The Price of a Wife

Josie had dressed carefully for the meeting with Luke at nine, her heart pounding like a sledgehammer from the moment she had woken after a restless, troubled sleep and her mouth dry. She glanced at herself in the mirror for the tenth time in as many minutes just before leaving the flat at a few minutes past eight.

The white silk blouse she was wearing was pretty but businesslike, as was the pencil-slim charcoal-grey skirt that reached to just below her calves. She had secured her mass of hair in a high ponytail at the back of her head, as much to allow the air to get to her neck on such a hot day as anything else, and tied it with a white ribbon that hung demurely at either side of the red curls.

The reflection in the mirror bore no resemblance at all to the trembling, distraught figure of Friday night—except for a certain look in the eyes, and a large pair of tinted sunglasses fixed that. She'd do. She nodded to the figure in the glass determinedly. She'd more than do.

She was outside Luke's office at ten to nine, sitting in his secretary's sumptuous outer room, and the sheer force of his wealth and power hit her afresh. The building was huge, and all owned by Hawkton Enterprises, and here on the top floor, where the elite lived and breathed, it was all ankle-deep carpeting, hushed voices, model-girl secretaries and designer suits.

Luke's own secretary looked as though she had just stepped out of a top fashion magazine, every glossy blonde hair in place and her tall, slim figure elegant and perfectly clothed in a close-fitting dress that must have cost a small fortune. 'Mr Hawkton won't be long.' The beautiful face gave a smile in which ice seemed to tinkle. 'He has someone with him at the moment.'

'Thank you.' Josie nodded and then reached for her briefcase, extracting a few papers from within and studying them while she waited, really to give her hands something to do as she fought the inclination to be intimidated.

At exactly nine o'clock the door to his office opened and she heard his voice from within just as the most voluptuous brunette she had seen in a long time sauntered out.

'I'll see you tonight, Catherine. I really can't discuss it any longer this morning. I have an appointment at nine and I shall be tied up all day.' He appeared in the doorway as he finished speaking, glancing across at Josie impatiently. 'Good. You're here. Come through.'

'Bye, then, darling. See you later.' The brunette's voice was a low drawl, the glance she gave Josie dismissive.

Josie switched her mind to automatic as she walked through into Luke's office, but the incident had made her back stiffen with hurt pride and confirmed everything she had thought about the big, dark man in front of her. She had been right not to get involved with him, so right, she thought grimly as she seated herself in the large chair in front of his huge desk. She would have been one tiny notch in his belt, that was all.

'Good morning.' She knew her voice was cold but she didn't care.

'Good morning.' He flung himself down in the massive leather chair with his back to the window, the white sunlight streaming in through the plate glass and turning his face to shadow. 'That was my—'

'Shall we get started?' she interrupted coolly. He needn't spell it out; she knew exactly who that female was, and if he thought he was going to rub her nose in it to punish her for her behaviour on Friday night he could forget it. 'I know you're a busy man.'

'Josie—'

'I'm here to do the job you are paying Top Promotions a fortune to do,' she said icily as her stomach clenched in a giant knot. 'And that is the only reason I'm here.'

'For crying out loud, woman—'

'Do you want to see the plans and figures?' she asked hotly as her control slipped a little. 'I thought it was so urgent I had to be here at the crack of dawn?'

He stared at her for a long moment, muttered something that sounded incredibly rude under his breath, then took in a hard, rasping pull of air through his clenched teeth. 'Fine. If that's the way you want it, fine,' he said tightly. 'What the hell I bothered for in the first place I don't know—'

'No one asked you to bother.' She stared at him, willing the tears that were welling in a hard lump under her breastbone under control. She would not cry in front of him; she would not. 'According to you I got this job on the merit of my work, and I can assure you that I'll give you one hundred per cent effort at all times. I do find it difficult to work miracles at times, whatever Mike says, but I'm trying…' She bit down on her lip as she felt her voice shake and couldn't continue.

When he stood up and moved round the desk she tensed, expecting him to touch her, remonstrate with her—some-thing. But he merely walked straight out of the room, leaving her alone as he closed the door firmly behind him.

She sat for long minutes as she brought her emotions and temper under control again, horrified at what she had said and done. He must think she was some sort of nutcase, she thought miserably. Neurotic, unbalanced—

As the door opened again it cut off her thoughts like a dash of icy water and she nerved herself to look up.

'Coffee?' He was carrying a tray, and from the horrified expression on his secretary's face as she carefully shut the door behind him it was a first for him. Multi-millionaires don't often fetch their own coffee, Josie thought on a burst of hysteria that she squashed immediately.

'Yes, thank you.' He had given her a chance to recover, she knew that, and she ought to apologise for her behaviour. She knew that too, but she didn't trust her voice enough yet.

They drank the coffee in silence, and although she was more uncomfortable than she had ever been in her life the hot liquid did help to steady her nerves. 'Luke, I'm sorry. That was very unprofessional,' she said quietly as she placed the empty cup on the tray.

'Forget it.' His voice wasn't unkind but it was distant. 'If you're ready, we'll go through those queries now.'

And that set the tone for the hour she spent with him. He was cool and reserved and very correct, and, although she knew that that was the way it had to be, needed to be, for her to continue to work for him, that inconsistent quirk of her emotions that had reared its head more than once where he was concerned had her feeling miserable.

She gathered her papers together just before ten, outwardly calm and inwardly more confused than ever, and once she had packed them away stood up quickly, her face straight.

'Thank you for all your hard work, Josie.' He had stood up too, and now reached across the desk and shook her hand, his grip firm and friendly, nothing more. 'I'm sure it's all going to come together beautifully.'

'I shall make sure it does.' She smiled carefully. 'Goodbye for now.'