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.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘WELL, 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.