Beauty and the Greek by Kim Lawrence

sure, knew all there was to know about female grooming. ‘Hair, make-up, a suitable outfit.’
    As she listened, Beth’s wariness grew. It was one thing to fantasise about blowing Andreas away with her stunning beauty but this wasn’t fantasy, it was real, and she could see several flaws in his plan.
    He walked purposefully towards the door, clearly expecting her to follow. When she made no attempt to move, he turned, his broad brow pleated in a frown. ‘Is there a problem?’
    Other than you being the rudest, most manipulative man on the planet? ‘I have a stack of work to do. I can’t walk out in the middle of the morning.’
    â€˜Your dedication does you credit but, as the person paying your salary, I give you permission to leave early. In fact, I insist upon it.’
    The smooth rejoinder made Beth frown darkly. ‘Until I leave, Andreas pays my salary,’ she said, not budging. ‘And, anyway, how long can it take to get ready?’ Usually, she allowed herself ten minutes.
    â€˜I pay Andreas’s salary,’ he said, walking across to her desk and, with an end-of-the-story gesture, he depressed the switch on her laptop. ‘And if you do what I say, you won’t need to leave.’
    Beth’s angry eyes flew to his. ‘This is not going to work and we both know it.’
    â€˜Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering what if?’ he goaded softly. ‘Or are you the sort of girl who finds her own white charger and goes to rescue her prince?’
    Beth shook her head. ‘You are one manipulative…’ She bit her tongue and eyed him with narrow-eyed dislike. ‘If I wasn’t a nice girl…’
    He laughed down into her angry, flushed face. ‘ Nice has a limited appeal for men, Elizabeth.’
    â€˜Not all men are as disgusting as you.’
    â€˜I think you will find they actually are, Elizabeth. Now, let’s leave nice . I think it is your other… qualities that need some work.’
    Beth planted her hands on her hips and, tapping a foot on the wooden floor, stuck out her chin. ‘Don’t start minding my feelings now; if you’re trying to say I’m not sexy, go ahead,’ she invited. ‘It’s not exactly news to me.’
    There was a gleam in his eyes that Beth found most disturbing as his glance slid down the length of her body before returning to her face.
    â€˜Now that,’ he approved, ‘is a good look for you. Just carry on thinking what you are now and we’re halfway there.’
    â€˜I’m thinking you are a hateful creep!’
    The mocking glint in his dark eyes deepened. ‘Why, Elizabeth, you’re fighting it but I think you’re starting to like me.’
    â€˜Sure, you’re my hero.’

CHAPTER FIVE
    B ETH, her attention on the tall svelte blonde who Theo had introduced simply as Nicola, didn’t register the long low limo until the gleaming monster had pulled up literally beside her.
    The uniformed driver got out and opened the door for her.
    Was she meant to get in? Beth paused uncertainly and glanced towards Theo—no help there; his attention was on his companion.
    They certainly made a striking couple.
    It occurred to Beth that Theo’s plan might have stood a better chance of working if he had chosen a woman like Nicola to seduce Andreas… Actually, now that she thought about it, why not choose Nicola?
    From what she’d seen so far, it didn’t seem likely that any request he made would receive a negative response—the woman acted as if she’d do anything for her boss.
    Maybe he was more than a boss?
    The possibility—no, cancel that, probability —introduced a cynical twist to Beth’s reflective smile. Not that it was anything to do with her if they were sleeping together, though it did strike her as rather unprofessional.
    One advantage of looking the way she did was that no one had ever