The Beautiful Widow (5 page)

She nodded to herself. Poor man, when all he’d done was help her; thank goodness he hadn’t been able to read her thoughts.

The ‘poor man’ was at that moment sitting in the back of the cab having—what was for Steel—the very unusual
experience of feeling regret. His mouth set in a grim line, he scowled at the passing scene outside the window as he told himself he’d been crazy to employ Toni George. The smartest thing he could have done was to conduct the interview quickly, let her down gently and show her the door. That way he wouldn’t have had to see her again. The last thing, the very last thing he needed was to be lusting after a woman who worked for him; a woman in the throes of coping with the aftermath of what had clearly been an unhappy marriage and who had two small children.

He forced himself to lean back in the seat, unlocking tense muscles one by one. Dammit, she might be beautiful and intelligent and gutsy, but so were thousands of other women out there. He should know—he’d had his fair share of female companions in his time. So what—here the muscles he’d relaxed tightened again—made Toni George different from the rest? Because different she was. In fact he didn’t think he’d ever felt such instant desire for a woman before. When he’d seen her standing there silhouetted against the window with the sunshine picking out deep highlights in the dark brown of her hair, his body had felt the impact right down to his toes.

He stared out of the window again but without taking anything in. Business was business. He could have employed any one of a number of interior designers, so what the hell was he doing taking her on when he knew it was going to be a problem for him?

No, no, it wasn’t. He wouldn’t let it be. He was thirty-eight years old, for crying out loud, not some teenager in the throes of blind passion who let what was between his legs rule his mind.

Not sure whether he was angrier with her for invading
his smoothly controlled world or with himself for the way he’d handled things, he continued to brood as the taxi sped its way through the London streets.

On entering the apartment he went straight into his bedroom and, after stripping off, had a long, cool shower in the en-suite bathroom. It helped. Wrapping a towel round his wet thighs, he padded through to the immaculate kitchen and fixed himself a strong coffee. He had a briefcase of work he’d brought home and he didn’t want to go to sleep; Jeff had promised to ring him if there was any change in Annie’s condition and he was too on edge to go to bed. Purely with concern for Annie, he added, as though someone had challenged otherwise. Anyway, he only needed three or four hours’ sleep a night. He’d always been that way.

With the single-mindedness that his business rivals termed ruthlessness, Steel put all thoughts of Toni George out of his mind and, after pulling on his bathrobe, opened the briefcase. Life—his life—was all about autonomy. Anything or anyone that threatened that hard-won and most precious commodity wasn’t to be tolerated.

End of story.

‘W
ELL, HOW DO YOU
think Mummy looks?’ Toni twirled round for the twins’ inspection. ‘Neat and efficient?’

‘What’s
‘ficient?
‘ Daisy asked worriedly.

‘Someone who can do things well.’

Amelia’s big brown eyes had made a thorough examination of her mother’s tailored grey suit and crisp white blouse, and now she nodded along with her sister. ‘You look very ‘ficient,’ she declared positively.

‘An’ pretty,’ put in Daisy. ‘Very,
very
pretty.’

‘Thank you, my honeybees.’ Toni carefully knelt down and the twins hugged her, nearly dislodging the tight chignon at the nape of her neck, which had taken her ages to secure. Her thick hair didn’t take kindly to being confined. ‘Now Grandma is going to take you to nursery today as it’s Mummy’s first morning at her new job, but tomorrow and most other days I can take you. OK?’

They nodded again, their brown curls bobbing. Although identical at birth there were definite dissimilarities occurring the older the twins became. Amelia was taller than her sister and altogether more robust-looking, and Daisy’s brown hair was becoming a shade or two lighter than her sister’s. Facially, though, they were still peas in a pod.

Toni stood up, loving them so much her heart ached and hating to leave them, although the twins seemed unconcerned. They had been going to nursery for the last few months to prepare them for big school in September after their fourth birthday at the end of July, and both girls had settled in well. One good thing that had come out of their father’s lack of interest in them was that his passing had affected them less than it would have done if he’d been a hands-on type, Toni reflected, not for the first time. Indeed, they had barely mentioned him in the last month or two, but then perhaps that wasn’t so surprising. Sometimes a whole week had passed with Richard leaving the flat before the girls were awake and returning home when they were asleep. He had admitted once, when the girls were still babies, that he didn’t like children much, and when she had got upset had promised her that of course that didn’t mean his own and he would take more interest in the twins when they were out of the baby stage. But he hadn’t. Just the opposite, in fact.

‘You look very smart, dear.’ Vivienne bustled into the sitting room, her voice brisk and uplifting. She knew how her daughter was feeling. ‘And you shouldn’t have put away the bed. I can do that when you’re gone.’

‘It’s no trouble.’ Toni liked to restore the sitting room to order before her parents rose in the morning; the twins’ toys and books and other paraphernalia inevitably seemed to end up all over the house, although she told the girls to keep their things in their bedroom. The least she could do was to remove all evidence of the lodger in the front room! Leaning forward, she kissed her mother’s lined cheek, saying softly, ‘Thanks for being you, Mum. I don’t know what I’d have done without you and Dad in the last months.’

‘Go on with you.’ Vivienne never did like being thanked, but her voice was tender. Only she knew just how much her daughter had suffered before and after her son-in-law’s death, and what a change it had wrought in the trusting, confident young woman Toni had been before Richard had come along. It was awful that her son-in-law’s life had been cut short like that, but—and she’d never admit it to a living soul—she had felt an element of relief when she’d heard the news, and that was before they’d found out about his gambling. He would have been a millstone round her daughter’s neck all her life, Vivienne thought as she watched Toni say goodbye to the girls, because Toni would never have left him. Till death do us part was just that in her daughter’s book.

‘Wish me luck, Mum.’

Vivienne smiled at her daughter before giving her a hug. ‘You don’t need luck. Just be yourself and that will be enough. James said you were the best interior designer he’d ever had working for him, and this Landry fellow was obviously impressed else he’d never have given you the job.’

Toni repeated her mother’s words like a mantra all the way to Steel’s offices north of Edmonton. She’d received a letter and various correspondence including a contract of employment from Steel’s secretary the week before, so once in the impressive reception she gave her name and was directed to the lift, where she travelled to the top floor and knocked on the door marked ‘Joy Maclean, Secretary to Steel Landry'.

There was no answer, and when she tentatively opened the door and looked inside the office was empty. Steel’s secretary clearly hadn’t arrived yet.

She knew she was early. Toni glanced at her watch. It was only eight-twenty but she’d wanted to arrive before
the rush. She didn’t admit to herself here that the ‘rush’ translated into her formidable employer.

The secretary’s office was large and comfortable, even luxurious, the far wall mostly glass, which gave a panoramic view over greater London, and Toni was wondering whether to venture in and sit and wait when a deep smoky voice some way down the thickly carpeted corridor almost made her jump out of her skin.

‘Good morning, Toni.’ Steel had opened what was obviously the outer door to his office and was leaning nonchalantly against it, hands thrust in the pockets of his perfectly creased trousers. He was wearing a deep blue shirt and his tie was hanging loose, his shirtsleeves rolled up to expose tanned, muscled forearms. He looked sensational, even better than she remembered. No man should have so much; it wasn’t fair.

Somehow she managed a smile although her facial muscles felt as stiff as a board. ‘Good morning.’

‘Joy’s rarely here before nine; I keep her working late most evenings so she arrives when she arrives,’ he said lazily.

Flexible working hours, of course. She was dry-mouthed and rooted to the spot and desperately tried to pull herself together.
Say something intelligent,
she told herself.
Speak.

‘Come and have a coffee.’ He moved back into his office without waiting for a reply, leaving her with no choice but to walk down the corridor.

Steel’s office was massive. A giant desk was positioned so the light from the huge windows streamed over his shoulder, and there were a couple of easy sofas and chairs grouped round an enormous coffee table close to a unit holding a coffee maker, a water filter and what looked like a small fridge. A biscuit tin holding a vast
selection of biscuits had its lid off, and he took one as he poured her a coffee.

‘Breakfast,’ he said wryly, indicating the tin. ‘There was a panic over the weekend and I’ve been here since five o’clock. Joy’s bringing some bacon butties with her when she comes in.’

‘Five o’clock?’ She’d have had to be up with the larks to get here before him then.

He smiled, handing her a cup of coffee. ‘Help yourself to milk and sugar, or there’s cream in the fridge if you prefer,’ he said, before adding, ‘Five’s OK. I often get here around six anyway. I don’t sleep much.’

Superman. Only to be expected really. Why would Steel Landry function like a mere mortal?

He nodded to the plans tucked under her arm. ‘Come and sit down and tell me how you’ve got on,’ he said, taking the plans and spreading them out on the coffee table before sitting down on one of the sofas.

Toni looked down on the dark head for a moment. His hair was severely slicked back but a wayward tuft was defying the austere style and attempting to fall forward into a quiff. She felt a trickle of something hot surge through her veins and hastily sat down, so hastily she spilt a few drops of coffee onto the plans. Horrified, she blurted, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ reaching into her handbag and dabbing the drops with a tissue, which only spread the stain further.

‘Hey, don’t worry.’ His hand on her wrist was cool and although the contact only lasted a second she felt the impact for moments afterwards. ‘Leave it, it’s nothing. I have several other sets anyway. Now, show me what you’ve done.’

Hot and flustered, she began to speak, wondering what he must be thinking, but after a minute or two she
became absorbed in her ideas, enthusiasm steadying her voice. Oblivious to his gaze moving to her animated face now and again, she outlined the different themes to the properties, her manner eager and natural. ‘So, what do you think?’ she said at last, raising her head and looking straight at him.

What he thought was that he’d like to feel the soft curves of her delectable lips beneath his and free her hair from that bun thing so he could run his fingers through it, Steel told himself ruefully. Hell, he wanted this woman more than he’d wanted anyone for a long, long time.

To give himself a breathing space he stood up and walked over to the coffee machine. ‘Another cup?’ he asked her, turning slightly. ‘I’m afraid I drink this stuff like water.’

‘No, I’m fine.’

He poured himself a black coffee and drank it straight down, scalding hot as it was, before saying, ‘I’m impressed. You’ve captured the vision of making each apartment different without any one lording it over another. Important with my clientele—they can be touchy about their status,’ he added drily. ‘The use of beautiful textiles, bold patterns and the vibrant gemstone-inspired colours will go some way to offset the somewhat utilitarian façade of the building, which cannot be changed to any great degree, but remember in winter the apartments will need to feel cosy with fires and the warmth of wooden floors, and in summer we need to get light flooding in where possible. I presume you have a source for the modern art and some of those more unusual materials and fabrics?’

Toni nodded. ‘Several. When I worked for James we had a client who wanted his hotel designed with
a modern take on ancient Rajasthani architecture and interior design. It was a fascinating project. He even incorporated a lotus-patterned swimming pool and a bar with a stargazing deck.’

‘Our clients will have to make do with their bathrooms and wet room, but I like your idea of iridescent glass mosaic tiles. OK, full steam ahead, Toni.’ He saw her cheeks flush pink with pleasure and as she gathered up the plans and drawings he caught a discreet glimpse of creamy cleavage and his body hardened instantly. ‘I’ll take you to the site later today so you can get a feel for the place, but for now let me show you where you’ll be working. For the time being you’ll be sharing Joy’s office. I trust that’s acceptable?’

It was a rhetorical question but Toni answered it anyway, her breathless, ‘Of course,’ lost as he opened the interconnecting door through to his secretary’s office and stood aside for her to precede him. She saw a large desk and chair, a filing cabinet and various items of drawing equipment had been arranged in one half of the room, but even so there was plenty of space. She hoped Joy didn’t mind her imposing, though.

Steel glanced at his watch. ‘Joy should be here shortly so settle yourself in and she’ll tell you what’s what.’

‘Thank you.’

He leaned against the door, his expression slightly quizzical. ‘Don’t look so scared,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t know what you’ve heard about me but I can assure you it’s bound to have been grossly exaggerated. I rarely bite.’

Toni reacted immediately, straightening and giving him a cool smile. ‘I’m merely a little nervous, as everyone is on the first morning at a new job, and in my case it’s been a while since I’ve had to earn a crust.’

Her tone had his eyes narrowing slightly but he made no comment, merely nodding slowly before shutting the door and leaving her alone.

Toni put her hands to her flushed cheeks. Great start. Offending the boss. She sank down on the comfortable leather chair behind the desk and took stock of her surroundings. This would be a lovely place to work. Her corner of the main office at James’s practice had been cramped and on the dark side, as well as noisy. This was altogether different, and she was being paid handsomely to boot. If only Steel were more of an average boss everything in the garden would be coming up smelling of roses. But then, if he were an average kind of guy she wouldn’t be sitting in a fabulous office with a terrific project to get her teeth into and with a salary that had caused her mother to sit down suddenly when she’d told her the good news. Steel was larger than life in every respect and she needed to adapt to that and fast. She couldn’t keep going to pieces around him or, worse, acting as she had just done when all he’d been trying to do was put her at her ease. If only he weren’t so good-looking and aggressively masculine and
big,
she thought despairingly.

And the sexiest man on the planet, another part of her mind added relentlessly, with that certain something that made it impossible to be in his company without wondering what it would be like to be made love to by a man like him.

There, it was out at last—the thought she’d been fighting against admitting since she’d first set eyes on him. And he had been right a minute ago. He
did
scare her. She didn’t want to feel attracted to another man for the rest of her life, or certainly a long, long time, and, although she knew there wasn’t the remotest chance of
anything happening between Steel and herself, it still terrified her she could feel this way.

But this was her problem, not Steel’s. She simply couldn’t go on being so awkward and jumpy in his presence. To him she was just another employee and she would die, on the spot, if he guessed how she felt. And the irony was that if the impossible happened and he made a move on her she would run a mile. Steel was the last man in the world she’d ever get involved with. Her life was Amelia and Daisy now, and she would never allow a man into their precious threesome. She owed her daughters that at least. They had their grandfather as a stable male influence when one was needed and that was perfect; she could rely on her father not to let the twins down. Anyone else was suspect.

The door opening cut into her thoughts and a tall, slim blonde woman smiled at her, saying, ‘You must be Toni? Hi, I’m Joy, Steel’s secretary. Nice to meet you.’

The rest of the morning flew by. Joy spent some time showing her where everything was and introducing her around. The top floor of the building housed Steel and Joy’s offices, Steel’s private bathroom, a large conference room and another cloakroom. The floor below was used by Steel’s legal people and the accounts department, and the ground floor consisted of Reception and the team who controlled the outside contractors Steel used for various projects, along with various other employees Toni lost track of. It was a much larger organisation than she had expected but everyone seemed friendly and cheerful.