Roberta Leigh - Not a Marrying Man

by Roberta Leigh

  Sara drew a deep breath. 'I'm afraid I can't defend myself because I don't know what you were expecting. But I hope that as a successful businessman you realise it's better to rely on your own judgment rather than on anyone's else.'

  That's exactly what I intend to do.'

  Then I suggest we end this conversation and meet again in the morning in the office.' She went quickly to the door.

  'Haven't you forgotten something?' His liquid tone made her swing round. The necklace,' he said by way of explanation. 'My aunt's, I believe?'

  'I'd forgotten I was wearing it.' Scarlet-cheeked, she put her fingers to it. 'Your aunt insisted I wear it. I didn't want to, but———'

  'I've never known her allow anyone else to wear her jewellery. You have indeed put yourself into a unique position. Miss Vale.'

  'I didn't put myself into it,' she said angrily. 'And I don't like your implication.'

  'Are you usually so sensitive, or aren't you used to having your actions questioned?'

  'I like that remark even less.' She was too angry to even pretend politeness. 'I've worked for Rosalyn for six years and I've never taken advantage of my position. I do publicity and promotions for the company and when necessary I assist Madame Rosa. But I have only done what I've been asked to do. I assure you I have no ambition to run the English branch. As for my wearing your aunt's necklace,' she fumbled with it and, though her fingers were trembling, she managed to unclasp it, 'I've already told you that Madame insisted I wear it tonight. It's the first time I've worn anything that didn't belong to me and I wouldn't have agreed to wear this if I hadn't been afraid that my refusal would have upset her.' She held the necklace out to him. 'Please take it. I'm sure you'll sleep easier if it's in your hands.'

  He made no move to do so as she said and she marched back towards him and thrust it in front of his nose.

  'Take it!' she said angrily.

  Silently he did so and the diamonds winked and sparkled between his fingers.

  'And you'd better have this while you're about it.' She pulled out the diamond slide and her hair fell down like a golden shower round her face.

  His eyes rested on it and the lids lowered. "You are a beautiful advertisement for our products,' he said softly.

  'The colour of my hair happens to be real!' she burst out, and stopped, disconcerted to see his mouth part in a wide grin.

  'That remark got you on the raw, didn't it? But under the circumstances you must forgive me. You exude such an air of packaged perfection that I can't be blamed for thinking your hair was part of it.'

  Her breath caught in her throat and it took her a few seconds to control it. But the time also enabled her to regain control of her temper and when she spoke her voice was icy.

  'I seem to have misjudged you too, Mr Lyn. I thought you had greater perception, but you are obviously so used to dealing with plastic women that you've lost the ability to recognise a real one when you meet her.' She touched her hair as if to emphasise his stupidity, then turned on her heel and left him.

  This time he did not call her back and she was able to reach the solitude of her bedroom. She was in two minds whether or not to pack and return to her own home but then decided against it in case Madame Rosa suspected her sudden departure. The last thing in the world she wanted was to let her employer know of the antagonism that had sprung up between herself and Bruno Lyn.

  Unconsciously her hands came round to circle her throat. The gesture made her remember his cruel gibe about the necklace. How could she work with a man who believed so badly of her? She kicked off her shoes and curled her toes into the thick carpet, wondering whether he had made up his mind to dismiss her or was hoping she would take the initiative and resign.

  'Well, I won't,' she said aloud. 'If he wants me to go he'll have to tell me. I'm damned if I'm going to make it easier for him!'

  CHAPTER FOUR

  In a way that Sara found unexpectedly touching Madame Rosa took it for granted that the two people she held most dear would feel the same way towards each other. Sara did not wish to tell her it was a vain hope. Since Bruno Lyn had been the one to declare war, let him be the one to break the news to his aunt.

  Watching him with Madame Rosa she began to appreciate how deep a bond there was between them, though this did not preclude their arguing. But the man exercised great control—as if remembering Dr Kovaks' injunction that his patient must not be upset—and would get his own way by subtle methods that Madame did not discover.

  Much as she disliked Bruno Lyn, Sara could not help sympathising with him in the difficult task he had set himself; to find someone capable of running the British company was hard enough without having to keep his aunt in ignorance of the fact that he was trying to lessen her control of it. Sara was sure that eventually he would have no choice but to bluntly state his intentions. Madame would rant about it, but she would either give in and go into partial retirement or she would refuse and decide to die in harness. Still, if that was what she preferred to do, what right did anyone have to stop her? If Sara had had a better relationship with him she would have told him how she felt, but knowing that everything she said to him was suspect, she remained silent.

  This made it all the more surprising when, two weeks after his arrival, he called her into Madame's office— which he now occupied—and told her he was not going to look for anyone to take his aunt's place but would remain in England himself.

  Sara swallowed hard. It had been bad enough to think of coping with him for the next few months; to persuade herself she could do so indefinitely was a useless subterfuge. Sooner or later there was bound to be an explosion between them.

  "Why have you changed your mind?' she asked.

  "Necessity.' He glanced at the door as if to reassure himself it was firmly closed. 'I'm playing a subtle game, Miss Vale. You know as well as I do that my aunt won't be happy to have anyone else take over from her here— except me, of course—so that's what I'll do. At least if I'm here she'll be willing to retire. She'll become Life President of the company, and once she is up and about again I'll arrange for her to go on a leisurely tour of all our main offices around the world. She will soon start to see the business from an overall point of view and not concern herself with the aggravating day-to-day running of it. Once that happens I will be able to put in my replacement here and leave.'

  It was a logical plan and would cause the least amount of friction. If Madame Rosa gave up to anybody it was likely to be her nephew and heir. After all, by doing so she was merely doing something in her lifetime instead of at her death.

  'Well?' he asked, resting his hands in front of him on the desk. 'Do you approve r?'

  'Do I need to?'

  'No,' he said frankly. 'From a business point of view I don't give a damn about your opinion.'

  Then why ask it?' Sara demanded, jumping to her feet.

  'Because of your personal relationship with my aunt and because she's bound to talk to you about it.'

  'I'm surprised you were so frank with me, Mr Lyn.

  Aren't you afraid I'll tell Madame you're deceiving her? That you have no intention of making your home here permanently?'

  'We may not like each other. Miss Vale, but I don't believe you would deliberately hurt my aunt.'

  This at least was some concession from him, though it in no way lessened her dislike of him.

  'Do you have anyone in mind to take over when you' finally go?' she asked, knowing that only by talking of company matters could they remain in the same room without coming to verbal blows.

  'We have an excellent man in Sydney who might be suitable.'

  'We've never had a man run the London office.'

  He shrugged. There's a man running Paris and I myself have been in charge in New York.'

  She knew also that during his absence from New York his place had been taken by another man.

  'You don't look as if you approve,' he said bluntly.

  'I don't.' Sara was equally blunt. 'Rosalyn cate
rs to women, and I think women know their own sex better than a man does.'

  'How wrong you are! Women judge other women on themselves, but a man can judge her objectively. And that is the essence of success in the beauty business. To sell dreams to women one must make sure those dreams are firmly rooted in reality. And who better to see the reality than a man?'

  'You don't like the fair sex, do you, Mr Lyn?'

  'No, I don't,' he said dryly. 'But I'm willing to love them.'

  'In their appropriate place, of course.'

  'Exactly. The kitchen or the bedroom!'

  She knew he was openly laughing at her; deliberately over-emphasising his point of view in order to annoy her. But foolishly she rose to his baiting like a trout to a fly.

  'For a modern man your ideas are very old-fashioned,' she said coldly.

  'Don't you believe it,' he said pleasantly. 'Most men think the way I do, but they haven't the guts to say so.'

  'What makes you so brave?'

  'My freedom. No one can tell me what to do or how to think.'

  'One day you might fall in love.'

  His gesture of negation was full of confidence. 'If I can escape matrimony in a city like New York—where you have some of the most beautiful women in the world— I can escape it anywhere.'

  'You might not always be so pleased with your freedom. The young Casanova of today is the old rou6 of tomorrow.'

  He lifted his hands and applauded her. 'Bravo, Miss Vale, very well said! But fortunately for me I would rather be an old rou6 than a henpecked husband.'

  'If Madame were to hear you——-'

  'My aunt knows how I feel.' The smile left his face and his lower lip jutted forward belligerently. 'That's going to be one of my problems in the next six months. She's already starting to matchmake again.' He flung Sara a speculative look. 'It's for that reason that I first went to New York.'

  'Poor you,' she said unfeelingly. 'But I'm sure you'll be able to resist Madame's efforts to marry you off.'

  'You can take a bet on it.' He hitched his chair and pulled a folder towards him. 'I've been going over the advertising suggestions for Something Special. I don't go overboard on them.'

  'It's one of the best campaigns the agency has come up with,' she protested.

  The campaign is fine,' he agreed. 'I was referring to the lipstick. Personally I don't like the product. A lipstick that doesn't come off sounds wrong.'

  'But men hate make-up coming off on their shirts and suits.'

  'Are you speaking from experience?'

  'Must you make everything personal?' she asked crossly.

  'You were telling me a moment ago that the beauty business is personal and that's why women should run it for women.'

  'I stand by that,' she retorted. 'And as a woman I can tell you every woman will be delighted with a lipstick that doesn't leave marks everywhere.'

  'It's those tell-tale marks that lots of men find sexually exciting,' he said softly. 'And since most women wear make-up to excite…'

  He lifted his lids and gave her an intense stare. Even across the width of his desk she felt the magnetic quality of it and pressed her feet firmly on the ground in order to keep herself there.

  'No comment?' he asked softly.

  Sara shook her head and he half smiled and lapsed into silence. Thinking the interview was over, she stood up, but was stopped by a lift of his hand.

  'The agency are coming to see me. Don't you usually sit in on their meetings ?'

  'I do when Madame conducts them.'

  'Then you will go on doing so. I don't intend to alter anything around here.'

  'Don't you?'

  'Miss Vale,' he said sharply, and slapped his hand down on the desk, 'if we are going to work together while I'm here—and unless you resign I see no option for it—you must learn to curb your antagonism to me.'

  'My antagonism to you?' She was too annoyed to care what she said. That's the joke of the year! From the moment I came into Madame's bedroom the night you arrived, you've gone out of your way to show your dislike of me. You have some misguided belief that I should have stayed with your aunt every night and——-'

  'So you should.'

  'I've already told you she was becoming restive at my staying with her. She hates being treated like an invalid. Apart from which I only work for Rosalyn. My staying at the penthouse was something I offered to do.'

  'If you would like to put in for overtime——-' he said cynically.

  Tears filled her eyes and she jumped up and turned her back on him. That's a rotten thing to say!'

  'It was,' he said instantly. 'I'm sorry. Please forgive me.'

  She was surprised by his apology but in no way mollified, seeing it as lip service and not meant.

  'I'm sorry. Miss Vale,' he repeated, and was suddenly directly behind her, so close she could feel the warmth he radiated. We seem to have got off on the wrong foot completely. I suggest we forget what's happened and begin again.'

  She longed to throw his words back in his face but knew it would be unwise. Had he been remaining permanently in England she vould probably have done so, but if he was only going to be here for six months it would be stupid to give up a job she enjoyed doing.

  'Does my apology need so much consideration?' he asked.

  'Yes, it does. I want to make sure I'll be happy to go on working here.'

  'Is being happy in your work so important? But of course it is.' He answered himself. 'Most young women regard the hours between nine and five as a necessary fill-in of their time md bank account. But you regard Rosalyn in a much more personal way.'

  Sara knew he was not being complimentary but was too annoyed to argue with him. Why should she care if he wished to see her as a career girl? Knowing she could not continue keeping her back to him, she turned and faced him. The movement brought them closer and he made no attempt to step away from her but remained close, staring into her face.

  'How come you aren't married? You are very beautiful and very sophisticated.'

  He made it sound an insult rather than a compliment and the antagonism she was trying so hard to reject flared again.

  'Marriage isn't my holy grail, Mr Lyn. There are other things I consider equally important.'

  'Rosalyn?'

  'Why should that surprise you? Your aunt has made Rosalyn her life.'

  'Much good it did her,' he scowled. 'A husband and children would have been better for her.'

  'She had you,' Sara said involuntarily.

  The scowl deepened. 'And trussed me up like a chicken for the oven! It's taken me years to cut the strings.'

  'And that's why you don't like women in your business life?'

  'Exactly.'

  'You have nothing to fear from me, Mr Lyn. I'm not partial to chicken—especially trussed! Too much of them remains underdone.'

  He threw back his head and laughed. It was a deep- throated sound and it relaxed his entire frame, making him look younger than his years.

  A discreet knock at the door heralded the arrival of his secretary whom he had inherited along with his aunt's office. 'Mr Maine and two other gentlemen from the agency are here to see you, Mr Lyn.'

  Tine. Show them in.'

  He moved forward to greet them and Sara sat down and kept out of the way while introductions were made.

  But she had reckoned without Nevil, who came forward to greet her.

  'I called you at home this morning, darling, but you'd left.'

  'I had an early hair appointment.'

  His glance caressed her and because she was conscious of Bruno Lyn watching them with unashamed interest, her cheeks grew warm. It was unlike Nevil to talk to her in such a personal way in front of other people, and she wondered if he were doing it to establish his position with her because of Bruno Lyn's reputation as a womaniser.

  'I've read your suggestions for the lipstick campaign,' the man now running the company said, his tone making clear he was not enamoured of them.

  Nevil w
as quick to react. 'If there's anything you don't like about them, Mr Lyn, we'll be happy to work out something new.'

  'A good advertising agency should be convinced that the proposals they've put forward are the best they can do at the time.'

  There was an electric silence, and though none of the three advertising executives looked at each other, Sara sensed the fear radiating between them.

  'We do believe the campaign we have suggested is the best we can do,' Nevil said smoothly. 'But that doesn't mean we aren't prepared to alter it if you don't like it. After all, you are the c lient and you foot the bill.'

  Sara gave Nevil full marks for his response and waited to hear what response it aroused.

  'You should have enough confidence in your proposals, Mr Maine, to argue me out of any dislike I have of them.'

  Sara bit her lip and decided that the rounds between the two men were equal.

  'Normally I try and do that.' Nevil was speaking again.

  'But as I don't know you, I'm not aware of your personal prejudices.'

  'I try to keep my personal prejudices for my personal life.'

  'Everyone responds to advertising in their own particular way,' Nevil insisted. 'And it's an agency's job to assess the main prejudice of the group of people they are aiming to reach.'

  'You mean this campaign isn't aimed in my direction?'

  "Not unless you wear lipstick,' Nevil said easily.

  'Only what comes off on me!'

  'Personally I think it's an excellent campaign.' Sara gave her opinion for the first time. 'It's factual and clear- cut.'

  Those are adjectives not normally applicable in our sort of business,' Bruno Lyn said.

  'Because one beauty product is rarely better than its rival. But with Something Special we are offering something special. And that's what the advertising says.'

  'We have test marketed it,' Nevil added discreetly, 'and it came over with great impact.'

  'I thought you said your main objection was to the lipstick and not to the campaign itself,' Sara reminded the man who was now her employer.

  'I did say that,' he conceded.

  'You don't like the lipstick?' Nevil could not hide his astonishment. 'It's the best thing that's happened since sliced bread! The first company to come out with a lipstick that won't rub off will sweep the market.'