His Lordships Daughter by Brian A de'Ville, Stewart Vaughan

of duty if I didn’t fill the rest of my time in to this company’s advantage.” She wasn’t being facetious she was deadly serious, having no idea whatsoever of how manufacturing companies worked. After all, her family lacked a yardstick to guide her by. But, she did have an inbuilt business acumen harnessed to a high-rise intelligence enabling her to absorb the obvious.
    Steven shook his head, sat down and looked at her. What could he do with an employee like Phyllipa? “In this company.” He explained, carefully “We have different people to do different jobs. That is the way a company like us operates. Right?”
    Phyllipa closed the files in front of her and nodded “If you say so Mister Grant.”
    “Where would we be if everyone did a hundred different jobs?”
    “In pole position?”
    Steven frowned. “Joking apart, Phyllipa please…” he pleaded, ignoring her wishes on formality. “Please allow us to do one job at a time eh?”
    She smiled. “You look very attractive when you get annoyed.”
    “Please.” He urged.
    It was Phyllipa’s turn to frown. “Look, Mister Grant. I am going to load this company with work whether you like it or not.” She peered into his face. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want the contracts?”
    “Of course I do. It’s just that there are a lot of technicalities about this industry, and I don’t think that…”
    “You don’t think I’m up to it.” Phyllipa cut in, an angry look on her face, “Do you? You doubt my word.”
    “Not your word.” The MD protested, “Your ability.” He spread his hands, palm upwards. “It’s very complex.”
    She looked at him, almost coldly. “Last night you told me that I hadn’t a snowball in hell’s chance of bringing in the Kristex contract.”
    “I haven’t changed my mind on that. I still don’t think you will.”
    Phyllipa’s face flushed slightly. “Listen!” She told him, furious that he doubted her. “Today I will bring you that contract.”
    Hey boss’s eyes narrowed and looked at her, curiously. “What do you mean, “ Today ”!”
    “I’m having lunch with their chairman.”
    “With their chairman.” Echoed Steven incredulously.
    “With their chairman.” She affirmed.
    “Well, don’t you think I should be with you, purely on the tech side.”
    “No I don’t. You are the one who keeps telling me I won ’ t get it.”
    Steven banged his arms down on Phyllipa’s desk and held his head in his hands whilst Phyllipa looked on and smiled. “I still think I should be with you.” He pleaded.
    “Out of the question.” She said. “I don’t want any non-believers with me. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to discover the secret of my modus operandi, would I ?
    The Managing Director rose to his feet, stuck his hands in his trouser pockets and glared annoyingly at her. “There are a million words which I would like to say to you.” A hard glint appeared in his eye. “But when it comes down to it, I can only ever think of one. “Difficult!” that’s the one, you are very very difficult.”
    “You didn’t say that last night, Steven did you?”
    His handsome face softened “Did you enjoy my company?”
    “I loved the flowers.” She answered, flippantly. Bending, he put his face next to hers. “And my company?” he whispered in her ear.
    Phyllipa turned her head, sharply, snagging her delicate mouth across his cheek, but before he could utter a word, she was out of her chair and into his arms, pulling his warm mouth to meet her own. Her body wriggled, melting into the contour of her companion and for a fleeting moment only their clothing prevented their bodies welding together.
    It was Phyllipa who broke away, conscious of her bodily appetite hungering for this man. She shivered at the very thought of having him between her loins and the delight it would entail. But, she told herself, overjoyed that she could put a rein check on her burning sexuality, that the timing was not quite right. She