‘Not while I’m eating, Lauren,’ Alex refused to answer her.
‘We can talk in between eating.’
He looked at his wrist-watch. ‘You have fifteen minutes before your lunch break is up. I’m willing to allow you a few minutes extra to eat that meal, but certainly not so that you can talk.’
‘Oh but—’
‘Eat, Lauren,’ he ordered firmly.
With a resentful glare in his direction she did as he told her, finding the steak and salad to her liking—despite her dining companion. He must be used to much more sophisticated surroundings, and yet he appeared to be completely at his ease, complimenting the barmaid on the food before their departure and causing a blush to come to the young girl’s cheeks.
‘Mr Blair,’ Lauri began once they were on their way again. ‘Mr Blair, I—’
‘Alex. We agreed it should be Alex,’ he murmured huskily.
‘We agreed to no such thing!’
He gave an impatient sigh. ‘I’ve never known anyone like you for arguing. It must be that red hair.’
‘It isn’t red!’ she flared up once again.
He gave her a considering look. ‘No, it isn’t,’ he slowly agreed. ‘It’s very beautiful. Red-gold.’ He frowned suddenly. ‘You remind me of someone, you know, Lauren.’
‘I—I do?’ If he could see any resemblance between herself and either her aunt or uncle then he was the first one ever to do so.
‘Mm,’ he nodded. ‘But I can’t think who for the moment. No doubt it will come to me, probably when I see the other person again.’
‘It’s a sign of advancing years when the memory starts to go.’ Lauri was deliberately provocative in an effort to divert his attention from whom she resembled.
It seemed she had hit home; his mouth tightened angrily. ‘I didn’t say I couldn’t remember, only that I can’t yet see what the resemblance is, the certain something that occasionally sparks off a memory of someone else doing exactly the same thing.’
She licked her lips. ‘I see. Well, you still haven’t answered my question,’ she reminded him.
‘About Prescott being your lover?’ He smiled. ‘But how could he be, when he’s your uncle?’
Lauri gulped, her face paling. ‘You—you know?’
He laughed. ‘Of course.’
‘How long have you known?’ she demanded indignantly.
Alex shrugged. ‘Since yesterday.’
‘You’ve known all the time and you—’
‘I didn’t say all the time,’ he disputed calmly. ‘Only since the afternoon when I looked up your file. You forget, until that time I didn’t even know what your name was, only that it wasn’t Lauri. You see, there’s a Laura in your department too. I had no way of knowing which you were until you told me you were Lauren.’
‘You looked up my file?’ She was incredulous.
He nodded. ‘I went down to Personnel and had a look.’
‘Then you also know—’
‘That my invaluable secretary, the efficient Miss Prescott, is your aunt,’ he finished for her. ‘Yes, I know that too. Which brings me to the point of why you put on that false voice over the telephone this morning. Not that I’m complaining,’ he grinned. ‘It sounded very sexy, and in the right circumstances … well, who knows? But by that little act and by the fact that your aunt has been her usual coolly pleasant self, I’ve come to the conclusion that she knows nothing of your little escapade in her brother’s car yesterday morning.’
Once again he had rendered Lauri speechless. Was there nothing this man didn’t know or couldn’t find out?
‘Am I right?’ he persisted.