Her lack of formal education, or the fact that she came from poor peasant stock, nothing could have been of less importance to him; her exotic beauty stunned him; she had only to smile that first time and he was completely lost. Even Annette… snippy, audacious, envenomed Annette… even she had taken to her immediately, and from the first moment Uncle Gaston had laid eyes on her he had done little more than smile his pleasure.

Of course, the proof of Uncle Gaston's acceptance had come when he'd asked Madeleine to act as family hostess at these Friday night affairs, and he, Antoine, could barely contain his own elation… even now, as he watched her graceful movements beside his Uncle, the powerful little man holding affectionately to her hand, and the manner in which she conducted herself in the presence of Montreal's most elite… as if she had been born to it… filled him with pride and love. God, if only he didn't have this other worry, he thought.

Uncle Gaston had assured him a dozen times that there was nothing to get upset about, but just the idea of Ottawa sending officials over to look at the company books and records had upset him considerably. He couldn't help it; after all, Galaxy Mining, Ltd. was his responsibility, and because Uncle Gaston had entrusted him with its helm he felt more accountable than ever. He had worried himself to the point where he could hardly sleep nights, and of course, the whole thing was having an effect on his and Madeleine's personal lives. Their love-making had become little more than a series of abortive attempts at sex on his part, filling his Madeleine with unsated frustrations, he felt certain, and God Almighty, he didn't know what to do about it.

She was such a vibrant, voluptuous creature; he had only to look at her even in her clothes to feel immediate stimulation and a stirring at his loins, but to enjoy the enchanting vision of her magnificent young body in the rich splendor of nakedness was enough to set him off like a rutting bull.