“Put them over there,” he said, indicating a table on the other side of the room.
Stephanie placed the file folder where he’d requested and turned to leave, but the middle-aged, potbellied man blocked her way.
“Aren’t you and Jonas Lockwood seeing a great deal of each other?”
A plethora of possible answers crowded the end of Stephanie’s tongue. Jonas had mentioned that he’d prefer to keep their personal relationship out of the office, but Stephanie wasn’t in the habit of lying. Nor was it her custom to discuss her personal relationships with a stranger.
“We’re… friends,” she said, believing that Jonas himself must have mentioned her to the other man.
“I see.” With slow, deliberate movements, Donald placed his pencil on the edge of the file he was reading. “How willing are you to be... friends with other Lockwood employees?”
Stephanie stiffened at the insulting way he uttered the word friends. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“I’m quite certain you do.”
Stephanie didn’t know what type of games this middle-aged Don Juan was playing, but she had no intention of remaining in his office. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“As a matter of fact, I won’t. We’re having an important discussion here, and I’d consider it a desertion of your duties to this company and to me personally if you left.”
Stephanie wasn’t much into the office gossip, but she was aware that George Potter had no respect for Donald Black. As the head of the accounting department, he’d been through three secretaries in the two years Stephanie had been employed by Lockwood Industries. From her own dismal experience with her former employers, she could guess the reason Donald Black had trouble keeping a decent secretary.
“I’ll desert my duties then,” she replied flippantly. She turned to go, but didn’t make it to the door. His hand reached out and gripped her shoulder, spinning her around. Stephanie was so shocked that he would dare to touch her that she was momentarily speechless.
“Everyone in the company knows you’re being generous with Lockwood. All I want is a share in the goods.”
Still breathless with shock, Stephanie slapped his hand aside. “You sicken me.”
“Give me time, honey, I promise to improve.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” He grasped her by the shoulders then, intent on kissing her, but Stephanie managed to evade him. With everything that was in her, she pushed against his chest with both hands and was astonished at the strength of the man.
Her eye happened to catch the clock, and Stephanie realized it would be another five minutes before anyone returned to the department. Crying out would do no good, since there wasn’t anyone there to answer her plea for help.
“All I want is a little kiss,” Donald said coaxingly. “Just give me that and I’ll let you go.”
“I’d rather vomit,” she cried, kicking at him and missing.
“You stupid—”
“Let her go.”
The quietly spoken words evidenced such controlled anger that both Stephanie and her attacker froze. Donald dropped his arms and released her.
With a strangled sob, Stephanie turned aside and braced her hands against the edge of the desk, weak with relief. Her neatly coiled hair had fallen free of its restraining pins, and hung in loose tendrils around her flushed face. It took her several deep breaths to regain her strength. She didn’t know how or why Jonas was here, but she had never been so glad to see anyone.
“Clear out your desk, Black.” The emotionless, frigid control in Jonas’s voice brought a chill to Stephanie’s spine. She’d never heard a man more angry and more dangerous. Acid dripped from each syllable. An unspoken challenge hung over the room almost as if Jonas welcomed a physical confrontation.
“Hey, Jonas, you got the wrong idea here. Your lady friend came on to me.” Black raised both hands in an emotional plea of innocence.
Stephanie spun around, her eyes spitting fire.
“Is that true?” Jonas asked evenly.
“No,” she shouted, indignant and furious. “He grabbed me—”
“You didn’t hear her crying out, did you?” Black shot back, interrupting Stephanie. “I swear, man, I’m not the kind of guy who has to force women. They come to me.”
“I said clear out your desk.” Jonas pointed the tip of his cane at the far door. “A check will be mailed to you tomorrow.”
Donald Black gave Stephanie a murderous glare as he marched out of the office. “You’ll regret this, Lockwood,” he muttered on his way past Jonas.
Stephanie could see the coiled alertness drain from Jonas the minute Black was out of the room. “Did he hurt you?”
“No... I’m fine.” Stephanie closed her eyes. She was too proud to allow a man like Donald Black to reduce her to tears.