had leapt instantly to her lips transformed itself into a disgusted, ‘Eeeugh.’

      And then—mistake number two—she looked up and nearly dropped the carton again. He was everything a tall, dark stranger could and should be, and for a moment she froze, quite literally lost for words. Apologise. She must apologise. And find out who he was.

      Even as she opened her mouth she realised that he was far from being impressed by his unexpected encounter with one of the most sought-after women in London. The man’s expression encompassed entire sections of the thesaurus, involving the words “stupid”, “blonde” and “woman”, and the apology died on her lips.

      It didn’t matter. He clearly wasn’t interested in anything she might have to say. He had already turned and was walking quickly through the gilded portal of Claibourne & Farraday, leaving her on the pavement with her mouth still open.

      Niall Macaulay was expected, and was whisked up to the penthouse office suite where he handed his coat and umbrella to the receptionist before retreating to the cloakroom to wipe the coffee off his trousers and shoes. Tossing the paper towel in the bin, he glanced at his wrist-watch with irritation. He’d had scarcely enough time to make this appointment, and now that stupid woman had made him late.

      What on earth had she been doing, juggling a carton of coffee with enough designer bags to keep a small country out of debt? She couldn’t even control her hair.

      But it didn’t matter. Romana Claibourne was late, too. He declined her secretary’s offer of coffee, accepted her invitation to wait in Miss Claibourne’s opulent office and crossed to the window, trying not to dwell on a dozen other, more important things he should be doing at that moment.

      ‘Not your day, miss, is it?’ the cabby remarked as Romana continued to stare after the man. What a grouch… ‘Do you want a receipt?’

      ‘What? Oh, yes. Here—’ She handed the man a banknote. ‘Keep the change.’

      She was still holding the dripping carton. There were no rubbish bins in the street and she was forced to carry the thing at arm’s length up to her office.

      Her secretary relieved her of the carton, took her bags and her coat. ‘I’m expecting a Mr Macaulay. I can’t spare him more than five minutes so I’m counting on you to rescue me…’ she began, then caught the girl’s warning look.

      ‘Mr Macauley arrived a couple of minutes ago, Romana,’ she murmured. ‘He’s waiting in your office.’

      She spun around and saw a man standing at the window, looking out across the rooftops of London. Oh, knickers! He must have heard her. Great start. She grabbed a tissue, wiped her hands, and abandoned any thought of lipstick repair or getting her hair under control—but then there wasn’t enough time in the world for that. She just smoothed her skirt, tugged her jacket into place and stepped into her office.

      Niall Macauley was impressive, at least from the rear. Tall, with perfectly groomed dark hair, and a suit in which every stitch had been placed by hand expensively covering his broad shoulders.

      ‘Mr Macaulay?’ she said, crossing the office, hand extended in welcome as he turned. ‘I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.’ About to explain her lateness—without mentioning coffee—she discovered that her legitimate excuses were redundant and instead found her mouth gaping like a surprised goldfish as he turned to her and took her hand.

      There was, she thought, an almost Gothic inevitability that Niall Macaulay and the grouch she’d drowned with her coffee should be the same person. It was, after all, the first of April. All Fools’ Day.

      ‘Did my secretary offer you…?’

      ‘Coffee?’ he completed for her when she faltered. He spoke in a deep bass voice that she knew, just knew, would never be raised above that quiet, controlled level. No matter how provoked. She’d already had an example of his exceptional powers of self-control. ‘Thank you, but I believe I’ve had all the coffee I can handle from you for one day.’ As he released her hand, it seemed to Romana that there was just a hint of stickiness.

      And the word ‘crisis’ took on a new depth of meaning.

      This man was one of their ‘silent’ partners? It had never occurred to her to wonder, until recently, why they were so silent when their name was over the front door. If she’d thought about them at all, she’d assumed they were too old, or maybe just not interested in working when the dividends from the Claibourne family’s industry was more than adequate to sustain three averagely lazy millionaires.

      It was only after their father’s near fatal heart attack that she and her sisters had discovered the truth. That, far from being sedentary, their partners—the venture capitalist, the banker and the lawyer—were empire-building on their own account.

      And now they wanted the Claibourne empire too.

      This was the banker. A man who’d already demonstrated that he was cool to freezing point. And it was her task to convince him that she was an efficient businesswoman capable of running a major company. She hadn’t made a great start.

      It was okay. It would be okay. He’d just caught her on a bad day. Tomorrow she’d be fine. She’d soon make up lost ground, demonstrate her worth. Heck, until she’d taken charge of public relations the store had been about as exciting as a dowager duchess. She’d turned it around. She could handle this.

      Right now, though, she was approaching the worst moment in her life, and the last thing she needed was an encounter with Mr Frosty.

      ‘I’m really sorry about the coffee,’ she said, attempting to match him with a smile about as cool as it could get and still be a smile. ‘I would have apologised if you’d given me the chance.’ She waited for him to acknowledge that he should have done that. He didn’t. ‘Do please send me the cleaning bill for your trousers.’ Not a flicker of emotion crossed his cold features and she found herself saying, ‘Or you could slip out of them

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