subsided slightly and the full knowledge of what the new job package would mean swept over her, she took the stairs two at a time, bursting into the bedsit and doing something unheard of—waking Melody from a deep sleep and dancing round the room with her daughter’s tiny body held tight in her arms.
The next morning was one of frosty brilliance, and when Kim awoke to a crystal-bright world and gazed out over the white sparkling rooftops as she fixed a hot drink for herself and Melody her heart was singing.
This was a new shiny beginning; even the weather confirmed it. She would start looking for a new place to live—a small ground-floor flat with a garden, maybe, or even a little house—this very weekend. She was going to be earning a small fortune; she could soon pay off the remaining debts, as long as she was careful, and then her life would be her own again. No more robbing Peter to pay Paul, no more working out how to make a pound stretch into two or three—oh, life was wonderful.
Once she had got Melody off to sleep again the night before she had phoned Maggie with the good news. Maggie had immediately offered to pop round early the next morning and take Melody to school, so Kim could arrive at Kane Electrical in plenty of time—the buses being unreliable at the best of times—and Kim had gratefully accepted her friend’s kind offer.
So it was that Kim arrived outside the huge building just as June West drew into the ‘Reserved for the secretary of the managing director’ spot, and the two women walked into Reception together.
‘Nervous?’
June was smiling sympathetically as she spoke and her voice was warm, and Kim smiled back weakly as she answered, ‘A little. Well, a lot, really. My previous job wasn’t anything like as high-powered as this one.’
‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ June was watching her closely and now, as the two women entered the lift and the doors glided shut, she added in a low tone, ‘I shouldn’t really be telling you this but there were dozens after the position, you know. Some were better-qualified than you, some were more experienced, but Lucas chose you and that means, as far as he’s concerned, you are the best for the job.’
Kim knew June had meant her words to be uplifting but they had the opposite effect. All she could manage, as the lift doors opened to disgorge them into the exalted upper sanctum, was, ‘You call him Lucas? Not to his face, surely?’ She hadn’t got Lucas Kane down as being on first-name terms with his secretary somehow.
‘Sure.’ June grinned at her conspiratorially. ‘You’ll find him quite different to the public image, once you get to know him, and he hates to stand on ceremony in private. Of course, in front of other colleagues and business clients, it’s Mr Kane and Miss West, or in your case Mrs Allen.’
‘Right.’ Oh, help!
‘He’s a good boss to work for, Kim, take it from me,’ June continued easily as they walked along the corridor. ‘I wouldn’t have stayed ten years otherwise.’
‘How…how old is he?’ Kim asked nervously.
‘Thirty-seven. He took over the business when he was only twenty-five. His father, who founded the firm, got sick—cancer, I think, leukaemia or something to do with the blood, anyway—and had to have months and months of treatment. Lucas stepped in; he’d been with the firm for four years, since leaving university, but when he took charge he did so well, apparently, that his father decided to retire and let him take over permanently, and since then the business has gone from strength to strength. It was only a tenth of its present size when I started.’
June opened the door into her office, lowering her voice as she glanced towards the interconnecting door, and added, ‘He’s got a reputation for having the Midas touch, and admittedly he does have brilliant business acumen, but his competitors don’t see the endless hours he puts into the business while they’re off swanning round a golf course or having holidays in the Caribbean. He deserves every little bit of success he’s had. I don’t know anyone who works so hard.’
‘I appreciate the accolade, June, but just in case the tenor changes I think I’d better point out the cleaners seem to have knocked the switch on the intercom again.’
The voice was dry, very dry, but as June glanced at her Kim saw the older woman’s face was quite unabashed and her expression was reflected in her voice when June said, ‘Whoops, that was a near thing, Lucas. Another minute and your ears might have begun to burn.’
‘My ears are incapable of burning, June, as you very well know.’ It was even drier. ‘Do I take it Mrs Allen is with you?’
‘Yes, she’s here,’ June confirmed quickly.
‘Then I would like a word with her, before you start addling her brain with a hundred and one facts,’ the dark voice said evenly. ‘And a cup of black coffee, when you’re ready.’
‘Coming right up.’ June flicked the switch on the intercom and smiled breezily at Kim as she indicated for her to go through into Lucas Kane’s office, and Kim found herself thinking—as she had done at the interview the afternoon before—that she would never, ever—not in a million years—ever be able to mirror the relaxed approach June apparently had in dealing with her formidable boss.
She quickly slipped out of her coat, smoothed down her already sleek and shining hair, caught in a neat and somewhat severe pleat at the back of her head, and took a deep breath as she walked across the room and opened the door into Lucas Kane’s office.
‘Good morning.’ The devastating silver-grey eyes were waiting for her and in spite of all her preparation for this moment Kim’s heart bounded in her chest. ‘You haven’t changed your mind, then?’
‘Changed my mind?’ She stared at the big figure seated behind the desk in surprise. ‘Of course not, Mr Kane. I told you I would be here this morning.’
‘And you always do what you promise?’ he asked smoothly, his pearly gaze narrowing on her flushed face.
‘Yes, I do.’
There was a slight bristle in the words which Lucas registered with hidden amusement, but his voice betrayed nothing of what he was feeling when he said, ‘Good. We’ll get along just fine in that case, Mrs Allen.’
He rose from behind the massive desk as he spoke and Kim forced herself to show no reaction at all when he perched himself easily on the side of it, the hard lean body giving the impression of a coiled spring just waiting to pounce.
‘The car, a blue BMW, will be delivered before four o’clock.’ His tone was steady now, almost bored. ‘That will give ample time for you to be able to familiarise yourself with the controls and ask any questions you feel relevant.’
‘Thank you.’ She didn’t know what else to say.
‘I trust your daughter will be satisfied with the colour when she sees it.’
Kim glanced sharply at him then but the sardonic attractive face was expressionless, as was his voice when he continued, ‘Over the next few weeks you will learn how this office works and what makes me tick, Mrs Allen.’
Her wide open eyes blinked once but she didn’t make the mistake of rushing into speech and the carved lips twitched a little. ‘Let me save a little time and lay down some ground rules which I’m sure will benefit us both?’
It was in the form of a rhetorical question
