He was standing over at the window, frowning down at the traffic as he dictated. Kate glanced up, the outlines emerging automatically from the pen, and let her eyes rest on the back of his dark head. There was a steely quality to Luke, evident in the very set of his head and the controlled line of his body. If he had a vulnerable side he would take care to keep it well hidden, she decided. Did the hard features ever relax, the cold eyes soften in a smile? How would he look at the woman h loved?

`Read me back that last bit, will you?' Kate started. `What?'

'Would it be too much trouble to ask you t, read back the last part of that sentence to me? Luke said sarcastically, misinterpreting he hesitation.

She had been taking down his words so automatically that she had hardly taken in what h was saying. Now the shorthand squiggles dance in front of her eyes as she tried to make sense c what she had written.

'Um… "The contractors are concerned that if the manufacturers loved-"' She broke off flustered. The outline was unmistakable. She must have written that `loved' without thinking

Luke turned and stared at her. `If the manufacturers what? Can't you concentrate for more than five minutes at a time? If I go any slower I'll fall asleep!'

`It's really not at all easy to follow you when you're prowling around or muttering at the window,' Kate said, disguising her guilt with an air of reproof. `It would help if you sat down and spoke clearly.'

`Who's doing the dictation round here?' Luke demanded sourly, but he sat down again on the other side of the desk. `Is that better?'

Kate ignored the irony in his voice. `Much, thank you,' she said, but it wasn't really. This way he was much closer, and his front view was even more distracting than the back. Kate concentrated fiercely on her notebook and tried not to notice the cool, inflexible line of his mouth or the fingers twirling a pen in his frustration at having to sit still.

He let her go twenty minutes later, having dictated three more letters and several trenchant memos to his staff. There would be a few panic-stricken phone calls when they landed on their desks, Kate reflected, gathering up the papers from the desk and escaping gratefully to her own office.

Naturally organised, Kate was unworried by the amount of work Luke seemed to expect her to get through that morning. She settled herself down with the minimum of fuss, familiarised herself with the word processor and began to work her way through the enormous pile of letters, breaking off frequently to deal with phone calls for Luke. He had shut himself in his office and informed her that he didn't want to be disturbed before midday.

Frowning over a particularly obscure outline, Kate didn't look up immediately as the door to the outer office opened. It was probably one of the junior secretaries with some more post, she thought, and was about to look up with a friendly smile when a waft of exotic perfume reached her. She lifted her head in puzzlement to see who was sauntering over towards Luke's door.

It was Helen. With something of a shock Kate realised that she had been so taken up with seeing Luke again that she had forgotten about Helen.

How could she have forgotten that eclipsing beauty? Helen wore the briefest of black leather skirts, and a leather blouson jacket, slipping at one shoulder over a wispy top. It was a carefully careless look, and the effect with the loose blonde hair was dramatic.

The checked suit, which only that morning had seemed so smart and suitable, suddenly felt tight and dowdy. Kate looked at Helen and recognised with a twist of bitterness a vibrant sexiness that she would never, ever possess, no matter what she wore. She would look absurd dressed in such an outfit. Worse, she would be cold and uncomfortable.

If she had given Helen any thought she might have realised that Helen would be bound to turn up at the office at some stage. It was stupid not to have considered it. She had seen more of Kate than Luke, and might possibly remember her sister's little friend. She could spoil everything if she recognised her.

Kate cleared her throat. The last thing she wanted was to attract Helen's attention, but she could hardly let her barge in on Luke unannounced after all the fuss he had made about no interruptions.

She needn't have worried about being recognised. Helen was not the kind of girl who wasted much time noticing other women, particularly not plain, boring ones who were patently no threat. She turned with insulting unconcern, and the green eyes flickered over Kate without interest.

Kate could see herself just as Helen saw her: a boringly efficient-looking type in a prissy suit, with dull brown hair tied back and minimal make-up. There could hardly have been more of a contrast between them.

`I'm afraid Mr. Hardman has asked not to be disturbed,' she said, for a moment almost resenting her role as cool, competent secretary.

Helen laughed confidently and shook back her glorious hair. `He won't mind being disturbed by me,' she said, laying her hand on the door and opening it. `Will you, darling?' She half stepped inside, leaning back against the door in a deliberately provocative pose. `Your gorgon's trying to stop me coming in, Luke, but you can spare me five minutes, can't you?'

Kate couldn't hear Luke's reply, but Helen gave another throaty laugh and pushed the door to behind her triumphantly.

Kate was left staring at the blank door, shaken by a gust of contradictory feelings; dislike, envy, disgust. There she had been, marvelling at how hard and invulnerable he seemed, and all it took was a pair of long legs and few provocative poses and he was as gullible as any other man!

Well, it was none of her business, of course. Kate resumed typing angrily. If Luke was fool enough to take up with a girl he already had good reason to distrust, that was his look-out.

But she wished he weren't. She didn't mind his being rude, or aggressive, or even unpleasant, but she didn't like his being stupid.

Kate made four mistakes in the letter she was typing before she gave up and stalked along to the coffee machine to work off her bad temper. Returning to her desk, she ripped the paper out of the printer and started afresh.

She was not going to get involved with Luke's business.

She was not going to care if he wanted to make a fool of himself.

She was sensible, practical, capable Kate.

By the time the door reopened she had talked herself into believing it, and was absorbed in typing, the epitome of a discreet, efficient secretary.

Luke ignored her as he walked with Helen to the outer door. `See you later, then,' he said,

letting his hand slide down the shimmering fall of hair.

`I'll be waiting.' Helen lifted her face, and he kissed her on the lips before patting her on the

bottom as she left with evident reluctance.

He turned back to the office. Kate's face was mask-like as she picked up a folder from the desk. `Here are those letters for signature.'

For once, Luke looked taken aback. `You've finished them already?'

'Of course.' Kate met his eyes blandly. `You said you wanted them urgently, and I knew how

busy you were this morning.'

Luke's slate-grey eyes narrowed as he took the folder from her, but he made no comment at her sly dig at the time he had spent with Helen. `I'm going to finish that report,' he grunted.

`I don't want to be disturbed.'

`By anyone?' asked Kate, all innocence.

`By anyone!' he snapped, striding over to his office. He banged the door shut behind him, but a few moments later it reopened. `Kate?'

'Yes?'

`Get me some coffee, will you?' He half closed the door again, then thought better of it, and stuck his head round once more. `Please!'

It didn't take Kate long to fall into a routine. Every morning she would arrive promptly at nine o'clock, but Luke was always there before her. Sometimes she wondered if he ever went home.

As he had predicted, Luke was a difficult man to work for. He threw huge amounts of work at her and set impossible deadlines, expected her to have acquired an encyclopaedic knowledge of the company on her first day, and snapped if she proved less than a mind-reader. She was rarely able to leave on time and soon learnt not to expect any appreciation from Luke.

In spite of it all, Kate was content. She might deplore Luke's manners, but she couldn't help being impressed by his undoubted abilities. He had an immense capacity for work, and could absorb the most technical of reports with startling speed. A shrewd financial brain combined with ruthless drive had made him one of the most successful men in his field, and, while he might not be loved by his staff, he was universally respected.

Kate dealt with all the work quietly, efficiently and with a complete lack of fuss that gradually earnt a grudging respect from Luke. She never flapped, or complained, or bothered him with silly questions, and their battles were limited to her insistence on courtesy. Luke grumbled about having to say please and thank you the whole time, but usually gave in to Kate in the end.

`You obviously don't dislike him as much as you said you did,' Serena said. She and Kate were sitting in a wine-bar, making the most of the free peanuts.

'No-o.' Kate hesitated. `He hasn't done anything to make me like him particularly, but I suppose we get on quite well when he's not shouting at me and I'm not ticking him off about his manners.'

`Don't get on too well. He might recognise you!'

Kate shook her head. `I'm just his secretary,' she said with an unconsciously wistful smile. `Luke's single-minded in the office. As long as I get through all the work, he wouldn't notice if I did the dance of the seven veils on his desk-he'd just tell me not to mess up his papers!'

`He sounds awful,' Serena said frankly, pinching the last peanut. `I don't know why you put up with him.'

`He's not that bad,' Kate said, instantly on the defensive. `He'll talk to me about work and let me make my own comments and suggestions.'

`Big of him!'

'It's more than he does with most people. He was always a loner, and now he's even more so. He keeps people at a distance. I made him laugh the other day, and I felt as if I'd just conquered Everest!'

'Why, what did he do?'

'Nothing. He just laughed. I've seen him smile, of course, but it's usually more of a sneer. This was a proper laugh…' Kate trailed off. It was impossible to explain to Serena the sheer unexpectedness of seeing Luke throw back his head and laugh. All she had done was make a dry comment about a newspaper headline, and suddenly it had been as if a complete stranger stood before her, his face alight with humour, and she had been shaken by the rush of triumphant warmth she had felt. She had made him laugh! She had got through that iron wall of indifference, and without even trying.

`He's much nicer when he laughs,' she finished lamely.

`Kate!' Serena put down her wine glass and looked at Kate with foreboding. `You're not-you're not-thinking of doing anything silly like falling for Luke, are you?'

Falling for Luke? Kate shrugged off a small shiver of memory.

`Of course not,' she said crisply. She took a sip of her wine and avoided Serena's accusing eyes. `You ought to know me better than that, Serena! I'll admit that I like him more than I expected, but I'm far too sensible to fall for a man like Luke. That would be asking for trouble!'

CHAPTER FOUR

KATE went into work the following Monday to find Luke sitting on the edge of her desk, flicking through the diary.

`Good morning,' she said, hanging up her coat and wishing she could get Serena's ridiculous suggestion out of her mind. She felt cross at the very thought. She knew enough about Luke to be under no illusions about him, and there was no danger whatsoever of her falling for him. The whole idea was absurd! So absurd that it had kept her awake at nights. After two restless nights she felt grouchy and irritable and on edge.

Luke had merely grunted in response to her greeting as he compared the desk diary with the slim leather one he carried in his pocket.

`I said, good morning!' Kate reminded him, and he looked up with an exasperated sigh.

`Oh, very well… good morning, Kate.' He eyed her sardonically. `Is that sufficient, or do I need to say anything else?'

'You could ask me if I had a nice weekend,' Kate suggested, refusing to be intimidated by his sarcasm.

`Did you have a nice weekend?'

'Yes, thank you. And you?'