time. ‘I think I've been a little – er – brusque with you today.’
A little brusque! He'd been as tactful as a charging rhinoceros. If he were not her client, she would have enjoyed telling him exactly what she thought of arrogant men who traded on their good looks and left their manners at home. ‘Just a little.’
‘I apologise for that. Mind you, I still think that you look too young to be a senior accountant,’ again his eyes raked her from head to toe, ‘but if you say you're thirty, I believe you. You obviously know your stuff. So you'll continue to work on my uncle’s estate?’
‘Yes, of course.’ She waited impatiently for him to get up and leave. To her annoyance, her stomach gurgled loudly.
He grinned. ‘Not eaten yet, Ms Ingram? By the way, what is your first name?’
She ignored that question. Unlike her Australian colleagues she preferred not to get on first-name terms with clients. ‘I haven't had lunch yet, so if you'll excuse me, I – ’
‘How about I buy you lunch to apologise?’
The last thing she wanted was to have lunch with a client, even if she was free to do so, which she wasn't. And this guy might be all sweetness and light now, but he had been extremely rude to her before, with no justification whatsoever. In fact, he’d behaved in an utterly chauvinistic way, doubting her capability as an accountant.
She leaned back and gave Mr Elless a cool stare. ‘I'm sorry. I've made other arrangements for lunch.’
‘Dinner, then?’
‘No way!’ The words burst out before she could stop herself. She could see his surprise, the way his eyes narrowed.
‘I was that rude to you, was I?’
Time was passing. She was due to take that final examination in just over an hour, and she still had to eat and get across town to the college. ‘I'm not free.’
‘Pity.’
When he continued to sit there, she took the initiative by standing up and walking round the desk, ready to move towards the door.
He stood up, too, but instead of shaking her outstretched hand, he took it in both his and kept hold of it. ‘Couldn't you take pity on a stranger to Perth and break your engagement tonight?’
He was so large and vibrantly male that her breath caught in her throat. She looked up at him and for a moment forgot everything. She had to take several slow deep breaths before she could get her thoughts in order. How could this be happening to her? She had never before reacted to a stranger on such an instinctive physical level and it shocked her. He was clasping her hand so tightly she didn't like to make an issue of pulling it away.
Then common sense took over. This was just a passing physical attraction, she told herself, straightening her shoulders and stepping backwards. It happened to people all the time. You met a stranger and something sparked between you. It was no big deal.
If she ignored it, it would go away. And so would he. After all, he lived in Queensland. She tried to remove her hand and his fingers tightened on hers.
‘Sure you won't change your mind?’
‘No, thank you. I’m–um, in a long-term relationship.’
He didn’t try to hide his disappointment and let go. But although she had her hand free now, she could still feel the imprint of his fingers on hers.
‘He’s a lucky man.’
She led the way briskly along the corridor to the reception area and said a crisp goodbye, but it wasn’t until she sat down at her desk in the quietness of the long examination hall that Meriel managed to get the image of Ben Elless out of her mind. She forgot everything then but the questions in front of her. She had learned the basics of her new trade now, and one day she would earn her living entirely as an artist.
She had vowed to do that when she started on this course, and she intended to make the dream come true, however long it took.
* * * *
When he left the accountant’s office, Ben Elless stopped for a moment to shake his head in bewilderment. What on earth had got into
A little brusque! He'd been as tactful as a charging rhinoceros. If he were not her client, she would have enjoyed telling him exactly what she thought of arrogant men who traded on their good looks and left their manners at home. ‘Just a little.’
‘I apologise for that. Mind you, I still think that you look too young to be a senior accountant,’ again his eyes raked her from head to toe, ‘but if you say you're thirty, I believe you. You obviously know your stuff. So you'll continue to work on my uncle’s estate?’
‘Yes, of course.’ She waited impatiently for him to get up and leave. To her annoyance, her stomach gurgled loudly.
He grinned. ‘Not eaten yet, Ms Ingram? By the way, what is your first name?’
She ignored that question. Unlike her Australian colleagues she preferred not to get on first-name terms with clients. ‘I haven't had lunch yet, so if you'll excuse me, I – ’
‘How about I buy you lunch to apologise?’
The last thing she wanted was to have lunch with a client, even if she was free to do so, which she wasn't. And this guy might be all sweetness and light now, but he had been extremely rude to her before, with no justification whatsoever. In fact, he’d behaved in an utterly chauvinistic way, doubting her capability as an accountant.
She leaned back and gave Mr Elless a cool stare. ‘I'm sorry. I've made other arrangements for lunch.’
‘Dinner, then?’
‘No way!’ The words burst out before she could stop herself. She could see his surprise, the way his eyes narrowed.
‘I was that rude to you, was I?’
Time was passing. She was due to take that final examination in just over an hour, and she still had to eat and get across town to the college. ‘I'm not free.’
‘Pity.’
When he continued to sit there, she took the initiative by standing up and walking round the desk, ready to move towards the door.
He stood up, too, but instead of shaking her outstretched hand, he took it in both his and kept hold of it. ‘Couldn't you take pity on a stranger to Perth and break your engagement tonight?’
He was so large and vibrantly male that her breath caught in her throat. She looked up at him and for a moment forgot everything. She had to take several slow deep breaths before she could get her thoughts in order. How could this be happening to her? She had never before reacted to a stranger on such an instinctive physical level and it shocked her. He was clasping her hand so tightly she didn't like to make an issue of pulling it away.
Then common sense took over. This was just a passing physical attraction, she told herself, straightening her shoulders and stepping backwards. It happened to people all the time. You met a stranger and something sparked between you. It was no big deal.
If she ignored it, it would go away. And so would he. After all, he lived in Queensland. She tried to remove her hand and his fingers tightened on hers.
‘Sure you won't change your mind?’
‘No, thank you. I’m–um, in a long-term relationship.’
He didn’t try to hide his disappointment and let go. But although she had her hand free now, she could still feel the imprint of his fingers on hers.
‘He’s a lucky man.’
She led the way briskly along the corridor to the reception area and said a crisp goodbye, but it wasn’t until she sat down at her desk in the quietness of the long examination hall that Meriel managed to get the image of Ben Elless out of her mind. She forgot everything then but the questions in front of her. She had learned the basics of her new trade now, and one day she would earn her living entirely as an artist.
She had vowed to do that when she started on this course, and she intended to make the dream come true, however long it took.
* * * *
When he left the accountant’s office, Ben Elless stopped for a moment to shake his head in bewilderment. What on earth had got into
Similar Books
