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  The others left, the conference room door shutting silently behind them sealing her off from the outside world. She might have been a castaway, marooned on a desert island, and at the mercy of this man. There was no doubt from the way he looked at her that he would not think twice about making her subject to his every whim. Her body responded to him, her breasts feeling full and sensitive, trapped beneath her smart business suit.

  Then she reminded herself, he truly must be playing with her because no man like this would be interested in her. It was not that she would frighten him away with her personality. No, this man would not want a curvy woman like her. He would be the kind of man who liked his women stick thin and super model perfect. Flawless like himself.

  “Miss Carpenter.”

  His voice brought her back to the room, and she looked at him, trying to pull on the look of hardened businesswoman she usually found so easy. However it was near impossible, he made her feel vulnerable, because he made her feel desirable.

  “Yes, Mr Osborne. Or is that not your real name?”

  “No. That is my real name. You are correct though in assuming everything else about this morning was fake. I came here to give you a little test.”

  “A test. By whose authority? Mr Stanhope’s?” Anna almost spat the words out.

  She could not believe her boss was behind any of this, although he of course had knowledge of it. Anna wondered if she had done something to earn his mistrust, or if she had made a bad business decision she was unaware of. Still the man she looked on with such respect and admiration should have come to her first, not some outsider.

  “Please, calm yourself, it’s not as bad as you think.” His smooth voice was meant to calm her, but it had the opposite effect.

  “As bad as I think. Really. Do you have any idea what I’m thinking? You come in here and test me. What have I done wrong that warrants such treatment?”

  “Nothing. That’s the point.”

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t talk in riddles. I demand to know what is going on.”

  He stood up and came to stand so close to her she could feel the heat from his body and smell the scent of his expensive cologne. She was ready for whatever it was he was going to say to her, ready to shoot him down in flames.

  However, his next words took everything away from her.

  “You really don’t like to be out of control do you? Tell me Anna, what would I have to do to you to see you enjoy letting go? Do you have any idea how good it would be to allow some else to take charge of you?”

  Chapter Two

  She could have spit in his eye. Who the hell was he to speak to her like that? To leave promises of hidden pleasures hanging in the air. If he thought she would ever give him control over her then he had another thing coming. The sun would consume the earth before she allowed herself to be consumed by some one like him.

  Anna opened her mouth to speak, but he was saved from her tongue lashing by the appearance of Mr Stanhope.

  For a moment her heart jolted, he looked so frail. It had only been a few days since she had seen him last, but his health had deteriorated badly.

  For once her face softened, and she stepped around Douglas to pull a chair out for Mr Stanhope to sit on.

  “Can I get you anything, Mr Stanhope?” she asked.

  “No, thank you, Anna. I’m sorry if this whole episode has upset you, but Douglas insisted on seeing you in action. He didn’t like to take my word for how efficient you are.”

  “Efficient. That is one way to describe Miss Carpenter.”

  She turned and shot him a look that would have left a lesser man quaking in his boots, but Douglas Osborne was not a lesser man.

  “ Douglas, the company is not yours yet, and Anna is still my employee. Treat her with some respect, please.”

  Anna’s heart sank, and the colour drained from her face, the implication in the old man’s words obvious. He was selling the company, and she was about to be fired.

  “I see, Mr Stanhope, but was there really any need for all of this if Mr Osborne is simply going to fire me?”

  Mr Stanhope coughed, pulling out a handkerchief and pressing it to his lips. Douglas moved towards the old man, but Mr Stanhope waved him away.

  “I’m not going to croak yet, Douglas.”

  “I know that, you’re too tough to go without a fight.”

  Anna looked from one man to the other, there was something more to this than she originally thought. In fact, now she looked more closely there was a small resemblance in their eyes. She had always thought old Mr Stanhope must have been a very handsome man in his younger days, and from what she had gathered from news cuttings he had been quite the ladies man.

  Now, seeing Douglas, she realised she had underestimated the old man, if he was even half the man Douglas was he would have been a lady killer. So perhaps the genes had been passed on, and Douglas was about to carry on more than one family tradition.

  “Now, Anna. Douglas is going to take over the reins for the time being, until I am back on my feet.”

  Douglas averted his gaze, and Anna realised this was not a temporary thing, no matter what Mr Stanhope wanted. She sat back down in her seat, feeling like a deflated balloon. Her whole world was unravelling, she had taken her life, and her position here for granted, and now things were about to change. She would not have the freedom she was used to.

  When she thought back over the last year, she saw how more and more responsibility had been pushed onto her shoulders. Anna had never complained, she had simply taken it on. Now this was about to shift back, not something she was looking forward to. Maybe she would have to quit, working under the control of Douglas was going to be frustrating, in more ways than she dared think about.

  “Why don’t I explain what this is all about?” Douglas said.

  Mr Stanhope nodded his head and then took another sip of his water. Anna tried to relax; she needed to concentrate on the business side of this discussion rather than the emotional one.

  “Jake Stanhope is my grandfather. We don’t share a name because I am his daughter's son; she took my father’s name when she married.”

  Mr Stanhope grunted his disapproval, and Douglas grinned at him, a totally dazzling sight.

  “Now my grandfather is not able to carry on with his full duties here, he asked me to come in and help run things.”

  Anna could tell he was choosing his words carefully, but in truth, they all knew he was coming in to take over, everything. However, it seemed best to keep her mouth shut. She would ask questions later, or perhaps speak to Mr Stanhope alone, if he was up to it.

  “I must say, my grandfather speaks very highly of you, and has pushed the idea of you becoming my right hand man, or woman.” His eyes raked over her body, emphasising the word woman, in a way his words did not.

  “Every word I told you is true,” Mr Stanhope insisted.

  Anna smiled at her boss, this time it carried all the correct emotions. She was too busy looking at her boss to see the way Douglas looked at her. This did not pass Mr Stanhope unnoticed though, and he smiled weakly, his strength ebbing.

  “That is what we set out today to prove, or disprove.”

  The way the words were left hanging she was not sure which way Douglas judged the whole episode had gone. Surely, she had spotted the flaw in their proposal quick enough. Or was it the case that the proposal should have been turned down before it had even got this far. Had they expected her to reject it when she had received the papers originally?

  Anna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Not because she might have failed herself, but because she did not want to fail the old man who had put such faith in her for so many years.

  “And what is the verdict?” she asked, needing to know her fate.

  “That I would rather have you working for me, than for the opposition. My only concern is how well we will work together. I believe we are very similar in the way we do things.”

  Mr Stanhope chuckled a little at that.<
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  “I’m glad that amuses you, grandfather.”

  “I can see sparks will fly when you two get together. I might need to stay on for a couple of weeks to be the referee.”

  Douglas looked concerned again. “That won’t be necessary. I am sure Anna...May I call you Anna?” he asked. She nodded, and he continued. “I am sure Anna and I can find a way of getting on. I believe we both have your best interest at heart. Isn't that right Anna?”

  She nodded, “Of course. You need to take care of yourself, Mr Stanhope.”

  “A little too late for that, but thank you. It will make things a lot easier if I know this place isn't going to fall apart.”

  “No. Everything will be fine. Although perhaps I should think of a test for you Mr Osborne. It would seem only fair.”

  “What exactly did you have in mind? I can assure you I would not disappoint you in any way.”

  His voice was silkily seductive, and she tried hard not to let his words affect her, but they did. Worse still, he knew it. The situation was almost unbearable, the only thing that stopped her from slapping him across the face was the high regard she had for Mr Stanhope. Douglas really needed taking down a peg or two.

  He had probably been born into family money, and had never had to do a hard days work in his life. Did he even have the correct qualifications and experience to take over a company such as this? Or would she be expected to carry him along?

  Trying to clear her thoughts she asked, “How exactly is this going to work?”

  “The staff here are used to you. They look up to you.”

  “You mean they are frightened of me,” Anna said.

  Douglas smiled. “A little fear never hurt anyone. You can be bad cop and I’ll be good cop.”

  “This is not a game.”

  “No. It’s not. But the way I see it is they are used to you and the authority you have. I will work alongside you for the next few days; see how things work around here before I make any changes.”

  Mr Stanhope huffed, “There is nothing wrong with the way things work around here.”

  “I know. But sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can make things a little more efficient. Run a little smoother. Don’t you agree, Anna?”

  She was not going to be drawn into taking sides; she had learned that much from living with six sisters. No matter how good your intentions were, someone got upset.

  “And do I get a say in any of these changes?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  The answers were said simultaneously.

  “Anna is experienced in how we do things around here. She should have a say,” Mr Stanhope insisted.

  “I am happy to listen to anyone’s opinions. But the final decision is mine.” His eyes turned steely; there was no mistaking the power and self confidence of this man. He wanted to run things his way. Anna decided she should start looking for a new job right away.

  Mr Stanhope looked tired and defeated, he was handing his beloved company over to another man. For him it was the end of his business career, a career that had dominated his life, Anna wondered if he had anything other than this place to occupy his mind. She knew his marriage had not lasted, and although he had children, and obviously grandchildren, they were never mentioned.

  Did his family love him? She could not imagine life without having her sisters for backup and support. Once again, she found herself looking inward and examining her life up to now. If she weren’t careful, she would end up like Mr Stanhope in later years, married to the job, not to a loving husband.

  “I think it’s time you went and had a rest, grandfather. Give Anna and me a chance to get to know each other.” He went around to offer assistance, but the old man waved him away. “I can manage, thank you Douglas.”

  He struggled a little getting up, but then straightened his back and went to the door. He pulled it open, and before he left, turned and said, “Don’t let him bully you Anna. He might be the boss, but I still own this place. You have my private number, call me if you need me to come back and put him in his place for you.”

  “I will, and you take care of yourself.”

  “Too late for that,” he said, although there was still a defiant tone to his voice.

  Anna turned away, and brushed a tear from her cheek before anyone could see. This was not time to let her emotions take control. However, she felt as though she were trying to damn a raging river. The mixture of sadness for Mr Stanhope, and annoyance towards his replacement, Douglas, was almost too much. Once she had composed herself she turned back to face her new boss.

  “I had no idea he was so ill,” she said to Douglas, hoping to put them on a friendlier footing.

  “He kept it from everyone for months. My mom only found out two weeks ago. He thought he would be able to carry on working, but she managed to persuade him to take a back seat for a while and let me handle things.”

  “Are you qualified to “handle things”?” she asked before thinking.

  “How direct of you, Anna.”

  “I’m sorry, but I have put a lot of hard work into this company. I’m worried about someone taking over who doesn’t know what they are doing.”

  “Very admirable,” he came around to her side of the desk and stood leaning his back against it. “I can assure you I am more than qualified for anything that might get thrown at me.”

  She took the double meaning of his words and fought with her composure. His nearness almost too much, and so she did what she did best, put up her defences, making herself seem hard and unattainable, even though she would love to attained by Douglas Osborne, in every way.

  “Well, I can tell you are qualified in conceit with a little dishonestly thrown in.”

  “Ouch. I get the feeling I have offended you,” he said innocently.

  She raised her eyebrows at him, hating the way he seemed to be toying with her, refusing to be offended by what she had plainly accused him of.

  “Come on, this morning was a test. If you could hear what the old man says about you I would think that you had slept with him. Blown his brain with wild sex, that’s how he usually judges women. But he assured me you have only ever had a business relationship, and now I have seen for myself that is the truth.”

  “Why? Because you don't think a man would be attracted to someone like me?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but I can see you are not his type. If anything, I think he looks on you as a daughter. He always was disappointed my mom didn’t have a shred of business acumen in her body. She was happy to be a homemaker.”

  Her anger was close to boiling point. So he did think that no man could be attracted to a woman like her because of her voluptuous body. She stood up abruptly, unfortunately that threw her straight into his personal space. However, she had to get this off her chest.

  “I am willing to work with you to make this a smooth transition for everyone. After that I believe it would best if I tender my resignation.”

  “You can tender it, but I will not accept it.”

  “What?” she spluttered.

  “I have read your contract, and I am not willing to let you go. You are too good an asset to lose.”

  “I can not work with a man like you.”

  “You don’t know me, Anna.”

  “I know enough about you to make this decision.”

  “Wow, come on. Sit down and let’s talk about this rationally.”

  He indicated her chair, she did not want to sit down, she wanted to leave this room and never come back. As impossible, as it seemed he affected her judgement in ways she did not even comprehend. This was so knew to her, and so confusing. All she wanted to do was run away. She was a coward after all.

  “Please,” he said. “If you leave my grandfather will be upset. I don’t believe either of us wants to hurt him. So why not see if we can work this out.”

  She sat down, folding her arms protectively over herself.

  “Thank you, Anna. Can we please backtra
ck a little?” He waited for her to nod in agreement. “I had to make sure that no one was taking advantage of my grandfather's ill health. That is why I wanted to come in the way I did and test you. I had no idea if you were any good at your job, or simply good at flattering my grandfather. He was quite a ladies man as you probably know, and as he’s got older there have been times when he has been taken advantage of.”

  Anna’s eyes darted to Douglas’s looking to see if he was telling the truth, he was.

  “That does not leave this room,” he warned.

  “You have my word,” Anna promised.

  “So when my mom found out he was ill, and he was trying to work out what to do, the way he spoke about you rang alarm bells. And I mean no offence,” he added quickly.

  “But now you’ve met me you realise that could not be the case,” she finished, trying not to sound too defensive.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Because no man would be attracted to someone like me.” Now she did sound bitter, her thoughts having built up throughout the day.

  “That’s not what I said,” Douglas insisted.

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “I’m sorry; I think we have our wires crossed. You are not my grandfather's type because you are strong. You don’t pull any punches, I can see that. Unfortunately the old man seems to fall for women who are beguiling.”

  “What about your grandmother? Surely she was different.”

  “No. Not really. She wanted power and money. Sure, she loved him, but then he was such a prize. After having my mom she realised he was married to the business and she got bored, decided she would settle for the money instead and divorced him.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  “Yes, it is. But don’t feel too bad for him, he’s had quite a life. He was happy with how it worked out on the whole.”

  “OK. I’m sorry if I over reacted.”

  “Apology accepted.” He looked at his watch. “I’m starving, shall we finish this conversation over lunch.”