Fantasy Girl

When Lester had invited her out to dinner one evening she had been undecided about accepting. After all, a casual conversation was one thing, a whole evening together had been something else. Finally she had accepted, deciding she liked him enough to spend the time with him, liking his tall, dark good looks, the warmth of his brown eyes, the way he always dressed well. The evening had been a success, and was the predecessor of many evenings spent together during the last three months.

Judith’s taunting words of this morning came back to haunt her. Not that Lester wasn’t a man, he could be an ardent lover when he wanted to be, but he certainly didn’t light any fires within her, no man ever had.

She returned Lester’s kiss warmly when he arrived shortly before eight; he was always punctual for their dates.

‘You look lovely,’ he smiled. ‘I’ve booked a table for eight-fifteen,’ he looked at the practical watch on his wrist. ‘We’ll have to leave now if we’re to be on time.’

Natalie liked the way Lester was always punctual for appointments, from promised telephone calls to actual dates. It gave her a feeling of security; in fact everything about Lester made her feel secure, his almost cosetting air making her feel protected. And after being the boss all day it was nice to feel the helpless female in a reliable man’s company.

Although she wasn’t quite so pleased when he offered an opinion as to how she should run her business! He noticed her rather preoccupied responses to his conversation, asking her what was wrong. As soon as she mentioned Judith’s name his expression darkened.

‘I don’t know why you bother with her,’ he scowled. ‘She’s nothing but a worry to you.’

‘She’s my sister—–’

‘Business is business, Natalie,’ he told her pompously. ‘Family loyalties shouldn’t enter into it.’

Judith was the only jarring note in her relationship with Lester, and usually she steered clear of talking about her sister. But she needed to talk to someone about this latest affair with Jason Dillman, and Lester was the obvious choice. After all, he was her boy-friend, they were supposed to share things, even their problems.

Lester gave a disgusted snort when she told him about the meeting with Adam Thornton and Judith’s subsequent refusal to end the affair. ‘Typical!’ he derided. ‘Well, you have your answer, Natalie, Let Thornton dismiss her,’ he said callously.

She sighed, sipping the wine Lester had chosen with their meal. Lester was a connoisseur of wines, and he had chosen this one with care. For all the notice Natalie took of it it might as well have been water! How shocked Lester would be if he knew his talent had gone to waste tonight. But she had too much on her mind to worry about Lester’s pride as an expert on wines.

‘It isn’t as simple as that,’ she shook her head, and pushed her plate away, the duck and green salad not tempting her palate tonight. ‘My parents are relying on me to take care of Judith.’

He grimaced, no sympathy for her in his expression. ‘A husband would do that. A sister shouldn’t have to. And the way your sister behaves she isn’t likely to find herself a husband—only someone else’s.’

Natalie knew the criticism was deserved, that so far Judith had made rather a mess of her life where men were concerned, and yet tonight Lester’s criticism wrankled. She had met his parents and older brother, and she wouldn’t have presumed to say a word against any of them, even if she had found his father to be henpecked, his mother totally domineering and too deeply interested in both her bachelor sons’ lives.

‘It’s time Judith stood on her own two feet,’ Lester continued, not seeming to have noticed her slight withdrawal. ‘She manages to do it most of the time, and only comes running to you when she’s in trouble.’

‘She isn’t in trouble,’ Natalie sighed. ‘And she didn’t come to me. I told you, Adam Thornton called me.’

‘Mm,’ he chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. ‘He isn’t the sort of man you should cross.’

She already knew that! ‘Do you know him?’ she asked.

‘Of him. I’ve read things about him from time to time in the financial paper I read. He’s a real whizz-kid.’

‘Hardly a kid,’ she derided dryly.

‘No,’ Lester smiled. ‘T.C.B.A. is one of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world. The man’s rolling in money. It was a real feather in your cap that you managed to get some contracts with his company.’

‘It wasn’t a “feather in my cap” at all, Lester,’ she said sharply. ‘I worked hard for those contracts.’ Although with hindsight she wasn’t so sure she had got them through her own devices. Jason Dillman had gone through her display book before committing himself to choosing a model from her agency for Beauty Girl. At the time she had considered it normal practice—after all, he had to see what he could be getting.

But this affair with Judith put a new light on things. An agency the size of hers, exclusive as her models were, wasn’t likely to attract the attention of a company the size of Thorntons. She had a terrible suspicion that Jason’s attraction to Judith might have influenced the acquisition of those contracts, the ones that came after Beauty Girl anyway.

‘I know,’ Lester touched her hand understandingly. ‘And it would be a pity to let Judith spoil it for you. She can’t get involved with Adam Thornton’s brother-in-law.’

‘She already is!’

‘Then stop her.’

‘How? I’ve already told her about Adam Thornton’s threats. She didn’t seem very impressed,’ Natalie derided.

‘Then maybe you and Adam Thornton are going about this from the wrong angle,’ Lester frowned. ‘This Jason Dillman sounds on the mercenary side, maybe he’s the one you should put the pressure on?’

Why hadn’t Adam Thornton thought of that? Or didn’t he have that sort of influence over his brother-in-law? Of course he did. And it was up to him to stop the affair if she couldn’t. She certainly wasn’t going to worry about it any more, and she smiled brightly at Lester as she changed the subject. She could deal with the problem of Adam Thornton tomorrow.

She encouraged Lester to talk about his work, marvelling at his ability to deal with the sort of figures that had become her nightmare.

‘Maybe you should become my accountant,’ she teased him.

‘I don’t think you could afford my prices,’ he answered her seriously. ‘Do you really enjoy running the agency, Natalie?’ he frowned. ‘It seems to me to be nothing but trouble.’

‘I enjoy it,’ she said stiffly. ‘It’s my independence.’

Lester moved closer to her on the sofa, the two of them having returned to Natalie’s flat a few minutes earlier, lingering over their late-night coffee. ‘Maybe I would rather you weren’t so independent?’ he murmured softly. ‘Perhaps I’d like you to cling a little more.’

Natalie gave a nervous laugh, not liking his serious air. ‘Don’t you like career women?’ she teased.

‘Not much,’ he answered bluntly.

‘Lester!’ She moved back to look at him in stunned surprise.

‘Well, I don’t,’ he shrugged. ‘When I marry I want my wife to concentrate on being my wife and the mother of my children.’

That sounded exactly like his mother! ‘Wouldn’t that be a little boring—for your wife?’ she mocked, having visions of herself as another Mrs Fulton. Oh dear, no!

He looked affronted. ‘I don’t think so—Why are you laughing?’ he frowned at her humour.

Because if she didn’t laugh she would cry! This conversation had become too serious for her liking—she had no doubt that Lester saw her as the ‘little woman’ who would stay at home and look after him and the children. She was fond of him, but the thought of being the sort of wife he wanted filled her with horror.

‘I’m only teasing you, Lester,’ she smiled. ‘I’m sure the woman you choose to be your wife will be happy to take care of you and your children.’ But it certainly wouldn’t be her!

‘You think so?’

‘I’m sure of it,’ she said briskly, standing up to put an end to the evening. ‘It’s getting late, Lester …’ she told him pointedly.

‘Oh yes.’ He accepted her words at face value, having no idea of the almost-panic he had caused within her. He put the empty coffee cup down on the table in front of him, and stood up to face her. ‘Lunch tomorrow?’

‘Fine,’ she agreed brightly, knowing she would have to end this relationship slowly if she wasn’t to appear too obvious in her fright.

He bent to kiss her softly on the mouth. ‘Twelve-thirty?’

‘Lovely,’ she nodded, edging him towards the door.

He left a few minutes later—much to her relief. What a day it had been! That awful meeting with Adam Thornton, her sister’s stubbornness, and now she had found out that the current man in her life was secretly a male chauvinist.

And tomorrow didn’t promise to be any better!

Surprisingly her morning passed quietly enough. She had appointments with a couple of clients, ones she had a feeling she was desperately going to need if she lost the Thornton contracts.

She heard nothing from Adam Thornton, and she was loath to call the man herself. If he had already spoken to Jason Dillman and the other man had refused to end the affair, as Judith had, then he could put the ball back in her court. Ignorance was bliss in this case. At least it was peaceful!

A red-faced Dee came into her office shortly after eleven. ‘I don’t think he’s going to be put off much longer, Natalie,’ she said worriedly.

‘Hm?’ Natalie looked up vaguely.

‘Adam Thornton, he—–’

‘Has he been calling?’ Her eyes widened, deeply aquamarine.

‘All morning,’ Dee nodded. ‘At least, his secretary has. I managed to put her off, but this last time he called himself. I don’t think he believed me when I said you weren’t in.’

Natalie frowned. ‘But I—Damn, I forgot to tell you I’d take his call,’ she groaned, cursing herself for her stupidity. She had completely forgotten to tell Dee to divert his calls.

‘You mean I’ve been putting him off all morning and your really wanted to talk to him?’ Dee grimaced.

‘Sorry,’ she said ruefully. ‘Has he telephoned a lot?’ She sat back, her make-up as perfect as always, her hair a gleaming ebony bob, the turquoise of her silky dress seeming to match the colour of her eyes.

‘Half a dozen times at least,’ Dee moaned. ‘And this last time he sounded furious!’

Natalie gave a worried sigh. ‘You’d better call him straight back. I’m really sorry about this.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ her friend dismissed. ‘You have a lot on your mind.’

Even more so now! ‘That may be so, but I don’t have to be stupid with it,’ she derided. ‘How’s Tom today?’

‘The same,’ Dee grimaced. ‘Men!’

It was a statement Natalie heartily echoed. Men! And one man in particular.

Dee buzzed through on the intercom a few minutes later. ‘He isn’t there,’ she told Natalie ruefully.

‘Really? Or is his secretary just saying that?’ It would be just like Adam Thornton to decide not to talk to her now that she had called him.

‘Well, she said he wasn’t in the office before I told her who I was,’ Dee explained. ‘So I would say he really isn’t there. Do you want me to keep trying?’

‘Please.’

A glance at her wrist-watch told her it was almost eleven-thirty. Maybe he had gone to an early lunch. He was probably tired of having to trouble himself with such a nonentity as Natalie Faulkner. She doubted if he usually bothered himself with such things, and wouldn’t have become involved this time if it weren’t for his sister’s happiness.

She had no warning as five minutes later Adam Thornton strolled forcefully into her office, no knock, no call from Dee, just the arrogantly overpowering man suddenly standing in front of her desk.

She had forgotten how tall he was, how dominating. The whole room seemed to be filled by him, and his savagery was even more apparent today, his expression impatient as he looked down at her with steely blue eyes.

Natalie noticed everything about him in that shocked first few seconds—the cut of the navy blue three-piece suit he wore with the pale blue shirt, the rugged handsomeness of his face, the distinctive grey hair at his temples, the black sheen to the rest of his thick over-long hair. Yes, he was everything she remembered—and more.

‘I’m sorry, Natalie,’ a flustered Dee had followed him. ‘He just walked in.’

Natalie was aware of the arrogant challenge in steely blue eyes as she tried to look at Dee. ‘It’s all right,’ she soothed. ‘This is Mr Thornton—Mr Adam Thornton,’ she added pointedly, her mouth twisting at the awed Oh! Dee gave.

He turned to look at the other woman. ‘And you’re the competent young lady who’s been baulking my secretary all morning,’ he drawled huskily. ‘I could use someone like you in my own office,’ he smiled.

Natalie gave a dazed blink as she too was caught up in the charm of that smile, mentally shaking herself to break the spell he was casting. Just because the man looked ten years younger when he smiled, the grooves in his cheeks deepening, the sudden warmth of blue eyes, it was no reason to feel any less nervous of him. This man was dangerous, ruthless, and she would have to remember that.

‘Thank you, Dee,’ she dismissed the other woman, seeing her friend’s grimace of disappointment before she went into the outer office, closing the door behind her. ‘Now, Mr Thornton,’ she looked up at him coolly. ‘What can I do for you?’

He pulled up a chair, lounging back against the white leather, taking his time in answering as he lit one of the cheroots he favoured, having the look of a slumbering black leopard about to spring.

Finally he looked up, his eyes narrowed against the smoke. ‘Well, you can call me Adam for a start,’ he drawled softly. ‘I have a feeling we’re going to be working closely together in future, close enough for you to call me Adam, anyway.’ He looked at her challengingly.

Natalie eyed him warily. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s quite simple,’ he mocked. ‘I’ve decided to personally handle any work connected with this company. I would also like to accept any of the fringe benefits you might be inclined to offer with those contracts.’

CHAPTER THREE

NATALIE gasped her outrage; she had never been so insulted in her life before. ‘I run a business here, Mr Thornton,’ she snapped angrily. ‘A legitimate business!’

‘I’m sure you do,’ he seemed unimpressed. ‘But I’m also sure you must realise that my company doesn’t usually do business with an agency as small as this one?’

Her eyes glittered dangerously, her hands tightly gripping the edge of her desk. ‘Are you implying that I told Judith to sleep with your advertising manager just so that we would get the Beauty Girl contract?’ Her voice was soft, furiously so.

Adam Thornton shrugged, perfectly relaxed, blowing smoke-rings up at the ceiling. ‘No, I’m not implying that—–’

‘Good!’ she bit out.

‘But I am saying that this agency got that contract because Jason had already slept with this girl Grant.’ He watched Natalie with narrowed eyes.

She flushed, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. ‘Could you explain that remark?’ she requested coolly.

‘It’s quite simple,’ he drawled. ‘Jason knew this girl Grant before he came to your agency. The two of them met at a party months ago. They were lovers before he even approached you about Beauty Girl.’

‘Oh no!’ she groaned, feeling sick, but knowing it was the truth. It would explain so much.

‘Oh yes,’ Adam Thornton confirmed dryly. ‘Needless to say, I knew nothing about it.’

‘Neither did I,’ Natalie snapped challengingly.

‘Didn’t you think it rather strange that a company the size of Thornton’s should come to you?’ he derided scathingly.

‘And didn’t you think it strange that Jason should use an agency of this size?’

He shrugged. ‘One thing Jason has always been is good at his job. He claimed the Grant girl was the most suitable, so I went along with that.’

‘And I’ve built up quite a good reputation this last year,’ she defended heatedly. ‘It was conceivable that we’d been recommended to Mr Dillman from another company.’

‘Conceivable,’ he nodded. ‘But not very likely. Or were you just so surprised at your good fortune that you didn’t like to question it too deeply?’ The blue eyes were icily contemptuous.

Natalie knew there was a certain amount of truth in what he said, that she really hadn’t been able to believe her luck. But at the time it had been exactly the boost her agency needed, getting them noticed by other companies at the same time.

She looked at Adam Thornton, wishing he didn’t look quite so self-confident, that he didn’t know he was right. But she doubted this man was ever wrong! ‘I’m sure you’ll agree,’ she said stiffly, ‘that the work my models have done for you has been as professional as any of the other agencies you deal with.’

‘Except for the Grant girl,’ he nodded. ‘And we all know the reason she’s inefficient.’ He viciously stubbed out the cheroot.

‘Do we?’

‘She’s too damned busy spending her mornings and afternoons in bed with Jason!’ he rasped.

Natalie paled, swallowing hard. ‘You—you mean you know about that?’

‘I’ve made it my business, now, to know about the whole affair,’ he ground out savagely. ‘I also know that Jason refuses to end it. Did you have any better luck than I did?’ he questioned sharply.

She chewed on her bottom lip. ‘Er—no,’ she admitted.

His mouth compressed angrily. ‘Is that why you’ve been avoiding my calls?’

Wild colour flooded her cheeks, highlighting the strange blue-green of her eyes. ‘That was a mistake—–’

‘I agree, it was,’ he drawled mockingly. ‘You wouldn’t have had to confront me in person if you’d taken my call.’

‘That wasn’t what I meant,’ Natalie snapped agitatedly. ‘I—I told Dee I wasn’t taking any calls this morning—I didn’t think about your calls at the time,’ she invented. ‘As soon as I realised what had happened I had Dee call you back. You’d already left to come here,’ she finished reluctantly, knowing that he would have been less forceful down a telephone line.

His mouth twisted mockingly. ‘I’m not used to being fobbed off in that way.’ He stood up, at once seeming to fill the whole room again, the movement made with the languid grace of a jungle cat. He glanced at his wrist-watch, a plain gold affair that had probably cost a year of Natalie’s salary. ‘Ten past twelve,’ he murmured thoughtfully. ‘Get your coat, Natalie, we’re going to lunch.’

She looked up at him open-mouthed, as much for the fact that he knew her first name as for what he had said. Still, it wasn’t so surprising when looked at logically; he had probably found out all that he could about the Faulkner Agency when he had realised what was happening between his brother-in-law and one of their models. He probably knew everything about her, right down to her bra size! No, she looked at him thoughtfully, he looked as if he had enough experience to be able to guess that without help from anyone.

She blushed as he raised his brows enquiringly. ‘I don’t go to lunch until twelve-thirty today,’ she told him haughtily, knowing she still had those bright wings of colour in her cheeks.

‘Are you the boss?’

‘Yes,’ she frowned.

‘Then you go to lunch at what time you want to. Get your coat,’ he repeated abruptly.

Natalie looked at him with rebellious eyes. ‘Maybe I just don’t want to have lunch with you, Mr Thornton.’

Amusement lightened his eyes. ‘I’m sure you don’t,’ he derided. ‘But get your coat anyway.’

‘I—–’

‘This is business, Natalie,’ he rasped. ‘You surely didn’t think I was about to demand those “fringe benefits” right now?’ he taunted softly.

She drew in an angry breath. ‘There are no fringe benefits!’

‘No?’

‘No!’

Adam Thornton pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Then maybe I should just try and think of a few I might like from you.’ There was a warmth in his eyes now, where before there had only been condemning coldness.

Natalie couldn’t believe this was happening. Adam Thornton was actually flirting with her! ‘You can think in vain, Mr Thornton,’ she said stiffly. ‘All you’ll get from this agency—from me,’ she added pointedly, ‘is efficiency.’

‘It will do for the moment,’ he shrugged. ‘Now, are you going to keep me waiting much longer for my lunch? I should warn you,’ he taunted, ‘I get even more unbearable when I’m hungry.’

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