all, Mark had taken a chance by employing her as his PA, a hefty promotion for her; she really didn’t want to jeopardise it before she had properly started by coming across as indecisive and inefficient.
Anya was re-reading the details of each of the interviewees for the hundredth time when the door to her office finally swung open.
Jumping to her feet, Anya found herself automatically drawing in her breath, and looking straight into the eyes of her employer. An employer who appeared far from happy.
‘You aren’t wearing what I instructed.’ His tone wasn’t so much angry, or even disappointed, just definite, and Anya felt instant guilt at letting him down, even though he was the one who’d made the mistake and not her.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Parker, but there were no clothes on my bed.’
‘Exactly!’
Cursing her own stupidity, Anya now realised how obvious his request had been. But it was too late. In the first five seconds of contact with her new boss she had got it wrong.
Her unruffled exterior broke, revealing how insecure she felt inside as she blustered, ‘I’m so sorry. I thought you’d just forgotten to put clothes out for me.’ She wiped her perspiring palms on her skirt, without daring to meet his gaze again, and quickly added, ‘I have managed to arrange for three women to be interviewed for the housekeeper’s position at eleven o’clock this morning.’
Pointing at the chair, Mark gestured for Anya to sit. Then, striding across the office, he dropped his briefcase to the floor, and loosened his tie. He stood just inches from the PA, and grabbed her chin, levering her face up so that she had no choice but to stare directly at him. Anya felt utterly powerless as he spoke.
‘First, I never forget anything. Unusual in the male of the species, I’m told, but nonetheless a fact.’
Anya opened her mouth to apologise once again, but Mark held up his hand, freezing the words on her tongue.
‘Second, you cannot compensate for one mistake by doing well elsewhere. Compensation will come in other forms. Your ability to fulfil my request and get three last-minute housekeeper candidates will only be judged a success once I’ve met them. Third, and most important of all, as I told you prior to your agreeing to come and work for me, you will do everything I ask of you without question. So if I tell you to wear something, and yet provide no garments for you, then you wear nothing. Understood?’
Anya was convinced he hadn’t even blinked as he’d spoken. ‘Yes, Mr Parker.’
‘Mark.’
‘Yes, Mark.’
He let go of her chin and glanced at the computer screen. ‘Tell me.’
Unable to swivel her chair to see the monitor herself, Anya told Mark as much as she could remember about each woman. Not that it was difficult, over the last 48 hours she’d more or less memorised every detail about the prospective interviewees.
Tension flooded the room as Mark, nodding occasionally to indicate he was listening, read over her shoulder while he pinioned Anya to her chair with the proximity of his solid body, allowing her no choice but to inhale his heady, masculine scent.
‘I think we should have a little bet.’ Mark took a step backward. ‘Which applicant, if they don’t all flee once I tell them precisely what I desire from a housekeeper, do you think will make the grade?’
As this was a question Anya had asked herself frequently since she’d drawn up the shortlist, she was prepared to answer Mark with some level of intelligent confidence. ‘I don’t think it will be Elizabeth. Her manner on the telephone was rather self-assured and, I suspect, she could tend toward the bossy. More dominatrix than submissive. But as her qualifications and height were perfect, I felt she should be seen. Between Jayne and Clara – that’s harder to call, and it would have to be a guess.’
‘Then guess.’ Mark slouched against the desk, his arms folded. There was a pleased expression on his face, as if now
Anya was re-reading the details of each of the interviewees for the hundredth time when the door to her office finally swung open.
Jumping to her feet, Anya found herself automatically drawing in her breath, and looking straight into the eyes of her employer. An employer who appeared far from happy.
‘You aren’t wearing what I instructed.’ His tone wasn’t so much angry, or even disappointed, just definite, and Anya felt instant guilt at letting him down, even though he was the one who’d made the mistake and not her.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Parker, but there were no clothes on my bed.’
‘Exactly!’
Cursing her own stupidity, Anya now realised how obvious his request had been. But it was too late. In the first five seconds of contact with her new boss she had got it wrong.
Her unruffled exterior broke, revealing how insecure she felt inside as she blustered, ‘I’m so sorry. I thought you’d just forgotten to put clothes out for me.’ She wiped her perspiring palms on her skirt, without daring to meet his gaze again, and quickly added, ‘I have managed to arrange for three women to be interviewed for the housekeeper’s position at eleven o’clock this morning.’
Pointing at the chair, Mark gestured for Anya to sit. Then, striding across the office, he dropped his briefcase to the floor, and loosened his tie. He stood just inches from the PA, and grabbed her chin, levering her face up so that she had no choice but to stare directly at him. Anya felt utterly powerless as he spoke.
‘First, I never forget anything. Unusual in the male of the species, I’m told, but nonetheless a fact.’
Anya opened her mouth to apologise once again, but Mark held up his hand, freezing the words on her tongue.
‘Second, you cannot compensate for one mistake by doing well elsewhere. Compensation will come in other forms. Your ability to fulfil my request and get three last-minute housekeeper candidates will only be judged a success once I’ve met them. Third, and most important of all, as I told you prior to your agreeing to come and work for me, you will do everything I ask of you without question. So if I tell you to wear something, and yet provide no garments for you, then you wear nothing. Understood?’
Anya was convinced he hadn’t even blinked as he’d spoken. ‘Yes, Mr Parker.’
‘Mark.’
‘Yes, Mark.’
He let go of her chin and glanced at the computer screen. ‘Tell me.’
Unable to swivel her chair to see the monitor herself, Anya told Mark as much as she could remember about each woman. Not that it was difficult, over the last 48 hours she’d more or less memorised every detail about the prospective interviewees.
Tension flooded the room as Mark, nodding occasionally to indicate he was listening, read over her shoulder while he pinioned Anya to her chair with the proximity of his solid body, allowing her no choice but to inhale his heady, masculine scent.
‘I think we should have a little bet.’ Mark took a step backward. ‘Which applicant, if they don’t all flee once I tell them precisely what I desire from a housekeeper, do you think will make the grade?’
As this was a question Anya had asked herself frequently since she’d drawn up the shortlist, she was prepared to answer Mark with some level of intelligent confidence. ‘I don’t think it will be Elizabeth. Her manner on the telephone was rather self-assured and, I suspect, she could tend toward the bossy. More dominatrix than submissive. But as her qualifications and height were perfect, I felt she should be seen. Between Jayne and Clara – that’s harder to call, and it would have to be a guess.’
‘Then guess.’ Mark slouched against the desk, his arms folded. There was a pleased expression on his face, as if now
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