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Who was he? Her suest list had been both exclusive and fashionable, and she had made it her business to be aware of the history of each personage represented there However, most of the names had had 'and partner' written next to the either who he ith or anything about him other than what she could see And she had to ad

There was a formidable authority about hi body ally His hair was black, jet-black, and cut very short, as though he had no ti, and he was expensively dressed There was a s that stood out like a sore thued in

He looked… She bit her lip, suddenly annoyed with herself as the sierous black panther a cockatoos, and the 'and partner' label sat badly on such a e to anybody, but as he with? And as he? And as the colour of his eyes? His eyes!

She flushed as hotly as if she had voiced the question out loud Why on earth did she care about the colour of his eyes anyway? She had o about the road dohich she would travel, had to travel, and her plans didn't include any sort of ro ridiculous, crazy Perhaps Mr White was right; perhaps she had been working too hard lately She'd certainly never had this trouble with her iination

before

'Josie, darling… Wonderful little reception, you clever girl, you…'

She turned very slowly as she forced a social s the voice of one of the female executives froomery—in fact they shared the same sense of humour, which had smoothed more than one difficult situation in the past—but she knew the other wo hard to secure this particular project, and nanimity was not one of Charlotte's virtues

'You have obviously got the right touch with Mr White; you'll have to let me in on your secret soh theirwas clear

Josie knew Charlottepersonal—she just had to have a little twist of the knife to state her annoyance at losing out to the other woman—but this tis along the saues in the past, when her work had been superior to theirs, and she had expected hly paid jobs, doing good work and surviving on their own initiative and flair despite high odds, and she had thought—naively, perhaps, she acknowledged now—that Charlotte would respect that and leave the sexist talk to the men

Well, she was blowed if she was going to defend herself In fact…

'Well, you kno it is, Charlotte' She gave the other wo couch still has its uses'

Charlotte acknowledged the gaht curve of her thin red ht blue eyes widened considerably at so just over Josie's left shoulder

'Miss Owens?' The e that was undeniably attractive 'Your assistant tells me you are due to leave soon'

She turned to face hiaze rey His eyes were silver-grey, she thought irrelevantly, like ice-cold honed steel

'I…' He ht helplessly How could she explain it had been a play on words, that Charlotte had known it was the very opposite to how it had sounded? 'I…' And then she took a fir to her aid, 'I don't think we've met,' she said formally as she held out her handpolitely 'I'm Josie Owens'

'Yes, I know' He s eyes 'Luke Hawkton How do you do?'

His grip was fir, very much like the ulfed in his, only to be released almost immediately

Hawkton? Luke Hawkton? She had heard that name somewhere before, but for the moment the connection escaped her It had clearly been just the name she had heard; if she had seen a picture of thisface, not handsos, but the cruel sensual th, as did the high cheekbones and cold, black-lashed eyes, and there was sonetic than any stock attractiveness

His dark aura was a subtle emanation of restrained power and authority, but there was soht tiny little flickers shivering down her spine He was all male, utterly sure of himself, and she had no doubt that he could be as ruthless as the lithe, hard-planed panther she had mentally compared him to earlier A man to be avoided at all costs, in fact

'Miss Owens?' She suddenly beca at hiood fifteen seconds, and that the faintly slanted silver-grey eyes held a thread of amusement in their cool depths 'I asked if I could have a ith you,' he prodded smoothly 'Of course' Charlotte hadn't moved from the spot, and now Josie turned to include the tall blonde as she spoke 'This is Charlotte Montgoue of mine,' she said with a wave of her hand, but the silver eyes barely brushed Charlotte's face He gave her a polite nod and then took Josie's aruided her away to a far corner of the rooazing after thehtfully, her blue eyes narrowed