Jessica Hart: No Mistaking Love

Helen laughed confidently and shook back her glorious hair. `He won't mind being disturbed by me,' she said, laying her hand on the door and opening it. `Will you, darling?' She half stepped inside, leaning back against the door in a deliberately provocative pose. `Your gorgon's trying to stop me coming in, Luke, but you can spare me five minutes, can't you?'

Kate couldn't hear Luke's reply, but Helen gave another throaty laugh and pushed the door to behind her triumphantly.

Kate was left staring at the blank door, shaken by a gust of contradictory feelings; dislike, envy, disgust. There she had been, marvelling at how hard and invulnerable he seemed, and all it took was a pair of long legs and few provocative poses and he was as gullible as any other man!

Well, it was none of her business, of course. Kate resumed typing angrily. If Luke was fool enough to take up with a girl he already had good reason to distrust, that was his look-out.

But she wished he weren't. She didn't mind his being rude, or aggressive, or even unpleasant, but she didn't like his being stupid.

Kate made four mistakes in the letter she was typing before she gave up and stalked along to the coffee machine to work off her bad temper. Returning to her desk, she ripped the paper out of the printer and started afresh.

She was not going to get involved with Luke's business.

She was not going to care if he wanted to make a fool of himself.

She was sensible, practical, capable Kate.

By the time the door reopened she had talked herself into believing it, and was absorbed in typing, the epitome of a discreet, efficient secretary.

Luke ignored her as he walked with Helen to the outer door. `See you later, then,' he said,

letting his hand slide down the shimmering fall of hair.

`I'll be waiting.' Helen lifted her face, and he kissed her on the lips before patting her on the

bottom as she left with evident reluctance.

He turned back to the office. Kate's face was mask-like as she picked up a folder from the desk. `Here are those letters for signature.'

For once, Luke looked taken aback. `You've finished them already?'

'Of course.' Kate met his eyes blandly. `You said you wanted them urgently, and I knew how

busy you were this morning.'

Luke's slate-grey eyes narrowed as he took the folder from her, but he made no comment at her sly dig at the time he had spent with Helen. `I'm going to finish that report,' he grunted.

`I don't want to be disturbed.'

`By anyone?' asked Kate, all innocence.

`By anyone!' he snapped, striding over to his office. He banged the door shut behind him, but a few moments later it reopened. `Kate?'

'Yes?'

`Get me some coffee, will you?' He half closed the door again, then thought better of it, and stuck his head round once more. `Please!'

It didn't take Kate long to fall into a routine. Every morning she would arrive promptly at nine o'clock, but Luke was always there before her. Sometimes she wondered if he ever went home.

As he had predicted, Luke was a difficult man to work for. He threw huge amounts of work at her and set impossible deadlines, expected her to have acquired an encyclopaedic knowledge of the company on her first day, and snapped if she proved less than a mind-reader. She was rarely able to leave on time and soon learnt not to expect any appreciation from Luke.

In spite of it all, Kate was content. She might deplore Luke's manners, but she couldn't help being impressed by his undoubted abilities. He had an immense capacity for work, and could absorb the most technical of reports with startling speed. A shrewd financial brain combined with ruthless drive had made him one of the most successful men in his field, and, while he might not be loved by his staff, he was universally respected.

Kate dealt with all the work quietly, efficiently and with a complete lack of fuss that gradually earnt a grudging respect from Luke. She never flapped, or complained, or bothered him with silly questions, and their battles were limited to her insistence on courtesy. Luke grumbled about having to say please and thank you the whole time, but usually gave in to Kate in the end.

`You obviously don't dislike him as much as you said you did,' Serena said. She and Kate were sitting in a wine-bar, making the most of the free peanuts.

'No-o.' Kate hesitated. `He hasn't done anything to make me like him particularly, but I suppose we get on quite well when he's not shouting at me and I'm not ticking him off about his manners.'

`Don't get on too well. He might recognise you!'

Kate shook her head. `I'm just his secretary,' she said with an unconsciously wistful smile. `Luke's single-minded in the office. As long as I get through all the work, he wouldn't notice if I did the dance of the seven veils on his desk-he'd just tell me not to mess up his papers!'

`He sounds awful,' Serena said frankly, pinching the last peanut. `I don't know why you put up with him.'

`He's not that bad,' Kate said, instantly on the defensive. `He'll talk to me about work and let me make my own comments and suggestions.'

`Big of him!'

'It's more than he does with most people. He was always a loner, and now he's even more so. He keeps people at a distance. I made him laugh the other day, and Ifelt as if I'djust conquered Everest!'

'Why, what did he do?'

'Nothing. Hejust laughed. I've seen him smile, of course, but it's usually more of a sneer. This was a proper laugh…' Kate trailed off. It was impossible to explain to Serena the sheer unexpectedness of seeing Luke throw back his head and laugh. All she had done was make a dry comment about a newspaper headline, and suddenly it had been as if a complete stranger stood before her, his face alight with humour, and she had been shaken by the rush of triumphant warmth she had felt. She had made him laugh! She had got through that iron wall of indifference, and without even trying.

`He's much nicer when he laughs,' she finished lamely.

`Kate!' Serena put down her wine glass and looked at Kate with foreboding. `You're not-you're not-thinking of doing anything silly like falling for Luke, are you?'

Falling for Luke? Kate shrugged off a small shiver of memory.

`Of course not,' she said crisply. She took a sip of her wine and avoided Serena's accusing eyes. `You ought to know me better than that, Serena! I'll admit that I like him more than I expected, but I'm far too sensible to fall for a man like Luke. That would be asking for trouble!'

KATE went into work the following Monday to find Luke sitting on the edge of her desk, flicking through the diary.

`Good morning,' she said, hanging up her coat and wishing she could get Serena's ridiculous suggestion out of her mind. She felt cross at the very thought. She knew enough about Luke to be under no illusions about him, and there was no danger whatsoever of her falling for him. The whole idea was absurd! So absurd that it had kept her awake at nights. After two restless nights she felt grouchy and irritable and on edge.

Luke had merely grunted in response to her greeting as he compared the desk diary with the slim leather one he carried in his pocket.

`I said, good morning!' Kate reminded him, and he looked up with an exasperated sigh.

`Oh, very well… good morning, Kate.' He eyed her sardonically. `Is that sufficient, or do I need to say anything else?'

'You could ask me if I had a nice weekend,' Kate suggested, refusing to be intimidated by his sarcasm.

`Did you have a nice weekend?'

'Yes, thank you. And you?'

'Not particularly,' he snapped. `Now that we've 'one the social bit, can we get on with some work? We're going to Paris tomorrow.' He rushed the diary across the desk towards her.