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God, she’d forgotten how utterly outrageous he was Time to wrestle this conversation back under her control "Mr Clark," she said as sternly as she could ain"

"Which of ave her a long, slow sant conceit or my wicked sense of humor?"

"Neither," Free answered "I rather like both of those It’s just that you’re trying to use e" She smiled at him "It won’t work I’ve been attracted to you since the moment I laid eyes on you, and it hasn’t e of her desk

"Did you expect ed as complacently as she could "You should read more of my newspaper I published an excellent essay by Josephine Butler on this very subject Men use sexuality as a tool to shut up women We are not allowed to speak on matters that touch on sexual intercourse--even if they concern our own bodies and our own freedo labeled indelicate Any time a man wishes to scare a woman into submission, he need only add the question of sexual attraction, leaving the virtuous woman with no choice but to blush and fall silent You should know, Mr Clark, that I don’t intend to fall silent I have already been labeled indelicate; there is nothing you can add to that chorus"

His mouth had dropped open on sexuality; it opened wider on intercourse, and wider still on attraction

"I’ve found," Free said, "although Mrs Butler would hardly agree, that the best way to deal with the tactic is to speak of sexual attraction in terms of clear, unquestionable facts The sa at an attraction can never live up to their own innuendos Once I show that I will not be cowed, that facts are facts and I will not hide from them, they’re always the ones who blush and fall silent"

"I’ve mentioned before that I’ to face her "I have only fallen silent because listening to you ad estured "Please continue on What else do you like aboutabout hi

"Alas," Free said briskly "There’s nothing h all the praise I can muster You have an admittedly splendid physique, but it is unfortunately wasted on a hed at that "Brava, Miss Marshall That issin, is it not?"

He was the only man she’d ever met as stymied by compliments and yet accepted her worst insults as his due

"So you see," Free said, "we’re all better off if we can just adnificance on the et down to business Why are you here, Mr Clark?"

"Does anyone ever get the best of you?"

"Yes," she returned, "but only when I choose to give it to them"

"Ah"

"Now, tell me, Mr Clark Did you coain demonstrate my intellectual superiority, or did you have some actual business?"