‘I’ve told them to let you man the phones tomorrow,’ he flashed back. ‘You can answer a phone, can’t you?’
‘I can answer a phone politely, and so can a ten-year-old child. I’ll put myself in the complaints department.’
‘We don’t have one.’
‘That’s what you think. There’s always someone who can’t get a booking when they want one. Do you even know how popular this hotel is?’
‘Of course I know.’
‘Then you’ll know we have regular guests who should have their loyalty recognised, and if the hotel happens to be full when they ring—’
‘It’s full most of the time,’ he rapped, and with this came an impatient gesture.
‘Exactly.’ She faced him down. ‘So either we should have a list of associate hotels to supply to loyal guests we can’t accommodate, or we invest in some more real estate—create a super-haven, perhaps—’
‘We? We?’ Luc’s face was a mask of fury. ‘Who do the hell do you think you are?’
Emma slowly shook her head. ‘I’ve been asking myself that question since I first got here.’ Her jaw firmed as she lifted her chin to confront him. ‘And let me make this clear. I’m not staying unless I can do a proper job. I’m not just filling in time until I have my baby, and to date you haven’t seen me as anything other than an unfortunate encumbrance—the human element connected to the convenient womb for your child.’
Luc reeled back as if she’d slapped him. The expression on his face sent her thoughts into a tailspin. He had his shadows too, she remembered, and so far she didn’t have a clue what they were. They had gone about things backwards when it came to knowing each other, and maybe she had gone in too hard just now, but she had to wake Luc up to the fact that she wasn’t here to be a rich man’s plaything.
‘You’re not just a convenient womb,’ he said at last, his face dark with thoughts she couldn’t read. ‘Just remember that I didn’t even know you were pregnant, so you can’t accuse me of using you as breeding stock, but now you are having a baby that you say is mine, you’re my concern.’
‘But not under your control.’
He looked at her, but didn’t answer. He was taking a lot on trust, she conceded. She had told Luc he was the father of her baby, and he had chosen to believe her. She had no doubt that when the child was born there would be tests, but until then he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Luc did care—about her and the baby—and caring was new to him. He certainly seemed concerned now, and he was surprised that she was so keen to get to work, but she had never been one to sit on the sidelines, looking on.
‘New real estate,’ he murmured, staring out of the window as he thought about her earlier remark.
If business was the way to touch him, the way to get this complex man to open up, then that was the key she would use for the sake of their child.
‘You’ve got some good ideas,’ Luc admitted, narrowing his eyes as he turned to look at her.
Condescending? Yes. But any step forward was progress in her book. She’d take it and mend his manners later. ‘You’ve got to allow me to be useful to you, Luc.’
His eyes sparked briefly with inner thoughts, but then he turned cold again. ‘I think I’ve done enough for you.’
‘I don’t know what you mean. You haven’t done anything, except bring me here and put me under your nose so you can monitor everything I do.’
‘And what’s wrong with that?’ he demanded. ‘Why do you have to make things so difficult, Emma?’
‘Why won’t I fold and let you have your own way, don’t you mean?’ she countered. ‘I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m just suggesting we try to find some common ground, but so far you haven’t even made time to speak to me.’
‘What am I doing now?’ Luc demanded, his arms open wide.
‘Occupying the same space isn’t a guarantee of communication between two people, Luc. It’s just an opportunity.’
‘So what are you suggesting?’
‘You make room for me in your organisation. I’ll do anything, but I must have a proper job.’
‘I offered you a proper job. Did you think being my mistress would be easy?’
She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. ‘You are such a dinosaur. And my answer’s still no.’