Slave to Love

Moving towards the low table standing between the two elegant sofas, he then paused when he saw that it was scattered with papers. Roberta jumped to make a space for the tray and as he put it down the rich aroma of freshly brewing coffee assailed her nostrils, making her swallow thirstily on the sudden surge of saliva to her mouth.

‘Here.’ Mac walked over to the waiter, holding out a bank-note. The man’s eyes lit up as he took it, bowing in humble thanks before quickly letting himself out of the room.

‘Look,’ Roberta demanded in a tight voice. ‘Is this suite supposed to be yours? Because if it is I’ll pack my things up and—’

‘Oh, yours—yours,’ Mac answered casually. ‘I have another one on the floor above.’

‘Then I would prefer it if you left with the waiter,’ she informed him pointedly.

‘Without us having the chance to finish our—business?’ he drawled, then bent his attention to the loaded tray that the waiter had placed on a free corner of the coffee-table. ‘Mmm,’ he said as he lifted the cover off the plate of delicately made ham sandwiches. ‘Refreshments while we talk shop. Good girl,’ he murmured as he sat down and took one. ‘I’m starving.’

‘I didn’t order them for you,’ she snapped, then sighed when he just bit into the sandwich with overplayed relish and settled back to make himself comfortable.

‘All right.’ Convincing herself that it would do her no good to antagonise him when this Brunner deal was in such an obvious mess, she made herself sit down on the other sofa and poured herself a desperately needed cup of coffee. ‘Let’s talk business.’

‘I wouldn’t mind a coffee myself,’ Mac prompted.

‘There’s only one cup,’ she pointed out, feeling a petty sense of triumph at being able to say it.

‘So, I’ll use yours when you’ve finished with it,’ he shrugged, and took another sandwich, then, with a wicked gleam in his eyes, lifted the plate and offered them to her.

Ignoring it, she asked him coolly instead, ‘What do you want me to do about the Brunner deal?’

‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Exactly nothing,’ he elaborated carelessly.

Roberta frowned. ‘Is that why you’re here?’ she demanded. ‘Are you going to see to it yourself?’

‘No. As you said yourself, this is Joel’s baby. He got himself into this mess and he’ll get himself out of it—and answer to me later.’

‘But Joel isn’t here and you are,’ she pointed out. ‘There’s a meeting scheduled with Frank Brunner in the morning. What am I supposed to do if Joel isn’t here?’

‘What did he tell you to do?’

‘Stall.’ She shrugged. ‘Find out what e

lse Brunner wants, then just stall him until Joel arrives.’

‘Then that is what you must do,’ Mac said.

‘But with you here there’s no reason for us to stall!’ she cried. ‘Mac,’ she urged, ‘you saw for yourself the mess this is all in! You could straighten it all out in ten seconds flat! You know you could!’

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ he grinned.

‘That wasn’t the point I was trying to make!’ she snapped, irritated by his laid-back manner. ‘Joel is your brother! He’s younger—far less experienced at these things than you! If he lets Brunner talk him into yet more concessions, then you know he’s going to get a hell of a rocket from the board when they eventually see the final contract!’

‘And from its chairman, come to that,’ he agreed.

Roberta jumped to her feet, infuriated by his distinct lack of feeling where Joel was concerned. ‘I can’t believe you’re going to stand back and watch your own brother drop himself right in it!’ she cried.

‘How long have you known that this deal wasn’t going as well as it should?’ he asked.

‘I—’ Damn, they were back to that again. ‘What made you suddenly suspicious enough to come and check it out?’ she countered smartly.

‘Joel was altogether too uncomfortable on Friday night when I brought it up,’ he replied. ‘And you didn’t look so pleased about it yourself.’

‘It wasn’t the Brunner deal I was displeased with,’ she reminded him. ‘It was you!’

‘Want to kiss and make up?’ he invited.