had never felt so angry in her life, her hand itched to make contract with the hardness of his cheek, although she restrained the impulse with effort. Losing her temper with this man wasn’t going to help this situation at all.
‘Well?’ he rasped at her silence. ‘Do they?’
Natalie’s mouth compressed angrily. ‘I believe I require an apology for the insult you just gave to me and the women who work for me.’ She refused to waver under the steely gaze he directed at her.
‘Does that mean the answer is no?’ he mocked.
‘Yes!’
‘Pity,’ he drawled unrepentantly. ‘I may have had a proposition—for you.’
‘Mr Thornton—–!’
‘All right,’ he put up a silencing hand. ‘If your agency is as innocent as you say it is then I apologise.’ He didn’t look as if the word came easily to his lips. ‘But that doesn’t alter the fact that one of your models is conducting an affair with one of my married employees.’
At twenty-five Natalie should have been past the stage of blushing when a man made a personal remark, and yet she hadn’t expected it from Adam Thornton; their conversation until that moment had been totally removed from themselves. With that one softly spoken comment he had made her totally aware of him, of the aura of sensuality that was part of the fundamental man. And after the insults he had levelled at her today she didn’t like being made aware of him in this way; she considered him the enemy—and he would remain that way! Certainly the less she had to do with him the better.
She collected up her clutch-bag, straightening her shoulders. ‘I’ve told you I’ll talk to Judith,’ she said stiffly as she stood up.
‘And if she won’t listen?’
‘I’ll make sure she does,’ she told him with much more confidence than she felt. She was the last person Judith was likely to listen to. But she had to try!
He nodded dismissal. ‘I’ll leave it in your—capable hands, then.’
Natalie gave one last angry glance at the dark head bent forward as he lit another cheroot, and the man was instantly shrouded in smoke, shielding his expression.
But she was aware of him watching her as she walked to the door, and some of the tension left her once she had reached the relative peace of her car.
But not all of it! How could Judith be so stupid as to get involved with another married man? Only too easily, as she knew from past experience.
It was just after twelve when Natalie got back to the office, and none of the anger or embarrassment she had felt when Adam Thornton made his accusations had left her, although to look at her calm demeanour no one would have guessed at her seething emotions.
Dee looked up from her work as she came into the room. ‘Visitor for you in your office,’ she told her cheerfully.
‘Judith,’ Dee nodded with a grimace.
Natalie strode angrily into her office, closing the door behind her to confront the girl sitting in her chair behind the desk. Her sister, Judith …
NOT that the casual observer would have classed them as such; their colouring was so different, Judith being blonde where Natalie was so dark, Judith’s eyes were a clear deep blue, with none of the green that made the colour of Natalie’s eyes so hard to define. Their features were completely different too, although both were beautiful. Both were slender too, taking the same size in clothes, as Natalie remembered well from their childhood when her young sister had often borrowed her clothes without asking. But Judith moved with a languid grace she cultivated, while Natalie’s movements more decisive, more purposeful.
The elder by three years, Natalie had always protected her young sister as much as she was able to, although she rarely received thanks for that protection; Judith’s inconsideration for the agency was proof of that.
When they had both moved to London, Judith a year after Natalie, their parents had made Natalie promise to take care of the younger girl. It hadn’t proved an easy task, and the two of them had only managed to share a flat for six months before Judith moved out, claiming she had no privacy. Natalie’s main emotion at her sister’s move had been relief, but unfortunately her parents didn’t feel the same way about it.
When she had opened the agency her worried parents had begged her to take on Judith, and although she had been wary at such a choice she had to think of her mother and father fretting for them back in Devon. Her parents couldn’t possibly know just how necessary that worry was where Judith was concerned; her young sister had seemed to be involved with one unsuitable man after another the last three years. Her parents would be devastated if they knew of Judith’s latest involvement. Well, she would just have to put a stop to it before they found out—and before Judith ruined her. Natalie didn’t delude herself for a moment. Adam Thornton meant every one of his threats to her.
Judith stood up with that languid grace she was so well known for as Judith Grant, model. For some reason her young sister hadn’t felt that ‘Judith Faulkner’ sounded professional enough for her career, and Natalie was now glad of her sister’s conceit. At least it meant Adam Thornton couldn’t even guess at their relationship. How much more scathing he could have been if he had known Judith was her sister!
‘Now don’t frown, darling,’ Judith drawled in her throaty voice, coming round the desk to sit in one of the other chairs. ‘I wasn’t looking through your desk, only trying out your chair to see how you manage to sit behind that desk all day.’ She grimaced. ‘I couldn’t do it!’
Natalie moved to sit in the chair her sister had vacated, knowing that this conversation had to be carried out on a business level and not a family one. It was going to be embarrassing enough without family involvement. ‘Judith, I have to talk to you—–’
‘Oh, not the photographic session!’ her sister groaned. ‘Dee had already lectured me on how irresponsible I am.’
Natalie had completely forgotten the missed photographic session of this morning, which wasn’t surprising after her meeting with Adam Thornton! ‘Then I won’t mention it again, except to say that it shouldn’t have happened. I’m running a business here, Judith, and—–’
‘I thought you weren’t going to mention it again,’ her sister sighed wearily, obviously bored with the subject.
‘All right, I won’t,’ she snapped. ‘Let’s talk about Jason Dillman instead, shall we?’ She watched Judith with narrowed eyes.
If she had hoped to disconcert her sister she was out of luck. Judith looked unimpressed with the change of subject, checking the even application of her nail-gloss with an expression of boredom.
Natalie gave an angry sigh. ‘Judith, are you seeing him?’
Cool blue eyes met hers steadily. ‘Of course I’m seeing him, we work a lot together on Beauty Girl.’
‘That isn’t what I meant and you know it!’ Natalie snapped in exasperation.
‘Natalie, if
