'You want to meet her in the flesh,' Josie said drily.
'No, funnily enough, I don't.' Andy grinned at her, then his face straightened. 'Just watch your step with him, won't you? That's all. I know he's an old friend of Mike's but that's no recommendation, frankly.'
'Watch my step?' She stared at Andy in amazement. 'What do you mean?'
'You know what I mean,' he said uncomfortably. 'Now, I'm not insinuating anything about your morals, Josie-far from it—but if just a quarter of what is said about the guy is true he's got quite a way with the women, and you know the temptations on these trips. Things can just… happen.'
'Nothing, but nothing is going to 'just happen', Andy, I can assure you,' Josie said firmly, not quite sure whether to be touched by his obvious concern or annoyed at his assumption that she was unable to deal with a pass from the opposite sex. 'I have met quite a few Luke Hawktons in my time.'
'Oh, no, you haven't.' Andy stated at her from under beetling brows. 'You definitely haven't, so don't underestimate the guy, Josie. He's ruthless and hard and quite single-minded when he wants something. There's more than one man who would think twice before tangling with Hawkton Enterprises, I can assure you.'
'You're talking about business,' Josie said quietly. 'That is quite different from how he deals with women, I'm sure.'
'I wish I was.' Andy moved across and stood in front of her, his round face troubled. 'Look, Josie, I'm old enough to be your father—nearly your grandfather,' he added wryly, 'and I've known you for a good few years now. You keep yourself to yourself and that's fine, I'm not knocking it, but where someone like Luke Hawkton is concerned…' He scratched his grey head as he searched for the right words. 'Well, I just want you to be aware of the pitfalls.'
'I don't know what happened in your life before you came here but I do know that since you've worked for me you haven't spread it around. You haven't had time, for one thing,' he added ruefully. 'You're a first-class employee and I appreciate that—it's rare these days—but I look on you as a friend too and I know that, whatever front you like to put on to the rest of the world, underneath you're as soft as butter. Am I wrong?' he asked abruptly as her face turned scarlet.
'I—' She didn't know what to say; he had taken her completely by surprise. 'Andy—'
'I don't want to see you get hurt, Josie.' Now the velvet brown eyes were definitely concerned. 'You've been on edge ever since you came back from that Germany trip, and it's the first time I've seen you like this. Now, it could just be the enormity of the job, but I don't think so.' He eyed her soberly. 'And I don't intend to pry either.'
'Just watch yourself, that's all I'm saying, and I hope you take this in the spirit in which it's meant I'm only concerned for you, girl. I might be something of a slave-driver, but underneath this gruff exterior beats a heart of pure gold.' He grinned at her as he attempted to finish the conversation on a lighter note.
'Most people would say steel.' She smiled too, although his words had shaken hear more than she cared to admit. 'And don't worry, Andy; I haven't reached the great age of twenty-eight without learning how to duck and dive a little.'
'Good.' He patted her on the arm before walking to the door. 'But do me a favour and take a few more boxing lessons before the seventh, OK? Get the ducking and diving technique you mentioned polished, eh?'
Josie stated after him for a long, long time after he had left. Yes, she'd do that. She would be a fool not to.
That conversation was at the forefront of her mind the following Monday morning as she boarded the plane, with Luke big and dark at her side. His chauffeur had arrived for her at the fiat earlier that morning before driving on to Hawkton Enterprises, explaining as he did so that an unforeseen emergency had detained Mr Hawkton, who sent his apologies. They had reached the airport with minutes to spare, but their path had been smoothed with the oil of power and wealth, which had got them to their seats with consummate ease.
Josie had never travelled business class before, but she was determined not to let it show, accepting the overall luxury and comfort as though she'd been born to it.
'Comfortable?' As she sipped
her iced mineral water she nodded primly in answer to Luke's question, permitting herself a cool smile as she did so.
'Very, although you really needn't have got me a seat with you; I'd have been fine in Economy.'
'Are you trying to annoy me, Josie?' The tone was mild, his eyes anything but.
'Of course not.' Her colour had risen but there was nothing to do but ignore it. 'But as your employee I don't expect—'
'I don't know what kind of clowns you usually deal with, but my employees—' there was a faint emphasis on the last word '—travel with me or not at all. Got it?' he asked grimly.
'You're very generous.' She managed a tight smile through gritted teeth. 'Would you like to look at the modifications to the sketches for the ice rink?'
'No.' He eyed her darkly. 'I would like to put my head back and sleep. I was in my office until ten last night and back there at five this morning, and the previous week wasn't much better, so if it's all the same to you…?' He adjusted his seat, undid his jacket and loosened his tie then leant back, closing his eyes as he settled his big frame more comfortably.
She waited until her breathing had returned to normal and then dared a look at the relaxed masculine figure at her side. The hard jaw already bore a dark shadow, and just under the deft in his chin she could see a tiny cut where he had nicked himself shaving. For some reason that little indication of susceptibility, the knowledge that he was as vulnerable as the next human being in certain situations, brought an ache to her lower stomach and a constriction in her breathing that made her hands damp.
She tried to tear her eyes away but found herself surveying him hungrily in spite of herself—the way his thick, short eyelashes brushed the tanned skin, the heaviness of his brows, the web of laughter lines fanning from the corners of his closed eyes. It was a male face, sensual, virile—
'Can I get you anything?' The smooth, cool voice of the stewardess brought her eyes snapping upwards, and she blushed as hotly as if she had been caught doing something indecent, her cheeks burning until they matched the colour of her hair.
'No—no, thank you,' she said hastily as she reached for a magazine at her elbow. 'I'm fine.'
For the rest of the short flight she kept her eyes very firmly on the magazine on her lap, although she didn't take in a word of what she professed to read as she repeated the ground rules she had drummed into herself over and over again in her mind.