Read Online The Beautiful Widow by Helen Brooks - Free Book Online Page A

now, and she would never allow a man into their precious threesome. She owed her daughters that at least. They had their grandfather as a stable male influence when one was needed and that was perfect; she could rely on her father not to let the twins down. Anyone else was suspect.
    The door opening cut into her thoughts and a tall, slim blonde woman smiled at her, saying, ‘You must be Toni? Hi, I’m Joy, Steel’s secretary. Nice to meet you.’
    The rest of the morning flew by. Joy spent some time showing her where everything was and introducing her around. The top floor of the building housed Steel and Joy’s offices, Steel’s private bathroom, a large conference room and another cloakroom. The floor below was used by Steel’s legal people and the accounts department, and the ground floor consisted of Reception and the team who controlled the outside contractors Steel used for various projects, along with various other employees Toni lost track of. It was a much larger organisation than she had expected but everyone seemed friendly and cheerful.
    The two women lunched together in a small bistrotype café a stone’s throw from the office, and it was here that Joy filled her in on some facts about their illustrious boss.
    ‘Don’t be fooled by the old adage that men can only think of one thing at once, at least not where Steel’s concerned,’ Joy said, once they’d ordered their soup and rolls. ‘He can think of several things at once and he expects everyone else to keep up with him. He’s a workaholic but he plays hard too, although he never,
ever
gets seriously involved with a woman. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that’s Steel’s style.’
    ‘The original bachelor?’ Toni put in drily.
    ‘And how.’ Joy nodded. ‘Work is his motivating force; women have to fall into line and accept an affair with him is only semi-permanent and strictly sexual. They queue up for the privilege,’ she added wryly. ‘And I’m not joking.’
    Toni hadn’t thought she was.
    ‘He adores his sister though.’ Joy spent a few moments explaining how Steel had brought Annie up, finishing with, ‘You know she was in danger of losing her baby recently?’
    ‘Uh-huh. How are things?’
    ‘OK. Annie’s confined to bed from here on.’
    They talked some more and Toni found herself wishing Joy weren’t leaving at the end of the summer. She felt the two of them could have become good friends. Joy had already started advertising for her replacement; Steel wanted his new secretary in place long before Joy left so when the time came everything ran as smoothly as he expected.
    ‘Patience is not one of Steel’s virtues,’ Joy had murmured earlier that morning, eyebrows raised meaningfully, and Toni had nodded that she understood. It wasn’t exactly reassuring on her first day when she felt she knew nothing about anything.
    Steel had gone out to lunch with a business colleagueand the two women were deep in their respective work when he returned. The interconnecting door opened and he put his head round long enough to say, ‘Five minutes and we’re leaving for the new site, Toni. Bring the plans and anything else you need.’
    She must have looked somewhat alarmed because when the door shut again, Joy said, a touch of laughter in her voice, ‘His bark is worse than his bite. He’s quite human really.’
    Toni smiled weakly and began to collect her things together. She was ready and waiting when Steel buzzed Joy to say he was leaving, and as she joined him in the outside corridor and they walked towards the lift he reached out and took the plans and other data from her, tucking them under his arm. ‘Settled in?’ he asked briefly, his voice deep and slightly husky in the quiet surroundings as the lift doors glided silently open.
    Toni’s stomach muscles tightened. Once in the carpeted mirrored box he seemed very close, even though there were a good few inches between them. ‘Yes, thank you. Joy’s been very kind. She’s