care of their business affairs properly. What do you think,
Jon?”
“Uh, no, sir, I’m sure she wouldn’t.”
“Well, why don’t you see if you can’t figure out some sort
of way around this little glitch?” Fortune suggested calmly.
To Samantha’s surprise and relief Jon moved awkwardly behind
the desk, no longer the overconfident, supercilious clerk. “Yes, well, if you
really think Miss Fortune wouldn’t mind…. “
“I’m sure my sister will agree with me. In any event, I
shall tell her it was all my fault and you’ll be off the hook,” Fortune said
smoothly. He turned to Samantha as Jon began rummaging through the papers on
his desk. “And I also don’t think we should keep Miss Maitland from her dinner
engagement any longer. Gabe will be wondering where you are, Miss Maitland. He’s
a very precise sort of man, and he doesn’t have all that many dinner guests. I
wouldn’t want to be responsible for ruining the evening for him.”
“Why, thank you,” Samantha managed, very grateful for the
miracle the man had worked on the musclebound Jon. “I
certainly appreciate your help, Mr. Fortune. I do hope your sister won’t be
upset…. “
“Leave that to me. My sister is a businesswoman. She’ll
understand.” The smile in the dark eyes gleamed more brightly. “I have the
feeling Gabe will feed you far better than the chef here. Gabe is a marvelous
cook, believe me. I’ve had the pleasure of dining with him on a couple of
occasions.”
“You’re a friend of his?” Samantha peered at Fortune
narrowly through the lenses of her glasses, wondering what sort of friendship
her angel had with this pleasantly rumpled little man.
“We’ve done business together,” Emil Fortune explained
easily. “And, yes, I probably come as close to being his friend as anyone could
be. In turn, he is perhaps the nearest thing to a friend that I have known.
Neither of us, I’m afraid, has an abundance of acquaintances with whom we feel,
shall we say, comfortable? But, then, how many close friends does anyone ever
have?” he continued philosophically.
Samantha smiled. “I’ll say hello to him for you,” she
offered, glancing at Jon, who was still bent over a sheet of paper, scribbling
furiously.
“Please do,” Fortune returned seriously. “Tell him I’m glad
to see he is expanding his circle of associates to include a young woman who
has sense enough not to pay good money to have her body abused.”
Samantha laughed. “Actually,” she confided, “it looked
rather appealing in the article I read. But I seem to lack the stamina for it.”
She broke of as Jon finished his calculations and handed her the voucher marked
for a full refund. “Why, thank you very much,” she said stiffly, startled at
receiving the entire amount back. She snatched the paper from him and stuffed
it into her purse before he could change his mind. Then she reached down to
lift her suitcase.
“I’ll take care of that for you,” the man named Fortune said,
reaching for the expensive yellow leather case before she could grasp it.
Without a word he followed as she smiled and hurried toward the parking lot
where her rental car waited.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help,” Samantha said
quickly as she opened the trunk of the sporty little compact and allowed
Fortune to put the suitcase inside. Actually she felt a little guilty at having
let him carry the case. He wasn’t all that much larger than she was! “I’ll give
your best to Mr. Sinclair.”
“He already knows what he can expect from me,” Fortune
smiled comfortably, “but say hello to him anyway. And be nice to him, will you,
Miss Maitland? He needs an interesting woman like you in his life. Perhaps you
could jolt him out of his humdrum routine a bit, hmmm?”
Samantha looked up sharply, frowning at the hopeful tone in
Fortune’s voice. “Mr. Sinclair and I are business associates, nothing more,”
she told him frostily through the open
Jon?”
“Uh, no, sir, I’m sure she wouldn’t.”
“Well, why don’t you see if you can’t figure out some sort
of way around this little glitch?” Fortune suggested calmly.
To Samantha’s surprise and relief Jon moved awkwardly behind
the desk, no longer the overconfident, supercilious clerk. “Yes, well, if you
really think Miss Fortune wouldn’t mind…. “
“I’m sure my sister will agree with me. In any event, I
shall tell her it was all my fault and you’ll be off the hook,” Fortune said
smoothly. He turned to Samantha as Jon began rummaging through the papers on
his desk. “And I also don’t think we should keep Miss Maitland from her dinner
engagement any longer. Gabe will be wondering where you are, Miss Maitland. He’s
a very precise sort of man, and he doesn’t have all that many dinner guests. I
wouldn’t want to be responsible for ruining the evening for him.”
“Why, thank you,” Samantha managed, very grateful for the
miracle the man had worked on the musclebound Jon. “I
certainly appreciate your help, Mr. Fortune. I do hope your sister won’t be
upset…. “
“Leave that to me. My sister is a businesswoman. She’ll
understand.” The smile in the dark eyes gleamed more brightly. “I have the
feeling Gabe will feed you far better than the chef here. Gabe is a marvelous
cook, believe me. I’ve had the pleasure of dining with him on a couple of
occasions.”
“You’re a friend of his?” Samantha peered at Fortune
narrowly through the lenses of her glasses, wondering what sort of friendship
her angel had with this pleasantly rumpled little man.
“We’ve done business together,” Emil Fortune explained
easily. “And, yes, I probably come as close to being his friend as anyone could
be. In turn, he is perhaps the nearest thing to a friend that I have known.
Neither of us, I’m afraid, has an abundance of acquaintances with whom we feel,
shall we say, comfortable? But, then, how many close friends does anyone ever
have?” he continued philosophically.
Samantha smiled. “I’ll say hello to him for you,” she
offered, glancing at Jon, who was still bent over a sheet of paper, scribbling
furiously.
“Please do,” Fortune returned seriously. “Tell him I’m glad
to see he is expanding his circle of associates to include a young woman who
has sense enough not to pay good money to have her body abused.”
Samantha laughed. “Actually,” she confided, “it looked
rather appealing in the article I read. But I seem to lack the stamina for it.”
She broke of as Jon finished his calculations and handed her the voucher marked
for a full refund. “Why, thank you very much,” she said stiffly, startled at
receiving the entire amount back. She snatched the paper from him and stuffed
it into her purse before he could change his mind. Then she reached down to
lift her suitcase.
“I’ll take care of that for you,” the man named Fortune said,
reaching for the expensive yellow leather case before she could grasp it.
Without a word he followed as she smiled and hurried toward the parking lot
where her rental car waited.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help,” Samantha said
quickly as she opened the trunk of the sporty little compact and allowed
Fortune to put the suitcase inside. Actually she felt a little guilty at having
let him carry the case. He wasn’t all that much larger than she was! “I’ll give
your best to Mr. Sinclair.”
“He already knows what he can expect from me,” Fortune
smiled comfortably, “but say hello to him anyway. And be nice to him, will you,
Miss Maitland? He needs an interesting woman like you in his life. Perhaps you
could jolt him out of his humdrum routine a bit, hmmm?”
Samantha looked up sharply, frowning at the hopeful tone in
Fortune’s voice. “Mr. Sinclair and I are business associates, nothing more,”
she told him frostily through the open
Similar Books
