Helena stared at him. This was arrogance on a grand scale.

‘Trivial formalities,’ she echoed. ‘Oh, I see. You mean the sale is agreed and you’ll take over in a few days. How wonderful!’

He made a wry face.

‘Not quite as fast as that. Sometimes things take a little negotiating.’

‘Aw, c’mon, you’re kidding me. I bet you’re one of those-what do they call them?-speculators. You see, you want, you’re sure to get. But someone’s being awkward about it, right?’

To her surprise he grinned.

‘Maybe a little,’ he conceded. ‘But nothing I can’t cope with.’

It was marvellous, she thought, how amusement transformed his face, giving it a touch of charm.

‘What about the poor owner?’ she teased. ‘Does he know it’s “in hand,” or is that delightful surprise waiting for him as he steps around a dark corner?’

This time he laughed outright.

‘I’m not a monster, whatever you may think. No dark corners, I swear it. And the owner is a woman who probably has a few tricks of her own.’

‘Which, of course, you’ll know how to deal with.’

‘Let’s just say that I’ve never been bested yet.’

‘There’s a first time for everything.’

‘You think so?’

Helena regarded him with her head on one side, her eyes challenging and provoking.

‘I know your kind,’ she said. ‘You think you can “cope with” anything because you’ve never learned different. You’re the sort of man who makes other people long to sock you on the jaw, just to give you a new experience.’

‘I’m always open to new experiences,’ he said. ‘Would you like to sock me on the jaw?’

‘One day I’m sure I will,’ she said in a considering voice. ‘Just now it would be too much effort.’

He laughed again, a disconcertingly pleasant sound, with a rich vibrancy that went through her almost physically.

‘Shall we store it up for the future?’ he asked.

‘I’ll look forward to that,’ she said, meaning it.