His After-Hours Mistress: The Rich Man's Reluctant Mistress. Trish Wylie

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       CHAPTER ONE

      SMOKY blue eyes looked with shocked disbelief into delicate green ones. Seconds ticked away. Zane was the first to speak.

      ‘You!’ he exclaimed, his voice deep and gruff and entirely disbelieving, almost accusatory.

      Lucinda nodded, slowly and deliberately. ‘Yes, it’s me, and I’m as surprised as you are.’

      Except that surprised was far too mild a word. Even shocked wasn’t good enough. Stunned perhaps. And had she known who to expect she would never have come here today. Zane Alexander was not on her list of favourite people. Her experience working for him a few years ago had shown he was insensitive, uncaring and a whole host of other adjectives she could have put her mind to had she wanted. Except—that business was business.

      ‘What are you doing here?’ came the next curt question.

      ‘You sent for me.’ Her eyes were full of innocence. ‘I have an appointment.’

      ‘But—you’re a nanny!’

      Lucinda allowed her lips to curve into a smile. Not that it held any pleasure. Her only pleasure was in seeing this man at a loss. ‘I was a nanny,’ she corrected. ‘And, by the way, how’s Tim?’

      ‘Very well,’ he responded.

      ‘And I only did it to fund myself while I was preparing to go into business,’ she explained.

      Zane Alexander frowned. ‘But it couldn’t have been more than two years ago. Three at the most! How can you possibly be—’

      ‘Experienced?’ she suggested sweetly. ‘Believe me, Mr Alexander, I’m very experienced.’

      Blue eyes narrowed and one brow crooked upwards. Although Lucinda knew what he was thinking she didn’t let it show. She kept a cool smile on her lips and a question in her eyes.

      Zane Alexander’s brow dropped again until his eyes levelled on hers. ‘Show me your credentials.’

      Lucinda reached out her portfolio and sat there quietly while he studied it. In turn she chose to study him. He was really quite a handsome man—it was a pity he didn’t have a handsome character to match. In the few weeks she had worked for him she had seen enough to recognise that he thought more of going out with one of his numerous lady friends than he did caring for his son.

      He had medium blond hair that waved in gorgeous disarray. It was cut reasonably short in an effort to tame it but without much success. She bet it was the only thing in his life he couldn’t take control of.

      His eyes were beautifully shaped and a dusky sort of blue, like smoke out of a chimney, with fair lashes and light eyebrows that matched his hair both in colour and disobedience. His mouth was full and wide and at this moment compressed. It was a very mobile mouth, though. She had seen it smiling and even laughing, as well as expressing the grimness he showed at this moment. It was a nice mouth, she admitted reluctantly.

      ‘I have to confess,’ he said now, waving the folder, ‘that this is very impressive. And you did come highly recommended.’

      ‘Is that a compliment?’ she asked, eyes wide and questioning.

      ‘Not at all!’ came the swift reply. ‘I’m not in the habit of handing out compliments to people I hardly know. But I can see that you’ll be capable of doing the job I want.’

      ‘And that would be?’ she asked. When his PA had phoned to make the appointment with her secretary, apart from saying that it was a prestigious interior design job for Mr Alexander of Revelation Holdings, no further details had been given. The name Alexander had meant nothing to her. She certainly hadn’t equated it with the Mr Alexander she had done the nannying job for and she was deeply curious as to why he had sent for her.

      Nothing around here needed refurbishing. His office block was modern, immaculate and totally awe-inspiring. All the best quality materials had been used, the colours were muted and restful and the right accents added. And, from memory, his house was the same! Large and impressive and flawless.

      Perhaps he was moving? Perhaps he’d bought a second home? Perhaps his business was expanding? There was no end of possibilities. She waited patiently for him to tell her.