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Suddenly the anger was there, hot and fierce Charles was the fatherly figure who had given her the sort of chance, five years ago, that she had been craving since leaving university, choosing her above a host of other er for the post of publishing assistant to thedirector of Concise Publications

He had been her mentor, her champion, buther under their parental wing and giving her her first real gli upstart, no doubt, who probably didn't know one end of a book from another

'Male or fe, but it ith sheer fury, not weakness

'Male' Maggie knedirector, and she took a deep breath before she added, 'His name is Mallen Hawk Mallen'

'Hawk Mallen?' Joanne's voice was scathing, her eie had suddenly becoer focused on Joanne's angry face 'What sort of name is that?'

'My sort of name, Ms…?'

The deep male voice was not loud, but the timbre was such that Joanne felt liquid ice run over her nerves She didn't turn for a good thirty seconds from her position just a few inches into the rooe that she had blown it-good and proper, as Charles would have said And she cared Oh, not because of her job, precious and important as it had been to her up to this minute in time, she told herself bitterly, but because she had wanted to fling her resignation into the lap of this faceless bureaucrat and walk aith her head held high-not be caught out like a child telling tales out of school

'Crawford' Her chin was high, her golden eyes shooting sparks as she looked up into the hard dark face of the bigin the doorway behind her 'And it's Miss'

'Ah…yes, of course Charles's elusive publishing assistant How nice to meet you' On face value the words were polite and courteous, but, spoken as they were, in a dark cold drawl that was bothbut 'Perhaps you'd like to coh to your office so we can discuss recent events in comfort?'

Heears and avid interest of the outer office, Joanne thought tightly, but for once the professionalism she prided herself on had flown out the'Is there any point?' she asked stiffly, knowing she was glaring but quite unable to help herself

The suit this ht bitterly, and was indicative of his sovereignty somehow He reeked of wealth and power; it flowed out of every pore and was in every gesture heobeyed without question Well-tough There was no way she was going to be inti the only person she had any real affection for in the whole orld Well, there was Clare too, she qualified hastily as a little stab of disloyalty to Charles's wife made itself known; she loved her too, but Charles was Charles…

'Every point, Miss Crawford'